Summer of Love
Lily Evans and her best friend Athena Asimokopoulos head for a vacation in Athena's homeland—Greece. Lily expects a great summer, filled with lazy days on the beach, checking out hot Greek men and eating bizarre Greek food. However, the best part of the entire trip would be NO JAMES POTTER!
James Potter, however, is stunned when he is told he has to go to Greece for his cousins' engagement party. He doesn't want to go at all, but with some persuasion from his mother and Sirius Black, they're off.
Lily is outraged when she sees her worst enemy, James Potter in Greece! She thought she could get rid of him! James, meanwhile, is thanking himself repeatedly for deciding to come to Greece after all.
James is desperate to make Lily fall in love with him before the summer is over, but the question is—can he?
Chapter 21—Back to Greece: 5 years later
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, do you think I'd be writing this? (Didn't think so). I only own Athena Asimokopoulos, her grandparents, Eileen, Stella and other characters you may not recognize.
No flaming please! I really do think that flaming just makes the author of the story feel miserable and that they stink at writing—so no flaming please!
This story is dedicated to THE BIG DANCE, for being my first reviewer. Thanks so much TBD!
--
January 13, 1981
"See James? I told you that coming back to Greece was an excellent idea!" Lily Potter said to her husband, James Potter.
"And you wanted to go to Italy!" She laughed.
"I have to admit," James said, scanning the ocean. "Greece seems a lot more welcoming than it did five years ago."
"That's cause you were headed to Eileen Grias' engagement party." Lily nudged his ribs. "Speaking of which—how is she?"
"Last I heard she divorced George is and living in England with her four children."
Lily raised her eyebrows. "Poor Eileen."
James squinted as the sun hit his face and made the ocean sparkled. "God, the ocean is beautiful." He turned to his wife and gave a cocky grin. "And so is the beach—for many reasons."
Lily blushed and shoved him with one arm. "James!" She said in a scandalized voice.
"Sorry, Lils."
Lily rolled her eyes and cooed gently to the baby boy that was nestled in her arms. "See Harry? Isn't this a pretty view?"
The six month old smiled and made a tiny baby noise.
James ruffled Harry's small mop of unruly black hair—just like his own. "You'll love this place when you're older Harry! It's such a romantic place!"
Lily rolled her eyes. "This is coming from the most unromantic sap I've ever known."
"Oh, shut up Lily. You know you fell for me because of my good looks and charm."
Lily chuckled. "You wish."
James opened his mouth to protest but Lily cut him off saying, "Athena hates us right now—you know, because we're not visiting her."
James grinned ruefully and rumpled the back of his hair (a nervous habit that he hadn't let go yet). "Yeah, I kind of kind forget when she slapped me on the back of the head when Harry was born. How is she doing?"
"Adjusting to married life and being a mother." Lily replied smoothly. "Anna is taking up most of her time and so is Andreas."
Athena and Sirius had broken up in the middle of seventh year. She and Sirius were too much alike and according to Athena, "It was like dating your best friend."
Even though the two broke up, they maintained a close almost brother-sister like relationship. Of course, Athena kept the record for having Sirius for six months—the longest, beating Molly Young.
Once graduated, Athena moved back to Greece where she met and married Andreas Bourkoulas. They were married one after they met and another year later, Athena had a baby girl named Anna.
"Why don't we go and visit her?" James suggested, still rubbing the back of his head, "I know she'll kill me if I didn't suggest it."
Lily laughed. "Admit it, you're afraid of Athena."
"That's putting it lightly. I'm terrified of her."
"Aww, what a baby." Lily made a face as Harry laughed. He liked it when his mother made faces.
Walking down the path, the Potters walked past familiar places. Lily noticed (with a pang of satisfaction) that the café Pegasus was still open. After all, it was an important café. It was where Lily put Niko Asimokopoulos in his place.
Niko had gotten over Lily after she tricked him with that promise not to breathe a word about Athena and Sirius (he still can't say what happened. Lily planned to keep it that way for a LONG time). Now, Niko was married and according to Athena (with a twinge of disgust) was going to have a son in a couple months.
As they walked, James and Lily pointed out the various places they had visited back when they were sixteen.
"Remember that building?" James pointed to an older building. "We hid behind there and spied on Sirius and Athena."
"Didn't they get us back by spying on us the day before we left?" Lily added, remembering how shocked (not to mention angry) she and James had been when Athena pounced on them that evening.
James said nothing, but his slight scowl blew everything away.
--
About ten minutes later, they arrived at a square white house in the middle of a busy area.
"This is Thena's house." Lily said, giving the baby to James. "Let's go."
"Be sure to tell her not to hit me if I start choking." James warned. "I don't think I ever got over the last time she did that to me."
Lily laughed as the three Potters made their way up the walkway. "It's a Greek thing. She was just a tad bit overexcited?"
"A tad?" James asked in a 'you're joking' tone of voice. "She whollopped me!"
"Oh stop being a baby and act more like a man. Honestly, when you get your bones broken in Quidditch, it's no big deal but when my best friend hits you on the back, it's painful." Lily said as she rang the doorbell.
"It is!" James protested.
"Oh shut up."
They only had to wait a few moments before the door opened to reveal a tall, attractive woman with long wavy dark brown hair and brown-green eyes look at them. She was holding a wide eyed, dark haired, dark eyed baby girl, peering at the Potters curiously.
It was Athena Asimokopoulos (Bourkoulas) in the flesh.
Athena's eyes went wide as she noticed the trio.
"Lily?" She gasped. "James? Harry? Oh my god!"
Lily grinned as she and her best friend crushed each other with a hug (well, lightly. After all, Baby Anna was with Athena).
Finally, they let go of each other, tears in each other's eyes.
It was then when Athena noticed James. "James Potter?"
James gave a sheepish grin, still holding Baby Harry. "Hi, Athena."
"My god!" Athena exclaimed. "You're so cute!"
James looked smug. "Well, I definitely know that, but thanks for—"
"No, not you." Athena said, cutting James off, while giving him a disgusted look. "I'm talking about Harry! He's so cute! He looks exactly like James, what a pity—I'm joking, James—just joking. You know I love you—ahh, he has Lily's eyes."
Athena groaned as she looked at Harry's head. "He inherited James' crazy hair?" She asked Lily.
Lily nodded. "It's nuts."
"Hey!" James exclaimed.
Athena rolled her eyes. "Well, anyway, come on in!"
Holding the door open for James, she led them into a comfortable family room where she sat down, still holding Anna.
"So," Athena said, "What brings you two—sorry three here to Greece?"
Lily smiled. "Well, we decided to come back. Actually, I wanted to come back—James wanted to go to Italy?"
"Italy?" Athena looked at James as if he were crazy. "James! Rome may be the city of love but it is here in Greece where you and Lily fell in love."
"Not to mention you and Sirius." James muttered.
Athena grinned. "Yeah—sixteen, seems like an eternity ago. How is Sirius?"
"He's an Auror," James said. "Top notch."
"Really?" Athena seemed impressed. "Always thought he would go for Quidditch. After all, he always acted as if he got hit in the head with a Bludger numerous times."
--
The three continued to talk and remember older times when Athena jumped up and said, "Say! This calls for a picture! After all, how many times do adorably cute babies stay cute and adorable forever? And I need a picture of you two too. The last shot I really have of all of us is when we're seventeen and heaven forbid how much weight I've put on since them."
Lily shook her head wearily as she picked up Harry from the ground. "Athena, I swear to god. You haven't changed a bit."
"I'll say." James said.
Athena thumped him hard on the back. "Atta boy!"
James screwed up his face and glared at Lily.
"Uh, Athena?" Lily asked. "Do you mind not hitting James? He's kind of terrified of you."
James glared. "Lily!"
Athena laughed. "Ahh, I knew you would be. Whatever, I'll blackmail you with that later—now, get in the picture! No, Anna—not you. Not yet."
Running into another room, she got a Kodak camera out and returned.
"Now, squeeze in—get in Lily—I can barely see your beautiful face! That's better! Now, smile and say cheese!"
"Cheese!"
"James, no bunny ears!"
"Damn!"
SNAP.
--
Seventeen-year-old Harry Potter was going through his photo album again when he noticed a picture he had never really noticed before.
It was a picture of his mother, father and himself when he was a baby. They were standing inside an unfamiliar house by a large window where a sparkling blue ocean was behind.
Confused, Harry took the photo album to Remus Lupin, who was in the other room.
"Remus?" Harry asked. "Where is this taken from?"
Remus looked at the picture in Harry's hands and smiled. "This was taken in Greece when you were small."
"Greece?" Harry asked in bewilderment. "Why were we in Greece?"
"Your parents fell in love in Greece. They also visited your mother's best friend, Athena Bourkoulas. She donated this picture."
Remus laughed. "And when you were six months old, they went back."
Remus looked at Harry and said, "James always bragged about that summer."
"That Summer of Love."
THE END.
It's done! It's done! It's done! cries. My very first fic completed!
I hope this was a good ending to all of you!
THANK YOU TO ALL MY REVIEWERS WHO REVIEWED THIS STORY! You really inspired me to write on and continue! ALL OF YOU! You really made my day when I went online and saw hundreds of reviews!
If you really liked my story, check out my other one! It's called 'Dating the Enemy!' Chapter 5 is now in the works and expect an update by the weekend!
Anyway, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
--Greekchic.
P.S. This ending was somewhat unexpected. To me at least.