Chapter 10: James and Lily's Disastrous Christmas Holiday

A/N I'm so sorry about the delayed update guys. See the notes at the bottom for more info about when I am likely to update next and what took me so long. I also included a chapter summary, which I do when I post on AO3. Let me know if you want to me to keep including those in.
Note that this chapter is going to focus mainly on James and Lily, with maybe a dash of Sazzy in there, but really it will focus on Jily because there are canon things that happen to them around now. Also, this chapter picks up soon after the last chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.

Chapter Summary: Lily is really hoping Christmas will go over well as she is going to introduce James to her parents, officially, as well as to her sister and her fiancé. What could possibly go wrong? Apparently, everything, especially since after meeting Petunia and going to her wedding, James finds out that something has happened with his parents. Will he tell anyone? Will he tell Sirius? This Christmas Holiday will be something different than anything any of them have experienced before.

Lily and James decided that they would wait until Tuesday evening to tell the others their plans for Christmas. They wanted to give Sirius some time to be happy before they ruined his mood. After how upset he had been lately, they figured he needed it and deserved it. They weren't worried about upsetting anyone else really since Jasmine already knew (though she might have forgotten) and this wouldn't really affect Peter and Remus.

They decided on doing it after dinner. Though, when they gathered everyone in the common room around the fireplace, naturally the others were confused. That didn't bother James as he proceeded with his and Lily's plan. "We have some news for you all," James announced with a huge grin spread across his face.

"Yes," Lily said rolling her eyes at James's antics. "I have decided to bring James home with me for Christmas. I figured my parents aren't getting any younger. Plus, I don't know when I will get another chance to introduce him to them."

Sirius stared at the two of them. He couldn't believe this. After finally getting back on track with Jasmine, his best friend decides to throw this news at him. James hadn't even given him any kind of warning that he would be abandoning him for Christmas. It was completely uncalled for on James's part. It upset him slightly, but Sirius didn't have it in him to say anything as he was completely shocked.

Meanwhile, Jasmine, who was curled up into Sirius at the moment, widened her eyes. She had forgotten all about her cousin's plans for Christmas. That would mean she would be all alone for Christmas because she wouldn't want to intrude on the couple's time together. Also, Jasmine wasn't sure whether Petunia had planned on coming home for Christmas this year, so it was better she stayed behind so that there were fewer wizards/witches in the house. It would make things a lot easier on the couple. Thus, she would stay at Hogwarts all alone for Christmas, which was the cause of the downcast look on her face.

Sirius, slightly less shocked now, turned to look over at Jasmine to gauge her reaction. This news affected her as much as it did him. But seeing the sad look on her face, Sirius quickly became worried. "Mare, what's wrong?"

Jasmine looked up at Sirius. "It's nothing," Jasmine said at first but changed her mind after seeing that Sirius wasn't buying it. "It's just that I forgot they were doing that. And now I'm going to spend Christmas all alone."

Sirius was momentarily shocked that Jaz already knew, but that disappeared as soon as he glanced over at the other couple. Seeing Lily's cheeks tinted slightly red, he figured it wasn't on purpose, so he had no reason to be angry with them for telling her before they did him. Turning his attention back to Jasmine, he said, "What do you mean you are going to be all alone? Who said you would be alone? Because I am sure that no one said you would be alone for Christmas."

"Well, yeah, but I wouldn't want to intrude on Lily and James, so I figured I would stay at Hogwarts for Christmas. I assume the rest of you are going home for Christmas, so I would be all alone."

Sensing that there was no reason they had to stay any longer, Jams and Lily quietly exited the room. They felt a bit out of place in the conversation and figured that they could catch up with their mates later. Plus, when else would they get this kind of opportunity to have some alone time in the near future. They were going to seize this opportunity while they had it. Thus, they "snuck" out of the common room while the others were distracted comforting Jaz. If anyone asked why they were doing out so late, they would just make the excuse they were making their round. It was reasonable unless they ran into McGonagall or one of the prefects as they weren't scheduled to make rounds tonight.

Meanwhile, Sirius was assuring Mare that she wouldn't be alone for Christmas. "Mare, what makes you think I would go home for Christmas without James? Despite living with James for over a year, I don't think I could go back to Potter Manor without James for the break. It would be too weird for me. It wouldn't feel right. So, there, you won't be alone. You'll have me with you."

Before Jasmine could say anything, Remus interjected with his own plans. "I planned on staying here as well, Jaz. It will be easier for my parents what with the full moon coming up over the break. So, you will have me here as well." Remus had actually planned to go home, but he didn't want Jaz to be alone, and though she would have Sirius, they only just made up.

Peter didn't make a squeak as he was going home for the break. See as Peter wasn't going to say anything, Jasmine stood up from her comfy spot next to Sirius and spoke her gratitude toward the two boys. "I'm so happy, boys. I appreciate that you want to spend Christmas with me, especially you, Pads. After everything we've been through lately, I am glad you still want to spend Christmas with me. You mean so much to me, more than you know, Sirius."

Sirius stood up and pulled his girlfriend into his arms for a hug. He held her close and buried his face into her hair/shoulder. He silently thanked the stars or whatever force brought this girl into his life. He was extremely lucky to have her. Sirius could barely remember a time in his life without her in it. At times, it felt like she had always been there despite that not being true, though he wished she was at times. And Sirius felt the need to share these thoughts with Jasmine, but since his face was currently buried in her shoulder/hair, it was muffled.

Jaz, making herself comfortable in Sirius's embrace, snuggled into him. In Sirius's arms was one of the few places that Jaz felt safe, so she was happy to once again be back in his arms. Though, when she heard Sirius say something, she reluctantly pulled back slightly to ask, "What was that Pads?"

Sirius blushed and looked over Jasmine's shoulder quickly. Seeing that Remus and Peter had already left (Remus had pulled Peter out sensing the intimate moment between the couple), Sirius repeated what he said into Jasmine's shoulder/hair. "You mean a lot to me too, Mare. I'm so lucky to have you in my life and that you even came into my life. I can barely remember what my life was like without you in it. I wish I could tell you just how much you mean to me, but I can't find the words, so I'll just show you." With that, Sirius pulled Jaz into a kiss. This kiss was different from any of their previous kisses; it meant more than those kisses. Also, this kiss was filled with so much passion and feeling behind it. For that reason (and the fact that they hadn't kissed each other much as of late), it quickly morphed into a snogging session with Sirius backing Jaz toward the couch they were once sitting on when Lily and James told them about their upcoming plans for over the break.

About an hour later, James and Lily finally returned to the common room that they believed to be empty. It was a rare occurrence that they were happy to have as this would give them the opportunity to share 1 last goodnight kiss before going back to their dorms without any other eyes on them. It was nice to have this alone time as they haven't necessarily had much of it since they started dating (especially given how popular James and the other Marauders were at Hogwarts). Anyway, they were happy to have this time alone to share a goodnight kiss. Sadly, as they leaned in for that last kiss of the night, a sound interrupted their kiss as well as startled the couple. It startled James and Lily to the extent that they jumped apart.

Upon collecting their bearings, James and Lily looked around the common room to see where the sound came from to see who had interrupted their moment. They saw no one, which they didn't quite understand. Just as they were about to look around, they heard the sound again. It sounded like a snore, and it seemed to be coming from the couch by the fireplace.

James and Lily shared an annoyed look, both annoyed at whoever had fallen asleep in the common room, especially since they ruined their moment. So, seeing as now the moment had passed and that kiss was likely not going to happen, they sighed and went over to the couch to wake the sleeping person. They figured the person would be grateful as the couch wasn't the comfiest place and they would likely wake up with cricks. Though, who they found surprised the head boy and head girl because there on the couch were their best mates, Sirius and Jasmine, asleep. It was a scene that Lily found was quite cute because of how they were asleep on the couch.

Sirius (who was the one snoring) was lying on his back with the pillow against the arm of the couch under his head (the other was on the floor). Lying on top of him was Jasmine, with her head resting just beneath Sirius on the dark-haired boy's chest. Sirius had his arms wrapped around Jasmine, and despite being asleep, his hold on Jasmine was rather tight. It was almost as if he was afraid that Jaz was going to leave or that he was going to lose her.

It was such an adorable little scene, at least to Lily. Plus, the fact that Sirius was holding Jaz so close to him made Lily (and James, sort of) hesitate to wake the couple. Lily was slightly afraid that if they did wake and separate them, Jaz would have nightmares like she had been the past several weeks. Lately (while Sirius and Jaz were still fighting), Jasmine had been having these awful nightmares. She would wake up crying (sometimes sobbing), usually waking up Lily or one of the other girls they shared the dorm with. When one of the others woke up first, they would try their best to help calm her, but they could only do so much, and usually, their efforts were fruitless. Eventually, they would wake up Lily to help. Thankfully, that didn't happen too often, and Lily was able to calm her cousin before she woke any of the other girls. Sometimes Lily would even get Jaz to tell her about her nightmare, which wasn't too often. Though when Jaz did confide in her, Lily learned that the happy marriage that Lily thought her aunt and uncle had, wasn't as happy as she thought. See, Jaz was dreaming (or rather remembering) about her parents, who used to fight and bicker a lot, mainly over the fact that Jasmine's mother felt that her father was keeping secrets from her (which they later found out that he was). They also argued a lot about Jasmine's mother's drinking. Her father believed that she should cut back since they had Jasmine and a wonderful life together. That argument would just lead to Jasmine's mother bringing up the fact that her father was hiding something, so how could they really have a wonderful life together when there were secrets between them.

These fights were a common occurrence throughout Jasmine's childhood, and Jaz hated it. She just wanted her parents to get along and she couldn't see why they had to fight and argue all the time. It got better as Jasmine's 11th birthday became closer. This was in part because Jasmine's father had finally promised to come clean about what he was hiding, to which Jaz's mother had agreed to cut back on her alcohol consumption. Thus, for several months Jasmine was the happiest she had ever been. Things were looking up, but then the truth came out. Despite reeling from the news of her husband, daughter, and niece all being magical, Jasmine's mother was accepting of the news like her sister was when she found out about Lily. She hadn't minded at all (though she had to admit she was a bit jealous), but it was still quite a shock to her. Out of everything that she believed that her husband had been keeping from her, this was not what she was expecting.

So, it wasn't that news that turned mother against daughter and had mother turning back to alcohol and lead to everything falling apart and Jasmine's life crashing down around her. Rather it was the untimely death of her father that caused that because the death hit both mother and daughter quite hard. Jasmine doesn't know because her mother never told Jaz before she died, but Jasmine's father died because of his job, which was within the French Ministry of Magic.

All Jasmine knows about her father's death is the bare minimum. Her mother had written her a letter that told her that her father had died, but that she had best stay at school. It would be for the best since there would be no funeral as his body was not found. Little did Jasmine know, but the real reason for there being no funeral is because his body was being kept as part of an investigation by the French Ministry of Magic. And when they finally released the body, they had already cremated him. She would find out later where her father's ashes were, but that hasn't happened just yet, so for now, she was happily living in bliss.

Anyway, Jasmine and Sirius were still asleep on the couch and Lily had to make a decision. Despite her internal protests, she decided it would be best to just wake them up. They could always go to the boys' dorm and sleep if Jasmine was afraid of having nightmares. She trusted them not to do anything with the others asleep in the same room as them. Plus, James would be there, and Lily knows that he wouldn't let anything like that happen if they did choose to sleep in the Marauders' dorm tonight.

So, Lily shook the sleeping couple awake. "Mina, Sirius. Wake up."

It took a few moments, but eventually, Jasmine and Sirius woke up from their slumber. Upon opening her eyes and seeing Lily and James staring down at her, Jasmine bolted up, nearly falling off the couch in her haste. Her movements startled Sirius since she was lying on top of him, so his eyes popped open as soon as she moved. "Ow, Mare. Did you have to sit up so fast?"

Jasmine, whose focus had been on Lily and James, looked down at Sirius having forgotten that she had fallen asleep with him on the couch after their snogging session. "Oh. Sorry, Pads" She moved off of him. "I was just startled by Lily and James. I guess we fell asleep on the couch, and I wasn't expecting to see their faces when I woke up. I didn't mean to hurt you."

Sirius smiled up at her as he slowly sat up. Then her words registered with him, and he turned to look at James and Lily. "Oh, um, hi guys. What's up?"

Lily and James both rolled their eyes, but it was Lily who spoke, ignoring Sirius's question. "Come on you two, up to bed. It's much more comfortable than sleeping on a couch."

Reluctantly, the couple got up from the couch and started to head toward opposite staircases, but not before giving each other one last kiss goodnight (even with the audience). But before they could head up the stairs to their respective dorms, Lily called out to her cousin. "Mina, if you want, you can just sleep in the boys' dorm tonight." Jasmine turned right around and stared at her cousin. An understanding passed between them. Jasmine understood that Lily suggested that was because of her recent nightmares. And Lily made sure Jasmine understood that they were to do nothing else besides sleep. With that, Jasmine ran over to where Sirius was now waiting for her at the bottom of the staircase. She practically jumped into his waiting arms before they headed up the stairs to the boys' dorm practically clinging to each other.

Meanwhile, James was just watching the scene play out. He figured there was a reason that Lily had made her suggestion, which he figured she would tell him at some point, at least he hoped she would. That wasn't what he was focused on at the moment as he watched Jasmine and Sirius disappear. He was focused on the fact that he and Lily were now alone in the common room. He was going to get that goodnight kiss if it would kill him.

Once Jasmine and Sirius had disappeared, Lily turned her attention back to James, who had reached out to grab her hips. She had moved slightly away from him to wake Jasmine and Sirius, so he wanted to pull her back to him. Lily followed his actions and threw her arms around James's neck. Then, without any further build up, they leaned in for a goodnight kiss. It was short and sweet, but it was enough for the two of them. It was the perfect way to say goodnight. Though, before they untangled themselves from each other, James whispered in Lily's ear "You know you can spend the night in the dorm too if you want."

A shiver ran down Lily's spine. She was extremely tempted to take James up on his offer. It would be nice to spend a night in his arms, but Lily still declined James's offer. "Maybe some other time James." She gave him a kiss on the cheek before finally detaching herself from James and heading up to her dorm for the night. James soon followed her example and went up to his own dorm where he found all of his mates asleep, even Jasmine and Sirius.

The rest of the term flew by and soon before any of them knew it, term was over. The Hogwarts Express would by taking students back to Platform 9¾ that morning. So, naturally, the Marauders' dorm room was in chaos. Now, Peter was already back for break and had actually already headed down to breakfast. He didn't really want to deal with James flipping out over meeting Lily's parents for the first time. He left his other mates to deal with that, which is what they were trying to do and failing because James was still rushing around the room and making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. He wanted to make a good impression on his girlfriend's parents, so forgetting something was not an option.

Meanwhile, Lily and Jasmine were waiting for James and the other boys down in the common room. They had seen Peter who had told them about James flipping out before heading down to breakfast himself. Lily had wanted to go up there and calm him down, but Jaz stopped her saying that she wouldn't help. "Just give them a few more minutes before you head up there Lils. I'm sure the boys are handling this."

A few minutes passed, and Lily was not having it any longer. She was going up there. She was tired of waiting. Plus, if they didn't go down to breakfast soon, they would miss breakfast and eventually the train home. That couldn't happen, or Lily would kill James. So, she marched on up to the boys' dorm and swung the dorm open, which startled the occupants of the room causing them all to stop what they were doing and look over at the entrance to the room. Lily ignored them all except James. She marched right over to him and in a completely calming tone said, "James, you have no reason to worry about meeting my parents. I'm sure they will love you. So, just leave it and come down to breakfast. You have been packed and ready for days. I'll remind you that I helped you pack. You have everything you need for the time being. And if there is anything that you need, we can always pop over to your parents' house and grab it."

James stared at his girlfriend before pulling her in for a hug. In her ear, he whispered, "Thanks, Lils. I needed that." He gave her a quick peck on the cheek before pulling back and releasing her. Then he took her hand and to the rest of the occupants said, "Let's go down to breakfast. Wouldn't want to miss that."

The boys were in shock but followed the couple as they left the room anyway. They almost couldn't believe that Lily was able to calm James down so fast. It was slightly annoying, but you know, whatever works. They were hungry after all.

The rest of the morning went off without a hitch, and soon James and Lily were saying goodbye to their friends as they got in the carriages. Eventually, they were on their way home on the Hogwarts Express. The two performed their head duties while on the train before sitting back and enjoying the rest of their journey to Kings Cross. Lily told James that her parents would pick them up from the station, which unnerved James, slightly, but Lily's presence calmed him.

For the rest of the train ride, Lily and James enjoyed their time alone while they still had it. It was nice to have this time, but James found it just the slightest bit strange because this was the first time since he met Sirius that he wasn't spending the Christmas holidays with his best mate. He missed his best mate, but he was still happy to spend this time with Lily getting to know her family.

Eventually, the train was pulling into the station, and James's nerves were getting the best of him again. He didn't let it show though and put on a confident face. That didn't fool Lily, though, as she pull James close and whispered in his ear, "You have nothing to worry about, James. My parents already love you what with you taking in Mina and everything. They had been worried she wouldn't make any friends besides me since she was coming in so late. So, really, you've got nothing to worry about. Just be your normal loveable self and they will continue to love you."

James pulled back from Lily, just slightly to stare at her. Then he whispered back, "What? I've been worrying about your parents liking me and you are telling me that they already love me?!"

Lily just rolled her eyes and kissed James on the cheek. Then she got up to get her things from above. She was struggling, so James sighed and got up to help her. If Lily was just going to ignore his statement, there was no point in dwelling on it any further. He might as well just get on with it. Plus, now that he knew that Lily's parents already liked him, he wasn't so nervous. He figured that there wasn't much he could do that would change that, at least he hoped that was the case.

So, they gathered their things and got off the train to meet up with Lily's parents. It didn't take them long to find them. As they approached, Lily's parents spotted them. They smiled at Lily, who smiled back. She also squeezed James's hand for reassurance. It was then that James realized that Lily was just as nervous as he was about this first meeting. Though, unknown to James, Lily was actually more nervous about Petunia. Her parents had told her she was planning on seeing them over the holiday. Lily was worried about James meeting her.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans greeted the young couple as they reached them. Mr. Evans took James's outstretched hand and shook it while his wife hugged their daughter. "It is nice to finally meet you, James. We've heard so much about you from the girls."

James smiled at Lily's father as he shook his hand. "It is nice to meet you too, sir, " James said before releasing Mr. Evans's hand. Then he and Lily switched, with Lily moving to give her father a hug and James greeting Lily's mother. He greeted her in the traditional fashion, giving her a kiss on each cheek before saying, "It is lovely to meet you, Ma'am."

Mrs. Evans smiled at the young man who was currently dating her daughter, and she couldn't help but think there was something special about this young man. She could tell just by looking at him that he loved her daughter and that he would take good care of her. "It is lovely to meet you too James. I'm glad we are finally gotten the chance to meet you. I wish we had been able to greet you when you came for my niece's birthday, but it was for the best."

James just smiled back. He wasn't sure what to say to that. And to be honest, he hadn't really been expecting it. Thankfully, Lily came to his rescue. "We should probably get going. Wouldn't want to stand around here all day." And with that, the group headed toward the car, something that James found extremely interesting. He'd never been in a car before, so this was a new experience for him. He thought it was bloody brilliant. The fact that muggles had been able to create something like this without magic was amazing.

L ily found James's fascination with the car quite amusing and adorable. It was incredibly cute at how amazed he was at the contraption, but she wasn't surprised. They didn't really have this kind of thing in the wizarding world, as far as she knew. I mean sure he had helped Sirius with his motorcycle, but this was different.

Eventually, they arrived at the Evans' home. James would have been quick to get out of the car if he had been able to figure out how to open the door. So, instead of James being the gentleman and opening the door for Lily, it was reversed meaning that Lily opened the door for James while trying not to giggle (she was failing). James just huffed indignantly as he got out of the car. Then he went to help Mr. Evans get his and Lily's bags. They hadn't brought their trunks, but their bags were still slightly heavy. After all, they planned to try and do some revising (or at least Lily was) for NEWTs. So, James helped Mr. Evans by grabbing his bag. He offered to take Lily's bag as well, but the older man refused his offer. "Okay, sir, but are you sure you don't need any help. Lily's bag is quite heavy."

"No, it's fine, James. I can get it. Thank you for the offer though. I appreciate it. And if I do end up needing your help, I will let you know." James smiled at the older man and turned to go into the house, where Lily and her mother were currently conversing.

Meanwhile, the girls had already entered the house. Lily was talking to her mother about what had been going on when "it" came up. "It has been absolutely mad around here Lily. What with the wedding planning and such. I still can't believe my little Petunia is getting married."

Before her mother could say anymore, Lily interrupted her. "Wait, what? What wedding, mummy? Are you telling me that Tunnie is getting married? How come no one told me?" Lily felt her eyes filling up, but she refused to cry, so she blinked them away and waited for a response.

It was at that moment that James walked in with his bag. He had overheard the tail end of the chat about the wedding. "What's this about a wedding?" James smiled at the two girls.

"Oh, it is just Lily's sister, my eldest daughter Petunia is getting married in a few weeks. And Lily, dear, we would have told you, but your father and I are still not entirely sure how we can get ahold of you. In the past, you have always sent us letters."

"Yeah, but I'm sure you could have mentioned it in the last letter I sent you."

"We didn't know at that point, Lily. Petunia just sprung this on us a couple weeks ago."

Lily stared at her mother incredulously. She wasn't sure what to say, which left James with the perfect opening. "Well, it is a good thing I packed my dress robes just in case," James joked trying to diffuse the building tension.

Lily giggled slightly and turned to him. "Why would you pack your dress robes? You didn't even know about this."

"Well, I wasn't sure how you did things around here. Plus, I wasn't sure if you still wanted to go to the annual Christmas Ball at Potter Manor with me. I wanted to pack clothes just in case."

Lily lightly slapped James's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have packed a dress, just in case. Guess I will just have to settle for what I have here."

Mrs. Evans chose this moment to butt back into the conversation. "Don't worry dear. I'm sure it will all work out. Besides, Petunia's wedding isn't for a few days. I'm sure we can find something for you before then."

Lily turned back to her mother and smiled. She was much more optimistic about the whole situation now. "Are Tunnie and her fiancé here right now? Or will there be a chance for me to meet this fella who she is planning to marry?"

"They will be coming round tomorrow. You can talk to Petunia about it tomorrow morning. I'm sure she a nd Vernon would be delighted to have dinner with you two." Then her mother left Lily and James to go start preparing dinner. By this point, her father had entered and gave an apologetic look before handing Lily her bag. She took it and turned toward the stairs, which was where hers and James's rooms would be. James followed her up with his own stuff, leaving Lily's father behind.

James would be staying in Petunia's old room as it was transitioned into a guest room after Petunia moved out. She wasn't planning on coming back, at least not for long enough to keep her room the same. Petunia hadn't really been back home as of late. Really in the past year, Petunia had only come home around Christmas, which is when Lily and Jaz stayed with James and Sirius. Due to this, Lily had been starting to miss her sister because, despite everything that she has said to Lily, the redhead still loved her sister. Sure, she had Jaz, but Petunia is still her big sister. Now that Petunia was getting married, Lily hoped they could get back to the way they use to be before they found out Lily was a witch. Because before, the two girls were rather close despite the age gap between them. Though unbeknownst to Lily, Petunia had been jealous of her younger sister's relationship with their cousin. That was a story for another day, though.

Anyway, Lily was looking forward to seeing her sister, but then a thought occurred to her: "James Potter." She knew what he was like, and she knew he didn't like how her sister treated her. Thus, she would have to speak with him and tell him to behave. She would need to do it before Petunia and Vernon arrived the next morning. She figured now was as good a time as any, which is why James was suddenly yanked into a room – Lily and Jasmine's shared bedroom to be exact.

James being James was momentarily stunned, even more so when he realized where he was. He was internally flipping out that he was actually in Lily Evans's bedroom. He could barely believe it, let alone focus enough to hear what Lily was saying to him. He tried his best to calm himself down so that he could hear what Lily was saying to him "–James! Are you listening?"

James shook his head, clearing his mind and focusing on his girlfriend. "Yes. Sorry, Lils."

Lily rolled her eyes and tried hard not to giggle. She failed and a small giggle escaped her lips. "Good. Anyway, since my sister is coming, I want you to be on your best behavior. I know you don't like her after everything you've heard from Mina, but please, for me, give her a chance or at least be civil with her. I love Tunnie, and I'd really like not to fight while we are here. I've missed her since she moved out, and I'm hoping that now with her wedding coming up, things will be different between us. Though I am slightly upset that she didn't let me or Mina know about said wedding. That's beside the point because James since her wedding is coming up, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't upset her too much. I'm hoping we can all go out for dinner tomorrow night, so again, please try to be on your best behavior."

James faked that he was offended. "Me! What could I have possibly done to make you think that I would mess things up with your terrible sister?" James gasped, dramatically and put his hand over his heart as if Lily has stabbed him in the heart. It was his attempt to get Lily to laugh, which was successful as she started giggling at his antics.

"Stop being so dramatic," Lily giggled. "And you know exactly what I mean, James."

"Yes, I do. And for you, I will do my best to try and get along with your sister and her fiancé. I'm not making any promises. Also, if we do end up having dinner tomorrow evening, I'll try not to embarrass you." James paused and Lily smiled. "At least not too much."

Lily's smile dropped and she rolled her eyes. She knew there was a catch. He wouldn't be James if there wasn't. So, instead of being annoyed, she gave him a peck on the cheek before grabbing his hand. Lily led James out of the room to Petunia's old room, now the guest room, which is where he would be staying while they were there. James was slightly disappointed that we wouldn't be staying with Lily in her room, but he figured he wouldn't be. He didn't really want to get on the bad side of Lily's parents, so it was better this way.

The morning when Petunia and Vernon would be arriving was a pretty uneventful one. It was a typical morning where the four occupants of the house sat down around the table and ate their breakfast while they chatted. Mr. and Mrs. Evans really enjoyed getting to know James. He was quite charming and funny. They were happy to finally get to know the boy behind all the stories they've been told, and he wasn't quite what they imagined, but he was lovely all the same.

Petunia and Vernon didn't arrive until late afternoon. There wasn't any fanfare or anything upon their arrival, but there was a great deal of tension as James greeted the engaged couple.

Petunia had just finished talking to her parents when she spotted her sister and a boy she had never seen before. The older sister hadn't been expecting her younger sister, so she was surprised. Though, Petunia thought she might have heard her parents mention it once or twice during their wedding planning. That was beside the point because despite everything Petunia still loved her sister, so she "dragged" Vernon over to greet Lily and the mysterious man standing beside her.

As the couple walked over to them, Lily couldn't help but feel extremely nervous. She really hoped her sister would be cordial to James, and she hoped James wouldn't start anything. So, as the engaged couple came closer, the tension in the room increased.

"Hello, Lily," Petunia greeted. "It's nice to see you. I'm so glad you came home. Perfect timing too, with my wedding coming up. Speaking of which, this is my fiancé, Vernon Dursley. I'm sure you remember him."

Vernon politely held his hand for a handshake but didn't say anything as Lily shook his hand. "Yes, it is lovely to see you again Vernon." Lily forced a smile on her face before introducing James. "Tunnie, Vernon, this is my boyfriend, James Potter."

James, trying to diffuse some of the tension, gave them a disarming smile before shaking their hands. "It is lovely to meet you both. Congratulations on your engagement."

The couple smiled at James as a way of thanking him and said nothing more before moving to leave. Before they could, Lily stopped them. "Wait! I was hoping we could go out for dinner later, Tunnie. I haven't seen you in ages and I would love to get to know Vernon better. He is going to be my future brother-in-law."

Petunia and Vernon shared a look before Petunia reluctantly agreed. "Yes, that would be lovely, Lily." Then the engaged couple left to go find Petunia's parents to talk more about the wedding.

Once they were out of the room, James let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. And as soon as they left, so did the tension. James felt like he could speak freely once again. "Well, that was the tensest conversation I have ever been a part of. Hopefully, dinner will be different because I don't know if I could handle another conversation like that again."

Lily laughed. "Yeah. They were quite terse and proper, weren't they? The exact opposite of you, James."

James laughed along with Lily as they headed back up to their rooms to get ready for dinner that evening. They had decided they were going to let the engaged couple pick the restaurant and that they would all go together in Vernon's car. It was around then that things started to go wrong.

As they all got into the car to go to the restaurant, Vernon started to brag about how fancy and expensive his car was. He was trying to "one-up" James in a way, but it only managed to irritate the other man to the point that he felt he had to put Vernon in his place.

So, in the car, as Vernon kept going on and on about his car and his "wealth", James finally interrupted him. "Yes, the car is lovely, but really this is nothing compared to what my family has." Lily knew exactly where James was going with this. It was not the time to brag about his wealth, so she elbowed him hard in the side, which stopped him but only momentarily. "My family is extremely wealthy. We have a lovely house, with a ballroom and everything. It is quite a big house, isn't it Lils?"

Lily wasn't about to get involved and kept quiet, which gave Vernon the perfect opportunity to retaliate. And before Lily knew it, the two men were arguing. It was an awful row that Lily knew was coming. Both men had egos that wouldn't let them back down, so it lasted almost until they arrived at the restaurant which is when Lily had had it. "You two better stop arguing or so help me God, I will end you both." That shut them up pretty quickly, but it left an awkward silence between them.

Once they were seated and had ordered their food, things had settled, but there was still a tense silence between them. It was quiet for a while as they waited for their food, but eventually, James couldn't take in anymore and tried to start some small talk with the other couple. Thankfully, it worked, and the tension had diminished slightly, but it was still there by the time their food came. Once they finished eating, the topic of money came up again, which led to another row between Vernon and James. This row was much worse than the one in the car and eventually, Vernon and Petunia stormed out of the restaurant, paying on their way out for their meals.

This left James and Lily at the table, with Lily bursting into tears. She was so upset. This was not how this night was supposed to go. She couldn't even entirely blame James either. How could she have ever thought this would work.

As Lily sat there crying, James pulled her into a hug, comforting her as best he could. He rubbed her back while whispering in her ear. "I am so sorry, Lils. I don't know what came over me. I promise I'll apologize to him. I'll make this up to you, I promise. Please don't cry, it will all work out, I promise my love."

The tears abruptly stopped falling down Lily's face as she pulled away from James in shock. "Did he really just call me his love?" Lily thought. She wasn't sure she heard him right, so she choked out shakily. "W-w-what did y-you j-just call m-me?"

James was surprised by Lily's actions until he realized what he had just said to her. "Oh, um, nothing…" James blushed. He wasn't planning on repeating himself, that is until he saw the sad disheartened look on Lily's face. "Aw, Lils. Please don't start crying again. It's okay, my love."

The frown on her sad little face turned into a shaky smile upon hearing him call her that again. "You're my love too, James." Then she leaned in and kissed him. It was only a short peck because she had to pay for the food (James would have paid if he understood muggle money). She would make it longer when they were out of this restaurant.

After paying, James and Lily quickly left the restaurant. They figured that Petunia and Vernon had already left with the car, so they would need to find a different way back to the Evans home. Luckily, they were both of age and could do magic outside Hogwarts, otherwise, they would be stuck taking the Knight Bus, which neither really wanted to take at the moment.

Before they apparated back, though, they decided to give Petunia and Vernon some time to cool off (though they hadn't actually gone back to the Evans home, but rather their own home). So, instead, Lily decided to give James a tour around her hometown. It was a lovely way to end the evening, and both had completely forgotten about the events that transpired earlier that night.

At the Evans house, unbeknownst to Lily, James had a surprise waiting for Lily on her bed. It was a sort of early Christmas gift if you will. James was hoping she would like it.

When the couple finally came back to the house, it was quite late, so Lily's parents were already in bed. Thus, the couple crept into the house and up to their rooms as quietly as they could. They didn't want to wake them up. As they went to their rooms James didn't go to his room. Instead, he followed Lily into her room. He wanted to see her reaction to the gift, which he placed on her bed before they left.

Lily noticed, after a few moments, that James had followed her into her room, and she was about to tell him off, but then she saw the gift on the bed. There laying on the bed was a beautiful gown that Lily was sure hadn't been there before they left. She had never actually even seen that dress before. Lily was sure that she hadn't even owned a dress like this before. It was absolutely gorgeous, but Lily couldn't help but wonder where the hell it came from. She soon found out as she discovered lying on top of the dress, a note addressed to her. It read:

Lily,

A little birdie told me you are in need of a dress for your sister's upcoming wedding. I hope this will do, Darling. Have a wonderful time at the wedding and make sure to keep James in line. I hope you two plan on coming for the ball again this year or at least plan to come to see us. It is quite lonely being in this big manor just the two of us. I would love to see you again, my dear. If you do plan on coming, please tell James to let me know. I'll need to prepare one of the guest rooms for you, dear. I hope to see you soon, Lily darling.

Love,
Euphemia Potter

By the end of the letter, tears were prickling at the corners of Lily's eyes. She couldn't believe it. The sheer kindness of James's mother was something Lily had not been expecting. Nor had she been expecting James to even owl his mother about this. Lily just figured she would go out dress shopping with her mother and get a cute somewhat inexpensive dress to wear for Petunia's wedding. It would have to be something to match all the other bridesmaids, as Lily assumed she was one, though Petunia hadn't actually said anything to her about that. Before Lily could think any further about that, James came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"What's it say?" James asked.

Lily turned around in James's arms so that she was facing him. "Oh, nothing. Just that you are the best and I love you."

James, who had snuggled into Lily with his face in the crook of her neck enjoying the hug, perked his head up real fast upon hearing those last 3 little words. And yet he couldn't help but tease Lily still. "What? Does it really say that? I can't believe Mum would write that."

Lily blushed but giggled too at James's teasing. "No, it doesn't really say that," Lily retorted. "It just says that a little birdie told your mum that I needed a dress and that she is hoping we are planning on going to see her and your dad. Now, I had already assumed we were and that that was the plan, but you best inform your mum, James."

"Of course. I'll owl her in the morning, but for now, it's off to bed." James reached the door before he turned back and finally said it back to Lily. "I love you too, you know. Good night Lils." Then he left for his own room leaving behind a blushing goopy mess of a girl. Lily couldn't believe he had said that so smoothly and just left. She really wished she had stopped him because she desperately wanted to snog James right now. Lily would have gone after him, but she was afraid of being too loud and waking her parents. So, for now, she would have to wait until morning.

Over the next several days before the wedding, Lily and James spent more and more time together. Sometimes it was with Lily's parents, but most of the time it was just the two of them. After finally saying those 3 words to each other for the first time, the couple had gotten closer. They were also snogging a lot more, either in Lily's room or outside of the Evans house. They didn't want to risk Lily's parents finding them sucking each other's faces off. That would be extremely awkward. The only reason they dared do it in Lily's room is because her parents didn't typically come in there and when they did, they typically knocked first.

When they weren't locking lips, James had managed to owl his mother back about him and Lily spending the second part of the holidays with them. She had been delighted to hear that and was looking forward to seeing them.

Also, over those days leading up to the wedding, Lily barely even saw Petunia. It was like Petunia was avoiding her, and she probably was if Lily was honest with herself. She wasn't sure why except maybe because of the disaster that was dinner, but Lily didn't see why that would matter so much that Petunia would start avoiding her. It was rather frustrating for Lily as she wanted to make sure Petunia approved of her dress and Lily wasn't to make sure she was in fact a bridesmaid in the wedding. So, with Petunia avoiding her she wasn't given the opportunity to get any kind of confirmation until Lily finally cornered her sister on her way back from the bathroom to go talk with their parents.

"Tunnie. We need to talk," Lily said, blocking Petunia's path.

Petunia rolled her eyes irritated with her sister's antics. She didn't have time for this. "What is it, Lily?"

"I just want to know if I'm a bridesmaid in the wedding. I have a dress and everything already."

Petunia just stared at Lily as if she was dumb. "You really think I'm going to have a freak like you in my wedding party? You must be delusional." Petunia pushed past her now dumbstruck sister and went to rejoin her parents and fiancé.

James, who had been looking for Lily, found her just as Petunia had left her, dumbstruck. "Lils? Are you okay? What happened?"

Lily snapped out of her daze but was suddenly overcome with emotion. She felt her knees go weak and her legs turn to jelly. As she started to collapse, James caught her. He had planned on just helping her to her room, but then came the tears. Not wanting to do this in the hallway, James decided to just pick Lily up bridal style and carry her to her room. As they made their way to Lily's room, Lily was crying into James as he held her tight and close to him. He could feel his shirt getting soaked with tears, but he really didn't mind.

Upon entering the crying girl's room, James laid Lily down on her bed, or at least he tried to. In his attempt to get Lily off of him, Lily, who was now clinging to James, pulled James down with her. So, currently, James was laying down on Lily's bed with a crying Lily snuggled up next to him. He didn't mind, though, but it broke his heart to see his Lily crying again. He wished he could do something about it, but he didn't even know why she was crying at the moment.

Eventually, Lily stopped crying, but that was because she had tired herself out and had fallen asleep. When that happened, James tried to move away and get up, but Lily didn't like that. Each time James tried to leave, Lily would pull him closer and hold him tighter. Despite being asleep, Lily didn't want James to leave, so eventually, James gave up, and eventually, he fell asleep too with his arms wrapped around Lily.

When Lily awoke, she was surprised to find James in her bed. It concerned her slightly, but then the events from earlier came rushing back and she realized she must have cried herself to sleep. She must have fallen asleep on James, otherwise Lily suspected he would have left.

Lily stared down at James sleeping and couldn't help but think he looked so adorable and peaceful, so unlike how he was when he was awake. And as Lily watch her boyfriend, James woke up, He opened his eyes to find Lily staring at him, which was a wonderful thing to wake up to. "Good morning, love. How was your nap? Are you feeling better now?"

Lily smiled at James. "Actually, it's more like 'Good afternoon' I think, but I'm doing better. I'm not great and it still hurts, but I'm doing better."

"What exactly still hurts? You didn't actually tell me what happened, Lils. I just found you in the hallway staring off into space before you collapsed and started crying."

"Oh," Lily blushed. She thought she had told him. "It's just I finally was able to corner Petunia earlier. I wanted to ask if I was going to be a bridesmaid. I am her sister after all, but she refused. Her own sister! She also called me a freak, but that is nothing new." Lily regretted saying that as soon as she saw the glint in James's eye. He was planning on getting payback. "Don't you even dare, James. I know how you feel about Petunia, but it's not worth it. Just leave it be. We will go to the wedding and have a good time still. I can introduce you to any family that Petunia has decided to invite. It will be great even if I'm not a bridesmaid."

"Okay, Lily. I promise to leave it be. But I still don't like your sister. She is absolutely terrible." James pulled Lily back down on the bed to lay next to him before voicing a thought that had been bugging him lately. "Lils, does Jazzy know about the wedding?"

Lily's eyes went wide as she realized her mistake. "Oh no. I completely forgot. I didn't even think about that James. I'm sure she doesn't know. Oh, I'm such a terrible sister."

"Hey, hey, hey," James said. "You are not a terrible sister to Petunia or Jazzy. I'm sure Jazzy wouldn't even come if she knew. You know she isn't on great terms with Petunia. I think it is for the best that Jazzy doesn't know. We can always tell her later, but I'm sure she won't blame you for not telling her even if for some strange reason she had wanted to come."

Lily smiled. "You're right, James. Mina will be fine." And that was the end of that. They would eventually tell Jasmine, but for now, it didn't really matter. For now, it was just best to keep it to themselves. Besides Jasmine was at Hogwarts enjoying a wonderful holiday with her boyfriend of almost a year. They would soon be celebrating their anniversary and James and Lily didn't want to put a damper on that by telling them about the wedding that Petunia clearly didn't want Jasmine (or really Lily necessarily) at.

Soon it was Petunia and Vernon's wedding day. The Evans house was quite hectic as everyone got ready. Petunia wasn't actually there as she stayed at one of her bridesmaids' houses with the rest of her bridesmaids. So, it wasn't the bridal party getting ready that had the house so hectic. Rather it was Lily. Her mother was helping her get ready and the two of them were all over the place.

Meanwhile, James and Lily's father had already gotten ready and looked sharp in their suits. They would have helped but decided it best to just let the girls do their thing and stay out of the way, which really was the best help they could provide. As long as they stayed out of it, everything would run smoothly. And eventually, a few hours later, both ladies were ready to go. The mother of the bride, Mrs. Evans, was wearing a lovely floor-length gown. It was lovely, but not as beautiful as Lily's, in James's eyes.

When Lily came out, James's draw dropped to the floor. She looked absolutely stunning in the dress his mother had sent for her. She looked so good, James even joked, "I bet you look even better than the bride, Lils."

Lily laughed. "I hope not or else Tunnie'll just kill me."

As Lily headed for James, he couldn't help but admire her. His mother sure knew how to pick a dress. This one, in particular, was especially flattering on Lily, especially since it was emerald green, the same color as her ball gown for the ball last year. That color really just looked beautiful on the ginger. It was a flowy floor-length dress with a slit that went up a bit past Lily's knee. It was also an off-the-shoulder dress, just like her ball gown was, but the sleaves weren't long. Thankfully, Mrs. Potter had sent a lovely sparkling silver shawl to accompany the dress. The shawl perfectly matched Lily's silver heels that she was wearing with the dress. Overall, her outfit was stunning.

When it came to jewelry, Lily went with one of her favorite Christmas presents ever, the necklace that James had given her last Christmas. Then to compliment the necklace as well as the rest of her outfit, Lily had put in her new silver stud earrings to compliment her shoes and shawl. Lily had only gotten her ears pierced last summer, so she was still wearing smaller earrings as to not damage her ears too much.

For her makeup and hair, Lily went simple to save time. She put on some light blush and some shimmering emerald eyeshadow. Then for her hair, Lily curled it but left it down (it was winter after all). This all was quite easy to do as Mrs. Potter had shown her some beauty spells when she stayed over there last winter holiday. She was eternally grateful for that woman and Lily was excited to see her again next week when she and James would be going over to Potter Manor. But for right now, Lily was happy to be seeing her sister get married. Though she was still upset that she wasn't in the wedding, Lily was still happy for Petunia.

Once they were all ready, the four of them got in the car and headed for the wedding. Upon arrival, the couples split up, as Lily's father had to go find his other daughter since he was giving her away. Wanting to see how her daughter was getting on, Lily's mother went with her husband to find Petunia. Meanwhile, James and Lily took their own seats amongst the rest of the guests on the bride's side.

It wasn't long before the ceremony commenced. And what a lovely ceremony it was. Lily was grateful that Petunia had at least invited her to the wedding. By the end of it, she was tearing up. Lily also almost felt guilty about not telling Jasmine about it. She hoped her cousin wouldn't be too upset for not being invited. The guilt didn't last for long though as James squeezed her hand that he was holding before leaning in and whispering, "I hope if we get married one day, that our wedding is just as wonderful as this one. I love you, Lily-pad."

Instead of pulling away as she usually would when James called her that, Lily leaned into James and gave him a peck on the cheek. "I love you too, Jamie."

James almost pulled away upon hearing Lily's new pet name for him. He could barely believe his ears. It was an absolutely ridiculous pet name, but he didn't entirely care at that moment. So, he just went with it and pulled Lily closer to him as they sat through the last bit of the ceremony before heading to the reception.

At the reception, there were a lot of people that Lily didn't know, which made it hard to socialize, but she managed. There were enough of her relatives there that she was able to survive the night. And for the most part, the reception went off without a hitch. Lily and James were having a great time dancing around the dance floor. Though James didn't really know a lot of the songs, he had been forced to learn ballroom dancing. Thus, the two of them were practically gliding around the dance floor during the slow songs. The only downsides were that the newly married couple refused to even speak to them. Also, James heard Vernon several times refer to him as 'some kind of amateur magician,' something James had to ask Lily about. But other than that, it was a wonderful night, that is until James spotted something flying outside. He feared it might be an owl, so he took Lily's hand and led her outside of the venue quickly. He didn't want to cause any more friction between Lily and her sister, especially after dinner the other night.

Anyway, Lily let herself be led outside by James. She wasn't sure what was going on, but she had a feeling it wasn't good, and she was right. After getting several yards away from the venue, where no one could really see them, an owl came swooping down. It was an owl that James recognized, which brought a look of fear to his eyes since it was the Potter family owl. The only reason his mother or father would send him an owl now would be if something has happened. They both knew the wedding was today, so this must be urgent.

As the owl landed on James's outstretched arm, Lily took the letter attached to the owl. Once the letter was free the owl flew away. "Guess they don't want a response," Lily said thoughtfully. She hadn't yet noticed the look of fear in James's eyes, though when she didn't get a response from James, she finally looked over at James. She saw the fear in his eyes and couldn't understand what was the matter. She didn't recognize the owl as she hadn't really seen it while she was at Potter Manor. "James, what's the matter? I'm sure no one saw the owl. We are too far away for anyone to even notice we are here."

James doesn't say anything, just takes the letter from Lily's hands and opens it carefully. As he scanned the letter, Lily was getting increasingly worried. This was so unlike James; he was never usually this quiet. Plus, Lily couldn't shake the feeling that something awful has happened. So, when James dropped the letter, Lily picked it up and read it. She still hadn't gotten a response from James and wanted to get to the bottom of this once and for all.

As Lily read the letter, James stood next to her trying to hold it together. Tears were pooling at the corners of his eyes that he was trying to hold back. He did his best, but they started streaming down his face. Lily didn't notice, at first since she was reading the letter. She actually didn't even look up at James until she read the part that had him crying. When she read that part, she gasped and finally looked up at James. Upon seeing the tears, she pulled her boyfriend in for a hug. "I'm so sorry James." That pushed him over the edge as more tears began to fall and Lily's shawl and dress were getting soaked by tears.

They stood like that for a few minutes, with Lily doing her best to comfort James. She could only do so much, though. Eventually, James stopped crying and pulled back a little bit from Lily. Lily looked into her boyfriend's say hazel eyes and knew just what to say. "James, it's okay. We can go. This is much more important than my sister's wedding reception. And I'll tell you what, we can spend the rest of the holiday with your parents at Potter Manor. Your mother is going to need the help and support while your father is laid up in bed ill. It will be for the best, so let's just go now."

A very grateful James pulled Lily in for a kiss, it was a rather watery kiss, but a kiss very appreciative, nonetheless. They pull away and side-along apparate just outside of Potter Manor. James doesn't waste any time and quickly rushes inside, leaving Lily behind in the cold. She didn't mind though as James wasn't acting like himself at the moment, which was understandable given the situation. Plus, it wasn't long before Lily went after him, walking up to the door and inside the house.

Upon entering the house, Lily is greeted by Mrs. Potter. "Hello, dear. It's wonderful to see you again. I'm so sorry about pulling you away from your sister's wedding. I just felt that James should know."

"No need to apologize Mrs. Potter. I wasn't even part of the wedding party, so I doubt I will be missed from the reception. There wasn't even a choice to stay. When I read that James's father had taken ill, I knew we needed to come here immediately." Lily smiled at the woman standing before her.

Mrs. Potter smiled back. "I appreciate that, Lily. I hope you know that you mean a lot to my son."

"I do, Mrs. Potter. He means a lot to me too."

"Oh, please call me Euphemia or even Effie. There's no need to be so formal."

"Okay, Euphemia." Lily tested out the name. It was weird, but she figured she would get used to it eventually, at least she hoped she would. While thinking about James's mother, Lily realized she hadn't actually told anyone at the reception about them leaving. Plus, she would need to get their things from her house. Thus, she asked Mrs. Potter, "Um, Euphemia, can I have some parchment and a quill? I need to write a letter to my parents about how James and I are planning on staying here for the remainder of our winter holiday."

"Why of course dear." Euphemia Potter went and grabbed some parchment and a quill with ink before returning. "I'll leave you to it, dear. I'm going to go check on my son and husband. You are welcome to join us whenever you like."

Lily smiled as the woman left the room to be with her family. Then she turned her attention to the parchment in her hands. She took them and went to the dining room to sit at the table and write her note to her parents. It was a short note basically explaining that James's father had taken ill and that she and James had decided to stay with his parents the rest of the time. Lily planned on leaving it when she went to go get their things later on. She didn't want to worry her parents, but she also really didn't want to go back to that stupid wedding reception, especially not without James. Everyone would be asking what happened and she really didn't want to have to deal with all those questions.

Without thinking of telling anyone where she was going, Lily left the house to get their stuff. She wanted to give James some time alone with his parents and figured this would be the best opportunity to get their things. So, Lily apparated to her house. She was met with an empty house as her parents were likely still at the wedding reception. Lily took out the note written earlier and placed it on the counter where she knows her parents will see it before heading up to her room and the guest room to get all of their things.

Not wanting to be there for very long, Lily just shoved all of her stuff in the bag she brought it in. Then she moved on to James's stuff and did the same thing. She didn't want to be gone for too long as she wanted to be there for her boyfriend during this difficult time. Plus, she didn't want to chance running into Petunia. So, as soon as she had both bags packed, Lily rushed out of there. Since she now had these bags with her, Lily didn't want to apparate just in case something went wrong. She did not want to be splinched. That is not what she needed right now, so she called for the Knight Bus instead.

It wasn't long before the bus was screeching to a halt in front of her house. Her bag was quite heavy, what with her textbooks and such in it, so she struggled to get it up the steps. Thankfully the conductor offered to help her otherwise they might have been there all night. Once she was situated, she paid the 11 sickles for the ride mentioning where she was going. He was a bit surprised, especially given what Lily was wearing (she was still in her outfit from the wedding) but didn't question it. He just let her take her seat and began the journey. There were a few other people that got off before her, but overall, the ride, as usual, was very quick. Lily was extremely glad that she didn't get motion sick given the ride on the Knight Bus.

Eventually, it was her stop and Lily was happy to get off that god-forsaken bus. The conductor came to help her with her bags, which she thanked him for. As Lily got off the bus, a figure came running from the house. As it got closer, Lily saw that it was James. He had rushed out of the house to meet her. He helped her carry their bags into the Manor. They set them down just by the entrance to be dealt with later, and once Lily's hands were free, James pulled her into his arms. As he hugged her, James whispered into her ear, "I'm so glad you're okay. I didn't know where you went. I feared the worst had happened. Please don't leave like that again. I can't risk losing you too, Lils."

Lily, not expecting the hug was frozen at first but eventually hugged her loving boyfriend back. Though she almost pulled away in surprise after hearing James's words. She hadn't been expecting him to be so worried, but in hindsight, she realized she should have told him where she was going. She hadn't really been thinking about that when she left. But now she realizes that something actually could have happened to her, what with her Muggleborn status and the fact that she had just come from a predominantly Muggle area. So, with that in mind, Lily didn't pull away and instead hugged James tighter wanting to hold him close for as long as she could because she loved him. "I'm so sorry, James. I didn't mean to make you worry so much. I just figured that now was the best time for me to get our stuff from my parent's house."

James didn't say anything, rather he just held Lily close and didn't let go. He nuzzled his face into her neck, which is when it finally occurred to him that they were still in their outfits from the wedding. This was because when he nuzzled into Lily's neck, instead of being met with Lily's skin, James was met with her silver shawl. So, after a few more minutes of hugging, James finally released Lily, and said, "We should probably get changed and get some rest. Mum has already made up your room. You're in the same room you were in last time." Then he took her hand, cast the levitating spell on the bags, and "led" the bags and Lily up the stairs to get some rest.

A/N I am so sorry guys. I meant to have this chapter done weeks ago. I had planned to finish it before Christmas, but me and my ADHD self wanted to do something else. That something else has been 2 different things. So, over the last several months I've been transitioning my fanfiction rec lists into spreadsheets, currently, I'm working on my Harry Potter one, and dam there is a lot of really good HP fanfiction out there (hopefully mine included). The other thing is that I've been especially obsessed with British television. It went from just Britain's Got Talent to a love of all things Ant and Dec (they are the host of BGT for those that have no idea who they are). Anyway, they also host 2 other shows besides BGT and have hosted several other shows in the past, so basically, I've just been watching all of their other stuff as of late. I really love it. And I'm hoping that by watching I might pick up on some British phrases and such so that this fic can be more British and less American. Anyway, sorry for the long note. I just felt I needed to explain myself. Anyway, again, I am sorry this took me so long to write, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

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🍪 Knk6700 🍪