Monday, March 20, 1978

Traffic rumbled by as Lily stood outside the dress shop, shivering in the brisk spring breeze. She peered up the street, straining for a glimpse of her sister, and her stomach clenched as she spotted a thin figure in a long coat hurrying toward her. Be nice, she reminded herself for the tenth time. Be nice, even if she's a shit. She's your sister. You love her.

"Lily!" Petunia came to a stop in front of her and stood with her hands shoved into the pockets of her coat. Her cheeks were flushed from the cold, and she wore an uncomfortable, overly-bright smile.

"Hi, Tuney." The nickname sounded awkward after so many years, yet it slipped from her mouth before she had time to think about it. The two sisters stood facing each other for a moment, eying each other nervously, before Lily relented and wrapped Petunia in a hug. Her bony shoulder bumped against Lily's chin and her large handbag got in the way; Lily was relieved when they broke apart. Still, the hug seemed to have broken the tension between them, because Petunia's smile lost the forced, tense quality as she opened the door of the shop.

"Come on, Linda and Yvonne are already inside, and Vernon's sister Marge couldn't make it."

Lily didn't miss the slight tightening of Petunia's mouth when she said Vernon's sister. "Is she nice? Vernon's sister, I mean?"

Petunia's thin lips pursed. "Yes, she's lovely. She's a few years older, unmarried, lives out in the country and breeds bulldogs."

Lily raised her eyebrows as they followed a woman with a sleek bun to the back of the shop where two girls sat waiting for them, gushing over a pouffy white dress on display.

"You hate dogs," she pointed out.

"Yes, well, I don't mind them as long as I don't have to pet them or clean up after them," she said impatiently before dropping her handbag into a nearby chair and smiling at her friends. "Linda,Yvonne, so glad you could make it." Lily noticed Petunia's voice rose higher and her accent became slightly more posh as she spoke to her friends. "This is my sister, Lily."

Lily knew within five seconds of meeting them that she was not going to get on with Linda and Yvonne. Linda had a high, grating laugh, which wouldn't have been so bad, except she laughed at everything. Yvonne had a habit of asking questions that sounded innocuous, but her tone and facial expression made her true feelings perfectly clear.

"So, Petunia tells us you go to school somewhere in Scotland," Yvonne asked while Petunia was escorted into a dressing room to try on a glittery tulle monstrosity. "But she never said exactly where."

"Oh, it's just a small school out in the middle of nowhere," Lily said, taking a seat on the edge of the spindly chair where Petunia had left her handbag. Somehow the damn thing took up half the chair. "I doubt you would've heard of it."

"Hmm." Yvonne narrowed her eyes and frowned. "And you're about to finish school, right? Any idea what you'll do after? I work at Grunnings with Petunia. You should consider secretary work, it's lovely." She lowered her voice conspiratorially and added, "There are so many handsome men."

This comment elicited a shrill laugh from Linda.

"It's true," Yvonne insisted. "It's where Linda met her fiancé. Show her your ring, Linda."

Linda glowed with pride as she extended her hand for Lily to examine the sparkling diamond solitaire on her finger.

"It's lovely," Lily said, hoping for Linda's sake that her fiancé was less of a tosser than Vernon Dursley.

"Thanks," Linda said, giggling. "Of course, it's not nearly as big as Petunia's ring. Hers is absolutely gorgeous, isn't it?"

"Er…" Lily experienced a funny sinking feeling in her stomach. "I haven't seen it yet, actually."

"Really?" Yvonne's eyes widened in surprise. "But she's been engaged for ages!"

Before Lily had time to respond, Petunia emerged from the changing room in a swathe of tulle so wide she had to turn sideways to fit out the door. She was greeted by a chorus of squeals and admiring exclamations from her friends, and Lily smiled and agreed, although she thought it might be the ugliest dress she'd ever seen in her life.

"Ugh, it's gorgeous," Linda gushed, her voice rising to a shriek.

"You look like an angel," Yvonne agreed, admiring the long train that Lily imagined tripping over. "Petunia, show your sister your ring. She says she's never seen it!" She shot Lily a disapproving look, as though this should be a crime punishable by death.

"Oh," Petunia said, a smug smile tugging at her thin lips as she thrust her hand in front of Lily's face. "It's rather nice, isn't it? He got it at Danah's Jewelers."

Rather nice was an understatement. The stone stood out on Petunia's thin finger – it sparkled in the soft light of the dress shop, silently taunting the rest of them while Petunia basked in its luster and the status it represented. Even Lily, who had spent most of the past seven years away from the Muggle world, recognized the name of the upscale jewelry store. Vernon must be doing well selling nails or whatever it is he does, Lily mused.

Lily smiled and ran a finger along the smooth stone, then looked up at her sister. "It's beautiful, Tuney. And so is the dress. I'm so happy for you," she lied, just as she had lied when Petunia had sent her the world's ugliest jumper for her birthday, just as she should have back when Petunia had first asked Lily's opinion of Vernon Dursley.

After Petunia paid for the hideous wedding dress thanks to a check from their mother, the two sisters walked to a nearby Italian restaurant after bidding goodbye to Linda and Yvonne. The dress made soft rustling sounds every time Petunia took a step, and after the constant chatter of Petunia's two friends, the silence felt deafening.

"You didn't like my friends," Petunia observed as they stepped inside the restaurant and were ushered to a small table.

"I, er, liked them just fine." Lily slipped off her jacket and took a sip of water, hoping the deceit on her face wasn't obvious in the dim light of the restaurant.

"No, you didn't," Petunia snapped. She ordered a glass of wine from the waiter, then turned a defiant gaze on Lily. "I don't see why. They're perfectly nice."

"Well, you don't like my friends, either," Lily said after ordering herself a glass of wine. She hoped it would be a generous pour.

"I've only ever met Mary," Petunia protested, a prim expression on her face as she sipped her water. "She's alright, just a bit, you know, chavvy." She bit off the last word as if it left an unpleasant taste in her mouth.

"We didn't exactly grow up in Buckingham Palace either, Tuney," Lily pointed out. "I don't think we have room to judge anyone."

"Well, still," Petunia said, making a dismissive hand gesture.

Lily took a grateful gulp of her wine as soon as the waiter set it down in front of her. "Not that it matters, because we're not friends anymore," she continued once the waiter had retreated, "but you didn't like Sev, either."

A dark expression clouded Petunia's features. "That's because he was awful to me. I don't know why you hung around with him. What a nasty, mean boy he was, with that horrible, greasy hair, and his father always shouting at his mother for the entire neighborhood to hear."

Lily shuddered as she remembered the stricken expression on Snape's face when he would escape one of his father's tirades and meet her in the park. The haunted look in his eyes and the bruises on his pale skin had never faded from her memory.

"I don't remember you being particularly kind to him, either," Lily muttered, taking another sip of wine. "And I don't see how his father's behavior was his fault, but like I said, it doesn't matter. We're not friends anymore."

The last sentence sat heavy on her tongue as she recalled their recent conversations. Not conversations, she reminded herself. They were just notes. Still, it felt deceptive to say they weren't friends anymore, and she took a piece of bread and began buttering it to distract herself from the uncomfortable mixture of emotions.

"Did Mum and Dad like him?" Petunia asked, breaking the silence. "Your boyfriend, I mean." Her nose wrinkled in disdain as she said the word 'boyfriend.'

"You know his name, Tuney," Lily said, a slight reproach in her voice. She drained the last of her wine and set down her glass, then cast a hopeful look around for the waiter.

Petunia sighed and fiddled with her engagement ring. "Fine. Did Mum and Dad like James?"

"Yes, they did." Lily met Petunia's gaze defiantly as she reached for another piece of bread.

"Of course they did," Petunia said with a roll of her eyes. "They think you can do no wrong. Of course they like your stupid bloody boyfriend."

Her lips were stained red from the wine and there was a slight flush to her cheeks. She's a bit drunk, Lily realized, and she had to repress a giggle. She had never seen Petunia drunk before, and somehow the idea seemed ludicrous.

"You know, I think you would like him, too," Lily said, smiling and nodding when the waiter appeared and asked if she wanted more wine. "He's funny and nice, and he absolutely hates Severus. You two could start a club."

"Hmm." Petunia pursed her lips and fixed Lily with a dubious look, apparently unconvinced that she could ever like someone who rode a broomstick instead of driving a car. Then she sighed and her expression softened. "Well, I suppose we should meet. Maybe you two could go to dinner with Vernon and me this week." Her eyes widened in alarm as she added, "As long as there's no, you know, funny business."

Lily laughed and sipped her fresh glass of wine. "I'll tell him not to turn the waiter into a frog until after we get our food."

"Lily!" Petunia's head snapped around to make sure nobody had overheard. "Don't say that in public!"

"Alright, alright, keep your knickers on." She traced the faint red ring her wine glass had left behind on the table cloth, then glanced back up at Petunia. "Thanks, Tuney."

Petunia raised her eyebrows. "Thanks for what?"

"For giving him a chance." She hesitated, gathering her courage, then added, "And for giving us another chance."

"Oh. You're welcome," Petunia said, frowning. "Vernon thinks it's a shame we don't get on. He says the relationship between siblings is important."

"Oh, well if that's what Vernon thinks," Lily snapped.

"Shut up." Petunia sipped her wine, then leaned closer to Lily and lowered her voice. "I can't stand Vernon's sister."

Lily laughed and nearly choked on her wine. "I'm shocked."

Petunia shot her a sharp look. "Don't ever tell him I said that. I've told him I adore her. I tried to like her, I really did, but she's sort of horrible." A wicked smile crept over her face. "You'll hate her."

Lily grinned. "I'm sure I will."

"And those dogs," she said, grimacing. "They slobber all over everything. And one of them…" She widened her eyes in indignation. "One of them took a poo in my shoe."

This time Lily did choke on her wine. Pressing a napkin to her mouth, she gasped for breath as Petunia glared at her from across the table. "Sorry for laughing," she said, still struggling to regain her composure. "It's just, I can picture it, and it's hilarious."

"It wasn't remotely funny," Petunia protested. "I had to throw the shoes away. And Vernon had bought them for me!"

"They were probably ugly anyway, then," Lily said before she could stop herself.

"Of course they weren't," Petunia said hastily, but Lily detected a slight twitch of her lips that indicated she was lying.

"Do you want me to turn her into a dog for you?"

"What?" Petunia stammered. "No, of course not." She frowned and gazed at Lily for a moment. "Can… can you do that?"

Lily shrugged. "In theory. I've never done it, but I've done a badger. It can't be that different. I can ask James to do it instead if you prefer. He's better at Transfiguration than I am."

Petunia gaped at her, then pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Under no circumstances are you or James to turn Marge or anyone else into a dog, or any other sort of animal, for that matter." She stared at a speck of wine on the tablecloth, biting her lip, then looked up at Lily and blurted, "Who did you turn into a badger?"

"Mary. It was very funny. The first time I tried I didn't quite manage it perfectly, so she still had her curly hair."

Petunia shook her head in disbelief. "Did she turn you into a badger, too?"

Lily nodded. "She tried to pet me, the idiot. I bit her."

Petunia laughed so hard she almost put her hand in her fettuccine alfredo when the waiter came to deliver their food.

By the end of dinner, they had both finished off another glass of wine, and Lily wondered whether she was too drunk to Apparate as they said goodbye in front of the restaurant. Petunia clutched the bulging garment bag in one hand and her handbag in the other, shivering in her thin jacket. She had insisted on paying the bill, which Lily suspected was meant to show off how successful Vernon was, but she appreciated it all the same.

"I'm sorry you're not a bridesmaid," Petunia said, a note of sadness in her voice as she slung her handbag over her shoulder. "I know it was petty. I just…" She sighed and twisted her engagement ring around her finger. "You've been everyone's favorite our whole lives. You're prettier, and smarter, and more charming, and for once in my life I wanted to be the center of attention."

Lily watched the end of her sister's scarf fluttering in the breeze. "You forgot funnier," she said, a teasing smile on her lips.

"I could add you in, I suppose," Petunia said grudgingly. "But Vernon only has three groomsmen, and then the numbers wouldn't be even."

"Well, I could solve that problem for you if I turn his sister into a dog."

"Lily…"

"It's okay," Lily said, realizing with a start that she actually meant it. "I assume you're going with pink bridesmaid dresses, and I look bloody awful in pink."

"You do," Petunia agreed, a wry smile spreading across her face. "Well, thanks for understanding. I suppose I'll see you in a few days for dinner, then. And remember–"

"No funny business," Lily said, giving her a thumbs up. "There will be absolutely none." She hesitated, then wrapped her arms around Petunia, crushing the garment bag between them. Petunia held herself stiffly for a moment, then relaxed into her embrace.

"Get home safely," she said, then shot Lily a suspicious look. "Are you getting home the normal way, or…?"

"No, I thought I'd ride my dragon home," Lily said, straightfaced. "It's cheaper than a train ticket, you know?"

"You're hilarious," Petunia said with an impatient huff.

"Told you I'm the funny sister," Lily said, waving over her shoulder as she set off down the street. A smile lingered on her lips as she searched for a deserted alley to duck into so she could Apparate home. It could've gone better, she mused, pulling her jacket tighter around herself. But it could've gone a lot worse.

"Prongs, I feel like we just did this last night," Sirius complained. "They loved you and didn't try to shag you, so what's the problem?"

Behind him, James could see the back of Sirius's sofa and a mess of brown curls.

"Hi, Mary," he said, ignoring Sirius. "How's your day going?

"Hi." She gave him a lazy wave. "It's great, except I've just had to Vanish all sorts of rubbish because Black's too lazy to do any sort of cleaning at all."

"Sod off, Macdonald." Sirius lounged back against the couch cushions, carrying the mirror with him. James caught a blurred view of Sirius's flat through a haze of smoke before Sirius propped the mirror against a pillow and his face filled it once more. "Are we meant to be critiquing your outfit, or are you just looking for moral support?"

"Moral support for what?" Mary asked, frowning. "Did you say you're meeting up with just Lily's dad?" Her eyes widened. "Hang on, are you going to ask him about proposing?"

James shot Sirius a reproachful look. "Well, yeah, I am, but I don't remember telling you I was going to propose."

"I was excited," Sirius said, shrugging. "Also, I have a big mouth, and I was drunk. I don't know why you're surprised, Prongs."

"I won't say anything," Mary said, pushing a stray curl out of her face and reaching across Sirius, returning a moment later with a pack of cigarettes. "But bloody hell, I'm excited for you. For both of you."

"Well, who knows," James said, running a hand through his hair. "He could tell me to fuck off."

"Like that's really going to stop you," Sirius said, pulling a cigarette from the pack and lighting it with his wand. "Would you honestly not propose to Evans because her tosser dad didn't give you his blessing?"

"He's not a tosser," James said fairly. "I liked him."

"Then what are you worried about?" Sirius took a drag on his cigarette, turning his head to blow the smoke away from the mirror. "Alright, want to do one more run through with your Muggle money?"

Jame shook his head. "Nah, I think I'll be okay."

"Good luck, then," Sirius said.

"Let us know how you make out," Mary added. "I'll make sure neither of us are naked."

"Appreciate it," James said, grinning before he tapped the mirror to break the connection.

It's going to be fine, James assured himself as he checked his reflection one more time. Under his t-shirt he had tucked the whistle Lily had given him for his birthday last year. He ran his finger along the engraved words, taking comfort from its smooth, familiar surface, before turning on the spot and Apparating into Lily's front garden.

He took a few minutes to clear his head as he strode down the road toward the pub Mr. Evans had chosen. By the time he pulled open the door and peered through the smoky air to locate the man's distinct red hair, he was calmer, although most of that evaporated when he sat down on the bar stool. He ordered two pints, handing over the Muggle money with a self-conscious glance at Mr. Evans, but the bartender gave back his change without batting an eye.

"Look at that," Mr. Evans said, nodding at the pints. "Handled like a real Muggle. You didn't even need to take the class."

"Not bad, right?" James sipped his beer, choosing not to mention the hour he had spent with Sirius, going over the different denominations of Muggle money.

Mr. Evans took a deep drink from his pint glass, then set it down on the bar and fixed James with an expression of mild interest. "So, you may as well give whatever little speech you've prepared."

James paused with his glass halfway to his mouth, his heart pounding. "How do you know I have a speech prepared?"

Mr. Evans shrugged. "I dunno, you just seem the type. Lily told me about the fireworks and the heartfelt speech while your mate played ukulele in midair, and I think that's great. Now, me, I tapped June on the shoulder and asked her if she wanted to go get a drink, and she said yes so we went for a drink and that was that, but everyone's different. Anyway, I reckoned you were the sort to have a speech planned, so you may as well get it out there so you can stop looking like you're about to pass out and we can enjoy our pints."

James gaped at him for a moment, his mind reeling as he tried to gather his thoughts. He did have a speech planned, but it seemed to have fled his mind in the few minutes since he had sat down at the bar.

"Well," he began, hoping the rest of the words would come to him if he started talking. "I dunno how much Lily told you about me before we got together, but I was a bit of a shit. She wasn't exactly fond of me." He grinned sheepishly and amended, "Alright, she sort of hated me."

"She might've mentioned that," Mr. Evans said, nodding.

James swallowed. "Right. Well, I've been in love with her for ages, and I asked her out, er, sort of a lot, but she kept turning me down because, well, because I was a shit. So it continued like this for ages, until one day she told me off in front of loads of people, and it was pretty humiliating."

James paused to take a sip of beer. He still cringed every time he thought about that day. The details stood out in his mind, vivid and brutal: the sting of Snape's hex, the way Lily's green eyes had flashed, the venom in Snape's voice as he spat that awful word at her.

"But then all of a sudden what she had been telling me for years finally got through my head, and I decided not to be a shit anymore. Or at least to be less of one, because nobody's perfect." He ran a hand through his hair and grinned, exhaling some of the tension from his body. "So I changed, and it's mostly because of Lily. She made me a better person, and continues to make me want to be a better person. I'm absolutely fucking mad about her, and I'm sorry for swearing, but I think it's necessary in this case, for emphasis, you know?"

James thought he heard Mr. Evans chuckle, but he couldn't stop now. Now that he had started talking, the words poured out of him in a steady stream, and he was powerless to stop them.

"I know we're young and we're not even out of school yet, and we haven't been together that long, but like I said last night, things are getting pretty bad, and I don't want to wait when things are so uncertain. And I figure, what's the point of waiting, really, when it's always been her? So what I'm saying is, I'd like to ask Lily to marry me, if that's alright with you. If things go as planned, I'm not going to ask her until we're out of school, but I wanted to be prepared to ask sooner, if things start getting a lot worse."

He fell silent, his heart pounding in his ears as he watched Mr. Evans take a sip of beer and blink at him through the haze of cigarette smoke drifting over from the man seated beside them.

"You're, what, eighteen?" Mr. Evans asked.

"I turn eighteen next week," James admitted.

"Jesus," Mr. Evans said, shaking his head. "Are you sure about this?"

James met his gaze and took a deep breath. The air smelled of stale beer and cigarette smoke and fried food, and the everyday scents somehow made James more calm and grounded.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my life," he said, his voice growing stronger.

"If I say no, are you going to ask her to marry you anyway?" Mr. Evans said, grinning.

"Well, yeah." James ran a hand through his hair and flashed Mr. Evans a sheepish grin. "I am. But I figured it was polite to ask first."

They lapsed into silence. On the other end of the bar, a man burst into raucous laughter.

"Alright," Mr. Evans said, and his tone was so nonchalant that James wasn't sure he'd heard right.

"Sorry?" he asked.

"Yeah, you have my blessing," he said, shrugging. "You clearly love Lily, and I think she could do a lot worse — I mean, her sister did do a lot worse, but don't tell my wife I said that. Just do me a favor, alright?"

"Sure, what?" James didn't care what he was about to say. At this point, he would agree to anything, because Lily Evans's father had just given him permission to ask her to marry him. Bloody hell, this was really happening.

"Don't get married this year, yeah? Petunia's wedding is costing a bloody fortune." He took a swig of beer and raised his eyebrows. "Do you have any idea how much flowers cost? Flowers. That you can pick on the side of the bloody road. And they somehow cost more than what I make in two weeks. It's mad."

"I'm not sure when we'll get married," James said, because he was sure Lily would have an opinion about that, and he was all set to leave it up to her. "But you don't have to worry about paying for any of it."

"No, don't be silly, of course we'll pay our share," Mr. Evans said, clapping him on the back. "And if you have to get married this year, of course we'll make do. Just maybe try to talk Lily out of flowers, if you can."

"You don't have to pay a Knut," James said. "I don't know how to say this without sounding like I'm bragging, but my parents have a lot of money. A stupid amount of money, really. And they're happy to pay for the entire wedding."

Mr. Evans gaped at him. The bartender set a fresh pint down in front of him, but he didn't acknowledge it.

"Oh, sorry, a Knut is our smallest coin," James explained.

"What?" Mr. Evans said, blinking at him. "A Knut? Oh…" He shook his head and rubbed the back of his neck. "Your parents really want to pay for the whole thing? What, do they own stock in a magic wand company or something?"

James laughed. "No. My dad invented a really successful hair potion."

Mr. Evans's eyes drifted to James's untidy hair. James followed his gaze and grinned.

"I know you wouldn't know it from looking at my hair, but it's true. You know Lily's friend Mary? She uses about half a bottle of it every day. Swears by it. So anyway, the cost of the wedding is covered, and all you have to do is show up." He drained the last of his beer and added, "But I'll try to talk Lily out of having flowers if you like, just on principle, because you're right, it's bloody stupid to charge so much for something you can pick on the side of the road."

Mr. Evans gazed at him in astonishment for a moment, and then he clapped him on the back again. "Well, thanks. Glad we're on the same page about that. And…" He shook his head again. "Tell your parents thanks. I'd like to meet them, if they're up for it. I could buy them a drink. Do wizards drink beer?"

James held up his beer glass and grinned. "They've been known to, yeah."

Mr. Evans laughed and covered his face with his hand. "Sorry, what the fuck am I saying? Of course you do. I'm just… This is great." He waved at the bartender. "So, now that we've got that part out of the way, let's order some dinner, and then I'm going to tell you all about football and why it's a better sport than your Quidditch."

James nodded and beamed down into his empty glass, too happy to argue that there was no sport better than Quidditch. For now, he would silently agree to disagree.