"It's going to sound silly," Augusta began, guiding Alice into her bedroom, "but I always hoped for a daughter to hand my dress down to." Alice was dressed only in her dressing gown, drawn from her room by Augusta's instruction to get ready.
She'd slept in the guest room as Augusta had insisted she must be there so they could wake up bright and early to get ready. Alice had been stuck in a chair for hours getting her hair and makeup done while her bridesmaids (Mary, Emmeline, and Marlene) giggled at her with glasses of champagne. It was easy to see Alice was hating the whole experience.
She felt guilty now, as the two women stepped into the bedroom alone, about all her dread and complaints. She hadn't even tried on Augusta's wedding dress. She'd lied and told Frank's mother it was because she wanted to be surprised on the day but in all truth, Alice had been terrified of seeing what the dress would look like on her, afraid it might turn her off of the whole wedding.
"Close your eyes," Augusta instructed, Alice standing in the centre of the room. It was a bright, sunny morning, rays of sunlight streaming in through the window to warm the bedroom.
All day Alice had been sick with worry. She hadn't been able to sleep the whole night, tucked away in the first-floor guest room. Augusta had insisted that Alice and Frank not see each other the night before the big day, Frank staying over at the Prewett's for the night.
"Here we go," Augusta said, Alice letting her eyes slowly flutter open. There wasn't a chance to control her emotions. Without any warning a sob escaped, crawling up her throat. Alice flung a hand over her mouth, her eyes filling with tears.
"I take it you like it?" Augusta asked hopefully, a prideful grin upon her face.
"It's beautiful," Alice choked out.
"Well come on then!" Augusta insisted, ushering Alice forward. "Let's get you in it."
Any simple alterations that needed to be done Augusta fixed with the flick of her wand, once Alice had slipped inside of the gown. It was an absolutely gorgeous 1950s style wedding dress. It had a tight bodice with a v-neckline and a full skirt with a long train, all covered in delicate embroidery. The dress's sleeves came down, long and sheer, embroidery along them as well.
"You look beautiful, Alice," Augusta smiled proudly, giving the young woman's hand a tight squeeze. Alice was standing in front of a full-length mirror, staring herself up and down, once, twice…suddenly the petite brunette broke into a fit of tears.
"What's wrong?" Augusta gasped in horror, jumping forward to help save Alice's perfect makeup job.
It was all a little too perfect. When she was afraid that things between her and Frank weren't exactly ideal. When she was terrified their life together might not be as long and prosperous as she'd originally hoped. The only person she really wanted to talk to about it was her mum. She'd have known what to say. She would have sat Alice down on the end of the bed, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and given her just the right advice.
Alice realised, standing there, her whole body shaking with sobs, that she had no one. No mother to smile at her from the end of the aisle. No father to hold her arm as she walked down. She was utterly alone, and suddenly, she missed both of her parents tremendously.
"What do you need?" Augusta asked in a panic, Alice struggling to breathe as she pressed her hands against the dress' tight bodice.
"I need to see Frank," she finally spit out. She could see the resistance in Augusta's eyes - this was not proper, this was not how things were supposed to go, and yet Alice couldn't see any other way to help calm herself down.
"Okay," Augusta finally agreed, her face filled with reluctance. "Okay, ten minutes! He's in his bedroom." Alice nodded with relief, rushing from the bedroom before Augusta could stop her. It was harder getting down stairs to Frank's bedroom than usual, as she trailed behind her a heavy skirt and long train. She felt as though her vision had blurred, the only thing she was able to focus on was finding Frank.
"Who's there?" Frank called out from inside his room after Alice had rapped against his door urgently.
"It's me," Alice replied in a rush. She flung the door open before Frank could get in another word, his jaw dropping at the sight of her.
"Wow…" Frank's hands slipped from their position, fiddling with his tie.
"I needed to see you," Alice confessed tearfully, stepping forward in her large ball gown. She realised as she manoeuvred herself around Frank's room, that she took up twice as much space in her dress.
"What's wrong?" He frowned. Frank opened his arms, Alice falling into them, crying until she'd soaked a small spot of his white, ironed, dress shirt. He didn't say a word as they stood there, Alice practically melting in his arms. The longer she remained, letting all her emotions out, the closer she got to calm. Suddenly, she could breathe again, her face pressed into her husband's chest.
It wasn't until she had his arms locked around her, holding her shaking frame close, that Alice realised she hadn't needed her mother at all. In fact, she'd needed Frank. Somehow, without her really realising it, he'd become more than just her husband. He'd become her family.
"Talk to me," Frank insisted, lifting Alice's chin to face him.
"I really, really love you," Alice told him.
"I know that," Frank promised, pressing his lips delicately to her forehead.
"I'm scared of not being brave enough," she admitted. She was ashamed of it. Alice Griffith was not afraid of anything. She faced her fears with strength and humility and yet, the idea of Frank's family broadening without her shook her to her very core.
"Come here." Frank took Alice by the arm, guiding her towards his bed. She struggled to sit down in her large dress, which took up much more space than the petite witch was used to. Frank disappeared into his ensuite bathroom for a moment, returning with a box full of tissues, which Alice half emptied in two minutes.
"I don't want you to hide from me, okay?" Frank instructed her after a few minutes had passed, Alice's tears calmed down. Alice turned to face him with a weak smile. She felt silly now, sitting in front of him. It was hard to be afraid with a guy like Frank around.
"I didn't want you to think…" Alice bowed her head guiltily. "I don't know…that I was weak or something…"
Frank reached out, grabbing on to Alice's hand, which lay limp in her lap, tightly. "I could never think you were weak Alice. There is no one in the world I think higher of."
Alice dabbed at her moist cheeks with a tissue, feeling a little silly now for all the hysterics. It had just become so overwhelming. The news of Cecily's pregnancy, the large wedding. It had been what she'd wanted to avoid all along.
"I don't want to hide anything from you," Alice began with a deep breath. "So I need, to be honest, if we're going to do this today, the whole shebang, I can't hold onto this mistake anymore." It felt like a heavy weight being lifted off her shoulders. "I…I feel so guilty all the time Frank, and it isn't fair, because if you've forgiven me…really forgiven me…"
"When we got married that afternoon in Donovan's, before this big circus, I'd forgiven you. I forgave you when we kissed in St. Mungo's. You've been forgiven Alice, okay?" He stroked her cheek sweetly, calming her nerves, which were all scrambled inside of her. "You're my wife and I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to move into our home and fill it up with our children. And Cecily? We'll figure it out. I'm scared too, okay? I'm just as scared as you Alice."
"When do you find out for sure?"
"The week after our honeymoon she has an appointment at St. Mungo's."
Alice's stomach knotted. The whole thing made her sick with anxiety. She stared up into Frank's warm brown eyes, love radiating from him to her. She could be as scared as she wanted but she'd never run. It didn't matter how bad it got, she and Frank were a team. No matter what happened, they'd face it together rather than alone.
"I love you," Alice whispered, pressing her forehead against his.
There was a loud knock at the door that interrupted their moment. "Come on Alice!" Augusta's voice urged. "You have a ten minute grace period before the bad luck sets in."
Alice and Frank shared a look, giggling. Little did she know there could be no grace period for a couple already wed.
"You look beautiful," Frank whispered, stroking her cheek.
"Your mum had better fashion taste than I thought." Alice stood up and gave the large skirt of her dress a little twirl. "Although I liked my dress from our first wedding best."
"Thank you," Frank said, towering over her. "It makes her so happy doing this all."
"She's family," Alice reminded him, taking her husband's hands in her own. "That's what you do for family." They kissed, quickly, so as not to disrupt the makeup job which had been done on Alice's face – at least not any more than her tears already had.
"I can't wait to marry you again," Frank said, as they pulled apart, Alice grinning.
"I can't wait to be married to you for the rest of my life."
Sirius, Remus, and Peter had met up early for the Longbottom's wedding (or second wedding), all heading over together. James and Lily had stayed at his place after her sister's wedding and promised to meet the group at the venue.
"This wedding is in stark contrast to the first one," Peter noted, grabbing two flutes of champagne from a floating tray, passing one in Sirius' direction.
"Probably because it isn't taking place in a pub," Sirius reminded his friend, his smile faltering the slightest at the mention of Donovan's. It was hard now to talk about a place that contained so many great memories when it had met a bitter demise…
"I'm going to head into the house," Remus announced to the group. "I don't want Augusta yelling at me for messing up her wedding party."
"Yeah, you don't want bridezilla to murder you. Oh, sorry, I forgot this was Alice's wedding," Sirius joked, cracking Peter up. Remus disappeared towards the house, leaving Sirius and Peter to fend for themselves in the crowd of family and friends neither recognised.
The ceremony was taking place under a large white tent, a line of chandeliers hanging down the middle of it. The front half of it was filled with clear plastic chairs, meant for guests to watch the ceremony from. The altar was scattered with rose petals.
Sirius turned his attention back towards the guests, catching sight of Marlene in the crowd. She was standing at the opposite entrance of the tent, her hands clasped in front of her. Sirius stopped breathing when he laid eyes on her, the rest of the world seeming to blur out of his vision. It was as though the music, coming from the strings band in the front corner of the tent, had suddenly paused, everyone around him freezing.
Her blonde hair was in soft waves that she'd slung over one shoulder. She wore a long light pink dress, strapless, with a lace bodice. Sirius knew little of fashion but he knew that this dress made Marlene practically glow she looked so beautiful.
"You're staring," Peter commented, giving Sirius a friendly poke in the arm. It was nearly impossible for him to pull his gaze away from her as she wandered into the crowd. "Why don't you just go talk to her?" his friend laughed, sipping at his glass of champagne.
"I'm not staring," Sirius snapped defensively. "I wasn't even looking at her…" Of course, Peter saw right through the lie.
"If you don't go talk to her now I'll just call her over," he warned, Sirius narrowing his eyes on his friend.
"You wouldn't dare."
"I would."
"Traitor," Sirius growled as Peter gave him an encouraging shove in Marlene's direction. He was halfway across the tent, wedged in between two elderly women with rather large pink fascinators on when Marlene finally noticed him.
He paused, the pair of them at a stand-still. Marlene fidgeted with her hair for a moment, giving Sirius a look that signalled she felt ridiculous.
Very fit, he mouthed at her across the crowd, Marlene chuckling. He smiled for a moment. In that moment, that short fleeting second of time, Sirius felt truly happy. Then a man, tall, with short curly brown hair, appeared from the side of the room, tapping Marlene on the shoulder.
"You're staring," someone announced, coming up behind Sirius as Marlene slipped out of the tent once more.
"I'm not—" Sirius began, ready to tear apart whoever had decided to pester him. Emmeline grinned up at him; dressed in the same pink number Marlene was wearing.
"He's just a groomsman," she explained to him. "Don't get too jealous."
"I'm not jealous, thank you very much," Sirius replied, in the way only one severely jealous would.
"You know what I just remembered, Black?" Emmeline announced, with an unappealing chime in her voice. Sirius knew whatever came next would not be favourable for him. "I've never had it out with you for that stunt you pulled at the New Years party—"
"Hey, you were a completely willing participant."
"You didn't tell me that you were an item with my friend!"
"She had a boyfriend at the time," Sirius reminded her, Emmeline rolling her eyes.
"Don't screw it up, okay?" she warned, her voice growing low as she leant in close to Sirius so only he could hear her speak.
"There's nothing to screw up, she's leaving—"
"Just fucking wait, okay?" Emmeline sighed impatiently. "She's too heroic to ask you to but if you let yourself fall back into your patterns when she's gone you're going to break her heart, do you get that?" Emmeline's tone had changed so suddenly Sirius could hardly tell if she was being serious. He felt now as though he were being scolded by his mother. "You better not break her heart, Black," she warned him.
"I'll do my best." Sirius suddenly felt very worried for his safety, Emmeline staring at him like a lioness hunting its prey.
"There's my girl!" Gideon came up behind his girlfriend, wrapping his arms around her waist, planting a kiss on her cheek.
Sirius watched the exchange with a sink of his stomach. What if that had been him? Embracing Marlene, smiling like a bloody fool?
"You look beautiful," Gideon announced, his forehead pressed to Emmeline's. It was as though no one else stood in the room.
"Emmeline!" a shrill voice hollered from the opposite end of the tent. Augusta stood there, hands on her hips, a scolding look in her eyes.
"Duty calls," Emmeline whispered to her boyfriend, rushing off while he grinned after her.
"How grateful do you think they are to have had one wedding without her?" Gideon asked with an amused expression dancing across his face like the flames of a fire.
"More than they'll ever admit."
The ceremony had finished. The bouquet had been thrown (although Alice thought it was a sexist tradition, Augusta had insisted). They'd eaten a roast beef dinner and then Frank's uncle Alfred had called them to the dance floor for their first dance as a married couple. Little did any of their family know they'd had this dance long before.
"How're you feeling tonight, Mrs Longbottom?" Frank teased her, Alice grinning like an idiot.
"Shall I take your last name?" she asked him, her hand pressed into his chest as they swayed along, Alice careful not to trip on the train of her dress. The only thing Augusta had given Alice any choice in was the song for their first dance. For that she was glad. She'd chosen A Case of You by Joni Mitchell, despite Augusta's protests for something more fitting. It was just perfect for Alice, who loved the blonde haired crooners music with all her heart.
"Only if you want," Frank shrugged very agreeably.
"Alice Longbottom does have a nice ring to it…" she teased, Frank giving her a small dip to the applause of the crowd. Alice was lifted back onto her feet, her breath caught in her throat. Frank looked deep into her eyes as if reading every thought going on behind them.
"Are you freaking out?" he asked. His face had gone hard as stone. She wondered if he was afraid of the answer.
"Yeah," she admitted. "How about you?"
"I've been freaking out since you told me," Frank let out a deep breath. "We'll know after her appointment, it's the week after we get home from the honeymoon—"
"I don't want to talk about it," Alice told him, shaking the worry away. She'd already spent too long losing sleep over something that may or may not be happening. "Frank, let's just go forward from here, okay? As a team."
"I like the sound of that," Frank nodded, giving Alice a twirl. She returned to face him, her lips turned up in a smile.
"I want you to know that I am yours. From today, for all my days. I love you and only you with every fibre of my being, okay?"
"I know that—"
"Do you?" she asked uncertainly. Frank leant forward, his forehead pressing delicately against hers.
"I know it because it has been true for me since the first moment I laid eyes on you first year."
"You know what?" Alice asked thoughtfully, rubbing a lipstick stain from her husband's chin. "I think I will take your name."
"Oh yeah?" Frank smiled, holding her a little closer.
"I think it's time we made this whole team business official."
James had lost track of Lily, as she'd wandered off with all the girls to do whatever it was they did when they were alone. Instead, he, Remus, Sirius, and Peter had stolen a bottle of Firewhiskey and slipped off down the field from the wedding tent. They were just far enough away that they could hear the music and laughter of people, but their own drunken shenanigans were masked by the wind.
"Give me your glasses," Sirius instructed the boys, wobbling around with the half finished bottle of alcohol. They all obliged, letting him fill their cups up much too high, hoisting his own in the air in motion for a toast.
"To good friends, great hair and even better booze," he announced, James laughing as he threw back his own drink, letting it slosh down his throat messily, the alcohol burning in the pit of his stomach.
"It still hasn't quite sunk in," Remus admitted, lying back along the lawn. It was a clear sky above, stars sparkling brightly. Sirius had made sure at least three times already to remind them that he was named after the brightest star of them all. "We're not students anymore."
"We'll never have another welcome back feast," Peter pouted.
"Yeah Wormtail, I'm sure that's exactly what Remus means," Sirius teased him. "Screw the school, it's the food we'll miss the most."
"For seven years I couldn't wait to be done, and now…"
"It feels strange doesn't it?" James reflected, resting back beside Remus, his half finished cup of Firewhiskey balanced dangerously on top of his chest. "I thought I'd be excited, but really I'm just kind of…"
"Scared," Peter finished for James. The word fit. It was so strange, knowing he'd never get to walk the hallways of Hogwarts again, that everything was finished for good. James had never found goodbyes easy. He was grateful there'd been few in his life.
"I don't know what you lot are talking about," Sirius professed, wobbling to his feet. He paced around the group of them, James waiting for him to go stumbling to his knees. "I, for one, am elated to be free! Those broom closets were not doing it for me anymore."
Remus nearly choked on his drink laughing, James looking over with a grin of amusement. "Got something to tell us, Remus?" he teased his friend.
"Oh, I kept my broom closet hook ups to a minimum throughout my years," he assured them all.
"I bet Sirius has been in every one of them," Peter chuckled.
"Yeah, why don't you tell us which is your favourite, Padfoot?"
"Please, in a month's time you'll all be begging me to let you spend the night at my flat."
"Will we be able to get you alone with the never ending line of girls you'll have?" Remus teased him.
"That is a very real concern, Remus," Sirius agreed, taking a pause in his relentless pacing. The boys all laughed boisterously. James lay back, catching the glimmering light of a few fireflies shooting by above him. In that moment it felt like they'd never be apart. He wanted to bottle up the feeling and never let it pass. Perhaps, if they stayed like this, nothing bad could touch them. They'd be the same four boys they had been in third year, getting in detentions every other day, pranking kids for the heck of it. They'd made a joke out of everything. A part of James wished he could be that boy again…
"There you guys are!"
James shot up, squinting across the field, three figures approaching them. Lily came towards him, her red hair flying around in the ponytail at the back of her head. She smiled, dropping down onto the grass beside her fiancé.
"How drunk are you?"
"Hardly," James shook his head in denial. Of course, she saw right through him. She always did.
He noticed then the burning joint she had dangling between her fingers. Lily lifted it to her lips, keeping eye contact with James as she took a long drag. "Would you like some?" she asked politely.
"Yes—"
"Nu-uh," Emmeline interjected, snatching the joint from between Lily's fingers before she could pass it off. "Trust me, I'm helping you out here. Mixing is not going to help anyone out in the long run."
James pouted like a small child who'd had his candy stolen.
"Come on," Lily urged him, ushering James to get to his feet. "I want to show you something."
"Ohh," the whole group taunted them, Sirius winking at James as he struggled to his feet. He was too drunk to bother giving them grief.
Lily guided him down the backfield, no light to guide their way. James kept a tight grip on her hand as she pulled him forth.
"This better be a good surprise with all the walking I'm doing," James complained, stumbling along.
"Stop the whining," Lily told him. They came upon the old barn house, mostly used now – as Frank had put it earlier – for storage and underage drinking excursions. Lily tugged the door open, pulling James inside.
It was so dark he could barely see her face right in front of him. There were a few fireflies trapped inside that he kept catching sight of, floating around above their heads, flickering small flashes of light. It was musty and smelt of old wood inside.
"What on earth are you surprising me with in this place?"
"Shut up and kiss me, Potter," Lily demanded exasperatedly. She leant forward, taking his hair in handfuls, as they kissed. Long and passionate. The longer they stayed there the more James wanted.
"I just realised I hadn't kissed you all day," Lily admitted, James' lips trailing down her neck. James had never wanted anything in life as much as he wanted Lily Evans. Even now that she was his, a ring on her finger and all, he craved her. Even when her lips pressed against his, he wanted more.
"I love you," James told her, his hands grasping her breasts.
"I know."
Lily crossed her arms in front of her and tugged her dress right over her head, standing there in nothing but her bra and underwear. James was certain he'd died and gone to heaven.
"Get your pants off, Potter."
"What if Augusta walks in?" he joked in a scandalised tone.
"I guess I could just put this back on?" Lily began to slowly pick her discarded dress up off the ground. "Or maybe I should leave this on?" she wondered. She fumbled with the clasps of her bra for a second before tugging it off, baring her naked breasts for James to see in all their glory. "What about this?" Lily asked. She toyed with the straps on her underwear.
James rushed forward, grabbing her tight. He kissed her hard, trying to keep his lips on hers as he struggled with the belt of his jeans. Never had he gotten his clothing off faster. Lily leapt into his arms, naked and warm.
James could hear the echoes of the party from beyond the barn as they went at it, both gasping with pleasure. With her mouth slightly agape, Lily stared into James' eyes. There was something different about the look they shared.
"I love you," it was her turn to say it now, as James was on the brink of the best orgasm of his life. He could barely think let alone speak, his whole body feeling ready to combust, every muscle he contained strained as it prepared itself.
After they'd finished up, and put their clothes back on, Lily gave James that same look again, the one he was certain he'd never received before. He smirked from his spot, leaning against the wall, hands tucked casually into his pant pockets.
"What?" He chuckled nervously.
"Nothing," Lily replied, a shadow of a smile on her face. "Just…thinking about our future."
"Future?" James inquired. The thought of his future with Lily made him feel eternally calm.
"Yeah," Lily nodded, taking his hand in hers. "You're stuck with me forever."
Forever. James liked the ring of that.
Remus entered the wedding tent to find that half of the guests had filtered out. A few couples remained on the dance floor, swaying along to the slow music being played by the string band. They weren't what caught Remus' eye, though. It was Dorcas Meadowes, sat at one of the tables off to the side of the tent, tapping her fingers along the side of a flute of champagne.
"Kind of beats their first wedding, doesn't it?" Remus asked, taking the seat beside her. Dorcas looked up, as though she'd been lost in thought, smiling softly.
"That one was more them," she shrugged. "This is nice, though, I like a good party." Remus looked towards the dance floor, Alice and Frank still out in the centre of it. Alice looked like she was falling asleep, her face rested against Frank's chest. Never had Remus seen her look so content. The sight made his heart soar. All his friend's pre-wedding jitters seeming to melt away in the arms of the one she loved.
"Do you think you'll get married?" Dorcas asked him curiously, her brown eyes studying his face.
"I've never thought much about it," Remus admitted. "It does seem nice though…when you see how happy they are."
"I don't think it's in the cards for me," Dorcas sighed, resting her hand against her face as she turned back to look at the dance floor.
"Why's that?"
"Every long term relationship I've ever had has gone up in flames," Dorcas informed him dejectedly. "Either I work too hard or he spends too much time looking at girls that aren't me. I think it's the universe trying to send me a sign."
Remus took a long pause, fighting back a smile. "Are you trying to scare me?" he asked her. Dorcas turned towards him, her mouth dropping open in surprise.
"No—"
"'Cause it isn't working." She'd have to work much harder than that to make Remus want to run screaming. He was the king of scaring people off, it seemed to be the only thing he was truly successful at.
"I mean, if you think you're bad at relationships, I become a raging monster once a month, that isn't particularly helpful in a long term relationship. Even if I did get married, we could never have kids."
"What do you mean? Werewolves are perfectly capable of having children," Dorcas reminded him, frowning the slightest at his suggestion.
"Yeah, well, I don't think anyone wants to have a child with a werewolf." It was a sad fact Remus had long ago accepted. No one was going to want to risk their child somehow picking up the gene, or to raise a kid with someone who became a hairy monster once a month.
"Maybe you've just been with all the wrong girls," Dorcas sighed. "You can't let your greatest flaws be what defines you."
"Maybe you're right," Remus agreed, his eyes staring intently into hers. "Maybe we both need to choose better people."
"You're such a sneaky little bastard," she scoffed, although he could see he was slowly melting away her opposition. They'd been out on a date already, which had been a huge success if you asked Remus. They'd done nothing but spend a whole evening talking. They went out for dinner and then Dorcas took Remus to her favourite spot along the beach, the pair lying in the sand and staring up at the stars.
"Give me a shot," Remus encouraged her. His confidence was astounding anytime he was in Dorcas' presence.
"This could be an absolute disaster, Remus." She rubbed at her forehead tiredly. Remus edged forward in his seat so their knees were nearly touching.
"I like you," he told her. "I like you more than I've like anyone. I'm willing to risk it, for you, I'm willing to do anything."
Dorcas, whose gaze had been firmly focused on the ground, suddenly stared up at him, her eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you come from?" she asked in awe. Remus smiled proudly, the sparkle in her eye as she looked over at him promising he wasn't the only one who felt like his insides were all tangled up together whenever they were close.
"Is that a yes?"
Dorcas sat there, tall and stiff, her fingers tapping against her glass anxiously. Remus couldn't tear his eyes away from her until he got his answer. "Okay," she answered timidly. Remus fought back a grin.
"Sorry? Can I hear that a little louder?" he teased, Dorcas rolling her eyes.
"You know, maybe I should change my answer—" he didn't give her a chance. Not before he lunged forward, taking her face in his hands, pressing his lips to hers in a moment of passion.
It was the best Remus had felt in months.
Marlene had returned home from the Longbottom's wedding late and crammed herself, rather uncomfortably, onto the couch, she was forced to sleep on for the next two nights. Then she would be gone. Off for three months of travels with Joni, a trip she was equally terrified and excited to take.
"Mar," an urgent voice shook her awake after she'd finally gotten some shut-eye. "Marley."
"Why?" she croaked. She looked up, Amy leaning over top of her, a look of terror in her eyes.
"I think my water just broke."
"No," Marlene shook her head tiredly. Her sister was not due for another two weeks, she was not allowed to go into labour yet, and especially not at that very moment. Their parents were gone for the weekend to visit their grandparents and Alex was in Paris for a few days, sorting things out with his work so he could come to England for the next year.
"Get up!" Amy urged her. With resistance, Marlene pulled herself up, getting a clearer look at her sister, standing behind the couch. She didn't think she'd ever seen her look so terrified.
"Are you sure you didn't just pee yourself?" Marlene quizzed her. She was certain Amy was ready to punch her in the face right there.
"GET MY BAG!" Amy ordered, Marlene leaping up from the couch. Her sister had a hand pressed against her protruding belly as she leant against the back of the couch, taking deep breaths.
Still half asleep, Marlene went running upstairs, rousing Danny from his bed. "AMY IS IN LABOUR!" she screamed at her little brother.
"WHAT?"
"What was the plan? How are we supposed to get her to the hospital? She can't apparate—"
"Alex can drive," Danny told her, shooting up in bed. "He was going to drive!"
"Who do we know that knows how to drive?" Marlene could barely think. Her mind was running in loops as she tiredly tried to come up with a solution. She'd had no plans to be a part of Amy's childbirth experience but now it seemed the situation was unavoidable.
"MARLENE!" Amy cried out from downstairs. Marlene turned to her brother, her eyes wide with panic.
"The Potters," she answered instinctively. "Go to the Potters!" She didn't know what she hoped they'd do. Possibly nothing. But they were the only ones Marlene could think of that might help in the crisis, the only faces she wanted to see at the moment.
While Danny was gone to fetch help, Marlene sat downstairs with Amy, letting her sister squeeze her hand until it felt like every bone in it might break. Her big sister, her role model, about to become a mother. More than ever, Marlene felt everything was changing. She didn't feel like a kid anymore and she realised, with a sink of her stomach, that soon enough, there'd be no one to rescue her. She'd need to become her own hero.
Marlene felt like hours had passed before Danny flung open the front door, frazzled as ever, three figures running in after him. James and Lily came rushing towards the couch, Amy looking ready to murder everyone in the room.
"You brought your friends to watch me give birth?" she demanded in agony.
"Danny said it was an emergency!" Lily gasped. She leant back against the wall, out of breath.
"DANNY!" Marlene scolded her brother, who shrugged helplessly.
"Well, it is!"
"You were supposed to bring Caroline!"
"She's out of town on a retreat till tomorrow afternoon," James explained, looking at Amy as though she were a bomb about to explode.
"I NEED ALEX!" Amy cried, her eyes clenched shut in pain. Marlene turned to look at her little brother urgently, who nodded.
"I'm on it!" he promised, scurrying up the stairs.
"Lily has a car," James announced.
"Yeah, back at my own house, you idiot!"
"There's a car here!" Marlene remembered. "In the garage, my parents have it for emergencies."
"Can any of you even drive?" James asked in utter confusion.
"That's kind of beyond the point right now!" Marlene hollered as Amy grasped her hand with all her strength once more. "The keys are in the ignition!" Marlene informed Lily, who went racing out the front door to track the garage down.
James stayed behind, moving towards Amy's side to help calm her down through the contractions.
"Why did I think this was a good idea?" Amy sobbed, her head hanging down between her legs as she breathed heavily. "I'm going to be a horrible mum."
"Don't say that!" Marlene reassured her sister, rubbing her back comfortingly. "You are going to give this baby the best life," she promised her. "Anyone who knows you and Alex knows that."
"My mum always says that you can tell a good mother by the fear in her eyes when she meets her baby. It's how you know she's going to be the best," James told them, holding Amy's left hand while Marlene kept the right.
"Really?" Amy asked, her eyes filled with hope.
"Well, no, I kind of just made it up, but she would agree!"
"This is the hard part," Marlene reminded her sister, trying hard not to laugh at James. "Once you've got the baby in your arms it'll all be worth it."
"It just…it wasn't supposed to happen like this," Amy admitted, breathing heavily. "I was supposed to be calm and ready and…"
Marlene could feel the anxiety radiating off of her sister. She looked up, catching James' eye. She was glad he was there. She needed him. Despite all the tension and anger that had laid between them the past months, she still needed her best friend.
"Life doesn't care about your plans," James spoke calmly. "All that matters is how you deal with what it throws at you, and you're doing great Amy."
"OKAY!" Lily called out, running in the front door. "The car is ready!" The petite redhead looked incredibly proud of herself, her face lit up with joy.
"Hospital bag!" Marlene ordered, pointing towards the large duffle bag she'd dragged downstairs per Amy's request. Lily threw it over her shoulder, James and Marlene both putting one of Amy's arms around their shoulders, helping her out to the car.
James and Marlene stayed in the back seat with Amy, who cried out every few minutes as a fresh contraction hit. She leaned back against Marlene, clenching her eyes shut whenever a new one hit. Marlene would take deep breaths with her, coaching her through it, while James kept track of the time, making sure they remained more than five minutes apart. They were a team.
Lily parked the car abruptly in front of what looked like an abandoned storefront but was really St. Mungo's. James assisted Marlene in getting Amy inside, who was quickly surrounded by concerned looking Healers. One of them helped her into a wheelchair, getting her name and information quickly. The wheelchair began to move off down the hall on its own.
"Marlene!" Amy cried out over her shoulder. "I need you!"
Marlene paused, looking over at James with fear in her eyes. She didn't want to be alone.
"Don't worry," he spoke softly to her. "We'll be here."
"Thank you," Marlene mouthed at him, rushing off to follow Amy down the hall.
X
Marlene was stuck in the delivery room with Amy for two hours, coaching her sister throughout the process, patting her forehead down with a damp cloth, feeding her ice chips. Watching Amy squirm in the most excruciating pain was nearly impossible to watch, Marlene's stomach tying up in nots anytime Amy yelped.
"Three more big pushes, Amy!" the Healer prompted her. She was a kind woman, with a Spanish accent, and gorgeous dark hair she kept hidden behind a scrub cap. Amy had her legs up in stirrups, her forehead glistening with sweat.
"I can't," her sister admitted in exhaustion. She'd been pushing for the past thirty minutes and Marlene could see the strength beginning to drain from her face.
"Come on," Marlene insisted from her spot beside the bed. "You're so close, Amy. Three more pushes. That's nothing for you."
"I can't," Amy sobbed. Marlene reapplied the cloth to her sister's forehead, helping to cool her down. She was exhausted herself; she could only imagine how Amy felt doing all the hard work. The room felt thick and filled with heat, everyone crowded around Amy's bed.
"Is that defeat I hear?" Marlene demanded. Who could coach Amy through the pain if not her? Without their parents around or Alex to hold her hand, Marlene was the only support she had. "You're a McKinnon. You don't give up. Keep going." Amy stared up at her, her blue eyes glistening with fear, and then she pushed once more, Marlene cheering her on.
The pair of them kept on like that until the sound of a baby's cries filled the room, the Healer standing up from between Amy's legs with a red faced and squirming baby. Amy sobbed hysterically.
"It's a girl," the Healer announced, handing the tiny baby over to Amy. Marlene, glued to her sister's side, couldn't help but break into tears as she watched her hold her daughter for the first time. She was perfect. Ten fingers and ten toes. Her skin was smooth and blemish free.
"She's perfect, Amy," Marlene told her sister, tears streaming down her face. "She's wonderful."
It was the most beautiful thing Marlene had ever seen.
X
Marlene stepped out into the waiting room, still wearing her pajamas, to find James and Lily out there, just as promised. Lily was passed out on James' shoulder, who was flipping through a magazine before Marlene walked over. He woke Lily, Marlene standing before them, smiling like an idiot.
"It's a girl," she announced to them, the pair gasping with joy.
"Everything's good?" James clarified.
"Both of them are perfectly healthy," Marlene nodded.
"You're an auntie!" Lily cried out, leaping into Marlene's arms. "Can we see her?"
"Of course," Marlene nodded, guiding the two of them down the hall towards Amy's room. She'd cleaned herself up since the birth. Her hair pulled up in a bun, she was sitting up in bed now, her daughter cradled in her arms.
"What's her name?" Lily asked, staring down at the tiny bundle in Amy's arms with absolute awe.
"Well, I should probably wait until Alex is here to announce it, but I'm sure he won't argue." Amy looked down at the baby, smiling. "Frances Marlene McKinnon Beaumont."
"That's a good choice," James nodded, his eyes glued to Frances.
"Here," Amy motioned Marlene forward, out stretching her arms to offer her the baby. "I think she'd like to meet her auntie."
It was hard not to have her eyes fill with salty tears of joy as she took her sister's daughter into her arms, so tiny and pure. Marlene clutched the baby to her chest, swaying her in her arms the slightest.
"Hi Frances," she greeted her, the little girl's eyes clenched shut. The world was still a little overwhelming to her. Marlene understood the feeling.
The hospital room's door swung open just then, Alex rushing inside. His hair was a mess and he was panting, as though he'd run the whole way there.
"I'm so sorry Amy!" He apologized profusely. "I tried—"
"It's fine," Amy assured her husband. "I had Marlene." Alex stepped towards Marlene, a look of gratitude washed upon his face. He seemed to get distracted though, his eyes landing instead on the baby in her arms.
"You've got a daughter," Marlene announced, placing Frances delicately into her father's arms. She stepped back, watching Alex and Amy sit upon the bed together, coddling their new daughter. Marlene had never seen her sister so happy and she realized, with a sad smile, that she didn't need her anymore.
"I'll see you at home," Marlene whispered to Amy as she slipped out of the room, James and Lily following.
The three of them walked down the hallway, James wrapping an arm around Lily. Few words were spoken as they made their way slowly out of the hospital and into the street, morning light spilling out from behind the clouds. James yawned widely, stretching his arms above his head.
"How about some breakfast?" he suggested. It felt just like the old days. How many times had Marlene and James found themselves up until the early hours of the morning, slipping into some low-end diner for food.
"Harry's," she suggested. James paused, looking surprised by her positive answer. A slight smile creased upon his face. "He does the best egg and sausage breakfast."
"Can't argue there," James shrugged, the three of them walking off together. Marlene couldn't bring herself, in that instant, to think about the fact that this was the last time they'd be as they were for months, that in a day she'd be gone, off to travel the world. Instead, she looked happily upon her friends, never wanting to miss another moment.
