A/N: I don't own the rights to any of these characters, settings or anything to do with Wizarding World. This is a work of fiction based on
the universe created by J.K Rowling.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN – JAMES
December 1977
Jazz music played softly around the room as James and Lily sat at the table. Lily fiddled with her napkin and glanced around the restaurant anxiously. James watched the waiters move around the floor effortlessly and silently, filling up wine and taking away plates. James looked over at Lily, who was still fiddling with her napkin, reached out and grabbed her hand giving it a gentle squeeze. Lily met James' eyes and smiled.
"Thank you for coming tonight." Lily said.
"Of course." James said, "There's no place I'd rather be."
"You say that now..." Lily said and sighed.
"It's going to be alright. I'll be on my best behaviour. I promise!" James said.
Lily leaned over and kissed James. When they broke apart Lily tensed and her eyes widened. James followed her gaze and found Vernon and Petunia walking through the restaurant. Vernon was a beefy man with no neck and thick black moustache, he walked across the floor with an air of superiority surrounding him. Petunia walked alongside Vernon, her thin arm looped through his, she was a thin woman with a long neck and her blonde hair pulled back into a tight bun. James chuckled to himself and made a mental note to tell Sirius about the striking resemblance they had to a water hog and a giraffe.
As they neared the table James rose and buttoned his suit jacket before extending his hand out to Vernon and gave him a warm smile.
"Evening Vernon, lovely to see you again." James said.
Vernon surveyed him carefully and shook his hand, not returning the smile, "Yes, yes good 'o."
Lily moved around the table and gave Petunia a quick hug. "Hi Petunia, you look lovely."
"Hello Lily." Petunia replied pursing her lips and cast a side glance at James.
Vernon looked around and clicked his fingers at a nearby waiter while Petunia sat down. James pulled Lily's chair back and helped her take her seat again. Lily lifted her hand and gave James' hand a gentle squeeze while it rested on her shoulder. James smiled and sat down looking up to see Petunia staring at the two of them, displeasure written across her face. Vernon sat down as the waiter arrived.
"We'll have a bottle of the best champagne you have. Four glasses." Vernon barked.
"Of course, sir." The waiter replied and disappeared to collect it.
James resisted the urge to snort and smiled at Vernon instead, "Thank you, sounds great."
"Yes well we're celebrating of course!" Vernon replied.
Lily smiled at Petunia, "How's your job going?"
"I finished up there last week actually." Petunia replied and took a dignified sip of her water.
"Oh. Have you found something else then?" Lily asked.
"I'm getting married, Lily. I'll be building a home for Vernon and I and any children that we bring up." Petunia replied.
Vernon nodded, "I'm the luckiest man alive!"
James took a sip of his water and chuckled to himself. Vernon was marrying the wrong sister, as far as James was concerned it was he who was the luckiest man alive. James glanced at Lily who was staring at her water glass. The waiter appeared and opened their champagne. He filled the glasses silently and hurried away. They all raised their glasses.
"To you and Petunia, we wish you all the happiness in the world." Lily said and James smiled.
They all took a sip and James cleared his throat, "Vernon, Lily tells me you're a Junior Executive?"
"Senior Executive now actually." Vernon said loudly and looked around him proudly.
"Right, Senior Executive. Well that's brilliant." James said.
"Yes it's quite an achievement for someone of my age. And at Grunnings too, but of course you would have heard about Grunnings already." Vernon said.
"Sorry, no." James said.
Petunia narrowed her eyes, "Vernon's done very well for himself at Grunnings. He's running their South Britain offices now."
"Well done Vernon." Lily said and took another sip of her champagne, "Petunia, how's the wedding planning been for you? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Well everything is arranged. It's going to be the most wonderful day. I used a little of the money Mother and Father left me but Vernon's family has graciously paid for most of it." Petunia said and smiled at Vernon.
"Oh yes, the very best for our big day! Big church wedding followed by a sophisticated reception. It's top hat and tails of course. We have a harp player don't we Petunia and the most elegant table settings!" Vernon boasted, "Petunia is already a daughter to my parents. They were more than happy to help out."
"That's so lovely of them." Lily said, "I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at the wedding."
"Yes well Marjorie, Vernon's sister, is a bridesmaid and Jackie from my school days. In pink of course. Jackie's little boy and two girls are our flower girls and page boy. They just look so adorable in their outfits." Petunia said and took a sip of her champagne.
Silence hung over the table and James eyed Lily carefully as she stared at her champagne. James could tell she was upset. He reached out and squeezed her hand. Lily placed her other hand on top of his and looked up at Petunia again.
"So just two bridesmaids then, Marjorie and Jackie?" Lily said quietly.
"Well who else was I going to have? Two is a nice even number. It will work well for the photos." Petunia replied and pursed her lips.
James opened his mouth and closed it again. He felt anger burning under his skin. Petunia must have known it would hurt Lily to be left out of her sister's wedding, especially after losing her parents only a few months ago. James picked up his glass and finished the remaining champagne. Vernon sat up a little taller in his chair and eyed James.
"We drove here in an Aston Martin did you know?" Vernon boasted and Petunia beamed at him, "Of course now that I am a Senior Executive I can afford a car like that. What sort of vehicle do you have, Jeremy?"
"I've got a Silver Arrow. And it's James by the way." James said and poured himself another glass of champagne.
"A Silver Arrow?" Vernon said, "Is that some foreign car manufacturer? You can't be trusting foreigners these days!"
"It's a broomstick actually." James said and gulped more champagne, "A true front runner in the racing brooms. Incredibly fast and beautiful to navigate."
Vernon stared at James, a vein in his temple beginning to show, "A broomstick. Yes, Petunia told me you two went to a school that taught you what? How to change teapots into a rabbits!"
"They teach us a bit more than that, Vernon." James replied and raised his eyebrows.
Vernon smirked to himself and gulped his champagne, "But of course, your lot can't exactly be well educated. You'd have to be on some sort of unemployed benefit once you graduate!"
Lily stretched her hand out to James who chuckled and smiled at Vernon, "Good thing my family have a large pile of gold in Gringotts then!"
Vernon's face began to turn a shade of purple as he spluttered and turned to Petunia who glared at James. Vernon looked back at James and banged his fists on the table. Lily jumped in her seat.
"I will not sit here and be taken for a fool!" Vernon grunted, "Pile of gold, what a load of tosh!"
"Vernon I promise you I'm not joking, my family-" James began to say but Vernon rose from the table.
"Now that is enough! Petunia dear, I cannot sit at this table with these people for another minute!" Vernon said and waved his hand at a nearby waiter and threw a wad of money at him, "For the champagne, keep the change. We won't be staying for our meal after all."
The waiter nodded at Vernon and began to clear the table. Petunia narrowed her eyes at James and Lily and rose from the table. Lily lent forward and reached out for her sister, taking her hand.
"Tuney-" Lily began but Petunia yanked her hand away from Lily, "Sorry, Petunia. Please don't go. We can work this out. Please."
Petunia stared down her nose at Lily, "I can see now that this evening was a mistake."
Lily slumped back in her chair and began to cry as Vernon and Petunia stormed out of the restaurant. James stared after Vernon and Petunia, anger boiling in his chest mixed with guilt. He had promised Lily he would be on his best behaviour tonight and instead he stirred up Vernon. Though, James thought to himself, Vernon and Petunia would have found some other reason to leave he was sure of it. Perhaps it was better it was because of James, he would hate for Lily to think she had done something wrong.
James moved his chair closer to Lily and wrapped his arm around her. Lily leant into James and cried on his shoulder. James would give anything to give Lily the family she deserved, to bring her parents back to her so she could feel the warmth and love from her family again. It broke James' heart to see her so rejected and looked down upon by her sister and her good for nothing husband to be. Lily lifted her head and gazed at James.
"Can we go, please?" Lily whispered, more tears streaming down her face.
"Of course we can, Evans." James replied, rising from his seat to help Lily out from the table.
James led Lily through the restaurant to collect their coats before escorting her outside to the cold winter evening. James wrapped his arm around Lily and led her down the street, their hotel was only a few blocks away. Lily was silent as they walked along the street, James kept sneaking glances at her only to see her distraught each time. His heart ached. When they reached their hotel room Lily crawled into bed and began to cry again.
James walked around to her and carefully took her shoes off and placed them in the wardrobe. He came back to the bed and gently tugged off her coat. Lily began to drift off to sleep, her breath ragged and full of pain, so James pulled the blanket over her and disappeared into the bathroom to steady himself. James leaned against the bathroom counter and closed his eyes. He tried to think of a way to remedy the situation and shuddered at the thought of reaching out to Vernon and Petunia. James turned on the tap and splashed his face with cool water and stared into the mirror. If nothing else, he would always make sure Lily knew she was loved. Never again should she be subjected to that kind of rejection and judgement. James sighed and shrugged out of his dinner jacket, tiptoed out the bathroom and draped his jacket over the chair in the corner of the room. He kicked off his shoes and removed his shirt and trousers before flicking his wand at the lamp to switch it off. James climbed into the bed slowly and wrapped his arm around Lily, who was fast asleep, and held her close to him. Tomorrow they had arranged to be tourists for the day; he hoped a day of Muggle sightseeing at the Tower and around the streets of London would cheer her up. But as James lay there he began to concoct plans for the evening that he knew would take her mind of things. James drifted off to sleep with a smile on his face, he was sure this time tomorrow things would be different for them.
The next day James and Lily walked the streets of London and James revelled in seeing Lily's face light up at all the historic buildings they visited. In the Tower of London Lily led James around, telling him of all the history and especially the tale of Anne Boleyn and King Henry VIII. James hung on every word that left her lips and happily let her drag him around and see every part. When they finally arrived back to their hotel room Lily froze by the bed eyeing the silver and black package that rested there.
James picked up the package and handed it to Lily, "It's not your Christmas present... But I have arranged a few things for tonight. I had the concierge pick this up for you."
Lily eyed James carefully and took the package from him, "What are we doing?"
"You'll see." James replied and kissed Lily, "Take your time getting ready, we don't need to leave for another hour and a half."
Lily beamed at James, "You spoil me."
"You deserve it." James said and grinned.
Lily hurried into the bathroom and James flung himself down on the bed listening to her singing to herself as she showered and got herself ready. After an hour James pulled out the tuxedo he had sent up for him. He stared at himself in the mirror and chuckled, if only Sirius could see him now he'd never let him forget how he looked. James tried to flatten his hair when he heard the bathroom door open, he turned to see Lily walk out in the elegant black gown he purchased for her. Lily turned on the spot showing off her outfit, her long hair cascading down her back in soft curls. James clasped his hand over his heart and beamed at Lily.
"You're so beautiful, Evans."
"You're pretty handsome there yourself James." Lily crossed the room and kissed James. "Are you going to tell me now where we're going?"
"Not yet. Let's head downstairs, the car should be here by now."
"The car? When on Earth did you organise all of this?"
"This morning while you were still sleeping. Sometimes it's handy being an early riser!"
James held out his arm and Lily chuckled as she looped her arm through his and they headed downstairs. James couldn't help himself glancing at Lily. He felt like the luckiest person in London to have her on his arm. James helped Lily into the car and nestled in beside her. James held Lily close to him during the drive and the two of them kissed and stared at each other until at last the car came to a stop and the driver opened the door for them. James stepped out and held his hand out to help Lily who gasped at the theatre before her.
"The ballet!" Lily cried, "You're taking me to the ballet?"
"I believe they're doing your favourite as well..." James said, escorting her to the door.
Lily looked around and saw the posters, her eyes lit up and she squeezed James' arm, "Romeo and Juliet! They're doing Romeo and Juliet! Oh, what are our seats like? James this is amazing. Thank you so much!"
James grinned and pulled out their tickets when they reached the door. The doorman smiled and gestured to the grand staircase behind him.
"Good evening Mr. Potter and Miss. Evans, you'll find your balcony located at the top of the stairs, the third curtain on the right. Have a lovely evening!"
"Thank you." James replied and escorted a wide eyed Lily upstairs.
They entered their balcony and Lily gasped, "James! These seats are magnificent!"
James peered over the balcony and beamed, they had a perfectly uninterrupted view of the stage. A waiter entered carrying a tray of two glasses of champagne. James picked up the glasses and sat down next to Lily. They clinked their glasses and Lily kissed James.
"Thank you. This is... This is such a perfect night." Lily whispered and kissed him again.
"You're welcome." James replied and nestled into his chair, "Let's see what this ballet thing is all about!"
Lily chuckled and turned to face the front as the lights dimmed. James was pleasantly surprised by the show, completely captivated by the dancers but more so by Lily. James found himself watching Lily who was so enthralled by the show she was leaning forward in her chair slightly. Lily's eyes remained on the stage for the duration of the show and James felt his heart swell as he watched her, even when tears silently rolled down her cheeks at the end. James didn't think he was capable of loving someone as much as he loved Lily, he felt that more than ever before sitting there beside her. They rose from their seats to applaud the dancers and Lily threw her arms around James' neck, hugging him tightly and pulled back to kiss him once more.
James took Lily's hand in his and led her back downstairs and outside the theatre. Their driver was waiting for them once more and James helped Lily into the car.
"Back to the hotel?" Lily asked.
"Not quite, thought we might have something to eat. I don't know about you but I'm starving!" James said and Lily laughed.
"I'm just buzzing from that show. They were incredible!"
"They really were... Seems like dancing takes a great deal of skill. I liked it."
"James Potter is a ballet fan... Well I never!"
"I'm full of surprises."
"Clearly." Lily linked her fingers through James and smiled at him, "Thank you. You've given me such a nice evening. It's helped after last night's disaster dinner."
"I'm glad! I didn't want this trip to be ruined by that dinner."
The car pulled to a stop and James helped Lily out of the car once again and they entered the restaurant. Lily peered around as they were led to their table and James grinned to himself as he pulled back Lily's chair for her.
"Quite the posh restaurant you've found us James." Lily remarked as she sat down.
James walked round and sat opposite Lily and grinned, "I figured for once we should class things up..."
Lily chuckled and opened her menu. James ordered them some wine and they spent the next few hours eating, drinking and talking. The waiter's cleared their dessert plates and Lily reached out and held James' hand.
"I wonder if we're banished from their wedding then?" Lily said and sighed.
"Probably dodging a bullet if we are, sounds like a right stuffy affair!" James said and raised Lily's hand to his mouth to kiss it.
Lily laughed, "It did sound awful didn't it?"
"Promise me when we get married I won't have to wear a top hat?" James laughed and met Lily's eyes once he realised what he had said.
"We're getting married are we?" Lily asked and raised her eyebrows.
"Oh. Well I mean..." James said and gulped some wine and Lily laughed.
"Relax James. I don't expect a proposal anytime soon. I mean we haven't even said I love-" Lily said and stopped herself suddenly and chuckled nervously.
It was true, they hadn't told each other they loved one another. But somehow James knew that's how it was. When Lily asked him to come for a walk that night and told him she wanted to be together, he knew. It didn't feel like something that necessarily needed to be said between them. James smiled at Lily and wondered if he should tell her he was in love with her, that of course he wanted to marry her. There had never been anyone else in his life who compared to her.
Lily gazed over at the couples that swayed on the dancefloor to the soft crooning of the singer and band. James rose from the table and held out his hand to Lily and nodded to the dancefloor. Lily beamed at James and they made their way down.
James and Lily swayed together staring into each other's eyes as they twirled around. James held Lily close to him, his hand on the small of her back and her hand clasped gently in his other hand. Sometimes when they stared at each other James would feel his breath catch and his heart race. Lily reached up with her other hand gently caressed the base of James' neck and kissed him. James felt the calmest he'd ever been and smiled at Lily.
"Lily, I love you."
Lily beamed at James and kissed him softly, "I love you too, Potter."
James chuckled to himself and continued to dance with Lily until there was no one else on the dancefloor. Or at least that's how it seemed. Maybe there were still other people around them but all James could see was Lily. And that will always be enough for him.