Chapter 27-The Perfect Day To Get Married
Love is all that I can give to you, love is more than just a game for two-take my heart and please don't break it, love was made for me and you! -Nat King Cole "L.o.v.e"
"Lily?" I heard James's voice call me from far away. I was probably half-dreaming. I opened my eyes, struggling to focus-
"James?" I asked blearily, wiping my eyes. He nodded. "James!" I cried, elated, throwing myself into his arms. "I'm so, so sorry, Sirius told me everything-"
"I know, I know, he told me too, I'm sorry too-can we forget about it?" James whispered, resting his head on my shoulder and wrapping his arms around my waist. I squeezed my eyes closed and re-opened them-I wasn't dreaming.
"Yes, please," I whispered, kissing him for the first time in days. "How could you leave like that?" I asked in a broken voice. "I'm going to go fight Death Eaters bye?" I quoted.
"I'm so sorry, Lily," James repeated.
"No, it's me who needs to be sorry. I yelled and ignored you for days for something that wasn't your fault, and something you didn't even remember."
"I should have just told you in the first place," James shook his head. "If I would have, none of this ever would have happened."
"If Sirius would have never messed with the love potion-that would be preferable," I giggled. James gently touched the bags under my eyes-
"Why haven't you been sleeping?"
"Too worried about you," I admitted, a bit ashamed. "I burnt down a Death Eater safe house and sent five Death Eaters to Azkaban with Moody," I added proudly.
"You sure keep busy," James chuckled, his face centimeters away from mine. "Re-marry me?" He whispered, showing me the ring.
"Yes," I whispered, ecstatic, wrapping my arms around my neck and kissing him, but barely able to do so because I was smiling so much. I wrapped my arms around his neck, grinning as his lips moved with mine.
"Yay!" Donna clapped from the door and we broke apart, startled.
"Donna!" I exclaimed. "I didn't know you were in here!" I blushed a deep red.
"Come on, time for bed," Donnie," James helped me to my feet. "Night."
"So I still get to be a flower girl?" She asked sleepily as James picked her up and set her down on her bed, tucking her in.
"Of course," James promised, and I grinned widely.
We made our way down the stairs, arms around each other.
"Welcome back, James," Darcy grinned on her way up the stairs, holding a sleeping Cooper.
"Thanks," James grinned hugely. "Glad to be back."
"You've got to tell me what happened, I've been so worried!" I said as we sat on the couch and turned on the television, volume on low. The news were on, talking about a bridge that had collapsed and several nearby buildings exploded. Death Eater work, no doubt, but the muggles had put it down to a terrorist attack and ruptured pipes.
"Well, the Death Eaters were chasing down Frank and Alice partly because they wanted them to join-they refused, of course, and they wanted to know where we were. So Dumbledore led them to believe that they were in this house, so they came, and we attacked them and we fought back. They got Dorcas, stupefied her pretty badly, but she's fine now.
"We were beating them for a while, but then the tides turned and they called in a few reinforcements, nothing too dangerous though, don't worry-"
"James, I get the feeling you're giving me the watered down version of the story," I scolded, resting my head on his shoulder as he put his arm around me.
"What? Pshht. No way," James said.
"Uh huh. Convincing."
"Well anyway...they chased us through the night, we got away and slept through the day. Then they found us and we had to split up. So this werewolf man, Fenrick or something was chasing us-he wasn't in werewolf form but he still wanted to eat us," James shuddered, remembering, and I wrapped my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder.
"I am so sorry," I whispered, my eyes closed tight. "You-you could've died, and the last thing-the last thing I ever would have said to you was that you couldn't go, it was dangerous."
"That's not as bad as what I said last," James chuckled darkly. "I sort of indirectly called you dynamite."
"That's fine. You could have called me an old fat hippogriff and it wouldn't matter, I'm so happy you're back," I grinned, kissing him deeply, holding him close and hoping I never had to let him go again. We broke apart and I sighed, resting my forehead on his.
"If I get this sort of reception every time I leave, maybe I should do so more often," he teased.
"Don't you dare!" I threatened, poking his neck. "Continue with the story, please."
"Alright. Anyway, Sirius and I were running, blah blah blah...then eventually we caught up with everyone else and disapparated. The end."
"Sounds dangerous," I exhaled loudly.
"Not really. Want to tell me about your adventure?"
"Okay," I consented, and began to tell him my own watered down version of the story, and we talked until we were yawning more than communicating.
One Month Later
"Lily, you're not allowed in, James certainly isn't," Gloria said nastily, looking at both of us like we were vermin. I sighed, exasperated.
"This is my house!" I protested, crossing my arms over my lavender dress. Gloria was wearing the sickly pink shade of the bridesmaid's dresses, her straight dark hair put up in a bun. Gloria hated me almost as much as Petunia.
"And it's your sister's wedding, so go downstairs like a good little sister and-Greg!" She suddenly exclaimed, flustered.
"Greg!" I turned around, eyes lighting up at the tall, dark man in front of us.
"Flower!" He yelled back, picking me up and spinning me. He was easily the tallest man in our family-he was my aunt Odette's adoptive son, and my favorite cousin. "Is this the boy you've been telling me about since you were eleven?" He nodded to James, shaking his hand.
"Yeah, this is him. James, this is Greg, my cousin. And Greg, this is James." James looked a lot less murderous once he found out Greg and I were related, but not by blood.
"Greg, come on, we don't have to stay with these two," Gloria tittered.
"What's wrong with them?" His brow crinkled, and I laughed into my palm.
"Nothing, nothing!" Gloria hastily assured them. "It's just-there's so much to see! Why don't we go and check out the cake?" She gushed, taking him forcefully by the arm and steering him downstairs, abandoning her post to Petunia's room. Greg threw me a helpless look over his shoulder-
"I'll go rescue him," James muttered, tactfully leaving as I went to talk to Petunia. I nodded gratefully, crossing my fingers before I knocked.
"Gloria? Would you tell me when May gets here, I have her bouquet from the rehea-oh. It's you," Petunia looked at me from the mirror. She looked stunning.
"You look beautiful," I said truthfully, trying not to dwell on her obvious disappointment at my entrance.
"Yes, well." She looked me up and down, almost despairingly. I suddenly felt very self conscious.
"Here, let me." I strode forward and took the veil out of her hands, pushing the comb into her curled blonde hair. "You really do look beautiful, you know. Vernon's lucky."
"The veil has a rip, oh my-oh look, Lily, there's a rip!" Petunia suddenly wailed, holding up the offending bit of veil and waving it frantically. "Oh, Mum, my veil's ripped!" She said despairingly as our mum entered the room.
"Oh, Petunia, you look like a dream-hang on, I'm sure we can sew it-oh-Lily! Do you know any spells-"
"Absolutely not!" Petunia shrieked indignantly. "No magic whatsoever today, you promised, Lily!"
"Calm down!" I put my hands up. "Petunia, think reasonably, d'you want to walk down the aisle with a ripped veil?"
"Sweetheart, my sewing supplies are downstairs, we haven't gotten time-" Mum continued to try and console Petunia, and I quickly muttered the spell, mending the veil perfectly. It was for her own good, I thought to myself.
"-and it-wait a second-where did the rip go?" Petunia did a double take as she looked at the veil with scrutinizing eyes, and then to me suspiciously just as I hid my wand behind my back.
"What?" I asked innocently, eyes wide. "I didn't do anything!"
"Alright Petunia, we can't see the rip, maybe you were just imagining things. Most importantly is it's gone."
"Fine, fine-would you help me put this veil down now, Lily?" Petunia asked and Mum looked at her, startled. I jumped forward, concealing a grin as Petunia looked at herself in the mirror, breathing deeply. Her dress was the whitest of whites, with short silk sleeves bunching around her shoulders and a low back. The skirt was silk as well, and spotted with pearls-it was lovely. Petunia really did look amazing. I worked the veil with nimble fingers, contemplating how "Petunia Dursley" would sound. After today, Petunia Evans would be gone. Soon, it was time for my mum and I to be seated-James came and knocked on the door, stepping in halfway.
"Good luck, Tuney," I whispered and stepped forward to hug her. And for a second, we were sisters again. I rested my head gently on her shoulder, red curls spilling down her arm. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," Petunia said softly, smiling at me with the smallest of smiles. I stepped back and accepted James's arm, giving her one last look before I walked out. How was I to have known this was one of the last few times I would speak with my sister? The ceremony passed in a blur, and the sky darkened-the reception approached, right in our backyard. The brief moment of sisterlyness Petunia and I shared had long vanished-once Vernon expressed his unhappiness that James was attending, Petunia took to ignoring him as well, and they both refused to speak to us from there on out. I told myself it was for the best. We wouldn't want another confrontation like the last time the four of us got together.
"-just some magician, preforms on the streets, he hasn't got a real job," I heard Vernon explaining loudly to anyone who would listen. I bristled, and stalked over to where he was talking to two haughty looking business-like men.
"Are you talking about James Potter?" I snapped, gesturing back to where James was, talking to my dad. "What do you mean, he hasn't got a real job?" I plowed on, not waiting for an answer. "Both of us are scheduled to start our training next month in a very respectable-"
"Ha ha ha, this is Lily Evans now, she's a joker, this one," Vernon said loudly, face purpling as he rather pushed me back. "Engaged to James, you know," he said significantly, and both of his friends chortled." Yes I am, and I'm proud of it! So don't you dare insult him, he's a better man than you!" I hissed as he released me. I was clearly dismissed from the conversation and went on to sit next to Elke, one of Petunia's friends that actually like me.
"Hey Elke," I smiled as she turned around, grinning as she saw me.
"Lily!" She cried, hugging me with slender arms. "I haven't seen you in the longest time!"
"Yeah, I've been in h-in-hardly anywhere," I caught myself, blushing bright red. "And what's been going on with you?" I asked quickly as her blue eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"College," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'm going in America." We continued with small talk for a while, until James came over and asked me to dance. "Bye!" I smiled, waving over my shoulder.
"We sent out the wedding invitations, right?" I asked James as we danced. The people cleared a wide berth around us-Vernon's stories about James and I seemed to have taken a turn for the worse-such things like how James was just getting out of jail. We both barely noticed-after all, these were muggles-their view of the world was so limited, they only knew a tiny sliver of it all.
"Yes. September fourteenth," his eyes lit up. "And then you become Mrs. Potter!"
"I am so happy," I sighed, smiling back at him as he spun me. We decided to make the wedding a small affair-in these dark times, anything too elaborate and expensive would seem wrong. Petunia and Vernon spun past us, both looking satisfied. Maybe it was partly because now Petunia didn't have the last name to associate with me, and partly because James and I had blown nothing up accidentally. Although I had come close.
"Me too," James promised. "I love you so much."
Several months later-September 14th, 1978
"Dorcas!" I yelled as one of my best friends came in the door. I had woken up at five and had been panicking nonstop ever since I realized my awful mistake. I was tired, and since he was there, he'd offered...I can't believe I had sent Sirius Black to pick up the cake! What if he changed it to something awful, like bubotuber pus? What if he spiked it with something magical? I had muggle cousins coming, but we had managed to convince them we were going to have "special effects," so hopefully they wouldn't be too shocked when the birds burst out of the Minister's "remote control." (Wand.) Petunia and Vernon absolutely refused to come.
"Lily! It's only eight o'clock, the wedding's not even until three! That's still seven hours, darling," she said, hugging me.
"But what if something goes wrong?" I wrung my hands. "I'm still in my pajamas! My hair isn't done up! What if my dress is ripped? I sent Sirius to get the cake!" I gasped.
"What's this about a ripped dress?" Marlene waltzed in.
"Marlene!" I squealed, hugging my maid of honor.
"Lily, if it's in some way ripped, torn, or soiled, we'll fix it with magic," Dorcas promised.
"I haven't seen James in a whole day. Oh no, what if it's awkward that we have you and Sirius walking down the aisle together?" I cried.
"Lily!" Marlene put her hands on my face, forcing me to look at her. "Don't worry about these things. That's what we're for. You just be happy, alright? You're getting married today."
"Yeah, but-is it going to be awkward between you guys?" I asked again. They had broken up a few weeks ago, this time permanently, probably-Sirius was just too busy flying around on his flying motorcycle and being a rebel. I still had hopes he'd sort his priorities out and settle down one of these years, but still-we were all still teenagers, technically. Eight-teen.
"I-am-so-full-of-nervous-energy!" I hopped around my living room. James and I were getting married by the riverside in this beautiful park I'd gone to since I was a kid-the trees would look stunning in their various shades of bright orange and vivid red.
"Oh, bloody-weather, what's the weather?" I shrieked, bounding toward the window.
"Alice in the house!" My third bridesmaid bellowed, and we all tackled her in a hug. "Lily, it's gorgeous outside-"
"Is it really?" I said, finally plucking up the courage to look outside just a bit-it was. It was mostly sunny, with several fluffy white clouds floating around, no hint of grey bottoms anywhere.
"She's absolutely nerve-wracked," Dorcas explained. "I would ask her if she wants to take a calming potion, but I know she'd say-"
"I want to be fully aware on my wedding day, thank you very much!" I exclaimed, running to get the door. "Emmy!" I yelled, throwing my arms around her.
"Lily!" She yelled back. "Happy wedding-day!"
"Thanks-now answer truthfully, d'you think it was a bad idea to let Sirius get the cake?" I questioned timidly. Emmy laughed and linked her arm through mine.
"Oh, it's fine, I'm sure. Even Sirius is mature enough to realize the importance of today," she promised, hugging everyone all around.
"I've got to take a shower, alright?" I yelled as I dashed up the stairs. "There's another down there, in the hallway by the staircase if any of you want to?"
"Don't drown yourself up there!" Marlene yelled up reassuringly. I got in and out in twenty minutes, in the span of which I had three panic attacks-my shampoo was by the sink, not in the shower, what if my muggle relatives got suspicious of James's wizard relatives, which would no doubt be in dress robes? What if they suspected that half the ceremony would be magical? Hopefully they were all too logical to come to the solution of magic. And the third panic attack was that I was taking too long in the shower and I had to get out, fast, or the stylist would do up Marlene's hair, thinking she was me, and then Marlene would be the one getting married, and I'd be eternally stuck in a shower, then my body would turn into a statue, my house would become a museum, and everyone would come and pay admission to see the showering wonder-statue.
Whew. Breath. "Stop that," I told myself in the mirror as I brushed out my hair, my towel around my shoulders. "I wish I could see James right now. Blasted tradition, 'you're not supposed to see the bride on the wedding day until she walks down the aisle,'" I mimicked aloud in a falsetto. I put on my robe and undergarments, then promptly realized I had done so in the wrong order. So I took the bloody things off and then back on again, this time thankfully correctly.
"Ah, zere she eez!" The witch stylist-who was apparently French-greeted me as I came down the stairs. "A fresh morning bee-uty, I am zeenking, a picturesque-oh, the dress, the dress-I must see ze dress first, and plan my vision around ze dress!" Amie clapped.
"Um, yeah, alright," I nodded, motioning for her to follow me. "It's in my closet." The rest of the bridesmaids were getting their hair done up by Amie's assistants, who were chatting rapidly in French. Emmy looked at me, disgruntled, and mouthed-are they talking about us?
I shrugged and stifled a laugh, scampering up the stairs to show Amie my beautiful wedding dress. Number twenty-one that I had tried on, to be precise. I was picky.
"Here it is," I threw open the closet door proudly, and Amie gasped, speaking in French, probably appreciating the beauty. At least, that's what I hope she was doing. I caught the word "love" and "beautiful." The dress was grecian style-it was strapless but for two silky pieces that wrapped around from the breast of my dress around my shoulders to the back. It was high waisted, and the waist was a fitted silk wrap-around. From there the skirt breezed out beautifully around my legs-simple, but elegant. The bridesmaid dresses were emerald green, knee length, and that was where the similarities ended. Each had its own style, and Marlene's had a white sash because she was maid of honor.
"Alright, alright, sit down now, we'll do your hair."
"Alright," I complied and she transfigured my simple vanity to a huge, lovely piece of furniture with a giant, lit mirror. She set a small case down on the table-at least, I thought it was small, until she opened it. Then an extension charm was obvious-it looked like Professor Flitwick could live in there. She expertly accio'd out several hair tools-looking more like torture instruments-and Marlene burst into the room, her hair done up magnificently.
"You look beautiful!" I grinned at her from behind the mirror as Amie began to charm my hair.
"You'll look more," she promised. "James wants me to tell you that you should both consider the name Elvendork for future children. He also wants me to tell you it's unisex," she snorted.
"Elvendork!" I shrieked, jumping slightly and causing Amie to put a firm hand down on my skull to prevent me from moving again. "Elvendork?!" I repeated, shrieking.
"Yeah...something about muggle cops, I've got no idea," she shrugged.
"Where is he?" I asked. "I hope he was joking!"
"He's in the backyard tent with the other groomsmen, he just got here. When your dad shook his hand-well, let's just say James is lucky to still have that hand. I've got to go now, we'll come back up as soon as our hair is ready, alright?" She promised.
"Okay," I said, bouncing my legs up and down as Amie continued. I never had any idea how much magic it took to style hair and keep it in place.
By the time she was finally done-and believe me, it took the longest time-Dorcas, Emmy, Marlene, and Alice were sprawled around the room, flipping through photo albums of us at Hogwarts and laughing at the memories.
"Lily, remember this in second year, we thought we'd take a dive into the Great Lake as a dare and the giant squid tossed us out again?" Marlene shrieked with laughter.
"Hey, I remember you two doing that!" Emmy giggled. "Look at this one-this was when we followed Sirius and James down when they snuck out, and we found the kitchen!"
"Good times," Dorcas laughed, flipping the page.
"You are done! Look at yourself!" Amie proclaimed, presenting her work. I gasped-my dark red hair was twisted softly into an elegant twist to the back of my head, and flowing halfway down my back.
"I love it!" Alice gasped, proclaiming.
"Me too," Emmy agreed, smiling in the mirror. "Although it looks odd with your pajamas."
"Don't worry, I won't be walking down the aisle in these," I promised.
After our make-up was done, and everything else was in order, and we had eaten lunch-well, they had eaten lunch, I was too bloody nervous to eat anything besides a few measly grapes-the carriage was here to take us to the park, where everything was being set up. First, we had to get dressed-Marlene put her dress on quickly and came upstairs with me, letting the other girls get changed.
"Alright, let's see!" Marlene said excitedly. "James is so lucky!" She yelled as I stripped down and put on the dress with the utmost caution. If it all got ripped now...I left the threat dangling in my head, not finding a violent enough scenario if something went wrong. Maybe I would just cry.
"Will you help me with this strap?" I asked shakily. Marlene jumped up obediently and fastened it on my bag, handing me my veil and sitting me in front of the mirror.
"Mrs. Potter," she sighed, slipping the comb into my hair.
"I know," I sighed back. "I can't believe it. If my first-year self saw what was going on now..."I chuckled, slightly hysterically. "Oh my gosh Marlene, muggles! What was I thinking, I can't have a partially magical wedding with James's relatives and mine-"
"Lily!" A little girl's voice squealed, and I turned around to see Donna and Cooper, possibly my two favorite little kids in the world. Cooper was too young to be anything in the wedding, but Donna was the flower girl, and looked like an angel. Soon, two o'clock came-and it was time to go.
"Oh, merlin," I hyperventilated to Marlene and Dorcas, who were behind me. Alice and Emmy reached a hand down from their seats in the carriage to help me up, and one of the black-and-white horses in front of us threw her head back impatiently.
"You're not the one getting married, you have no right to be on edge," I grumbled under my breath, adjusting my veil so I wouldn't sit on it, thus yanking my head back. I was so bloody nervous-
"Lily!" A familiar voice called. I hadn't thought I'd ever hear that voice again.
"Severus?" I called, looking around, trying not to appear too hopeful. He wasn't coming to the wedding, but maybe...
"Lily, over here!" The voice hissed again.
"Lily, what are you doing?" Emmy hissed as I stood right back up and yelled at the driver to wait. I picked up my skirts and hustled to the edge of the woods, where the trail led to the place Petunia and I played as children, where Severus and I met...
"Severus, where are you?" I whispered. "Ah!" A small gasp escaped my lips as he appeared right behind me, looking extremely sleep-deprived and twitchy. "Sev, what are you doing here?"
"Well, if my prediction is correct, you're probably completely freaked out right about now, right?" A slow smile spread across my face, and right here, in this little clearing in the woods, I had my childhood best friend back.
"That's about right," I admitted. "I was so stressed I cried when the shampoo wasn't in the shower," I admitted, trying to make him laugh more than anything. The boy looked to pale, to thin, too sickly. "Sev, go eat a hamburger."
"What?" He looked taken aback.
"Nothing," I shook my head, blushing a bit.
"Lily, do you love him? Do you love James?"
"With all of my heart," I said softly, my heart doing a little jump at the sound of my about-to-be-husband's name. "We're getting married today," I felt the need to add.
"No, I thought you were dressed up to be married for fun," he rolled his eyes, and then turned serious again. "But Lily...if you're happy with him, really happy, and he treats you right-"
"He does," I assured him immediately.
"Promise?"
"Pinky-swear," I grinned, and took his pinky, causing him to grin as well.
"Then you have nothing to worry about."
"Thank you, Sevvy," I sniffled, putting my arms out. He looked a bit startled, but accepted my hug, resting his head on my shoulder which probably looked a bit awkward because he was so tall. "Bye," I sniffled a bit more.
"Smile," he ordered. "It's your wedding day," he added, a bit sadly-though for the life of me, I didn't know why. Calm rushed over me, and I was suddenly smiling for real, none of the forced-looking hippogriff crap I'd been pulling. I was marrying James. I loved him, and now I had closure with Severus. Wait, that was stupid. I was going to see him again, I laughed at myself inwardly. Everything was going to be perfect! My whole outlook on the day suddenly switched and I was laughing, actually laughing.
"Thank you," I grinned hugely, and he nodded, a wistful smile on his own face.
"Now go," he shooed me toward the carriage, and muttered "Scourgefy!" At my dress, cleaning up the bottom.
"Bye, Sev!" I called, waving. He waved back, and once I got back in the carriage and looked back to see if he was still there-he was. I watched him until the carriage pulled out of sight. Where had he gone wrong? Why had he chosen to go the way he did? I would never know, I sighed to myself. No one would.
"Guess what!" I jumped up and down in my seat a bit, and the short wizard photographer took the opportunity of my giant smile and my bridesmaids leaning in to snap about fifty pictures. "I'm getting married, and I am happy!" I yelled, throwing my hands up, grinning. I think the wizard took about a hundred more.
"Good!" Emmy congratulated me. "Mrs. Potter!" She laughed.
"That's my name!" I teased, and we talked about my upcoming honeymoon in Greece-Marlene's parents had so kindly lent James and I their house for several weeks-until we arrived. There was ten minutes until the ceremony, and although I had jitters, I was more happy than I had ever been in my life. If someone told me I was spewing light from my eyes and ears and such, I probably would have giggled, patted them on the cheek, and wished them a Happy Christmas. The people were bustling about in their dress clothes, with chairs and a white bit of silk rolled out between them to the aisle. Somehow, it "magically" stayed clean and unruffled.
And I stepped out of the carriage in front of my bridesmaids, looking out at the fall trees bursting with vibrancy, the crisp fall breeze playfully sending my hair and veil floating.
It was the perfect day to get married.