A/N: Thank you all again for the great reviews and support! Sorry this chapter's a bit late- I've started up my semester again and things are pretty hectic. I'll try to tend to my other stories as well when I get time!
Chapter Eighteen: Dinner Party
Lily grumbled to herself as she hauled her overnight bag down the aisle. This was going to be disastrous. She just knew it. Didn't Sirius remember the sizeable donation that James' parents made on her behalf to the school in order to keep her from getting kicked out? That wasn't exactly the type of thing that happened to 'good girls.'
"Let me get that for you," Sirius took her bag and slung it over his shoulder.
Finally, they had arrived at their stop. They stepped off the train with a few other students on their Christmas holiday. The air was crisp out in the country, Lily observed as she took a deep cleansing breath.
She followed Sirius into the station where the ticket master was taking their stubs and handing out small pouches of Floo powder. He glanced at Lily's stub and exchanged it for Floo. "Right, off you go," he said brightly.
Lily and Sirius found an empty fireplace in a row against the wall. Together, they tossed in the powder and went whirling through the flames at Sirius' vocal command. An instant later, they tumbled out onto an intricately embroidered Afghan rug.
"Well, here we are," Sirius held out his hands. "The Potter residence."
Lily could barely believe her eyes.
Aside from the cluster of chandeliers overhead, there were numerous crystal vases lining the mantle of the fireplace they'd just come crashing out of. The carpet was white, the sofa and curving settees were white, the thick, textured draperies framing the expansive windows were white, and there was Lily, covered in soot from head to toe. Brilliant.
"Master Black," cooed a deep, refined voice. "It is, as always, a divine pleasure."
Lily turned her head to make eye contact with a man she found extraordinarily familiar. The very first thing she noticed was the giant mole on his chin.
He peered down at Lily over the bridge of his prominent nose and raised a thin eyebrow. "And who might this be?"
Suddenly, Lily remembered. He was the ugly man she'd bumped into at King's Cross Station when her trolley had overturned. He was rude then, and rude now.
"Ah, Leatherby, old friend," Sirius patted the man's back roughly. "Miss me?"
"Desperately," he snarled dryly.
"It's so good to be home!" Sirius exclaimed grandly, dropping all of their luggage at Leatherby's feet.
Leatherby eyed it distastefully and glared at Lily. "Madame, shall I direct you to your suite?"
"My…er…what?"
"Your digs, love," Sirius translated. "Yes, she'll follow you. Lily, I'll meet you for dinner in an hour. Er…you might want to clean up a little."
She frowned. "Well…all right." She wanted answers to several more questions, but Leatherby, apparently the butler- James had a butler- was already levitating her things down the hallway. She abandoned Sirius and scurried off behind her bags, trying to keep up with the man.
Through several corridors with enchanted candelabras hovering and casting an eerie glow, they made their way deeper into the depths of the Potter household. Suits of armor and ancient portraits of Potter descendents alternated as décor along the wallpapered halls. Lily strained to get a glimpse of each, but Leatherby was moving quickly, and she had to half-run to keep up. One thing she noticed in common with the majority of the Potters was the thick, unruly dark hair. It seemed that many of the ladies, with the help of pins, serums, and hair combs, had managed some semblance of style, but the men were hopeless. It made her smile.
Leatherby stopped abruptly in front of a large carved wooden door, and her bags fell to the ground with an unceremonious clatter. "Your suite, Miss."
"Er…Thank you…" She'd never really been to such a formal place in the wizarding world before. Should she tip the man?
He wedged an ancient key into the doorknob and cranked it with some effort. The door creaked open and revealed an elegant four-poster draped with a gauzy white fabric. The furniture was extravagant carved rosewood, and a portrait of a beautiful young girl gazed down at her from across the room. Lily entered timidly, as if trespassing on sacred ground. She'd never in her life been in a room so immaculate. It felt delicate and airy, almost dreamlike.
"Dinner will be served promptly at seven." With that, Leatherby shut the door with a click. Lily could hear his heavy footsteps clopping away down the hall.
She took a deep breath and turned to examine herself in the ornate wall mirror. Oh lovely. The frizz and pasty skin couldn't really be fixed, but at least she could wipe the smudged soot from her cheeks. Once that was finished and she'd changed into a clean pair of trousers and a blouse, she ventured out into the hallways.
Hmm. Right. She was told to come to dinner, but…where exactly was it? She tried to retrace her steps with Leatherby, but was failing miserably. She'd been paying far too much attention to the décor.
At this rate she was going to be hideously late. She quickened her pace until she was practically jogging. The house was massive, and each hallway seemed to lead her only to another hallway. She felt a bit like Alice, but with no bloody rabbit to follow. She could hear the tick-tock of the clock in her head, however, and was not going to allow herself to be embarrassingly late to her first dinner with the Potters.
Flushed and flustered, Lily rounded a corner and crashed unceremoniously into a large grandfather clock and landed flat on her bum. So she wasn't imagining the ticking clock.
"Ow…" she groaned, massaging her head.
"Are you all right?"
Lily blinked up dizzily at the slender figure hovering over her. And then her stomach knotted. Behold, the elegantly coiffed and groomed Edith Baldric, a glittering shall draped over her otherwise bare shoulders. Unlike Lily, Edith was dressed to the nines in a shimmering black cocktail dress to match her sleek black French twist, a few wispy tendrils framing her face. She held out a helpful hand.
Reluctantly, Lily accepted it and was pulled upright with surprising strength. "You're…quite strong," Lily said.
"Quidditch," she said matter-of-factly. "I may look like a lady, but I sure don't play like one." She laughed brightly.
Great. She was a Quidditch player too- definitely James' dream girl. "Thank you…" Lily dusted off her gray slacks and became suddenly aware of how underdressed she actually was.
"Don't mention it. So…you're a friend of James, right? Evans? I recognize you. Prefect. Sixth-year?"
Lily nodded. "You're the Head Girl."
Edith's eyes flickered. "That's right."
A moment of silence passed in which Lily began to feel exceedingly awkward. She glanced up at the grandfather clock she'd slammed into and noticed the time. "I think we'd better get to dinner."
"Fabulous idea," Edith grinned, her perfectly straight teeth sparkling. She slipped her slender arm through Lily's, and tugged her along as if they'd been friends for ages.
Lily was shocked by her forwardness, but relinquished herself because, frankly, she had no idea where the dining room was. Lily let Edith guide her through a set of carved wooden doors into an immaculate room lined with arched stained glass windows. The table practically filled the length of the room, and there were at least fifteen people seated comfortably already.
Silverware clattered onto a plate. James was gaping at Lily.
"Look who's arrived with Sirius, James! Lily Evans, your friend, right?" Edith held out Lily's hand as if she were introducing the debutante of the ball. Lily immediately flushed, realizing that she was, in fact, sorely underdressed. All of the women were in dress robes, and the men fashionably suited as well. And there she was in her old gray slacks and white blouse with the second faux pearl button missing. Fabulous.
But James wasn't the only one shocked. His father immediately recognized her and his lips curled into a small frown which he tried to hide by taking an unnecessarily large gulp of wine.
Mr. Potter was seated next to a tall, elderly woman. She was very beautiful, with thick graying curls pinned with gem-encrusted combs. Like Mr. Potter, she too had a regal air about her, and when she spotted Lily, her nose seemed to turn up a bit. Literally.
"Well…" the woman, presumably James' mother, said, replacing her glass on the table. "How lovely of you to come. Please, have a seat." The woman may not have recognized her, but Lily sure recognized the woman. She was with Leatherby at King's Cross Station that first day at Hogwarts- the one she rammed into with her trolley. How humiliating.
Lily treaded lightly over to Sirius who was grinning broadly at her, burgundy wine sloshing from his glass. "Cheers, love!"
She plopped down beside him, her cheeks nearly as brilliant as the wine. "Thanks for letting me know the dress code," she hissed to him. The empty glass before her filled itself instantly, and she had to restrain herself from chugging the entire thing.
James' father stood and smoothed the front of his cloak, raising the wine glass in his other hand. "It's wonderful of you all to come. I would like to first raise a toast to my son and his lovely future bride."
They all clinked glasses with a collective, "Cheers!"
Lily caught James eyeing her over the rim of his glass, but he turned away quickly when Edith touched him lightly and leaned in for a kiss. Lily nearly choked on her drink.
"Now, let's eat!" Mr. Potter said grandly. The moment he took his seat, the plates began to fill with all sorts of succulent dishes: roast pig, heaping bowls of scalloped potatoes and creamy yams, steaming loaves of bread…Lily was overwhelmed. The feast was even grander than Hogwarts.
"Really, Eleanor," a middle-aged blonde woman said from across the table, "You keep the finest elves in your kitchens. Where do you find them?"
"Oh," James' mother simpered, "They've been in the family for ages. Nearly as old as Leatherby, I should say."
The table chuckled. Somehow Lily didn't think the butler would appreciate that observation.
Eleanor turned to Lily suddenly. "So tell me, dear," she raised an eyebrow. "Where are you from? London, I presume?"
Lily coughed. "Er…Much further north, actually. Are you familiar with Spinner's End?"
The blonde woman choked on the very food she'd just complimented.
"Oh?" the look on Eleanor's face was unreadable. "Is that where you were raised?"
"Well…near there." Lily was suddenly very desperate to change the subject. A couple at the end of the table was snickering. "Your home is lovely!"
The smile only flashed across her features briefly. "Thank you. You know, you do look so familiar. We must have met."
"Oh…no…I don't think-" But Lily was interrupted by the hovering Leatherby, who'd just wandered past to collect a bit of china from a nearby cabinet.
"She's a bit crude with a trolley, Madame," he droned in passing.
"Ah, yes," her eyes flickered. "I knew I'd seen you somewhere." She turned to the other guests. "We had a bit of a run-in at King's Cross. She lost control of the trolley." Eleanor turned back to Lily, "I do hope your skill with rolling objects has improved."
Everyone at the table tittered.
"Mum, please," James frowned, setting down his glass.
"Oh, James, we're just having a bit of fun, aren't we Lily?"
"Er…" Lily forced a smile. "Yes…of course."
She remained silent for the majority of the meal, offering up a nod here and there in response to a question or two. The women chatted about décor and Witch Wellness Society meetings, discussing plans for future fundraisers. Edith seemed very involved in everything, and Eleanor Potter, along with the other women, seemed to hang on her every word. She was a delicate eater, attuned to the etiquette of high society, and handled herself gracefully with each question. She also laughed like a twitter bird, but it was most unfortunately infectious to everyone else. Lily wasn't won over, though. She glared over each sip of wine, and tried to focus on Sirius' conversations, but it was hard to follow Quidditch talk.
"Yes, well," one of the men, who appeared to be the blonde woman's husband, expounded, "It's all well and good for entertainment, but it's clear the real Galleons are in investing. Isn't that right, James?"
James barely registered the man was even speaking. He downed the wine in his glass, and it magically refilled itself.
"Now, I know," the man turned to the rest of crowd listening, "that you hold quite the fancy for that sport, James." His eyes twinkled. "I believe, at one time, you actually wanted to pursue the dream professionally, am I right?"
A few people laughed. James didn't respond.
"It's a good thing your father talked sense into you. And Edith here seems to have caught on quickly. Her family's made a downright fortune in the cauldron business. Excellent connection you're making, James. Now it seems you're getting your life on a real track, eh?" He chuckled, taking a grand slurp from his glass.
"Actually, Edgar," Sirius eyed the man with a glint of distaste, "Your nephew is quite talented. Gives all the teams a run for their money. Won the Cup last year-"
"I don't need you defending me," James hissed, suddenly standing, his glass shattering by some unseen force, which sent a current of burgundy across the table. It seeped into the white linen, its trail ending right at Lily's plate. A few drips landed on her blouse, but she, like the other guests, were not paying attention to the spill. Their eyes were all on James.
Lily glanced at Sirius who had quickly fallen silent, but had a dangerously narrow gaze on James.
"James," his mother scolded.
James dropped his napkin and shoved his chair out. "Excuse me."
Edith looked appalled, giving a nervous little shrug as if to say, I don't know what possibly could have come over my precious James! He's never like this! But she also didn't follow him out.
Lily swallowed hard and excused herself as well, but no one really took notice. Sirius gave her a solemn glance, but didn't stop her.
"Was it something I said?" she could hear Edgar saying innocently to the rest as she slipped out of the room.
She peered down the corridors, but the mansion was far too big for her to navigate. Knowing James, he likely had some hiding place he sought out for refuge, and if no one else could find it, a first-time guest in the home surely wouldn't.
So when Lily found him perched on the staircase, she was more than a bit shocked. He didn't seem to notice her, so she stood there silently, watching him for a moment. He was quick to loosen his tie, and it now hung askew on his rumpled shirt. His hands were clasped, his head was down, and the heel of his left foot was tapping angrily. He exhaled gruffly and looked up as he did so, catching Lily's eye.
"Hi…" she said tentatively.
He stared at her a moment. "Hi."
Lily wandered over, pausing in front of him. "Was that your uncle?"
James nodded. "Mum's baby brother."
"He seems quite rude."
James reached out a hand, and Lily made to move backwards, but he only caught the hem of her blouse. "I spilled on you." He rubbed the small red stain between his fingers.
"Oh…yeah. That's okay."
He let go. "Are you with Sirius now?"
Lily scoffed. "Of course not!"
"Then why'd you come?" he frowned.
"Because he asked me to."
"So you do what he says now, do you? Never listened to me that easily."
Lily glared at him. "For your information, Sirius has been a very good friend to me."
"I'm sure he has," James spat.
Lily shook her head. "Not everyone thinks in sexual favors, you know."
"Padfoot does."
"Well not this time. Can we please drop the subject? I just came out to see how you are-"
James leapt up and grabbed her hand, his eyes suddenly alight with mischief. "Let's get out of here."
Lily was taken aback. "What? Where?"
"Come on! Let's forget this stupid dinner." He tugged at her hand.
"James…James…" she jerked her hand free. "No."
He looked as if she'd slapped him in the face.
"You can't keep shunning your responsibilities!" Lily reprimanded.
"What do you know about it? You've never done a single irresponsible thing in your life!" He retorted. "And don't say stealing a damned book, because, Lils, that doesn't count."
Lily looked hurt. "I burnt down the library…"
"That was a bloody accident!" James shrugged. "Let's face it. You're no rebel."
Lily gasped. "I can so be a rebel! I can!" she added in response to his bored look.
He shrugged again, egging her on. "I don't know, Lily. I just don't see it."
She glared. "All right then. Where are we going- Wait, no! No, I know what you're trying to do, and you will not persuade me to aid in your misbehavior!"
James burst out laughing all of a sudden, clutching his stomach.
"What? What is so funny?" Her hands were on her hips.
He continued to laugh, tears sparkling in his eyes.
"Potter! What is so bloody hilarious?" Frustration made her flush.
James caught his breath and sighed. "You are too much, Evans. Come on, let's get back to dinner."
Lily frowned. "Well, all right. But no more making fun of me."
James grinned, making Lily's lips curve in response. "Promise."
They walked back towards the dining room side-by-side, and Lily felt James slip his hand into hers, entwining their fingers. But the moment they glanced up, they knew they'd made a mistake. As quickly as they spotted Edith, they ripped their hands apart.
But Edith had seen. The corner of her lip was twitching a bit.
"There you are," she said lightly, but sent pins and needles Lily's way. "Everyone is wondering where you went."
James shoved his hands into his pockets. "Right. Coming."
Edith slipped her hand through the crook of James' arm as he passed by and ushered him back inside. She glanced over her shoulder briefly, giving Lily the chills. Lily was about to follow, but thought better of it. Instead, she ventured back to her room.
Sighing, she plopped down listlessly on her bed. She peered out the window, but there was not much to see in the darkness.
She began digging through her bag to pull out her outfit for the big Christmas party the next day, when a small scroll of paper tumbled out with the loosened fabric. It was her letter. She'd almost forgotten. Carefully unraveling the sheet of white paper, Lily scanned the scrawled lettering, immediately recognizing it as her mother's. But only a few lines seemed to really matter:
…didn't want to upset you and Petunia before Christmastime, but you need to know that your father is temporarily out of his job at the office. There's no need for real concern of course- I'm certain Mr. Wiggins will come to his senses and send a notice of rehire to your father around Spring. It really was the strangest thing- so sudden. The business is a roller coaster, after all…
Lily dropped the paper to her lap. Of course her mother thought everything would be all right; her mother was an eternal optimist, and she clung to the lingering hope that there was a bit of good in everyone. Mr. Wiggins, however, clung to the hope of increasing his profit margin. The thought of her bumbling father being sought out for rehire was laughable. She crumpled up the letter and tossed it back into her bag.
Her poor father…He worked so hard for them. Happy Christmas, Mr. Henry Evans, you've been sacked. Sincerest regards, Mr. Wiggins.
She collapsed backwards onto her bed and drifted off to thoughts of the evening, James, Edith, and her family…
And when Lily awoke, she was greeted by sunlight streaming through her window, sparkling on her lashes as she blinked her eyes open. It seemed that overnight the mansion had been coated in a fresh layer of snow. The country landscape glistened in its new winter coat.
That morning, after a quiet breakfast, Lily ventured out for a walk. Sirius seemed to be consumed in a deep discussion with Mr. Potter, so Lily went alone. She sure wasn't about to ask James, and Edith was a bit preoccupied buttering James' toast (though she did seem to register Lily with a glare when Lily excused herself from the table to go find her cloak).
But a little fresh air was just what she needed. Only two more days, and she could finally be out of this horribly awkward situation. Her mind drifted back to her family as she trudged down the path, moving further and further from the mansion, until she stumbled upon a frozen pond, hidden behind a cluster of evergreen trees.
Idly, she began breaking off bits of ice and skidding them across the frozen surface. She had just snapped off a rather large chunk with her heel when a looming shadow made her jump.
"Oh, you startled me-" Lily stopped mid-sentence when she turned to see the shadow's caster.
"Lily," Edith said in a sweet voice.
Lily hesitated. "Hello."
Edith stepped delicately over to the edge of the frozen pond and peered at her reflection on the ice's shiny surface. "Hmm. It's a lovely day."
"That it is," Lily busted off another chunk, sending a spray of shaved ice everywhere.
Edith flicked a small piece off the hem of her black skirt and cleared her throat. "So tell me, how long have you known James?"
"I don't see why that's important." Lily didn't mean to sound so rude, but Edith was getting on her nerves. Didn't she have more brown-nosing to attend to?
Edith laughed hollowly. "Well you two seem very comfortable with one another. Though, I wouldn't get any ideas."
"Ideas about what, Edith?" Lily eyed Edith brazenly.
She simpered, "About James. I suppose I don't have to worry about that though."
"And why is that exactly?"
"I'm sorry to say, Lily," she crooned, "but you're just no match for me. You're ordinary. And someone like James deserves better. I, unlike you, am unrivaled."
It felt like a rabid cat was clawing Lily's insides. She wanted so badly to scream. Or just slap the bitch. "I do fine for myself. You can have James Potter."
"Oh right- because you're here with Sirius Black." Edith laughed longer than was necessary. What the bloody hell was so funny?
Lily tried to push past her, but Edith blocked her with a heel.
"Stay away from James."
Lily glared at Edith and scoffed. She shoved Edith aside rather roughly, not giving her the satisfaction of a response.
Edith brushed her jet-black waves aside and watched Lily darkly as she trekked back up to the mansion, the corners of her rosy pink lips curling into a small smirk.