CHAPTER TWO
Disclaimer: Everything in the Harry Potter world belongs to JK Rowling and Warner Bros.
Guests now filed into their seats, chattering, laughing and filled with great expectation and hope for the young couple soon to arrive and exchange vows. The guest list read like a Who's Who of the wizarding world; Dumbledore, who was presiding over the ceremony, the Hogwarts teachers (including McGonagall and Hagrid!), the Order of Phoenix members, top Ministry officials, various friends of Lily and James, Madame Rosemerta (already shedding tears!) and of course the Marauders—though only at the moment was consisted of just Remus and Peter who had seats of honour in the front row. Mrs. Potter had not yet arrived.
James and Sirius looked out over the small assembly from James' window. Sirius laid a hand on James' shoulder. "Are you ready to go down now, Prongs?"
James inhaled deeply and turned to face his best friend, his face exhilarated and nervous at the same time. "Yes," he said firmly, "I am."
The two friends looked at each other for a moment, neither of them moving. James embraced Sirius tightly and clapped him on the back then he pulled back. "I just want to thank-you Padfoot for everything. You have put up with me longer than anyone else—other than my mum of course—which is really saying something and you have always been there for me…I can hardly quantify how much I value your friendship and I just want to let you know how much I appreciate everything and that I will not forget you, or the Marauders once I'm married and—"
"Prongs!" Sirius exclaimed, cutting him off. "Merlin! You're going to expire before you even marry your beloved Lily if you're going to ramble off all these speeches!" then Sirius' face sobered and he said quietly, "It's the least I can do for you, Prongs—I mean after everything you have done for me, for all of us. I will always be here to support you and Lily in whatever comes: good or bad. Just enjoy the day Prongs, alright? And don't worry about anything, otherwise I'll have to hex you!"
James chuckled, the tension evaporating immediately and punched Sirius playfully on the shoulder. "Let's go get me married!"
"That's the spirit! Can't keep the lovely Lily waiting!"
"You certainly can not do that!" said a voice from the doorway, followed by a laugh of another.
"Moony and Wormtail! Welcome all!" James declared, dramatically throwing his hands wide open and engulfing the two arriving Marauders in a giant bear hug.
"We just ducked by to wish the groom the best of luck before he enters into connubial bliss," said Remus grinning.
"Yeah. We also wanted to see if you were still in one-piece or whether you were perspiring with nervousness," added Peter.
"But from the looks of things, you seem to be quite composed, albeit a little hyper—has Padfoot spiked your orange juice with Firewhisky?" asked Remus, raising his eyebrows at James' goofy grin that seemed to be permanently plastered on his face.
Sirius sniggered. "Nah. I don't want to face the wrath of Lily Evans-soon-to-be-Potter—that girl has a mean hex! I thing our Prongs is just intoxicated by l'amour for our favourite red-haired girl."
"That I am, my dear and esteemed friends," Prongs theatrically sighed and did a little pirouette, to his friends' amusement.
Sirius guffawed while Remus and Peter could not stop beaming from ear-to-ear.
An awed expression crossed James' face. "I can't believe in half an hour, I'll be married to Lily," he said softly, almost to himself.
"We can," said Peter. "After years of listening to you mooning about her at Hogwarts, this next step of marrying her does seem logical."
"Hear! Hear!" agreed Sirius raucously, slinging his arm around James.
Remus conjured four glasses of Butterbeer which flew into each Marauder's hand. The four raised their glasses into the air.
"May he and Lily enjoy a long life of marital bliss!" Remus declared.
"May Prongs and Lily enjoy a rich and rewarding love-life" said Sirius smirking.
"Padfoot!" James exclaimed, but he was grinning all the same.
"To Prongs!" Peter said simply.
"TO PRONGS!"
Then the four Marauders clinked their glasses together.
"What is this?" asked Lily, carefully opening the small ornate box and then gasping at the large diamond ring.
Mrs. Potter smiled wistfully. "This has been in the Potter family for four centuries and has been handed down to each Potter bride by the mother in-law—which in this case is me."
"Oh my!" exclaimed Alice.
"This is exquisite!" whistled Emmeline, slightly awestruck at the size of the diamond.
Lily touched the diamond. "This is beautiful," she breathed, sliding the ring around her right index finger. She admired it on her finger, the way it sparkled. She looked back up at Mrs. Potter. "Thank-you," she said radiantly.
Mrs. Potter waved her hand, obviously looking pleased. "Do not thank me…besides I am just following the traditional rites of marriage: something old, something burrowed and something blue—isn't that right?"
Lily laughed. "This is all so unbelievable!" and twirled around, her dress swishing around her. Alice and Emmeline clapped and whistled.
"Now you need something burrowed," added Alice buoyantly, pinning on Lily's front a small pin-shaped emerald broche.
"And something blue," finished Emmeline beaming, and tied a blue ribbon around the bouquet of lilies that Lily was to hold.
"You guys!" Lily exclaimed, kissing both her friend's cheeks and almost rendering herself to tears. "You are amazing!"
Alice was nearly in tears herself but was smiling. "Lils, don't start crying until you reach the altar! You don't want your husband-to-be's first sight of you to be a puffy-eyed and snotty-nosed woman!"
"Though I'm sure James would think she is gorgeous even if she looked like that!" Emmeline cut in, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
Lily giggled. "I'm so happy—I feel as if I could float down the aisle to him!"
Emmeline and Alice squealed like two teenage girls while Mrs. Potter smiled indulgently, wet-eyed herself as Lily's excited air brought back memories of her own marriage years ago.
A tune struck up outside on the lawn where the wedding guests were assembled and waiting. Lily looked at her two friends and Mrs. Potter with barely restrained excitement.
Mrs. Potter came over to Lily and planted a light kiss on both her cheeks. "This is my cue to depart. Good luck, my dear and enjoy the day!"
"I will!" Lily promised, unable to stop smiling giddily. Lily then turned to her two friends, who were looking at her expectantly. Alice quickly did an once-over check to see that everything was in correct shape on Lily's dress and that her hair and make-up was still pristine.
Emmeline whistled in appreciation. "Lily, you look absolutely gorgeous! James is going to be bowled over by the mere sight of you!"
Alice nodded vigorously in agreement, on the verge of crying herself.
"I hope he will be!" laughed Lily, her eyes shining.
Alice and Emmeline escorted her to the door. "The bride must go first," announced Emmeline with great flourish.
Alice curtseyed to Lily playfully. Lily took a deep breath, gave her friends one last sparkling look then walked gracefully out of the dressing room and down the stairs to where her future husband was waiting.
Everyone was seated now and a hush had fallen over the assembled party. James stood on the altar, resplendent in his wizarding robes with Sirius standing supportively beside him on his left. Dumbledore was on James' right and his majestic white beard rippled against the soft whistle of wind.
James saw his mother sitting in the front row, looking at him with pride and James smiled affectionately at her, knowing that his father was looking down over them all on this special day.
James then turned to face his old Headmaster Dumbledore, whose blue eyes were twinkling like two bright orbs. "All my blessings, Mr. Potter," he said merrily. "This is a sweet reward for both you and Miss Evans after a very lengthy courtship!"
James blushed and smiled broadly while Sirius hooted. "Thank-you, Headmaster."
"Now, now, Mr. Potter. I am no longer your Headmaster. I think it is quite appropriate for you to call me Dumbledore!"
James chuckled, not sure of whether he would ever be able to address Dumbledore as anything else but as 'Headmaster'.
All other thoughts flew out of James' head as the wedding tune struck up and a delicious feeling of anticipation bubbled up inside of him.
"Good luck, mate," Sirius whispered in his ear, squeezing his shoulder one last time. Remus and Peter gave him thumbs-up from their front row seats.
All James could now focus on was the almost heavenly apparition swathed in white that was slowly moving up the aisle. His nervousness immediately fled. He forgot about the crowd, his irrational insecurities, his grief of his father's death, Lily's parents' murders and the threat of Voldemort—all that existed now, all that mattered was Lily.
The almost dizzying sensation that those emerald eyes of hers, those penetrating orbs that reflected a myriad of emotions, could be filled with love for him, never ceased to amaze him. He wished he could just run down the aisle and lift her in his arms and kiss her, like she loved but instead he stood on the altar with his hands crossed neatly, waiting (quite impatient, if the truth be told!) for his future wife to stand beside him.
He felt as if Lily was almost walking through water—indeed, floating, towards him. He took—finally!—her soft white hands within his own tanned hands tenderly and kissed her sweetly on the lips, inhaling the rose and spicy scent of her being.
"Soon we will be able to do this uninterrupted," murmured Lily against his lips as they parted and he escorted her up the altar, Emmeline and Alice mere phantoms to him.
It took all of James' self-control not to pick her up and snog her senseless in front of all their family and friends. He shot her an intense look that was laced with barely disguised longing. A self-satisfied smile tugged at the corners of her lips in response.
The couple nodded to Dumbledore to begin the ceremony before facing each other again, their hands linked, staring at one another unwaveringly.
"We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of two cultures, two hearts and two minds: those of James Potter and Lily Evans. I feel honoured to be entrusted with the special task of officiating the ceremony of my two past students; two both very able and talented Head Boy and Head Girl of Hogwarts; two passionate, opinionated, and courageous members of the wizarding world and two people I feel will have a great impact on our world in the years to come. I have had the joy and the amusement to watch these two mature; a once headstrong, hot tempered girl and an overly-confident, mischievous boy evolve into bright and strong adults— though not without a few hiccups along the way," said Dumbledore, his voice like a silver bell ringing clearly across the grounds. Gentle laughter erupted from the congregation, for James and Lily's verbal sparring had been somewhat of a legend at Hogwarts. Dumbledore then looked at the groom and the bride in turn, his eyes deepening into an infinite light. "I now will ask the bride and groom to exchange their vows. James, I will ask you to proceed first."
James gazed into Lily's eyes and he saw all that he was, all that he had been and all that he would be. She was his fate as he was hers. Their life would not be an easy, sunlit one, but it would be one worth living and dying for.
The speech he had rehearsed over and over again now seemed stale but he was not afraid, squeezed Lily's hands reassuringly and opened his mouth, just allowing the raw words from his heart to free-fall through his lips. "Lily Evans," he began earnestly, "When you agreed to marry me, you fulfilled a dream, so precious, so long held, that I felt as if it was some sort of fantasy where I had to keep on pinching myself to assure me that it was true. I think I have loved you every since I turned your pony-tail green in first year, though I was too immature and pig-headed to understand that. It could have been any girl in first year that I could have changed their hair bright green, but it was you. All other girls paled in comparison to you—in fact they all still do. In fifth year, when I finally realised that I loved you, I was such a git and believed that hexing people and showing off would actually impress you. It took a hard lesson in sixth year to re-evaluate myself and actually absorb what you had constantly been saying to me over the years was true—I had been a git, an arrogant toe-rag and I did think that I was Merlin's gift to the world and a Quidditch prodigy. Merlin, Lily! When you actually agreed to go out with me in seventh year, that moment surpassed every other experience in my life! I loved it that you saw me in a new light and actually talked with me without calling me a prat. Lily, you are unlike any girl I have ever—or will—meet. I love everything about you…from your raw honesty, intelligence, wit, sheer courage and to your hair and your eyes, Lily. You are everything to me and I'll do whatever is in my power to ensure your happiness and security. Everything that I am and everything that I will be, I give to you, in hope that it is enough." His voice dropped into a more intimate tone. "I love you, Lily Evans—always."
Tears were welling in Lily's eyes and she stifled a sob. James cupped her cheeks in his hands lovingly. The audience's breaths caught in their throat, some were crying, most awestruck at James' honest and passionate speech as they watched the couple radiate with unconditional love for each other.
Lily composed herself but was unable to prevent a wide, beautiful smile to curl over her face and her emerald eyes were shining as never before. She gently removed James' hands from her cheeks, pressed a kiss to both his hands then enfolded them in hers. "James Potter," she began clearly, "Far from what you thought, I have always noticed you, even when I first saw that messy hair and bespectacled face of yours on our very first trip on the Hogwarts Express, just exuding confidence and charm among so many other first years who looked like they were going to faint. Even after you turned my hair green in first year, I couldn't help but secretly admire your talents both in schoolwork and Quidditch, despite proclaiming I despised your arrogance and bullying. Yes, I didn't like that aspect of your personality, but I also caught glimpses of the private James Potter, the James Potter that the Marauders knew, loved and respected: the mischievous, brave, loyal and passionate James Potter. I think I was attracted to you then and knew that eventually, the side that you only seemed to show to the Marauders would come through—and I was right." She smiled softly at him. "Over sixth year, I too, grew up. I realised no one could be perfect—not even myself. On reflection, I too, had been arrogant as I had prided myself on being truthful, studious and passionate about giving everyone a fair go when in reality I wasn't giving you, James, the time of day despite the obvious signs you were genuinely trying to amend yourself. You are everything to me, James. I love the way you make me feel so desirable and loved— like I'm the only person in the world when you even just look at me. I love the way you and I can be so brutally honest with each other, the way we argue and love with the same passion and raw truth. I trust you James implicitly and I want to be at your side always, in the good and the bad and will never abandon you, because I love you, James Potter."
"Lily," breathed James, his hazel eyes intense and utterly captivating.
The audience was hushed and completely entranced. Not one eye in the assembled guests was dry. Even Dumbledore was a little misty-eyed as he cleared his throat and said, "Now we will exchange the rings."
A suspiciously wet-eyed Sirius produced the ring from his robe pocket and reverently passed it to James.
James' mind was in a joyous fog as he bestowed a kiss upon the emerald and diamond studded ring and slid it onto Lily's finger. His heart was ready to burst as Lily kissed his ring finger and then slid the simple gold ban on it.
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You now may kiss the bride!" Dumbledore proclaimed joyously.
James and Lily needed no prompting from Dumbledore. James framed Lily's cheeks with his hands and immediately covered her lips with his own. At first the kiss was gentle and tender, but then Lily's mouth opened under his and he could no longer restrain the sheer intensity of his feelings for her and deepened the kiss. His hands slid from her cheeks and down to her waist. Lily eagerly reciprocated and slid her arms around his neck and pressed herself against him. The guests could practically feel the palpable heat between the couple and wondered how long they could keep on kissing before they would need to come up for air. The couple only reluctantly parted when the guests started clapping and cheering.
"Welcome to married life, Mrs. Potter," James murmured against her full lips.
"I am certainly most looking forward to it, Mr. Potter," Lily whispered, planting one more lingering kiss on his lips before they turned hand-in-hand to face their relatives and friends.
End of chapter 2! I am not sure whether I should continue this on for a 3rd chapter and I would really like to know what you think. Please review and tell me your opinions! Thanx!
Luv Mango Schmango xoxo