3 – The perfect dress

Lily stopped the car outside of Alice and Frank's house (she had just passed her driver's license test the day before), and beeped. Alice stuck her head out of a window on the first floor.

"I'll be right down!" she called.

Lily grinned at her and waited. Half a minute later, Alice closed the door and almost jumped outside and sat in the car.

"Okay, Lils, tell me once more why we aren't just apparating," she demanded.

"Because!" Lily laughed. "It's fun to drive. And it's something I'm actually good at!"

Alice raised an eyebrow. "I guess we're going to Diagon Alley?"

"Of course! Where else?"

Alice shrugged. "Just asking."

Two hours later Lily and Alice stepped into 'Madam Geoffrey's Witches and Wizards' Wear for All Occasions' in Diagon Alley.

Lily looked around. "Again, what colour did my dress have to be?" she asked while following Alice to the left where there were a lot of white dresses.

"Err. Something a bit darker than royal blue, if you get what I mean?"

Lily nodded slowly. "Yeah. I think I do."

Suddenly a middle-aged woman appeared next to Lily. "Can I help you with anything, dears?" she asked; Lily assumed it was Madam Geoffrey.

"I'm looking for a wedding dress," Alice said.

The woman's face lit up in a smile. "Yes, this way."

Alice and Lily followed her into a room where Alice was placed on top of a stool.

"White I presume?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah. And I was thinking it could have a blue band or something like that so it'd match my bridesmaid's."

Madam Geoffrey nodded. "I have a basic idea," she said and walked away.

Alice sent Lily an excited glance. Madam Geoffrey was back seconds later with a simple white dress made of silk. Alice raised her eyebrows. Lily did too. They both looked very sceptical.

"Please put it on," Madam Geoffrey asked Alice.

Alice did as she was told and was not impressed. "It's just a white piece of silk," she noticed.

"Aha!" Madam Geoffrey said. "But now the fun begins. Tell me what you had in mind."

"Err… something strapless… it's got to be special, but simple. And my maid of honour is going to be dressed in dark blue."

Madam Geoffrey nodded and turned to the dress with her wand in her hand. She swished it a couple of times and suddenly the dress started to change. The straps disappeared and were replaced by dark blue bands that ended the dress around Alice, one at the top and another one at the bottom.

Lily's eyes were the size of teacups, but it didn't stop there. The dress grew wider at the bottom and slowly little diamonds popped up in the dress from the top and fewer and fewer all the way down and ended at the waist. They all had a gleam of blue in them.

Alice's jaw dropped as she watched it all. She turned around a bit to look at herself from behind.

"I…" she said. "I look beautiful!"

Lily grinned. "So much!"

Madam Geoffrey smiled at them. "Any more details?" she asked.

Alice shook her head. "No. It's fine. It's the dress! I'll take it!"

"That was one of the quickest purchases you've ever made!" Lily laughed.

"Yes, but it's it!" she said and turned to Lily. "Now we just have to find your dress."

Lily nodded. "Yeah…"

Madam Geoffrey helped Alice out of her dress and went to pack it. Meanwhile Lily and Alice moved to the outer part of the shop. Lily parted from Alice and they both started looking around. She was almost at the counter when she stopped.

She had spotted a blue dress of thick shining silk on a life-size model in the middle of the whole section. It was exactly the colour Alice had talked about. It was a long dress that went around the wearer's neck and folded around the chest and stomach, and around the legs the silk was as if it was floating.

Lily took a quick walk around it and noticed the naked back with the beautiful cut. She walked back to find Alice.

"I think I've found it," she said.

Alice smiled and followed her. Lily stopped in front of the dress.

"So?" she asked. "Do you like it?"

Alice smiled. She took a walk around the model too and returned to Lily, smiling even wider.

"It's just you!"

Lily looked at the size. It was too small. She swore soundlessly before she turned to Madam Geoffrey who was packing Alice's dress.

"Yes?" she asked and looked up.

"Err… You don't happen to have that blue dress over there in a bigger size?" she asked, slowly turning a bit red and pointing at the life-size model.

Madam Geoffrey smiled. "Of course, dear. I'll just find it for you."

She was gone for half a minute before she returned with the dress over her arm.

"Here you go," she said and handed Lily the dress.

"Thanks," Lily smiled and turned.

She returned to the same room where Alice had tried on her dress and quickly put it on.

"Alice?" she called.

Alice was there a second later. "OH!" she squealed "It's so beautiful on you. You can't wear it."

"What?" Lily asked and looked at her.

"You'll look prettier than me!" Alice grinned.

Lily blushed, but Alice had a point. She was beautiful and the dress fitted her perfectly, not showing the places where she had a bit too much. But she could never be prettier than the bride.

"Take it," Alice grinned. "You'll blow all the guys' legs away under it."

Lily laughed. "We'll see about that."

She pulled the dress off and got dressed in her own clothes. She followed Alice out of the room, but stopped as soon as she saw someone on the outside of the shop. She grabbed Alice's arm and pulled her, after her own self, behind a row of dresses. A second later a tall man entered the shop. His hazel eyes shined behind a pair of round glasses under a mane of disheveled black hair; James Potter had just entered the shop.

Lily bent a bit so she could barely see him from behind the dresses. He walked straight over to the counter where Madam Geoffrey had just finished packing Alice's dress.

"Hi," he said, not throwing a single glance at the package. "I'm here to pick up a tux and a dress. The name is James Potter."

Madam Geoffrey smiled and walked over to a shelf where she pulled out a package with a small note on. Meanwhile James had turned and taken a look around in the shop. Lily bent even more, afraid he might see her but still looking at him. His eyes still searched the shop, but stopped at the life-size model with a dark blue dress on. The dress Lily had just decided to buy.

He frowned and took a step closer to it.

He was now so close to Lily and Alice that Lily could recognise the well-known smell of him. It was fresh and calming at the same time without suppressing his normal smell completely.

Lily felt her eyes burning, but kept the tears inside of her. There was nothing she wanted more than to throw herself at him, with her arms around his neck, hoping the last month could be erased from her life. But she couldn't and she'd never feel his hand in hers again; never feel his lips on hers again; never hear him say he loved her again. It was over. She repeated those words to herself in her mind over and over again. She couldn't go and confront him. She just couldn't. But she missed him! No, she didn't miss him... and she didn't need him either. She had to remember the last day of school!

While Lily had a mental battle with her emotions, James kept staring at the dress.

"Maybe you'd like to change the dresses?" Madam Geoffrey asked and James snapped out of his thoughts.

"No," he said, still with a distant mood, his hand slowly stroking it, a longing expression haunting his normally so beautiful eyes. "It's just…I know someone who'd look breathtaking in it."

"A certain girl?" Madam Geoffrey asked, smiling.

"Former," James said and gave her a sad smile, also his eyes showed nothing but pain. "I can see her in it. She'd look gorgeous. Sweeping every guy's legs away under it."

This was enough for Lily. A lonely tear fell from her eye and down her cheek. She started to shake to control her sobs from coming out loud and she felt Alice's arms around her, but nothing seemed to help. She was torn on the inside and nothing could help her at the moment. The need to go and hug James was now more dominating than ever, but she kept telling herself she couldn't do that. He had hurt her and they were no longer a couple and would never be one again.

Madam Geoffrey smiled sadly at James. He gave the dress a last look before he turned to pay for his tux and the other dress.

When he walked out Lily was sure his eyes glistened a little.

"Tears," she whispered.

Alice stroked Lily's hair away from her face. "Don't think about it, sweetie. You're much better without him."

Lily nodded, not sure if she even agreed with Alice. "But it still hurts," she whispered.

"I know," Alice said and hugged her tightly. "I know."

After five minutes Lily got up and dried her eyes. "Well," she said. "I think we should head home now."

Alice looked at her with concern but nodded. "Yeah. Let's go pay for the dresses."