A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long. I really didn't mean for it to… but the muses ran away. Really, they did. And they went on vacation without me. Suffice it to say, they're back now. Hopefully for a while. In fact, I've already got the next chapter written. Reviews are all I need to post it. While I was writing this chapter, a few things came to mind. First, was about Lily's family (Petunia especially) and how I want Petunia and Lily to have a good relationship. Next, I thought that I really didn't want to make Peter evil. That, however, I will not change. I've got another plan, a better one, for his replacement. Next, I want to say that I plan for this fic to be… jumpy, I suppose. It's going to have a lot of jumps in it with no clear transitions. I'm bad at transitions, what can I say. Thanks for all the reviews I get. I've decided to post around once a week… that is, if I get reviews. So don't hesitate to tell me how much I suck and am going to continue to suck and that you're going to read the story for the suck factor… or you can tell me how awesome I am. And, of course, this one is dedicated to the always awesome Conscience, and whoever decides to send me REVIEWS.
DISCLAIMER: I really don't own much of anything. Martha is my only character. And, of course, it's not like she'll have a huge role anyways. So, as long as I don't own this, I might as well ask that you not sue me. That's just not cool, you know?
The day of the wedding had finally arrived. James didn't care to think about the bachelor party Sirius had thrown him the night before. Severus had been there and it had been awkward. Sirius and Remus decided (after they were long inebriated) that groping in front of the others was thoroughly okay. They always got like that when they were less than sober though. Peter had been moody and antisocial.
Of course, guys they knew from the Order had been invited and, luckily for all, Severus' secret was kept. Then again, James was the only one in the group who knew. Sirius and Remus probably chalked up his recent presence in conversations with Lily's need to make good with all those she was fighting with. Something about the war made her want to make sure that people she cared about were on speaking terms with her, just in case she died. She didn't want to end up with people hating her to the grave.
As James sat in the Potter Manor kitchen drinking a large glass of water, Sirius woke up. He gave a dog-like yawn as he sat up. "Morning Sirius," James mumbled.
"Where's your ex with those hangover potions?" Sirius asked, scrunching his eyes up in pain.
"Merlin knows," James replied. He had wondered the same thing when he'd woken up. But then, he didn't think of Severus as his ex; in fact, he tried not to think of Severus at all. It was easier that way.
"Shut up," Remus moaned. The werewolf glared at Sirius who was beaming brightly and in a rather painful manner. "Siri, your teeth are too bright."
"Why did we sleep on a tile floor?" Peter moaned. It had been the Marauders plus Severus who had been at the party latest. James recalled Sirius and Remus passing out before him but, when he'd finally lost consciousness, he had the distinct feeling that Severus and Peter were still awake.
"When one drinks, one has a tendency to fall. And whatever one falls on feels like the nicest mattress in the world so one tends to pass out," Sirius stated philosophically.
"Peter's not allowed to talk anymore," Remus growled and buried his head in Sirius' chest.
"Here," Severus said, striding purposefully into the kitchen and setting four vials of identical potion on the kitchen table.
"Snapey is my hero!" Sirius cried. The Marauders all winced at his volume.
"I must be going. I need to get ready for the ceremony." Snape turned and left as quickly as he had come.
"Don't know what you saw in him, Prongsie." Sirius shook his head at his best friend. He was back to his regular self, having been the first to reach the potion. As the other three downed theirs with grimaces of varying strength, Mrs. Potter walked in.
"I hope you boys didn't get in too much trouble last night," She remarked. She was obviously surveying them for damage. "All of you, go take a shower," she ordered. After seeing Sirius' impish grin she added one more word, "Seperately." They all made their way to various bathrooms throughout the house, Sirius pouting the whole way.
James looked at the time after his shower and immediately decided that with an hour before the ceremony, he should probably put on his suit. He dressed and cast a drying charm on his hair, ruffling it for effect. When he made it downstairs, havoc was ensuing.
He hadn't noticed it before, being so groggy from sleep and so preoccupied with showering. Now though, there were people and furniture and all other manner of things flying through the house.
"James!" his aunt Geraldine cried. "You look positively dashing! Just let me fix your hair!" she was holding her wand aloft, levitating a giant potted plant while she advanced towards James.
"No thanks, Aunt Geraldine. My hair is fine the way it is," James replied as he cautiously backed away from his least favorite aunt. "Besides, Lily likes my hair like this."
"PRONGSIE!" Sirius came barreling towards the two. "Prongsie, Moony's hiding from me!" he whined.
"He's probably helping Lily out," James replied, pointedly ruffling his hair as his aunt made her way downstairs.
"But Prongsie, I love Moony! Evans loves you!" Sirius was just begging for attention and James knew it. "Besides, Moony's your friend, not hers."
"You do know you're going to have to start calling her Lily after today as Evans will no longer be her surname, right?" James pointed out to Sirius.
"What! I'm not going to stop calling her Evans just because it's not her name anymore!" Sirius cried in indignation.
"No, you're going to stop calling her Evans because I'll hex you if you don't," James replied coolly.
"You're mean," Sirius folded his arms, making his pouting evident to anyone passing.
"Come on. We should get ready for the ceremony," James said, leading his friend off.
"You're lucky it's your wedding, Prongs," Sirius stated defiantly, "or I would be forced to continue whining, guaranteeing that I'm the center of attention. You know about my complex."
"Everyone knows about your complex, Pads," the tired voice of Remus replied.
"Moony! You're not avoiding me anymore!" Sirius cried before smothering the young werewolf with a hug.
"Sirius, I can hardly breath like this," Remus complained. "And you're ruffling my clothes."
"No, no, no! I'm the complainer in this relationship!" Sirius cried like a two-year-old. The other two sensed something was up. Sirius only acted like this when he was really feeling insecure.
"Sirius, just because I'm getting married does not mean that we can't still be best friends." James correctly guessed what was wrong with his best friend. "We're practically brothers and that's not going to change. If anything, you'll just have to go out of your way to bother me and Lily now."
"'It's not fair," Sirius pouted. "That woman is stealing my best friend, and she's going to keep him far, far away from me."
"First of all, she is not stealing me. Second, I would sneak away just to plan mischief with you. Third, and most importantly, I hear that Moony refuses to allow those evil women to steal him from you." James said the last part in a conspiratorial whisper. Of course, Remus heard with his wolfishly enhanced hearing anyways, so the whisper was more for effect.
"Moony, is it true that you won't let silly women steal you away from me?" Sirius shot his boyfriend the puppy eyes. His grey eyes looked so pleading that Remus could only nod.
"Good. I'd hate to lose you to them too. I suppose Peter's just succumbing to all the evil, letting those women take him." Sirius seemed to be his normal, cheerful self again.
"What evil?" Peter asked, coming down the hallway with a mess of wet hair adorning his head. "Moony, could you do the drying charm on my hair? I never quite got that one." Remus waved his wand distractedly, drying Peter's hair.
"Are you going to be okay, Sirius?" Remus looked concerned.
"Yeah man, you're looking sub-par and I can't have my best man looking sub-par. That's just not on," James added with a forced grin. The Marauder was to make light of any and every situation, after all.
"I'm fine. What are you talking about?" Sirius wore a confused smile though they could all see it was fake.
"Nine years and you think we'll fall for that shit, Black?" James raised a challenging eyebrow. Everyone knew that if James or Sirius addressed the other by last name it was a goad, pure and simple. They used the group nicknames for everyday matters and their own, more girly nicknames for each other for light teasing. When they addressed each other by first name (which happened very, very seldom), those who knew them best knew things were serious.
"Of course not, Potter. Now stop being idiotic or I'll have to rearrange your face. I'm sure that Lily won't appreciate her groom being all bloody." Sirius had a challenging air about him as well. "Today's about the two of you. Stop worrying about little old me. I'm just nervous because I've yet to write my Best Man speech, is all. I'll probably get a little tipsy and wing it." Then, Sirius flashed them his trademark impish grin and the boys let it go.
"Come, boys. We must get ready for this shin-dig!" James cried, throwing an arm around the two closest shoulders, Sirius and Peter. Sirius threw his free arm around Remus' shoulder and the four headed down the stairs and out onto the lawn where the ceremony was to be held.
"Well, don't you four look like you're up to your usual tomfoolery," their old Transfiguration professor, Minerva McGonagall, commented upon sighting the four.
"I hear that I'm supposed to pose as a groom today," James said, a smirk pulling across his face. "I hear the bride's a pretty one, too."
"To think, us in a wedding party. What on earth was anyone thinking?" Sirius asked.
"This sounds dangerous," Peter muttered.
"Don't worry, Wormtail. I'll take the brunt of Lily's anger," Sirius said.
"Why do you keep emphasizing her name?" James asked with a scowl.
"Don't you usually call her by her surname?" Peter looked thoroughly confused.
"It won't be her surname in a few hours," James pointed out proudly.
"Sirius is just upset and is pointing out every little nuance that will be changed when the day is out," Remus explained to them all.
"You need to take it in stride, Black," McGonagall coached. "Just because things won't be the same doesn't mean they won't be pleasant."
"Spoken like a true woman," Sirius said decisively.
"I thought it was very philosophic and I think you should listen to her." Remus gave Sirius an almost reprimanding look.
"Well, I think we all know who the woman is in our relationship," Sirius replied airily.
"Are you two together?" McGonagall looked shocked.
"You're surprised, Professor?" James looked amused. "They were practically groping each other everyday in class by the time we graduated." Both canines shot James angry glares.
"They were always very close, I suppose," McGonagall mused.
The ceremony started not long after. James had stood, with his three counterparts at his side, and watched Lily float down the isle. Her maid of honor was, of course, her older sister Petunia. Next to Petunia was Alice Longbottom and Martha Covington, a girl they'd known in school.
By the time the ceremony was over, there were few dry eyes in the garden. James had teared up, Remus was blotting at his eyes with a handkerchief, Sirius kept muttering about something in his eye and Peter was practically sobbing-- and that was nothing compared to the girls.
"Oh Sirius, for Merlin's sake! Just be a man and admit you're crying!" Remus cried as the wedding party ambled into the house and through the halls to the Potter family's ballroom, where the reception was to be held.
"Merlin's sake?" Petunia raised an eyebrow in amusement.
"Black, a man? I thought he was sleeping with you, Remus," Martha joked.
"You're kidding!" Alice cried.
"You thought the groping at meetings was for show?" James asked.
"You're strangely obsessed with our groping habits, Prongsie," Sirius observed, slinging an arm across Remus' shoulders.
"No way! Why didn't anyone tell me?" Alice gushed.
"Because we thought it was obvious," Peter pointed out. "I mean, they've been going out for ages."
"Surprising, really, with Black's previous record," Martha muttered.
"He was a womanizer?" Petunia guessed.
"That's putting it nicely, Tunia," Lily explained.
"He does look like one," Petunia mused. "But then, I automatically pegged him as queer."
"That's because the one time you met me before today I had my tongue shoved down Moony's throat!" Sirius cried.
"That sounds grotesque, Black. Keep thoughts such as that to yourself," a drawling, deep voice said behind them.
"Do they always bicker like this, Severus?" Petunia asked.
"If the women are around, yes. If it's just those four," here he pointed to the Maruaders who had gotten into a shoving match, "then they're usually more graphic, with worse language and a fist fight usually ensues."
"I often walk into a room with the four of them on the floor with hair pulled and black eyes… It's atrocious, really." Lily wrinkled her nose in disgust. "I've broken up more of their fights than I ever did when patrolling the halls as Prefect and Head Girl at Hogwarts."
"That sounds dangerous," Petunia replied, wide-eyed.
"Petey and Moony only ever get involved because they try to separate me and James but Wormtail can't even hold Prongs back," Sirius said with a shrug.
"It's true, unfortunately," Remus affirmed.
"Is that where you got all your scars?" Alice asked. The five boys and Lily grimaced.
"I'm not even sure anymore," Remus answered lightly. "We've done so much that it's hard to keep track where the scars come from."
"Nice save," Sirius whispered lovingly into Remus' ear.
"Well, I really should go find Frank," Alice told them. "I promised I'd eat dinner with him; he just got back from a mission and all." She smiled at them before heading off to a separate section of the ballroom.
"I'd love to stay, Lily, you know I would but duty calls," Martha said sadly. "I wouldn't mind being an Auror, I really wouldn't, if we could just catch some damn criminals every once in a while." She shook her head sadly.
"It's all right, Martha," Lily assured her friend. "I'm just happy you were able to be my bridesmaid. You were one of my best friends at Hogwarts, after all." Lily smiled warmly, her green eyes twinkling happily.
"You stay out of trouble, Mrs. Potter," Martha joked. "Oh, and Potter, take good care of her. If you hurt her, I swear to Rowena I will kill you." There was a dangerous glint in Martha's sapphire blue eyes. "I will see all of you squares later." She kissed Lily and Petunia on the cheek, waved goodbye and apparated away.
"She was a Ravenclaw, wasn't she?" Severus asked calmly.
"Yeah. Only Ravenclaws would swear to Rowena," Lily said with a sad smile.
"Auror seems like an odd profession for a Ravenclaw." Severus looked thoughtful.
"She mostly deals with intelligence and undercover stuff," Lily replied. "Though Martha's not your average Ravenclaw."
"She did spend a lot of her free time with a Gryffindor, after all," Peter put in.
"What are you all talking about?" Petunia asked meekly.
"There were four Houses at Hogwarts that kids got sorted into," Lily explained to her sister. "Each one has a specific characteristic that they look for. Gryffindor, what James, Remus, Peter, Black and I were, is known for bravery. Ravenclaw, where Martha was from, is known for knowledge. Slytherin, Severus' house, had a main trait of ambition. Hufflepuff, the fourth, is fond of loyalty and acceptance."
"Most of the houses have stereotypical members," Remus continued Lily's explanation. "Sirius and James are a prime example of Gryffindors considering they have little regard for consequences." The brothers in all but blood shot her bright, if over the top, smiles. "Ravenclaws are usually quiet and thoughtful; Martha was very different from her housemates. Slytherins are usually cold and snobby." Remus paused to shoot Severus an apologetic look. "And Hufflepuffs are often very nice, if not always the most intelligent of beings."
"Yeah, Hufflepuff was my second choice in Houses," Sirius explained. "Because Ravenclaws are far too stuffy." Petunia looked a little confused as to why he had left out the fourth house. The one that Severus, the only of the boys she actually knew very well, had been a part of.
"Come, Petunia, let's talk to Mum and Dad before dinner begins," Lily dragged her sister away before Petunia could ask the question they could all see poised on her lips.
"Merlin," Sirius breathed out. "Just thinking about how to answer what I knew was coming fucking sucks."
"Your brother," Snape said carefully, "he's looking for a way out." Sirius' eyes flew from the floor to stare into Severus' black eyes.
"He get afraid? Scared of killing people? Scared of all that Dark shit you Death Eaters do?" There was an angry fire in Sirius' eyes. His jaw was set and he looked ready to punch the next person who spoke to him. Remus placed a calming hand on Sirius' nearest forearm.
"No, he's grown jaded with the life," Severus explained calmly. "He's starting to realize that there was only one person in the family who got it right." The calculating black eyes settled pointedly on grey ones.
"Andromeda got it right, too," Sirius muttered darkly. "Took the bastard long enough to figure it out." He tried to shake his arm free of the werewolf's tight grip; Remus had enough experience with Sirius to know that he was unpredictable when his family was mentioned.
"If Black wants to slug me, that's perfectly okay, Lupin. He has every right to. I broached a sensitive topic and I was prepared for the worst." Snape watched the werewolf reluctantly release Sirius' arm. Sirius surprised them all by calmly grabbing Remus' hand.
"S'all right," Sirius muttered. "If the little bastard really wants out, he'll come talk to me." He turned, flashed a mischievous grin at Severus and said, "You can tell him I said that, by the way, Snivelly." He then ran off, cackling madly and dragging Remus with him, to avoid the former Slytherin's wrath.
"I should go too," Peter squeaked and followed the two canines to the table set aside for the wedding party and all close guests.
"Congratulations, James," Severus offered quietly. "I'm sure the two of you will be immensely happy."
"Thanks, Severus," James replied. It was the first time they'd used each other's given names since they'd split. It was a happy moment, but then, James' day had been filled with happy moments.
Hours later, after much dancing had been done and alcohol consumed, Sirius stood and got everyone's attention. "I'd like to raise as toast to the new Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" he cried to much applause. "Apparently they're really popular around here." There was a collective laugh.
"I've known James Andrew Potter for a good nine years now and I would just like to say that he's my brother in all but blood. We've laughed together, we've cried together, we've gotten detention together. James and I have always been each other's wingmen and we'd support each other through any and everything.
"I remember the first time James ever met Lily," Sirius decided that this was a tale that all, including James' new wife, should hear. "I had only known James for a good fourty minutes at that point, having met boarding the train to Hogwarts, but we were already the best of friends. We'd known Remus for twenty minutes by then and Peter for thirteen.
"When Lily and Snape walked into our compartment, asking if we had any available seats, James, poor sap that he is, just laughed. He told them that I was allergic to sneers, which Snape had been doing the whole time, but said that Lily was by all means welcome to sit with the four of us.
"Lily and James got into the first of their many shouting matches that day on the train. It was a beautiful moment. And, as soon as the compartment door slid shut as Lily and Snape left, James proudly proclaimed 'I'm gonna marry that girl someday!'. It's funny. None of us believed him." Sirius looked down at the happy couple before continuing his speech.
"Now that we know how these two met and how James fell in love, I can tell you all some of James' more embarrassing stories. We'll start with the fact that he asked Lily out everyday for the next six years of his life. One time, in a fit of rage, Evans-- excuse me, James will hex me if I call her that again-- Lily gave James donkey ears and said, 'There. Now you really are an ass.'" The crowd chuckled.
"And James, ever the loyal friend, always helped us out of a pickle. Whenever Remus was in the Hospital Wing, which was often considering how sickly the boy is, James would suggest we go to visit the poor fellow. Whenever Peter was having trouble in a class, James would suggest we all help him raise his grades. Whenever I was in a mood after receiving word from my family," Sirius sneered at this word, "James would suggest they all cheer me up.
"And now, whenever Lily's in one of her terrible, red-headed moods, James is the one who comforts her and calms her down. Take good care of him Lily and he'll take good care of you. He's loyal to the very end." There was loud cheering.
"Yeah, yeah, now I'm moving back into the sappy bits." Sirius smiled annoyedly at the crowd. "When James and Lily finally started dating, I think me and the boys finally did a cheer. There would be no more ridiculous plans to grab her attention, no more dragging James too the Hospital Wing or a spare room to reverse a curse.
"Of course, little did we know, Lily was going to steal our James away from us. She did it slowly, so we hardly noticed. Hell, I didn't notice precisely what she'd done until today! But no worries, Lily, we won't try to steal him back and we won't be bitter about it. All you have to do is let us visit him every once in a while, stir up some trouble.
"You two, you stay in love, you hear? I don't think I could tolerate the world if even a couple like the two of you couldn't stay together. I have one last thing to say to you all, and I swear to Merlin, I've got something in my eye again." The crowd chuckled as Sirius wiped at his eyes. "It doesn't matter if the Death Eaters swoop in two weeks from now or if you die a hundred years from now, all old and wrinkly; the two of you lived full, happy lives and you're sure to make it to a better place." There was loud applause and cheering as Sirius sat down.
"Thank you for not embarrassing him too much," Lily leaned over James to whisper. "And thank you for not making that speech about you."
"I was already the center of attention; everyone's eyes were on me." This got Sirius a slap upside the head from the two men sitting next to him (James and Remus). "Besides, darling, this is your day. Wouldn't want to ruin it or you'll hex me too."
"You called me James through the whole thing," James smiled, one of four people to understand the depth of that.
"Don't you go soft on me, Potter, or I'll transfigure you into a goat and send you to Aberforth as a gift," Sirius threatened jokingly.
"Aberforth hates you. He'd send me right back," James replied easily. "So cool your jets, Snuffles."
"Would you two stop bickering?" Lily scowled at the two of them. "I'd like to remember this night as special and happy."
"Yes ma'am," the two chorused.
"Now James, I'd like to ask permission to dance with your bride," Sirius turned and said very properly to James.
"But of course, Sirius," James replied, matching his tone. "Don't step on her toes, though, as she's a rather vindictive dance partner."
"Well if you plan to dance with Moony, be careful. He's not vindictive, he's just a really bad dancer. And he needs a strong lead." Sirius smirked, kissed his boyfriend soundly on the lips, and then dragged Lily to the dance floor.
"No offence, Moony, but I'd rather dance with my new sister-in-law. Come on, Petunia, let's show that sister of yours and that mutt how to really cut the rug." Remus just laughed as James dragged a slightly amused Petunia to the dance floor. Vernon, Petunia's fiancé just glared at James.
"No worries, mate," Remus said to the large man. "James loves Lily too much to get handsy with her sister. In fact, he'd probably molest Sirius before he would Petunia."
"I'm sure," Vernon replied dryly, downing his champagne then heading off to the bar.
"Remus, sweetheart, would you oblige me with a dance?" James' mother asked Remus.
"Why of course, Mrs. Potter," the werewolf replied with a smile.
Out on the dance floor, the Evans sisters were having very interesting conversations with their current dance partners.
"Hey Evans, can I still call you Evans when Prongs isn't around?" Sirius asked, a smirk on his face.
"Only so long as I can still call you Black whenever I please," Lily countered.
"Have fun while it lasts, Evans. Soon, you'll only be able to call me that in secret as well. I'm practically your brother-in-law." He wore his impish grin.
"Perhaps I'll dance with Remus next," Lily mused.
"He'll tread on your toes," Sirius warned. "He's all calm and composed but he's quite uncoordinated." Lily let out a tinkling laugh. It was the laugh she knew James melted for.
"Poor Remus," Lily giggled. "Lucky he has you."
"I suppose I'm rather graceful, aren't I?" Sirius asked, wearing a huge grin. "I should be a dance instructor. Merlin knows I took enough dance lessons when I was younger to teach one or two."
"Pureblood thing?" Lily asked. Sirius nodded. "You know, you're much taller than James. It's odd to dance with someone else."
"I'm built differently, as well," Sirius replied, off-handedly. "He's broader and bulkier. Alas, I'm just a pretty boy." Sirius sighed dramatically.
"I suppose your height makes dancing with Remus easier," she replied. "He's taller than James but still a good couple inches shorter than you."
"Well, it makes it easier for me too lead, I suppose." Sirius looked thoughtful. "But he's lanky and all muscle and no control. There's a reason we don't go out dancing, and it's not because of the stares we'd get."
"Because we all know you love getting stares," Lily replied with a laugh.
At the same time, the following conversation passed between Petunia and James.
"A little awkward, isn't it," James said smiling. Petunia just nodded. "I figured if my brother was dancing with Lils, I might as well dance with her sister. Moony would comment on the symmetry of it."
"You lot seem to have a lot of names for each other," Petunia pointed out. "It gets rather confusing."
"Well, I'm James Potter," she rolled her eyes at this, "but the boys will often call me Prongs. Sirius is the only one stupid enough to call me Prongsie. Then there's Sirius Black, my best friend and surrogate brother. We call him Padfoot. Remus Lupin, Sirius' boyfriend and the only sensible one of us, often gets called Moony. Last, there's Petter Pettigrew, who we will call by any variation of his name or his nickname Wormtail."
"That's a lot to take in," Petunia replied. "You and Black, that's what Lily always calls him, talk a lot about how you're practically brothers. What's that all about?"
"I assume that earlier, Lily told you that Sirius wasn't so fond of his family, comprised mostly of Slytherins." Petunia nodded. "Well, the boys and I had to show Sirius what real family life was like. Eventually, we all became a family.
"When we were, oh, around sixteen, Sirius finally got fed up with his family. He never told me the details but I think it had something to do with an insult match between him and his little brother where his parents only punished him… I don't really know. All I do know is that they stepped over the line. Anyways, it was summer break, and Sirius had nowhere to go so he came here. My mother took him in, no questions asked, and that's when we started calling each other brothers."
"That's dreadful," Petunia muttered. "It makes me think that I probably shouldn't have called Lily all those names." She closed her eyes sadly.
"There's a difference, though, Petunia," James said, trying to cheer her up. "First, and foremost, Sirius grew up hating his parents ideals and standards where you and Lily grew up in a fantastic home. Second, Lily always had the support of your parents and, deep down, you. She knew you were mostly jealous. Sirius never had the support of his parents. But then, the man was born a rebel, so it's not entirely surprising. I'm not saying what you did is right; I'm just saying that, no matter what, we're all better people for it."
"That Sirius does seem fairly happy," Petunia said thoughtfully.
"I'd go so far as to say he's downright gay," James said with a wink.
"I heard that, Prongsie!" Sirius cried. Moments later, the two pairs were dancing side-by-side.
"You know you love me," James replied, a smirk on his face.
"I'll be arsed if I know why though," Sirius muttered darkly. The girls laughed.
Hours later, once most everyone had left, there sat five men and two women, chatting happily.
"You know, Lily, your husband is a much better dancer than Vernon. Our wedding's in a month, he's been taking lessons for two, and he still treads on my feet constantly," Petunia declared.
"Ah, that, my dear girl, is the pure blood for you," Sirius said, slurring slightly.
"Are you flirting with women again, Pads?" Remus asked. He was, at this point, so tired that he was curled up against Sirius.
"No, no, the lovely Miss Evans has an engagement ring," Sirius clarified. "You know I'm just a friendly drunk."
"Wasn't that how you two got together?" James asked. He was admiring both his own and Lily's wedding bands.
"No, we got together because I confessed my love to Moony after he accused me of being indiscriminant towards sexual partners," Sirius explained.
"Why does Padfoot's vo-voca-- word bank ex-expan-- get bigger when he's ine-ineb-- drunk?" Peter asked. His own vocabulary rather shrunk when he wasn't sober.
"He'll likely say it's because he's holding back when he's sober, to make you lot feel less inferior," Snape remarked dryly.
"Snivelly's right. I'm entirely too profound for your mortal minds. Only Moony can understand how truly gargantuan my vocabulary is," Sirius proclaimed proudly.
"It's a behemoth," Remus agreed, forgetting two things as he said this. 1) that it was never good to stroke Sirius' ego and 2) that Sirius was fond of making innuendos no matter his mental state.
"There's something else that's a behemoth, love, but then, you already knew that." Sirius wore a fiendish smirk.
"That's gross, Sirius. There are straight people around," Peter cried indignantly.
"You're the only one here who doesn't fancy boys," Sirius countered easily.
"Mmm, but I've got me a wife," James pointed out. "So that comment was half-gross in that respect."
"I ought to go," Severus said, deciding to end that line of conversation before it turned into one of the Marauders' infamous drunken brawls. "I have to get up early in the morning and pack."
"What for?" Lily asked curiously. She was leaning against James and he had an arm wrapped protectively around her. Somehow, the seven had all ended up sitting on the floor against a wall.
"The Dark Lord is sending me on a mission. I'll be gone for a few months," he replied. "I apologize that I won't be back when you return from your honeymoon."
"It's all right. You must stop by our new place in Godric's Hollow, though, when you do return," Lily insisted. "And I would write but I don't think your Death Eater friends would appreciate that." They shared a smile. Severus assured Lily and James with his eyes that he would do what he could to sabotage what he was supposed to be doing.
"I suppose I should be getting on as well," Petunia muttered. "I've a dress fitting tomorrow morning."
"Have fun, Petunia," Lily smiled knowingly at her sister, knowing how difficult planning a wedding, no matter how small, could be.
"You have fun on you honeymoon," Petunia smiled back at her sister. "Love you," she said, kissing her younger sister's cheek, and then heading off to call for a cab.
"And then, the four former Gryffindors sat like it was any old night in the Common Room," Sirius narrated.
"Except it wasn't any of the nights," Remus added sadly.
"No pranks had been planned," James put in.
"The alcohol had been legally obtained and consumed," Peter joined in.
"And it was not Lily Evans who sat in their midst, but Lily Potter," Lily ruefully added to the narrative.
"The next morning they'd wake up, remember a war was on and the Potters would be gallivanting off in some foreign country, thinking not of their comrades left behind," Sirius continued.
"The next morning, McGonagall wouldn't be shouting at them for something stupid they'd done." Remus closed his eyes sadly as he leaned against Sirius.
"And there would be no shared laughs between Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs." James ran a hand through Lily's hair.
"Wormtail and Padfoot would go to their respective jobs. Moony would be out looking for a flat to share with Padfoot. And Lily and Prongs, they'd be basking in the sunlight in lands unknown to the other three." Peter sighed loudly.
"But, at the end of the day they'd know that someday, someway, it'd all turn out okay. That somehow, somewhere, they'd sit like this again, and everything would be like the old days," Lily finished.
The five got up, helped each other to find their feet and headed off in different directions. Sirius was loudly shouting about ravaging his Moony no matter how sleepy the werewolf was. Peter was shouting his goodbyes to the other four, wishing the Potters a safe trip and telling Remus and Sirius that he'd be by in a few days for the Sunday night dinner that they always shared. James and Lily were heading up to James' room, the last time he planned to sleep in that room for a long time, calling off a thanks to Peter and a 'shut up' to Sirius.