Trials and Tribulations
Summary: Harry Potter knew he was going to get shocked when he visited his parents graves. He knew that'd he'd see family he never met; like grandparents, uncles, and aunts. But one thing he didn't know was that he was going to meet his sister.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not making any profit off of this fanfic.

Chapter Fifteen: Meet the Parents

"I should be home tomorrow," James said. "I don't know when, but I'll floo over and get you guys."

"Okay," Remus said. He slapped James on the back and gave Lily a hug. "Hope you survive meeting the parents. See you tomorrow."

Remus stepped through the barrier. Sirius said goodbye to Lily and James, and then he and Peter walked through the barrier.

James grabbed Lily's hand and had her walk in front of him. He was pulling their trolley behind him.

Lily squeezed his hand, when she caught sight of her sister standing as far away from the barrier as possible. Her nose was in the air, and her arms were across her chest. Standing beside her was a large beefy man, who Lily knew as Vernon Dursley.

James grimaced slightly. "Those are your parents?"

"No!" Lily bellowed. She blushed when she realized her reaction. "It's my sister and her boyfriend." She pulled him to the car.

"Hi Petunia, Vernon." Lily said.

"Hello," Petunia said, eyeing her sister. She glanced at James. "The boot's open."

James looked at the end of the car and saw the hood of it popped up. He pulled the trolley with him as he walked to the car. He lifted the hood higher, and then lifted his trunk into the boot. He barely managed to get Lily's in, but after a few curse words he got it to fit.

James shut the hood, and then walked to the open car door. Lily was already in the car. She had her seat belt on, but she looked uncomfortable sitting in the back. James slid into the seat beside her and shut the door. Almost immediately the car was driving away from Kings Cross.

The twenty minutes James was in the car, he thought he was going to die. There was an uncomfortable awkward silence the entire ride. Lily didn't speak to him or her sister, so James chose to not speak either.

When the car stopped, Petunia told them to get out. James sighed. Lily unbuckled her seat belt, and James did the same. He got out of the car, and watched as Vernon unlocked the boot. He didn't offer to help James with the trunks. Both he and Petunia just walked into the house.

"I'm sorry 'bout that." Lily said, getting out of the car. "I'll explain it all to you later."

James nodded his head. He got both the trunks out of the boot, and he was now just staring at them. He looked at Lily. "I know this is a Muggle neighborhood, but can I use magic, please?"

"Err…" Lily looked around a moment. She didn't see anyone outside, and she didn't see anyone looking. "Go ahead. But quickly."

James nodded and pulled out his wand. He quickly shrank the trunks and put them in his cloak pocket. He stood up and shut the hood to the boot. He smiled at Lily. He could tell she was nervous, but he was pretty nervous as well. He slipped his hand in hers, and the two of them walked to Lily's house.

When they reached the house, Lily's mother ran to her and hugged her tightly. Lily dropped James's hand and hugged her mother back.

James stood behind her, and ran a hand through his hair. Realizing that he was playing with his hair, he stopped. Lily's mother broke away from the hug, and looked up at James.

"So you're James Potter," she said, staring at James. James just nodded his head mutely. Blood was pounding in his ears and he didn't think he could trust his voice.

Lily's mother held her hand out. "Well, it's nice to meet you. Let's get out of the snow, shall we? Are either of you hungry?"

They walked into the house, and Lily showed him where to hang up his cloak. She toed off her shoes, and then stepped to the side. James did the same, and then stepped back alongside Lily. "What am I supposed to do?" James whispered.

"Meet my parents," Lily said.

Lily's mother came back with a plate of biscuits. She offered one to Lily, and then James. As James took his biscuit, he took the time to look at Lily's mother. She was a tad bit taller than Lily, and she had auburn hair tied tightly in a bun. She had green eyes and they sparkled like Lily's.

They stood around for a few minutes in an awkward silence. James shifted from one foot to another, and nibbled on his biscuit. 'I imagined a bit more action. Maybe a few fist fights with Lily's father or getting beaten by her mother…' Lily's mother was watching him, and James felt uncomfortable under her heavy scrutiny. She was using the look Lily had often used on him and the other Marauders in the past to see who had done what prank.

"Mum!" Lily cried out, eyeing her mother warily. "It's not going to be like this the entire time, is it?"

Lily's mother looked at Lily. She noted the distress on her youngest daughters face, and immediately decided that this was not the way to go through things. "I'm sorry dear," she said. "Why don't we all go to the kitchen? Dinner will be done in a little while. James do you like tea?"

"Yes Ma'am," James said, slowly walking behind Lily's mother. Lily followed him.

"Oh, just call me Marie, and if you must, Mrs. Evans." she called over her shoulder. James just nodded his head. 'The first and only thing I say to her mother is Yes Ma'am. That's just about horrible. Great way of making an impression Potter. I'm talking to myself in my head…I'm going mad.'

They sat down at the kitchen table. Petunia and Vernon were already in there, sitting and drinking tea. Petunia twitched just slightly when they sat down at the table, but she didn't say anything. Vernon, on the other hand, gave a disgruntled grunt, and looked away from them.

James gave Lily a bemused look, but she just shook her head, lowering her gaze to the table.

Mrs. Evans came back to the table with three cups of tea. "Do you want anything dear? Lemon, honey, or sugar?"

James shook his head. Mrs. Evans smiled and sat down on the other side of the table from Lily and James, handing them their cups.

"So tell me about yourself," she began, "And please tell me how you two managed to be friends, no offense James, but Lily wasn't the biggest fan of you a little while ago."

James smiled despite the way Mrs. Evans said it. "There's not much to say. I'm in the same year and house as Lily. I'm the Head Boy—"

"That must mean you're a good student," Mrs. Evans commented.

"I guess you can say that," James said. "But I'm not as brilliant as Lily. She's always on top of things, no matter what it is. You should have seen her yesterday; she was already studying for N.E.W.T.'s."

As Lily explained to her mother what N.E.W.T.'s were, James looked around the kitchen. He saw the stove and the icebox. The kitchen wasn't that different from his, except his stove was a bit more unique, not just a square with fire on top.

"Oh, I remember you saying that you had those. Didn't you have a test named after another animal a few years back?"

"O.W.L.'s," Lily said. "Those tests were easy."

James snorted, returning to the conversation. "The only thing I remember about the O.W.L.'s was when Snape…" He stopped when he saw the look Lily was giving him. Her eyebrow was arched high, and her lips were pursed together in a tight line. Her eyes were saying, 'Do you really want to finish that story, Potter.' James inwardly flinched, knowing he had crossed onto territory he shouldn't have, and in front of her mother to boot.

"The infamous Snape," Mrs. Evans said. "I've heard this story, and I must say, I think it was a bit justified. He does seem a bit bad for my liking."

Lily sighed, but smiled. "You're not supposed to agree mum. That's setting a bad example."

"As if," James said, "The only person who shouldn't be around bad examples is Padfoot. He just sucks those in."

"That's Sirius," Lily added. "The main prankster in the Marauders."

Mrs. Evans nodded her head. There was silence for a moment, and James glanced at Lily's sister. She seemed to be admiring her hands while talking to Vernon. "Have you found out what you're having yet?"

James quickly returned to the conversation. Lily shook her head. "I have a doctor, Madame Jacobs, and she said when school starts again, I could find out if I wanted to."

"Are you excited James?" Mrs. Evans asked. She eyed James, knowing that she'd be able to tell if he were lying or not. Lily also looked at James. The last time she checked, he wasn't too psyched about the baby, especially during the bad row they had. She hadn't had time or the energy to ask if his opinion changed.

"I am," James said hesitantly. "I think it's about time I grow up." He smiled at Lily, and Lily just shook her head, knowing what he meant.

"That's good," Mrs. Evans stood up and brought the tea kettle back to the table, and then she began fussing around the stove. James watched as she pulled out a large pot from the oven. Mrs. Evans got an oven mitt, and then lifted the top off.

Suddenly the kitchen was filled with pleasant aromas. Lily's stomach growled, and she giggled. "I'm hungry now,"

Lily looked at Petunia, and held her gaze a moment, before Petunia looked away, turning to Vernon. Lily shrunk back into her seat and put her hands in her lap. She wasn't smiling anymore.

James put his hand on Lily's arm. Lily just shook it off, and scooted away just slightly. James then looked at Petunia, but she wasn't looking at him, it was Vernon.

Before James could say anything, Mrs. Evans came back. She sighed when she saw Lily, and then she looked at Petunia. "What?" Petunia snapped.

"Nothing," Mrs. Evans said. "Dinner will be done in a few minutes."

"Great," Lily mumbled.

"So James," Mrs. Evans said. "What about your parents? What do they think? Have they met Lily? I would love to meet them."

Lily glanced at James. 'He never talks about his parents. He always stays with his grandparents…Maybe they all live there.'

"They don't know…they both passed away a few years ago," James said, bowing his head just slightly.

"Oh," Lily said, surprised. "I thought they were Aurors."

James sighed. "They were." He gave Lily a look that said drop it. Lily did so, but she took James's hand in hers.

Vernon looked from Lily to James, and back to Lily. He then stood up, his fists balled up so tightly that his knuckles were white. "Serves them right for being the kind they are," he spat.

James stood up, his chair falling backward. He yanked his hand out of Lily's. His fists were balled up tightly too. "What?" he demanded.

"You heard me," snarled Vernon. "You and your—Freaks! The lot of you should be des—"

"Vernon!"

Lily's father was standing in the doorway, his chest heaving. He looked just as angry as James did, but it wasn't just him who said it. It was Mrs. Evans and Petunia too. Mr. Evans pointed his finger to the front door. "I think it's about time you go home."

Vernon nodded his head curtly and walked out of the kitchen, shoving James into the table. James spun around, nearly going after him, but Lily was holding his arm, keeping him at bay. Petunia and Mr. and Mrs. Evans followed him. It took all of James's self control to not rip out of Lily's grasp and go after him.

After a moment, James sat down. "What's his bloody problem?"

"Language," Lily said. "And I said I'd tell you later."

"I didn't say one bloody word to that effing git and he had enough nerve to say that to me? I don't even know him." James said, ignoring Lily's reprimand for language. "I should have cursed him into the ruddy wall." James's eyes were blazing, and Lily knew it had been a low blow to talk about ones dead parents. She too wanted to curse Vernon into the wall, but she knew her parents would disapprove of that too.

A few moments later Mr. and Mrs. Evans returned. The silence was stifling in the kitchen, and Mrs. Evans began fussing around, finishing dinner.

Mr. Evans sat across from James, and held out his hand. "I'm William, but you can call me Mr. Evans." James shook his hand, but his fingers were still tense. Almost immediately after the handshake, James retreated his hand. "I'm sorry about that James. It seems Vernon can't control himself around new people."

"You don't need to apologize," James said, keeping his stony expression. 'What have I done to him? Did I accidentally knock him over once? Hard to do that, he's a bloody whale.' Lily rubbed his arm soothingly, almost sensing his thoughts. She waited until James's body relaxed before turning her attention to her father.

"Hi daddy," she said quietly.

Her father looked at the hand that she was still on James's arm, and then he looked at her. "Come here, Pumpkin," Mr. Evans said. He stood up, as did Lily. Lily walked to him, and wrapped her arms around him. He hugged Lily tightly, and Lily hugged him back just as fiercely.

When they broke apart, Lily was smiling again. She sat back down beside James. Mr. Evans was smiling fondly at Lily, but then he looked at James; he wasn't smiling anymore. "You must treat my daughter right."

"I wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. Evans," James said proudly.

xoXoXoXox

James was laying on the couch in the living room. It was well passed his bedtime, because he had to be up early to go to his grandparent's house the next day, but he couldn't sleep.

Lily was in the kitchen, talking to her parents.

'Today wasn't that bad.' James concluded. 'It could have been worse. I could have cursed Vernon into oblivion, and then right afterward be beaten to death by Lily's father. Well…Mr. Evans would have beaten me either or. I guess he just felt bad that Vernon said something so rude.'

James sighed and threw a hand over his eyes. 'Mrs. Evans is okay too. She's nice, and she cooks great. Petunia on the other hand…needs to get the wand out of her arse and get a new man.'

It was quiet, and James could finally feel his eyes drooping, when Lily appeared in the doorway. "James, are you awake?"

"Yeah, just barely." James could hear her padded footsteps coming towards him. He sat up, and Lily sat down beside him. James opened his arms, and Lily leaned into him. She laid her head on his chest.

"I didn't know about your parents," she said quietly.

"Yeah…well it happens." James said quickly.

"When did it happen?" Lily asked. She peered up at James. He wasn't looking at her, but at the wall on the other side of the room. That wall contained the blazing fireplace.

"In my fifth year." James sighed, and halfheartedly ran a hand through his hair. He didn't care at the moment that Lily was in his presence.

"I'm sorry," Lily said. "I'm sorry that man of my sisters couldn't keep his mouth closed."

"It's not your fault, don't apologize," James said. "It's his fault that he doesn't like my kind."

Lily sighed, but decided not to say anything. She could hear James's labored breathing, and knew that he was about to fall asleep, but she wasn't tired, and didn't want to be up alone.

"James?" Lily asked.

"Hmm?"

Lily smiled and shifted so her back was to his chest. "Want to feel something?" Before James could reply, Lily lifted his hand to her stomach. She moved it around for a moment, and then she pressed her hand down on his. At first James didn't know what she was doing, but then he felt just a slight thump against her skin. "Can you feel it?" Lily asked. James just nodded his head mutely, his heart pounding quickly against his chest. "It's the baby."

James smiled and kissed Lily's temple. "I hope so," he said. Lily giggled. James kept his hand there for a few more minutes, even when the little thump disappeared. "You know, tomorrow, when we go to my house, I think it would be best if you didn't eat breakfast. We're going to leave early anyway, but with you flooing, I think it would be best." Lily nodded her head against his chest. She could finally feel her eyes drooping and she was trying not to fall asleep.

Lily shifted around a moment, and then she sighed. "I'm not going to be able to sleep here," She said. "It's definitely not good for my back."

James nodded his head. "And your father will more than likely kill me." He and Lily laughed. "I'm about to fall asleep, so unless you want to hear me snore for a little bit, I suggest that you head to bed."

Lily nodded her head. She stood up and smiled at James. She kissed him on the cheek, and then bounded to the stairs that were off to the side in the living room.

"Night James!"

"Night Lily."

xoXoXoXox

BB/N: I don't know what it is, but I just couldn't get this chapter right! I've written it about three times, gone through and changed some stuff, and I ended up with this. Hopefully everyone likes it…

Well…I must be going. I want to rewrite Chapter 16, and then write a whole new Chapter 17 because I forgot about Christmas… :(

Why didn't I notice before? I don't know.

Have a Great Day!

Love,
Bob Bennit