A/N: Hey guys, I'm back. Sorry for the wait. Busy schedule…and for the first time, writer's block! It's almost exciting. I hope you enjoy this chapter…the results for the last poll….well the winner was Great Britain/England, but I really wasn't surprised. Other vacation spots…Vietnam, Russia, France, Scotland, Switzerland, Ireland, Egypt, Czech Republic, China, and Israel. I would like to visit Ireland the most right now, but that's where my dad's family's from. But I also want to visit France, Germany, England, Spain, Sweden, and Austria. I might go to New Zealand this summer. For the next poll question…(sponsored by my beta, of course) Where would you like to get married…cruise ship? church? house of a family member or your own house? the beach? or any other location? Well, read, enjoy, and review!
Chapter Thirteen: The Expected Announcement
The news rang through the dining room like a phone of the hook; no one was replying-or doing anything for that matter, for a few minute-length seconds.
"You're what?" Beverly asked, wondering if in her middle age, her ears were already deceiving her.
"We're engaged, Mum." Lily said in a tone more courageous than she felt.
"I thought I heard you right." she said. "Could you help me bring the cake in the kitchen, Lily?"
Lily excused herself quickly, darting her eyes at James, as if it wasn't obvious her mother was getting ready to have a private conversation with her.
"You're getting married?" Beverly asked in astonishment. "Oh, Lord, you're pregnant!" she gasped, pulling her hand to her mouth.
"No, no, Mum." Lily insisted, trying to hold back any laughter at the severity of the situation. "I'm not pregnant."
"Are you sure? Then why are you getting married so early?" Her mother continued. "So…young?"
"I am not pregnant, mother. Honestly, James and I haven't ever-" Lily's face turned a deep red and she started talking again as her mother recognized what she had been about to say. "James and I, we're in love, and we're ready. We just feel it, Mum. We know we're young, but we're ready for this!"
Beverly Evans sighed as she looked at her daughter.
"How long have you been engaged?" she asked.
Lily sighed and looked at the floor. Her mother wasn't going to like being lied to; she should have seen this coming. "Since graduation."
Beverly Evans didn't raise her voice at her daughter, she didn't say a word, except to usher Lily back into the dining room, saying they'd been putting cake away long enough.
Lily returned to see James in deep conversation with her father, and Patrick Evans nodding slightly at what James was saying.
She took her seat, and her mother did so as well.
"So I assume you've talked about this together, then? Do you two know the responsibilities of marriage? James, how do you plan to support Lily? Do you know what you're getting yourself into?"
Before James could reply to the Spanish Inquisition, Patrick Evans spoke up, surprising both James and Lily.
"He's got a plan, Bev. They'll be all right. He knows what he's getting himself into, and I think Lily does too. The best thing for us to do is to approve, after all, they aren't too young, Petunia is only three years older than Lily, and she got married at twenty-two. I approve of James, he's a respectable young man, Lily loves him, and James loves her." He gave a quick look to James and James nodded, still in shock that Patrick was supporting their marriage.
Beverly seemed to be shocked as well, as she found herself momentarily speechless.
"Very well, then. I do approve of James, Lily. You have our blessings." Beverly smiled at her youngest daughter and future son-in-law before she and Lily became absorbed in the decorations for the wedding and Patrick tried his best to give James advice on the Evans women.
A little less then an hour later, Lily found herself back in her new car with a few of her presents, this time with James driving.
"Are you sure you don't want to drive?" James asked her a third time before they were even out of the neighborhood.
"No, I'm a little tired, if you don't mind driving, that is." Lily replied with a small yawn.
James just grinned with a mischief in his eyes Lily knew too well. "No I don't mind, check out what Sirius and I installed."
Lily's eyes widened as she looked at James. "Nothing illegal, right?"
James didn't reply, instead he pressed a button just under the radio, and with a small jerk the car spun off at a dangerous speed, zipping through traffic like a mouse in a maze.
"James!" Lily exclaimed out of fright and surprise. "You're going to get us killed!"
James grinned. "No I won't, look, I got the idea from the Knight Bus. Muggles can't see us, and we're too fast to collide with anything."
As he was speaking, however, he was forced to slam on brakes before they rear-ended the back of a bus.
One look from Lily and James sighed and pressed the button, adjusting the car back to a normal and safe speed.
"Oh, you're no fun." he complained, grinning all the same.
He reached for her hand and stroked it gently as they proceeded back to London.
"We're getting married, Lily." James stated in a tone of wonder and bliss.
"We are, and my parents approve!" Lily chimed in happily.
"Now we just have to worry about mine." James commented in a lower tone. They hadn't put much thought into telling Mr. and Mrs. Potter, but now the fact that they would be dining with James' parents the next night was quite present in their minds.
"You don't think they'll be upset, do you?" Lily asked with worry.
James smiled at her and shook his head. "I don't think so. They were fairly young when they were married, and they're just fine."
Lily nodded, although her stomach was still tense. She sighed and looked around the car, noticing the beautifully wrapped package in the back seat for the first time.
"What's that, James?" she asked as she began to reach for it.
"That's for you; from my Mum and Dad…I forgot I put it back there. Go ahead and open it." James said casually, trying to not let his curiosity show through as he paid attention to the stretch of road before him.
Lily opened the package tenderly, wondering what kind of gift awaited her.
She gasped as she tore the paper, books, items that would always be on Lily's gift list.
"Did you get something good?" James asked teasingly.
"I got a book on charms! And a magical cookbook! And then one for house hold spells! And a beautiful knit scarf and hat!" Lily exclaimed as she fingered the mass pile. She pulled out the matching scarf and hat and grinned wildly.
"They're beautiful!" she exclaimed happily.
The scarf and hat were indeed pretty and well made with yarn of an exotic shade of yellow.
"Why in the world did she make you those now? It's August!" James commented, embarrassed that his mother had given Lily's birthday enough thought to actually hand-make her something so wonderful, and at the same time, glad that his mother approved enough of her to put the energy into it.
Lily shrugged as she put on the big floppy hat and wrapped the scarf around her neck playfully.
"Oh, it'll be cold soon enough! These are so fun!" she giggled.
James looked at her and couldn't help but to smile at her. She looked so adorable and happy that his heart warmed for the moment he was able to watch her before turning his careless attention back to the road.
"They look pretty on you." he said simply enough.
Lily smiled as she played with the scarf and sank back into her seat as she went through her new charms book.
"I'll have to thank your mother when I see her tomorrow…maybe I could make something from the cookbook! Oh, wouldn't that be wonderful?" she exclaimed in thought before switching her books.
"I'm sure she'd love that." James replied as they entered the traffic packed roads of London and made their way back to Lily's flat.
James smiled as he drove, perfectly content being with Lily.
He parked her new car outside of her apartment building and helped her out of the car.
"Shall we?" James said, smiling as he offered her his hand.
"Only if you help me bring in these things." Lily replied holding her books out to James, who took them happily, as she made sure her hat was safely placed on her head and her scarf tight around her neck.
"Silly Lily." James commented in a sing-song voice. Lily laughed and led the way to her flat.
They entered the dark flat together, and James, his hazel eyes bright with mischief, came up behind Lily put his hands over her green eyes.
Lily tried to question him, but James responded with a simple hush, and Lily closed her mouth tight.
"On the count of three." James whispered in her ear.
Lily's heart rate sped up at his voice, what was going on?
"One." He said lightly, blowing in her ear. "Two." his breath tickled her cheek and she giggled. James smiled broadly before one final whisper. "Three!"
Her black pupils shocked with the sudden burst of light, shrunk to a miniscule size and Lily gasped.
The entire flat was done in pastel shades of blue, yellow, violet, and green. Streamers lined the walls and ceiling, balloons of all shapes floated about, and best of all, her group of friends were standing in the room beside her.
She was immediately flanked by Ellie and Allison, the latter pulling her into a tight hug.
"I'm sorry for fighting! But please, let's understand each other and get along." Allison said, her blue eyes pleading with Lily's bright green ones.
Lily nodded. "Yes, I'd really miss you if you decided to never speak to me again. I'm sorry."
Ellie smiled at the both of them in their apology, but Lily had soon tackled her into a great embrace.
"Ellie! I haven't seen you in forever!" Lily exclaimed.
"Well, whose fault is that?" Ellie said with a laugh. "Miss-I-have-a-job!"
Lily pouted. "I'm sorry we haven't been in better touch. But we'll have to hang out as much as possible before you go to school. You can help me plan the wedding!"
And with her words, the girls were launched into the exciting topic of holy matrimony.
The evening passed by happily, full of much catching up, laughs, drinks, and fun.
At one that morning, Lily, James, and Charlotte had to convince their friends to leave as quiet as possible, the Apples might complain, and Charlotte and Lily couldn't afford to live anywhere else at the moment.
Sirius left last, behind Remus and Grace, who Lily found to be quite funny and entertaining once she opened up a little.
"I'll see you in a few, Prongs." Sirius said before belching loudly, causing the three remaining to make faces of disgust. "Well, I think I will…unless you and Evans here have something planned…" He gave a cheesy wink to Lily, who rolled her eyes at his antics. James told him to shut up, which he seemed to take to heart, as he didn't say a word after, but Lily thought that might have had more to do with his mouth being occupied with Charlotte's until the moment he apparated home.
Charlotte, breathless, excused herself to the kitchen to help clean up.
"Are you sure you don't need any help cleaning up around here? Sirius, Peter and I did make quite a mess…"
Lily smiled at him. "Well, the food-fight wasn't exactly the cleanest game to play, but I think I can manage a scourgifing spell or two. Your mother did give me that book, I can use it!" She laughed lightly. "And besides, you have to be up early for training."
"You have to work first thing tomorrow." James argued. "Come on, I'll help."
He made the motion to pass Lily into the sitting room to start cleaning, but Lily put her hand up to his chest to stop him. He looked down at her green eyes, and raised his eyebrows in question.
"James, Precious, Charlotte and I have it…if you stay, I'm worried you'll be more of a distraction than help."
Before he could open his mouth to protest, Lily covered it with her lips and began kissing him, letting her hand rest on his chest while his reached for her hips.
They broke apart eventually, and James nodded. "I'll go. I'll see you tomorrow evening, though. Want me to pick you up?"
Lily nodded. "I'll see you at six. We can apparate over, right?"
"Yes…since it's to a magical village. We'll be fine. I'll see you then. Happy Birthday, love."
She grinned at him and gave him one more quick kiss. "Thanks for everything, James. I love you."
"It's nothing if it makes you happy. Good night." James made his way for the door but Lily's playful words stopped him.
"It's good morning, James."
James beamed at her and nodded before turning the handle and making his way down the stairs as discreetly as possible.
The next evening, James knocked on Lily's door at ten till six. Lily rushed around her flat frantically searching for her blouse. Charlotte laughed at her as she spooned yogurt into her mouth. Lily glared at her.
"Answer the door, please! And distract him for a few minutes…" she exclaimed as she scurried from her sitting room, where fresh laundry lay scattered from Lola's play. She found the light green blouse, slightly wrinkled, but otherwise fit for wearing.
A groan escaped her, why didn't James realize that when she said six, she meant six ten? Didn't he know girls weren't ready until the last minute? She buttoned up the blouse and reached for her wand, producing a charm to remove the crevasses in the shirt.
She heard James's deep voice giving greetings to Charlotte, who was successfully distracting him with conversation.
Lily silently thanked her and rushed to her room, where she put a brush through her hair, changed her earrings, and then checked her reflection once more. Content for the moment, she smiled at herself before greeting James.
"You look beautiful." James said as he greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "And your hair smells good. Like flowers!"
Lily laughed as she grabbed her purse and a cake she had made. "Ready?"
James checked his watch and smiled. "Six o'clock. Right on time."
Lily gave him a look of exasperation. "Did you plan it like that?"
James nodded; he knew that Lily never started getting ready until the moment he arrived. "Yes, Charlotte, are you sure you don't want to come? Sirius will be there; Peter and Remus too."
Charlotte shook her head. "No, I've got some paperwork to do. Tell your parents and Sirius I said hello."
"Will do." James replied cheerfully before offering Lily his arm. "We'll be off, have a good night."
Lily gave Charlotte a final smile before leaving her to her thick folders full of parchment.
"Good evening!" greeted Margaret Potter, in a lively, happy tone as she hugged Lily and James.
Lily smiled at her future mother-in-law. "Hello, how are you, Margaret?"
Mrs. Potter smiled kindly at Lily, her eyes were tired, but glistening; her skin smooth, yet cracking with wrinkles. She looked worn, but happy.
"I am well, dear. And how are you? Keeping James out of trouble, I hope?"
"The best I can, but you know, it's impossible to keep him out of mischief entirely, especially when he gets with Sirius."
Mrs. Potter chuckled as James sighed and took off his coat.
"I've been good mum, promise. Is that stew I smell?" He asked distractedly.
She nodded. "The house-elves have been preparing a feast for about three hours now. Come in and take a seat, Sirius, Peter, and Remus are already here with their things in their rooms." (
James nodded. "How's Moony?"
"A little tired looking, but not as bad off as usual. Dark circles under the eyes, but a smile twinkles in them." Margaret smiled, and Lily was compelled to address the cake in her arms.
"Thanks for the books and that hat and scarf…they're so lovely. I can't wait for it to get cold. I even used one of the recipes…chocolate cake." Lily said, with a tone more at ease than she felt.
"Oh, it looks wonderful! We'll have to have it for dessert! And I'm glad you liked the gifts…James said you liked Charms and cooking so I did my best."
"The books are brilliant, I went over recipes during my lunch break." Lily smiled bashfully.
"Oh, did you get to the Italian ice recipe? It's one of my favorites." Margaret replied with youthful energy.
"I looked over it, it looked delicious, I'll have to make it for you sometime."
Before Margaret could reply, a chime went off in the kitchen and she excused herself, leaving Lily and James to follow her.
James smiled at her and shook his head.
"What?" Lily asked, grinning idiotically at him.
"Nothing…it's just, sometimes, I think you and my mother get along too well." he laughed, and Lily shook her head.
"The full moon is tonight?" Lily inquired, more of a statement rather than a question.
James nodded as he took her hand. "Yes, the guys are staying over for the transformation…Mum let's us use the basement."
"She knows about your animagi?" Lily asked with surprise in her voice, James's parents seemed stern when it came to magical laws, especially ones that if broken, could result in a permanent stay in Azkaban.
James looked uncomfortable and put his finger over his lips. "Shh. No, well, I haven't told her, but she knows the guys stay over occasionally during the full moon, for Moony. I reckon she might know, but my father definitely doesn't."
Lily nodded as they entered the kitchen to see Sirius and Peter clamoring about, Remus seated quietly by the window watching his two friends with amusement. He was as Margaret said, tired but content.
At this time, Samuel Potter entered, smiled and waved at James and Lily, and took his seat at the dinner table, before Margaret insisted they were all eating in the dining room. Sam got up, smiled at them again, and made his way to the dining room.
Like Mrs. Potter, he looked extremely exhausted, but determinedly cheerful. James put his hands on Lily's shoulders and began to massage them casually.
"Moony, how are you feeling?"
It appeared to be the first time his three friends noticed him and Lily; they turned to where he stood and nodded in recognition.
"Fairly well, considering." Remus said quietly.
"Considering what?" Peter foolishly asked in a moment of obliviousness.
"Considering he's turning into a raging, blood-thirsty monster in less than" Sirius checked his watch, "Six hours."
"Thanks, Padfoot." Remus replied sarcastically. "Glad you're a sensitive bloke."
Sirius grinned charmingly at him before going back to dueling Peter with a spoon. Peter, without a spoon or any utensil, was trying frantically to curse Sirius by tapping his wand against the spoon. Sirius barked with laughter, and the other teenagers couldn't help but join in.
"Does Grace know where you are?" Lily asked quietly as she took a seat next to Remus. He studied Lily for a moment before opening his mouth to speak.
"You mean, does she know why I'm here? Yes. I told her." he said casually.
James, who had taken the seat next to Lily's, grinned broadly and patted Remus on the back. "Well way to go, Moony."
Lily smiled. "How did she take it?"
Remus took a sip of water before addressing the question. "She was a little nervous at first. Asked a lot of questions, she's Muggle-born, after all. Then, once she calmed down a bit, she smiled, apologized for her peculiar behavior and gave me a hug. She says she still loves me."
Lily's keen ears picked the insecurity in Remus' mellow voice. "And do you have any reason to doubt her love?"
Remus shook his head. "No, it's just…kind of hard to trust someone so much, you know?"
Lily nodded and then looked at James, who had been staring intently at her. "Yes, but it's worth it. Trust is a great investment."
Remus nodded as Mrs. Potter announced dinner was on the table, causing Sirius and Peter to stop their duel (Peter's wand managed to backfire and shoot a cloud of soot into his flabby face) and run to the dining hall.
The three remaining got up from their chairs and made their way to smell of aromatic food.
The meal was to everyone's liking; the boys at the table, Sam included, had at least a second helping of every dish, and Lily couldn't help but be tempted by the scalloped potatoes a few times. Margaret caught her on her third helping, and Lily looked away guiltily. Mrs. Potter just laughed and encouraged her to have as much as she liked.
When Lily's anticipated cake arrived, she gave James a hinting look, that it was time to make their announcement. To her surprise, James gave her a discreet shake of the head, and continued eating his piece of cake.
"This is all quite wonderful, Lily." Margaret complimented.
Lily smiled bashfully. "Thanks, the recipe was rather simple though."
Sam nodded as he took a sip of his brandy. "Yes, the food was delicious. It was nice having everyone over, too. We don't see all of you around here as often as we'd like."
The teenagers look shamefaced into their empty plates.
"Dad, we've all go work…and you know, Sirius and I are in training."
Sam Potter nodded in a proud way. "I know, son. I'm proud of the both of you. All of you really, you are all doing so well."
The awkward tension that comes with unexpected praise passed after a few moments, and soon Remus was dismissing himself to go prepare for the night. Peter and Sirius followed, insisting that they were sleepy and needed a nap.
Mrs. Potter began to send the dishes to the kitchen, and Sam, James, and Lily were left at the dining table.
Sam stretched in his chair, looked at his son and Lily, and then stood up.
"I think I'm going to go see how your mother is doing in the kitchen."
James nodded without saying a word and Lily sent him a look. Once Sam had left the room, Lily opened her mouth to speak.
"James, we've got to tell them!" She whispered urgently.
James turned and looked at her with sympathetic eyes. "I know, I'm just…"
Lily's fiery eyes cooled down at James's present state. She left her chair and stood behind him and began to massage his neck.
Leaning her head down, she whispered in his ear. "You're nervous."
James looked up at her with a small smile and sighed. "I suppose I am. We need to tell them though."
He stood up from his chair, gave Lily a light kiss, and then headed towards the kitchen, motioning for Lily to wait.
A few minutes later, James, Sam and Margaret entered the room.
"James said there was something you two had to say?" Sam said.
James took Lily's hand and nodded.
"Lily and I are getting married."
A quick silence passed through the room, Sam turned to Margaret as if to be assured that he really had heard his son announce an engagement.
Sam smiled at them both for a moment. "We know."
James's face froze; it wasn't until he felt Lily's warm fingers in his that he thought to reply.
"You mean, just now, or have you known? How long have you known?" he stumbled over his inquisitive words without any real authority.
Margaret smiled slightly before speaking up. "We've known for about two weeks."
"Oh." James replied dumbly. "How did you find out? Did one of the guys tell?"
Sam shook his head. "No, Meadows, she came up to me about two weeks ago and congratulated me."
"Meadows? You mean Dorcas?" James asked suddenly. He didn't recall ever telling Dorcas about his engagement.
"Yes, she's a cute girl. Rather feisty. She's done some errands for Dumbledore and some Aurors in the past. She also said what a brilliant Auror you were going to make." Sam's eyes sparkled with pride.
"Oh." James replied quietly before taking his seat back. He was trying to work out exactly how Dorcas knew.
His father seemed to think the conversation was over; he left the dining room with Margaret behind him, leaving Lily standing quietly in the center of the room.
She turned to look at James sitting at the table, absorbed in his thoughts. Somehow, Lily felt betrayed. She knew it was a small thing to get upset over, but she could not help her emotions.
"James, I thought we agreed not to tell anyone but our friends." Lily said in a quiet tone.
James woke from his stupor and looked up at her. "We did. I didn't tell anyone, I don't know how Dorcas knew, I didn't tell her."
Lily's subtle anger, however, was not eased by his words. "And who is Dorcas?"
"My training partner. I told you that." James said dismissively as he went back to his thoughts.
"I don't remember you ever telling me who your partner was." Lily replied, still quietly, but her words were full of ice. Surely, she would remember a name like Dorcas.
James turned back to her. "I thought I did. Anyways it doesn't matter. She's just my training partner."
He seemed to feel Lily's coldness now, and stood up to face her.
"Lily, I'm sorry if I forgot to mention her, it's just Dorcas-she went to Hogwarts, she's a few years older than us. She got accepted to the Elite program, and we were paired. That's all."
"But you told her we were engaged! We agreed not to mention it to anyone until our parents knew!" Lily replied, her voice rising.
"I didn't tell her! I told her you were my girlfriend. And if it slip that I was engaged to you, I don't remember it! I'm sorry that I'm so ecstatic I can't hold it in!" James barked back in frustration.
Lily's eyes softened, and there were tears in them.
James' anger ebbed, and he moved towards her and pulled her into a warm embrace.
"I'm sorry, Lily." he whispered as he felt her hot tears splash onto his shirt.
"I'm sorry." Lily replied, muffled through James shirt.
James kissed the top of her head and held her a few minutes more before Sirius entered the room, in his usual disturbing manner. Lily and James broke apart and turned to look at him.
Seeing that he had interrupted something he grinned. "Sorry, lovebirds. But Prongs, it's almost dark—and these came." he handed identical letters to both James and Lily. "I'm going to go see how Moony is feeling, but then we really need to get to the basement."
Sirius disappeared as quickly as he came, and James and Lily looked at their letters, addressed in Dumbledore's loopy writing.
Lily opened hers first, followed then by James.
After scanning over the lines she nodded.
"We've got a meeting Wednesday."
"It sounds important." James replied before folding his letter and putting it in his back pocket.
He looked outside the nearest window to see the sun setting quickly into the horizon, he then turned to Lily.
"I've got to go, do you want me to apparate you home? Or your welcome to stay, I'm sure my mother has all sorts of arrangements to discuss with you. She's always wanted a daughter, she's practically adopted Charlotte."
Lily nodded. "I think I'll stay for a few minutes and then I'll apparate back. I'll be careful, so don't worry."
James smiled and leaned in to give her a long kiss.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Lily stated with a smile when they broke apart.
"Good night, Lily."
"Night, James."
REVIEW!
Oh, and folks…I'm going to be busy with some major senior stuff and then out of town, so expect a chapter in about two weeks. Sorry for the wait…but this chapter was a bit long, don't you think?
REVIEW!
And of course…thanks…Missing Summer, Scooter5710, fanficluver, heather gernenz, anonymously morgan, complicated123, Torch Phoenix, dancergrl119, PhoenixNS, White Camellia, hoolihoopgrl131, Zippy-Wings, Sharp-tounged, official cheeky devil, myzteek, Kaean, Jude Harrison, glowing-ice, chikichiki, and midnightblue93!
AND OF COURSE
THANKS TO ME BETA!
oh, and I just realized i had a c2s or whatever that is. You all should join it!