A/N: Hello all. Sorry for the wait…meant to post this earlier…but it's really not my fault. I mean, I meant to post this over a week ago before I went out of town but fanfiction was not cooperating with me. So..the long awaited chapter. Sorry..oh and Happy early Fourth of July! And I'm going to dedicate this chapter to my older brother..who just became The Best Young Chef in the United States. I'm so proud of him!...ok..lol..As for the poll last chapter…I'm happy to report you all think JKR will get Ginny and Harry back together. Somehow. As for this week's poll, you ask? Well my lovely beta has provided this one…so answer. Do you think that the current youth should get out there and start demonstrating and protesting just as the former generation of hippies had done? All right. So answer that. Review. Thanks.
Chapter Twenty-Three: When it Rains, it Pours
Just over a week had passed since the meeting. It had been a fairly nice week, if James said so himself. Remus' transformation had gone well, at least, considerably well; no one had to be sent to St. Mungo's. Training had been ruthless, as usual, but Mad-Eye had been in a chipper mood, that is to say, as "chipper" as Mad-Eye could get. James had spent Sunday with Lily; they had gotten most of their wedding plans done. They had decided (after much petty arguing) to get married in Lily's childhood church—her very Muggle church. They had decided to post on the invitations going to James' few relatives and other magical friends that would be attending (it was going to be a relatively small wedding) to wear only Muggle attire. Lily hoped they took the recommendation to heart. James hoped they didn't come in something completely ridiculous. The only thing left to decide was the honeymoon; but James was sure Lily was going to pick the Canary Islands. At least, he hoped so. It always seemed so pleasant there. Yes, it had been a good week, James established. And now it was Saturday evening and they were standing in front of Madam Malkin's dress shop on business for the Order.
"Lily and I will go check out Madam Malkin's." James decided, his invisibility cloak tucked into his robe pocket.
"While you lovebirds go buy robes we'll check out Quality Quidditch Supplies." Sirius said, giving a wink to Lily and gesturing towards Remus and Peter. "Good luck."
"You too." James replied, patting Sirius on the back.
"Don't do anything too risky." Lily added, ignoring Sirius' rolling eyes and speaking to Remus.
Remus smiled.
"No need to worry, Lily. You know I was always the sensible Marauder."
"And consequently the one that missed out on all the fun." Sirius added.
"We better get going—let's meet back out here in a half hour. We've got three more places to go after this." James mediated, placing his arm around Lily's shoulders and waving his friends off.
He leaned in and whispered in Lily's ear, an action which if witnessed by a passer-by would have shown the utmost affection and intimacy shown between the two. James' whispers weren't intended for pleasure, however.
"Okay, so, you can try on the robes, and I'll look around." James whispered.
"Why can't you try on the robes?" Lily asked, not keen on getting her measurements taken. She had the feeling she had been gaining a little weight these past months and wanted nothing more than to ignore it.
James sighed. "I always feel like she's groping me…and that she enjoys it."
"Fine, but next time…I get to look around." Lily compromised, smiling at the thought of James being groped by a middle-aged woman.
"Thank-you." James replied, kissing her cheek. "And who knows, Lily, you might get a new set of robes out of this…"
Lily laughed as they walked through the doors to the shop. The tiny Madam Malkin appeared out of nowhere, measuring tape draped around her little shoulders.
"What can I do you for?" she asked, looking pleasantly at the couple.
"My fiancée is interested in some new dress robes." James said smoothly. "She's to have what ever her heart desires."
Madam Malkin took Lily by the arm excitedly. "Right this way, dear!"
As she was pulled away from James, Lily turned to give James a slight glare. He grinned and gave her a cheesy wink.
Five minutes later, James was observing Lily up on a stool in front of a few body-length mirrors; she was wearing a repulsive brown gown that Madam Malkin had insisted would look perfect on Lily, despite Lily's protests-- Madam Malkin was currently poking her with a very sharp needle.
Lily bit her lip to keep from snapping at the woman, and James held in a laugh at Lily's discomfort.
"We may need to take in the sides a little. Half an inch on each side, tops." The energetic woman decided.
"Oh, okay." Lily replied, glaring at James struggling with his laughter.
"While you girls tend to that, I'll go and find Lily some more gowns." James interjected. He hoped to be able to snoop around the shop while Madam Malkin was occupied.
"Go ahead, deary! There's some dazzling ones in the back there…my niece was in here the other day trying them on and she looked absolutely beautiful in them."
"I'm sure she did." James replied, he caught Lily's eye and winked at her, leaving her with the seamstress.
James walked through the small shop and headed to the counter where the register was. He looked around quickly and then pulled his invisibility cloak over himself. He searched the drawers, the list of customers, in all the books on the shelf behind the counter. James found nothing there that looked suspicious. The names of the people ordering robes had no particular pattern, and no known Death Eaters were on the list. He saw a few family photos—one was a large young woman standing next to Madam Malkin. James assumed it was her niece. He gave up on searching the counter and went to go look into the storage cupboard.
After a few minutes of quick searching, James had nothing—however, he did hear Madam Malkin calling his name to come and see Lily.
James returned from the closet and pulled off his cloak.
"Just a second—I'm having trouble finding what I want her to try on next." James called, looking around frantically for something that would look good on Lily—and something in her size. He remembered Charlotte not talking to Sirius for a week when he bought her a dress three sizes too big.
He found a few gowns in Lily's most flattering colors (or at least, what he thought looked sexiest—emerald green, ivory, and black.)
When he returned to the fitting area, he found Lily down from the stool, turning for Madam Malkin.
"Yes, yes, I think that looks fabulous!" she exclaimed.
Lily smiled at gave the woman a satisfactory answer.
"Now, son, what have you brought us?" the middle-aged woman asked, turning to James.
She snatched the robes from James' hands and inspected them.
"You look lovely, Lily." James told his fiancée, who he truly thought looked beautiful, despite the hideous gown. Madam Malkin had made sure to take it in so that it flattered every one of her curves.
Lily rolled her eyes at him, but the small smile creeping on her lips told James that she wasn't really mad at him.
"Ah, these are lovely, you're lucky to have a man that knows his fashion…" Madam Malkin started. "Would you like me to make the same alterations to these?"
Lily bit her lip, searching for an answer…she didn't want to have to try on all of those robes.
"Oh, wow, Lily, it's seven thirty all ready, and I told your Mum we'd come over for that wonderful cherry pie she makes this evening. We'd better get going." James lied.
"But Jamie-kins, I want to try on all of these lovely gowns you've picked out!" Lily replied, in an exaggerated manner.
James frowned and rubbed his chin as if in thought. "I know, I know—we can come back and try them on, but you know how your mother is—she doesn't like to be kept up too late. Let's just get this gown you have on now, and we'll go."
Five minutes later, Lily and James were back in the street, James holding a large bag that contained Lily's new robe.
"Will you be changing into this now or are you saving it for some special occasion?" James asked, grinning down at Lily and draping his arm around her.
Lily glared at James. "Next time, you have to be the distraction—and I'm going to pick a revolting store to investigate…how about that lingerie store down the bend? I'm sure Earl the clerk would love to size you up."
"Diagon Alley doesn't have a lingerie store." James stated.
"Yes it does." Lily replied, winking at him. "You just have to know the right people."
"So does that mean you've been buying new undergarments lately?" James asked, waggling his eyebrows.
Lily smiled flirtatiously at him. "No, it means that you've been looking for a lingerie store."
Before James could gather what she had said, Sirius and Remus joined them, both looking flushed.
"Find anything?" Sirius asked, breathing heavily.
"No, but Madam Malkin has a lovely niece the size of a whale." James answered. "You?"
Sirius smiled slightly "Ah, Ruby. I've met her…and no, nothing unusual as far as Quidditch is concerned."
Lily looked from Sirius to Remus.
"Where's Peter?"
The two men standing in front of her exchanged glances, just as Peter came running down the lane. In the distance, an old man yelled something unintelligent and shook his fist in Peter's direction.
"Old Mr. Bates caught Peter…er…'investigating' behind the counter, and sort of got a bit…mad…at him." Remus stated as Peter bounded into their group.
"You couldn't have come and helped me?" Peter panted.
"Sorry mate, but I got caught nicking something from that place once, and my left buttock hasn't been the same since." Sirius replied as his hand ventured below his waist and he patted his bottom, wincing slightly in remembrance.
James chuckled slightly. "Let's finish up…we'll get Ollivander's and you can take Florean's place."
"All right." Remus replied. "Meet you in fifteen minutes."
"But James, I thought we'd check out the lingerie!" Lily exclaimed, laughing.
"There isn't a lingerie store in Diagon Alley." Sirius reported with a sense of all-knowing wisdom.
"If you know the right people…" Lily started before being tugged away by James.
An hour later, Lily, Sirius, and James were sitting in James and Sirius' shared flat. Remus had told the group he would report to Dumbledore (they had found nothing) as he had some other things to discuss with him, and Peter had insisted on tagging along.
"Charlotte's coming over tonight." Sirius announced as he searched for something to drink.
"That's nice." James replied as he sat on the recliner in the sitting room, pulling Lily on top of him.
"Haven't seen her in almost a week. She's been out of town." Sirius continued.
"Are you trying to tell us to leave, Sirius? Because we'd be perfectly happy doing so." Lily finally called out, squirming as James attempted to tickle her.
"More or less so." Sirius replied as a loud crash erupted in the kitchen. "Damn."
Maniacal giggles erupted from the living room as Lily flailed about.
"She's supposed to be over in a few minutes." Sirius called out, ignoring Lily's shrieks for help.
"Fine, we're going, Padfoot." James said finally, helping a teary-eyed Lily off the floor as he stood up. "Have fun."
"Yes, have a nice evening, Sirius." Lily added, winking at him before following James out the door.
"Well what would you like to do?" James asked, holding Lily's hand in his as they walked the London streets. The time had changed, and it was now dark.
Lily thought for a moment as she swung her arm lightly, carrying James' with hers. "Have you had dinner yet?"
"I had a sandwich before we met earlier today…but I could eat again."
"Let's go to his restaurant down the lane. It has the best desserts." Lily suggested. "Over thirty three kinds of pie. And forty three ice cream flavors!"
James frowned slightly. "Is it Muggle?"
Lily's grin faltered. "Yes…do you not feel like going Muggle tonight?"
He shook his head, causing his many rebellious hairs to fall into his eyes. "No, it's just that I don't have any Muggle money. We'd have to go exchange at Diagon Alley first."
Lily kissed him spontaneously on his nose. "Don't worry, I have money. And don't give me any of that I-have-to-be-a-gentleman-and-pay-bullshit, I can count the number of times I've paid for our dates on one hand."
"But I like paying for you." James replied, smiling sweetly at her as they walked.
Lily shook her head, her red hair fell loose on her shoulders, shadowing her profile. James could tell she was grinning.
"What will you be having?" the tall waitress asked. She had dark hair that was pinned tightly to her small head. She seemed rather impatient and annoyed.
"I'll have the custard pie." Lily decided after reading the menu. She and James had been seated for only a few minutes when the hoity waitress had demanded for their orders.
"Dessert for dinner? I only hope you won't enforce these unhealthy eating habits on our children…" James said, keeping his smirk hostage and looking at Lily with the utmost seriousness.
Lily took a sip of her water. "Sod off."
"What will you be having?" The woman asked, staring pointedly at James.
James, always one for teasing and annoying already stressed out people (hence, teasing Lily for the better part of seven years) smiled and read the menu slowly.
The waitress huffed and began tapping her foot.
"Hm. Does the chocolate pie have any gooseberries, walnuts, or legumes in it?"
The waitress' dark eyes flickered at him. "No, it's a simple chocolate pie---like the description says."
"Oh. I'm a little bad with reading…after that terrible eye operation I went under as a child…had a tumor in my right eye, you see…and when I was ten this pencil got stuck in my left eye…and well, I've had to undergo numerous operations to try to restore my vision…I still have to wear these wretched glasses…" he continued, talking slowly and elaborately as if the woman standing before him cared.
"I'm sorry to hear that, sir." She replied, nonplussed. "So the chocolate pie?"
"If you're absolutely sure there are no gooseberries—I'm deathly allergic, you see---then yes, and a slice of apple. And can we get two mugs of coffee?" James finally ordered. "Thank-you, ma'm."
The waitress left with their orders, not sure what to make with the gentleman she had just encountered.
"I'm glad you've matured so much these past few months, James." Lily stated once they were left alone.
"It's been hard, love." James replied cheekily, sliding closer to her in their booth and planting a kiss on her cheek.
After almost half an hour of waiting—and James' outcry of "how long does it take to put a piece of bloody pie on a plate…"---their pie was delivered to them, along with two warm mugs of coffee.
"Cheers." James said, grinning his typical wide, toothy smile and lifting his mug to hers.
"That was lovely." Lily said as they left the small restaurant. She was clutching James's hand as they walked close together. The temperature was dropping quickly, and Lily was regretting not wearing her cloak.
"For the most part." James replied. "I still can't believe you tipped the waitress."
"It's impolite not to tip." Lily quipped.
He shook his head. "Not if the service is lousy."
"She wasn't that bad…if you weren't being so childish…" Lily pursed her lips. She was beginning to get irritated.
"I wasn't being childish." James defended.
They walked in silence for a moment, then James spoke again. "She was being rude, you can't say she wasn't…you just have that rule about being nice to everyone…"
Lily sighed and stopped walking so that she could turn to James.
"All right, she was being rude…but that doesn't give you the excuse to irritate her even more…she's probably really sweet normally, probably just having a bad day…"
James looked down into Lily's bright eyes. He knew she was getting angry. He also knew she was right.
"I'm sorry." He finally said. "If you want we can go back and I'll apologize…"
Lily smiled slightly. James always looked so endearing when he was feeling guilty.
"It's okay…she…well, maybe she deserved it."
James leaned in and cupped her head in his hands and tipped her head back as he kissed her. Lily let her hands travel to his hair and she ran her fingers through his messy black mop.
Seconds later, a cold downpour shocked them apart.
Freezing rain fell heavily all over London, and James and Lily were caught in the middle of it, a block away from Lily's flat.
"Care to run?" James asked, reaching for her hand as she nodded and they set off in a scurry.
Laughing, Lily tried to keep up with James, who was doing his best to not let his long legs leave Lily's shorter ones behind.
A few minutes later Lily stopped and James nearly tripped in his haste to halt.
Lily clutched her side and laughed into the rain.
"Cramp?" James asked, a genuine look of concern playing on his handsome features.
"Just a little one." Lily replied, smiling and breathing heavily. "Although I never thought you could get out of shape if you were never in shape to begin with."
James chuckled and just looked lovingly at Lily, her red hair was sopping wet and her long eyelashes were collecting small droplets of water.
"Care to walk slowly, then?" He suggested. "I can even transfigure us an umbrella or something…" James looked around for something he could transform, but Lily stopped him.
"No, I'm fine. I like this. Just like this." She held on to his arm and led the way home through the slowly flooding streets.
They reached Lily's flat, drenched and cold, but happy.
After fumbling with her keys, Lily opened her door to James.
"Come on in, I'll fix some tea, and we can dry off."
James smiled and walked in, letting the warm air welcome him. Lily set her purse by the door and took off her jacket before heading to her kitchen.
While she was pouring water into a kettle, two hands clapped around her eyes, shielding all light from her green eyes.
"Guess who." James whispered into her ear.
Lily felt his warm breath touch her cheek and she reached her small hand up to his, letting the kettle drop onto the counter. She pulled his hands down and turned to face him, welcoming his kiss.
James leaned into her, never letting his kisses falter as he pushed her against the counter. His hands reached around her waist before traveling up her shirt, which, until that point, had been stuck to her wet skin. His made to pull her shirt upwards and began to kiss her neck. Lily's mind was racing, but she did the only thing she could think to do, and grabbed his hands with hers.
He broke away from her instantly. "Too much?" He asked, looking at her with imploring hazel eyes. Lily said nothing, just kept her hands on his and pulled her top of her head.
James reached for her hands and kissed her softly. Lily smiled against his lips, and then guided him down the hallway and led him to her bedroom.
She went to kiss him again, but James pulled way and touched her cheek tenderly with his thumb.
"Are you sure?" he asked, his voice soft and husky.
Lily nodded, and continued to kiss him, pulling at his belt. James pulled off his shirt as well, wrapped his arms around Lily, and guided her to bed.
POLL: Do you think that the current youth should get out there and start demonstrating and protesting just as the former generation of hippies had done?
Thanks to my reviewers: KASintonia, Missing Summer, Siriusforeva, Lexy Granger, scooter5710, Heather gernenz, 1ss2cos3poa4gof5ootp6hbp, elise bentwin, grannyHPfan, White Camellia, official cheeky devil, xxxxParvati-Patilxxxx, dancergrl19, Zippy-Wings, Princess Eclpise, and glowing ice.
modeltd09: Thanks for your review! it makes me happy to know my story was actually recommended. and "highly' at that..fantastic! keep reading!
Hermione-lilypotter- Sorry, but there won't be a white wedding. I understand that those might seem more romantic…and if I thought it was realistic for my story, I would have done it like that. Thanks for reviewing!
And of course…Thanks to my beta!