Chapter 3: The Truth Revealed

"Tell me this is all a terrible dream," Lily moaned, her face hidden beneath her pillow.

"Tell me this is all a terrible dream!" Elise retorted.

She was sitting next to Lily on her bed. They had just managed to escape the crowd of nosy students who had overheard Peeve's shenanigans. They had followed Lily all the way to the common room, bombarding her with questions and wondering if the rumors were true.

"Look, I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but -" Elise was interrupted when the door to the girl's dormitory flew open and their two roommates came storming in.

Wren Goldstein was first through the door, her long black hair billowing behind her. "Lily, is it true?" she huffed. "I just heard from Hannah Green that James Potter got you pregnant and forced you to marry him!"

"What?!" Lily shot up in bed. "This stupid rumor is getting out of hand!"

"I told her it wasn't true, Lily," Alice Wolf posited as she darted into the room behind Wren.

Alice was a quiet girl who short brown hair and a kind, round face. She was an incredibly gifted witch, and like Lily, she was muggle-born.

"Of course it isn't true, Alice. I can't believe people are saying that I'm pregnant," Lily practically whimpered.

"Well then please tell us what is true, Lily," Elise begged. The other two girls murmured in agreement as they settled onto Lily's bed.

Lily squeezed her pillow against her chest. "I don't even know where to start."

"How about starting by telling us whether or not you and James got married."

"No! I absolutely did not nor will I ever marry James Potter!"

"Ok, ok, we get it," Wren said.

"So why did Peeves seem to think that you had?" Elise asked.

"He must have overheard James and I talking in the corridor about my sister's wedding and misinterpreted us."

"Oh," Wren said, caught off guard, "well that's unfortunate."

"But why were you talking to James about your sister's wedding?" Elise asked, determined to get to the bottom of what had happened between the her best friend and her cousin.

Lily hid her face again with her pillow. "I don't want to say. It's too embarrassing."

"More embarrassing than a secret shotgun wedding to your self-proclaimed arch nemesis?" Wren asked pointedly.

"Good point," Lily sighed. "Ok, let me start from the beginning then. Do you remember the day last spring when our transfiguration final essays were due?"

"Yeah, but Lily, what does that have to do with anything?" Alice wondered.

"It has everything to do with it. That morning you three were in the library finishing your essays, so I ate breakfast with the Marauders."

A letter came for me that morning. After reading it, I slammed it down on the table.

"What's that Lily?" Remus asked curiously.

"An invitation to my sister's wedding," I explained, furrowing my eyebrows.

"What, you didn't expect to be invited?" Sirius asked. While the others laughed at his seemingly snide comment, I knew he was sincere. Sirius understood my family issues better than anyone.

"No, I knew that my parents wouldn't have it if I weren't invited. It's just that she addressed it to 'Lily and guest'. And then at the bottom she wrote: 'Can't wait to see who you scrounge up for a date'. Ugh. She knows I don't have anyone to bring, and she's simply trying to embarrass me in front of my family."

I noticed James' ears perk up as he stiffened in his seat.

"Lily, it's not a big deal. Just don't take a date," Remus suggested.

"You don't get it. You don't know what the pressure's like with my family. Petunia thinks she's so much better than me because she's getting married at 19. You should hear the way my grandmother praises her. 'You must be a true lady, Tuney. You take after me when I was your age'," I mocked in a high-pitched voice. "'As for Lily, well she'll end up an old spinster the way she carries on.'"

"Since when do you care what other people say, Lily?" James asked.

"Since I got this invitation," I huffed. "There's only one solution here. I need to bring a date who will pretend to be my boyfriend. That will get them off my back."

James nearly choked. He put his hand over his mouth to keep from blurting out. I pretended not to notice.

"Well who are you going to bring Lily? I know guys who would line up to get a date with you, even if it was fake," Remus said subtly, glancing at James out of the corner of his eye.

"Hmm, I have standards for fake boyfriends," I answered scanning the room.

"Remus? What do you say? Will you pretend to go out with me?" I asked...ok, maybe begged.

Remus choked on his cereal. "Excuse me?" He sputtered, refusing to look at James' haunting glare.

"It would be fun. We're friends right? Will you pretty please accompany me to my sister's wedding on August 6th?"

Flustered, Remus pulled out his pocket calendar. "Sorry Lily, I'll be travelling with my family that weekend" he lied. He gave Lily a look that conveyed his hidden meaning.

I sighed, rounding on Sirius. "Ok then, how about you Sirius? You wouldn't happen to be' travelling' that night, would you? How about being my fake date?"

"Sorry Lily-flower, I made a vow never to fake date again," he replied casually, shoving his mouth full of cereal.

I snorted. "I don't even want to know what you mean by that."

Sighing, I turned a bit more desperately toward my third choice.

"Peter?" I asked hopelessly. "Please come with me?"

He flushed as he strongly considered saying yes. I doubt he'd ever been asked out by a girl before. But even Peter knew that saying yes would be in violation of an unspoken agreement between the Marauders.

"Er… I don't really like weddings, Lily. Can't dance—you know, two left feet," he shrugged nervously. "Sorry though."

It took all my effort to avoid looking at James. I was afraid of what I might see in his eyes. I knew I should ask him too, but I couldn't bring myself to form the words.

"You know what? You were right James. I don't care what other people think of me. I'll just show up alone and deal with their ridicule. I mean, big deal right?" I said instead, probably trying too hard to sound convincing.

"So you didn't ask James?" Alice interrupted, a look of pity on her face. "He must have been devastated!"

"He was," Lily sighed. "It was painful to look at. I saw him later that day and he looked like a small wounded animal. He barely talked to anyone and he went without dinner."

Elise scoffed. "What? That boy eats like a horse. You must've crushed him, Lily."

"Before you chastise me, listen to the rest of the story," she insisted.

When James didn't show up for dinner, I knew exactly where I could find him. I left early and headed out to the quidditch pitch. I sat alone in the stands for several minutes watching him fly overhead before he noticed me. He made a sharp (and impressive) turn on his broomstick and came to land beside me.

"What are you doing here, Evans?" He asked somberly.

I took a deep breath, summoning the courage to do what I had to do. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Ok, talk."

"I'm really sorry about this morning," I began shakily.

He just shrugged, fidgeting with his broomstick.

"I was having second thoughts about the whole fake date idea. That's the only reason I didn't ask you," I lied.

He turned to look at me, sizing me up as if trying to read my mind.

"Oh really? So it had nothing to do with not wanting to ask me to go with you?"

"No, it wasn't like that," I lied again.

"Whatever Evans. Don't worry about it then," he replied dismissively.

"Well here's the thing," I took a deep breath, "I've changed my mind again. I don't know if I can face Petunia without out a date... I mean fake date. So, I'm wondering, if you're not doing anything August 6th, and only if you're interested of course, will you go with me to my sister's wedding?"

I don't know what his face did because I was busy staring at my feet. I knew I was blushing furiously, and was wishing I could crawl into a hole.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a poor attempt to hide his excitement.

"Yes. I'm sure. Since the other Marauders are too good of friends with you to say yes to me, you're my last hope. So will you help me?" I said as dryly as possible.

"Well I don't know. I'll have to think about it," he said smugly.

"You Prat!" I yelled, shoving him on the shoulder and storming away.

"Oi!" He called after me. "I was just joking."

When I didn't stop, he hopped on his broomstick and caught up to me.

"I'm in," he said, cutting me off.

I glared at him for a moment.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone," I warned. "I mean anyone, Potter. Not even your mates."

"Agreed," he said. With a wink, he took off into the night.

"So you brought him to the wedding?" Wren asked excitedly.

"Yes, I did take him against my better judgment. And that's why we were talking about the wedding in the corridor," Lily replied with a note of finality in her voice, hoping desperately that they wouldn't ask her to recap the entire story.

"Oh, come on, Lil. You must tell us about the wedding!" Elise pleaded.

The phone would not stop ringing despite my efforts to drown the noise out with my pillow. It was bloody six o'clock in the morning the day before the wedding. Finally, on the seventh ring, when no one had answered, I stumbled out of my room and into the kitchen where the phone hung on the wall.

"Hello?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes to adjust to the light from outside.

"Lily, is that you?" snapped the voice on the other end. "Why do you sound so hoarse? Did you just wake up?"

"No," I lied in response to my sister's annoyed voice on the other end of the line.

"Well good. This is no time for sleep. The florist is going to be there any minute, and I don't think I will be home from my facial in time to let her in. Tell her to put the flowers on the kitchen table and DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING until I get back!" She practically shouted into the phone.

"Flowers, table, got it," I mumbled.

"Lily! Wake up! Ugh, I can't trust you with anything!" With a click, Petunia hung up the phone.

It wasn't that I didn't want to help with Petunia's wedding; it was just that I had been helping her incessantly for weeks. I had been planning showers, decorating centerpieces, tallying RSVP's, and not once had I received a "thank you" or even the smallest hint of gratitude. I wasn't even a bridesmaid for crying out loud.

At first I had thought that maybe this wedding would bring my sister and I closer. I was determined to show Petunia that I was supportive no matter how vile I actually found Vernon Dursley to be. But Petunia failed to notice all of my efforts, and if possible seemed even more distant from me than usual.

I desperately missed my friends at Hogwarts. I had spent as much time as possible visiting them over the break, but it wasn't enough. I used to have my friend Severus around to keep me sane during the summer, but we had hardly spoken in over a year after he had decided to harass me because of my blood status.

The phone rang again, shaking me out of my sad reverie.

I picked it up bitterly. "I'm not brain-dead, Petunia! I know how to answer a freaking door!"

"Wow, are you always this pleasant in the morning?" Asked James Potter from the other end.

"Sorry, James. I thought you were my sister."

"Yeah, I gathered that."

"Wait a minute," I sputtered. "How did you learn how to use a phone?"

"It's a pay phone. We learned about them in muggle studies. They're really quite like magic if you think about it."

"I suppose. So what do you want? I'm kind of in a hurry."

"I was merely wondering when you would like me to arrive for our date."

I didn't even have to see him to know that he was grinning from ear-to-ear on the other end of the phone. The truth was, since I had so much else on my mind over the summer, I hadn't even thought about inviting him to the wedding.

"You can't be serious! I already told you at least three different times."

"No I'm not Sirius, this is James. Sirius is here if you want to talk to him though."

Lily rolled her eyes. Even from a distance James was annoying.

"Be here at 5:30 tonight for the rehearsal dinner."

The doorbell rang. "I've got to go. Will I see you then?"

"Of course. I can't wait!" James replied.

I hung up the phone, feeling anxious at the thought of James Potter showing up at my house.

After directing the florist to arrange the flowers on the table, I ran to my room to get ready for the day. I threw on a sundress and pulled my hair into a braid down my back. It was all I had time for before the front door slammed shut.

"Lily!" Petunia bellowed. "Get out here!"

Here we go, I thought.

I spent the entire day on errands and trivial tasks as my grandmother and several family friends poured in from around the country. I was sick of making small talk and lying about the "boarding school" I supposedly attended. I began to doubt that I would make it through the weekend without losing my mind.

Finally, after nearly 12 hours of uninterrupted slave labor, I sat down for the first time all day. I rested my head on the kitchen table and quickly dozed off, until…

"Lily?"

My mother's voice woke me abruptly from my slumber.

"James is here."

I took a stabling breath and followed my mother's call.

"Hey Lily!" James greeted me, grinning broadly.

"Lily, you didn't tell me your boyfriend was so handsome," Mum commented, studying me carefully.

I blushed a deep crimson. "Hi James," I stepped forward and threw my arms around his neck.

He paused for a moment, uncertain of how to respond to this unprecedented event, then wrapped his arms gently around my back. I felt his heart pounding rapidly in his chest.

"I'm so glad you're here. I'm going crazy," I muttered so that only James could hear.

After introductions to nearly my family and guests, I led James to my bedroom. I hesitated at the door, but after a moment decided on closing it.

James plopped down on the edge of my bed, taking in his surroundings. I did not like the look that spread across his face.

"Ok Potter. Let's set some ground rules here. You mustn't forget that we are only fake dating. So don't push your luck, but also don't make it obvious."

Arms folded, I began to pace across the room.

"Here are the rules. Number one, NO KISSING!

"Number two, no suggestive looks.

"Number three, no suggestive comments.

"Number four, no touching apart from holding hands, and even that only happens when others are present.

"Number five, no pranks!"

I spun to face him and held his gaze for a moment before continuing my list.

"Number six, no calling me gross pet names that resemble food or fluffy animals,

"Number seven…"

James stared at me as if in a trance, memorized by the sound of my voice or something.

"Finally, number forty-two, no talking about Hogwarts, magic, or anything else of that sort when my family is around, got it?"

"You are so cute when you're bossy," James sighed.

I frowned. "Were you even listening?"

"Of course! Quiz me," he challenged.

"Fine, what was rule number 17?"

James scoffed, "That's easy… no picking my nose in public," he teased.

"You're hopeless," I said, picking up a pillow and chucking it at him. He caught it easily and tossed it back at me, hitting me unexpectedly in the face.

"Oh, you better run, Potter," I threatened, as I picked up the pillow and chased him out of my room.

"Wait, you and James had a pillow fight?" Wren practically screamed.

"It was hardly a pillow fight, Wren. I smacked him a couple times for being annoying," Lily replied, irritated by the interruptions.

"I just can't believe that you actually let James into your room!" Elise added.

"Yet you believed that I married him?" Lily said sardonically. "Doesn't really add up El."

"Fair enough."

"Let her finish!" Alice snapped. "I'm dying to know what happened next!"

James spent the whole car ride to the rehearsal dinner obsessing over car horns, traffic lights, and power windows. Mum and Dad found it absolutely hilarious. They were quite taken with him. I, although slightly annoyed as he rolled the window up and down and up and down, admired his child-like enthusiasm.

"Is the window broken on your car?" Vernon asked, when we finally stepped into the restaurant. "We were following close behind you and it seemed to be acting strangely."

I gave James a smug look. "Yup, it's been broken for awhile now," I lied.

"'No playing with windows' wasn't on your list of rules," James whispered in my ear as I lead him into the restaurant.

The majority of the dinner passed uneventfully. I was surprised at how comfortable James seemed with my family and the Dursleys (Petunia's soon-to-be in-laws), who were not an altogether easy group of people to get along with. He was even pleasant toward Vernon, who was by far the most impossible of the clan.

James and I were sitting across from my grandmother, who turned to us and asked, "Lily, tell me, how did you and your boyfriend meet?"

"At school," I answered vaguely.

James smiled at Gran. "We actually met on our very first day. I accidentally bumped into Lily, causing her to spill the contents of her travelling trunk. Let's just say she wasn't too happy with me. After that, she seemed to want nothing to do with me, but I never felt the same. After six years she's finally come around though," he finished sheepishly.

"Well that's nice dear," Grand said approvingly. "Lily can be quite hot-headed at times. But I'm glad she finally found some sanity."

I rolled my eyes. Really? I seem to have LOST my sanity bringing him here.

"Oh please Gran. Can't you see that they're faking?" Petunia hissed, pulling her attention away from Vernon's droning story about the drill market (He worked as a drill salesman... how simply boring). "She was too ashamed to come alone, so she paid this boy to go out with her. There's no other explanation."

I felt my cheeks turn a warm shade of red. I wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"That's quite an accusation Petunia, but I assure you, Lily would never have to pay me to go out with her," James replied. He smiled at me, looking into my eyes reassuringly. "I'll prove it," he said back to Petunia. "Ask me anything about her. Why would I know if I weren't head-over-heels for her?"

"Fine," Petunia agreed, smugly. "What's her favorite color?"

"Yellow."

"That's easy. When's her birthday?"

"August 30th."

"What's her middle name?"

"Therese."

"Where is her favorite place in the world?"

"Edenborough, right off the coast of Scotland where she vacationed when she was 9."

I feared for a moment that he would say Hogwarts, but he apparently remembered rule forty two.

"What's she most afraid of?"

"Snakes. And failure."

I frowned, but realized that he was right.

"What does she want to be when she grows up?"

"She wants to be a –"

"That's enough Petunia," I interrupted. It was then that I realized that nearly the whole table was listening into their conversation. Even Vernon had stopped rambling. "I think he's proven enough. Besides, he could ask you the same questions, and you most certainly wouldn't know the answers. You don't know me at all anymore," I finished sadly.

No one really knew what to say to either of us. After a moment of uncomfortable silence, I excused myself from the table. James followed quickly after me and found me outside, sitting on a curb in the parking lot.

"Are you ok?" he asked sitting next to me.

I shrugged. "I just made a fool of myself at my sister's rehearsal dinner."

"Want to talk about it?"

I looked at him and was overwhelmed by his sincerity.

"How did you know all that stuff about me?" I asked timidly.

He laughed. "Lily, I know more than just that about you. I pay attention. I remember because it's worth remembering."

An unexpected shiver ran up my spine. I was caught completely off guard by his knowledge of me and his thoughtfulness.

"You miss your sister don't you?" He asked without warning.

I nodded. "I miss my old sister from when we were younger. We did everything together. She knew me better than anyone." I was smiling, but then sighed. "But things changed. I was the one who chose to leave. She saw it as me abandoning her when I left for Hogwarts. She saw it as betrayal, and it hasn't been the same ever since."

James reached out and took my hand. I didn't pull away. "She still loves you, Lily. I can tell. Things might not go back to the way they were, but people change and people grow apart. I'm sorry that it has to be this way. But you could say that you have a new family now. If you hadn't gone away to Hogwarts you wouldn't have met Elise… or me."

I didn't even know how to respond to this side of James. It was easy to yell at him, or argue with him. But when it came to serious conversation, I found myself caught off guard.

That night I lay awake in my bed, thinking about my day with James Potter. He was so full of surprises, I thought. This James was considerate and kind. And how did he know all that stuff about me?

By the end of a nearly sleepless night, I came up with two theories. Either this was just how James acted away from Hogwarts and the pressure from his friends, or he was actually someone else under the influence of a polyjuice potion.

After waking up feeling tired and cranky, I spent nearly an hour in the bathroom trying to do my hair without magic. Good enough, I finally decided. It's not like it really matters. I'm not even in the wedding, and I have nobody to impress. But deep down I wondered how James might react to my finished product. I didn't realize that I cared to impress him; instead, I blamed the strange feeling in my stomach on indigestion.

I put down the hairspray and left the bathroom.

In the meantime, James had been in the guest room, trying to figure out how exactly muggles tied ties. He finally gave up and went to ask my dad to help him tie the blasted thing.

On his way, we bumped into each other in the hall. He gasped at the sight of me, causing me to feel suddenly insecure. I had on a midnight blue strapless gown and my hair was down in loose curls.

"Wow. Truly Lily, I've seen unicorns and I've seen veela, but I have never seen a creature so beautiful," he exhaled.

I rolled my eyes. "Save it James. You don't have to pretend when nobody else is around."

I saw the hurt that flashed across his face, but couldn't place where it had come from.

"James…" I began. Unsure of how to continue, I said, "What in Heaven's name did you do to that tie?" It looked like it had been tied into a haphazard square knot around his neck.

I stepped forward and untied it, straightened it out, and placed it back around his neck.

As I finished the knot, I glanced up to find him staring at me, and became suddenly aware of our proximity.

"What is going on here?" My grandmother asked sternly, poking her head into the room.

I realized that I was still clutching James' tie and jumped backwards as if it had electrocuted me.

"Er, hi Gran. I was just teaching James how to tie a tie," I was blushing furiously, and not only at the embarrassment of being caught.

"You two behave now. I see how you can't keep your hands off each other," she warned with a stern scowl.

We both laughed as she walked away. "Well that was sufficiently awkward, albeit convincing."

The wedding processional began, and the entire gathering of people craned their necks to wait eagerly for the bride. They smiled as the flower girls practically skipped down the aisle tossing petunia petals onto the white carpet.

Delighted gasps filled the chapel as the doors opened to reveal Petunia dressed in all white, escorted by Dad down the center aisle.

As they walked passed where James and I were sitting, I absentmindedly reached for James hand, squeezing it gently. Tears began to spill over my cheeks. I wasn't sobbing, or blubbering as was Vernon's sister Marge. It was merely a steady stream of what weren't happy tears. James brandished a pack of Kleenex that he had brought with him, just in case. I took it with a small smile, again surprised by his thoughtfulness.

Throughout the ceremony, he held tight to my hand, stroking the back of it with his thumb. To be quite honest, I was no longer sure if it was part of the act. Would it have been different if I weren't trying to trick my family?

I wondered the same thing later at the reception, when James asked me to accompany him onto the dance floor. I cautiously wrapped one hand around his neck, and with the other rested my palm in his. He guided me gracefully around the floor, spinning me with the music, and dipping me on occasion.

"Where did you learn to dance, Potter?" I asked in amazement.

"My mum taught me," he laughed, smiling from ear to ear.

The song ended, and I took a step away from him. "Want to go for a walk?" I asked shyly.

My head was spinning. Why… how… how could I be having so much fun with James Potter? Why had it felt so good to feel his hand on the small of my back? Had he slipped me some sort of love potion?

We walked outside and sat down on the grass, under the stars.

"So what do you think of muggle weddings?" I asked him, taking care to sit a good arm's length away.

"They're… interesting," he confessed. "Wizarding weddings are very different you know. I'm sure you've read about them somewhere," he flashed me a sideways grin. (I have a reputation for being somewhat of a bookworm)."Why did Petunia throw her flowers into that mob of girls? Is that normal?"

I laughed. "Yes, that's a wedding tradition. The bride tosses her bouquet into the crowd of single women, and whoever catches it is supposedly going to be the next one to get married. It is kind of silly now that I think about it."

"Wait a minute, you caught it! Who's the lucky guy, Lily? I'd like to meet him. Any guy who can win you over must be quite the catch," he teased.

I punched him playfully in the shoulder, realizing that it probably hurt my fist more than him. I shook my head, removing thoughts of the tone-ness of his body. Absentmindedly, I scooted another few inches away.

"Would you rather have a muggle wedding or a wizarding wedding?" James asked curiously.

Little did he know, that was a loaded question. I contemplated my answer for a moment.

"Neither," was all I said, playing with the grass in front of me.

James' brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh I see," he mused. "You're planning to have a house elf wedding? Or is it elopement you're after?

I shook my head. "I'm not going to get married."

"You're… not? Never?"

"Nope."

"Well, why not? You're only 16, how can you know that?"

"Easy for you to judge me James, you're a guy. But I have dreams. I have so many things I want to accomplish in my lifetime. I've seen my mum flush her dreams down the toilet so that she could be a wife. She wanted to be a doctor before she met my dad. Now she cleans the house and cooks dinner. Petunia used to have dreams too. She used to want to open her own restaurant. Isn't that great? But she hasn't even mentioned it since she met Vernon," I explained.

"Not all husbands are like Vernon. Marriage doesn't always have to be like that. Having a husband doesn't mean having someone you need to serve. It means having a partner, someone to accomplish your dreams with," James countered.

"What does your mum do, James?" I asked.

"She…er… she stays at home, but that doesn't mean she hasn't accomplished her dreams."

I sighed. "James, I didn't give up my relationship with my family and my life to study magic so that I can someday become a wife. There is so much I want to do and see that marriage just isn't in the cards for me. Besides, this is a silly argument. I was merely answering your question, and telling you how I feel. What does it matter if you persuade me one way or another? It's not like I would ever marry you anyway."

"Lily, I've never asked you to marry me. All I've ever asked for is a date. What is so wrong with dating?"

"It's just that, what's the point really?" But even as I said it, I knew there was a point. I had had so much fun with James on our "fake date" that I couldn't help but wonder how much fun it would be to date him again… all the time.

He didn't answer. He reclined in the grass, folding his arms under his head. A moment later I laid down at his side and rested my head on his arm.

"You know, maybe I've been a little harsh on you in the past, James," I practically whispered. "I think I could agree to us… being friends. But promise me you'll never ask me to marry you," I said, only half jokingly.

"That's it? You're stopping there?" Elise squealed. She, Alice, and Wren were sitting up in full attention to Lily's story.

"That's pretty much all that happened," Lily explained with a half shrug.

"Did he agree? To never ask you to marry him, I mean?" Alice asked.

Lily shook her head.

"He didn't?" Wren shrieked. "Why not?"

"We were interrupted."

"By what?" Elise asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"A meteor shower."