Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.
A/N. So I told you guys I wasn't done with the next chapter yet! I couldn't believe that I had reached 25 reviews so quickly! I tried to finish it as quickly as I could, but I sadly could not update as soon as I reached 25 reviews. On the bright side, I instead wrote one of the longest chapters of the story for you! I could have split it up into two, but I was really impressed by the response to the last chapter, so I left it whole. That said, it's probably going to take me a while to get the next couple of chapters out; I have a research paper I really should be writing instead.
Anyways here's the poll results:
Lily's side: 9
James' side: 10
Neither side: 3
Eva's side: 1
Dumbledore's side: 1
Wow! Now James is winning but just barely! Let's see how you feel after this chapter! Enjoy!
James was having a great time in Italy like he always did. As usual his favorite part was misinterpreting Sirius' sentiments to attractive girls. Sirius knew that James twisted his words but he had no other choice because he didn't speak Italian and James had grown up speaking it.
James was almost back to his old happy self; Animoposto just had that much power over him. It truly was where his heart was, well most of his heart. His best mates, his family, they were all there, all in one place. There was only one piece missing and then it would be perfect.
That missing piece is what brought James to the beach around one in the morning the Thursday before school resumed. He couldn't sleep so he left his bedroom to go and sit on the beach; there is nothing in the world more calming than the sound of waves gently crashing on the shore in a tranquil rhythm. Here, in the stillness of the night, James could think. He thought a lot. He thought about her, his future, N.E.W.T.s, her, the war, his dad's safety, her, pretty much anything that was bothering him.
The only thing that made this night different was the sudden crack in the night air signifying that someone had just apparated onto the beach.
James turned around to see who it was and instantly recognized the figure even though the person was meters away and the only light came from the moon because there wasn't a city for many kilometers.
"Lily," James muttered under his breath as he turned back to the ocean. He really didn't want to see her right now. James was in the middle of thinking about her and he wasn't really sure where his thoughts were leading him.
Then he heard it. He had never heard such a sound come from her mouth before. James had heard Lily cry out in frustration, in fear, in anger. He had heard her moan, sigh, sob, and laugh. He had heard all of these diverse notes but never had he heard the sound that emerged from her throat at that moment.
"James," she whimpered.
Her call was so helpless, so miserable, so tortured it sounded inhuman. The sound that traveled through the thin night air could have come from the nightingale that pierced her chest on a rose thorn in the fairytale. It could have been the last tortured murmur of a kitten as it is burnt to death. It could have been the guttural utterance of an orphaned puppy as it asks the heavens what it could have possibly done in its short life to have to be forced to watch its mother's murder. But it wasn't from any of those animals; it came from Lily, James' Lily.
James instantly forgot every negative thought he had recently had about Lily and raced over to the side of the love of his life.
"What's wrong?" he demanded to know. He was terrified; the trembling girl in front of him was not the confident woman he knew.
Lily broke at the sight of him; she took a step towards him and crumpled into his arms as sobs racked her body.
James was at a loss. He could deduce that she had been at some sort of ball because her hair was done up in intricate curls and she had a beautiful gown. Other than that he was clueless.
"What happened?" James asked again, this time softly, as he stroked her back soothingly.
"Oh James I'm so sorry," Lily cried.
"Shh… don't worry about it, just tell me what upset you so much."
"I was at a ball and there was this man…"
James interrupted, "Did he hurt you?!"
Lily's sobs grew louder. "We were kissing and oh James he wouldn't stop! He was going too far and I told him to stop but he wouldn't!"
"I'll kill him," vowed James in a terrifyingly soft tone.
"Please just stay here with me," Lily begged him. "Don't leave me alone!"
"I won't," James promised her, his sudden anger evaporating. "I won't go anywhere."
"I shouldn't have come," said Lily suddenly as she pulled away. "This… I… it's not your problem anymore. You shouldn't have to deal with my troubles anymore."
Concerned James looked at the shaking girl in front of him and said, "Why did you come here? You could have apparated anywhere in the world."
With the raw honesty clear in her face and shaky voice Lily replied, "You were the first person I thought of; I caught the guy by surprise by kicking him where it hurts most and then I ran. As soon as I was out of sight I apparated, and the first place I thought I would be safe was with you, so I came here."
"Why didn't you hex him?" asked James curiously.
"Clarice stole and broke my wand; Richard told her how to cripple my magical abilities," explained Lily in between her renewed sobs. "James, I think that man was going to rape me."
James pulled Lily close to him, glad that he was the one holding her now and unwilling to ever let her go. "Just because we aren't dating doesn't mean I don't care about you anymore," James whispered in her ear. "I'm glad you came to me."
Lily responded with a shuddering cry that shook her entire body. "I still love you so much! I didn't mean to break up with you! I just got so mad and scared and and and hurt!" cried Lily as she began hyperventilating. "You were right! I should tell you more and give more to our relationship! I'm so sorry!"
James' heart swelled as her words crashed over him. She still loved him? And she was sorry?
"I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you!" she cried still breathing rapidly and shallowly. "I can't… I can't… breathe… help…"
"What am I supposed to do?" James asked frantically. This was not the way he thought his night was going to go.
"Dress… too tight…" gasped Lily with her last bit of oxygen. She swooned, but it was not really romantic because she wasn't conscious to enjoy the feeling of James' powerful arms catching her and lowering her carefully to the soft sand.
Acting quickly while trying not to be a creepy pervert, James rolled Lily onto her side and unzipped her gown. It took his best efforts not to let his mind wander to all sorts of forbidden territory. It took him a full minute, but James finally figured out the whole corset situation. As soon as the laces of the corset were loosened sufficiently, Lily's whole body shuddered as oxygen rushed back into her lungs.
She coughed and spluttered on the sand for a minute and then blushed furiously. She wasn't able to look James in the face.
"Damn corset," Lily muttered under her breath as she sat up. "I should… ah… I should go," announced Lily as she tried to wipe her tear-streaked face with her palm.
Unfortunately her palm was incredibly sandy, so she only succeeded in getting sand stuck all over her face. James would have laughed at any other time. As it was he remained sitting next to her and gently began brushing the sand off of her face.
"Don't go yet," he whispered. At that point he was so close to her she felt his warm breath on her face. Lily shivered again but this time it was not because she was sobbing. Lily closed her eyes to both try to control her wild and horrific thoughts and emotions and to better savor the feeling of James' touch and close proximity.
"What are we doing here James?" asked Lily sadly. All of the sand was off of her face, yet James hadn't stopped caressing the beautiful features he knew so well.
"I'd say that we're getting back together," James answered after a moment of contemplation.
Lily smiled genuinely for the first time in weeks. "That's the best thing I've heard in weeks."
Then Lily proceeded to tackle her boyfriend. Since he didn't see her coming she easily overpowered him, not that he minded of course.
"Pinned you," she gloated as she towered over him, her hands on his shoulders.
"I think not," said James with a devilish smirk as he quickly flipped them over so that he was now in a position to brag.
As James looked down at the beautiful girl on the sand his words died on his lips. He was overcome with passion for her and couldn't explain it in simple sounds strung together in words. However, his lips had other plans for communicating his love. Swiftly James lowered his lips to Lily's. What started out as a gentle caress soon evolved into hungry lust. For what seemed like eternity James and Lily rolled around in the cool sand kissing each other with incredible passion.
At long last both teenagers collapsed in exhaustion. Lily couldn't remember the last time she felt so content and neither could James.
"Your heart is racing," Lily noted.
James looked at the wonderful woman lying on his chest and grinned. "It tends to do that when you're around," he said. She happily returned his smile.
"I'm all sandy," said Lily abruptly.
"That sometimes happens when you snog on the beach," James pointed out. "Especially when you snog like we do."
"Too true," remarked Lily. "Want to go for a swim?"
"A swim? It's like two in the morning."
"And I can't think of a better time for a swim. And look! It's so convenient that we just so happen to have an ocean right next to us. I guess that sometimes happens when you snog on the beach too," said Lily as she stood up.
James sat up and said, "It's a sea not an ocean."
Dismissively Lily said, "It's a large body of water and I fancy a swim in it. You're welcome to join me if you want to."
Then she promptly stepped out of her ball gown and finished unlacing her corset leaving her in just a simple and very thin shift. James' eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.
"Are you coming?" Lily impatiently called over her shoulder as she ran the short distance to the water.
"Most definitely," muttered James appreciatively.
After nearly an hour of goofing off in the Mediterranean Sea, chasing, splashing, and tickling each other while sneaking kisses in between, James and Lily dragged themselves up onto the shore.
Lily was about to simply drop down onto the sand, but James said, "If you do that you'll just be all sandy again, come with me."
Lily didn't reply but her smile was warm and she allowed James to lead her by the hand up the shore. Just out of sight of the grand mansion there was a grove of olive trees. Nestled among the olive trees was a hammock. It was invisible from the main house, but had a fantastic panoramic view of the sea.
James let Lily gawk at the moonlight beauty of the glade for a moment before tugging on her hand and leading her to the hammock which was just big enough for two. He climbed in and then kept it steady enough for her to join him. Whether it was the nature of hammocks or James' doing Lily wasn't sure but she certainly didn't complain when she ended up lying on top of her boyfriend.
"I think we need to talk," said James slowly and quietly as he took the rest of the pins out of Lily's hair. Most of them had come out with they were fooling around in the water, but quite a few still remained.
Lily murmured her sorrowful agreement and then said, "I really am sorry about breaking up with you in the first place. I was just… well you know my temper."
James smiled as he answered, "Only too well."
"While we… while we were apart I was thinking," began Lily.
"Oh?" asked James trying not to let any emotion into the monosyllable.
Lily craned her neck so that she could look James in the eye. "I do want you to meet my dad. I wouldn't make you suffer through a meeting with Clarice, but I'd like my dad to know you I think."
"Yeah?" James asked for confirmation.
"Yeah," Lily assured him. "Do you remember that time in the hospital wing before we started dating when I told you about Richard and my sucky life?"
"Yes," said James although he was unsure of where this conversation was leading.
"Well I was thinking a lot about what you said to me then about just ignoring everyone and doing what I want."
"And?" prompted James.
"As much as I really want to do that I just can't. She's my little sister James and I can't cause her that kind of pain. Imagine if it was Sirius. If you had the choice between going back to Hogwarts and Sirius having to live with his biological family, what would you pick?" asked Lily quickly when James groaned in indignation.
"I wouldn't go back to Hogwarts," James muttered.
"It's like the same thing."
"You should just threaten her with your wand until she lets you do what you want," James suggested.
"When I was eleven and I got my Hogwarts letter my dad was a little suspicious about magic. The first thing he thought of was the incredible damage that could be done. He made me promise to never use my magic to hurt anyone. I know I haven't exactly kept my promise, but he doesn't know that. He would know if I threatened Clarice and I can't let him down."
"But he's let you down so many time," protested James.
"Your dad has let you down too, but don't you still love him and try to earn his respect?"
"After all he's done to you you still love your dad?" James asked in surprise.
"Of course I do; he's my dad. He's only human; he makes mistakes too," said Lily softly. "And on another note, as I told you, Clarice snapped my wand while I was sleeping."
"So what does this have to do with anything?"
"I'm not going back to Hogwarts," said Lily so softly she wasn't sure if James heard her or not.
James could have jumped into a crazed rage and yelled and thrown a fit, but he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to upset Lily like that, not when she was looking at him like he was her world. He had a feeling that he could have shattered her at that moment; she had already suffered enough at the hands of a man that night, James refused to harm her more. So he smiled; he smiled and felt his heart break, but true love was doing what was best for the other person not what was easiest.
"Okay," he whispered as he held her tighter. She was wet and cold, but she made him feel warm inside.
Lily began to softly cry and James understood. When she compared Daisy to Sirius, he was finally able to see it from her point of view. She didn't want to stay at home, but she couldn't bring herself to leave either. James knew that he had cared about her in the past, but at the moment James realized that he truly was in love with her; he cared more about her than he cared about himself.
James just held Lily while she cried knowing that words couldn't help. At last her cries subsided but the quiet remained. Eventually the sun began peaking over the horizon.
"I've never seen the dawn before," said James as he watched the sky above the sea turn a faint pink.
"I've seen far too many; in the spirit of telling you more about myself I will tell you that when I'm frustrated or angry, pretty much every day I'm at home, I wake up super early and go out running, or recently flying. I've seen many sunrises, but never one this pretty," she finished with a sigh.
"I've been thinking too," said James. "I think I was pushing you too hard before. You know all of my secrets and I was upset that you knew everything about me and I didn't know everything about you."
"I'll do my best to tell you more but you'll just have to be patient and trust that I'm doing my best. It's hard," whispered Lily.
James smiled softly at his damaged girlfriend. "Do you still have my mirror?"
"I meant to give it back, but I just didn't…"
"Well hang on to it because you'll need it. I can't imagine going without seeing you for the next two months."
"I wish there was another way," verbalized Lily.
"Me too," agreed James. "But we'll make it work."
Lily shuddered but addressed her concern anyways, "And what about the dates I have to go on?"
James grimaced but said, "Don't ask, don't tell."
"You are the most wonderful guy I have ever met," said Lily serenely.
"I've been told that," joked James.
Then Lily's stomach rumbled very loudly.
"Hungry much?" laughed James.
"Starved. Clarice doesn't feed me often."
James laughed again.
"You think I'm joking," said Lily seriously. "But I must tell you, because I'm telling you things, that I'm totally serious. I'm on a very strict diet."
"Why?" asked James who was at a total loss; he thought Lily was perfect and gorgeous just the way she was and couldn't imagine anyone thinking something else.
"Apparently I'm not thin enough for her and she wants me to lose weight. It's sickening really what her image of the perfect body is. It is something like what my waist looked like when I got here, after not eating all day and being constrained so tightly in that corset that I couldn't breathe when I started hyperventilating."
"Well let's get you some food then," declared James as he and Lily left the hammock.
"I look like a mess," said Lily.
"My parents probably aren't up yet; they tend to sleep in when we're here and you know that Sirius and Remus won't be awake for hours. We'll get some breakfast and you can get back home before anyone sees you."
"Home. Why doesn't that word ever seem appealing to me?" Lily mused aloud.
"Some day it will," James promised as he took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.
James and Lily exchanged a very sweet and loving look, but the romantic moment was ruined when Lily, who obviously wasn't looking where she was going, tripped over a root on the path out of the small grove and with a cry went flying. James let go of her hand just in time to not join her on the ground.
Lily turned around and glared at her boyfriend as he laughed at her.
"Sometimes you are so clumsy," joked James as he extended a hand to help her up.
"Ha ha," said Lily blandly.
Then she shrieked when her feet suddenly left the ground again. "What are you doing!"
"Carrying you since you are obviously incapable of walking," replied James with a smirk at the girl in his eyes.
Indignantly Lily retorted, "I am not incapable of walking! I can walk with three books on my head for Merlin's sake!"
"Just humor me," replied James with an eye roll as he didn't put Lily down.
"You are such a prat sometimes," huffed Lily.
James just grinned and continued toward his summer home.
Both teens winced as James opened the back door to the house and it slammed against the opposite wall.
"You're going to wake everyone up!" Lily hissed.
"Don't worry; they all sleep like the dead," said James dismissively as he kicked the door closed behind him.
"Not all of us sleep like the dead," said someone.
In the dimly lit kitchen neither James nor Lily had noticed that someone was sitting at the kitchen table.
"Good morning," continued the voice with a barely concealed laugh at horrified looks on faces of her nephew and her nephew's girlfriend.
"Put me down," ordered Lily in a whisper.
Mutely James did just this.
"Lily this is my Auntie Eileen, Auntie Eileen this is my girlfriend Lily," James said awkwardly.
"I thought you two were broken up," said Eileen Potter bluntly. Eileen was an energetic and athletic woman. Her brown eyes were kind, but they had a sharp quality to them which reflected her love of danger and excitement. She was shorter than Lily, but not by much. She had dark brown hair that went half-way down her back. As was her custom, she had left it unruly and loose.
"We were," answered James as Lily blushed furiously and looked down at the ground. "We just got back together this morning, and Lily was coming in for some breakfast before she has to go back home."
Eileen smirked. "It's a pleasure to meet you Lily," she said as she calmed surveyed the two, a cappuccino in her hands.
"Good morning love!" called a man boisterously as he entered the kitchen. The man was tall, probably slightly taller than Christopher and the same height as James. Like James and Christopher he had messy black hair, though his was not streaked with gray like his brother's. He was thin, but muscular and athletic-looking. His eyes were a deep brown and bright. His whole persona had an air of excitement and playfulness.
"Morning Harry," said Eileen as her husband kissed her cheek and sat down at the table next to her.
"What's for breakfast?" he asked his wife as he took a sip out of the coffee she had placed at his usual spot. He still had not noticed his nephew.
"I'd say eggs, but I think your nephew's raging hormones are certainly on the menu," said Eileen dryly as she gazed over at the silent couple at the other end of the kitchen.
Harry laughed as he too looked over at his teenage nephew. Harry Potter was well-known for his booming laugh. When he laughed his whole body shook with the effort and his face lit up with his eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Good morning James my boy!" he called in between his rumbling chuckles.
"Shh," said Eileen as she swatted him playfully. "You'll wake Christopher and Marilyn."
"I certainly hope so! I would pay all the money in my vault to see his face if he were here right now!" said Harry with the smirk that James often wore on his own face. "In fact I may just call him right now."
"Please don't Uncle Harry; I'm begging you," pleaded James.
"And what do you have to say Lily?" asked Harry as he turned his gaze toward the redhead his only nephew was holding onto protectively.
"I don't want to get James in trouble, again," she said calmly though her cheeks were still stained a deep pink. "So if you call his parents I will be gone in an instant."
"Well we don't want that now do we," said Harry. "I want to get to know you a bit, so here's the deal. I won't turn you two in if you cook breakfast."
"Deal," agreed Lily.
"I hope you can cook because I sure can't," James muttered.
"But first Lily I'm sure you'd like to get some decent clothes on, so why don't you come with me and you can borrow some," said Eileen as she got up and motioned for Lily to follow her.
As soon as the two women were out of the room Harry began laughing again.
"What's so funny?" James asked crossly.
"You are so lucky my big brother got some last night and won't be getting up anytime soon!"
"Uncle Harry!" James whined as he cringed. "I don't want to hear about my dad getting some!"
Harry just laughed at James' discomfort.
"James, James, James," said Harry in comic disapproval. "How do you get yourself in these messes? I would have thought you were much cleverer than to get caught all the time. I certainly was never caught by my parents when I had my girlfriends over."
James smirked as he took a seat across from his favorite and only uncle. "It's not that I get caught every time, it's just that there are so many instances that I'm bound to get caught every once in a while."
Harry laughed again. "Now that's the Marauder I raised!"
James grinned. Even though he strove to gain his father's respect and approval, his desire to please and impress his uncle was just as strong.
"So tell me more about this girl," said Harry with a grin. "Actually wait a minute. You told me she was pretty, but you did not do her justice! She is downright sexy!"
"You sound like such a perv," said James in disgust. "She's like thirty years younger than you are!"
"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate something when I see it," said Harry with a huge grin as he shook his head slowly.
"So wrong," muttered James. "You can't possibly be checking out my girlfriend."
Harry just chuckled. "So give me a few facts before she comes back."
"I've already told you loads about her."
"I haven't seen you since you started dating her. I go on one little cruise over the Christmas holidays and all of a sudden I miss out on everything; serves me right I suppose," said Harry with a fake sniffle.
James rolled his eyes at his uncle's theatrics and said, "I wrote you when she agreed to date me, and when we were fighting and when we made up afterwards and when we broke up."
"True, but it's not the same as talking to you. So tell me something new that you've learned about her since you started dating; that's assuming that you talk occasionally and not just snog all the time. Did I ever tell you about the broom closet in the dungeons near the kitchens?"
"No, but trust me, I know that closet particularly well," said James with a wide grin.
Harry boomed with laughter again. He wasn't able to make any more inquiries however, because his wife and Lily had reentered the room.
"So what's for breakfast Lily?" asked Harry. "Just so you know my nephew is bollocks at cooking, so you're pretty much on your own."
"Umm…" said Lily as she went to survey the cabinets. She was unnerved by James' boisterous uncle and not quite sure how to respond. "Pancakes?"
"With some scrambled eggs on the side if you don't mind," ordered Harry.
"Harry," said Eileen in disapproval.
"Oh and some bacon for Eileen too," said Harry with a smile at his wife.
"By 'Harry' I meant 'stop torturing the poor girl', not 'don't forget my bacon,'" explained Eileen.
"I knew that," said Harry. "But I am just itching to see my brother's face, so I'm going to need a really good breakfast to keep me quiet."
"Don't listen to this prat," said Eileen kindly to Lily as she shot a warning glance at Harry. "He'll keep his mouth shut, so you make whatever you want for breakfast."
"It's not a bother," said Lily as she gathered more ingredients. "I love cooking and I almost never get a chance to."
"Do you want some help Lily?" James asked with a look on his face that told her to say no.
"All set," she said with a smirk.
"So Lily, James has told us so much about you since he met you in first year, but I'm sure there's more to learn," said Harry with a gleam in his eye. "Tell us something about you."
James was watching Lily closely to see her reaction. He was the only one who saw the slight reluctance in the way she squared her shoulders because he knew what to look for. He also heard the uneasiness in her voice but a quick glance at his aunt and uncle told him that they hadn't noticed.
"What do you want to know?"
"Anything," said Harry grandly.
"That's not a broad topic or anything," said Eileen sarcastically. "How about you tell us about your plans after graduation?"
"Ummm…" said Lily as she nearly dropped one of the eggs she was holding. "Nothing is definite yet."
"I didn't know what I wanted to do either," said Harry. "Much to my parents' chagrin I graduated and went off to explore the world. I traveled for nearly fifteen years trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life."
"Tell Lily about all the dangerous stuff you did," James encouraged Harry in a subtle effort to keep the conversation away from Lily.
"Swimming with sharks, sky diving, bungee jumping, waterfall diving- I invented that one myself almost by accident really…" said Harry as he got a laugh from his audience.
"If you call slipping off of a rock at the top of a waterfall an accident," said Eileen with a laugh.
"I did not slip; I jumped!" said Harry defensively.
"Whatever you say dear," said Eileen fondly.
"My favorite activity was mountain climbing," continued Harry passionately. "I was climbing in the Alps when I met Eileen."
"I was a mountain climbing guide at the time," Eileen elaborated.
"Not a very good one," muttered Harry just loud enough for everyone to hear.
"I was a fantastic guide!" said Eileen huffily. "Still am."
"You let me fall!" cried Harry. "Off of a mountain!"
"I was distracted," said Eileen haughtily.
"By my dashing good looks," Harry stage whispered to Lily.
"By his cocky smile," said Eileen as she reminisced. "Being the idiot he was he was falling before we were even that high up and I reached down to help him, but as I said I was distracted and his hand slipped."
"And then we both went tumbling down the sheer face of the mountain and nearly died," concluded Harry dramatically as he pantomimed falling down a mountain. "But we got to spend two months in the hospital together!"
"Somehow he convinced me to fall in love with him and once we were better I left everything behind and followed him on his crazy trip throughout the world. I think we went dragon racing in Romania first."
"Very illegal," said Harry trying to act responsible, but failing because his grin and eyes gave him away. "Don't do it."
"I think my dad would kill me," said James.
"Not to mention Lily's dad," said Harry. "Luckily Eileen's father was just as much a daredevil as the two of us so he wholeheartedly approved and lived vicariously through our stories."
"Dragon riding hmm?" mused Lily. "I doubt my dad would mind."
"Is he the daredevil type too?" asked Harry who totally missed the glare his nephew was sending his way.
Lily laughed. "The total opposite! He's so afraid of heights he wouldn't even climb the Eiffel Tower! He is the exact opposite of daring. The only reason he wouldn't mind me doing dangerous things is because he doesn't really care what I do."
"You should consider yourself lucky," said Harry, for the first time seriously. "My dad couldn't stand my lifestyle. It was lucky my mom loved me or I wouldn't have had any money to live off of."
"Because Merlin forbid you actually got a job," said Eileen lightly.
"I got one eventually! That was one of my mom's conditions. When I told her I wanted to marry Eileen and was going to ask her, my mom said I could only if I had a house and a job."
"It nearly killed him but he did both," said Eileen fondly.
"I didn't really buy a house though," Harry said rebelliously. "You see Lily in the Potter family the first son, my dear brother, gets just about everything and second sons like me are just in case something happens to the first one. Well a couple of generations ago one second son, my personal hero, demanded some inheritance. His older brother agreed and gave him money to build a house in Godric's Hollow. Now of course, being the pompous first born he was, he didn't give the younger brother enough to build a mansion, but it is a decent house. Anyways, I just claimed my inheritance and that was one check off of my list."
"The job one was harder; he actually had to work for that one."
Harry sighed histrionically. "It pained me, but I entered the auror training program and became an auror. Once I made it through that hell, my parents gave me their blessing and two months later Eileen and I eloped!"
"You eloped?" asked Lily curiously.
"Yup! I had to get back at my parents for those stupid stipulations somehow," answered Harry. "They made me wait long enough, I was not about to wait another year while my mother planned an elaborate wedding."
"I still shudder thinking about all those frills she was planning," said Eileen in disgust.
"Hey James can you flip these pancakes while I take care of the eggs?" Lily asked.
"Sure," said James feigning confidence as his aunt and uncle cackled.
"Lily, James burns water," Eileen informed Lily.
"I do not," said James defiantly.
"You do too, I'm not even that bad!" retorted Harry. "When James was little Eileen and I used to babysit him while his parents went to all of their various functions. As the little brother I'm not really required to do all of that boring stuff either thank Merlin! Anyways, there was one night I came home from work and Eileen was at her wits' end. She finally realized why James' parents couldn't take him anywhere."
James blushed, embarrassed as his aunt said, "He was quite the handful! I think he was four at the time and I was trying to be nice by baking cookies with him. For some reason he thought that it would be fun to overturn the bowl on his head and then run around the house touching everything he could!"
Lily was nearly crying with laughter as she looked at her boyfriend who was trying very hard to flip the pancakes on the griddle.
"Here," she said gently as she stepped behind him. She took his hand in hers and helped him flip the pancake. Lily released him and he tried to do the next one by himself, but it landed halfway across the kitchen on the window.
"You're hopeless," said Lily smiling. She stepped in front of James and flipped all of the pancakes expertly and then returned to the eggs.
"Am not," he said defensively.
"Then try to flip the bacon," Lily challenged him.
"No problem," said James confidently. "Ouch!"
Harry and Eileen laughed as James jumped when the hot grease spluttered and a few drops landed on James' hand.
Lily laughed softly as she left the eggs again to check James' hand. "Let me see," she said.
He put his hand on top of her palm with a pout and she kissed the spot that was a faint pink.
"Does it hurt anywhere else?" she asked teasingly.
"Yeah," said James as his pouted deepened and his eyes got that pranking glint in them. "Right here," he said pointing to his lips.
"Is that so?" asked Lily coyly. "We can't have that."
As James deepened the kiss that Lily had begun chastely, Harry called, "I'd like my breakfast without hormones on the side please!"
"Ignore him," James muttered against Lily's lips.
"The eggs will burn," said Lily as she ended the kiss and returned to cooking.
"Damn breakfast," said James. Then he got an idea. He wasn't Hogwarts' best pranker since his uncle for nothing. He walked up behind Lily and wrapped his arms around her waist. She jumped at first but quickly settled into the embrace. Then James began to lightly kiss her neck.
"You're distracting me," she said breathily.
"That was the idea," he said between kisses as he moved to her jaw.
"Your aunt and uncle are right behind us," protested Lily weakly.
"They don't mind," he said, his voice low and sexy.
"Oh yes we do!" announced Harry as Eileen swatted him playfully. He was grinning from ear to ear.
"No we don't! Be nice Harry; they're cooking you breakfast."
"They'll be burning breakfast in a minute," said Harry joyfully.
"He's right you know," said Lily as she struggled to get her brain to function properly.
"Let it burn," said James as he worked his way back down Lily's neck and to her shoulder.
"Not likely," said Lily as she plated the eggs. She then plated the bacon and when she moved over to the griddle next to the stove James moved with her. "James Potter, I swear if you give me a hickey…"
"You'll do what?" James murmured against her skin.
"Give you one back and then you'll have to explain that to your mother. Now help me brings these plates over to the table."
James sighed but released his girlfriend and helped her grab all of the breakfast items. He then sat down as she grabbed the syrup from the refrigerator. Then before she could sit down in the empty chair at the table, James pulled her into his lap instead.
Lily made a noise of surprise and then turned her head to look at her grinning boyfriend. She was shaking her head slowly and said, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," he replied innocently.
Harry and Eileen just grinned, exchanging amused looks at they observed James and Lily.
Lily spooned some of the breakfast items onto her plate and began eating. James cleared his throat. She looked at him questioningly. She swallowed and asked, "Something I can help you with?"
"Well, since my hands are otherwise occupied it seems like I'll need your help eating breakfast," said James cheekily.
"Why don't you just remove your hands from my waist and then you can feed yourself?" questioned Lily.
"Because then you would escape and I can't have that," explained James.
Lily beamed and relented. She skewered a piece of pancake drenched in syrup onto her fork and was lifting it to his mouth when she missed leaving a streak of stick syrup all along his cheek.
"You did that on purpose," he accused her playfully.
"Maybe," she teased him as she lifted a different piece of pancake to her mouth and ate it successfully.
In retaliation James rubbed his sticky cheek against hers, spreading the sticky wealth.
"James!" she shrieked as she lifted her hand to the sticky spot on her face.
"Serves you right," he said.
"Please Eileen please can I call my brother," Harry begged her as he watched James and Lily, who were oblivious to their audience, playfully banter.
"No Harry," said Eileen trying to appear stern. "You know how Christopher feels about his only son and the opposite sex."
"And that exact knowledge is what is prompting my desire to call him. Did you see how red he got when he told us the story of Christmas morning? I think this would make him turn purple! I've never actually gotten him to be purple with rage before; some of the stuff I've done has gotten me close but I could never quite get him to make that transition between brick red and plum," said Harry as he reflected upon all of his deeds that his responsible and serious older brother had disapproved of.
"Just eat your breakfast," said Eileen.
"How come James gets his breakfast fed to him and I don't?" Harry asked his wife with a pout.
"Because James is more attractive than you are," replied Eileen flippantly.
"How can you say that?" whined Harry. "After all I've done for you, and to you…"
Eileen blushed at the insinuation and reached over the table to kiss her husband.
"Now eat your breakfast," she told him.
Meanwhile James and Lily had finally worked out their differences and now the fork was reaching James' mouth more often then not, though Lily still let her hand falter every once in a while.
Eventually Lily tried to bring some semblance of normalcy back to the breakfast table by introducing a new conversation topic. "So why is there a fully equipped muggle kitchen in a wizarding house?"
"It's actually a newer addition to the house," said Harry.
"My first anniversary present," added Eileen. "I'm a half blood, my father was a wizard and my mother was a muggleborn who didn't give up her muggle background when she married my father. She taught me how to cook the muggle way when I was little and I've loved it ever since. We put a muggle kitchen in our house in Godric's Hollow and we come here so often that Harry built one for me here too."
"The house elves cook well, but they can't compare with muggle food," said Harry as he finished his fourth pancake.
"That was delicious," said Eileen as she finished her last bite as well. "Where did you learn to cook?"
"My mother taught me some when I was little, but mostly I learned from cookbooks. After she died I did all of the cooking," said Lily.
"I'm so sorry to hear that," said Eileen sadly.
"It's okay," said Lily hurriedly. "She died years ago; I'm fine now."
James knew that wasn't true, but he didn't comment.
"That must have been horrible for you," said Eileen.
"I had to grow up pretty fast," said Lily with a wan smile. "But that which doesn't kill you only makes you stronger."
"It's getting late Lily," said James sadly. "You should probably go home before your family starts to worry about you."
"Daisy will be worried," clarified Lily. "But you're right I should go."
"Don't worry about the clean-up," said Eileen graciously. "The house elves will get it."
"Where are the house elves?" asked James as he let Lily get up.
"Probably still cleaning," said Harry as he looked at the clock. "It's just past seven; they don't usually make breakfast until nine."
"I never knew that," said James in surprise.
"That's because you don't usually wake up until noon," joked Eileen. "We, on the other hand, like to see the sun rise."
"Well, Lily it was a pleasure meeting you," said Harry as he surprised Lily by pulling her into a tight hug.
"And thank you for breakfast," added Eileen as she hugged Lily after her husband. "And you can keep the clothes, they are from my much younger days and I never wear them anymore anyways."
"Thank you, it was great meeting both of you," said Lily as she smiled and walked towards the back door.
"I'll walk you out," said James as he followed Lily outside.
"Also known as 'I'll follow you and snog you senseless as soon as my uncle can't see us and make fun of us anymore,'" Harry joked to his wife.
James just laughed as he closed the door behind him. Eileen waved her wand and the curtains moved so that Harry couldn't spy on the teens from the huge picture window that faced the beach.
"You never let me have any fun," said Harry sulking.
"Let them have their privacy," Eileen chided him.
"I like that girl!" proclaimed Harry as he stopped sulking.
Eileen just smiled; she was very accustomed to Harry's inability to stay angry or sad for any length of time. "I do too. I think she's perfect for James."
"Our little nephew all grown up!" said Harry sniffling theatrically. "Too bad I wasn't warned that Lily was coming; I could have dug up those embarrassing photos of James that I took expressly for this purpose!"
"Maybe next time dear," said Eileen indulgently.
"Now how about an early morning swim?" Harry asked.
"So you can spy on James?" asked Eileen.
"Of course not!" said Harry pretending to be scandalized. "I'm sure Lily will be long gone by the time I get my bathing suit on and get back outside!"
"Do you remember how long our good-byes were when we first started dating?"
"I don't remember saying good-bye very often," said Harry. "But I think it went something like this."
The passionate kiss of Harry and Eileen was interrupted when James barged in to tell them something.
"I'm going… eww!" shouted James who was scandalized.
"What?" asked Harry as he paused in his activities. "We had to watch you slobber over your girlfriend all throughout breakfast."
"I'm going to go get changed and then I'm going home with Lily to meet her dad; can you tell everyone when they get up?" asked James as he quickly ran through the kitchen.
"Will do!" Harry called after his nephew and then resumed kissing his wife.
James hurried to get changed and then left the house by another door, not wanting to walk in on his aunt and uncle again. Soon he was by Lily's side and ready to go.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked him looking deeply into his eyes.
"Positive," James replied firmly.
"Okay hold onto my hand."
"Why?"
"Because I'm going to apparate us both back to England."
"You can't apparate internationally," said James in confusion.
"Most wizards can't," Lily corrected him. "Some of us can."
"Wow, okay," said James in awe.
"Hold on tightly," said Lily as she held her hand out to James.
James ignored her hand and pulled Lily into a hug instead.
"Here we go," said Lily nervously. She wasn't afraid of apparating; she knew she was able to do that, but she was scared of James meeting her dad. She had a feeling it wasn't going to end well.
A/N. So what did you all think?
Did you like the make up?
How did you feel about all the fluff in the kitchen?
Who do you like more, Harry or Eileen?
Any thoughts on James meeting Mr. Evans?
Favorite part of the chapter?
I know there are a lot of questions, but just answer whatever ones you want! I'm very curious to know your thoughts! And here is your review quota for the next chapter (as I said I really should write my paper, but if there is an overwhelming response I might just take a break ; ) ); I need 50 reviews! It seems like a lot but you guys got pretty close with this chapter (34!), so I just need 16 more people to take a minute out of their day by reviewing. I have faith in you all!