Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Harry Potter or Harry Potter related copyrights.
The next evening Potter Manor, as well as its inhabitants, was looking its best. Golden garland was draped over every doorway, thousands of lit candles floated in glittering golden candlesticks, and sparkly silver ribbons adorned the gilded frames that housed the many deceased Potter family members. Every mirror shone, the marble floors glistened, and the furniture gleamed. In a word it was…
"Magnificent," murmured Harry Potter as he watched Eileen, Marilyn and Lily descend the grand staircase. He was certain that his brother and nephew would have agreed with him had they been there, but unfortunately they were currently in a meeting with the Minister, Head Auror, and the director of Law Enforcement.
"She fits in there," Remus muttered to Sirius as he too watched the three women.
"Really it's only a matter of making things official; at heart she's already as much of a Potter as James is," Sirius commented.
"Did he get her a ring for Christmas?" Remus asked in a whisper.
"No," said Sirius in disappointment. "I wonder what's taking him so long."
"It took him six years to get her to date him, hopefully it won't take that long to get her to marry him," joked Remus.
"I think we need to have a serious chat with our lad Prongs," grinned Sirius. "I want to know what's going underneath that scruffy mop that he calls hair."
"Now you wouldn't be talking about me, would you Padfoot?" asked James as he seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
"Course not Prongs! I was clearly talking about Moony," he lied easily.
"Sure you were," James snorted softly. "And who exactly is Remus planning on marrying?"
"Vicky," answered Sirius without thinking.
"Yes?" said Vicky her eyebrow raised. The Marauders were seriously slacking in their surveillance efforts. Only a year ago no one would have been able to sneak up on them and now they had been caught unaware twice in as many minutes.
"Uhhh…" said Sirius intelligently. "My lying skills are so rusty it's embarrassing! Will you kindly give me a few minutes to come up with a suitable story for you?"
"Or you could just tell me the truth," countered Vicky dangerously.
"How did the meeting go?" Lily asked James, diffusing the situation.
"Fine, no big deal at all. They only want me to impress this Swedish bloke. He's the son of the Head Auror of Sweden, who is potentially going to send some aurors to us to help in the war. So my job is basically to make sure that he's happy so that he goes back to daddy and tells him to send us some help," explained James in an annoyed tone.
"Son of the Head Auror of Sweden?" asked Vicky, her face a shade paler than usual.
"Yeah," said James off-handedly. "Know him?"
"Yeah, he's an ass," stated Vicky bluntly. "He goes to the Institute."
"Do you know him?" James asked Lily hopefully. Things would be so easy if the Swedish guy and Lily were already friends.
"Not very well," said Lily evenly, her face impassive.
"Ok places everyone!" called Mrs. Potter frantically as she clapped her gloved hands together.
"Thanks our cue to leave," Sirius told Vicky as he half guided and half pushed her into the ballroom. "It's also the cue to start drinking!"
"You've been to a lot of these, right?" Vicky asked Remus nervously as Sirius wandered off toward the alcohol.
"Yeah, you could say that," shrugged Remus.
"Can you help me through this?" Vicky asked in an uncharacteristic soft voice. "I've never been to anything like this before."
"Ummm…" said Remus as he cast his gaze wildly around, hoping that someone to whom he could hand Vicky off would materialize. Seeing no one, he replied, "I guess."
"Hey Remus," said Vicky, as she bit her lip, a sign that she was uneasy or concentrating. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asked her sharply.
"For everything," she stated. "I think I offended you and I really didn't mean to, so I am sorry. I really want us to be friends again."
"Friends?" Remus asked himself aloud, letting the word linger on his lips as he tasted it. "I would like that," he finally answered after what seemed like an age to Vicky. He wore a wide grin, neither Marauder mischievous nor perfect score ecstatic but a completely new arrangement of his facial features. Vicky's smile was likewise unique. Unlike her usual grins, this smile was small and coy so as not to overshadow the real smiling that existed in her soft brown eyes.
"And so you'll stick by me tonight? I mean like glue because I am lost here and I really don't want to make a fool of myself and I will if someone doesn't shut me up and tell me which fork to use or how to dance properly and normally I would ask Lily, especially since she's a pro at this sort of stuff, but she has her own agenda and she can't be stringing me along all night and Sirius looks like he's halfway to drunk already and I bet he would rather sabotage me for the ha-ha's than help-"
Remus possesses the patience of a caretaker of pre-school aged children, but even he had his limits. Gently, yet firmly, he took her hand in his and squeezed it. "This is me telling you to shut up."
Vicky looked confused for a moment, but then her features quickly melted to relief. "Oh good, I was starting to think-"
"You're about to start rambling," stated Remus as he placed her arm in his and started to stroll with her around the room. "Instead take a deep breath and count to ten, in Farsi."
"I don't know Farsi," mumbled Vicky.
Remus cast her a sidelong glance. "Then it's going to take you a while, now isn't it? Here, take this," he transitioned smoothly. "Whenever you don't know what to say, take a sip of champagne and I'll intercede. It's code. The other half of the code is that when I squeeze your arm or make any other sort of contact you stop talking. At dinner you do what I do, when I do it."
"Ok I think this might actually work," said Vicky as she took a deep calming breath. "Thanks Remus. I owe you one."
"I'm sure I'll find someway for you to repay me," he said with a smirk as the first few guests began trickling in.
-----
"I have never liked these things," Harry whispered to Lily as they stood in line, waiting for the guests to enter. He scratched his neck where his extremely starched collar was irritating the skin. "That's why last Christmas Eve Eileen and I went away."
Lily just smiled demurely, pretending she hadn't heard him.
"I would love to just punch some of these asswipes in the face instead of shaking their hands," continued Harry, despite the fact that his wife was pinching him to make him stop. "I don't even know why I'm in this line-up. Some years I feel like a criminal, others a firing squad, and lately it's like I'm at a funeral."
"It's better to be at something like a funeral than to be at a funeral," Lily said softly, her face still the serene calm of a practiced socialite.
"Too true my dear," said Harry as he straightened up and played his part in the centuries old tradition of Christmas Eve at Potter Manor.
Diplomats, Ministry officials, politicians, the rich, the famous, and the aurors streamed through the entrance hall, appropriately shaking and kissing the hands of the Potter family.
"Nice to see you again Frank," said James warmly as he shook Frank's hand. "You remember my girlfriend, Lily? You look lovely Alice."
Alice blushed as James kissed her hand, and could barely formulate a sentence when Lily greeted her with a very delicate hug.
"You look amazing Alice," Lily complimented her kindly. "I hope you both have a wonderful evening."
Lily's smile actually reached her eyes as she watched Frank lead his date away, his arm securely on her waist. James watched Lily for a moment while Christopher held up the next guest with a few more words than usual. He took the opportunity to wrap his arm around her waist and pull her closer to his side so that he could whisper in her ear, "You look utterly amazing in that dress, but truly the only thing I can think about is taking it off of you."
Lily restrained herself from giggling aloud, but she was powerless against the vibrant blush that painted her cheeks.
James uttered a short and quiet self-satisfied chuckle as he released her and returned to the task at hand.
"Fredrik, this is my son James, James this is Fredrik Nordin, the son of Head Auror Nordin of Sweden," Christopher said gravely.
"A pleasure to meet you," replied James cordially as he extended his hand.
"Believe me, the pleasure is all mine," replied the handsome young Swede darkly.
"This is my girlfriend Lily Evans," said James.
"Tales of your beauty and intelligence know not the boundaries of country or continent," said Fredrik loftily as he bent to kiss the hand that was offered out of loyalty to her adopted family. Were she alone she would have spat in his face for uttering such words.
Lily did not have the words to respond. The blush in her cheeks was replaced by a ghostly complexion as she turned her head away and her gaze fell to the floor.
"Harry Potter," said Harry gruffly as he introduced himself, breaking the concentration of the man who still held Lily's hand to his lips.
"Fredrik Nordin," he replied as he took the extended hand, yet did not take his gaze off of Lily.
"What's wrong?" whispered James between greetings.
"That was Teddy," gasped Lily painfully.
If James had not been trained since birth on how to act in public situations, especially the Christmas Eve ball, he would have had some sort of dramatic outburst. As it was, his manners were set in stone and he was able to continue smiling and nodding and shaking hands even though it felt like his organs were on fire.
"You look lovely Marlene," said James graciously as he kissed her cheek.
"Thank you Potter, you don't look half bad," said Marlene snippily, though her good-natured smile gave her away. "Of course you don't look nearly as attractive as your marvelous date."
"We've got trouble, Teddy from the Institute," hissed Lily through her smile as she hugged Marlene. "I need you to try and keep him away from me. Be seductive!"
"You want me to flirt with your enemy?" Marlene hissed through her tight smile.
"Enjoy the party," said Lily smiling meaningfully.
Marlene finished the greeting line and made a beeline for Vicky to formulate a plan of attack for the Teddy situation.
Sometime later Sirius approached Remus and Vicky who were trying not to attract attention to themselves.
"Hey guys," said Sirius as he joined them. "Vicky, you're one of Lily's friends, tell me, has she mentioned anything about getting married?"
"To who?" laughed Vicky.
"James of course," said Sirius defensively, his face contorted in confusion and disappointment.
Reacting to the slight pressure on her elbow, Vicky politely answered, "No she hasn't said anything. Why do you ask?"
"Sirius is convinced that James is going to propose to her tomorrow morning," answered Remus.
Vicky's eyes went wide. Remus looked at Sirius pointedly.
"That only means that it will be a surprise for Lily," stated Sirius firmly. "James is just keeping this under wraps better than I thought."
"I don't think that he's going to ask her…" said Vicky slowly and softly.
"They've been dating for over a year and everyone knows that he's been in love with her for at least three," Sirius argued.
"She isn't ready to get married," Vicky replied nicely, the hand on her elbow the only thing that was keeping her temper in check.
"Well I'm not saying that they should get married tomorrow."
"I just don't think it's in the cards this Christmas, maybe next year."
"I bet you all of my Christmas presents that he gives her an engagement ring for Christmas. He loves her more than anything else in the world and he desperately wants to marry her. Plus it would make him feel better if she went back to school wearing a ring," said Sirius confidently.
Vicky was about to disagree when James approached and grabbed Sirius's forearm. "Can I have a word?!" he hissed angrily.
"Sure Prongs, what's up?" asked Sirius casually as James dropped his arm rapidly and violently once they were in the kitchen.
"I would really appreciate it if you would stop talking about rings and marriage within hearing of my girlfriend," he snapped.
"Oh I get it," Sirius said conspiratorially. "I would want to surprise her too."
"You're the only one who is going to be surprised!" said James exasperatedly.
"What do you mean?"
"I did not get Lily a ring for Christmas!" James shouted so loudly it could be heard over the bustle of the house elves.
"What do you mean?" echoed Sirius. "Why not?"
"Because we're eighteen bloody years old! The better question is why the hell you thought we were getting married," James said, lowering his voice as he regained control.
"You've been dating for so long and you love each other…"
"And we live on different continents," James pointed out bitterly. "And we've only been dating for over a year, she hated me for longer than that. And my dad has forbidden me from marrying her."
"He also told you to break up with her, and yet he allows her to live in the house…"
"I don't think he's going to budge on this one as easily. I would be the first Potter heir to ever marry a woman who wasn't a pureblood. I would end a thousand years of tradition and I think my father is never going to accept that."
"So what are you going to do?" asked Sirius angrily. "String Lily along for years and then suddenly dump her when you decide it's time for you to get married?"
"Of course not!" shouted James, aghast. "I just need more time. My dad may never accept the ending of the pureblood tradition, but I think in time he may be willing to overlook it. He loves Lily too I think."
"Of course he does! I can't count on my fingers how many times I've run across the two of them discussing books and politics and their lives! I noticed it starting a bit at the end of the summer, but since she's been back I see her in his office or the library every morning. He's fallen for her as hard as you have! He's got to let you marry her! He will; just ask her and he will!" pleaded Sirius.
"Why does this mean so much to you?" asked James insightfully.
"Forget it," mumbled Sirius as he turned away.
"No," refused James as he turned Sirius back. "Tell me."
Sirius sighed. "You want her to stay here right? If you were married she wouldn't go back to school. Instead of seeing her every three months for two weeks you would see her every weekend when you went home from training. I find it amazing that you didn't think of that sooner."
James's sighed carried twice the sadness and regret that Sirius's did. "There is nothing I could ever offer her that would keep her here. And even if there was something I could do I wouldn't because she would be so unhappy here it would break her heart and mine."
"I think you're wrong. She would stay if you asked her to."
"Dammit Padfoot don't you think I asked?!" shouted James, his anger rising back up to the surface. "Of course I didn't want her to go away! I begged, I pleaded, I promised her the world and more not to go. She went anyway! And on January first, she will leave again."
"Things can never be easy for the two of you," commented Sirius with a short laugh.
James echoed his hollow and joyless laughter. "You know it's the tough stuff that holds us together when it's easy. If it was always like when we first started dating- easy, shallow, purely infatuation- then we would never be where we are now. The tough stuff is worth it just because it makes me appreciate the easy moments."
"Tonight's not going to be easy. Marlene told me that Teddy is here and he's the guy you have to impress…"
James sighed. "Lily asked Marlene to stick by him. Last I checked she was doing a pretty good job and he looked pissed so I'm guessing that Lily has been doing a good job at avoiding him… but I really should go and talk to him…"
"How are you going to do that?"
"Pretend I have no idea who he is and that Lily never told me about him, because if I think about that stuff I will surely kill him in the most violent ways I can think of," said James casually as he began his return to the ballroom.
"Well let me know if you have to kill him because I want in. What kind of best mate would I be if I let you go to Azkaban alone?" joked Sirius.
"Mate, you do know that we would never actually make it to Azkaban because Lily would kill us for getting arrested first," jested James.
"Honestly I think I would rather face the dementors!"
"I hope you have your wand ready," growled James as he stood in the entrance to the ballroom only to see through the floor length windows that ran the length of the terrace that Teddy had cornered Lily outside.
His gaze never leaving his girlfriend, James made his way across the dance floor as fast as he could. Unfortunately every person that was remotely close decided that they had to cross the dance floor right in front of him and his progress was slow. By the time that James exited the house and arrived on the terrace, Teddy was lying on the ground clutching his groin and spurting blood from what James guessed was a broken nose.
Breathing heavily Lily turned her furious gaze away from her victim and smiled sweetly at James.
"Yup, definitely would take the dementors over her," Sirius muttered into James's ear.
"What happened here?!" gasped the newly arrived Prime Minster.
"She attacked me!" spat Teddy, aka Fredrik Nordin.
"He was sexually assaulting me," cried Lily as tears started to trickle down her cheeks. "I was so scared and I didn't know what to do! I asked him nicely to move and when he wouldn't I just freaked out! I didn't mean to really hurt him!"
To add to the drama of her performance Lily ran into James's arms and began sobbing on his shoulder.
"She's lying!" shouted Teddy who was torn between the fact that lying on the ground at the feet of his opponent made him look weak, and the fact that standing up would make it seem like he wasn't hurt and therefore Lily would not seem guilty. "I was being completely and totally friendly! Nothing more!"
Lily just sobbed harder.
"Minister, if I may, it did appear to me that the man was distressing the poor girl," said Sirius gravely. "I came out here to help, but by the time I arrived she had succeeded in saving herself."
"He's lying too!" protested Teddy as he stood up. "At this rate my report about the British people will be most unfavorable, and my father won't send a single auror!"
"At this rate, our impression of the Swedish isn't very good either," commented James as he pointedly looked at the still shaking and crying young woman who was clutching him tightly and with great desperation.
"Perhaps it would be best if we all just put this behind us," said the Minister diplomatically. "I believe that mistakes were made on all sides and that for the sake of the friendship we should employ forgiveness. Dry your eyes Miss Evans and I will send a Healer to fix your nose Mr. Nordin. Also you seem like the same size as Mr. Potter, so I'm sure that he would be more than willing to lend you a new dress shirt. That is all."
That was all. The Minister gestured to the four teenagers to leave and follow their orders. They weren't happy about it, but they didn't dare to disobey. To be sure James fairly well threw the shirt at Teddy and Lily healed his nose but not without palpating it extensively first.
Once "amends" had been made, James stayed by Lily's side; he was determined that Teddy wouldn't catch her unguarded again. It worked for the rest of the social hour and throughout the delicious dinner feast which went off without a hitch, partly due to Remus's tutoring of Vicky who somehow managed to avoid calling attention to herself despite several social faux pas.
The first waltz also went off incredibly smoothly. James was once again reminded how enormously lucky he was to have Lily; although she had been born into a much different life, she had stitched herself so fully into his world that it was like she had been there the whole time. He grinned as he happened to catch the jealous glare Teddy sent him. In retaliation he pulled Lily even closer as they danced.
James's grin only faltered as he caught a few wisps of conversations as he twirled around the room with Lily. He only heard a few words and phrases but they were enough to give him a clear idea of the discussion.
Christmas proposal. Summer wedding. Engagement. Ring. Husband. Wife. Baby.
James was going to kill Sirius. The thought of getting revenge was enough to make the smile on his face believable.
James didn't know whether or not Lily was paying attention to their surroundings, his guess was that she wasn't because she had become accustomed to only hearing negative things whispered about her and so ignored most people as often as she could. The plan was to keep her in the dark, so James engaged her in a whispered conversation.
"You look amazing," was the first thing that came to mind.
"Thank you," she said simply.
"And you are an excellent dance partner," he added as the hand that was on her waist began creeping down to her hip.
"And you are trying to distract me," Lily pointed out, a smug smile on her lips and a sparkle in her eye.
"Me?" asked James aghast. "I would never do such a thing."
Lily laughed under her breath. "I know that you are, I just don't know why. But I must say that you've gotten better at trying to distract me than that time you asked me to go for a walk with you, last October during the exchange ball. That was a pathetic attempt I must say."
"You haven't gotten any less perceptive," observed James.
"You are avoiding my question."
"You haven't asked one."
"Why are you trying to distract me?" asked Lily sweetly as she gazed directly into James's eyes.
Oh crap. Thought James. It's so hard to lie to her when she looks at me like that.
James sighed and looked over her shoulder, seemingly at the culprits he spoke about. "Oh you know the usual; I think Narcissa Black is spreading rumors about you and I heard a few words here and there. I didn't want you to hear them."
Somehow satisfied by his answer, Lily replied, "You know I don't pay any attention to them anymore. You were actually distracting me much better before you started trying to distract me. I didn't hear a thing."
James smiled at her, but had a foreboding feeling in his stomach as the song ended. He knew he couldn't keep her in the dark forever.
He was right. He was pulled away by his father to meet someone or other, and when he returned twenty minutes later Lily looked much too calm.
"You know, James," she said, anger infecting her words. James grabbed a flute of champagne as the tray went by and downed it in one gulp. "In the muggle world we have this crazy custom of informing the bride about her wedding before the rest of the world!"
"Lily," began James soothingly. "I didn't start this rumor, and trust me, it is only a rumor. In fact it's not even a rumor because rumors are based on the truth."
Lily exhaled huffily. "So you're not going to propose to me tomorrow morning?"
"On my Marauder's honor I swear that I will not," said James with a smile, though deep in his gut he wish that he was going to "pop the question" in a matter of hours.
"Good," said Lily relieved. "Because my feelings on getting married haven't changed since May."
"I know," James assured her quietly, his smile soft and understanding.
Lily smiled as she stroked his cheek softly. "I love you."
"I know," smirked James as he pulled her close and landed a chaste kiss on her lips.
"Hey lover boy," joked Sirius as he clapped James on the shoulder. "Your dad is wondering why you aren't kissing the ass of Mr. Teddy Bear to serve your country."
James groaned and reluctantly stepped away from Lily, the arm that was around her falling limply to his side. "Lily stay with Sirius, and I'll deal with Mr. Nordin."
"I think he prefers Mr. Bear," joked Sirius. "First name Teddy, last name Bear."
Lily grinned at Sirius. "I thought it was clever too."
"Have fun kissing Mr. Bear's furry arse," laughed Sirius as he wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders. "We'll be just fine right here."
James glared at the pair as Lily cutely wiggled her fingers in good-bye.
Only a minute after he stalked off, Marlene sauntered by, throwing a coquettish grin at Sirius as she went.
"She's been looking at me like that all night," said Sirius with a frustrated sigh. "What does she want from me?!"
"Well my first guess would be some casual snogging… second guess would be non-casual snogging," Lily informed him. "Isn't that what the two of you have been doing since you ended your relationship?"
"Yeah, I just thought… well she hadn't said anything or seemed interested since… well since she snogged Prongs at the start of the summer," said Sirius uncertainly.
"I think this is her making a move and showing you she's interested," hypothesized Lily. "I don't think she's quite ready to be done with you yet."
"In that case," said Sirius with a grin. "Please excuse me. Don't get into any trouble or Prongs will have my head on a platter."
"Usually trouble finds me, but I'll do my best to stay out of its way," Lily promised.
Sirius chuckled and then disappeared into the crowd around the edge of the dance floor to find his attractive snogging partner.
Lily deftly avoided any trouble for over a half hour, but as usual trouble soon crashed into her. She was standing quietly at the edge of the dance floor alone because Alice had just been pulled away to dance by Frank. A slight smile was played out on her lips as she watched her friends have a good time. Frank was twirling Alice around the dance floor, somehow his dance lessons since childhood making up for his general lack of grace and Alice's inability to dance. Sirius and Marlene had disappeared some time ago, and Lily was fairly certain she wouldn't see them anytime soon.
Peter was sitting with Beth at one of the small tables arranged around the room, seemingly regaling his date with fabulous stories of the Marauders' years at Hogwarts. Beth, much to everyone's surprise, seemed genuinely interested; she was staring at Peter in rapt attention and Lily thought she detected adoration oozing out of Beth's pores. Peter was glowing with the attention he had so often been deprived of during his school years.
Vicky and Remus were leaned up against one of the walls, chatting and laughing like old times. Lily was glad that Vicky had decided to apologize for whatever she had done. Lily knew that Vicky was a bit rough around the edges, but she also knew that underneath her thorny exterior, Vicky was a loyal, fun, and loving person. If Remus could just get past her defenses, Lily had a feeling that they would be very good together, that they would make each other better, and pull each other out of their shells.
Lily then scanned the room for James and Teddy, but they still hadn't returned. James had led Teddy to his father's study to discuss things he didn't want anyone else to overhear, and to get him away from Lily.
"Can I get you something to drink?" asked a smooth and charming voice. Lily shifted her gaze to the left and found a very attractive man in his early twenties smiling at her.
"Thank you but no," Lily replied.
"How about a dance then?" he persisted.
"How about a name first?" countered Lily.
"Carter Ivanov," he introduced himself gallantly as he kissed Lily's hand. "And I do believe you need no introduction. Having recently arrived, I requested that someone point me in the direction of the most beautiful woman in the room and I was advised to search you out Miss Lily Evans."
"Perhaps you should have narrowed your search to the most beautiful and single woman in the room," quipped Lily.
"Relationships have never stood in my way before."
"There's a first time for everything," said Lily snippily. "Now if you'll excuse me…"
"I apologize," said Carter emotionally. "I didn't mean to offend you. I get very nervous around beautiful women like you and stupid things slip out of my mouth. I swear I'm not really such an arrogant bastard. Please don't go. I swear my intentions are honorable."
"Fine," exhaled Lily. "But one more cheesy line and I reserve the right to run in the opposite direction."
"Deal," said Carter with a dazzling smile. The grin looked so familiar to Lily, yet she wasn't sure why; she had certainly never met this man before. "Please tell me something about yourself. Where you went to school perhaps?"
"I attended Hogwarts for seven years and now I am studying at the International Institute for Incredibly Talented Wizards," stated Lily factually.
Carter whistled. "Perhaps the gentleman I talked to didn't speak English very well and when I said the 'most beautiful woman' he thought I said the 'most intelligent woman.'"
Lily raised her eyebrows.
"That was not cheesy," protested Carter. "Believe me, I know cheesy and that wasn't it."
"I'll let that one slide," said Lily with a laugh. "But you were skating on thin ice with that one. Now what about you, where did you go to school?"
"The Russian Magical Academy," he responded. "My mother was English and my father Russian. After my mother's death when I was seven, my father and I moved back to Russia so that my father could have help raising me. My therapist says I'm such a prick because my mother died when I was so young."
"My mother died when I was young too," Lily confided. "Does that mean I'm automatically a damaged person too?"
"Of course," Carter responded. At Lily's shocked and offended expression he added, "There I go offending you again. I don't mean it as a bad thing. Realistically anyone who loses a parent at a young age is damaged by it. The person who isn't harmed by such a tragedy is already warped. Now how a person deals with their emotional baggage is up to them. Obviously you have handled it far better than me. I am a prat who frequently lashes out in anger and does anything to be the center of attention; you are obviously a brilliant and successful witch who doesn't let her past ruin her relationships or work. Any tips you would like to share?"
Lily smiled sweetly and was about to indulge his request when her boyfriend's icy words stopped her.
"Get away from her Carter," ordered James coldly.
Carter turned around to face James. "If it isn't my little cousin Jamsie come to play."
"Get the hell away from my girlfriend right now," James growled.
"Don't make a scene at mummy's party Jamsie," sneered Carter. "Daddy would be most upset with you."
With a laugh Carter turned around, pulled Lily to him and kissed her cheek. Then he spun her around and pushed her into James's arms. Another laugh and he was off to find sanctuary with Auntie Marilyn.
"I see you've met my one and only cousin Carter," said James as he steadied Lily.
"I can't imagine why you've never mentioned him before," said Lily dryly as she wiped off her cheek.
"He's three years older than us and ever since I can remember he's always wanted anything that is mine. When we were little he would take whatever toy I was playing with just because I wanted it. Then he would break it or hide it so that I couldn't have it anymore. I haven't seen him in a few years and I would have thought that his childish games would have ended, but I guess that the same rules still apply. I'm sorry that he bothered you."
Lily laughed. "It's quite alright. Now I know where I know his smile from though."
"What?" asked James confused.
"His smile seemed familiar, and now I know why. He and your mum have the same smile. He must be your mum's sister's son?"
"Yeah, he is my mum's only sister's only son. How did you know?"
"Elementary my dear James," said Lily excitedly. "His last name does not match your mother's maiden name or your last name, and he's your cousin. He also said his mother was English and his father Russian."
"He's lived in Russia since his mum, my Aunt Betty died. My mother was heartbroken when Uncle Peter took him back to Russia, but the only reason he stayed in England was for Auntie Betty. Everyone in his family were still in Russia. He did allow Carter to come stay with us for a month every summer though."
"Lucky you," muttered Lily.
"Worst part of the summer," James stated with a shudder. "I used to hide my favorite toys when I heard he was coming. But then my mum, she has always had a massive soft spot for him- in her eyes poor Carter can do no wrong- would tell me to show Carter my favorite toys or let him play with them and I would have to take them out and he would break them. I would tell my mum and she would say it was just an accident and then ruffle his hair and tell him it was okay. He was a master at crying on cue."
"Oh Lily! There you are," said Mrs. Potter as she approached with her favorite nephew in tow. "I just requested that the band play a song for Carter. He was just telling me about a new dance that is very popular in Russia right now and he graciously accepted my request to perform it for the guests. However he needs a dance partner-"
"Mum, no," interrupted James fiercely.
Quieting him with a harsh glare, Marilyn continued. "And since you are so graceful and cultured on the dance floor, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind accompanying him? I promise he won't step on your toes! He is quite the natural. Carter gets that from his mother, my dear deceased sister Elizabeth."
"It's no problem Mrs. Potter," said Lily quickly before James could get another word in.
"Excellent!" Marilyn clapped her hands together in excitement. "Carter says the two of you have already become acquainted, so you can jump right into the dance in about fifteen minutes. Perhaps it would be best if you practiced a bit beforehand? I'll come and get you when it's time. Now James, I wanted to introduce you to Minister Laurentino and his wife…"
"You are quite despicable," said Lily as she accepted Carter's arm and followed him out of the ballroom. She was smiling with her mouth and shooting daggers with her eyes.
"And you are quite magnificent. I can't imagine how much of his vast fortune my cousin spent to have you accompany him tonight."
"That is so insulting on so many levels," muttered Lily angrily.
Minutes passed and Lily refused to say a word or even look at Carter as he walked her through the steps.
"So now you won't talk to me?" he asked with a smirk as he suddenly dipped her to the floor.
As his face became increasingly closer to hers Lily hissed, "Kiss me again and I will kill you."
Carter pulled Lily up to a standing position and wrapped both arms around her, not permitting her to move a centimeter. "Come, run away with me and leave my pathetic cousin behind. He's a boy, and I can see it in your eyes that you need a man. I can be your man Lily," he whispered in her ear. His whisper was low and husky, and made Lily shiver but not for the right reasons.
Thinking he was winning her over, Carter's lips traveled from her ear lobe to her neck, but before they could brush the smooth white skin Carter doubled over in pain.
"You're just lucky she didn't break your nose first," drawled Teddy from the doorway. "Really Aphrodite when did you become so violent? I thought you were the goddess of love."
"Maybe a better name for me would be Artemis then," spat Lily as she kicked Carter for good measure and stepped widely around him.
"The virgin hunter goddess," mused Teddy.
"Carter dear, are you and Lily ready- what happened here?!" asked Mrs. Potter in alarm as she swept past Teddy and saw the poor lad on the floor.
Before Carter could answer, Lily said, "Carter was showing me one of the dance steps and well, clumsy as I am, my knee slipped, and well you know… I was just about to go and fetch him some ice. Given the circumstances I think we had better wait on the dance."
"Oh hurry and get some ice please Lily, I'll stay with him. Poor Carter…" said Auntie Marilyn as she cradled his head in her lap and stroked the side of his face.
"And you call yourself a man? Pathetic, even more pathetic than your cousin if that's possible," Teddy told Carter in Russian.
Carter narrowed his eyes, but didn't respond to the stranger.
A moment later James returned with a towel filled with ice. "Sorry to disappoint you Carter, but Lily was pulled away to speak with one the German Ministers. She wanted to make sure you got your ice though, so she passed the task on to me."
"Thanks," winced Carter as he applied the remedy.
"Sure thing cousin," said James with a huge grin. "Now I have matters to attend to, please excuse me."
"You've got quite the girl Potter," said Teddy evenly as he fell into step with James.
"Thank you Fredrik, I like to think so," replied James just as coolly.
"She's very loyal to you."
"As am I to her."
"I don't think you deserve her."
"You aren't the only one," observed James as he gestured for Teddy to enter the library.
"She's more special than you could possibly imagine," said Teddy in an excited whisper. "I've seen some of the things she can do… things no one has been able to do in a hundred years!"
"I know," began James.
"You can know, but you can't possibly understand! I can barely comprehend it all!"
James frowned. "Your problem is that all you see is her talent, her extraordinary capacity to learn. That is not all that she is."
Teddy was genuinely confused and it was evident on his face.
James laughed at him. "You really don't use any other scale to measure people, do you?"
"What other scale is there?" asked Teddy defensively.
James laughed again. "Don't expect me to give you all of the answers to life. You have to figure them out for yourself just like anyone else."
"I'm starting to see why she stays with you," said Teddy humbly. "I think you keep her grounded."
"So does this mean you'll stop assaulting her at school?" asked James hopefully.
Teddy's humble tone turned to laughter. His laugh had a cold and slimy feeling to it, very much unlike James's warm and hearty chuckle, or Sirius's bark-like, joy-filled chortle. "I said that I could understand why she stays with you, not that I think it's a good idea. You see 'grounded' as a good thing; to me and those like me, it's a tragedy. From my perspective you're holding her back, holding her down. You simply are no match for her! In fact, you are no more than a lesser version of me! Our fathers are both aurors, but mine is Head Auror and your father has failed to attain such a title, much like every one of your ancestors I might add.
"You're athletic but I am more so. From what I hear, you are charming and according to the ladies, fairly attractive, but I surpass you in both categories. You're rumored to be decent at dueling, and more talented than the average wizard, but if you were better than me you would be at the Institute and I would be attending a third rate training facility that can't even manage to protect itself from attack.
"You must have realized that you're not good enough for her by now. Show a little decency and let her go. She would be better off without you. You are a distraction, a childish security blanket she has outgrown. Step down and let a real wizard step in," Teddy concluded dramatically.
Throughout Teddy's monologue James had remained silent with a thoughtful expression on his face. However he had no need to listen to his opponent's words, because they were one and the same with his own thoughts. On occasion James would lie awake at the Academy at night, staring at the ceiling, paralyzed by the fear that the next letter Lily sent would inform him that she had replaced him. But then he had seen her again, and her smile had washed away his insecurities. She had come back to him. She loved him. He was the one who drove her crazy with desire.
Thoughts of Lily allowed him to remain calm as he retaliated. "All that you say may be true, yet she doesn't love you, doesn't want you, doesn't need you. She wants me, and as long as she wants me I will be there for her. And just so you know I would never give her up without a fight."
Teddy laughed again. "Times are changing; Lily is changing and she is leaving you behind. Now you're capable of caring for her, but before long she'll be so totally out of your league that she'll have no choice but to abandon you. You can't possibly understand her fully, no one without the same talents and burdens can. You just aren't there for her in the way she needs you. For ten months out of the year your presence in her life is limited to the letters you write. In contrast I am there in the flesh twenty four hours a day."
Now it was James's turn to laugh, albeit the sound seemed hollow to even his ears. "You are pathetic. You know that you don't have a shot with Lily; that's the only reason you would try to intimidate me. I feel sorry for you. Now if you'll excuse me I think we're finished here."
"We are far from finished James Potter. You should have taken my advice and walked away now. There will be nothing but heartbreak for you from now on," threatened Teddy.
"Whatever you say Teddy Bear," said James dismissively as he left the room, not even bothering to turn around.
As soon as James had descended the stairs his calm pace evolved into speed walking. He darted around dignitaries and squeezed around celebrities, frantically searching for the love of his life. No matter how hard he tried to ignore the spiteful words of Teddy, he couldn't free himself from the heavy burden they placed on his heart. He had always known that Lily was out of his league, but never had the distance between them been so obvious.
Finally he found her standing with some young woman sipping champagne and politely laughing at whatever was just said.
"Excuse us won't you," he said brusquely as he slipped an arm around Lily's waist and led her away from her companion.
James ignored Lily's questions and protests as he led her outside onto the empty terrace.
"What are you doing?" asked Lily as she assessed her boyfriend. He was distracted, breathing heavily, and had a wild glint in his eye. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," he told her breathily as he pressed her up against the brick wall and kissed her with wild abandon.
She broke off the kiss and breathily requested his outer robe.
"Why?" he asked her as he slipped it off and handed it to her.
"Because," she smiled. "It's December and my dress doesn't keep me as warm as you might think. And these bricks are scraping my back."
Once Lily was more comfortable, James chuckled and captured her lips once more.
Unbeknownst to the couple in the shadows, Teddy lurked around one of the windows spying on their private moment.
"I think if I looked the word jealous up in the dictionary I would find your picture there," commented Vicky as she stepped into Teddy's line of vision.
"I am not jealous," protested Teddy feebly.
Vicky didn't comment. A long moment passed and then Vicky told him, "He truly loves her and she loves him back."
"I don't believe in love."
"Then what are you chasing?"
"Power. Imagine if Aphrodite and I had children together?" Teddy let the idea float in the air for a moment. "They could rule the world."
"Number one Lily would never marry for anything except love, and number two, she would never raise children who would want to rule the world," stated Vicky. "You're chasing a foolish dream."
"People told Avada Kedavra that she was chasing a foolish dream too," Teddy pointed out.
"She developed the killing curse," spat Vicky. "Why would you ever associate Lily with her?"
"They are both powerful and talented witches."
"They are nothing alike," hissed Vicky. "Kedavra was an evil sorceress who delved too deeply into dark magic. Lily is a good and wholesome person who would never sink to that, no matter how strong the temptation."
"Oh yeah?" challenged Teddy quietly, his eyebrows raised. "Ask her about the work she does with Master Livedero and then tell me she can resist temptation."
Vicky was speechless as Teddy sauntered away. As she collected her thoughts she took a look around the elegant hall. Her gaze came to rest on Remus. He was casually resting up against a table and chatting with a beautiful girl who sat at it. Vicky couldn't quite pinpoint what it was about him, but just looking at him made her heart beat faster. She yearned to run her fingers through his dirty blonde hair, to mess it up like Lily messed up James's on a regular basis. She wished with all her heart that his amber eyes would look at her like Frank was looking at Alice right now. She loved how he always looked at someone when they spoke, how respectful and considerate he was… except when it came to her. That night they had gotten back to how they used to be in every respect but the fact that he would barely look at her.
Vicky felt sick; her stomach tightened as the pretty girl placed a hand over Remus's as she delicately laughed at something he had said. Vicky wished she had a delicate laugh like the girl, but no, her guffaw was loud and wild and boyish. That girl looked every bit like the girl Vicky imagined was Remus's type. Her long blonde hair was expertly pinned and curled in an elaborate fashion, her classic emerald velvet gown hugged her classic feminine curves, and she had a perpetual ladylike blush on her flawless face. Her laugh was delicate and sweet, her voice not too loud or too harsh and Vicky was certain she never said anything controversial. A perfect lady for Remus, the perfect gentleman.
Vicky could never compare. She was short, not even reaching Remus's shoulder. Perfect girl probably was the perfect height, especially in her perfect heels. Vicky couldn't walk in heels; Lily had assured her that the pretty black slippers on her feet were perfectly acceptable, but now they only served to make her feel more inadequate. Her hair was just long enough to reach her chin and it was black with plum streaks, a far cry from perfect girl's perfect golden tresses. Lily had curled her hair and clipped cute purple bows into it, but still she felt like a boyish brute next to perfect girl. She had insisted on wearing a black dress, despite Lily's persistent pleas for color, and now she felt so out of place she wanted to cry. Initially she thought that the dress was very flattering, it even made her unimpressive bust a size larger, but now all she could see in the reflection of the floor length window was a scrawny (not slim like perfect girl!) girl with bony hips and a square torso who looked ghoulish because the black dress contrasted so sharply with her pale skin. Vicky turned away from the window before her eyes drifted to her face.
She didn't need the reflective surface to know that her face was long and thin and ended in a very pointy chin. She had a fat little snub nose and huge eyes with an uninteresting brown color. She wished she only had beautiful green eyes like Lily, maybe then her face could be salvaged! Then people wouldn't pay attention to her prominent high cheekbones, fat lips or bushy eyebrows. Vicky would have bet anything that perfect girl had gorgeous baby blue eyes, or maybe even mysterious silver eyes.
Vicky had worked herself up so fully that she was indeed ready to start bawling at any moment, her self-pity welling up inside of her like a geyser ready to erupt. She was so consumed by her thoughts that she didn't even notice the approach of James and Lily. They were both looking perfect as always, a regular golden couple, thought Vicky glumly as they made their presence known.
"What's the matter?" Lily asked quietly as she squeezed her friend's hand.
Sure that nothing except crying would escape her mouth were she to open it, Vicky turned her eyes from Lily's concerned face to Remus and perfect girl.
Both James and Lily followed her line of vision and guessed what the problem was.
"Julie and Remus have been friends for a long time," James told her softly. "He isn't interested in her and never has been. And if that doesn't convince you, she's dating Edgar Bones, who is about to come and ask her to dance. Edgar and Remus have never been fond of each other, ever since Remus accidently dumped lake slime on him when we were fifth years and he was a seventh year."
Just as James had predicted, Edgar did snatch his date away from Remus, without even a curt greeting to his girlfriend's good friend.
Vicky still wasn't very comforted.
"If you want him, you're going to have to make the first move," said James. "Remus… Remus is a cautious bloke."
"What a better time than Christmas Eve? There's more mistletoe in this room than there is in a whole forest. Pluck a branch from one of the garlands and you'll be all set; no one can resist the Christmas magic," advised Lily.
"Literally," added James. "It's all enchanted so that neither person can move until they kiss."
"You can see why mistletoe was banned from Hogwarts while the Marauders were in attendance," Lily said dryly.
"I still can't believe that I was never able to catch you underneath any while we were at school," said James lightly.
"Not to be distracted," said Lily as she turned back to her friend. "If worse comes to worst you can avoid him for the rest of your life. This is a big house full of plenty of places to hide."
James began to say something else and Vicky cut him off saying, "Alright! I get it already! You can go back to snogging now!"
"Actually we have to go visit with France's Minister of Foreign Affairs," James informed Lily.
"If we must," sighed Lily with a smile. "Is he the handsy dancer?"
"No," said James as he paused to think. "I think that's the Italian Minister of Games and Sports."
"Oh yes, you're right," said Lily as James led her away.
Vicky took a deep breath and loosened one of the sprigs of mistletoe from the clump that was tied to the golden ribbon holding the massive burgundy drapes away from the window. She held it behind her back as she skirted around the dance floor to where Remus was now sitting alone. To her relief he was not staring at any one dancer, not even the one James had called Julie.
Remus's gaze had just alighted on her when his eyes went wild.
"Hey, come with me?" he requested as he shoved himself away from the table.
"Sure," said Vicky breathlessly as she allowed him to grab her empty hand and rush out of the ballroom. "What's going on?" she asked lightly as he immediately pulled her to the side of the door.
"We're hiding," he told her as he pulled her along hallways and up and down staircases until he opened a door and pushed her into a dark room.
"Why are we hiding?" she whispered in the direction she thought Remus was. The only light came from the crack under the door and her eyes hadn't quite adjusted yet.
"Because Sandra Fini has been hunting me all night. As you came over I heard her calling me. I figured that you would make a good alibi and keep her off my back," explained Remus, his words spilling out quietly with his minty breath.
"Why are you hiding from her?" asked Vicky, hoping that he didn't guess why she wanted to know. She was very much afraid that someday she would be in the position of this poor Sandra Fini girl.
Remus chuckled. "Sandra was Lily's greatest rival at school. Surely you remember her? She was a Ravenclaw in our year. Maybe she had gone abroad when you visited… anyway she always had a rule that no one in her little circle of friends could date a Marauder. She always said it was because we were a band of hoodlums and far beneath her and her friends, but really it was because she had asked James to Hogsmeade on a date in fourth year and he turned her down. When Lily became friendly with James she voted Lily out of the circle.
"It was obvious that she was insanely jealous of Lily and her relationship with James. I don't know if Lily even knows this, but one time Sandra and James were paired up for a school assignment and she was so bold that she actually kissed him in the middle of the classroom literally behind Lily's back. Anyway to make a long story short, now she is chasing me to get at Lily and James. Peter is taken and Sirius would never give her the time of day, so I am her only option. But I would rather be a werewolf than spend five minutes in the company of such a shallow, self-serving girl like her."
"Being a werewolf…" mused Vicky. She could feel Remus's intent stare on her and she wasn't sure why, but this felt like a test. Certain that she had failed the last test, she was determined to choose her words more carefully this time. "The ignorance and stupidity of society would get old rather quickly I'm sure. I don't know how it is here, but werewolves, in both American muggle and magical societies, are greatly feared and shunned. In fact there was a period of time in which they were rounded up and put in camps in the forests of Montana and Wyoming. I feel like such behavior is despicable because werewolves, as well as all other… people like vampires and such, are just people, albeit a little different."
"Would it scare you if I told you that there was a werewolf in this linen closet?" asked Remus as he shifted so that he was directly facing Vicky.
"Would it scare you if I told you that last November when I was locked up in a cell with Lily, I wished you were there with me instead?" Vicky countered as she tilted her head back to see him.
"Why aren't you bothered by the fact that I'm a werewolf?" whispered Remus.
"We had a debate about werewolves and vampires at school last month. I had never really thought about it before, just accepted my narrow-minded family's prejudices blindly, but the way Lily spoke about the rights and burdens of werewolves made me reevaluate my opinion. She spoke with such great passion and knowledge that it was fairly obvious to me that someone close to her was afflicted. After that I did a lot of research and changed my mind. I think Lily changed a lot of people's minds that day. She's an incredible person," finished Vicky breathlessly.
"And she has incredible friends," he said huskily, making Vicky's heart race and her breathing grow shallow.
Cradling his face with her palms, Vicky pulled Remus's lips down to hers. The mistletoe lay forgotten and unheeded on the floor.
Two floors below Lily was dancing with James and staring at Peter and Beth with disgust. The two were on the very edge of the dance floor simply swaying with the music and Lily could tell that Peter was more than a little nervous; one clue was that he was wiping his sweaty hands on the back of his trousers every two minutes.
"I did not spend my time teaching him how to kiss for him to get cold feet!" Lily informed James sternly.
"Then I guess you need to help him along," said James soothingly.
"Me? He's your friend."
"Did I kiss him? I don't think so," smirked James. "He is your charity case."
"Fine," stated Lily loftily. It only took her a moment to locate and extract James's wand from his pocket.
"Hey now, that's mine," protested James without missing a beat.
"My wand is much more difficult to get to and would cause a scene, and your wand will do just fine for the simple magic I have in mind."
James watched as a piece of mistletoe that had been decorating a wall sconce sailed over his head and hovered above Peter and Beth.
"Oh I didn't see that one coming," said James sarcastically.
"Don't knock the classics," Lily told him seriously.
"I have to see this," mumbled James as he sidestepped so that both he and Lily could watch the show.
"Ahhh…" cooed Lily as she watched her protégé at work. She laid her head against James's chest and smiled.
"Your little boy is all grown up," teased James.
Lily was quiet. It was unlike her not to respond, especially to teasing, so James tore his gaze away from Peter, who actually seemed to do quite well for himself, and turned to his girlfriend.
"Something wrong?"
"Just thinking." Lily's tone was sweet and came with a smile to match.
"About?" prompted James.
"Growing up."
James just hummed in response and pulled her a little closer. As he spun her around the dance floor she numbly followed his lead while she spun ideas around her head.
A/N. You have no idea how many revisions this chapter went through! I have so many alternate endings and side plots for this night… anyway, I hope that you like how it came out! Good, bad or indifferent- let me know how you feel!
I apologize for the lack of a Peter/Beth moment; I know that many of you were hoping for one. It just didn't fit in with the chapter- I really did try to make it work. First question: are you horribly disappointed?
The Remus/ Vicky relationship- good, bad, rushed, too soon?
What do you think of cousin Carter?
What did you think of Fredrik Nordin (aka Teddy- remember that their names change at school)? Of his speech to James?
How did you feel about Sirius's idea that Lily and James should get married? Lily and James's reaction to the notion? When do you think they should get married?
Did you think anything was missing from this chapter?