"Hello!"

This was how every morning started. Alexa would wake up, make breakfast, and read the newspaper. Then Luanne would wake up and have breakfast. Then Alexa and Luanne would argue about Luanne taking her medicine. Then Sirius would wake up, stare at Alexa for a moment, as though he really couldn't understand how he could be so lucky.

"Hello!" Alexa would say happily, having been up for some time.

"Hello," Sirius would say groggily, having just woke up.

"Hello!" Luanne would say cheerfully, being a little kid and therefore having more energy.

Then Sirius would have breakfast, cold by this time, and then the day would progress from there.

Of course, this wasn't a normal day.

"Where are the shoes!?" Alexa screeched. "WHERE ARE THEY!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!" Lily sobbed. "I left them somewhere!"

"Okay, okay!" Alexa said firmly, taking charge. "Lu, you changed yet?"

Luanne shook her head.

"Find the shoes. Go, now!" Luanne set off.

"Alright, Lulu's finding the shoes. Now, the dress, put it on," Alexa instructed.

"Don't we do makeup first?" Lily asked worriedly.

"No," Alexa told her matter-of-factly. "You put the dress on to test it for last minute fit, then take it off, do the hair, do the makeup, put to dress back on, then put the shoes on. Got it?"

Lily nodded, staring at Alexa in awe. "Yeah-huh," she said. "I can do that."

Sirius knocked on the door.

"Good you found the-" she stopped short when she saw Sirius.

"Get out!" she shrieked, slamming the door as she pushed him out. "What are you doing here?" she whispered loudly.

"Living?" he suggested, matching her tone. She hit him on the shoulder.

"Get out!" she hissed. "Go over to James and Lily's or something. Go to Diagon Alley. Go to London for all I care, just get out!"

"Alright, alright," Sirius said, realizing resistance was futile. "But just FYI, guys don't freak out like this."

*****

"Remus, I lost my shoes!" James was yelling from the bedroom when Sirius walked in. "And my hair won't lie flat!"

"Your hair never lies flat!" Remus said, waving at Sirius from the living room closet, where he was apparently looking for James's shoes. He shrugged, as if to say, "What're we gonna do?"

"James?" Sirius asked, knocking on the bedroom door.

"Oh good," James said by way of greeting. "You're here. Do you know a hair-flattening spell?"

"Um, no?" Sirius said, afraid of what James's reaction might be.

"Oh," James said, sounding confused. "Well."

"But maybe some hair gel?" Sirius suggested. Remus snorted.

"Sirius, in all the time you've known James, has hair gel ever worked?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right," he admitted. "But maybe it's for the better," he added thoughtfully. "Lily's only ever seen him with crazy hair. If he somehow manages to flatten it, she might not love him anymore."

All the color drained from James's face, and it took ten minutes for Remus to convince James that Sirius was only joking.

*****

"I can't do this," Lily whispered just before Alexa walked down the aisle. "I think I'm gonna-"

*****

"-throw up," James said worriedly to Sirius. "She's gonna walk out, isn't she? I knew it, you-"

*****

"-are going to be fine!" Alexa exclaimed. "I promise. Everything-"

*****

"-is unacceptable!" Sirius told James, annoyed. "You should be happy! This is your-"

*****

"Last chance," Alexa said. "If your really want to leave, fine, but if you love James, I just know this will-"

*****

"-never work!" James hissed. "We'll probably miss our train, and then there will have our-"

*****

"-babies!" Lily cried worriedly. "What if James doesn't want babies? You know I want-"

*****

"-a cat!" James gasped. "What if Lily doesn't like cats? Oh my god-"

*****

"-it's time," Alexa whispered before heading out, knowing Lily would follow.