AN: Please, please review. This is one of my longest chapters (seven pages, around 3500 words).

The next morning they awoke. Lily had pulled away from James in the night, he was on his stomach, half on top of her. "James?"

He mumbled a word of acknowledgment before reaching over to pull her closer, as if she were a very large pillow.

"You're crushing me."

"How nice, shut up," he mumbled.

Lily did her best to push him away, but he pulled tighter and it was hard to fight against him. He had at least fifty pounds on her and marathon studying sessions didn't exactly get her in shape the same way did Quidditch did with James. "Potter," she growled.

"Bloody hell, what is-" He propped himself up on one arm. "Lily…" He adjusted his body so he was looking her directly in the eye. "I forgot I had a bed partner last night."

"I didn't," she mumbled. "Can you please off me?"

"Why?" Placing hands on either side of her, he shifted his weight to that before leaning down to kiss her. "Is that better?'

"A little, but you have morning breath."

"I can never make you happy."

She didn't respond just smiled at him, keeping quiet until his arms began to quiver ever so slightly at holding this position. "How long are you going to stay like this?"

He opens his mouth to speak, but Lily grabs his arms and takes him by surprise, rolling him over and soon they are a tangle of limbs and blankets and smiles. "Time to get up," she murmured.

"No." His arms tighten around her and she lets out a shriek as he tried to repeat the action. "I wanted to sleep, but this is alright."

"You're ridiculous." Finally she is able to break free and stands by the side of the bed, smoothing her wild braid and adjusting her nightgown. "I'm going to get dressed, you can be a lazy lay about."

He perked up. "You might need help."

"Take a shower and fix your hair," she ordered.

"Yes, mum."
"I'm not anything like Agatha."

"Believe me, I know." James looks her over with his signature smirk.

With a roll of her eyes she returned to her room, unhappy with herself for not completely unpacking and doing laundry. Agatha had insisted that Mopsy do it, but Lily didn't mind doing laundry, especially since she was of age now. Digging through her trunk she found a suitable skirt and shirt that was casual enough to wear at home.

By the time she made it downstairs, James was sitting at the table with Charles. His hair looked like he ran a wet comb through it and he exchanged pajama pants for a pair of shorts, leaving the same shirt on.

"I was going to give you this last night, but you two were busy." Charles slid an envelope with Agatha's postal box address printed in dark purple ink, the letters having a distinctive curl.

"Burn it," she muttered.

"What is it?" James asked.

"My sister," Lily said. "Can one of you read it? If it says 'freak' then I'm going to rip it into a million pieces then ignite it and-"

James tore it out of her hands and opened the envelope. He quickly scanned the words sighing. "She says that she's angry at you for not choosing a normal life, but she realizes she's being childish by not inviting you to the wedding." He looked up at Lily. "She sounds angry that you didn't come for Christmas."

"I explained that to her, give it her."

James handed it to her before helping himself to the fruit and toast on the table. Charles watched the exchange in silence seeing Lily's facial expression as she read the letter in whole. "You never did tell me what happened when you went to visit the cemetery."

"Nothing much," Lily started as she folded the letter. "I know what you're asking, though. I found out about my sister's wedding through an old friend that was working at the flower shop that James and I got a bouquet from." At that she reached for the tea pot sitting on the table, Charles accioed her a cup, her own wand left upstairs. "Speaking of flowers, did you have any hand in raising in James? He could tell me what practically every flower meant. Marlene can't even do that."

"Evans," he muttered, a mock glare being sent from across the table.

"I taught him Quidditch," Charles said, folding the Daily Prophet in half. "He's a rather insufferable boy, only Agatha had the patience for him." He shook his head and passed Lily a mischievous look, one that James had perfected over the years.

"Whatever," James scoffed. "I can't wait until Sirius is back. Revenge is in store for the two of you."

"Oh?" Lily said. "I sleep in my own bed tonight, then."

"You were the one that came to me," James said.

"That is quite enough," Charles interjected. "I may be turning a blind eye to your...sleeping arrangements, but they are not something to be discussed at the kitchen table. You don't here Agatha-"

"Dad, too much information." James shook his head. "Please."

That response was enough to put everyone in a good mood. They all talked casually about summer plans, Charles not due in the office until eleven since he was called in late. "Dad," James began. "Sirius will be coming home in two days, so I was having Remus and Peter come over on the twenty-ninth. I don't know how long they'll stay."

"Sounds good, your mum should be home after Sirius and she'll be over the moon to have the three of you home again."

"James, do you have anything planned on the thirtieth?" Lily gave him a pointed look, hoping that he would pick up on the subtle nuances.

"Not really."

"I need a date for the wedding."

James spit out the fruit he had just picked up and gave Lily a look that was equivalent to a puppy being kicked. "I'll do anything but that. Your sister will burn me at the stake."

"She's not that dreadful. Remus went with me to the funeral and he was fine." Unable to reach his hand across the table, Lily settled for a soothing smile instead. "I can't apparate, and it's much too far to drive. Taking the train is a pain and the Knight bus makes me nauseous."

"Go with her James," Charles said.

"Why?" he groaned.

"You're my boyfriend," she explained slowly.

"And I'm not comfortable with Lily going alone. You know how things have been, I want all of you at least traveling in pairs." Charles paused for a moment before speaking again. "Also, it's one of those unwritten rules. I'll forgive you since Lily is the first girl that lasted long enough to meet us," he teased.

"Fine, but I'm not wearing a tie. Do you know how many detentions I got for not wearing that infernal contraption?"

"When are you going to start standing up to Lily?" Sirius asked as he stared at James upside down, draped across one of the beds in James room.

"It's my mum," he muttered as he played with the fabric draped across the neck. It was a bow tie. "Bloody hell," he cursed. "Remus!" he shouted. "Where did he go?"

"Maybe I could help," Peter piped up from where he was sitting James' desk. "They're not that hard."

"If they're not that hard why have you been letting me struggle for fifteen bloody minutes?" James whirled around, shooting a very angry look at the small boy.

"It's funny?" Peter gave James a sheepish look with a shrug of her shoulders. He got up to help James, but stopped when the door flung open with Remus entering followed by Lily.

"Are you almost ready?" she questioned, arms across her chest. "Let me do that, Peter. I thought that he was more than capable of dressing himself."

"Lily." He turned to face his girlfriend, hands planted on her hips. "Come on." He grabbed her hand.

"Just let me help you…"

"Lily," he whispered softly. "Relax." He wrapped his arms around her. She softened slightly, enjoying the moment until Sirius threw a pillow at them. "Mate, come on, this is my room."

"My teeth can't handle another cavity," Sirius said.

"I feel a bit queasy," Peter admitted.

Remus just sat, smirking, in one of the extra chairs in the room, shaking his head at his friends' mock disapproval and the fact that James finally found a girl he treated like a decent human being.

"Look away then," Lily said, wrapping her hands around the ends of the loose bow tie, using it to pull James closer. There was more protest and two more pillows thrown. "You don't have to wear one, it was part of our deal." She pulled it off and threw it in the direction of Sirius. "My family already thinks we go to a school for the criminally deranged, you might as well look the part." She ran a hand through his hair. "That's better."

"Go," Sirius groaned.

It was a few minutes later when Lily and James stumbled towards the park, shaky from their multiple apparitions. She was relieved to see a sign proclaiming a the Evans-Dursley wedding. "Are you alright?" Lily asked when she noticed James gripping her arm tightly still.

"Yeah, that just took a lot out of me."

"We'll get sat down and I'll see if there's some water." She smiled at him, brushing his hair out of his eyes.

"Don't worry about me." He took a deep breath and lifted the hand from her elbow and rubbed the back of her neck. As his eyes scanned the park in front of him he paused when a blonde girl in ruffled dress began to wave vigorously at them. "Who's that?"

"My cousin Amanda."

"Lily!" the girl yelled as she rushed over to the pair. "It's so good to see you. We all were sad when you couldn't at Christmas." She reached over and pulled Lily into a tight hug, tearing James hand away from her. "Is this your plus one?" She questioned and looked James over warily. Lily had to admit that he did not look like the heir of prominent family. His hair looked liked he'd just alighted from a broom, shirt rumpledand exhausted from the journey. "He goes to school with you doesn't he?" She pulled away and watched as James placed a possessive arm around Lily's waist.

"Yes, I am attending as Lily's guest. Yes, I go to school with her. My name is James Potter and I'm her boyfriend."

"They let you date there?" She passed them an incredulous look, hands planted on her hips. "Can I speak with you alone?"

"We should really get seats and Petunia is probably wondering where you are." Lily probably looked the part of the madwoman with her loose hair blowing in the breeze and her eyes shining with anger.

"Sorry," she replied slowly. "Are you like our Lily?"

James quirked an eyebrow at the question and Amanda's usage of 'our'. "In some respects, but we are drastically different people." He paused when he felt Lily squeeze his hand. Looking down he saw his usually cheeky girlfriend staring at her feet. "We're both stubborn as hell. I suppose that's a good thing, though. I've been in love with her for years, if I wasn't so persistent we never would have gotten together."

Amanda, though, wasn't actually listening to him. Her head was tilted and she had a forced, patronizing smile on her face. She quickly provided an excuse and dashed off. James looked at Lily. "Did she even listen to me?" he asked. "What was that about 'our Lily'? And why did-"

"Just play along, it's easier," she said. "Please."

"I'm not pretending to be an idiot to make your sister happy."

"They don't think I'm an idiot, they think I'm a bit unhinged, that's all."

"I'll show them unhinged."

"No, you won't." She squeezed his hand tighter and pulled him toward where wooden folding chairs were set up. They took a side on the right, the side designated at the bride's family. James sat slumped, arms folded across his chest. "You don't understand," she whispered as people filtered in around them. "Most of my relatives don't believe what Petunia's told them, but Amanda's always been closer to her and who knows what Petunia's fed her."

"Then why are we here supporting someone so vindictive?"

"She's my family. I have aunts and uncles and cousins, but I don't really know any of them. My sister is the last person I have left."

"No, she's not." James unfolded his arm and reached for her hand. "My family is your family, you know that."

Lily squeezed the hand back, wondering how she could have ever thought him to be an awful human being. He had his mother's capacity for love. Agatha who never seemed to be content unless her house was full and someone in delighted in the fact that Sirius and Lily called her house a home. "I love you." At that point people hurried to their seats and music began. The bridesmaid dresses were hideous and Petunia's dress looked like some sort of fancy French pastry. Vernon's mustache was curled-the ends probably dipped in wax-and his buttons looked like they were going to pop off. One thing, though, was that Lily had never seen happier people. She always thought that Petunia loved Vernon for his money, but her sister had not smiled she did in a long time. When they kissed she looked over at James and wondered-hope-that that would be them someday.

The reception was in long building not far from the seating. The dinner was a fancy meal with several courses. James and Lily were escorted to a back table with relatives that passed them strained looks and talked to them in soft tones. Lily took it with a grain of salt and James was so furious he about broke his fork stabbing a piece of chicken. He'd never had anybody talk to him like that, even when he was younger. With parents and a name like his, he got respect everywhere he went. If on the off chance someone was rude, all James had to do was mention his father-Charles Potter, Head of Magical Law Enforcement-and they would immediately quiet.

"I have to go to the restroom, will you be alright?"

"I am perfectly capable of being civil," he snapped.

"Be back soon." Lily found the restroom quickly and when she was washing her hands she saw a bit of tulle underneath the handicap stall. The door flung open and saw Petunia in a different dress. This one still had a tulle underskirt, but it looked considerable more manageable. "Congratulations."

"Thank you," she replied stiffly. "I'm surprised you made it."

"Of course," Lily said with a smile and stepped closer to her sister. "I was surprised I was invited."

"Don't be like that," she hissed.

"Like what?"

"You chose your freakish world over me."

"You gave me an ultimatum."

"I don't want to do this. It's my wedding day, it's supposed to be about me." With a haughty look she stood a little straighter. "I was going to wait to do this…"

"What? Officially disown me?"

"No, I was going to offer to take you in once more. After how you've acted today I don't know why I'm offering this...Vernon and I are purchasing a house. It will have a guest room and it will be yours, if you take it. The school is quite good."

"The school?" Lily asked.

"You couldn't possibly ask for us to send you to that peculiar school. You'd have to go to a normal one." Petunia's face lost it's harshness. "I miss you, you know. No matter how I act, I would love for you to be with me again."

"Like I said the day of the fire, the price is too high." Tears were pricking Lily's eyes. "I want you in my life Tuney, but you can't ask me to turn my back on everyone else to be with you. I have friends that I have lived with, ate with, attended classes with for six years. I have people that have treated me like their own child...I have a boyfriend Petunia. I never knew I could love a person like that. Do you understand?"

"Leave then," Petunia ordered.

"What?"

"That's all you're good at, leaving."

"You're the one that made it impossible to be with."

"No. We were best friends, but then you started doing all those odd things and spending all the time with that weird boy. Once you got that letter you tossed me to the side like a piece of rubbish." Petunia's face looked pinched as she attempted to hold back tears. "Even when you were gone, I still had to listen to everyone rave about. Oh, the pretty Evans girl, the smart Evans girl, the nice Evans girl. When I met Vernon that changed. Mum and dad were proud of me, I finally did something better than you."

"Life isn't a competition."

"I never said it was. Just take your boyfriend and go."

"Petunia, please. I'm here now," Lily pleaded. Her sister was there, right in front if her. She couldn't lose her again.

"I can't deal with this today. Just leave, I'll write you." Petunia seemed to deflate, bracing herself against the sink while tears leaked out if her eyes. Lily tried to place a shand on her arm, but Petunia wrenched away from her touch. "Go."

Lily reluctantly left the room trying to hold back the tears. As she neared the dining room she saw James walking towards her. "Where have you been? Your relatives are positive that your participating in illicit activities in the room."

"Can we just go?"

"No, they're rather dreadful, but-"

"James, I can't-"

"Are you crying?" He stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder, bending to look her in the eye. "Merlin, what happened?"

"Petunia wants me to leave, she doesn't want me here." Lily wrapped her arms and herself and walked forward. James quickly caught up with her, trying to wrap an arm around her shoulder. "Godric, James, I screwed up. She hates me."

"I'm sure she doesn't hate you."

"She told me that I left her first." Lily continued walking, paying no mind to the arm that was gripping her tightly. James kept quiet as they walked out of the reception hall and into the park, then down the road. At this point he stopped, pulling her along with him. "I came to support her, but I just ruined everything.

"Lily…"

"Why do you even deal with all this?" she asked. "I'm always a mess. If I'm not crying, I'm stressed out or angry…"

"That's not true."

"Oh, yeah I'm forgetting about my most redeeming quality which happens to be showing up in your room and making a fool of myself." She laughed and pulled away from, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just shut up," he said. Lily glared at him. "What? Being nice clearly isn't working."

"You can't just tell me to shut up."

"Why not? You're not making any sense."

She rolled her eyes.

"I happen to like when you come and sleep with me. I'm just afraid if I ask you to, you'll call me a sex fiend or something along that line."

"Whatever."

"It's not whatever!" he shouted. "Can't you see that? You think that showing me any part of you that's not miss innocent prefect Evans that is positively perfect in every way is wrong. Don't you get that I love everything about you? How you put everything on the line when your angry? The way you smile when you're about to kiss me?" He was trying to look her straight in the eye as she bit her lip and wrapped her arms ariund midsection. "Never apologize for how you feel. When you cry you think that your letting yourself down because you're being weak. You Lily Evans terify me because I have never met anyone like you." He grabbed her arm and dared her to look him in the eye. "When I see you like this I think you're stronger than anyone I know, because you trust me enough to let me in. Remember when you got your mum's bible?"

She nodded, swallowing harshly in an attempt to keep tears at bay.

"You said you believed in me. I've never had anyone say that before. My entire life I've lived up to my expecting of a cocky, priveledged brat. No one has expected any more from me, because I'll grow out of it like Charles did."

Lily wrapped her arms around his neck. "What about The Marauders?"

"They're my best mates and they trust me, but it 's completely different. You're the first person that holds me accountable, expects more from me. I love you and that scares me shitless the same way."

"It's different for me. I want to protect you from everything, but I know your going to walk into the line of fire." He held her tighter at that. "Merlin, I had to find the one girl just as hard -headed as me."

"James?"

"What?"

"Can you take us home?"

AN: I hope you understood where James was coming from. I always imagined him with an air of entitlement and Lily as someone who wouldn't stand for it. Although, I do hope that his speech doesn't come off too cheesy.