"What are you doing this weekend?" Katie asked Loralei after they showed a Friday just before leaving. Her hair was wrapped in a white towel on the top of her head, and another was wrapped around your body.
"Oh, the usual. I'm going to go pick up Lily and we're supposed to go shopping for her wedding dress tonight." Loralei told her. "Then I have to ask her about the hen party, and then tell people about that." She sighed. "I didn't know being a maid of honor was this bad."
Katie laughed. "Sucks to suck. I can't believe your brother invited the entire class. I got the impression he didn't like me."
"Nope, he's just mad that you beat him in hand-to-hand the first time you went against him." Loralei laughed, pulling on faded jeans and a loose white sweater. "He actually thinks you're pretty cool."
Katie rolled her eyes. "Either way, it's great that you invited both Colin and I. There's no way I was going alone and I always feel bad checking the plus one."
"Glad to make it easier for you." Loralei told her, smiling. "I've never been to a wedding before this one."
"So how do you know what you're doing?" Katie asked.
"Half guessing, half asking one of my friends what I should be doing." Loralei stated. "You know, being a godmother to two of her kids give me some leverage."
Katie laughed. "That's a good point. Have fun with that."
"Oh, I am. I also get to play with my godsons. It's actually a pretty nice way to spend a few hours on the weekends." Loralei shrugged.
'Except this weekend." Katie said, putting on her clothes. "And the next, and the next. You're going to have to help Lily through the panicks, and everything."
"How do you know all this?" Loralei asked.
Katie rolled her eyes. "When my brother got married, his then-fiancé was a wreck. It's even worse with pureblood marriages since at least a hundred people are invited."
"Yeah, I only think twenty people are coming besides the wedding party." Loralei told her. "There would be more, but there's been a lot of deaths in the last couple years."
"Well, I believe that out loved ones who have passed from this life are watching us. I bet they're happy for them." Katie smiled.
"I have to say, I think I'd rather have my parents be dead than have them disown me because I'm dating a muggleborn." Loralei told her. "Sirius got tortured because we broke up. I'd hate to have that sort of pressure on me."
"You also love your parents. I feel nothing towards mine." Katie told her. "I don't regret what I did, even if we don't work out. I'm making it on my own, even if I live in a crappy apartment." She smiled.
"Well, shall we go to St. Mungo's together, since we're going anyway."
"I would love to." Katie told her, pointing her want at her head, and her hair became dry. "We can always get coffee and wait for them if they're staying late."
"Sounds like a perfect idea." Loralei told her, grabbing her purse. "And we're almost done with our first year. We won't be the newbies anymore if other people come in this year."
Katie laughed. "But the healers are finishing up their training. I guess we just have to wait longer since we're becoming badass. They just get to heal sick people."
"And us. I live with Remus and he heals whatever bruises you give me when I get home." Loralei elbowed her as they walked out of the locker room.
Katie nodded. "That too. I guess it's a good thing. You gave me a nasty bruise last week on my hip. It pretty much went down to my thigh."
"I'm sure Colin had a fun time treating that one." Loralei teased.
"Shut it." Katie rolled her eyes. "That's besides the point. We're so hard on each other. No one else comes back with bruises like we do."
"That just means we're going to be better than the others." Loralei told her.
"True." Katie agreed. "Still, though. Colin doesn't like that I'm taking punches and he's not. But I still want him to stay out of the front lines of this war...being a muggle born and everything. He'd be the first target."
"Is that why you went for this position?" Loralei asked as they climbed the stairs to get to the fireplace in the entrance.
Kat weighed her head back and forth. "It was a factor." She motioned to Loralei to go first in the fireplace. "You go first."
"Thanks," Loralei said as she grabbed the floo powder before going to St. Mungo's. Katie following ten seconds later.
They walked into the lounge, where the healers and healers in training could get food and such without having to buy some in the cafeteria.
Lily and Colin walked into together, laughing, as soon as Colin's blue-grey eyes saw Katie, his eyes brightened. He wasn't very tall, probably a head shorter than Sirius, and had tanned skin, like he was in the sun often. He had short dark brown hair.
"Hey there, love." He said, walking straight for her, and kissing her cheek. "You're early."
"Loralei decided she was done getting her ass kicked by me." Katie nodded to her.
Loralei elbowed her again. "Don't lie. I bruised your ass last week, remember?" Loralei looked at Colin. "Sorry that I keep beating up your girl, by the way. It's just good practice for then the bad guys try to beat the crap out of us."
"I try to keep that in mind." Colin rolled his eyes.
Loralei looked at Lily. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," Lily nodded, seeming a little shocked for a reason Loralei did not know. "See you Monday, Colin."
"See you, Lil." He looked at Loralei. "Nice seeing you again."
"Yeah, you too. Now go fix up your girlfriend." Loralei grinned, clapping him on the shoulder. "See you Monday, Katie."
"Bye, Lore."
Loralei walked over to Lily, and linked her arm with Lily's before pulling her out of the room.
"I didn't know they were together." Lily told her.
"Oh they are, since fifth year she's been staying with him and his family since sixth year." Loralei told her. "He didn't talk about her with you?"
"Not by name. He called her, 'my little Slytherin.' I didn't think a Slytherin would be in the Auror program." Lily shrugged.
Loralei pushed into her lightly. "For someone who used to not be prejudice by house, you sure have thoughts of it."
Lily rolled her eyes. "I'm impressed, okay?" Lily stated.
Loralei nodded. "That's right, be impressed with my partner."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"You look great in them all." Loralei told her. "Just pick one!" It had been three hours, and Loralei was hungry for dinner.
"Picking out your dress was easier! Strapless and silver." Lily looked into the mirror, seeing herself in an A-frame gown with a sweetheart neckline. "I think this one is too much."
"Then go back to the empire waist one." Loralei told her. "That one was really pretty. Or the one with the beaded bodice. That one's good too."
Lily let out a frustrated sound, and went into the changing room, a few minutes later standing in a lace dress. It had lace sleeves, see through until it got to the bodice, then it just had lace overlay, the skirt hung straight down from her hips.
Loralei's jaw dropped. "That one's it, Lily."
Lily smiled for the first time in two hours. "Yeah, I think I agree." She said, spinning in a circle. "It's perfect." She whispered.
"I agree." Loralei stood from her seat behind the mirror. "Does it need to be hemmed? Taken in anywhere?"
Lily shook her head. "Nope. It's perfect."
Loralei grinned. "It was meant to be then, Lils."
"Yeah, I think so."
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
"Let's not go out tonight." Loralei said the next night to Sirius. "I'm too tired to do anywhere. Can't we order in?" Remus was visiting his parents that weekend, so they had the Potter mansion all to themselves.
"Sure," he agreed. "Whatever you want."
"I'll call that pizza place then." Loralei told him. Her dad had a phone installed since he had to talk to the muggle prime minister often. She was the only one in the house who used it besides her father.
"Sounds good." He smiled.
An hour later, they were laying on the couch falling asleep, pizza gone, and two butterbeer bottles empty.
"We're supposed to be young and wild." He told her. "What happened to us?"
"Real life?" Loralei replied. "It's kind of hard to be wild when we have a job that wants us there early and willing to stay late."
"Well, if we're supposed to be boring like this, I'm just happy I'm boring with you." He kissed the top of her head.
"Thank you, my love." She told him. "I'm happy to be boring with you too." She looked up at him, and kissed him lightly.
The door swung open, and slammed shut. "SIRIUS BLACK!" James yelled.
"What'd you do to piss him off?" Loralei asked, getting off Sirius so he'd be able to move.
"No idea." Sirius said, sitting up. "He was fine yesterday."
James came storming into the living room, and as Sirius stood up, James pulled his fist back and punched him in his face. "You cheated on my sister?" He demanded. "You son of a bitch!"
Sirius grabbed his nose, which was now bleeding. "What are you talking about?" He stepped away from his murderous friend, not wanting to hit him back.
Loralei stepped between the two boys. "What's your problem, James?"
"Back in fifth year you two broke up because he cheated on you." James said angrily.
The fireplace erupted in green flames, and there stood a crying Lily. "I'm sorry, Lore! I didn't mean-"
"Oh merlin." Loralei growled. "You said you wouldn't tell him!"
"I didn't mean to! I forgot!" Lily begged. "James stop trying to kill Sirius."
"It was a misunderstanding." Sirius told James. "I didn't do it on purpose!"
"You let me believe it was because of that thing with Snape!" Now he was yelling at both Loralei and Sirius.
"Look, James it was never any of your business anyway!" Loralei yelled back.
"Like hell it isn't!" He growled. "You're my sister!"
"And what does that have to do with anything?" Loralei demanded. "You chose his side anyway!"
"I didn't know the whole story!"
"And if you didn't know the whole story you should have treated me civilly anyway!" Loralei told him. "I've forgiven you for it, and you didn't need to know all of this. I suggest you get out of my house, James."
"This is my house too." He told her.
"Not since you moved out last year. It's been in my name since." She told him. "You already assaulted my boyfriend, do you want your sister to return the favor for him?"
James fumed, not giving an answer. "I can't believe you didn't tell me."
"Love makes you do some crazy things." Loralei told him. "I wasn't about to let it ruin both our relationship and your friendship."
"You still lied." James said. "So did he. You even got my fiancé to lie to me."
"For a good reason, otherwise this was going to happen." Loralei told him. "Now go blow off some steam. I won't have you beating up Sirius in combat on Monday more than usual."
James looked up at Sirius. "Are you not going to say anything?"
"Are you kidding? I've deserved this for three years." Sirius was now holding a napkin under his nose. "Hey, Lily can you fix this for me?"
She nodded, her eyes glassy, as she pulled out her wand and walked over to him.
"I'm still mad." He told them.
"As long as the wedding isn't off. I've put too much time into it." Loralei told him.
James fought to not smile, and Loralei noticed.
"Yeah, that's right. You're getting married in two weeks, now, will you please take your fiancé and go, we were kinda falling asleep five minutes ago." Loralei told him.
"Will you tell me if he does it again?" James asked.
"I don't know, are you going to punch him in the face again?" Loralei replied.
"Depends on if I get a chance."
"Then it depends on if I get a change to tell you." She told him, rolling her eyes. "Now get out of my house. I'm too tired to deal with your face right now."
A/N: So...I thought I updated this earlier today. There was a bomb threat at school today, so classes were canceled. Instead of having a day off, I was given a mountain of homework and did it all day, and still have a pile to do. Lucky me right? Anyway. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one will (hopefully) be James and Lily getting married. I don't know if that will be one chapter or two.
koryandrs: Thank you!
C.B. Weasley: Thank you! Ugh! This website hates me, but I think I fixed it now. I at least changed how I broke it up. Thank you!
Blue Luver5000: Yes, he does! I promise he'll ask soon-ish! James and Lily need to get married first! Thanks for your review!