When James woke up in his childhood bedroom on a chilly December morning, his eyes were still shut when a thought vibrated through his mind: I'm getting married tomorrow. He hopped out of bed and pulled on his running clothes in the dark, too antsy to go back to sleep although the rest of the house wouldn't be awake for hours. As the chilly morning air buffeted his face and his feet pounded the frozen ground, overwhelming joy filled him until he couldn't wipe the stupid grin from his face. I'm getting married to Lily Evans tomorrow.

After he finished his run, he took a hot shower and dressed before heading to the kitchen to nibble at a piece of toast and toy with a Snitch he had dug out of a box in his room. He switched to tossing a Quaffle with quick, restless movements after the Snitch fluttered out of reach, and this was how Lily found him when she wandered into the kitchen an hour later. She was wearing his old Quidditch jumper, and he caught a whiff of her shampoo as she kissed him and her damp hair grazed his cheek.

She smiled and took a seat beside him. "What time did you get up?"

"I've been up for a bit. I'm too excited to sleep." He checked his watch. "Think I'll survive if I wake up Padfoot now?"

She raised her eyebrows. "There's a good chance he'll murder you, but the others will be here soon. You might as well."

Five minutes later, Mary was flashing James a sleepy smile while Sirius pulled the covers over his head and grumbled profanity.

"Come on, Padfoot," James urged, crossing to the bed to prod the Sirius-shaped lump under the duvet. "We have a lot to do today. Minnie's going to be here. Do you really want to still be sleeping and most-likely naked when Minnie McGonagall shows up here?"

Sirius muttered a suggestion for what McGonagall could do.

"I know you didn't mean that." James tugged at the blankets, but they didn't budge. "Get up, Pads. We're building pretty extensive wards and an enchanted tent ceiling, and I need your impressive magical abilities."

"Flattery doesn't make me any less annoyed," Sirius said, peeking through a gap in the blankets. "And you're right, I didn't mean what I said about Minnie. My rage is directed at you and you alone."

"Get up, Black." Mary reached under the blankets and did something that elicited an indignant cry from Sirius. "It's a big day for James. He's been dreaming of this day for years. Every young boy hopes for that dream wedding, right?"

James frowned. "You're taking the piss."

"Just a little. But I'm about to spend the day fiddling with table settings and charming fairy lights and I don't know what else, so I think I've earned a bit of fun." She gestured at the pile of clothes at the foot of the bed. "If you hand me my clothes, I'll push Black out of bed."

"Fucking hell, I'm getting up." Sirius threw back the duvet and glared at Mary before turning his irritation on James. "Why do I have to get up at the crack of dawn every fucking time something remotely important happens in your life? Why can't we ever have a nice lie in?" He slipped out of bed – James averted his eyes just in time – and pulled on his pants and trousers that were in a crumpled heap by the door. "Just so you know, this is the last time. If your fucking kid is born at five in the morning, don't expect to see me at St. Mungo's right away. I'm sleeping until a reasonable hour."

"I'll be sure to tell Evans not to give birth to our kids between the hours of midnight and nine am," James said, grinning at Sirius. "Now hurry up. In case you weren't aware, I'm getting married tomorrow."

By the time Sirius had consumed enough coffee and bacon to clear the scowl from his face, Remus had arrived, followed by Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick. Dumbledore and Remus got started on the wards, and Mary drifted off to start working on table settings, while the rest of them strategized for the task ahead of them. They stood underneath the enormous tent, shivering in the cold as James explained his vision.

Lily had always imagined getting married in a clear-top tent so the guests could see the stars. Unfortunately, snow was predicted, so they had to come up with a magical solution to combat the clouds.

"So, like I said before, I'm thinking we should charm the entire ceiling so it looks like a starry sky," James said, pointing up at the expanse of canvas above them.

"It feels a bit silly, now that you're saying it out loud," Lily said, looking sheepish. "If it's too difficult–"

James wrapped an arm around her. "Don't be silly. It shouldn't be too hard, we'll just have to be sure to lock in the boundaries and–" He broke off and grinned at McGonagall and Flitwick. "Sorry, I guess I don't have to explain that to you, seeing as you're the ones I learned it from."

James and Sirius started at one end of the tent, while McGonagall and Flitwick took the other side and Lily moved outward from the center. The tent flapped lightly in the wind as James concentrated and sent a jet of magic upward. As he watched, the white canvas ceiling became a velvety, inky black. He sensed Sirius's magic gathering beside him, and then a handful of twinkling stars appeared on the dark sky of the ceiling.

"Is that Orion's Belt?" James asked, nodding at a cluster of stars.

"No fucking clue. Might be, or could be Merlin's Bollocks."

They worked their way across the ceiling until they met McGonagall and Flitwick in the middle. James drew his wand through the air, filling in any bits of ceiling that needed more saturation, then nodded and looked down in time to see a tiny smile on McGonagall's thin lips.

"Minnie's impressed with us," James said, nudging Sirius. "She's giving us that look."

Mcgonagall's eyes narrowed. "Modest as always, James."

Hearing his first name in McGonagall's brisk voice startled James.

"I've just never seen the spell done that way before," she said. "Separating out the dark backdrop and the stars, I mean."

James and Sirius glanced at each other and shrugged. "I didn't really think about it, to be honest," James said. "We just started working and that's the way it came out." He smirked at Sirius and added, "Although I guess Sirius automatically started doing the stars because he's named after one."

McGonagall gave the ceiling one last look, then shook her head. "Your brains work in interesting ways."

Sirius grinned. "You have no idea, Minnie."

She sighed. "Just because you've finished school does not give you the right to call me by whatever silly nickname suits your fancy."

"Don't lie," James said. "You've missed being called Minnie."

"She has," Flitwick said, casting a mischievous look at McGonagall. "She asked all the staff to start calling her Minnie at the last staff meeting."

"And then there's Evans over there," James said, watching Lily frowning up at the ceiling as she walked slowly around the perimeter of the tent, tweaking the positions of stars and adding a few where too much black sky showed through. "She'd rather work alone than deal with our unique brains."

Lily finished adding a constellation and hurried over to join them. "I don't mind working with you, but I can't handle too much of Sirius's magic. It's too chaotic."

Sirius shrugged. "That's fair."

James led the way back outside to the other side of the Quidditch pitch where Dumbledore and Remus were forming a hazy, translucent barrier in the air. When Remus lowered his wand to greet them, James saw beads of sweat on his forehead.

"How far up does it need to go?" Flitwick asked, frowning as he shaded his eyes against the bright, cloudy sky to peer at their handiwork.

"We're going a bit higher than the average wards," Remus said, smiling wryly. "So James has enough space to, er, make a big exit."

"They're flying off on his broom at the end of the ceremony," Sirius said, grinning. "I'm sure you're shocked."

James glanced over his shoulder at Lily, who had hung back to check with Mary about something. "Don't tell Evans, though." A prickle of doubt ran through him as he thought about how she would react to the unexpected addition to the wedding plans. "I thought it would be a fun surprise."

Sirius must have sensed his uncertainty, because he clapped him on the shoulder. "She's going to love it. And even if she doesn't, you'll already be married – what's she going to do?"

James swallowed back his nervousness and ran a hand through his hair. "Anyway, as long as it's high enough for me to show off a bit, it should be fine. Pads and I will start down at this end."

They spent the next hour painstakingly building a protective barrier over the tent and the surrounding area. Dumbledore, Flitwick, and McGonagall had gone back to the house to attempt the tricky task of joining the existing wards with the new, reinforced ones when James sank onto the icy ground to rest.

"I think that's good, Evs," he said, beckoning for Lily to join him. "It's not going to get any stronger."

She didn't respond or acknowledge him as she pointed her wand at the sky. Her tongue poked out the side of her mouth, and James could sense the magic radiating from her.

"Evs, it's good. It's saturated. At this point, you're just pouring magic out with nowhere for it to go." He hoisted himself to his feet and touched her shoulder. She started and turned, her brow furrowed in concentration.

"I have to make sure there aren't any gaps," she said, returning her attention to the shimmering haze above them.

"There aren't any gaps." He put his hand on her wand arm and guided it down to her side. "We've done everything we can. Come inside for a bit and get warm."

"No!" She jerked her arm out of his grasp. "I want to check for weak spots just one more time. What if something happens?"

James wrapped his arms around her until she relaxed and rested her head on his shoulder. "It's okay, Evs. We'll be safe."

Cold fingers slipped inside his jacket, and he shivered as Lily ran her finger along one of his healing cuts. Her eyes were bright in her pale face as she looked at him and shook her head. "You don't know that. Everything's fine and we're perfectly safe, until all of a sudden we're not." Her hand paused just below his collarbone, and he could feel her trembling. "Sometimes I think I'll never feel properly safe again."

He kissed her cheek, his lips warming her icy skin. "I feel that way sometimes, too. But most of the time I do feel safe, and you should too. Because I won't let anything happen to you, and obviously you'll do the same for me." His eyes traveled down to the scars concealed underneath his jacket. "Please try not to worry. Today is a happy day."

She attempted a smile, but he sensed the worry still weighing her down.

"Alright, come on." He took her hand and led her into the house.

"What are we doing?"

"I think my dad said he needed help with some potions thing…"

She raised her eyebrows. "Is this a clever ploy to cheer me up?"

He glanced sideways at her and grinned. "Of course not. It's just an added bonus that you can't resist a nerdy potions conversation and you happen to need cheering up."

When James had left Lily in the library with Fleamont, he wandered back outside to find Sirius emerging from the broomshed.

"We've got to test the ward's boundaries," Sirius explained, handing James a broom. "Come on."

"Is that a Comet 260?" McGonagall asked, peering over her glasses at the broom in James's hand. "How does it handle?"

James frowned. "I'm not crazy about it, to be honest. It's really sensitive, which some people like, but I find it a bit too responsive – that's why I prefer my Nimbus." He grinned and held it out to her. "Want to try for yourself?"

McGonagall waved away the broom. "No, don't be silly."

"Don't listen to him," Sirius said, casting a disdainful look at James. "The Comet handles great. You'll love it." He raised his eyebrows and smirked. "Unless you're intimidated to fly alongside our unrivaled skills."

"Don't be silly," McGonagall said again, snatching the broom from James's hands and mounting it. "I'll just take a quick loop around, then."

James jogged over to the broom shed and returned a moment later with his Nimbus and a Snitch. "I figured we might want a bit of fun once we test the boundary."

He released the Snitch, then mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground. His worries about Lily evaporated as the air buffeted his face and he experienced the familiar swoop in his stomach. As he soared upward, he spotted McGonagall out of the corner of his eye. She circled around, then dove straight down and pulled up into a sharp stop to test the broom.

"Nice one, Minnie!" he called, giving her a thumbs up.

"It's been a lifelong dream of mine to impress James Potter with my flying abilities," she said, flashing him one of her rare smiles before darting off in the opposite direction, the wind tugging strands of hair free from her tight bun.

The three of them flew higher and higher until the hum of magic in the air tickled James's skin. He turned the broom and flew forward, enjoying the odd sensation as the protective bubble surrounded him. When he came out on the other side, McGonagall and Sirius had a slightly blurred, hazy quality as he looked through the wards.

"I'm going to test it out.' He gestured at the boundary, unsure if they could hear him through the magic's vibration.

McGonagall shook her head, her brow furrowed. Her words were garbled and muffled, but her meaning was plain.

"Don't worry, Minnie," James called, giving her another thumbs up. "I'll just poke it a bit."

He inched his broom forward, gritting his teeth as the hum of magic increased to a crackle. When his broom handle crossed the barrier, energy jolted through him, loosening his grip on the broom and throwing his body sideways. For a panicked moment he flailed in the air, and then he managed to grab onto his broom and swing his body upright again. Heart pounding, he performed the spell that would allow him through unharmed, then flew back to join Sirius and McGonagall.

"You about gave Minnie a heart attack," Sirius said, grinning and nodding at the stricken expression on McGonagall's face.

"I don't know why I still get surprised by your reckless, stupid behavior." She shook her head, her hand pressed to her chest. "Let's go back down before Black decides to test it, too."

"We've got to catch the Snitch first." James ran a hand through his hair, finding it even more tousled than usual after the jolt from the wards. "If you catch it first, we promise not to call you Minnie again until after the wedding."

He took off again, taking his broom in wide circles as he scanned the air for a sign of the Snitch. Overhead he spotted Sirius going into a dive, but he didn't alter his course – he knew this was a distraction tactic. McGonagall must have seen through it, too, because she continued her steady sweep. An icy breeze rippled his robes, but James flew on, all of his attention focused on locating the Snitch.

Excitement leaped in his stomach as he spotted a flash of gold, but as he sped forward, he saw McGonagall match her pace to his as she darted off in the same direction. He urged his broom forward, flattening himself to the broom handle, but as he gathered speed Mcgonagall went into a steep dive before straightening out inches above the grass, her hand clutched over the Snitch.

"Brilliant flying, Minnie!"

Claps and cheers erupted from the others as James landed beside her, closely followed by Sirius. McGonagall handed James the struggling Snitch, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

"That's quite enough of that ridiculous nickname."

"She's got us there," Sirius said, eyes wide. "How come we've never seen you fly like that before, Min- er, Professor?" When McGonagall raised her eyebrows, he added, "I know you're not our professor anymore, but I'm not going to call you Minerva – that feels too personal."

She rolled her eyes. "But Minnie's not?" She raised a preemptive hand. "Don't answer that, either of you – it was a rhetorical question."

James glanced sideways at Sirius and grinned, remembering all the times they had driven McGonagall mad by providing answers to her rhetorical questions.

"To answer your question, I took a nasty fall during a match in my seventh year at Hogwarts and it soured Quidditch for me a bit, but I couldn't resist the opportunity to show off a bit." Her smile returned, and James detected a taunt in the curve of her lips. "I'm sure you two know exactly what I'm talking about."

James laughed, then turned to see Flitwick handing Dumbledore a handful of coins.

Peter, Remus, and Lily jogged over to join them. "Flitwick bet you'd catch the Snitch before McGonagall," Peter explained, a bit of frosting smudged on his face after spending the morning baking the wedding cake.

"I wish you could've heard him swear when he saw McGonagall had got it first," Remus added, grinning. "It was excellent."

"Did you have a nice chat with my dad?" James asked, slinging his arm around Lily.

She smiled. "Yes, and then he told me a hilarious joke."

Sirius groaned. "Not the one about the chupacabra and the coffee shop? That's the worst joke I've ever heard."

Lily shrugged. "I laughed."

"That's why I love you." James kissed her, his lips hot against her skin. "Come on, let's go find a snack. I need food before we tackle the next task on the to-do list."

"Evans realizes how bloody silly this is, doesn't she?"

James shrugged and tossed Sirius the Quaffle. Lily had some notion that they should spend the night before the wedding apart, so she and Mary were sharing one of the spare bedrooms. James already missed her as he sat on the edge of his bed that was far too spacious for one person.

"Neither of you can sleep without each other." Sirius threw the Quaffle back to James and took a sip from his flask. "I don't want to hear you complaining tomorrow when you're half asleep."
James spun the Quaffle around in his hand and motioned for Sirius to pass him the flask. "I'm marrying Evans tomorrow. I'm not going to complain about anything."

Sirius leaned across to press the flask into James's hand. "Wish I could say the same about Evans. She about took my head off when I tried to put fairy lights where candles were supposed to go."

"She's stressed." James frowned as he remembered her desperation earlier as she added more and more magic to the wards. "And you telling her to shove the candles up her arse wasn't very helpful."

"Yes, well, I thought she'd be a bit nicer to the best man, that's all. Anyway, if she's stressed, you should be helping her relax. Rub her shoulders, rub something else…"

James grinned. "Padfoot."

"What? It works for Macdonald." He rested his feet on the coffee table, sending a Quidditch magazine fluttering to the ground. As he drummed his fingers against the sofa cushion, his expression changed from a smirk to an earnest smile. "I'm really bloody happy for you two."

James thought about all the nights Sirius had sat on that same sofa, listening to impassioned descriptions of Lily's hair and that one jumper that fit her just right and the way her tongue poked out when she brewed a potion. He remembered all the times Sirius had clapped him on the back and said, She'll come around, Prongs. Throughout the years of rejection and fragile friendship and eventually, finally, a relationship, Sirius had held onto hope with a relentless, unflagging conviction. Cynical, unsentimental Sirius, who hated "relationshippy bullshit" and couldn't say I love you, had seen James through all the discouraging no's and rows to end up here, passing a Quaffle and a flask back and forth the night before the wedding.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Pads."

Sirius took a sip from the flask and gave James the two finger salute. "Fuck off with that sentimental bollocks."

He lit a cigarette and offered one to James. They smoked in companionable silence for a minute, each lost in thought. Smoke drifted through the air as James watched the Snitch hovering by the ceiling. He wondered whether Lily would cry at any point during the wedding. No need to wonder if I'll cry, James thought, smiling to himself. The question is when.

"I'm supposed to meet Macdonald in my bedroom in a few minutes," Sirius said, getting to his feet and dropping his cigarette butt into a Snitch-shaped ashtray.

"I thought she and Evans were going to spend all night talking about decorations or, I dunno, what we're like in bed?"

"I think Macdonald is tired of decorations after today. And you can sum up what we're like in bed in a few sentences. I'm life-changing, and you're underwhelming but enthusiastic.

"Sod you." James laughed and chucked the Quaffle at Sirius's head, but Sirius snatched it out of the air and dropped it lightly onto the sofa.

"I better go so I can finish my best man toast."

James shook his head. "Of course you haven't finished it yet."

Sirius shrugged. "I do my best work under pressure. Don't worry, it'll be brilliant, just like everything else I come up with."

"I'd expect nothing less."

Sirius grinned. "Night, Prongs. Try to get some sleep, because I dunno if you've heard, but there's something sort of important happening tomorrow." He turned to leave, then stopped and looked back over his shoulder. "And if you wake me up any earlier than necessary, I will murder you – I don't care if it messes up the damn seating chart."

After Sirius left, James shut the light off and lay in bed, trying to calm the whirling thoughts in his head enough to fall asleep. He stretched his arm out to the other side of the bed out of habit, but the cold, empty sheets provided no comfort. Five frustrated minutes passed before James threw back the covers and padded across the room, illuminating the darkness with his wand. When he pulled open the door, there was a soft gasp as Lily drew backward.

"I couldn't sleep," she murmured, smiling sheepishly. "Were you coming to join me in my bed?"

"Maybe. I couldn't sleep either."

He took her hand and led her to bed, sighing as he wrapped his arms around her and she settled into his embrace.

"It was a silly idea, spending tonight apart." Lily trailed her fingers down his arm and leaned in to kiss his cheek. "You should have told me we wouldn't be able to go through with it."

James chuckled. "I know better than to tell you I think your idea is silly. Especially today, when you were so overwhelmed."

"I may have shouted at Padfoot about – oh, God, I don't even remember what it was about. He probably hates me."

"Yes, he's actually resigned his position as best man and offered it to Twinkletoes instead," James said, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"We'll have to get his dress robes altered, then. They'll be far too big for Twinkletoes."

James kissed her, tasting the mintiness of her toothpaste and a hint of something else underneath. "Did you and Mary smoke a joint?" he asked, smiling.

"It was meant to help me fall asleep. It didn't work." She draped her leg over him and sighed. "But this is working."

"Glad I can help."

"Are you going to be able to sleep? Or are you too excited?"

Excitement still fluttered in James's chest, but Lily's warm presence beside him helped him ignore it. "I think I'll manage."

She kissed him again, then fell silent as her breathing grew slow and steady. James thought she had fallen asleep when she spoke, her voice the barest whisper against his skin.

"James?"

"Hmm?"

She found his hand under the duvet and laced their fingers together. "You know earlier, when I said I thought I'd never feel safe again?"

Sadness pierced James's sleepy haze. "Yeah?"

"I feel safe now."

James smiled and squeezed her hand. "Me too."

He fell asleep with Lily dozing in his arms, his mind brimming with thoughts of what the next day would bring.