HELLO AGAIN! Welcome to the new and improved version of "But He Didn't Want The Moon"! To old readers: I have chosen to edit the previous version of this story because a) I wanted it to follow the events of canon as closely as possible (with the exception of some romantic pairings...but hey, we never know!) and b) after spending over two years on this story I felt like I got to know my characters better and wanted to portray them as accurately and realistically as possible. You know, give 'em more meat. To new readers: WELCOME! This incarnation of the story is better, I can assure you. You're in for a long fic, with nearly 50 chapters in store as well as a sequel and prequel in the works. Hope you stick around!

I live for reviews, the good the bad and the ugly. Don't deprive me of your feedback :)

Disclaimer: All characters and things related to the Harry Potter universe belong to *sigh* JKR.

Without further ado, I give you:

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But He Didn't Want the Moon

Ch. 1 - The Surprise

"Did you pick up your tux?"

"Yes, just got it this morning," Remus lied smoothly. He supposed he would just have to pick it up sometime tomorrow before the rehearsal. He, admittedly, was not looking forward to wearing the damn thing, however elated he was for the reason he had to wear it. But James had been kind enough to pay for it, so you would hear no protestations from Remus.

"Good...good."

James fell silent for a few moments and stared very intently into his pint, which, like most everything else, did not go unnoticed by Remus.

"...Prongs?"

"Hm?" he hm-ed, his eyes never leaving his beer.

Remus cracked a smile, recognizing this as one of the rare occasions he had something to pick on James for. "...Am I to believe what I'm seeing? The James Potter, actually nervous?"

This heinous accusation snapped James out of his reverie, and he pawed defensively at his black, disobedient hair. "What? No, bugger off. No, no, it's just…"

"...It's just...?" Remus waited for his rebuttal.

James tried to come up with something clever and arrogant to say, but finally gave up with a sigh. "...Yes alright, I'm terrified," he confessed with uncharacteristic humility. Wow. Talk about how love can change a bloke.

Remus chuckled. Seven years of mischief at school, plus another year fighting for the Order, and James Potter was terrified of getting married.

"You know, when you see her walking down the aisle, you won't be afraid anymore." This made James smile, as Remus hoped it would. "Furthermore," he continued, "you told me before you asked her to marry you that you had never been more sure of anything in your life."

"I'm still sure, I am. Dead certain. Doesn't help the nerves, though."

"I'd be nervous too if I were getting married at the ripe old age of nineteen."

"I know it's crazy. But we figured, why wait when none of us are promised tomorrow? Especially in these times."

"A fair point," Remus conceded, sipping his own beer. He knew this explanation well as James had repeated some version of it many times before. It wasn't that he didn't believe him when he said this, but he thought that perhaps James still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he had actually managed to get Lily Evans to fall in love with him, and wanted her to have his surname as soon as possible to prove it to himself. Besides, James had never been the patient type, and after six long years of unsuccessful wooing, (probably the longest James had ever had to wait for anything in his entire life,) and much forgiveness on her part, Lily had finally come round, and James didn't see why they should have to wait any longer. And they were good together. Lily was compassion personified with twice the wit James had if such a thing was possible. She made James want to be better, and shockingly, he was. Remus looked back up at James to find him smiling knowingly to himself, and found it to be an opportune time to harass him further. "Lily is truly too good for you. You know that, don't you?"

"Ha, trust me, I'm aware." Then James fell silent again, as he had a moment ago. "Listen...about Lily...Remus, I've got to warn you," James started, shifting uncomfortably on his barstool.

"Warn me?" Remus scoffed, thinking this was maybe the start of a joke. But James was not smirking in his usual devilish way; instead, he looked quite humorless, which led Remus to believe that perhaps something really was wrong. James and Lily had purposely planned the wedding around the lunar cycle so that Remus could enjoy the festivities without having to worry about his "furry little problem," as James called it. He didn't see what else he would possibly have to be warned about other than that. "...Warn me about what?"

"It's...erm...well..." James adjusted his glasses as his eyes darted skittishly back to his lager.

"James, spit it out," Remus bade him, before taking another sip (a choice which he would soon heartily regret).

"...Em is coming."

Remus sputtered and choked on his stout before fumbling his glass and spilling half of its contents onto the bar counter. The few other patrons in the pub took notice and shot the pair of them judgemental looks as Remus coughed noisily and James floundered about in search of nearby napkins.

"Well there's no sense in trying to drown yourself."

"Please tell me you're joking," wheezed Remus, red-faced from his coughing fit. He snatched a wad of napkins from James and began dabbing his now beer-soaked trousers.

"She's recently gotten back in touch so...Lilyinvitedhertothewedding." The words tumbled out of his mouth all at once. Better to rip that bandaid off.

"She what?!" Remus exclaimed, drawing more glares from onlookers.

Untroubled by others as per usual, James continued unfazed. "I understand it's a bit of a surprise. Lily and Marlene have been to see her in London-"

"Lond-, wha-, when did she come back to England?!" Remus hissed, becoming more aware of the other people around them.

"Just within the past couple of weeks-"

"And nobody thought to tell me?"

"Don't look at me, I didn't know until recently! Apparently she told them not to say anything!"

"Bloody hell, James. This is a lovely surprise," grunted Remus. Once he had discarded the wet napkins back atop the bar, he grasped desperately for a cigarette from his jacket pocket. He offered one to James, who declined, and lamented the fact that he had picked up the habit as soon as both James and Sirius had decided to quit.

"Look mate, I'm getting married and I want you to enjoy our wedding. You don't have to talk to her if you don't want to."

"Well then I hope you're planning on leaving a large place setting for the inevitable elephant in the room." This was mumbled a bit with the cigarette pressed into the corner of his mouth. He felt around for the lighter in his trouser pocket, but his trembling hands made this a difficult task.

"Moony-"

"Wait a minute," Remus interrupted him again as a frightening thought dawned on him. "She's not coming to the rehearsal tomorrow, is she?"

"Well, that's the other thing...Lily's asked her to be a bridesmaid."

Remus' eyes nearly bugged out of their sockets and he had to grit his teeth to stop himself from swearing loudly. "She's in the bloody wedding party now?! Merlin's Beard..."

"Mate I know it's short notice, but Lily's missed her and really wants her to be there, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't feel the same. I know what kind of a position that puts you in, I'm sorry..."

He lit the cigarette and inhaled it forcefully, as if he were trying to suck the last bit of a beverage through a straw. He exhaled quickly to get another drag in as soon as possible. Remus wasn't at all prepared to see her tomorrow. Then again, he didn't really think any amount of time could have prepared him. Perhaps James' last-minute warning was an act of mercy, saving him from prolonged anxiety. He considered this as he massaged his forehead, retreating deep into his thoughts.

James knew the glazed-over look well, and worried what Remus might be considering. "You have to be there, you know. I need you there," he reminded him, calling him back to that moment in time. "You have to show up."

Remus blew out the smoke he had been savoring in his lungs then turned back to his friend. "Honestly James, I didn't know you had such little faith in me," he said, both insulting and reassuring him. After standing by him through everything for nearly a decade, there was nothing he wouldn't do for James. "I'll be there."

James smiled thankfully. "C'mon, It's not like she's a bloody death eater," he whispered. "We've been through worse haven't we?" He smacked Remus' arm playfully, which did not succeed in lightening his mood as James had hoped.

"I don't know, I'll let you know after this weekend." He rather thought he'd take the death eater right about now.

…

The next morning, Remus strode somewhat reluctantly to St. Jerome's Church, which stood just a few streets down from his townhouse and a block away from the soon-to-be-newlyweds' new cottage. St. Jerome's was located in the heart of Godric's Hollow and had been there since the thirteenth century. Its quaint, unassuming nature made it a perfect venue for a small wartime wedding. Remus kept having to remind himself that this was supposed to be a happy occasion. Two of his best friends were getting married for heaven's sake, and yet he found himself dreading the whole ordeal.

As he passed the graveyard adjacent to the church, he heard the faint whoosh of an apparition nearby. Halting his unenthusiastic march, he waited, his hand hovering over his wand should he need it to defend himself. He was quite relieved to see none other than Sirius Black emerge from behind a large oak tree.

"You were supposed to arrive in the chapel." Remus relaxed his wand hand and checked to make sure no one had noticed them. "Too many muggles around."

"Guess I just missed the landing," Sirius said smugly through a not-so-sorry grin. He was an effortlessly handsome chap with a symmetrical jawline as sharp as they come and a sharp tongue to match. As he approached, he ran his fingers through his shoulder-length black hair, and Remus could not articulate why this stupid gesture always sort of made him want to lightly punch Sirius in the jaw.

Sirius weaved through the headstones then hopped over the graveyard wall to embrace his friend. "Blimey Moony, you look like you're about to be sick all over your shoes," he said, which only increased Remus' urge to sock him.

"Yeah, nice to see you too Padfoot," Remus replied flatly, fully aware of this fact. "Marlene's inside already then?"

"Yes, she left early to put up some decorations. Lily insisted she didn't need any but...well, you know how my girlfriend gets." The word girlfriend would forever sound strange coming from his mouth, as Marlene McKinnon seemed to be the first girl to make a monogamist of Sirius Black (though he still insisted they were "just having fun" and "not taking things too seriously.") Not that anyone was complaining - Marlene was as clever as she was caring and had done much to tame Sirius into a semi-respectable semi-adult.

There was a lull in the conversation and Sirius' smile faded. He looked at Remus apprehensively. "...I heard about-,"

"I'd rather not talk about it," Remus said over his shoulder as he pushed past him and approached the church. "Today is about celebrating James and Lily, so a re-hashing of my joke of a love life will be quite unnecessary thank you very much."

"I don't see how that's at all avoidable in this situation, but here we go nonetheless," Sirius remarked under his breath before catching up to him.

They walked into the sanctuary where preparations were being made for the ceremony. While small, St. Jerome's was a lovely spot for a wedding. Its tall, stained-glass windows cast fragments of colored light onto the mahogany pews, contrasting the cold stone of the foundation. At the back of the church behind the altar was a larger round window made of multi-colored segments of glass woven together into an intricate circular pattern. At the time of the wedding tomorrow, the late afternoon light would pour through that very window and bathe James and Lily in its glow as they promised themselves to one another forever. Yes, a fitting spot for a wedding indeed.

On the outer aisle of the sanctuary, Peter and Alice were assisting Marlene with hanging some white decorative bows over the windows. With magic, this would have been a quick task, but since they had to err on the side of caution with so many muggles in town, Marlene had to get up on a ladder to do it manually. Adjacent to the altar, the officiant was speaking with the happy couple. Remus noticed that they both looked oddly serene. No more nerves. His observation of the church and the Potters distracted him from the footsteps following several yards behind him.

It was only when Lily turned and beamed at the source of the footsteps that he realized. "Em!" The bride left the altar to run and embrace her friend. Marlene climbed down from her ladder and followed suit.

Remus froze when he deduced who had come in, and dared not turn around. Eventually the rest of the wedding party approached to greet the woman behind him, as many of them, including himself, had not seen her in many months. James came up alongside Remus and placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Mate," he whispered. Apparently, Remus' impression of a statue was beginning to look a bit awkward. Directing his gaze up to the heavens and heaving a sigh, he turned around slowly to see her.

Fan-bloody-tastic.

Emmeline Vance looked infuriatingly beautiful, just as he had remembered her. He was rather hoping she would have grown a unibrow or something.

She was releasing Sirius from a tight embrace when their eyes locked, and her smile instantly disappeared as every muscle fiber in her body stiffened. The rest of the wedding party, knowing the extent of both of their discomfort, thought it best to return to their stations and hastily walked away.

"Hello Remus," she said meekly, the smallest hint of a smile returning to the corner of her mouth.

He nodded stoically. "Emmeline."

They stood in silence for a few moments, with Emmeline unable to come up with anything to say, while Remus had to keep himself from saying anything lest he start spewing profanity in a church.

Their stares were broken by the minister at the altar. "Shall we begin?"

Emmeline scurried past him and positioned herself on Lily's side between Marlene and Alice. Remus took a moment to collect himself before taking his place next to Sirius.

The rest of the day was one big blur. Remus seemed even more quiet than usual, but he tried as best he could to smile and appear like he was enjoying himself for Lily and James. God forbid he cause a scene on their perfect day. Across the aisle, Emmeline's happiness to be back with her friends was overshadowed by the guilt and shame she felt, and she took great care not to cast her gaze down by Remus. This day was not about them she assured herself, and they could discuss their own matters another time.