From the playlist:
Suite from My best Friend's Wedding - James Newton Howard
Annie's Song - John Denver (continues into next chapter)
Ch. 2 - The Wedding
The following afternoon, Remus took an exceptionally long while to get ready for the ceremony, and was constantly excusing himself to smoke a cigarette in between putting on pieces of his tuxedo. He hoped that the rental shop wouldn't charge for the smell.
He hadn't slept a wink, but was no stranger to that kind of exhaustion. Save for their greeting, he and Emmeline hadn't spoken to each other yesterday, and all he had to do was keep the stalemate going. He could put his questions on hold until after the wedding. It was going to be fine. Yesterday had been fine, so today was going to be just fine. Peachy, in fact. Probably.
James hardly noticed Remus's mood, as he compulsively fixed his bowtie and boutonniere in the mirror, occasionally wiping sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He had been dressed and ready for hours now, just pacing about the room, and hadn't even cracked a single wedding night joke. Only Lily Evans-soon-to-be-Potter could put him in such a state so contrary to his usual devil-may-care demeanor. Sirius and Peter thought it best to not bother Remus, and instead, rightfully focused on the groom.
A few minutes before James was supposed to head into the sanctuary, Sirius produced a bottle of well-aged scotch and four glasses.
"Where the hell have you been hiding that?!" exclaimed James, looking a little too relieved.
Sirius chuckled mischievously and began pouring a dram into each glass. "What sort of best man would I be if I sent you out there without a touch of liquid courage? Not too much sir, or Evans will smell you and turn right back around." He handed the groom his glass. "I should know. Marley made me sleep on the couch after stag night."
"I hardly even remember the stag night," said Peter, who winced slightly at the strong smell coming from his glass.
Even Remus, who had been brooding in the corner, was drawn out of his seclusion and came to collect his glass. Sirius had poured him a little extra, and winked as he handed it over. "Good to have you back."
When all four of them had a drink in hand, Sirius re-corked the bottle and dramatically raised his own glass high in the air, as if he were about to recite a Shakespearean monologue. "Now then; Messrs Moony,"
"Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs," The other boys chuckled as they joined in the recitation.
"Are gathered here today to mourn the tragic loss of a dear colleague-"
"Oh, piss off, Pad!" James griped, shoving Sirius and causing his scotch to slosh out onto Remus's pant leg.
"Godric- Watch it-"
"We shall all sincerely miss him!"
"I'm not dying, Merlin's sake, Padfoot-"
"Some say they can still hear him crying out from the beyond; beware the ball and chain!"
After the laughter had subsided, Sirius continued in earnest.
"We are so happy for you, James. Well done."
"Here here!" Peter chimed in.
James was beaming, and had turned red. "I like being toasted as much as the next bloke, but if you don't hurry this up, I'll look like a soggy cranberry when I greet my bride."
"To Prongs," said Remus, looking James in the eye with a heartfelt smile. "And to a long, happy life beside Lily Evans, you bastard."
"To Prongs," said Peter, following his lead. "And to the continuation of mischief, even after matrimony."
"To Prongs!" shouted Sirius, raising his glass to the sky once more. "And to the Marauders! Cheers!"
…
With that, James intrepidly made his way out to the altar. The other three headed to the front of the church to await Marlene's instructions, but couldn't deny that they all wanted to get a look at Lily.
She was already waiting to greet them as they entered the narthex. Lily looked unsurprisingly radiant, yet she still took Remus's breath away. A delicate veil sat atop her auburn locks, which Marlene had done up into a refined coiffure. She'd always been beautiful both inside and out, but as soon as he saw Lily in the elegant gown of white silk - its simple silhouette complimenting her frame to perfection - Remus considered James luckier than he ever had.
Remus relieved her of the bouquet of cascading white roses so they could admire the dress in all its glory. "My God Lily, you're a vision."
She grinned from ear to ear. "That's sweet of you, Remus."
"Holy shit, somebody alert Witch Weekly-!"
"We're in a church, Pad," Remus admonished him.
"-I think they're missing their front page girl!"
"What Sirius means to say is you look really, really lovely."
"Thank you, Peter," she giggled. "So, he hasn't made a run for it?"
"I think he's worried that you're the one who's going to run off," Remus informed her, gesturing inside the sanctuary.
Lily raised a mildly amused eyebrow. "You don't suppose he's actually concerned about that, is he?"
"No, but the sweating might have led one to believe so," said Peter.
"My husband-to-be could stand to benefit from some nerves. Keeps him on his toes," Lily decided, looking rather pleased with herself.
"It's not too late to change your mind, you know. Moony and Wormtail will hold him off if you want to make a quick escape out the back."
"Are you proposing, Black?"
"Don't tempt me."
"I heard that!" announced Marlene, having emerged from the bride's dressing room.
"Just having a laugh, Marley," Sirius backpedaled.
Remus mimed a whip to Peter, who turned crimson trying to stifle his laughter.
Marlene looked to Lily, examined her cosmetic work one more time, then sighed with satisfaction. "Ready?"
"Absolutely." And she meant it.
"Brilliant. Time to line up," Marlene directed, pivoting back into the dressing room to drag Emmeline out.
"Lily-flower, wait a moment," Sirius stopped her, dropping the act and grabbing her hands. "…I just wanted to say...the world is pretty dark right now, but you both deserve every good thing in it. The way you and James love each other gives me hope that someday, it's going to be better."
Lily was struck by his rare sincerity, and gripped his hands back tightly. "Sirius…"
"We really are thrilled for the both of you," Remus added, echoing his sentiment.
She released a shuddering breath. "Alright, that's enough out of you," she said, looking up to abate tears. "One more word, and Marlene will be cross with me for ruining the makeup." She bestowed one final hug on each of them.
An uncannily handsome elderly gentleman entered with perfect timing, prompting Lily to glide to the back of the line and take the arm of her soon-to-be father in law. Fleamont Potter couldn't have asked for a better girl to promise to tolerate his son. He kissed Lily's cheek tenderly.
"Easy Dad, they did away with Prima Nocta ages ago, haven't you heard?" Sirius teased.
"You're filthy," Lily scolded him.
Peter leaned over to Remus, whispering: "What's that mean?"
"I'll tell you when you're older."
Fleamont sized him up, playfully drawing his wand. "I may be old, but I can still take you, son." Sirius, in turn, raised his fisticuffs.
"Monty." Equally wise, and equally eye-catching, Euphemia Potter fluttered in behind him. "You put that away this minute." She affectionately patted Lily's forearm as she passed. "You darling girl. These Potter men are no walk in the park, handsome as they appear on the outside."
"Yes, dear." Fleamont winked at Sirius.
Lily leaned into his shoulder. "You'll get him next time."
"Now, who's walking me down?" Euphemia asked, clapping her hands together.
Peter took his spot at the front of the line like Marlene told him to, offering his arm. "At your service, Mrs. Potter."
"Splendid…Chin up, Remus. Don't look so glum. I'll let you walk me back down at the end."
The hint of a grin broke through Remus's melancholy. "It would be my honor."
Marlene blustered out of the dressing room once more. "What are you lot still doing here? I've said it's time to line up!" As spoke, she shooed Emmeline out into the narthex.
Remus wondered if anyone heard how he gulped.
She wore a periwinkle gown identical to Marlene's, and the thin, fluid silk of the dress adorned her every shapley curve. Her thick, chestnut hair had been shaped into a chic twist, and Marlene had done her makeup, too. It really wasn't fair, Remus never stood a chance.
Emmeline's pace faltered as she observed him in his tuxedo. Then, fixing her eyes safely on her bouquet, she quietly passed and took her place in line behind Peter. The back of her was no less tortuous than the front had been…
Sirius slinked towards Marlene, paws out. "That dress-"
"-is not for touching. You'll wrinkle me." She dodged his grasp and opened the door to the side aisle for them. "Off you go. You've left poor James to wonder if she's run off for long enough."
He sauntered up to her but kept his hands to himself.
"Tart," he said through his teeth.
"Prick," she purred.
He bit down on his lip before reluctantly tearing his eyes away. "Moony," he beckoned.
Snapping out of his trance, Remus looked up at him. "Hm?"
"Showtime."
"...Right." He dared one more furtive glance at Emmeline before making his way over.
Marlene caught Remus's arm when they crossed each other. "I'm abundantly impressed with you, I have to say," she whispered.
His eyes went to his shoes. "Did you have to do her makeup?"
"Sorry," she shrugged.
The sound of the organ prelude prompted Remus and Sirius to scurry down the aisle and take their places next to the groom. Even with a meager seven souls in the pews, James's hands had begun to clam up.
"How is she?" he murmured.
"Probably halfway to Ibiza by now," Sirius returned.
"Git."
"Wait till you see her. I'll catch you when you pass out."
James twisted to Remus. "Alright, Moony?"
"I will be once I get to see you blubbering."
"I'm not going to cry," he scoffed.
"Shall we put money on it?"
"Three galleons says he won't," Sirius wagered.
"Let's make it five."
James took a deep breath in, shuffling his feet. "Is it normal to feel queasy?"
"How should we know?" Remus countered.
"Yeah, you're the first of us to set foot on planet marriage," Sirius bumped his shoulder. "And probably the last."
Suddenly, a moment of clarity cut through James's nerves. "...I'm about to marry Lily Evans," he muttered to himself. Then he smiled so wide, a laugh bubbled up out of him.
Remus and Sirius turned to each other, grinning.
A pause from the organ signaled the imminent beginning of the ceremony. A few stops were pulled, then a loud chord prompted the few guests to stand up from their pews. As the doors to the sanctuary swung open, the procession began.
Out came Peter and James's mum, and Remus tried very hard to focus on them instead of the person behind them. Once they'd made it down the aisle, Euphemia kissed her son and took her seat, then Wormtail joined the rest of the boys.
"Did I do alright?"
"You're a professional," Sirius assured him.
Emmeline stepped out shortly thereafter. Remus had found himself the most interesting stained glass window along the left side of the church to focus on, so he didn't see her exchange a sweet smile with James as she approached. He thought her trip down the short aisle seemed to span far longer than it should have.
Marlene came next, and judging by the way she was looking at him, Remus was glad he couldn't see Sirius's eyes. It would've made his chest ache, no doubt…
…Much like the way it did shortly thereafter when Lily made her grand entrance. Remus watched her face light up when she rounded the corner and could finally see James, drawing a collective sigh from the congregation. Even with the tug on his heart, he could not prevent himself from smiling, admiring how confidently she approached forever.
"Bleeding softy," Remus heard Sirius mutter under his breath. He craned his neck and saw tears already glistening on Prongs' cheek.
At last, Lily and Fleamont reached the altar, untangling their arms as she handed her bouquet back to Marlene. The elder Potter kissed Lily's hand, then put it into James's. He straightened up, regarding his son with pride. "Courage, my boy."
"Love you, Dad," James sniffled.
For some reason, that put another pang in Remus's chest.
Once Fleamont had turned toward the pews, James met Lily's eyes again. His bottom lip twisted up.
"You look very dashing, Potter," she whispered through her tears.
"You're a masterpiece."
A half-chuckle, half-cry escaped her lips. "I love you…"
"You look like you were crafted by Michaelangelo."
"...You ready?" she asked, squeezing his hands.
He nodded. "Absolutely." And he meant it.
The minister saw fit to proceed. "Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today…"
Remus had intended not to look at Emmeline at all during the ceremony. The one occasion that his eyes betrayed him was the first time he noticed the diamond ring on her left hand.