| They finally got home, and all of them were herded into the living room by Mr. Evans. He himself took the largest chair, cleared his throat, ran his hand over his now balding head, and spoke in what was intended to be an intimidating voice. “So. This is my little girl’s fiancé?” “Yes.” Lily wasn’t losing her cool one bit; she wasn’t letting her father wreck the rest of her existence by pulling them apart, and she really didn’t see how he proposed to do that. “I thought it is the usual procedure to ask the father for his daughter’s hand before asking the lady herself, isn’t that right?” “No.” “You have no manners,” he spat at James, who hadn’t said a word. Lily had said “no.” “I’m assuming you don’t have a job?” James spoke. “I have a prospect as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. Sir,” he added.” Mr. Evans frowned, clearly trying to mask the fact that half of that sentence had gone straight over his head. “Auror?” ”Yes. Sir,” James replied; “I’m anticipating a job as part of the newly formed team fighting Lord Voldemort.” Lily poked James in the side. “He doesn’t know what an Auror is or who Lord Voldemort is. He’s a Muggle.” “Oh,” James mumbled. “Sorry.” “I insist on your including me in your interesting conversation!” Mr. Evans glared. “What was that, young man?” James sighed, a bit fed up with the overprotective father act. “I fight bad guys.” Petunia tried not to snort, but she ended up spraying something from inside her nose all over the coffee table, then laughed when James scooted away. Mr. Evans turned to Lily. “So, I assume you still intend to marry someone without a speck of manners or a job?” “Dad,” Lily frowned; “his parents are some of the richest families in England. He doesn’t need a job.” “Don’t use that tone with me, young lady!” “Ah,” Lily observed dryly. “I have advanced to the position of ‘young lady’ from ‘little girl’ in a matter of minutes. How exciting. If this continues, I might be the Queen of the Universe before the day ends.” There was a rather ugly vein in Mr. Evans’ neck that was popping interestingly, though it didn’t seem prudent to point this out. Lily didn’t point it out; she turned to James. “I’d suggest you leave the room for a second—Petunia, get him a drink of something.” Petunia didn’t budge. “Petunia, my pocket has my wand in it, and I am currently a licensed witch with a bad temper. Go get James something to drink.” Petunia jumped up, looking for all the world as if she’d just sat down on a darning needle and it had taken a quarter of an hour to realize how far it had punctured her backside. She pulled Vernon out of the living room with her, and they shut the door with a muffled crash. Lily turned to her father. “Proceed.” “I will not have this! You have learned nothing at that—that Pigpimples place but to turn toads into toothpicks and to be unutterably rude to your elders! Now, I tell you now—“ his voice got extremely soft and dangerous—“that you are to start living a normal life from now on, without this—“ he waved his hand towards the kitchen in disgust—“this wizard. Is that understood?” ”Er—no.” His eyes narrowed. “I will not have you associating with trash like that!” ”Dad,” Lily said calmly, “if you’re insisting on calling him that, then I am also ‘trash like that’.” “If you continue to associate with those abnormal people, yes, you are!” She held up a hand. “I was under the impression that you approved of my schooling at Hogwarts.” ”I held no approval for it. Your mother liked the idea.” “So you go by whatever women say, is that it?” “Lily Evans,” her father glared, “your mouth is growing faster than the rest of you. I am your father, your guardian, and until you are of age, I am empowered to control you. You are not marrying this young—this wizard—you are not leaving this house without my permission, and you are marrying someone sensible. Sensible meaning someone I approve of.” If there was anything that infuriated Lily, it was someone trying to control her completely, and that was exactly what he was intending to do. She rose to her feet. “I am not—” “No talking back to me, miss!” Mr. Evans roared, also standing up. “You are not having anything else to do with that abnormal community, even if it means my snapping your wand in half! I will not stand for that!” Her hair was starting to wave wildly around her face. “I’m not taking orders from you any more! I knew I should have stayed away—I wouldn’t have come back this summer if it hadn’t been for the engagement! I was going to stay on as a teacher at Hogwarts, and I’d have lived there till I got a better position! I hate this Muggle world, and I can safely say I’m terribly embarrassed to be related to some!” “DON’T YOU TALK LIKE THAT TO ME, YOUNG LADY!” He was inches from her face, practically spitting at her. “YOU ARE GOING TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW, AND I AM NOT TO HEAR OF THIS NONSENSE AGAIN!” “Fine.” Lily’s fury had outwardly evaporated with that shouted order, and she stepped back. “Fine.” Leaving a baffled Mr. Evans in the living room, she moved towards the door, which swung open of her own accord; the only sign of the anger and frustration inside her. “James!” He looked up, extremely relieved to see her. “Yes?” “Come here!” She pointed towards the front door. “Get our trunks, your broom, and your cloak.” James vanished out of sight, and Mr. Evans appeared in the kitchen. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, YOUNG LADY?” “Going to my room,” she glared. “My hotel room. In a bridal suite. Have fun missing me.” Lily swung around and slammed the front door behind her, seating herself on James’ broom; he’d already tied their trunks to it and performed an anti-gravity spell on them. Tersely, she pointed to the cloak, which he quickly flung over both her and himself; that done, they rose into the air. A few minutes into their flight, Lily poked James in the back. “I don’t like your broom.” He laughed. “There’s not much I can do about that.” “I want a flying carpet!” she complained. “Those don’t hurt your backsides!” He took her hand. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened back at your house.” “Former house,” she spat. “Yeah…well, I’m sorry it didn’t go well.” She sighed and leaned against his back. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.” James steered the broom straight into a cloud, smiling when Lily let out a shout of ecstatic laughter as the blast of wet droplets clashed into her cheeks and eyes. “Hey…Lily?” “Hum?” “Where’re we going now?—is my house all right?” “You don’t have a house, James, you have a mansion. You have several mansions. You do not call such a construction a house.” “My house it is, then,” he grinned. He landed in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron; from there they proceeded to the fireplace. They would have landed in front of the pub, but even Muggles would have noticed if a broom, two trunks, and two teenagers appeared out of nowhere. James led Lily inside, taking a pinch of Floo powder from a small dish on the mantelpiece. Throwing two Knuts into a jar and the powder into the fireplace, he shouted, “La Versailles!” Both of them stepped into the green, roaring flames together, carrying their trunks with one hand and holding the other’s hand with their free one. Coughing soot out of their lungs, they landed in the Hall of Mirrors in James’ mansion. Lily had been here before, but that didn’t prevent her eyes opening as wide as they could go to drink in her surroundings. James had to poke her in the side to make her pay attention. “Huh?” He smiled. “Mum and Dad’s offices are this way. Coming? Mum’ll probably be in hers right now.” Lily nodded. “I’d like to see your mother again.” She rolled her eyes. “Can’t get much worse than my father, now, can it?” “No,” James agreed, “it can’t. Come on—Mum’s got the Marie Antoinette room as her office…” He led her through a series of stunning chambers until they got to the room that was a replica of the last Queen of France’s. It was like and yet unlike the one in France; the large bed wasn’t in the room, though its canopy was; it had been replaced by a beautiful carved wooden desk inlaid with gold; the gold railing stopped at the sides of the desk. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the ceiling had the same beautiful painting on it that Lily remembered from the French palace. These were only details that Lily noticed later; her eyes were drawn to the lady sitting behind the desk and finishing what looked like a letter. It was Mrs. Potter; her robes were a pale lavender-blue, and her eyes, intensified through the reading glasses she wore, were the same stunning violet-blue. Her robes swung around her gently as she removed her glasses and rose to greet the couple. “James, dear! I’m so happy you’re home—and Lily.” She eyed the auburn-headed girl approvingly. “You’re simply lovely, dear. I know you two will be extremely happy.” She shot a sly glance at her son. “After all the family dinners he’s taken up raving about you, you’d better be!” “Hey!” James flushed dark red. “I did not!” Mrs. Potter winked. “Of course; you wouldn’t have dreamed of it.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him with a warning glance. “I’d like to say something to both of you. I know you two do intend to get married right away, and I’m supporting that. When I was getting married to your father, James, my parents dictated my entire wedding—and I absolutely hated it.” Lily thought she knew where this was going, and a large smile was starting to creep over her face. “Therefore, I’m not getting mixed up in your wedding. Lily—I’m not handing you a budget, and I’m making Fred finance your honeymoon.” “Wow.” Lily’s eyebrows rose. “We’re getting a honeymoon?” “Of course!” Mrs. Potter looked surprised that Lily had asked. “I wouldn’t dream of your not having one! Mine and Fred’s lasted for two years.” She frowned. “His mother insisted. It was the ‘thing’ to do at that time.” Her face cleared. “I’m not making you do anything, though—this is your time together, and I’m giving you full reign to enjoy it.” Lily took James’ arm. “I like your mother!” “Mercenary little brat.” He kissed her head. “I do, too, though, come to that.” Mrs. Potter smiled, hugging both of them. “I love both of you, you know that?” She let go and looked both of them in the eyes. “Now, where are you two planning to have your wedding?” James turned to Lily. “That’s right. Where are we planning to have our wedding?” Lily’s mischievous smile started to blossom, and James’ stomach dropped. “Elven Point, Madagascar.” “Elven Point?” ”Yes,” Lily almost sighed. “It’s beautiful—it’s a hilltop overlooking the sea—with leafy trees and wild, blooming flowers, and with a heart-of-the ocean blue sky…” She snapped back to reality. “Does anyone mind?” James hugged her. “You’re planning all our social events from now on. I don’t think anyone else would have thought of Madagascar—out of curiosity, why did you pick that place?” She smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “It sounded like a magic formula—just the name did, and I-well.” Lily shrugged. “I think the name’s beautiful.” Mrs. Potter picked up a sheet of parchment and a quill. “James, if I’d had such a creative husband, I’d be happier than I am now, which is saying a lot…” She dipped the quill in the ink. “Will you be leaving right away and making plans from there?” “I thought we might take a ship there,” James flashed at his mother, “if no one minds.” Lily’s eyes widened, almost glowing. “We really could do that?” He laughed. “If it’ll make you happy, of course we could!” Mrs. Potter hugged Lily. “Remember—no budget!” Lily’s smile turned mischievous. “I’m going to have fun!” They left the office and walked slowly towards the Grecian family wing of the house. It was only when they came to their room surrounded by the beautiful stone columns and Lily had seated herself on one of the cushioned divans that she asked James something that had been nagging at her for some time. “James?” ”Yes?” He was sitting across from her, having just unearthed a tray of grapes and roasted songbirds. “Who do you think’s going to be giving me away?” James shrugged. “Whoever you want—Remus, maybe, or my father—I’d suggest Sirius, but he’s already my best man. Who do you think?” Lily dropped her head, fiddling with a piece of thread on her shirt. “I was thinking maybe Severus.” “What?” James almost spit out a mouthful of food. “Snape?” “Yes.” Lily ran her fingers through her hair. “Severus.” James took a handful of his own hair in his fist, yanking on it. “Lily, I don’t want him at my wedding, much less have him walk you down the aisle!” Lily dropped her skein of auburn. “James, unless you want me to elope with him, I strongly suggest you let me have him give me away.” “Urgh.” James grumbled. “He’d better be giving you away with no plans of taking you back, is all I’m saying.” Lily smiled with an obvious sense of superiority, taking James’ hand. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t let him do that.” James looked up. “That’s nice to hear.” He reached over and pulled her onto the floor and his lap. “Especially nice to hear, coming from the object of all male affections.” ”All male affections?” Lily raised her eyebrows skeptically. “As much as I’d like to believe that, I am not that wonderful a person.” “Yes, you are!” James protested. “You’re beautiful and funny and smart and brave and talented and creative and—“ “Oh, please,” Lily interrupted, rolling onto the floor and onto her stomach. “Don’t make me hurl.” “You are! I don’t see why you chose me—you could have any one you chose to, really!” “James,” Lily said dryly, “I think the encounter with my father just proved you wrong.” “Eh.” James twisted his mouth at the memory of it. “Eh, well. He’s your father. That would be just wrong.” “Shut up!” Lily grinned, slapping him on the arm. “It’s not too late to change my mind, now,” she warned. “Okay, okay.” James caught her wrist, grinning slyly. “I’ll trade it for an occupation I like better.” He leaned down and kissed her, catching her severely off her guard. Only a few hours later, the two of them were getting ready for the ship that was to take them to Madagascar. It was small; only about fifteen passengers would fit on it, after all—it was exclusively for the wedding guests. Enchanted so that it would steer without a captain or crew, it was built in the style of what Lily could only imagine as the Chronicles of Narnia’s Dawn Treader—with a beautifully carven figurehead at the prow and a deep, silky, indigo sail. There were no rower’s benches, however, and below deck was filled with about twenty rooms—fifteen being cabins, one a dining hall and several sitting rooms. It was a beautiful ship; her wood was smooth teak, and she shimmered in the sunlight with an iridescent glimmer. Lily herself had been presented with a beautiful pair of robes by Mrs. Potter—they were indigo silk, matching the sail. There were two long, wide strips of indigo silk fastened at each shoulder; from there they hung to her knees, leaving her arms free. A belt of the same material, knotted into a cord, tied around her waist in front, and a small veil hung down her back, fastened to her hair several inches above her ears; it didn’t encumber her face or cover the crown of her head. She felt like an other-world fairy as she hugged Mr. and Mrs. Potter goodbye, and, taking James’ arm, ascended the gangplank. He looked nice, too, she thought. His robes were dark blue, the color of his eyes, and he reminded her of a mermish king—at least somewhat. It was the blue that made Lily think of the ocean, the blue of his eyes and his robes… The wind was blowing softly when they stepped onto the deck, alone for those few seconds. Then their friends followed; naturally, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, and Lora, Eva, Vanessa, and Amanda. Frank Longbottom was also joining them. Lily hadn’t allowed James to make Severus Apparate, so he and Lucius were coming, too—though Lily had had to bury her face in James’ shoulder to keep from laughing publicly at Lucius’ escort. He was the only one that had brought one—Serena was hanging on his arm. “She doesn’t lose any time, does she?” Eva had mumbled in Lily’s ear. “First James, now Malfoy…” Lily had tugged James’ sleeve. “I don’t want her to be at my wedding!” she had hissed loudly. “I will not!” James grinned evilly at her. “You had to have Snape, didn’t you? Live with the consequences, my dear!” Lily groaned. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m marrying you.” He draped his arm around her waist. “Because you can’t resist my irresistible personage!” “Irresistible,” she laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it!” “When you see it?” His eyebrows rose. “You’re the one that’s standing here, letting me hug you and wearing my ring!” She wrinkled her nose. “True.” “So, are you disappointed?” he taunted. “Want to find someone completely irresistible instead of this handsome, Quidditch-playing, muscular, intelligent person in front of you that’s absolutely obsessed with your every movement?” Lily ruffled his hair, which, in all honesty, didn’t need to be ruffled. “You! Modest, are we?” “Don’t need to be; you’re modest enough for the both of us.” He kissed her quickly, then turned her around, his hands still around her waist, so that her back was against his chest and her head next to his. “I’m guessing we’d better pay attention to them, right?” He was nodding at the rest of the guests and his parents, who were all on deck. Sirius came jogging over. “James! Long time no see, old bean!” “Damn straight!” James pulled Sirius into a one-armed hug. “All of about several hours!” Sirius stepped back, staring quizzically at the two. “Happy bride and groom, eh?” “Sirius!” Lily’s face flushed. “We’re not married yet!” Sirius simply grinned at them. “I’m sure Snape’ll be delighted to come along on this trip, won’t he?” “Oh, wait till you hear this.” James pulled Sirius aside. “Lily invited him to walk her down the aisle!” “What?” “I know! Only about five minutes after I said okay, she could, she owls him—and he had to come on this cruise ship, too, didn’t he?” James mock-glared at Lily, who tossed her hair and veil in his face. “I’ll have you know that I invited him expressly for the purpose of eloping with him five minutes before the ceremony. Do lighten up about that!” Sirius pulled her hair teasingly. “But now his best friend’s brought your little enemy, hasn’t he?” Lily sighed. She flicked the ends of her sleeves in Sirius face and turned back to James. “Please let me order her off the ship! Please!” “Oh, no!” James grinned. “I get to have my amusement, too!” Lora and the Doylen twins joined them. “All one big, happy family, are we?” James put an arm around Lily. “Very nicely put!” Suddenly, Lily twisted away, facing the prow, an ecstatic glow in her eyes. “Look—we’re launching!” Eva clamped a hand over her mouth. “What say I go down below? I don’t have my sea legs yet…” “I’ll join you,” Frank declared. “I’d better find out where my cabin is, anyway.” “Good idea,” Peter chorused. “I’ll come, too!” Within moments, the entire deck was empty, except for the two honored guests, who stood resting against the railing, the wind blowing in their faces, and the dusky, red-streaked sunset covering the ocean’s waves and their figures. James pulled a lock of hair away from her ear. “Happy?” “Terribly,” she sighed. They were silent again as they watched the sun set to their right. They were leaning against the railing; his arm was around her waist, and the indigo silk from her robes was flickering around the carven wooden columns supporting the banister. Once, the prow dipped so far down into the sea that a clash of seawater hit the hull, sending a few salty droplets into their faces. They were out of sight of land in minutes, and they were facing the open sea while the sun was still setting. Quickly, the gold faded into scarlet, the scarlet into indigo, and the indigo into a dusky blueish purple that tinted the sea a lovely deep blue. Their ship was alone in the ocean; no boats of any other kind, no airplanes disturbed the quiet. Lily sighed and let her head fall against James’ shoulder. “I wish this could last forever.” “So do I,” James whispered. A cough from behind them made James turn around sharply; Lily took no notice of it; her eyes were fastened on the horizon. “What do you want?” Lily heard Severus’ voice from a distance. “I just want to talk to Lily, that’s all.” Irritably, James let go of Lily. “You couldn’t have waited, could you? At least till we’re at dinner or something—God, did you have to butt in?” “Hey, I said absolutely nothing to you to make you mad!” “Yeah, you did! Just you presence within one hundred miles of me makes me livid!” Lily was getting annoyed herself. “James,” she interrupted, “shut up!” James turned to her in surprise. “What did you just say?” “You’re being a prat. Severus wanted to talk to me, and he’s waited about an hour. Don’t be so oversensitive.” She turned to Severus. “Wait for me. I’ll be inside in a minute.” James slammed his hand against the figurehead. “No. Talk to him out here. I’m going inside.” Angry about something he couldn’t pin down, he stormed off of the deck and slammed the door to the lower floors. Severus turned towards Lily. She was facing the horizon again, but a tear was running down her cheek. “Hey, Lily…it’s not the end of the world.” “Yes, it is,” she said clearly through her tears. “He is my world.” As much as he might have laughed at James for saying the same thing about Lily, Severus was only touched by her words. He awkwardly moved next to her, leaning on the railing. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be.” She ran her hand over her eyes quickly, then dropped the water from her tears into the ocean. “He was being an idiot. Don’t bother. Ignore him. Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s not worth it. He’s not--Oh, yes, he is!” she burst out, fresh tears running down and dropping onto her gown. “Yes, he is!” She tried to press her fist in front of her mouth to stop the shaking, but it continued, deriving her of any self-confidence she might have had earlier. Severus turned her around, concerned, taking a strand of her hair and placing it behind her ears. “Lily, calm down. What’s wrong?” “I don’t know,” she managed. “I’m just scared. Scared that everything’ll go wrong, that something will happen before or after the wedding, and I’ll be left alone. It’s unreasonable, it’s pointless, but I’m scared!” She let her head fall onto her arms. “I’ve disliked him for the longest time, I know, and I would have given anything in the world to have him struck down by lightning only a year ago, but I can’t help it!” Severus frowned. She was undergoing something closely bordering on hysteria, and he thought he knew why… “Lily, Voldemort’s not planning an attack on your wedding.” Lily quickly snapped to attention. “What? Why—how—“ He shrugged. “I’m part of his company, right? He’s not planning to kill James at your wedding.” Immensely relieved, she smiled at him through a veil of water. “I don’t know how I’d get along without you.” Severus grinned back. “I suppose my mission now is to let you be happy, whatever life you choose to lead.” His face grew more serious. “Are you [i]sure[/i] you want me to walk you down the aisle?” ”Of course!” Lily bit her lip. “You’re the closest to a relative I have now. I don’t know James’ family—and my father’s almost threatened to disown me if I marry James. Of course, you!” He took her face in his hands and wiped her tears away. “You know, go in to Po—James…I don’t think he likes the idea of me being anywhere alone with you.” Lily’s eyes lit up her face with a soft, exotic glimmer. “Severus, thank you. You’ve been more to me than I’d ever deserve—thank you.” Severus nodded towards the lower decks, from which the soft sounds of clinking metal, china, and laughter came. “Go on.” She didn’t turn back; she flitted across the deck, vanishing in the shadow of the indigo sail. For a short instant her silhouette was visible in the golden light of the doorway, but then she closed it, and the light drained from the deck. Instinctively, though she hadn’t been below deck in this galleon before, she knew where to find James. Without hesitating, she turned several corridors, finally stopping before a partly opened teakwood door, inlaid with gold. He was slouching in a divan; half of the cushions were spilled all over the floor, the others were disarranged, though he hadn’t taken any notice of that. His gaze was fixed on the immense window that took up the entire wall across from the door. Finely made glass was ornamented with slim iron designs, etched with gold leaf; the central point of the window was placed at the top, over the bed in the room—it was two rings, intertwined. He was sadly glaring at them, as though it was something he was hoping for. Neither of them knew why the small argument had started. James had lost his temper for no reason at all, and Lily’s hysteria had simply come upon her—but the reasons behind everything were the first things pushed out of their minds as he saw her standing in the doorway, then held her tightly as she dropped onto the floor in front of him, crying softly. A few minutes later, he lifted her head up. “Lily—I’m sorry.” “About what?” she sniffed “I guess losing my temper at Snape—I can’t exactly forget that he’d absolutely die to be engaged to you. I—I didn’t mean to upset you.” Lily dried her eyes. “It wasn’t you—well, not really. It’s just that everything was too good to be true, and I was scared of what might happen—with Tom, and—“ He kissed the crown of her head, moving the veil out of the way. “What say we go down to dinner?” She smiled up at him. “What say we do.” They entered the dining hall only moments later, taking their seats at the head of the large table. Lora insisted on carving their slices of roast goose, and everyone had to laugh when she managed to let the knife turn several somersaults and land in the middle of a dish of something Danish that Lily couldn’t recognize. The dining room itself was a work of art. The walls were a light brown wood, and marble sculptures lined the corners between the ceiling and the walls. There were no doors; one wall was in the same style as the window in James’ and Lily’s room—a beautiful window, with the two intertwined rings as a central decoration. The chairs were carved of the same wood as the walls and the ship itself; its cushions were white silk, as was the tablecloth. The plates were golden, as were the utensils, while the tall, elegant glasses with a rim of gold around the tops were fine crystal. The food was marvelous; if Lily had thought the Hogwarts dishes were delicious, it was nothing to these. Indian pastries in small trays, pots of Japanese tea, Italian bread, German Bratwurst, seasoned Native American corn, French wine and foie gras, a Russian soup, and breadfruit pieces. Lily’s eyes sparkled as she saw the array of dishes and pictured the lands that they came from. Eva poked her in the side. “You’re supposed to eat the food, not stare at it!” Lily grinned. “But it looks so nice!” “Exactly! See if it lives up to its looks!” Eva declared as she pointed to a bottle of wine in an ice bucket next to James. “That stuff isn’t bad, and I don’t even like grape juice. Try.” Lily bit her lip. “Eva, I don’t like alcohol!” “Neither do I—well, neither did[ I.” Lily laughed, and just at that minute James had filled her glass with something burgundy. She looked at him questioningly. “Lily, it’s just wine. Mum’s had me drink it at parties since I was tiny.” “It was diluted!” Mrs. Potter interrupted. “I am not that kind of mother!” The redhead laughed, flicking her veil behind her back. She picked up her glass, and James clinked it against hers. “It won’t kill you, Lil. To my fantastic union with the loveliest, smartest, bravest, most talented girl in existence!” “Oh?” Lily raised her eyebrows. “Who’re you marrying now?” He frowned at her. “What?” “I do not fit that description.” “Oh, yes, you do!” he retorted. “Well, if you don’t want to toast to that, how about this?” James cleared his throat. “To your union with the most handsome, clever, amazing, wanted, brilliant, Quidditch player in the world!” He caught sight of her face, which was torn between amusement and disgust. “What?” ”I think we’re both marrying different people than we think we are.” Everyone burst out laughing, even James’ parents. Sirius’ hoot carried over the clamor. “She’s right on that one, James!” “Oh, thanks,” James muttered. “Does no one think highly of me?” ”No one does,” Eva confirmed. “You do. You being ‘no one’.” “Oh, thanks,” he repeated, grumbling. “I feel unloved!” Lily gave in, hugging him. “You’re not.” The moment was ruined by Peter’s fondness for clumsiness. Sighing deeply, he flung an arm over his eyes, lost his balance, and promptly landed on the floor, letting out a loud “OUCH!” The company of fifteen started to laugh at his disgruntled face appearing over the table rim. Serena applauded nastily. “Oh, well done!” Lily’s eyebrow arched. “We’re supposed to be laughing at him nicely, dear.” Serena shrugged. “What does that matter to me?” ”It’s common politeness,” Lily said slowly, as if it should be extremely obvious, even to squashed ice cubes. Lucius pulled Serena’s sleeve, and he shook his head slightly at her. A bit annoyed, Serena pushed back her chair and left the room; Lucius following her. “Well,” Eva commented, “no great loss there!” Lily figured Serena wouldn’t enjoy hearing more laughter, seeing that it was most certainly about her, so she had no qualms joining in on it. Lily held grudges, and she hadn’t forgotten the slap Serena had given James the night of their engagement. His and Lily’s, that is; she had no idea whether he’d asked Serena to marry him before. Still, she highly doubted it, as she looked at James’ amused countenance. Lily hadn’t really noticed before, but everyone on the ship had been given new and different clothing. The girls were in dark pink trimmed with gold, while the boys were wearing a nice shade of dusky blue. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were in dark scarlet robes, and the material of everyone’s clothing was an expensive silk. Lily almost shuddered to think of the cost of this trip, and how much could have been saved if they had simply Apparated to Madagascar. Thank goodness James’ family was one of the richest wizarding ones in England… Everyone moved onto the deck later, to talk—several people had pulled out about ten divans from the sitting rooms below deck. Drinks were also on a small table, though Lily hadn’t finished her first one—it was nice, yes, but she had to get used to it. She and James were sitting together, as was expected by everyone—Mr. and Mrs. Potter had retired; gone to bed, and Lily was amused to see that Frank was sitting next to Eva, shyer than he usually was. The conversation had started with their last days at Hogwarts; then it moved on to taunting Eva’s, Vanessa’s, and Amanda’s position as students. Amanda shot out the first remark she could think of, quickly, before Peter started telling them how young they were, then trying to perform a charm supposedly beyond their abilities and ended up hexing himself into having three arms. He’d done that before. “Lily—where’s your honeymoon going to be?” The group’s faces turned towards Lily, who smiled satisfactorily at James, who grinned at the group. “We’re not telling. I’m not having any of you show up in the middle of it, pranking us!” “Yeah, James,” Lora cracked, “you want some alone time, is that it?” “Hey, is that illegal?” James protested, not blushing at all. Everyone else started to laugh. “What?” he protested. “I’m getting married, am I not? And if I want my handsomeness to continue on down the line, I’ve got to have time alone with her, don’t I?” Lily groaned. “If I ever do work up the courage to go through the pain of having a child, I’m praying to every existing deity that he or she doesn’t have your lack of modesty.” James looked offended. “You mean you don’t want children?” Lora laughed. “Breaking news, James: it is a painful process for US. Besides, do we honestly want to have little bitty Potters dotted all over the globe?” Lily took James’ arm. “If they’ve got my discretion, I wouldn’t mind.” “I won’t comment on that!” Amanda shouted. “I definitely won’t comment!” “Good,” Sirius grumbled. “We don’t want to hear it.” Everyone stared at him, but refrained from asking what brought on his bad mood. Later that evening, Lily was gazing out of the large window in their room; she was fascinated by the moonless midnight sky flashed with stars, cleared of any clouds. She smiled with exhilaration as she knelt down on the burgundy silk covers, brushing her long, auburn hair almost dreamily. James sat down next to her. “What’re you thinking?” She sighed, letting the brush drop. “I’m just happy, that’s all…” He grinned. “Good.” Lily flopped back, her head landing in his lap. “You know, in only a few days, I’ll be abandoning my Evans name forever…” “You don’t have to, you know,” James interjected. “I won’t make you…or you could keep it as a middle name.” “Are you kidding?” Lily sat straight up. “I am not keeping my father’s name! He threatened to practically disown me if I married you—do you honestly think I want his name hanging onto mine forever?” “Whoa, whoa!” He held his hands up in protest. “I did not say that! And I’m sorry. I just wanted you to know I’m not going to be trying to control you later on or anything.” She smiled. “That’s nice to hear. I’ll remember that.” He ran his hand through her hair. “I’m engraving everything you say into my memory.” Lily let her head drop onto his shoulder, and she pulled the pale golden nightgown down over her feet. “That’s nice to hear…though I don’t plan on dying anytime soon.” “Good,” James replied, “’cause you’re only dying over my dead body.” He pulled her face towards his and kissed her gently. It was a beautiful trip, lasting four days; at the end of which, they rounded the point of Africa and landed on the southern tip of Madagascar. Lily was almost sad to leave the ship; she had spent hours sitting curled up in front of the figurehead, letting the wind blow her hair wildly and the salty waves soak her skin. They had had no storms; not even a gale; the weather had been clear, sunny, and beautiful for all of the four days. Lily was packing up two pairs of robes, a necklace, and a pair of earrings Mr. and Mrs. Potter had presented her with during the trip; she was now in the indigo robes again. James was searching everywhere for the match to one of his shoes; he finally held it up triumphantly; it had been shoved underneath the bed. “Ta-daah!” Lily sat back on her heels. “How did that get down there?” she laughed, pushing bits of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know,” James shrugged. “I kick my shoes off; that’s all--whatever happens to them afterwards is none of my concern till I have to look for them again.” “Ach!” Lily threw a sock at him. “How did this get in my jewelry box?” “I don’t know!” he grinned disarmingly. “How would I know?” “I wonder, Mr. Potter.” Remus banged the door open. “I’m not interrupting anything, am I?” “Yes, you are,” Lily grinned. “The Mystery of the Sock in the Jewelry Box.” Remus rolled his eyes. “We’re docking in minutes—and no, you don’t have to bring your bags—that’ll be taken care of.” Lily looked at James, who had just slammed his small trunk shut. “Ready, then?” James stood up, shaking imaginary dust from his robes. “Sure.” He held his arm out to Lily. “My lady?” She smiled, taking his arm and sweeping out of the door, the long veil fluttering enchantingly behind her. Within moments, they reached the deck, and they joined Sirius, Eva, and Frank at the railing. Land was rapidly coming into view. It was a lovely sight, too. Obviously hidden from Muggle view, it had pure white sand and blue zircon ocean waves adorning its beaches; leafy trees breezily shadowed the coastline. The morning sun cast white-gold rays over the whole scene, making it look like something from a storybook. Lily sighed dreamily when she saw it. Sirius looked over at her. “Ready for the big day?” “Definitely,” Lily nodded. “It’s sudden…and it’s soon—but I’m glad it’s taking place so quickly. I keep thinking I’m in a dream, I’ve been so happy.” James hugged her. “If this is a dream, neither you or I better wake up!” They were the first ones to set foot on the white, powdery, glittering sand; everyone else followed them. Lily gazed around her—this was the most beautiful scene she had ever found herself in. James wrapped his arm around her waist. “I like your choice of location.” She leaned against his chest. “I do, too…it’s more fascinating than I thought it would be.” Mrs. Potter came up behind them. “Ready, Lily?” Lily turned to her future mother-in-law. “Ready for what?” Eva put her arm around Lily’s free shoulder. “What do you think? It’ll take us some time to get your hair ready—not to forget jewelry, and—“ Lily blanched. “James!” He grinned at her. “What?” ”Help!” She was pulled back onto the ship by the girls, though Serena was nowhere to be seen. James’ parents were handing a list of something to several of the boys, and the rest were greeting a man Lily only caught a glimpse of. Lily could only think that it was royally idiotic to make her step off of the galleon in the first place, but she supposed it was some kind of newfound tradition—the couple being the first to step onto the island… The girls had shut themselves into the smaller sitting room, the one with a large, old mirror on the wall. Lily sighed deeply as she saw Eva pick up her brush. “Eva—can’t you spare me this torture?” ”Nope.” Eva shook her head determinedly. “You wouldn’t let us touch you for the thousandth year ball, so now we get our chance.” ”Eva,” Lily glared, “I am not having paint smeared onto my face!” “But—“ “This is my wedding! If I had it my way, we wouldn’t be doing this at all!” “Fine.” Eva sighed. “But we get to have fun with your hair.” Lily slumped back into her chair, conscious that she was wrinkling the silk robes sadly, but at the same time not caring. Taking this for submission, Eva pulled parts of her hair to one side and started to brush it out. Lily and James had taken their Apparition tests before setting off on the voyage, so they could at least be allowed to Apparate while on their honeymoon, and Lily was seriously considering that option. However, she decided, much against her own good judgment, to surrender. |
| Beyond Hogwarts: Chapter I |
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