I'm a horrible person. I can't seem to get consistent with writing this - and then inspiration leaves, and comes back - and I NEED To finish this. Having thought this story YEARS ago, I can't let it go - and now I'm a bit torn on where it's going! So, please accept my apologies - and my hope that you enjoy this chapter. It's not quite canon (wedding happened after Lily graduated) and it's a bit of a slowburn (but lord knows I'm mighty tempting to throw some M rated stuff out there, which, in all honesty, was how i TOTALLY intended this story go in the start... but that lost traction inside my brain).

(For those who have read this and kept an eye, just a small reminder that I merged a lot of the chapters - hence why there are now less chapters than before). Thank you!

"You can't catch me!" Lily laughed as she ran, her fingers skimming against the stone wall of the 3rd floor corridor.

Her blood was humming with adrenaline, her bare feet touching clouds. Her wand was missing, but she didn't care. Everything felt weightless as she raced up the stairs.

Her own laughter echoed around her as she used her momentum to keep herself moving, even as her feet no longer touched the steps below her. It was as if she was flying.

"You can't run forever!" his voice called, not too far behind her. His voice sounded just as light as she felt and Lily smiled coyly, pushing herself harder to fight her way back to the common room.

She blinked. The portrait entrance was in front of her. Her body felt solid again and she used all of her weight to pry open the doorway into the Gryffindor common room. It felt like a steel door on a vault one would find in Gringotts.

His laugh echoed behind her, filling her with a strange warmth, an excited feeling sliding into her stomach. She glanced behind her, catching sight of his dark hair as he rounded the corner.

"No!" she laughed, the portrait finally giving away. She stumbled through, her legs feeling heavy and leaden as she made her way through the common room and up the stairs to the girl's dormitory.

She'd made it, bursting the door open to her dormitory, his laugh giving away his position just behind her. She felt weightless again, gravity evaporating around her.

Still, Lily laughed in triumph, clinging to one of the columns of her four poster bed. "You didn't catch me."

He was just behind her as she turned, his face close enough to catch her breathless. She could make out hazel eyes, her mind thick with clouds. "I still have time," he said, pulling her close, hands at her waist.

And then Lily found herself waking slowly, calmly, soothed by the sound of rain lightly pattering against her window. As her eyes opened, she was momentarily confused. The sight of the ceiling above her painted a cream white, unblocked by maroon bed curtains of her four poster bed. The ghost of hands grasping her waist slowly dissipating…

Her stomach swooped when she came back to herself with realization, dream nearly forgotten; she was home - and it was day of Petunia's wedding. She had no time to dissect her dream.

As much as she had made it a goal to make this holiday break positive, she was failing. Her mind replayed the fight she'd had with Petunia. She was no longer Maid of Honor, being stripped of her duties. Not even allowed to stand up with her sister at the altar.

Lily swallowed hard, rolling over onto her side to look at the alarm clock on her nightstand. It was nearly 11 O'clock. Had she still been Maid of Honor, she would've been up ages ago, already dressed, helping her sister get ready, and doing… other Maid of Honor-ly things.

But no, that was Molly's job now.

Lily could sleep a little longer, if she wanted. She could take a lazy shower and shampoo her hair for as long as she desired. There was no need for her to rush and hurry and be nervous, she thought selfishly. Why waste time fussing over someone else when she could get more sleep?

Her stomach growled then. If there was a reason to get up out of bed…

As she forced herself into a sitting position, che could hear the sounds of the other girls in Petunia's room as they all got ready. Lily knew her sister had hired a hairstylist to come and do their hair. They'd even hired someone to do all the bridesmaids makeup.

Which meant Lily was left to her own devices, sneaking past the open doorway undetected so that she could go have a bowl of cereal for breakfast in peace.

Another round of laughter filtered through the hallway towards her, and Lily shivered, the sound reminiscent of her dream. The echo of laughter, a warm touch, familiar gaze…

She looked up when her mother entered the kitchen, fastening a pair of earrings on. "You're not ready yet?"

Lily took another bite of her cereal, slurping the milk from her spoon. "Nope," she said.

Rose looked over her shoulder, hearing a bout of laughter from the bedroom. "You can use my shower, since they'll be in and out of the main one."

"Thanks," Lily said casually, but was truly grateful. She didn't want to have to deal with the bridesmaids more than necessary. Her mother left to check on the girls' progress.

A burst of loud giggles exploded from the other room, the sound grating against her ears.

She stood, pushing away the rest of the half-eaten cereal and taking care to clean the bowl and spoon before putting the clean dishes away. One of the benefits of being booted, she thought wryly, was that she no longer was nervous about walking in front of everyone, having the weight of being Maid of Honor. No, now Molly Bloody Parnell got to worry about that.

As offered, Lily took a shower in her mother's bathroom, taking her time to wash her hair thoroughly, combing it through with her fingers to gently brush out any knots. She borrowed her mother's bathrobe, wrapping her hair up in a spare towel.

Once again, she walked passed her sister's open doorway unnoticed.

From the farthest reaches of her closest, she was able to find it - the black dress she had worn four years ago to her father's funeral. It was just as soft as remembered in her hands, the material a blend of polyester and cotton. She had only worn it once, and had dreadfully hoped she'd never do so again.

Today, Lily had no other choice. There was no need for fancy dresses at Hogwarts, and there had been no need to purchase a dress for any other occasions. It would have to do, she surmised.

Bitterly, a small part of herself found it appropriate to wear - her relationship to her sister appeared to be dying today, withering away that last of what her and her sister had had.

She tossed it onto the bed, smoothing out the creases as she stared down at it, her lips turning down into a frown.

My God, am I morbid, she thought.

Her actual bridesmaid dress, pink and full, was hanging on the back of the door, an ominous, almost sentient, being. After a long stare down, Lily grabbed it roughly and stuffed onto the floor of the closet, snapping the door shut tightly.

Undressing quickly from her robe, she pulled the black dress over her head before turning around to look at her reflection in the mirror, stuffing her arms through the sleeves.

Obviously, it fit much more snuggly than it had before - she twisted in front of the mirror, studying herself. The fabric stretched across her chest a bit more tight than she would have liked and the skirt fell a little too high above her knees, but the bell sleeves still fell just past her wrists like it had before - and the waist nipped in just right to compliment her figure.

She turned this way and that, testing the length before deeming it appropriate (just enough so). The wedding guests would already be talking about the dismissal of her position, who cares if they talked about her showing too much skin?

Lily picked out a simple silver necklace and a matching set of earrings her mother had given her the three years prior. Throwing caution to the wind, she put a light amount of eyeliner and mascara on, then coated her lips with a light gloss.

Her face was pale, though, and so she tried to pinch her cheeks to bring back the color in them. The blush faded away in seconds.

A knock at the door disrupted her low thoughts and she welcomed the distraction happily, opening the door to find (unsurprisingly) her mother behind it.

"We'll be leaving shortly," her mum said, trying her best comforting smile, her eyes dropping to study the dress her daughter wore. Lily noticed the recognition dawning on her mum's face almost immediately.

Lily tugged at the hem nervously.

"You look lovely," Rose Evans murmured, teary eyed, moving forward to wrap Lily in a tight hug, rubbing circles on her back. "Not my first choice in dress, but, I see we don't have much of a choice."

Lily barely succeeded in blinking away her own tears, returning the hug just as tightly.

"Here," her mum said, pulling away. "I've got the perfect shoes for you. You'll need to wear stockings though."

Lily nodded obediently, absentmindedly noting the sound of rain still loud against the window - no doubt it would soon become freezing sleet in the winter air.

Rose returned from her room, carrying a pair of strappy heels that looked a little too tall for Lily's taste. "Try these on - we're the same size. Platforms have been in this season." She used the conspiratorial tone that often made Lily suspicious.

As directed, Lily grabbed a pair of nude stockings from her sock drawer and slid them on quickly, sitting on the bed to try the shoes on.

They fit almost perfectly, the straps lacing up just above her ankles. Lily stood and tested them out carefully, surprised by the stability. She caught the glint in her mother's eye, knowing this must have been planned.

"Mum," she complained, but was unable to stop herself from admiring them in the mirror.

"Early Christmas gift, love," Rose said with a smile, placing a kiss on the side of her daughter's head. "Treat them well." Lily scoffed, her mother knowing very well this would probably be the only time she wore the pair of heels. "Better go and make sure Pet's doing alright - we've got about twenty minutes before the cars leave."

"Love you," Lily murmured as her mother departed and shut the door, leaving her alone.

Not ready to face the rest of the wedding party, Lily sunk into the chair at her desk placed in front of the window. Though it was just early afternoon, the dark clouds overhead made it seem much later than it really was.

Wistfully, Lily reached into the top drawer of her desk, pulling out her wand from its hidden place within a large tin pencil box. The wood was warm and familiar in her fingertips, causing her heart suddenly ached for how much she missed Hogwarts and her friends.

She was struck with the realization that in just over a month, she would be an of-age witch, old enough to do magic on her own, outside of the school. She would be able to apparate straight to Hogsmeade, walk up to the castle, and be in her dorm room - much quicker than taking the Hogwarts Express.

Lily placed her wand back into its hiding place, for fear of being caught by one of the others in the house.

Distantly, she could hear the excited chatter move to the family room, Marge's authoritative voice ringing out louder than the others. Mentally gearing herself up, Lily stood, ready (as much as she could be) to face the masses. She forced herself into a pleasant smile, hoping to convince the others just as much as herself.

It fell into hushed silence when she entered the room, a mixture of disdain and indifference - but the small group soon quickly became disinterested and returned to their duties of grooming Petunia. Lily's smile dropped easily, glad to fall into the background.

The process of getting everyone into the awaiting vehicles was near chaos - Tara had forgotten her makeup compact and had to run back into the house, Marge nearly ripped Petunia's veil from stepping on it, and Felicia had nearly left behind Pet's purse, now taking over Lily's Maid of Honor duties. All the girls would not stop whining about the rain.

Petunia was practically in tears from it all, fearful she was going to be late to her own wedding.

"We've got plenty of time," Rose soothed, brushing a loose curl from her eldest daughter's face. Lily tried to give her own comforting smile, but failed - Petunia paid her no mind anyways.

The three Evans women were given their own town car, the four other bridesmaids piling into a second vehicle. A quarter till two, the wedding party departed for the church.

The ceremony was beautiful, Lily thought idly, if a little over decorated, having taken her spot in the church pews, rather than by her sister's side. Her mother had been holding onto her hand a little too tight, but Lily let her, feeling comforted that she wasn't alone.

Lily's eyes couldn't leave her sister's face, finding herself slightly disconcerted by the look of love and happiness in Petunia's pale eyes. It left her unsettled, reminded of how separated she had become from her sister, and how much it left a pain in her stomach.

The crowd (much larger than Lily had expected) clapped politely when the groom kissed the bride, signaling the end of the ceremony. Vernon and Petunia made there way back down the aisle; he was accepting handshakes and pats on the back like a politician, while Pet smiled bashfully behind her bouquet.

The wedding guests followed them out, tossing rice and rose petals as the newly married couple exited the church and made their way into the wedding limousine, rain be damned.

Lily stayed behind, just inside the church's doorway as she watched the limousine depart, cans and bottles clinking loudly against the asphalt.

"Only one left," her mother teased, coming back up the church's steps to wrap an arm around Lily. "Who can I marry you off to now?"

"The Prince of England," Lily replied glibly, wrapping her own arm around her mother's waist.

"I'm sure we can arrange it," said Rose in amusement. "I'd definitely have to clean the house."

"I'm positive the in-laws won't mind the state of it," Lily said. "Besides, I'm sure we'd be spending most of our time at Buckingham."

"I'm sure," Rose agreed, squeezing Lily in a one-armed hug. "Now come on, open bar to the bride's family. I'll even let you have a glass of champagne."

"Oh, a glass," Lily replied in faux shock, bringing a hand to her heart. "What will the Dursley's think?"

"We'll be sure to get there before them, then," Rose answered, leading Lily towards their town car.

They were not, as Lily's mother assumed, there before the Dursleys. The reception was being held at a town hall a couple blocks away; a classic victorian styled building with a greenhouse attached at the side. Lily was thankful to find that, while the church had been covered in tulle, flowers, and lace, the decorations here were much more subtle.

The wedding guests had already settled into cocktail hour happily, milling about with a drink in hand and chatting conversationally. Lily noticed it was a much older crowd, but was able to recognize plenty of her sister's university friends. Some had even approached her, some remembering her from primary school.

Lily hadn't given any thought on answering questions about her schooling - many were wondering about the school she had been accepted into, what types of classes she took, what was she planning on doing after she graduated?

"Mostly focused on sciences - chemistry, really. Some advanced maths," Lily provided, having memorized the generic answer. Most didn't question it, nodding politely. "Thinking about medicine," she would say about her future, making it up on the spot. Maybe the years in Divination were handy. "I hear the research for the cure of leprosy is coming along in leaps and bounds." The man she was speaking with edged away slowly.

Lily nearly collapsed with relief when she caught sight of her mother walking her way (notably, carrying two champagne glasses). She turned back to the woman who had just asked what Lily's plans were after 'university'.

"Marry the Prince," Lily answered pleasantly. "We've been corresponding daily."

The woman (who she learned was a friend of Vernon's great aunt's 2nd cousin) strained to smile politely. She was obviously fighting to not to look overly concerned for Lily's sanity.

Lily, for her part, did her best to keep the most serious look on her face as the woman chose not to question Lily's future plans. Lily waved politely as the woman instead turned away slowly, excusing herself.

"What was that?" asked Rose, finally reaching her. Her mother looked as if she already regretted her actions, handing over the flute of champagne to Lily, who accepted it happily.

"I was just letting her know that she was in the presence of future royalty," Lily said, taking a small sip and grimacing. The taste was bitter on her tongue.

"You are gloomy," noted Rose, taking a sip from her own glass. "Understandably," she quickly added in a soft voice, catching sight of the pained look on her youngest daughter's face.

"I'm sorry," Lily sighed, catching sight of her sister in her white gown, making her rounds. "She looks happy. She is happy. She's very much in her element."

Her mother hummed in agreement. "She is quite the host." She placed an arm around Lily, pulling her closer. "I love you," she said, pressing a kiss to her daughter's temple. "You have greater patience and poise than I have ever been able to dream of."

"Mum," she groaned, but did not resist.

Rose's voice was sincere as she hugged her closer. "I don't say it enough, Lily, but your father would be so proud of you."

"Mum." Lily's own voice was a little watery. "Lay off the alcohol," she teased, trying to subtly blink away the beginning of tears. It took her a moment longer than she cared to admit.

Her mother pointed her free hand towards the bar. "Who are those two blokes trying to get your attention?"

Curious, Lily turned to followed her mother's gaze and found something that made her stomach flutter and drop simultaneously.

James Potter and Sirius Black stood at the bar, both dressed smartly in black tuxedos and identical grins. They had been both waving manically in her direction, trying to catch Lily's eye as overtly as possible.

A wave of emotions rolled through her: anger, shock, and most surprisingly, a pleased feeling that made her cheeks warm.

Lily glanced around wildly to see if anyone noticed them, as if the two boys had been wearing their school robes and waving their wands about dramatically; but the rest of the wedding guests milled around them, unaffected (for the most part).

"Who are they?" Rose asked again, nudging her with her elbow.

"Bloody mad," Lily said in growing fury, looking around the town hall, searching for a sign that said, 'Wizards are in your presence! Beware!'. She tossed back the rest of her champagne and handed the empty glass to her mother impatiently.

Lily fought against the flow of the crowd to get to them, casting furtive glances around her, searching for Petunia. While unrecognizable to her sister, Lily had the feeling that if she saw them, she would somehow just know who they were.

"What are you doing here?" she hissed hurriedly, seizing them by the elbows like errant four-year old boys that were running amok.

"Lily," Rose chastised from beside her and Lily jumped, not realizing that her mother had followed her closely behind. "Manners."

"Sorry, Mum," she muttered, dropping the grip on their arms.

"Yes, Lily, no need to be rude," Sirius said with a teasing tone, already reaching out a hand towards her mother. "Sirius Black," he introduced, accompanied by his charming smile.

Rose accepted his hand, shaking it firmly with her own smile. "Rose Evans," she supplied. "I assume you're here because of Lily?"

"Moral support," acquiesced Sirius.

Lily's mother turned towards James then, extending her hand as well. "And you are?"

"James Potter," he said with a genuine grin. "It's wonderful to meet you, Ma'am."

Lily saw her mother cast her a look from the corner of her eye, having recognized the name as he said it.

Rose patted his hand kindly before letting go. "It's wonderful to meet both of you," she said. "I think Lily is glad to have someone here to keep her company. You know, other than her mother."

But Lily was still nervous, scanning the crowd for Petunia in her white dress.

"Don't worry about Pet. I'll deal with her. Have fun," Rose said into her ear, giving her a quick one-armed hug before releasing her. She reached between the two boys towards the bar to grab a flute of champagne, eyes glittering mischievously as she bid them farewell and disappeared into the crowd.

It only lessened Lily's worry marginally. "Come on," she said, gesturing towards the doors that led to the greenhouse. "Let's chat."

Surprisingly, they followed her without a fight. Lily felt a bit embarrassed as distant cousins and family members watched her curiously.

When the door was closed securely behind them, Lily whirled to face them with a suspicious expression. "Okay, spill it. Why are you here?"

They both equally guilty and sheepish.

James was the first to speak. "Remus told us you weren't having the best hols so far."

"Remus?" she interrupted, confused.

"Marlene got your letter," he explained. "She told Remus and he happened to tell us."

"It was James's idea, really," Sirius cut in. "We were stuck at home, nothing better to do… and James here thought you might need a visit - then, well, we both thought, what better way to have fun than to crash a muggle wedding?"

She rolled her eyes. "How'd you even find me?"

James gave her a nervous smile. "Marlene, actually. She found your sister's wedding invite in your dorm. Sirius apparated us to Diagon Alley." He pointed somewhere in the direction towards the south, where she assumed he came from. "We walked the rest of the way. Probably will never do that again."

Lily wasn't sure how far away 'home' was for them, and while she probably should've been annoyed by their disruptive presence, she was actually very, very grateful. Maybe even a little touched. Embarrassingly, she felt her eyes tear up slightly.

"Ah, now, come on," Sirius said awkwardly, thumping her on the shoulder. "No need to be so pleased to see us. And I've already had to cast two drying spells on us today."

She punched his shoulder back, earning a pained, 'Ow!'. James laughed aloud, the sound hauntingly familiar. Lily shivered, wrestling to clear her throat till she felt she could trust herself to speak.

"I'm just actually really glad to see friendly faces," she admitted, trying to sound unaffected. "It's been a bit stuffy, you know. Family and all that. Shall we head back inside then? I'm sure Mum can score us a couple more glasses of champagne."

Sirius looked excited at this prospect, opening the door for them. "Sounds like a woman I admire."

"Sirius," Lily warned with disgust, using a hand to punch him in the same shoulder.

"Only joking," he trilled, rubbing the sore spot. "Could you stop hitting me?"

"Only if you behave yourself."

"I'll do my best," he said with a smirk, straightening his bow tie.

James laughed, raising a hand to rake his fingers through his hair. "And I'll do my best to keep him in line."

"I'll hold you to that," she said, pointing a finger at him threateningly, turning to lead them back into the reception hall and to a table near the bar, out of sight from the bridal table. "They're about to start serving food, I think," she told them.

"Thank Merlin, I'm starving," Sirius said, collapsing into the seat she indicated. Lily sent him a glare at the wizarding term, but he was too distracted by the party around him.

James pulled back the chair beside Sirius for her and she slid into it as gracefully as she could. "Thanks," Lily said quietly as he slid into the chair beside her. "Hopefully it's up to your taste."

"It's food," Sirius said blithely, waving her off, eyes still scanning the large room with a bit of awe. "A much more lively affair than I imagined, right, Prongs?"

James was studying the room as well, much more discreet. "Much more vibrant than Lestranges' wedding." His eye caught Lily's then, who had been watching him closely. He grinned and nodded his head towards the bar, where a large swan sculpture stood erect, glistening in the low lighting. "Is that some sort of Muggle tradition?"

Lily snorted and shook her head vehemently. "Definitely not. Pet suggested it awhile back, but I thought she was joking."

"I would've chosen a Hippogriff," Sirius sniped. "Much more menacing."

"I don't think that's the point of the decorations, Padfoot," James mused, craning his neck to view the hanging streamers and lace ribbons that hung from the ceiling.

Sirius was plucking restlessly at one of the centerpieces, tearing off one of the fake petals of a silk flower. "Not very tasteful, is it?"

Lily swatted at his hand. "Blood, sweat, and tears went into those, you know. And like you know anything about decorating Muggle weddings?"

He dropped the petal, feigning offence. "I'll have you know, we helped decorate the Common Room for last year's Cup celebration. Remember that?"

"You mean the ones that accidentally caught fire and nearly burned off Sandy Lightwood's hair?" Lily asked, deadpanned.

"Exactly!" Sirius smiled excitedly. "And that wasn't accidental. They were meant to light up."

James snorted, leaning back into his seat and casually draped an arm on the back of Lily's chair. It appeared that he hadn't done it on purpose, probably out of natural comfort, and so Lily tried not to seem too affected by it, focusing on his words. "And that's why Padfoot's not allowed to try his hand at pyrotechnics anymore."

Sirius scoffed, taking a sip from one of the ice waters set at the table. "If I recall properly, I seem to remember why McGonagall no longer allows transfiguration spells involving candles in class anymore."

"That was you?" Lily asked, shocked, turning in her seat to face him more. Her shoulder bumped against his arm, and he let it drop, his warmth taken with it. "I thought that was a 7th Year that caught her cloak on fire!"

He appeared sheepish, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "That was an accident," he said, glaring at Sirius from over the top of her head. "And McGonagall forgave me."

"Right, that's why she doesn't follow you with a stern glare everytime you enter a room," Lily joked, trying hard to keep a straight face.

"She's just keeping an eye on her star Chaser," James said immediately, his grin wide on his face, placing his arm back around her chair.

This time, Lily couldn't tell if he had done it on purpose, his movements so casual, like he always was. Did he normally do this to other seats at school? The dinner table didn't count - the benches didn't really allow the chance for him to drape his arm around her-anyone. She thought back to their joined classes. Had he ever purposely moved his arm around her?

Lily took a quick drink of the chilled water in front of her, suddenly feeling warm and off-kilter for so drastically analyzing his movements. Why the hell should it bother her so? Did it bother her?

She took another long drink, trying to focus on how her mind gave a sound, 'No' to her mental question.

"Is that the food?" Sirius asked suddenly, pulling her from her thoughts.

Both Lily and James turned their heads in the direction he was pointing, where a girl in a waiters uniform was visibly straining to push a cart forward.

"That's the cake," Lily answered, relaxing back into her chair.

"Are they normally that…" James struggled for a word.

"Extravagant?" Lily supplied.

"Yeah," he breathed, studying the tiered cake as the girl pushed it towards the swan sculpture. The pink and white frosting glistened in the low light and Lily had to admit that she was rather excited for the sweet cake.

"Is that the food?" Sirius repeated, still referring to the cake.

Lily laughed. "Nope, just the dessert. I think we'll have leftovers for days."

"Days?" James asked incredulous. "That thing should last months."

"The Dursleys' are a rather… large family," she murmured, crossing her arms.

"Ah, they're fat," Sirius said in understanding.

Lily gasped, glancing around surreptitiously. "That's not what I said," she said quickly, feeling her cheeks warm.

"But that's what you meant," Sirius winked, taking another drink of his water.

"I thought you were supposed to be controlling him," she groused, leaning towards James so he could hear her quiet words.

"I meant his actions," clarified James. "I can only dream to control what comes out of Sirius's mouth."

"I'm sure that's not what you only dream about, Prongsie," Sirius said, smirking.

"Sirius," Lily complained, to which she was sure they were thinking she objected to his lewd tone, and had no true idea of how adverse she was discussing dreams today. "I'm going to find my mum real quick."

"Okay," James said, a bit bewildered by her sudden tone, dropping his arm again as she pushed her chair back. "We'll save your seat."

"Behave," she ordered them with a pointed finger, before running her hands over her dress to fix the wrinkles and hem. She caught James' gaze as he followed her movements out of curiosity, his brows slightly furrowed. She tried to not be affected as she realized how warm she felt under his stare.

"Aye, captain," Sirius saluted, his gaze still surveying the room about them.

Lily left them then, rounding the tables towards the red hair she recognized as her mother's. She was near the greenhouse doorway, chatting with people that Lily barely recognized.

"Lily," her mum greeted, catching sight of her quickly. "This is Antonia. You remember her?"

"Of course," Lily responded pleasantly, reaching forward and shaking the woman's hand. "How are you?"

"Doin' grand, dear," responded Antonia with a thick Welsh accent. "How's school been treating you?"

"Very well," said Lily with a smile. "I hope all is well with you! Mind if I grab my mum from you?"

"Of course," she said, waving energetically, before turning to speak with her companion.

"Who was that?" Rose asked in a low voice as Lily led them towards the bartop.

Lily's eyebrows rose. "You think I know? You told me her name was Antonia!"

"I only knew that because her husband said it. I had no clue who they were."

Lily snorted. "Didn't you look over the guest list?"

Rose shook her head, gesturing to the bartender she wanted another glass of champagne. "I certainly thought I did, but you know Pet. She must've snuck out more invites." She accepted the flute of champagne graciously from the young bartender. "But you certainly seemed to recognize her." She handed Lily the glass for her to take a drink.

"Mum," she complained, taking a quick sip, then a second, before handing it back. "I thought that's what we were supposed to do at weddings. Chat 'em up and look normal."

"You could never be normal," Rose said with a nostalgic sigh, fixing a loose curl around Lily's face. "Speaking of normal, where are those two dashing young men who are accompanying you?"

"Don't even start," Lily warned, glancing over her shoulder towards their table, pleased to see that the boys were still in their seats. She turned her back around when she noticed James's start to turn towards her. "And they're at the table I've seated them at. Towards the back and away from Pet."

"You didn't have to do that," Rose said, turning her own head towards where Lily had looked. Lily felt horrified as she saw her mother raise her hand and wave genially. It took all her power not to snatch her mother's hand down.

"Don't encourage them," Lily hissed, feeling her cheeks warm, glad her back was turned towards the boys.

"I certainly see how much of a rise they get out of you," her mum smiled into her glass. "That Potter boy sure seems gentlemanly."

Lily groaned, pressing a hand to her forehead. "I think you've had a bit too many of those glasses."

"I don't think you've had enough," Rose said mischievously, raising her hand to get the bartender's attention once more.

"Mum," Lily said scandalously, but couldn't deny her curious excitement as the boy - maybe in his low twenties, made his way back towards them.

"What can I help you with?" he asked with a sincere smile, his eyes skimming over Lily's face quickly.

"I'll need three more of these please," Rose said, clinking the glass in her hand with a fingernail.

"Of course, Mrs. Evans," he answered, turning to collect an unopened bottle. Rose winked at her daughter, taking a small sip of her glass.

The bartender made quick work of the bottle and grabbed three champagne flutes with practiced skill, giving Lily a confident smile as he poured the liquid into the glasses. Lily glanced away from his flirtatious look, feigning naivety.

"Here you go," he said, placing the three glasses in front of them. "Is there anything else I can get you?" he asked, his question aimed towards Lily.

"She's taken," Rose said slyly, taking one glass with her free hand and prompting Lily to take the other two.

"Mum," Lily gasped, feeling her cheeks redden at the boldness of her mother "Sorry," she murmured with embarrassment, grasping the two champagne glasses. The boy looked rightfully chastised, already turning away and working his way down the busy bar.

"What?" Rose said innocently, already weaving her way towards the table where the two Gryffindor boys sat. "He should know better than to flirt with the bride's younger sister in front of her mother."

"God, could you be anymore embarrassing?" Lily whined, following her mother's steps with less enthusiasm.

"Embarrassment is a mother's job," she replied with certainty as they arrived at the table.

"Absolute fact," Sirius said, agreeing with her mother's words. "You should hear the stories Prongsie's mum likes to share."

"Of which you will never, ever, hear," James said quickly, giving Sirius a warning look.

"There was this one time, where James's mum found him in his father's study, looking at-"

"Mrs. Evans," James said loudly, changing the direction of the conversation. "We were just admiring the decorations. Did you help pick them out?"

"You're too kind," she said, handing him a flute of champagne. He looked unsure of accepting it, catching Lily's gaze quickly. She gave him a quick nod and so he took the class from her mother, giving a sincere smile of thanks. "The pink is a gorgeous color - I just hadn't realized how much Pet wanted."

Lily snorted as she handed Sirius the other glass in her hand, which he accepted without hesitation, taking a large drink. "I don't think there's enough pink for Petunia," she said quietly, taking a sip of her own glass.

"Well, I do think the food is actually going to start soon. I hope you're having a good time," Rose said, patting James's shoulder. "I'll be back to check on you kids later."

"Thanks, Mum," Lily said, moving to take her seat between the boys once more, feeling oddly embarrassed as James's repeated his earlier actions and pulled the chair out for her. Lily's mum sent her an approving look, before turning and leaving Lily with the two boys.

"I love your mum," Sirius sighed happily, taking another large sip of his champagne.

"I thought you loved my mum," James said with a laugh, setting his glass down on the table in front of him.

Sirius waved him off. "Of course I love Euphemina. But she doesn't give me free glasses of champagne."

James laughed again, the sound hearty and warm. "Because free housing and food isn't good enough."

"But she created you, so there's that," he replied dryly, finishing the glass. Lily laughed at Sirius's comeback.

"Oi," James complained, not truly offended. "You would miss me if I didn't exist."

"Would we, though?" Lily couldn't help but tease, taking another sip of her champagne.

James mockingly glared at her, pointing a finger in the same way she had done to them. "I thought we only had to control what Sirius said."

"Then I guess that's not the only thing you'd have to dream about," said Lily, rather tongue-in-cheek. She'd blame it on the champagne later though.

His eyes narrowed at her, seemingly trying to read her mind, but she merely smiled pleasantly, taking another sip to give her an excuse to avoid his gaze.

"Quit your flirting," Sirius complained, nodding his head towards the back. Lily turned her head to glare at him, glad that James couldn't see her face. "Looks like they're actually going to start serving!"

Lily looked around to see that the rest of the guests seemed to notice this too, finding their designated spots amongst the tables quickly. Lily was glad she had chosen this table - an unlabeled table meant for those who failed to RSVP. Only a couple other guests meandered over to the table, sliding into the open seats across the teenagers.

"They still have to pass it all out," Lily sniped quietly, still annoyed at his earlier 'flirting' comment. Objectively, she knew her response could've been seen as flirty, but gods, he didn't have to call her out on it.

"What does that mean?" James asked curiously, leaning comfortably back in his seat, unaffected by Sirius's comment.

"It's a three course meal," Lily explained, twirling the liquid in her glass. "They have to bring the salad out first to serve. Then I think Petunia picked a soup - then there's the main course they have to serve. We've got wait for them to hand out the plates."

"Wait?" Sirius whined, shifting to cross his arms over his chest to show his displeasure, causing his jacket to bunch up, his bow tie now crooked. "They can't just, you know," he snapped his fingers, "make it appear?"

Lily glared at him, glancing at the guests across the table who were pulled into their own conversation. "No, they've got to serve it," she said slowly, as if explaining to a four year old.

She glanced at James, who gave her a, 'don't look at me' type of look.

But as their table was near the back, they were one of the first tables to be served (besides the bridal table of course), and the trio dug in happily. Lily was glad for an excuse to not talk.

The rest of the three course meal occurred without incident, and as soon as the main entree was finished, guests already stood to continue visiting with each other. The band picked up some pretty music, quiet enough that it wouldn't stilt the conversation.

"I'm stuffed," Sirius sighed happily, patting his stomach.

"Got enough room for cake?" Lily asked, but leaned back, copying his movement.

"Obviously," he said immediately. "Prongs and I always have room for pudding."

"Oh," she said with disappointment. "I forgot - they have to have the first dance and things before they can cut the cake and serve it."

"How long will that be?" Sirius asked curiously.

Lily glanced across the room, towards the bridal table, where Petunia and Vernon were leaning close together, Pet spoon feeding his new husband another bite of the potatoes. Objectively, Lily could recognize the gesture as sweet, Vernon's look of adoration as he accepted the spoonful, gravy and bits of potato stuck to his mustache. Petunia used her napkin to wipe it away patiently, lovingly.

Lily looked away, an unfamiliar feeling rising in her throat.

"That long, huh?" James joked, grabbing her attention. She turned her head to look at him, his eyes catching hers easily.

It was a beat before Lily smiled weakly. "Yeah, it'll be a while," she responded, glancing back at the newly wedded couple. Blissful and happy.

Jealousy, Lily realized, with a sunken stomach. She was feeling jealousy.

Not that Lily had never felt jealousy before. Oh no, she dealt with it almost on a daily basis. Emmeline's results on an exam. Marlene's ability to run a mile without losing her breath. Dorcas's easy laugh whenever they were stressed. Alice's ability to learn any spell quickly and blow the rest of them out the water.

Hell, even sometimes she felt jealous of the Marauder's themselves. Their bond and easy banter.

But no, Lily had never felt such a dark feeling of jealousy as she looked on at her sister and her new brother-in-law. Maybe it was the fact that she felt she was now losing her sister, having taken the final step out the door from being involved with Lily's life. Or maybe it was how lonely Lily herself had felt since having returned home.

But the feeling burned cold in her stomach, unbidden and overwhelming.

"I'm going to get some air," she told the two boys, pushing her chair back abruptly, not even having the energy to act apologetic when her chair jostled James's in her hasty escape.

She wove her way around the tables and stray guests, heading back towards the Greenhouse doors that she had pulled James and Sirius into earlier that night. She tried to shut the doors as soft as possible, but the sound of the snapping shut echoed in the quiet room.

It was muggy and humid, but pleasantly warm. She wrapped her arms around herself regardless, taking a few steps further into the darkened room, the outside light filtering in between the branches and odd leaves around her.

Lily took a calming breath, reaching out to touch the petal of, coincidentally, a purple petunia, soft and delicate against her touch.

"They're magicked," a voice said behind her, causing her to jump. She turned, unsurprised (but still surprised) to find James standing in the greenhouse. His fringe shadowed his eyes, but she could still see light glancing off his glasses.

"How do you know?" she asked curiously, dropping her hand away inconspicuously.

He chuckled. "Not in the way that it'll attack you," James said with humor, having caught her movement. "But it's spelled to stay warm. To help it grow."

Lily was stunned for a moment, caught off guard by how, once again, her Muggle life seemed to collide with the wizarding community. She glanced around her now, recognizing signs of life that shouldn't be possible in the middle of winter. "How could you tell?"

James shrugged, stepping closer to her to point at the potted plant, neatly maintained within its enclosure. "You can tell by the color at the root. It's too green, and see here? It's got six petals, instead of the normal five."

She looked at him, a little slack-jawed by this unexpected bit of knowledge he shared.

He shrugged again. "My dad used to do a lot of work with herbology and plants. For his work and stuff."

"Oh," she said, glancing back down at the flower.

"Yeah," he replied, and she could tell he was still watching her. After another long moment, he asked softly, "You okay?"

She raised her shoulder in a non-committal way. "What did Marlene tell Remus?"

"Just that… you could use company. Your sister was giving you a hard time."

Lily snorted derisively. "A hard time," she repeated, turning away from him to continue walking down the aisle of greenery. "She… gave me the boot. I was supposed to be the Maid of Honor."

James hummed, trailing behind her with enough space to allow her to feel comfortable but that they could still talk. "I wondered," he admitted.

"I accidentally spilled wine on Vernon's mum," Lily explained bitterly. "And Petunia acted like - no, he really acted as if I nearly Aveda'd them all. As if I could hurt them. Like I could curse them at any moment for all eternity."

"He sounds stupid," James inserted helpfully.

"He definitely doesn't think before acting on it," Lily said softly, unconsciously reaching up to trace her collar bone, recalling the night he had threatened her and shoved her against the wall of her home. "Vernon Dursley is… stupid," she agreed.

James didn't speak for a moment, appearing to think something over in his head. "But you let your sister marry him," he pointed out.

"She loves him," she shrugged. "And I guess… he makes her happy."

"Which makes you happy… even though you hate him."

"I don't… hate him," she said carefully. "I can't hate him when he makes Pet happy."

"A conundrum."

"It is," she agreed with him once again. "We should probably go before my mum notices I'm missing."

"Right," he said immediately, sidestepping to allow her to walk past him.

"Thanks," she said awkwardly, not sure if she was thanking him for moving - or for listening to her.

"You're welcome," he said earnestly, and let her lead the way back to the reception.

They had started the toasts. So as not to gain any attention, Lily stayed by the doorway, halting James's movements forward by throwing an arm out to stop him and gestured him to hush while the first speaker - Molly Parnell - took up the band's microphone.

Feedback screeched and echoed in the hall. Lily winced at the sound, catching sight of guests doing the same, some covering their ears at the noise.

"S-sorry," Molly said, wincing, too. "My apologies -" It screeched again as she adjusted the handle. "I-I'm here to give first toast, which I'm so - hap-py," she hiccuped and blushed, covering her mouth.

"Merlin," James said in pity, rubbing his cheek, then moving to cover his eyes as the microphone gave off feedback once more.

Lily glanced at Petunia, who looked less than impressed. Lily wondered if she was regretting her decision at swapping out her Maid of Honor. Now, Lily knew she was no Prime Minister, but she could give a pretty good speech…

Or at least certainly better than Molly…

Listening to the rest of her shaky, nervous speech made Lily wince multiple times - but her heart went out to the older girl. There was a certain pressure to be perfect, especially when it came to Petunia and her expectations.

In between Molly handing off the microphone to the Best Man (Lily couldn't remember his name) and his speech starting, Lily and James took the long way around back to their table.

"Where've you two been?" Sirius asked in a wry voice, winking.

"Shut it," James said, rolling his eyes, taking his seat beside Lily.

"Fine," Sirius snipped, but Lily saw that he was too busy making bedroom eyes at a teenage girl a few tables away.

As soon as the toasts and speeches were over, the happy couple moved to cut the cake quickly, still looking as sickly in love and blissful as before (despite the less than satisfactory speeches). And then it was on to their first dance, a song that Lily didn't recognize, while the servers started to serve the cake to the guests.

It was then her mum appeared over her shoulder, gifting each of them another glass of champagne.

"Thank you," Sirius said, pleased. "Have I said how much I love you?"

"How sweet," Lily's mum said, patting him on the head. "You're try to be quite the charmer, don't you?"

Both Lily and James snorted, trying to cover the sound as Sirius glared at them balefully.

"What'd you think of Molly's speech?" Lily could help but ask her mum.

Rose looked down at Lily, setting a comforting touch to her shoulder, reading the needs of her daughter effortlessly. "Needs some work. I can think of someone who could've done a better job." She winked and Lily smiled weakly. "You going to join the dancing?" she asked the trio, nodding her head towards the dance floor where the frontman of the band had called the dance floor now open.

"Nah, I don't think so," Lily said, taking another long sip.

"Well, I'm off to ask a damsel for dance," Sirius said, already out of his seat and heading towards the table where the girl he had been silently flirting with earlier sat.

"I'll dance with you," James said nonchalantly, standing from the table. He held out his hand.

"Oh, no - I mean it, I'm okay -" she was cut short by her mum bumping her hip into the back of her chair.

"Go," her mum urged, grabbing Lily roughly by the elbow to get her to stand. "Have a dance. Have fun."

"Mum," she protested, feeling her mum's hands on her back as she shoved her towards James. She took his hand somewhat shyly, trying not to appear too embarrassed.

The dance floor was slowly but surely beginning to fill up. James led her to the ledge, wisely away from the newly married couple in the middle of the tiled floor. He raised the hand he was already holding to shoulder height, placing his other free hand lightly on her waist.

"Is this okay?" James asked, a bit awkwardly.

She nodded jerkily, but played it off with an air of relaxed composedness, as if they did this all the time and wasn't something to think too hard about.

But Lily tried not to think of his hand on her waist, how warm it felt through the fabric of her dress. And possibly for once, Lily was thankful he was taller than her - he wouldn't be able to see the flush of her cheeks. She wondered if he could feel the blisters on her right hand, the burns still red and raised from her fight with the hot glue-gun, as her hand rested in his.

Sirius was dancing with the same girl as before (she now recognized her as a distant cousin from Easter celebration the Evans' held quite a few years ago) and though it was a slow song, his steps were fast, not quite matching the beat of the music. Lily giggled, watching the girl's face as she tried to keep up.

"You can't take him anywhere," marveled James. His breath fluttered the hair around her ear and she shivered.

"You really can't," Lily said with a weak laugh, watching as he dipped the girl backwards, the two of them nearly tumbling to the floor. Lily laughed again, not bothering to try and hide her mirth.

James joined in, his shoulder shaking beneath her palm, as Sirius spun the girl away from him. She bumped into one of the Dursely's, who gave the girl a dark look in return. Embarrassed, the girl, instead of returning to her place as Sirius's dance partner, fled the dance floor without even apologizing, making a beeline straight for the ladies loo.

"Well, that was a bust," Sirius said with a happy grin, rubbing his hands together as he came closer to James and Lily.

"You nearly took the poor girl out," Lily scoffed, self-consciously dropping her hand away from James's shoulder.

"It's not my fault she couldn't keep up," Sirius returned, his gaze flitting between the two of his companions. "But it's a good thing I've got a back-up, eh?"

"Oh, no -" Lily protested, more strongly than before. Involuntarily, the hand holding onto James's own tightened. "I am not going to dance with you - not after what I just saw!"

"Please?" Sirius said with pleading look, just as the slower song ended and the band took one up with an upbeat rhythm. "I don't think your dance partner will mind, would you, Prongs?"

"Padfoot," James warned with narrowed eyes, but let go of Lily's hand and lightly pushed her towards Sirius, as if bargaining her from having his friend say more.

"Traitor," Lily threw back at him, grimacing as Sirius took her hand tightly. "See if I ever go easy on you in the Game again," she was able to say to James before Sirius spun her wildly away.

She could hear James chuckle from the edge of the dance floor. "As if you've made anything easy."

Before she could bite out a response, Sirius pulled her back towards him. Whether it was her normal clumsiness or from the champagne, she stumbled into him, knocking her chin against his collarbone as they collided.

"Oi," Sirius complained, but spun her back away anyways, slower, so that she didn't stumble again.

"I didn't attend a cotillion, you know," she grumbled, falling into step with him and his jaunty moves.

"I could tell," he teased, breaking into a jive that caused Lily to tilt her head back and laugh. "This is much more lively than any wedding I've been to."

"I'm glad," Lily said, trying to match his move, but not too wildly to catch the attention of other guests. "And I'm happy you guys are having fun."

"James's certainly is," Sirius said with a smirk.

Unwilling, Lily's eyes moved to find the boy mentioned, finding it back at their table. A girl, one Lily couldn't recognize, was seated next to him, leaning close to talk over the music. A feeling, not so dissimilar from the one she felt earlier when looking at her sister and her new husband, rushed through her. It was obvious she was flirting, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder.

Lily's teeth clenched. Why the hell did Petunia have to invite so many people?

"Being here," Sirius continued casually, "spending time with you."

Her eyes turned back towards his face, finding his unnerving 'I know what you're thinking' smirk on his handsome features. She rolled her eyes, scoffing. "I don't know what you're hinting at."

"I'm not hinting at anything," he replied breezily, taking her hand and spinning her again. "I just think it's adorable that you can act like you're not affected by anything." He spun her once, twice, three times, before pulling her back towards him. "When it's obvious that you're bothered by my boy James's chatting up a rather attractive wedding guest."

Though his fast turns dizzied her, she glanced back over at the table, catching sight of the couple easily. She scoffed again. "He can do what he wants - It's not like, like -"

"Like what?" Sirius smirked.

She huffed, glaring up at him. "Shut up," she murmured, her gaze going back to James's form.

Sirius laughed loudly at her words. As if trained by the sound, James's head turned up, his eyes finding them easily. His eyes locked with Lily's, and embarrassed at being caught looking at him first, she turned back to look at Sirius's tuxedo bow tie, thankful that the dance floor was lowly light to hide her blush.

"Oh, poor Prongs," Sirius said with faux pity.

Lily purposely dug the heel of her shoe into his shoe on their next twist.

"Oh," he cried, and Lily could tell he would've shoved her away if he wasn't in the presence of a bunch of wedding guests. "I meant cuz of the bird - look, she left him."

Lily did not look though, feeling that it was a trap set up by Sirius to make her feel even more embarrassed. "Can you not be such a toerag?" she said through clenched teeth.

"I think it's time I found another dance partner," he replied with a smirk, releasing her hand.

"Berk," she threw over her shoulder, already retreating from the dance floor and towards her mother who was back at the desert table.

"Everything okay?" Rose asked her daughter, offering a chocolate strawberry.

"Of course," Lily said immediately, turning to glare again at Sirius, but he already had found his next victim - Molly Parnell.

"You look a little flushed," Rose noted.

"Just warm from dancing," she insisted, accepting the chocolate. And certainly not from Sirius's teasing or whatever.

Lily purposely tried not to locate James again, choosing to focus on her conversation with her mum. She felt, Lily realized, a little guilty at having left her mum alone for most of the night, but also realized how not-so-miserable the night was turning out to be. All thanks to the two Gryffindor boys who had decided to show up and keep her company.

It was all a little too unsettling…

By the time the reception was winding down, Lily had two more glasses of champagne and found herself back at the table with the boys, purposely shoving aside all abnormal feelings and just choosing to relax and listen to the jazzy music the band now played.

"Can't wait to do this again," Sirius sighed, leaning lazily back into this seat.

Lily snorted, rather unladylike. "What, crash a wedding?"

"Call it a new hobby," Sirius replied easily.

"I'll let you know when I know someone else getting married," Lily said with a laugh, leaning forward to set her elbows on the table and her chin in her hands.

"You do that," Sirius said with a tone that made her glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He wriggled his eyebrows so that she could only see, sending an overly obvious glance between her and James. She glared.

"Alright," she said abruptly. "I'm going to go say goodbye to Pet. I think they're leaving soon."

"You'll be back?" asked James, in a way that felt was a gentlemanly way to see whether or not they should wait up for her.

"Yeah," she said, standing and heading towards the bridal table, where many of the party had scattered, leaving Petunia wither Vernon, his sister, and one of the groomsmen still lounging.

"Hey," Lily said awkwardly, once she had come closer. Petunia looked up at her, and Lily was pleased to see that her happy smile didn't dim when she saw that it was her younger sister who had spoken. "You guys leaving soon?"

"In about ten minutes," Pet said, her arm looped tightly around Vernon's. When Lily looked closer, she could see the glossy look in Petunia's eyes, evidence she had enjoyed the champagne herself quite a bit. "Just waiting for the limo."

"That's awesome," Lily said, avoiding Vernon's stern gaze. "Everything was beautiful, Pet. Everyone had a great time."

"Of course they did," Margaret spoke up snobbishly, having eavesdropped. "The Dursleys never throw a disappointing party."

"Right," said Lily with a smile she hoped didn't look too fake. "Well, I just wanted to say… goodbye before you left."

Petunia was quiet for a moment, glancing up at Vernon's face, who was still glaring at Lily with a wary look. "Bye, Lily," she said, her smile lessening marginally.

"Bye, Pet," Lily said softly, turning on her heel and walking towards the hall's entrance, needing a moment to recollect herself before returning to the table.

The rain had let up somewhat, coming down in a soft drizzle that somewhat soothed Lily's frazzled mind. She stood in the entrance's awning, rubbing her hands over her arms to keep herself warm.

"Hey," her mum's voice broke her concentration. "I saw you come out here. You thinking of leaving soon?"

Lily nodded jerkily, not quite trusting her voice to respond yet. Her mum stepped through the door fully, handing Lily her own purse. "I figured. I saw you talking to Pet. They'll be leaving soon anyways, and the party's over." Her mum wrapped her arms around her youngest daughter. "You okay taking a taxi home?"

"Sure," Lily answered. "I've got some cash. I'll be okay."

"You going to say goodbye to Sirius and James?"

"Right," Lily said, as if she could forget. "Yes."

"Good," Rose said, waving the two boys through the door. "They said they needed to head out anyways."

"Hey," James greeted, Sirius closely following behind him as they joined mother and daughter beneath the awning.

"It was lovely meeting you boys," Rose said, shaking their hands once more. "Thank you for keeping my daughter company tonight - but I best get back to my other daughter before Vernon steals her away."

"Good bye, Mrs. Evans," Sirius said smoothly, holding the door open to let the woman through, before he stepped out into the rain. "Come on, Prongsie. I could go for a cuppa before bed."

"Bye, Lily," James said, half-raising his arm to - she wasn't sure. Touch her shoulder? But Lily couldn't help how much more genuine his tone sounded over her sister's.

"Bye, James," she said quietly, watching his back as he stepped into the ran to join Sirius.

She followed him out into the rain, heading towards the street's curb. There was enough traffic to indicate the city's night was far from over, but less cabbies than she expected. Lily raised her hand in a wave, hoping to hail a cab quickly.

From a few feet away, she saw James turn back to look at her, his expression unreadable

"I'll make sure she gets back," she could hear James say.

"What're you, her dad?" Sirius returned teasingly.

James ignored the jab. "You okay to get home on your own?

"I'm seventeen, aren't I? I can apparate."

Lily scoffed, still holding her hand out to catch the attention of a cabby. Sirius could certainly catty when he wanted to be. A black taxi finally noticed her, weaving its way over to the parking lane. Still curious, she glanced back in the direction she had seen the boys go and jumped, finding him back at her side.

She glanced behind James, catching sight of Sirius walking casually down the sidewalk, unaffected by the light rain.

"I've got a cab," she said lamely, and James smiled, opening the door for her and allowing her to slide in. "You escorting me home?" she asked, a bit snidely.

"Can't have you going home alone, can we? You'll probably get murdered," he replied smoothly, sliding in after her.

"Ha, ha," she said sarcastically. "Have you been in one of these before?" she asked curiously once they settled and gave the driver her address.

"Once," James replied, only a slight tension in his shoulders. "With Remus, last Christmas actually."

"I can't wait to apparate," she revealed quietly, sure that even if the driver heard her, it wouldn't have been the strangest he'd heard.

"Me either," James agreed, his eyes scanning the landscape as they moved further away from the reception hall. "You've got your examination already scheduled?"

"Of course," Lily said immediately. "Next month."

They fell quiet then, each looking out their respective windows to watch the people and buildings pass by the windows. Soon enough, the cabby was entering Lily's borough. They were parked in front of her house before she could think twice about how weird it was to have James in her home.

"Thanks," she said to the cabby, feeding money through the glass opening to pay for the fee.

She felt nervous suddenly, as she unlocked her front door and gestured James in through the doorway. "Home, sweet home," she joked, shutting the door behind her.

He was studying the living room, not without a critical eye, his eyes pausing at the photos along the wall and above the sofa, looking at the television in the corner of the room with interest.

"It's nice," he complimented.

"Thanks," Lily felt awkward, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear.

"Where's your room?" he asked out of curiosity. "I've always wondered if Lily Evans was compulsively clean or messy."

"You've seen our dorm," she reminded him, only feeling slightly weird as she lead him down the small hallways towards her room. "When you Marauders pulled that prank that changed all our uniforms bright pink?"

He scoffed, but a pleased look overcame his features. "Ah, yeah, I remember that now. But that was 2nd Year."

"Not much has changed," she told him, pushing open the door to her room. She wasn't sure if it was from living in a dorm for all these years, but having another person in her private bedroom didn't seem to bother her as much as she would've thought.

James followed her in, glancing around the room with a keen eye. He took a few steps further into the room, his hand tracing the back of her desk chair. He fingered the chocolate frog card on her desk. Circe. It was the one her mother had gotten when she was last here.

"That's amazing," he said, quite reverently.

"You can have it," she said unexpectedly. "I don't collect them, so I don't have much use for it."

"Are you sure?" James asked carefully. He met her gaze and held it.

She looked away, clearing her throat, feeling suddenly warm. Surely it was the champagne. "That reminds me," she said. "I've got your gift."

Lily kneeled to reach towards the bottom drawer of her desk to pull it open. She struggled for a moment, the drawer sticking on the tracks. It finally gave way and she picked up the poorly wrapped gift, a card attached to it by ribbon. She stood.

"Here," she said, suddenly shy, handing him the gift, which he accepted with gentle hands, as if it would break.

"Can I open it here?" he asked, his voice oddly quiet.

She made a noise in the back of her throat, which he took as an affirmative.

James made it was back towards her bed and sat down with the small gift in his hands. Lily took a moment to recollect her thoughts while he focused on the present.

It was all a bit bizarrely funny. Here was James Potter, the boy with wild hair who drove her absolutely mad, sitting on the soft comforter of her full-sized bed, dressed smartly in a tuxedo. She couldn't help the bubble of laughter that fought its way out of her throat.

"What?" he asked with an amused smile - the same easy, casual smile that made her heart suddenly ache.

Maybe she did have a little too much champagne.

"Nothing," she said, a bit breathless. She sunk into the chair at her desk, swivelling to face away from him.

He had given her a look like he didn't believe her, but didn't push. With slow, careful movements, James untied the ribbon around the gift, plucking away the attached letter before it could fall to the ground.

"You don't have to read that now," Lily said, meaning it. For a brief moment, she wished she had written something more than what she had.

"Of course I do," he insisted, his eyes catching hers as he slid a finger beneath the flap of the letter, tearing it open. He slid the card out - one side had been painted with a large Christmas tree, covering in gold and red tinsel and ornaments. He flipped it over to the other side, blank except for what she had written:

Happy Christmas, James!

Your friend, Lily xx

She had felt a little bit like a prat for writing it that way, but she had hoped he'd sense the sincerity in her words, your friend.

But she felt like she had nothing to worry about, for James was giving her a look as if he knew what she had meant, the earnest truth in her closing sentiment. The genuine smile he was giving her made her stomach flip unexpectedly.

Luckily, before her cheeks started to turn pink, he turned his attention back towards the gift on his lap. The paper around it tore easily and he still used gentle movements to lift the lid off of the box.

"A snitch," he said, surprised, but pleased.

"I noticed you weren't messing about with one this year," she quickly explained, silently willing her cheeks to not turn red. He was looking up at her in slight awe. "And Hooch was actually about to throw it out - 'it's not quite up to par,' she said."

He chuckled softly. "You didn't nick it?"

"Of course not," she said. "If you'd just ask her, she would have been willing to give it to you."

"Right," he said, in a way that made Lily wonder if he had asked in the past and had been told no.

"It's been charmed so that it won't fly too far - and Accio should work on it, if needed."

Lily watched as he used his slender fingers to pluck it from its cushion, the golden silver wings popping out and expanding, as if to test their own strength. They began to flutter, the sound quiet in her room, but he did not let it go.

"I know it's not much," she said. "And really, I didn't even pay for it..."

"It's perfect." James's voice and stare were so earnest that Lily had to look away. "I didn't get you anything," he said ashamedly.

"That's okay," she said immediately. "Actually, I think you showing up at the wedding was a gift, itself. I'm not sure how I would've made it through, as painful as it was. But don't tell anyone I said that."

James smiled at the jab, but clearly wasn't convinced.

"And it's not Christmas yet," she added slyly. "Shops are still open."

He laughed. "Yes, they are," he acknowledged with a smirk. His gaze dropped back down onto the snitch in his hand, his free hand coming up to muss up his hair. "But I'm not sure I could top this."

James wrapped his hand around the snitch more securely, the small wings wrapping back around itself. He placed it back onto the cushion and neatly closed the lid. He smiled again, catching her gaze. "It's wonderful," he said. "Thank you."

They both jumped at the sound of the front door opening and closing. "Lily? Did you make it home?" her mother's voice called.

The two teenagers jumped up from their spots, as if what they were doing was nefarious. Lily smiled at him timidly, relaxing a little bit.

"Yeah, Mum!" she called. "Be out in a minute!"

"Is she going to be mad?" James asked. He gestured between them.

Lily shook her head in mirth. "No, it's alright. She trusts me." (But Merlin, who'd have thunk she'd be in this situation?) She suddenly realized how close they were standing together. Her mouth felt dry (that damned champagne!). "But we probably should head out there."

He nodded and allowed her to lead the way out of her bedroom. She could hear as he fiddled with the box in his hands as it tucked it inside of his tuxedo jacket.

"Everything go okay?" Lily asked her mother as they came into the living room.

Rose had already kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse onto the couch. In her arms was a large white box. "Cake?" she offered, holding the box out. It teetered precariously in her grip and Lily wondered just how much she had brought home.

"Let me take that," James offered, taking the box from her mother's hands smoothly. Lily felt a bit pleased at his manners, watching as he brought the cake into the kitchen and set it onto the table. Then shook herself. It's not as though she wanted him to impress her mother to earn her approval.

"Thank you," Rose said gratefully. "And yes - everything went off without a hitch. Pet and Vernon left in the limo. I'm so glad we paid extra for the clean-up."

Lily smiled wryly. "I told you none of the wedding party would stick around to help."

Rose tutted. "Well, thank God it's over. James, please feel free to have a piece. Plates are in the cupboard to your right."

He looked a bit surprised at her offer. "Oh, it's alright, Mrs. Evans. I'm good."

"Please," she insisted in a tone that left little room to decline. "And dish up a plate for Lily and I."

Lily held back a laugh as James looked at her, as if asking for permission to rummage through her kitchen. She nodded. "Please," she repeated her mother. Cake did sound wonderful. "I'll grab some milk."

And then, it was the three of them sitting in the Evans's kitchen, quietly eating the leftover wedding cake that tasted just a bit too sweet.

While it wasn't an uncomfortable silence, Lily still felt off-kilter sitting with James and her mother, as if this was something they did for dinner every other night. Her mother seemed to sense this.

"Right," Rose said, setting down her fork. "This is too rich for my blood." She pushed the plate away.

"But you love cake," Lily said in amusement.

Rose patted her stomach. "I've had enough. I think I'm going to call it a night." She stood from the table, pushing her half-eaten cake towards Lily. "James, lovely to meet you. Thank you for coming to the wedding."

"Of course," he said immediately, giving her mother his smile.

Rose bent to press a kiss to Lily's cheek. "Night, love." She dropped her voice lower. "Don't stay up too late."

"Mum," Lily complained, feeling her cheeks burn. "Get out of here."

"Good night, James," said Rose with a smile and a wave, before she left the kitchen.

"Good night, Mrs. Evans," he replied and Lily felt a little better that even his cheeks were a little more flushed than before.

"Merlin, that woman," Lily muttered, rubbing her hands over the heated skin of her cheeks.

James laughed easily, his fingers threading through his hair once more. "You should talk to my parents - they're worse."

"Well, if you've got Sirius living with you…"

"They actually got better when he moved in."

Lily giggled, shaking her head. "I guess it's only fair. I've met your mum, now you've met mine."

He nodded. "Padfoot said my mum can share some pretty embarrassing stuff - but I'll have to keep you away from my dad as long as possible. He's made it a goal to embarrass me. Luckily, Padfoot, Moony, and Wormtail pretty much already know everything."

"Now I feel as though I have to meet your dad," Lily said forlornly, but a smile was pulling at her lips.

"Hold on, I think we're moving a bit fast now," he said in a joking manner.

His words had a bit of a sobering effect on her and she shifted uncomfortably, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear.

"That not - what I meant," he tried to recover, but fell silent with a regretful look.

"I should probably walk you out," said Lily after a long pause. "It's getting late." She stood from the table, feeling the shoes pitched at her toes.

"Right," he said, mirroring her movements to stand. He followed her silently from the kitchen to the front door and the silence felt awkwardly painful to Lily.

"How will you get home?" she asked curiously, holding the door open for him. "You're not seventeen yet, are you?"

"Not yet," he said, sliding past her in the doorway into the cold air. It had begun to snow, the snowflakes large and heavy. "March."

Lily smiled in amusement as she followed him outside, closing the door behind her. "I'm older than you."

"I know," said James with an easy smile, catching her eye as he turned back towards her. It appeared he had long ago learned this fact, coming to terms with it much more quickly than she.

Lily looked away, staring out into the street beyond her driveway. It was quiet, having been past midnight. There was no sound of cars and the only noise came from the rustling of their clothes.

"I'll take the Knight Bus," he said. "Not my favorite mode of transportation - but it's fast."

"So I've heard."

Lily wrapped her arms around herself, rubbing at the skin of her arms as she followed James's lead. They walked together down the pathway towards the edge of the driveway, leaving two sets of footprints in the snowfall.

"Thank you," she said softly, just as he was about to raise his wand arm. Without warning, her eyes started to tear. She prayed that he would think that it was only the frigid air that caused them to water. "You know. For you and Sirius coming here."

He lowered the hand holding his wand, turning his head slightly to stare down at her. "Any time," he said, his voice low in his chest.

Almost reluctantly, she raised her eyes to meet his, a little stunned by the intense expression in them.

James raised his wand then, his eyes still studying her face closely. They both jumped when a loud bang ripped through the air as a bright purple, double-decker appeared before them.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus!" a short, portly witch grinned. "I see you stuck out your wand hand - come on a board, you two!" She waved them forward. "I ain't gunna bite! Name's Hilda."

"Just going to be me, Hilda," James said. He looked back down at Lily, his lips turned in a farewell smile. "See you back at school, Lily."

A feeling suddenly welled up inside of her. As if she had no control over her limbs, Lily tugged at the elbow of his sleeve before he could take another step, then wrapped her arms around his neck when he turned back to face her.

James nearly stumbled in surprise, his hands touching her waist haltingly. There was a beat of time, before they slid around her and he hugged Lily back.

She tried not to think of how warm he was, how nice he smelled, or how secure his hug felt - and so she shut her eyes tightly, glad he couldn't see her face.

But Hilda could.

Lily's eyes popped open, cheeks warm as she caught sight of the older witch looking at them with a teasing grin and wink.

She let her arms fall away from his shoulders as she stepped back quickly, feeling his hands reluctantly drop from her waist. "Thanks again," she said, knowing she couldn't blame the cold for how red her cheeks were. "See you at school."

He looked a bit dazed, if she were honest. His expression was a bit bewildered, but he was obviously pleased and she watched as he stepped onto the Knight Bus with less smooth movements than she knew him for. James gave her one last wave, before the whole double-decker disappeared with another loud bang.

Lily wrapped her arms around herself once more, no longer feeling cold.

She was… definitely in trouble.

In some reviews... you guys were totally right about James and Sirius showing up. Stay tuned to see how the rest of Christmas break goes! ;)