A/N: So here's the final chapter of this short story. I hope you enjoy it! Thank you to those who have reviewed, favorited and followed this story. I do hope I did the Marauders justice!
Chapter Three - The Service
"James, seriously, let me -"
"No."
"- I don't want you to do everything this morning -"
"I don't want to be babied because my parents are dead."
Lily flinched, staring at James with a grimace - her stomach twisting with guilt. James's expression was blank as he continued on preparing the food.
"I'm sorry, James," Lily apologized sincirely.
"I know you didn't mean anything of it," he replied indifferently.
Today is the day of the service - in an hour or so people will arrive at Potter Manor to eat and talk before apparating to Godric's Hollow for the burial. Professor McGonagall had gone through Stephen's and Delilah's contact book and sent a letter to those who were still alive. Through their travels and long lives, they met a lot of people; people from France, Russia, Germany, Romania, the States, and people who do and did work at St. Mungo's and the Ministry are coming.
"Well... Is there anything I can help you with?"
"You can - you can help me set out all of the food."
Lily was happy to be able to help James with something. He and Sirius have resolutely been demanding not to be pampered whatsoever, to be allowed to show the least amount emotion as possible. When their friends confronted Professor McGonagall, she assured the four that James and Sirius mourned Thursday and Friday, and, she thinks, that they will mourn more at the service.
The chef's kitchen in Potter Manor had a huge counter-island, so they placed most of the food on it, then spread the rest out over the other counters.
Professor McGonagall had returned to Hogwarts the previous night and was going to be coming for the service with Professors Dumbledore, Sprout, Vektor, and Flitwick. Once the food was spread around and the house was cleaned and ready for so many people, the Marauders, Lily, and Marlene filtered up the stairs to get ready.
Several people that they didn't know showed up at the house, all introducing themselves as old friends, old co-workers, or current Ministry and St. Mungo's employees. All of the home's occupants were suddenly swept away in stories of Stephen and Delilah, some that they knew, others that they didn't. Whether or not they knew the stories, though, everyone was clearly cherishing them.
Lily and Marlene learned a lot more than the Marauders did simply because they had not known Stephen and Delilah as well. They knew that James was the only child they had had, and that he was their world.
But Stephen and Delilah had gone to Hogwarts together, he in Gryffindor and she in Ravenclaw, and they had never crossed paths. After their graduation, Stephen became an auror and Delilah became an emergency healer at St. Mungo's. Stephen had to reieve treatment from St. Mungo's after an auror mission and his healer was none other than Delilah Frantz. For a year after that, Stephen would just-so-happen to get injuries while on the job, and off, in order to be sent to the ER. Delilah, being her ever so brilliant self, finally asked him what his deal was. Stephen asked her out, promising that he would stop purposely getting hurt.
They were friends for the next year and then decided to get transferred together - to Russia. As people are telling it, they soaked up the adventure, only returning to England to visit family. At some point they got married in a private ceremony, only a few other people in attendance. That happened while they were in Scotland, and they traveled all over Europe and Asia, even settling down in Central America for a few months. Eventually, though, Stephen and Delilah moved back to England with the desire to have a child - James.
With two water glasses, Lily walked back towards the parlor, humming to herself softly. Upon entering the room, she passed James and a woman who was introducing herself as Elizabeth Sutton.
"I met your parents in Dublin, 1959," she said to him.
Glancing back, Lily was pleased to see that James's was smiling a little bit - he seems happy to hear all of these stories about his parents, and he will surely hear one from at least everyone. Looking around, Lily was able to locate Sirius as well, who had also been swept `up by all of the Potter's friends to be told stories. Remus took a glass from her when she reached him, and in silence they watched their surroundings.
A man from the Ministry interrupted our silence kindly.
"I'm Nigel Hathaway," he told us, shaking our hands with his large and calloused ones. "I spent two months here late last year, just before Christmas," he explained. "I was on an Order assignment and got hurt pretty bad so they took me in. I loved them very dearly, of course, as everyone else here does. How are James and Sirius handling this, though? The way that Stephen and Delilah spoke about them, I could tell that they were close."
Remus and Lily shared a look before telling Nigel how they thought the two were handling the deaths of their parents. As Remus spoke to Nigel, Lily looked around for the two men in question. Sirius was now talking to a different person than he had been before, and James -
James's face had fallen, no longer holding even a trace of a smile. He looked pale and rather sick - Elizabeth was still talking to him, but he seemed to have stopped listening. His eyes were blank and he was staring at the woman completely expressionless. He nodded to something she said, and she reached out to touch him, but before she could, he had turned and left the room.
"Excuse me," murmured Lily, touching Remus's arm to catch his attention.
Remus watched her for a moment as she walked away, clearly in a daze. When he noticed that James was no where to be found, his stomach lurched and he understood. Making an internal vow to find them after his conversation with Nigel was over, he returned to the man with haste.
Lily passed Elizabeth, making eye contact with her only for a second before she left the room and came to a stop in the foyer. Elizabeth had looked hopeless, and Lily bit down on her tongue to refrain from saying anything. It infuriated her that anyone would say anything to James today that even had the possibility of upsetting him.
James was not in the foyer, though. A pretty and petite woman saw Lily, though, and discreetly pointed with her finger. Lily, smiled at her gratefully and followed the direction to the kitchen. She didn't find James in there either, but noticed the the door to the office was open.
Looking in cautiously, I saw James sitting on one of the cushioned seats near his father's desk. His face was hidden by his hands, his fingers in his untamable hair, messing it up even more than it already is.
"James," Lily called softly, closing the door behind her. James made no move to show that he heard her. His breathing was shallow, but even and Lily knew he is just trying to come to terms with whatever he had just been told.
She sat beside him, wrapping her arm around his ribs.
"What happened?"
James didn't answer for a few seconds, and when he did his voice was dry.
"A woman... Elizabeth - she was neighbors with my parents when my mum got pregnant with me."
"Yes, I heard her say that she met them in Dublin," Lily supplied.
James nodded, and sat up, blowing out a long breath. His hair was standing up in all different directions now and Lily made sure that she didn't smile because of it.
"Anyways... My parents didn't move back to England until my mum was about five months along. Elizabeth -" he sighed, shaking his head. "Elizabeth told me that... That there were two babies. " Lily gasped. "I didn't - neither of my parents ever told me that. And at first I thought it was because they were sad about it, you know, but no. I suppose it's because after the other baby died my dad ran off."
Lily internally cursed, what the hell was that woman thinking telling him this?
"James," she began quietly. "James, I know that your father loved your mother very much."
"Yeah, I didn't say that I didn't know that," James said harshly. "But he still left, didn't he? He didn't even want to stick around and help my mum cope or to wait around for me. Elizabeth said that my mum went and found him - cussed him out, probably - and that's when they decided to move to England."
Lily thought hard for a moment. "He couldn't have helped you mum cope if he didn't know how to cope himself."
"Why are you defending him?"
"Because I know that you love him very much, James. You're just angry at a mistake he made seventeen years ago. And you shouldn't be."
There was silence for a few minutes and Lily thought for a second that she had angered James. His face, though, told her otherwise. James seemed to not have anything to say on the subject any more. Lily was just about to suggest they go back to kitchen when James spoke.
"Why are you doing this?"
"What?"
"I mean - I know we're friends now and stuff, but... Why did you come in here and try to comfort me?"
"I - because we're friends," Lily repeated lamely. In all honesty, her feelings for James made it so that whenever he was in pain, she was too. She couldn't stand to see him upset.
James looked sideways at her. "This is the kind of stuff that I do for you."
Lily snorted. "What, does that mean I'm not allowed ot be there for you, then?"
James smirked. "Not at all, Evans," he replied, addressing her by her surname again. "But you're giving me an odd feeling. What're you playing at?"
"Nothing," said Lily coolly. Inside she was beginning to get nervous - James is toeing on treacherous, emotional, grounds now.
James stared at her for a minute. Lily could feel her face begin to heat up, and as soon as she felt it, James began grinning. His grin widened as her blush grew a deeper shade of red.
"I'm going to keep staring at you if you don't talk."
"I'm making sure you're alright because I care for you."
"Well, I care about you too."
Lily gave him a look.
"Now is not the place -"
"If you want me to feel better -"
"You are such a prat!"
"- My parents would be happy."
Lily gave James another nasty look. "Don't bring them into this -"
"If they were here they would put themselves in it."
Lily bit her lip. What was she suppose to say? 'Oh, I've had a crush on you since Christmas our sixth year and ever since this term started I've been in love with you'?Lily scoffed at the thought. No - she isn't like that. She especially isn't like that with James. Lily suddenly became aware that James was still staring at her, just as he had promised, and now his handsome face bore his arrogant smirk.
Thinking of several different ways to go about this, she sighed.
"Would you like to - er - go to Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"
James's face broke into a grin.
"Are you serious?" he chortled, looking the happiest Lily had seen him in a long time. She got butterflies in her stomach at the thought.
"No," she smirked. "Sirius is out in the parlor still -"
Lily gasped. Her use of the Marauder's infamous joke had done it for James. He grabbed her face on either side and pressed his lips against her's. She attempted to laugh at this, and, grinning, James pressed his tongue into her mouth.
Oblivious to the world around them, they did not hear the people talking outside of the office. Nor did they notice when the door burst open.
"HOLY SHIT!"
James and Lily flew apart and gaped at the door, which Sirius had burst through, obviously looking for James. Remus was just behind him. When the werewolf saw the two, his scarred face broke into a large grin.
"YOU WERE JUST - YOU SNOGGED EVANS!"
"Sirius, lower your voice!" Lily yelled, turning bright red. James was grinning and she smacked him on the chest.
"MY BABY!" Sirius fake wailed. He enveloped James into his arm, James shaking with laughter. "MY BABY IS ALL GROWN UP - OH MY WORD!"
Lily looked at Remus helplessly as the werewolf doubled over in laughter.
"Can you fuss over me later, Padfoot?" James laughed.
"OH, of course! Snog - continue to snog as long as you want. I will tell people that you are busy and they shall wait!"
Sirius took a few, long strides and left the room, exclaiming to the entire manor that their schedule is going to be rightfully delayed.
Remus bade the two good-bye, and then closed the door behind him as he stepped out as well.
"If I date you, I date him too, huh?"
James grimaced. "We're kind of a package deal," he answered, smiling.
"Well, can it include Remus so I'm not a third wheel?"
"Of course Moony is included!" exclaimed James happily. "Now, the service is delayed so that we can snog - do not lie to my parents' friends, Lilian."
"My names not Lilian -"
"It was rhetorical," muttered James, pulling her to him again with a wide grin.