Swimming In Your Skivvies

"I remember it so clearly." Sirius' voice rang through the room as he stood up, wine glass in hand. He grinned widely as the guests around him quieted down, before he glanced over at Lily and James, who were happily seated near him at a long and ornate table. "Sorry, mate. You can't get through this without me telling at least one embarrassing story."

"Sirius—…" James protested, though he too couldn't restrain the smirk that was coming to his face.

"No, no. I'm the Best Man, I get to do whatever I want." When Lily shot him a look, he chuckled and amended his statement. "Well, we'll just make this my toast, won't we?" A wave of laughter came over the table, but Sirius put up a hand and silence reigned once more.

"As I said, I remember this like it was yesterday. It was the first time James knew of Lily's existence, which was quite a momentous occasion. Let me set the scene for all of you. We're at Hogwarts, Fourth Year has just begun, and it's one of the last warm days of the year. Needless to say, everyone was outside enjoying the weather, and you wouldn't guess what our lovely Lily was doing…"

"Oy, Wormtail, we're over here!" James Potter's voice rang across the Grounds, signaling to Peter who had just walked out of the Castle. As he began to rush over to the tree, Sirius snorted.

"That kid looks rather frightening when he runs."

"Sirius…" Remus chastised from behind his book, to which James laughed with mirth.

Peter finally reached them, though his gaze was fixed beyond the tree towards the lake. "Did no one notice the half-naked girls in the lake?" he asked, somewhat out of breath.

Three heads turned towards the lake and Sirius clapped his hands once in triumph. "You know, I didn't think this day could be any more beautiful, but I know what would make it even more beautiful."

"Who wants to help me steal their clothes?" Three heads snapped back towards James who had a maniacal look in his eyes.

"Why do you always read my mind?" Sirius demanded before he stood up and the two of them began walking casually towards the lake. The girls didn't seem to notice as they got near, nor did they notice when the two of them surreptitiously picked up the skirts and blouses that were piled up near the shore of the lake. It wasn't until they were several paces away when they heard a voice call out to them.

"Potter! Black! What are you doing with our clothes?"

James turned around to see a blonde girl with her mouth agape. He gave a suave smirk and yelled back, "You could follow us to find out if you want."

They weren't halfway back to the tree when James heard a splash and quick footsteps before he felt a swift tap on the shoulder. "I see you took my adv—…" He turned around as he spoke, but stopped mid-word as he saw that it wasn't the blonde.

"Will you give us our clothes back, please?"

There before him was a beautiful red-head, dripping wet, with nothing but her underclothes on. He ignored the fact that she looked seething, and didn't take measures to keep his mouth from hanging open.

"Did you not hear what I said?" she asked, narrowing her eyes quickly.

"This is what you get for swimming in nothing but your skivvies!" Sirius, who had retreated to the tree, yelled back to her.

"Bugger off, Black," Lily responded sourly, looking back to James. "Really, clothes please."

A moment of silence lingered between them before James finally found the strength to speak. "Do I know you? What's your name?" he stuttered, trying ever so hard to keep his eyes fixed on hers.

Lily crossed her arms across her chest uncomfortably, goosebumps rising on her arms. "Are you serious?" She waited for several moments, and when he didn't respond, she continued. "Potter, I'm in your year."

"Oh…" he muttered, clearing his throat uncomfortably.

"And your house."

Embarrassed, he looked down for a moment. "Oh…Well… What's your name then?"

"Just give me back my bloody clothes!" she exclaimed, at which point James looked back up quickly.

"If you tell me your name, I will."

She paused, considering this for a moment. "Fine. Lily Evans. Though you should have known that if you had any sense at all."

James furrowed his brow, confusion written on his face. "Wait, you're joking, right?" he asked slowly.

"Excuse me?" she asked, watching him expectantly. "You said if I gave you my name, you would give me my clothes. C'mon!"

"Yeah, I lied," he said quickly, and before she could retort, he continued. "You can't be Lily Evans…"

"Why not?" she demanded, clenching her jaw.

"Well, Sirius always talks about how Evans has a stick up her arse…" he began, but cringed when the words came out of his mouth.

"Do you want to continue that sentence?" she asked incredulously.

"And I just assumed…You were unattractive…"

It was a train wreck. He wanted to run away and pretend that he hadn't said these things to the most attractive girl he had ever seen, but he couldn't move and couldn't stop watching her expressions.

"I've always thought you were an arrogant jerk, and I'm glad you could prove me right." With that, Lily reached behind him and grabbed her clothes, shoving them against her scantily clothed body.

When she began to walk away, James felt Sirius' hand on his shoulder. "I've never seen you dig yourself in such a deep hole," he chuckled, shaking his head.

"Padfoot… She's the one…"

"Not if I have anything to do with it!" Lily called out, glancing back at him with a victorious expression.

"I mean, it was really a fairytale beginning," Sirius finished, and the guests applauded, chuckling intermittently. He raised his glass and looked at James and Lily, who were beaming, and nodded to them. "Congratulations, mate. To Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" The guests repeated him in a giant chorus, and everyone took a gulp of champagne.

"Are you still mad at me for doing that?" James murmured to Lily as the guests clapped.

Lily's eyes sparkled as a smile came to her face. "Furious," she teased, leaning forward and planting a resolute kiss on his lips.

Thanks for reading! This was in response to Cleopatra's The Greek Mythology Challenge. My myth was Zeus and Metis. I hope you enjoyed it, and feel free to drop me a review and let me know what you thought!

Until next time,

Christine