a/n: The last oneshot! But who better than Lily to finish it?
xvi. stained glass inhibitions
Though she would never admit it willingly (a horrible skill she'd learned from her older cousin), Lily Luna Potter was, in fact, not perfect.
If anything, then perhaps perfectly fallible. Which would explain why she was standing at the entrance of grand cathedral dripping wet, droplets of water spiraling down her hair and echoing as they hit the stone floor with a small plunk.
Although even her unspoken fallibility can't simply explain the situation. After all, how many witches find themselves wandless in a muggle house of worship?
One.
Only Lily, always Lily.
The cathedral is empty but the candles are lit and Lily is a bit confused as to why that makes sense. Why would muggles waste a perfectly good candle if no one was using it?
The floor was freezing against her bare feet and she grudgingly put back on the uncomfortable heels she'd been wearing at Dom's wedding. Her dress hung limply at her knees; the green darkened by the water and reminding her vaguely of Nott's infamous dress robes.
She laughed and the sound resonated; it was lonely in its volume.
...
She was quick on the trigger. The loudest, most brash of the Slytherin house- surpassing Dominique and Lysander combined. Most people assumed is was the Gryffindor blood undoubtedly flowing through her veins but no one ever made the mistake of voicing their opinion to her: they quickly realized that she still was a Slytherin, regardless of her family.
Some call her unstable.
Her friends just shrug and laugh.
And that's when Lily gets her hands on the firewhiskey and the girls begin to worry [not necessarily about Lily] and the entire male population of the Slytherin house (for starters) all but get in line to try their luck with the firecracker.
...
"He just wants to get in your pants, Lil'," Jesse Nott told her, watching idly from her bed as Lily pulled her hair roughly into something resembling a ponytail. Lily scowled at her friend in the mirror.
"So? Maybe I want him in my pants," she retorted.
"Smith is a prick and you know it."
"And on whose authority do you know that?"
"Potter," she said shortly.
"Nott," Lily replied, mocking. Jesse poked her with her wand.
"It's not going to change anything with Teddy either."
"Fuck off, Nott."
"You wouldn't do it if you were sober."
"I said, fuck off."
...
The next morning she wakes up with a massive hangover and tangled in the sheets of the Ravenclaw common room. It's moments like these she is beyond glad it's only her and Hugo left at Hogwarts.
It's these same moments that she hates to admit when her friend is right.
Especially the fourth time in the month.
...
"Excited to be out of Hogwarts, Lily?"
The young woman in question reaches across the table for the eggs, determinedly not looking across from her nor asking for them. Teddy sighs.
"S'alright mum. I kind of miss Quidditch though," she says, a smirk crawling across her face.
"You didn't even play!" her brother, James that is, says incredulously.
"Yes, but I had friends who did."
"Speaking of which," Ginny says, sensing the conversation is shifting into unwanted territory, "Where have they been? I haven't seen Jesse in ages."
Lily shrugs, "She's off with her mum somewhere. Canada maybe? It could have been the States though."
Lily knows how to end a conversation with a single sentence [years of practice] and that's her final one as she stands, pushing her plate aside with a "Thanks, mum" and flying upstairs before she says or does anything stupid.
Downstairs Teddy goes back to his meal, forcing himself to avoid shifting his eyes to where she'd run off too but wishing all the same he could follow without being hexed. Mainly by her, most likely by James.
He's not sure about Ginny.
...
The dress feels suffocating when she slips it in on during the mid- August heat. Under normal circumstances, she'd complain but it's short at least and green and it's Dom's wedding after all- nearly six years in the making by Lily's count- so she figures she owes her this much.
Besides, it doesn't look to bad on her and well, Victoire isn't in one.
She snickers at the thought.
"You ready Lil'?" The woman of the moment pokes her head in the doorway, a braid crowning her head and the rest falling in sheets of red down her back. She'd be the picture of innocence- until the tattoo down her spine peeks out of the curtains. Lily smiles.
"Of course," she says, grabbing the trio of orchids on the stool.
"Good- also, there's been a change in the line-up. So play it cool, yeah?"
Lily doesn't really listen- until she reaches the back door of the Burrow to see Teddy Lupin standing there, waiting for her, and looking awfully uncomfortable.
Bloody hell Dominique.
...
She walks with him down the aisle, focusing her attention on Roxanne's back rather than the pleasant feeling of her hand in his.
They split at the front, and she drifts next to Roxanne as Dom turns out of the Burrow with her uncle.
"Convenient switch, yeah?" Roxanne whispers. Lily breathes deeply.
"Just fantastic."
"Aren't you-"
"Rox, let's just watch our cousin get married, okay?"
But even as Dominique turned heads, every drop of Veela blood in her glowing, Lily was distracted by turquoise hair across the way.
...
"Don't you think-" said Roxanne, starting in on her younger cousin who was on her fourth (fifth?) glass of night already.
"No," she said shortly, cutting the curly haired girl off, downing the rest of the shot and getting up slightly more steadily sans heels.
"Lily!" Roxanne hissed, watching the red head disappear into the crowd. Swearing violently, she wandered after her. "Merlin, I'm going to need a drink of my own soon."
...
"Long time no see," she says, sliding up alongside him, her hand brushing against his arm lightly. He shivered as she smiled slowly up at him, eyes bright.
"Lily," he says warily.
"Mhm?"
She's much too close now, tapping her fingers against his kneecap. He blushes, fighting to keep his hair a neutral shade of turquoise and not the blinding red that would match his face to perfection. Or her hair, for that matter. Swallowing heavily he tries again, slowly taking a step back.
"Lily, you're drunk."
"M'not."
"Lils."
"Maybe, maybe a little. But so are you Teddy Lupin!"
"I've had two drinks, Lily."
Her eyes shine devilishly and she takes a step back on her own accord: "But you'll have more eventually," she says, turning and sashaying away through the crowd. Teddy sighs yet again and decides that girl will be the death of him.
...
She bites his lip as he musses her hair. She works the dress robes off him to meet her dress already a puddle on the floor before collapsing onto the bed.
Fire is running through her veins, her eyes wide and for the better part of an hour she fancies herself infallble.
...
He's gone in the morning, his flat silent. She hears the soft hum of Muggle London coming in through the cracked window across the room. She feels the panic rising inside her as she gives a quick search of the place. His robes from last night are still on the floor.
Anger takes over and she pulls on the dress and grabs the heels and flies out the door without looking back, not seeing the note
Had to run out real quick. Be back shortly- don't leave!
-Teddy
...
The rain starts ten minutes later and she's lost as fuck and the muggle tube system is far more confusing than necessary. Her head is pounding, her feet ache and she's cold or all this in the warm rain.
The cathedral is warm and inviting from the outside- pretty glass decorating the windows; she's always had a weakness for pretty things.
...
She laughs and the water dripping down her forehead is indistinguishable from tears.