Sisterly Abandon

"She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. Some days, she's the reason you wish you were an only child." - Barbara Alpert

"Lily."

I stayed completely still in my bed.

"Lily."

I shut my eyes the slightest bit tighter.

"Lily."

Perhaps if I never answered her, she would go away. I would be able to sleep, and everything would be wonderful. It would be wonderful and warm and soft and...

"C'mon, Lily, I really don't have time for this."

I exhaled and a moan escaped through my lips as I turned the slightest bit to my left to avoid the finger poking into my back.

"Lily, you have to wake up. Stop lying there and pretending you can't hear me."

I grimaced as hands forcefully gripped my shoulders, pulled me up in my bed, and shook my torso vigorously. I willed my eyes to stay shut.

"It's time to wake up."

"Not now, please," I mumbled as I let myself sink back into my warm and fluffy pillow. "I'm sleeping."

I heard a loud humph and then a chorus of stomping feet. A lazy smile drifted over my face as I drifted back into slumberland where the normally tapdancing monkeys had changed their routine into a seductive tango with the cupcake fairies.

A bright light filled the room after I heard the curtains being ripped away from my window.

"Gah!" I groaned shrilly. "Too bright," I said. "Turn it off. Too bright."

"There's nothing to turn off, Lily. It's morning. You can't stop the sun from rising, not even with your freakish powers."

I thought about opening my mouth to correct her, but I was far too tired for that kind of effort.

Suddenly, I felt my slender fingers grip my biceps. "No, no, no," I protested as I struggled in vain to release myself from her death grip.

She pulled me upwards with her practically superhuman upper body strength and started to drag me out of bed.

I squirmed and kicked and held onto my bed, but the sheets slipped from my fingers, and I abruptly found myself sprawled across on my yellow carpet.

"I can see your knickers."

I groaned.

"Why are there little cauldrons on them?"

I mumbled a muffled reply as I lifted my face off the floor. Disgruntled, I pulled the hem of James's scarlet Quidditch shirt down.

"Better. Now, get up. We have to get ready for my wedding."

Exhausted, I raised my gaze up to my sister's frantic, blue eyes. She was wearing a pink terry robe tied loosely over a white slip that she wore underneath it. Her face was clear of any makeup, and her hair was wound into tight curlers on top of her head. I fought the idle urge to laugh. "Wouldn't want to be late for that," I muttered unenthusiastically.

"Lily. Bathroom. Shower. Now."

I nodded listlessly until she dashed out of my room. Too sluggish to attempt the Herculean feat of picking my body off the floor, I blindly pulled my pillow off my bed and threw it onto the carpet beside me. I nestled my head into its soft center and let my eyelids relax.

"LILY!"

My head landed with a bump onto the hard carpet as the pillow was removed from underneath my head.

"Ow!" I hissed as I involuntarily reached for the sore spot forming near my occipital lobe. "Bloody hell."

Petunia grabbed my arms and forced me to my feet. Powerless to her unyielding will, I stumbled as she yanked me out of my room and into the bathroom. She turned the water on in the shower before smashing a towel into my face. "Shower," she ordered roughly before briskly turning around and slamming the door behind her. "Don't make me come back in there and strip you, because I will!" she threatened shrilly.

I let out a huge sigh that caused my shoulders to slump downwards. Stepping out of my clothes, I got into the shower and let the water spray gently at the muscles in my back. I yawned and rested my weary head against the tile as I waited for my brain to kick in.

About the time when I had lathered my hair completely with my sudsy, strawberry shampoo, I remembered that James had spent the night with me. I supposed that he must have slipped out sometime earlier because he hadn't been there when I had woken up and I was fairly certain that the sound of a gun firing would have made me wake up.

So, most likely, he was fine then.

Wrapping a towel around my freshly cleaned body, I stepped out of the shower into the humid bathroom and wiped away a small patch of condensation from the foggy mirror so that I could make out my blurry reflection. Grabbing my wand, I quickly removed any unwanted hair from my legs and underarms. Against my will, I would mostly likely be forced to have my picture taken, and I did not want to be immortalized in film looking like a wildebeest.

I brushed my teeth and then combed out my long, wet hair as I let the excess water drip into the sink. I heard a loud knock on the door, and I banged my hand against the sink as I jumped in surprise.

I hissed in pain. "Yeah?" I called through gritted teeth.

"Are you going to get out anytime soon, Lily Marie? Some of our bladders don't work the way they used to, and we need to use the loo when our granddaughters aren't building the Great Wall of China with matchsticks inside."

Sighing heavily, I secured my towel, grabbed my pajamas, and then opened the door to see Grandmum Rose waiting outside with her fist raised to knock and a slacked jaw on her face.

"It's all yours," I told her.

"Thank you," she replied before stepping inside. "You should really wear a robe, love. Only tarts walk around in towels. It sends the wrong message. Dear Lord, look at how stuffy it is in here. Even my glasses are fogging up."

Shaking my head, I walked into my room and exchanged my towel for a pair of baggy shorts and a t-shirt. I walked over to Calypso's cage, where she was still snoozing, the lucky bird, and I filled up her water dish and left a few owl treats out for her.

Calypso must have heard the rustle of the bag of treats as I opened it because she opened one eye to peer at me blearily.

"Hey, girl," I whispered to her softly. "Go back to sleep. It's only," I paused as I looked at the clock on my nightstand and groaned when I read the neon green numbers staring back at me, "five minutes after seven."

Callie hooted softly as she nipped my finger affectionately and staggered to hold out her leg.

Surprised, I removed the small yellow piece of parchment from her leg before I kissed the dozing owl on the feathers near her face and walked over to my desk to read the note.

My Lily,

Thank your mum for the fudge. It's wonderful, as usual. I had to hex Sirius to keep his grubby fingers away when he came home last night. Don't worry. He'll be fine in the morning.

Sorry I'm sending Callie back so late at night. It's the danger of being a working girl (let me rephrase that). The news never stops, I suppose. This place was crazy with people trying to get coverage of the attack. All those Aurors and Ministry officials around. It was like a reporter's wet dream. Do me a favor and be careful, okay? I love you too much. If you ever let something bad happen to you, I'd kill you.

Big day tomorrow (or today, depending on when this finds you). Try not to start doing a happy dance when Petunia finally leaves. It'll be a dead give away.

But, seriously, Lily, I know you love her. Things won't change too much after she marries Vermin. Just as long as they never procreate...blerg, the images. I feel the need to scourgify my brain after that.

Hope to Merlin's left elbow I see you soon.

Here comes the bride! All dressed in vile! Something borrowed-a brain. Something new-self-respect.

Sorry, I'm sure your sister's lovely. I just get a little protective of my boo. That's the best friend's job.

With all the love in my heart times fifty infinity squared,

Hestia, xoxo

With a smile, I folded her note back up and put it in the especially allotted drawer where I kept the rest of all her letters. My stomach gurgled, and I obeyed its wishes by stumbling down the stairs and into the kitchen.

I sniffed the air. Mmm...waffles.

"Good morning, Lily."

"Hi, Daddy," I greeted him with a slow smile as I walked to the refrigerator and poured myself a glass of orange juice. I shut the door with my hip and walked over to where a large stack of waffles were sitting on the counter. I closed my eyes and took a moment to absorb their aroma of deliciousness.

"Oh, good, you're here. I reckon you must have fallen asleep in the shower. Your grandmother was driving me crazy."

"Morning, Mum," I sighed. I picked out a waffle and put it on a plate.

"Eat quickly," she told me. "We're leaving in an hour, and you still need your hair and makeup done."

I nodded dumbly as I kept my eyes focused on my waffle. "That I can do," I assured her.

"Here you go, baby girl," said Dad as he handed me a fork and a knife

Adjusting my glass of juice into the crook of my elbow to free up my left hand, I took the silverware from him with a smile as I lazily brushed my lips over his freshly shaven cheek and then sat down at the kitchen table.

I generously poured syrup over the waffle before tilting my plate to make sure the liquid seeped into every nook and cranny of golden beauty. Eager with anticipation, I cut a fairly hefty piece and delicately folded it into my salivating mouth. My eyelids fluttered close as I moaned appreciatively against my fork.

Smehkaleen.

Dad made good waffles.

"Good?" he asked.

I nodded vigorously. "You're like a waffle prodigy," I proclaimed. "A master waffle chef of the gods, if you will. Weaker men should fall at your waffle-making feet."

He grinned. "Well, it is a special occasion."

I took a swig of orange juice as I continued to chew. A part of me doubted that my sister would allow herself so many calories after avoiding eating anything that wasn't completely disgusting and fiber-filled the past week. "Did Tuney actually eat one?"

"Well, no," he admitted as he sank down into a chair opposite of mine and through a dishtowel over the shoulder of his white t-shirt. "But they're still special occasion waffles."

I took another mammoth bite. "I feel very special."

"Good," he said decidedly. "Because I am celebrating on the inside."

"The wedding?"

"Getting your mother's sanity back, and consequently, mine."

I chuckled and lifted up my glass. "Cheers."

Dad sat back in his chair. "What a day."

"Henry! Lily! Time to get dressed!" Mum shrieked from somewhere above us.

Dad and I shared a knowing look. Gingerly, he rose to his feet and started grabbing dishes.

I took them from his hands. "I've got it. Go upstairs and distract Mum."

He eyed the large stack of dirty dishes in the sink. "Somehow, I think you've still got the better deal."

"Henry!"

"Go before she gets testy," I urged him as I shooed him away from the table and pushed him towards the corridor.

"Before?" he asked dryly.

"Time to face your fear, Dad," I said as I thumped him affectionately on the shoulder and then trotted back into the kitchen.

Feeling much more energized now that my stomach was congealing with waffle-y goodness, I started washing dishes. After about ten or so minutes, I was finished except for one last pot.

"Lily."

I turned away from the wet pot to see James, standing in charcoal gray dress pants and a white t-shirt.

"Hey," I greeted him as I reached my soapy, wet hands around his neck and stood up on my tiptoes to kiss him. "Mmm," I hummed as I reached back. "Where were you this morning?"

He pushed my wet hair behind my ear. "Does Grandmum Rose ring any bells?" he reminded me. "I had to get my bum back to the couch before anyone noticed anything amiss."

"You were amiss," I told him. "I mean, I missed you."

"That in love with me, huh?"

I rolled my eyes as I bumped him lightly in the hip with my own as I returned the final pot to its proper cabinet. "You don't need to be a toerag about it," I scolded him, watching as his smirk faded to a more apologetic smile. "But, I think it'd be nice, in the future when my family isn't watching us like hawks, to wake up next to you."

"Or, with your foot shoved into my face," he corrected me with a snicker.

"What?"

"Lily, love, how someone as short as you can take up so much of a bed, I'll never know. I bloody swear you sleep sideways."

"First off, I am not short. I am perfectly average, thank you very much. You are just a scary giant. Secondly, my sleeping habits are not that weird. At least I don't snore like a banshee. I thought someone had turned on a foghorn."

He grinned. "Well, we won't have to worry about my banshee for a good, long while. I was actually thinking that tomorrow might be the perfect time to start easing our way out of the engagement. Your parents will be completely knackered from the wedding, and Petunia and Vernon will have left for their honeymoon. I reckon we can start by telling them we've decided to put the wedding on hold till after the Auror Academy and then just field questions as they come."

"Oh."

"I just think it'll be the best scenario for the minimum amount of suspicion." His voice was calculated and precise. This was what made the most sense.

"Yeah, probably," I agreed, feeling dazed as I tried to process the information.

"So that way we can bow out of the engagement without anyone being any the wiser."

"Cause wisdom would be bad," I commented.

He laughed and ruffled my wet hair. "Chin up, soldier," he told me. "Nobody will find out our dirty, little secret. We don't even have to worry about it till tomorrow."

I bit my lip as I nodded in what I hoped appeared to be a reassuring manner.

James glanced at the clock behind me on the stove. "Crikey, I've got to finish getting dressed so I can help your Dad." He looked me up and down quickly as he examined my oh-so-stylish outfit. "You should probably go get dressed, too."

I nodded once more before following him up the stairs.

"Lily, are you sure you're okay? You seem a bit off."

I shrugged. "It's just the morning."

He exhaled with a complacent grin and then leaned over to cradle my face in his left hand and kiss the top of my head. "Okay, strawberry."

"Lily, how is your hair still wet? C'mon! We've got to leave for the church in thirty minutes. I'm getting married today."

I whimpered as Petunia dragged me away from James and manhandled me towards the bathroom. Pouting, I waved at James, who was standing alone in the corridor with a very amused look on his face, as Petunia carted me off, her nails digging into my bicep.

I saw James wink back at me before I was shoved into the bathroom.

"Lily! How is your hair still wet?" Mum asked.

"I just took a shower," I murmured back feebly.

"There's no time to blow-dry it," Petunia commented anxiously. "We have to leave soon, and she's still not even dressed."

"Girl could do with a bit of rouge on her cheeks, too," added Grandmum Rose, from where she was shakily applying pink lipstick in front of the brightly lit bathroom mirror. "Looks a bit peaky."

"There's not enough time," Petunia insisted as she started frantically removing curlers from her hair, revealing long, bouncing curls of blonde in their wake.

"We still need to do something about the hair," reiterated Mum, while she pranced this way and that around the rather small bathroom before she found a comb and started forcing it through my hair.

"Relax," I told them all as I swatted away the comb. I eyed Grandmum Rose, who was unsuccessfully attempting to remove lipstick from her teeth. "I left something in my room. I'll be right back."

"Lily!"

I exited the crowded bathroom and walked into the considerably darker corridor. I quickly looked around to make sure there were no random relatives roaming about before I fished my wand out of my shorts and quickly performed the spell to dry my hair. With another furtive glance around the corridor, I hid my wand back into my waistband before I re-entered the bathroom.

"Lily," Mum told me as she curled her eyelashes using one of those scary torture devices, "you really should grab a hairdryer, or something, and use it while you do your makeup, oh-"

She flinched in surprise, effectively hitting herself in the eyeball with the eyelash curler. She cursed angrily.

"April!"

"Not now, Mum!"

"How'd you get your hair to dry so fast, Lily Marie?" Grandmum Rose asked me.

I shrugged. "I know a few tricks."

"Excellent," voiced Petunia, unrolling one of the last few curlers of her springing hair with her gaze in my direction. "Mum, can you help her put it up? I don't have time now."

"Sure, dear," Mum agreed quickly as she grabbed my hand and forced me to straddle the toilet.

"What? No, I can do it myself."

"No offense, Lily, but you've never been very good with updos," Mum told me as she rammed a brush into my skull.

"Ow!" I hissed in pain as I reached for the back of my head, only to have my hand swatted away with the back of the brush. "But I don't even want an updo," I protested.

"You have to," Petunia told me as she ran her fingers through her freed curls to pull them apart into separate spirals. "I'm wearing my hair down so all the bridesmaids are wearing theirs up."

I turned to face her, but Mum forced my head back into place.

"Don't move."

I bit my tongue as Mum pulled a strand of hair a bit too hard. "No one told me this."

"That's because we knew you'd make a big fuss about it," Mum told me as she reached for a bit of gel. "Now, stop fidgeting. You're making this harder."

"That's because you're torturing my scalp back there. I've only got one head. I rather need it."

"I'll buy you another one. Just hold still."

"I'll be right back. I have to go grab my hair pins."

"Grab my stuff!" I shouted to Petunia as tears formed in my eyes from the pain. I quickly brushed them away.

"Lily, stop being such a wimp. It's just hair."

"It hurts," I insisted.

"That's nothing," Grandmum Rose piped up. "When I was your age, we'd set our hair for ages. Took nearly two hours. It was such a pain to have to sleep with the pins in. Bloody awful."

I whined as Mum ran the brush over my left ear. "Watch it!" I yelped.

"If you would stop moving, it wouldn't hurt so much."

Gritting my teeth together, I braced my hands onto the cover of the toilet.

"I don't know why I have to wear my hair up. I look awful with it up. It doesn't do anything for my face. Makes me look like a boy."

"All the bridesmaids are having it up," Petunia said as she came back into the bathroom and plopped my makeup bag onto the counter.

I watched as her mascara-lined eyes scrunched up in concentration as she artfully applied pearl pins to keep her blonde curls out of her eyes. She blinked, and I saw the golden shadow on her eyes that would match the beading on her dress. "But I'm the Maid of Honor," I said. "Shouldn't I get special hair privileges?"

"But if you wear your hair down, it'll clash with the dress."

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't have picked bloody lavender dresses. Bloody ow!" I shrieked in pain as Mum violently yanked at my hair.

"Stop," she commanded in a hushed tone. "Or I will make this much more painful for you. Now, sit still. I'm almost done."

"I like lavender," Grandmum Rose stated as she fluffed her already very poufy hair. "The first negligee I ever owned was lavender. Gave your old Grandpa Steve a heart attack, it did. Bless his crotchety, smelly soul. Did you buy anything special for Vernon tonight?"

Petunia's carefully foundationed face blushed slightly.

Grandmum Rose chortled heartily. "Ahh, love, don't be so embarrassed. You're going to be a married woman now. It's about time someone explained to you the importance of pleasing your husband. You see, you have to really allow them to get right in there. As a matter of fact, there are some positions-"

I closed my eyes and wished that I was anywhere else at this moment in time and not listening to the post-menopausal words of nauseating wisdom from Grandmum Rose.

"Now's not really the time, Mum," my mother said with her fingers still working diligently in my hair. "Let's just focus on getting her married."

With a glance askance, I saw Petunia smile gratefully and mouth the words "thank you" before she went back to adjusting her hair pins.

"All right, Lily," Mum said as her grip on my hair tightened. "Just one more twist."

I winced as she pulled the hair near the nape of my neck up to the top of my head. "Mnurph," I hissed as I rammed my fist over my mouth to stifle the sound.

"Give me a pin."

I scrambled with the small pie of bobby pins in front of me before I successfully opened one and gave it to her.

Mum took it from me and then jammed it into my head.

"Gah," I groaned as I bared my teeth.

"Give me another one."

I suffered as she shoved exactly twenty-three metal pins into my cranium.

"Okay, now the hairpiece then."

I sighed in relief as I handed her the pretty comb adorned with small ivory flowers and fake pearls.

Mum jammed it into my scalp, and I could have sworn I lost consciousness for a second.

Bloody, freaking, mother of Merlin. I whimpered.

"There," Mum announced happily.

"Oh, good," Petunia said with a sigh. "It looks very nice. Make sure you use hairspray. Here," she added as she handed Mum the bottle.

I closed my eyes and held my nose as Mum fumigated the top of my head.

"All done," she declared as she moved over so that I could get off the toilet. "Painless, right?"

I balked at her openly as I lifted my hand to my throbbing head.

"Don't touch it!" Petunia warned me as she swatted my hand away from Mum's masterpiece.

"Oh, dear, I have to go get dressed," Mum realized before dashing out of the room with her own carefully styled hair swinging behind her.

I inspected my new hairstyle in the mirror. It was all pulled up at the top of my head in a tight knot with twists wrapped around it and the hair comb attached to the right side. It looked like there was a pitchfork in a tomato on the top of my head.

Petunia pushed my makeup bag in my direction. "Hurry up. We're leaving in ten minutes," she said, a frantic edge to her voice as she left the bathroom in search of Merlin-knows-what.

Standing in front of the mirror over the second sink in the counter, I zipped the bag open and started riffling through the various bottles and compacts until I finally retrieved my eyeliner.

"You're not going to put foundation and powder on?" Grandmum Rose asked me with a cluck of her disapproving tongue. "Someone as fair as you whose so prone to blushing should always be wearing a firm base, especially if there is going to be pictures."

With a muffled growl, I put the eyeliner down temporarily and dug into my bag looking for foundation.

"Make sure you blend it in, Lily Marie. You wouldn't want there to a great line across your face. You'll scare your cousins."

I took her heeding as graciously as I could as I quickly began to rub the wet, peach-colored liquid onto my face. I then dusted the translucent finishing powder over my nose, cheeks, and forehead before grabbing the eyeliner again.

"Happy?" I asked through gritted teeth.

"You are the strangest girl," Grandmum Rose commented as she sat down on the toilet cover and hiked up her mauve dress to adjust her pantyhose. "Much stranger than your sister."

In my haste, I accidentally poked myself in the eye. Grumbling, I grabbed a tissue over Grandmum Rose's shoulder. I fixed the mistake and then continued to line my eyes.

"Why is that, do you think?"

I put down the eyeliner and paused briefly to look at her wrinkled face. "Haven't the foggiest," I answered finally. I turned back to the mirror and started frenetically applying a cream shimmer and then a green contrasting color to both eyelids.

"Gobbledygook," she proclaimed. "You know exactly. You just don't want to tell your old grandmum."

I sighed and continued working.

"You really should hurry," Grandmum Rose sputtered as I started to twist open my mascara.

"I'm working on it," I spat back.

I had just finished applying the final coat when Petunia, now wearing a simple skirt and button-down top, barged into the bathroom and grabbed my arm.

"You need to get dressed," she ordered in a very clipped tone as she dragged me out of the room. "Go downstairs now, Grandmum," Petunia added in a slightly less authoritative tone.

"Just need to grab my purse."

Petunia heaved me into my room. "Dress and shoes are on the bed. You've got thirty seconds, and would it have killed you to have made your bed for once in your life?"

I shrugged. "Best not risk it."

Petunia did not hear me, however, because she had already dashed down the stairs, muttering to herself about remembering the check for the band.

I quickly stripped off my clothes before throwing on my lavender dress. I got it halfway zipped before I gave up and grabbed my shoes.

Wonderful. Matching lavender heels. Bloody priceless.

I gave myself a final glance in the mirror before I shoved my wand down the neckline of my dress, turned off the overhead light, and darted down the stairs.

Everyone was crowded around the base of the stairs.

"I'm ready. I'm ready," I panted as I grabbed the banister for support to put on my shoes.

Mum, dressed in her satin, tiered cream dress with matching slingbacks, walked over to zip up the back of my dress. "All right, let's go," she announced.

Dad, carrying the garment bag that held Petunia's dress, led the way out the door as we headed for the car. Petunia trailed behind him anxiously with a large pink tote bag scrunched in her hands.

"Careful, Dad," she reminded him.

"Calm down, sweetie," he replied. "Everything's going to be okay. Just take a deep breath."

She visibly inhaled, and I rolled my eyes fondly as she continued to freak out.

"Okay, Petunia, you sit up front with your father. Lily, you go in the back with Grandmum. I'll take James and the dress in the other car."

I bit back my amusement as I forced myself not to make any comments. I'm sure that had nothing at all to do with how dapper James looked in his charcoal gray suit and black tie. I muffled my mouth with my hand so that my snickering would go unnoticed.

Mum, unfortunately, spotted the exceptional effort I was exerting.

"Yes, Lily, it's all very funny. We'll have a great laugh about it when there's actually time. Let's go, people."

We all shuffled into our various positions and a minute later, Dad had started the car and was reversing down the driveway.

I watched Petunia rattle her fingers nervously against her right arm when Dad stopped the car at a traffic light. She sucked in an audible breath and continued raping her fingers at a faster pace.

"You're going to bruise the arm if you keep doing that," Grandmum Rose pointed out from beside me. "Just like a peach."

Petunia's fingers stopped immediately as she sat up straighter in her seat. "What time is it?"

"It's only two minutes past nine, honey," Dad answered soothingly after the light changed and he started driving once more. "Don't worry. We'll get there in plenty of time."

Petunia, who looked like she might be sick, nodded resolutely. She ran her fingers over her arm before forcefully placing her hands in her lap.

"Nervous?" I observed as we halted at another light.

Petunia teetered fretfully. "What time is it now?"

"Two minutes and thirty seconds after nine," replied Dad calmly. "Almost there."

"And Mum went to go get the flowers," stated Petunia, as though she was reciting this information more for her benefit than ours. "But she'll meet us at the church."

"Won't take half a step," Dad said.

"And she'll bring my dress so that I can put it on after I make sure everything's okay with Father Cletus."

"Fine fellow," commented Grandmum Rose. "Bloke knows Latin, and everything. Just what a good minister ought to be."

"Yes, yes, he's very good," my sister agreed dismissively. "And the girls are all set to meet us there at half past nine to prepare. I just hope Bridget isn't late. Her punctuality is not what it should be, and I just can't deal with any catastrophes today."

"She'll be there on time," Dad assured her.

Petunia sighed as she scrunched up her blue eyes in concentration. "Vernon should be there soon. He said not to worry, but I'm almost positive that he and his mates went to a pub last night. Just as long as he can get the vows out, I won't care how knackered he is still."

"That's the spirit," Grandmum Rose responded.

"Yes, and the photographer will be taking pictures once the ceremony is over. Mum has the check to pay the bloke."

I grimaced. I positively hated getting my photo taken. Photogenic I was not.

"And then Claude promised the food will be ready promptly at three for the reception. Is everything still good with the hall?"

The church had a reception hall attached to it for such occasions as these. It was quite convenient because we didn't need to find transportation to another location after the ceremony for all the people. However, because they had invited so many guests, there was not enough room for a dance floor. Thus, Dad had rented a bunch of tents to put up outside in the rectory garden so that people could dance under them.

Dad nodded as he turned the wheel to the right. "The tables are all set up. I checked on them this morning when I went to meet the renting company for the tents. All we need is the band."

"And they'll be there. I spoke with them yesterday."

"Do you think they'll play anything from the twenties?" Grandmum Rose asked. "Lord, that was a good age for music."

I rolled my eyes and looked heavenward.

Petunia started drumming her fingers along her arm again. "I'm forgetting something," she insisted. "I just know I'm forgetting something."

"I think you've just about covered everything," Dad placated her.

"The rings! Who has the rings? We can't get married if there aren't any rings!"

"Lily?" Dad asked as he peered at me via the rear-view mirror.

"Vernon's sister Marge has them," I answered promptly. "She figured it'd be best to keep them with her seeing as she and Ripper are the ones who bring them up."

"Ugh, I hate that dog," Petunia voiced venomously. "It's always slobbering all over the place. I can't believe Vernon's making me let her include it in the ceremony. Who wants to walk down an aisle when there's dog drool on it? Oh, thank God, we're here." Petunia's features visibly relaxed as Dad pulled into a parking spot.

He pulled the keys out of the ignition before exiting the car and opening Petunia's door for her. Dad kissed her on the cheek. "Relax, Tuney. It's your day. Just try to enjoy it."

Petunia nodded before walking very briskly across the pavement of the parking lot and towards the flight of stairs leading up to the church, Grandmum Rose not too far behind.

Dad removed his glasses from his face and wiped them off with the pocket square located in the breast pocket of his navy blue suit jacket. He placed his glasses back on and then swung his arm around my shoulder. "We need more men in this family, Lily," he observed as we headed towards the church. "You ovaries lot are bloody crazy."

"Hey," I scolded defensively. "Don't hate me because I have female bits. I'm not like them. You can't group me in with the rest of those lot. I'm ungrouppable."

He laughed, which had been my intended response. "I just hope that you don't go fluttering about on the morning of your wedding."

I scoffed. "Dad, it's me. Like I'd actually wake up early to get married."

"At least I'll have James to keep me company."

Having nothing to say, I put a smile on my face and climbed the last few steps up to the double doors of the church.

We got inside, and I was delegated to babysit Grandmum Rose while Petunia and Dad spoke with Father Cletus.

I took Grandmum Rose into the Bride room and sank down into an available chair with an exhausted sigh.

"What are you tired for, Lily Marie?" she asked me uncouthly while adjusting the top of her pantyhose. "You're eighteen. You're not supposed to get tired."

I frowned dubiously. "That doesn't sound right."

"Sure it is!" she replied back with a leer. "Young people have no right to just lay about and do nothing. Your generation is filled with lousy good-for-nothings, you hear? You all want to just sit around and have everything handed to you. I never see any young people do a good day's work. You're always too busy lounging about. You have to be an old fart to do that. You've actually got to do some work first to deserve it."

I crossed my arms across my chest. "I work," I protested. "I do loads of work. At school, I was Miss Person Who Works. Right now, though, I just want to take five little minutes to rest my eyes. You should try it."

She puffed, obviously underwhelmed. "I'll sleep when I'm dead," declared Grandmum Rose.

The door squeaked open.

"Oh, good, Tuney, you're here."

She nodded and then started walking about the small room. "What time is it?"

I sighed. "Ten minutes after nine."

By the time Mum arrived at exactly 9:34 and seventeen seconds, which I unfortunately knew because I had taken to just staring at the clock so that when Petunia asked for the time I wouldn't have to turn my head, all of the other bridesmaids had already arrived and were twittering about as they fussed with their dresses and doted on the very frazzled sister of mine.

Mum's entrance reminded me of those old-fashioned muggle movies when the hero rushed in on a gleaming stallion with the wind flowing through his hair to save the distressing damsel from the melodramatic, mustached villain. However, Mum's hair did not move due to the extreme amount of product in it, and she bore a garment bag rather than a horse. And, of course, no one could save Tuney from the forthcoming mustached desperado. Nevertheless, Petunia's appreciation for the sight was all the same.

"Thank God you're here," Petunia breathed as she rushed to remove the burden from my mother's arms.

"Sorry, Petunia, we ran into a bit of traffic a few blocks back."

I didn't think Petunia was listening because she seemed too engrossed in unzipping the bag to reveal her lace dress. She took out her smaller pink bag and then went behind a partition in the back of the room.

"Did you get the flowers, Mum?" I asked.

She nodded as she sunk into the chair I had been sitting in before. "James is getting them from the car. He promised to bring them here in just a bit after he's dropped the boutonnieres off with the blokes."

I nodded and leaned against a bookshelf, only to have a large book press into my back. I moved over and examine the title that spanned across the cover: How God's Love Can Save Us All from Pagan Witchcraft. I rolled my eyes.

Petunia emerged a few moments later in gartered stockings and a white bodice as she wrapped a dressing gown around herself.

"You okay, dear?" Mum asked. "You seem a bit peaky."

"Peaky? She looks positively ill," Grandmum Rose observed tactlessly. "Do you need to hyperventilate into one of those paper bags? I did before my wedding."

"I'm fine," snapped Petunia before she walked over to join her friends.

Mum looked over at me with questioning eyes, and I merely shrugged in her direction. Hell if I knew.

At about a quarter till ten, Petunia decided that she wanted to put her gown on. Everyone crowded around as Mum and stood on chairs to lower the dress onto her without messing up her hair. We had just found the opening at the skirt when a few knocks sounded on the door.

"I've got it," declared Grandmum Rose when nobody said anything. She strode over to the door and opened it to reveal James carrying a box of flowers.

"Oh!" he exclaimed as he quickly averted his eyes from what we were doing. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, er," he stuttered as he struggled to find a spot where he could put the box down without shifting his gaze from where it was staring pointedly over his shoulder. "There," he announced as he finally put it on top of a chair. "Is Lily in here?"

"I'm here," I answered, still holding onto the dress.

"Can I talk to you?"

"Right, um, just a second."

He nodded and then closed then walked back into the lobby of the church.

I handed my side of the dress to Mum and then hopped off the chair. "Be right back," I promised before I left the room.

I found James ruffling his hair and looking very agitated in the lobby. "What's wrong?" I asked him.

He looked up at me with fear behind his wire-rimmed glasses. "There's been another attack," he told me hoarsely.

My shoulders sank to the floor. "What?" I asked incredulously. "How do you know?"

He pulled his two-way mirror out of his suit jacket. "Sirius," he explained briskly. "A bunch of Death Eaters are holding people hostage in London. We have to go help."

He grabbed my hand, but I tore it out of his grasp. "James, I want to, trust me, I do, but we have to stay here. Petunia's getting married in little over an hour. I'm the Maid of Honor. I can't just leave. The Aurors will solve it. That's what they're there for. We can go after the ceremony and help out the best we can."

"Lily," James said as he took my face in his hands and brought me closer to him so that he could look directly into my eyes. "The Death Eaters are outside the offices for the Daily Prophet."

My eyes widened as all the oxygen in my lungs dissipated from my body. "Hestia," I croaked as horrible images started to flood my brain. My heart sank into my stomach.

"I know. Sirius is there, too."

I grabbed his hand. "We have to go."

I stuck my hand down the front of my dress to retrieve my wand. I knew that James was seriously concerned when he did not make a single suggestive comment.

Fighting back the worry brewing inside of me, I led him briskly out the backdoors of the church and checked vigilantly over my shoulder before giving him a nod.

James nodded back and tightened his grip on my hand.

I took a deep breath and then spun on my heel, bringing us both around in a circle.

A sharp tug pulled at my novel, and the air created a vortex around me. I barely had time to shut my eyes when my lavender heels hit solid ground, and I wobbled from the impact.

Pushing a stray piece of hair that had fallen out of my updo out of my eyes, I looked around to see that we were standing in a rather shady alleyway next to the offices where Hestia was being held. I turned to check on James when I see a dark figure approaching behind him with a raised wand.

On pure instinct, I tackled James to the ground as we rolled to avoid a jet of green light.

"Stupefy!" I yelled as I aimed my wand at the attacker.

He dodged it easily. "Petrificus-" he started to say.

Racking my brain, I thought Levicorpus to myself, waving my wand in his direction.

His ankle rose into the air, and he was left hanging in suspension with his black cloak dropping to reveal jeans underneath.

I exhaled in relief before checking on James, who I was still pinning to the ground. Quickly, I rose to my feet. "You, okay?"

"Yeah," he answered while reaching for his hair. "Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it," I replied.

James fixed his glasses and then brandished his wand before slowly approaching the masked opponent. "Who are you?" he asked in a curt voice.

The man remained silent.

Muttering an incantation, James flicked his wand violently, and the silver mask covering the man's face disappeared to reveal pale skin, dark hair, and familiar-looking gray eyes.

"Regulus," James spat through gritted teeth.

My eyes widened with surprise.

"Potter," he returned.

"So you really are one of them, then?" James asked.

"Tojours Pur, mate. Even my disowned brother knows that."

"Lily, let him down," requested James.

"You sure?" I asked.

"I'm sure."

Tightening my grip on my wand, I thought the countercurse, and Regulus fell to the ground.

Aiming his wand at Regulus's throat, James knelt down and lifted his head up to see his eyes. "Why are there Death Eaters here?" he asked. "Why the Prophet?"

"Publicity," Regulus answered gruffly. "The Dark Lord wants control of what people read in the papers. Someone's got to spread the news about wizard purity. We can't keep letting Mudbloods walk easily down the streets."

James punched him in the face.

"James!" I scolded him as I pushed him out of the way. "Hitting him isn't going to solve anything. Explain, Regulus, what's going to happen to the people up there?"

Regulus wiped away the blood from his mouth with a twisted sort of smile on his face. "Dunno exactly. Probably keep some around to write the stories we want told. What better way to get into people's minds than with the morning coffee?"

I gritted my teeth together in utter revulsion.

"How do we get inside?" I asked as I knelt down besides James.

"You don't," he answered simply.

"How?" I insisted.

"Look, Red, there's patrols sweeping by every few minutes. Eight men are up there with the hostages. There's no getting inside. Spells set up to protect the building. If you know what's good for you, you'll take your boyfriend and run on home."

"He's my fiancé, thank you," I corrected him quickly.

"Lily," James scolded me.

"Right," I said, sobering up with a quick glance at his eyes before turning my attention back to Regulus. "Leaving's not an option," I told him. "We've got friends in there."

"Sirius is up there," James added meaningfully. "Do you really want something to happen to him?"

A flash went through Regulus's icy steel eyes, and he sucked on his bottom lip as he seemed to be deliberating things in his mind.

"He's your brother, Regulus," I pleaded. "You can't just let him die."

I watched as Regulus battled with himself.

"You might not always get along, but he's still your brother, Regulus," I said. "You might hate him, sure, but the truth is you'll do anything for him."

"How do you know anything about this?" he spat acerbically.

"I know."

"Fine, all right!" he snapped furiously. "There's a fire escape that I spotted earlier that trails up the building. I'm fairly certain that nobody else knows about it. There's a window, the fourth floor. That's where they're holding them."

"Where are the Aurors?" I asked. "Surely, there must be Aurors here."

"They're at the front of the building. Didn't you notice the huge duel going on? I heard they killed that Deering fellow. Little Murphey won't be happy now that her Auror husband's dead."

"We're still taking in the scene," James grumbled with malice in his voice.

I pushed away any thoughts of grief and focused on the task at hand. "This fire escape you're talking about, where is it on the building?"

"South side," he answered. "It'll be a bitch to get to. Not every Death Eater has a family member inside you can guilt into protecting. You probably won't make it."

"We will," James replied determinedly.

Exhaling into a small, relieved sigh, I grabbed his hand in gratitude. "Thank you."

He shoved my hand away like I was filth. "Don't you dare tell anyone," he threatened. "Especially him," Regulus added before staggering to his feet and storming off.

I turned to James with an annoyed expression. "What's with the good cop, bad cop routine?"

"We can discuss whatever that means later, Lily," he told me briskly as we both, wands out, started walking stealthily in search of the fire escape.

I nodded as we carefully passed by a few rubbish bins in the back of the building. "I'll have to show you some more muggle movies after we make it out of this."

James turned to me with the ghost of a smile gracing his lips before we heard a creaking sound.

"Get back," I hissed I pulled him down behind the bins.

I strained my ears to hear two sets of footsteps approaching. Motioning to James, I silently communicated my plan, and he nodded in understanding. Using my fingers, I counted to three before standing up with my wand raised. "Stupe-Remus?"

I balked as I saw Remus and Tabitha standing before us.

James lowered his wand before thinking better of it and raising it again. "What's my nickname?"

"Prongs, you dolt."

James nodded before lowering his wand. "Remus, mate, how'd you hear about this? Did Sirius get to you too?"

"Sirius? What? No," Remus replied back in confusion. "We saw the fight in front of the Prophet building so we came around back to avoid any spellfire. What's going on with Sirius?"

"He's trapped inside," James answered. "Death Eaters are holding people hostage."

Remus swore loudly. "We've got to help them."

"Agreed," responded James. "We're looking for a fire escape along the south side of the building."

The four of us began creeping along the back alleyway once more.

"How did you two manage to get past all the Death Eaters?" I inquired in a whisper. "We were ambushed as soon as we apparated here."

"We didn't have to apparate," Remus answered, a pink blush forming on his cheeks. "We were already in London."

"Why?"

"We were on a date," Tabitha answered shyly, but proudly.

It was then that I noticed that they were holding hands. I grinned.

"What about you two?" Remus asked. "A bit fancy for a hostage situation, don't you reckon?"

"My sister's wedding," I replied.

"Oh, I didn't know that was today. Cheers."

"Quiet," James hissed. "I think I hear something."

I crept over to him and looked around. "Coast's clear," I whispered.

Cautiously, we began skulking through the alleyway once more. As we were about to turn a corner, I looked over the brick building to see at least six or seven wizards dueling, not 200 meters away from us. "Oh, Merlin," I gasped as my heart started to pound in my chest. My palms started to sweat, and I had to tighten my grip on my wand. "This is not good."

James looked over the corner before quickly snapping his head back to avoid a shot of red light. "Blimey," he choked out.

"What do we do?" Tabitha asked.

"Turn around and go back the other way?" Remus suggested bleakly.

James shook his head. "If we do that, we'll have to cross the front entrance of the building. I reckon there's loads more fighting going on there. We're just going to have to weave our way through."

"Everyone stay together," I warned. "If we break apart, we might not be able to rejoin."

"All right then," announced James as he ruffled the back of his hair. "Let's have some fun."

Running side by side, James and I began running across the building, firing off hexes and jinxes. I kept my head low and tried to ignore the blind panic that was coursing through my entire body.

"Newcomers!" one of the masked men shouted. "Get them!"

"Crucio!"

"Protego!" Remus shouted from directly behind me to block the spell.

"Impedimenta! Stupefy!" Tabitha called.

I shot off a few more hexes and was able to stun one cloaked figure in the chest.

James stayed close to my side, shouting loudly over the dim of spells. I watched in horror as a bunch of gold sparks grazed his arm, but he kept moving, despite his cries of pain. I fired off more curses in the direction of his attacker.

"Almost there!" Remus yelled as we stampeded further across the building.

"Crucio!"

I heard Tabitha scream in agony. Despite all the noise and jets of sparks whizzing around, it still pierced the air in its pure anguish.

"Stupefy!" Remus bellowed. "Stupefy! You bastard!"

The man staggered backwards, and Remus was able to pick up a shaking Tabitha and keep running.

James and I let them go in front of us as we fired a few more stunning spells before reaching the safety of a small alcove further ahead. I could still hear the spells continue behind us as the dueling continued in our wake.

Adrenaline pumped through my veins as I slowed down my frantic strides to a stop. Breathing heavily, I braced my hands on my knees and turned to Remus, who was nursing a very frightened-looking Tabitha. I felt something wet on my forehead, and raised my hand to see that my head was bleeding. I wiped it off on my dress. "Is she okay?"

Tabitha whimpered and started hyperventilating as a cold sweat ran across her forehead.

"Calm down," Remus whispered to her. "It's okay. It's over."

Her panting started to slow and she weakly moved to stand up. Her knees buckled, and Remus grabbed her before she fell to the ground.

"She is not okay," James declared. "Remus, you need to take her to St. Mungo's."

"But, James, Sirius," Remus protested.

"James and I will take care of it," I announced. "You make sure she gets the help she needs."

Remus nodded before helping Tabitha to her feet. "I don't want to leave you guys alone."

"Remus, there are loads of Aurors roaming around," James said. "If she doesn't get help soon, she could go into shock. I think she already is."

Remus sighed gravely as he gazed down at the trembling girl in his arms. She looked so small. "Be careful," he told us.

"Like a Marauder would ever do anything reckless," James replied with a slight smile before Remus disapparated with Tabitha.

I turned to James with an indomitable expression on my face. "Let's go."

Except for one more Death Eater, whom James was able to stun after taking a hex to the leg, we made it to the fire escape with little trouble.

I stared at the long, skinny, metal rod with a dubious expression. "Doesn't Regulus know that this is a fire pole, not a fire escape? How are we supposed to get up there?"

James raised his wand thoughtfully before muttering an incantation. We both dodged as silver sparks came flying back at us.

"Merlin, what was that?"
"Oh, they're good," commented James, sounding impressed. "They've put an anti-apparation charm on the place."

"How does that affect us?" I asked. "We're not apparating inside."

"Yes, but they've tweaked it to make it so that any type of magic used to try to get in is just repelled. You can only get into the building the muggle way. They're trying to make it so the only way in is through the front door. Bit stupid of them not to notice this."

I laughed humorlessly. "Because this is such a surefire solution," I scoffed. "How are we supposed to get up there?"

"Climb," James grumbled glumbly as he looked at the long way up.

"Oh, bloody hell, you have got to be kidding me."

Somewhere along the outside of second level, I decided that I needed to exercise more. Merlin, I was out of shape. Plus, the heels really weren't helping.

"You okay?" James called from underneath me.

I let out a groan as my muscles ached from another pull upwards. My things clenched around the pole, and my arms ached as I held onto the skinny pole for dear life. "Just wait till we get down," I threatened. "I'm going to hit you, and it is going to hurt."

"Just a bit further, love," he promised.

With a few more grunts, I managed to make it to the window on the fourth level. "Now what?" I hissed.

"Through the window," James grunted back.

"That's the plan?" I asked. "Just go through the window and into the room where all the Death Eaters are?"

James groaned. "Unless you can think of a better plan before my arms fall off."

I closed my eyes and then forced myself through the window, glass shattering behind me. I landed with a thud and then looked up to see eight silver masks turn to look at me. "Er, hi," I greeted them.

When they didn't do anything, I raised my wand and quickly started firing stunning curses.

With a crash, James entered the room and started firing spells off, as well.

Some of the Prophet workers scrambled to their feet and started running straight at the Death Eaters to try to force them to the ground. Some collapsed themselves, but others managed to inflict some damage.

I dodged a curse as I watched two women tackle a black figure to the ground.

"James!" I heard a familiar voice yell.

"Sirius!" James called back as he cast off another shot of red light.

"You saved us!"

"Working on it, mate!"

"Where are your wands?" I asked as I put a Death Eater in a body bind.

"They took them away!" Sirius yelled. "Summoned them as soon as they got in here. The biggest bloke's got them."

I nodded as I looked around at the five, gigantic-looking remaining Death Eaters. "Care to be more specific?"

I screamed as a flash of blue sparks hit me in the back. I fell to the floor as I felt as though icy knives were tearing apart my organs.

"Lily!" James yelled.

The pain was overpowering, and I struggled to keep my eyes open wide enough to see James fiercely battling with my attacker. I hissed as I felt the icy pain sear through me. My fingers curled up, and I dropped my wand as I felt my limbs start to spasm. I bit down on my tongue so hard I felt blood pool in my mouth. Desperately, I forced my flinching eyes open and searched the battered room for James. Paper was flying everywhere as people crouched under desks trembled in fear. A few were up and trying to fight, but they weren't very effective without wands. My eyes found James, and I gasped as I saw a spell hit him in the back, causing him to fall to his knees.

There were still four more Death Eaters. There was no way he could take them all. A stab of pain shot through my chest. My heart racing, the pain of seeing James on the floor was just too much. It was worse than even the spell tearing at my insides.

A large bang sounded, and I turned to see that the front doors to the office had collapsed. Four or five people in variously colored robes entered the room and started to fire curses at the cloaked Death Eaters.

The Aurors had finally gotten through.

I bit my lip as the pain continued until suddenly it started to fade. With a few passing seconds, all the remained was the ghost feeling of torture, and I started to breathe heavily as my lungs returned to normal and my heart unfroze and began to beat inside my chest once more. I looked up to see that James had sent my attacker falling to the floor. Nearby, the rest of the cloaked figures were doing the same and were being magically bound by the Aurors. I blinked in sheer surprise. We had done it. By Merlin, we had actually done it.

Wobbling a bit, I rose to my uneasy feet. My head felt woozy, and my legs seemed to scream under my weight. I felt as though my blood was still thawing out from the ice forced inside of me.

James rushed over to me and kissed me desperately as he held my face in his bloody hands. "Lily, are you okay?"

I nodded against his lips. "Where's Hestia?" I looked around the room. "Hestia?" I called loudly. "Hestia Jones?"

"Lily! Lily! I'm here!"

I heard the voice from the corner of the room and dashed over to find Hestia doubled over in pain. I knelt down beside her and removed the dark hair that was matted over her cut face, and kissed her forehead before pulling her into an embrace. "Oh, my, God, Hest, are you okay?"

She held me close to her and mumbled my name hoarsely into my neck. "Oh, Lily, I was working, and Sirius came to take me out to some morning brunch. And then, they were here, and they took away our wands and started cursing everyone."

"Did they hurt you?" I asked as I pulled away to inspect her tear-stained face.

"Not too bad," she hissed. "I think my leg's broken, though. D'you reckon that the healers at St. Mungo's will be able to fix my whole cankle problem when they do the leg?"

A giggle burst from my lips and suddenly my arms were around her again as I laughed loudly. Everything that had occurred in the past hour suddenly seemed so bloody hilarious. It was completely unreal. My mind could not even begin to filter through everything. "I was so worried," I told her. "I didn't want you to die."

She laughed and brushed away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "Me either," she agreed.

Someone walked over behind me, and I was surprised to see that it was Moody. "Nice work, Evans," he complimented. "And you too, Potter," he added as James and Sirius approached. "I'll be looking forward to dealing with you more soon."

Astounded, I stared at his retreating form as he walked off to go help some of the injured people.

Sirius rushed over to help Hestia up, and I rose to my feet to give him more room.

James walked over and put his arm around me. "She needs to go to St. Mungo's," James said.

Sirius nodded. "I'll take her just as soon as someone takes the off anti-apparation charm they put up."

I nodded. "Bloody hell," I breathed.

"This was insane," James agreed, just as astounded.

Sirius barked in laughter. "A little action always helps to break up the monotony of stability," he said before quickly wrapping his arms around Hestia as she started to teeter. He looked up at us with those gray eyes of his, and his smirk turned more sincere. "Thanks for coming."

I shrugged as nonchalantly as I could muster.

"You can't leave your family to die," James replied as he slapped Sirius in the back in a brotherly fashion.

Oh, hell. Family. "Damnit," I cursed. "What time is it?"

Hestia looked down at her watch. "Almost eleven, why?"

"Petunia!" I gasped. "We have to go!"

I grabbed James's hand and ran towards the door, ignoring the numerous calling of our names. I barreled down the stairs, knocking into people as we flew by them. "Oh, sodding hell, she is going to kill me!"

As soon as we made it out of the building, I grabbed James's hand and disapparated back to the church. Frantically, I started walking towards the door to the church.

"Lily, wait," James said.

"There's no time!" I hissed. "The wedding's about to start!"

"Lily, your dress!"

I looked down to see the dirty, torn lavender rags I was wearing. "Oh, shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!" I screamed.

In a mad frenzy, I started charming the dirt off my dress. James helped me by repairing the rips and then magically healing the cuts on my face. "You have to do your suit, too," I told him as I raked my eyes over his obliterated jacket and tie that was split down the middle.

"Don't worry about it. You need to go now," he told me.

I nodded and then sprinted off to the bride room. Wheezing heavily, I entered the room and slammed my back against the door. "I'm here," I panted. "I'm here."

"Lily!"

"Lily, where have you been?"

"Lily, why are you so out of breath?"

"What happened to your hair?"

"Lily, what took you so long?"

"Did you know that the strap to your shoe is broken?"

"Lily, the wedding's about to start in one minute, why weren't you here?"

"Lily, what-"

"Stop!" I shrieked over the questions. I smoothed out my dress and tried to coax my flyaways back into my updo. "I had something that I needed to take care of," I explained delicately. I looked over at Petunia, who looked positively iridescent in her lace gown and matching veil, with apologetic eyes. "I'm here now."

"Can I please have a moment to speak to Lily alone?" Petunia asked in a deathly quiet voice.

"Petunia, the processional is going to start in a minute or so," Mum said anxiously.

"It will only take a moment," Petunia replied in a eerily calm tone.

I gulped as they filed out of the room in a single line.

Mum was the last to leave. She gazed at me with disappointed eyes before shutting the door with a click.

"Petunia, I'm so sorry. I can explain."

She laughed contemptuously. "Really?" she asked. "Okay, then, Lily. Explain to me why my only sister and my Maid of Honor left and could not be found the hour before my wedding."

My shoulders sank in guilt. "Tuney, I'm sorry. There was an attack at the Prophet, and Hestia was being held hostage. I had to go save her before the Death Eaters killed her."

She rolled her eyes. "What a load of tosh," she growled.

"No! I'm telling the truth," I insisted. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but you have to believe me, Tuney. I'm telling the truth," I repeated.

"An attack?" she asked dubiously. "Like the one from last night?"

"Yes!" I replied. "The dark wizards staged another attack, this time at the offices of a main wizaarding newspaper. Our friends were there, so James and I had to go help the rest of the Aurors."

Petunia flicked her fingers along her arm three times. "So basically you missed my wedding to go try to get yourself killed on some kind of reckless rescue mission with him?"

I sighed. "Well, it sounds awful when you phrase it like that, and technically, I haven't missed the wedding yet."

Petunia sucked on her tongue in fury. "Don't you dare, Lily. Don't try to make a joke out of this. You left my wedding."

"To go save people's lives!"

"You shouldn't have done it."

"What else was I supposed to do, Tuney?" I asked.

"You could have stayed here," she told me. "You could have left those Auror people to do their jobs, and you could have helped me into my dress and been here for me on my wedding day like sisters are supposed to."

I bit my lip. "Tuney, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"Well, you did."

"I'm sorry," I repeated, unable to think of anything else to say that would express my remorse. "But I had to go, don't you see? I'm an Auror, Petunia. I helped people today. I fought dark wizards. I fought in a duel. I fought in a bunch of duels." A smile formed on my lips as I remembered the fight, the adrenaline, and the wonderful sense of purpose I had felt before. Pride rushed through my entire being. I had finally achieved my ultimate goal. I had been completely in my element. Somehow, even with the mind-numbing panic and the worry and grief, I knew that I had been doing what I was supposed to do. I just knew.

However, one look at Petunia's face, and the elation was gone. All the adrenaline and excitement faded into the bleakness of her troubled blue eyes.

"I don't want you to be a ruddy Auror, Lily!" Petunia shrieked. "You're my only sister. I can't sit around wondering if you'll be at the next family function or if some bloke with a magic stick blew your brains out."

"Tuney," I said as I reached out to console her.

"No," she spat as she flinched away from me. "It's dangerous, Lily. You laugh and think it's great fun, but it's not. Magic isn't some quick parlor tricks that you show us every summer. People die. It's violent and deadly and uncontrollable, and I won't be a part of it. You won't get lucky every time, Lily. Sooner or later, it'll catch up with you, and I won't have a sister anymore."

"Petunia, I'm not gonna die."

"You don't know that! You're going to marry that boy, and something dreadful will happen to you. I just know it. I can feel it in my bones. I can't let you do that, Lily. I can't stand by and watch as you run yourself into the ground. Cause it'll kill me too."

"Petunia, I love James, and I can't just ignore magic. It's a part of me."

"It doesn't have to be," she pleaded with tears welling up in her eyes. "You can go back to the way you were before all this happened. You can just be the Lily you were when you were ten, and none of this had ever happened. You can be my sister and show up to my wedding on time and help me like you were supposed to. Lily, please," she whispered beseechingly.

I could see the silver tear falling down her cheek.

I closed my eyes, and a silence hushed over us.

"Girls! It's time!"

I walked over to the door before the sound of Petunia's scratchy voice stopped me.

"If you marry him, I won't go to the wedding. We'll be through." Petunia strode over to me and shoved a bouquet of flowers into my arms. "I won't watch my only sister die."

She exited the room, and I was left alone.

Taking a shaky breath, I bit my lip, forced my face into a collected façade, and then followed her out the door.

I forced my gaze away from Petunia and my father as I joined Brad at my spot in line. My flowers shook in my unsteady hands.

He winked at me, and I turned away, not in the mood to deal with that right now. Instead, I bit my lip and focused on the sound of little Abigail's voice.

"Why do they even have flower girls?" she griped as Marge's dog sniffed around her. "It's pointless. You just throw down flowers to have people step on them, and then some poor bloke has to go collect them all once it's all over. I hate these sleeves," she added as she picked at her dress. "I feel like I'm a marshmallow. A purple, fluffy marshmallow."

I watched her with mild amusement as she pushed Marge's away.

"Why do you have so many dogs, anyway, Margie? Why don't you have a boyfriend like normal girls?"

"Shut it, Abby."

"My name's not Abby!" she insisted. "Only eight year old babies are named Abby. I'm nine. My name's Abigail."

The music began playing from inside the doors, and Vernon's parents opened the door and start proceeding into the church.

Nodding dumbly as Brad prattled on and on about something or other, I watched as the couples in front of us quickly joined them. After Bridget started walking, I straightened up and held my bouquet of petunias tightly in my hand.

Brad held his arm out to me, and I took it begrudgingly.

The walk down the aisle was slow. I could feel the stares of everyone on me with each step I took, and I felt my face flare up in embarrassment. I recognized a few people that stood out from the crowd, but it was mostly just a huge blur. Feeling a tad delirious, I reminded myself to try to stay on beat with the processional music and just kept walking until Brad finally released my arm, leaving me to amble to the left side to join the rest of the lovely, lavender ladies.

Marge headed down the aisle next with her bloody dog growling at the guests as she did so.

Next came Abigail, who looked as cherubic as could be in her marshmallow dress and pigtails. She sprinkled flower petals as she walked and smiled sweetly at the people sitting in the pews. I bit back a laugh when I saw her chuck the basket on the ground once she found her seat.

The music changed, and everyone rose to their feet and craned their necks to look at the back of the room.

Petunia was beautiful.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw her nervous beam, even covered by her veil, from across the room as she was escorted lovingly down the aisle by our father. The bottom of her dress kissed the ground as she floated along with every step.

They reached the top of the pew, and Dad removed the front of Petunia's veil to reveal her smiling face. He kissed her forehead gently and whispered something inaudible into her ear before grasping her right hand gently and placing it in Vernon's. The pair walked up to Father Cletus, and Petunia turned to hand me her bouquet. Our eyes met for the briefest of seconds, and I gaped at her with all the emotions whirling around inside of me.

"Dearly, beloved," began Father Cletus, "we are gathered here today to join this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony."

He continued to speak about love and its ever enduring qualities, and I only half-listened to his words. I didn't need anyone to explain love to me.

Before I knew it, they were already reciting their vows. I listened as Petunia, rubbing her fingers along her arm, promised to love and cherish until death did her part.

I looked out into the mass of faceless people and saw James. Our eyes locked, and I stared at him sadly. A tear escaped my eye and slipped down my cheek. Tracing over the ring on my left hand, I let my eyes roam over his messy hair and hazel eyes until my gaze settled at his warm smile that was always just for me.

"I do."

Father Cletus proudly announced them man and wife.

I watched as Vernon, a man I had mocked and ridiculed since the day he had walked into our front door, beamed down at my sister like she was the only person in the world.

"You may now kiss the bride."

I joined the rest of the congregation in applauding for them.

Petunia turned, and I handed her bouquet into her outstretched hand. "I do love you, Tuney," I told her as more tears slipped down my face.

She nodded slowly, her smile faltering a bit before she turned back to Vernon.

Wiping my tears away hastily with the back of my scraped and bruised knuckles, I bit my lip and then fell into line for the recessional.

As soon as we made it into the lobby, Mum was grabbing my shoulders and forcing me towards the photographer.

"We need pictures, Lily," she insisted.

I nodded acquiescently and silently shuffled into a group shot of the entire wedding party.

"All right, one, two, three."

Flash.

"And another."

Flash.

"One more."

Flash.

"You in the back with the bowtie, stand up straight. I can't see your face."

Flash.

"Now just the bridesmaids. Yes, there, and move a bit to the right. Perfect. Isn't that a charming color."

Four more quick flashes.

I blinked several times to remove the white light from my vision.

"Now one with the immediate family of the bride."

I stayed in place as Mum and Dad hustled towards me. Dad swung his arm around my shoulder.

Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash.

"And one with Grandmum."

Grandmum Rose hustled into the photo. "Oh, good," she said as her lipstick stretched into a toothy grin.

Flash.

"Throw the groom in, as well, for a group shot. Yep, right next to the bride. Everybody look here. It's a wedding. We're smiling."

Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash.

"And how about one with just the Maid of Honor and the bride?"

I lifted my eyes to Tuney, but her gaze was fastened upon the camera.

"I'm sorry," she whispered to me as she put her hand on the small of my back to pose. "But it's just the way it has to be."

Flash.

"Red, think you could smile, please?"

I rearranged my features into less of a grimace.

Flash. Flash. Flash. Flash.

"Okay, thank you, Maid of Honor."

I nodded silently before I walked away. I watched as the flashing lights continued until they finally stopped and then people just kept milling around until someone opened up the hall for the reception. Blinking, I gazed around at the sights around me with a strange feeling overcoming me. My body felt like my bones had been replaced by strawberry taffy. I looked back at the buzzing crowd before a panic started to set in, and my heart began to beat faster.

I pushed through the crowd, mumbling "excuse me"s as I went. Once I made it across the floor of the lobby, I turned a corner and ran down the small corridor to the bathroom. I shut the door quickly behind me, and then felt my knees collapse underneath me as I crumpled to the ground.

Hissing a bit at my bruised knuckles, I removed the ring from my left hand and stared at its diamond center as it gleamed brightly back at me. I twisted it around in my fingers, and then covered my hand with my mouth.

I took one deep breath and a sob escaped. And then I couldn't stop.

My head slowly drooped to my knees, and I cried.

I cried for over an hour.

I wanted so badly to blame Petunia for everything. Ultimatums were unfair. She was being unreasonable. I had only left to save my friends. She needed to accept the fact that I was a witch and that magic was an inescapable part of my life. It was a piece of me, like blood.

However, I could not blame Petunia.

It was my fault. I had done this. I was the one who had pushed her away all these years. I was the one who couldn't make things work between us. I was the one who was choosing to leave her behind.

I started blubbering as the sobs shook my body harder. I pulled my knees into my chest and waited for the feeling that my ribs were being ripped apart to subside.

After a while, the tears stopped falling, and I was left with gasping, choking sniveling that clogged up my nose.

My hair almost completely out of its knot, my makeup ruined and smudged, and my dress wrinkled and still ripped in certain spots, I felt utterly pathetic sprawled along the grimy bathroom tile. I made several attempts to pull myself together, but each time I had almost started breathing normally a new, stronger wave hit me, and I was reduced back to my slobbering mess of tears.

On my fifth attempt, I was able to control my heaving gasps long enough to get off the floor. Concentrating very hard, I stifled my breathing so that it wasn't quite as shallow and rubbed my runny nose with the back of my hand.

I felt my heart slow down as each beat ricocheted in my chest like a bomb. Closing my eyes, I took a long, cleansing breath to fill up my lungs and then let it go bit by bit.

I walked on shaky legs over to the sink and placed my ring at the base of the sink. Slowly, I raised my gaze to peer at my reflection in the mirror.

I looked awful.

My hair was all over the place and sticking up in funny positions. My cheeks were completely covered in black from the mascara coating the eyelashes of my puffy red eyes.

I laughed humorlessly at the reflection staring back at me.

I grabbed a paper towel and blew my nose. I repeated the action three more times.

I took the pins out of my hair and chucked them into the closest rubbish bin. I removed the hair comb last and, unable to toss it away, I placed it on the base of the sink next to the ring.

Looking down at the grubby white porcelain, I pulled the knob to turn the water on, and I struggled to get it to lift up. It appeared to be rusted. With a hard yank, I managed to turn the water on. I cradled my hands underneath the faucet and gathered a collection of cool water before I splashed my face with water.

I repeated the process, as I let the water seep into my frazzled hair to tame it. I scrubbed at the black underneath my eyes with my fingernails until my cheeks were ruddy, and even then I continued to douse my face with water.

Finally, I turned the water off with a hard pound on the knob and then grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser. The rough paper edges felt like sandpaper against my face. I dried myself off and then stared back at my reflection.

I didn't have any mascara with me, so I was stuck with my red lashes. Combined with the redness of my eyes from crying, it made my eyes look even greener than normal.

I ran my fingers through my wet hair and parted it down the side. I picked up the diamond ring next and examined it fondly.

I eased it back onto the fourth finger on my left hand, where it gleamed happily.

Next, I grabbed the hair comb and tried to throw it out. My hand wouldn't perform the action, so I stuck it into the bow of my lavender dress.

Bracing my hands on the sink, I inhaled deeply before letting it out shakily. My eyes were transfixed on my wavering reflection.

I watched as another tear slipped out the corner of my eye, but I brushed it away quickly.

"Dammit," I whispered as more tears started to fall silently.

I closed my wet eyelids as I waited patiently for it to pass.

After another half hour or so, I felt ready to get out of the bathroom.

I took a deep breath and rolled my shoulders backwards before twisting the door handle and leaving the brightly lit room for the corridor.

I meandered through the empty lobby until I found my way into the reception hall. I bumped into someone as I looked around for my table.

"I'm sorry," I mumbled as I backed away from the white coat I had stumbled into.

"Not a worry," a merry voice answered me. "Ahh, Mademoiselle Evans, how enchanting to see you again. Oh, dear, what is wrong? You look positively heartbreaking."

I shrugged. "I'm fine."

He nodded unconvincingly. "Head off to your seat, dear, and my food will cure whatever is troubling you."

Surprisingly, or not so, if one really knew me, I did feel better after I ate. I supposed it was a testimony to truly excellent smoked salmon. Regardless, I began to feel better and even paid attention to Grandmum Rose ramble on about how eating chicken reminded her about the good old days on the farm that I knew for a fact never existed because my great-grandparents had been factory workers.

Once everyone's stomachs were pleasantly stuffed, people started jovially walking outside to watch the first dance. Moments later, I heard the crooning of David Essex as "Hold Me Close" filter through the air.

I followed the mass of people outside and watched as Petunia and Vernon slow danced on the wooden dance floor. I sighed.

"Lily!"

I turned to see James coming towards me. He had removed his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his white dress shirt. The image reminded me of our very first date, and it brought a slight smile to my face. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for you. Where'd you go after the ceremony?"

"Bathroom."

"Oh," he replied as he took a closer look at my blotchy face. He ran his thumb along the swollen bags under my eyes. "What happened?"

"Nothing of importance. Where were you during dinner? Your spot was empty at the table."

"I was checking in with Sirius," he told me as he gestured to the mirror in his hand before he slipped it into his pocket.

I widened my eyes in recognition. "Merlin, I nearly forgot all about that."

"Lily, it was only a few hours ago. A big deal, really, life or death. Something you'd remember."

"A lot's happened since then," I replied. "How is everyone? Hestia? Tabitha?"

"Hest is fine. They were able to heal her leg without a problem. Even still, Sirius said the healers gave her all sorts of potions to make her all loopy. She's been spouting nonsense for the past half hour."

My lips curled into an almost smile. "And Tabitha?"

He sighed. "She's going to need more time to recover. Of course, with an Unforgiveable, there's almost as much psychological damage done as physical. I hope that she'll get better soon."

"Well, she has Remus," I pointed out.

James chuckled. "Apparently."

"I can't believe we made it through that."

James scoffed. "Of course we did. We're Aurors-in-Training. By the way, Moody wants us in his office tomorrow morning. I think he's going to yell at us for being so bloody stupid."

"And we deserve it," I replied. "It was a bloody stupid thing to do."

James stared at me. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"Petunia problems."

"I'm sure you'll work it all out."

"I don't think so. Not this time," I answered with a sigh. I turned my attention to the twinkling lights decorating the white tents as the song changed to another slow, jazzy melody. "It was a lovely ceremony."

James hummed back in response and then offered me his hand. "Would you, Lily Evans, like to dance with me?"

I took his hand. "Lead the way."

We positioned ourselves on the far corner of the dance floor where not as many people would see our abysmal excuse for dancing.

I locked my arms around his neck, and he accidentally stepped on my toe as we started swaying.

I bit my lip, and he winced apologetically.

"Sorry."

I ran my fingers over his right temple, where a purple bruise was starting to form.

He grimaced, and his hands tightened on my waist.

"Sorry," I apologized quickly.

We both adjusted slightly to try to correct things, but as we started moving once more, I knees banged into each other's.

"Sorry," we said at the same time.

I started chuckling loudly as I stifled my laughter into his neck.

"We're no good at this," he declared.

I nodded as I pulled back to look into his hazel eyes, which, too, looked more green than normal today. "We'll have to go take lessons before our wedding," I said.

James blinked and stopped his awkward weight shift changes that constituted dancing. "What?"

I slid my hands down his chest and moved away a bit as I started to chomp on my lip nervously. I took a deep breath.

"Look, James, I know that you said this morning that we could start backing out of the engagement tomorrow. I don't know if that's what you really want, but I hope it's not. I've been thinking about that a lot all day. You see, I've been sorting out what's important to me, and I've decided that it's you. Even with everything going on today, you're still always on the forefront of my mind, my top priority. So I won't let you tell my parents anything about breaking up the engagement because I don't want to."

He stared at me silently, and I took that as leave to continue.

"I know it's crazy, and I know we're too young. We need time to sow our wild oats and make them extra oatey, or something. But I don't care because I'm not going to find somebody else like you, James. You're it for me. You're my guy. You're the guy. Something happened today, and I realized that no matter what the consequences are, I'll choose you. I love you. I mean, I really, really love you. And I want to marry you.

"And I know that the engagement is all wrong, but I don't care. It's not important to me. It doesn't matter how we get together just as long as we are. I want to marry you, James. I've even got the dressed all picked out," I added with a shaky laugh.

"Cause once we're married, you'll be the only family I'll ever need."

James ran his thumb along my cheekbone. "You look so beautiful right now," he breathed.

I rolled my eyes. "That's not an answer," I told him stubbornly. "Yes or no."

"Lily," he said with a sigh as he brushed hair out of my eyes.

"No mollycoddling. Just tell me flat out. And remember that I saved your life today."

His face broke out into a tremendous grin. "Lily, you wouldn't be wearing that ring on your finger right now if I didn't want to marry you."

I grabbed his face in my hands and kissed him. I grinned as out tongues twisted together, and my fingers roamed into his hair as his thumbs brushed along my neck.

"I've wanted to marry you since I was eleven," he breathed against my cheek.

"So it's settled then," I announced as I broke away with a beam. "We're getting married." The words made my body feel warm.

"Mr. and Mrs. James and Lily Potter," he replied. "We'll have to start buying fancy, embossed stationary immediately.

I grinned impossibly wider and whispered "I love you" into his ear as we started to sway to the music once more.

He kissed the top of my head.

I looked out and saw Petunia dancing in a similar position with Vernon.

"You know, it's all very strange," I said into James's warm chest.

"What is, Lily?"

"Petunia's the one who got us together. Not directly, of course, but she did."

"Yes, I suppose that is very strange, indeed."

James leaned down and kissed me slowly. "I'll have to thank her."

Story credits to Molly Raesly