Author's Note: Before I begin, I would like to thank all of my readers, those who have been with me for years, and those who are brand new (hello!). I am not exaggerating when I say that if it were not for you guys, this story would never have made it this far. Up until about twenty-four hours ago, I fully intended to let this story rot in cyberspace for the rest of eternity. After all, I wrote it when I was 15! Things have changed. I have changed. A lot of the things in this story embarrass me now. It deserves to be on that flame board someone posted it on. Or at least I thought that until I re-read some of it last night. You see, I keep getting e-mails from this site, for some reason. People keep putting this story on their alert list. When I read the e-mails, they make me happy and they make me feel guilty. I know how I would feel if an author abandoned a story I loved, or at least found mildly entertaining. So I decided to refresh my memory on "The Fortunate Accident" to see what I could do about this situation. I found myself surprised and delighted. For the longest time, when I thought of this story, I thought only of its criticisms, even though they're the minority. But when I was reading, the dialogue and the events reminded me that this isn't the worst piece of writing on the Internet. I guess what I'm trying to say is, thank you everyone. Thank you for helping me see the good in my writing, and thank you for continuing to read and add my stories to your favorites list. I seriously wonder if I would still be a writer if it weren't for my successes on this site. I hope you enjoy this last chapter. I hope it's everything you wanted.
Dedications: For old time's sake
I dedicate this chapter as well as the entire story to anyone who has ever read one of my stories, and especially to those who have reviewed.
Chapter 19: The End of a Long Day
It had been a long day for everyone. Lily didn't realize quite how long it had been until she was back at home in Chatham, safe as can be, sitting on the Potters' sofa. She played Quidditch that day, which she never did. And she won. She'd been lectured about her parenting, gone to Diagon Alley, bossed James about, come home, fought with Dinah, found her mother's letter, gone to Maison Serpent, come home again...just recalling it made her realize her true exhaustion.
She let herself drift onto the pillow beside her. Her eyelids were so heavy, they closed themselves. She was fully prepared to go to sleep right there, until she felt a gentle and warm hand on her shoulder.
"Lily?" whispered James. He sat beside where she lay.
Lily opened her eyes and gave him a sleepy smile. "Yes?"
"I wanted to be sure that you're all right. You didn't come upstairs after Professor Dumbledore left."
She stroked his cheek. "I'm fine, love. I was just so tired, I thought I'd sleep down here tonight."
"You don't have to stay on this small lumpy couch," said James. "There's always a place for you in my room."
Lily laughed. "You'd have to carry me there. I'd probably fall down the stairs."
James slipped one arm behind her back, and the other beneath her knees. Lily was lifted into the air before she knew what was going on. They laughed and smiled at each other the whole way to James's room. He placed her on the bed and suddenly she felt pensive.
"Do you think we did the right thing, letting Peter go to Azkaban?" she asked.
A frown line appeared on his forehead. "Yes, I do. Even though he tried to fix it in the end, he did scheme to hurt you. He's a Death Eater, Lily, the same as Malfoy."
This didn't satisfy Lily. "He isn't like Malfoy. Peter is not cold and cruel. I feel bad about turning him in to Professor Dumbledore."
James sat down beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Think of it this way: you repaid the good deed he tried to do for you. You saved him from the cell Bellatrix left him in. His comrades would have killed him when they discovered him there. He's better off in Azkaban than dead."
They laid there quietly for a long time in the dark. Lily thought about their adventure in Maison Serpent's dungeon. She couldn't believe she'd seen her parents. Having them back, even for that short time, made her trials as an orphan seem like only a bad dream. At least she still had her mother, who was currently sleeping down the hall in one of the Potters' guest bedrooms. Actually, Lily doubted that she was sleeping. She was probably wide-awake, thinking about Lily's father. That thought brought tears to Lily's eyes. She sat up in bed, sniffling.
"What's wrong, Lily?" said James, quickly sitting up. He pulled her close and started to rub her back. Lily loved his talent for making her feel warm and secure.
"I was thinking about my dad," she moaned. "My mum must be feeling awful right now. I feel awful."
"I wish I could do something," James lamented. "But I've never experienced death. I don't know how you feel."
Lily found that she could chuckle at that. "Isn't that refreshing? Someone telling me they don't know how I feel. But you know what, James?"
"What?" he asked.
"This time, I don't feel so scared like I did before. Don't get me wrong, it still hurts just as much, and maybe even a little more since for that one moment I thought we'd all be together again, but it's different now. I'm different."
"How so?"
Lily wiped the tears from her face, as ones of joy had joined the ones of grief. "I have you, James, and Dinah, and my mum, and Sirius, and Remus, and your parents. I don't feel alone and lost. I feel lucky, in some ways. I had a father who sacrificed himself for an adopted grandchild he'd met only five minutes before. He's always been so filled with love and compassion. I never thought I'd be able to be like him again until you came back into my life. Because of you, I can trust people again. And because of Dinah, I was able to love people again. I know you and I don't have a perfect happily ever after kind of romance, but I do love you very much. I don't think I ever told you that, but I've loved you since that night in Sierre when you took the time to listen to my story. Most people probably would have seen me for the emotional wreck that I was and left me be, but after all that time, you still cared about me, even though you thought I purposely ignored you all year."
Lily paused and looked James in the eyes. She'd been staring at the sheets during her speech, out of shyness. He was crying and smiling at her. Lily had never seen James cry before.
"Are you all right?" she asked. "Did I say the wrong thing?"
James shook his head and wiped his eyes. He was still smiling. "I never thought you'd say something like that to me. I used to invent conversations like this in my head, but they were just daydreams...this was so much better. I feel lucky, too, now."
Lily laughed and hugged him. "So does that mean you love me too?"
James became jittery in his joy. "Do I love you? The words `I love you' don't feel strong enough, Lily!"
"But they'll do," said Lily, grinning.
"I love you," he whispered, and then he kissed her.
They kissed until a tiny voice caught their attention. Dinah had entered the room unnoticed during their kiss, and was standing at the foot of the bed.
"Mummy, I can't sleep," she said, crawling into bed with them.
"Neither could we," said Lily. She pulled Dinah into her lap.
Dinah looked at Lily and James. "Maybe if you stopped kissing each other you could fall asleep better."
Suddenly Lily remembered the conversations she'd had with Dinah about kissing. "Does it bother you that I kiss James?"
Dinah shook her head. "No. If you have to kiss a boy, I'm glad that it's James."
Lily and James exchanged a smile. "And why is that?" she said.
"Because James is nice," said Dinah. "And he's funny and he likes to play games, and he has a fun house. And he loves you. I heard him say that. So I think maybe it would be all right if he was my daddy." Dinah crawled into James's lap. "Are you going to be my daddy?"
James looked at Lily for the answer. "What do you think, Lily? Are you going to keep me?" He started to smile.
"Do you think we should?" joked Lily to Dinah. The child nodded and kissed James on his cheek.
"I think it's the best idea I heard all day!"
"Even better than going to Diagon Alley?" said James in jest.
Dinah giggled. "Yes, silly. Better than that."
Lily put her arm around James's shoulder and kissed him on his cheek. "I think you're better than Diagon Alley too, love."
James pretended to wipe a tear from his eye. "Blimey, you two. I don't know what to say."
Dinah yawned and laid her head against James's chest. "I'm sleepy now."
Lily stroked her hair. "Yes, it's far too late for you to be awake. Would you like me to tuck you in?"
"James can do it," she said sleepily. "He never tucked me in all by himself before."
"I think you're being tested," Lily whispered to James.
He cradled Dinah in his arms and climbed out of bed. "I can handle it," he said with a wink and walked down the hall to Lily and Dinah's room.
Lily stayed on James's bed, hugging her knees and smiling. She was glad to see James and Dinah taking to each other so well. Lily never imagined that James could love this little girl, who showed up unexpectedly and didn't belong to him. But then again, Dinah wasn't Lily's child either, and she loved her immensely. It was strange how much her family had changed in such a short time, and it was strange how things had happened, that Lily had to lose her parents to find love with Dinah and James. She thought that perhaps being on her own was exactly what she'd needed at the time. Maybe she was supposed to be Dinah's mother, and that was the only way they could come together. Maybe she needed Dinah just as much as Dinah needed a friend and a mother. Lily doubted she would ever have adopted a child under normal circumstances. She'd never given it a thought. And she certainly would not have contacted James on her own. Lily decided that sometimes people just have to be thrown into situations in order for them to turn out right. She was grateful for most of what happened, with the exception of her father's death. She felt stronger and happier now that she'd moved past that stagnant point in her life.
James re-entered the room. He watched her while she thought. "A penny for your thoughts?" he said.
"I was just thinking about the past few days," she confided. He cuddled up next to her. "I can't believe how much I've changed. Everything changed."
"I know," said James. "Nearly all of it has been good, don't you think?"
"Yes," said Lily uneasily.
"What is it? Aren't you happy?"
"I'm very happy about you and me," she said quickly, "if that's what you mean. I'm just worried about my mum. I hate to think of her all alone in her room."
"Why don't you go visit her?" he suggested. "I'll be all right by myself tonight."
"You should come too, James," said Lily, propping herself up on her side. "Having a new family member to love might help her feel better. It helped me. She'll be happy to know how you've changed my life, and that you helped me feel like myself again. In her letter to me, she told me not to be afraid to find a man who will treat me right. I think meeting you would bring her some measure of happiness. She was worried about me."
James was surprised and touched at how welcoming Lily was. She'd never been so forthright with him as she had that evening.
"I would love to visit her," he said with a smile, and he meant it.
- - -
Over the next few months, a new life formed for everyone who lived in the Potters' home. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were delighted to have so many people living under their roof, even though the arrangement was made out of necessity. Lily, James, Dinah, Mrs. Evans, and the Potters were all living under the Fidelius Charm, with Dumbledore as their Secret-Keeper. After killing two Death Eaters, this kind of protection was necessary. Voldemort would want retaliation.
The night after Mrs. Evans arrived in Chatham, Lily and James told Dinah that she was a witch, and they told her everything they knew about her father, Maynard Golly. Dinah delighted not only in the knowledge that she was magical, but also in her father's goodness. With her biological mother being such a troubled person, Dinah wondered if her father had been the same way. Gradually, Dinah became less of a worrier. She stopped fearing severe punishment for accidents, and started acting more like a carefree child. Lily was relieved to witness this transformation, as she wondered at the effects Dinah's grown up problems would take.
Mrs. Evans took to Dinah and James as if they'd always been part of the family. If you caught Mrs. Evans alone, she always seemed a little sad, but not when she was with Lily and her family. They became her crutch during her mourning period, and she poured her vivacity and love into them.
By mid-October, James proposed to Lily. Beforehand, he consulted Dinah and Mrs. Evans, who thought it was a splendid idea. James wanted the proposal to be special, even though they were confined to the house. James's house contained a very large cellar that his parents had never used. Remembering how badly Lily's vacation in Sierre had gone, he transformed the cellar into a beautiful winter landscape. Lily had told James how much she loved the snow and skiing, so he charmed the cellar's ceiling to make it taller; he wanted to create hills so that Lily could finally take her vacation. He added trees, a lodge, a sky, small animals - anything to make it more realistic. It required all of James's talent for Charms and Transfiguration to complete this project. A few times he even had to enlist the help of Sirius, Remus, and his parents. After a week of work, the cellar was ready for Lily. James led her down there under the pretense that he'd found something incredible in the cellar.
"Really, James, what could be so exciting? Don't people just keep old junk in their cellars?" Lily said. She wasn't so fond of the long walk down to the cellar.
James was eagerly leading the way, holding her hand. "It's not that much farther, don't worry. I think you'll really like what I found." He didn't look back at her. His smile would have given him away.
When they reached the cellar door, James became nervous. He knew that Lily loved him, but he still feared rejection. For him, there seemed to be a pause longer than what it took for him to open the cellar door. His whole future flashed before his eyes. He saw himself with Lily and Dinah, laughing and playing games. He imagined their wedding, and their children. He hoped his real life would take that path.
Upon seeing the cellar's interior, Lily gasped and her eyes widened. "James, did you do this?"
He smiled openly now, pleased with his efforts. "Yes. I thought you'd like to finally take your winter vacation."
Lily hugged him enthusiastically. "Can we ski here?"
"Supposedly," he said. "Do you want to try it out?"
"Of course I do!"
James led her to the one-room lodge he'd created. He'd placed two sets of skis and two winter outfits inside. Once they were all suited up, they went outside. Lily began teaching James how to ski. About an hour into their "vacation" James led her to a small hill that faced a cliff. He told her he felt ready to try skiing down a slope. Once he was at the bottom, he began inspecting the cliff, seemingly waiting for Lily to descend. She appeared beside him shortly after, and he tugged on her arm.
"Lily, look up there! There's something odd about those rocks, don't you think?"
Lily squinted at the cliff. It took her a moment to realize that there were words carved into the rock about twelve feet above their heads. When she finally made out what all the words said, it knocked the speech right out of her. She stood with her mouth agape, staring back and forth between the cliff and James. Pointing at the sentence, she said,
"James - oh my - that cliff! Can you read to me what it says? I'm not sure I got it right."
James made a visor of his hand and squinted at the carved words. "It looks like it says, "`Lily, will you marry me?' Hmm. I wonder who wrote that."
Lily was too surprised to find James's nonchalance amusing. "James, is this for real?"
James shrugged. "Well, blimey, it seems so, Lily. I think some bloke is awful keen on you."
"James!" she cried. "Stop teasing me!"
"Teasing you?" said James, feigning surprise. "Who's teasing you? The bloke would have to be rather keen on you, is all I'm saying, for him to go carve that proposal into a cliff. Don't you think?"
Lily laughed despite herself. "Do you want to marry me, James Potter, or not?"
"Well, you know, I'd never given it much thought, but you asked so nicely - how can I say no?" James shuffled nearer to her on his skis, grinning. Lily was grinning at him too.
"I suppose it's a done deal then," she said, pulling him into a kiss.
- - -
Since Lily and James's wedding date was planned for New Year's Eve, the next exciting event in the Potters' home was Lily's eighteenth birthday on November ninth. James arranged for a copy of Dinah's adoption papers to be sent to their home. He knew how Lily had been looking forward to becoming her official legal guardian.
First thing that morning, James showed the letter to Lily. The two of them were alone in James's room, which they had come to share since Lily moved in. Lily was still groggy and wearing her pajamas. James had been awake for an hour waiting for the owl. Lily was surprised to find the letter on the breakfast tray that James brought to her.
She opened the envelope and read over the papers. All she had to do was fill out a few sheets of paper and Dinah was officially her daughter. She hesitated, though, and read over her options. She could also share custody with James. This was what she wanted. She didn't want him to feel like he had no authority with Dinah, or that she was any less his.
"James, I don't want full custody of Dinah," she announced.
"What?" he said. "But you've wanted custody for months!"
"It's not that I don't want it at all," she amended. "I want to share custody with you. That's one of the options here." She pointed to the paper.
James was well aware of this detail. He found out when he adopted Dinah for Lily months ago. Offering him shared custody was a huge display of her faith in him, James realized. This was it; she was serious about him, and James wouldn't have dreamt of refusing. He loved Dinah now, just as well as Lily did.
"I would love to be one of Dinah's legal guardians," he told her. "As long as you're sure. This is pretty serious."
"I am one hundred percent sure," said Lily confidently, holding the papers and a pen out to him.
James sheepishly accepted them, glancing sideways at Lily. She smiled widely at him, glowing with happiness. As she watched James nervously read over the adoption papers, she marveled at how well her life managed to turn out.
O O O
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