I own nothing.
**
Chapter 28: Sweet Reunion
[She Paints Me Blue, by Something Corporate]
…………………………
December 24, 1979
…………………………
"To family!"
"To family!" everyone chorused, taking their glasses of champagne and sipping. Lily held hers at her side, smiling.
"To peace," she said quietly, and it was echoed solemnly by every person in the room. Lily set her glass down and slid her hand into James's, squeezing tightly. "Well…it's…it's almost a year after many of us joined the Order-and we, James and I, thought we'd make an announcement to celebrate…"
And it's exactly a year after he came back.
The thought was startling. A year. So much had happened in a year it was mind-blowing.
…………………………
December 31, 1978
…………………………
"Lily-we're going to be late!"
"I'm coming, Remus!" she yelled exasperatedly, searching under the bed for her shoe.
"Hurry up!"
She seized her shoe and yanked it on, running out into the hallway and putting her wand in her pocket. Sirius was waiting at the kitchen table with Remus.
"About time," Sirius said. "Really, Lily-you think you'd be a bit more careful about those minutes."
"Shut up," she said. "Is Peter coming here first?"
"He's already here," Sirius said. "He's waiting outside."
"So what are we waiting for?"
Remus and Sirius exchanged a look. Lily's heart rate sped up. "Oh-you two didn't."
"He's our best friend! You two've got to talk some time." Sirius met her eyes defiantly.
Lily shook her head vehemently. "We did. Just not about anything important. He's been so busy and so have I…I'll talk to him…I promise….just not now!"
Flames erupted in the fireplace. "Too late," Sirius said, grabbing her arm to keep her from running. "We're all in this together. Put your differences aside for a little while."
Lily steeled herself as James stepped out of the fireplace, dusting soot from his robes. "Are we ready to go?" he asked briskly. "Where's Peter?"
"What, no hello?" Sirius asked.
James gave him a cursory glance and focused on Remus. "Peter?"
"Outside," Remus said quietly, staring hard at James and then looking at Lily, who felt like she was going to burst into tears if he didn't just look at her.
He didn't. He simply went over to the door and left the flat. They heard him clatter down the rickety stairs.
"Bastard," Sirius said, standing and dragging Lily with him to the door. Remus followed. Soon they were outside on the noisy streets of London, following James and Peter to the Underground. Lily bought them tickets and the five got into one of the packed cars.
Traveling on New Year's Eve was not a good idea. Lily had no space to move any part of her body and she had her back pressed up against James's front. She held rigid and felt one of his hands slowly run over her hip and up her side, then down again.
The train stopped and Lily pulled away, feeling something strange in the pit of her stomach. She stepped over to Sirius's other side, away from James, and they quickly walked through a small park. Within moments, they stood in front of a gray house with maroon shutters and a black door, and Remus knocked twice fast, then twice slow.
The door was pulled open by a woman in her mid-fifties. She was plump and stocky but intimidating, and a cat sat at her feet. Lily trembled-this was Ana Figg's mother.
"Come in," she said, and if she resented any of them for their part in her daughter's death, she showed it not at all. The five stepped into the house and allowed her to take their coats, and then she led them down a flight of stairs into a small basement that was crowded with people. Lily knew only a few of them. She had met the Longbottoms at Hogwarts-they had been four years older, and Hestia Jones had been in the year above them. Lily waved at her and Hestia smiled back. There were many familiar faces but none that she knew personally. She recognized Arthur Weasley but his wife, Molly, was missing, and she saw Molly's brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett. She grinned at Hagrid and he winked at her.
Dumbledore was standing at the front of the bustling room and when he saw them enter he cleared his throat. Instantly the room went silent.
"Please sit," he said cordially, and the twenty or so people in the room quietly found chairs. Lily ended up next to Remus and in front of James, with Sirius and Peter in front of her. The chairs in the small room were so close together that she could feel James's breath on her neck. She scooted her chair forward and heard a sarcastic laugh behind her. About to whirl and hit James right on his stupid mouth, she felt Remus's hand on her arm. Ever-so-slightly, he shook his head and Lily took a deep breath, halting.
Dumbledore had begun a speech about Voldemort. Lily tried to listen but she continued to zone out until she felt Remus kick her in the leg. She looked at him and realized that he was standing, along with Sirius, Peter, and various other people in the room.
"These are the new members of the Order of the Phoenix. Please make them feel welcome. All of them are needed."
Lily managed a tremulous smile at the smattering of applause and then she collapsed back in her chair, spent. All of sudden all she wanted to do was sleep for a thousand years and wake up when everything was okay again.
"Don't leave all at once. Take it in shifts."
Lily frowned. So that was the induction into the Order? No tattoos-no silly wand waving?
Well of course not. The Order of the Light was bloody fanatical. This is just to survive.
"Who wants to go out for a few drinks?"
Lily glanced at Sirius and decided that he wasn't trying to set her and James up. She shook her head. "No…"
"Well, I can't go back to the Leaky Cauldron for a couple hours," James said.
"Why?" Peter's voice was hoarse and broken. Lily looked at him sharply.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine!"
"Don't snap at her," Sirius said immediately, glaring at Peter. For once, Peter glared right back. Sirius, shocked, glanced away.
"Tom just said not to come back for a while. I think I'll stay away all night-it's New Year's Eve-I don't want to know why I wouldn't be able to go to my room."
"Blimey," Sirius said, "it's New Year's Eve. I'd forgotten. You can crash at our flat, Prongs. That couch has your name on it."
"I don't think so…"
"Doesn't matter. You're staying. Now come on: it's only about eleven…we'll go out for a toast to new beginnings."
On second thought, maybe Sirius was trying to set her and James up.
"I'm too tired," Lily said, just as James said, "No-I need sleep."
Their eyes met for the first time that night and Lily's breath caught in her throat. Maybe-maybe tonight…
"Well I just need to stop off at the flat and pick up my coat," said Remus. "Then Sirius and Peter and I will go and you two can sleep."
Decided, though not without quite some awkwardness, they got the okay to leave and departed from the house, bidding goodbye to Hagrid and Mrs. Figg as they saw them. They walked slowly through the park and waited for almost twenty minutes for the train to arrive.
Somehow they got separated on board and of course, Lily ended up with only James. The cars were even more crowded than before and her face was so close to his she could see the incredibly fine lines around his eyes. It shocked her-he was only eighteen.
"James-"
"Not now," he said, almost pleading, his breathing ragged.
"Yes…" she began, but he put his hands on her hips and drew her up against him so she could feel his pelvis pressed tightly against hers. His lips traced her hairline down to her ear.
"Being within ten feet of you has me harder than one of Hagrid's rock cakes-"
She fought the urge to laugh and her eyes fluttered shut as he pushed his hips hard against hers.
Oh…friction…blessed friction.
It had been entirely too long.
"It's not funny. What's a bloke to do when everyone glares at me if I get closer to you than I should? I haven't even had time to wank-"
"James!"
"Well it's true. It's been a long time, love."
Her eyes closed and she put her head down on his shoulder, ready to sob herself to sleep right there. It was James-and he-it was James!
"We should talk-"
"Merlin-please-later…"
Lily nodded against his robes, smiling widely and trying to hide it. Her breath hitched at the thought of his hands on her skin again. The train stopped and they got off, pulling away from each other but not straying too far. They made it to the flat and passed Sirius and Peter, who were waiting outside the building, waiting for Remus. Lily only noticed them in passing and mumbled some sort of greeting before following James inside and up the stairs.
Remus was struggling with the coats in the closet and James was standing outside the flat door. Lily stopped behind him and nudged him, prompting him to squeeze past Remus and into the flat. Lily followed him and nearly sighed with relief when Remus finally found his coat. He paused and looked at the two of them, his eyes taking in their closeness.
"Will you two be alright here?" he asked warily.
"Yes," Lily said quickly, wanting him to leave them alone. "We'll be just fine. I've got to go to Hogwarts tomorrow so I'll have to get up bright and early."
Remus's lips twitched upwards. "I think Sirius and I will sleep at Peter's tonight," he said offhandedly, before leaving and shutting the door of the flat in their gaping faces.
"He knows," Lily said, mortified.
"Knows what?"
She glanced at him. "What's going to happen tonight. That's what he knows."
"And what exactly is going to happen tonight?"
Lily took her eyes away from him and looked at the floor. "Lots of things."
"Lily…"
She shut her eyes and smiled as they moved closer to each other. So long had she gone without hearing him say her name. It was as if everything that had happened was finally disappearing. They had wasted so much time, and now they had to make up for it, every way that they could.
They fell asleep sweaty and sated and tangled in her blue sheets and woke many times during the night to satisfy themselves again. Sometime around three in the morning she heard voices and later realized that James had been gone for an awfully long time. She got up to look for him and found him gone, with only a short note explaining that Dumbledore needed him on the table.
Lily couldn't help but cry over him again, and she cursed herself for being so ridiculous.
………………………
January 18, 1979
………………………
"Wilkins! How many times do I have to tell you not to look at Quidditch plays during class? Detention. Seven o'clock, sharp."
Daniel Wilkins glared up at her, his teeth bared. Lily met his gaze coolly, trying to quell the inkling of fear that stirred within her chest. Wilkins was only a year younger than her and in Slytherin, and he obviously didn't like being told what to do by a professor only a year older than he that had been in Gryffindor. Lily had met him several times when he had briefly hung around the Gryffindor table because of Maria, and she had never liked him. Now, she had to deal with him every day as one of his primary focuses on the N.E.W.T.s would be Charms.
Thankfully, class ended right at the moment and Lily turned away, feeling Wilkins's eyes burning into the back of her head. She reminded the Slytherins and Ravenclaws about the essay that was due the following week and let them go, glad that she only had one class left to go before she was free for the afternoon.
Her seventh year Gryffindor and Hufflepuff class was due in ten minutes. She stacked the homework she had received from the Slytherins and Ravenclaws into one pile and set it off to the side, pulling her lesson plan for the day to the center of her desk, where she could refer to it as needed. She drummed her fingers on her desk and waited for her students.
Maria and her friend Grace were the first to arrive and their peers quickly followed. Lily began the same lesson she had just taught the previous class, her voice hoarse from talking so much. Lecturing on the three different types of Confundus Charms and the various levels of strength in each was no small feat, especially if it had to be done for three hours. By the time she had set them to work on a set of questions, she was dying for a glass of water. Deciding that the class could fend for themselves, she left Grace in charge and went to fetch one from the teacher's lounge. She could have just conjured some, but magicked food and water were never as good as the real thing.
By the time she returned, Grace was watching helplessly as Maria wildly kissed Jonathan Davis. There had been rumors about them being serious at the beginning of Lily's seventh year, but then again, Lily had had little to do with Maria at the beginning of last year. She had had her own share of problems to deal with, what with Sunny and Ana and Sirius and James…
Lily shook it off and promptly gave both students detention, ruefully thinking that she was going to have to find a lot of work to give three students in one night. No matter-there was always plenty of scrubbing to be done in the castle.
Three minutes before she was about to dismiss class, someone knocked on the door. Frowning, Lily looked up. "Come in!" she called, curious as to why the visitor had not entered.
It was James.
Lily gripped the edge of the desk so hard her knuckles went white. "Class dismissed," she snapped to the students, standing quickly. She threw a glare at James and he stepped into the room, his face impassive. He stepped to the side as the students filed past him and glared darkly at Maria as she pranced out of the room, flirting outrageously with Davis. Maria breezed past him without so much as a glance but Davis gave a James a quick look before leaving.
When all the students were gone, James slammed the door shut and crossed the room in three strides until he was right in front of her desk. "What the fuck d'you think you're playing at, Lily?" he growled, his face inches from hers. Lily met his eyes hotly.
"Pardon? What am I playing at? You left. Again!"
James winced but held his ground. "No notes-no messages. You disappeared off the bloody face of the earth-"
"Don't give me that," Lily began. "You knew I was coming here to teach until July-"
"But I forgot! And by the time I gathered the courage to casually ask Sirius where you were, it was already a week and a half after New Year's! You can't expect-"
"Expect you to change? All you ever do is bloody leave, James. What's the point if you're never going to stay?"
"I'd stay if you'd bloody let me, Lily-"
She drew back her hand and slapped him hard across the face. James reeled backwards for a moment and then leaned forward, grabbing her and kissing her deeply. He released her and she staggered.
"Don't ever think I didn't want you to stay," she hissed, licking her lips. "I've wanted you to stay for the past two years but you never bothered."
"Maybe we wouldn't be in this situation if you'd swallowed you fucking pride and not dumped me last year."
"Yeah, and maybe if I hadn't I'd be dead," she said acidly, and immediately she knew she had gone to far. He opened his mouth several times and then shut it.
"What the hell d'you mean?"
"Well the Order of Light wanted you bad enough to kill your baby, so maybe they wouldn't stop at killing me to release you of any ties to England."
"They wouldn't," he whispered, and Lily saw that he had never considered this before.
"They would, James, and you know it. So maybe it's for the best that you left. But…you should have stayed on New Year's." Lily looked down at her hands and sat on the desk.
James dropped into a chair and leaned his arms against the desktop, lacing his fingers through his hair and letting his head hang down. He looked utterly defeated. "Maurice Butler died that night. Dumbledore needed my help."
Lily paused. She had not thought about why he had left, only that he had. "Oh…."
"Were you…were you scared?" he asked quietly.
"I'm not that weak. I was just angry-"
"No…I mean…when…when the Order took you."
There was a heavy silence.
"I was terrified," she admitted.
"I should have saved you," he said, his voice laden with regret and guilt.
"Well that's a heroic notion," Lily said gently, coming out from behind her desk and leaning beside his chair. "but you can't be everywhere. It happened…"
"It shouldn't have, Lily. You shouldn't have been hurt like that."
"You're not exactly in a model state of mind either."
"I love you so much," he said finally, his voice low and thick. He lifted his head and looked at her and she smiled.
"I love you too, James…."
"I didn't mean to…to get you pregnant. You should have told me."
She got to her feet and sat in his lap, putting her arms around his neck and almost sobbing with relief when his went around her waist. She fit her head against his shoulder and did cry then, simply because it felt so good. "You had already accepted. I made up my mind to tell me and then I found out. And I just…I couldn't. Maria knew. She told-"
But James made an angry noise and Lily looked at him, wiping tears from her eyes. "What? What's wrong?"
"Maria," James said through clenched teeth. "What she did to Remus."
"Well…he shagged her on the train. Not the best place to sleep together for the first and last time. And then he didn't say anything to her. She was so confused…and then there was this girl…Annie? She went after Remus and Maria found out and misunderstood."
"She should have talked to him," James said vehemently. "He's devastated."
"He's fine," Lily replied, bewildered. "He's just fine-"
"You don't get it. He's pretending to be fine. He knows about Davies-no, Davis? Davis. Remus knows about him and nothing's worse than pretending you're happy when the person you want is with someone else."
It had been so long since he had alluded to her being with Sirius that Lily almost didn't understand. She looked down and took a deep breath. "So why doesn't he say something? You know...Maria dedicated her end of the year Potions project to him. She studied ways to cure lycanthropy and she actually got very far. I was supposed to give the research to Remus for a Christmas gift but I just…couldn't bring myself to do it. I figure I'll take it to a specialist sometime."
"I know someone in Italy," James said absently, staring off into space. "She's very good, actually. Best of her field."
Lily squashed down jealousy.
James's gaze became clearer and he focused on her. His breath when he drew one in was deep and Lily shivered. "Can we pick up where we left off?"
Lily furrowed her brow. "What do you mean?"
"I mean…do we have to go through the motions of dating and being together again or can we just…go on from where we ended."
Lily's first reaction was to tell him to take things slowly, but she stopped. Truly-did she want to slow down? Did she want to keep herself from sleeping with him simply because he had been gone and they had not seen each other for so long?
It was the right thing to do. It would help them heal if they gradually intensified their relationship.
Or it may kill them.
Times were too uncertain to bet on a lot of time to work things out.
Lily shook herself and smiled. "Yes. Let's pick up where we left off."
And she kissed him.
…………………………
February 10, 1979
…………………………
"A drink, James?"
He shook his head quickly, glancing at her and then away. Lily frowned and turned her back to him busying herself with organizing the crystal decanters as she tried to fathom what was wrong with James. He had been unnaturally jumpy since he had first walked in, glancing around as if expecting someone to be there and reluctant to touch her.
Well, touch her he would.
She stepped forward and sat down on the couch next to him. "Are you alright?"
He nodded jerkily and she sighed, leaning in. He pulled back and cleared his throat.
"Lily…"
"Can it wait?"
He shook his head, began to nod and turned it into a shake, and then, finally, nodded vigorously. "It can wait."
Oh, how reluctant he looked!
"Good," Lily said firmly, leaning in and kissing him. He was stiff at first but then he pulled her closer and kissed her in earnest.
Lily jumped when she heard the knock on the door and pulled away from James, moaning. It had been so long since he had visited her and she was aching to touch him, but obviously fate had other plans. She got up to open the door, smoothing out her hair and making sure her clothes were tidy. With a quick look at James to make sure he was presentable, she swung open her door.
It was unusual for anyone to visit her at her living quarters at any time, let alone this late at night. However, the sight of Mary in her doorway was enough to make Lily grasp the doorframe and sway, feeling the blood drain from her face.
"Who is it?" James asked, and Lily jumped at the deep sound of his voice. It always shocked her that his voice had grown so deep and low while he had been in Italy. Perhaps it was all the training and toning he had done.
"It's me," Mary said, very quietly, and James swore.
"Mary?" he asked disbelievingly, coming up behind Lily, his bulk warm behind her shoulder.
"Yes."
"What are you doing here?" Lily asked, finding her voice.
"I wanted to apologize again."
James made a sound of fury deep in his chest and grabbed the edge of the door to slam it, but Lily braced her palms against the wood and halted him.
"Why?" she asked simply, staring hard at Mary. Whether any of them liked it or not, Mary owed her something, and it was something big.
"For everything I did that hurt you," Mary answered, her gaze cool and direct.
"There's a whole lot of things," James said bitterly, but Mary ignored him and kept her gaze on Lily's.
Lily's eyes fluttered shut. "It doesn't matter anymore," she whispered. "It doesn't."
They all knew it did but no one said anything.
"I'm getting married in a month," Mary finally said, and now she finally looked at James, who stiffened.
"To who?" he asked, his voice perfectly even.
Mary looked down. "Emilio."
James caught a hissing breath between his teeth. "Mary," he said softly, disappointment heavy in his voice.
She lifted her chin. "I'm happy. Here's an invitation. Please come. Both of you."
"We'll see," Lily said.
Of course they wouldn't.
Mary stepped back and turned away, walking slowly down the hall. Lily and James watched until she turned the corner and then James shut the door, taking the invitation from Lily and throwing it onto a side table.
"Ignore her," he said quietly. "Forget it all."
"She looked so thin," Lily mused. "And her face-so pinched! So white!"
"She works at a desk all day," James pointed out.
"So? Still…and her hair is so very dark."
"Lily…please forget about her."
Lily shook her head. "I can't."
A familiar gleam came into James's eyes and he looked at her. "Why don't we play a game?"
"A game?"
James nodded. "Yes. A game. You say a word and I'll say the first word that comes to mind. See where it takes us."
Lily grinned, remembering the last time they had played this. "Alright."
"You start."
Lily thought and then said something lame. "February."
James did not laugh as she expected him to. In fact-he look pensive. Almost too pensive for such a carefree game…. "Valentines."
"Candy."
"Hearts."
"Breaking."
James winced. "China."
"Asia."
"India."
"Planes."
James frowned. "Grass."
"Illegal."
"Immigration."
"Foreign."
James bit his lip, almost nervously.
What is wrong with him?
"Italy."
"Order of Light."
Relief dawned on James's face and some of his cocky manner returned. "Emilio."
"Mary-"
"Me."
Lily stopped short and her eyes flew to his, which were dancing. She shook her head slowly, not daring to believe. "James…"
He reached into his pocket and drew out a ring. The stone was red, a warm, comforting red Lily had never seen before. It was set in a band of shimmering, smooth, hard material that caught the firelight and held it.
"Oh-James-"
He sat, waiting patiently. He did not get down on one knee. He did not present her with flowers. He simply sat there, waiting.
At length, Lily nodded, unable to speak, and he slipped the ring on her finger, where it fit perfectly, of course.
And that was that.
…………………………
June 21, 1979
…………………………
"I think I may be sick."
Sirius rolled his eyes and shared a glance with Remus, handing James a glass of water.
"Why the hell are you going to be sick, James? You'll be fine."
"Things aren't looking so good right now," James said acidly. "Less than two hours-"
"And you'll be married-to Lily. Buck up, mate."
James sank two more glasses of water before giving Remus, who was standing next to the cabinet, a rueful glance. "Pour me a drink, Moony?"
"Oh, no!" Sirius said immediately. "It's your wedding morning. No alcohol. You're not showing up smashed because Lily will kill us."
Peter walked in from the kitchen, pancakes on a plate before him. He set them down in front of James, who took a fork and stabbed one. A grating noise issued and he winced. "They're frozen!"
Peter laughed nervously and performed a warming charm, leaving the pancakes soggy in a pool of icy water.
"Thanks, Wormtail," James said forlornly, staring down at the mess.
Sirius whisked the plate away and Banished it to the kitchen.
"Okay, Prongs," he said, sitting down across from his best friend. "Breathe."
……
"Is everything okay, Lily?"
Lily nodded, smiling slightly at Maria and turning her head to look out the window again.
"Not nervous?"
Lily shook her head, her smile a bit wider.
"Excited?"
Lily bit back a grin and nodded vigorously.
"Lily-"
"I'm getting married today!" Lily said loudly, making Maria jump and laugh.
"Well, yes. You want to get in your dress. Less than an hour and then you'll be Mrs. James Potter."
Lily hugged herself happily and got up, smiling happily at Maria. She felt so content she could hardly help from grabbing Maria and telling her to go out and be happy.
Just looking at Maria put a damper on her mood, though. Lily had asked for special permission for Maria to come to the wedding, as school was still in session for another week and a half or so, and she was worried about what Maria would do when she saw Remus, and vice versa.
For Maria had not come alone, she had brought along Jonathan Davis as an escort, and he was sitting in the next room right now with all the other guests. The two girls were in an antechamber off the main hall, getting ready.
"Who…who's going to walk you down the aisle?" Maria asked quietly, not looking at Lily as she pulled the white gown from its protective covering.
"Peter," Lily said quickly. "And…Remus."
Maria's hands jerked, almost ripping the garment bag, but she steadied them in only a moment. Lily had not originally wanted Peter to walk her, but it would be a snub to the fourth member of the Marauders because Sirius had a position as the best man and Remus was standing in for her father. Lily had eventually decided that both Remus and Peter could give her away.
Oh-a wave of sickness passed over Lily at that thought-her father…gone…
And her mother too. She wouldn't see this, wouldn't see her daughter married…
Lily sank into a chair and tried to calm her labored breathing before Maria noticed. By the time the younger girl had the dress ready for Lily to step into, her breaths were even and her face was composed. Maria did up the tiny row of buttons on the back of the dress and turned Lily to face the mirror, placing the veil over her head.
"You look beautiful," Maria whispered. "Absolutely beautiful. You're going to knock him dead."
Lily smiled shyly at her reflection. She did look good. It was the glow.
The I'm-getting-married-to-James-Potter-in-just-a-few-moments-and-we're-going-to-have-as-much-sex-as-we-want-tonight glow.
She flushed and shifted from foot to foot.
"Lily…"
Lily looked quickly at Maria and saw the other girl avert her eyes. "Yes?"
"Nothing-"
"Remus?"
Maria shook her head fiercely. "We're not talking about this now, okay? Not on your wedding morning."
Nerves were beginning to set in. Lily needed something to occupy her time. "No. Now. Sit."
Maria sat and Lily braced herself against the arm of one of the chairs so as not to ruin the dress.
"I don't need him anymore," Maria said simply.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, furrowing her brow.
"I mean…I have Jon. I don't need Remus. I don't think I love him anymore either. It's been a year and I've…well, I've gotten over him."
"So…what is it that you want me to do?" Lily asked bluntly.
"Could you…talk to him for me-"
"No!" Lily cried, just as the door opened.
"Five minutes," one of the ushers said. Lily nodded impatiently and he shut the door.
"Please…I know he thinks there's some chance we could still-"
"Don't be conceited!" Lily scolded. "Remus is fine without you."
He's devastated. But apparently you don't care.
"Lily-"
"No. You're my maid-of-honor-please go out and do what you must, and you talk to Remus afterwards. That is, if you can tear your lips away from Davis's long enough to speak to him."
Maria and she locked gazes and Lily softened. "Oh, Maria. You were right. We shouldn't have talked about this now. It's my wedding. Please be happy."
Maria smiled tremulously, nodding and looking on the verge of tears. She took the flowers and gently handed them to Lily, picking up her heavy skirt and walking out the door in front of Lily.
As if by some warped coincidence, Remus was standing in the hall leading to the double doors of the inner sanctum of the cathedral. He and Maria froze before Maria pushed past him and stood in line behind the flower girls.
The procession started and Lily took Remus's arm.
"Peter is taking the ring up instead," he whispered in her ear, and she squeezed his arm tightly.
"Thank you."
Maria walked through the doors. The bridal march sounded.
"Let's go get you married," Remus said lightly, smiling down at her, and they took the first steps towards Lily's new life.
………………………………