An Amateur Marriage

Ch. 1: A Prologue ( Joy in the Morning)

“Come on darlin’, lets go back to bed.

Put the phone machine on hold.

Leave the dishes in the sink.

Do not answer the door.

It’s you that I adore.” – “Morning Song” by Jewel

James Potter quickly scurried around the kitchen, trying to find at least something edible to eat before his sort-of girlfriend, Clara, woke up. Trying to make as little noise as possible, James looked through all the cabinets, but all he could find was a stale box of Zesta crackers. He threw the refrigerator door open, and of course found nothing but three cases of beer and half a carton of milk. Damn! Damn! Damn!

James sighed. He hoped Clara wouldn’t be too disappointed that there was nothing to eat. Usually, James wouldn’t have even bothered with breakfast for a girl that he had just slept with, but Clara wasn’t a one night stand. He knew they were slowly heading towards that boyfriend/girlfriend stage, as much as James kind of dreaded it.

He hadn’t had a girlfriend since his marriage to Lily Evans ended almost two years ago. Remus had been trying to drill into his head for quite some time that the only way he was going to move past his failed marriage was to get out and date around. Sirius had kept his mouth shut, and James had silently agreed. Well agreed on getting out and sleeping around, which Remus had greatly disapproved of.

Clara was the first girl that James had continuously dated since Lily. It was taking him awhile to get used to dating again. After all, he had been married to Lily for three years, eight months, and ten days, plus he had dated her a year prior to their marriage. So technically, he had been with Lily for four years, eight months, and ten days. When you are with someone that long, it takes awhile for the whole dating game to come back to you, and James was still struggling with the idea of being someone else’s boyfriend again.

James opened a drawer in the fridge, hoping to find at least something that wasn’t liquid. And alas! In the bottom crisper was no other than a carton of eggs. James mentally congratulated himself and started to whip up a pan of scrambled eggs. It wouldn’t be anything fancy, and he hoped Clara wouldn’t mind. But then again, she probably knew better than to expect a grand meal, being in a guys apartment and all.

“Ah, babe are you making me breakfast?”

James grinned and turned to face Clara, who was wearing one of his t-shirts. For whatever reason, it kind of irritated him when females insisted on wearing his clothes. They came to his apartment wearing clothes. Why was it so difficult to put the same clothes back on in the morning? James decided to let it slide. He wasn’t going to let his clothes paranoia destroy the morning. James wiggled his eyebrows at her and planted a kiss on her forehead. “Maybe I’m making breakfast for you, and maybe I’m not.”

She smiled at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. James was only wearing a pair of flannel pajama bottoms, and she delicately kissed his collarbone. James was having a difficult time trying to wrap his arms around her. He was already holding a carton of eggs and a frying pan.

The doorbell rang suddenly, making both James and Clara jump.

“You get the door while I use the loo,” she whispered in his ear.“Then, we’ll eat that breakfast that you’re making me.”

James untangled himself from Clara and ran towards the front entrance, figuring it was Remus. He had a habit of showing up some mornings.

James balanced the carton of eggs on the pan and flung open the door. When he saw who it was, his jaw dropped along with the carton of eggs.

The female chuckled and took a step back from the egg mess, silently saying a spell to get the yolk off her shoes. “Well, I wasn’t expecting eggs to be thrown at my feet, but I can take a hint. I’ll just be on my way.”

James chuckled, snapping out of his daze. “Nonsense. If I didn’t want you here I would have thrown the eggs at your face, not your feet.”

She shrugged. “How am I to know that’s not what you were aiming for? You could have awful aim and intended on hitting my face but settled for my feet.”

James really laughed at that. “Oh please. You of all people should know that my aim is superb. It’s your aim that’s god-awful.”

She smiled and nodded her head in agreement. “That’s very true.”

James starred at her intently for a moment, stuck between not knowing what to say and wanting to say everything at the same time. “So, how are doing Lily?”

Lily Evans, the former Mrs. Potter, smiled and tugged a strand of dark-red hair behind her ear, her noted nervous habit. “I’m doing real good. Yourself?”

A very cheeky grin grew on James Potter’s face as he ruffled his hair. “Can’t complain.”

She starred at him and smiled that same smile that he used to see everyday for three years. James thought she looked beautiful in her knee-length black skirt and simple button-down white blouse, and he wanted to tell her so, but he also didn’t want to cross over any lines with Lily. Could you tell your ex-wife that you thought she looked beautiful? There needed to be some sort of guide book for males that told them what you were allowed to say and what you weren’t allowed to say to your ex-wife. Lily began to falter slightly under his gaze, and James coughed not realizing he had been starring.

“So, heading to work?”

“Oh!” She looked down at her outfit flustered and quickly tucked another strand of hair behind her ear. “Yeah, I wanted to stop by before I went to work. I kind of need to talk to you about something.”

This definitely caught James by surprise, but it slowly began to make sense. Lily wasn’t exactly the type to show up at his flat spontaneously unless it was important.

“Oh, so you didn’t just come by to make me look like a fool and watch me ruin breakfast?”

“Nonsense.” Lily waved her wand and miraculously repaired all the broken eggs. She picked up the carton of eggs and tucked them underneath her arm. “See? Breakfast isn’t ruined, and you look cute when you act like a fool.”

The cheeky grin resurfaced on James’ face .

“But just to make sure...” She grabbed the frying pan from his grasp. “You can’t be trusted with this,” she said, shaking the frying pan in his direction.

James was too giddy to protest. She had called him cute, so he saw no reason why he shouldn’t tell her that he thought she looked beautiful.

“Hey Lily?”

“Yes?”

“You look beautiful.”

A slight pinkish blush crept onto Lily’s cheeks, and James could have sworn that she had stopped breathing for a second. It still amazed him that after all these years– after all the dating, the anger, the sex, the laughter, the fighting, the marriage, the divorce– they could still turn each other into a state of stupor. After a year of dating, three years of marriage, and two years of divorce, Lily still blushed every time James gave her a compliment, and James was still dropping things at the mere sight of her.

An adoring smile spread across Lily’s lips. “Thank you James.”

When Lily entered his apartment, James shut the door behind her.

***

Seventh Year

The two of you don’t make sense. That was the first reaction that James got from people when he told them that he was dating Lily Evans. The two of you don’t make sense.

Everybody had vocalized it: Sirius, Remus, Peter, Hagrid, Lily’s friends, the students, even the Hogwarts teachers thought they didn’t make sense, but James and Lily never dwelled on this fact. In all actuality, they thrived on it.

You didn’t have to tell James twice that him Lily were the most unlikely couple to grace this earth. Before, whenever he had pictured his ideal female, Lily Evans was no where in her proximity. Lily was bossy, tempestuous, and stuck to order a little too much for James’ liking. And James, being her almost total opposite, was a spontaneous, rule-breaking, playboy extraordinaire. No person in their right mind would have ever thrown the two of them together. They just simply didn’t make any sense.

James jogged down the to the lake knowing that Lily was probably already waiting for him. As he walked down to the grounds, he couldn’t fight off the voices that were on repeat in his brain. The two of you don’t make sense. The two of you don’t make sense. The two of you don’t make sense.

No, James thought, we don’t make sense. Which is exactly why I am falling in love with her.

***

“Do you want something to drink?”

“What do you have?”

“Beer and milk.”

“Hmm, do you and Sirius drink directly out of the milk carton?”

He smirked. “Yep.”

Lily cracked an egg into the frying pan. “Then, I think I’ll pass.”

James chuckled from across the counter as he watched Lily’s back, mesmerized. It had been a couple of months since he had seen her last. Every time he saw her, memories both good and bad came rushing back to him. He could tell many stories about their mornings together. James wasn’t going to allow his mind to wander. He wanted to savor every moment with Lily until she left again, and they went without seeing each other for another couple of moths.

Leaving the eggs to cook, Lily turned back around to face him. She was starring at her feet waiting for him to say something to her. James could tell there was something on her mind.

“So, you wanted to talk to me about something?”

Lily smiled and leaned against the counter top. “Yes, there’s something kind of important that I need to tell you– ”

“James is breakfast ready yet?” Clara came bounding into the kitchen and stopped dead in her tracks when she caught sight of Lily. Clara was still wearing his t-shirt, much to his disappointment, and she tugged the hem of it trying to cover up as much of her legs as possible.

James cleared his throat, already highly uncomfortable with this situation.

“Umm...Clara,” she jerked her eyes away from Lily and focused her attention on James. “This is my...ex-wife Lily Evans, and Lily this is my g-girlfriend Clara Vaughn.”

“Hi,” Lily said nervously folding her arms across her chest. Clara nodded her head in acknowledgment, but continued to flick her eyes over Lily.

“Hey, did I hear a doorbell awhile ago?” And of course, at that precise moment, Sirius Black had to decide to come barreling into the kitchen in nothing but his checkered boxer shorts.

He stopped when he saw the group gathered in the kitchen . “Oh...uh...” Sirius looked at James, then Clara, then Lily. Sirius suddenly seemed more awake. “Lillakins!”

He attacked her with a massive bear hug. Lily stumbled backwards a bit but eventually hugged him back just as enthusiastic.

“What in the hell are you doing here,” he said letting go of her. “We haven’t see you in awhile. We were beginning to think you had fallen off the face of the earth.”

Lily smiled, “Nope, I’m still around. Actually, I was here to visit James, but apparently I’m interrupting something. I’ll just grab my things and be on my way.” She grabbed her bag from off the counter and walked out of the kitchen hurriedly.

James quickly followed Lily, leaving Sirius and Clara in the kitchen. “Hey, wait up.”

Lily reached the door and turned around swiftly. “James, I’m so sorry! I should have called or dropped a note or something. It was terribly rude of me, and I– ”

“Lily,” he said tenderly resting his hands on her shoulders. “You don’t have to apologize. You are welcome here anytime, even if it is unannounced.”

Lily smiled, but it was a stressed smile. “Oh, I don’t know what I was thinking stopping by before work. I need to talk to you in private. Is there anyway that we could have dinner later this week?”

James smiled and impulsively caressed her chin with his thumb. “You got it Lils. Just tell me when and where.”

She smiled strangely this time and took a step back so that her chin no longer rested in his hands. “Great. How about Friday at 7?”

James let his hands rest at his side. “Sounds good.”

The sides of her mouth twitched, but she didn’t smile. She opened the door and acted like she was going to walk out, but she suddenly turned around and kissed him on the cheek. “Thanks James. So, I’ll see you Friday?”

He grinned. “You bet. Bye Lily.”

She waved as she walked down the hall. Once she was out of his viewing range, James shut the door behind her, and just like that she was gone again. After this morning, Lily would go back to the life she now had without James, and James would go back to his life without Lily. It was the same song that they had been singing for two years now: Never together; always apart.

***

One morning during their marriage

Ever since he began sleeping with Lily Evans– well the now Mrs. Potter– James loved the morning. Anybody who had known him before Mrs. Lily Evans-Potter, knew that James loved to sleep, especially in the morning. But that had all changed, along with a lot of other things.

Let the phone ring.

Lets go back to sleep.

Let the world spin outside our door.

You’re the only one that I want to see.

James looked down at the sleeping form of his own personal goddess– the woman who was his lover and wife all rolled together in their bed sheets. The morning was James’ favorite time to spend with his wife. He loved to admire her while she was still infested with sleep.

On this particular morning, the bed sheet had crept down to her waist, leaving her ample breasts and soft stomach exposed completely for him. He loved these moments when he could stare at her and admire her beauty without her feeling embarrassed or ashamed of her body. He wished more than anything that he could make her see the beauty that he saw in her. She was too hard on herself sometimes, believing she was nothing more than average. It frustrated James beyond belief. She was not, nor had she ever been, average. She was a beauty, a goddess, and an angel that had chosen him over heaven. Or so he liked to believe.

Come on darlin’ lets go back to bed.

Put the phone machine on hold.

Leave the dishes in the sink.

Do not answer the door.

It’s you that I adore.

There was still a slight smell of sweat in the air that could have only been evoked by sex, and the incense that Lily had lit last night still lingered in the air as well. To James, it was a perfect combination. He watched Lily’s chest rise and fall with every breath she took. Their legs were tangled together and Lily’s hand rested lightly on James shoulder without actually holding on to it. The sunlight was beginning creep through the blinds of their bedroom, eliminating Lily’s body even more to him. James felt it was time to wake up Lily. If he didn’t do it soon, the sun would do it for him, and then James would miss his favorite part of the morning.

James took one last look at his mortal goddess before choosing to brush his lips against her highly sensitive neck. Her body immediately twitched both from pleasure and drowsiness. A low groan escaped her throat, causing the vibration to tickle James’ lips.

James rolled over on top of her, wanting to touch every part of her body with his. The hand that she had rested on James’ shoulder earlier was now fully grasping his arm. James kissed the corners of her mouth, feeling their hearts beating rapidly together. Or maybe it was just his heart? He couldn’t be sure.

Her eyelids slowly opened, and James caught the first glimpse of emerald green. Her hand lightly drew circles on his back and she smiled, content. “Oh James,” her voice was foggy from sleep, “you carry my heart.”

James’ heart melted. He repeated the same back to her and promised her that we would keep her heart safe. “Nobody can take your heart away from me.”

Let the phone ring.

Lets go back to sleep.

James buried his face in the nape of her neck, his vision obscured by her hair that still carried the smell of sweat and incense. Lily was still drawing circles on his back, and as James continued to drown himself in her hair, he couldn’t help but think that if he were to die right this second, he would die blissfully happy.

A/N I know, I know. I shouldn’t be writing another story, but this is one story that I just can’t get out of my head. It’s making me write it, and strangely I’m really liking this story. I haven’t had this much satisfaction with my writing in a long time. It’s a nice change if I do say so myself.

So anyways, on the side I will be writing this story. It’s going to be the shortest story that I have ever written (I have 10 chapters planned), and it’s also the only story that is solely about their romance. So for all of those who are anxious to get to the romantic stuff in Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores, you might as well give up and read this story because it’s going to be awhile before James and Lily hook-up in that story. Other than that the only other thing you need to know about this story is that every chapter is going to have a few flashbacks (like their wedding and other events in their marriage). Anyways, I would greatly appreciate feedback with this story. Thanks! Ungraceful