And
Mr. and Mrs. Lestor Dursley
Cordially invite you to share in their happiness as their children
Petunia Joan Evans
And
Vernon Clarence Dursley
Are joined in marriage on July the twenty-second.
The ceremony will be held at St. Clare’s Church in Surrey. A reception will follow at the Dursleys’ home.
“Clarence?” Sirius guffawed. “The bloke’s middle name is Clarence!”
“I don’t see what’s so funny about a name like Clarence,” Alexis replied as she buttered her toast, rolling her eyes at her boyfriend’s antics.
“It’s a stupid, girly name for a stupid, fat oaf,” fumed Lily, the invitation shaking in her hand. It probably would have started smoldering had James not plucked it out of her grip.
“So we’re not going then?” he asked as he scanned the pink letters.
“We?” Lily repeated, giving James a look of confusion and incredulity.
“Well I’d be your date. If you’re going, that is,” he replied matter-of-factly. Lily sighed and helped herself to waffles and copious amounts of syrup.
“I have to go. Mum and Dad won’t be too thrilled if I skip out on my dear older sister’s nuptials,” she explained as students around them were beginning to gather their things and leave for classes.
“Come on, we’d better get going. It’s a long walk to Transfiguration,” James said as he pocketed the letter.
Lily stared forlornly at her waffles before allowing James to help her out of seat. “Ugh, my least favorite subject,” she groaned.
“What do you mean? Your lack of understanding in Transfiguration allows me to help you with your homework! I am, after all, top of the class,” James grinned, sharing a private look with Remus, Peter, and Sirius.
Lily looked as if she might hit him, but the moment passed and she locked arms with him instead. “Some things never change,” she laughed as they exited the Great Hall.
Later that night, James could be found lounging in a chair in the common room with a piece of rumpled parchment unfolded in his hands. Lily was sitting on the floor and resting against his legs. Her face was screwed up in concentration while she struggled to finish a rather difficult Transfiguration essay. Every once in awhile, James peered over her shoulder and shared some insight on her writing, but for the most part, his eyes were glued to the parchment in from of him.
James had made it a sort of habit to scan the Marauder’s Map for any sign of trouble. He noted the dots labeled “Alexis Capp” and “Sirius Black” that were nearly on top of each other in a fifth-floor corridor broom closet. He turned over a section of the map to reveal the Slytherin common room and scowled as he read the names Snape, Avery, and Nott huddled together and another dot disappearing to a different piece of parchment whose name James didn’t catch. Lily pulled his attention away from the Slytherins as she yawned absentmindedly.
“Why don’t I finish that for you?” James suggested, sliding down his chair and landing with her in between his legs.
“But, James, that would be cheating!” Lily exclaimed and then yawned again. “Fine, maybe I am a little short on sleep. And this essay is driving me crazy! I mean, how does she expect us to discuss the similarities and differences of different types of human transformations anyway?”
“Just let me finish it for you. I know this subject pretty well.” James smiled and kissed the top of her fiery head. He sighed inwardly. He’d been fighting a losing battle within himself on whether or not to tell Lily about what exactly he and his friends did once a month when the moon was full. It was really Remus’ secret and James knew he shouldn’t betray his friend’s trust but, at the same time, these monthly excursions and what they entailed were a part of James and it was getting harder and harder to lie to her.
When she turned her head to kiss his cheek in thanks, James made up his mind.
“You know,” he said, “we haven’t actually had an official date since we’ve been going out.”
“Well maybe that’s because you haven’t asked me properly since we’ve been going out,” she grinned.
James laughed and said, “Miss Evans will you go on a date with me?”
Lily pretended to think for a second before she broke into a fit of giggles. “Yes, I suppose so,” she smiled, before rubbing her eyes. She kissed him sweetly on the mouth before getting up and retiring to her dormitory.
This weekend he resolved as he turned his focus to Lily’s unfinished essay.
“James! Where are you taking me?” Lily laughed as James pulled her down the steps of the Entrance Hall by the arm.
“Your constant curiosity only encourages me to keep my mouth shut,” James smirked. “At least partially.” He paused at the foot of the stairs to peck Lily on the lips and was shoved hard in the shoulder by someone passing by.
“Get a room, Potter!” called Snape as he and three other Slytherins ran down the stairs and disappeared behind the door that led to the dank dungeons. Before he had a chance to pursue Snape, James felt Lily’s hand on his arm.
“Come on, James. We don’t want to be late. Besides, he’s not worth the trouble,” she said and, with a sigh, James led her towards the oaken front doors. He was just about to prod them open when a shrill voice sounded behind him.
“And just where do you think you’re going, Mr. Potter?”
James turned slowly on the spot, fearing the worst. The worst came in the form of a stiff and stern Professor McGonagall striding towards him.
“Lily and I are going on a date,” he quickly explained. “I made reservations in Hogsmeade.” He looked sheepishly at Lily; his surprise dinner plans were ruined.
“Now, Mr. Potter, you know as well as I do that students are not allowed in Hogsmeade Village unless it is a weekend decided upon previously by yourselves and approved by the Headmaster,” rebuked McGonagall. “Furthermore, you of all people should understand why, with your responsibility as Head Boy and Girl-,”
A white mist flew into the Entrance Hall from the top of the stairs and swooped down to McGonagall’s side. She stooped down to listen to what Lily and James could only make out as mutterings. The Professor’s face grew steadily paler until she straightened and the white mist evaporated.
“Please excuse me,” she said. “There is an emergency. I will deal with the two of you later.”
“What sort of emergency, Professor?” James inquired as he followed McGonagall’s quick pace up the stairs. “Has there been another attack?”
“I don’t believe that is any of your business,” huffed McGonagall.
“I think it’s my business whether or not the people who murdered my parents are out there right now murdering other people,” James scowled.
McGonagall turned sharply, causing James and Lily to stumble so they wouldn’t crash into her. “I understand your desire to stop the people who killed your parents, Mr. Potter, but I will not permit a student wizard to be involved in such situations,” she admonished, before taking off down the corridor again.
“Ah, so there was an attack!” James exclaimed, and continued to tail McGonagall with an oddly quiet Lily in tow. They followed an annoyed McGonagall all the way to the stone gargoyle James knew to be the entrance to the Headmaster’s office.
At this point, McGonagall turned her attention to her pursuers again. “I will simply not allow it, Potter!” she fumed.
“Not allow what, Minerva?” Dumbledore had appeared so silently that he hadn’t been noticed until he spoke.
“Albus, Mr. Potter wants help us with the attack,” McGonagall explained, looking relieved. “I’ve tried to tell him no but he insists-,”
“And why shouldn’t he help?” Dumbledore said calmly.
James, who had thought all hope was lost when Dumbledore arrived, stared at him with shock and deep appreciation. McGonagall was also shocked, but instead of being appreciative, she was outraged.
“Albus, you can’t possibly be thinking about letting him go?” she pleaded. “He’s only a student ”
“Yet he has been touched more deeply by this war than many witches and wizards twice his age,” said Dumbledore with the same quiet tone.
“James, would you please accompany me upstairs where I will tell you the finer details about the situation? Miss Evans, you’re free to come as well.”
James had almost forgotten Lily was standing behind him and recalled that she hadn’t said a word since they’d met McGonagall in the Entrance Hall. Her face had taken on a ghostly pallor and her jaw seemed unusually tense.
“Lily, are you coming?” James asked, reaching out to place a hand on her arm.
Though her voice shook and her eyes looked suspiciously full, Lily’s response was firm and even when she said, “If you’re going, I’m going with you.” James gave her arm a quick squeeze before they trudged up to Dumbledore’s office with a near irate Professor McGonagall.
Upon entering, James was surprised to see that there were many other people in the room. Some he even recognized, such as Emmeline Vance, who graduated Hogwarts just two years ago, and the Prewett brothers, whom James had played with on the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his third and fourth year. Everyone was standing rather than sitting and looked alert and ready.
“Now that everyone is assembled,” began Dumbledore as he moved to stand behind his desk, “we must act quickly. The attack is focused on Diagon Alley so we will need to fight the Death Eaters as well as protect civilians. Frank, Alice, and Hestia will be in charge of crowd control and getting people safely evacuated. You three will set up a Portkey station of sorts in the alley we arrive in that will serve as the point of departure. Everyone else will fight and capture the Death Eaters. Minerva, please remain here to keep order and contact me if there is an emergency. Are we all understood?” There was a collective mumbling and Dumbledore, taking this as confirmation, pulled a crimson sock out of his pocket and muttered, “ Portus. ”
“Everyone grab hold!” he shouted as each person reached forward to touch a piece of the sock. James turned his head to where Lily was pushed up against him, her arm outstretched next to his. The last thing he saw was the terror in her striking green eyes before he felt the familiar jerk behind his naval and Dumbledore’s office was spinning away.
A/N: Yes, I am enjoying that little cliffhanger I just gave you. I promise the next chapter will be up soon. Thanks to my amazing beta, songbook99. Please review!
Miss Radcliffe~