Lily stood in the back of the church, waiting. Her father was here to walk her down the aisle. She was a nervous wreck. She had been up since five o’clock, pacing up and down her room at her parents house. It had been a long morning, but she was finally here.
Last night, she had tossed and turned and hit her head on the headboard all night long. The bed was a little too small for her, but it was the only thing that her parents had to offer her. She should have planned ahead. After all, she was like Einstein in that day and age. Yet all the plans for the wedding made her skip over the part where she slept in her old childhood bed. She was ashamed to tell anyone about it.
Lily peeked through the doors of the church which didn’t help her at all. Seeing people gathered around for her marriage made her want to cry. She couldn’t cry though, or her makeup would run.
Music signaled the beginning.
The bridesmaids headed down the aisle one by one. Lily’s heart beat even faster. It was really happening. She was really going to walk down that aisle and marry the man of her life, James.
James was handsome, at least, in Lily’s and many other ladies’ opinions. Some people had tried woo James, but he only had eyes for one girl; Lily. He had black hair which never stayed the right way, he was taller then Lily, though not by much, and had a smile which could melt anyone’s heart.
Lily started down the aisle. Love could make people go crazy. Love made people not think straight. Love was the most important thing in one’s life. Everyone should get an opportunity to love.
When she made it down the aisle, her father gave her over to James, tears standing in his eyes. Her father rarely cried, and it touched Lily that her wedding almost brought him to tears.
The whole wedding blurred in her memory until one point: when they both sealed their love by saying ‘I do.’ Lily cried. It was too much for her to handle. Finally, the man of her dreams was marrying plain old, ordinary Lily.
Everyone was watching them. Sirius had this gleam in his eye that told her he was already planning some sort of mischief for after the wedding. The look told them Remus and Peter were probably in on it, too. Lily knew she should probably be worrying about what they were planning, but now wasn’t the time.
“I now pronounce you man and wife,” the priest said.
With that, James leaned over and kissed Lily. After few seconds they parted. After all, they were standing in front of a crowd of people.
The wedding finished, Dumbledore took out his wand and transformed the church decorations into a reception room.
Lily walked around the room with her husband, arm and arm. Their faces glowed as they greeted their close friends. Only a few had been invited to the wedding. In fact, the entire list came to about 50 people, though not everyone who had been invited could show up. Some had to work; others had to keep up the work that they were all engaged in”protecting the wizarding world. They had to keep it short and simple because of the threat of Voldemort. If they had married at another time, they probably would have had over 150 guests. There might even have been some people they didn’t know: friends of friends, new spouses, cousins they had never actually met.
As she passed the ones that loved them so, they spoke in loud voices encouraging words to her about her new marriage. It filled them both with joy to hear them. She had grown up with, admired, and loved these people.
However, there was one person there who had not wanted to come or even acknowledge it was happening. Petunia Evans.
Lily walked over to Petunia, hoping to restore their broken friendship. As soon as Petunia saw her approaching she turned around and left, like she had done many times in the past years. It was to much for Lily to stand, so she turned around and fled to the bathroom.
Everyone was everywhere, and she couldn’t get any quiet, not even in the bathroom. She heard raised voices but didn’t even try to find out who they were talking to. How could she say that? Lily wondered. I’m her sister. How could she hate me so much? I didn’t ask to be a witch, and I am certainly not going to make myself miserable just for her. Why can’t she just be happy for me?
"Come out, honey," James whispered through the door. "Petunia left. Your parents were really angry at her, and she couldn’t take it anymore.”
To dwell on this is to give her victory. To dwell on this is to give up and surrender. To dwell on this would show my weakness, I must be strong, Lily thought. It was the only way that she could make it through the pain in her chest.
So, Lily opened the door and it creaked and groaned like it was on its last life. As soon as the door opened, James gave her a big hug and whispered in her ear. "You just got through seven grueling N.E.W.T.s, all with flying colors. Now your sister is allowed to upset you? You are better then that, and always will be."
Lily nodded because she couldn’t find her voice. Though she was mad at James. How could he say all of that. He wasn’t the one who had a sister who hated him. He doesn’t know how it truly felt. There was another reason for her being this emotional, besides her sister. It was because of a secret that no one in her family knew about but her sister. That was the reason that she was really in the bathroom crying, and she wasn’t about to tell James that, at least not yet.
When the two of them returned to the party, the mood lifted drastically. There were smiles etched in peoples faces.
The first people to approach her and James were her parents.
“Sweetie, I am so sorry that you had to go through that. We told her to behave today, but you know your sister, she can be stubborn,” her father said. Her mother gave her a big motherly hug, and in order to get them to go enjoy the celebration, she had to say, “Mum, Dad, I don’t blame you. I am fine.”
They nodded, but before returning to their table, they each gave her a kiss on the cheek.
No one else approached them even though Lily could tell that they wanted to.
With James in the lead, they spent their first hours together dancing, trying to forget that horrible argument. With each beat of music, it became more and more a thing of the past.
A New Beginning by harry4lif
Chapter Notes: All characters are created by J.K. Rowling. I just use them.
Chapter Endnotes: I want to thank my betas apollo13, and Rushia/Faile. I really owe you one!