Lily draped a delicate white gown over her arm and walked through the open doors of the large bedroom. She tossed the keys onto the bed and called for any other helpers. Nobody answered. Her mother busied herself in the elegant garden and discussed the daily news with neighbours and friends. Lily glanced out of the glass door and laughed at two struggling doves locked in a cage. It seemed like the perfect analogy to a familiar relationship. Even though these simple touches usually appeared with a simple spell, her father insisted on shared traditional and magical elements throughout the ceremony. She ran a hand through her slightly damp hair and tapped on the window. A white and orange coloured cat leapt off of the precarious pane and onto a cosy chair.
“Right, so I’m confused on a few points,” said Remus. He laughed softly when she jumped and spun around to face him. He fastened the buttons of his dres shirt before he slipped on his other dress shoe.
“And late,” Lily added. She walked into a walk-in closet. She hung the dress up and slipped off her shoes. She called to him behind closed doors. “You’re pouring over that damn textbook again?”
Remus laughed and turned the page. He sat on the edge of the bed and crossed his legs. He wore simple tuxedo. As the Evans’ decided to pair him with Lily’s close friend for the ceremony, he made a conscious decision to wear the usual formal attire. Not that he would have made much of a fuss, but this kept the peace with an agitated, frantic mother. He checked his reflection in the long mirror and wondered if he should have taken Sirius’s advice on a haircut. He pulled a jacket over his pressed shirt and held a packaged corsage in his left hand.
“No,” he gave a delayed answer.
“Liar.”
“Such a pleasant personality,” Remus mused as he made a notation in the textbook. As much as the psychology field interested him, he often found himself immersed in secondary scholarly sources. Remus still read anything he could get his hands on. When he wasn’t working on a mission or attending Order meetings, he got lost behind a next text and lost time in a bookstore. “Di says you should come to the open book fair.”
“When is it?” Lily tossed her blouse over the door. She stumbled around the tight space. She gave an exasperated sigh as something crashed to the ground. “Honestly, how many pairs of shoes does Mum need? Oooh, these are cute.”
“Thursday.” Remus rolled his eyes when she tossed him a pair of delicate silver heels. He wondered if she resulted to this technique when she was in a mist of a row with James. He caught them.
“Aren’t those just the cutest thing?” Lily asked.
“Er,” Remus hesitated. He set the shoes aside, barely looking at them. This was not the first time a question like had arisen during conversation. “That’s not really my territory, Lily.”
“Right.” Lily draped a pair of pantyhose over the door. “Could you grab the earrings on the pillow?”
Earrings, thought Remus as he slammed the text closed. He lifted a black jewellery box and fingered an ancient pair of ruby chandelier earrings. “You sure these are all right?”
He came here for a reason, and playing the page boy wasn’t in the cards. True, a page boy did no such thing for a mistress, but he refused to think of himself as some patient chambermaid. Over his school years, Remus suffered through personal jabs about his preferences. He shared a close friendship with the Marauders, who he considered as his brothers, part of an extended family, but this hardly put an end to the sniggers from some of the students. He never challenged them, for he knew they only wanted a rise of pent up emotion, but he let it slide. Not many of them understood why he dodged requests to accompany young ladies to Hogsmeade. None of them wanted the truth.
“Yes, Moony.”
“Come again?”
“What?”
She had never called him that before. She might have addressed him as Lupin, perhaps, on occasion, but never by his nickname. Like all of the other friendships he acquired over school, striking a close bond with Lily presented a welcome surprise. He lived under the shadow of James and Sirius for ages. Although he valued their opinions and enjoyed their company, Remus often found their notorious reputation enveloped him as well. For a werewolf to be handed such an honour by his professors, Remus attempted to stick to his duties and set an example. His modelled behaviour might as well have been forgotten. He set an example for the younger students, but when it came to the questionable actions of his friends, Remus often caved in with the pressure and turned a deaf ear. It might have been to his detriment as a leader; he angered Lily most of all, but they worked well as a pair. Despite how she viewed the ‘Marauder nonsense’, she did not blame him too much and a close relationship blossomed between them.
“Oh, nothing. It’s not ... nothing,” said Lily as she ruffled around on her gown. “Don’t laugh.”
“Not even a chuckle?”
“Remus!” Lily sounded as though her nerves were on end. “It’s not wonder why they love you.”
“Just checking.” Remus checked his watch. “All right, it’s out of my system. Show me.”
The moment she stepped out of the dressing closet, all thoughts of a clever remark drained from his mind. She wore a flowing white gown that clung to her slender figure. Delicate fabric shimmered each time she made the slightest move. She picked up a small bouquet of red roses and grinned at him nervously as a light veil over her face. Light makeup touched her features. She spun around in a circle to give him the full picture. A dark red ribbon wrapped around her thin waist and extended down the soft train edges of the gown. Colourful red spirals flowed down the train. Laces exposed her back.
Remus laced the bodice with his quick fingers. He was speechless.
“Thanks.” Lily let her hair fall down her back. She took the earrings and added finishing touches to her ensemble. “What’s wrong? You haven’t said anything.”
He simply stared at her. He rested his hands on her shoulders.
“Damn it. I knew I should have chosen the other one. Mum kept hinting at the Steven Nichols design with the exposed back in the display window.” Lily glanced at her reflection in the framed mirror over the dresser. “Is it that bad? Does the red clash? I thought it wasn’t that noticeable. I should have asked Sirius. He hasn’t shut up about lingerie. Look at me. Do I even look like his type?”
He doesn’t have a type, thought Remus.
Lily interpreted his silence. “God! That’s it. I’m calling to see if that style’s still available.”
“Stunning.” Remus meant it. He took her hand and fingered her small engagement ring.
“Really?” The words caught in her throat.
Her unconditional trust surprised him at first. She could have never said a word and harboured her hostility. Somehow, he opened his mouth, swallowed his insecure fear and started talking to her. Remus had assumed this was a trademark of her vivacious personality, but he had expected a cold shoulder nonetheless. Even if she chose to overlook the fact that he spent time with a pestering Quidditch player who she often deemed a village idiot, Lily often greeted him with a warm smile and questioned him over topics in their subjects. She saw him in a new light. Quite honestly, Remus stayed away from any possible relationship for as long as he could remember. Not Lily, she saw something else.
Love, he did not believe in it. At least, he chose not to believe in this notion of ‘romantic love’. Call him a cynic. Perhaps he could relate it back to personal experience. Not his experiences, of course, for only lonely dregs resided in the bottom of that empty barrel. His father deserted his mother on one cold day when he was a toddler. She never spoke of it. He knew better than to ask questions, but he found it a particular end to a relationship. Most wayward couples lost their sense of judgement; just elated at the possibility of a chance with a beautiful woman, James Potter blinded himself to all sense; he fell head-over-heels for this special woman.
Remus wanted that connection. He often watched old couples walking through the crowded streets of London. When the frail husband slipped his cane on the ice, she caught him by the arm and led him to the sidewalk. They might possess a weaker sight, but they laughed at these weakened senses and shared their days filled with sweet reminiscences. He doubted whether what he truly felt was a sudden jealousy. After all of his mistakes, after all of those careless remarks, James still managed to get the girl. Remus was beginning to realise that what he wanted most was companionship. Lily opened the door for him.
“Lily,” he said as he squeezed her hand. An impulse shouted in his head. He took his chances: he cleared his throat and delivered a mumbled response.
“Didn’t catch that,” Lily said. She tucked a loose auburn strand behind her ear.
Remus took a deep breath. “I love you.”
“Oh, Remus,” said Lily with a smile. She pecked him on the cheek. “I love you, too.”
It wasn’t the reception he expected. In fact, he did not even know why he said it.
“Oh, by the way, you got some attention at the dinner last night.” She removed the veil. Lily waved her wand and crafted a pinned hairstyle with elaborate wavy curls; her neck was bare. “Julia is impressed.”
“Oh?”
Remus raised his eyebrows. He chose not to pursue the subject, lest she would catch onto his meaning. Perhaps a misinterpretation provided safe ground. After all, he wasn’t in love with her, not like James. He wished for some lifelong companionship, but he did not think in terms of a marriage. Some journal articles and journals he read suggested such a union as unethical, and he didn’t want to trap anyone. He made that conscious decision long ago, though he just now understood its consequences. He needn’t start any relationship on the wrong foot with unrealistic expectations.
“Come here.” Lily led him to the window.
Remus looked at a young woman dressed in a flowing crimson gown. Her strawberry blond locks fell down her slightly exposed back. Although she probably knew nothing of magic, she looked elated when Sirius handed her a fresh bouquet. Peter pinned a white flower onto his dress robes and jumped out of the way when Sirius decided to ignite a fountain of red sparks from the tip of his wand. Peter looked annoyed for a fraction of second, but he politely stepped out of the line of fire. Julia threw her head back and shook with laughter. She clapped her hands like a small child.
“She’s a lovely girl,” he offered with a shrug. He watched Lily catch a levitated corsage in her hand. He sighed when she pinned the flower on his jacket and straightened his tie. She almost drenched with eagerness. “No, Lily.”
“Why not?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” he said in a sarcastic tone. “I’m a werewolf?”
Why had this not surprised her? Remus had decided to tell her right after the wedding rehearsal. Before they joined the elastic dinner party, he pulled her aside and led her away from the welcoming aura of the Three Broomsticks. He even debated whether or not to keep it a permanent secret; James would not have minded. Things were different now. She wasn't just James's girl and he was no longer that crippling shy bookworm. James pulled off the act and encouraged his fiancée to go for a short walk: Lily took the news as if Remus had announced he had a bout of the flu. It was just another day.
“Details.”
“Glaring details, don’t you think?” Remus raised his eyebrows. “Besides, Lily, it’s your wedding. You cannot play matchmaker.”
“You like her.” Lily winked at him. “Did you let her win at chess last night?”
“You’re impossible.”
"Details," she insisted with a smile, "if it makes you feel any better, Julia has this thing about laughing at everything. When my grandmother died, she left the cemetry in a fit of giggles. Petunia was annoyed - said she wasn't family - but it made Mum lift her spirits. That's why we keep her around. I talk too much. And your little friends? Potter and Black ... we don't have time to cover them. We all have our quirks."
"Lily, perhaps you didn't hear me last night ... I'm never good with timing these things, but you can't just ignore it."
“It’s my wedding day, Remus Lupin,” said Lily, dropping her joking tone. She crossed her arms. “You want me to be a happy bride? You love me?”
“That’s not fair.”
“Humour me.”
Remus gave an exasperated sigh and kissed her on the cheek. As he turned to leave the bedroom, he laughed to himself. Lily might get carried away with her schemes (for part of him felt she planned this ‘random pairing’ as a groomsman and a bridesmaid), but he decided to go along with it. What’s the worst that could happen? He lived by rejection. Whether or not this led to a promising end, he decided to take his chances. He rested his hand on the doorknob and pulled an old Platform 9 ¾ ticket from his pocket.
"When he gets on your last nerve and you want to kill him, you come see me. I'm here for you."
"I'll keep that in mind, thank you," Lily laughed.
"Shall I meet you tomorrow, then?"
"Yeah." Lily shrugged her shoulders. "No, seriously, Julia is waiting. Go!"
“Lily?”
“Yes, Remus?”
He tossed the ticket in the air. Lily caught it before it slipped through her fingers. “Enjoy the journey. I love you.”
A Little Late by OkiBlossom
Story Notes:
This might not be your usual 'romantic love' story. As Dumbledore says, loves comes in many forms. We cannot solely rely on that weak link of 'romance' or 'head-over-heels' love. Love invites endless (hopefully) companionship and close friendship.
Chapter Notes: This isn't your typical love story. We cannot solely base that connection on whimsical 'romantic love'. Eternal friendship is interpreted by an enduring companionship.
Chapter Endnotes: Thanks to Alyssa (ronlover) and Apurva (DracoGurlForever) for their record time beta skills. Thanks for your patience. .
Please Read & Review!