| -=Beyond Hogwarts; Chapter One=- |
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| They finally got home, and all of them were herded into the living room by Mr. Evans. He himself took the largest chair, cleared his throat, ran his hand over his now balding head, and spoke in what was intended to be an intimidating voice. “So. This is my little girl’s fiancé?” “Yes.” Lily wasn’t losing her cool one bit; she wasn’t letting her father wreck the rest of her existence by pulling them apart, and she really didn’t see how he proposed to do that. “I thought it is the usual procedure to ask the father for his daughter’s hand before asking the lady herself, isn’t that right?” “No.” “You have no manners,” he spat at James, who hadn’t said a word. Lily had said “no.” “I’m assuming you don’t have a job?” James spoke. “I have a prospect as an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. Sir,” he added.” Mr. Evans frowned, clearly trying to mask the fact that half of that sentence had gone straight over his head. “Auror?” ”Yes. Sir,” James replied; “I’m anticipating a job as part of the newly formed team fighting Lord Voldemort.” Lily poked James in the side. “He doesn’t know what an Auror is or who Lord Voldemort is. He’s a Muggle.” “Oh,” James mumbled. “Sorry.” “I insist on your including me in your interesting conversation!” Mr. Evans glared. “What was that, young man?” James sighed, a bit fed up with the overprotective father act. “I fight bad guys.” Petunia tried not to snort, but she ended up spraying something from inside her nose all over the coffee table, then laughed when James scooted away. Mr. Evans turned to Lily. “So, I assume you still intend to marry someone without a speck of manners or a job?” “Dad,” Lily frowned; “his parents are some of the richest families in England. He doesn’t need a job.” “Don’t use that tone with me, young lady!” “Ah,” Lily observed dryly. “I have advanced to the position of ‘young lady’ from ‘little girl’ in a matter of minutes. How exciting. If this continues, I might be the Queen of the Universe before the day ends.” There was a rather ugly vein in Mr. Evans’ neck that was popping interestingly, though it didn’t seem prudent to point this out. Lily didn’t point it out; she turned to James. “I’d suggest you leave the room for a second—Petunia, get him a drink of something.” Petunia didn’t budge. “Petunia, my pocket has my wand in it, and I am currently a licensed witch with a bad temper. Go get James something to drink.” Petunia jumped up, looking for all the world as if she’d just sat down on a darning needle and it had taken a quarter of an hour to realize how far it had punctured her backside. She pulled Vernon out of the living room with her, and they shut the door with a muffled crash. Lily turned to her father. “Proceed.” “I will not have this! You have learned nothing at that—that Pigpimples place but to turn toads into toothpicks and to be unutterably rude to your elders! Now, I tell you now—“ his voice got extremely soft and dangerous—“that you are to start living a normal life from now on, without this—“ he waved his hand towards the kitchen in disgust—“this wizard. Is that understood?” ”Er—no.” His eyes narrowed. “I will not have you associating with trash like that!” ”Dad,” Lily said calmly, “if you’re insisting on calling him that, then I am also ‘trash like that’.” “If you continue to associate with those abnormal people, yes, you are!” She held up a hand. “I was under the impression that you approved of my schooling at Hogwarts.” ”I held no approval for it. Your mother liked the idea.” “So you go by whatever women say, is that it?” “Lily Evans,” her father glared, “your mouth is growing faster than the rest of you. I am your father, your guardian, and until you are of age, I am empowered to control you. You are not marrying this young—this wizard—you are not leaving this house without my permission, and you are marrying someone sensible. Sensible meaning someone I approve of.” If there was anything that infuriated Lily, it was someone trying to control her completely, and that was exactly what he was intending to do. She rose to her feet. “I am not—” “No talking back to me, miss!” Mr. Evans roared, also standing up. “You are not having anything else to do with that abnormal community, even if it means my snapping your wand in half! I will not stand for that!” Her hair was starting to wave wildly around her face. “I’m not taking orders from you any more! I knew I should have stayed away—I wouldn’t have come back this summer if it hadn’t been for the engagement! I was going to stay on as a teacher at Hogwarts, and I’d have lived there till I got a better position! I hate this Muggle world, and I can safely say I’m terribly embarrassed to be related to some!” “DON’T YOU TALK LIKE THAT TO ME, YOUNG LADY!” He was inches from her face, practically spitting at her. “YOU ARE GOING TO YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW, AND I AM NOT TO HEAR OF THIS NONSENSE AGAIN!” “Fine.” Lily’s fury had outwardly evaporated with that shouted order, and she stepped back. “Fine.” Leaving a baffled Mr. Evans in the living room, she moved towards the door, which swung open of her own accord; the only sign of the anger and frustration inside her. “James!” He looked up, extremely relieved to see her. “Yes?” “Come here!” She pointed towards the front door. “Get our trunks, your broom, and your cloak.” James vanished out of sight, and Mr. Evans appeared in the kitchen. “WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING, YOUNG LADY?” “Going to my room,” she glared. “My hotel room. In a bridal suite. Have fun missing me.” Lily swung around and slammed the front door behind her, seating herself on James’ broom; he’d already tied their trunks to it and performed an anti-gravity spell on them. Tersely, she pointed to the cloak, which he quickly flung over both her and himself; that done, they rose into the air. A few minutes into their flight, Lily poked James in the back. “I don’t like your broom.” He laughed. “There’s not much I can do about that.” “I want a flying carpet!” she complained. “Those don’t hurt your backsides!” He took her hand. “Look, I’m sorry about what happened back at your house.” “Former house,” she spat. “Yeah…well, I’m sorry it didn’t go well.” She sighed and leaned against his back. “It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have lost my temper.” James steered the broom straight into a cloud, smiling when Lily let out a shout of ecstatic laughter as the blast of wet droplets clashed into her cheeks and eyes. “Hey…Lily?” “Hum?” “Where’re we going now?—is my house all right?” “You don’t have a house, James, you have a mansion. You have several mansions. You do not call such a construction a house.” “My house it is, then,” he grinned. He landed in the alley behind the Leaky Cauldron; from there they proceeded to the fireplace. They would have landed in front of the pub, but even Muggles would have noticed if a broom, two trunks, and two teenagers appeared out of nowhere. James led Lily inside, taking a pinch of Floo powder from a small dish on the mantelpiece. Throwing two Knuts into a jar and the powder into the fireplace, he shouted, “La Versailles!” Both of them stepped into the green, roaring flames together, carrying their trunks with one hand and holding the other’s hand with their free one. Coughing soot out of their lungs, they landed in the Hall of Mirrors in James’ mansion. Lily had been here before, but that didn’t prevent her eyes opening as wide as they could go to drink in her surroundings. James had to poke her in the side to make her pay attention. “Huh?” He smiled. “Mum and Dad’s offices are this way. Coming? Mum’ll probably be in hers right now.” Lily nodded. “I’d like to see your mother again.” She rolled her eyes. “Can’t get much worse than my father, now, can it?” “No,” James agreed, “it can’t. Come on—Mum’s got the Marie Antoinette room as her office…” He led her through a series of stunning chambers until they got to the room that was a replica of the last Queen of France’s. It was like and yet unlike the one in France; the large bed wasn’t in the room, though its canopy was; it had been replaced by a beautiful carved wooden desk inlaid with gold; the gold railing stopped at the sides of the desk. Bookshelves lined the walls, and the ceiling had the same beautiful painting on it that Lily remembered from the French palace. These were only details that Lily noticed later; her eyes were drawn to the lady sitting behind the desk and finishing what looked like a letter. It was Mrs. Potter; her robes were a pale lavender-blue, and her eyes, intensified through the reading glasses she wore, were the same stunning violet-blue. Her robes swung around her gently as she removed her glasses and rose to greet the couple. “James, dear! I’m so happy you’re home—and Lily.” She eyed the auburn-headed girl approvingly. “You’re simply lovely, dear. I know you two will be extremely happy.” She shot a sly glance at her son. “After all the family dinners he’s taken up raving about you, you’d better be!” “Hey!” James flushed dark red. “I did not!” Mrs. Potter winked. “Sure you didn’t.” He opened his mouth to protest, but she stopped him with a warning glance. “I’d like to say something to both of you. I know you two do intend to get married right away, and I’m supporting that. When I was getting married to your father, James, my parents dictated my entire wedding—and I absolutely hated it.” Lily thought she knew where this was going, and a large smile was starting to creep over her face. “Therefore, I’m not getting mixed up in your wedding. Lily—I’m not handing you a budget, and I’m making Fred finance your honeymoon.” “Wow.” Lily’s eyebrows rose. “We’re getting a honeymoon?” “Of course!” Mrs. Potter looked surprised that Lily had asked. “I wouldn’t dream of your not having one! Mine and Fred’s lasted for two years.” She frowned. “His mother insisted. It was the ‘thing’ to do at that time.” Her face cleared. “I’m not making you do anything, though—this is your time together, and I’m giving you full reign to enjoy it.” Lily took James’ arm. “I like your mother!” “Mercenary little brat.” He kissed her head. “I do, too, though, come to that.” Mrs. Potter smiled, hugging both of them. “I love both of you, you know that?” She let go and looked both of them in the eyes. “Now, where are you two planning to have your wedding?” James turned to Lily. “That’s right. Where are we planning to have our wedding?” Lily’s mischievous smile started to blossom, and James’ stomach dropped. “Elven Point, Madagascar.” “Elven Point?” ”Yes,” Lily almost sighed. “It’s beautiful—it’s a hilltop overlooking the sea—with leafy trees and wild, blooming flowers, and with a heart-of-the ocean blue sky…” She snapped back to reality. “Does anyone mind?” James hugged her. “You’re planning all our social events from now on. I don’t think anyone else would have thought of Madagascar—out of curiosity, why did you pick that place?” She smiled, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “It sounded like a magic formula—just the name did, and I-well.” Lily shrugged. “I think the name’s beautiful.” Mrs. Potter picked up a sheet of parchment and a quill. “James, if I’d had such a creative husband, I’d be happier than I am now, which is saying a lot…” She dipped the quill in the ink. “Will you be leaving right away and making plans from there?” “I thought we might take a ship there,” James flashed at his mother, “if no one minds.” Lily’s eyes widened, almost glowing. “We really could do that?” He laughed. “If it’ll make you happy, of course we could!” Mrs. Potter hugged Lily. “Remember—no budget!” Lily’s smile turned mischievous. “I’m going to have fun!” They left the office and walked slowly towards the Grecian family wing of the house, simply enjoying each other’s company, talking softly. It was only when they came to their room surrounded by the beautiful stone columns and Lily had seated herself on one of the cushioned divans that she asked James something that had been nagging at her for some time. “James?” ”Yes?” He was sitting across from her, having just unearthed a tray of grapes and roasted songbirds. “Who do you think’s going to be giving me away?” James shrugged. “Whoever you want—Remus, maybe, or my father—I’d suggest Sirius, but he’s already my best man. Who do you think?” Lily dropped her head, fiddling with a piece of thread on her shirt. “I was thinking maybe Severus.” “What?” James almost spit out a mouthful of food. “Snape?” “Yes.” Lily ran her fingers through her hair. “Severus.” James took a handful of his own hair in his fist, yanking on it. “Lily, I don’t want him at my wedding, much less have him walk you down the aisle!” Lily dropped her skein of auburn. “James, unless you want me to elope with him, I strongly suggest you let me have him give me away.” “Urgh.” James grumbled. “He’d better be giving you away with no plans of taking you back, is all I’m saying.” Lily smiled with an obvious sense of superiority, taking James’ hand. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t let him do that.” James looked up. “That’s nice to hear.” He reached over and pulled her onto the floor and his lap. “Especially nice to hear, coming from the object of all male affections.” ”All male affections?” Lily raised her eyebrows skeptically. “As much as I’d like to believe that, I am not that wonderful a person.” “Yes, you are!” James protested. “You’re beautiful and funny and smart and brave and talented and creative and—“ “Oh, please,” Lily interrupted, rolling onto the floor and onto her stomach. “Don’t make me hurl.” “You are! I don’t see why you chose me—you could have any one you chose to, really!” “James,” Lily said dryly, “I think the encounter with my father just proved you wrong.” “Eh.” James twisted his mouth at the memory of it. “Eh, well. He’s your father. That would be just wrong.” “Shut up!” Lily grinned, slapping him on the arm. “It’s not too late to change my mind, now,” she warned. “Okay, okay.” James caught her wrist, grinning slyly. “I’ll trade it for an occupation I like better.” He leaned down and kissed her, catching her severely off her guard. Only a few hours later, the two of them were getting ready for the ship that was to take them to Madagascar. It was small; only about fifteen passengers would fit on it, after all—it was exclusively for the wedding guests. Enchanted so that it would steer without a captain or crew, it was built in the style of what Lily could only imagine as the Chronicles of Narnia’s Dawn Treader—with a beautifully carven figurehead at the prow and a deep, silky, indigo sail. There were no rower’s benches, however, and below deck was filled with about twenty rooms—fifteen being cabins, one a dining hall and several sitting rooms. It was a beautiful ship; her wood was smooth teak, and she shimmered in the sunlight with an iridescent glimmer. Lily herself had been presented with a beautiful pair of robes by Mrs. Potter—they were indigo silk, matching the sail. There were two long, wide strips of indigo silk fastened at each shoulder; from there they hung to her knees, leaving her arms free. A belt of dark indigo silk, knotted into a cord, tied around her waist in front, and a small veil hung down her back, fastened to her hair several inches above her ears; it didn’t encumber her face or cover the crown of her head. She felt like an other-world fairy as she hugged Mr. and Mrs. Potter goodbye, and, taking James’ arm, ascended the gangplank. He looked nice, too, she thought. His robes were dark blue, the color of his eyes, and he reminded her of a mermish king—at least somewhat. It was the blue that made Lily think of the ocean, the blue of his eyes and his robes… The wind was blowing softly when they stepped onto the deck, alone for those few seconds. Then their friends followed; naturally, Sirius, Peter, and Remus, and Lora, Eva, Vanessa, and Amanda. Frank Longbottom was also joining them. Lily hadn’t allowed James to make Severus Apparate, so he and Lucius were coming, too—though Lily had had to bury her face in James’ shoulder to keep from laughing publicly at Lucius’ escort. He was the only one that had brought one—Serena was hanging on his arm. “She doesn’t lose any time, does she?” Eva had mumbled in Lily’s ear. “First James, now Malfoy…” Lily had tugged James’ sleeve. “I don’t want her to be at my wedding!” she had hissed loudly. “I will not!” James grinned evilly at her. “You had to have Snape, didn’t you? Live with the consequences, my dear!” Lily groaned. “Sometimes I wonder why I’m marrying you.” He draped his arm around her waist. “Because you can’t resist my irresistible personage!” “Irresistible,” she laughed. “I’ll believe that when I see it!” “When you see it?” His eyebrows rose. “You’re the one that’s standing here, letting me hug you and wearing my ring!” She wrinkled her nose. “True.” “So, are you disappointed?” he taunted. “Want to find someone completely irresistible instead of this handsome, Quidditch-playing, muscular, intelligent person in front of you that’s absolutely obsessed with your every movement?” Lily ruffled his hair, which, in all honesty, didn’t need to be ruffled. “You! Modest, are we?” “Don’t need to be; you’re modest enough for the both of us.” He kissed her quickly, then turned her around, his hands still around her waist, so that her back was against his chest and her head next to his. “I’m guessing we’d better pay attention to them, right?” He was nodding at the rest of the guests and his parents, who were all on deck. Sirius came jogging over. “James! Long time no see, old bean!” “Damn straight!” James pulled Sirius into a one-armed hug. “All of about several hours!” Sirius stepped back, staring quizzically at the two. “Happy bride and groom, eh?” “Sirius!” Lily’s face flushed. “We’re not married yet!” Sirius simply grinned at them. “I’m sure Snape’ll be delighted to come along on this trip, won’t he?” “Oh, wait till you hear this.” James pulled Sirius aside. “Lily invited him to walk her down the aisle!” “What?” “I know! Only about five minutes after I said okay, she could, she owls him—and he had to come on this cruise ship, too, didn’t he?” James mock-glared at Lily, who tossed her hair and veil in his face. “I’ll have you know that I invited him expressly for the purpose of eloping with him five minutes before the ceremony. Do lighten up about that!” Sirius pulled her hair teasingly. “But now his best friend’s brought your little enemy, hasn’t he?” Lily sighed. She flicked the ends of her sleeves in Sirius' face and turned back to James. “Please let me order her off the ship! Please!” “Oh, no!” James grinned. “I get to have my amusement, too!” Lora and the Doylen twins joined them. “All one big, happy family, are we?” James put an arm around Lily. “Very nicely put!” Suddenly, Lily twisted away, facing the prow, an ecstatic glow in her eyes. “Look—we’re launching!” Eva clamped a hand over her mouth. “What say I go down below? I don’t have my sea legs yet…” “I’ll join you,” Frank declared. “I’d better find out where my cabin is, anyway.” “Good idea,” Peter chorused. “I’ll come, too!” Within moments, the entire deck was empty, except for the two honored guests, who stood resting against the railing, the wind blowing in their faces, and the dusky, red-streaked sunset covering the ocean’s waves and their figures. James pulled a lock of hair away from her ear. “Happy?” “Terribly,” she sighed. They were silent again as they watched the sun set to their right. They were leaning against the railing; his arm was around her waist, and the indigo silk from her robes was flickering around the carven wooden columns supporting the banister. Once, the prow dipped so far down into the sea that a clash of seawater hit the hull, sending a few salty droplets into their faces. They were out of sight of land in minutes, and they were facing the open sea while the sun was still setting. Quickly, the gold faded into scarlet, the scarlet into indigo, and the indigo into a dusky blueish purple that tinted the sea a lovely deep blue. Their ship was alone in the ocean; no boats of any other kind, no airplanes disturbed the quiet. Lily sighed and let her head fall against James’ shoulder. “I wish this could last forever.” “So do I,” James whispered. A cough from behind them made James turn around sharply; Lily took no notice of it; her eyes were fastened on the horizon. “What do you want?” Lily heard Severus’ voice from a distance. “I just want to talk to Lily, that’s all.” Irritably, James let go of Lily. “You couldn’t have waited, could you? At least till we’re at dinner or something—God, did you have to butt in?” “Hey, I said absolutely nothing to you to make you mad!” “Yeah, you did! Just your presence within one hundred miles of me makes me livid!” Lily was getting annoyed herself. “James,” she interrupted, “shut up!” James turned to her in surprise. “What did you just say?” “You’re being a prat. Severus wanted to talk to me, and he’s waited about an hour. Don’t be so oversensitive.” She turned to Severus. “Wait for me. I’ll be inside in a minute.” James slammed his hand against the figurehead. “No. Talk to him out here. I’m going inside.” Angry about something he couldn’t pin down, he stormed off of the deck and slammed the door to the lower floors. Severus turned towards Lily. She was facing the horizon again, but a tear was running down her cheek. “Hey, Lily…it’s not the end of the world.” “Yes, it is,” she said clearly through her tears. “He is my world.” As much as he might have laughed at James for saying the same thing about Lily, Severus was only touched by her words. He awkwardly moved next to her, leaning on the railing. “I’m sorry.” “Don’t be.” She ran her hand over her eyes quickly, then dropped the water from her tears into the ocean. “He was being an idiot. Don’t bother. Ignore him. Don’t pay any attention to him. He’s not worth it. He’s not—Oh, yes, he is!” she burst out, fresh tears running down and dropping onto her gown. “Yes, he is!” She tried to press her fist in front of her mouth to stop the shaking, but it continued, deriving her of any self-confidence she might have had earlier. Severus turned her around, concerned, taking a strand of her hair and placing it behind her ears. “Lily, calm down. What’s wrong?” “I don’t know,” she managed. “I’m just scared. Scared that everything’ll go wrong, that something will happen before or after the wedding, and I’ll be left alone. It’s unreasonable, it’s pointless, but I’m scared!” She let her head fall onto her arms. “I’ve disliked him for the longest time, I know, and I would have given anything in the world to have him struck down by lightning only a year ago, but I can’t help it!” Severus frowned. She was undergoing something closely bordering on hysteria, and he thought he knew why… “Lily, Voldemort’s not planning an attack on your wedding.” Lily quickly snapped to attention. “What? Why—how—“ He shrugged. “I’m part of his company, right? He’s not planning to kill James at your wedding.” Immensely relieved, she smiled at him through a veil of water. “I don’t know how I’d get along without you.” Severus grinned back. “I suppose my mission now is to let you be happy, whatever life you choose to lead.” His face grew more serious. “Are you sure you want me to walk you down the aisle?” ”Of course!” Lily bit her lip. “You’re the closest to a relative I have now. I don’t know James’ family—and my father’s almost threatened to disown me if I marry James. Of course, you!” He took her face in his hands and wiped her tears away. “You know, go in to Po—James…I don’t think he likes the idea of me being anywhere alone with you.” Lily’s eyes lit up her face with a soft, exotic glimmer. “Severus, thank you. You’ve been more to me than I’d ever deserve—thank you.” Severus nodded towards the lower decks, from which the soft sounds of clinking metal, china, and laughter came. “Go on.” She didn’t turn back; she flitted across the deck, vanishing in the shadow of the indigo sail. For a short instant her silhouette was visible in the golden light of the doorway, but then she closed it, and the light drained from the deck. Instinctively, though she hadn’t been below deck in this galleon before, she knew where to find James. Without hesitating, she turned several corridors, finally stopping before a partly opened teakwood door, inlaid with gold. He was slouching in a divan; half of the cushions were spilled all over the floor, the others were disarranged, though he hadn’t taken any notice of that. His gaze was fixed on the immense window that took up the entire wall across from the door. Finely made glass was ornamented with slim iron designs, etched with gold leaf; the central point of the window was placed at the top, over the bed in the room—it was two rings, intertwined. He was sadly glaring at them, as though it was something he was hoping for. Neither of them knew why the small argument had started. James had lost his temper for no reason at all, and Lily’s hysteria had simply come upon her—but the reasons behind everything were the first things pushed out of their minds as he saw her standing in the doorway, then held her tightly as she dropped onto the floor in front of him, crying softly. A few minutes later, he lifted her head up. “Lily—I’m sorry.” “About what?” she sniffed “I guess losing my temper at Snape—I can’t exactly forget that he’d absolutely die to be engaged to you. I—I didn’t mean to upset you.” Lily dried her eyes. “It wasn’t you—well, not really. It’s just that everything was too good to be true, and I was scared of what might happen—with Tom, and—“ He kissed the crown of her head, moving the veil out of the way. “What say we go down to dinner?” She smiled up at him. “What say we do.” |