Outward Appearances

Le Epilogue

There was a certain universal truth to be acknowledged.

The worst way to end a year and to begin a summer was with a wedding, and especially if it was Petunia's.

Lily fidgeted in her ugly pink dress and sighed. Her ugly, ugly pink dress. Petunia had gotten her last revenge after all. Rather than going with the green bridesmaid theme that her mother had been pushing all year, she had instead chosen a rather gauche shade of pink. It wasn't a coincidence that she had picked her sister's worst color.

She was a vision left over from a nightmare, and she knew that the sympathetic glances she kept receiving from the other guests were not her imagination. All she could do was shrug sheepishly and pretend to like the dress. She silently congratulated herself on surviving until the reception.

But Lily had her own sort of revenge, as it turned out.

Just as she had privately predicted, Petunia's wedding was a disaster. Right from the beginning, things began to go wrong.

The man from the floristry company had been so traumatized and harassed at the thought of having to see Petunia again that he had fumbled his orders, and he ended up bringing the wrong flowers. What he did bring were bright orange cannas, and it didn't take a hysterical bride to tell a person that orange clashes terribly with a pink bridesmaid theme.

During the actual ceremony, Great Aunt Muriel had fallen asleep and begun to snore louder than any women over the age of seventy had any right to. Her son had politely placed his coat over her face, but it did little to drown out the sound. Although, the crying baby that some mother simply refused to take out of the room did his best to try.

To top it off, the caterers were late to the reception, and the food didn't look quite as appetizing as it had in the catalogue. In fact, Cousin Bartholomew had been so amused by the concoctions that he had made a big presentation out of making the little ham steaks dance across the table-- without magic, of course.

Unfortunately for Petunia, the climax of her mortification had yet to come. The worst of it? That's right. The arrival of Lily's "lot."

Well, her realization that there were members of Lily's lot present at her wedding, which came by way of Arabella's enthusiastic comments about the non-moving stain glass window portraits. Perhaps Bella should have chosen a better time to comment on it, but the look on Petunia's face as she passed by their pew would be eternally priceless.

"I thought you said that your parents liked me," Arabella muttered to her. She was standing next to her friend, observing the other guests. Unlike Lily, she was wearing a stunning blue dress that made her counterpart look even worse by comparison.

"They do," she said, surprised.

"Then why did they invite me to this?"

"Weren't you just telling me that I should spend more quality time with my sister and that a wedding was a perfect time to get reconnected with my family?"

"You, Lily. You need to be here getting reconnected. Why the hell am I here?"

Lily smiled slyly. "Because I suggested it."

It had been a lucky thing that Lily's parents weren't exactly pinching their pennies for their daughter's wedding. They hadn't minded Lily inviting a few extra people. They had even encouraged her to invite James, since they were now aware that he was her boyfriend. What? Bring along some of James' mates? Sure, why not?

Arabella stared at her. "This was your idea?"

"Yup," she said unrepentantly. "No need to thank me."

"No, but I may feel the need to strangle you."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, but my despair was imminent and, as my friend, it was your duty to endure the burden with me."

Arabella gave her a pointed look. "There were a lot of big words in there, but I think you just revealed that you have a very twisted view of friendship."

Lily shrugged and took a sip of her champagne. She felt surprisingly content despite her current location and at her friend's expense.

She glanced over at James and her father, pleased to see that they seemed to be getting along splendidly. He appeared to be miming movements on a broomstick, much to her father's amusement if his boisterous laughter was any indication. At least, Lily hoped that was what he was doing. Otherwise, he was telling a very lewd and inappropriate joke to her poor, innocent father.

"I think your cousins over there are eyeing me," Arabella said warily.

"They aren't my cousins," she said with a grimace. "They're my uncles."

Arabella blinked at that. Then, she shook her head despondently. "Well, that settles it. I'm going to be needing more than this champagne."

Lily smiled sheepishly at her. "Thank you for coming today, Bella."

Arabella looked sideways at her as if to judge her sincerity. "What else did I have to do? It's summer."

"You could have been writing long, sappy love letters to Greg," she said, smirking slightly.

Arabella gave her a black look. "You aren't allowed to turn my own jibes back at me."

Lily snickered. She was pleased to have the opportunity to turn the tables for a change. "But you have been writing to each other, haven't you?"

"We're still just friends, Lily," she said firmly.

"Friends that snog?"

"We haven't snogged in months!" She made a pained face. "Long, torturous, snogless months..."

Lily patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I admire you for taking it slow."

Arabella grumbled something unintelligible, and Lily tactfully changed the subject. "Have you been getting letters from Gus?" she asked.

Arabella's face abruptly became more pained. "I've stopped opening them," she admitted. "I can't handle his gushing about Marcella anymore. It's gotten to the point of obsession, and I have a weak stomach as it is."

"He's never had a girlfriend before," Lily chastised. "And you should open his letters! What if he got into an accident and lost his arm or something?"

"Then he wouldn't be writing me a letter," she said smartly. "Plus, if anything happened to him, you'd tell me."

Lily sighed and turned her attention to James' friends. Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew were huddled around the buffet, although they didn't appear to be collecting any food. She wondered if they were planning something that would finally trigger that heart attack Petunia had been working up towards since the day Lily had been brought home from the hospital.

"Out of curiosity, why did you get invitations for Potter's friends?" Arabella asked.

"Consider it my last gift to my soon-to-be departed sister," she said, grinning wickedly. Petunia had been too busy putting on appearances with her guests to do much more than covertly glare at her, and Lily intended to avoid her until it was time for the bride and groom to ceremoniously depart for their honeymoon. It was a satisfying revenge all right.

Arabella snorted. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

"Will do."

Lily truly believed that her time with Petunia was drawing to an end. The newly formed Dursley union was only moving across town, but Lily didn't expect to see much of them except maybe over the important holidays, and maybe not even then.

After leaving school, Lily had no intentions of settling down in Little Whinging. She expected that she'd probably share a flat somewhere with Arabella. Who knew where she'd end up? She could go anywhere. She could be anything. It was a wonderful feeling. She owed this sense of security to years of hard work, and she had plenty more of that ahead of her when she finally took up the role of Head Girl for their final year at Hogwarts.

Lily frowned as it suddenly occurred to her that she didn't know where James was planning to go after they finished school. It wasn't terribly important that she knew, of course. Her ultimate destination wouldn't depend on him. She had her own plans. It was just a matter of curiosity.

But where was he going?

"Ah, there's my girl," chortled a most beloved voice.

Her father gave her a one-armed squeeze, and she smiled warmly at him. "How's it going, Dad?"

"Dreadfully," he said honestly. "Your sister is a positive wreck, and I don't think her bloke is making things any better with his bellowing at everyone in sight." He winked at Arabella. "Enjoying yourself?"

"Very much," she lied. "I've never been to a wedding that didn't have fairies constantly flying around and getting into everyone's drinks."

"Fairies?" he said in a shocked voice.

Lily spared Vernon Dursley a distasteful glance. Equally dull men dressed in matching suites surrounded him, and she could have sworn that he kept sending her disapproving looks. She knew well enough what he thought of her being there.

Her father leaned in conspiratorially. "I don't think your sister's disposition was helped any by your friend spilling his drink down the front of her dress."

She choked a bit on her drink attempting not to laugh. "I'm sure it was an accident," she said once she had righted herself. But he's not my friend, she added silently.

"Sirius is very clumsy," Arabella supplied innocently.

"What were you talking to my boyfriend about?" Lily asked him, swiftly changing subjects.

"Oh, he was telling me the most fantastic tale involving a broomstick and a barmaid!"

Lily gave him a horrified look. "He did what now?"

Mr. Evans laughed good-naturedly. "It wasn't that kind of story, poppet."

"Thank God," she said, placing a hand over her heart. Arabella cackled loudly.

"But you have roped yourself an amusing one," he continued. "Most entertaining."

Lily couldn't stop the smile that came to her face. "Careful, Dad. You're in real danger of liking one of my boyfriends. I may have to dump him now."

"Ah, but perhaps that was my goal all along," he said mysteriously.

"You'd be wasting your energies," Arabella contributed. "I've been trying to get rid of Potter all year and no luck so far."

Lily rolled her eyes at such a blatant lie. They got along famously, and it was because being around each other was an opportunity to shoot their mouths off. She had been forced to develop an immunity to inane chatter, so she usually just tuned them out until they ran out of steam. Lily sighed wistfully. She couldn't have fallen for a mute?

"Oh, dear," Mr. Evans said concernedly. "Your mother is looking a bit teary again over there. Best I be ready with a tissue."

He started to leave, but then he turned back to Lily. "It's good to see you smiling again, poppet." He gave her a meaningful smile, before going to rescue his wife's dinner plate from a soggy fate.

Lily watched him go, suddenly feeling embarrassed for herself. She had behaved appallingly over the holiday. She must have really frightened her parents, because they kept smiling at each other and giving her spontaneous hugs-- or ambushes, as Lily called them. It was all rather disconcerting.

"You have the oddest expression on your face."

She started a little at the voice, but then she rolled her eyes. "You're going to have to stop sneaking up on me," she chastised even though she wasn't really annoyed.

"One of these days, she might actually hex you," Arabella said hopefully.

"Shut it, Figg," James said easily. He wrapped his arms around Lily from behind, and she leaned back against him with a contented sigh.

Arabella rolled her eyes. "I think I'm going to go force Pettigrew into dancing with me. He's been eyeing the wedding cake a little early. Kind of like how Potter is looking at you now," she said, wandering off toward Peter.

"What were you thinking just now?" James asked once she'd gone.

Lily tilted her head up so that she could see his face above her. She gave him a glassy smile. He was looking positively edible, as always, in his leftover suit from Sieranda's ball. She desperately wanted to drag him behind the bushes, but she wasn't brave enough to risk discovery.

"I was thinking that Bella better watch her toes," she answered vaguely. "I danced with Peter earlier, and my remaining digits ache something awful."

"I meant, what were you thinking just now?"

"You sound just like a girl," she teased. "What are you thinking? What are you thinking now?"

"Cute," he said. "But now I'm really curious, since you won't answer the damn question."

Lily entwined her fingers with his at her waist. "James, where do you see yourself a year from now?"

He smiled. "Well, I imagine that I'll have signed with Montrose by then."

Lily blinked at him in alarm. "You want to play Quidditch professionally?" she asked worriedly.

"Oh, yes," he said seriously. "I'll be knee-deep in galleons, and you'll be wandering around my flat in a sheer negligee as a kept woman."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, and when you're good, I'll buy you nice things," he said with a leer.

Lily shook her head in amazement. "I'm going to hex you, Potter."

He continued as if he hadn't heard her. "But when you're bad, I'll cover you in honey and tie you to the bedpost, whether you like it or not."

Her mouth fell open in protest, but James was abruptly tickling her, and Lily squealed and wriggled in an attempt to escape. His fingers skirted mercilessly across her stomach and she wrenched against them, subsequently sloshing her champagne all over the place.

James laughed triumphantly and released her once they had gotten enough dirty looks from the other guests to both satisfy him and to embarrass Lily.

She gasped for breath as she righted herself, and he received a patented Lily Evans glare. "Oh, you are so lucky that we can't use magic outside of Hogwarts!"

James didn't even have the grace to look sorry. "Why are you asking about a year from now?" he asked as if he hadn't just attacked her.

Lily shrugged, still feeling a bit undone. She crossed her arms and stared somewhere past his shoulder as if there was something more interesting than their conversation going on behind him. "Maybe I just want to know what plans you're making for the future," she said loftily.

"Why?" he said, suddenly grinning wolfishly. "Did you want to move in together?"

"Ha! You wish." She ignored the heat that rose to her face at the very suggestion. It was unthinkable. Stupid, randy James. Living together... Her parents would throw a fit. She'd never get anything done with him constantly around... touching her... just... always...

Lily impulsively grabbed James' tie and pulled him down for a long and thorough snog.

Moving in together was a really stupid idea.

James hummed happily against her mouth, and Lily lightly traced her fingers along his jaw. She wondered if anyone would really notice if they just slipped off to--

"I really like your dress," he whispered.

Her eyes flew open, and James was grinning at her. She made a noise like a banshee and tried to hit him. "You bastard! You promised not to say anything!"

"I lied," he said cheekily.

"James!"

He laughed and tried to tickle her again, but she slapped his hand away. "No, I hate you," she said petulantly.

"A man could get addicted to your kind of hatred."

"I love how you take me seriously," she said dully.

James moved behind her again, and she didn't protest when he pulled her back against him, though she continued to pout. "Yes, I do wish," he murmured, nipping her ear gently between his teeth. "I think I'd like to live together."

Lily's eyes flickered a little at that. "Too bad," she said definitively, "because it's not going to happen."

"We'll see," he whispered against her skin, and Lily shivered despite herself. He really was the most arrogant... The most... The... Oh, she loved it when he did that with his teeth...

"You weren't serious about playing professional Quidditch, were you?" she asked, momentarily pushing back from him.

He seemed caught off guard. "Oh. Well, I don't know. I've only spoken with a few scouts so far. There's still a year, isn't there?"

So, there was still time to fix this. Maybe she could guide him towards a more stable career in mediwizardry. Hmn...

James tightened his arms around her and rested his cheek against her neck. "Lily? Do you think this will be us someday?"

Her heart skipped a beat, and she laughed nervously. "What? Bitter and settling in ugly attire?"

He snorted. "No, happy and freshly married."

"Well, now you really do sound like a girl."

James tightened his grip on her waist and growled against her ear, "Your avoidance is almost as attractive as your dress."

She giggled and turned her face so that his lips were pressed against her own. He kissed her with another growl, and Lily reached up with her free hand to gently tug at his hair. It was really time for a haircut, but she wouldn't tell him so.

"Mmn. You taste like champagne," he mumbled softly against her skin. She moaned as he dragged his lips across her cheek and down her neck. Where were those damn bushes when you needed them?

James abruptly commandeered Lily's glass and took a big gulp before she could register the loss of his mouth against her neck. "Oi!" she managed a bit late. "Get your own!"

He rolled his eyes at her. "Fine. I'll be right back."

He started heading in the direction of the drink table, but he paused when Lily called out to him. She waited until he was looking at her, and then she grinned at him. "I wouldn't wear such an ugly wedding dress."

James' eyes widened comically, but then his smile spread across his face. "I should hope not," he yelled back. "I'd be embarrassed for you."

She laughed and drifted over to an empty table. She leaned against it and returned to her people watching as she waited for him. The smile lingered on her face.

Lily Evans had never felt more at peace with her life. It took some getting used to for one to suddenly find themselves comfortable in their own skin. What took even more getting used to was finding herself comfortable in her own life. That was something new. Suddenly, there wasn't a reason to disappear for a few hours.

Of course, life could never be perfect. There were still shadows of guilt whenever she passed Rosier in the hall, and she feared that she would never again see the boy that Snape had been at the beginning of the year.

But this was probably as good as it got, and it was good enough for her.

From the corner of her eye, Lily noticed Sirius Black approaching her. She casually sipped her champagne and kept her gaze on the dance floor as he leaned back against the table next to her.

"I still can't figure out what I'm doing at a Muggle wedding reception for people I don't even know," he said. "James made it sound as if it was going to be a riot."

Lily hid her smile behind her glass. She loved James. "You haven't been to many weddings, have you?"

"Oh, I've been to dozens," he said with a sigh. "I don't know why I keep expecting them to suddenly become interesting, and I really don't know why I still believe a single word out of James Potter's mouth. More fool me."

Lily snorted, but she was still smiling. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Black, and a method will emerge from the madness."

He frowned at her. "What the hell does that mean?"

Lily was saved from having to answer by the arrival of a certain Mr. Lupin. He looked between them with a sly expression on his face. "I told you that we'd all be sharing a drink together someday."

Lily and Sirius turned twin glares on him, and Lupin laughed.

"What's so funny?" James asked as he reappeared next to Lily with his own glass of champagne.

"Life," Lupin said ambiguously. James smiled at him as if his friend wasn't a lunatic.

"Well, the real party seems to be over here," Arabella said, approaching with Peter in tow.

Both Lily and Sirius opened their mouths to give sarcastic retorts, but they caught each other's eye and glared at one another instead.

Pouting, Lily leaned back into the arm that James had slung around her waist.

Remus had a twinkle in his eye as he raised his glass in a toast. "To a very interesting year full of surprises and intrigue."

James grinned and raised his glass next to Lupin's. "To renewed bonds, both romantic and platonic."

"To this marvelous champagne," Peter supplied.

"To Evans' continued mortification at her present company," Black said, smirking. "Oh, and to that dress, of course." Lily mentally gave him the finger.

"To second chances," Arabella said with a meaningful look at Lily and James. "And, respectively, third and fourths."

They all looked expectantly at her, and Lily sighed. "Oh, go on, then."

"Come on, Lily," James whispered into her ear.

She rolled her eyes, but she considered it. She took a moment to reflect on the past year, on all of the ups and downs. She recalled the parties, the bitch-fests, the Melancholy Cures, the snakes, the Slytherins, the fountains, the groupies, the fights, and the snogs. She reflected on all of them, and then she looked around the circle at each of them.

She raised her glass.

"To incorrigible friends and acquaintances that just won't shut it no matter how many times you threaten to hex them."

And to endurance, she added privately.

They all clinked their glasses.

...The Absolute End...

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