Almost Marital Bliss

Almost Marital Bliss

It was James Potter's wedding day. The happiest day of his life, the day that hours of time and thought had been put into, the day when he would marry the most wonderful girl he had ever met.

None of which explained why he was making a break for it down the road.

Dress robes flapping in the wind behind him, wand clutched in his hand, and glasses on the brink of toppling off his nose, James Potter ran along the country lane as though ten ravenous dragons were right behind him.

Come to think of it, some of Lily's friends fitted that description. And when they found out they would certainly be baying for his blood.

He loved Lily, really he did, she was the most beautiful, gorgeous, intelligent and amazing person he had ever met. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, every last second.

Absolutely.

This was all Sirius's fault.

It was him who'd uttered the fatal words. The ones that had shot straight to James's heart and frozen it solid. The ones that blotted out the rest of the universe and left him glassy eyed for ten minutes.

'Well, well, well, Prongs. How does it feel eh? Never thought this day would come myself, how are you looking forward to finally settling down?'

Settling down?!

James Potter's life had flashed before his eyes in that moment. Well, certain parts of his life at any rate. Mostly the parts that had involved an empty classroom and some pretty Ravenclaw. Or that gorgeous Hufflepuff and the Astronomy Tower. And that pretty woman who had winked at him in Diagon Alley a few months ago. Hell, even the time he'd snogged Sirius after a few too many drinks down the pub.

All of which came coupled with the words 'settling down'. And even worse, 'never again'.

Okay, fine, he was sure he could live quite happily never having to get that close to Sirius's face ever again. But knowing that there would never be another chance to 'play the field', as Sirius persisted in calling it, made him feel scared, even more so than when Peter's potions project had turned an ominous purple colour just as he was leaning over it.

And that was why James Potter was at this moment capable of outstripping a hyperactive Cornish pixie.

He ran along the road until he was well past the outskirts of the village. It was hilly country roundabout, and from just here he could see down into the village, and the house where Lily was getting ready for the biggest, most important day of her life, the day that she had poured so much time and effort into.

A flash of guilt stabbed through his heart. He really, truly loved Lily; she was definitely the one for him. But he wasn't sure if he was ready for this. He'd proposed sooner that he'd meant to as well. He'd wanted to make sure she wasn't going to run off and leave him all alone. That worry had started back when Sirius had said 'honestly, I don't know what she sees in you with those glasses and scruffy hair. You want to be on the look out for any mysterious, handsome suitors hidden in your wardrobe.'

Sirius. A pattern was starting to emerge here.

James tore his eyes away from the village and began to tramp forlornly down the path that led away from Lily and out into the desolate countryside.

After a few metres he stopped. Now that some of the terror had worn off he'd remembered he could Apparate.

...

"He what?!"

Sirius Black clamped one hand over Remus Lupin's mouth gesturing wildly with the other that he should shut up. He'd just spent the past half an hour searching everywhere for James to no avail. A simple location spell had also turned up absolutely nothing about his friend's whereabouts. Although it had informed him that Arabella Figg and Mundungus Fletcher were both wedged in the broom cupboard downstairs, a piece of information he'd filed away neatly for later bribery.

"He's gone! Got cold feet! Left Lily at the alter! And keep it down. She's in the next room."

Remus grabbed Sirius's hand and forced it away from his mouth. There was a look of shock in his eyes he spoke in quieter tones.

"But he wouldn't! This is Lily. He's absolutely crazy about her. He dragged me round twenty Muggle jewellery shops looking for the perfect ring!"

"Well, I'm telling you he's made a break for it! He's felt the call of bachelorhood and answered it in fine style. James Potter has seen the bliss of holy matrimony and decided that, hey, living in sin wasn't so bad after all. He's scarpered like a boggart from a spotlight."

"But this will break Lily's heart! We can't let him! We've got the track him down and make him come back! He can't just run away without an explanation!"

Sirius let out an exasperated noise and threw his arms wide.

"But where? It's a huge wide world out there! He could be anywhere. He could have apparated to a Portkey to Australia and be in a shack somewhere in the outback for all we know! We have no idea where to look."

He let out a defeated sigh, frowned, slouched his shoulders and pinched the bridge of his nose with his hand.

"What are we going to do Remus?"

Remus put a reassuring hand on Sirius's shoulder, pushed his hand away from his face and forced Sirius to look him straight in the eye.

"Well Padfoot my dear, I do believe it is customary, should the groom have an accident or indeed, scarper, for the best man to take up his duties and wed the poor abandoned bride."

Sirius froze, his expression one of perfect horror. Despite the situation, Remus couldn't help but smirk.

"Like you were saying, we must track down James! He can't be allowed to just leave poor Lily at the alter like that! I mean, if we don't even look we don't have a hope in hell of finding him do we? We have to at least try!"

...

James slumped in one of the large, comfortable chairs of the Red Owl, a bar hidden away in Diagon Alley that Sirius had rather enthusiastically introduced him to. It was a popular haunt for the younger ranks of the wizarding world, and he'd spent many a drunken night here with his best friends pointing out the best looking specimens of the female of the species to Sirius, and together they would both weigh up their chances with each.

Well, at least he had up to the night that Remus had kicked him so hard under the table that his leg had almost broken.

He was pretty sure that by now someone would have cottoned on to the fact that he'd bunked off the wedding. His home was probably being turned inside out by his could-have-been-parents-in-law, red faced and ready to rip apart the inhuman love rat who abandoned their beautiful daughter at the altar.

He stared forlornly into his murky looking drink. Thoughts of where he was going to go, what he was going to do, and guilt over his beautiful bride drifted around in his head. The bar was nearly deserted at this time during the day, and the only noise was that of the bartender Absalon Bumblewick whistling while enchanting dishcloths to clean the pile of empty glasses behind him. James relaxed his muscles and leant back into the chair. He was tired, after all that had happened that day he just wanted to rest and take it all in, happy to let the silence drift around him.

"JAMES POTTER! JAMES! POTTER!"

On the other hand a bit of exercise never hurt anyone right?

With a jump full of terror inspired energy James leapt over the chair and ran desperately towards the door. He was halfway across the room when a large weight slammed into him and pinned him down on his back. James blinked up at the mysterious figure atop of him and got ready to bawl his lungs out at Sirius.

"Siri... Remus?! Christ!"

Remus Lupin had him pinned down and was glaring daggers at him. Out of the corner of his eye James could see a very Sirius walking up with an expression of manic stress on his face and Bumblewick leaning over the bar staring in amusement.

Before anyone had a chance to say anything he decided to break in with a quick, decisive cry of "Get off!" Sirius rewarded him with a kick in the side.

" James! What do you think you're doing!? Running away from your wedding. I think you've got a lot of explaining to do, a lot. And if you don't start now I'm going to begin with the slug curses." Sirius waved his wand threateningly.

'I can't go back!' James cried out despite still being pinned down by Remus. 'I can't go back to her! I can't go back to what she might turn into! I can't go back to the missus! Not to the old ball and chain!'

Sirius just looked confused. "Ball and chain? Is this some sort of kinky thing, because I don't really want to know."

Remus rolled his eyes. "Shut up Sirius. Look James, you're my friend. One of my best friends. And you're about to get married to the most gorgeous, wonderful and amazing girl I have ever known. And from what I know of that amazing and brilliant girl, she will never turn into a housewife who hits you with a rolling pin. And sure, it may not last forever, but that's what marriage is all about, facing the unknown together."

James gawked up at the very sincere Remus who had finally shifted to sit next to him on the floor.

"But I don't know that I can just, well, settle down."

"Look, it doesn't matter. You don't have to settle down into any old routine just because you're married. All that matters is that you love her. And you do love her right?"

James just nodded dumbly.

"Good. Now get of your lazy arse and get back to that wedding hall before anyone else realises you're gone! What on earth possessed you?!"

...

"Thanks for holding down the fort Wormtail my old pal." Sirius flashed a grin at a worried looking Peter as he spoke.

"Did you find him?"

"Yes we found the daft git. And now he's back, refreshed, and bloody well going to get married even if I have to threaten him first."

One cue a rather dishevelled and sheepish looking James slunk in the door followed by Remus. He smiled nervously at Peter while trying to straighten out his robes. Eventually he coughed and spoke up.

"Look, guys, err..., well, look, see, umm..."

"Prongs, if this is how you're going to take your vows, you're in trouble."

"Shut up. Look, it's really, just, don't tell Lily okay."

Remus smiled reassuringly while Peter nodded in enthusiastic agreement.

"Sirius..."

"I agree not to tell her for the first five years."

"Sirius."

"You were the one who ran away James. Just count your lucky stars that I don't intend to include this in my best man's speech."

James glared fiercely at his obviously amused best friend, Sirius simply returned with the unaffected smile of the secure. James gave it up as a lost cause. Many years of knowing Sirius had taught him that he could be amazingly stubborn when he wanted to. Remus had once confided in him that the trick to dealing with it was a special brew of stress-relieving potion.

"James, I hate to rush you, but in five minutes you're getting married." Remus said.

James nodded, breathed deeply, shrugged his shoulders, and put on what he liked to call his 'determined face'.

"Thank-you Remus my good friend. If you could go inform my fiancée, soon to be wife, that I m awaiting her presence at the most important day in my life then I would be very grateful. Sirius, as best man would you accompany me please?"

And with that he strode out, head held high, followed by a very bemused looking Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

Lupin smiled after then before heading through a door and away down a corridor filled with chattering paintings of newlywed couples. Finally, at the end of the passage he came to a light oaken door that he knocked upon.

"Hold on a minute. Okay, come in!"

He opened the door enough to just lean in round the door. Inside Lily and her friends were standing, her in a dazzling white dress and the others all in smart dress robes. Strangely, despite her breathtaking appearance, the bride looked a little flustered.

"Just to let you know you're getting married in, oh, I'd say two minutes now."

Lily smiled gratefully, brushing a strand of her red hair out of her glinting green eyes.

"Thank you Remus darling. I'll be there right away, after all, can't miss my wedding day right?"

Remus gave her one last nod before ducking out of the room and making his way to his awaiting seat in the wedding hall.

As soon as the door closed all of Lily's composed grace vanished and she spun to face her smirking friends. Her green eyes were now filled with a pleading desperation. After shifting uncomfortably for a few seconds she blurted out:

"Look, girls, really, I think it would really be best, you know, if you didn't tell James about, uh, my climbing out the window and well, trying to stand him up. Please?"