Disclaimer: I own nothing. No copyright infringement intended.
A/N: So…yes, this took quite a while to get done. D was surprisingly difficult for me. Plus, I've been so sporadic with Our Moments that when I was in the mood to write, I felt that my time needed to be spent on that story. So here is D! Yay! And for those of you who read Our Moments I just finished writing it. I need to proof it so it should be up sometime tomorrow. Thanks for reading!
Chapter Four: D is for Dancing
7th Year – Dating – James' POV
Dursley. What the hell kind of a last name is Dursley? Seriously…it is such a lame name that if I were Lily's sister I wouldn't marry this dude just because Dursley would be my last name. But then again, as I sit here, attendee of the extremely long, extremely dull and extremely yellow Dursley wedding, I find myself thinking that the name fits these two people perfectly. I can't really explain it but when I look at that whale of a purple man and Lily's horse-faced sister, Dursley seems to fit them.
"Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife?' the preacher drawls slowly in a tone dripping in boredom. I can relate. I didn't even want to come to this wedding but Lily had begged and bribed (and blackmailed) me in order to get me to agree. She kept telling me that she wouldn't survive if I didn't go…that she wouldn't come back. I thought she was being dramatic at the time, but she wasn't. Right now, I'm not sure either of us will survive. If the reception is as awful as the rest of this wedding, we'll both die of boredom.
Directing my line of vision away from the bride and groom, I settle on Lily. I'm pleasantly surprised to find that she's looking back at me. She widens her eyes, obviously as bored as I am, and shakes her head the smallest amount. I have to choke back a laugh and look away to keep from outright laughing in the middle of the vows. When I look back at her, those green eyes are focused once more on her sister, but the corners of her lips are turned up slightly.
Danny, the guy sitting next to me, leans over and whispers, "You know her? The red head?" he asks with a head-jerk in Lily's direction. I nod, thankful that he's not giving me another football score. "Who is she?"
"Didn't you say you're friends with Petunia?" I ask, confused. How could he know Lily's sister and not know Lily? I mean, I didn't know what Petunia looked like, but I certainly knew she existed. He nods his answer and I'm not sure I like the way he's leering at her. "That's Lily." He looks over at me with a blank stare, so I elaborate. "Petunia's sister."
Danny looks shocked (and a bit like an idiot with his mouth hanging open). "Petunia has a sister? Are you sure?"
"Definitely," I mouth at him. Yeah…I really don't like the way he's looking at her now.
"Damn!" he exclaims too loudly, causing the people around us to turn in irritation and give us dirty looks. "She is hot! You think she's one of those slutty, depressed bridesmaids?"
"Dude!" I scold, hitting him in the arm. "She's my girlfriend. Cool it." Now I'm the one earning us dirty looks. Lily is watching me with her eyebrows scrunched together. Once she locks eyes with me she raises one of them reproachfully, telling me without words that I better shut up. I shrug apologetically and she turns her attention away from me again barely containing an eye roll.
Delighted when the ceremony is finally over, I stand and clap with the rest of the guests as the Dursleys make their way down the aisle. Lily is on the arm of a very reluctant looking groomsman, but she doesn't notice because she's looking directly at me. She is gesturing with her head and pointing, clearly telling me to wait for her in the lobby. Some of the people around me are mumbling indignantly that she would dare be gesturing rather than smiling happily while walking down the aisle. I shrug, pretending I haven't got a clue what she is trying to communicate. She looks furious with me and I can't help but laughing at the irate look on her face.
"Dumbass," she grumbles under her breath as she walks up behind me a few minutes later. I just smirk at her and her scowl doesn't last long. Soon she's leaning against the wall next to me. I notice that she is careful to keep some space between us. We haven't been dating very long and I know she still feels a little awkward about it; a little unsure of herself. She sighs and looks over at me. "Urgh…is it over yet?"
"Don't kid yourself. I know you're having a blast," I tease earning me an eye roll.
"Dementors couldn't tear me away," she says sarcastically. I laugh at that and she leans her head back against the cool stone and sighs loudly. I sense something more than boredom there but don't say anything choosing to let her initiate. If I've learned anything about Lily over the past six plus years I've known her, it's that she does not appreciate being pushed about anything. "I don't really fit in here," she mumbles without looking over at me. "I haven't fit in with my sister for a long time, but I don't even belong in my parents' world anymore."
"Do you regret leaving it?" I ask quietly. She looks contemplative for a moment, turning over my question in her mind, weighing the pros and cons of both worlds. Then she looks over at me with such a warm assurance in her eyes that it takes me by surprise and shakes her head. Something unspoken passes between us, I'm not sure exactly what it is but the corners of her mouth turn up ever so slightly and she reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze.
Doors across the lobby from us snap open and a booming voice tells us that the reception is now beginning in the banquet hall. We push off from the wall and make our way with the throng of people toward the doors, being shoved unceremoniously back and forth.
"DAD!" Lily calls out, waving to a tall, burly redheaded man in front of us. He stops (causing a tiny woman to crash into him. He apologizes but she gives him a withering look and then walks around him) and turns, giving Lily a questioning look. "Where are we sitting?" Lily asks now, practically screaming.
"Down by the dance floor," he booms. "At the high table." He turns and heads into the room and Lily looks less than excited at the prospect of sitting at the same table with her sister for the next few hours.
Dinner, a Greek salad with rosemary chicken, was served after the first dance. Lily clapped politely with the rest of the guests but I noticed how her eyes glazed over during the cutting of the cakes.
"Doesn't it remind you a bit of Binns' class?" I ask during the speeches. She snorts loudly through a sip from her champagne flute and manages to spit a bit of it out onto the pure white table cloth. She gives me a death glare while I'm stuffing my fist into my mouth to keep from bursting out into fits of laughter. The same woman who ran into her dad earlier (who apparently is Vernon Dursley's grandmother) gives both of us very reproving looks which only make us laugh harder. We avoid eye contact with one another throughout the rest of the speeches, aware that another fit of laughter would surely follow and fearing making more people at our table angry.
"Do tell us, Lily," Vernon's mother says snobbishly as we're making our way through the tiniest pieces of wedding cake I've ever seen in my life, "will yours and James's wedding be the next one we're attending?" Lily chokes on a leaf of salad and I literally drop my fork onto the table in shock, the loud clang causing people at surrounding tables to look over at me. Petunia and Vernon are both gritting their teeth as they watch us, probably feeling even more regret for allowing Lily to bring a date. Lily turns in her chair and gives me a speculative and critical once over and lets the moment of silence hang heavily.
"Doubt it," she says finally, with a smirk before popping another bite of cake into her mouth. I narrow my eyes at her and she just smiles innocently at me. I notice Mr. and Mrs. Evans exchange a small smile.
"Dear me," says Vernon's mother, looking absolutely shocked at Lily's response. "Well…what will you be doing after school then?" Her question is directed at me. The Evanses are looking interestedly down at their plate while Petunia and Vernon both look extremely tense and watch me as though daring me to say my real answer. Lily, on the other hand, is looking at me curiously, almost excited to see how I'm planning on answering.
Darting a quick look at her out of the corner of my eye, I say slowly, "I'm considering going into some branch of law enforcement." It wasn't a lie but it certainly wasn't the truth either. But something tells me that if I say, "I'm going to fight the most evil wizard who ever lived," I would seem less brave and impressive and more insane and unstable. Lily was now snickering into her pudding while Vernon wiped at his massive forehead and Petunia pierced me with a look so severe, her lips so thin, it would have rivaled Professor McGonagall. I decide in that moment not to make eye contact with her anymore.
"Dance with me?" I say quickly, addressing Lily as I notice Vernon's mother gearing up for another question. I expect Lily to do that maddening protest thing she likes to do every time I suggest we do anything together, but apparently she is just as bored and weary of polite family talk as I am and accepts without hesitation.
"Don't step on my feet," she warns good-naturedly as I take her hand and lead her to the other side of the floor, hiding us from the view of the high table.
"Darling, I am a most adept dancer as you are about to find out," I jest, making her grin. "In fact, I am so confident in my skills that if I happen to step on your feet, I give you permission to stomp mine as hard as you can." She laughed and said, "You do realize that I will now intentionally be trying to get you to step on mine."
Dusk is falling outside and the final sun rays of the day are streaming in through the high windows of the hall. I pull Lily close as a slow song comes on, my hand on the small of her back, the other one cradling her hand against my chest. She's taller than she normally is because of the heels she was forced to wear and because of that I am looking almost directly into her deep and fathomless green eyes. Her breasts are just pushed up against my chest and one of her arms is draped around my shoulders, her fingers running through the hair at the nape of my neck. It's sending wild sensations through my body, surges of electricity through my stomach. She feels it too, I can tell. She's having trouble looking directly at me and when she does, she blushes a deep red.
"Did I tell you yet today how beautiful you look?" I ask, voice trembling shamefully. I watch as a smile gently creeps up her lips and she shakes her head no. "Well, you look amazing. Danny and I couldn't take our eyes off of you the entire ceremony. It's shameful, honestly. As a bridesmaid you're supposed to look ugly so that no one looks at anyone except the bride." Lily giggles briefly, but then stops, pondering something.
"Danny?" she asks. I nod and point him out. He's standing at the table of another one of the bridesmaids, probably trying to get lucky or something. "Ew, that idiot! He's such a jerk," she exclaimed indignantly. "He was waiting outside of the room we were all getting ready in and tried to hit on us on the way to the bridal portraits." I can't help but laugh at the absolutely disgusted and irate look on Lily's face. She looks like she'd rather do nothing more than march across the room and slug him in the gut. I'd watch out if I were him. Lily's got a mean left-hook.
"Does this mean I'm not allowed to invite him to our wedding?" I ask, feigning sadness. "I had already decided to sit him at the table with the Dursleys who we're also apparently inviting."
Disbelief was clear on her face as she shook her head with a sarcastic smirk. "I wouldn't start planning our wedding yet, Potter. I still haven't decided whether or not to go on that second date with you. A lot can happen between now and that wedding date you have picked out in that messed up head of yours."
Despite her warning, I couldn't help but feel something shift between us as we danced, Lily in her hideously bright yellow dress, surrounded by a room of people she couldn't stand.
A/N-There you go. Hopefully it won't be six months before the next update. Assuming I don't change my mind, the next chapter should be "E is for Early." Thanks to all who review and favorite! It completely makes my day and makes me want to write more!