When with Rome {Sirius Black}

50. Lily Potter

No kind of preparation could help Barbara fight off James' tears as his eyes leaked like a broken pipe. He had finally let the feeling sink in of himself marrying the love of his life, which made Barbara have to come in and comfort him as his best man was too busy arguing with the preacher about allowing the vows.

"James, please," Barbara begged, "control yourself. Lily looks amazing and I'm sure you two are going to marry without any trouble. Sirius would hurt the preacher if he didn't allow your vows in."

Instead of responding, James pulled Barbara into his arms more than she thought was possible. She felt like she was dying under a python's weight in a downpour.

"Ja--mes---can't--- breathe," she managed to pull out of his constrictive hug, gulping the air she hadn't had in his grip.

"Sorry, Barb," James sniffled, "I'm just... overwhelmed."

"And you have every right to be, just don't kill the maid of honor in the process," she retorted with a smile. Barbara was happy her comment cheered James up considerably. She gave him a quick hug and a peck on the cheek.

"I love you, Jamesie. After everything you've been through and how much more mature you are than a few years ago, you deserve the world." After one last exchange of hugs, Barbara bounced over to her room where Lily sat trying to shake her nerves off.

Barbara smirked as she saw Lily smiling at herself in the mirror. Her mermaid gown looked magnificent on her and her curled hair beautifully captured her facial features. The Royal figured that James would cry again as Lily walked down the aisle.

She was about to take a step into the room but was pulled by the arm by someone behind her. Instinctively, she swung the culprit around and forcefully pushed him into the wall and drew her wand. When she realized who it was, though, she let go and blushed embarrassedly.

"Sorry, I'm paranoid."

"In these trying times, Miss Potter, I expected you to hex me," Dumbledore replied, the twinkle in his eye shining bright, "I just wanted to pull you aside and have a conversation with you."

"Of course, Professor," Barbara responded. She opened up the room across from hers and they slipped in without being traced. She noticed Sirius sitting on the guest room bed looking distressed, making her mind race with confusion.

"Please, sit down next to your fiancée as I explain to you the current situation."

Barbara thought it was a bit rich of Dumbledore to invite her to sit in her own home, but said nothing and sat next to Sirius. He gripped her hand tightly, causing Barbara to give Dumbledore a quizzical look.

"What happened?" She asked Dumbledore. Noting Sirius's expression, she knew Dumbledore would deliver the news without digressing.

"Sirius's father and brother have died, how I do not know but I can, in fact, confirm its truth."

She stared at Dumbledore, wide-eyed. Of all days to tell Sirius about his father and brother's deaths-- and of all days to die-- James's wedding day was that day.

Barbara looked at her hand on Sirius's lap, his right hand constricting her blood flow. She gave a look to Dumbledore, telling him to leave them alone for the time being. "Let James and Lily know we're talking and not snagging, Dumbledore."

Respectfully, Dumbledore nodded his head and left the room. Silence ensued.

The fiancé looked at Sirius with a frown. "Sirius, dear, don't you dare hold in your tears today. If you need to grieve do it now before you hold it all in. I always want what's best for you, always. You just need to let it out."

He sniffled, his grey eyes meeting her eyes. Sirius let a few tears fall and looked on his lap, staring intently at their wound hands. "You know," he said in a whisper, "neither of them would've accepted you as my wife. I don't think I could ever forgive them for that."

"But you must pity them, Sirius," Barbara replied earnestly, "they were brainwashed into hatred, you escaped. Don't reject their deaths because of their beliefs, embraced it because they're still a part of who you are."

With her last advice spoken, Sirius let more tears fall. Barbara was slightly comfortable with watching the love of her life cry, but refused to show any signs of it and embraced him as she embraced James.

"Remember to think about them in their entirety, Sirius," Barbara whispered, "their life mustn't be highlighted just for their wrongs, but for all of their characteristics. I knew Regulus a bit in school and he was a good kid, babe, just led down the wrong path. I expect your father was the same way; but you were the only one to ask questions. We've all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on, as that's who we truly are."

Sirius hugged her tighter. "What would I do without you?"

She smiled slightly and pulled out of the hug, looking up at Sirius. "Not make it through this wedding without being a bit sober. Now, let's talk more later and enjoy the wedding! My brother's marrying Lily Evans!"

As Lily first stepped into view, Barbara was in awe of her beauty. Lily was already a beautiful woman, but to see her best friend in a wedding gown made Barbara believe that nobody could ever top Lily in a beauty contest. She turned her head a little and smirked at James as he wiped his eyes at the sight of his fiancé.

When the ceremony began, everybody in James' immediate circle of friends had unshed tears in their eyes. Barbara gave a quick wink to Peter and Remus as they caught each other's eyes at the sight of James tearing up.

"May the best man give the ring to James?"

Barbara laughed along with the others as Sirius tripped into James when giving him the ring and cheered along with the others when her brother officially married her sister-in-law. She couldn't be happier for the duo as she swelled with pride at the couple finally a married team. 

But she couldn't help but think of how flustered Sirius's emotions were, as they danced she noticed how Sirius wasn't as joyful as he usually was, which definitely concerned her. Barbara let James know he received bad news but told him not to worry about it for the time being, he had a wife to focus on.

The thought of her wedding made her feel slightly queasy. The war gave her such an enormous amount of stress that she didn't become one of the brides trying to lose weight to fit into the gown, she needed to gain weight. Barbara's thoughts of the wedding zoomed through her head as she danced with Sirius.

Will I even make it to my own wedding?