Until The Very End

Chapter Eleven: Disaster Strikes (Part One)

Lily's PoV:

I had gotten home two days ago. James and I had exchanged an owl, giving more information about his party and my dinner. They were all very cheesy and romantic. Lots of I miss yous and I can't wait to see yous in each of our letters.

My dinner with Petunia, Vernon, and James was in three days. Petunia has been particularly cold towards me over the holiday which didn't bode well for the dinner. I had stressed to Marlene and Alice both before and after I'd told James about it. They always told me that it would be fine and that nothing would go wrong. I was not so optimistic.

There was a banging on my door. "Come in," I called.

"Listen, Freak, this dinner is in three days and I don't want to go. I've tried to convince Mum and Dad to let Vernon and I get out of it. They obviously won't let me, so please tell your freak boyfriend that he needs to dress nicely. We're going to a fancy restaurant." Petunia left with a slam of my door. I sighed and turned back to my book. This is going to be a long three days.

*****************

I was so excited. James was coming over today. He was supposed to arrive in the evening and it was 11:00am now. I was ready to see him again. I really missed him, even if it was only five days since we'd seen each other last.

I was reading on my bed for a while, then I switched to pacing, then listening to music, and then picking out an outfit. I was antsy, if you couldn't tell. Anyway, I went to my closet and tried to look for a dress. I flipped thigh hanger after hanger before finally deciding on a dress.

The dress ended just above my knees. It had a low v-neck with short sleeves. The top was black and the skirt was maroon with large yellow flowers covering it. I picked black heels and a few pieces of silver jewelry to match. I hung the dress on one of my wall hooks and went back to reading.

By the time I had looked at my clock again, it was 4:00pm and I had missed lunch. I went downstairs, grabbed a snack, and went back to my bedroom. I ate my snack and decided to start writing a letter to Remus.

Another hour passed and it was 5:00pm. I had two hours before James got here, which meant I had roughly an hour and fifty minutes to get ready.

I went to my bathroom and opened my makeup drawer. I applied foundation, a light blush, light contour and highlight, I filled in my brows, and finally I started on eyeshadow. I opened one of my warm neutral pallets and did a light brown look. I threw on a bit of shimmery bronze shadow, decided it was good enough, and moved on to do a subtle cat eye and put on some mascara. I did a medium toned pinky nude and put on a light coating of gloss.

Then, I started on my hair. I did large, loose curls and spayed them with hairspray. At this point, I had twenty minutes to get dressed and gather things to put in my clutch (which I had put an undetectable extension charm on at school). I quickly put on my dress, shoes and jewelry, and grabbed the black and silver clutch. I put my wand, tissues (because Petunia and Vernon can be arses), my lipstick, a powder compact, and some muggle cash into my clutch.

When I finished everything, it was quarter to seven. Perfect timing, I thought to myself. I went downstairs and saw Mum and Dad sitting in the living room. Petunia was probably upstairs in her room.

"You look lovely, Lils," Mum said.

"Thanks, Mum," I replied.

"I get to meet this... James character before you leave, right?" Dad asked skeptically.

"Dad! Don't be like that. You'll get to meet him and he's great. You don't have to worry about me," I sighed.

"I know, Ginger Snap, I know. I'm your dad, it's what I do," he said.

"When will Vernon be here?" I asked

"He should be here at the same time as James," Dad answered.

"Okay," I said. I started pacing.

"Lily, you're going to put a rut in the floor if you don't stop," my mum joked.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous. I already know that James won't like Vernon and Vernon won't like James. Petunia won't like James either and I know he's going to try his best but what if something goes wrong? What if-" There was a knock on the door. "I'll get it."

I walked over to the front door and opened it. Standing there was James. He looked very handsome. There were a few snowflakes caught in his windswept hair.

"Hullo, Evans. Mind if I come in? It's rather cold," he said. I opened the door wider and let him in. I hugged him tightly and he kissed the top of my head. "Someone missed me," he laughed.

"I did. Thank you for coming with me," I said.

"You're very welcome, love."

"Umm, Lily, would you care to introduce us to this young man?" Dad asked.

"I'm James, sir. James Potter," James said. He held out his hand for Dad to shake and Dad did.

"I'm Harold Evans, and this is my wife, Rose," Dad introduced.

"Hullo Mrs. Evans. Nice to meet you." James held out his hand again and Mum gave him a hug instead.

"It's good to meet you, James. Now, your name is familiar. Didn't you-"

"Mum, not now," I said through gritted teeth.

"I knew it! This is that boy that strange man with the long hair told us about- I'm sorry we didn't have time to talk when we ran into you at the station. Lily talked about you a lot from the start of her Hogwarts career," Mum said.

"This is the boy that bothered you so much for six years, Ginger Snap? You called him, what was it, and arrogant toe rag, a prat, a git, a-"

"Dad!" I whined. James was laughing. "James it's not funny."

"It is a little bit, Lils. I can't wait to tell Sirius about this new nickname: Ginger Snap. Fits you perfectly," he teased. I lightly hit his arm.

"Don't you dare tell him. He already has enough nicknames for me!" I complained. Just then, there was another knock at the door. A shrill shriek followed and a blob of pink ran down the stairs.

"Vernon must have arrived!" Petunia squealed. She threw the door open and there stood Vernon Dursley. He was a bulky man that bared great resemblance to a walrus. He wore a beige suit and brown loafers. He was about as dull, ordinary, and boring as I thought anyone could get. He was perfect for my sister. "Vernie! I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Tuney," he said gruffly. He kissed her lips and walked into the house. He glared at me for a long time before his glare shifted to James.

"You're right about that walrus thing," James whispered to me. I snorted.

"Hullo, Vernon," Dad said stiffly.

Vernon just grunted in response. Mum said the same thing and got the same response.

"Shall we go?" Petunia asked impatiently. She and Vernon walked out without another word. I hugged my mum and dad before turning to leave as well.

"It was good to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Evans!" James called.

"Please, call us Harold and Rose. It was lovely to meet you too. Have a good dinner!" my dad called as we walked hand and in hand to Vernon's car. This dinner might be a success, or a train reck depending on how James and I play our cards. Let's hope it's the former.