In the days and weeks that followed Fabian and Gideon's death, the world seemed to have turned on its axis. Nothing felt the same anymore.
Marlene was a mess, grieving her first love and just trying to make it more than an hour before bursting into tears while Molly was emotional but stoic, throwing herself into caring for her new babies.
Emmy tried to help out as much as she could, making dinner and endless cups of tea. Sirius would take the kids outside to play quidditch, little Percy resolutely refusing to go near a broomstick, much to his exasperation. It always made Emmy giggle as she watched the boy argue with a bewildered Sirius, listing all the possible injuries and statistics in a matter-of-fact voice belonging to that of an elderly gentleman rather than a five-year-old.
She kept in touch with Lily who was caring for Marlene in the flat and popped in regularly to check up on them. For the most part, Marlene spent much of the day sitting on the sofa, staring into space. It took a week to get her out of the flat and longer to look them in the eye. She still hadn't spoken to anyone about what she'd seen but from Mad-Eye's harrowing account and the state she'd arrived back in, blood dripping from her fingertips, they knew it had been brutal.
Three weeks to the day since they'd lost the twins, Emmy arrived around lunchtime to see them. Marlene seemed in a brighter mood and she'd even put on a pair of dungarees and a cosy jumper that afternoon, a good change from her pyjamas. She was chopping some vegetables for the soup and talking quietly to Lily as she walked in.
She smiled softly and hugged her tightly.
"How are you doing, Mars?" Emmy asked gently.
"I'm alright, doing better today. Think I might go to see Molly tomorrow, you know? Do you think she'd be okay with that?"
Emmy smiled confidently, "She would love that."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
They settled into their easy motions of moving around the kitchen, talking about the small details of their day and baking some cheese scones to go with the soup. Soon enough Alice and Dorcas arrived too and the atmosphere turned into a familiar feeling of contentment.
Lily returned from folding off the laundry and began setting the table for lunch. As they sat down, Emmy paused at the crisp white envelopes sitting on their plates. Lily was sitting across from them with a nervous grin on her face.
"What's this?" Emmy asked with a curious smile.
"So I have something to ask you both seeing as... well..."
Marlene opened her envelope and shrieked out in happiness, throwing her arms around Lily.
Emmy opened hers quickly and gasped, hand raised to her mouth.
"You're getting married!" she cried.
Lily opened her arms and Emmy all but fell into them.
"Will you be my bridesmaids?" she asked, giggling.
"Of course!"
"Oh Merlin, when did this happen?"
"James asked me this morning, we've decided there's no moment like the present, especially after Fabian and Gideon..."
She squeezed Marlene's hand tightly.
"Well we just didn't want to wait any longer. We're trying to organise it for the weekend, maybe Saturday?" she said.
"Saturday!" Marlene yelped. "That's three days away!"
"Well, it will just be small. Probably just our close friends and family."
"Hmm, that's what you say now. It'll be in the hundred if James has anything to do with it."
She laughed but replied a little more soberly.
"It's just not particularly safe right now, I reckon we'll have a bigger party when the war's over with all our friends. Euphemia and Fleamont have offered their garden anyway for the ceremony so it'll be quite low key."
Alice squeezed her hand. "It's for the best. We're going to make this the most amazing wedding of all time, just you wait and see," she beamed.
—————
With a crack, Emmy arrived outside the flat a couple of hours later and headed quickly up the stairs, rushing to get out of the cold. She was elated for James and Lily but part of her was still aching from visiting Marlene again, she wore her grief heavily.
After all that had happened, Emmy was realising that she needed time to grieve her own loss; those shining, radiant boys that had helped her onto the Hogwarts Express on her first day, who had saved her life many times, not just from a whirling bludger, and made her laugh when it seemed like the world was falling apart were well and truly gone. Their voices haunted her thoughts and there wasn't a day that went by that she didn't think of them.
She sat down at the kitchen table, hot mug of coffee in hand, to write her letters. Regulus hadn't replied and neither had Mira since she had written to tell her about Gideon, but there was some comfort she felt in reaching out to them that made it worth writing again.
Sirius startled her as he bounded in the door, but she laughed as he swung her into his arms.
"James' asked me to be his best man!"
"Oh, that's amazing! I knew he would," she gasped.
He kissed her lovingly, slowly putting her back down.
"I can't believe they're finally getting married," she laughed.
"Oh Merlin, do you remember what James used to be like? Tripping over his feet in front of her."
"It was hilarious," she giggled.
He was still holding holding her close.
"I can't wait to marry you one day," he said softly.
Emmy felt a wave of emotion rush through her, she blinked back tears as she raised a hand softly to his face.
"I love you," she whispered.
She would never grow tired of the smile that lit his face when she said those words, brilliant and breath-taking.
He lowered his head to kiss her and she pressed closer, desperate for every inch their bodies touched. His hands moved to her skin and soon there was nothing more that they would ever need to say.
—————
The next day, Emmy untangled herself from Sirius and quickly made some breakfast before apparating to Lily and Marlene's flat. There were so many things to get done before the wedding and the first stop was to find the dress.
Alice, Dory and Marlene were already there and they swiftly corralled Lily into picking an outfit and leaving the flat. They picked up coffees on the way to the bridal shop, wrapped up warm against the wind, October sun basking down on them.
They were all in good spirits as they walked in, bell ringing cheerily above the door.
The lady behind the desk looked up with a friendly smile and ushered them in, taking their coats and chatting enthusiastically as she asked plenty of questions about the wedding. Her face drained of colour when they told her it was two days away but she perked up as they began looking through the racks.
A bottle of champagne was popped and they passed glasses around, the excitement bubbling over.
Lily chose about five dresses to try on and disappeared with the shopkeeper as the girls got comfy on the sofa.
The first dress was stunning, it was dripping with sequins and had a gorgeous low back but it was very Lily.
The second nearly brought them all to tears, it suddenly seeming to hit them that Lily really was getting married. Their best friend of the last seven years looked almost like a different person in that perfect princess dress, it's lace sleeves and the most ginormous skirt echoed Princess Margaret's dress, but in mere seconds they realised there was no way she could wear it for a whole day without tripping over it.
She tried on the next two dresses, each as beautiful as the rest, Lily looking radiant as always but none quite worked.
Finally, she tried on last dress and they fell speechless. Lily was breathless as she turned slowly, the iridescent fabric floating around her legs as she twirled. It was simple but timelessly with a bateau neckline of the thinnest organza and sleeves that reached her palms, the back giving way to a gorgeously floaty train.
"It's perfect," Emmy breathed.
"Isn't it?" she sighed in happiness.
The dress was packed up for them to take that day; they could do any alterations with magic much faster than leaving it to the shopkeeper and thankfully Euphemia was particularly skillful at those spells from years of mending James's clothes.
That afternoon, Marlene went over to the Burrow to see Molly and the rest of them set about planning the fine details of the wedding. The Marauders had been sent out to buy new suits and pick up the crates of drinks while the Astrals went to the Potters' to help with food preparations.
Meanwhile, Emmy and Fleamont set about trying to find the right place in the garden for the ceremony. It was November now and the trees were a thousand different shades of red and gold, with leaves that lay crisp and glowing beneath their feet. The garden was over an acre of trees and fields because of its rural location, but eventually they found the perfect place under the branches of an ancient oak tree close to the house.
Fleamont sighed reminiscently as he looked at it.
"James used to spend all day in this tree when he was little, we could barely get him out of it before dinner time most nights," he chuckled.
Emmy laughed, glancing up at him.
"He used to say he could see all the way to Hogwarts from the top branches, all the way to Lily I guess," he added, grinning.
They headed to the shed behind the house to find some chairs and benches to make an aisle and soon enough they were arranging them beneath the branches. They laid down old rugs to make an aisle and hung a softly coloured sheet over the lower branches of the tree to make an arch behind the couple.
By the time they had finished, the sun was setting so Emmy cast a spell over everything to protect it from the elements before the big day tomorrow. With Lily and James only announcing the wedding two days ago, there had barely been a moment to sit down but there was one important task that only the two of them could do.
On their friends' order the new fiancés were sent out for dinner together and to stop by the goblin jeweller's on the way home to chose their wedding rings. They looked guilty as they left but it quickly changed to gladness and slight relief.
—————
One the day of the wedding, the Astrals woke up early and met Lily on the steps of the Potter's house. They set off across the fields, laughing and singing old songs as they went. There hadn't been time to book a florist and the best way to find fresh flowers was in the wilderness around the manor.
When they arrived back, their arms were full of harebells, ivy, poppies, branches of hawthorn, hazel and silver birch too. Euphemia met them at the door, Lily's mother beaming from just behind her. She looked nervous but relaxed immediately as her daughter threw herself into her arms. Lily's father stood at the foot of the stairs gazing at them fondly but Petunia was nowhere to be seen.
They had all sent her pleading letters over the past few days that had gone unanswered, even the ones from Lily. They didn't say it outright but they all knew it was on her mind today, when her big sister should have been right there celebrating beside her.
It was almost midday by this point so they laid the foliage out in the hall before hurriedly ushering Lily upstairs to get ready. The boys had been sent to the other end of the house to get ready and they could hear them growing merry on the butterbeer already, James and Sirius' laughter echoing through the air.
As the others did their hair, Emmy popped downstairs to help Andromeda and Tonks put the flowers together.
They hugged her warmly, excitement bubbling in the air.
Emmy could hardly believe that after all those years of pining and falling in love that Lily and James' wedding day was finally here. She was so happy for them.
They got to work gathering the bouquets and boutonnieres, Fleamont and Lily's dad carrying the branches to the tables they'd set out in the gazebo outside.
She nipped upstairs to get her hair done as the rest of the guests started to arrive and slipped into her dress. Lily was in the bedroom with her mother putting on her gown and they waited excitedly outside, putting the finishing touches to their make-up.
There was a pause at the sound of a knock on the door and Emmy went to open it. She grinned at the sight of Sirius beaming back at her and slipped out the room, a quick glance behind her.
"How's it going in there?" he asked, wrapping her in a hug.
"Lily's so excited, think we're almost ready to go."
She kissed him quickly, "You're looking very handsome in that suit you know."
Her hands traced the outlines of his muscles, strong from endless quidditch practices, as she took in the sight of his hair slicked back for once, his aftershave overwhelming her senses.
He kissed her again, this time more slowly.
"Thank you," he smirked. "You're looking pretty gorgeous yourself. That dress..."
He trailed off as he gazed over every inch of her body.
"You like it?"
"I love it," he grinned.
Her lips twisted into a coy smile.
"Right, I'm presuming you didn't come here just for me. What are you supposed to be doing?"
"Ah," he laughed breathily, searching through the inner pockets of his suit jacket.
"This is for Lily," he brandished a thick white envelope. "From James, and he's asked you to take photos when she reads it by the way."
Emmy giggled, "He's such a hopeless romantic."
"He is, but coincidentally also very good at poetry.
"Really?"
"No, he's awful, but Lily doesn't need to know that."
The door opened behind them and Marlene popped her head out, "Emmy, stop snogging Sirius and get in here!"
"Hey, I wasn't-"
"Yes you were," she called as she closed it again.
"You kinda were," Sirius teased her and she slapped his arm softly.
"One last kiss for luck?" he asked.
"You don't ever have to ask," she murmured as he pulled her close again.
After a few seconds she pushed him away, "Alright, alright, I do actually need to go now."
She disentangled herself and turned to slip back in, face flushed. She could hear Sirius laughing in the hallway as she hurried over to the others. Alice passed her a pair of heels with a teasing smile, "Quite finished?"
"Yes," Emmy replied, bright red. "He was just dropping of something for Lily."
She placed the letter on the windowsill nearby.
"Hmm, he's also ruined your lipstick. Come and let me fix it."
Emmy covered her lips in embarrassment as the others laughed and sat down so Alice could put on another coat.
When she was done they stood and a moment later, Lily's mum popped her head around the door.
"Are you all ready to see?"
They nodded fervently and she opened the door behind her for Lily to step through. They gasped at the sight of their childhood friend, radiant in her white gown, hair twisted into an elegant knot and freckled face bright with happiness.
They hugged her tightly and brushed tears from their eyes as they crowded around her.
Emmy handed her the letter from James and snapped a couple of pictures of her reading it, some laughing, some teary with emotion. She held it to her chest tightly before setting it down carefully to take the flowers Euphemia handed her.
The older women kissed her forehead softly.
"Thank you for making my son the happiest man on earth."
Lily hugged her tightly, tears in everyone's eyes.
Her mother and Euphemia linked arms to walk down the stairs, sharing knowing glances.
The Astrals followed close behind, picking up their bouquets as they arrived at the bottom of the stairs.
Sirius was fixing the flower in James' top pocket as she walked over to meet him.
James looked like was about to pass out, wiping his shaking hands desperately on his trousers. Remus was despairingly trying to calm him down but relaxed as Emmy tapped his shoulder.
"You look lovely," he smiled.
"Thanks, looking good yourself, Rem," she replied, hugging him gently. He'd had a rough full moon a couple of nights ago and the broken ribs were still healing. He winced slightly but squeezed her hand as she pulled away.
"I'll see you in a bit then?"
"Absolutely, you better save me a dance."
"Of course," he laughed.
With a quick kiss on Emmy's cheek, Sirius frogmarched James outside to the wedding aisle, arm around his shoulder. The bridesmaids paired up and headed out to join them.
For a small wedding there was certainly a lot of guests and it was a merry crowd.
Music flowed from the enchanted gramophone as they strolled down the aisle. McGonagall stood proudly at the end as the officiant, a special favour to the couple, looking delightfully young in light purple robes.
There was a flurry of noise as the music changed and everyone stood up. Lily and her father had appeared at the top of the backdoor steps.
She was a vision in white, her scarlet hair like a fox in the snow. Her arms were laden with flowers and she smiled blissfully up at her dad before they continued. He was beaming, practically bouncing up and down as he walked his daughter down the aisle.
Emmy took a quick glance at James and wasn't surprised to see him in tears at the end of the aisle. Sirius was gripping his shoulder in support, trying not to burst out laughing at his mess of a friend, but it was Remus who spoke.
"Pull it together mate," he chuckled.
Soon enough, Lily and James were holding hands in front of McGonagall and saying their vows.
They couldn't take their eyes off each other, speaking their vows clearly, memorised off by heart. Birds twittered overhead and trees rustled with crimson leaves in the tree behind them. With each flurry of wind, more fell until they floated in the air around the couple. Emmy flicked her wand and slowed them down so they turned in gently circles around them, the wedding guests gasping in awe. Lily's parents' gazing around in wonder.
"I, James Potter, take thee, Lily Evans to be my wedded wife," he spoke. "To have and to hold, from this day forward..."
"For richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health," Lily vowed. "To love and to cherish, 'til death do us part."
McGonagall beamed as she announced, "I now pronounce you husband and wife."
They all cheered as James dipped Lily in a kiss, smiles never leaving their faces.
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It's taken a wee while but this is probably the longest chapter of the book so far! Thank you for all your votes and comments, they really keep me going :) Hope you love this update as much as I've loved writing it, see you soon x