xxxxiii.
who knows how long i've loved you
(I Will by The Beatles)
__________
July 31, 1979
"Lily?"
Hermione cracked the door open and peeked inside. Her eyes widened upon beholding her best friend. Lily was clad in a simple, lacy wedding dress, with flowy short sleeves and a neckline that formed a deep V, enough to tease a hint of her breasts. Her usually straight hair was curled into smooth waves, and she wore a crown of white lilies on top of her fiery red hair.
"What are you doing just gaping out there, Hermione?" Marlene McKinnon cheekily asked, her hazel eyes glittering with amusement.
"Hi, Hermione," Lily shyly said, cheeks reddening in embarrassment at being gaped at.
The brunette's eyes filled with tears as she shrank the distance between her and her best friend. She threw her arms around the chuckling bride. "You look so lovely today, Lily. Honest," she sniffed.
"Why are you crying?" Lily cried, slightly pulling away from Hermione to glare at her through watery eyes. "The wedding hasn't started yet! Blimey!"
"Please don't start crying," Mary greeted as she entered the room too. "I don't want to cry yet." Her pretty blue eyes also shone with unshed tears, and laughingly, Lily ushered the blonde towards them to join in the hug. Only Marlene was tear-free, highly amused at the girls' antics.
"Save the sappiness for the wedding march," Marlene sighed, the corners of her mouth twitching into a fond smile. She pried Hermione and Mary away from the bride and grinned brightly at Lily. She reached forward and fixed her flower crown, before holding both of her hands. "Severus Snape is one lucky bastard."
Hermione grasped Lily's arm with blatant seriousness on her face. "If he hurts you, I know how to throw a mean Bat-Bogey Hex," she offered, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"Oh, oh, she surely does!" Mary exclaimed, followed by a laugh.
"Not if I punch him in the face first," Lily joked.
Marlene snorted. "That's the Lily Evans we know and love, all right," she said.
Their conversation was halted as another knock came from Lily's door. It cracked open and Mrs. Evans' face peeked inside. "All set, girls?" she asked, her smile widening when her eyes landed on her daughter.
Lily nervously laughed and smoothed invisible wrinkles in her dress. Hermione caught her hand and gave her a comforting squeeze. "You look perfect, Lily," she reassured. "I'm sure Sev won't be able to keep his eyes off you."
Her emerald eyes glittered with tears once more, but the smile on her face stretched far and wide like the horizon. Lily looked marvellously glowing and Hermione genuinely only felt happiness for her best friend today. She tried to trample away the memories of another emerald-eye boy who occupied the deepest recesses of her brain, knowing that her current best friends' happiness mattered today more.
Then, with a deep inhale, Lily declared, "I'm ready."
-ooo-
Lily and Sev's wedding took place in a quaint garden near Hogwarts. Seeing they both lived in dreary Cokeworth, with a polluted river and an abandoned factory as the main attraction, they had both agreed they should search for a place that was closer to the place they considered as their second home.
Hermione scanned the whole garden, lips stretching into a wide smile as she spied the numerous lilies lining the aisle. There were already some guests lounging on the chairs, waiting for the wedding to start. Hermione was able to spy Peter and their mother sitting close together, with Remus amicably conversing with Anya. She noted other familiar faces from the Order and their schoolmates. Lily's relatives only consisted of her parents and some aunts and cousins who knew about her magical background. Petunia and her new husband, Vernon, were visibly absent. Sev's side had even fewer guests, only consisting of two Slytherin friends and a neighbour who'd looked after him during his childhood.
Despite their lack of relatives, the bride and groom made up by inviting friends they'd come to love like real family. Although it was a sad sight, Hermione was at least happy they'd found friends who'd do anything for them.
She tried to search for James and Sirius too, but Mary touched her elbow to get her attention.
"The wedding march is about to start," she said with a kind smile.
The small band Lily had hired started to play a soft tune that ceased all conversation. Hermione's eyes landed on the altar, where an obviously uncomfortable Moody stood, constantly fidgeting with his tie. In front of him stood Sev, his face very pale and his back ramrod straight. He looked terribly nervous, but the way his dark eyes shone brightly under the clear sky spoke of his anticipation. He met her gaze, prompting her to widely smile. Sev's expression softened and gave her a small smile. But then, he froze, eyes growing wide, as his gaze strayed farther back. The whole garden had grown silent too. Hermione craned her neck and spied Lily at the very back, her glowing face hidden behind a lacy veil.
A wizard then stood up and magically 'Sonorus-ed' his voice. The band started to play a familiar song that made Hermione softly laugh. Of course Lily would pick a Beatles song for her very special day.
As the procession started, the wizard crooned a sweeter rendition of 'I Will', and Hermione eyes watered with overwhelming emotions. Her cheeks started to hurt as she walked down the aisle, eyes trained intently on Sev. He hadn't even glanced at her, his dark eyes already latched onto his bride to be.
Hermione wasn't sure if Sev was aware of how open his expression was. His eyes glittered with earnest emotions and she even noted that there were tears gathering in his eyes. The smile he wore looked uncharacteristic on him, but anyone who could see him right now would figure this was a man very much in love.
As Hermione reached the front, she stood aside and faced the guests. Her heart squeezed fondly at how Lily was obviously fighting back tears but miserably failing. Her emerald eyes were shining and she was grinning brightly at Sev. It seemed like everybody around them had dissolved all together. It was just him and her, two people who loved each other dearly.
Quiet guilt rose up in her stomach, remembering those moments when she'd wished they'd break up. Accepting that Harry Potter might be nonexistent in this world had been a slow, difficult process, but seeing how Lily and Sev were truly happy made it all worth it. She knew that wherever Harry was right now, he'd firmly believe that too.
Hermione tore her gaze away from Lily and glanced at the crowd once more. Anya and Peter were beaming at her widely, which she returned. They were soon distracted when it was Lily's turn to march.
All the guests craned their necks to watch as Lily walked down the aisle. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were clutching their daughter's arms, both were also in tears.
One person caught her attention, though, as he was the only one who wasn't looking at the bride.
Hermione's eyes met James' hazel ones. Her heart leapt into her throat at the way he was looking at her, like she was the only one in the room and nobody else mattered. His lips were stretched wide into a smile, which she returned with a small, tentative one.
Anybody who looked at James would undoubtedly know this was the gaze of a man in love too.
Hermione wondered what people would think if they saw the expression on her face.
Awed gasps and sniffled cries echoed in the quaint garden. And, even though Lily passed right by his row, James' eyes never left Hermione.
"I love you," he mouthed, his smile stretching wider.
Hermione huffed a laugh as a tear rolled down from her eyes.
Merlin Almighty, she was going to answer him soon.
Very soon.
-ooo-
Hermione grinned behind her glass of wine when Peter made another stumble on the dance floor and stepped on Mary's foot in the process. The poor blonde was already grimacing in pain and her brother had been profusely apologising since he'd asked Mary to dance. The witch then burst into a loud laugh and looped both of her arms around Peter's neck. Peter turned a brilliant shade of red, grinning awkwardly when he placed both of his hands on her waist and allowed Mary to lead them into a slow dance, despite the blaring upbeat song played by the band.
The wedding was wonderful and Hermione had cried happy tears as Moody finally declared her best friends as man and wife. Lily comically almost jumped into Sev's arms before snogging him for the whole crowd to see. Hermione snorted at how ridiculous they looked. Wolf whistles from the crowd broke them apart and despite his red cheeks, Sev's smile was magnificently wide.
The chairs were then magically rearranged along the sides to give room for dancing. Hermione still found Lily and Sev's first dance as a married couple hilarious, since the wizard was obviously out-of-sorts. But Lily was patient and kind, refusing to let Sev's eyes stray away from the guests until their dance had ended. Sev didn't even realise the next song had started, as the guests floated onto the dance floor; he was too lost in Lily's green eyes.
Hermione had been pulled onto the dance floor by various wizards since then. Peter was the first one to cajole her, and she had to stop herself from hexing him for being atrocious at dancing. Remus and Sirius were loads better than her brother, flawlessly twirling her around and making her laugh. James hadn't come to her since the start of the reception and try as she might, she could not locate the wizard. A part of her had this inkling her boyfriend was planning something. Hermione honestly felt a little nervous at that thought.
Tired from dancing, Hermione decided to hang out near the refreshment table. She'd been contentedly watching the dance floor ever since.
"Lovely wedding. Don't you think?"
Hermione glanced at the man standing beside her. The man was Sev's Muggle neighbour who had taken care of him when he was younger. He was in his 30's or 40's, with perfectly styled black hair and hints of grey lining some strands. His dark eyes almost matched Sev's, but his had a hint of golden specks.
"Oh yes, lovely wedding," she echoed, unable to stop herself from frowning. This man looked eerily familiar, like she'd seen him before, but she couldn't quite place a finger on it.
To her surprise, a small smirk grew on his face. Instantly, she remembered a particular Slytherin Pureblood, sporting the very same expression on his face.
"Hello, Pettigrew."
Her eyes widened in shock. "Regulus?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.
His smirk turned into a full-blown smile. "I was starting to think you'd never realise it," the disguised wizard said with a chuckle. He grasped a glass of wine from the refreshment table behind him and took a few, dainty sips.
"What are you doing here?" she harshly whispered, stepping closer to the Black heir.
"I was invited by Snape," he pointed out with a laugh. "Why'd you think I'd be here?"
Hermione frowned. "I didn't know you and Sev were close," she mused aloud, remembering all those times Sev had warned her about hanging out with Regulus Black at Hogwarts.
The disguised wizard snorted incredulously. "We're not," he revealed. "We... tolerated each other, especially since he's technically a Blood-Tr... err..."
"A Blood-Traitor?" she asked with a bemused smile, prompting the Black heir to turn crimson.
"The Slytherin House is a shite House for people like him," Regulus grumbled. "We respected him greatly though because he's really brilliant at Potions and Slughorn practically took him under his wing. Things had been horrible for him during his younger years at Hogwarts and Slughorn had no choice but to intervene." A small, amused smirk grew on his face, his dark eyes turning glassy in remembrance. "You lot might think Slughorn's an imbecile whose mere purpose in life is to collect shiny students he can display for the world to see. Horace Slughorn can actually be a terrifying snake if he wants to."
Hermione's eyebrows flew up to her hairline in disbelief.
"But, never mind about him now," Regulus said. "The fact is, I think Snape only invited me because Evans forced him to."
"Well, technically, she's a Snape now," she corrected followed by a laugh. "But yes, I think Lily's behind all these guests."
It had surprised her when she'd found out the Marauders had been invited to their wedding. Peter, she could understand, because Lily tolerated him. She and Sev both liked Anya so it was only natural to invite the whole Pettigrew family.
The other three, however, were not exactly close with either of them. It was still obvious how Sev highly disliked James and Sirius, and the feeling was mutual. Sev still warily eyed Remus when he was in the same room as him, memories of that full moon during their fifth year still fresh in his mind. But when they'd announced to Hermione they'd been invited too, Hermione instantly knew this was Lily's doing.
Her eyes sought out the fiery bride, smiling fondly as she threw her head back and laughed with abandon over something Sev had whispered to her. Merlin, this woman really had a big, golden heart, willingly looking over her past with the Marauders, all because she knew they had grown up and were actually tolerable to be with.
Hermione distractedly glanced at the shaggy-haired Auror awkwardly dancing with Marlene McKinnon. She furrowed her eyebrows, clearly remembering that Sirius had said everything between them was already over.
"I didn't know my brother was still dating McKinnon," Regulus quipped, his eyes also trained intently on the tensed couple.
"Sirius said he broke up with her," Hermione pointed out, smiling in amusement at how Marlene's eyes flashed in anger, unwilling to unwind her arms from around Sirius' waist. "Looks like they're not having a blast, though."
Regulus snorted. "Looks like my brother's being a complete buffoon," he said with a sigh. "The witch's clearly in love with him. Of course my brother's freaking out."
Hermione looked at Marlene in surprise. She hadn't really interacted with her as much as she had with Lily. She'd talked with Mary more because she was dating her brother. Marlene, on the other hand, rarely hung out with the Marauders. So, she wasn't exactly privy to Sirius' love life.
"Never mind about Sirius now." Hermione glanced back at Regulus, noticing the redness on his cheeks. "Say, Pettigrew, maybe you'd like to dance?"
The brunette huffed a laugh. "I think it'd be really weird for me to dance with Sev's supposed Muggle neighbour, who by the way, is almost twice my age," she joked with a teasing glint in her eyes.
"Oh," Regulus said, suddenly looking uncertain.
"I was joking, you buffoon," she pointed out. "Of course I'll dance with you."
The disguised wizard turned red once more and nervously fiddled with his collar. "All right," he said, after clearing his throat and offering his hand. "Shall we?"
Before she could place her hand on top of his, Sirius suddenly barrelled towards their general direction. "Reggie!" Sirius hissed, grasping onto his awaiting hand. "Save me, please!"
Regulus scowled and tried to shake him away, but his older brother just held onto his hand tighter. "Why can't you just bloody admit that you like her too?" he quipped in annoyance.
Hermione watched in amusement as a blush crept from Sirius' neck up to the tips of his shaggy, black hair. "I don't know what you are talking about," he hotly shot back. He started pulling the disguised wizard onto the dance floor, his loud protests falling onto deaf ears. The siblings were already making a huge ruckus on the dance floor, which Sirius didn't mind, as he started to demand Regulus to dance with him while furtively darting grimaces at a clearly put out Marlene.
"Berk," Hermione said with a sigh, rolling her eyes at the boisterous Auror's antics.
Now that she was alone again, Hermione swept her eyes towards the dance floor and caught sight of her best friends. Seeing that she had nothing else to do, Hermione meandered through the throng of dancing guests and smiled brilliantly at the newlywed couple.
"Mind if I cut in?" she cheekily asked.
Sev quirked an eyebrow. "Much as I like you, Hermione, I'd rather not dance too much on my wedding day, unless you're my wife," he ground out. Hermione noticed how Lily's cheeks coloured to match her vibrant red hair.
Unfazed by his words, Hermione grasped onto both of their hands. "Then, you will both dance with me instead," she exclaimed with a laugh as 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA blasted throughout the garden. Severus growled and tried to pull his hand away, but Lily caught his other hand and effectively trapped him in place.
Hermione swung around the dancefloor with her best friends, boisterously twirling Lily and teasingly tugging the redhead away from the annoyed wizard. Sev retaliated by trapping them both in his arms, whining to the brunette to let Lily go so that he could dance with his wife in peace.
Lily was laughing loudly, her emerald eyes glittering with so much happiness that Hermione couldn't look away. Her Harry had never held such happiness in his eyes, and to see it in Lily's, swelled Hermione's heart with fond sadness.
"I'm so happy for you both," she confessed, pulling both Lily and Sev towards herself and giving them a squeeze. "I hope you'll be happy for the rest of your lives."
Lily dropped a watery kiss on her temple while Sev gave her a soft smile.
Hermione was soon whisked away by Mary, who was giddily proclaiming that it was time for the bride to throw her bouquet.
"Do I really have to join?" she protested, letting the overly excited witch drag her towards the other witches. Marlene rolled her eyes when they arrived and smirked upon noticing Hermione's scowl.
"Seems like you can't get away from this either, eh?" she asked, giving Mary an indulgent smile. Hermione noticed her red-rimmed eyes and gave her a comforting smile.
"This is shite," the brunette grumbled, earning her a pointed glare from Mary.
Lily beamed brightly at the witches before turning around and preparing to toss the bouquet. Hermione tried to take a few steps back while Mary eagerly bounced on her heels. Hermione's cheeks coloured when wolf whistles from the crowd erupted. She tried to locate the source of the noise and saw James, a sneaky smirk stretched wide on his face.
It was mighty unfair how he looked unbelievably dashing today. Hermione had almost forgotten that she still hadn't had any alone time with him. James met her gaze and she glowered, but this only seemed to stretch his smirk wider.
Excited clapping burst throughout the crowd as Lily finally threw her bouquet. The bunch of lilies soared in the air and in spite of her annoyance, Hermione laughingly took a step back to let Mary get it instead. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw how James coughed loudly behind his hand. Instantly, Mary faltered, a hazy, confused look blooming on her face. The older witch swayed slightly to the left and massaged her temples, seemingly deep in confusion.
Unfortunately, as Hermione was immediately behind Mary, the bouquet sailed directly at her. Acting purely on reflex, Hermione extended her hands and let the flowers land directly onto her upturned palms.
The guests burst into another round of excited clapping as Hermione's eyes widened in horror.
"Nice catch, Hermione," Marlene said with a laugh.
Her horrified eyes met Mary's obviously disappointed ones, before her blue eyes sought for James again, knowing full well that this was his doing.
He was one of those who was clapping the loudest, his hazel eyes twinkling impossibly bright. She threw him an accusatory glance, but he merely smiled in innocence, even ignoring how Peter had grown indignant at the turn of events.
Hermione pushed her way through the crowd and ignored Lily's congratulations, focusing fully on stomping towards her boyfriend to give him a piece of her mind. But James had suddenly disappeared, and try as she might, she could not find him.
"What's gotten your knickers in a twist?" Lily called, beaming brightly at the bouquet clutched tightly in Hermione's hands.
Her cheeks bloomed in embarrassment. "I wasn't supposed to catch this," she grumbled under her breath.
The bride quirked an eyebrow and hooked her arm around Hermione's. "Perhaps, the fates are conspiring together, Hermione Pettigrew," she said, her painted lips stretched widely into a teasing grin.
Hermione's cheeks darkened more, wondering why in Merlin's saggy bum James had confounded Mary just so she could catch the bouquet. She'd very much like to think that this was a prank, because surely the annoying git would never let an opportunity to tease her pass. But knowing the implication of catching the bouquet, and remembering that stupid, stupid formal Pureblood dinner her family had shared with the Potters, Hermione couldn't help but feel nervous about James' true motive.
Before she could dwell on this deeper, somebody was loudly clearing his voice at the very front of the dancefloor.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Hermione followed Lily's line of vision and saw James standing in front of the band, his guitar slung over his shoulders. He caught Hermione's eyes and sent her a teasing wink, before clearing his throat once more. "Dear guests, I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Lily Snape, née Evans, and Snivellus Snape for getting married today!" With a flick of his wand, a glass of wine flew into his awaiting hand and he lifted it into the air. "To the newly-wedded couple!"
The crowd echoed his words, prompting James to grin. After taking a few sips from the glass, he placed the wine glass aside and stood a little taller. "Now, I'm not sure if everybody knows this, but I was hopelessly in love with Lily Evans during my youth," he continued.
"Everybody bloody knew!" somebody shouted from the crowd.
"Shut up, Pads," James hollered back, his cheeks staining red whilst laughter ran throughout the crowd. "As I was saying, yes, I was in love with Lily Evans because how could I not have been? I mean look at her. Everybody please, for the love of Merlin, just look at her."
Lily's cheeks matched her red hair and she glared darkly at the boisterous wizard.
"I may have been a real berk to her, but I just want to thank Lily today for not cracking under my impossible charms," he said, his smirk turning into a small, fond smile. "If it weren't for your stubbornness, I wouldn't have been able to realise that I am not, in fact, very much in love with you." He cleared his throat again and frowned in Sev's direction. "I still hate your face, Snivellus, but everybody can see that your love for Lily Evans trumps everything else."
"I'm going to kill him," Sev murmured under his breath, but Lily, in spite of her embarrassment, softly chuckled and hooked her arm around his, keeping him in place.
"So, for nostalgia's sake, let me take this opportunity to gift you with a song." James smirked mischievously when he started strumming his guitar, the familiar chords of 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' ringing out.
Hermione groaned. "Aren't you going to stop him?" she asked the amused witch.
"I love this song," Lily reminded her. "Let the toerag have his fun."
Regrettably, James' voice was still marvellously atrocious, but his impossible confidence made up for it. The crowd had gone wild and had started singing along. Hermione even spied Sirius and Peter hilariously busting ridiculous moves on the dance floor while Remus sighed at their antics, the corner of his mouth twitching in exasperated amusement.
James was having so much fun, he tried to make comical moves on the small platform whilst still continuously strumming his guitar. She noticed he had gotten better at it; perhaps, he had been practicing for ages, after confessing he'd grown quite fond of the instrument. And in spite of his antics, Hermione found herself singing along with the crowd soon after, laughter bubbling out of her lips in between exclaimed lyrics.
Once he struck his last chord, deafening cheers from the crowd resounded in the whole garden. James gave a flourished bow. "I heard that after singing this song, I get a snog," he started. "But seeing that Lily is technically off limits, maybe someone else would like to do it instead?"
His hazel eyes connected with Hermione's as his grin broadened. "Fancy a snog, Hermione Pettigrew?" he boomed.
Hermione hid her face behind the bouquet.
"I'm going to kill you, James Potter."
Lily gasped. "Bat-Bogey Hex?" she asked, a pleading look in her eyes.
Hermione snorted, watching as James sheepishly approached her. "Bat-Bogey Hex." Before James could react, she'd sent her infamous hex towards him. The bespectacled wizard yelped, bat-shaped bogeys now flying out of his nostrils and furiously flapping their wings against his crimson face.
Lily expelled a huge, contented sigh. "This is the best day of my life."
-ooo-
The sun had completely set and the only source of light in the garden was from the fairy lights strewn across the surrounding trees and bushes. The moon was a lovely crescent in the inky black sky, its beams bathing the quaint garden with a certain ethereal glow.
It was even lovelier at night. Some curious fireflies now fluttered around the garden, further illuminating the white lilies and the happy faces of the guests. Most had already apparated home, but the reception was still nowhere near finished.
Hermione saw Lily and Sev wrapped around each other in an embrace, already lost in each other's world, seemingly oblivious to everybody around them. She saw Mary and Peter too, with the witch smiling fondly at the sandy-haired wizard.
"Hermione, sweetheart."
She turned around to look at her mother. "Mum," she said with a smile.
"I think I'll call it a night," the older witch said. "It's been a tiring day."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
Anya shook her head, her wild curls whipping slightly against her cheek. "Oh, please, stay and have more fun," she said, reaching forward to grasp her daughter's hand. "The night is still young for you." She paused as she looked over Hermione's shoulder, a smile now growing on her face. "It is a lovely night."
She felt James before she saw him, her heart skipping a beat when he placed a hand on her hip.
"Already going home, Anya?" the bespectacled wizard asked.
"I'm not as young as I used to be," her mother joked, her blue eyes glittering prettily under the fairy lights. "As much as I want to stay more, my back has already started protesting." Anya reached forward to place a kiss on Hermione's cheek. "Goodbye, my love. Have fun."
Anya then surprised James when she pulled him down to also give a kiss on his cheek. "Make sure my daughter has a lovely time, young man," she lightly warned.
"I will try my best," he said with a lopsided grin. "Marauder's honour."
Her mother gave them another wave in goodbye and apparated away with a soft pop.
Once she was gone, Hermione craned her neck to look at James. "Aren't you tired?" she teased. "It's been an exciting day for you, after all."
James snorted. "Moody has trained me to have an endurance that could rival a hippogriff," he joked, his hand sliding down to hold Hermione's. She smiled and shifted her hand so that her fingers could lace through his.
At the same time, the small band started strumming a familiar song that caught her attention. James ducked his head and peered down at her face. "Maybe you'd like to dance, Whiskers?" he asked, 'The Long and Winding Road' blanketing the suddenly quiet crowd.
Hermione smiled in answer and allowed James to pull her towards the dance floor. His arm easily wound around her waist and, tentatively, she laid her head against his chest. His heartbeat was a steady, comforting sound, and mingled with the song that was close to her heart, Hermione felt forlorn, missing a man she'd once called her father.
"You know," James whispered, his lips brushing lightly against the crown of her head, "I've always wondered why you always look sad when this song plays."
She lifted her head to meet his hazel eyes. His brows were furrowed in worry and she smiled at him reassuringly. "When I was Hermione Granger, my father used to play The Beatles songs during lazy, Sunday mornings," she explained. "He loved them so much, he even boasted a collection of their vinyl records – those are circular containers that store music, so that you can play them to your heart's content. 'The Long and Winding Road' was his favourite song, and one summer I practiced playing it on my guitar just so I could surprise him on his birthday."
Tears prickled her eyes as her smile turned sad. "He was truly happy that day," she continued. "Since then, I've memorised the song and its chords by heart. Funnily enough, even though I am Hermione Pettigrew today, I still know the chords perfectly."
James' eyes softened as a tear slipped down from her eyes. "I'm sorry," he said, lifting a finger to brush her tear away.
Hermione snorted a laugh. "Merlin, this is supposed to be a happy day," she complained. "There shouldn't be any room for sadness!"
A sly smirk suddenly grew on James' face, and before she could ready herself, he twirled her on the dance floor. Hermione expelled a surprised squeak and glowered at James, who broke out into silent laughter. "You berk," she snarled. "A little warning next time."
His eyes widened as he covered his nose. "Please don't Bat-Bogey Hex me again," he murmured. "I can only survive one of those today."
She expelled a soft, sheepish laugh. "Sorry about that," she said.
"No, you're not."
Her smile grew wider. "No, I'm not, because you rightfully deserved that for being a prat," she admonished.
"Aww, come now, Whiskers. It was fun making you flustered," he whined. "You should have seen your face when you caught the bouquet. Or when I asked you to snog me in front of fifty guests."
"Like I said, prat," she laughed.
James sighed and reached forward to tuck a curl behind her ear. "You're bloody terrifying," he declared, the fondness in his voice loud and clear. Instead of retrieving his hand back, James cradled her cheek against his calloused hand. "Have I told you yet you look beautiful today, Hermione?"
Her initial annoyance morphed into embarrassment, knowing full well her cheeks had warmed at his compliment. James' grin widened as he pulled her closer, wrapping his arm around her waist once more.
The song had long ended, and a slightly more upbeat song had started playing, but James still continued to lead her in a slow dance. She tucked her head underneath his chin and leant against his chest as a soft sigh escaped from her lips. His arm around her tightened and as Hermione's eyes fluttered closed, she fancied herself into thinking the world was melting around them and that the only thing that mattered was his secure hold around her.
Hermione got distracted when something pointy poked her cheek. She slightly pulled away and padded her thumb over James' collar. Her eyes widened as she pulled it underneath his shirt, the amulet she'd given to him a few years ago greeting her eyes.
"It's proven to be very helpful during my missions," James told her, his hazel eyes also latched onto the necklace hanging from his neck.
The brunette thickly swallowed and glanced at her glinting sapphire bracelet, before slowly looking back at James' face. He was already looking down at her, his eyes shining with emotions he reserved for her.
Only for her.
Perhaps, it was the fact they were at a lovely wedding, where happy emotions were at their most palpable. Or maybe it was her beating heart, trying to break from her chest to leap into James' awaiting hands. Or perhaps it was his hazel eyes, brown and green and beautiful like the silently swaying trees surrounding them.
But no matter the reason, Hermione knew it was pointless to stop herself from saying it anymore. She'd always known it was how she already felt, her mind whispering words for James when he went on another dangerous mission or when he'd do something really, terribly sweet that shattered whatever fragile strength she had.
She'd allowed herself to forget her past, of the horcrux hunt, of defeating Voldemort. All the noise inside her head had quietened into a pleasant hum, with words she'd been keeping to herself for months – maybe even years – the only thing she could loudly hear at that very moment.
"I love you, James," she breathed out, like it was the most certain thing in the whole world.
His eyes widened as he froze. And then, he broke into the widest smile, the corners of his eyes crinkling. Merlin, his whole face was smiling brilliantly and Hermione felt like she was staring at the sun.
"I know," he simply said.
Hermione slowly knitted her eyebrows. "What?"
"Took you long enough, blimey," he said with an exasperated sigh, but the smile was still on his face.
She blinked at him in confusion. "You knew?" she asked.
James laughed. "Hermione, please, you wear your emotions for everyone to see," he explained. "So yes of course I knew. You always make these googly eyes when you look at me. Do you know that?"
"I don't make googly eyes!" she protested, cheeks staining red with embarrassment and annoyance.
He held both of her cheeks in his callused palms and leant down. "Yes, you do," he laughingly pointed out. "And I don't care if you keep on denying it or not. Because you just said you love me. It came tumbling out from your lips, sweet Merlin and Morgana. And there's no taking it back. I forbid it!"
Hermione huffed a laugh and placed both of her hands on top of his. "I love you, James," she repeated once more.
James' grin softened as he leant his forehead against hers. "Merlin, Hermione, I love you too," he breathed out, followed by an incredulous laugh.
She matched his grin and wove her fingers through his hair, already standing on her tiptoes to meet his lips halfway.
__________
August 1, 1979
It was perhaps the most peaceful sleep she'd ever had. When Hermione opened her eyes the very next day, a smile instantly stretched on her face.
Everything that had happened yesterday was still vivid in her mind. As Hermione hauled herself out of her bed, her lips still tingled from the kiss James had given her yesterday after she'd told him she loved him.
She swept her monstrous hair away from her face and was about to walk out of her bedroom, when a soft tapping from the window caught her attention.
Lily's owl stared her huge, yellow eyes in greeting and patiently waited for Hermione to unlatch the window. Daisy landed elegantly on top of her table and deposited an envelope in the brunette's awaiting hands. "Thank you," she said, brushing a finger on top of Daisy's head. The owl hooted in reply and opened her wings once more, then swooped out of the window.
Hermione curiously opened the envelope and pulled out the parchment.
Dearest Hermione,
I'm just writing to tell you Sev and I will be gone for at least two weeks. Some marital bullshite, if you will. But more than that, we're going to search for a place to hide my family away from the brewing war. Petunia and Vernon have been petulant, though. I've tried to reason out that they'll be in mortal danger because You-Know-Who is merciless, but predictably, they only called me a freak and slammed the door in my face.
So, okay. I also want to thank you for yesterday. The wedding was lovely, Hermione, and even our favourite sourpuss couldn't stop himself from smiling. That wasn't an easy feat! I was going through the photographs taken yesterday and I came upon one photo. I wanted you to have it, Hermione, because Merlin Almighty, I've never seen you so happy like that.
I love you so much, Hermione. Please keep safe while Sev and I are gone. Don't do anything reckless without informing anyone.
Love,
Lily Evans-Snape
Hermione snorted and brushed a finger over Lily's name, having an inkling that the redhead merely wrote a letter to her just so she could sign her name as such.
She then glanced at the envelope and pulled out the photograph inside. Her eyes widened when she gazed at a picture of her and James from last night. The fairy lights were twinkling brightly around them as James suddenly twirled her around, prompting the picture Hermione to laugh. When James pulled her back, she tilted her head and grinned brightly at him. The picture would then loop from the start again.
Embarrassingly enough, Hermione admitted that she'd had googly eyes when staring at the bespectacled wizard. Her face turned splotchy red as she transfigured a quill into a picture frame, just so she could slip the photo inside.
Hermione sat on her chair and placed her chin on top of her upturned palm, her blue eyes watching as the picture looped again and again. She tried to suppress a silly grin, memories of last night rushing back into her mind.
She would have stayed there for hours if she had been given the choice, but Peter barged inside her room and pulled her away for breakfast.
"What's gotten into you?" her brother asked with narrowed eyes.
She expelled a soft sigh and looped her arm around his. "Nothing, Petey," she claimed dismissively. "Come on. Mum's already waiting for us."