Chappie 55: Werewolf Wedding

            Lily sighed as she attempted, once again, to focus on her Divination homework.  It wasn’t working.  The monthly horoscope all of them had due tomorrow only had about two days done, the Arithmancy hadn’t been touched, and of course, there were the plans for the Farewell Ball to work on.  As a gift from the Head Students, James and Lily had decided to throw a formal dance for the upper years as a farewell to the Class of 1977.  Now that it was late April, spring was well underway, and so were plans for something else.

Underneath all the books and strewn paperwork from school, Lily had a few Muggle bridal magazines strewn on her desk (lent to her by Petunia) with various papers marking this dress or that veil.  Who knew planning a wedding would be so much work?

Honestly, James and Lily really just wanted a small ceremony, with their close friends and family there.   All they wanted was for the people that truly cared for them to be present on their special day.  Why waste thousands of dollars to invite people that are simply there silently hoping you’ll trip on your dress on the walk up to the altar?  Well if we invite based on closeness, Petunia would get hacked off, Lily mused to herself.  

A comforting hand began to massage Lily’s back as she turned grudgingly back to her Divination. 

“How are you doing, sweetheart?” James asked her with concern.  Lily had really been worrying him lately, she tried to spread herself between her studies, activities, planning school events, and planning her own wedding, and it was not going too well.  James had attempted to help her with the plans, but he soon realized that he was much more help just staying out of her way until she needed him for a specific task than to pitch in all the time and risk Lily screaming at him.

“Not too good,” she said softly. 

“Anything I can do to make it better?” James asked.

“Well, it would be a real help if you and the Marauders could work on the guest list for our friends for the wedding, and if you made a list of the family you would like to invite.  I can take care of my side of the family, there are very few I’d like there anyway, but it would just save me a little time, that’s all,” Lily said with a sigh, resignedly handing James the papers.

“Yes, sure, sweetheart…I’ll go grab Sirius, Remus and Peter and we can start brainstorming,” James said with a smile, and slight glint in his eye.

As he left, Lily rolled her eyes in exasperation, shaking her head. “I hate it when he says brainstorm in reference to the Marauders,” she murmured to herself. “It never means anything good.”

*~*

Avia sat tucked neatly under Remus’ arm, both sitting on a rock by the lake.  “What do you want to do after school, Remus?”

The dreaded question.

Remus sat there silently, thinking hard to himself.  “What professions are really out there for a werewolf anyway, Avie?  Because of me, your life is ruined too.”

“Not everyone is close-minded to people like us, Remmy,” she said with her blue eyes wide.  “I think you’ll succeed at just about anything you put your mind to.”

“Oh, really, like what?” he asked in a playfully challenging voice.

“Teaching,” she answered immediately.  “You would be a wonderful DADA teacher…much better than Professor McVane has been.”

“Well I don’t know about that,” Remus answered with a glint in his eye. “Sirius certainly liked her.”

Avie laughed and slapped Remus playfully on the arm.  “That’s not very nice.  Anyway, Remus, I’ve been meaning to ask you…”

“What is it, Avie?” Remus asked with concern.

“How long do you want us to date, Remus? Because if we’re going different places after school, is it worth it to stay together? How long do you want to stay together?” Avia realized that she was rambling, and looked out at the lake, waiting tersely for his answer.

“Avie, I want to date you for as long as you are willing to date me.  If you want to date me forever, I’d propose right now,” Remus said in all seriousness.

“What if I do want to date forever?” Avia asked softly, her blue eyes wide.

Remus smiled and kneeled as much as one could while sitting on a rock, took her hand, and asked, “Avia Valmont, will you marry me?”

*~*

A few weeks later, Lily was poring over school work and wedding work in the Heads Lounge, when James burst through the door looking like he had run a few miles.

“Lils! Lils!” he yelled excitedly.

A scowl was donated in his direction, and James regained his composure, saying, “Sorry. Lily! Lily, guess what?”

“What?” Lily asked, wondering what could have possibly gotten him so excited.

“Well, actually, I don’t know what it is, or why it is, but Remus and Avia said we need to be in Hogsmeade together by eight o’clock tonight!”

“Okay, I suppose.  What time is it?”

“It’s seven- forty, Lil! We’ll never make it in time!”

“Oh, shush, we’re fine,” Lily said with a smile.  “I turned eighteen recently, remember?”

“Why does that matter?”

“I took my Apparation test! I passed!” she squealed excitedly.  “Where’s Peter, anyway?”

“Why didn’t you tell me this two months ago? And I think he’s already there.” he said with exasperation.

“I dunno.  Oh well, come over here, and take my hand,” Lily commanded.

James obeyed, and Lily closed her eyes in concentration.  Before either of them knew what was happening, they were in Hogsmeade.

*~*

Hogsmeade had pulled out all the stops for a special occasion, decorations and food everywhere.

“What in the name of Merlin are they celebrating?” James asked quietly. “Is it that Muggle day where all people pretend to appreciate their mothers or something?”

“Mother’s Day?” Lily asked with a raised eyebrow.  “No, that was a few weeks ago.”

“Well, what’s going on?” James asked in a rather whiny voice.

“I…I don’t know,” Lily said with confusion.

Walking more into the heart of the little village, Lily and James saw a gazebo set up with some chairs on a grassy knoll up ahead.

“It must be a wedding,” Lily breathed.  “Married in Hogsmeade, that’s so romantic.”

“Well, it doesn’t get more romantic than the place I had in mind for our ceremony,” James winked.

“What, the Quidditch field?” Lily asked with sarcasm.  The Quidditch field had been James’ idea of a romantic locale, and Lily berated him for over an hour at his insensitivity.

James nodded with his infamous crooked grin.  “Anyway, who’s getting married?”

“I don’t know, they look about our age though,” Lily said softly.  “Hey, wait, that girl standing by the gazebo…that’s Emia!”

*~*

“I don’t know how you can tell identical twins apart from a distance,” James muttered.

“I just know, I’ve been their friend for ages,” Lily smiled.  “I wonder what Emia’s doing up there. She can’t be in the wedding, she’s wearing jeans and a tee shirt!”

“So are you,” James pointed out.

“Well, yes, but I’m not in the-”

Emia recognizing her redheaded friend on the horizon interrupted Lily’s defense.  “Lily, finally! Get up here, we’ve got a wedding to perform!”

Sure enough, the whole gang was gathered.  Peter and Sirius were already waiting as groomsmen, beckoning James to join them; Emia was waiting by the altar along with a very nervous Remus.

*~*

“Who’s getting married?” Lily asked in confusion as she got to the altar.

Emia looked at her with a smile.  “You didn’t know?” Remus and Avia are! It’s so exciting!”

Lily smiled back at her friend, and then asked, “Why aren’t we dressed for a wedding?”

“Remus and Avie didn’t want people to fuss, and they didn’t have the extra money really available for a fancy wedding dress or anything, so they decided on a casual and intimate ceremony.”

“That’s so good for them,” Lily said thoughtfully.  “They’ve never been fussy about appearances, anyway.”

“Well, how can you be fussy about appearances when you turn into a half-human once a month?” Emia asked with a grin.

“True, true.”

*~*

The processional came through the speakers running through Hogsmeade, and Avia was at the other side of the long carpet.

Lily could not remember a time that Avia had looked so radiant.  Avie was in her element, jeans and tee shirts had been her unofficial uniform for her whole life, and she knew nothing that she would rather get married in.  Her long blonde locks fell in bouncy curls down her back, but the most beautiful thing she wore that day was her bright smile.

She walked regally down the aisle as music began to play from seemingly nowhere.  Remus fidgeted up at the altar, his nervousness extremely apparent.

As Avia reached the altar, Remus beamed a huge smile.  He began to realize that regardless of the growing power of the evil wizard Voldemort, Avia would be joined to him forever.

The old wizard opened his mouth to begin.  “Family and friends, we are gathered here today…”

That was all Remus and Avia heard.  Neither of them could remember much of the ceremony, they were just so thrilled that it was really happening.

*~*

“Remus, you may now kiss your bride.”

Remus and Avia kissed happily, and then an odd sound rang out throughout Hogsmeade.

It was an incantation, said in a voice that reminded most people of nails scratching chalkboard.  “Mosmordre!”

The wedding turned into a mass panic as the familiar green skull with a snake tongue protruding swept the sky.  All the Marauders stood at ready, as did the girls, much to the dismay of the Marauders themselves. 

“Hide, run, Lily! Don’t be stupid!” James urged.

“No, you don’t be stupid, James! I can fight just as well as all of you!” Lily retorted with the familiar redhead defiance.

“Fine!” he said in exasperation, searching the horizon and Hogsmeade for Voldemort himself, but seeing nothing.

Then, suddenly, Voldemort and at least twenty people in dark robes appeared on the horizon.  It was time.

*~*

As James performed spell and curse on many of the Death Eaters, Voldemort himself went for a much more unlikely target- Lily.

“Lily,” said the deadly whisper, “I’m only going to offer you this once.  Do you understand me?”

Lily nodded with anger.  “What?”

“Join me.  You and James, if you wish.  I realize you two can’t be separated, but your power is to be reckoned with, Lily.  I need you on my side.”

Lily’s green eyes blazed with indignity. “And what makes you think I’d want to?”

“I can get you anything you’d like.  Money, power, it’s yours.  Just join me.”

“No,” Lily spat out the word with disgust at the very idea.

“Very well, then,” Voldemort whispered, raising his wand. 

James noticed Voldemort raising his wand to his fiancé with alarm.  What if he’s going to kill her?!

He left his fight with a Death Eater and sprinted to Lily, but he was too late.

“Stupefy!” rang out in Hogsmeade.

*~*

Did he just freeze her? James wondered curiously, moaning in pain as he lay on the ground. Why would he do that? I thought he was going to kill her…

James and the Marauders lay on the ground with headaches, as did Emia. 

The remaining Death Eaters, for a few lay dead, followed Voldemort’s instructions.

“Take the bride and the redhead. They are not to be harmed.”

Lily and Avia were bound up, stupefied, and floating in front of the evil procession, heads bobbing occasionally.

*~*

Lily looked up at her stone prison in bewilderment.

“How in the name of Merlin did I get here?” she whispered softly. “What happened?”

She closed her eyes, attempting to Apparate, but quickly realized that that could not be done in this building.

Blonde locks across the room quickly caught her eye. 

“Avia?” she hissed.

Indeed, her blonde friend sat up from her cot, but not looking well at all.

Lily looked at her with alarm, poor thing, stolen from her husband on their wedding night.

“Oh, Avie, you poor thing,” Lily cooed softly.

“I’m okay, really, Lil,” she protested weakly.

“Okay, Avie, here’s what we’re going to do,” Lily whispered.

*~*

Acting according to plan, Lily banged on her cell gate.  “Guard, come here!” she demanded.

Soon enough, a woman in a dark robe came to her gate.  “What do you want, Mudblood?” she snarled.

Lily recoiled at her rudeness, but continued according to plan. “I WANT to see Voldemort.”

The woman flinched. “Around here we call him the Dark Lord, but come with me.”

*~*

“So have you reconsidered your hasty decision in the village so soon, Lily?” the deadly whisper asked.

“Yes, yes I have, but on one condition,” Lily said defiantly.

Voldemort smirked at the thought of this little girl ordering him around, seemed downright amused, in fact, but made a hand motion for her to continue.

“I want to leave, I want my wand back, and I want to leave.”

“Really, what do I get?” Voldemort asked, an eyebrow raising at the demand.

“I’ll tell you what you want to know, I’ll be a spy for your side.  James is soon to marry me, I know all the Marauders intimately, and I would be a much better informant than anybody else you may find.”

Voldemort looked thoughtful.  “And what of your blonde friend?”

“Avia? Well, she can stay,” Lily said with a grin.  “Besides, if she left when I did, she might know it was suspicious that I got to leave with nobody stopping me in the first place.”

“Very true,” he hissed with a smile. “I like the way you think.”

He snapped his long pale fingers.  “Malfoy!”

A Death Eater bowed deeply at Voldemort’s feet, and asked softly, “Yes, my Lord?”

“Get this girl her wand! Now!”

“Yes, sir.”

*~*

Lily stood outside the castle, staring in incredulity at her wand.  She had really done it.

Now to get Avia.

She sent bright red and gold sparks up high in the air, level with Avie’s window, and then hid in the neighboring forest in case a guard had seen.

Avia saw the sparks, she had been waiting for her signal.

She rapped her nails against the cold bars of her cell impatiently, waiting for a guard to come.

“What?!” the same female guard snarled.

“I need to use the bathroom,” she said innocently.

“Fine,” the lady said, rolling her eyes.

Escorting Avia to the bottom floor restroom, the lady sighed every other second.

Soon Avia realized that she had gotten to the part of the plan where the most things could go wrong.  It was getting to late evening, and if she and Lily didn’t escape soon, they would find themselves caught in the dark on grounds Voldemort’s followers knew much better than they did.

Avia thanked the guard for escorting her, and went in the restroom door after asking the guard to wait outside the door.

She searched for light in the bathroom, but found there was none.  No window to climb through, nada.

Avia looked at herself in the mirror.  “You knew it would come down to this,” she whispered softly.

She left the bathroom, and just as the guard turned to look at her, Avia punched her square in the eye.

The floor was mostly deserted, except for a few Death Eaters on the floor above who looked down to see the commotion.

Avia fled for the main entrance, and ran as fast as she could to the forest where Lily was waiting.

Because Avia had wasted so much time inside, it had turned nighttime, but Avia quickly spotted Lily.

“Grab my hand!” Lily whispered urgently.  Avia did so, but just as she did, the plains were covered with light.  The moon was out.

*~*

The hand Lily had been holding elongated and became furry, almost demonic. 

Lily was caught between a rock and a hard place, she did not want to leave Avie, but if she tried to Apparate with Avia half- human, she would become completely werewolf when they got where they were going.  Lily would probably be bit and neither of them would have a chance.

Lily looked at her friend, who was no longer recognizable, and shook her head.  “I’m so sorry, Avie,” she whispered, before closing her eyes and Apparating to Hogsmeade.

After trudging down the Honeydukes passageway with barely any energy left, she emerged from the one-eyed witch, and fainted in the middle of the hallway.

*~*

When Lily came around, all she could see was white- she was most definitely in the Hospital Wing.

James was leaning over her, looking like he had not slept in days.  “Oh, Lily! You’re awake!”

“I guess so,” Lily said softly, taking in her surroundings more thoroughly.  Emia and all the Marauders but Remus were there.

“Where’s Remus?” she asked.

“He…had a hard night last night,” Sirius answered softly.

“Yeah, a full moon and your new wife abducted all in one day.  That would be hard for anyone,” Emia said sympathetically.

“Oh, just ask, I know you all are biting it back,” Lily said with exasperation, sitting up on the pillows.

“WHAT HAPPENED?!” everyone asked in unison.

*~*

“Poor Remus,” Emia murmured after hearing Lily’s story.  “He’ll be heartbroken.”

“This is only the beginning,” James said with a sigh. “Voldemort will stop at nothing.  He’s already tried to get Lily on his side, hell; he might still even think she’s a spy for him.  It will be a long road.  I think we have to fight.  We have to be willing to take whatever he will throw at us and turn it right back.  We need to band together with other wizards to fight the evil spreading with Voldemort.”

“You’re right, James,” Lily agreed weakly.

Everyone murmured their agreement.  “But what should we call it?” Peter asked.

“Well,” Emia said softly, “we have to be willing to rise above all the death, all the ashes of our world that he’s trying to burn to the ground.”

“We have to be a phoenix,” Sirius said quietly.

“What did you just say, Sirius?” James asked, his eyes showing excitement.

“I said, ‘We have to be a phoenix.’”

“That’s perfect! We can be the Order of the Phoenix!” James said excitedly.

*~*