The gang's all here - Night at the pub

[tt_lily]

Date: 18 April, 2002
Characters: Lily, Remus, James, Harry(?), Lisa (?), others
Setting: The World's End Pub
Content: Gen
Status: Open: Public

Lily checked her watch after James' last message and grabbed a quick shower before she headed over to the pub. As she got dressed in jeans and top, she thought about how this would be the first time all of them got together - her, James, Sirius, and Remus - since they all arrived. Not to mention throwing in Harry. What a time this would be.

Hurriedly, although she was still a few minutes early for the time she wanted to leave, she finished getting ready (deciding to leave her hair down) and left. Knowing it would take a bit longer than normal to get there, she arrived a full fifteen minutes early. Better to be fashionably early. At least that's what she told herself.

Remus arrived at the pub a few minutes before Lily had so he took the honors of finding them a large enough table (he ended up moving some together). He'd went ahead and ordered a couple pitchers of the local brew to start the night off with a bang.

Upon seeing his friend, he stood and gave her a hug. "You'll have to forgive me if I get rowdy tonight."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're tame compared to James and Sirius. If Sirius makes it."

Comments

[tt_james]

James jogged up the front steps of the World's End, a slight sheen across his forehead as he opened the door to see Remus and Lily already at a good sized table. He shot a wave and a wink to Lisa as he crossed the room, sliding into a seat next to Lily and putting an arm around her.

"Sorry, forgot how long it takes to walk places," he said matter-of-factly before leaning down to give Lily and kiss on the cheek. "Padfoot's not gonna make it," he announced, "I guess he and Cecilia Proudfoot are stuck on Austrailia without magic and on the opposite end from the new settlement. They're hiking," he shook his head as if to say hiking? seriously?

[tt_remus]

Remus grinned, "Looking at plants and such too, no less." He was sad that Sirius couldn't make it, but figured that was the odds of his job too. You couldn't predict solar flares nor where your job would take you. At least he was with a nice enough woman though. Could be worse. He could have been with that one Slytherin girl from fifth year who both fancied him and hated him at the same time.

"How've you been, mate? I went ahead and got some pitchers but I figured you'd want something else too."

[tt_james]

James laughed and leaned forward to pour himself a pint of the beer, "Thanks, mate," he grinned. "Been alright, cursing the very existence of solar flairs, of course. Lily, what was it like not having magic growing up? I've never even considered it."

Leaning back again he put his arm back around Lil and took a long pull of his beer with his free hand. Shaking his head to looked to Remus, "And you? Have you ever thought about it?"

[tt_lily]

Lily couldn't help but look odd. "Well... I don't know. It was normal for me because I didn't know magic existed. Obviously I had some moments where it showed through, but it was just life. It wasn't until after Hogwarts I could use it on a daily basis and make life easier. Which, in fact, made life loads easier. I can't give you an exact answer."

Remus pondered her line of thought. "I can see that. You can't miss what you don't have. However, growing up with magical parents, it would seem an atrocity not to have it. I mean, Mum could cook and do twelve other things at once if she needed to. I can't imagine her wasting so much time by doing things one at a time. Merlin, that makes us wizards sound so spoiled," he finished with a chuckle.

[tt_james]

James hook his head listening to their stories, a wide look in his eyes. "I just don't even know what that feels like, though I do agree with you, Moony," he lifted his glass toward his friend, "we are very spoiled and I don't want it any other way."

He took his toasted sip. "That's not to say there's anything wrong with not being magical but it's like... suddenly waking up one morning a different religion than you've always been, or speaking a different language, and everyone's look at like you like you should know what's going on when you don't even understand the words coming out of your own mouth." He shrugged.

[tt_lily]

Both Remus and Lily drank to his toast as well. "I think I could live without Magic, it would be kind of an inconvenience, but is possible," Lily stated, taking a drink of water following their toast. "I guess we'll find out how long wizards can last without magic."

Remus shrugged, "It'll just make us grateful for what we have when it comes back. What a grand day that will be."

"I'll have a decent couch." Lily murmured.

[tt_james]

"Oh! Remus!" James exclaimed, remembered Lil's note from earlier, "Let's prove our non-magical worth and fix Lil's couch, hey? And we can even help you finish moving your stuff around, right? We don't need magic for that."

He nodded his head as if to say the matter was solved.

[tt_lily]

"But James... the legs are broke on one side and the middle is all saggy..." Lily said. Her couch was in a sad state of affairs. "I won't say no to further help though. My bookcase is the in the middle of the room and Leo isn't too pleased with everything. I think he knows the magic is out too."

Remus' head moved between the pair. "Right. Moving furniture. Tomorrow... if we're sober then?"

[tt_james]

"Right but that's what tools are for, aren't they? We can talk to Sirius, borrow a hammer and some nails," he shrugged - clearly he had it under control, even if he was pretty sure he'd never seen a hammer, in person, in his entire life.

"I don't plan to be sober then," he shook his head with a smile and then took another long drink of his beer. "I think we're going to need at least another couple of pitches, what do you say? My treat this round."

[tt_lily]

Lily watched as Remus excused himself, a bit confused until she saw where he was headed. She got a grin on her face and nodded to James. "Sure. I'll get the following round then... I think there is more involved than hammer and nails, James. But we can try." At least he was trying to cope without magic.

[tt_james]

James also watched where Remus headed with a sly smile and took the moment to kiss Lily on the cheek, wrapping his arm a bit tighter around her.

"Well, maybe you'll like the look of me working with my hands," he muttered to her, keeping his voice down for the innuendo joke.

[tt_lily]

"I don't know... remember... I have memories of us being married..." she teased him. "Of course... I do remember this one particular time after you had been a major git..." she trailed off, then casually grabbed her glass to take a drink. It was an appropriate pause of course.

[tt_james]

James' eyes went wide. "Well, if that's the sort of story we used to have, soemday you might just be Mrs. Potter again," he said, joking, before he realized quite what words were coming out of his mouth.

Shaking his head and looking to her, he pursed his lips and breathed out, "I mean, well, Um. You know what I mean." He looked away uncomfortably and reached to take a drink.

[tt_lily]

Lily nodded. "Baby steps, James. It's okay." She was going to rush things for them, not when he was more skittish than an overly paranoid cat. Lily would be okay waiting years if she knew it was something he wanted 100%. Until then, she was happy to be his girlfriend and snog him when she could.