Mary
Pack your dolls and a sweater
We'll move to India forever
Passed down like folk songs
Our love lasts so long
Friday, August 30th 1989
Mary would never be caught dead saying magic was always the answer, but sometimes it was simply inescapable. Though Lily had been very clear in her not wanting to use it for any of the preparations, there was just no time to do it all without a little assistance — especially after the recent turnarounds. She would take charge, while Lily navigated through the emotional rollercoaster that day was turning into, but she would have to do it with magic.
Which meant, of course, she was already done at dusk.
Mrs. Moore was in charge of food, so Mary was free to focus on decorations. With a few swishes of her wand, twines of violet flowers wrapped themselves around every column and pipe of the inn’s exterior, and string lights hung themselves throughout the entire front garden. She polished the outdoor tables, cut the grass smooth and even fixed some loose tiles on the roof. By the time she was done, all she wanted to do was sit and admire her work.
"My goodness, Ms. MacDonald", Mrs. Moore gasped, when Mary called her out to see the end result. "You did this all by yourself?"
"Well, I had a little help", she responded, grinning to herself.
"You are quite something", the woman said, staring at her briefly before returning inside.
"Why, yes, I am", she muttered gleefully.
It did not take long for Lily and Remus to reappear, both looking made up — though still a bit agitated.
"Oh my God!" Lily exclaimed. "Mary! This is incredible!"
She only smiled smugly. "Thanks, babe."
"Seriously!" Lily was taking laps around the garden, admiring the inn from every angle. "This is gorgeous!"
"Really lovely, Mary", Remus complimented.
"Of course", she replied, calling Lily back to her arms. "Only the best for you, Lils. Now, do you want the bonfire here or at the beach?"
"Here. It doesn’t have to be too big — it’s quite hot anyway."
"I’m on it", she winked.
"Mary", Lily called. "Are they all still playing quidditch?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"Can you go and get Harry? We should be getting ready."
"Of course. Uh, what about the other boys?"
It felt funny to refer to almost thirty year olds as 'boys', but, then again, they had run off to play quidditch with a kid at the first opportunity they got.
Lily and Remus exchanged a look. He nodded, encouragingly, and she sighed.
"Would you invite them to join us at the bonfire?" Lily said, not entirely convincing. "But tell them they can’t stay over. Or they can, I suppose, if they can find accommodation elsewhere…"
"Okay. You sure?"
"Yeah. It’ll be nice to… catch up."
Mary nodded, off to perform her duty. She was proud of Lily for having decided to try and reconcile with the men of her past — especially now that she knew the whole story. Mary had always thought the Lily and Sirius thing had only been a drunken kiss, perhaps a sloppy make-out session, not the potential conceiving of Harry. And the Remus news was also a whole new layer of mess added to what was already a best friend love triangle drama. All she knew was that she needed to keep her eyes wide open that night.
She spotted the group as soon as she reached the beach. They were all lying on the sand, broomsticks and quaffles laid out next to them. It was definitely an intriguing sight for an unsuspecting muggle, though not strange enough for them to start asking too many questions.
"Hey, you guys", she greeted them.
"MacDonald!" James and Sirius cheered, jumping up to hug her.
"Long time no see, huh?" She then pushed James lightly. "And how are you, superstar?"
James looked flustered, which she of course found very amusing.
"Yeah, I follow the Weekly Seeker", she teased.
"It’s the Seeker Weekly", Marlene corrected.
Mary rolled her eyes. "Seeker Weekly, whatever. Okay, Marls shows me the headlines, but still! Good for you, kid! Who would’ve thought all those breaking dawn practices would count for something, huh?"
James smiled almost apologetically. "Too bad Padfoot never joined, or else he could’ve been drafted alongside me", he said.
"As if", Marlene mumbled, making Harry giggle next to her.
Sirius shrugged. "I think my beauty sleep has paid off in the long run. Don’t see no crinkles anywhere round my eyes, do you, Prongs?"
"Thank God Sirius never became a quidditch player, then", Mary intervened. "He already has a big enough ego as it is."
He was about to protest, but Mary spoke more quickly.
"Anyway, I’m here on official business. Lily has invited you to the bonfire tonight."
The smirk disappeared from James’ face, and he took a step toward her. "She has?"
"Yes. But only", she glanced at Sirius, "if you are at your best behaviour. I’m talking to you, Black."
But Sirius, too, had turned sombre. "What about Remus?"
"He’s staying at the inn. He’ll be there."
"I see", he said. The warmth seemed to have evaporated from his voice.
"Which brings me to my second point", she continued. "We’re fully booked, so I’m afraid you can’t stay over. I know there are a few other inns towards the east coast, but I’m not sure they’ll have availability — it is peak season, after all…"
"I actually brought my dad’s old camping tent", James said. "We could set it up here at the beach."
"Sleepover with Prongs", Sirius taunted. "So cosy."
James punched him in the shoulder. "I’m a snuggler, just so you know."
"Now, Harry, dearest", she called. "Let’s go and get ready, shall we? Your mum’s waiting."
"Why didn’t she come here?" he asked.
Mary felt a lump on her throat, but she smiled it off. "She’s busy prepping everything for tonight, sweetie."
"Right", he muttered, setting off.
Mary and Marlene followed him back while the boys began setting up camp. Lily was waiting by the door, and she rushed to hug her kid as soon as she saw him.
"How was your day, honey?" she asked as she nearly suffocated him to death.
"It was fun, mum."
"I heard you ran into some old school friends of mine. It was very nice of you to show them around the island, honey, but you know you have to be more careful around strangers."
"Sorry."
"I’m not mad at you, okay? Now, tell me", she smiled, "how was quidditch?"
Harry’s eyes lit up. "Oh, it was bonkers! James let me fly in his broom, which is a professional model, and it went so fast! Mum, you had to see me, I was flying crazy high! And I even caught some of the quaffles they threw at me, Sirius said I had some raw talent!"
Lily’s smile had turned robotic, but it stayed on her face. "That’s incredible!"
"Will I be seeing them again?" Harry asked.
"I don’t know, honey. I’m sure they are quite busy."
"They said they’re camping by the beach. We could train a bit more tomorrow."
The corner of Lily’s lips were already quivering. "Sure, if that’s what you’d like. Now go and take a bath, the guests should be arriving anytime now!"
Harry disappeared through the front door, and Lily’s posture finally caved. She groaned as Mary and Marlene placed themselves on both her sides, passing their hands down her back reassuringly.
"I’m not sure if I’ll survive this day", she confessed.
"Of course you will", Marlene said.
"Yeah", Mary agreed. "We’ll be right here with you through it all."
It was a promise.
They all took off for the final preparations. The band — a trio of local teenagers, one of which was Mrs. Moore’s nephew — arrived first and began soundchecking their equipment; Mary only prayed they wouldn’t play for too long. They lit the bonfire as soon as the sky turned to a shade of pastel pink, and the string lights helped illuminate the rest of the garden in a soft and subtle light. Marlene was put in charge of drinks, Remus helped Mrs. Moore with the food, and Mary positioned herself at the entrance with Lily.
"Hi, thanks for coming!" Lily began greeting guests as they arrived. "Our band will be playing very soon, but in the meantime you can help yourselves with food and drinks."
"Entrance is free, but we are accepting contributions of any amount", Mary would add. She knew Lily was too nice to ever ask something for herself, and she also knew Lily was too proud to accept anything she hadn’t earned herself.
A half hour passed before they could even realise it. Mary smirked, feeling on top of her game: everywhere she looked, things were happening just as they were supposed to. Guests seemed happy and even Lily couldn’t keep a smile away from her face. The band started playing their acoustic set, and Mary was very much relieved to find they did not sound bad at all. Even the volume felt perfectly adequate — Jesus, when had she become such a goody two-shoes? She shrugged the thought away, making a face, just as she identified her two most awaited guests approaching in the distance.
Lily had turned white beside her.
"I’m right here with you, Lils", Mary whispered, just as soon as they arrived.
Both James and Sirius looked freshly showered, which Mary was very thankful for (she still remembered their smell after quidditch practice, even after all those years). James came forth first, and he and Lily locked eyes immediately.
"Hi, guys!" Mary cheered.
James took a few seconds to finally blink and smile pleasantly. "Hi."
Mary followed his gaze to Lily, who was equally stunned.
"Hi", she breathed, also with a considerable delay.
"Thanks for having us", he said. "We didn’t mean to intrude; I believe Mary or Marlene have explained the misunderstanding…"
"They have", Lily responded. "And don’t worry about it. It’s… nice to see you again."
James was quick to nod repeatedly. "Likewise. You… you look… beautiful."
The night lights were not too clear for Mary to be sure, but she was almost certain Lily had turned red.
"Thank you", she uttered, a couple octaves too high. "Enjoy your night!"
James hesitated for a second, as if he was trying to decide if he should say something more, but he only smiled politely and headed off towards the drinks stand. As soon as he left, Lily’s chest fell, releasing the air she had apparently been holding. But she had no time to try and process that reunion, for Sirius (who had been waiting planted two feet away) stepped in for his turn.
"Evans!" he called, arms open demanding a hug.
Lily let the man embrace her. "Sirius", she stuttered. "How… how are you?"
"Well, you tell me. But I don’t think I look too bad, do I?"
"You look as fine as always, Sirius", Lily indulged him, smiling too kindly, as always.
"Oh, let’s not stroke his ego any longer", Mary had to intervene.
"Now, no need to be jealous, MacDonald", he winked at her. "Evans and I are in the past. Unless you’ve got some more of those Ironbelly whiskey shots anywhere around here, that is."
Lily let out a snort. "Oh, God", she laughed. "Let’s not talk about that night, can we?"
Sirius smirked. "You’re breaking my heart, Evans."
"Alright, off you go", Mary shoved Sirius away, though she herself was not able to contain a grin. In fact, she was glad for his jokes, as silly as they were, because Lily was back to her giggling self. "Oh, wait!" she called him back. "Actually, admission is five galleons per person. Which would sum up to ten, if you don’t mind covering for James."
Sirius made a face, but he gave her the money anyway. "Seems a bit sketchy, but I’ll trust you."
"Enjoy your night!" she said, pocketing the golden coins. Lily raised an eyebrow at her, so she shrugged. "Oh, come on, Lils. Didn’t you want to get Harry a broomstick of his own?"
Lily made an uncompromising gesture; her eyes stared into nothing.
"Are you okay?" Mary asked.
"Yeah, uh… Sirius hasn’t changed a bit, has he?"
"No, apparently not."
"That’s good." She swallowed. "And… James…"
They both turned to look. James was talking to Remus by the bonfire, and Sirius was sipping a drink and chatting with Marlene. It was a strange sight, to see them all at a party again. After all, the last one had been bad enough for them not to reunite for eleven years.
"I don’t think I’m ready", Lily whispered. She fidgeted with her clothes and tapped a foot nervously.
"You’re doing great, love. But I can always ask them to leave. Just say the word."
"Right." She breathed in and out. "I just want to have a good night. Without any serious talks."
"Of course. Do you want a drink?"
"Actually, that would be lovely, yeah."
"I’ll be back in a sec."
Mary pranced across the yard to the drink stand, where Marlene and Sirius were having yet another heated discussion on some quidditch game.
"Hey", she interrupted. "Marls. Can you make a drink for Lily?"
"Yeah, yeah, on it." Marlene grabbed a cup and started mixing soda and Bacardi.
"Oh, I’ll have some of that, too", Sirius said, chugging what was left in his own cup.
Mary frowned. "Hey, slow down, Black. This is a family event, okay?"
Sirius winked in response, which was not very reassuring at all. Mary took the drink and started making her way back to Lily, but first stopping to check on James and Remus.
"Everyone good here?"
"Yeah, fine. Thanks, Mary."
"Okay. Promise me you’ll look after Sirius? He’s already started drinking."
Remus made a face, and James was still peeking at Lily every two seconds.
"Please?" she insisted.
"I can… I could talk to him", Remus finally said, not seeming very pleased.
"Thank you", she exclaimed, leaving to give Lily her drink.
To her delight, the party itself kept them all occupied enough for the next couple of hours. Lily played the hostess part naturally, engaging with every couple, family or group present, and the wizarding crew was left to entertain themselves on their own. The band played a few more songs, everyone cheered, and endless trays of food kept being passed around. Mary saw the guitarist teaching Harry to play in a corner, and Lily eventually joined to watch and cheer him on.
She was finally able to relax. She scanned the garden, quickly spotting Marlene and the boys at a table near the drinks stand, and went over.
"Having fun?" Marlene greeted her, hugging her side and kissing her cheek.
"Finally, yeah", she answered, taking the drink from Sirius’ hand and taking a sip. Marlene stroked her neck, and she had to contain herself from audibly moaning.
"Did you see Harry with the guitar?" Marlene giggled. "He looks so tiny, it’s adorable."
Mary had to smile. "He does, doesn’t he?"
"Poor boy can barely hold it", Sirius chuckled. He was already speaking louder than usual, despite it not being that noisy. "Perhaps a kiddie guitar would work better."
"Well, he’ll grow soon enough."
Sirius did not look convinced. "Will he?"
"I remember you lot started sprouting when you were about his age. A year or two more, tops."
"Yeah, don’t think we’ve forgotten how pocket-sized you all were when you were his age", Marlene came to her aid. "Tiny little peanuts tripping over your Hogwarts capes."
Sirius snickered. "I was always tallest…"
"Wait", James interrupted. "How old is Harry?"
"Eleven", Mary said. "How old did you think he was?"
She couldn’t read his expression. "I thought…" he began, but a loud noise silenced him.
They all jumped at the same time. In the night sky, a sequence of fireworks had started exploding, dripping them all in colourful lights. Everyone began clapping as they settled to watch the show, and Mary hugged Marlene from behind, tucking her chin next to Marlene’s neck.
The fireworks weren’t as exciting as the magical ones they were used to, but it was still entrancing. The air was warm, Mary’s head was light from her second rum and coke, and the crinkling sounds of the fire harmonised perfectly with the waves crashing in the distance. She intertwined her fingers on Marlene’s as they watched, soaking in that moment. When the spectacle ended, she had to discreetly blink away the water in her eyes as she joined the applause.
"That was lovely…" Marlene muttered, only to be cut off by a sudden new noise.
They all looked up again. There was a single firework back in the sky, but this one didn’t disappear into twinkling sparkles — no, this one kept dancing in circles, leaving a trail of stars behind, changing colours. She recognized it immediately.
"Black", she cursed, as soon as she noticed he was missing.
Mary stomped towards the beach, filling with rage at each step. And there he was, to no one’s surprise, lighting up another one of those Filibuster fireworks. The two other boys from the band were by his side, watching in awe as Sirius stumbled and laughed.
He released it before she could reach him.
"Black", she grabbed his arm and started dragging him back to the garden. "Are you kidding me? Do you want to get arrested or something?"
"Arrested?" he asked. She hadn’t noticed until then how flushed his face was, and how his words had started to slur together. "Who is going to arrest me?"
"I don’t know, maybe the Minister of Magic? Your boss?" she groaned. "I’m assuming you didn’t forget this little thing called the Statute of Secrecy?"
"It’s only some harmless fireworks, nothing that would reveal anything. Besides, I’m sure Fudge wouldn’t mind sending some obliviators in case anything goes wrong, he’s quite fond of me, you know. Always stops by my office to chat…"
"Sirius!" she protested. "Come on! You’re twenty nine years old. Grow up, will you?"
He was startled enough to drop the smile. She escorted him back to the party, but he made a point to scramble away from her. Mary decided to trust her scolding had been enough for him to chill for a bit, so she went to find Marlene again. She found her at the same table, this time accompanied by Remus and Harry.
She breathed in and out twice. She was already exhausting her limits, but she didn’t want Harry to see her like that. So she forced a laugh and feigned carelessness in her walk as she joined the group.
"Hey, squid", she said, going over to fuss with Harry’s already messy hair.
"Aunt Mary, guess what?" he asked, buzzing with excitement. "Aunt Marlene just said we could fire more of those magical fireworks tomorrow night, if the beach is empty."
Mary turned to Marlene, who gave a guilty smile. "Did she, now?"
"Yeah."
"Well, we’ll have to see if we still have any of those left."
"Where is Sirius?" Remus asked a bit too casually.
"Off somewhere." She didn’t see any familiar faces nearby. "Where’s James?"
"Loo, I think."
Mary pursed her lips. "And your mum?" she asked Harry.
"Kitchen, maybe?"
Tension spread itself on her back once again. Sirius, James and now Lily missing… Couldn’t they just stay put? Perhaps she should trap them all separately, so she could have at least a second of peace that night. "Right", she muttered. "I’ll go check on them, okay? Be right back."
She made her way through the crowd and towards the front door. She hoped she was only being anxious, and that the night was still unravelling without much drama. As soon as she neared the kitchen, however, she heard her friends’ voices, and her heart sped up in anticipation.
"... we have to talk!" She heard James’ voice.
"No, we don’t!" Lily shouted back.
Mary froze. Should she step in? She knew Lily and James would have to talk eventually, they both needed either a resolution or some closure. And Lily had said she didn’t feel ready yet, but she had been saying it for eleven years. So perhaps she could wait it out and see how it unfolded…
"James, I’m serious", Lily warned. "We’re not having this discussion, not tonight of all nights."
"Then when? How do I know you won’t just disappear again? You can’t keep running, not now that I know Harry…"
"You don’t know Harry." Lily’s voice was harsh.
"Do you think this is what’s best for him…"
"Harry is mine! I’m his mum, and I know what’s best for him."
The kitchen door was then swung wide open, and Lily came out, red in the face and glassy eyed. She carried two sets of trays on her hands, and Mary spied James in the back.
"Mary!" she exclaimed, halting. "Oh, perfect. Will you help me with the puddings?"
Mary took the tray Lily was offering her, just as James caught up behind. He also stopped when he saw her, appearing to recollect himself.
"Sure", she said. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah", Lily said, forcing a very wide smile. "I just wanted to get these out while they were still warm."
She rushed back to the garden, distributing the puddings on her tray, and Mary was left with James. She firmed her grip on her own tray. Should she say something? It was obvious she had heard them, yes, but what was there for her to say? She could try disclaiming that this was already a very stressful weekend for Lily, but it seemed like that was already very clear. Still, James looked so heartbroken.
"I think I’m gonna go", he finally said.
Mary nodded. "To… camp?"
"Yeah. I did promise Sirius he could crash, and it seems he’s not in the best state to be apparating tonight, so…"
"Right, of course."
"Thanks, Mary. Good night."
"Good night."
She watched James walk away, looking utterly defeated. She, too, felt entirely useless. As prepared as she thought she had been, everything that had been her responsibility to avoid had happened; everyone’s night seemed to have been spectacularly ruined. She saw Marlene trying to get a drunk Sirius away from a very confused Harry; she also saw Remus looking miserable in a corner and Lily fighting to hold back tears as she served her guests dessert. The night, unfortunately, was not yet over, so Mary breathed deeply and smiled as she set out to serve the rapidly cooling puddings.