Jily oneshots

Ten-Minute Boyfriend

Done by jamespotterthefirst on fanfiction.net

Not for the first time during their ten minute interaction, Petunia wrinkles her nose in distaste. Lily is unsure what her sister disapproves of now since the salon holds an endless list of possibilities. Only mildly interested, Lily follows her stony gaze to the stylist working next to her station.

There it is, Lily thinks and, for some reason, she struggles to suppress a smirk. Of course her sister would hold purple hair in contempt, no matter how gorgeous it looked on the person wearing it.

"Anyway," her sister continues, eyes back on her. Lily notes how the derision in her demeanor does not soften a bit as she looks at her. "It's going to be a very tasteful ceremony. Very elegant." She says this with a pointed, meaningful edge in her voice.

Lily almost rolls her eyes. She abstains, sure Petunia will see her through the mirror at her station. "Tasteful, elegant," she repeats with a nod. Uptight. Obnoxious. "Got it."

Petunia is unimpressed. "Do you?" she asks impatiently. "Because most of our guests are very distinguished clients from Vernon's firm and I will not tolerate anything that might embarrass us."

Lily wants to inform her that marrying someone like Vernon Dursley was embarrassment enough, but she bites back the retort. Her eyes fall on the clock and she realizes her next appointment will be in soon. Lily's stomach lurches briefly at the realization.

She decides to offer a reply that promises to shorten the conversation. On most days, this entails agreeing with her sister and withholding all the snark from her replies.

"I'll be as proper as ever," Lily says, but even to her ears, the words sound sarcastic. So much for withholding snark.

Petunia notices too and her lips press together tightly. "None of your radical expressions when you talk to my guests," she starts sternly. She says this far too loudly, attempting to make her point over the sound of chatter from other clients and blow dryers.

Anger begins to flare up in the pit of Lily's stomach. "Right," Lily says tartly, interrupting what promised to be a long list of forbidden behaviors. "Is there anything else you needed, because I have to get back to work."

Petunia's lip curls mockingly at the word work. Again, she glances at the hair salon with an expression of someone in the middle of a pigpen. Lily feels her cheeks flush, the urge to defend her career making itself known. It is the same reaction to Petunia's constant jabs about Lily's profession as a hair stylist. This time, however, Lily successfully swallows down her words, thinking instead of how her next client would be there any minute now. Again, her heart swoops slightly.

Wordlessly, Petunia holds out an envelope to her. There is reluctance in the action, as though an invisible someone holds a gun to her head. "Your invitation will say you can bring a guest," she says. A wicked glint lights her eyes as she adds, "A date, perhaps?" Petunia looks as though she is about to cackle. "Not that you'll need it."

The words offend her more than they should. In reality, Lily is far more furious at herself than at her sister for letting the comment hurt her.

Lily's love life, or lack thereof, is another of Petunia's favorite things to criticize about Lily. Lately, all Petunia can do is compare her own impending wedding to Lily's lack of serious romantic suitors. Her sister delights in telling everyone that will listen about how her life is falling into place now that she's marrying a man from a good family, with an impressive career. She delights even more in following this proclamation by pointing out how, meanwhile, her sister is nowhere near finding quite a catch, let alone the promise of a good marriage. And every time, Lily stifles the urge to correct her sister and inform her that a lack of suitors is not a problem Lily has to worry about and even if it was, there is more purpose to her life than a man. But, more often than not, Lily sagely chooses to say nothing. She is absolutely certain that fiercely recounting her many romantic conquests, no matter how short lived, will only spur Petunia on.