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we're so young, but we're on the road to ruin 𐦍༘⋆
FOUR MONTHS LATER JUNE, 1979
Celeste had never known the excitement of weddings until it was James and Lily's.
The ladies occupied the West Wing of Potter Manor while the boys took the East. They had spent the entire morning together, getting ready for the wedding. Celeste watched in awe as Lily entered the dressing room donning an ivory silk dress. It was graceful and elegant, making her features seem to glow more than usual.
Marlene had perfected everyone's makeup and was now in a corner panicking over her own before a mirror. Alice had fashioned all their hairstyles, including Mrs. Potter's.
Celeste hugged her arms tightly against her beaded bodice, smiling weakly at it all. On most days, her wedding still haunted her. Flashes of the agony and glamour came back to her in a blur.
She forced herself to push it away, pulling all her attention onto Marlene. She was just about to laugh and come to her aid when she froze. Celeste looked again at that same corner, and found Emmeline Vance sitting there instead. Her complexion and gold hair had tricked her into thinking it was Marls.
This had been happening for a while now. Celeste saw Marlene's face in every nearly place ― a silent echo that constantly followed her around. Her death always felt fresh in her mind, as though she were still all around. At times like these, Celeste would forget that she was gone.
And then Celeste recalled that she hadn't even started on her makeup yet. It only seemed natural for the task to have gone to Marlene. It's what she would've done.
If she had been here.
Celeste swallowed tightly and looked away. She refused to break ― especially not on Lily's wedding day. She would hold herself with all the poise and strength she could muster. She sat at her vanity, staring back at her smiling face. She picked up the jar of skin tint, ignoring her trembling hands. Again and again, through the blush and eyeshadow, she persisted and resisted against it all.
-
The ceremony was gorgeous. Held in the gardens of the manor, Lily slowly walked down the grassy aisle that was covered by a carpet of white petals. She was smiling so ecstatically that Celeste was in awe at the mere joy of it all. She blinked back tears, knowing that she was desperately praying for a day like this for her own.
She glanced to the other side of the aisle, past a sniffling James and found Sirius. He was James' best man, standing behind him with a proud grin. Remus and Peter stood beside Sirius, all of them with matching expressions. It was rare for all of them to be gathered together these days outside of the Order. But for James and Lily, nobody would dare be absent today.
