The magic we call love

“What can one give to the boy who grew up with everything?” asked Lily, she was lying on her back with her arms under her head.
The girls had a free period, and they had all gone to the lake shore to get some peace and quiet. Mary was doing her nails the muggle way. She used to say it was more fun that way; Lily agreed. The only improvement both muggle born girls have found was a charm that dried them instantly, so you wouldn't have to wait, and they wouldn't get ruined by putting on a sweater right after painting them. It truly was progress in the beauty field. Marlene and Dorcas were snugging together, sitting with their back against the tree that was making shadow for the four gryffindors.
“Well you could always ask Sirius” pitch Marlene, she had taken a bit of Dorcas's hair and was busying herself with making it into a dread lock.
“Yeah, I'm sure, he'll tell you exactly what James wants. He might even tell you what James is going to get you” agreed Dorcas.
“Nah, if someone has the ability to keep his mouth shut when it concerns his friends is Sirius” interrupted Mary, extending her hand to Dorcas, so she could perform the drying charm on her hand, “Maybe you should try Peter.”
“Yeah, I think I'll try, Peter.” Sentenced Lily, still thinking about some other option. “Maybe Remus, I think he might be willing to help me.”
“Or…” started Mary with a playful grin, “you could just put a bow on yourself.”
Lily's cheeks immediately turned red. The other three girls burst out with laughter. In the middle of a quiet afternoon, the great lake echoed their joy all around the air.
“Mary is right, Lily.” Laughed Marlene. “I'm sure James would love that gift.”
“It would be greatly appreciated for sure.” added Lily, still flushed. “But I'll think that gift ought to be for something more special, rather than I-couldn´t-think-of-anything-else sort of situation.”
Despite the fact that Remus was Lily's best boy-friend, she found it difficult to catch him on his own. Usually they get one on one time when they were at the library, or sometimes they'd stroll by the green house or watch Sirius and James practice while doing homework in the stands. But Sirius and Remus had been awfully close lately. Remus had, of course, told Lily the first time they had done it, but it seemed that now they couldn't be apart. Like it physically affected them if they weren't together. Sirius would look like the sun behind a curtain of clouds, still bright but a bit faint, and Remus looked like a poet longing for his true love. Lily knew they were madly in love with each other, but right now she was cursing cupid or whoever the hell had made them fall in love. She was sure if Sirius heard her ask Remus, the raven haired boy would tell James what Lily was planning on giving him.
It wasn't until two days later that Lily caught Remus all alone. He had stayed behind after finishing his session with his study group. He was tiding up the classroom before leaving. When Lily looked out to the corridor, she was relieved that Sirius hadn't arrived yet.
“He's on detention with Slughorn” said Remus when Lily returned inside. “Did you needed something? I felt like you were watching us quite a lot yesterday”
Lily had in fact been looking at them, but only to see if Remus was available. She felt a bit embarrassed that his friend had noticed.
“I thought I would ask you about it. But with the homework, and you know…” he made an awkward pause “planning stuff for this Saturday” he said scratching the back of his neck “I hadn't had the time to catch up with you.”
“What are you planning for Sirius?” asked Lily; embarrassment long forgotten.
“I'm not telling you!” answered incredulously, Remus. “You are with James and if James find out he'll for sure tell Sirius”
“How little fate you have in me, Rem. I'm hurt.”
“Sorry, I got trust issues” said Remus jokingly.
Lily, however, shot him a dirty look.
“Sorry. I know you don't like that kind of jokes. Spouse I'm just nervous that he won't like it”
Remus didn't open up to many people, but Lily stares always got him to reveal what he was really thinking.
“Don't beat yourself up, honey. That boy is head over heels for you. Even if you get him a used quill, he would treasure it.” Remus shrugged. “You don't have to tell me what you are going to get him, okay? Just tell me if you need help, promise I won't ask any questions”
“Thanks, Lily.” Said Remus, hugging her. Lily was the only female – beside from his mother of course – with whom he felt comfortable enough to hug.
“Anytime.” Said Lily from underneath Remus's arms. “So I wanted to ask you something, but you have to promise you won't tell Sirius.”
“Of course, I won't tell him.” He assured. But Lily looked at him skeptically. “What?! You can blame me for that one time forever. He was very persuasive” he defended himself, blushing at the memory. Sirius indeed had been very persuasive.
“Okay, so I wanted to ask you what to get James”
“That's it?”
“What, you mean that's it? I need your advice, Lupin, help me here!”
“Well... I'm not the most romantic guy in the world. I, myself, am struggling with Sirius's gift.” Lily gave him puppy eyes. She wasn't sure it worked on other than James, but it was still worth the shot. “Is… something wrong with your face?”
Lily punched him in the stomach with mid-force. Remus laughed loudly.
“I'm sorry Lily. If you are that desperate, I could discretely ask Sirius about it, tho.”
Lily pondered this option one moment. It was better than nothing, but if Remus wasn't subtle enough, Sirius would know something was up.
“Okay, but let me highlight the subtle part for you.” She warned.
“I have lots of secrets.” He said, arching a brow, “I think if someone is subtle, that would be me.”
“Sure you are mister Wolf-wolf.” Now it was her who earned a light push; Remus was aware of his strength. “Thanks any way.” She added with a fond smile.
And that's how Lily found herself on a Saturday morning creeping up the stairs to his boyfriend bedroom. It was around quarter past seven, but Remus had warned her that the four boys would be out of their room early for a quidditch practice. Honestly, these boys, she had thought. She and the girls had spent two days making little quidditch players figurines out of parchment which now she had charmed, so they would be flying around the room. She hadn’t had any trouble with the charm, so it would last at least until midday. Furthermore, she then proceeded to put her gift in her boyfriend's bed. She stuck some pictures of them, taken by James last summer with his magic camera. The one Sirius had broken trying to take a picture of Remus on a broom – mind you, Sirius was also on a broom; he dropped the camera -.
“There you are!” said Mary, sticking her head in. “We are starving. Are we going to the Hall or what?”
“Well, the gift is ready, thanks for asking” answered Lily sharply.
“Sorry sweetheart, you know I'm not a morning person. And Marlene is getting hangry, so I'll suggest you come down now if the gift is ready.”
Lily, Mary and Marlene went down to the hall. The first thing Lily noticed, was that Dorcas wasn't with them.
“She sneaked to the kitchens. Said you were taking too long” apologized Marlene. But this behavior was unusual.
Then she noticed Marlene wasn't in fact hangry. She seemed rather giddy. And then as they were reaching the top of the stairs, they saw it. A large wolf shinning with blue light was running through the hall. Lily looked at her friends. She knew for a fact to whom that patronus belonged to.
“Sorry, girls, I really need to pee.” Said Marlene before sprinting towards the hall.
Lily looked at Mary.
“Okay! It was supposed to be a surprise” said Mary, defeated.
“That's not even the direction the toilets are!” laughed Lily. Mary facepalmed herself. Marlene wasn't a good liar at all.
“Well since you know your gift is waiting, at least I'll make it a surprise for you” said Mary positioning herself behind Lily and covering her eyes with her own hands.
Nothing had prepared Lily for her gift. It was the most thoughtful thing she had ever received. Despite being on the great hall, it had been pretty intimate. Well, most of it. James had gone a bit overboard with the flower rain, but it was just one of the perks of dating James Potter. He had become her world. Now Lily couldn't imagine a world without the arrogance and cocky grin of James Potter. James was the reason behind her laughter in potions class, where they sat together. He was the reason Lily had read “Quidditch through the ages” so she would know what the hell James was talking about and furthermore she could actually comment it – James was over joyed by this, of course-. And now she was hoping her gift was big enough to reflect how she felt about James. After the fairy, the rain, the necklace and the snowy day ahead of them, Lily was feeling a bit intimidated to show him his gifts. She knew he'd never do anything to hurt her feeling, but what if James only pretended that he liked her gifts and deep down wasn't impressed.
“Jamie” she called with a tremble in her voice. They were heading out to the quidditch pitch. “I think we should stop by the common room for some outwear, don’t you think?”
James looked puzzled, but he simply smiled. “Sure Lils, this is your day”
“Our day” corrected Lily, giving her boyfriend a sonorous kiss on the cheek.
“Are you all right?” said James once they've reached the common room. Lily had been quiet all the way up, thinking about the gift that was waiting for James on his bed. “Are you mad about the flowers? Was it too much?”
The look of distress on James's face made Lily want to hit herself. So she quickly reassured him everything was fine. But James didn’t seem convinced. She sighted, she couldn't hide anything from this boy – maybe she did understood Remus's need to tell Sirius everything after all-.
“I've got you something and is waiting in your dorm.” She said quietly. “It as supposed to be a surprise but…”
“Lily! You got me something?” said James. When Lily looked him in the eyes, she noticed he had watery eyes.
“Of course I got you something dummy” Lily cupped James head, “You are my boyfriend and my best friend, and you deserve the world. I got nervous because I liked my gift so much I'm worried mine is not up to the James Potter standard”
James laughed very hard and press Lily against his chest.
“Oh, Lils, that's what you've been thinking about!” he exclaimed as if it should have been so obvious. “There are no James standards, we all show love differently. Besides, you are not a materialistic prick who's trying to buy my affection – “
“James let it go!” she complained with a little giggle, “I said I was sorry. Even you have to admit that an entire green house was too much”.
She felt James´s shoulders move up and down with laughter.
“I do.” Admitted the boy. “So, can I have a look at my perfect gift?” asked eagerly.
“Yes, James, but – Hey! Wait up!” Screamed Lily as they both ran up the stairs. “I want to see you face when-“
But she stopped suddenly. James stood frozen on the door frame. His eyes were wide open. If it were for the look on his face, you'd think he was at the quidditch world cup, but he was watching in amazement all the little parchment paper players’ play in the center of the room.
“Lily, this is amazing!” whispered James, “Did you do all of this?”
“Yes James” laughed Lily pushing him with a hand on the boy's back “But that's the decoration, your gifts are on your bed”
“The decoration?! Holly Merlin! Lily, you are amazing!” said James, turning around.
He turned around and embraced Lily in a tight hug while spinning her around. It only took James one look at his bed to know what he was receiving.
“Lily! You really bought me a broom!” he exclaimed, rushing to his bed and unwrapping it like a little boy at Christmas. “No way! Is the nimbus 1998! It's the newest! I can believe it I-
“Wait, what you mean really?” James got quiet at once. His ears suddenly got very pink, and he was suddenly very interest on the broom handle – as if he wasn't already -. Then Lily realized. “Sirius told you” she said.
“Yeah…something like that. But Lily, I love it and the decor was totally a surprised.”
“So you know also about the camera right?” she said instantly wanting to punch herself because that was her idea and there was no way Remus could have known about it, therefore neither could Sirius.
“You got me a camera also?!” asked James, jumping up.
Lily laughed awkwardly and stretch her arm to James's night stand were a Polaroid stayed wrapped.
“I know Sirius broke yours last summer. I thought about replacing it. But this is a muggle camera. It's called a Polaroid, and you don't have to wait for the picture to be revealed. It comes out instantly” she explained while handing her gift to James.
Let it be known that James Potter was not a patient man, at least when it came to gifts, so as soon as the camera touched his hand it was already unwrapped. He stared at it. He was fascinated with everything muggle Lily had shown him, and he firmly believed there wasn't anything more magical than a bending machine.
James lifted the camera to his eyes.
“Can I?” he asked, pointing it at Lily.
She nodded and gave a shy smile to the camera. A flash went out and seconds later James watched in awed as a little picture was produce from the camera.
“This is so cool!” screamed James. “Can I take both of my gifts to the pitch?”
“I'm not your mom James” laughed Lily, “And they are yours, so you can do whatever you want with them.” She answered, stroking his boyfriend’s wild hair. “If you want to charm the camera so the pictures move…”
“No” answered immediately James while taking gently one of Lily's hand on his own. “It's perfect just the way it is.” Lily nodded and gave James a peck.
They both headed down to the pitch, with the extra clothes long forgotten, but with foolish smiles and light hearts. On top of James's bed remained a little photograph that showed a young woman smiling shyly at the camera. Her red hair made her unmistakable, and the light crimson covering her cheeks made her look younger than she was when the picture was taken. James would write on the back of the photo. “Lils after giving me the most perfect gift. Taken on Valentine's Day, 1978 by James Potter”. And it would only be one of many photos James Potter took with his Polaroid.
Later, Harry would find a box full of them. Marlene and Mary at Quidditch. Uncle Moony and uncle Padfoot at their wedding. James and Lily with a baby version of himself. Little harry with Prongs and Padfoot on the Lupin-Black cottage. And his favorite photo: a picture portraying aunt Marlene and aunt Dorcas pointing at the Eiffel Tower behind them with goofy faces, aunt Mary’s profile speaking with some French guy, uncle Peter smiling widely with an ice-cream cone melting in his hand, a smiley James carrying Lily piggyback style and uncle Moony carrying uncle Padfoot bridal style while Sirius gave remus a kiss on the cheek. It would be the photo the marauders and co would take on their trip around the wizarding wonders when they finally graduated Hogwarts.