Graduation
"Honestly, Evans, if I managed to remember the details about the Goblin Rebellion in 1642, then you did fine."
Lily stopped walking, ignoring the crush of students who were piling out of the enlarged classroom, and glared at Sirius. "It was the rebellion of 1612. And that was on our O.W.L.s. Sirius!"
Slinging an arm around her shoulders, he rolled his eyes and steered her where he could see James' head of messy head weaving through the crowd ahead of them. The seating arrangement for their final N.E.W.T. had been erratic, and after the grueling week of testing, they were done. He felt a little giddy.
"Don't be jealous that that I ended up winning Exploding Snap: History of Magic Edition4 last night. Especially since you and Pete ended up making an unholy team and cheated at both Potions and Magical Creatures."
Lily elbowed him. "I don't cheat. Don't be bitter because I win by being better at the rules than you. And I still can't believe that you four spent that much time figuring out how to transfer all our combined notes into exploding snap decks!"
"Technically, it wasn't exploding snap, since the cards only exploded when you gave the wrong answer; and we played in teams, versus individual achievements. And how else was I going to remember those ridiculous rebellions or potion cutting techniques?" Sirius said cheerfully as he steered them around a group of pale, wild-eyed 'Claws. "It's really a pity we didn't think of it earlier. Would have saved me hours of unnecessary torture listening to Remus lecturing for our O.W.L.s. And think of how much good it did my practical charm skills! Not that I needed the practice."
Lily glanced up at him and shook her head. Like most of the students, he was rumpled and looked exhausted. Anyone who wasn't fifth or seventh years was giving them wide berth and the number of enterprising students willing to make a steady supply of questionable Pepper Up potions tripled in two weeks. There were rumors that some of the Ravenclaws had even ended up visiting madam Pomfrey because the endless steam pouring out their ears had started to change colors.
"I don't think James is going to forgive you for rigging it so the arthimancy and transfiguration decks exploded regardless of his answers."
"He was getting too smug," Sirius said breezily. "Sleeping in the same room was becoming unbearable."
"We had to set up rules." Lily said as they joined James and Remus. "For a study session."
James casually reached over and took her bag, knocking Sirius arm from her shoulders as he did so. "I'm not sure what you expected, Lils."
"Welcome to my world," Remus said, offering her part of a chocolate bar. "If we'd been smart, we would have realized how unholy you and Pete's teamwork was and denied your partnership."
Lily looked around, blinking. "Where is Pete?"
"He'll join us in a minute," James said with a wave, but his eyes scanned the crowd for a moment before meeting Sirius' equally curious gaze. "It's a good thing we planned on staging the intervention today."
"Intervention?" Lily asked, looking up from her chocolate bar, tired eyes narrowing.
Remus swallowed. "Did you realize that in two days, we graduate, Evans?"
"Wait, what?" She blinked stupidly at him, ignoring James' arm dropping heavily against her shoulders as he started steering her to the great hall.
"Two days," James said happily, hand running along her upper arm. "We're free."
Sirius spread his arms, gray eye gleaming. "And no one here is enjoying it."
Peter skidded next to her, breathing heavily and looking a little strained. "What'd I miss?"
"Evans here just realized in two days, we say goodbye to Hogwarts."
"Ah, told her about the intervention then."
"Getting there," James said cheerfully as he pushed her to their spot on the long table, settling his long limbs next to her. "Remus was trying to explain the need for one."
Peter passed Sirius the pumpkin juice and nodded. "Look at everyone, Lily. It's worse than we could possibly imagine."
She blinked stupidly at him and then turned to James, her eyes too-wide. "We have to write speeches. In two days."
James grinned at her, tucking loose hair behind one ear. "Not yet we don't."
Her eyebrows snapped together even as she accepted the plate of sandwiches that Remus was handing her, blindly choosing one to slap down onto her plate. "James..."
Reaching up, he tapped her nose, grin taking on a slightly feral edge. "First, we must plan. Something spectacular that will be remembered for the ages."
"A prank."
Remus looked at her seriously. "Not 'a prank,' Lils, but The Prank. The prank we've practiced, trained and bled for; seven years of preparation in one giant intervention."
Sirius swallowed the giant bite of his sandwich. "The school needs it, Evans. Who are we to deny them?"
Lily poked at her sandwich, scowling at the pile of chips that James dropped on her plate and then blinked at the way she could suddenly feel the eyes of all four of them on her. "What?"
Peter grinned. "Are you in or not?"
James nudged her with his elbow. "You'll have to be there to convince us that we can't make the Slytherin part of the show lame. Because we can."
"Will," Sirius scowled.
"Maybe." Remus denied. Laughing brown eyes met hers. "You know you always wanted to do something ridiculous at least once, Lils."
Lily bit into her sandwich and considered. "For the common good?"
James put his hand to his heart and then let his eyes deliberately roam the exhausted, vacant students that make up the rest of the houses. "For everyone."
Stealing one of his chips, because pilfered food just tasted better, she sighed. "How can a girl resist a cause like that?"
"Here we thought it was James' sad face." Peter teased.
Lily smirked. "No, that's Sirius."
"Hey!"
Remus sat next to Lily on the park bench three blocks from her parent's new home and squinted into the too bright sunshine. His head was still pounding after the previous night and it was only years of friendship that had forced him out of bed. No one had thought letting Sirius spend his first weekend post-graduation at his new home alone was a good idea. And now he had the headache to prove it. Rubbing the bridge of his noise, he was thankful that it was quiet.
"Petunia picked this neighborhood?" The place lacked the character of the park from the previous summer, and he didn't think that was entirely her parents doing. Lily had inherited her wicked streak from someone, even if her older sister had missed it entirely.
"Dursley liked it here. Apparently, it's normal. They're big believers in normal." Lily sighed. "Maybe it is my years in the wizarding world, but I just find it boring."
Remus grinned. "I wasn't going to say it. If the houses looked any more similar, I'd think I was in one of those horrible muggle movies Pete loves so much."
"Who knew that it was Pete who was the propagator of your love of horror?"
"I think Sirius dared him, to start. Pete might actually be the bravest of all of us. He kept going back."
Lily laughed, low in the back of her throat. "I already knew that. He's the one who runs with a werewolf as nothing larger than a rat."
Remus blinked and then snorted. "Point. Why are we here Lily?"
"My parents, with great reluctance, have finally agreed to let me hide them under fidelous."
Remus nodded. "You want me to act as the binder."
Lily took a deep breath. "I want you to act as the secret keeper."
Silence hung between them for a moment and Remus turned to face her. "Lily," Remus said slowly. "I don't understand."
Lily's grip on the bench was white knuckled and she took a deep breath. "I know. I need you to keep them safe, Remus. Even from me."
"Is that why you're not asking James?" He asked, slowly. "Because you think they need to be protected from you?"
Her finger reached up to clasp the chain around her neck. "James is pants at keeping secrets from me. The only reason you've still got any secrets is because he can't tell me. Not yet, at least. And I think keeping something like this would hurt him too much."
"But why me?"
"I thought about asking Peter, and while he'd do it, I'm not sure he'd understand."
Remus frowned at her. "Understand what, Lily? Because I have to tell you, sitting here while you try to tell me that you expect your parents to cut you out of their lives… that makes me pretty angry."
Lily reached for his hand, curled her fingers around his and held tightly. The warm brown of his eyes had lightened to something more amber, and she met that wolf bright gaze.
"What it means for your parents to both love you and resent you for something you can't help but be."
Remus went still, lashes lowering to hide his gaze.
"My parents love me. But they've grown to hate and fear my magic. It's so much easier to only deal with Petunia; who's normal, than me; who is a witch. And I think right now, they want easy."
Remus continued to frown, the patience in his voice an odd contrast to the anger behind his eyes. "Parent's don't always accept the easy way out, Lily."
"I know." Her hands fluttered as she visibly searched for the words. "But my parents... Petunia, they want nothing more than to be separate from the wizarding world. Completely separate."
"And then what, Lily? What then?" She looked pale in the sunshine, her green eyes too-wide.
"I don't know." Her breath hitched, and underneath that determination was anger and a great deal of hurt. "But I need someone I can trust to keep them safe. And I don't want them to be used."
"Lily?"
Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath.
"They don't want me anymore."
She swallowed, visibly forcing down her emotions. "They've made it clear that it doesn't matter what I do, or how much I give to protect them, the only way my being in their lives is acceptable is if I leave my magic behind."
"And you want me to protect them."
Lily winced at the flat tone in his voice but held his gaze. "Yes. But Remus, that's all I ask. For you to keep their secret, to hide them, no matter what they wish in the future."
Remus jaw worked and he looked always, finally speaking after several long moments. "You can't always know that will be what you want. People make mistakes. You cannot know that you will always want to be lost to them."
"Why not?" She flung out her hand, anger making her words brittle. "Do you think I'm not angry? I might understand their reasons and I love them, but Remus; they gave me an ultimatum. My magic or them. And it was given as a gift. As if I should be thankful they were willing to offer, as if I hadn't spent the last two years sweating, and bleeding and fighting for them."
"You said they're scared." Remus tried, but the words tasted like dust as he said them.
"I'm bloody terrified!" She lunged to get feet, hands fisting at her side, magic sparking between them at the force of her anger. "There is a mad man bent on killing anything that doesn't fit into his world view of power; I'm automatically a target because I'm from a non-magical family. My childhood best friend could try to kill me at any moment. And all I've wanted to do was talk to my mom!" She sat down with a thump and covered her face with her hands.
Remus pressed his shoulder to hers and waited. It was obvious she was hurting a lot more than she was willing to talk about. He wondered if this explained the expression James had worn for days, and the jittery energy she'd used to hide the worn expression behind her eyes at graduation.
"Lils."
She made a noise in the back and of her throat, and when she lifted her face from her hands, her eyes were dry but exhausted.
"I've gone and fallen in love with a brilliant, insane wizard who is too loyal and too brave for my sanity."
Remus blinked at the sudden shift in conversation. Nudging her with his shoulder, he willed her to meet his gaze. "That's good. Considering he's been mad for you for ages."
She bit her lip, hesitated, and then reached up, pulling the chain around her neck free from her shirt. Remus stared blankly at the ring hanging from it. He didn't know much about jewelry, but the ring looked old. The sides were twisted in some elegant filigree that looked far more delicate than he imagined it was and the old diamond gleamed next to smaller, carefully placed emeralds. The family magic made his eyes cross if he stared at it for too long.
"He asked me to marry him, Remus."
Remus cleared his throat. "I'm assuming you answered James?"
Lily groaned. "I told him I needed think about it. And he insisted I keep the ring while I do it, as if I'd forget what it looked like."
"Well," Remus said with gallows humor. "The last week now makes more sense."
"What?"
"You might not want to know the details."
"Remus." She stared at him with wide, uncertain eyes. "What am I supposed to do?"
"Well, I guess that depends on what you want." Remus said carefully. "Do you want to marry James, Evans?"
"He terrifies me." Lily whispered. "This thing between us is so strong. I'd fight anything to keep him and I'd miss him more than my magic if he was gone."
Remus' expression tightened. "You said your parents wanted you to choose between your magic and them. Do they know about James?"
She shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I want them too, I wrote about him. But did they read them? And would it matter? I'm only eighteen, Remus. My parents didn't marry until later. I'm not certain that giving their blessing to Petunia wasn't some sort of guilt ridden apology for me."
"Marrying young isn't uncommon among wizards," Remus said slowly. "Our life expectancy is longer than muggles, and children are encouraged if not expected. But we both know that James would rather cut off his arm than pressure you into anything."
"I know." She made a helpless gesture with her hands. "He was very adamant that he was proposing because he wanted to marry me. Not because my life is such a mess."
Remus touched her shoulder. "Then why?"
"Do you know how terrifying it is to have everything you've ever wanted staring at you in the face - and knowing, knowing that you're not enough for it?" She jumped to get feet again and paced. "No one has ever stood with me like he has. No one. My parents are waiting for me to give up part of my soul or pieces of my heart. My sister had already cut me out of hers. Snape picked a power hungry sociopath over me. Some part of me is just waiting for James to realize whatever failing that they've already seen. And it'll ravage me."
Remus blew out a breath. "Have you told James this?"
Lily snorted, shoving her hands into her hair in frustration. "I tried. I get as far as 'are you sure' and he gets so angry."
Remus winced a little. "Well…"
Lily cut him off. "He's not mad at me! He's mad at Snape. My parents. Pet. I had to put him in a full body bind to stop him from turning Petunia into something hideous!"
"That sounds like James." Remus admitted.
Lily dropped heavily to the bench. "Now think about what he'd do if he was the secret keeper for my family."
Remus glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "You think I'll be better?"
"I'm hoping you'll be better; I'm not expecting miracles. Dumbledore would have done it if I asked, but then he'd also gently pressure me into a reconciliation. There is always the chance that any child or grandchild of Pet's could have magic." She scrubbed her face. "And I'm not sure I'll forgive them for making me choose between them and James without ever having met him. I'm so angry Remus."
She blinked back sudden tears, face going red with her frustration. "They've looked forward to my graduation for years, and when I'm Head Girl, they don't come."
"I saw Momma P in the spot for your family."
Lily groaned. "Have you ever met a man so ridiculous? James insisted that he only needed one parent, really; and that I could have the weepy one."
"Lily," Remus said finally. "I can tell you at that he isn't going to change his mind. Once he decides on something, all the magic in the world won't move him. It makes him the most amazing and horrifying person I've ever met in my life. And we are both acquaintances of Dumbledore's."
"Pete told me about the conversation where he let you in on the fact that you were going to be his friend."
"That conversation is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," Remus grumped, but he was smiling a little.
"I love him Remus," Lily said so softly, but the expression on her face was luminous. "I'd cross any line to keep him safe. I've never had someone pick me before. And he's so stubborn about it."
"Then why are your hesitating?"
"Because I'm allowed." Lily muttered. "Because I'm eighteen years old, starting an apprenticeship for my masters that is entirely based on N.E.W.T.s scores I haven't seen yet; my mad scientist of a boyfriend wants to get married. And I can't hold together a relationship with my parents."
Remus grinned. "Under those conditions, I might be a little crazy too."
Lily glared at him before rolling her eyes with a sigh. "Am I being neurotic?"
"I think you're trying to be sensible when everything around you is moving really fast." Remus shook his head, shoving his bangs out of his eyes. "I know what the feels like."
"How did that turn out for you?"
"I ended up with three brothers risked their lives to learn how to become animagus illegally." Remus said, his voice full of amused resignation. "Whatever you decide to do about James, Lily, I'd strongly recommend making your choice soon. He only likes me. Think about what sort of scheme he'd make given time to convince you."
Lily groaned but couldn't quite hid the faint smile that curved her lips. "I don't know if I'm curious or horrified."
"Let's both be horrified." Remus said firmly. Then he reached over and curled his fingers around hers. "I'll be your secret keeper."
She swallowed and looked at him. "Thank you."
He shook his head. "I'm not doing this for them. I'm doing it for you and James. We don't know what is going to happen in the next few years, and your family... They could be used against you. You said it yourself, Dumbledore would want you to reconcile with them. Snape would use them as leverage."
"What do you want, Remus?"
His eyes were wolf bright when he looked at her. "I want you to be happy. And that requires them to be safe. But it might be beyond me to let them hurt you again, Lily."
She squeezed his hand. "We will cross that bridge when it happens. I won't say that it won't hurt me to lose them, and I won't regret it, but knowing they are as safe as we can make them... It helps."
He nodded and stood, waving his hand in the direction of the nearby houses. "After you."
Swallowing, she nodded. "Thank you, Remus."
Lily looked around the room and swiped her hands through her sweaty bangs with a sigh. She'd spent the day rearranging furniture and helping Peter enlarge the living space and kitchen. Those spells were tricky, and fairly draining, but more than worth the extra counter space. Finding a flat in muggle London had taken far less time than she had thought, but she also suspected that Peter had been looking far longer than he had alleged when he discussed the possibility of sharing a place after graduation.
It was hard to believe that graduation was only a week behind her. Pressing her lips tightly together, she ran her fingers over the quilt on her bed, one of the few things her mother had given her before she'd hidden them. She couldn't remember who she'd asked to hide them, couldn't put together the pieces of her memory to recall where they were; but the knot of worry that had been lodged in her chest for too long was gone.
Instead, she was just tired.
Peter stuck his head around the corner. He was grinning, face smudged with dust and sweat. "I'm starving. Want me to grab you food?"
"What were you thinking?" Now that she was flat on her back, getting back up seemed like an impossible goal. Peter opened his mouth and then paused, taking in her room.
"I like the colors."
Lily grinned tiredly at him. Finding furniture had been easy. Muggle consignment shops and secondhand stores meant they could buy things on the cheap and a simple repario fixed whatever damage there was. They were limited to the number of changes they could make, muggle furniture could be overstretched, but as they had been careful. Her walls were now a nice, calming blue instead of the plain, dull white they had been and her bedframe a cheerful cherry.
"Me too. Indian?"
Peter made a face. "Pizza?"
Lily laughed and shooed him. "Just bring me back something without anchovies, okay?"
"Sure thing!" He went to duck and then paused, grinning over his shoulder. "I'm glad you're here."
"Me too, Pete. Me too."
Lily waited until she heard the door shut before allowing herself to collapse back onto the bed, staring up at her ceiling. She wasn't a fan of the sudden silence. It was one reason she'd agreed to move in with Pete, even if it was just a temporary measure while she tried to figure out what she needed to do.
Swallowing, she reached up and curled her fingers around her necklace, fingers going to ring that was warm from her skin. It'd been a week since she'd seen James. She hadn't been actively avoiding him, but everything had been such a whirlwind since graduation. When Peter had approached her post-graduation about being a temporary roommate, she'd said yes before she had really thought it through. But having space, having her own space, to be able to think things through was important.
She was cut off from her family. She was still reeling from that, knowing that their previous conversation was the last. The gut punch it had been when they had slid over the bank documents, the rigid, frozen look in her father's eyes when he explained that her grandparents had left her the money to pay for University. The disappointment in her mother's face when she told her that they didn't expect that to happen, and that the money was hers regardless.
Rolling onto her side, she squeezed her eyes shut. She knew her parents cared for her. The way her mother's hands had trembled as she slid over the documents on the account, the way her father had quietly asked her if she was happy. But they wouldn't accept her magic. Not anymore. And they didn't even know the real danger that left her wide awake and pacing since graduation.
At least they'd let her make a few simple, careful repairs to their roof and some of their furniture before they'd cut themselves off. And as much as she hated to admit it, the money would give her a chance to make ends meet until her apprenticeship started to generate an income. Even worse, was the acknowledgement in the back of her mind that now she wouldn't be dependent on James for help. She had been terrified that she'd accept his proposal as a way to protect herself. Now, accepting his proposal was something she would want, not something she had to do to survive.
And she hated that she'd been in that position at all.
"Hey there."
Lily rolled across the bed, heart pounding at the sudden, unexpected interruption. James was leaning against her door jamb, hands shoved into his pockets as he watched her. She swallowed at the expression behind his eyes.
"Hi."
He didn't move to step into her room, but his eyes drifted over her things, taking in her decorations. "I like the blue."
"Thanks."
His mouth curled just a little before straightening out again. "I thought I'd swing by. Pete said you've been busy."
"I have." Lily traced the way he stood, leaning against the door jamb and wondered what he was thinking. A week wasn't a long time, but it felt like it. Unexplainable, unexpected knots twisted up her stomach and she pushed herself into a sitting position. This was James - her best friend and the man she was ridiculously in love with. Being nervous was ridiculous, even for her. She wasn't certain she was ready for this conversation, but she definitely wasn't ready for it in her bedroom; unfortunately, she also owed him an explanation.
She stood up, "Would you like some tea?"
If she made it the muggle way, it'd give her hands something to do while she tried to get her thoughts together. And it would get them safely into the kitchen, where hopefully she'd feel less exposed. Her room might be mostly bare right then, but it was hers and letting him stand in her space that was so personal felt too intimate for her raw nerves.
James paused a moment too long before nodding, "Tea sounds great, thanks."
He stepped aside from the door, slightly into her room. Lily walked right past him as she exited, but he very carefully didn't physically crowd her space. Glancing up as she slid by, she swallowed at the way he was watching her from behind his glasses. James Potter's concentration could be unnerving, but with his ring bouncing against her breastbone, she felt unexpectedly flushed.
"We don't have much yet," she forced herself to say cheerfully, as she walked a little too quickly into the kitchen. "We're still working on getting all the essentials."
"Chocolate?" James inquired mildly, leaning against the wall and watching her.
"…chocolate, yes." She slid her eyes over as she flicked open a cabinet, wondering where he was going with this. It had actually been one of the first things she'd bought when she and Pete had gone to the little corner store. She'd been surprised at how something as little as hiding her good chocolate had helped her steady. "We've got a small emergency supply in the back cupboard."
"I mean I should have brought some," James said. "As a housewarming present."
You know, if I'd known there was to be a housewarming.
Shit. Blowing out a breath, she put the kettle on the stovetop and turned it on carefully. "We haven't exactly sent out housewarming invitations," she said lamely, and she was fully aware of how thin this excuse sounded. "It's not like we're having a 'welcome to our new apartment' party."
"Maybe you should," James said.
"Maybe," she said finally, before straightening her shoulders and turning to face him. His face was set into careful neutral lines and she rested her hip against the counter as she tried to read him. "But we haven't had a chance to talk to the people we think are too important to hear about the apartment from a letter."
He made a noncommittal noise and she sighed.
"How did you find out?"
"Pete." James said with a shrug as he finally mimicked her stance, leaning back against the extended counter. "He sent me a note this morning saying that you hadn't seemed yourself and had we had a fight he wasn't aware of?"
Lily nodded and sighed, running her hands from her bangs. Pulling a face, she made a motion with her right hand. "I was going to write you tomorrow, to ask you if we could catch up. I'm sorry you had to hear about this from Pete."
He was quiet for several moments before he nodded. "Thank you. Why did I hear about it from Pete?"
"Honestly, my reasons sounded way better in my head. Before you showed up." She pulled a face and shoved her bangs out of her eyes. No place but to start from the beginning. "Pete asked me the day after graduation; you'd already left with Sirius. I said yes. Obviously, I went home after that. That weekend was..." she shook her head.
James frowned. "You should have written. I would've come and gotten you."
"I know. But it was important that I try... I don't want you to fight battles for me, James." She squared her shoulders and met his gaze head on. "It's important to me."
His eyes narrowed behind his glasses and he pushed away from the counter. "I'll admit, I don't like letting you deal with your problems alone, we're a team, remember? But when was the last time I took something over?"
Lily blew out a breath. "James... my family; I put them under fidelous."
"Good. I know how much you worried about them, even I'm not sure they deserve it."
She licked her lips as her fingers curled into fists. "I'm not the secret keeper."
James stilled, eyes widening behind his glasses. "Lils..."
She shook her head as he took another step toward her, eyes burning against the sudden unexpected rush of tears. She'd thought she was done crying about this. "They... they wanted me to choose between them and magic."
He ignored her protest and crossed the room in two strides, pulling her to him. Lily pressed her face against his chest and breathed in the familiar scent of magic that was just James. Curling her fingers into his jumper, she swallowed hard. "They wanted me to pick them or you."
His hands tightened on her back and he cursed under his breath. "I would never have asked that of you."
"I know. Merlin, I know James. But they don't understand. And I couldn't make them." She shook her head against him. "This apartment, Pete, they gave me something to do so I could think. It... It doesn't help that I'm terrified that I'll tell you yes for any reason other than the fact that I love you."
"I'm not."
"That's because you're crazy."
He ran his fingers through her hair, laughing against her temple. "It's because I know you. You've never let anyone push you into anything in your life. It took me years to even get you to look at me. And we both know if I hadn't started to grow up that summer before sixth year, and spent an entire year demonstrating my new maturity; you'd have never asked for help on the train home."
Lily pulled back, her cheeks flushed. "James..."
He dragged knuckles down her hot cheek. "Do you want to marry me, Lily Evans?"
"Yes."
"Then what is holding you back?"
She bit her bottom lip before it could tremble and swallowed. "I'm terrified."
"Of what? Us?"
"Of losing us." She whispered. "But not having you might be worse. I can't hold my family together, the most important relationships of my childhood are gone and there is a war brewing. I'm eighteen years old. How are we supposed to make these decisions?"
Lifting his hands, he cupped her cheeks between his long fingers. "We hope for the best. I'm not saying that the future isn't scary, Lils; we just can't let it rule us. And I trust you. If I have ever trusted anyone in my life, Lily Evans, it is you. I understand that you're worried, because I am too. But hell if I'm going to let some blood bigot or anyone else tell me that you aren't worth it."
"James..."
"But instead of worrying about fighting alone, Lils, fight with me. We're a team, remember?" He reached down and ran his fingers along the chain around her neck. "Marry me."
Swallowing, she reached up and touched his jaw, feeling the familiar line of bone. "You're sure? Because if you change your mind and break my heart, I'll... I'll do something horrible."
Laughing, he pressed his forehead to hers. "I think I've proven by now that I'm not changing my mind. If you're not ready now, then I'll wait. But I'm really hoping you won't keep me waiting forever, because I'm really not sure after almost five years what more I need to do to prove..."
She curled her fingers into the wild length of his hair, pressed her mouth hard against his. Pulling back just as his hands fisted in her hair, she swallowed at the heat behind his eyes. "Yes."
He paused, clearly startled and then the heat behind his eyes turned into a blaze. Hand sliding down her back, he hooked her around the waist and pulled her flush against his chest. "No take backs."
Lily let herself go loose and warm against him, curling her arms around his shoulders as she smiled at him. "I love you, James Charles Potter. And nothing would make me happier than to be your wife."
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