Sometimes he just knows.

He's sitting with the rest of the Marauders in the center of the common room after classes, laughing and teasing his friends, when she stomps into the common room, looking like she's about to hex someone into oblivion. He looks over at her, sees the way her stance screams absolute fury, notices the way her eyes have been reduced to slits of rage, and he suddenly stands up. The rest of the group of four looks at him in a questioning way, silently asking where he intends to go, before they all trace his path of eyesight to see, with their own eyes, the infuriated girl standing at the entrance of the room. The three sitting boys proceed to sink further into their plush armchairs, waiting for the inevitable screaming to begin. But then bright green meets hazel, and the girl seems to melt before the boy's eyes.

And then he's rushing toward her, enfolding her in his arms and telling her it's okay to cry. And then she's sobbing into his shoulder, sharing fragments of her anger and sorrow and pure terror with him. Because they're in the middle of a bloody war, and she's stuck inside this stupid castle, having to worry about her family and friends and the upcoming N.E.W.T.S. and her future. And all she can do is sit and think and wait and it's driving her terribly mad because she wants to help. But she can't, and that's just remarkably infuriating.

So he guides her outside to give her some fresh air, keeping her in his arms as he walks her to their favorite tree beside the lake, where they always go when they're in need of comfort. And she lays her head on his shoulder as they sit in silence, him running his left hand through her striking red hair and her kissing each of the fingers on his right.

And then he whispers in her ear about how beautiful she is, with the sun's rays hitting her profile in all the right places, and she tells him to shut it, but he's absolutely sure she's just lying. So he looks into those gorgeous, bright green eyes and tells her he loves her, and then she tells him the same, and he leans down and kisses her softly, both of them savoring every second of this perfect moment.

And while his lips are still moving against hers, Lily Evans marvels at the fact that he just knows. He knows what she hates, what she loves, what she wants, what she feels. Because Lily Evans loves James Potter, and James Potter loves Lily Evans.

And their love is the kind that lives on and lasts forever.