Merry Christmas, Sophy! I hope you like this :D
Written in the Stars
"C'mon, mate, you know you can do this," Sirius says encouragingly to his best friend.
James looks up from his position on the floor of the living room. "I'm just worried that she'll, you know … say no."
Sirius laughs. "She won't say no, you nitwit. You've planned this night for months, we both know that. You love Lily and Lily loves you. What could possibly go wrong?"
James shrugs.
"See?" Sirius smiles, "Lily thinks the world of you, even if she doesn't always admit it. Okay, so you can be a bit of a git sometimes …" James punches his arm. "… But you're a genuinely nice guy, deep down. On the other hand, it's evident why you like Lily. I mean, who wouldn't? She's stunning, and …"
"Be careful, Sirius," James says warningly. "That's my girlfriend you're talking about there."
Sirius grins. "She'll be more than your girlfriend by the end of tonight. She'll be your fiancée."
And even though James swats the idea away with his hand, he's hoping that she will be to.
There's a knock at the door and Sirius abruptly jumps up from the couch he's slouching on, spinning around to face James, who by now has also stood up and is looking very nervous.
"Good luck, mate." Sirius claps his hand onto his friend's shoulder. "I'll leave out the back."
James nods mutely and then turns away to walk steadily towards the front door. After taking a deep breath, he opens it.
"Hey James," Lily smiles widely at him, emerald green eyes sparkling. Her auburn hair flows like water down her back, and she's wearing a pretty dress even though it's winter. James feels the knots in his stomach loosen a little on seeing her.
"Come in, come in," the dark-haired man says, ushering her into the kitchen. "We'll be back outside in a moment. I just need to get my coat and shoes …" He's hurrying into the hallway, checking he has everything before he leaves. He wants the night to be perfect.
"Okay, I'm ready now!" he calls to Lily, and she comes to join him. He takes her hand, smiling as they walk out of the house and out of the magical boundaries.
"Do you mind side-along apparation?" James asks. "It's just that I want it to be, you know, a surprise."
"I'm good with that," Lily replies. And with that, the two of them are gone.
It's snowy in Hogsmeade, and a lot colder than Godric's Hollow. The pair shiver when they appear in the middle of the street. Lily looks around and grins.
"Hogsmeade. Do you remember? This was where we came for our first date. The weather was similar, too, only it was November last time, not January. You somehow managed to convince me to sneak out of Hogwarts and we went …"
"How about we go to The Three Broomsticks?" James suggests, and Lily laughs.
"Are you recreating our first date?"
"I might be," James says mischievously before leading Lily into the warm cosy that's full of witches and wizards. When he arrives at the bar, he orders two Butterbeers before leading his girlfriend to a tiny table in the corner of the room, near the fire.
The Butterbeer warms them gently from the inside, although James still can't work out how Lily is getting away with that dress.
"I just have to say, you look stunning in that dress, Lils. It suits you really well."
"Thank you," Lily replies, smiling.
"Now," Lily says. "If I remember rightly and this is like our first date, you're now going to suggests me go for a walk?"
James nods and grins.
The little street looks like it's just come straight out of a fairytale: gingerbread-like houses dusted in fluffy white snow with inviting, jewel-bright windows line the street. In the distance, Hogwarts castle stands proudly in the skyline, surrounded by mountains.
Lily loves this part of the world, James knows that: it's such breathtaking place, full of happy memories. James hopes that tonight will be one of those memories.
He takes a deep breath.
"Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and … Lils; I'm in love with you."
She looks at him, holding his gaze. "I love you too, James."
"So, um … Lily Evans, will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
He's on one knee, illuminated by the moonlight. It feels like a fairytale – it is a fairytale.
The redhead sees him look up at the starry sky. She does too. Up there, written in the stars, are the words:
Will you marry me?
She's speechless for a moment, amazed. In love. She manages to gather herself together enough to say, "Yes, of course – I'd love to!" Her eyes are blurry with tears, and she can barely see the beautiful diamond ring he's slipping on her finger.
"And I thought you didn't have a romantic bone in your body!" she laughs through her tears.
"Oh, I do," James promises. "Every bone in my body is ridiculously and hopelessly in love with you, Lils." And then he kisses her.
Merry Christmas, Sophy! This was for the Jily Christmas Fest, and I used the prompts: snowy day, fire, "Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.", "That's my wife you're talking about Sirius.", kitchen and under the stars. Obviously I changed some of these slightly :D
I also want to say thank you to Ami (AlwaysPadfoot) who gave me this idea as a challenge. I used the prompts: "Just because you don't have a romantic bone in you.", moonlight, diamond ring, "Lils, I love you…", and shock. Thanks Ami!