James Potter could feel his heart pounding in his chest, reverberating throughout his entire body. He could not remember a time when he'd been more nervous in all his 19 years of life. Not his first day at school, not his first ever Quidditch match, not even gathering the courage to ask Lily Evans on a date.
He fiddled with his neatly-pressed suit in agitation, tried in vain to smooth his untamed hair, and slipped his hand into his suit pocket, as if checking to see whether the smooth black velvet box was still where he had put it. He stood atop a beautiful, intricately designed spiral staircase, the wonderful smell of the library filling the air.
"James? Are you there?" A soft voice called from the floor hurriedly smoothed out his shirt and tried one last time to control his hair before responding in a tone quite different from his usual confident self, "Yes love, up here." He could hear the faint noise of shoes on marble as she ascended the stairs, and his heart rate seemed to double.
"What's all this about? Why did you want to meet me up hea- Oh!" Lily gasped, finally reaching the top of the stairs, surveilling the scene around her. As she did so, the lights around the library dimmed, until all that was illuminating the room was the soft, romantic glow of the candles that were hovering in the air. Strewn along the books were hundreds of gorgeous white lilies. "James…" She whispered, tears filling her eyes, "It's so… perfect."
"You, my darling, are perfect." He said, approaching her and taking her hands in his, "Dearest Lily, ever since the first day I saw you, I knew you were special. You have always been the most beautiful woman I have ever seen, but you are so much more than that. You are brave, selfless, the most loving and loyal person I know, and I could not imagine living without you. You are perfect for me in every way, the doe to my stag."
He knelt down on one knee, taking out the little box and holding it out to her. "Lily Evans, I never want to spend another day without you by my side. Will you marry me?"
The tears in Lily's eyes finally spilled over, but it was with the most intense feeling of love and affection that she flung her arms around his neck, whispering a single word in his ear. Yes.
