A/N: The third and presumably final in my Celestial Lights series- starring *gasp* Lily and James! Never thought I'd do one of these, but hey- it happened. Now, you don't have to read Moonlight or Sunshine before this one- but I highly recommend it! As things stand now- Ron and Hermione are officially a couple, Harry and Ginny are getting there, and- flashback time! Harry wonders about the love between the parents he never knew. We are taken back to a starlit night by the lake. . . and yes, I am fully aware that Starglow is not a word. Thanks s'much. KP.



Starglow





Harry Potter flopped down on his bed, fully dressed. He stared at the ceiling of his canopy bed, remembering tonight- Ginny's silky red hair, her feminine flowery scent, her soft touch. He emitted a little sigh. Imagine that. He was emitting a little sigh. It must be love.

Harry didn't know much about love, but he did know that Ginny was someone special- and to think he hadn't discovered that until only a few weeks ago. How much he'd missed! He had years to catch up on.

Ron's bed was empty. He and Hermione had been alone, snuggling in the corner of the common room all night, bathed in the moonlight from the open window. A few weeks ago, this would have disgusted Harry. But how could he blame them? When you really wanted to be with someone ...

Harry closed his eyes. He was lost in a world of roses and sunshine ... he never thought he'd be feeling this way ...

Eventually his hazy pink-tinged thoughts drifted to his deceased parents. James and Lily. They'd gone to school together. Had they become a couple while they were there, or was it later? Had they been very much in love? Harry liked to think so. They seemed very happy in all the pictures he had of them ....

Harry's eyelids grew heavy and he floated off into a dreamy sleep, still thinking abut Ginny, still thinking about his parents, still thinking about love . . .



James Potter fidgeted nervously, shivering in the chilly wind from the lake. It was a moonless night. Only the soft glow of the stars lit the sky, and cast a romantic aura around the grounds. The perfect night ...

What was keeping Lily? Had she decided not to come? He'd said eleven o'clock. Meet me by the lake. She knew the spot.

To avoid thinking about it, James watched the lake. The gentle wind ruffled the surface, and little ripples caught the dim light of the stars. Lily loved the stars. "There are so many," she'd say. "So many- the sky is so vast, never ending, infinite. We can't even begin to imagine the depths of the universe. . ."

James took a deep breath. Inhale. Exhale. Calm, boy. He knew what he was doing. But how would Lily react? Please, please, please, he prayed. Let her feel the same as I.

"James!"

James turned to see her running towards him in the starlight. Her long red hair streamed out behind her, her cheeks were flushed. Not for the first time, James marveled at how beautiful she was. The dim light only made her shine all the more.

He picked her up and swung her around when she reached him. Lily laughed and hit him playfully. "Put me down!"

He obliged, but not before giving her a long, slow kiss. Lily sighed when they broke apart and smiled at him. "What's with you tonight?"

James fingered the little box in his pocket. "Nothin'." Dumb answer, but he had a lot of other stuff to say. "You want to sit down?"

"Sure." They perched on the large log by the edge of the silver lake. Their usual place. James took another breath to steady his nerves (unsuccessful) and decided there was no time like the present.

"Lily." He said seriously. She seemed to sense something was up; she turned her face to him expectantly. James swallowed hard and plunged on. "You know I love you,"

"Oh, James," she said, "I love you too."

James shifted and took her hand in his. "You always say we can't imagine how infinite the universe is. The sky- the millions and millions of stars-" he looked up, and she followed his gaze. There did indeed seem to be millions of stars tonight- the sky was an inky blue-black, and the stars shone brilliantly milky white, miles from earth. "Never ending. Everlasting." He looked into her beautiful green eyes. "Like my love for you."

Those beautiful green eyes suddenly shone with tears. She seemed unable to speak, so he continued, the words spilling from his mouth. "I know we're young. I know we're immature and naive and all that. But I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life. Lily, I love you more than my own life. I would die for you. I would fight for you. I'd do anything- anything! Just name it."

A rogue tear spilled from her eye and slid down her cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. "I know it's hard times coming. Lord What's-His-Name- that crazy guy who wants to rule the wizarding world- I have a feeling he's going to be powerful. Too powerful. In any case, we can never know how much time we have on this earth. I want to spend mine with the woman I love. With you."

Pulling the box from his pocket, he slipped to his knees before her, ignoring the mucky ground and wet seeping through his trousers. Her eyes widened.

"Lily." His heart was beating so hard he could feel it pounding a heavy dance beat in his ears. "I love you. Always and forever. I promise to protect you. I promise to take care of you. I promise to cherish you. Every day of our lives. I will never take you for granted." He opened the box and held it up to her. "Will you marry me?"

For a moment, she just stared at the ring. The single heart-shaped diamond glinted in the stars' glow. James held his breath, hardly daring to hope. There was no turning back now.

Lily finally found her voice. "Oh, James," she whispered, blinking hard. "Of course I will."

James was sure his smile would crack his face. Lily leapt into his arms, knocking him over into the mud. But he didn't care. They kissed, kissed until they were gasping for air, and laughed, laughed of pure joy. He slid the ring onto her hand and kissed her fingers. "My love." he whispered, unable to stop the crack in his voice.

"My James." she whispered back and kissed him again. There was no turning back now. They were in this for life. However long that might be.