He gently sat me down on his four poster bed, staring straight into my eyes, a trance I couldn't break. I reached up for just a moment to brush some of his shaggy black hair out of his eyes, and then ran my finger down his cheek. He smiled at me. I wondered fleetingly where the others were, for just an instant. The room was absolutely silent as he bent down, and I had just a moment to be intoxicated by his musky scent, before he softly kissed me. His lips were supple and tender, and he moved them so slowly it was as if time had stopped. He sighed contentedly into the kiss, as I began to deepen it. Our motions were as a unit, the activity so familiar that we could anticipate the next step. Our need for breath came at the same moment, and I broke the kiss gently.

"I love you." I spoke the truest words I'd ever come up with.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them again and gazed at me, the love apparent in his eyes. "I love you too Lily."

"What's going to happen now?" I spoke the words that neither of us could honestly know the answer to.

"All I know," He squeezed my hand, "Is that I will wait for you."

A tear fell down my cheek, and he lightly wiped it away. "Everything is going to change." He nodded.

"Lily, this is an amazing opportunity for you. The French Ministry of Magic, that's incredible. And you've always wanted to spend more time in France. Now you'll get three years in France!"

"And you're going to play for the Wimbourne Wasps." He smiled. "James, practice starts tomorrow. Today is the last normal day."

"Lily, it's not like it's the last time we'll see each other for three years. You'll come home for Christmas, right?" I nodded. "See? Just have to find the silver lining." He paused for a moment, holding me to his chest.

"James," I chose my words carefully. "Everything's going to change. Don't you realize that?"

He agreed. "I know. That doesn't have to be a bad thing. You've always wanted to work for the Department of Ministries, now you get to-and in one of your favorite places!"

"Stop being so reasonable," I protested. He pouted for a moment, and we fell silent. He stared at me again, and I memorized the image of the boy in front of me. His hazel eyes were slightly clouded over, and his ebony hair was mussed. His glasses were slightly askew, and his cheeks were pink from running in the heat. He was admiring me in a way that couldn't be matched.

"It's not over?" I asked him.

"Never over," he affirmed. With that, he kissed me for the last time.