Lily walked up to the Astronomy tower. James had to be here. He couldn't be anywhere else. She had looked for him everywhere, but he was nowhere to be found. She hadn't seen him since Charms in the morning. Professor McGonagall had come in, asking for James. She hadn't seen him since—not in Herbology, not in Potions, and not in the Great Hall at lunch time either.
She was really worried. What could have happened? Where could he be? Her stomach knotted with fear, she had run around the castle, asking anyone on her way if they had seen James anywhere. She hadn't gotten a convincing reply from Remus, Peter and Sirius—they just vaguely told her he was somewhere in the castle, refusing to tell her more.
'James?' she asked quietly. He stood near the railing with his back towards her, his shoulders shaking ever so slightly. He didn't respond to her voice. She slowly walked up to him and tentatively put her hand on his shoulder. 'What's…what's wrong?'
He looked at her, and she was surprised to see the tears in the hazel eyes.
'James?' she asked again, shocked. 'James, what happened?'
He shook his head and looked away, not saying a word.
She gently placed her palm on his cheek and turned his face towards her. 'Tell me. What is it?'
The wet hazel eyes met the piercing green ones. Lily was shocked to see the pain and loss in his eyes; she had never seen James sad or unhappy, he was always radiating so much positive energy.
'James,' she whispered. 'What happened?'
'It's…' he tried to speak, and his voice broke. 'It's…my dad—he—I—'
He tried to get the words out, but seemed to choke on them and he didn't finish his sentence. He looked lost, as if he had no idea what he was doing there, present at the Astronomy Tower with the one girl who could set his world right.
Lily didn't need to know more. In a time like this, when everyone's future was so uncertain, a death was not uncommon. Hundreds were dying every day—and now James' father was one of them.
'James…I…' she said, not sure of what she could do to comfort him. She simply put her arm around his shoulder, squeezing it gently. He leaned into her, his head on her shoulder, his body quivering, tears falling down his cheeks silently, and his face down.
She stroked his hair gently. They did not speak a word as he cried into her shoulder—she simply held him.
He finally looked up, his cheeks streaked with tears. She gently wiped them away, stroking his face and fixed his glasses, which were slightly askew.
She suddenly realized how close their faces were—just millimeters apart from each other. She could feel his warm breath on her face. She knew she ought to move away—or did she?
What was the point of running away, of stopping herself from feeling what she wanted to feel? She had accepted this a long time ago. Despite rejecting his advances for three years, here she was, in love—with James Potter, a boy she wouldn't have dreamed of choosing.
She was leaning in closer, and so was he. He pushed her hair away from her face, his hands lingering on her cheeks. She let her eyes fall shut, leaning into him.
And then, he was kissing her—and she was kissing him right back. Her fingers knotted in his soft hair, as he circled her waist, pulling her close. Her lips were soft and warm against his. She had never imagined of doing this—of kissing James bloody Potter. It was not disappointing, though. It was better than she had ever thought it would be.
For James—well, he was in heaven.
He was kissing Lily Evans, the girl of his dreams since fourth year, who was always in his head and in his heart, even haunting his bloody dreams in the craziest of ways. Just when he was on the verge of giving up, of finally accepting the fact that she loathed him, that she would never say yes, she would never be his—she had finally come around. She loved him too. She felt the same way.
Surrounded by his pain and loss and grief—on the verge of falling apart, of shattering into a million pieces, she was the only thing that was holding him together. He never wanted to let go, he never wanted this moment to end. Nothing else mattered, in that moment. Everything else was unreal, was a dream—she was the only thing that was real, the only thing keeping him sane.
He pulled her closer, and her hands tightened in his hair, tugging on the black locks. James gave a soft groan. She pulled away, gasping for breath, but he simply continued to pepper soft kisses down her throat. She sighed softly, and the sound of her voice was driving him crazy. He kissed her neck and shoulder, pushing her lightly against the wall.
They lost track of time—not that it mattered to them. They finally broke apart, after what could have been—what must have been—eternity. Still, they did not want to let go of each other. His hands were still around her waist, while hers were on his chest, as she clutched his shirt. They were both breathing hard.
They simply stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Then James smiled slightly.
'I told you there was chemistry.' He said his voice a bit hoarse.
Lily laughed softly, her cheeks turning red—a colour that looked so beautiful on her skin that it made James' hurt with longing.
What longing? He asked himself. She's yours now, Potter.
'I love you, James,' she whispered to him.
His heart lurched, a feeling of warm joy spreading through every inch of his body, right down to his very soul. Say it again, say it again, keep saying it. He leaned in, their foreheads touching.
'I love you, Lily,' he told her. 'Forever.'