Disclaimer: Despite how much I've wished otherwise, I don't own Harry Potter or any of these characters

Written for:

QLFC, Round 8: Kill 'em with Fluff!
Position: Chaser 2 - include the Imperius Curse
Prompts: 2)(word) transformation, 4)(quote)"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." ― Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles",9)(picture)broken window
Word Count: 1,883

Birthday Competition: May, Birthstone: The birthstone is emerald. Write about Lily Evans.

OTP Bootcamp: 32)Ridiculous

Favourite Era Bootcamp: 48)Underwear

Thanks once again to Amy (MissWitchx) for beta'ing and generally being an angel :)

This is quite possibly the fluffiest thing I have ever written, so I hope it makes you as happy and fuzzy inside as it does me :D For this, I'm assuming that these two have already become quite good friends over the first month of their seventh year.

Enjoy!

The late September sun was beginning to set, casting a yellow glow over the grounds, as though they had been bathed in gold.

"Will you please just tell me where we're going? Please?"

"No, Little Miss Impatient, you'll see soon enough."

"Are we going where the infamous James Potter takes all his conquests?" Lily asked, only half mockingly.

"Conquests?" he laughed aloud out at her choice of word. "Have I conquered you then, Lily? Finally?"

"Shut up, you know what I meant."

"To answer your question, no, I don't take all my dates here. Not that I've had many recently. I've been holding out for someone special."

"Decided to give up on them and settle for me, did you?"

"Something like that," he smiled, placing his hand lightly on her arm to steer her round the corner and off the path.

"I don't see why we couldn't have gone to Hogsmeade like any other couple would have for a first date, like normal people," she jested.

"Well, to start with, we're hardly 'any other couple'. Secondly, I wanted to do something special. And finally, in the best way possible, you're not normal, or ordinary. You're extraordinary, Lily Evans."

"And you're drunk?" she teased.

"No... Although I wouldn't put it past Sirius to try and spike my pumpkin juice to give me some Dutch courage. He's done it before. I'm relying on Remus to have talked him out of it this time though."

Lily laughed, and the rest of the walk passed comfortably with James describing disastrous dates thanks to help from the Marauders, although it was mainly Sirius to blame.

"... I couldn't sit down for a week she hexed me that badly! Well, here we are."

Lily looked up, and she could just about recognise the beech tree by the lake, where everything had fallen apart just over a year ago. It had, however, had a complete makeover. Lanterns hung from every branch of the tree, casting a warm glow over the arrangement beneath. Three blankets created a mismatched patchwork carpet, on which there lay what could only be described as a feast. A wicker basket overflowed with food, and on the top alone she could see sausage rolls, quiches and sandwiches.

"Where on earth did you get all this?" she asked in amazement.

He shrugged. "The house elves know me quite well. Take a seat." She sat down facing him as he settled against the tree trunk, a hand habitually running through his hair.

They unpacked the picnic together, exclaiming in delight every so often as they came across a favourite food. He had to hand it to the house elves, they had really outdone themselves this time.

"Well I, for one, am stuffed," Lily announced nearly an hour later, licking her fingers clean from the second chocolate éclair.

"They say the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, but I think it must be true for women too." James laughed, placing another strawberry in his mouth. "Are you sure you don't have room for this then?" he enquired with a raised eyebrow, reaching into his cloak to retrieve a tall, dark bottle.

Her mouth fell a little open. "Is that champagne? I've only tried it once, at some wedding or other, but I thought it was just a muggle thing?"

"Oh it is, but Sirius discovered it somehow - it's sometimes better not to ask - and bought a couple of bottles. This was his last one, but he owed me a favour." While speaking he had transfigured the small goblets they had been drinking their pumpkin juice out of into elegant champagne flutes, and poured them each a glass. He handed one to Lily, and raised his own in a toast; "To good things coming to those who wait."

She laughed and raised her own glass, "And to the most excellent house elves in the world." They touched their glasses together, and took a sip. "It's even better than I remember," Lily sighed, closing her eyes and letting her head fall back.

"The perfect drink for a perfect evening," he said, stretching out his legs and leaning back against the beech tree. "Remind me why we haven't done this before?"

"Because our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." She looked down at the floor, twisting her fingers nervously together. "You put me on a pedestal of perfection, which as you can see by the sheer amount I eat, I am far from. It gave me too much power, and quite frankly it terrified me that I wouldn't live up to your expectations. Plus, you know, you were kind of an arrogant troublemaker," she finished finally meeting his eyes with a wry smile.

"Well something must have changed, seeing as you're here."

Lily shook her head, laughing a single note of disbelief. "I still can not believe I'm on a date with James bloody Potter."

He grinned back at her. "Oh, can't you? I can. Not only am I Quidditch captain, head boy and general heartthrob, haven't you heard? I've transformed."

"Transformed?" she snorted. "I can still see the annoying fourth year who caused me all that grief."

"It was inevitable that you'd date me eventually anyway," he continued, brushing aside her teasing comment. "Asking you out was only Plan A. Plan B was Sirius using the Imperius curse to get you down here," he finished with a wink.

"Potter, you would never!" she exclaimed, feigning shock and horror.

"I may well have," he sighed, leaning back against the bark. "That's how much I wanted you to come on this date, I have been asking for four years now. And finally you're here, and you go and call me 'Potter'. I thought we were through with that, Evans?"

"Or are we, Potter?"

"Oh Merlin, I hope so."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It reminds me of when you hated me."

"And what's to say I don't still?"

He glanced up, and caught the end of a teasing smile. He grinned lopsidedly back at her. "Oh please, Lily. You don't hate me. In fact I think you might just fancy me a little bit."

She blushed, her cheeks turning a similar colour to her hair. "Oh you do, do you?"

He nodded. "I do indeed. I've seen the glances you give me during those weekly prefect meetings you insist on having. Just an excuse to gaze upon my face if you ask me."

"It's a good job nobody did then."

"You didn't deny it."

"It was a ridiculous suggestion; those meetings are part of our job. I didn't need to deny it."

"I mean the part about you fancying me. Or is that ridiculous too?"

"It's... It's not so ridiculous as it once might have been, I suppose." she admitted, averting her eyes from his piercing hazel ones, which had suddenly lit up as if with one sentence she had fixed all the wrong in the world.

"Of course it isn't. I told you I'm a changed man. And to be honest, the main reason I changed was for you." He placed his hand over hers on the blanket, and in the brief silence that followed they could almost hear the boundaries and walls built up over the years shattering, like a broken window. "And anyway," he resumed, back to his teasing tone, but without removing his hand, "I have a six pack now. That wouldn't have been part of the deal back in fourth year."

To prove his point, and perhaps slightly due to the champagne, which they were now on their second glasses of, he removed his robe, and began to untie his shoes.

"Potter! Potter, James, James Potter! Stop!" Her indignant cries were having little effect, perhaps it was because they were punctuated by the laugher she couldn't contain. He removed his tie and began to unbutton his shirt. "If you don't stop stripping, right now, I swear-"

"Oh I'm not stripping for you - yet," he winked, slipping the shirt from his shoulders; revealing, as promised, finely sculpted muscles that wiped away whatever witty retort Lily had planned, along with any form of coherent thought. "I just fancy a swim that's all."

With that he removed his trousers, socks and finally his glasses, and ran towards the Great Lake in just his boxers, immersing himself in a single dive. She watched, laughing, as he reemerged some distance away, his hair plastered down. He grinned and swam lazily back towards her until his feet could touch the ground.

"Coming in then?" he asked, rolling onto his back and leaning his head back so that she was upside down. "The water's lovely and warm."

"I think I'll pass, thanks."

"Don't be like that! Besides, the giant squid's in here somewhere, and I'm sure you once said you'd rather kiss him than me."

"And I stick by that statement."

"Exactly, so it's not like I'm dragging you in here expecting anything. Just a swim. And unfortunately I've taken off my glasses, so I can't even peek at you undressing, not that I would have anyway, being a changed person and all that. It would have been very ungentlemanly of me."

She threw her hands in the air, excuses and arguments exhausted. Besides, if she admitted it to herself, she quite wanted to swim with James Potter in the Great Lake. Now there's a phrase she'd never thought she'd think. "Fine, but turn around and no peeking anyway!" she called to him, and obediently, if with a slight eye roll, he placed a hand over his eyes and turned around.

She undressed quickly, thanking Merlin she'd put on nice underwear for once, instead of the mismatched white-turned-grey ones she usually opted for. Before she could pause to change her mind, she ran into the water, squealing at the icy coldness against her skin. She could hear James laughing at her, and aimed a splash at the back of his head, watching his hand reflexively coming up to mess his hair up again.

Finally submerged, she swam round so that she was facing him; standing on the rocky floor and reaching up to pull his hand away from his eyes. His eyes, which seemed to glow and sparkle with happiness, practically drinking in the sight before him.

"Merlin, you're beautiful, Lily," he blurted out, cheeks flaming red.

"You're not so bad yourself," she replied, the mocking tone gone from her voice as she smiled up at him. He watched as a drop of water ran from her hair, down past her green eyes, over her cheeks and hovered on her lip, hesitating as if scared to take the plunge. He leaned forward a fraction.

Simultaneously, she watched his hazel eyes roaming her face, her gaze taking in the slightly bent nose, the strong jawline, and finally his lips, still tinted a slight pink from the strawberries. She leaned forward a fraction. Their lips only millimeters apart, his eyes fluttered closed. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes," she whispered back, her breath warm against his lips.

"It's not too late, I can't still find the giant squid for you if you'd prefer?"

"Shut up and kiss me, James Potter."