It happens like this.
She goes home for the summer before her seventh year, of course she does. But she spends the first few days in her room, staring at the ceiling and her closed trunk, trying to make sense of anything, trying to figure out how she feels. Her school world, what she's feeling more and more like is her real world, is in turmoil, and then her father has a heart attack and her home world is in turmoil too.
Her mother throws herself into the funeral preparations and ignores her daughters, and so Lily and Petunia spend a lot of time sitting around the kitchen table in the black that their mother insists they wear and staring at each other. Lily makes the breakfast and Petunia makes the dinner and they eat whatever they can find for lunch and tea. Lily sends an owl to Severus, because he spent their first few summer holidays over at her house all the time, and he knew her dad, and then--and she still, years later, doesn't know why--she sends an owl each to Remus and James.
The night before her father's funeral she is lying on her bed when she hears two loud Crack!s outside. Immediately she sprints to the window and sees two figures walking towards her house. As they pass under a street lamp she gets a flash of their faces, though she doesn't really need the light to know who it is. She leaves her room, and when she passes Petunia's room she notices that the door is ajar.
Lily walks over and slowly pushes the door open more; Petunia is sitting at her desk, peering out the window.
"Tuney?" Lily asks, and when she doesn't jump it merely confirms to Lily that Petunia was waiting for her.
"Wanna come with me? I have some friends downstairs."
Normally, Petunia would sniff, and hold her nose in the air, and ignore her younger sister, but their father has just died, and Petunia doesn't have any friends of her own, and so she nods her head and gets up and follows Lily silently down the stairs.
When they get to the bottom, Lily reaches over and takes Petunia's hand in her own, and Petunia doesn't let go, or tense, or pull away, but just allows it.
They leave the house, and walk a little way down the street, to where James and Remus are standing just outside a circle of light cast by a street lamp, arguing.
"She'll know we're coming," James says, not even looking at Remus.
Remus starts to answer, but both men stiffen and pull their wands when the girls get near.
"It's just me," Lily says, and as the wizards tuck their wands back into their pockets, Petunia suddenly realizes just what she is doing, and she plants her feet and refuses to move. Lily can feel the tension in her sister, and so she whispers in her ear: "Tuney, it's okay. They're friends."
Petunia doesn't know what to do; she doesn't really want to be here, but she doesn't have anywhere else to be. So she relaxes, and allows Lily to introduce her. Remus reaches a hand for Petunia to shake, but James ignores her and pulls Lily into a hug. This time, Petunia can feel Lily's tension. She squeezes Lily's fingers and then drops them. The other girl relaxes into James's arms, and Remus smiles a sad smile at them, as does Petunia.
When they let go, James talks only to Lily. "How are you? How is your mum?"
Lily shrugs, and says, "Stressed. So much is going on."
James nods, and then asks, "Er…can I be frank?" When Lily nods, he continues, "To be honest, it was a bit of relief to get an owl of a natural death."
Petunia glares. "How can you say it was a relief? He was our dad!"
Lily reaches for her sister's hand again, but looks at James. "I know what you mean. I heard about Liam and his family."
James grimaces. "Yes. Bloody shame, that."
"Yes," Lily agrees quietly.
After a moment or two of silence, Petunia tugs Lily's hand. "Perhaps we should go inside."
Remus nods. "That sounds nice."
Petunia pauses; it is obvious she wasn't talking about the boys. But then she acquiesces, and turns to lead them all into the house.
Before long, they are seated around the kitchen table with cups of tea, conjured by a wave of Remus's wand. Lily looks at him gratefully.
"Are you coming to the funeral tomorrow?" Petunia asks, eyeing her tea.
Remus and James glance at each other, and then Lily shakes her head slightly.
"We have things to do," James says.
"Yes. Sirius is moving into his own flat, and he's made us promise to help."
Lily smiles. "Do you really want to, though?"
"Well, no," James says, "but he has promised it will be great fun."
"I'm sure it will be," Remus says, and there is a tiny bit of an edge to his voice. James glances up as if to say something else, and then looks back at his tea.
There is silence again, and then Petunia pushes her chair back to stand up and several things happen in rapid succession—a door slams upstairs, an owl swoops in through the open kitchen window, and there is a loud Crack! outside. Remus and James are immediately on their feet, wands drawn; Lily catches the owl and pulls the letter from its leg. Petunia is frozen halfway between sitting and standing, eyes darting back and forth between the boys and her sister.
"James," Lily says, holding out the letter. "It's Sirius." Remus drops his wand hand and looks questioningly at James, who tucks his wand into his back pocket and takes the letter.
Lily looks at Petunia. "Maybe you should go check on Mum?"
Petunia stands, and nods, and leaves the room, shooting a glare at the owl now sitting patiently on the kitchen counter.
"Remus," Lily says, and he starts, and looks at her. "Find out who's outside with me?"
Remus looks at James again, and then sags. "Alright," he says, and follows her from the house.
When she shuts the front door behind them, she turns to him. "So. You still fancy Sirius?"
Remus nods, looking off into the darkness. "He doesn't know."
"Of course not," Lily says, following his gaze and starting to walk in that direction. As Remus falls into step with her, she gives him a sidelong glance. "Just like I don't know about James."
"I'm not that transparent, am I?" Remus cracks a grin.
"Not quite," Lily says. "But you're not quite as smooth as you think."
He nods. They continue on in silence, and Lily reaches into her pocket and clutches her wand. She doesn't think she will need it, but it comforts her to feel it anyway.
"I think Sev's here," she says suddenly. Remus stops dead in his tracks, and merely looks at her. She sighs, and stops walking as well, and turns to look at him.
"He was my friend for years. He knew my father. And he didn't respond to my owl."
"We didn't respond to your owls."
"Yes, and you showed up here hours later. So you can see why I think it might be Sev."
He doesn't say anything, stopped by her logic, and then blurts, "Yes, but why would you send him an owl?"
"I've just said!" She almost hisses it, aware that yelling would be imprudent.
"But he's a Death Eater, I'm almost sure of it."
"Well. It perhaps wasn't the most logical thing I've done lately." She almost looks ashamed.
"Oh. Oh, Lily, I'm sorry. I'm a right git, it's just—the times. We need to be careful these days."
"I know," she says. "But I don't really know who to talk to."
"You can always talk to me."
She smiles, a tight little smile, and starts walking again.
"You've got your own problems," she says, and he only hears because his ears are pricked up, because he is listening for anyone in their path.
He reaches a hand and grabs her arm, making her face him.
"Lily. You've listened to my problems for two years. The least I can do is offer the same thing you offered me."
"Only if you tell Sirius you fancy him," she says, and it falls from her tongue so easily he's sure she's been thinking it for a while.
"And you have to tell James."
She is shocked for only a second, and she starts walking again so she doesn't have to look at him when she asks, "How obvious am I?"
"I don't think James knows. Or if he does, he probably thinks he's only kidding himself."
Lily starts to smirk, but then she and Remus both throw out protecting hands and wand hands at once, aiming into the darkness.
"Lumos," Lily murmurs, and when nothing is revealed in her wand light, Remus mutters, "Homenum revelio."
There is a pause, and then Severus becomes slowly visible as his Disillusionment Charm is removed.
"What is the half-breed doing here?" he snarls immediately. Remus tightens his grip on his wand even as Lily lowers hers.
"He's a friend," she hisses, "and a damn sight better than you've been lately."
"I'm here, aren't I?" Severus asks, and Lily crosses her arms.
"I don't know if I want you here anymore."
Severus's eyes narrow, and he says, "Is it because of Potter?"
"What's it to you?" Lily almost shrieks. Remus reaches a hand and just barely touches her shoulder. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath. When she speaks again, it is soft and slow.
"The funeral is tomorrow, at noon. You can come if you'd like. I'd invite you over, but James is there, and I know how you feel about him. However, he and Remus will not be at the funeral."
Severus nods. "Do you need anything?"
Lily smiles. "No, but thank you for asking, Sev."
He hesitates, and then walks forward and hugs her clumsily. As he lets go, he glares slightly at Remus.
"I'll think I'll go now. I don't think I'll be there tomorrow." He pauses, and then says in a rush, staring at the ground near Lily's feet, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
"Thank you," she says again.
Remus can't help but wrap an arm around Lily's shoulders as Severus walks away, turns, and disappears with another Crack!
"I shouldn't have owled him," Lily says, but Remus shakes his head. "You needed to, that's all. Nothing wrong with that."
"You don't think I've created a terrible problem? Like a whole gang of Death Eaters will show up at the funeral tomorrow to take me out?"
"Lily," Remus says, almost sternly. She doesn't look at him, so he puts his hands on her shoulders and shakes her a little. "Lily. I really don't think you have anything to worry about."
"Really?"
"Really. I'm much more worried about how Sirius will react."
Lily cracks a smile. "I almost want to be there when you do it." They begin walking back to her house.
"No way." Remus shakes his head. "I don't think I could do it with an audience."
"Oh, but it'd be much more dramatic!" She pulls on his arm with both of her hands, and for a second she looks such like a young child that Remus has to laugh.
"Can I watch you tell James?"
"Absolutely," Lily says. "In fact, I believe I'll tell him tonight."
"Please do. In front of your sister as well?"
"Tuney will be appropriately pleased, I'm sure." They laugh.
Remus knocks Lily's shoulder with his own. "Are you really going to tell James?"
"I don't see why not," she says. "Carpe diem."
"Carpe noctum," Remus corrects her. "That's the way Mr. Prongs would prefer it, I'm sure."
"And Mr. Moony, no doubt."
"I prefer the mornings myself."
Lily grins. "So it's settled. I'll tell James tonight, you tell Sirius tomorrow."
Remus pales. "So soon?" he chokes out.
"So soon." Lily notices the look on his face, so she softly adds, "If you don't ever do it, you won't ever know."
"And I won't ever get rejected, either. You've got it a little easier--you know James is in love with you. I don't even know if Sirius will ever look at me again after this. Oh, God." He drops down onto the nearest curb and puts his head in his hands. Lily drops down next to him and puts one hand on his back.
"Remus, I really don't think it'll be as bad as you think," she says softly.
"How do you know?" he asks in a muffled voice.
She hesitates, and then says, "Because I've seen the glances he throws you."
He looks up. "Really? He throws me glances?"
She nods. "And they're not hateful glances, and they're not strictly...friendly glances either. I mean, I don't think he's mooning over you, but at the very least he's having thoughts."
He gives her a small smile. "'Mooning'?"
"You know what I mean!" She hits him playfully on the shoulder. "I mean, he's not as bad for you as James is for me, but I don't think he'd be adverse to, er, trying something." She blushes. "So you should go for it."
Remus stands up and offers a hand to Lily. "You are a wonderful friend."
"Same to you, sir." When she stands, she wraps him in a hug. "Thank you for being here."
"I'm leaving right this second if you don't tell James."
"Alright, alright, I'm going, I'm going!" She races the rest of the way to her house, Remus trailing at her heels. When she bursts in the house, she calls as loudly as she dares, "James!"
"You don't have to call for him, I'm sure he's still in the kitchen," Remus mutters behind her, but she doesn't acknowledge him as she heads for the kitchen.
"James!" she exclaims, albeit quietly, when she sees him.
"Sirius said," he starts, but that's all he can get out because Lily marches straight up to him and plants a kiss on him.
Remus lets out a loud laugh, and Petunia, entering the room to shush her younger sister, merely sighs and leaves.
When Lily lets go of James, he can't seem to do anything but smile and stare at her, disbelievingly.
"What did Sirius say?" Remus asks.
"What? Er--I don't remember. Where the devil did I put that letter?"
Lily doesn't say anything, just reaches, grinning, for the letter still clenched in James' fist.
"Oh!" He laughs. "There it is." He hands it to Remus. "Nothing important, I don't think. What took the two of you so long?"
"We were meeting Sev," Lily says.
James makes a face. "What was Sniv--Severus doing here?"
"I owled him," Lily says. "But he's already gone. He was merely being a good friend to me, that's all."
When James looks directly at Lily, he blushes. She wraps one of his arms around her waist, and then wraps her own arm around his waist.
"This is new," he says, half befuddled, half amazed.
"This is nice," she replies, leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Yes, well, that's wonderful," Remus says, "but do you think we might head back to Sirius before he comes here?" To Lily, he explains, "He's just going a bit mad alone with the Potters."
"Oh! You left him alone with your parents?" she asks James, who can't do anything but stutter when she flashes those bright green eyes at him.
"Yes, he did," Remus says, sensing James' problem. "I'm terribly sorry, Lily, but I rather think we should get back."
"Of course," she says, unwrapping herself from James and giving Remus a hug and peck on the cheek. Before she lets him go, she says, "Tell him."
"I will." Remus nods as they separate, and then looks at James. "Come on, let's go."
James looks at Lily. "I'm going to go with Remus," he says. She nods.
"Absolutely. Keep in touch. Perhaps you two can visit again."
"Are you sure you don't want me to stay?"
"No, go! Keep Sirius occupied."
When James still looks reluctant to move, Lily adds, "Please?"
"Alright. We'll go," James relents.
"Yes, please, get out! I need my rest," Lily says, following James and Remus to the front door. They turn around after they pass the threshold. "Would you like me to walk you down the street?" Lily asks, leaning against the open door.
"That's alright. Get some sleep. We'll owl you later."
"Yes! We will." James nods, looking at Remus, and then lurches forward to kiss Lily again. When it's over, she places one hand on his chest and pushes, gently. He pecks her once more and then both he and Remus walk down the street, turn on the spot, and are gone.
And that is how James Potter and Lily Evans come to be together.