"Will you marry me?"


When Lily imagined James proposing she imagined he would do something big and extravagant- just like he was. She imagined he would do it in front of a sea of people or at the very least in front of their very large group of friends.

She imagined being embarrassed. She imagined chiding him for the sheer over the topness of the whole thing.

She imagined she would be older.


They are sitting under the beech tree by the lake; his head rests on her lap as her hand gently roves through his hair. She loves the feeling, not just the feeling of her hand in his hair (which is for the record, quite wonderful) but just the feeling of being there. With James. He has that effect on her, when they are together as they are now, everything else falls away. It's blissful, peaceful and …Home. It's strange that a person can be home, but that's what she feels like when she sees him after a long lesson of ancient runes, or an even longer quidditch practice, she feels …she feels like she can pull her hair out from its (many) clips, whine about classes, just… be.

Just like they are just being now.

He's fidgeting now. Something's on his mind- she can tell. She always can.

She looks down, into his hazel eyes, eyes she has grown to love, filled with golden flecks and nearly always full with humour.

"What's wrong?" she asks.

He sighs but doesn't answer; "I love you, you know"

She smiles and briefly wonders why her stomach still does a little flip every time he says those words: "I know" she says "and I love you too"

"No" he says forcefully and she frowns. "No" he repeats "I really, really love you"

Her hand stops in his hair; "I know, James and I really, really do love you" she does nothing to hide the exasperation in her voice, tired of James, of Sirius, of everyone assuming that she does not know or understand the depth of his (or her own) feelings. Ok, so yes, maybe it did take her a little bit longer to catch on but it doesn't mean she's completely oblivious, especially not now.

He stands up and paces, and she can feel the irritation slowly creep on her; she's tired, she's stressed and she's quite close to getting angry.

She watches him pace for a few more minutes, muttering to himself and running his hands through his hair until she finally can't take it anymore.

"That's it." She says and he stops pacing and turns to look at her. "I'm going"

"What? No, you can't"

"Excuse me, I can't? James potter if you…"

"Lily… please, just sit down ok- there's something I have to … just sit… please" he's pleading, and despite what she might ever say she can never say no to a pleading James Potter. She sighs and sits back down unsmiling, arms folded determined to let him know she's still cross.

He smiles but it's brief. He paces again. Then stops. Ruffles his hair. Takes two steps. Turns away from her. Paces again and then finally turns to face her.

"Lily" he says "I love you, okay? I really, really do and it's not just because you're the most beautiful girl in the world…"

"James"

"No, Lily, its true but it's not only because of that its… it's because you're special Lily, you're special to me, you make me laugh, you shout at me, you put in my place" he laughs "but I still love you, because you're kind, and smart and just… amazing and I know what you're going to say okay, I know you, I know you're going to say we're too young, but Lily, I'll look after you, I'll do anything to protect you, I'll do anything to make you happy and we'll get through it, all of it, the war, everything- we'll get through it together.

He's sitting in front of her now, and takes hold of her hands. Her heart skips a beat. His hands are cold.

"Lily…Will you marry me?"


When Lily imagined James proposing she imagined hesitating before answering, she imagined uncertainty and fear; she imagined hurting him by being the voice of logic saying they were far too young, that they were in the middle of a war, that there was simply no time for a wedding.

When James asked Lily to marry him she didn't hesitate, she didn't feel fear, or uncertainty, she didn't use logic.

When James asked Lily to marry him she said yes without a doubt in mind, because she was Lily Evans and he was James Potter, so really what else could she have said?


When she says that single word, a small, simple yes his face lights up and he jumps up giving a loud Whoop, she laughs with him and he pulls her up. He laughs and she laughs as he twirls around and around until her whole world is spinning. After a while they both collapse on to the grass, he grabs her and pulls her into a deep kiss which she returns with as much enthusiasm as him. They lay on the grass then, silly smiles plastered on both their faces; she knows they have an exam in the morning, she knows there's a war brewing, a war that will chase them till there deaths, she knows and yet at that moment everything seems far, far away and she can't bring herself to worry because at the end of the day she knows like he does that whatever may be, whatever may happen, they will get through it- together.

A/N: Just something I wrote when I should have been revising biology, its short and sweet and I hope you enjoyed it. Review and let me know what you think :-)