Sea of No Cares, a harry potter fanfic

When you're in love, there's no time and space

There's a permanent smile on your face

Your friends all complain that you're going insane

But the truth is they're just afraid

"Look, mate, I've seen you once in the past three weeks."

"I've been working."

"Come off it, you don't work that hard! You're spending all your time with her!"

"Maybe," James laughed. "Why, jealous?" Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Hardly, just worried for your sanity. Have you seen yourself lately? Mooning about, sighing whenever she isn't around... you look ridiculous. I'm losing respect for you."

James shook his head, fully aware of the goofy smile that seemed to be plastered to his face these days, wondering how he survived without it before. "Look, I'll Floo you later, alright? Lily's almost here..."

Sirius snorted in laughter as James pulled his head out of the fireplace, pointedly ignoring the thought that kept plaguing his mind; "blimey... what'll happen if they get married?"

Hey, hey, hey, somewhere you threw your fear in the Sea of No Cares

Hey, hey, hey somewhere you threw your fear in the Sea of No Cares

James gulped. "What- what if they don't like me?" he asked, finally voicing his fear.

Lily laughed reassuringly. "'Course they'll like you. They'll love you." She squeezed his hand. "And if they don't, they're really good actors, all of them."

"Ha ha," James laughed drily. "Very funny. You're so witty." Lily smiled and kissed his cheek.

And so, as Lily raised her hand to knock on the door of her parents' Muggle house, James squeezed Lily's other hand, swallowed his fear, and prepared to meet her family for the first time.

When you decide that what counts is inside

Your friends all say it's a lie

But there's no brighter light than the look in her eye

When you're walking her home through the night

James was walking hand- in- hand with Lily through downtown London, but his mind was elsewhere. He was thinking, as he idly swung their hands, about a conversation he'd had with Sirius and Remus, how childish he'd thought them to be, and how ironic it was that he- James Potter- was calling Remus Lupin childish.

"Right, mate, we understand. You're head over heels. Now come watch the Quidditch game with us."

James laughed and shook his head. "Nah, I'm going for dinner at Lily's."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "We get it, she's gorgeous, but come on. Quidditch! You can't miss this!" Remus nodded in agreement.

"You guys," James started, "it's not just that she's gorgeous. I mean, she is gorgeous, but it's not just that. She's funny, smart, witty, caring..."

""Okay," Remus cut him off, "she's perfect. Now come watch the Quidditch match."

James shook his head and grabbed his coat. "Nah, I'm going to see Lily tonight, he told them, just before apparating.

"What're you thinking about?" Lily asked, analyzing him. James turned to look at her, brown eyes meeting green, feeling the familiar swoop in his stomach as he saw the love shining in her eyes.

"Nothing," he told her. "Nothing at all."

Hey, hey, hey, somewhere you threw your fear in the Sea of No Care

It had been Lily's idea to go stargazing. James had thought they'd seen quite enough of the stars during Astronomy at Hogwarts, but she'd been rather persistent. And so James had found himself lying on a blanket in the middle of a field, staring up at the stars next to Lily Evans, thinking that the stars were nothing compared to the girl at his side.

"It's gorgeous," Lily breathed.

"Yeah, you are," James told her, running his hand through her hair and silently cursing himself for saying something so cliched. Lily just laughed. It was a sound James loved.

He swallowed, preparing for what he was about to do, and tried hard to ignore the feeling that his knees had turned to jelly (something, he noted with annoyance, that they'd been doing an awful lot lately).

"Hey, Lil," he said.

"Yeah?" she asked, turning to look at him.

"I, uh, I love you."

Lily smiled, and before James could say anything else, he was being kissed. His last happy thought before he let himself sink into oblivion was that stargazing really wasn't so bad.

Let yourself go with the tide

There's an angel by your side tonight

James was very bored. His parents had been wrong, the Ministry ball was no fun at all, and there definitely wasn't "tons to do," as his father had promised. He thanked his lucky stars he had brought Lily along, at least she was someone interesting to talk to.

"Want to get out of here?" a voice in his ear asked, and he spun around to see his girlfriend smiling mischievously at him. James grabbed her by the hand and smiled broadly.

"Ah, you know me too well, Evans."

Twenty minutes later they were walking along a street in Muggle London eating what James could only describe as the most amazing food invention of all time.

"What do you call these again?" he asked, stuffing yet another handful of the mystery food into his mouth.

"French fries," Lily answered, stealing a few from his carton.

"Right, well, we need to go to this McDoodle's-"

"McDonald's"

"Yeah, that one- more often." Lily laughed and took a sip of soda from the cup James was carrying. In that moment, laughing and eating French fries while wearing a ballgown, James decided he'd never seen anything quite as perfect as Lily in his entire life.

"Hey Lil," he said casually.

"Yeah?" she asked, eye him curiously.

"Wanna marry me?"

"What?" Lily dropped her French fries, but didn't seem to notice. "James, are you serious?" James knelt down on one knee on the dirty sidewalk.

"I don't have a ring, exactly, because I didn't plan this, but Lily Evans, you're the greatest thing ever to happen to me, and I love you more than anybody's even loved anything. And so I'd really like to be married to you. Will you marry me?"

Lily let out a scream, pulled James up off the ground, and pulled him into a fervent kiss. He took that as a "yes."

Back at the bar getting cynically stoned

Your friends are drinking alone

But it's funny, they don't even cross your mind

When she asks you into her home

James' friends were lounging in his sitting room, drinking Butterbeer, and looking dumbfounded.

"Engaged?" Sirius asked. "As in, getting married?" James nodded happily.

"Why?" Remus asked, a line of worry creasing his brow. "Have you been imperiused?" James laughed, shaking his head.

"No, just in love," he answered, taking a gulp of his Butterbeer. Lily walked into the room from the kitchen, where she'd been pouring tea, and took a seat next to James. "Hey, love," he said. "They think I've been imperiused."

Lily laughed and shot a mock- glare in their direction. "I haven't imperiused him, thanks." She turned her attention back to James. "I have to get going, love. I've got to feed my cat."

James checked his watch, and looked at her worriedly. "It's ten at night, Lil."

Sirius scoffed. "She can take care of herself, mate. Lily's a big girl now." Lily laughed appreciatively, kissed James on the cheek, and grabbed her coat.

"I'll walk you home," James offered, standing up. His friends groaned in protest.

"No," she protested, "go out to the pub with your mates."

"Come on, mate," Sirius pleaded, "I need a wingman!"

"Nah, I'm walking Lily home," James said, pulling his coat off the hook. "You two have a good time, though." Sirius and Remus rolled their eyes and bid them both goodnight before apparating. James and Lily took to the street, following the familiar route to Lily's place.

"Well then," Lily said as they reached her flat.

"Yeah," James responded quickly. "I'll get going then. 'Night!" He kissed her on the cheek and was walking away when-

"James! Wait!" Lily hurried up to him and he turned around. "Do you... do you want to come in?" she asked, looking hopeful.

James' face broke into a smile. "Yeah," he said, "that'd be great." Lily smiled back at him.

Hey, hey, hey, somewhere you threw your fear in the Sea of No Care

James swallowed. He wasn't prepared for this, not at all. Remus and Sirius were right, he needed to live a little! He should be out partying, and dating different girls, and being irresponsible, and-

He looked up and met her eyes, green on brown, and saw the overwhelming love they contained. Love for him. He felt that now- familiar swoop in his stomach, felt himself relax, felt how lucky he was to have the most perfect girl ever to grace the surface of the earth, felt like he would die without her, felt like she was his oxygen, felt like this was the best decision of his life, and smiled.

"I do."