Free time.
Most people revered the subtle change from being busy, things to do, busy, busy busy…and they would respect it and pursue it, worshipping it wholly.
But not the teachers at Hogwarts…
Just the students.
Free time, for anyone, meant that someone was up to something. And, that someone was usually the Marauders of Gryffindor House. And, invariably, that something was mischief.
Even in his seventh year, the oldest and most mature year at Hogwarts, James was wearing the flamboyant and knowing grin that meant he was most assuredly up to something. He was too lanky and tall to hide himself from the classes, visible from the open windows he strode by, so he didn't even attempt to. He was on the side of Hogwarts, past the small plaza that dipped into the corridor, with several stone benches – the centre for everything, everywhere, and everyone at Hogwarts – and into the meadows of tall grass, walking dutifully along the side of the monstrous stone building that made up only a piece of Hogwarts.
James stopped when he was at the big, oblong wooden door of the class that he was destined to interrupt today. His lopsided smile widened, and he burst into the door, turning the knob as he did. It swung open, slamming into the wall to the right of him, and he was staring into the shocked faces of many Slytherin and Gryffindor seventh-years. Several of the looks slowly turned to amusement, and they began to wonder what he was up to now – what his genius plan was.
"Hello, Professor Slughorn, sir! Isn't it a fine day today?" he called out loudly, extending his arms and twirling through the classroom so he was right beside the professor. He skidded to a halt and leaned into the poor teacher, putting his elbow on the man's shoulder and leaning on him. Snickers resounded through the whole class.
Before Slughorn could compose himself enough to firmly scold the young man, he opened his mouth and began to speak again, perhaps even louder than before. "I'm looking for Miss Lily Evans. Has anyone seen her, perchance?" His voice rang throughout the classroom and James heard a hand slap the girl's back in congratulations for her small moment of fame. He spotted her, and her face was quickly flushing with color, her amusement and embarrassment evident.
"There you are!" James exclaimed, laughing stridently and clapping his hands together jovially. He stood up straight and strode over to her, his elbow lifting from Slughorn's shoulder. He bent down, his knee almost touching the ground in a kneel, and lifted her hand – which was small and shapely, smooth, almost child-like but still dainty – kissing it thoroughly. He lifted her up by it and held it, taking her quickly out of the classroom and gliding through the tall grass.
That seemed to free Slughorn from his enraged trance. He opened the door to see James, racing off and taking Lily with him, toward the Forbidden Forest. "Now, James, you bring her back! You know this is foolish, and you are – you are being an idiot! Stop! BRING HER BACK, NOW! YOU-YOU-IGNORAMOUS-OF-A-PUPIL!" Slughorn's face was turning red now, and seemed almost cartoonish, while paired with his plump face and tweed jacket and yellow-green dress shirt.
But James was hardly listening to the reign of anger, it all sounded like compliments and how-do-you-do's to him. He turned back, still running, and cupped a hand to his mouth to shout his response, "Important matters to tend to, Horace! BYE-BYE!"
It was all filled with choking laughter that bubbled up in his throat. Lily was trailing behind him, holding in strained giggles herself. "James, I don't know if we should be doing this…you really have outdone yourself now!" But she could hardly scorn him – he was her pursuing lover of, say, four years or so. He was up to antics like this all the time – she had gotten used to it.
James tripped over a root in the ground – he had hardly noticed they had entered into the forest, for the tears of laughter were blurring his vision – and fell down, head over heels – rather, head under heels, because his face planted itself firmly in the dirt and his feet flew up behind him. Lily almost tripped after him, but let his hand slip out of hers and dropped back, leaning into a tree and watching him get a mouthful of dirt.
James got up quickly, scrambling up and still grinning lopsidedly. "C'mon, follow me. No – after me. Really," he said, tripping over his own tongue now.
Yes, watching James pursue romance was a funny thing.
With ease, he gripped a stubby branch on the tree and swung himself up, his feet catching onto a thick branch above him. He sat himself up on it with a grunt, then fell backward and hooked the back of his knees on it, swinging precariously. He extended an arm for Lily to use to get up, his glasses slipping down from his eyes to his forehead.
Lily dutifully stepped up onto the branch and gripped his hand, jumping up and grabbing at the branch. It took her several tries, but she got up to the branch and sat next to James, still giggling, and rested her head on his shoulder. Shafts of setting sunlight were streaming through the leaves, skimming her peripheral vision just barely.
After a short pause of just sitting there, James mumbled, "This isn't just a regular date, you know."
Lily laughed and replied, "No, no…but you're not a regular boyfriend. Do you mean – irregular even by your standards?" In mock shock, she raised a hand to her mouth and gasped, her eyes wide.
"Yes, even for me," he answered with a grin. "So move over – I need some room."
Lily slid to the side, allowing James adequate space – whatever he was going to do, she didn't want to be in the line of fire. James put a hand on the tree's trunk and hopped his legs up onto the branch. He turned sideways and balanced on the branch – though balance was not one of James' strong suits, he was handling it well. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand, cupping it like he was holding something else, as well. He set the special piece of air on his thigh and pointed his wand at it, quietly muttering a charm. A small, woven box became visible, and James opened his mouth wide, as if in surprise, and looked up at Lily. "It's a box!"
She raised an eyebrow, smiling at him, and looked down at it. He opened it readily with a single hand, the other one spread out in grandeur.
Lily took in a sharp breath.
Inside it was a clear, well-cut and smooth diamond. It was held in the teeth of a small dragon on one side – the dragon's eye itself was a tiny blue gem – and was held by another tiny dragon on the other, exactly the same except for the tiny red gem it had enclosed in its eye socket.
"Lily Evans - known to friends as just Lily, known to professor Slughorn as Lovely Lily, known to me as amazing and beautiful in every way," he began quickly, looking up from the ring into her face, grinning. "would you possibly be willing to put up with me as your husband for the rest of your life?"
She paused for a moment, her mouth open, still stunned, and replied, "I-I wouldn't have it any other way."
James leaned in and scooped her up, falling back into the tree trunk, and kissed her, his lips slipping into hers. He held her close to him, and he knew that he would love her forever.