A/N: New jily one-shot - James' proposal to Lily. :)
James paced around the dorm room, running his hand through his hair. Sirius looked at him amused.
"Ah, he's still doing that?" Remus asked, as he entered the room. "Prongs, you do realise you've been pacing around for the past -" he looked at the clock, "three hours."
"I can't help it. I'm nervous - no, scared - terrified! Moony, do you realise that this - this is life-changing," James said dramatically, turning to face him. Remus raised a brow, as Sirius chortled in the background.
"Alright, that's enough," Remus said, exasperated. "Prongs, get your arse up. Even though I hate sneaking off to Diagon Alley while we're at Hogwarts, we'll go buy the ring right now."
James waved a hand dismissively. "I'll owl Dad to send me the Potter family ring. And don't I need to decide what to say first? What if I get the ring and I can't think of anything poetic enough to say?" he exclaimed, worriedly.
"There's always 'marry me', mate," Sirius suggested, smirking.
James narrowed his eyes at his best friend. "You shut up. All you've done is laugh since I told you about- about the moment I had."
"You've had these moments every year," Sirius said, making air quotes around the word 'moments'. "In first year, you realised she was pretty. In second year, you realised you liked her. In third year, you decided to ask her out. In fourth year, you realised
she didn't like you. In fifth year, you realised -"
"Alright, Padfoot, shut up."
"No let me finish. The point is, mate, you realise something 'life-changing' every year. And it would be alright if you were miserable and worried because she didn't love you. But now she does! So stop sulking and throwing a tantrum because you realised for the third - no, millionth - time that you want to spend the rest of your life with her. She's going to say yes, even if you don't give her a ring," Sirius finished.
Remus gave Sirius a look which effectively prevented him from adding anything. "That was a little insensitive, Padfoot. After all, it's not every day that a man proposes to the woman he loves."
"Actually, I'm sure there's always someone proposing to someone they lo-"
"James, sit down," Remus said seriously, ignoring Sirius' indignant "Hey!" at being cut off. "Now listen to me," he continued, putting his hands on James' shoulder and looking him square in the eyes. "Lily is expecting you to propose to her. She wants you to propose to her. So she'll definitely answer in the affirmative."
James stared at him uncomprehending.
"Oh, shove over," Sirius said impatiently. "Lily. Will. Say. Yes," he said, pronouncing each word carefully and slowly.
James continued looking at them in shock.
Sirius threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Great, now he can't even understand English."
"Lily's expecting me to propose," James said at last.
Remus and Sirius exchanged a look that clearly meant oh-look-the-idiot's-finally-understood. "Yes," they said in unison.
"…"
"Merlin. Did you just -" Sirius broke off, his expression torn between amused and shocked.
"No! Shut up. I did not."
"Prongs, you did," Remus remarked, laughing slightly.
"I did not!" he exclaimed.
"This is the ultimate test of your masculinity, Jamie-poo," Sirius chuckled, having finally decided on being amused rather than surprised.
"Alright. I squealed. Like you two have never done that," James acquiesced, glaring defensively at his so-called friends.
They stared at him for a moment before bursting out into gales of laughter.
"Oh, James," Sirius said, in between laughing. "You didn't just squeal -"
"You squealed like a girl," Remus finished, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Fat lot of help you two are. Ah, Peter, my man. You'll be a better friend to me than these two, won't you? You'd never betray me like these goons," he swung an arm around Peter's shoulders. Peter looked a little lost, having entered only seconds ago.
"Sure, Prongs," he agreed awkwardly.
"Can we get back onto the topic now?" James asked, tapping his foot impatiently.
"Yes, you were squealing?" Sirius said, before erupting into a fresh round of laughter.
"Alright, James. Go on," Remus managed finally, seeing James' thunderous expression.
James took a deep breath before continuing. "You said she's expecting me to propose?" Remus nodded. "That means that she has expectations - expectations that I won't be able to meet, no matter how amazing my proposal is!"
"James, my man," Sirius ruffled James' hair, "A Marauder's proposal is something no one will ever forget," he smirked.
"This doesn't sound too good," Remus said warily, at seeing Sirius' 'planning face' on.
"Relax, it'll be perfect."
"Jamie," Sirius called out, entering the Heads Dorm. "Oh, hi Lily," he greeted, seeing her in the Heads common room. "Do you know where Prongs is?"
She smiled in return. "He's in his room. He just got back from Quidditch practise. He seemed a bit worried, if you ask me."
Sirius laughed knowingly, messing Lily's hair a little as he passed by.
"Hey," she exclaimed, though the slight giggle that escaped her made the scolding ineffective.
Giving her an affectionate smile, Sirius stepped into James' room, closing the door behind him and placing a silencing charm on it.
"Prongsie, my man."
James glared at him. "Don't call me Prongsie."
"Alright," Sirius spread his hands in a gesture of peace. "Let's get to work," he said, ignoring James' questioning gaze as he jumped onto the bed. "Now I think you should surprise Lily-flower with a date in one of the most expensive restaurants in Diagon Alley. Sneak into Hogsmeade, and then Apparate her into Diagon. She'll already be so impressed with the spectacular avenue that when you pull out the ring at the end of dinner, she'll have nothing to say but 'yes'."
James shot him a look. "That seems a bit... tame, for you, don't you think?"
Sirius looked at him innocently, before letting his face break out into an expression of mischief. "Well, I was thinking more along the lines of fireworks and dancing gnomes that would throw rose petals to set the atmosphere - but then I thought, Prongsie's had this sudden growth spurt and become oh-so-mature now. So something classy and elegant then."
"You've thought about this a lot," James laughed.
"Yes! Mate, you can tie yourself down, but I know I'll be a bachelor for life. You proposing is as important to me as my own proposal would be. Not to mention, I'll get my very first sister if you succeed. Maybe my only sister, since Moony doesn't seem to have any marriage plans, and frankly, who would even want to marry Wormy? And that's not even the best part! I'll be best man at the wedding too," Sirius grinned widely.
"I love you, Sirius. You know that, right?"
"Why the sudden sappy love declarations, mate?" Sirius asked, amused.
James shrugged. "Just realised how much I love you."
Sirius shook his head. "Being in love has really had a negative impact on your masculinity. First the girl-like squealing, and now an 'I love you'?"
"Come here," he sighed, when James didn't say anything. James looked at him confused before taking a tentative step towards Sirius. Sirius pulled him into a hug - a man hug - before whispering, "I love you too," a little more emotionally than he would have liked.
"Um, I got chocolate chip biscuits from the kitchen if you guys want any," a very familiar voice said from behind them. They sprung apart quickly.
"Uh, Lily," James stuttered. "It wasn't what it looked like."
Lily raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Because I thought it was just two friends hugging, but if it was something more -" she broke off smirking suggestively.
"Yes, I'm stealing your boyfriend," Sirius winked, as he sidled closer to James and slipped an arm around his waist.
James jumped away. "What the hell, man? Stay away. It's disturbing." Lily giggled at his horrified expression, before kissing him on his cheek.
"Now, Lily-kins, I believe you said something about biscuits?" Sirius said eagerly, running out of the room.
"Honestly, that boy's always hungry," Lily said, shaking her head, as they followed him.
"So, Remus, how do you think I should propose to Lily," James asked, while they were on patrol together a few days later.
Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. "Something romantic, definitely. Lily likes that sort of thing. She also finds your being a Quidditch player extremely attractive - something about sexy muscles and looking hot while flying," he made a face, before opening his mouth to continue.
"Wait, wait, wait," James interrupted. "How the hell do you know all this?"
"Lily tells me," Remus replied, giving him a look. "She's one of my best friends, you know."
"Yes, but," James paused. "Next time you repeat what she said; try to change the words a little bit, yeah? It's weird when you call my muscles sexy and my flying hot," he grimaced.
Remus laughed. "I know. I just said it to creep you out."
"Anyway, back to the proposal," James said pointedly.
"Why don't you take her on a broom ride over the lake near the next full moon? You can charm the stars to say 'Marry me, Lily?'," Remus suggested.
"Too cheesy. And is there even a spell for that?" James asked, quizzically.
Remus shrugged. "Probably. We can research."
"Moony, I may have turned into a mature, responsible, respectable Head Boy, but I will never go to the library willingly."
"It was just a suggestion, Prongs," Remus chuckled. "Besides, I don't think going along with Sirius' idea or mine is the key to this. I think it has to come from within you. That's what Lily would like best," he continued, causing a thoughtful expression to come over James' face.
"Uh, James, are you alright?" Peter asked nervously. The last time he had interrupted James' pacing, James had jumped with fright, and in his shock he had hexed Peter with an unknown curse. Peter had spent a week in the Hospital Wing.
"What? Yes, yes I'm fine," James muttered distractedly. He paced around some more, while Peter tried to concentrate on his Charms textbook.
"Peter," James began before stopping abruptly. "Peter, how do I propose to Lily from within myself?"
"Um," Peter said hesitantly. James rarely asked for his opinion, always choosing to go to Sirius or Remus instead. "Just think about the things you love about her. Focus on what she appreciates your love for - and well go from there." When James didn't reply, Peter continued nervously. "At least, that's what I think it should be like. I've never proposed to anyone."
James looked at him in wonder. "That's brilliant, Wormtail. That's the best advice anyone's given me about this so far."
Peter blushed violently at that.
"Thanks, Wormy," James grinned, rushing out of the dorm, no doubt to go for a broom-ride to think.
"Any time, Prongs," Peter said, to a now empty room.
"Have you decided what you're going to do after Hogwarts," Lily asked, seeming a little nervous.
James swung their connected hands as they walked through Hogsmeade. "Well, yeah, I've always known I want to join the Aurors department. And well, now it's even more important you know?"
Lily nodded, looking a little crestfallen. James looked at her worriedly. "That's not what you were talking about, was it," he stated more than asked.
She shook her head. "No, I was talking about us," she replied. James whipped his face around to look at her, startled at the turn their conversation had taken.
Just as she opened her mouth to elaborate, she was cut off by a loud cracking sound, as dark figures cloaked in black apparated all around them.
"Death Eaters," James cursed, pulling Lily into an empty alley way. All thoughts of their previous conversation fled his mind, as he gave her instructions. "Lily, run back to the castle and warn Dumbledore. I'll stay and help the students here."
"No," she protested.
James silenced her with a fierce look. "Lily, go! We're Heads - we need to take the right steps for our safety, not act rashly," he said, as the sound of dueling filled the air.
She took a shaky breath. "I can't believe you're the one going on about acting with maturity now," she let out a watery chuckle. James smiled at her attempt to lighten the mood. "Just -" she hugged him tightly, "Be careful, James."
"I love you, Lils," he whispered, hugging her back.
"I love you too, Jamie."
He scowled playfully at the nickname, before running out into the thick of the battle. Lily gave him one last look before closing her eyes and turning on the spot to apparate to Hogwarts' gates.
James opened his eyes weakly. His friend and Lily were sitting around his bed in the Hospital Wing.
"What happened," he croaked, causing their heads to turn towards him suddenly.
"James," Lily squealed, jumping up to hug him tightly.
"Don't kill squeeze me to death, love. I've only just recovered," James chuckled.
"And not even recovered fully yet," Madame Pomfrey said, bustling about the bed. "You took a Stunner, straight to the head, causing you to fall on the spot. One of your legs broke. There are a few minor cuts and the tests also show signs of being placed under the Cruciatus. Honestly, battling right in the middle of Hogsmeade while students are around," she grumbled."
Sirius grinned at James over her shoulder, but James could see the worry his best friend's eyes at the mention of the Cruciatus.
"What happened to you two?" he asked, gesturing towards the bandage around Sirius' head and the cast on Remus' arm.
Sirius waved his hand nonchalantly. "Minor cut. Definitely not one of my worst injuries. Moony's got a broken arm."
"Definitely not one of his worst injuries either, then," James joked, trying to break the tense atmosphere surrounding them.
As soon as Madam Pomfrey moved onto the next patient, Lily flung herself at James. "Oh James," she sobbed into his shoulder. "I thought I'd- I thought you would die for sure. I was so afraid, no terrified for you! Merlin, James, don't do that to me again! Dumbledore didn't even let me join in the fighting after I gave him the message. It was horrible."
Lily, shh, I'm here, I'm alive," he consoled, secretly glad that Dumbledore had kept her away from the fighting. Godric knew what he'd do, if it was Lily unconscious in the Hospital Wing. "It's alright. Just let it all out, love. I'm not leaving you. I love you, Lils. I won't leave until you want me to - and probably not even then." She let out a weak chuckle at that. "I promise you, Lily, we'll get out of this war alive - together."
"You can't promise that," she sniffed.
"Well, I have," he said decisively.
As she clung onto his neck, his attention was caught by his friends' waving hands. He shot them a puzzled look, hoping they wouldn't ruin this - this moment he and Lily were having. They knew how much he treasured these.
Sirius was pointing to Lily and then him, and miming – untying a knot? Was he trying to hint at opening a birthday present? Remus slapped away Sirius' animated hands, sensing that James was getting even more confused. Remus began to mouth something slowly. James squinted. Lip reading had never been his forte.
"Uh, Lily," he began. She made a contented sound, her tears finally having abated. "I need to -" What was Remus saying? Now Sirius and Peter were trying to form the same words. "I need to go poop."
"What?" Lily said, bewildered, pulling her head up from his shoulder.
"Um," he backtracked, spying Remus smacking his head in frustration. "Not poop. I mean, I don't, uh, have to go to the washroom." He hastily pulled Lily back into the hug before she questioned what was wrong.
Sirius shook his head, clearly holding back laughter. James glared at him, embarrassed at having made such a faux pas in front of Lily. Sirius sighed. He got down on one knee and pretended he was offering Remus a ring.
Ah. Propose.
James subtly shoved his hand into his pocket, checking if the ring was still there. He had been carrying it around ever since his father had mailed it from the Potter vaults. Not just to keep it safe, but also because he wanted to be prepared should the right moment pop up unexpectedly.
He took a deep breath, shooting his friends a nervous look, before pulling out of the hug.
"Lily," he began.
"What's wrong, James?" she asked, perplexed.
"Nothing's wrong. In fact, something's going to be very right. Lily," he inhaled deeply again. "Lily, there's something I've been meaning to ask you for a few weeks now." He ignored his friends behind her, who were now pulling weird faces to distract him. So supportive, he thought wryly, mentally rolling his eyes.
Remus' words echoed in his mind, I think it has to come from within you. That's what Lily would like best.
Well here goes nothing, he thought, getting out of the bed.
"James what are you doing? Get back in bed," she cried. He silenced her with a small kiss on the lips.
"Lily, I love you very much. And when you asked me what I wanted for us in Hogsmeade, I couldn't answer. Lily, I want forever for us," he looked at her, dropping down to one knee.
"Marry me?"
He could hear Sirius whooping in the background, even as Remus shushed him. He would have given Sirius the middle finger, but he had eyes only for Lily. Her eyes were bright with tears.
Merlin, he really hoped he hadn't shattered her dreams and hopes. She had expectations, he thought, swallowing thickly.
"Hello, Earth to James?" Lily said.
He shook his head. "Sorry," he blushed. Way to go, Prongs, he berated himself mentally. Zoning out in the middle of your proposal to the woman you love.
There was silence for a moment. "Well, aren't you going to kiss me?" Lily asked, looking a little baffled.
James looked at her stupidly. "She said yes, mate!" Sirius shouted.
"Oh. Oh!" James let out an ecstatic whoop, before sweeping Lily off her feet and into a deep kiss.
"Oi. Get a room!" Sirius laughed.
"Shut up," James said, pulling out of the kiss. Lily laughed.
"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black. What is going on? This is the infirmary, not another place to pull your pranks," Madame Pomfrey scolded as she rushed over to the commotion.
"Lily and Remus were making noise too," Sirius protested.
"Nevertheless, I'm sure you and Mr. Potter started it."
"Sorry, Madame Pomfrey. You see, James just proposed to Lily and she said yes," Remus explained, prodding Sirius in the ribs to stop him from complaining.
Madame Pomfrey's eyes softened a little. "Well, in that case, congratulations are in order. But that is no excuse for making a ruckus in my Hospital Wing."
"When will you let me out?" James asked eagerly.
"In a week's time."
"What! That's too long," he said, pouting.
Lily giggle, "You look so cute like that." His pout immediately turned into a smirk. "And so sexy like that."
"Is our Lily-flower flirting with Prongs, in front of a member of the staff?" Sirius exclaimed in shock.
Remus laughed quietly. "They're just happy, Padfoot."
"Mr. Black, Mr. Lupin, Mr. Pettigrew, I must ask you to leave now. Visitors' hours are over," Madame Promfrey said. "Ms. Evans, I suppose you can stay for a little while longer."
When Sirius began protesting, Remus dragged him out by the arm. Peter followed, waving at James and Lily meekly.
"Half an hour, Ms. Evans, no longer," Madame Promfrey said sternly.
"Yes, Madame Promfrey."
"Would you have proposed to me even if Hogsmeade wasn't attacked, James?"
"Of course. I was planning it for weeks. I want forever, Lils."
Lily's eyes were bright and her smile wide as she tackled James in a bear hug. "I want forever with you too."
I hope their reactions were alright to the proposal and James getting hurt... I'm only fifteen, so those were a smidge hard to write.
-Sana
13.01.13
Update: I have made some corrections and edited a few things. Hopefully it's better now! :)
-Sana