Chapter 1: Forever in His Eyes

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters, objects, settings, and plots are the property of J.K. Rowling. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise associated with Harry potter. No copyright infringement is intended and no money is being made from the writing of this fanfiction.

A/N: Sequel to The Price of Freedom.

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Lily is happy. Happier than she's ever been, despite her father's deteriorating health and her dying relationship with her sister, and despite the horrors being committed every day against wizards and Muggles both.

Lily can't help being happy, despite it all. She's in love. She's made peace with her boyfriend's crazy friends and their trouble-making ways, and she's about to graduate. She's even got several job offers, one of which is more and more appealing every time she thinks about it. Everything is sparkling and bright.

Except for one thing.

"James, I don't understand why you won't talk about this."

Her boyfriend makes a dismissive noise and scrunches his long frame into a more comfortable position, pressing his face briefly against her knees before settling his head back in her lap.

"James?"

"'M sleepin,'" he mumbles, voice low and drowsy.

"You aren't. We've been chatting for ages."

"Sleepin' now," he mumbles back.

Lily huffs, glaring at the side of her boyfriend's head and stilling the fingers she'd been running through his thick hair.

"Don' stop," he groans, lifting a hand to pat at hers.

"I'll keep petting if you'll talk," she offers, but resumes stroking.

James is silent a long moment. "I just don't see how this discussion is necessary," he finally grumbles. Lily can see the way his forehead is scrunched up in a frown, can feel the pressure of it on her thigh.

Lily frowns herself. "You don't see how discussing our post-graduation living situations might be important?" she asks, incredulous.

James gives a sullen half-shrug.

"James!" Lily fists his hair and yanks, not hard enough to do any real harm, but hard enough to sting.

"Ow! Lily!" James rolls onto his back and glares up at her, rubbing his sore scalp with one hand.

He does not, Lily notices, sit up or move away. The part of her that is not annoyed with him feels warm and fuzzy. Inwardly, she scowls at herself.

Outwardly, she scowls at James. He scowls back. Lily allows her scowl to morph into a solid glare, then thinks the problem over and easily changes tactics.

"Alright," she says, letting her expression smooth out into a thoughtful mien.

"Alright?" James looks startled.

"Alright."

They are silent for several minutes. Lily leans back against the sofa they are occupying in the Gryffindor common room, fiddling with the hem of James's sleeve with both hands as she waits for James to speak.

"What do you mean, 'alright'?" he finally demands.

She tilts her head down to meet his eyes. "Frank Longbottom is taking a job with the Aurors after graduation, so he'll be living in London. Alice is still considering a position with the Aurors herself, and she's wanting live close to Frank regardless, so Alice is moving to London as well. She's been asking if I'd like to share a flat with her. As I'm considering several jobs in London myself, as you know, I've agreed."

"What?"

Lily continues as if he hasn't spoken. "The only reason we haven't already signed a lease is because we're not sure what part of town we want most to live in. Alice would like a flat near Frank's, but I was hoping we could find one somewhere further from the Ministry. I was also hoping to find out where you were planning to be, but if you don't want to talk about it, we'll just go ahead and take the one Alice's mum found for us."

"I thought you were planning to move home after graduation!"

"You wouldn't have, if you'd let me talk about it," she tells him blandly.

James scowls again.

Lily relents with a tiny smile. "Is that why you didn't want to talk about it? Because you assumed I was moving home?"

James is quiet. After a few seconds pass, he reaches for her hand and puts it back in his hair. She flashes a grin, which he ignores, and obeys his silent command, sliding her fingers through his inky black waves. James relaxes with a sigh, closes his eyes, and reaches out blindly to take her other hand. She laces their fingers together and he settles their hands on his chest.

Even in the midst of this serious discussion, Lily feels contentment settle inside her. She always does, in quiet moments like these.

"I knew you were worried," James begins. "About your family, I mean." Lily stills at the implied reference to the rising number of Muggle deaths the Prophet has been reporting the last few years. Lily is concerned. Many of the deaths reported in the last six or seven months have been Muggles with wizarding relations.

James squeezes Lily's hand. Lily feels reassured despite herself. James just has that effect.

"I thought you'd be going home so you could keep an eye on things, offer your family some protection. I just didn't want to think about you being so far away."

Lily smiles. "Every square inch of my family's property is warded, thrice over. I check them regularly every time I'm home for a visit. And I'm always researching new wards. I've been doing it ever since I came of age."

"I know, but you've been worrying for ages that wards wouldn't be enough."

"I'm still worried. But I've thought about it, and I think the best way to protect my family is to help track down the source of the problem rather than sitting around waiting for the symptoms to affect me."

James frowns. "I didn't think you were interested in going into the Auror program."

"I wasn't," Lily replies. "I'm not. But I've been offered a position with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement doing investigative potions and charms work. The team I'll be working with also develops spells and potions for Aurors and Hit-Wizards to use in the field."

James just stares at her.

Lily grins. "Essentially," she tells her flabbergasted love, "I'll get all the training of an Auror, insider knowledge of parts of the Ministry that you potential Auror types probably won't see much of, intense charms and potions training, and close proximity to you. Every day."

James blinks. Then he hooks a hand around the back of her neck and tugs her down for a kiss. "I love you," he tells her when they part.

Lily's lips pull up in a smug little smile. "I know," she tells him.

"That's not the appropriate response, Lils," James replies with a mock frown.

Lily laughs. James smiles back at her, and then sighs. "I'm still not sure I'm going to do the Auror thing, you know."

"I know. Remus can't do it, Peter's unsuited to it, and Sirius has problems with authority. You'd be Marauderless and miserable. To be honest, I'm not sure that you would be able to work under that kind of rule structure anyway. All four of you work much better as a freelance team. All the more reason for me to take this job. Then at least one of us will be in the DMLE. And you'd take that job with the Department of Magical Games and Sports, so I'll still see you every day."

"It won't bother you? If I'm not an Auror?"

"Honestly?" James nods. "I'll feel better if you don't go out and pull dangerous stunts without at least one Marauder in attendance."

"Really." James stretches out the vowels, his expression one of interest. "I was sure you'd be uncomfortable with me joining Dumbledore's Order if I wasn't getting official combat training somewhere."

Lily rolls her eyes. "A total stranger running after you into danger, or someone who knows you and how you move and how your mad brain functions." Lily arches an eyebrow at the boy in her lap. "It's a fairly simple choice. I do have a rather invested interest in your living through each day."

"Do you, now?" James is the one wearing a smug smile now.

Lily shrugs. "I fancy you a bit."

"A bit."

"Mm."

James laughed. "Alright."

"Alright?"

"Yeah," James stretches, pushing his legs out over the arm of the sofa and knocking one of Remus's temporarily abandoned books onto the floor, before wiggling back up into his original position, curled up on his side as close to Lily as he can get. He yawns. "I'm thinking you should take me to see this new flat of yours. That way, when Remus and I finally manage to bully Sirius into looking for a place, we'll know where we should be looking," he tells her, rubbing his cheek against her knee and closing his eyes.

Lily takes a moment to admire the way his eyelashes fan out, dark and thick, and then leans down to kiss the side of his head gratefully.

"I love you," she murmurs.

James curls one hand beneath her knee, pulls himself a little closer, and smiles. "I know."

Lily watches as James drifts off to sleep. She tangles her fingers in his hair and thinks about her life. She thinks about graduation, and her new job, and her new plans. But mostly, she thinks about the future, and she thinks about James.

She thinks about the way James looks at her, calm and confident, with forever in his eyes.

She thinks she probably shouldn't get too comfortable in her new flat.

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More to come! It'll be slow though. This is my last semester, and it's kicking my butt.