Ten things I know about Lily Evans, by James Potter.
She has a fiery temper
She's the smartest witch I have ever met
She's not afraid to tell me off… or yell
She has a kind heart
She can throw some painful hexes
She is the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on
She is unbelievably bossy at times
She has an amazing sense of humour
She has sent me to the hospital on numerous occasions
I am un-conditionally, crazily in love with her
James Potter was nervously fiddling with a small box that was pocketed in his robes. The palms of his hands were sweaty and he was frantically pacing back and forth in front of the tree that he had first got the elusive Lily Evans to go out with him.
Over six years it had taken him to get her and now he finally had her it was like a dream come true and he never wanted to lose her. So here he was after dating the girl of his dreams for just over six months… pacing, just like he had done every time he had tried to ask her out.
"Mate will you stop pacing everything will be fine."
James spun around to face his best friend Sirius Black as he pulled James' invisibility cloak off revealing the rest of the marauders, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.
"Padfoot, what the hell are you guys doing here?" Sirius chuckled slightly at his friend's anxiousness.
"Making sure you don't walk a hole in the ground." Sirius let out a sharp breath as Remus' elbow came into contact, sharply with his stomach.
"It'll be fine." Remus said attempting to comfort his fellow marauder. James returned to his frantic pacing again looking back up at Hogwarts every few seconds.
"She's late. She's late, what if she doesn't come?"
"She'll be here Prongs just calm down."
"Yeah she's probably finishing a stupid assignment or something; she's Lily Evans that's what she does." Sirius joked. Peter stood there nodding vigorously along agreeing with Sirius.
"She's coming. She's coming. You lot better go, now!" James hissed as he saw the red hair of the girl he loved bouncing out the door of the castle and sprinting towards him. The marauders got themselves covered under the invisibility cloak stooping slightly just in time for Lily to come bounding into James' arms panting heavily from running.
"I'm sorry… I'm late…Transfiguration paper… McGonagall…had to finish…" Sirius stifled a laugh from behind James only to receive a glare from Remus in case James or more importantly Lily heard them. "… and… Alice…" Lily gave up trying to speak and just let her head flop on James' chest as her breathing steadied. James chuckled slightly and encircled her in his arms. He felt his hands start to clam up again and his right pocket suddenly felt like it weighed a tonne. Lily finally looked back up her eyes locking with his and she couldn't help but notice the anxiety in them.
"You were saying." James mumbled, transfixed by her eyes an obvious smile on his lips.
"Oh right." Lily took a second gathering up what she had been about to say as her thoughts were temporarily scattered by the passion hidden behind James' obvious anxiety. "Frank proposed. There getting married."
"Th-that's great. Come with me I want to show you something… Lily, Lily?"
Lily's eyes darted back to James from a blank spot about a meter behind him that she had been scowling at questionably.
"Come with me." He whispered sending shivers down he back. He kissed her gently.
'My last kiss with her before this day becomes the most amazing day of my life or my biggest nightmare', James thought before taking her hand and placed her on a path of rose petals Lily hadn't noticed.
"Follow them." He instructed. Lily glanced at the path before looking back to question James but he had already disappeared.
If it weren't for the fact that she trusted James she wouldn't have followed the sweet smelling path. If it weren't for the fact that she was almost positive that she had fallen un-conditionally in love with James Charles Potter, she wouldn't have taken another step but within all her years at Hogwarts fighting the love that had always been there and mistaking it with hate she'd come to terms with the fact that no matter what she did she was madly in love with him. So she walked, letting the rose petals guide her.
The petals led her winding around the school to the tallest tower. Lily Started to ascend the stairs of the astronomy tower mumbling incoherently about the fact they weren't allowed up there unless they had lessons. She heard a snigger come from behind her and spun round examining the empty space. Letting it slide she finished her climb to the astronomy tower.
When Lily pulled herself through the door a shower of glitter rained over her head and drab school uniform transformed into a glittering red dress that Lily had only ever seen on muggle red carpets.
It had a plunging neck line and the bottom hem of it ended just above her knee on one side before swooping down diagonally so it trailed onto the floor. The scrunchy she had in her hair evaporated leaving it to fall gracefully down her back. She looked down to her feet and clapped them together feeling kind of silly to be wearing her dull school shoes with the glittering dress.
"Sorry about the shoes I couldn't seem to figure out how to change them." James' voice seemed to float towards her in a dizzying fashion as he stepped out from behind one of the telescopes dressed in his best black dress robes.
"As amazing as this dress is and very romantic I will be getting my school clothes back right? Because we still have a week left of school, you know."
James let out a rather nervous laugh and nodded; he picked up Lily's hand and pulled her into the little alcove that looked over the black lake. The sun was slowly dropping out of the sky and small stars were starting to appear above. Lily sighed at the beauty.
James stood nervously behind her, for the third or fourth time that day his hands started to get sweaty and the small box felt like the biggest thing in the world.
"So are you going to tell me what this is all about?" Lily asked turning to face him.
"In a bit" He whispered, turning her back around to face the view and rapping his arms around her waist. He trailed kisses up and down her neck and she let her head roll back to rest on his shoulder.
The sun seemed to fade quicker than usual and stars littered the purple sky. Lily wanted to do nothing more than stay where she was admiring the stars from James' arms. James on the other hand was becoming more and more nervous, knowing that any second now all his planning would be paid off.
"You know the stars have names." Lily nodded not bothering to tell him that she knew they did; I mean they were in an astronomy tower after all.
"That one is called Apus." He said pointing to the right of the sky to point out a distinct shape leaving one arm draped around her waist. "It means 'bird of paradise'."
"And this one…" James gestured off to the left. "Is Lupus meaning 'the wolf."
"Quite fitting for one of our friends don't you think?" Lily mumbled giggling slightly to herself. James smiled slightly nodding against her skin. He kissed a spot on her neck and let his hands drop from her waist.
"My favourite star is that one. Off to the right." Lily looked up, yearning for his hands to rest on her waist again. She took in a sharp gasp as she looked up into the stars. It was no ordinary constellation that James was showing her but there in the sky were the words, 'Marry me Evans.'
Lily turned at a startling pace to see James on one knee in his shaking hands was a red velvet box. He opened it slowly, gulping as he did so to reveal a shining diamond ring with a silver band and on either side of the glistening stone were two small emeralds encased in the band to match her eyes.
"Lily Evans you have the worst temper, you're not afraid to yell at me and at times you can be unbelievably bossy-"
"James, I don't think you should be insulting me while you're proposing." She whispered, tears prickling at her eyes.
"Just shush Evans. Let me finish. You throw a painful hex and Merlin knows how many times you've sent me to the hospital but you're smart, have an amazing sense of humour and the kindest heart. You are the most beautiful girl I have ever laid eyes on. Will you do me the honour of listening to the stars?"
Lily stood there staring down at the man she was now a million percent sure she loved, the tears threatening to spill from her eyes, all this was too good to be true and she felt like she was floating. She turned to have one more look at the illusion made in the stars.
'Marry me Evans.'
James stayed still were he was letting her look back at the stars he didn't dare move and had to steady his hand to stop it from shaking. His head was pounding at it felt like he had a load of Cornish pixies playing in his stomach. He took a deep ragged breath to calm him safe and Lily turned back to face him. Her face was blank as she dropped to her knees in front of him, at the last second a blitzing smile erupted on her face and tears rolled down her face.
"Yes... Yes, yes, yes!" She took his face in her small hands and kissed him. Smiling against her lips he kissed her back and from behind he could just about make out the sound of three people sighing in relief.
Still kissing Lily, James stood up pulling her with him. He broke away from the kiss still grinning and slipped the ring onto her left hand, third finger from the right
"I love you Lily Rose Evans."
"I love you too James… but um… one thing."
"What? Anything"
"You can come out now."
Lily glanced over James' shoulder and like appearing from thin air the marauders came into view grinning like idiots, the invisibility cloak dangling from Sirius' hand.
"How'd you know we were here?" Remus mused.
Lily wiped away the remaining tears and rapped an arm around James' waist.
"Your feet were showing" Lily sniffled.
"Awe, group hug" Sirius boomed and the next thing Lily knew was being squished by the four boys while clinging to James' shirt and she could honestly say she felt more happy and more loved then she had felt in a long time. With her happiness brimming and her new family-to-be gently choking her airways with love the tears started to flow again.