Getting Together

Chapter 4: Lily/James

Disclaimer: See the last couple chapters.

A/N: I'm sorry about the long delay, I've been swamped with school work! There's also been a big delay because I'm working on a main fic that should be up this weekend, and I've been working on the plot and the first couple chapters. I've also started two other L/J fics that should have been this one, but they're turning out too long to be in this one. I worked really hard on this one (even though I threw it together in a day), so enjoy!!!!

This was the best year ever! The Marauders decreed at the end of the year. They all had their special reasons, Sirius just being glad that it was over, Remus glad that he could finally amount to something other than what he was, but James' reason was far beyond what anyone else' reason was. The year he had made Lily his own.

A month into the school year could find the legendary Marauders in their potions corner of the class room. James had been exuberant to tell them some big news all morning, and they couldn't wait to hear what it was.

"I swear, yesterday, Lily actually smiled at me." James exclaimed finally. Lily and James had agreed earlier that year not to bicker anymore than they had to, and to act as though Lily didn't hate his guts, because they were both the Heads.

"That was the big news?" Sirius looked annoyed, "I thought she'd agreed to marry you. Or Lord Voldywarts adopted a five year old. Or Snape is getting expelled tomorrow. Or Bellatrix ended up in the hospital with pink and purple warts that expel yellow and green pus that makes her—"

Completely ignoring Sirius, Remus said to James, "I hate to break it to you James but she was smiling at me."

James seeped his hair up, making it messier, and said nonplused, "Only because you were standing next to me!"

Suddenly the bell rang, and they hurried up to their seats in the Potions Room. Lily was already sitting there next to her best friend Mary. Because of the small amount of kids in the class, all of the Gryffindors sat together at one table. It was only James, Sirius, Remus, Lily, Mary, and Jenny, one of Lily's other friends.

"Okay! Good Morning my young pupils. Today we will be learning about the…" James lost his attention after that; he was too busy staring at Lily…

Ten minutes, they were supposed to start working on today's potion. As he passed the Slytherin table, James heard Severus say to Lily, "Meet me at our usual place, tonight after dinner. I have something to show you." She gave him a glare, but didn't say anything. James was intrigued beyond comprehension. He knew that they used to be friends even if they weren't now…What could Snape possibly want from his Lily? He made up his mind then and there that he would find out.

A little later that day, James confronted Lily during break. "Look, Lily I know that you're planning to see Snape today, but I'm telling you, don't go!"

Lily looked furious. "Potter—how did you find out about that? And how is it any of you business what I do in my spare time?"

There was going to be a row, they both knew, but James couldn't help but think that it would be worth it if Lily didn't get hurt. "It's my business because I care about you."

Lily gave a wild snort that even surprised herself when she looked back on that moment; now, however, she was too furious to have anything to do with it, "if you care about me so much, then why don't you just leave me alone Potter?"

With one thing and another, breaking their promise, they started to fight incomprehensibly until James had finally had enough and yelled, "Because I love you!" The unexpected news was greeted with silence, ringing silence. After enough time to realize what he had just said, Lily burst out laughing, but James couldn't see the humor in this, though not daring to ask.

Lily eventually spluttered out, "That was good, James." And she left the room before he could say anything, still laughing. James thought this must be what heart transplant feels like, because he was sure that his heart had just broken.

…

The rest of the day passed unnoticed, then the real work begun. James snuck away from the rest of the Marauders by telling them he was going on Head duty early; they didn't notice he took his cloak and Marauder's Map with him.

Snape had said, "Our place, after dinner." Where the heck was "their place"? That was why James had brought the map; he had planned on just following Lily, but he had lost track of her during dinner. James froze at the sight of his Lily and Severus Snape next to his tree on the lake. Anger flushed into him as he noticed Mulcibar, Lestrange, and a few others very close by; it looked like they were hiding behind bushes.

Throwing the invisibility cloak over himself, James ran down to the Lake where it was just barely getting dark. As he suspected, there were Lily and Severus, standing by the beech tree with the Deatheaters in the bushes. A sudden inspiration came to James and he pulled out of his pocket the two-way mirror and whispered Sirius' name. His face appeared on the mirror, looking worried.

"James? Is that you? Listen mate, someone stole the—" Sirius started, but James cut him off in a whisper.

"I'll explain later, but you have got to get down here, now! Snape's out here with Lily, and there are a bunch of Deatheaters out here. Bring Remus, Peter, oh, and Frank! He'll be good to have!"

With that, James put Sirius' gaping face back in his pocket and focused on what the traitors were saying.

"I really don't want to hear it Severus. Don't tell me that you didn't mean it, because I know you did!" James had never seen Lily so furious, not even to him…she looked beautiful.

Snape made an angry splutter, and grabbed her hand, "Lily, I promise you—" but his move had made several things happen at once. Lily's hand made contact with his face, Snape fell to the ground, The deatheaters leapt out of the bushes and made a wild lurch at Lily, a curse would have hit her right in the chest…if it had not been for James running forward and lunging himself in front of her path…

…

Warm sunlight rays drifted through the opened window, birds were singing, the last before they flew south for the winter; and most of the student population were outside. It was a beautiful day, but it would have been even better if there hadn't been two people in their late teens in the Hospital Wing.

Lily Evans gave a great sigh, and glanced at James again. It was really a miracle that he was alive; he had been unconscious for the past week. Lily thanked every hair on her head that the professors had showed up when they did, or else they might have both been dead. The deatheaters who had attacked Lily had fled into the night, of their numbers being Avery, McNair, and soon-to-be Lestranges. Severus had been knocked out by one of the curses and therefore not proven guilty, but Lily hated him now more than ever. The one thing she couldn't understand was why James had done what he did.

Subconsciously, she reached out a shaking hand to take his bigger one; he stirred, and then opened his eyes slowly... "Lily?" He whispered.

Lily nodded, giving his hand a squeeze.

James looked around at his surroundings, his eyes coming to rest on the hands that were intertwined on his bedspread.

"Am I in heaven?" he asked finally. Lilly giggled, but James had been serous; The angel (Lily), their hands holding (which had only ever happened in his dreams); the slight blur that came from not having his glasses on, and the sun's blinding rays made it very heavenly.

"No, you're not in heaven—"

"Am I dreaming?" He had never expected this.

Lily took a deep sigh, and told him everything that had happened recently. She explained everything that had to do with Snape, why she was even friends with him, and finally, coming to the part that had happened a few days ago. By the time she was finished, James was facing away from her; she couldn't see his face.

Finally getting up the courage, she asked him the question that had kept her here all this time. "James…why did you do it?"

The man turned to face her slowly; she was shocked to see tears in his eyes. He fingered her hand, apparently trying to decide something. After a second he said, "Because I love you, Lily."

She gasped; she could see in his eyes that he had always been telling the truth, always and she hadn't been fair to him. Partially because she wanted to make up for everything she had once done to him, the other half because he looked about ready to give a speech, she leaned forward, and kissed him, passionately.

James responded with just as much enthusiasm. Regrettably, after a few seconds, Lily broke the kiss, and whispered in his ear, "I love you too."

James gulped a few time, looked into Lily's eyes and said, "That's it; I've died and gone to heaven." And didn't even give Lily a chance to laugh before he kissed her.

That was how Sirius, Remus, and Peter found them a couple hours later, innocently coming to see how James was doing, prepared to cheer him up, but not one of them had managed to make him as happy as Lily could.

A/N: yeah! I'm not sure when the next update will be, I haven't gotten any ideas yet (but it will be a 99.9 chance of Harry/Ginny)! So I need reviews now more than ever, I'm willing to take non-canon ideas, (as long as their non-slash).

Look out for:

Next update (at least a week away from now)

2 Lily/James fics (with a special surprise in one of them)

A fic about what happened after the war (I can't think of the name right now but it's Chapter 3/4, available from my account by this Saturday.)