PLEASE READ THIS:

First of all, I'm so sorry, but I've decided not to continue this. I really really don't have any time, especially since I've been focusing on my original work (and school but eh).

That said, I do still have a lot of stuff on this, seeing as I was super invested in it. So, I'm basically going to dump everything I still have here, on this going-to-be-very-long final chapter.

There are supposed to be three parts to this story, so this is the last part, which is supposed to span from their first date/fight, and end with them leaving school, plans of marriage and the Order of the Phoenix very much intact. I have the beginning of the first chapter (chapter nine) here:

Part C: The Art of War

Or, new relationships bring new opportunities

Chapter 9

James didn't know if this day was the best day of his life or the worst. On one hand, he finally got to go on a date with Lily Evans, which meant that he was naturally on cloud nine; on the other hand, he was fairly certain he nearly died.

The day had started out almost like every other—waking up grinning, waiting for Lily before walking down to breakfast together—although there were also an addition of the nervous butterflies in his stomach at the reminder of the fact that there was a Hogsmeade trip later today, and therefore his first date with Lily. She seemed pretty nervous as well, (although he didn't know why she was nervous; she could do no wrong in his eyes, not anymore) constantly glancing away or biting her lip anxiously. Their friends teased them as always, and James was fairly sure he tried to suppress his grin at least five times during breakfast alone, and then Alice and Marlene whisked Lily away to get ready for the date (James was sure about half the female population went with them, although he certainly hoped that only the Gryffindors actually went into the tower) and James was left with the other Marauders to hyperventilate.

They went to the Room of Requirement to 'prepare,' since they didn't trust the Gryffindors not to eavesdrop on their conversations and James would like to keep his dignity, thank you very much. James couldn't remember much of what was said, afterward, only that he couldn't shut up about how nervous he was and the others kept on telling him that everything would be alright. Later on James vowed to kill them, because everything did not end up alright.

But for the first half of their date, things were not just alright, this were fantastic. James was pretty sure Lily had planned this date down to the last second, and all he had to do was not mess it all up; they went to Honeydukes and Zonko's, where James bought more than he probably should have, both for himself and for Lily ("Are you really going to prank me, Evans, or was that just a cover for you saying you fancied me? Because I would seriously recommend you pranking me with these."), joked about a bit in front of the Shrieking Shack, actively avoided Madame Puddifoot's, and then decided to go join the rest of their friends in the Three Broomsticks.

And that was when the best day in James' life turned into the worst.

They had barely gotten to their table with their friends when the screams started and things began getting blown up. Naturally, everyone began panicking, and Lily dragged James who dragged Sirius who dragged Marlene who dragged Alice who dragged Frank who dragged Remus out into the open (Peter was in the bathroom and lost in the confusion). As soon as they had stepped outside, things became clear again.

Figuratively, of course, because in reality the air was filled with dust and streaks of light from wands, and there was a fire somewhere, and people were screaming and James wasn't quite sure if his hearing would ever be repaired. But everything became clear, because in the midst of the destruction, laughing at the chaos, were Death Eaters, hanging muggle-borns upside down in mid-air. (James vowed never to use levicorpus on anything he didn't hate ever again.)

James immediately assessed the situation and whipped out his wand, sending a shield charm between a child and a Death Eater's jet of purple light. Beside him, Lily got into her 'Head Girl' mode and started shouting at those in the shops nearby.

"Everyone who is not of age, go back to the castle!" She shouted above the din. "Prefects not of age, you're in charge of getting the younger students back safely! Do not engage unless you have to! Keep your wands at ready! Go back to the castle!" Thankfully, the students around her heard and began to make their way towards the castle, the older ones herding the younger, and even a few adults helping out as well.

James and his friends spread out, sending spells towards the Death Eaters and trying to help those who were staggering about or hurt. Just like the fight with the Slytherins the day James had asked out Lily, James found himself duelling a Death Eater, and lost sight of the others for a few moments. He ducked behind a wall that had been blasted open by a spell or another to catch a breath, and there James found Lily.

She was nursing a wound much worse than the one the other day, which she had healed in a moment; it was along her side and bleeding heavily, and Lily was trying to heal it but failing—and just like the other fight days ago, James felt a certain fear grip him, one he was used to, but not at this intensity. He cursed himself for having not taken care of her better as he hurriedly healed her wound, thanking Remus for those lessons and stubbornness that forced him to perfect his healing charms.

"Are you alright, Lily?" He asked anxiously, searching her body for any more injuries. "I'm so sorry you got hurt—"

"Why are you sorry?" She managed, sounding a bit strained. "You didn't send that spell—and I know you didn't, because it's dark magic, and I know exactly what spell it was and who it was." James paused, looking at her closely, searching her face for the reason she sounded like crying. Lily wasn't that fragile, so why would she be tearing up—

"Snivellus." He whispered. He knew Severus had been into the dark arts, using new spells or uncovering old ones, but dark magic…

"I didn't even know he was a full-fledged Death Eater." She whispered back. "But I didn't just see him—I was actually duelling Avery again earlier, a lucky stunning spell hit him. I think all of those of age—and maybe even those not—joined this fight. It must really have been coordinated. I wonder how they planned it so fast, seeing as this trip wasn't scheduled until you asked me out."

"I bet that that attack that day was a… test for this one, to see if the students were good enough to join the adults, so to speak." James peeked around the wall.

Chaos was still reigning, but James could tell that their friends were still up and fighting, at least most of them, and they outnumbered the Death Eaters—not by skill, but at least by numbers. James recognised Avery and Severus and the other Slytherins in their year, mostly by the amateur spells and the way they moved about the battlefield: unsure and as if they were in a DADA class. But then James also heard and saw other Death Eaters that he knew mostly by name and reputation, and those were real threats; he saw Bellatrix fighting Sirius and Andromeda—he hadn't even known she was in Hogsmeade—and Crabbe and Remus duelling. There were still some muggle-borns—James saw a child there—hanging upside down.

"It's really bad out there." James told Lily, turning back towards her.

"I know. We need to get back out there." Lily replied, moving to her feet, but James stopped her.

"I don't think so, Lily. I think you should head back to the castle." Lily opened her mouth indignantly, but he continued, "You were hurt, you lost a lot of blood, and for all we know their target is you. With you and the other muggles out of the way—"

"Oh don't say things like that, let's not argue about whose fight this is again—right now we're both going to fight because that is the right thing to do, and there is no way you're going to convince me otherwise."

"Can I at least convince you to use this, then?" James asked, bringing out his invisibility cloak.

"What about you?" Lily asked him, eyeing the cloak.

"I'll be fine, I promise. It's you I'm worried about. Not—" James quickly back-pedalled at the look Lily gave him—"Not that you're not a skilled witch, I know you are, but Lily, I care about you a lot and I can't just have you… I need you… I need to know you're safe, as safe as I can make you. Please, Lily." There was an agonising second before Lily took the cloak and James let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll go ahead, you slip out right behind me." He told her, and she nodded, smiling lightly.

She leaned forward swiftly and kissed him lightly on the cheek, whispering "Stay safe," before donning the cloak.

James doesn't really remember much of what happens next; he dances with different partners, sometimes changing because they got hit (either by him or by someone else) and went down, other times simply because someone else shot at him and after a few terrifying moments when he was fighting two Death Eaters at once, something would always drive one of them away from him. (James suspected Lily, but he didn't say anything and neither did she.) He duelled countless of the masked men or women, as well as Avery and Severus—they had a very long and heated battle, and for a moment James almost wished they were fighting for Lily again, that Snape was only fighting him because he was in love with Lily, not because he was in love with the dark arts or followed Lord Voldemort. It ended when Lily sent a body-bind curse at him, pointedly shouting the spell instead of saying it mentally, and Severus fell like a board.

There was a moment that Lily had left him for a while, when Sirius started shouting, almost incomprehensibly, at Regulus—it turned out that some of the younger students had taken part in the attack, and James went to body-bind Regulus while Lily half-dragged Sirius out of the fight to take a breather.

And it was in this moment that Bellatrix, caught between Remus and Andromeda, called for her lord to come help.

James hadn't actually expect him to come, and he didn't even catch sight of him for quite a while, but as he twisted away from a surprisingly close jet of green light, he found himself face-to-face with Lord Voldemort.

Voldemort was terrifying. He was also immensely ugly, and James, rather stupidly and impulsively, asked him, "Where's your nose, mate?" Before he nearly lost his own in a jet of light. The fight was a blur again, mostly instincts taking over and James' lessons with his dad that were ingrained in him saving his life more times that he could count—Lord Voldemort was better than all the Death Eaters James had fought combined. And then suddenly James noticed that there was someone beside him, someone he was always aware of, too aware of, and James' heart seized up.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded, sending another random spell (hopefully harmful) at their opponent and trying to shield his companion with his body at the same time.

"Like I was going to let you fight You-Know-Who alone!" Lily scoffed, pointing her wand over his shoulder. "Now get out of the way I don't want to accidentally hit you."

James opened his mouth to argue with her—'You shouldn't be here it's dangerous'—but Voldemort launched another set of spells their way and there wasn't any more time for talking.

"You two are very talented." Voldemort said as he backed them into a wall, bleeding from various places, boils across Lily's' wand arm and a painful pressure on James' chest, his spells weak and easily beaten. Over Voldemort's shoulder, James could see Bellatrix in combat with Sirius again, and Remus was kneeling next to Frank and Alice, who was lying on the ground, eyes closed. "Very talented. Head Boy and Girl, am I right?"

"What's it to you?" James asked, trying to look and sound more confident than he felt.

"Oh nothing… Only that you would be a very valuable asset, were you to join me." Voldemort's voice was cold, high-pitched and nasally, and James forced himself to believe that it was the type of voice he would make fun of—and if probably would be, were it not coming from someone whose very being emanated power and evil.

"And why would we ever join you?" Lily asked with a slightly disbelieving laugh. "And why would you ever want someone like me to join you? I'm a mudblood, remember?"

"Yes, but, exceptions must be made, sometimes, for the greater good."

"The greater good?" James asked disgustedly. "How is what you're doing the greater good?"

"You might not understand, young man, but what me and my followers do is right. It is what needs to be done for this world, to cleanse it of filth."

"The only filth in this world right now is you." James spat, and immediately regretted it; Voldemort's eyes gleamed with anger and he raised his wand—and was suddenly thrown to the side.

James and Lily watched, wide-eyed, as Voldemort turned to meet Dumbledore. Their headmaster was no longer a calm, wise teacher sitting behind the desk or at the dining table, speaking riddles; he was standing up tall and straight, an intense look in his eyes as he waved his wand expertly, although what spell he was executing was unclear, and James didn't ever find out what had exactly happened, because then the adrenaline wore off and James collapsed, unconscious.

~0~

When James came to, he was lying on a bed in the Hospital Wing, James' second home, as he liked to joke. But it was not the time to be joking, because James felt like he had been thrown about by the Whomping Willow, and wanted very much to pass out again.

"He's awake!" James heard someone exclaim—Sirius. "Everyone, he's awake!"

There was a flurry of movement in the next few moments that James couldn't make heads or tails of, until Madam Pomfrey was suddenly forcing him into a sitting position and shoving an awful drink down his throat. Finally getting it down, James was allowed some air to breathe normally.

"Where's Lily?" He managed, looking at the people around him and doing a mental headcount—Sirius, Remus, no Peter, but he wasn't in the fight, Alice, Marlene, a few teachers.

"'Where's Lily?'" Sirius repeated mockingly, "You were nearly killed by Voldemort—" everyone winced at that, but Sirius ploughed on through—"And the first thing you ask—after being unconscious for two days, mind you—is 'where's Lily?'"

"Well I'm obviously not dead—I just want to make sure he didn't kill Lily."

"Peter's going to find her—you know he never left the bathroom? After hearing what was happening outside, he just decided to stay there, hiding." Sirius placed special emphasis on the last word, and James understood that Peter had turned into a rat to hide.

"Well, can't quite blame him. It was pretty bad out there." James gave a weak smile which disappeared at the look Remus and Sirius exchanged. "No one… I mean, we didn't…" James searched everyone's face, and relief flooded into him as Marlene gave him a reassuring smile and shook her head.

"We all got knocked about," she said, "and Alice and Frank went against You-know-who too—"

"We think he didn't kill us because we're purebloods—" Alice interrupted briefly, and then everyone was talking all at once, trying to give an account of the fight from their perspective.

"What is going on here?!" Lily's voice cut through the din, and everyone fell silent. James noted that the teachers had left silently, and it was only his friends who were left.

"Lily." James grinned at her, and she gave a soft smile in return, moving to sit beside him.

"How're you feeling?" She asked quietly, taking his hand. Out of the corner of his eye, James saw Remus silently shoo everyone out of the room, leaving him and Lily alone.

"Great. Well, good enough. I mean, I did go against Voldemort, so taking that into consideration—"

"You mean you feel like utter rubbish." Lily finished for him with a light laugh. James grinned even wider.

"Yeah." He replied a bit too fondly to be taken seriously. "What about you?"

"How am I feeling? Pretty good, seeing as it has been two days and I was barely in here for one." A small frown graced Lily's features. "You took the brunt of his attacks."

"I couldn't let you get hurt."

"I don't need you to protect me."

"No, but I want to." There was a pause as James waited for Lily to accept this. "So much for a perfect, proper first date, eh, Evans?" He joked, changing the subject, and after a moment of surprise, Lily began to laugh.

"I knew we couldn't do it." She claimed, "It's just not us, is it? And anyway, it wasn't our fault that our first date went to hell, and before those bloody Death Eaters tried to kill us all, it really was a nice date."

"Yeah it was, wasn't it? You had everything planned out."

"Yeah, pretty much, just not the Death Eaters."

"And… How would the rest of our date have gone, then, if they hadn't come?"

"Well…" Lily moved so that she was sitting side-by-side with James, their shoulders brushing and feet tapping lightly against each other. She gently laid her head on his shoulder, lightly, so that she wouldn't hurt him. "We would have stayed at the Three Broomsticks for as long as we wanted, and then we'd probably leave with our friends back to Hogwarts. And we would lag behind a bit so that we could be alone, and it'd start snowing really lightly—"

"You've planned even the weather out—"

"Don't interrupt! Anyway, it'd start snowing really lightly, romantically, and we'd stand really close to each other because of the cold—"

"And would I put my arm around you, like this?" James moved, pulling her closer to him and placing a light kiss at the top of her head.

"Probably." Lily let out a soft laugh and took his other hand, playing with his fingers. "And then we'd stay just like that until…" Lily turned to look at him straight in the eye, took his face in her hands, and kissed him.

Lily wasn't James' first kiss, and James definitely wasn't Lily's first, but James had long ago decided that only Lily's kisses mattered and that everyone else's were just fillers and practice for when he and Lily were finally together, but even so, nothing had prepared James for this. Logically, James knew that there was no way that Lily was such a good kisser that she made James melt into a puddle and lose all ability to think, but seeing as his brain wasn't in the right place at the moment, James decided to throw logic out the window and everything else he ever knew in order to fill his head with LilyLilyLily and everything Lily because nothing else mattered and nothing else existed, and James could just stay that way forever, forgetting the world.

Well, he could stay that way until he needed to breathe or Madam Pomfrey decided that what they were doing was not acceptable hospital behaviour.

Next, there's supposed to be a fluff bit or two while they get more used to this new relationship, James heals up, they talk more with their friends about the war which is getting really real now, etc. Finally, at the end of the chapter, they're called in to see Dumbledore, which I have written as such:

To say that Lily was surprised to be called into the Headmasters office with James would be lying; it was expected, really, since she hadn't spoken to him since before the incident in Hogsmeade, and she and James were heads. It is not a lie, however, to say that she was surprised when the professor didn't talk about Hogsmeade and potential threats implied in the last visit, instead opting to talk about… careers?

Sure, Lily figured, she and James have similar career goals, similar thoughts an opinions, but Lily didn't want to be a teacher, and she doubted James would either. (Following the rules instead of breaking them? The idea seemed laughable.)

"No, no, you get me wrong, Ms. Evans." Professor Dumbledore said as she tried to tell him, as politely as she could, that she had no interest in teaching. "I am not offering you two positions in the school—I know you are not interested in it. I am, however, offering you—and many others—positions in a different… organisation, you might say. One that I do think you will be interested in."

"An organisation?" Lily asked carefully.

"And we would join your organisation instead of becoming aurors?" James added.

"We are an organisation, of sorts, and yes, I would very much like you two to join. And it would be similar to a job, but this organisation does not… hire, exactly. You would be working for free, and so I will do nothing of the sort to stop you from becoming an auror, if you wish. I merely wanted you to know all the possibilities."

"The rebellion." Lily breathed, barely saying the word and scared she was wrong, but Dumbledore nodded with a small smile.

"Yes, Ms. Evans." He said. "We call ourselves the Order of the Phoenix."

"The order of—Oh." James said as he realised what phoenix symbolised. "This is against Voldemort, then?" Lily admired the way his eyes lit up at the thought of doing something good, doing something right, to help the world, and couldn't help her smile.

"Well I am willing to put as much as I have into this, as long as it's affective." Lily said. "I will join the Order of the Phoenix, Professor."

"As will I, sir." James said, sending a grin in her direction. Lily could see the pride in his eyes and wanted to kiss him. She found herself wanting to kiss him a lot more, recently. Probably because she actually could, now. Instead, since it would be very inappropriate to turn her thoughts into actions, Lily took his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed back.

"That is wonderful! I shall tell McGonagall, and she will inform you of meetings you can attend and such, answer more of your questions about it. But please, do not make it obvious. Be wise about when you ask her these things. There are many Death Eaters who would love to take us down." James and Lily nodded, and Dumbledore waved them away, looking down at his papers as they left.

James was barely off the staircase when Lily started pulling him into one of the secret passageways, the one where James finally asked her out, and kissed him.

Kissing James was like fire. It was actually quite similar to the rush of adrenaline she often got fighting with James, except she didn't feel angry, she felt exhilarated. She felt happy, and loved, and Lily was very certain this was her favourite pastime. She was pretty sure James loved to kiss her, too, if his responses were anything to come by.

"Slow down a bit, Lils." James muttered against her lips, pulling back a bit. "I really think we should talk about this." Lily frowned.

"What's there to talk about?" She asked.

"After school. After Hogwarts, I mean. Us." James ducked his head. "I mean, I know it's a bit early, and we… I suppose we might not even be together by then, and we've only been together for a while, so maybe I'm just assuming things that aren't there, but Lily—" Lily cut him off with a light kiss.

"Okay. Let's talk about us." She said quietly. "And let's assume for the sake of the discussion that we will be together until the end of the year, because I'll be honest with you James, I really do like you. And I really do want to be with you."

"Me too." James breathed, and grinned at her. "Although I guess you already knew that, seeing as I've been in love with you for years." James' grin turned into a smirk as Lily blushed at his words. It wasn't the first time he had said it (she was fairly certain he said it against her lips the first time they had kissed) but it made her blush every single time. And maybe made her feel a little bit guilty that she couldn't say it back, but she and James were nothing if not honest. "I will honestly stay with you until the end of time, if you'll have me for that long." Now it was James' turn to blush, as he stammered out an excuse for his words. "I—I mean, y'know, I—erm. I like you a lot too, I guess—I mean, I love you, you already know that—I—Lily stop laughing at me!"

Lily disregarded his plea and kissed him through her smile. "It was cute." She informed him. "And I appreciate the sentiment." Lily placed her forehead on his, staring into his eyes. His eyes were quite pretty, she decided. A lot about James was pretty, though he probably would not have liked her usage of the word.

"Right. Well. Ahem." James cleared his throat, pulling back a bit so that they could see each other's face better. "Erm. School. I mean, after school. The Order, I mean."

"We're both going to join it."

"Yes. Right, I know."

"So…"

"So, I mean…" James floundered about to recall what he originally wanted to say. "Aurors."

"No… the Order. Not aurors. Unless… Do you also want to become an auror, is that what you're saying?"

"No. I mean, maybe. I mean, do you?"

"I don't know… I mean, I know I want to move out of my parent's house. I want to live in the Wizarding world, all of which will entail money, so I'll have to get a job, and I know I'll be part of the Order, so I don't really know… If I'll have time to train to become an auror, that is."

"Oh. Right." James frowned. "Jobs."

Lily laughed. "Yes, James, jobs. A necessity of life."

James shrugged. "Sort of." Lily frowned. "Well, that is, I was sort of going to say… Well… Erm… I was sort of planning on just 'working' in the Order… full-time, if that was possible. Y'know, since I figure I've got enough money to last me a lifetime if I spend it wisely, so I might as well put all my effort into making the world a better place, right?"

"Full—oh James. Of course you have enough money not to worry about things like jobs."

"Don't laugh, I'm serious. And… and I was sort of hoping you'd join me."

"Join you… in the Order? Yes, James, we've been through this—"

"No—I mean, yes, but full-time… too."

"But I'm not rich enough to—"

"Yes, I know, but… but I am…" James hesitated at the shocked look on Lily's face. "No, you know, you're right, and I mean, it's too early to talk about these things, just forget I said anything—" James was cut off by Lily's finger on his lips.

"James, while I appreciate the sentiment, and while I would love to… at least entertain the idea, James, it's much too early to be mentioning things even remotely like—I mean, James, I really like you, but I can't guarantee things like this. Not to you, and not now. Probably not anytime soon."

"Right. Right, I know that, I just… I wasn't thinking, I guess, or… That is, I just… wanted you to know… that that was a possibility. I mean, I've already assured Moony that I'll help him out financially if he ever needs anything—he hasn't quite accepted it yet, but I'll get it through his head before the year's out—and Padfoot lives with me right now, although he does have his own gold—I think Wormy will be alright, but I mean, I just—" James let out a breathy laugh. "Well I guess it is a bit different between us, though, isn't it?"

Lily kissed James sweetly. "How about we talk about this some other time, in the far future? Maybe more towards graduation? After NEWTs?"

James couldn't nod his head fast enough. "Perfect. Great thinking. Yes."

Lily laughed and kissed him again. "Then can we get back to what we were doing before?" She murmured against his lips. James didn't even have to nod.

Chapter two of this section is a little sadder, and definitely more heavy-this whole section is supposed to be heavier and more mature (maybe that's why I haven't been able to finish it). Lily's parents die, and I have this whole scenario in my head where Petunia sends her a howler (yes I know Petunia doesn't have access to these, but I can just see her harassing some poor wizard at the post office into helping her make one) screeching about how the death is all Lily's fault and she's not invited to the wedding and she's not her sister anymore you freak, etc.

I haven't yet decided if the death is Lily's fault or not, but I think they did die because Lily's a witch.

This realization causes her to get really angry and hate the wizarding world ('my life was all fine and perfect before all of this shit' -maybe towards Sev?) and lashing out a LOT at the Slytherins, at Sirius (briefly though I don't think he'd take her shit and they're too honest with each other for it) and Sev (because obviously) and finally at James.

I have snippets of this dark time for her (okay, two), revolving around her and James (because they're relationship is really strained at this time):

"Merlin, Evans, look what we've done." James groaned at the sight of the Head's Common Room, which looked more like an explosion site than a room, aside from the fact that there were, surprisingly, four erect walls still around them. "This place is a mess." Lily didn't reply, and a quick glance upward showed that Lily was still a bit angry and very much avoiding his eye. "We should probably clean it up." He added pointedly, and Lily nodded jerkily.

"I'll take this side." she whispered, moving to pick up a chair and set it right. James wondered, briefly, if he should mention how they could use magic to fix the room up, but decided against the idea, seeing as the initial fight had been about that, to some extent.

But there was no way he was cleaning up his side of the room without magic. He hadn't had to clean up something this big manually for years, and he wasn't sure if he still knew how. Glancing surreptitiously at Lily every-so-often, James righted the furniture—on his side. He then wiped off the stains of Merlin-knows-what off the walls, put the books back on the bookshelves—alphabetised and separated by subject, like he knew she liked them. By the time he was done, Lily was sitting calmly on one of the couches. Her side was still a mess, but she was staring at him silently, just watching him work.

James lowered his wand guiltily. "I—ah—sorry." He said lamely. Lily raised her eyebrow.

"What for?" She asked. "You're used to using magic to clean up."

"Er, yeah, but—you were angry at me—I mean, we were arguing because—er, that is to say—" James broke off and groaned again, running a hand over his face. "Merlin, it's like I can't even speak civilly to you anymore." He muttered.

"It does seem like all we've been doing is fighting, doesn't it?"

"And snogging, which I'll admit I enjoy more."

"I think our arguments are… important. Fruitful. We're honest with each other when we're yelling."

"I never lie to you, Lily."

"Me neither, but lying and omitting are two different things. And sometimes we don't even realise ourselves that we think these things, but when we yell them—"

"I don't always mean what I say, Lily, you know that, just sometimes you make me so angry—"

"But you do, to some extent—"

"Oh, so are you saying that you believe that I'm a pureblood fanatic who's got some strange obsession with you but should just get over it and start calling you a—a you-know-what?"

"I'm saying that there is some grain of truth within what I say—no, obviously I don't think that, but maybe I do… worry that your feelings for me are an obsession, not truly… feelings, that is, or maybe I worry that blood does actually mean something to you and one day you'll find someone better than me who is a pureblood, or—or—or maybe I just worry that you'll call me a mudblood and—and—" Lily broke off suddenly, looking away.

"You're right." James whispered, moving over to take a seat next to her. "And I suppose I am… scared, I suppose that's the word, scared that I'll lose you. Scared that we're always fighting. Scared you're going to go back to hating me again, but I just can't help it, I can't help… being me, and I'm scared you'll realise…"

"Sirius and I sometimes talk about things like this. No, don't look at me that way, listen to me—we talk mostly about blood and siblings, but also just about insecurities in general. But… I guess, Sirius and I understand each other differently than you and I understand each other. Sirius and I, for one, have always been platonic, so there was no… worry about our relationship, its fragility, none of that, and Sirius and I can empathise with each other. You and I… we're so different, from our lifestyle, our upbringing, even our temperaments. Maybe yelling is the only way we can… tell each other how we feel."

"I don't want it to be that way. I want to have conversations—like this—but without having to fight first. I want… We were fine before, before we got together and everything—"

"We definitely were not, James, you and I both know that, do you not remember all our fights about scheduling and Head duties and—just exactly the same as our fight just now—"

"Yeah, but it wasn't so… intense, before, wasn't so often…"

"Well when we first got together it wasn't like that either. Maybe we just didn't want to break our momentary… truce, maybe we wanted to show each other that we can be friends. And maybe we just… feel more, now that we're together."

"You know that I love you, no matter these fights."

"And I love you, including these fights, although perhaps not while I'm angry at you. Or perhaps I'm angry at you because I do still always love you, even when we're arguing."

James gave Lily a quick but meaningful kiss before pulling back and springing to his feet. "Well, I guess we have to finish cleaning up now, don't want to force the House Elves to do it." He started, raising his wand. "C'mon, I'll teach you whatever you don't know. I mean, I've had loads more practice at cleaning up messes than you do—you're too organised to end up with upturned furniture and whatever-that-is on the wall."

Lily laughed, so James chalked that up as a victory.

I also have this little thing I wrote for no apparent reason but fits here I think:

"You're happy." James remarked.

"Yes." Lily tried to hide her smile.

"Is there any reason behind your happiness?" James inquired cautiously.

"Nope, I'm just happy." she kissed his cheek. "Today's a good day."

He didn't ask again. She was happy; did it really matter why?

For the record, I don't know why she was happy.

This chapter ends with James getting Lily mostly out of her funk and inviting her to Potter Manor for Christmas with the Marauders.

Third chapter is Christmas Holidays. Lily gets to know the Potters more, is introduced as James' girlfriend (I have in my notes that she meets them for the first time, but she already met them first part so idk how that happened). I also have that maybe they'll see Potter Cottage because why not and also that mirrors the day Harry goes to see them (oops). I also have a cute fluff idea for James teaching Lily how to fly and play Quidditch ('Quidditch doesn't always need equal teams, Padfoot'). Potter's New Years party because that has to be there, and Sirius and Lily tag team against James' prejudiced relatives and family friends while James is trying to schmooze because that's what you're supposed to do at these parties, but then in the end the teenagers all just go into their own room to get drunk on new years.

Fourth chapter (the last chapter) is kind of a flurry. They get back to school and have to be head boy and girl again. They're the power couple in school, and everyone looks up to them, so they can't mess up and they always have to seem optimistic, because the war is getting really scary but Hogwarts is supposed to be safe. There are little things like Lupin feeling down because he can't have a career like the rest of them, making plans with everyone about what they're going to do when they leave school, fights with Slytherins they keep to a minimum if they can help it (but they can't when the Slytherins start picking on the younger kids instead of people their own size), and, of course, finals.

The fourth chapter will also have their last day at Hogwarts and them sitting under that beech tree, a funny but heartfelt proposal by James (might mention the Giant Squid, but they are by the lake after all), and the final note maybe just that of friendship and love.

I do have the epilogue, which I think is pretty brill because it matches my prologue and also reflects my love of Remus Lupin, who I don't think has enough on-screen time in this. It ought to be noted that there are three dates in this, all November 1st, one of (hopefully) the day after Lily and James die, one year in between it all, and finally the year of Harry's third year, where I'm hoping the dates match up with those in the book:

If one were to go to the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow on November 1st, 1981, they would find themselves in the midst of ruins. Now, this was a very rare occurrence—the cottage had, just a day before, been erect, intact, and very much lived-in. Now, however, there was barely anything left but blackened rubble where a deadly spell had backfired, and ashes, so many ashes.

If one were to go to the Potter Cottage on that day, they would see how uninhabitable it was now, and how impossible it seemed that anyone could have survived the explosion. But someone did, and he would be known as the Boy Who Lived, and he would grow up with his aunt and uncle, unaware of how important he was to the Wizarding World, unaware even of how his parents had died.

Various people came to the site for various reasons, and November 1st was a very busy day for the ruins that were previously the Potter Cottage. People came and went, to see the place where Lord Voldemort was vanquished, celebrating more often than not. A few came and lamented the deaths of James and Lily Potter, crying on each other's shoulder or watching grimly. Some came to find the ashes of the deceased—if they could identify them from the ashes of the building itself—for proper burial rites to be performed. Some came and discussed a placard to be placed there, in memory of the eventful day. People came and went all day, no one staying for more than an hour. No one aside from Remus Lupin.

No matter when on November 1st one were to go to the Potter Cottage, they would find Remus Lupin there, waiting. Sometimes he would be crying, a sort of crying no one forgot, one that told everyone around how broken of a man he was. Sometimes he would be staring, shocked, open mouthed, at the ruins before him, as if he could not believe that this had all happened.

If one were to go in the early morning, they might catch him rocking back and forth, muttering under his breath words one would rather not hear but were more often than not a simple 'no.' If one were to come in the afternoon, they would find him angry, yelling at everyone who celebrated near him, or even spoke or moved wrong, wand out as if asking for someone to just go ahead, attack him. If one were to go in the evening, they would find him on his knees, begging someone, anyone, to kill him.

"I've nothing left to live for, anyway, just kill me." One would hear him plead. "My three best friends are dead. The only one of us left, the only one aside from me, killed them. I'm all that's left, please let me join them. Let me join my friends. I've got nothing left here."

No one wanted to come during the evening. No one, that is, except for an old, wise man, braving his old childhood home to help save the life of the last of the Marauders.

~0~

If one were to go to the former Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow on November 1st, 1987, they would find absolutely no one. This, now, is not a very rare occurrence; people rarely visit the site of Voldemort's death, and those who do are few and far between. But those that do go will see the placard that said:

On this spot, on the night of 31 October 1981,

Lily and James Potter lost their lives.

Their son, Harry, remains the only wizard

ever to have survived the Killing Curse.

This house, invisible to Muggles, had been left

in its ruined state as a monument to the Potters

and as a reminder of the violence

that tore apart their family.

~0~

If one were to go on November 1st, 1993, there will also be a dog there, simply sitting, a bit in the shadows, barely seen. This dog would stay there all day, watching, looking at the placard sometimes, going through and walking amongst the ruins at other times. No one knew why he was there or what interest he had in such a human affair, but anyone who knew better, if they were to happen upon the dog that day, would see the look of grief in his eyes, and of recognition. They would see how he walked among the rubble as if remembering, remembering the last places he had walked in this beautiful, homey house, remembering the last place he had seen his best friends, James and Lily Potter. Remembering the last time they were all together, sitting on the couch, right before the world fell apart.