A/N: Now, before you yell at me for not updating, let me start this authors note by giving you a plate of cookies, okay? *Hands you plate of homemade chocolate chip cookies* Um... so, to make up for not updating, along with the cookies, I'm going to try to update everyday this week. Next week is midterms, so I probably won't update a lot, but procrastination is key for me, so maybe I will. Oh, and by the way, I may start another story on this account, so you may want to look out for it soon. It's going to be an AU Jily, but that's all I'm going to say. Again, thanks so much for all the reviews, I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH *group hug* aww that was nice.

"I owe you an explanation," I say into Lily's red hair, stroking her back. Her side of the hug is a little stiff, but after heaving a great sigh she wraps her arms around my waist. "I did say I would give you one later." She pulls away from my chest, giving me a confused look.

"You did?" she asks, evidently puzzled. "When'd you say that?" Now I give her the confused look.

"In my letter, the one I sent with Donovan at around three o'clock this afternoon."

She still looks very bewildered. "Donovan hasn't come back since I sent you my address...knowing him, he probably got lost. Such a stupid animal." She sighs again and leans her head against my chest again, and I hope she can't tell how fast my heart is being, given the fact that she still hasn't left my embrace.

"Come," I say, pulling away from her arms. "Let's sit down and I'll tell you everything." She nods blankly and I pull her over to her bed-awkward, but the only place in her room that could fit the both of us. I consider resting against her headboard, but I think that would be a little too much for her this one night. Instead, I sit on her floor, resting against the bed itself, and pat the bit of carpet next to me.

She seats herself and gazes at me-not with anger, sadness, or confusion. Instead with nothing. Her expression is so blank it's unnerving, and I want her to feel something. I wouldn't mind if she hated me right now, but that look on her face...

"Remus Lupin is a werewolf."

"I know that."

"You do?" She shrugs casually, as if this is no big deal.

"I found out in fourth year. And it's not like it changes my opinion. What happened to Remus was awful, but it wasn't his fault. He's still my friend. What's that got to do with anything?" Those three sentences in the middle there? A total reminder of why I was in love with her.

"Actually, it has everything to do with it. Now, I don't really know how I'm going to say this, so I'm just going to tell it like it is." Lily rolls her eyes.

"That's wonderful, James, just get on with it." I take a deep breath, knowing there's no turning back now. And frankly, I don't care-I want to do this. I'm not going to keep any secrets from Lily anymore.

"I'm an Animagus, as are Sirius and Peter, all illegally, and every full moon we run around with Remus when he's a werewolf but he can't harm us as animals. It' to keep him in check and take him out of his misery." I say in one breath, coming out of me quickly. I wonder for a moment if she was able to understand me, but one look at her shocked face and I know she did. At least the literal part of it.

"You're an Animagus." I nod.

"A stag."

"And so are Sirius and Peter." I nod again.

"A dog and a rat."

"Illegal Animagi." I nod again.

"It's funny, cause my dad's the head of the Animagus Registry Department in the Ministry." She pretty much ignores this statement.

"And you all became Animagi so...?" She trails off, waiting for me to finish her statement.

"Well, before we did, Remus hated being a werewolf. He would scratch and bite himself without any humans around him. But he can't harm us when we're animals, so when we're at Hogwarts we romp around the Forbidden Forest for the full moon, and when we're not we do it in the woods behind my house."

Lily is silent for a moment, just staring at my face with that same blank expression. I let her take it in for a moment, knowing just how much it is to take in, and after a long silence she finally says, "Show me." She doesn't specify what, but...I know.

I stand and take her by the hand, leading her to her open window. I climb out, her following after me, and walk on her roof to the edge, where the roof of her family's car is a short hop away. Lily follows without hesitation, and I know that I successfully cured her fear of heights. Once we're both down on the ground, left alone on her suburban street, she pulls me by the hand to her front yard. Once there, I stand a few feet away from her, looking in her green eyes for a moment. The next thing I know, they are much wider and she reaches out a tentative hand to touch my nose. My stag nose.

"James..." she whispers, stroking my fur gently. I trot a bit closer. I'm not used to humans seeing or touching me, but Lily's caress is soft, her gaze knowing and attentive, and her presence enchanting. After a moment, I shift back, returning to a taller height than Lily. Her hand is still on my face.

"Your eyes," she says quietly, mystified by my transformation.

"What about them?" I ask just as quietly, staying still. I know that mine aren't leaving hers, because in my world, nothing else exists.

"They don't change." She pauses. "When the rest of you does...the same shade...of hazel..." I'm curious how to respond to what she said, but I don't say anything. Right now, words can't convey all we're feeling, all that's happening in this moment. But I know something that can.

I close the distance between us and do what I was going to last night before Sirius interrupted. I ever-so-gently press my lips to hers. Lily hesitantly kisses me back, and for a moment that's all we need: one small, chaste kiss to know how we really feel about each other.

I pull away after our lips have been touching only a few seconds. When I do, her eyes slowly drift open and meet mine. And what I see in them is what I'm sure is reflected in mine.

That's what makes me bring my lips back to hers, this time with a little more determination, and her response is filled with passion. Her arms fling around the back of my neck, mine around her thin waist, and I'm pretty sure I lift her off the ground a few inches. Her lips part and I accept the invitation gratefully, deepening the kiss. After what may be seconds, minutes, or hours, we reluctantly pull apart, once again meeting each others eyes.

"I'm sorry," I murmur quietly, mesmerized by her.

"For what?" she replies just as quietly, only letting her question be reflected in her eyes.

"For cancelling our date." She smiles, a very small smile, but a smile all the same. Still locked in each other's arms, she pulls her face closer to my ear and whispers, "I think I like it better this way." Sparks shoot through my body, feeling her breath on my ear and her hands in my hair.

She breaks eye contact and glances back up at her window. "You know, I think I'm going to need some help getting back into my room," she says at a normal volume. I grin.

"Allow me to be of assistance, m'lady," I proclaim eloquently, stepping away from Lily and bowing. She rolls her eyes but smiles, and as we walk back towards her family's car I hear her say, "Gryffindors, always so chivalrous..."

I find it fair to assume that Lily didn't need any help with the climbing taken to get back to her window, but she still uses it as an excuse to hold my hand a lot (I do, too). We aren't back in her room for four seconds before she starts kissing me even more passionately than before, this time with a more hurried sense than before. Our lips never leaving each others, we stumble over to her bed, collapsing on it as if we're one body instead of two.

Her hands run down my arms, setting my nerves on fire, and mine go under her tank-top, feeling the soft skin of her stomach. I realize what's happening the same second she does, but she pulls away first.

"James," she says, panting as if she just ran a long distance. "We should slow down."

"You're right." I am just as out of breath as she is. "We should wait until at least after the third date to go any farther." I add a grin to the end of my statement and get a smirk and an eye roll in return, just the effect I wanted. More serious this time, I say again, "Lily, I want you to know that I will never take advantage of you, or lie to you, or pressure you into doing something you don't want to do. I'm lucky just to be able to do this," I lean over and give her a short kiss on the lips, "and I don't want that to stop."

Lily smiles before leaning over and kissing my nose. "I like you a lot, James. And like I said the other day...I trust you. You're one of the few people I trust most these days..." She trails off, and neither of us say anything for a while. We lie in each others arms, and I think she might have fallen asleep at some point. I, however, am so awake it's not even funny: Lily has set every part of me on fire, and wherever she touches me a zing of sorts travels through me.

"Oh, my God!" she exclaims suddenly, as if she had a revelation of sorts. "It makes sense now...! Oh, my God!"

"Erm...what does?" I ask, glancing down at her. She sits up and I follow suit, still not receiving a clarification.

"Last year, in Flitwick's class, when we were practicing Patronus Charms, do you remember what mine was?" What this has to do with anything, I'm not sure, and I shake my head no. "Well, it...ugh, I don't have my wand...maybe it's over there..." Lily walks over to a pile of what must be dirty clothes and fishes through them, particularly in what looks like brown robes. She pulls out her wand and stands again, her face bright and confident. I hear her mutter the incantation, and a large silver doe comes springing from her wand.

A doe.

I slowly stand and walk to her, not taking my eyes off her face. She turns back to me, and we hold steady eye contact for a moment. Eventually, the doe fades-well, it does when Lily breaks her concentration due to the fact that I'm kissing her at least as passionately as before.

A/N: SO? SOOOO? hehehehe you're welcome. LOOK THEY GOT TOGETHER! HEHE COME ON GUYS, YOU'VE GOT TO REVIEW! THEY FINALLY GOT TOGETHER... AWWW :) PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I'LL UPDATE AGAIN TODAY IF YOU ALL REVIEW!