CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: Presents

James awoke the morning of his eighteenth birthday to find his girlfriend and his brother leaning over his bed, staring at him.

"Are you sure he's not dead?" Lily asked, squinting. "He doesn't seem to be breathing."

"Nah, he's alive," Sirius said casually. "I'm pretty sure. But it'd sure make things cyclical, if he died on his birthday."

"I'm awake," James announced blearily. "Happy birthday to me."

Lily laughed, handing him a small box. "Happy birthday, love."

The hangings of his bed, which he was positive he had dragged shut last night, had been thrown open, allowing the early-morning sun to glare directly into James' eyes as he pulled himself up against the pillows into some semblance of a sitting position.

Sirius tossed himself down next to James, dragging the other presents from the foot of the bed closer. "Moony and Wormtail are getting breakfast," he said. "They should be here soon." He tossed an opened letter at James, taking a piece of chocolate from a box that had clearly already been picked through. "Dad says he wants his cloak back, by the way. Says he need it for a few days. For the Ministry, I suspect."

James snatched the box away from Sirius as Lily asked, "His cloak? You mean the invisibility cloak?"

"Yeah," Sirius said through a mouthful of chocolate. "James stole it from his dad one day third year. Fleamont never asked for it back, so..." he shrugged. "C'est la vie."

"Dunno what he wants it for," James muttered. "He's retired."

Lily slid a glance over to James. "Is your middle name Fleamont?" she asked. "Is it honest-to-god, truly Fleamont?"

"It's a family name," James Fleamont Potter said defensively. "Now give me the presents."

"Nuh-uh," Sirius said, smacking his hand away. "We're waiting for Moony and Wormtail. And food." His hand was inching its way back to the box of chocolates from James' parents.

Luckily for Sirius, who was about to be tackled by an angry Head Boy, Remus and Peter chose that moment to say the password ("Lily") and burst into the room, arms full of breakfast.

Lily clapped her hands together in excitement, pulling a plate of waffles from a bag Remus held. She offered one to James and then settled back against his pillows to eat. Finally ready to open his presents, James reached for Lily's first, opening the box to find a small crystal bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion ("Two drops will tame even the snarliest mane!"). He simply stared at it for thirty seconds, while the other Marauders held in their laughter.

"Out," he said loudly, pointing to the door.

Lily burst into laughter. "I have your actual present in my room, don't worry. But if you could use it before the wedding, I think Petunia would appreciate it—"

"Out!" James repeated, pointing again.

Still laughing, Lily kissed him on the cheek.

Grumbling but mollified, James tossed the bottle on the floor (where it miraculously did not break) and reached for the one from Frank Longbottom.

Remus motioned Lily over, so she set aside her plate and joined him by the desk. "What is it?" she asked, sucking sugar off her fingers. "I actually got him a book on being an Auror, if that's what you were wondering."

"James' father invented Sleekeazy," Remus said quietly. "They used to force the stuff on him when he was little."

Lily blinked. "Are you serious? Oh, Merlin, I have to meet him! He's spectacular, I had no idea that was his father!"

"Yes, well..." Remus shrugged. "Just so you know."

"Guess I'll keep it and use it," Lily said, eyeing the bottle. "I always wanted to see..."

"I wouldn't," he warned. "It's been said to have...well, unusual effects on redheads."

Lily shuddered.

James managed to open the rest of his presents (besides Lily's) before his first class, Arithmancy, so the five of them headed down to the common room together. Lily, who had a free first, offered to return the plates and uneaten food to the kitchens.

Sirius refused, grabbing the rest of the bags and stashing them in the 7th year boy's dormitory.

"I don't think I want to know how much food you have hidden away in there," Lily said decisively.

"A wise decision," Remus said, eyeing Sirius as he backed out of the room. "I don't think I want to know where you got that jumper, though, Padfoot."

James was proudly wearing a large sweater with a stag on it, with antlers sticking out of the shoulders.

"It's charming!" Sirius protested.

"It's terrifying," Peter said decisively.

At breakfast, no less than twenty people came up to James and wished him a happy birthday, at least fifteen people Lily could have sworn she'd never seen in her life had brought him a present, and the entire Hall burst into a rousing chorus of 'Happy Birthday' when the five of them walked in.

"I knew you were popular," Lily said near the end of breakfast as she passed him a plate of waffles for the third time, "But I honestly had no idea you were this popular."

James shrugged modestly. "What can I say? The people admire me."

Lily laughed.

"So when do I get your present, hmm?" He asked, eyeing her suspiciously. "Don't tell me you didn't get me anything, and then seduce me to make up for it. I once had a girl do that in fourth year, and let me tell you, it was very disappointing."

"I also had no idea you were so materialistic," Lily sniffed. "I suppose I'll give it to you during lunch, then, since you can't wait until tonight."

"Tonight?" James raised his eyebrows. "Are you sure you're not just going to seduce me?"

"I'm sure." Lily kissed his cheek as she stood up, grabbing her book bag from beside her. "Meet me at the Astronomy Tower around eleven."

James frowned. "But I won't have the cloak. I'm mailing it to my dad, remember?"

Lily waved a hand. "I'm sure you have other ways of getting to the tower unnoticed. How do you think I'm going to do it?" She then swept off, leaving him to ponder how to turn invisible without a cloak.

Lily wondered sometimes how someone who claimed himself such a genius when it came to the art of mischief-making could be so utterly clueless. She also wondered sometimes how it was that she could be so brilliant. She was wondering both those things at the exact moment she booked the Astronomy Tower for an important Head Student meeting at eleven o'clock that night.

When James arrived at the Astronomy Tower at half past eleven, having wasted nearly a half an hour trying to avoid Mrs. Norris, he half expected his girlfriend to be in some sort of state of undress. He was not prepared for her to be wrapped in a thick scarf, with her half of the Gryffindor scarf wrapped around her neck, a white woolen scarf pulled low over her ears, a large present clutched to her chest.

"How are you not freezing?" She demanded. "It's March!"

"Almost April, actually." James gestured to the wand sticking out of his pocket. "And I have heating charms."

Lily huffed. "I would wear warm sweaters all year if I could. Heating charms be damned."

James moved closer to her. "So. What did you have in mind?"

"Well," Lily began, stepping away from the window, "I thought I'd begin by giving you your present." She held out the parcel, clumsily wrapped in midnight blue paper. "I'm sorry it's so messy," she said, blushing slightly. "Petunia's the one who excels at arts and crafts, not me."

"It's perfect," James said automatically, tearing off the paper. The book fell heavy into his hands, the glossy cover and the ridged spine almost foreign in his fingers. "Is this—?"

"It's one of the most comprehensive guides to being an Auror today," Lily said anxiously. Her air of casual mystery and confidence had evaporated, and now she seemed to be holding her breath, waiting for a reaction.

"I love it," James said hoarsely. "It's...it's perfect."

Lily cleared her throat. "Yes, well, I might borrow it from time to time, since we'll be working together—"

"Lily, you can't," he said. "It's too dangerous."

"But not for you?" Lily fired back. "I thought we went over this. It's my life, James, and I want to fight as much as you do. I'm not accepted in either world, but this is the one I want to live in, so I will fight for it until my dying breath."

James was silent for a moment as Lily breathed heavily, her breath steaming in front of her. He kissed her then, sweetly and gently, an unspoken gratitude passing from him to her. It was Lily who broke them apart, tugging her wand from under the hem of her sweater.

"And there was something I wanted to show you," she said, her determination from before fading again. "I was doing the homework on Patronuses last night, and, well...I figured you should know. I mean, I just assumed yours would be—well, obviously, only you would know, but I just thought that before we demonstrated in class tomorrow, I'd give you a heads up." She bit her lower lip.

James didn't say anything, just gave an encouraging nod.

Lily closed her eyes and took several deep, calming breaths. When she was ready, she raised her wand and whispered, "Expecto Patronum." A silver doe erupted form the end of her wand, landing lightly on the moonlit floor of the Tower and cantering towards James, who stared at it, awe-stuck. He held out a hand, but when he went to touch the doe it vanished, melting into the air.

"I—" he stared at her, at a loss for words.

She nodded.

They were silent for a few seconds. The air hung between them tentatively, but not entirely awkwardly. The whole world seemed to hold its breath, waiting for one of them to speak first.

It was Lily who finally did, the stillness shattering as she voiced what both of them were thinking: "I think I love you."

James managed a smile. "I think I love you, too."

Lily sighed dramatically. "What are we going to do about this?"

"I'm sure we'll find a way to cope."

They stayed in the Astronomy Tower until the sun rose in comfortable silence, leaning against each other until they finally fell asleep at dawn.

A/N

Hey guys!
I know it's been a while, but I think spacing out the updates will allow for better quality ones so I don't have to rush through them. I absolutely adore every single comment you left, especially the person who recommended I apply to a fanfiction contest! Unfortunately, this isn't finished yet. If I finish it before the deadline, I'll absolutely submit and let you guys know!

Also, let me know what scenes you absolutely want to see me write. If they don't make it into this one, I might write a one-shot about it after this is completed.

Cheers!

Alys