Disclaimer: Not mine! Also, I don't own Halloween, Grease, Alien, or Superman.
Elizabeth Bells: Thank you so much! I'll definitely check out your stories!
ErinFabu: I agree; the stories where Lily is portrayed like that bother me. I like having Lily "play the hero" like her future son. :)
Apolla Broadpath: I had to do it! I thought it was a nice cliffy. The Death Eater meeting will be next chapter, I think.
Loslote: I love James Potter. I wish I could have him all to myself, but alas, he is Lily's.
Hapax Legomenon: Lily is so daft sometimes, is she not? I loved the dream. I like foreshadowing and suspense and whatnot, and I knew it would end up being a fluffy sort of chapter, so I had to add that in there.
Lenners: Thank you! I love Marlene and Sirius as a couple, as well as Remus and Mary, but Lily and James are my forever favorites.
TWHATT18: Thanks! And yes, I'm going to take it up to their deaths, but there will be an epilogue.
Therealginnyweasley13: Yeah, I was gone for a while. I'll be sure to watch your show! I liked James's little 'vision,' if you will.
IAMSOAP: Thank you very much!
Chapter 28: Engaged
My eyes open wide and I gasp.
"What?"
James watches me with loving eyes as he slips down onto one knee. I must be dreaming.
"Lily, I've loved you for years now. The moment I first saw you, I knew you were special. I know I didn't always act like it, and I know I did some stupid things trying to win your attention. You made me chase you for a while when I acted like an arrogant prat, but now I've got you and I don't want to let you go. You don't know how happy you've made me, Lil. You put up with all of my pranks and weird habits, and you help me to see who I really am."
My eyes are shining with tears of joy. I don't think I have ever loved James as much as I do in this moment.
He continues. "You're beautiful both on the inside and out. You're possibly the most astounding person I've ever met in my life. I know we're young. I know it may be too fast. But Lily, when I dreamt that you were dead, when I woke up and didn't think I'd ever see you again, I couldn't bear it. I couldn't stand it if anything ever happened to you. I want to be with you for the rest of my life because with this war, I don't know how long that's going to be."
James puts his hand into his right pocket one last time and pulls out a sparkling diamond ring. I gasp again.
"Lily Evans, I promise to take care of you. I promise to love you. I promise to always, always be there for you when you need me. And as cheesy as this all is," he grins, "Lily, will you marry me?"
A happy tear slides down my face. I laugh quietly. "James Potter," I murmur as he looks up at me with a nervously hopeful smile, "Do you even have to ask? Of course I'll marry you!"
James's face splits into the most triumphant smile. He lets out a euphoric shout and takes my hand. He slides the ring into place on my finger and kisses my hand. He then springs to his feet and picks me up, spinning me around in a circle with the same joyful beam on his lips. James bends to kiss me eagerly.
He breaks away. "You mean it?"
I laugh again. "Yes, I mean it, James."
James spins me around once more, laughing. He captures my lips with his own, and I can feel every bit of the unabashed joy that he isn't even trying to hide. It's as if the world doesn't exist. There is no war, no prejudice, no risk. Just James and me. We're the only ones that matter.
"Hey, Lily?"
I turn to my fiancé. I love saying that.
"Yeah, James?"
He grins over at me from less than a foot away. His face is lit up by the twinkling stars above us. His eyes shine happily. "We're getting married."
I beam at him. "We're getting married," I echo softly.
James reaches over to lace his fingers with mine. "Lily Potter," I hear him whisper quietly.
I let out a faint laugh at his wondering tone. "It does have a nice ring to it, doesn't it?" I hold up our twined hands and admire the glittering ring on my third finger. It's very simple. Sure, the princess cut diamond is a bit large, but James says it's a Potter family heirloom that he asked his father for a few days ago. The thin, white-gold band wraps my finger delicately, and the goblin-made diamond sparkles like nothing I've ever seen. It's absolutely perfect.
James rolls onto his side, turning his back on the stars. We're lying in the cool grass near our bench. I think the significant events that have occurred there make it acceptable to claim the bench as ours, right?
He scoots closer to me. Without saying a word, he reaches one arm across me to place his hand against the grass on either side of my head, lifting himself over me. He bends down and presses his still-smiling lips to my own. I let my hands float up to wrap around his neck and play with the infallibly messy black hair at the nape of his neck. He drops his weight onto his elbows so that I can feel him against me, but not enough to make it uncomfortable.
James moves his lips down my jaw and pauses at my ear. "I love you, Lily," he whispers. Even though his voice is hushed and his breathing rushed, I can still hear the euphoria in his words.
I smile. "I love you, too," I breathe before lifting his face back up to meet mine once again.
The sun filters through the haphazardly closed curtains. I don't quite want to open my eyes yet. I let my thoughts wander to the previous night. James perfectly mimicked our first date. It was adorable.
"Mmm," I hum quietly.
He and I made our way back to his, Sirius's, and Remus's flat after a couple of hours just lying in the grass and roaming around Hogsmeade together. He had apparently arranged for Sirius and Remus to stay with Marlene and Mary last night because they were nowhere to be found.
I don't want to move from where I am right now. I'm too happy, too warm. However, the enticing smells wafting through the flat get me to push back my protesting eyelids and yawn. I look up at my left hand, at the ring sparkling there. I grin and push myself off of my stomach, eager to find James and whatever he's cooking.
Pulling the hem of his oversized navy t-shirt down to cover my legs a bit self-consciously, I make my way to the kitchen. I walk in and sit down at the little island across from the stove.
"Morning, love," James greets me with a smile as he flips a fluffy pancake onto a pile big enough to even satisfy Sirius's appetite. He sets his spatula down and leans across the counter to kiss me. "Sleep well?"
I grin. "Yeah, once you stopped talking in your sleep," I quip, raising my eyebrows at him accusingly.
His face reddens and his eyes widen. "Er, did I really?"
He looks so panicked. I laugh, "You know you don't actually talk in your sleep, James."
James visibly relaxes. "Good," he mutters. "The same can't be said for you, I'm afraid." He smirks, his eyes dancing with amusement.
I wrinkle my nose. "Yeah, I know. Anything particularly interesting last night?"
"Before or after you confessed your undying love to John Lennon?"
I sniff indignantly. "Hey, they may have broken up, but I still love the Beatles."
James tilts his head to one side, grinning. "You know, I'd love to just see your dreams for one night. You said something about dancing house-elves early this morning when I woke up to go for a run. And then last night, you were mumbling about . . . Cinderella?"
I laugh at his words. Yeah, I do dream about the strangest things. "Cinderella is a Muggle children's story. My mum used to read it to me when I was little. We actually owned the movie, but I doubt I could find it now."
"What's a movie?" he asks, puzzled.
I chuckle. He has absolutely no knowledge of the Muggle world. "It's like a moving picture. A story brought to life, kind of. It's hard to describe. I'll take you to one sometime."
He nods, looking interested. "I'll hold you to that." He flips yet another pancake onto the ever-growing pile. "So, are you hungry?"
"Starved."
He stacks pancakes on a plate for me and drowns them in maple syrup, just the way I like them. He slides the pancakes and a glass of orange juice over to me before helping himself to some breakfast.
I cut out a bite and pop it into my mouth. "Did you do this all by yourself?"
James raises his eyebrows. "What, breakfast? Oh, yeah, I did," he admits with a shy grin.
I take another bite of my pancakes. They're delicious. "I didn't know you could cook without magic. I'm very impressed," I say, reaching over to rumple his untidy hair. He grins at me.
He's finished with half of his pancake mountain before I'm finished with one. He takes a swig of juice and turns to me with a small smile on his face. "So what's on the agenda for today?" he questions.
I shrug. "Well I don't have to work since it's Saturday, so we could really do whatever we want." The thought of a Saturday without work or an Order meeting is tantalizing.
James sits quietly for a moment, obviously deep in thought. His hazel eyes brighten, and he smiles excitedly. "Can we see a movie?"
I giggle at his enthusiasm. "We'll have to see what's playing. Maybe Peter, Sirius, Marlene, Remus, and Mary can come with us?"
James shakes his head. "Pete has to work again. His dad's not doing so well, and his mum really needs for him to stay and help her keep shop."
"Oh," I reply, a little crestfallen that we can't have everyone together at the same time. "He's had to work a lot recently."
James nods, frowning. "I know," he says. "It's not good for him to hole himself up in that little shop. I keep telling him we're going to get him out of there sooner or later, but he insists on helping his mum."
I chew my pancakes thoughtfully for a few minutes. "Well," I amend, "we'll take him out tomorrow night. We could all get a drink at the Leaky Cauldron or something."
He hums in agreement. He stands up and puts his dishes in the sink, where they begin to magically wash themselves. I feel his arms slide around my shoulders from behind me as I set down my fork. I tilt my chin up to look at him with a small smile. James bends down to give me a quick kiss.
"So how about that movie?" he asks, straightening his posture once again.
I let my fingers trail over his arm. "I'll see what's playing," I repeat. "We can walk down to that cinema a few streets over and check, just let me go shower first."
James waggles his eyebrows suggestively with a lustful look in his eye. "I'll join you."
I snort at his antics. "Oh, no you won't. You're going to see if the others want to go with us." I turn to walk out of his kitchen and back towards the bathroom.
I hear him following me, so I spin quickly and press my palm flat against his chest. "James," I protest.
He ignores my objection and captures my lips somewhat aggressively. My eyes flutter closed as I back up against the bathroom door. He runs his hands down my back and lets them rest on my hips as he bends to compensate for our height difference. His lips break away from mine and rove over the exposed skin on the side of my neck. I tug at his messy hair and pull him ever closer, completely forgetting about my shower. He brings his lips back up to meet mine, but they are gentle this time, sweet.
James pulls back, breathing heavily. "Just thought you could use a proper 'good morning,'" he murmurs with a crooked grin.
I grin at him alluringly. "James," I breathe, pulling him close once more. "About that shower . . ."
James's breathing spikes again. "Yeah?"
I press my lips slowly against his neck and whisper, "I'll be done in fifteen minutes."
Before he can really register what I've said, I detach myself from him, blow him a teasing kiss, and shut myself in the bathroom, giggling at his dumbfounded expression. I hear him huff indignantly on the other side of the door as I turn on the water.
James and I make our way down his street around two o'clock. The warm summer sun beats down on us from above, and a gentle breeze plays with the ends of my hair. I loop my arm through James's as we round the last corner to the cinema. I saunter up to the list of screenings for the night displayed next to the door and look it over for any familiar titles.
James puts his hands into the pockets of his tan shorts. "See anything you like?"
I nod my head from side to side, considering the options. "Yeah," I answer after a moment. "Halloween, Grease, and Superman are all playing tonight."
When he doesn't reply, I turn back and see him watching me with an adorably confused expression. He notices my stare and rearranges his expression.
"Ah," he nods. "I see."
I grin. "Haven't a clue, do you?"
He smiles sheepishly. "Nope, not in the slightest."
I consider the titles again. "Well, Superman looks good, but I've been dying to see Grease. I've heard Halloween isn't bad, but it's a horror film."
James tilts his head to the right. "A horror film?"
I wave my hand at him impatiently. "A scary movie," I explain wearily. "Grease is a musical. It means they perform songs at random intervals throughout the story."
He nods again. "That doesn't sound so bad."
I smile. "D'you want to see it? It's playing at seven o'clock."
James takes my hand again and laces his fingers through mine. "Sure," he says. "And now that we've got that all figured out, how about some lunch? Diagon Alley's not far from here."
Hm, now that I think about it, I am rather hungry. "That sounds nice," I agree, hearing my stomach growl at an absurdly loud volume.
He and I amble a few blocks over and step into the Leaky Cauldron.
"Lily, James!" the bartender, Tom, greets. "What can I get you today?" He picks up a bottle and pours steaming blue liquid into a curvy glass. He tops it off with a cherry on a stick and hands it to a stooped woman at the bar.
James eyes the steaming drink with interest, but I elbow him discreetly in the ribs. With a quiet "Oomph," James clears his throat. "Er, that's all right, Tom. We're just heading down to Diagon Alley today."
Tom nods as we weave through the crowded bar and back to the courtyard. I take out my wand and tap the bricks above the dustbins. The wall forms the tall archway, revealing Diagon Alley. It's particularly busy today.
I have to practically drag James away from the display in the window of Quality Quidditch Supplies as he drools over a set of robes in deep crimson. James has definitely moved beyond obsession when it comes to the sport. I'm amazed actually that he didn't want to make a career of it. Surely, he could have. Though I wouldn't have told him this two years ago when his ego was the size of a Hungarian Horntail, he is a rather talented Quidditch player.
He and I traipse around Diagon Alley looking for a place to eat lunch. We pass several tiny shops that I've hardly noticed before when he stops me.
"How about here?"
James points to a miniature café squeezed in between Twilfitt and Tatting's and Obscurus Books. It's a friendly-looking place with a long front window that allows passersby to catch a glimpse of the little shop. A sign hangs above the door sporting the name: Rosa Lee Teabag.
"Sure," I agree, leading the way inside.
A plump witch greets us cheerfully at the counter.
"Good afternoon, dears! What can I get for you today?"
James and I glance over the menu. He orders a considerably larger lunch than me, and we take a seat at the round table next to the window to wait for our food.
He reaches across the table to take my hands in his. He turns my left hand so my engagement ring glitters proudly for anyone to see. He smiles at me affectionately.
"You know," he says, "I never would've thought I'd actually be marrying Lily Evans. I thought you'd never say yes to a prat like me in a million years."
I feel the corners of my mouth curve upward. "Always the tone of surprise," I murmur.
He laughs and leans across the small table to kiss my cheek gently. "I love you, Lil."
"Yeah, I know," I answer, smirking. I laugh once at the look on his face and answer in fake exasperation, "I love you too, James."
"Let me see it! Let me see it!" Marlene squeals excitedly the second she bounces into the boys' flat. She grabs my left hand and examines my engagement ring with admiring eyes. "Oh, Lil, it's gorgeous!"
I laugh girlishly. "I know!"
Marlene hugs me happily, and we jump around like the teenagers that we sometimes forget we are. James and Sirius are chortling at us from the couch, where they're sitting with a butterbeer each.
Sirius pipes up, "Hey, are we going to go to this movie thing anytime soon or are we supposed to sit here and watch you two dance around all night?" He pauses briefly before adding with a roguish grin and a wink, "I'd be fine with either option."
I roll my eyes at Sirius's suggestive tone. "We just have to wait on Remus and Mary," I remind him.
He sighs. "Yes, Mum."
I grin at him. "They won't be long. Remus just said Mary wanted to run by the Ministry and drop off some reports for work."
Sirius groans loudly. "But that could take all day!" he whines, pouting like a misbehaving child.
A knock on the door interrupts my reproachful reply. Instead, I grin cheekily and skip over to answer it. "Hey, Mary, Remus," I greet.
Sirius hops up from the couch immediately. "Can we go now?" he asks eagerly.
James, too, looks excited. "Yeah, come on, let's go!" He takes my hand and practically drags me out the door with our friends close on our heels. We speed-walk over to the cinema.
James turns to me once we arrive. "How do we get in?" he questions, pointing to the person taking the tickets beside the door.
"We have to buy tickets, James," I explain in a voice I would use when teaching a five year old. Marlene, Sirius, Remus, and Mary finally catch up to us.
Remus complains, "Merlin, James, must you walk so fast?"
I gape at Remus in mock horror at his whining tone. "Oh, no!" I gasp. "You're turning into him!" I point to Sirius.
Marlene joins my teasing. "Whatever can we do? We don't need more than one Sirius walking around wreaking havoc!" She glances at her indignant boyfriend with a sly grin.
Sirius grumbles. "Humph! Well that's just because no one else can imitate me! I'm Sirius Black," he declares.
Marlene walks over to kiss him fondly. "The one and only," she adds.
We move up in the ticket line. I'm going to handle the Muggle money for all of us. The teenage girl at the window calls in a bored voice, "How can I help you?"
"Er, six to see Grease?" I request, taking out the money James and I exchanged some Galleons for earlier.
The girl glances over our party, her eyes straying a bit too long on James, Sirius, and Remus. She snaps her gum obnoxiously while punching in the numbers on her register.
"That'll be nine pounds," she dictates.
I slide the money through the slot in the window and she passes six tickets in return, twirling a blond curl around her finger. I hand out the tickets and lead them over to the young man tearing tickets at the door. Merlin, this must be a dull job. I feel bad for the bloke.
Once we're all inside, the boys immediately find the concession stand. Sirius scrutinizes the candy counter.
"Where are the Chocolate Frogs? What about Fizzing Whizbees? Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans?" he asks, seeming shocked.
Marlene rolls her eyes at Sirius. "This is a Muggle place, Sirius," she chastises in a hushed tone. "They don't have our candy."
He pouts. "Fine, but what's this stuff? Mars Bars? Snickers?"
I grin. "You should try a Mars Bar. They're my favorite Muggle candy."
James and Remus come back over to us with large bags of popcorn. Remus sets his down on the table next to the butter dispenser.
"Do you want butter on your popcorn, Mary?" he asks, turning to her.
Mary replies, "Sure, but not very much."
James looks confused again. "What is this thing?" he demands, prodding the butter dispenser with a long finger.
"It lets you drizzle melted butter on top of your popcorn, Prongs," Remus explains patiently.
James nods in puzzled understanding. "Okay . . . well, Lily, do you want butter?"
My nose wrinkles of its own accord. "Urgh, no. I don't like butter on my popcorn."
Remus gapes at me. "Why not?"
"It's gross!" I retort. "It's greasy and just . . . ick."
Sirius snorts at my description. "Well I want some of this popcorn stuff. I'll be back."
Marlene sighs. "I'll go make sure he doesn't screw things up." She grins after him and strolls up to the counter.
After we've all got whatever food we want, I lead the way back to Theater Three. We find seats in the middle of the theater and settle ourselves in.
Sirius sits impatiently for a moment. "Is this it?" he asks, gesturing to the blank screen before us.
Remus and I laugh together. "No," Remus answers, "it hasn't started yet."
James questions, "When will it start?"
Mary checks her watch. "In about five minutes."
James and Sirius, the only ones who have never been to a movie, exchange a look. James turns back to me and holds out his hand on the armrest for me. I slide my fingers through his and smile up at him.
The lights in the theater dim, making Sirius gasp. "What's going on?"
I swear, he is such a child sometimes. "The movie is starting, Sirius," I tell him as I hear the whirring of the projector in the room behind the theater.
He nods. "Right. I knew that."
Marlene snorts. "Whatever, Sirius."
The screen lights up, and the music begins. James's face splits into a huge grin as he watches the screen excitedly.
The preview announces that the movie Alien will be playing next year, and the screen goes dark once again.
James gasps. "Lily, that was amazing! That alien thing was so creepy! But I thought it was supposed to be a musical," he rambles.
I laugh. "James, that was a trailer. The movie will start in a few minutes."
He shakes his head, muttering, "Muggles."
When the movie does start, James, Sirius, and even Remus amuse us by dancing ridiculously to the songs that John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John perform. When Sandy sings "Hopelessly Devoted," Sirius grabs James's hand and sings to him, making up words of his own. Needless to say, we've been shushed more than once. Danny and Sandy ride off in their car, and the theater darkens again.
James and Sirius clap enthusiastically.
"That was so cool!" Sirius exclaims.
James nods vigorously in agreement. "How do they do that?"
We get up to leave, and James loops his arm through mine. He pulls me out of the theater slightly ahead of our friends, singing "You're the One That I Want." Sirius joins him, filling in the words that James couldn't remember.
James and Sirius skip off ahead of us as we exit the cinema and begin to walk home. Mary and Marlene take off after them, but I hang back with Remus.
"Hey," I say, nudging him playfully with my elbow.
Remus grins at me. "Hey, Lil."
"What did you think of the movie?"
He snorts. "I think James and Sirius will be singing those songs for weeks."
I laugh. "Yeah, maybe we should've seen Superman."
We walk along several meters behind our friends in silence for a moment. I wonder what he's thinking.
"Lily?"
"Yeah, Remus?"
He looks at me with a troubled face. "I want to propose to Mary."
I gasp with a huge smile. "Really?"
He nods quietly. I catch on to his bothered mood and frown. "What's wrong?"
"I still haven't told her," he mumbles with an expression of self-hatred.
I understand that he means that he still hasn't revealed to Mary that he's a werewolf since the last time we talked about this. I lay my hand on his shoulder.
"Why haven't you told her yet?"
He sighs sadly. "For the same reason I didn't before. I can't lose Mary, Lily. She means too much to me."
I consider his words. "You know, Remus, Mary isn't one to judge people. You should know that by now. Plus, it shouldn't make you any different to her than you are now. You should tell her sooner, rather than later, so it doesn't become an issue of trust, you know?"
Remus hangs his head. Mary glances back at us and notices his posture. Her eyebrows pinch together slightly and she looks up at me with questions in her eyes. I wave my hand infinitesimally, letting her know everything is all right.
"I trust her with all my heart, Lily." Remus lifts his chin to meet my concerned gaze again. "She knows that."
"And she knows you love her," I add.
He nods. "She knows that, too," he agrees. "But what if she doesn't love me the same when she finds out I'm a monster once a month?"
I huff exasperatedly. "Remus, don't say that! I've said it before, but I'll say it again: Mary loves you. Nothing will change that."
Remus sends me an unconvinced look. "Lily, this isn't exactly 'nothing.' I'm a . . . well, I am what I am."
"You need to tell her at some point, Remus, if you're set on marrying her," I murmur as we near the boys' flat.
He sighs again. "I know," he whispers. "I'm just afraid."
I nod sympathetically. "It's a scary thing to have to face. You just have to ask yourself one question: is it worth the risk?"
Without hesitating, Remus nods. "Of course it's worth it."
I smile at the love that I can hear in his voice. "Then go for it, Remus."
His lips twitch upward slowly and he leans in to hug me. "Thanks, Lil," he breathes in my ear. Pulling back and saying at a slightly louder volume, "I promise this is the last time I'll bug you about this."
I laugh. "I'm always here for you, Remus. You know that."
AN: So yeah, I know I promised last weekend, but it took me forever to write this. I actually am not very fond of this chapter. Some parts of it I like, but I didn't really know how to write other bits. I know it doesn't really move the plot along, but I wanted a fluffy chapter before the Death Eater meeting. And James's engagement speech may be a bit of a let-down to some of you, but I promise his vows are amazing. I've already written them. :) And I needed a little Remus action in the end there.
By the way, I borrowed the movie idea from Molly Raesly's Boyfriend. You guys should check out that story. It's much better than mine haha.
I think that's about it! I'm out of school for the summer in a week, so my updates will be closer together then.
REVIEW, lovelies!
- Paris
