Lily woke up abruptly on January thirtieth. It was her birthday. She smiled and pulled on her school clothes before creeping out to peek into the common room. There wasn't anything unusual about it, so she rapidly descended the stairs.

"James?" Lily called.

"Yeah?" He answered from inside his room. He opened the door. "What's up?"

She looked at him expectantly for a moment before shaking her head. "Nothing, I was just seeing if you were ready to go get breakfast."

"Yeah, give me a minute," he said, disappearing back into his room. She frowned. Did he forget her birthday? No, of course not. He just woke up, he just needed a moment.

He came out and walked past her to the portrait hole. She followed behind, disappointed.

They entered the Great Hall and sat down, serving themselves breakfast. The rest of their friends joined them and Lily watched them, waiting for someone to say 'happy birthday'. They all were quietly eating, not noticing Lily's looks.

No one had said anything by the time they made their way to class, and Lily realized what was going on. They must be planning a surprise party, and they're pretending like they all forgot, she thought. Sneaky. She played along, waiting for someone to slip up.

They went through the whole day of classes and no one said anything. She watched them, seeing if they were whispering anything, making secret plans. She sat through her classes, frustrated and disappointed. By the time classes ended for the day, she still hadn't caught on to anything. She gave them one last try as they came up the steps from Potions. She parted from the group and started to walk the other direction. "I think I'm going to go get started on this essay in the library, do you guys want to come?" She called to them.

James shook his head. "Sorry love, we've got Quidditch practice."

Remus nodded. "Sure, yeah I'll come with you." Lily watched James and Sirius head the other way. She smirked, knowing that Quidditch practice was just a cover up.

They found a table near the back of the library and Lily pulled out a spare roll of parchment, tearing off some to hand to Remus. "Thanks," he said, taking it from her. He pulled out his quill and began writing his name in the top corner. "Oh, it's January thirtieth." He looked up at her. "Sorry Lils, I didn't know what day it was. Happy birthday!"

She laughed. "Thanks, Remus."

"I have your present up in my dorm, we can go get it when we're done," he offered. She nodded, knowing that must be their way of getting her to come to Gryffindor tower for the party she wasn't supposed to know about.

She wrote part of her essay, and was reading over it when she was suddenly distracted by a beam of sunlight hitting her face. A cloud had shifted, causing light to pour into the dark library. She looked out the window and her face fell. The Gryffindor team was actually practicing.

Maybe they really did forget her birthday. She couldn't blame them; everything had been so hectic since getting back from Christmas holiday with their attack, and with N.E.W.T.s coming the professors were assigning more homework than ever. Marlene had given her a begrudging apology for blaming her for the run in with the Death Eater, and things were still chilly between them. Alice was busy with wedding planning. She sighed and frowned, returning to her essay.

They worked for another hour and Lily had finished a rough draft. She looked up at Remus. "I think I'm good, are you?"

"For now, yeah," he said, blowing on the ink to dry it before rolling the parchment up and sticking it in his bag. She nodded and packed her stuff away as well.

They made their way back to Gryffindor Tower and Lily stepped in behind Remus, still slightly disappointed when she wasn't greeted by her friends. Sirius was sitting on the couch and she leaned over the back while Remus ran upstairs to grab her present. "Hey," she said.

"Hey Lils, how's it going?" He asked.

"I'm good," she said. Remus came back down the stairs with her present in hand.

Sirius' eyes went wide. "Shit, I'm so sorry, I forgot. Happy Birthday!" He grinned at her and she smiled weakly back.

"That's okay, everyone has been busy and you know…" she trailed off and took the box from Remus. She started pulling on the corners and removing the wrapping paper.

"This is actually from both me and Sirius," Remus explained. Lily nodded and she pulled out a bag of Hogsmeade chocolate and some more ink from Scrivenshaft's. "I picked out the ink, he picked out the chocolate."

She hugged Remus and squeezed Sirius' shoulder over the couch. "Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it. You didn't have to get me anything, I'm sure you had to sneak out to get this."

Sirius shrugged. "We were sneaking out regardless. I'm sorry we didn't throw you a party or anything."

She waved her hand nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. It's a Monday and we all have homework to do. Maybe we can sneak out to Hogsmeade for a drink this weekend or something."

Sirius nodded. "You got it." Peter came down the steps from the boy's dorm with his own package. Lily hadn't seen too much of him recently, either.

"Hey Lily!" He crossed the room and handed her the present. "I got you a gift too! I didn't forget your birthday," he said. She laughed and unwrapped it. He had gotten her a book about potions.

She hugged him too. "Thanks, Pete, you guys are sweet. We'll have to celebrate this weekend." Peter nodded and sat down on the couch next to Sirius, who affectionately tousled his hair. She looked around for a moment. "Have you guys seen James?"

"He went to go shower after practice. He's probably in his room," Sirius replied. Peter started laughing and Sirius elbowed him, unnoticed by Lily.

"Thanks. I'll see you guys later." They waved and she stepped out into the corridor, headed for the Head's Dorm.

She frowned. Obviously she wasn't expecting anything big, but it made her sad that not even James remembered her birthday. She made it to her dorm and gave the password, stepping in. He wasn't in the common room. "James?"

"In here!" He shouted back from inside his room.

She sighed and went up his short staircase to his room and opened the door, stopping when she saw the scene inside. She couldn't help but gasp.

There were candles all over the room, lightly illuminating the rest of the scene in a warm light. There were red rose petals on the ground leading from the door to James' bed. James himself was lying on his side, a rose between his teeth, in a white button up shirt, tie, and black slacks.

She laughed at his pose and looked around the room. "James, what is this?"

He removed the rose and grinned. "Do you think that I, James Potter, infatuated with you since third year, would forget your birthday?" He stood up and held the rose out to her.

She took it. "I thought you did! I thought because of everything going on everyone forgot!"

He shook his head. "Of course not."

She smiled up at him, then tossed the rose on the floor and pulled him into a deep kiss. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he lifted her up. She laughed. "I love it."

He carried her to the bed and sat down, Lily's legs still wrapped around his waist. "I love you."

She pulled on his tie to bring his face closer to hers. "I love you more."

He shook his head. "Impossible." He pressed his forehead against hers. "You are the love of my life, Lily." He spoke gently, his warm breath on her face. "I have to actively stop myself from thinking about you. You are the smartest, kindest, bravest, most beautiful person I know. You're my best friend. Any time something good happens, you're the first person I want to tell. Any time I need advice, you're the first person I go to."

He continued, his face still against hers. Lily was completely still, afraid to move and ruin the moment. "I thought that I had been in love with you since third year, but I was wrong. You are nothing like who I thought you were. You are so much better than I ever could have imagined, and I swear I fall in love with you each day I spend with you. You make me want to be a better person." He moved his head and kissed her lightly on the forehead.

Lily started tearing up. "James, you have no idea how much you mean to me. I never thought I could love anyone this much, especially not the bullying toerag James Potter," she laughed, "but I do. I love you so much I can't even express it in words. You are my everything. The only thing I regret is that I didn't tell you I loved you sooner." Her voice cracked as she kept talking. "You are the most amazing person I have ever met. I've never known anyone who is so selfless and cares so much about his friends and family. I love you so much." She sniffed and more tears came.

He ran his thumb across her face, sweeping away a stray tear. "Don't cry, love."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry."

"You're perfect, James. This is perfect." She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his softly. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. She moved her hand up and tangled it in his hair, then opened her mouth and slowly moved her tongue across his bottom lip.

They entangled themselves more, kissing each other passionately. Lily moved back, breaking their contact. "I love you," she said. She removed her legs from his waist and stood up. He reached out and grabbed her hips, watching her as he sat on the bed.

She brought her hands up and began undoing the buttons of her shirt. She pulled it off of her shoulders, exposing her white bra with a small bow in the front. James gripped her tighter and spread his knees to pull her closer. She reached around to unhook her bra and let it fall down her arms, dropping it on the floor.

James slid his hands upwards and cupped her breasts in his hands. She giggled and he smiled up at her. He ran his thumbs over her nipples, causing them to stand up. He pressed his forehead against her abdomen and kissed her lightly. He kissed along her center, moving his head downwards.

He brought his hands back down to her hips and ran his thumbs along the outline of her bones. He looked up at her and she nodded. He moved one hand around to her back and unzipped her skirt, pushing it down. Lily shivered slightly as the cool air hit her now exposed thighs. She nodded again, more vigorously this time as he watched her.

He kissed along her hips and slowly pulled down her underwear. She stepped out of them as they fell to the floor and James brought his hand down. He moved it between her thighs, parting them slightly and felt that she was already wet. He smiled to himself and moved his finger up to her clitoris.

She gasped and put one of her hands on his shoulder. She grabbed his hair with the other. He moved his head forward and kissed her hips again, still rubbing her clitoris. He rubbed his fingers against her and she gripped his shoulder tighter, her toes curling. She moaned quietly and he slipped one of his fingers into her. His hand rose again to cradle her breast while his other moved inside of her.

She reached down and pressed against his wrist, causing him to stop. He looked up at her, worried, but she shook her head. She reached forward and began undoing his shirt, pulling it off of his broad shoulders. His muscles stretched as he removed the fabric and Lily watched him.

He looked up at her again, and she dropped to her knees to begin undoing his belt. He helped her, and then raised his hips off of the bed to slide his trousers and boxers down. She reached out and took him in her hand, moving it up and down.

She watched his face relax and his eyes droop. She parted her lips and moved her head down, taking him into her mouth. He moaned, the noise low and deep.

"Lily," he whispered. She moved her mouth up, then down again, taking more of him with each stroke. He grabbed her hair and pulled her head up, forcing her to stop. She looked at him and he pulled on her hands, having her stand up. He grabbed her waist and in one fluid motion, turned them so she was against the bed and he was standing.

He pushed against her gently and she laid down on the bed, her head against his soft pillows. He climbed onto the bed and positioned himself above her, his knees surrounding her thighs. He leaned down and kissed her again.

He moved his hand and this time slipped two fingers into her slowly. She moaned and he began to move them in and out of her, causing her legs to feel warm and tingly. She closed her eyes. "James," she moaned. He moved further down the bed until his head was between her thighs. He kissed her inner thighs, moving further up slowly. She started breathing more heavily and he watched her chest rise and fall rapidly.

He flicked his tongue against her clitoris, causing her to gasp suddenly. He moved tantalizingly slow, swirling his tongue against her. He brought his hands up to her thighs and spread them wider, his thumbs pressing into her skin. He moved his tongue downward and slipped it into her. She moaned again and reached her hand down to grab his. He interlaced their fingers and brought his other hand up to continue rubbing her clitoris.

He kept his pace until Lily pulled on his hair and brought his face up. She saw his hazel eyes looking up at her, and she tugged his hand to bring his face level with hers. She brought her legs up and wrapped them around his waist.

He watched her for moment, staring into her big green eyes. He removed his fingers as she pressed her thighs against him. "Lily, do you-"

She interrupted him. "Yes. Absolutely yes." He smiled and kissed her again. "I love you. I don't want it to be anyone but you," she whispered against his mouth.

"I love you, too." He moved and she used her legs' grip around around him to bring him in closer. She reached down and guided him into her. She gasped sharply and James froze. She shut her eyes for a moment, adjusting, then opened them and nodded.

He moved slowly, pressing further into her, watching her face. She bit her lip, feeling slight pain, but enjoying it. She kept nodding and began to thrust into her, still slowly. She reached up and grabbed his shoulders, moving along with him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, quickening his pace a little more.

She nodded. "Yes, James, that feels good," she replied, wrapping her legs tighter around him.

"Yeah?"

"Yes, it's, it's-" he moved his hand down to rub her clitoris in time with his thrusts and her sentence was interrupted by a moan. He smiled and she started to rock her hips with his. He could feel her fingernails pressing into his shoulder, her other one sliding down his back. She used her leverage to urge him to move faster.

He gasped and followed her pace, speeding up his thrusts, still watching her. He could feel himself getting to the edge. He started moving his fingers against her more rapidly. She moaned suddenly cried out. "James!"

He thrust into her faster and she squeezed her eyes shut as she climaxed. Seeing her face forced him over and he orgasmed, continuing to move inside of her. "Oh, fuck, Lily," he said quietly as he finished. She gripped his hips with her legs and pressed him into her, prolonging both of their orgasms.

He stopped, panting heavily, sweat building up on his forehead. She removed her legs and he crawled to the spot next to her on the bed. She breathed heavily, a warm sensation spreading through her body.

They laid next to each other, not moving or talking for a few more minutes before Lily spoke up. "Was it-"

"What I said over Christmas, that was a lie. This is the best thing that has ever happened to me," he said, grinning and turning on his side to face her.

She laughed and he rested his head on her abdomen. She brought her hand up and began running her fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. He hummed against her chest and she smiled.

"Did you-"

"That was amazing, James." She giggled. "My legs are numb." He grinned, obviously proud of himself. She ran her fingers along his back. "I'm glad it was you. This was better than I ever could have imagined."

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too."

They laid in each others arms, quiet and serene for several more hours before falling asleep.