(Note from the author: These are not my characters, my world, and my
situations. They all belong to J. K. Rowling, and are protected by
copyrights.)
After the practice, the two of them entered the tent to congratulate James on a practice well done. James was covered in sweat, mussing his hair again, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thanks," he said, as he tied his shoes.
"Gotta show those rookies how to do it, hey?" Sirius patted him on the back, and then said, "I've got to take off. Moony wants to study for N.E.W.T.s tonight. I told him that there was no point, but he seems to be in denial. You try getting Moony to get away from his books. It's like pulling teeth!"
James laughed, and waved goodbye as Sirius strolled out of the tent and back up to the dormitory. Lily sat down beside James, and helped him pack his equipment back into his bag.
"How come you four have those names for yourselves?" she asked.
James coughed, "What names?"
"You know, Moony and Wormtail and Padfoot and Prongs," she said.
He shrugged casually, "I don't know. We made them up when we were younger. Boys do stupid things for no reason."
"But there was a reason," Lily said, and then handed him his broom, "I wasn't joking when I told you that I was going to find out what you four have been up to."
"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" he interrupted her, stopping in the midst of cleaning up.
Lily blinked, "What? Well, I was going to study with Remus and Sirius . . . "
"There's no point if we're going to die anyway, right?" James said, grabbing his bag from her, and stood, "Come on. I want to show you something."
Lily narrowed her eyes, "Not the Shrieking Shack, I hope."
"No," James said, and then took his broom in his other hand, "Just meet me out in the common room at midnight. I have a surprise."
And then he was off, without another word.
Lily and Remus had led Peter and a sleeping Sirius through N.E.W.T. studying next to the fire. James was no where to be found. Around ten, the two boys (dragging Sirius with them) went up to their dormitory room, and shut the door behind them. Lily gathered her things, and set them in her satchel. Then she took the other staircase to the girl's dormitories, where her friends were waiting anxiously to start the evening gossip.
"You haven't been very talkative lately, Lily," her roommate, Beatrice, had said upon her returning.
"I'm not going to be here tonight," Lily said, "I'm going downstairs to study."
"More?" Bea had shaken her head, and the other three girls had giggled.
"Is it with that Potter boy again?" Sandra asked, jumping into bed.
"No," Lily said.
"Every time we see you anymore you're with those boys," Bea accused her, and Lily shrugged.
"I like them."
"They're bullying gits," Elise said from her bed.
"Don't you lie to us, Elise Warren," Sandra said, throwing a pillow at her, "I know how you look at Potter's friend."
Elise blushed, and Lily laughed, and set her satchel down next to her bed, "Well, I have to get going. Have a good night."
"Someday maybe you'll stay around for a while and talk to us again," Bea shouted after her as she shut the door behind her.
"What a fake," Sandra scoffed once Lily was out of earshot, "Going on and on about how wicked those four are, and then turning around and abandoning us."
"I bet you she talks about us to them," Bea said, "It's not very proper to talk about people behind their backs, the little witch."
Lily had sat on the couch, tapping her fingers on her arm as she crossed them. She looked at the large clock on the wall. 12:03. He was late.
What if it was a joke? What if he didn't show, and she was stuck waiting at that fireplace for the entire night?
12:06. Lily was picking lint off of her cloak. She was so stupid to think that James would actually show.
"Hey, Lily," a whispered voice came from behind her.
Lily jumped with a start, and stood to face the voice. No one was there.
"James?" she whispered back.
And then James could be seen. He had his Invisibility Cloak on, and only his head popped out from underneath it. The floating head smiled mischeviously at her, and then opened the cloak to reveal his entire body.
"Come on," he said, "I want to take you somewhere."
Lily, unsure, slowly shook her head.
James laughed, "You said you wanted to try the Cloak on. You have to trust me."
Lily, seeing his relaxed face, returned his smile and walked around the couch to touch the Cloak. It felt so smooth. Like ice or water.
"Get under it," he said, and draped it around the two of them. Lily felt his arms embrace her. They were so warm, and so strong. She had never felt safer in her life.
"All right, now look over there," James said, pointing to a large mirror on the opposite wall. Lily followed his gaze, and gasped.
"It works!" she exclaimed, "We're not there!"
"Come on," he said nodding towards the portrait hole, "I want to show you something."
"I used to come here when I was younger," he said, as they climbed the stairs, "Before all of us started disappearing underneath it. I told them I was going to the kitchens, but I was really coming up here."
And then, Lily realized where he was taking her. The sky was open to the stars above them as they climbed to the top of the tower. Turrets surrounded the circular roof, where telescopes stood, flanking the turrets.
It was the Astronomy Tower.
"I was sort of homesick," James said, taking the Cloak off of them as they reached the last step, "And I'm come up here and think. You know, about different things. Sirius never understood that. He's not the philosopher deep thinking kind, if you know what I mean."
Lily laughed, and then followed him to the edge of the Tower. The wind was blowing, and it was very cold. She rubbed her arms and shivered, and yet she wasn't uncomfortable.
"It's a beautiful view," she said, as James leaned against the turrets.
"Look," he said, pointing to the Forbidden Forest, "There's this Centaur Field over there," he told her, "We discovered it a while ago, but we never went back. They use it for rituals and things. And over there," he pointed to the lake, "That's where this great ditch is. Not many people know about it, because it's hard to see. But we used to throw Dungbombs at Snivellus from there. He didn't see us coming."
"You seem to know a lot about this school," she said, looking at him. He was so beautiful. His messed jet black hair was swaying with the wind, and his eyes were so full of life. They looked out onto the world as an adventure. And yet, there was sadness. And anger.
She looked away, and scanned the grounds below again.
"It's so high up," she said.
"Not as high as it is in Quidditch," James said.
"I can imagine," Lily smiled, and then set her hand on his, which was lain ontop of the stone.
He blinked, and stared at it. Warmth filled his heart as he stared at her perfect hands. And he knew that this was meant to be. He knew it sounded mushy and cliché, but there was something deep down that told him that everything was going to be all right.
"Come here," he said, ushering her to the middle of the Tower. She followed him, and he said quietly, "Close your eyes."
Lily laughed uneasily, but did as he said.
"Now you can't look," he said, and Lily nodded.
"Okay."
James took his wand, and pointed it to the air. A white mist flew out of it, and hovered in the air. Out of the mist came thousands of fireflies, all blinking in the darkness of the night.
"Now open your eyes," he said, and Lily let her hands drop. She gaped at the swarm of fireflies, surrounding her and James, and gasped.
"Oh, they're so beautiful!" she exclaimed as they swirled around the two of them. James laughed as well, and said, "To light your way."
Lily looked him in his beautiful face again. He was smiling again. He was so young. So wonderful.
"You are nothing like I expected you to be," she said truthfully.
"As you've said before," he said, and then Lily grabbed him. Before James could respond, Lily was kissing him again.
The fireflies swarmed them in a large spiral, illuminating them as they embraced. They seemed never to want to let go. If they had stood there, on top of that Tower for the rest of eternity, they would have been more content than anyone else on Earth. For that one moment, there was no talk of the Order. No talk of Dumbledore or Voldemort. They did not exist. The only two that mattered were James Potter and Lily Evans.
Everyone's had it. That one night when everything seems to be perfect. That one night where the world seems to revolve around you. That moment seems to stay with you no matter what the future may bring.
And the memory of fireflies stayed with both of them until their final moments, years after this magical night, when the two of them would lay together, in the rubble of their house, never to smile again.
After the practice, the two of them entered the tent to congratulate James on a practice well done. James was covered in sweat, mussing his hair again, grinning from ear to ear.
"Thanks," he said, as he tied his shoes.
"Gotta show those rookies how to do it, hey?" Sirius patted him on the back, and then said, "I've got to take off. Moony wants to study for N.E.W.T.s tonight. I told him that there was no point, but he seems to be in denial. You try getting Moony to get away from his books. It's like pulling teeth!"
James laughed, and waved goodbye as Sirius strolled out of the tent and back up to the dormitory. Lily sat down beside James, and helped him pack his equipment back into his bag.
"How come you four have those names for yourselves?" she asked.
James coughed, "What names?"
"You know, Moony and Wormtail and Padfoot and Prongs," she said.
He shrugged casually, "I don't know. We made them up when we were younger. Boys do stupid things for no reason."
"But there was a reason," Lily said, and then handed him his broom, "I wasn't joking when I told you that I was going to find out what you four have been up to."
"Hey, are you doing anything tonight?" he interrupted her, stopping in the midst of cleaning up.
Lily blinked, "What? Well, I was going to study with Remus and Sirius . . . "
"There's no point if we're going to die anyway, right?" James said, grabbing his bag from her, and stood, "Come on. I want to show you something."
Lily narrowed her eyes, "Not the Shrieking Shack, I hope."
"No," James said, and then took his broom in his other hand, "Just meet me out in the common room at midnight. I have a surprise."
And then he was off, without another word.
Lily and Remus had led Peter and a sleeping Sirius through N.E.W.T. studying next to the fire. James was no where to be found. Around ten, the two boys (dragging Sirius with them) went up to their dormitory room, and shut the door behind them. Lily gathered her things, and set them in her satchel. Then she took the other staircase to the girl's dormitories, where her friends were waiting anxiously to start the evening gossip.
"You haven't been very talkative lately, Lily," her roommate, Beatrice, had said upon her returning.
"I'm not going to be here tonight," Lily said, "I'm going downstairs to study."
"More?" Bea had shaken her head, and the other three girls had giggled.
"Is it with that Potter boy again?" Sandra asked, jumping into bed.
"No," Lily said.
"Every time we see you anymore you're with those boys," Bea accused her, and Lily shrugged.
"I like them."
"They're bullying gits," Elise said from her bed.
"Don't you lie to us, Elise Warren," Sandra said, throwing a pillow at her, "I know how you look at Potter's friend."
Elise blushed, and Lily laughed, and set her satchel down next to her bed, "Well, I have to get going. Have a good night."
"Someday maybe you'll stay around for a while and talk to us again," Bea shouted after her as she shut the door behind her.
"What a fake," Sandra scoffed once Lily was out of earshot, "Going on and on about how wicked those four are, and then turning around and abandoning us."
"I bet you she talks about us to them," Bea said, "It's not very proper to talk about people behind their backs, the little witch."
Lily had sat on the couch, tapping her fingers on her arm as she crossed them. She looked at the large clock on the wall. 12:03. He was late.
What if it was a joke? What if he didn't show, and she was stuck waiting at that fireplace for the entire night?
12:06. Lily was picking lint off of her cloak. She was so stupid to think that James would actually show.
"Hey, Lily," a whispered voice came from behind her.
Lily jumped with a start, and stood to face the voice. No one was there.
"James?" she whispered back.
And then James could be seen. He had his Invisibility Cloak on, and only his head popped out from underneath it. The floating head smiled mischeviously at her, and then opened the cloak to reveal his entire body.
"Come on," he said, "I want to take you somewhere."
Lily, unsure, slowly shook her head.
James laughed, "You said you wanted to try the Cloak on. You have to trust me."
Lily, seeing his relaxed face, returned his smile and walked around the couch to touch the Cloak. It felt so smooth. Like ice or water.
"Get under it," he said, and draped it around the two of them. Lily felt his arms embrace her. They were so warm, and so strong. She had never felt safer in her life.
"All right, now look over there," James said, pointing to a large mirror on the opposite wall. Lily followed his gaze, and gasped.
"It works!" she exclaimed, "We're not there!"
"Come on," he said nodding towards the portrait hole, "I want to show you something."
"I used to come here when I was younger," he said, as they climbed the stairs, "Before all of us started disappearing underneath it. I told them I was going to the kitchens, but I was really coming up here."
And then, Lily realized where he was taking her. The sky was open to the stars above them as they climbed to the top of the tower. Turrets surrounded the circular roof, where telescopes stood, flanking the turrets.
It was the Astronomy Tower.
"I was sort of homesick," James said, taking the Cloak off of them as they reached the last step, "And I'm come up here and think. You know, about different things. Sirius never understood that. He's not the philosopher deep thinking kind, if you know what I mean."
Lily laughed, and then followed him to the edge of the Tower. The wind was blowing, and it was very cold. She rubbed her arms and shivered, and yet she wasn't uncomfortable.
"It's a beautiful view," she said, as James leaned against the turrets.
"Look," he said, pointing to the Forbidden Forest, "There's this Centaur Field over there," he told her, "We discovered it a while ago, but we never went back. They use it for rituals and things. And over there," he pointed to the lake, "That's where this great ditch is. Not many people know about it, because it's hard to see. But we used to throw Dungbombs at Snivellus from there. He didn't see us coming."
"You seem to know a lot about this school," she said, looking at him. He was so beautiful. His messed jet black hair was swaying with the wind, and his eyes were so full of life. They looked out onto the world as an adventure. And yet, there was sadness. And anger.
She looked away, and scanned the grounds below again.
"It's so high up," she said.
"Not as high as it is in Quidditch," James said.
"I can imagine," Lily smiled, and then set her hand on his, which was lain ontop of the stone.
He blinked, and stared at it. Warmth filled his heart as he stared at her perfect hands. And he knew that this was meant to be. He knew it sounded mushy and cliché, but there was something deep down that told him that everything was going to be all right.
"Come here," he said, ushering her to the middle of the Tower. She followed him, and he said quietly, "Close your eyes."
Lily laughed uneasily, but did as he said.
"Now you can't look," he said, and Lily nodded.
"Okay."
James took his wand, and pointed it to the air. A white mist flew out of it, and hovered in the air. Out of the mist came thousands of fireflies, all blinking in the darkness of the night.
"Now open your eyes," he said, and Lily let her hands drop. She gaped at the swarm of fireflies, surrounding her and James, and gasped.
"Oh, they're so beautiful!" she exclaimed as they swirled around the two of them. James laughed as well, and said, "To light your way."
Lily looked him in his beautiful face again. He was smiling again. He was so young. So wonderful.
"You are nothing like I expected you to be," she said truthfully.
"As you've said before," he said, and then Lily grabbed him. Before James could respond, Lily was kissing him again.
The fireflies swarmed them in a large spiral, illuminating them as they embraced. They seemed never to want to let go. If they had stood there, on top of that Tower for the rest of eternity, they would have been more content than anyone else on Earth. For that one moment, there was no talk of the Order. No talk of Dumbledore or Voldemort. They did not exist. The only two that mattered were James Potter and Lily Evans.
Everyone's had it. That one night when everything seems to be perfect. That one night where the world seems to revolve around you. That moment seems to stay with you no matter what the future may bring.
And the memory of fireflies stayed with both of them until their final moments, years after this magical night, when the two of them would lay together, in the rubble of their house, never to smile again.