Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

They're in: Seventh Year

Recap: After they finally broke apart, Lily rested her head against James's chest. "James?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"Hmm?" he responded, afraid that if he spoke any actual words then the moment would be ruined.

"I love you."

James's eyes opened quickly. Had he just heard right? Yes, Lily just said that she loved him. "I love you, too."

Chapter Twenty-One: Unfortunate

It was dinner time, and by now every student had heard that James and Marcy had broken up and that James had a new girlfriend: Lily Evans.

Lily and James sat next to each other giving each other silly grins every once in a while, their hands clasped underneath the dinner table.

Sirius and Remus gave each other knowing looks. "I never saw this coming!" Remus said in mock shock.

"Neither did I! I thought that James and Marcy were soul-mates!" Sirius continued.

"Ugh, don't even say that name anymore," James said, glad to know that his relationship with Marcy was finally over.

Marcy had already found herself a new boyfriend, an unfortunate shallow boy whose name was Calvin.

ABC.

Months were flying by, it seemed as if someone was fast forwarding through time, and before anyone knew it, it was time for the fifth years to take their O.W.L.'s and the seventh years to take their N.E.W.T.'s. Everywhere you went in the castle during the month of May one could see the seventh year students studying quietly in the library or walking along reciting incantations or definitions to themselves.

Even the Marauders were actually taking these tests seriously. Students surprised themselves by seeing the four mischievous boys in the library actually studying. Many thought it was Sirius and James's first times in the library since first year.

"I can't believe we're almost done with school," Lily said one night after they finished their potions practical. "I don't even know what I'm going to do when I get out. I mean I'm taking the N.E.W.T.'s for a bunch of subjects... but still... I don't know." Lily was proud to say that she had been self-inflicted-cuts-free for about five months. It hadn't been easy, she was certainly tempted, but she had never been happier in her life. In Lily's world, James meant joy.

"Well, I don't think you'll have many problems with that," James said nervously. They were both sitting by the Common Room fire. Most of the students had quit studying for the History of Magic exam the next morning, but there still remained a handful of seventh years. Lily hadn't realized that they were smug faces, as if they knew something that she did not.

"Why's that?" Lily responded, smiling at her boyfriend. Why did James seem tense?

"Because..." James started rummaging around in his robes, groping around for this mysterious item. "Well... I--" He cut himself off and looked at the ground apprehensively and lowered himself to it. He got on one knee and anxiously peered into Lily's face as he said a little more confident than he what he looked, "Lily, I love you. And I... I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I... Well... What I'm getting at is... Will you marry me?" he finished a little rushed.

Lily's hand had flown up to her mouth and even though James hadn't said anything too loudly, she noticed that the Common Room had gone oddly quiet, as if waiting to hear what the pair of them was talking about. "I... I..." She looked slightly confused at the form kneeling in front of her with a ring in his hand waiting for Lily's answer. She tried to smile at him, but her shock seemed to have made her forget how to smile properly.

Suddenly, a true smile broke her face and she leaned a little forward. "James, I love you too. Yes! I want to marry you!" she exclaimed and threw her arms around him. "I wouldn't want to spend it with anyone else but you," she whispered. Cheers erupted from the few students who were in the room with them. She looked around at her fellow students, albeit a little blurrily because her eyes held unshed tears.

"Yeah!" Sirius whooped as he ruffled his best friend's hair and hugged Lily.

"I knew you two belonged together," Remus smiled and he gave Lily a friendly kiss on the cheek and clapped James's back.

For another while, both Lily and James were being congratulated by the various students who were still left in the Common Room. Peter was mysteriously missing from the celebrations.

Once everyone had finished and gone up to bed, James, Lily, Remus, and Sirius were still by the fire, talking excitedly about the news. "I just, I never expected it, well I kind of did but I didn't know when. Oh, James! I'm so happy!"

James shot her a silly grin before replying, "Me too. It just seemed like the right time... I had told Sirius, Remus, and Peter what I was going to do. Apparently, they spread the news rather quickly. I was afraid that you'd find out before I had gotten the chance to propose." He gave his two friends a stern look, but ruined the overall effect by giving them a huge wink.

Remus and Sirius gave each other sheepish looks and Remus said, "Well, we can't help it if someone overheard us when we were talking about it."

"It's not like she found out anyway," Sirius said, giving a bark-like laugh.

The portrait hole opened and Peter came stumbling in. "Peter! Where've you been?" Sirius exclaimed, raising his eyebrows.

"I've been... You know... I was..." Peter responded clearly trying to think up of an adequate lie.

The three friends gave each other significant looks and Remus spoke, "No, we don't know where you've been. Could you enlighten us please?"

"I... er..." Peter's face brightened and then he quickly changed his face so that it showed slight embarrassment, "Oh, alright. I was in the prefects' bathroom. I overheard you telling the password to the other prefect and I just wanted to see if the rumors were true. I wanted to see how big it was and, well, frankly I just wanted to take a bath in that huge bath. Okay? Happy?"

"Right," James said, looking at Peter questioningly, but dropped the subject and changed his expression quickly and told him, "Peter! I proposed to Lily, she said yes!" he added unnecessarily as Lily gave James a huge smile and raised her left hand so that Peter could get a good look of her ring.

"Wha--Oh! Wow! Congratulations!" he said hastily.

ABC.

"Where do you think Peter really was yesterday night?" James asked his two friends on their way to the Potions test. Peter had not earned a grade high enough to continue with the subject.

"I don't know. He's been acting a little strange lately," Remus responded, leaning casually against the stone wall outside of the Great Hall.

"You're right," Sirius added on to the conversation, "he's been disappearing a lot and taking the map with him. I dunno what he's doing but I don't think it's good for him, he's always pale and peaky now."

"Yeah, and the other day I was messing with him and hit his arm. He got really angry and stormed out of the Common Room. I don't know what's gotten into him," James said.

"Something definitely isn't right," Remus continued, but stopped there because it was time for the students to walk into the Great Hall and begin taking their test.

ABC.

Lily had never been happier in her life, in just one year her life had done a complete one-eighty. She felt beautiful, she had a wonderful boyfriend... scratch that, she had a wonderful fiancé. The word sounded foreign in her mind, but it was true. She was going to be married! It was the most amazing feeling that she had ever felt. Just thinking about James and his roguish grin made her stomach flip flop and her heart flutter.

Everything felt too good to be true.

She needed to stop thinking about this; she was almost late to the exam. She had just arrived into the entrance hall as everyone was walking into the Great Hall. Now she had the Potions exam in front of her and she really needed to concentrate.

ABC.

"Time's up!" tiny Professor Flitwick called out when the last grain of sand fell through the sand timer at the front of the Great Hall. "Please remain in your seats until I collect your exams. Accio!" One hundred tests flew across the Great Hall and landed in a neat pile on a table next to him where there were also fragments of broken quills and empty ink bottles. "You may leave!" he said.

There was a great scraping sound of all of the chairs being pushed back and their occupant getting their belongings. "How'd the test go?" Sirius asked James as they walked toward the exit.

"Pretty good. I'm supposed to wait for Lily right by the staircase outside. Want to wait with me?" James responded.

"Ick. And see the two of you snogging? No thanks, I'll just go find my girlfriend," Sirius replied and James raised his eyebrows questioningly. "I asked her out yesterday. Her name is Anne, she's actually really nice compared to the other girls I usually go out with." He shrugged. "Ah, there she is." Without further ado, he zigzagged through the students toward a pretty brunette with green eyes and olive skin. She might've been around 5'3".

James shook his head as he watched his friend give the girl a kiss and led her outside of the castle. Before he knew it, he was getting kissed. He kissed her back and pulled her close.

Something made a loud noise. James tore away from his girlfriend and looked around for the source of the noise. Apparently someone was holding their book bag in their hands and had dropped his. Apparently that someone was Lily. James blinked and stared at her. That couldn't be Lily, he had just kissed Lily and she was right in front of him. He turned his head and looked at the girl who kissed him. "Anna!" James yelped, jumping away from her as if he had just been burned.

Anna gave him a sinister smile and traced her finger on his jaw. "So what were we doing?" she asked, getting closer to James.

Lily walked up to James and slapped him hard. She dropped something and ran up the stairs, despite the fact that it was sunny and beautiful outside. "Lily! Wait!" James called, but Lily didn't stop. He looked down to see what she had dropped. It was her ring. He picked it up and clenched it in his hand. All of the students in the entrance hall had stopped what they were doing just to watch the scene unfolding in front of their eyes. "Why did you do that!" he rounded on Anna.

Her eyes widened in fear but quickly went back to normal as she smiled seductively, "Because James, we're meant to be together. Two purebloods. That's what we are. We belong together."

"No we don't!" he yelled, "Lily and I do! Leave us both alone!" He turned and ran in the direction of where Lily was going. "Lily!" he called out again. He had no idea where she had gone. He ran up to the Common Room. "Lily?" he said as he burst through the portrait hole.

No luck. She wasn't there. He went to his dorm room and fished out the Marauder's Map from the bottom of his trunk. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he recited as the tip of his wand touched the worn parchment. Ink lines spread through out the whole map. Where was she? He looked for her name. Surprisingly, it was in the Room of Requirement. Without thinking, he wiped the map blank and stuffed it in his robes as he tore out of his dorm room and out of the Common Room.

A/N: Well, this story was to end soon, but I decided I'd extend it a bit more for you guys. I dunno if I'll write another fanfiction, but I was thinking about writing a story at fictionpress dot com. Anyway, should I agonize my characters for a few more chapters or should they live happily ever after in the next chapter?

Thanks to those who reviewed chapter 20: Emrisah, ReadingRobyn, CASOCCERCHIC02, grannyHPfan, anon, and Animals are my LIFE.

Oh! And do any of you have any good book recommendations? I want to read a good book.