Chapter 18: The Chase

Disclaimer: Almost done, but I still don't own Harry Potter.

"Now, what comes next is obvious, Harry, but since you are so keen on finding out what that is, I will tell you. I almost immediately reacted after the realization. The blood rushed to my head and my heart was telling my feet to pick up and go get him. There was, however, a bit of a delay."

…

"Lily? Are you alright?" Remus said. Lily had forgotten he was there. She had been so enveloped in her thoughts she forgot where she was, as well.

"Remus," she began but something caught in her throat.

"Lily?"

"I have to go," she said simply, and in that moment left her best friend. She flew out of the hospital wing and all the way out of the castle. If she knew James Potter at all, and she was sure she did, then he would be somewhere outside teasing some first year like usual. She looked down at her watch. Yep, it was about time for his daily jinxes.

She kept running until her feet met grass, and she had finally reached the courtyard. She searched frantically around, but didn't see him anywhere. She noticed a fellow sixth year Gryffindor boy across the way, and thought maybe he would have seen him.

"Dillan?"

The boy turned around and raised an eyebrow in question.

"Have you see, Jam-Potter?" she corrected herself.

The boy looked her up and down, she must have been a bad state, and then said, "last time I saw him he was in the Great Hall."

Lily started to walk away but spoke as she did so, "how long ago?"

"Maybe half an hour," he said in a flustered tone at her anxiety. She frowned at his answer, but decided to try it anyway.

She ran as fast as she could to the Great Hall, but when she got there she saw no sign of James. But she ran up to the table anyway, and located Alice.

"Where is he?" she asked without specifying who "he" was.

"Remus? I don't know—"

"No!" Lily almost yelled, cutting her off. "Potter."

Alice's eyes widened. "I don't know. He left about twenty minutes ago. Maybe you should check the Common Room."

Lily was running away again before Alice finished. She was starting to get tired, but she had to find him. Her feet eventually took her to the Gryffindor portrait hole where the Fat Lady grimaced at her appearance.

"My dear, what happened to you?" she asked as if trying to make conversation, but Lily wouldn't hear it.

"Hippogriff," she said impatiently, and the Fat Lady scoffed.

"Alright, alright!" she said and swung open.

The brightness of the morning sun coming through the window was the first thing that caught Lily's eyes. It almost blinded her as she moved into the room trying to blink it away. Once the portrait hole fell closed and her eyes adjusted she looked around the room and found that they were all staring right back at her.

"Lily, are you okay?" Sirius Black said as he came forward. Marlene was right behind him, and Peter scurried up to meet them, but she didn't see Potter anywhere.

"Where is Potter?" she asked and everyone seemed shocked.

"Why?" Sirius said with a knowing smirk on his face.

"I need to speak with him," Lily said angrily. She didn't have time for this. When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with someone you want the rest of your life to start right away.

"He's in Dumbledore's office," Peter shouted out.

Sirius turned on him, "I was trying to build suspense!"

"I couldn't help it, I got so excited," Peter said as his face went red.

When they turned back, Lily was at the portrait hole.

"Someone's getting shagged tonight!" Sirius shouted.

Lily, unfortunately, heard him. Like always, it made her blood boil. She couldn't stand Sirius thinking he knew everything about everything.

But as she ran, she really thought about his words, and completely fell apart in laughter. She was laughing so hard it reverberated off the walls as her hair flew in the breeze.

She was mere feet away from her destination when she abruptly halted and stopped laughing. There stood Potter at the bottom the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office ruffling his hair in nervousness and shifting his feet. He looked so cute, she couldn't stand it. She practically flew at him, but just before she pummeled him, he noticed her and suddenly she couldn't move her feet.

She must have seemed very silly by this point. She was acting like a crazy person, but she had to add to it. She opened her mouth and began talking like a lovesick puppy, "Hi Jam-Potter! I was just looking for you!" She was also out of breath which didn't help the situation. She giggled a little, and then realized what she was doing. She very quickly turned to her normal self, controlled and uninterested. It was a difficult battle she fought inside herself. "Sirius said you were in Dumbledore's office." She was huffing between breaths, trying to sound as natural as she could, but James caught it.

"What? Were you running a marathon?" he asked without listening to her words at all.

She laughed and leaned into him. "No, I was on the chase."

"What chase?"

"The chase of you."

His eyes flicked with something that seemed like hope. Her smile widened.

"I heard what you did, Potter," she said as she took a step closer to him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Don't play dumb," she said as she seductively looked at him at bit her lip. "You are far too smart for playing dumb."

"Funny I thought I was far too dumb to play smart," he said as he grew rosy from her close scrutiny. Obviously, he was trying to remain calm too, but they had gotten near to kissing twice now, and neither was becoming very patient.

"Sh," she said softly as she stepped even closer to him. "What you did…" she almost couldn't say it, but James brought his hand up to her cheek.

"Don't say anything, Lily," he said, ensuring she wouldn't have to retell the details. "You don't have to say anything, I didn't do this for you."

She smiled, despite what most people's reaction would be to his statement. "I know," she almost whispered. Then, she grabbed his arms and threw them around her hips as she took advantage of his beautiful lips.

Everything was right. Everything was perfect. Everything was James Potter and Lily Evans. It was perfection. So long they had both fought to be perfection by themselves, but in that moment they realized that perfection was the two of them together. Nothing had ever felt so good for either.

Lily's lips caressed James' and their arms were all over each other in blissful passion. If it were a movie, this would be the point when the camera would start circling them and the world would stop moving. What really happened was far better. James took her hands in his, and when they finally stopped snogging, he brought her hand to his lips. He stared at her for a moment, in utter awe.

Then, despite anyone's expectations, James threw his arms in the air and shouted "YEAH!"

Lily proceeded to giggle into the back of her hand. She suddenly realized what had happened. Then she sigh loudly and James began to laugh.

"That was…"

"Yeah," James finished for her.

Then, in one fluid movement and with complete collaboration between them, without having to say a word, James put his arm around her shoulders and they walked away toward the common room.

"What do you think Sirius will say?" James asked as he placed a kiss on the top of her head.

She looked up into his shining eyes and answered, "I told you so."

Then, they walked out into the light of the corridor giggling like school sweethearts do.

A/N: Sorry, I know I said 2-3, but I couldnt get my computer up and running. This was as soon as I could! Hope you all like it! I didnt end with Lily in the present because that will be reserved for the next chapter. Just wait for it!