A.N: Hmm...I tried to upload this last night but it wasn't letting me go into my documents / I'm not too sure about this one, because I think I can write James' voice better than Lily's, see what you think.

They'd been going out for three months before James told her those three words which means a relationship crosses the line from casual-ish to serious.

Naturally, Lily was a little shocked and didn't know what to say. No boy had ever said those words to her before, (none of them had said it and meant it, at least), and she'd only ever used them in the presence of her parents and, sparingly, her sister.

What followed was a rather awkward and pregnant pause into which James coughed nervously and Lily fiddled with her hair until they made their hasty goodbyes, hardly looking each other in the eye.

Now, Lily is sitting in the dorm a few hours later and thinking hard about what James has said, if he means it, and whether she should say them in return.

A frown marrs her usually pretty face as she contemplates the word 'should'. Surely if she were to return James' sentiment, it would be because she wanted to and not because she ought to? And does she want to return the sentiment in the first place?

She feels guilty that she's even having to think about all this but she knows that she shouldn't say things she doesn't mean, it's not fair on James. But at the same time she doesn't want her relationship with him to come to an end because there's always the possibility that she will do in the future.

She bites her lip thoughtfully, glancing over to her side table where pieces of parchment with love hearts involving her and James' name entwined together adorn every spare corner. Her stomach even flutters just thinking about him or about being around him, to be able to get lost in his arms and run her hands through his hair or even send each other secret looks during lessons. The swell of pride Lily feels in her heart when he announces her as his girlfriend in front of an entire crowd or pulls her close in the Common Room is evidence enough for Lily to think that maybe what she feels is something serious after all.

Then it hits her like a tonne of bricks and she's grinning and racing down the staircase to the Common Room where she knows he'll be working until the early hours of the morning on new Quidditch tactics.

He looks up in surprise that she's even awake at this hour but he doesn't get a chance to speak because she clambers up onto his lap and buries her head into his chest, allowing herself to savour the giddy feeling that appears when she's this close to him and smelling his cologne.

"I love you," she says suddenly, laughter escaping from her mouth straight after, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

And he's laughing to and encircling her in his arms and kissing the top of her head, and Lily can feel the sigh of relief he's breathing out and hugs him tighter, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.

"I love you," she repeats again.

He brings her head up so their eyes are locked and she watches his eyes sparkle with so much emotion that she can't remember why she ever thought she didn't love him in the first place.

"I love you too," he confirms, kissing her ever so, ever so softly and the Quidditch plans are left abandoned as he kisses her again, until they both fall asleep beside the dying embers of the fire, wrapped in each others arms.