A Marauder Proposal

"Remus!" I call, waving a hand vigorously over my head to get his attention when Peter and I spot him in the growing Quidditch crowd. "Over here!"

He maneuvers his way over, clutching a massive tome to his chest.

"Doing a little light reading?" I ask as he plunks down on the bench, opening the tome to what appears to be a random page.

"More interesting than Quidditch," he says, voice muffled slightly by his scarf.

"Is James going to come out of the locker room before the game?" I ask. "I want to wish him good luck."

Peter furrows his brow. "I hope so. I want to wish him luck too."

"Not in the same way as Lily wishes, I'll wager," Remus says.

"You're rather cheeky today, Remus," I say. "But at least you're here to support James for the Quidditch House Cup."

"Unlike some people."

"Sirius will be late," I say. "Sirius is always late."

"What did James say about it, Moony?" Peter asks. "Sirius likes to make a 'grand entrance' or something of that nature?"

"Because if you can't make a grand entrance, why make any at all?" Sirius says, slipping into the spot we saved for him on the bench next to Remus. He flashes me one of his patented 'I'm Sirius Black and Devilishly Handsome' smiles.

The crowd erupts into applause as a buzzer sounds to signal the start of the match. The announcer, Shawn Jordon – a 7th year and Gryffindor like us – introduces the players. "Captain of the Gryffindor Team – James Potter!" elicits the most applause, especially from our corner of the stands.

"Why were you late, Sirius?" I ask, having to lean over Remus to hear his response.

He grins, kicking back lazily in his seat, feet propped on the bench-seat in front of us despite the fact that there are a group of 3rd years seated there. "Three guesses and the first two don't count."

"And you accuse James and I of being bad," I cluck, rolling my eyes.

He laughs. "Though I appreciate that James has finally gotten everything his little heart desires, I do not appreciate having to watch him enjoy it so much. . .Come on, ref, that's a foul!"

"I would think that you'd be happy that he's happy."

"I am," Sirius says. "Just wish he would shut up about that happiness. Honestly, sometimes I think I liked it better when he was mopey and you were unattainable." He cocks his head to the side, reconsidering. "Then again, that's all I ever heard about so wish there were a happy medium."

"Go, James!" I yell, focusing my attention on the game at hand. "Beat Hufflepuff!:

"It's not hard to beat Hufflepuff," Remus comments.

"Well, actually," Peter says. "If it was easy to beat Hufflepuff, they wouldn't be competing for the House Cup."

"What's this?" Shawn Jordon says, voice echoing across the pitch from the announcer's box. "Potter's circling the goal hoops. What is he trying to do?"

'Get my attention," I say, standing. "It's our signal." I cup my hands to my mouth. "James! Pay attention to the game!"

He stops, hovering in front of the middle of the three hoops. "Marry me if we win the Quidditch House Cup!"

I push my way to the front of the stands, climbing onto the railing separating the stands from the field, waving happily. "I'll marry you regardless!"

James calls time out when one of the beaters relays my answer. He swoops down, hitting the ground running. When he reaches the stands, he stops, squinting up at me.

"You will?"

'Regardless of the match, yes, James, I'll marry you."

James holds out both arms and I jump down into them, not caring that we were putting on a show for the audience. Not caring for anything but my boyfriend – no, my future husband. My future husband.