7.

Over Lily's seventh year a lot changed in her perspective of James. Probably the circumstance that helped this most was their joint headship of the school; he had had less time for pranks, and she had come to discover that aspects of his personality which she had once found irritating she now found endearing. It had been James she had turned to for comfort when Petunia had refused to invite her to her wedding with Vernon. James had been her outlet for everything; it was on his shoulder she had cried on the anniversary of her father's death.

Lily had also taken advantage of her new found friendship with James to confront him about Remus, and confirm her suspicions about him which she had been formulating since third year. It seemed that Remus was indeed a werewolf, but what hit home most with Lily was James' confession that he, Sirius and Peter had become animagi to help their friend. "He's a hero, Mum, they all are. I know I've been saying for a few months that this is just a silly crush, but I think that now I know him better, I can't help but love him," she had written.

But it wasn't until almost the end of their last year that Mrs Evans had received the letter that she had been half anticipating for almost five years, since October of Lily's third year.

3rd July

Dear Mum,

My application was accepted for auror training! YES! I spent about half an hour screaming and bouncing round the dorm with Alice (she got accepted too!) when we got the letters on Thursday. Marlene still doesn't know what she wants to do- she says she wants to put most of her efforts into the Order of the Phoenix, and let the rest of her life sort itself out. Typical Marlene.

Now, hold your breath Mum, because I've got exciting news... ALICE AND FRANK ARE ENGAGED! I'm so excited for them! They met up in Hogsmeade yesterday, the last Hogsmeade visit of the year. Alice told Frank she was going to be joining him for auror training, and he asked her to marry him! Not just because she was accepted for training of course- he had the ring ready in advance before he even knew her news. She showed it to us when we met up in the Three Broomsticks later on- it's beautiful!

Just think Mum- little Alice who fell over on the garden path and cut her knee on the gravel at the end of second year when she came to stay for the summer! Little Alice, who obsessed about Frank for weeks, but refused to ask him out. I feel like crying with happiness. I'm going to be her chief bridesmaid, because Marlene hates that kind of thing. She says she'll turn up for the dress choosing, the hen night and the wedding, but only because it's Alice. "Marriage is a complete waste of time, and I would never do it," she told us in fourth year, and she stands by that. Dear Marlene. I do love her.

James got accepted for auror training as well. He heard our screaming and tried to get up to our dorm to celebrate with us but he forgot about the staircase slide system! Poor Jamesie.

Talking of James, I've got some more pretty big news. Okay, okay, so I've been dying get onto it since the start of the letter. You know me too well. But I've got to save my best news until last, right?

You've probably been expecting this for years; Alice and Marlene certainly have. Yes, that's right- James asked me out again, and I said yes at last. I am his girlfriend. James Potter is my boyfriend. James Potter is my boyfriend. Hahahaha, I was just sitting there repeating that out loud when a second year came in looking for her sister. She gave me a very strange look. Oh well, it looks like it will be all round the school in no time.

It might seem a bit silly to you that we've waited this long, and now there's only two weeks left of school to be together. But we'll keep on seeing each other after school ends, and when auror training starts he, Alice, Frank (who has been doing auror training for a year already since he's a year older than us) and I will get a flat together. Maybe it sounds like we're moving too fast, but I've known for a while that I love him. I didn't say anything because I thought that he since he had matured, he had got over me.

It's funny; when I told him that, he told me that he had fancied me since third year, but when he matured he realised that he loved me too much to keep on bugging me like that. He resigned himself to me never loving him back.

Perhaps you're thinking "oh how ridiculous, they have already said 'I love you'". But I don't think we're moving too fast because I honestly think I could spend my life with him. I know him so well; this year has really brought us closer. It may be a bit early to be thinking about marriage and the future, but with a war going on we can never be sure if we will wake up tomorrow, so we might as well take chances. That's what Alice said about her and Frank as well.

Well, I'll see you in two weeks then. Oh, and Alice says to tell you that you're invited to the wedding.

Love,

Lily

And it was done.

Three minutes later the doorbell rang and Alice stood at the door, panting and clutching her side.

"Have you got them?" she gasped between deep breaths. Mrs Evans pushed the letters into her hands.

"Here they are, Alice dear."

"Thanks Mrs Evans! Thank goodness Lily has shown me how to use a fellytone- I didn't take Muggle Studies. We'll be here in ten for you to help Lily dress- I only managed to slip away from Marlene's on the pretext of going to the shop for some chocolate to keep us going, and I've still got to do that! This stupid war- I couldn't apparate closer than the other end of the street because of all the wards Dumbledore has set up. Anyway, thanks a million; I completely forgot about the chief bridesmaids' speech until Marlene mentioned it this morning!"

"There's a bit crossed out on one; I thought it would probably be a bit tactless to read that out at their wedding, since it's about Severus, so make sure you remember that. See you in a minute, then."

"Bye!" Then Alice Longbottom set off back down the garden path at a run. The same garden path she had cut her knee on all those years ago.

She smiled. Marriage and a responsible job catching You Know Who's followers had not changed scatterbrained, chattering Alice at all.

Now she had to clear up this mess of letters and files before Lily and her bridesmaids arrived.

It was her youngest daughter's wedding day.

Lily really had grown up.

I got a bit teary writing that. Well done to those of you who guessed what she was doing with the letters! It's not quite finished yet- I'm doing an epilogue, and since I've got it more or less planned out, I'll probably upload it in the next few days.