Hi guys! I hope you're all liking the story so far.

Just two reminders.

1. I don't own rights to anything.

2. Reviews are awesome and much appreciated!

Thanks for reading. This chapter is pure fluff :)

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"Do you love me?"

James looked up from his drink. The world shifted and shimmered around him, but one thing was beautifully clear: That face. She looked up at him, green eyes electric with nerves. He wanted to dive into those eyes, and swim to every corner. And her voice rang with the sweetness of innocence. Does he love her? How could she not know? How could anyone who's ever seen him, brushed past him, looked at him, ever not know this one irrevocable fact?

He thought about their first kiss. It was the morning after Lily slept in his bed and the world ended and began again. She'd tried to sneak off on him, full of shame and sporting a killer hangover. But he noticed the second her warmth left his bed. Chasing after her down the stairs, he saw that she's still in his lucky socks. His heart felt like it would burst as she looked at him, green eyes scared and uneasy.

"I'm an idiot." She said.

"Well I've always known that, love." He said. Her lips wobbled into a reluctant smile.

"I don't want to put you in a corner James." She said. "Now you know how I feel, but I don't want to pressure you into something you don't want just because you feel bad for me." Her voice cracked a bit. James let out a wild laugh of giddiness. Her eyebrows rose practically to her hairline.

"Well you don't have to make fun of me." She said sourly. He laughed again, and now she looked more unsure, and turned to go.

"No!" He shouted grabbing her arm. "Lils I wasn't teasing, I swear." She gave him a glare that would have rendered him speechless a few years ago.

"Well you don't have to be such a prick about it. If you don't like me like that, it's fine, just don't laugh like you've pulled off the greatest prank of your life!" She snapped. He giggled again, at the ridiculousness of it all. She thought he didn't like her? Looking thoroughly offended, Lily turned to go again, but he swung her back, tackling her into a huge bear hug.

"Potter! Your hugs will be the death of-" She was cut off as his lips crashed into hers.

His mouth fell onto hers with such a force their teeth clacked, but he didn't care. It was sloppy and sweet, like most first kisses are. They were on the sofa in the common room, with Gryffindors all around them preparing for breakfast, and James couldn't give a damn because they were kissing. Her lips were soft and warm and tasted like toothpaste. A couple wolf whistles and cheers came from behind them, and Lily giggled underneath him, but she didn't stop, thank Merlin she didn't stop. He never wanted her lips to leave his.

"Fucking finally!" Sirius's voice erupted far closer to them than James expected. Startled, they jumped apart, to be greeted by their friends, expressions ranging from elated to mildly disgusted with their public display. Remus jumped between the two, intentionally breaking them up. He swung his arms around his two friends, ignoring their protests.

"I guess Lily getting drunk for the first time really did turn out for the better, eh Prongs?" He asked cheekily.

James looked at Lily, face flushed from embarrassment. She was biting her lip in a way that made his insides ache. She looked beautiful with her messy flaming locks sticking out all over her face. She looked at him, leafy eyes saying the exact same thing he was feeling.

"Yes." He said, "I guess it did."

That was four months ago. It was now early June, and Lily was with James, and she asked him if he loved her. James was drunk for the second time in his life. The two were trying to pass the time on this horrid camping trip Lily's dad forced them to go on. The scenery was amazing, the fire-cooked meals were delicious, but the company was rotten. As a family-bonding activity, Lily's dad made Petunia and her horror of a fiance come along. Luckily, Lily somehow convinced him that two separate tents were necessary for her sanity as well as her sister's, and the two of them were able to sleep alone. He looked up at the blue fabric, light from the lantern casting long shadows around their space. Little did Lily's dad know, his youngest snuck some bottles of vodka along with.

"Hell if I'm making it through this sober." Lily had claimed.

James teased her relentlessly, but by the end of the second day, he decidedly needed a drink as well. Petunia took any moment she could to criticize James, from his messy hair to his rule-breaking, to his chewing too loudly at dinner. And Vernon had just taken the approach of acting as if the two didn't exist at all. So, James concluded, it was time for him to try drinking again. It wasn't as if he was ever opposed to it really, he'd just always wanted to keep that memory of his first time special. But now he had Lily every day, not just in the hazy memory from third year, so it didn't matter anymore.

And she was asking him if he loved her.

He remembered the last day of their sixth year.

They'd finished their exams, and were swimming in the lake. James kept diving underwater and grabbing Lily by surprise, and she would let out the cutest squeals of fright. They got into a splash war, then retired to floating on their backs together. James felt like there wasn't anyone in the world but them, and he tried to savor the moment.

"The thought of leaving this place tomorrow is killing me." Lily said suddenly. James looked over. Her eyes were staring up at the sky, hard and flat. He knew Lily was terrified of the prospects of her summer at home. Petunia had written her last week claiming she was engaged to be married on September 1st. It was obvious she'd picked the date to make it impossible for Lily to attend.

"You can come over to my place whenever you like Lils." He promised. She looked at him and rolled her eyes.

"Who would ever say no to an invitation to Potter Mansion?" She teased.

"We prefer the name Potter Estate actually." He shot back. She giggled.

"You mean it though? I could come any time I like?" She asked softly.

"Absolutely. You're more than a guest to me, you know." He said. Her eyes glinted with mischief.

"Even if I came, say, every day at six in the morning?" He groaned and she laughed heartily. She knew he was the opposite of a morning person.

"Well you've heard of my 'no activity till noon' rule, but for the prettiest girl I know, I think I can make an exception." She grinned. He looked at her like it was the first time. Hair clung wetly to the sides of her cheeks and neck, flaming locks darkened with water. Her button nose had a droplet hanging off of it, and her green eyes shone with mirth. And something else, but James didn't want to over-analyze it. The sun was going down over the castle, and her creamy skin stood out against the blackness of the lake, freckles adding spots of contrast. They spent a long time there, bodies shivering in the cool water, just looking at each other.

"You know, Alice and Laura always come to this spot to skinny dip." Lily stated neutrally.

"Oh?" James said, trying to mimic her calm tone. "Seems like a fine place to do it."

"Maybe we should try, you know, since they seem to love it so much." She said.

"Maybe."

Slowly, Lily reached down into the water, maneuvering off her swimsuit bottoms. Once successful, she threw them onto shore, her top soon following. James couldn't think of a moment when he had ever been happier, kissing his girlfriend who was naked, the two at the cusp of summer and the verge of adulthood. It was memories like that that made her asking him if he loved her even more absurd.

"You're leaving a girl hanging here, babe." She joked, jolting him back to the present. He smiled so wide he felt as if it would fall off of his face.

"Of course I love you, you idiot." He said softly.

Relief and joy flashed through her face, and then she shoved him for calling her an idiot. He giggled loudly and swished some of his drink onto the tent floor. Lily shushed him, making sure the two didn't wake up any of their fellow campers. A cyote howled off in the distance, and James pretended to be frightened, and jumped on top of Lily for protection.

"You willingly run around with a werewolf once a month! I know you're not scared." She complained, but she wasn't actually upset. She loved his body close to hers, his strong arms circling her in a tight embrace. It made her feel safe in a world where it was harder and harder to feel so. It was home.

"So," He said "Now we know that I love you. Although I thought it was quite obvious, since I basically turn into a blubbering idiot whenever I'm around you."

"I thought that was just how you always acted." Lily teased. " You save your idiocy just for me? I'm touched." James chuckled, but his hazel eyes turned serious.

"Lily, I've been in love with you since I was fourteen years old." He said.

"I know." She smiled. And really, part of her always did. Even when she thought he was the biggest jerk on earth, she always knew.

"The real question now Evans" James continued, "Is do you love me?"

Lily looked down at her drink. The light contents swirled slowly. The light reflected off of its surface and glinted into her eyes. Does she love him? Is that even a question?

She thought back to a couple months ago. The two had started dating a few weeks ago and they were basically glued at the hips. Lily had no complaint, as being with James made anything better.

"It's like when he's there, I could be pruning a Venomous Tentactula and he'd still get me to have fun." Lily explained to the girls.

They'd finally all gotten together, as Marlene protested that with all the happy couples and her forever single, she needed time to catch up. They were sprawled on Alice's bed, Lily, Laura, Marlene, and even Mary. Lily had made it her mission to apologize as quickly as possible, and it turned out Mary felt the exact same way, and the two were back to their easy friendship, drama set aside. They'd spent the evening eating pumpkin pasties and licorice wands. Alice showed them all her shiny silver engagement ring, which was appropriately fawned and gushed at. Laura told them about the date she'd gone on with her new girlfriend, Mathilda Hopkirk. Even Mary said that after the party, she'd started to chat with the Hufflepuff Head Boy, Reg Cattermole, and was beginning to crush on him hard. Everyone was happy, and although Marlene complained, she liked being single really, and was happy to hear about everyone's dating lives. And now it was Lily's turn.

"I always knew you and Potter would end up together." Laura stated matter-of-factly. Lily snorted.

"Half of my time here I couldn't even stand him!" She said.

"That may be true, but I can recognize fate when I see it." Laura said, raising an eyebrow mysteriously.

"Oh shove it, just because Divination is your best subject." Marlene teased, throwing some jelly slugs at her.

"So Lily, is he a good kisser?" Alice asked.

"I've barely snogged him, we've only been dating for three weeks!" She exclaimed. Well, that wasn't entirely true. She wanted to kiss James every spare moment she could, but the two were both busy, James with Quidditch and Lily with Prefect duties. And there was a time last week when he'd pulled her aside after dinner. She'd never been kissed like that before, like she was the most precious and loved thing in the world. Just the memory of it gave her tingles.

"Liar." Marlene smirked. Lily blushed.

Their conversations wandered, touching schoolwork, parties, and the upcoming Hogsmede trip. Lily savored the easy conversation and relaxing times with her friends. Suddenly Laura's ear's perked and she whipped her head around towards their dormitory door.

"What was that noise?" She demanded. Confusion swept the group, and Laura shushed them all. Lily strained her ears, and suddenly began to hear it too: a faint scratching, and muffled shouts.

The girls all shrieked as the scratching suddenly increased in volume. As the bravest of the group, they forced Marlene to go check it out. Deciding to just get it over with, she strode across the room and swung open the door with a bang. Frank and James burst in, wearing bandannas and black warpaint. Sirius was soon to follow, tackling Marlene. They all sported the fluffiest pillows Lily had ever seen.

"This is war boys! Take no survivors!" James shouted.

Remus and Peter followed pursuit, throwing smoke bombs to add to the madness. The girls were beginning to react, grabbing pillows off their beds to defend themselves from the onslaught. It seems the boys charmed their pillows not only to be as big as dining room tables, but to emit mass quantities of feathers each time they hit a target. The room was alive with screams and smoke as the pillow war ensued. Marlene trapped Peter in one of her blankets, carrying him around like a sack. Alice and Frank were half-wrestling, laughing gaily. Lily was blindly whacking into the fray with her purple pillow, laughing so hard her stomach hurt. Suddenly a hand went around her mouth. James spun her around, dragging her into a corner. She squirmed, but he was too strong.

"Looks like I got myself a hostage." He teased, and bent down to kiss her on the mouth. Lily giggled.

"Let me guess who's idea this was." She said. He held up his hands in mock-surrender.

"Guilty as charged. I guess I just missed you too much." She smiled up at him. Feathers were raining down on them like snow, sticking in his black hair.

"How in the name of Merlin's left ball sack did you boys manage to get up here?" Laura demanded. Remus gestured to the door, indicating for them to see for themselves. The girls rushed over, and Lily let out a laugh of disbelief.

"What even is that?" Marlene asked.

"Muggle rock climbing gear." Lily said, in a fit of giggles. Somehow they'd gotten a rope nailed into the stone steps, which were now a slide with the presence of boys. They'd taken carabiners and a pulley and climbed their way up. Lily looked at the boys to see crampons on each of their feet. Of course the stairs were magic, and wouldn't think of a Muggle alternative to get up.

"I thought of it last week when you mentioned your dad used to climb." James said laughing, slinging an arm over her shoulder.

"James Potter you're the most insane person I've ever met." Lily said in disbelief. She looked up at him, hazel eyes lit up with excitement. His crooked smile was huge, showing off his white teeth. One had a chip in it, she'd never noticed. She felt her heart in her ears, never wanting to look away.

She looked up at him now. He'd just asked her if he loved her. She looked up at those eyes, that crooked tooth. He had a terrified expression on. She smiled, as she was pretty terrified too.

"James Potter, I love you more than I've loved anything ever." She said.

He didn't say anything, but leapt to her side of the tent and tackled her, showering her with kisses. She shrieked, and heard Vernon grumbling from across the campsite. But she couldn't give a dam. She loved James and he loved her. Could anything possibly matter more?

It wasn't the first time Lily had felt this way, like this was something bigger than just the two of them. Looking at James's wild Hazel eyes, Lily just had this feeling in her gut that this was something more.

The first time she'd felt that was was before her Potions final last month. Her and James were studying in the library until late. She'd been trying to help him understand the principles behind anecdotes. His face was scrunched in concentration, but he just wasn't seeming to get it, which was rare for him when it came to school. She kept reassuring him but he seemed pretty defeated. There was a perfect book on anecdotes she knew of that was a few rows away. She gave him a quick kiss, promising to be back in five minutes. Which was when she ran into Sev.

"Lily." He greeted cooly. She had barely spoken to him since fifth year, only when she had to hash out Prefect duties. Honestly she had no desire to either. The fact that he used to be her friend and she didn't know anything about him now made her sad, but it didn't make her regret her decision to end things between them. Not for a second.

"Sev, either spit it out or move out of the way." She sighed tiredly, not in the mood for his antics.

"So you with potter now, is it?" He asked, voice filled with bitterness. "Lily, I never thought you'd stoop that low." Now she was furious.

"You have no right to criticize me for my choice in friends when yours are out to murder people like me." She spat. Sev flinched "James was a jerk, but he grew up. Obviously you can't accept that, but as we are no longer friends I don't care."

"You're going to regret it you know." He said finally. She let out an exasperated huff. He was really that thick?

"Goodbye Sev." She said cooly, bumping his shoulder hard as she passed. She hoped it would be the last time they ever spoke.

Forgetting about the book, she turned to find her table. All she wanted to do now was talk to James. It wasn't as if she cared about what Sev said, but it left her exhausted and hollow. She knew James would make her feel better. When she reached the table, however, he was fast asleep. She looked down at James, glasses askew, drool leaking out of his mouth onto his potions notes. His shaggy hair flopped in his face. A piece would tilt upward when he breathed out, and be sucked in when he inhaled. She laughed softly, and nudged him awake. He looked up, and smiled sleepily. Lily knew in that moment, that despite what Sev or anyone said, she would never ever regret her time spent with James Potter for as long as she lived.

And now it was June. In a few short months the two would begin their last year at Hogwarts. And they were in love. The two spent the rest of the night giggling.

"You love me."

"Yeah and you love me too."

"But you love me."

"Yes, but you love me."

They couldn't stop saying it to each other, in between kisses of course. Finally the pair was startled from their own world when Petunia's shrill voice came from across the campsite.

"WE GET IT! YOU TWO LOVE EACH OTHER. NOW LET THE NORMAL PEOPLE GET SOME SLEEP!"