The weeks that followed James's attack were difficult ones. Lily was finding difficult to concentrate on her schoolwork and patrols because she couldn't stop thinking about her boyfriend. She was devastated that James still remained in a coma because the healers could only reduce a certain amount of the swelling each day. But on the positive side, Jeremy was being well and truly punished. Her ex-boyfriend wasn't allowed to communicate with her or the others during the classes that they shared and the same applied during mealtimes and study sessions in the library. He had been stripped of his visits to the village and had detention every night, mostly helping out Filch with the care taking of the castle.
Georgia seemed a little happy at the news and when Lily had gone up to her three days after James had been taken to St Mungo's, Georgia revealed that no matter what happened to Jeremy, he already had a job as a filing assistant in the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry for when he left school. But the best part was that each time he received a paycheck, his employer would take out a certain amount of money to place into her vault at Gringott's for the child's upbringing. Lily felt happy for Georgia, at last the child would be cared for financially by its father; even if it took Jeremy's boss at the Ministry to sort it out for her.
Marlene and Sirius were back on track with their relationship, causing the group to smirk when they both rushed off somewhere. The popular excuse was that Sirius was going to help Marlene with homework or help her pick up the textbooks she had forgotten; when really the group knew that they were off to find a broom cupboard to snog in as they had to make up for lost time.
Although Lily was happy that everyone else who had been affected by Jeremy's scheming were now getting on with their lives and being happy, she still felt empty. She had been without James for two weeks and that was something that she hadn't been used to since they had started dating. James was the one constant thing in her life and to be without him she didn't know what to do with herself.
It was due to his absence that she realised how much she was in love with him, something which she had never experienced or felt before. James was like her source of oxygen, something which she needed to live. He had been there for her all the time and they had a beautiful relationship, she had even come to the conclusion that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Lily feared that due to the amount of moping that she was doing now that the girls were beginning to grow tired of her wish to skip school and apparate to St Mungo's.
March came to Hogwarts and Lily was overjoyed at the news that the swelling had gone down on James's brain and that he had no lasting injuries. Dumbledore didn't allow her to visit St Mungo's as James would be returning to Hogwarts on his eighteenth birthday in three weeks time. Three weeks to Lily seemed like a long time away but she had something to look forward to now. She focussed on her schoolwork and her grades began to improve a lot since James's accident.
The weekend before James was due to return to Hogwarts, she went to Hogsmeade with the girls and the marauders. She decided to treat James to a hamper of his favourite things, she bought two boxes of chocolate frogs, some of Dr Filibuster's fireworks, some fizzing whizzbees and some butterbeers from The Three Broomsticks.
It was the Thursday before James was due back and Lily and the girls met in the entrance hall for dinner. Lily was getting more and more excited as the date neared closer to James's return and Marlene had to keep pinching her because she was becoming 'highly irritating' according to Alice. She couldn't help it, she wanted it to be Saturday already.
After eating what she could of her roast beef and mashed potato, she returned to the common room. Only to stop in her tracks when she saw James sitting with the other marauders by the fireplace. James rose from his seat and they ran at each other, with Lily throwing her arms around James's neck and James lifting her off her feet in a tight embrace.
Not caring about who was watching, James set Lily back on her feet and kissed her passionately. The boys groaned and rolled their eyes, knowing that this would be exactly what Lily and James would do the first time that they set their eyes on each other. James pulled away from Lily and the two went for a walk in the corridors for some time alone together.
"How've you been?" James asked.
"Terrible, but it's not about me. How are you?"
"Better. Mum kept fussing over me more than usual but the head no longer hurts."
"Do you have to have regular check-ups?"
James shook his head, "No I've been fully discharged from the outpatients. I'm not going anywhere."
They stopped in front of the room of requirement and went inside. This time it looked completely different from the last time they had been in there. The fireplace remained but instead of cushions on the floor there was a double bed with red bedding.
"What is this?"
James sat on the bed and gestured for Lily to sit next to him. She obliged, watching him closely.
"I figured that we need some time alone, it's been a while since we were last together and I've missed you."
"I missed you too."
"Lily, I'm sorry-
"Don't apologise." she whispered, "It wasn't your fault and the scumbag is being punished for it."
"I love you with all my heart Lily Evans."
"I love you more James Potter."
James caressed her cheek and moved his head closer to hers, "Impossible." he whispered and kissed her fiercely. As their kiss grew more intense and the clothes began to come away, James and Lily made love to one another; both fulfilling their need of the other, both enjoying the company and intimacy that they had missed out on over the weeks. Afterwards, James and Lily lay cuddled in the bed and both on the verge of drifting off to sleep.
"Lily?"
"Mmmhmm."
"I want you always."
"Me too James." Lily yawned.
James leaned over her and kissed her forehead before tucking her hair behind her ear.
"No I mean I want this, you, a life together. Always."
Lily raised an eyebrow, "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying move in with me after we graduate. I'm saying marry me someday."
Lily sat up as did James, she felt shocked.
"Are you proposing?"
James nodded, "Why not? Life's too short Lily and I've always known what I've wanted. I've always wanted you and now that I have you, I'm not letting you go."
"Potter you're crazy. I think the healers need to re-examine you, that bludger has you thinking mad."
James frowned, "Ruining the romance here Evans." he muttered.
"Sorry." Lily smiled.
"Jeremy did me a favour. I always knew that I was lucky to have you but that bludger got me thinking about how I could have died if it weren't for that cushioning charm from Dumbledore, that I was lucky that I didn't have brain damage from the bludger. Lily, I want everything with you. I want you to be Mrs Potter and I want us to have kids someday, you're the only one I want that with."
If someone had told her this time a year ago that James Potter would be proposing to her, she would've told that person that they were deluded. It hadn't even been a year since their first kiss yet and already James was talking marriage and babies. But now she realised what she had been missing out on when James hadn't been her boyfriend, she could honestly say that she wanted the same as James. She wanted a future.
"Lily, it's been a few minutes and I'm getting kind of nervous."
Lily snapped out of her thoughts and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Do you have a ring?"
James grinned, "Are you accepting?"
"Yes."
James kissed her passionately once more and they both fell back onto the pillows.
"I'll pick one out for you the minute I can go to Hogsmeade."
"I hope you don't leave your messy socks over your house like Sirius does. Because I'm not cleaning them up!"
"I just proposed to you and that's what you're thinking about?"
"Well I've never stayed with you permanantly, if I'm moving in with you I'd like to know what I'm letting myself in for."
"You've let yourself in for cups of tea each morning and doing my ironing."
"You don't like ironing?"
"I can never get the creases out."
As the two continued to talk about what their married life would be like after graduation, a clock somewhere in the castle chimed midnight. James and Lily fell asleep soon after, both content with where their lives were going.
A/N: So I've had a lot of free time on my hands today you lucky people. This story will be finished within a chapter or two but I've also started another one called Always You which is based on James moving on because he's realised that Lily will never like him. Please give that a read :) and I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)