The sun was low in the sky as Lily Evans strolled along the edge of the lake, singing to herself. James had been watching her progress for the better part of half an hour, as Remus and Peter played wizard's chess from the window of an empty classroom. Sirius threw a quill at James and told him to go after her otherwise he would and good luck if it came to that.

James neared Lily and took a moment to watch as light scattered over her hair, highlighting its colour. He stood right behind her. "Hey Evans." He whispered in her ear.

"Aaahh! Potter!" Lily screeched, jumping as he did so.

"So you do know my voice. I always wondered if you had it committed to memory" James smirked.

"Obviously. How could I not, what with you tormenting me day after day. What do you want?"

"Care to join me as I tour the grounds?"

"I thought I already was touring. Thanks, but no thanks."

"Alright then. Have a nice walk" James said, turning in the opposite direction and walking off.

Lily stood, shell-shocked, and watched him actually walk away. "James!"

He smiled to himself before turning back to face her. "Yes, Lily?"

"Has a dimkie impersonated you? Since when do you not pester me?"

"Miss me that much hey?" James teased, "No, I just figured that you might not like me in your personal space so I left."

"That's…unusually thoughtful" Lily said. He had been doing that a lot lately, Lily thought, doing (or not doing) small things that enabled her to stay on speaking terms with him. They had become friends this year, but in the past couple of weeks he had become ever more considerate. Her feelings had begun to thaw just a little towards him. She found herself wondering what his opinion was on certain topics and how he felt when he flew. She had watched countless matches wherein he outflew even the bludgers and had meant to ask him ever since they started using each other's first names.

They faced each other awkwardly, until Lily smiled and walked ahead of James, towards the forest.

"Well, come on then!" she called over her shoulder. "I can't very well take a tour without a guide!"

James grinned and jogged over to her, falling into step.

They had been talking for two whole hours, laughing with one another and each enjoying the other's company. The sun had started to set and the couple showed no inclination to go inside.

"So, James "said Lily, putting on a showy commentator's accent, "tell me, how does it feel to fly high above the clouds and beyond?"

"What, in a quidditch match?" James said. Lily lifted her eyebrows expectantly.

"It feels…indescribable. It's my favourite thing in the world. To chase after and feel the quaffle in my hands, to dive and feel that heady rush before defying gravity… and it's not just quidditch, even though it's the best game ever invented…it's the flying. Like to go now, when everyone is inside and quiet, to just glide over the treetops…"

"Take me sometime." Lily said. She blushed and looked away, then lifted her eyes to his. James grinned and said, "Yeah, ok… how about now?"

"Not now. I'd like to see where I'm going, thanks."

"Pity. The grounds look amazing at sunset. But I'll hold you to that, Red."

"You do that." Lily laughed, feeling light-hearted for once. "I would love to fly; I just have one tiny problem."

"Afraid of heights?"

"However did you guess." She laughed again, the sound so enchanting to James that he vowed to never stop telling her jokes.

"You should do it, you know. Conquer your fears and all. But more than that…when I'm flying, I'm free. Free to think, free to be me. Like a never ending love affair."

"Oooh, who's having an affair with a married woman," teased Lily.

"Well, if you must know, McGonagall's-"he broke off as Lily burst into giggles, clutching at her sides. "Oh, I haven't laughed this much in ages" she said, "I feel free now. With you."

James looked towards their tree, emotion threatening to break through his easy chatter. "Well, better an affair than loveless marriage, I suppose. Flying's been one hell of a ride."

"You don't believe in happy endings?" said Lily, her tone dropping to a serious note. James broke her gaze. He wondered how they had got from light and easy to deep in a matter of seconds.

"I believe…in happiness for as long as it may last. I don't believe that certain people fall in love and fly off into the sunset and live all their days as happy as the first of the last, so to say. And you?"

"I believe in meaning, not happiness. I believe in love and that love, when all-consuming, will endure forever, even if it only lasts a short time while you are alive. "

"Lily loves… tell me something, why do you speak so passionately about a concept that you are afraid of?" James said

Lily stopped in mid-stride. James walked on for a couple of metres before he realised that she was no longer by his side. He walked back to her, coming to stand in front of her.

"Why do you say that?" asked Lily, an unfathomable expression upon her face.

"I don't know. From what I've seen, you live with vibrancy and a purpose, but I have never seen you like that with another person."

"I love. My friends mean the world to me – "

"You know what I mean."

Lily looked towards the lake and watched the giant squid float lazily in the glistening waters. James stood next to her and together they watched the sun as its last rays touched the water's edge.

"My father " Lily said, "told me the week after my mother died that he would do it again in an instant – he would marry my mum every single time, even though her cancer nearly drowned the entire family – because he loved her more than his own life. Last year he died, too." The sky had taken on a purple tinge. James waited, not speaking, not looking at her, for fear she would stop talking. Lily stared at the tree the marauders and her group of friends had adopted as home. "I loved them James. I love them. I understand what my dad was saying, to an extent. Maybe it's different, when your parents leave you, compared to when your husband leaves you, but it's all love, just different forms. And I can't - no matter how hard I try to talk myself into it – expose my heart to some guy…"

"Because when you love it's all or nothing." Said James, softly. Lily nodded.

"But what if he's not just some guy, Lily?"

"What if he is, James? What if he is?"

The night had settled in and Lily and James had eventually come to lie beside one another on a hill overlooking the quidditch pitch.

"Is it difficult being here, at Hogwarts, when your whole family is in muggle London? " James asked.

"It was. Not now, with my friends here and there's no way I'd ever give up magic, but sometimes…like with Petunia, my sister…we were best friends, but then all this happened and we hardly ever speak to each other anymore."

"Because of the distance?"

"If that were the case, it could be remedied with a visit and a hug. Petunia is not the most 'out-of-the-box' kind of person you'll ever meet…when she found out I had magic – and she didn't – she kind of rioted against the whole institution. The ministry would love her."

"That's what I don't get." Said James.

"What?"

"How we regard one another. We see the same moon, same stars. The universe doesn't change for anyone. It doesn't reveal its secrets to us because we can wield magic and it doesn't empower muggles because they can't. We're all the same, in the greater scheme of things…"

Lily turned her head to face him. "There you go again, Potter. One minute you're –"

"A good-for-nothing idiot?"

"I was going to say arrogant jerk but that too" she said, smiling.

James looked down and picked a few strands of grass. "I don't mean to be. I just don't know how to be myself around you. I go for confident and sexy and come out looking like a cocky prat."

"I guess it's the thought that counts. Sexy is always a good one to aim for." Lily said, eyes sparkling as she looked up at the moon, thinking about what he said. They lay there for a moment, watching their breath as it condensed in the frosty night air.

"Figures. That the one person who would make all others cease to matter is the only one who hates me." James said, under his breath, not meaning for Lily to hear.

"I'm sorry about that." Lily said softly.

James bit his lip, took a deep breath and said, "Why do you think so lowly of me?"

"I actually don't. "

James sat up and looked down upon her, his brow arched disbelievingly.

"No really," Lily said, also sitting up. "I never hated you, James. I know you're not an idiot – you're just about the most talented wizard in the school – and I have seen how you treat your friends. "

"It just never hit home for you personally?"

"Not that, just…it's getting late." She said, standing up and heading towards the castle. James, startled, took a second longer to jump up after her. Taking two long strides, he caught her arm and turned her to face him. "It's just?" he questioned, his eyes boring intensely into hers.

Lily gazed at him. "That it's you. And for protection."

"Protection against?" James confusedly asked.

"Against what I don't want to admit to myself." She said, pulling her arm free and breaking into a run back to the castle, leaving James staring after her.