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James Potter trudged up the many staircases leading toward the astronomy tower. He was sweating profoundly and cursing silently at his sprained ankle (obtained by missing the trick stair on the third flight) but at the same time he was taking a good long look at his surroundings. He walked past a lone painting of three witches playing wizarding chess and couldn't help but grin when they whistled at him from behind. He ruffled his hair (old habits die hard) and continued on. James knew she would be there. She always went there when she had something on her mind, and tonight was most certainly one of those nights.



James was nervous and it was a bittersweet feeling. Somehow Lily always managed to do that to him, no matter what the circumstance. He reached the door that opened into the astronomy classroom and tentatively pushed it open. There she stood, her red hair sparkling in the light of the full moon, gazing up at the stars. James thought of Remus for a second, who was down in the Shrieking Shack with Sirius and Peter, but immediately dismissed the thought. Remus, of all friends, understood despite the constant ribbing James had received after he told his friends about his plan.



Lily turned around, startled by the intrusion and smiled when she saw who it was.



"You're lucky I didn't hex you, Potter."



"I'm not scared of any hex you have to throw at me, Evans," he replied. James joined her at the window and poked her playfully in the stomach.



She didn't retort (for once) and James slipped an arm around her shoulders. The two stood quietly for awhile staring up at the sky, although James didn't really see it. He was too busy trying to work up the legendary Gryffindor bravery he was supposed to have. All he could think about was the disaster of the first time he had asked her something in the tower. The end result had been a nasty bruise on his right eye and contemptuous glances from Lily for weeks afterward. Of course, that was in the fifth year and the day after, Sirius had charmed Lily’s best friend's underwear to glow through her uniform. James liked to think that Lily had forgotten the incident. She had decided to date him eventually, hadn't she?



With this cheerful thought in mind, James opened his mouth. “So...uhh...how are you feeling?" Oh, real smooth, Jamie boy.



“So eloquent, Potter,” she replied sardonically. After another moment of silence she spoke up again, her voice much softer this time. “To tell you the truth, I feel rather…empty. It’s strange that although I haven’t left anybody yet, I feel that hole already.”



"I know what you mean," James said, and for once, he did. "Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail are down in the forest now and I’m missing our last transformation at the school. If I had known that last month’s full moon would be my final Marauder adventure, I would have taken greater care to step on Padfoot’s tail.”



Lily chuckled and punched him in the arm. “Well what in Merlin’s beard are you doing up here with me then? I know you’ve been after me for years, but I would have thought you’d be content to stop drooling now that you’ve got me.”



She started laughing at her own joke and James felt his cheeks turn a brilliant shade of red. How would he explain why he was up here rather than having the usual romp on the grounds? His nerves were practically at a breaking point as he opened his mouth and the words just popped out, automatically and unexpectedly. And, for once, they were the right words. Normally when he said things without thinking Lily ended up stomping off to the girl’s dormitory.



"Lily, I don't want this to be over between us when we get off the Hogwarts Express tomorrow."



His words caught her off guard. Her laughter subsided and she looked surprised for a moment. She studied his face, her green eyes thoughtful.



“You know, I don’t either and that’s certainly something I never thought I’d say!” she agreed, shoving him playfully to the side and turning her attention back to the scene in front of them.



James relaxed visibly, his shoulders dropping and he grinned at her.



"Exactly,” he said, pulling her closer to him, “now that I've somehow managed to catch you in one of your mad moments when you’re willing to be my girlfriend, I have to do something to ensure that I can keep you."



Lily pulled back and placed her hands on her hips in a way uncanny to her old self.



“Are you asking what I think you’re asking, James Potter?” she asked in mock annoyance, the twitching corners of her mouth giving way after a few seconds.



James took one glance at her amused expression and knew instantly that he was doing the right thing. He steeled himself to say the words that he had been planning for weeks and slowly got down on one knee.



"I'm asking you to marry me, Lily Evans”, he said, gazing up into her soft features. James was amazed at how easily he had managed to say it. “I know we've only been dating for a few months, but you know I've been absolutely crazy over you since the fifth year. I love you, Lily, and that will never change. Hell, it didn't change after all those times you hit me or called me a slimy git, did it? What could be worse?"



Lily chuckled again and smiled at him affectionately. “You certainly know how to charm a lady, Potter. I don’t know how you do it with that hair, but I guess you have a way about you.”



He pouted at her and she leaned in and traced his lips with her fingers. Her hand dropped and she gazed thoughtfully into the starry sky for a moment. The sound of a wolf howling drifted up into the room and a small smile spread across her lips.



She looked back into the hopeful hazel eyes of the boy in front of her and made her decision.



“Tell Black he’s not allowed to hex any of my friends at the wedding!”



Lily had barely finished speaking before James seized her into his arms. He swung her around in circles (knocking over several telescopes in the process) and after he had placed her back on her feet, he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He stared at her disbelievingly for a moment after he pulled back and then let out a great whoop. He started dancing a jig around the tower, until she pulled him back into her arms with a laugh.



Their lips met again and it was in that moment that James swore to himself that he would protect her forever. It was clear to both of them what lay beyond the castle walls but it was hard to worry about it as they held each other. For the time being the two were content to dance to Moony’s howls and enjoy their last night at Hogwarts.