Chapter Eighteen: Down on One Knee

*Friday morning, three o’clock AM was how the clock read when Lily appeared in her living room. Exhausted, she dropped to her knees and leaned against the sofa. Her head fell between her folded arms, and as quietly as she could, she began to sob.

Voldemort had truly frightened her. It was not his snake, nor his use of the unforgivable curses, or even his petty threats upon her life. It was his threat to James she had worried about. James had fought Voldemort now thrice before, but never before had she heard Voldemort threaten to kill James with such a passion. In the background, she dimly heard the apparation burst James made as he arrived.

When James saw Lily hunched over on the floor, he worried. But when he saw her eyes were leaking tears, he panicked. Lily was his strength, and when hers failed, he felt as though she should at least be able to fall back onto him to hold her up.

“Lily?” He whispered, kneeling down behind her. She continued sobbing. “Lily, it’s me.” Lightly, afraid she might pull away, James reached out and stroked her hair softly, comforting her as best he could from a distance.

“James.” Lily cried. Finally she turned around and flung herself into his arms. James was shocked for a moment, then smiled and hugged her hard, rubbing her back and whispering hushing sounds.

“What’s wrong Lily?” He asked.

“James… Voldemort.”

“Are you scared of him? Scared he’ll come back? Lil, if he does, I swear I’ll protect you. He won’t touch you, I’ll kill him first.”

“No James, it isn’t that.” Lily looked up and tried to wipe the tears from her face. Sniffing, she caught and held James’ gaze. “He threatened to kill you, James. He swore he would finish the job.”

“Lily, he threatened us both.”

“But he wants you more. James, I can’t lose you.” Her voice cracked, and she blushed, averting her eyes to the floor. She simply couldn’t face him.

“Lose me?” James asked in wonderment. Looking down at Lily, he felt a sense of relief wash over himself. He had begun to wonder if she would ever open up to him, ever trust him again the way she had before he had screwed up. And now, here she was, willing to admit she would deeply miss him if he were to ever leave. “Lady Lily. I’m not going to leave; you’re not going to lose me. And even if Voldemort comes back and kills me, which he won’t, but even if he did, I would haunt you. You’ll never be rid of me Lily.”

“James, don’t joke about it. I’ve already lost my mother and father, I can’t bare to lose you too.”

“Voldemort is not going to kill me. Lily, what if he got you?” James suddenly held her closer. “What if he gets you? I can’t live without you Lily.”

“But he won’t get me.”

“How do you know?”

“I don’t, but…”

“Then how do you know he’s going to get me?”

“I don’t.”

“So then all we can do is sit and hope, and wait. But Lily? Let’s not sit and wait. Let’s do more. People like Voldemort, they’re a dime a dozen. But people willing to work to save and help others? Now those kinds of people are rare.”

“You are that kind of person James.”

“So are you.”

“No. If I was, you never would have begun ignoring me in the first place.” James blinked. Then he set his jaw and firmly held Lily. Taking one hand up to her chin, he titled it up, forcing her to look at him.

“Lily, you listen up. I never should have ignored you. I was at fault—not you, me. I was an arrogant slime who let you, the greatest woman in the world, get hurt because I listened to Voldemort. It had nothing to do with you—no, I take it back. It had everything to do with you.”

“What?” Lily breathed.

“Lily. I never told you… never told you about my first encounter with Voldemort, did I?”

“No. You came back shaking, pale and white, and the next morning you were gone. I never got to ask you what happened.”

“Moody did all of the fighting—I was too scared to move. I didn’t even lift my wand. But still, Voldemort threatened me as he was leaving. The same damn threat he fed us just tonight. But I believed him. I believed him when he said he would kill off everyone I loved, everyone I held dear. I didn’t know any better. And then I had to make up for it. I had to protect you, keep you safe. I knew Si and the boys could handle their own, but I had made that promise…”

“To always protect me.”

“To always protect you, and I wasn’t about to let it go, especially with Voldemort after me and those I loved—you. I just got too caught up in everything, and forgot what was important.”

“James, you mean it? You, you really mean it?” Lily’s eyes shone with the most hopeful fervor he had seen in a long time, and James smiled at her, hoping the love he had for her would shine just as brightly through his.

“I love you Lily, and I never stopped loving you.”

“I love you too James, so, so much.” Lily smiled brightly at him. Finally, she could understand what had happened between them. It had not been that the love had died; it had simply been unseen. James knew he had done her a wrong, and was more than obviously sorry about it. And here he was, once again professing his love. Lily felt as if she were in a storybook of fairytales, sitting with her prince after he had returned from a far away battle.

Slowly James lowered his head and very carefully placed his lips over Lily’s deep red ones. As if it were their very first kiss, he chastely pecked at her, nipping gently until he could feel her completely submitting to his ministrations. Tenderly he pressed deeper, forcing her mouth open and mingling his tongue with her own. When he heard her moan, James lost what little was left of his self-control, and the passion he had tried to deny for so long overwhelmed him. Harder and harder he pressed against Lily, mashing her to him, molding her to him. Raping her mouth with love, he dreamed that this moment of sheer euphoric bliss would never die.

Lily was in heaven. Once she had given in to James’ sweet mouth, every single touch sent an electric tingle down her spine. Her blood ran hot, and her mind blanked until she knew nothing but the throbbing sensations of lust and desire. When James lost his reserve, she could do nothing but openly submit to the brutal torture that gave her the absolute ecstasy she had been longing for for so long. She only wanted to hold on longer, to be caught between this lethargic craving and deep sense of fulfillment until she died. Finally, though, James broke the sweet kiss, leaving them both breathless and completely aware of one another.

“Lily.” James sighed, letting himself loosen as he held her to him. He could feel her cool skin, the frantic beat of her heart, and the glowing aura of happiness and peace that she had emanating from her. This was perfect. This was how love was supposed to feel.

“James, I never thought I would feel so happy again.” She whispered. James suddenly had a crazy idea. It had supposed to be a surprise, but now the timing seemed just right.

“Lily, I have something I want to show you.” He told her gently. She pulled out of his arms still smiling, and nodded.

“Okay, hang on while I remember that apparation spell.” She giggled, and James drew a blank for a moment. Then he remembered and grinned. “Alright Lady Lily, hang on tight.” She did so, and James melted into her grasp after he had waved his wand.

When they appeared, Lily separated herself from James and looked around, trying to take in her surroundings. Then she gasped inaudibly and staggered. Behind her she felt James smiling widely as he caught her waist to support her. But this, this was…

“My house…”

“Do you like it?” James asked, still wearing the cheshire cat grin upon his face. Lily spun around and looked him in the eye.

“But Petunia was selling it! She and Vernon moved to Surrey!”

“I know. I, um, took the time to go apologize to Hagrid for being a git, and while I was there, I pried for information.”

“You mean you tricked him into telling you I upset over the house being sold.” She scolded him, lightly smacking his arm. He just laughed.

“That too. Anyway, it wasn’t hard to convince Vernon to sell the house to me, and voila, here it is, ready for you to enjoy.”

“But James, it’s a house!” She looked around in awe. “You bought me a house?”

“I suppose I did.”

“But a house!” She marveled. Then she stopped. “Wait. James, I can’t stay here! What about Ara? And you? I can’t leave you in the wizarding world and stay here!”

“I don’t want you too.”

“But, then…?” She stopped herself short when James took her hand in his and replaced his grin with a serious expression.

“Lily. I’m not asking you to leave me. I want you by my side until eternity ends. I know I was an idiot in the past, and I hope you can forgive me, but Lily, I love you.” She smiled serenely him, but inside her heart beat a million miles per minute. Everything she knew about everything disappeared, and all that mattered was James, and his words. Then, without warning, he dropped to one knee before her.

“James?”

“Lily, I know I’ve already asked you this, but I will ask you a hundred thousand times, just to hear the answer. Will you marry me Lily Evans?” James could hardly breath he was so nervous. Why had this seemed easier the first time? He could only hope her answer would still be—

“Yes! Oh James, yes!” She yelled falling to her knees and hugging him tightly. James buried his head in her hair and breathed in her warm soap and lilac scent. “Of course I’ll marry you.” She whispered, tears of joy leaking from the corners of her emerald eyes.

“And we can start a family here, in this house?” His eyes shone hopeful. Lily looked deeply into them, and nodded, unable to speak. A family? Here? He wanted a family, here!

“Nothing would make me happier.” James knew Lily was happy with his suggestion, and he himself was glad he had made her so happy. And children! He might be a dad! “James?” Lily brought him out of his reverie.

“Hmm Lady Lily?” He brought his thumb up to trace her jaw line softly.

“Can we get married now? Here, in this town?” He looked up instantly.

“Right here, right now?”

“It’s just…I just realized what something Alice had said to me meant. When you find the person you want to spend the rest of your life with, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible—you never know how much time you’ll have together.”

“We’ll have an eternity Lily. But if you want to get married now, then you’ve got it!” He smiled lovingly down at her.

>>>)(<<<

“No one’s seen them for days. I’m starting to get really worried.” Ara was pacing back and forth in Dumbledore’s office, in front of the rest of the Order. Alice and Frank, the newly wedded couple, sat at the table beside Remus and Peter, who were just as worried as Ara was. Sirius was following her as she paced, frantic as well.

“All we know is that they were at Lily and Ara’s apartment for a very short time on Friday. It’s Sunday! Where could they be? After all, they’re responsible for the downfall of The Five, how can they not want to gloat? They would not miss one of these meetings unless they were dead!”

“We’re not dead yet.” James replied smugly as he and Lily stepped through the door of Dumbledore’s office wearing muggle clothing.

“We’re sorry we’re late, we had to take muggle transportation, and it can be much slowly than simply apparating.” Lily added, smiling widely.

“Lily!” Ara screamed, running towards her. The force that she hit the red head with nearly knocked Lily off balance, and it certainly startled her.

“Prongs! Where the hell have you been you stupid git! Do you know how worried Ara was about you and Lily? What were you two thinking? It’s not like you, just to run off, you’re usually more responsible than that!”

“Can it Padfoot!” James waved his hand, blowing his friend off. Sirius’ jaw dropped. “You worry too much. Lady Lily and I were just having a bit of fun, isn’t that right?”

“Right.” Lily nodded enthusiastically.

“James? James Potter?” Remus asked, not really sure whether to believe this was James or not. The James Potter he and the other Marauders had known hadn’t been this carefree since he had joined the ranks of auror.

“Yeah, it’s me Moony. Stop worrying already, we’re here, we’re in good health, and we’re happy. So what’s first on the Order’s agenda today?”

“A final congratulations to our newly weds, Alice and Frank Longbottom.” McGonagall smiled brightly at the two. “I hope you’re very happy together.” Lily and James, who were just grabbing their seats, smiled secrets smiles towards each other.

“The next order of business is the destruction of The Five. James, Lily, would you like to tell us what happened?”

“Lils?” James prompted Lily.

“Alright. We got to the castle, got in the castle, located the coffins, fought Voldemort, burned the coffins, and left. That’s it in a nutshell.”

“You fought He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Again? Are you daft?” One of the more elderly witches raised her voice. “You’re playing with fate!”

“We figured as much.” Lily muttered.

“But we’ve been lucky so far. I think we could stand another bout with old Volde-wart, don’t you Lady Lily?”

“I don’t see any reason we couldn’t.” She nodded. Sirius stood up, his wand pointed at the couple.

“Okay. I want to know exactly who you two are and what you’ve done with the real Lily and James.”

“We are Lily and James.” James replied, rolling his eyes. “If you don’t believe me, ask me something only James would know.”

“Alright then.” Sirius thought for a moment, and the rest of the Order was silent, waiting for the test to finish. “What was the one dream James was plagued with when he was at Hogwarts?”

“A girl falling off of a cliff and down towards the water, and suddenly she was back atop the cliff. Sometimes it was in color, and sometimes black and white, and once there was a different ending.” James replied, much more subdued now. That dream brought back haunting memories.

“And Lily. What did Peter ask you on the train the day we first all met?” Lily’s head snapped up. James’ dream had seemed vaguely familiar for some reason.

“Why my eyes were black, and you told him it was makeup. See Si? It is us. We’re just happy is all.”

“I should say you are.” Remus muttered. Then he looked down. And blinked. And looked once more, not believing his own eyes. “I should say you are!” He stood up abruptly and began hugging Lily and shaking James’ hand.

“Moony?” Peter asked. “Have you gone off the deep end with them?”

“No, no, no, they aren’t crazy. James you old mutt! That’s why you were gone so long! It took you both long enough! Good Lord! I thought you’d never do it!”

“Do what? And I thought I was the mutt?” Sirius pouted.

“Are you all daft? It’s plain as day what the two’ve gone and done.” Moody spat. “They’ve gone and eloped.” Everyone in the room became silent, and Lily gave a nervous chuckle.

“Moody, you’ve got great intuition.” James smirked.

“T’wasn’t intuition, boy, just good eyes. The rings on your fingers are as plain as the day, if anyone were to look.”

“Well, he’s right. James and I eloped on Friday morning.” Lily whispered. Both Alice and Ara jumped up to hug her, and the Marauders and Frank congratulated James. Hagrid bellowed that he knew all along that they were perfect for each other, causing Lily and James to laugh. Dumbledore congratulated them both with a very warm smile, and McGonagall gave in to reason and plain hugged both James and Lily.

“Well, this has been a very productive meeting.” Dumbledore motioned towards the clock. It was past ten, one of the latest meetings they had held.

“It was productive.” Ara nodded in full approval. “Well, whatever else was on the table for tonight can wait until next week, can’t it?”

“Of course. We have nothing new to report, the same old activity, so by all means, we’ll carry over into next week’s meeting.” Dumbledore nodded.

“Wait!” Alice called out as people began to leave. “I wanted to do one thing tonight, and I’m going to get it done. I want a photograph of all of us, the original Order of the Phoenix. Can everyone please stand together?” People groaned, but the look on Alice’s face told them she would not take no for an answer. Quickly they lined up.

“I’ll take the picture for you, if you’d like.” McGonagall volunteered. Alice nodded, and took her place besides Frank.

“Is everyone in the picture? Wait, we’re missing one.” Alice announced as she counted. “Peter Pettigrew, come on over here and get into this picture!”

“Yeah Wormtail, into this picture!” James yelled. He pulled Peter, who had been trying to hide behind the draperies, between himself and Lily.

“Smile Peter!” Lily chided, smiling brightly herself.

“On three! One, two, three!” McGonagall counted off and then snapped the photo. The group laughed, and Dumbledore looked at Alice.

“I would like a copy of that, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Absolutely.” She nodded. Dumbledore’s office began to clear out, and the group of eight began their customary stroll out of Hogwarts and into the town of Hogsmead.

“Two weddings within a week, huh?” Remus let a low whistle fly. “That’s amazing. Next you two’ll be having kids in the same week.”

“Nah. They can’t have kids! They’re too young!” Si laughed. Ara hit him.

“Just because you’re still a big baby doesn’t mean James and Frank are.” She snuffed.

“Oh Ara!” Sirius called. But it was too late—she was already ignoring him. “Come on Ara, don’t be sore with me! Not again!” He whined.

Both Lily and James hung back a bit from their friends. Hands clasped together, Lily leaned in and James put his arm around her waist.

“This is our life Lily.” *