The Sun and Her Moon- Remus Lupin

To bigger and better

Seven years in a row Aveline had packed up her dormitory. It was an activity that she had gotten used to as the years passed by, but this time it felt different.

Nostalgia clung to the bed frame, and with the posters she tore off her wall she seemed to be tearing apart a chapter of her life.

Where had the time gone? Wasn't it just yesterday she stood in this room, fumbling eleven year old hands trying to figure out the right way to organize her socks in her dresser? Hadn't she just been 12 years old sitting at her desk trying to navigate class choices and friendships?

A knock sounded on her door, it was already open and she turned her head to see James standing there, hands in his pockets.

"James?" She asked, setting down the clpthes she was fplding on the bed. "What are you doing here?"

Her friends were rarely ever in the Hufflepuff common room. For james, seeing Aveline in here was like seeing part of her life he didn't know existed. He often forgot she wasn't a lion herself.

For how brash and headstrong she was, he always wondered why she hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor. Though seeing her here, the sunlight streaming through the windows, soft yellow colours and plants surrounding her, there was a sense of peace that bubbled around the girl that usually wasn't there.

"Can we talk?" James asked, his voice a higher pitch than usual as he walked in, sitting down on the she of her bed.

Aveline raised an eyebrow, abandoning what she was doing to sit across from the boy.

"Of course James," she said quickly. "Is everything okay?"

She couldn't quite read his expression. The boy running a hand through his hair as he took a breathe.

"James what— oh-,"

He cut her off, pulling something out of his pocket that made her gasp.  Black velvet box, a shiny ring sitting in the centre. Gold with a beautiful emerald gem sitting in the centre.

"Is that—"

"I'm going to ask Lily to marry me ," James stated, his tone confident yet Aveline could sense nervousness in his voice. "Is the ring ugly? This is my first choice, but I have options."

Before Aveline could answer he reached back in to his pocket, producing another box, than another than another, till four ring boxes sat infront of her.

"Are they are all ugly? Merlin, they are ugly. I'll go and get another—"

"James, this one is beautiful," she cut him off, holding up the original emerald stone he had showed her. "She's going to love it."

James studied Aveline for a moment, nervously rubbing his hands on his jeans. "What if she doesn't? What if it's not good —"

"If you think Lily Evans is the type of woman to care about what ring you buy her clearly you don't know her well," Aveline challenged crossing her arms. "Besides, if she found out you bought her four years certainly she'd ostracize you ."

"I didn't buy them ," James scoffed. "I got them hand made by the goblins."

"YOU GOT HER FOUR RINGS HANDMADE? MERLIN—"

"Shhh!" He shushed her, eyes flicking to the door. "I'll sell the ones I don't use, you act like I bought her a castle."

If anyone else told her they were preparing to propose to their girlfriend at 18, Aveline would think they were crazy. Though she was certain that there was no other way in the world for James Potter than Lily Evans.