The Marauders Era

Finally Together

   It was the first day of the summer holidays. James lay on his bed, staring at the roof. After a good hour of this he shook himself, ruffled up his hair and made his way over to his desk. He brushed aside the usual crap that littered his desk and opened an ink pot. He scribbled a letter, all the way down the scroll of parchment, then he signed James Potter, or as you would say, an arrogant toerag. Then he sealed it, tied it to the leg of his family's owl and watched it go.

James and Lily sent letters to each other all through the holidays. Three weeks before September James received the letter that changed everything.

Hey James,

I haven't been up to much in the last week, just doing some Muggle stuff that you wouldn't understand. During last week when you and Sirius went with your parents to France and you couldn't write, I realised just how much I've enjoyed writing to you this summer. It fills me with so much excitement every time I get to see your handwriting again, no matter how messy it is!

I guess you're probably wondering where this is going. Over the summer I've started to realise how much I value you. You're so much more than I used to think. You're loyal, especially to me and Sirius, Remus and Peter. You're also incredibly intelligent, I can always benefit from your help with my Transfiguration homework. It's so impressive how you can mess around everyday and still come top of the class! And most of all, you're so impressively kind. True, you can be a dick when you want to be, and a lot of the time you chose to be. But you love your friends like nobody else I know, and you care for them more than you care for yourself.

I just want to let you know that I think I'm starting to get feelings for you. Like actual romantic feelings. Actually I don't think so, I know so. I can see you from here jumping up to wave this letter in front of Sirius' face, and it makes me so happy. My mum keeps asking if I'm alright, she says I look like I'm somewhere else all the time. And I am, I'm with you. I'm pretty sure, judging by the last few years of my life that you'll be in total agreement to start a relationship. I think the reason you stopped asking me out last year was because you thought I'd never say yes. But I'm saying yes now. I'm glad I waited for you to grow up and change into the truly spectacular man that I'm falling in love with.

I can't wait to see you, every day from now until September first will be testing my patience. I hope you agree with everything I've written in this letter, because it's truly how I feel.

Lily xx

Only one thought materialised in James' mind. He leapt down the stairs three at a time. He burst into the kitchen where his dad and Sirius were playing cards. "Dad, get in the car, now." James said. "Hurry!" he added. "James, what the hell's going on?" Sirius asked. James simply tossed him Lily's letter and followed his dad to the car.

They drove all the way to Lily's house. "Come get me in time for dinner." James said, jumping out of the car. Fleamont Potter watched proudly as his son walked straight up to Lily's door and knocked.

Petunia answered. James smiled and she simply scowled at him. "Who are you?" she asked. "I'm James Potter, I'm a friend of Lily's." James said. At that moment Lily's mother entered the hallway. "Oh James, Lily talks so much about you honey. Lily's upstairs in her room, first door on the right." she said. "Thanks, it's nice to meet you." James said, grinning. He stepped past Petunia, who closed the front door with a snap, shook Lily's mother's hand and climbed the stairs. 

The first door on the right was closed, Lily's name was on the door, beside a picture of some lilies. James grinned. He knocked softly on the door with his knuckles. "Come in!" Lily called. Without waiting another second James turned the door handle and rushed into the room. Lily lay on the bed, reading. She looked up, noticed James and squealed. She dropped her book, flung herself off her bed and ran at James, jumping into the arms. He caught her and without a second thought he made to kiss her, to find that her lips were already pressing against his. "Oh sorry." they broke apart. Lily's dad was standing in the doorway, looking very embarrassed. James swallowed and lowered Lily to her feet. "Nice to meet you sir. I'm James, James Potter." James said, extending his hand. "Ah, of course you are. Nice to meet you son." Lily's dad replied, shaking James' hand and clapping him on the shoulder. "Lunch is in twenty minutes, Tuney's boyfriend should be arriving soon, but be careful James, he doesn't know a thing about the magical world you and Lily are a part of." he said. Then he winked and went downstairs. "There's going to be a muggle?" James asked, as Lily reached for his hand and pulled him onto the bed beside her. "Don't worry about it James, just don't mention Quidditch and you'll be fine." Lily said with a laugh. James lay back against the wall and smiled at Lily. "For once in my life I'm not actually thinking about Quidditch." he said. Lily turned slightly pink. "Are we going to talk about it?" Lily asked. "What? The fact that Lily Evans just ran at me, jumped into my arms and kissed me? I never thought something that fucking amazing would ever happen, despite the fact that I've been asking you out since I was thirteen and getting jinxed everytime in answer." James said. Lily laughed. "So, are we like -?" Lily asked. "I hope this means you're my girlfriend. I mean it would be pretty embarrassing if I ran off to your house in half a panic attack just to figure out that we're still just friends." James said. "I can't believe you'd do that James, is that really how much you care about me?" Lily asked. "I care about you as much as I care about Padfoot, Moony and Wormtail." James replied.

James followed Lily downstairs and into the kitchen and helped carry the lunch to the table. A few minutes later the doorbell rang and Petunia hurried to answer it. She reappeared in the kitchen a few moments later, followed by a large nineteen year old boy with very little neck and a moustache. Lily raised her eyebrows in James' direction, as if in warning as the boy shook Lily's dad's hand. "James Potter, nice to meet you." James said, extending an arm. "Vernon Dursley." Vernon replied, shaking James' hand briefly, eyeing the many tattoos littering his arms. Lily grabbed James' hand and pulled him over to the seat beside her.

After lunch James and Lily went for a walk around Spinners End. James goggled at the odd muggle world, and Lily explained in great detail the use of mailboxes and bus stops. Before long they arrived at the little park and sat down on the swings. James stared at the ground, wishing that they could continue walking as it was much less awkward. He'd been trying to have this moment for years but now it was here he just couldn't have a normal conversation.

"James?" Lily asked. James' head snapped up, taking in Lily's full beauty. "I used to honestly think you were an arrogant toerag, but now you've changed, and so have I. I think I always knew that someday I would give in." Lily said. James grinned and before he knew what he was doing he'd reached over to her swing, pulled it closer to him and was kissing her. She kissed him back, one hand on his swing, one hand in his messy hair. After a few moments they broke apart and heard a rustle in the bushes.

James jumped up, pulling his wand out of his pocket, inching closer to the bush. Lily jumped up too with her wand out and reached for James' hand. "Snivellus!" James yelled. Snape jumped out of the bush, his wand out as well. However all of them knew they couldn't do magic. James and Snape glared at each, jaws clenched. Lily tightened her grip on James' hand and tucked her wand away. "Come on James." Lily said. James glared for a few more moments at Snape then glanced down at Lily and allowed her to pull him away. Once they had left the playground James burst out, "He's such a dick, spying on us in the middle of the summer holidays. Why didn't you let me jinx him?" James said loudly. "James, he's lonely, he doesn't have any friends. But I'm not defending him, he is a dick and I wish we could have jinxed him but us being at Hogwarts next month is far more important than bullying the old slimeball." Lily said, as they continued walking. Within seconds James had pushed her softly against the brick wall beside them and planted his lips on hers. Lily broke the kiss after a few moments. "What was that for?" she asked, slightly breath taken, pushing a loose strand of her flaming hair behind her ear. "I -. I just can't believe you finally said yes." James replied.

"Lily is mine!" James announced, bursting into the kitchen. His mother jumped up from the table and kissed him on the cheek. Sirius, Remus and Peter cheered. "When did you guys get here?" James asked Remus and Peter as he sat down. "About lunch time." Remus replied, placing a large dish of vegetables on the table. "Yeah, I sent them an owl." Sirius replied, taking a jug of gravy from Mrs. Potter. "Thank you boys for helping." she said patting Remus on the shoulder. "And then if you believe it I open the door, she notices it's me and just flies at me." James said excitedly. "I don't believe it." Remus replied simply. James threw a potato at him.

The next day Sirius said he was going out, James didn't think much about it, Sirius was always running off to the Muggle world to explore the odd Muggle things like trains and other vehicles, or sit on the playground, lost in his thoughts. However Sirius returned an hour later buzzing with excitement. James was up in his bedroom, the room they now shared, going over some plans for the Quidditch team once they were back at Hogwarts. James greeted Sirius without looking up. Sirius snatched the parchment from James' hands and made him look up. "Merlin's sake, what do you want Pads?" James asked. Sirius pulled off his shirt and showed James' his shoulder. "No way, that's a sick tattoo." James said. It was a picture of a large black dog. "Lets go, I want a stag." James said, taking his jacket from the back of his bedroom door and marching out of the room.

The rest of the summer Lily and James continued to write to each other. Sirius and James played Quidditch in the garden all day. Remus and Peter often stopped by for a meal or two and before they knew it their trunks were packed and ready by the front door.