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It was a few short months after Hogwarts when James came to the conclusion that he was going to marry Lily Evans, the rest of the world be damned.
"She's the one , Moons. I can feel it." James sighed, reclined upside down on Remus and Sirius' sofa.
Remus fondly ruffled James' hair, "So, go for it! If you think that she'll say yes and that now is the right time, then ask her!"
"But, what if it's not the right time?" James whispered, eyes going comically wide as he stared at his friend, "When's the right time?"
"Only you can answer that question." Remus replied, cradling his cup of tea against his chest.
"How did you know that it was the right time with Sirius?"
Remus smiled warmly and stared down at the ring nestled on his finger, fiddling with it as he spoke, "We've been dancing around each other for years, Prongs." He said simply, "We've shared every aspect of our lives with each other, it was only right to share this too."
"I want to spend the rest of my life with her. For real." James sighed dreamily, "I want what you and Sirius have, but with her. I just want her. All day, every day, until the day I die. If there's an afterlife, then I'll want her there too. She's it for me. There's no one else."
Remus fixed him with a fond look, "Then you're ready. Tell her how you feel. Ask her."
James got a determined look in his eyes and he flipped himself upright, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees, "I'm gonna do it."
Remus smirked in amusement and nodded towards the door, "Get to it then."
The messy-haired wizard blanched and fiddled awkwardly with the hem of his t-shirt, "You see, um, I-"
The werewolf arched an eyebrow, undisguised mirth in his eyes, “You want me to come with you because you have no idea which ring to get?”
James nodded, “Please? You know Lily probably better than all of us, you’ll know what she likes.”
Remus rolled his eyes, “So will you when you see it. Even if you think that you don’t know what she’ll like, as soon as you see that one ring, you’ll know. I promise.” James opened his mouth, as if to protest, but Remus cut him off with a disapproving glare, “But, considering that you’ll probably be too nervous to see, I’ll be there, if only for moral support.”
James scooted forward to the edge of his seat, eyes alight with excitement, “When can we go?”
Remus rolled his eyes and brought his teacup to his lips, resting his mouth against the rim of the cup, “Not today. I have some translations to get through, but I can probably do Thursday?”
James nodded sharply, “Okay, Thursday is good. I can wait two days, right?”
Remus arched an eyebrow at him, “I don’t know, can you?”
James gave another sharp nod and rose to his feet, moving towards the fireplace, “Yes, I can. Thanks, Rem. You’re a lifesaver. I’ll see you Thursday.”
He grinned and motioned towards the box of floo powder on top of the mantelpiece, “Go on then, get going. Don’t say anything to Lily and don’t, for the love of Merlin, act like an idiot, any more so than usual at least.”
He gave an indignant noise, “Hey!”
“Shut up and get home to your girlfriend.” Remus ordered, “I’ll see you on Thursday.”
Thursday came quicker than James had anticipated and he and Remus had agreed that they would meet at the Jewellers in Diagon Alley.
James pushed through the throng of people, reaching up to brush his hair out of his eyes, and grinned when he saw Remus waiting for him, reclined against the wall, green eyes flitting throughout the groups of people.
“Hey, Moons.” James greeted, a soft smile on his face.
Remus gave him an answering grin and pushed off the wall, motioning to the door of the jewellers, “Ready?”
James drew in a deep breath and pushed into the shop, “As I’ll ever be.”
Remus snorted and followed him into the shop, softly closing the door behind him before they approached the counter, “See anything you like?”
James hummed thoughtfully, gaze trained on the cabinet below him, “I’m not sure.”
“Remember. Nothing too flashy. Lily doesn’t like obsessively grand things. She’s a simplistic woman.” Remus whispered and squeezed James’ shoulder in reassurance, “You’ll know when you see the right one. Just keep looking.”
James’ gaze roved over the cabinet before it locked onto something and a soft gasp fell from his lips, “That one.”
Remus followed his line of sight to the ring and grinned, a warm feeling settling in his chest. It was perfect.
The band was thin and rose gold, with small inlaid diamonds bracketing the main stone. It was a pale blue colour and held in prominence by a crown-shaped claw.
“It’s perfect, Jamie. She’ll love it.” Remus grinned and beckoned for the vendor, allowing James to purchase his ring before they left the shop.
James turned to Remus and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug, “Thank you, Rem.”
Remus laughed and softly patted James’ back, “No problem. Now go get your girl!”
James nodded and turned on his feet, apparating with a loud pop. Remus did the same, shaking his head in amusement at his friend’s antics.
James landed in the front garden to his and Lily’s cottage in Godric’s Hollow and he marched up the winding path, throwing the front door open with a determined shove. He’d told Lily earlier that day, before she’d gone to work, that they would be going out for dinner that evening, so he hurried upstairs, showered and got changed into his best pair of jeans and a button-down, shoving the ring box into the pocket of his coat before Lily waltzed into the bedroom, greeting him with a soft kiss.
“So, what’s the special occasion?” She whispered as she rummaged through her side of the closet for a suitable outfit before she emerged with a white and black, floral-printed dress.
James shuffled over to her, pressing a soft kiss against her cheek and winding his arms around her waist, “No special occasion. I just wanted to treat my girlfriend to a good night out.”
Lily grinned and turned her head, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips before shoving him away, “Well, let me get ready then.”
He pressed a final kiss to her cheek before disappearing out of the door and down the stairs, “I’ll be in the living room.”
A few short minutes later, Lily emerged from upstairs and James lost his breath. She looks beautiful; her hair was tight up in a messy, but artful bun, a few strands falling around her cheeks and she was wearing dark eye makeup and a nude-coloured lipstick.
“You look gorgeous.” He breathed and rose from his seat, plucking his wallet from the coffee table and tugging on his jacket, slyly making sure that the ring was still where it needed to be.
“Ready?” He whispered, holding out her arm for her. Lily nodded and linked their arms together before James sidealonged them to their restaurant.
Their starters and main courses flew by exceptionally quick and the gap between the mains and puddings gave James the time to do what he came here to do.
He took in a deep breath and pushed his chair back slightly, reaching across the table to hold Lily’s hands in his own, “Lily Petal?” He whispered.
“Yes?” She breathed, gaze fixed on James’, bright green eyes staring into his very soul.
He drew in a shaky breath, “When I said early that this dinner was just because I wanted to treat you, I lied. Well, I didn’t because I do want to treat you, but-”
Her eyes sparkled with amusement, “You had ulterior motives.”
He chuckled and nodded, softly squeezing her fingers, “Yes, I did. I’ve been talking to Remus, you see, about him and Sirius and I’ve decided that I want a life like they have and I want that with you. I understand if you think that we’re too young, or if you’re not ready, but I need to ask you Lily, and I’m sorry that I don’t have a romantic speech for you, but-” He paused and pushed out of his chair, reaching into his pocket for the ring as he came to kneel in front of her, “Lily Evans, will you marry me?”
Lily’s breathed was punched from her lungs and her hands flew up to her mouth, tears gathering in her emerald green eyes, “I don’t want a romantic speech.” She whispered, “I just want you. Yes, James, I’ll marry you.”
James breathed a sigh of relief and a bright grin spread across his face as he plucked the ring from the box and slid it onto her finger, “I love you Lily Evans.”
She pulled James back to his feet and drew him down into a soft kiss, ignoring the whoops and claps of the other restaurant patrons, “And I you, James Potter.”
James grinned impossibly wider and pulled her in for a tight hug, nose buried in her head, inhaling her gorgeous scent.
It was real. It was happening. He was finally going to marry the woman of his dreams; and he couldn’t be happier.