Work Text:
He had to tell her. Today.
He wanted to tell her; he really did. He just wasn’t able to find the right words, time, and place. And to be honest, he also was a bit afraid of what Lily would think when she knew that he was an illegal Animagus. But he couldn’t hold it anymore. They went on their first date in November, and it was June now. Soon, they would be graduating. Soon, they would head out to the real world and become soldiers in a war. He didn’t think he would be able to tell her in any other place. He and the boys had first transformed here, in this forest, on the grounds of this school. And he didn’t think he would be able to tell her anywhere else.
It had to be today.
James and Lily were watching the sunset near the lake. Lily had invited him on a date to enjoy the calm after N.E.W.T.s, to get one more night together before they finally graduated and left school for good.
They had been enjoying the evening so far. They had talked for a while, snogged, and now they were simply enjoying each other’s presence and each other’s warmth, watching one of the most beautiful sights they had ever witnessed during their time at Hogwarts.
But as they enjoyed the sunset, James was deep in thought.‘What would happen if I don’t tell her? Would she get angry when she discovers it? Because she will certainly discover it one way or another. Will I be able to tell her anywhere else?’
A few moments later, James stood up. He made up his mind. He would tell her today. He would tell her now.
He offered Lily his hand, and she gave him a questioning look.
“Do you want to leave?” Asked Lily. “I thought we would stay here until curfew.”
“No,” said James quickly, “I want to show you something.”
“What?”
“I want to show you something,” James repeated a bit louder.
“I heard it the first time, you dolt. What do you want to show me?”
“You’ll see,” James said softly, stretching his hand to grab hers.
“I don't like this,” Lily murmured as James tugged her to her feet and started dragging her on an unknown path.
“You’ll have to trust me, Lils.”
“Of course I trust you, but what do you want to show me that’s this urgent?
James didn’t reply as they walked through the grounds of Hogwarts, rounding the perimeter of the forbidden forest. Lily sighed, but she gave in and started walking faster to match his pace so he wouldn’t have to drag her. When they saw Hagrid’s cabin, they slowed down, and James guided her to a path he had taken many times with his friends, but never with Lily. She tightened her grip on his hand when they entered the forest, but she sighed in relief when James didn’t take her deep into the woods but into a beautiful clearing. It was filled with flowers, and there were no trees. She felt this would be the perfect place to watch the stars once it gets dark, and she wondered if this was what James wanted to show her.
“James, this is beautiful!” She whispered excitedly.
“Yeah, it is. We found it in our fifth year when we were exploring the grounds to make the map. We were trying to find secret passageways in the forest, but we found this clearing.”
“I think this is much better than a secret passage,” she breathed, still taking in the beauty of this place.
James let out a laugh. “Yeah, but this is not what I wanted to show you.”
“Then what is it?” She asked curiously.
James took a deep breath. It is now or never, he thought. He took a last glance at Lily, her beautiful red hair cascading perfectly over her shoulder, and just that, seeing her there beside him, gave him courage. He released Lily’s hand and took a few steps back. “I want to show you something. Just please don’t be mad at me for not showing you earlier.”
Lily nodded, but she still looked a bit confused. James took another deep breath and visualized the stag. His body immediately began changing; his head widened, his body expanded, and he grew an extra pair of legs and a pair of antlers. It was a transformation he had gone through dozens of times, so it was quite easy to change form for him now, two years after their initial transformation.
He turned to look at Lily and nervously saw the expression on her face. But the anger he expected, either for not telling her or for not being registered (a fact she didn’t know at this point but James was too worried to realize), wasn’t there. Instead, she looked confused for a moment before her expression changed to one of wonder and admiration.
“James?” She whispered, as if expecting him to answer. “Is this you?”
He couldn’t form any words since he did not have a proper human mouth at the moment, so instead he nodded.
“You’re an Animagus!” Lily gasped excitedly. “Since when?”
James made the most shrug-like movement he could in his animal form, and she laughed.
“Can I… touch you?” Lily asked, as if uncertain that something could happen to either of them if she did.
Of course you can! You can touch me whenever you want! James wanted to say, but again, thanks to the limited movement of Prongs, he just nodded.
Lily approached slowly, and when she was near enough, placed her hand on his neck. He bent his head down and carefully nestled his head on the crook of her neck so that his antlers wouldn’t touch her delicate body. She let out a low giggle and began to caress his head.
Then, without warning, Lily took a few steps back. James let out a protesting growl, but she wasn’t paying attention. James, worried that the expected anger from earlier would come, quickly transformed back and walked up to her.
“Lily, what happened? Is everything alright? Are you mad at me?” He asked her quickly. Lily stood quiet for a moment, and then she gave him a small smile, which made James sigh with relief.
“You’re a stag,” murmured Lily, in a volume so low that if it weren’t for the absolute silence of the forest, he wouldn’t have heard it.
“Yes, Lily, I’m aware. Now can you please tell me why you felt the need to back away so abruptly?” said James, calmer than last time, but still worried that he might have messed up somewhere.
“No, you’re a stag!” Lily repeated, a bit louder this time. “You’re a stag — a deer.”
“Yes, Lil, I am, but what does that have to-– ”
Lily didn’t give him a chance to finish. She took out her wand, pointed it at the sky, now plastered with stars, and whispered, “Expecto Patronum”.
A blinding silvery-blue light shot out of her wand, and James, still confused, couldn’t see the figure that shot out of her wand. When he recognized what it was, he gasped. A beautiful silver doe was walking in the sky, the silvery light of the creature a dazzling contrast to the dark sky above.
He glanced at Lily, who was now quietly smiling at him, and realization hit him. Their patronuses match. They are not the exact same, but they match. They complement each other. The stag and the doe. And with that, James took out his wand and conjured his patronus.
It was an endearing sight. The stag, big and majestic, slowly made its way towards the doe. When the doe noticed him, she too started walking towards him. When they met, the stag bowed his head, and the doe made to touch him.
The moment they made contact, the most beautiful thing happened. Both animals released a blinding flash of light, which then faded to reveal the two animals, both of whom were now shining much brighter than before. The stag and the doe started galloping in circles around each other, and then they were flying in the air, up and down, surrounding each other in a twirl of light.
Their hands met, and they sat down, admiring the dance of their patronus under the stars. James slightly glanced at Lily, and by her expression he could tell she was thinking the same thing as him. There may be a war on the horizon, waiting for the moment they leave school to strike, but that won’t stop them. Because, just like the stag and the doe, James and Lily shine brighter together. They give each other strength, they give each other hope, they compliment each other, and most importantly, they love each other. They’re stronger together, and as long as they are together, as long as they fight together, nothing will stop them.
Not the war, not Voldemort.
Because James and Lily, they shine brighter together. Just like the stag and the doe.