The Marauders: Year Seven Part One

Alright, Potter?

He stood up, too, then, and took her in his arms. She remained stiff, staring at him with a stern expression. "Don't think you can hug your way out of this, you need to swear to me that you won't go letting him bring you back to - to -" Lily broke, then, as James's warm arms were encircling her, and she wrapped her arms around him, pressing her face against his chest. "You don't understand how afraid I was for you when you were gone."

He kissed the top of her head.

"I was mad with worry, James, I thought - I thought I'd never get to tell you how I really feel, and I thought - I thought it was my fault, and --"

"Shh," he whispered, and his chin rested in her ginger hair and he took a deep breath of it, closing his eyes and relishing the fact that he could hold her like this, after all those years of wanting to so desperately.

Lily sunk her fingers into his jumper, clutching onto him. "You're never going back there to him."

James was quiet for a long moment.

Lily drew back, looking up at him, "Promise me..."

"Evans," James said quietly, "What about Peter, then? What am I do to? Just let him be killed by Voldemort? Eventually, that's what would happen, you know."

Lily's voice was thick, "What about Peter, you ask, but... James -- what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Who rescues you after you're done rescuing Peter?"

James smiled, "That's where you come in, my love."

Lily was shaking. "But --"

"There's got to be a way that we can do it without actually doing it," James said, "I just have to figure out the logistics of it, that's all. It's something we need to plan how to do. And I need your help at it."

Lily's eyes were glistening with tears.

"You're the brightest witch, Evans, and I can't do this without you. I need your strength and your smarts to help us figure out how." James reached up and gently wiped away her tears with his thumb. "I think we need to get the whole Order to help."

Lily nodded. "It's just if anything happens to you, I couldn't stand it, I haven't had long enough with you and --"

James reached down and cupped her chin gently with his fingers. "Hey... Evans?" He tilted her face to look up at him and she stared into his eyes, the tears still falling down her cheeks. James smiled into her gaze, "I love you. And nothing on this earth could take me from you."

"Death can take you from me," she snapped, hating how relaxed he was being about this. It was clear in his eyes he'd been thinking about this and she hated how level he was, how willing to sacrifice himself he was, she hated that he had to be the one to do it, that he was the one with the opportunity. Well guess what James Potter, I'd sacrifice myself for you, you toerag, she thought bitterly. And there isn't a blasted thing you could do to stop me from it.

"It can't even," he answered, "Because I'd haunt you, love, and blow you raspberries like Peeves."

She blinked up at him, her hot tempered thoughts freezing at this ridiculous sentence. "What?" she asked.

James grinned and stuck out his tongue and blew a raspberry at her. Then, in a perfect imitation of Peeve's voice, James said, "Ohhh little Lily-lee-li thinks that she can be rid of me in death does she?" he cackled, "It isn't that easyyyyy!" And he took her up, spinning them about in the best version of Peeves head-over-heels barrel rolls that he could do, given the physics of gravity, and they landed heavily on the couch, laughing loudly, James bracing himself as they landed so that he didn't crush her with his weight, leaning over her, looking down into her eyes, which sparkled with amusement.