"Shh, she's coming this way!" Remus shushed Sirius furiously as he whispered the incantation to wipe the map under his breath. The two adopted natural poses, Sirius with his legs crossed and an arm up behind his head, and Remus with a quill between his teeth and a book in his lap. Lily walked in a moment later, looking at the boys with an odd expression.
"Hey, Remus, Sirius. Have either of you seen James? He said to meet him in here at five," Lily said, checking her watch. Five on the dot.
"He's upstairs, Evans," said Sirius in an airy voice.
"Yeah, upstairs," repeated Remus.
Lily gave them one last weird glance as she headed up to the boys' dormitory, Remus and Sirius erupting into giggles behind her. She thought with dread as she climbed the stairs that they might be pranking her, as a last hurrah before graduation next week. It certainly wouldn't be the first time. She didn't think that James would dare, though. He'd been quite somber since he heard the news about his parents. The war was hitting everyone hard...
Lily shook thoughts of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named out of her head as she pushed open the thick wooden door. Behind it was rose petals, candles, and James. She raised a hand to her mouth. "Oh-" James cut her off.
"Lily, I know we've only been together for a year, and I know we're young, but there's a war on out there, and I love you. I don't want to miss anything because we've been listening to McGonagall, or our lives are cut short. I love you, Lily, and I want to spend the rest of my life, however long, with you."
It was slowly dawning on Lily what was happening.
James knelt down in front of her, pulling a box out of his pocket and opening it.
"This was my mother's ring. Before she-" James spoke as though his throat was full of cotton. "LAst year, she told me that she would have loved to see it on your finger. So, Lily Evans, will you marry me?"
Lily lowered her hands from her mouth, not even realizing she had moved them there. She paused for what felt like a long time, struggling to get the words to form.
"James-" She practically flung herself at him, knocking him to the ground. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! A thousand times yes!" And they were rolling around on the floor, all smiles and quick kisses and giggles. It was a godsend that they managed to avoid every single one of the lit candles.
