For You?

Epilogue - Eight Years Later

I'd been rehearsing what to say over and over for weeks, but now I didn't even think I could say what I wanted to without crying or being sick.

Today was Lilly's 22nd birthday and our anniversary, so I'd taken her to Hogsmeade for a few days to celebrate. I'd also decided that today I was going to take her to Hogwarts, to where we'd first got together and ask her to marry me. We'd been together for eight years and lived together for three of them and we'd known for ages that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together.

Since I'd first sent a letter to Professor McGonagall, a month ago, and asked her if I could visit Hogwarts and propose, I'd been nervous, but now the day had arrived all nerves I'd had before paled in comparison to this.

Sitting up in bed in our room at the Three Broomsticks, I looked over at Lilly, still asleep. She looked adorable when she slept, peaceful and calm. I always woke up before her, even if it was by a few minutes but today I'd been awake for hours from nerves. As if on cue, her long eyelashes fluttered and opened, revealing her cornflower eyes.

"Morning" she mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes before reaching up and pulling me into a kiss. Despite it having been eight years, kissing her still gave me the same warm fuzzy feeling it had when we were younger. She pulled away and sat up, combing down the pieces of hair that were sticking up.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart" I said, smiling.

"Happy anniversary. It's been eight years and I'm still not sick of you. Love you!" she replied. Her insults to me had increased over the years, but that left me in no doubt of her feelings for me. "Where are you taking me today, Evie?"

"Back to Hogwarts. I thought it would be nice to go back to where we began, look around, see the teachers again. Is that ok?" I did my best kind of pleading half smoulder when her face split into a smile and she threw herself on me.

"Thank you!" she cried. "I can't wait, that's so thoughtful!" We stayed together for a while, but eventually we both had to get up and get ready to go out. Whilst Lilly was in the bathroom, I went under the bed, got out my suitcase and fished inside for the small box containing her ring. I heard the bathroom door open, so I had to shove it in my jacket pocket quickly before she noticed.

After we'd been downstairs and eaten, we made our way up to the castle. We knocked on the huge castle door. Eventually it opened to reveal Professor McGonagall standing in the doorway.

"Miss Allen, Miss Stebbins! It's so nice to see you! Do come in!" We went inside the castle and followed her as she showed us round. Being back reminded me of all the moments we'd had together like when I'd fallen over at the foot of the stairs when we went to Hogsmeade, when we'd got the letter from Lilly's dad and, when I looked down the passage to Hufflepuff common room, the time I'd tried to get into there and had found myself being doused in vinegar when I'd got the pattern wrong. McGonagall asked us questions about our lives and jobs now we'd left, but, as my nerves rose and rose, I found myself giving short, curt answers. I imagine she picked up on this, as she directed most of the questions to Lilly. Eventually, we came to a halt back in the Entrance Hall.

"If there's nothing you have left to do, you're welcome to stay here for lunch?" the professor asked, perplexed.

"No, there is something else. Lilly, let's go for a walk outside" I replied hastily, but trying not to make it seem like I was up to something. She looked confused, but followed me outside, towards the lake. I held her hand to steady my shaking one. When we'd walked part way round the lake, I took her other one and started talking.

"Lilly Stebbins. We've been together for exactly eight years now, but it feels like so many more. Despite everything I'm still as hopelessly in love with you as I was then. You may annoy me with how you never put your clothes away, or how you never feed the cats, but you're a loving, caring, beautiful human and I'm so privileged to have been by your side for the past eight years." I paused to take a breath, and descended onto one knee, fumbling with my pocket. At this she gasped and buried her head in her hands. "I love you more than anything in this world, and I want to keep loving you for the rest of our lives. Will you make me the happiest person on the planet?" I opened the box I'd pulled out. "Will you marry me?"

"Evie..." she sobbed and nodded. The box in my hands dropped into the snow as she grabbed my shoulders and kissed me. I could feel her tears on her cheeks and her shaking hands meeting my waist. At last I noticed a sound. I broke away from the kiss and turned round to see McGonagall, Dumbledore and all the staff and pupils applauding and cheering. Even Snape, albeit with a face like a lemon, was clapping slowly. Lilly bowed and I followed suit before bending down, picking up the ring and putting it on her finger. I slung my arm over her shoulder and we walked back towards the castle.

I loved Lilly and she loved me, and we were going to be together for as long as life gave us.