Epilogue (or Arguing Again)

James Potter and Lily Evans were always arguing.

It had started, early, with James' dislike of Snape, and Lily's dislike of James. But, as Snape and Lily's friendship deteriorated, and James behaviour softened, so did the hatred in their fights. As their friendship progressed in sixth year their fights slowly transitioned to friendly banter:

Who was the better Charmer? Whose quill was finer? If Lily was actually casting tiny shrinking charms on James' glasses, or if his head was just getting bigger. Whether Merlin really had a beard (and whether he ever wore high heels), and if Dumbledore wore hair extensions to the Hallowe'en feast (beard extensions Lily!). Little things of insignificance that they could feel comfortable fighting over because they both knew none it mattered at all, and there was no chance that they would lose the tentative friendship they were working towards.

When they were named as the Head Boy and Girl in their final year the dynamic had shifted again; they argued over some things that had weight, but with such lightness that it felt it didn't really matter:

Whose turn it was to mark up Prefect rounds, if it was morally right to hex Mulciber to hiccough whenever he said Mudblood. Who McGonagall loved more (it was Sirius obviously). And if Lily was continuously casting little engorgement charms on James' glasses this time, or his head was finally getting smaller. They could be sarcastic and scathing and not have to worry about leaving each other.

James enjoyed these kind of arguments, the ones with hidden smiles and teasing pokes and the kind of light in their eyes that was the opposite of anger.

But they still occasionally fought for real, fuelled by frustration or overworking or maybe something that looked like jealousy. And James didn't enjoy these fights, the ones with yelling and anger and curses and stares from everyone caught in the room with them. They always followed the same pattern. They would get so caught up in the heat of the moment (sadly not the type of heated moment James wanted with Lily) and say all sorts of mistakes they didn't mean. Then they would storm off, and cool down, and regret.

So when Head Boy James Potter was confronted with a fiery-eyed (fiery-haired) Head Girl yelling at him in the middle of the common room one evening, he thought he knew exactly what would unfold.

"This is just getting ridiculous James," she was saying heatedly, biting her lip in annoyance and glaring up at him.

"I told you last night I wouldn't be able to make it to the damn meeting," he started, misinterpreting what she was angry about. "Besides we sorted out the details a week ago! You said you could handle it."

"I did handle it! I am perfectly capable of dealing with two dozen teenagers, even if MacMillan and Greengrass refuse to patrol together anymore. What, did you think I wouldn't be able to control them? That I'm some kind of pushover who can't hold her own with a couple rude Slytherins or overly-talkative Hufflepuffs?"

"Of course not! Merlin trust me, I know better than anyone that you can hold your own."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Only that I've been on the wrong blasted end of your wand a few too many times not to know you can handle people who annoy you," James retorted, flicking his eyes up in annoyance.

"Oh like you didn't deserve it Mr-I'll-just-transfigure-Lily's-essay-into-a-plane-and-fly-it-into-the-fireplace!"

"That was one time!"

"Well at least I take my Head duties seriously. You miss meetings, you turned up late to patrol after galavanting off with Patricia from Hufflepuff!" Lily's face went red after she said that. James, as he always did, wrote it off as anger and exertion from yelling, missing the unintentional slip of jealousy.

"I was helping her perform Orchideous because she couldn't do it in class, besides you admitted that you'd only arrived a minute before me, and I've only ever missed this one meeting. But if you're so great at being the lone wolf Head Girl why are you complaining about me not being there for once?"

"This isn't about the prefect meeting! I don't care that you weren't there."

She did care that he hadn't been there. But just not in the way he thought.

"What? Then why are you yelling at me about it?!"

"You were the one who brought it up and said you didn't think I could handle them by myself!"

"Merlin Lily! Only because I thought that's what you were annoyed about. I never had any doubt that you could deal with them."

"Sure, of course, I believe you," she said sarcastically, "because you always tell the truth."

"If it's not about the meeting then what in Godric's name is this about?" He asked exasperatedly.

"You!" She brandished her wand at him.

A couple wary students levitated their armchairs out from behind James in case he ducked. But she didn't fire. Not yet.

"I'm so sick of secrets."

"I don't even know what I'm supposed to have done this time Lily! I tell you everything," he loudly lied. There was still one secret left, and despite his Gryffindor courage, he wasn't planning on telling her any time soon.

"You haven't done anything!" she shouted, and then her voice dropped from a shout to a barely audible whisper. "That's the problem. It's not your secret, it's mine."

James looked at her in confusion, dozens of questions flying through his head faster than the speed of his Nimbus 1500. His mouth apparently couldn't keep up, so he stayed silent while she continued.

"And I want so badly for you to have this secret too," Lily continued, "but every-time I think you might I convince myself I'm wrong. And I can't stand it anymore. I need to know, and I need you to know."

Her hand was still wrapped firmly around her wand, pointed at him, and for a moment after she finished speaking he thought she was going to shoot a spell at him. But instead of a spell flying at his face, it was Lily herself.

When their lips met James was too stunned to move. He would later claim that someone had stupefied him from behind, but we all know it was just the shock of having Lily Evans kissing him.

There were several loud whistles from onlookers when James finally came to his senses, wrapped his arms around her waist and started kissing her back. With vigour. Marlene McKinnon charmed some heart shaped confetti to spin around their heads, and someone (probably Sirius) started loudly warbling Celestina Warbeck's 'You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me'. He was soon joyfully joined by several other enthusiastic Gryffindors. James and Lily were happily too busy to notice.

They stayed like that, busy, for quite a while; happily in their own blissful bubble.

"This feeling's utter bliss! Yet something seems amiss! Like a Dementor's Kiss, you're consuming me!" Sirius' tuneless shouts continued on. Most of the other Gryffindors had moved on after a few minutes, already accustomed to the pair and too busy with their own lives to be distracted for long.

When they finally broke apart James was still slightly in shock, his eyebrows raised so high that they were hidden by his messy hair (made messier by Lily's hands). As he gradually came to grips with what just happened his sense of humour returned as well.

"Shouldn't you be setting a better example as Head Girl Lily?" He said, quoting one of their typical argumentative lines when things got out of control.

"What are you going to do about it, oh impeccable-role-model Head Boy?" She looked up at him with a grin. His glasses were all fogged up from their faces being so close together and she wasn't sure if he could actually see her, but he grinned back anyway.

"I'm going to remove you from the public eye so they don't get any ideas," he said, starting to walk backwards towards the staircases and pulling her along in his arms, "and so we can continue this in private of course."

"Cause without you I despair!"

"Oh do shut up Sirius!" Lily cried out exasperatedly.

"We're having a moment here mate," said James at the same time.

"You've been having a moment for a while there Prongs. In the middle of the common room. Where everyone can watch. I was just providing a soundtrack!" Sirius replied defensively, although thankfully he stopped his singing. "Petes even gone to get popcorn."

They walked up to the seventh year boys' dorm hand in hand, both smiling uncontrollably.

"So, this secret of yours…" James prompted with a grin, plopping down onto his bed.

"I think I made it pretty clear James," Lily replied, but he raised an eyebrow and waited. "You're really going to make it say it?"

"I think you owe me that much," James replied, folding his arms behind his head.

"I don't owe you anything!"

"No, you're right," he amended, with a flash in his hazel eyes, "besides, I can guess your secret anyway. You... Once got a T in Potions, but charmed Slughorn into raising your mark."

"I did nothing of the sort you sod!"

"By charmed I mean bewitched with a wand of course, nothing like what you just did to me." He waggled his eyebrows with that remark. "No? Well then is your secret that you… Were the one who transfigured my hair pink in fourth year?"

Lily laughed, and sat down next to him. "No, but I wish I was."

"Aha, I've got it! You Lily Evans, are hopelessly in love with me."

"I— I'm sorry James," she replied, staying serious for just a second before losing her straight face. "My true love… Is the Giant Squid!"

"You wound me Evans!" James cried dramatically.

"You see, we're kept apart by the the cruel barrier between land and lake. I've been using you to learn transfiguration techniques so we can finally be together!"

"No! Say it isn't so!"

"I suppose I can settle for you," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck again. "Your hair is quite tentacle like."

Having been about to kiss her James burst out laughing at that.

"If anyone else had said that I think I'd kick them out straight away. Tentacle like. You're lucky I like you."

"I certainly am," Lily replied, and leaned in to kiss him once more. "But you're luckier, because I love you."

"I love you more Lily."

"No, I love you more."

And there they were: Arguing again.

All done! Wow, it's finally finished!

(I am sorry this part took so long, I got caught up in Uni assignments and this has been almost complete for a very long time, I just couldn't quite get it right)

Thank you all so much for sticking with me and reading and reviewing, I hope that it brightened some of your days :) I'd love to hear your final thoughts!

I really hope you enjoyed it,

Your accomplished Ravenclaw author