Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR

A.N. This is a part of the same 'verse as my long, Marauders' era fic, 'A Rise and Fall', but you don't need to read that to understand this. But you should go read it anyways. Chronologically, this takes place immediately after 'A Rise and Fall' but before the epilogue, followed by 'That First Christmas' and 'Fireworks and Endings' and finally, 'Thrice Defied'. Again, you don't have to read those to read this. (But do it anyways). And really, I should start writing things in order. It would be easier for all of us.

Lily felt very young as she tugged at the front of her dress robes. They were light green, and silvery, and they made her eyes look as pale as winter frost. She brushed mascara on her lashes, and smoothed on a coat of dark red lipstick, blinking at herself in the mirror for a moment. A beam of sun shining through the window fell on her back, the warmth welcome.

The seventh year girls' dormitory was empty, and two of the beds and desks were bare and lonely.

Anna and Camilla. Anna had fled into the Muggle world on the New Year, not able to stay at Hogwarts after her girlfriend had been killed. Camilla had had to leave for her own safety, after her mother was murdered by Death Eaters. She was in America now, living with her Squib sister and using a different name. She probably even looked different, Lily realized sadly as she directed her hair into a complicated chignon with her wand.

Mary and Marlene were still here, and the three of them had become closer than ever, in part because of their other friends' departures.

It was hard. There had been many deaths, that year. Camilla's mother, Marlene's cousin, Mary's aunt… and Lily's parents. They hadn't been killed by Death Eaters. They had died ordinary Muggle deaths, in a car crash, of all things.

I should have been there, Lily thought, not for the first time. If I had been there… no one would've died if I had been there.

"Oi, Lily!" someone called. They sounded far away, and Lily smiled to herself for a moment.

"You can come on up!" she called back, turning away from the mirror. Hard lines had started to crisscross her face like a spider's web when she thought about her parents.

There was the sound of footsteps on the stairs, and James appeared. His hair was a mess and there were smudgy fingerprints all over his glasses but he was grinning at her wildly.

"Freedom!" he said, taking her hands and waltzing her around the dormitory. "Freedom, I say! Lily, we're free!"

"We were never imprisoned," she pointed out, laughing at him even as he kissed her exuberantly. He had grass stains on the elbows of his dress robes, and Lily brushed at them half-heartedly.

James peered down at the green-brown patches and frowned. "Sirius wanted to play Quidditch," he said resentfully, "and then Peter knocked me off my broom, the prat. And then Remus ran over me trying to get the Quaffle"

"It's fine," Lily told him, reaching for her wand and moving it over the grass stains until they faded and disappeared. "So. What are your plans for our first day of freedom?"

"Well," James said, "Marlene went all out. She managed to book The Curses – that girl is well connected. And Rosmerta's donating a barrel of oak-matured mead as her graduation present to me. Always befriend the bar owners, Lily."

"I'll keep it in mind. Any plans for afterwards…?"

James flopped down on her bed, sighing deeply. "I dunno. Sleep, probably. Sleep for a week."

"Am I invited to the sleepover?" Lily asked. She shoved him over to make room and lay down next to him, staring at the red drapes above her head. They'd have to leave soon, but she could enjoy this moment for a little while.

"Nope. Last time, you stole all the blankets."

"Shut up. You have cold feet."

"You snore."

"You take that back right now."

"I won't."

"You'd better."

"Lily."

"James."

"I like you a lot."

Lily propped herself up on her elbow to peer down at him. She removed his glasses and started absently polishing the smudges off with a fistful of her dress before replacing them. "I like you too, James. Ready to go and face our destinies?"

James offered her a hand and she took it, letting him pull her off the bed.

"Let's go," he told her solemnly.

They were sitting in the full sunlight and Lily fidgeted uncomfortably in the heat. They'd gotten Wanda Hartford, the Minister for Magic to come talk, and she was standing up at the podium, apparently reading straight from the notes. It was not an inspiring speech. She came to the Hogwarts' graduation every year, (Lily supposed it was easier when there was only one wizarding school in Britain) and it seemed likely that she was just recycling her speech from last year.

As Head Boy and Girl, both Lily and James were talking and they were seated in the front row, next to each other. James was paging through his notes and Lily took his hand, squeezing it reassuringly.

She looked back over her shoulder, at her classmates that she'd seen almost every day for seven years. There was Mary and Marlene and the boys, of course, and Oliver Sands who had avoided the Marauders ever since they Tranfigured his bed into a lion, and there was Lacy Selwyn and Lark Rivers, and Bliss Bones who had started Hogwarts as a meek, soft girl but had changed into a tall, flinty witch with a hard jaw and impressive spellwork. There was Sev, and Lily caught his eye for just a moment before looking away.

That moment of eye-contact felt like swallowing an ice cube.

Lily turned her attention back to Wanda Hartford, still holding James's hand.

"-young witches and wizards are our future, and the education you've received at Hogwarts has prepared you for-"

The witch trailed off, staring behind the cluster of chairs that the students and their family were sitting on.

Lily swivelled around in her chair and the ice cube in her stomach multiplied.

Hooded figures in cloaks were striding towards the chairs, wands out, and Lily leapt to her feet, pulling James up as well.

"Get up!" Lily screamed, yanking her wand out.

She could see Dumbledore out of the corner of her eyes, walking towards the figures, wand in his fist.

"Lily?" James murmured, his own wand at the ready.

"Wait," she said. "Just – wait – we have to see-"

Dumbledore reached the group. There were about thirty of them, all in dark robes and masks. It must be sweltering, in this heat.

"What are you doing here?" Dumbledore asked coldly. "I'm sure you're aware that Death Eaters have officially been labelled terrorists and traitors to wizard-kind"

The Death Eater in the lead flipped back their hood to reveal a woman. Lily had seen her once before, three years ago. She had lost her boyish slimness but now her robes hugged curves and her delicate face had changed until it was strong, with harsh, beautiful lines and a dangerous beauty to it. She looked like a knife, all sharp edges and deadly smiles.

At the sight of her face, everyone who was still sitting immediately stood.

Lily could hear Sirius inhale sharply, even over the pounding of her own heart. Her nails were cutting into James's hand and she loosened her grip slightly, but he immediately tightened it again. They were both afraid.

"Bellatrix Lestrange" Wanda Hartford said, staying back. "As the Minister of Magic, I'm placing you under arrest for multiple uses of the Unforgivable Curses, hate crimes, murder, assault, and membership in the terrorist group known as the Death Eaters."

Everyone was frozen. Lily's body was tight and tense and James was leaning into her slightly, his wand still extended.

Bellatrix's dark lips curved into a delighted smile and she tipped her head back and laughed. It brushed down Lily's spine, making her shudder.

"Arrest?" Bellatrix asked. "And who is going to arrest me, Minister? All these – Aurors?"

She gestured around.

There were two Aurors flanking the Minister, but no more. Hogwarts was, had been, safe. The Minister shouldn't have needed more, but as the green curse arced from Bellatrix's wand, they couldn't even shield Wanda Hartford with their bodies, because two other Death Eaters had killed the Aurors at the same time.

Chaos descended. The delicate folding chairs were trampled and James used one to blast aside a curse heading for Lily.

Lily had plunged straight into the middle of the turmoil.

James raced after her, cursing under his breath. Suddenly, Sirius was beside him, gripping the sleeve of his dress robes so they didn't lose each other.

"You alright?" James shouted.

"Dandy!" Sirius shouted back. "I hate my cousin!"

Marlene McKinnon was shielding a small blonde girl with her body, and Sirius pulled her up quickly, handing the girl off to James.

"Hi," James said, crouching down in front of her. They were blocked from the spells by the people running and shoving past them, but he knew the cover wouldn't last long.

"Hi," Sammie McKinnon replied, keeping her eyes on her sister. Marlene was standing back to back with Sirius, scanning the crowd for their friends and for clear shots at the Death Eaters.

"D'you see that tree right there?" James asked, pointing at the Whomping Willow. "There's a knot by the trunk, it's really big – you can see it from here."

Sammie squinted at the tree and nodded.

"Just push the knot and a tunnel will open up, ok? Get up the tunnel and don't come out until someone comes for you. Careful round the branches."

Sammie McKinnon nodded, and it was too late for James to rethink his plan as she took off running.

"James, where did you send her!?" Marlene screamed, not able to stop flinging Shield Charms and curses long enough to watch her sister.

"Somewhere safe!" James shouted back, yanking Mary MacDonald out of the crowd. She had a cut on one cheekbone and she was clutching Remus's hand.

The five of them grouped together, backs on the inside, protecting every side.

"Did you see Lily?" James asked Remus, who was on his right.

"No!" Remus said. "I saw her run by, but I lost sight of her after Peter ran for the front."

"Shit!" James swore, firing a Body-Bond Curse at a still-masked Death Eater.

"She'll be ok!" Marlene reassured him, reaching through the circle to grasp his hand quickly. "Lily's tough."

James went back to scanning the crowd.

It was messy, and confused. The teachers were trying to organize the screaming crowd, from time to time pulling students out of the crowd and snapping orders at them. Most of the parents were defending their younger children and trying to find their elder ones, and the Death Eaters were cutting anyone down that they could.

Bodies littered the ground, most of them in brightly coloured dress robes.

"No!" Mary shrieked, as a stray curse hit Sirius and he slumped to the ground.

James's eyes went fuzzy and he caught Sirius by the arm. He lowered him down carefully, fumbling at his neck for a pulse and feeling a dizzy rush of relief when a thud answered him. Just Stunned, then.

The group of them bunched in around him, covering his fallen body as they worked on cutting the Death Eaters out of the crowd.

As the people calmed and thinned out, James caught a glimpse of silvery green fabric and had leapt forwards before he quite knew what he was doing.

"Lily!" he screamed, and saw a flash of red hair as she turned her head, searching for him.

Her dress had an ugly tear down the front and there was a cut on her forehead. She looked terrible but her eyes were blazing coldly and there was a Death Eater at her feet, very obviously dead.

There was a difference, between Stunned bodies and dead ones. Stunned ones, there was a presence. But dead ones… there was nothing tying them there. They were just so much used meat.

Her face hadn't quite shifted from anger and coldness, so when she looked at him, James felt almost frightened. There was something alien about her, right now and when she reached out for him, he recoiled for a second.

Hurt flashed across Lily's face and then she was herself again.

"Are you ok?" she asked urgently, stepping over the Death Eater's body and taking him by the elbows. "James, are you ok?"

"Fine," James said, starting to tug her back towards their friends. The Death Eaters were dead, incapacitated or fleeing, and Sirius was back on his feet.

James hugged him quickly before looking over at the toppled podium.

Wanda Hartford and her Auror guards were lying dead on the stage, and Dumbledore and McGonagall were talking urgently before Dumbledore mounted the stage.

He touched his wand to his throat, muttering something. Lily held James's hand tightly. Her hair was soft against his shoulder and he wrapped his arm round her.

Maybe six of the Death Eaters were frozen by Body-Bind Curses or Stunners, and Dumbledore lifted his wand, sending their bodies shooting towards them. As the fleeing Death Eaters passed the border of the Hogwarts' grounds, they Disapparated and James cursed under his breath.

"Please be silent!" Dumbledore called, his voice echoing and resonating over the grounds.

Everyone froze, and James' group of friends faced the front attentively.

"Anyone who is wounded, please gather to the left. Madam Pomfrey is coming down from the castle, medi-wizards are on their way, and the Aurors are coming. If you are not wounded, help those who are. If there are any Healers in the crowd, your help would be appreciated."

As the stunned crowd began to clear, bodies lying on the ground became more visible. Some of the bodies were very small.

James spotted his mother and father scanning the crowd frantically and instead of letting go of Lily's hand, pulled her with him.

Euphemia Potter could be a terrifying witch, and she was interrogating Professor Sprout when James got to her.

"Jamie!" she shouted, abandoning the harassed looking professor and threw her arms tightly around James.

As his head was pulled down to her level, James spotted his dad hugging Lily. She looked slightly shell-shocked when she met James' eyes, but she tried to smile at him.

"Jamie, are the boys ok? Lily, are you alright? Good lord, what next, Death Eaters at Hogwarts!"

Euphemia released James to seize Lily and pull her into a tight hug.

"We're fine, Mrs Potter," Lily told her, patting her back reassuringly. "We should probably go see if the teachers need help…"

"Oh of course," she said, hugging James again.

Lily still looked faintly surprised by the level of affection she was being shown, and James wanted to take her aside and explain that she still had a family, that she would never be alone. After her parents had died, she had – shut down. She had gone to class and eaten meals and studied in the library but it was all robotic. The things that made Lily, Lily – her sarcasm, recklessness, loyalty – that was all gone.

It was when they had just started dating and it had hurt terribly to see Lily like that.

And with both Anna and Cami gone, their group had seemed in danger of falling apart. But one day Lily had laughed at a joke that Sirius had made, and the next day she formulated a new potion that made Slughorn award thirty points to Gryffindor and the day after that she pulled James out to the lake at night to show him a meteor shower that illuminated the surface of the water and made the sky look alive.

Lily was just starting to come back now, so James took her hand again as they headed towards the teachers.

Professor McGonagall was conjuring sheets of fabric to drape over the bodies of the dead that had been lined up on the stage. Lily counted about thirteen dead. On the ground, by the lake, lay the bodies of the Death Eaters. They had been covered with their cloaks. There were only seven of them.

"Professor?"

McGonagall looked up and Lily was shocked to see that her eyes were damp.

"Miss Evans – please start leading the uninjured parents and students back up to the castle. We'll start to Floo them out once the Aurors arrive. Mr Potter, go help Poppy with the Calming Droughts, some of the younger students are understandably upset," McGonagall ordered, still conjuring shrouds.

Lily nodded and she and James started to walk away.

"Are you alright?" James asked, fingers threading through hers comfortingly.

"Yeah – yeah, I'm fine. You?"

"I'm ok," he told her, stopping. "But when you ran off like that, you scared the hell out of me."

Lily looked down. When the spells and curses and screams had started, she hadn't thought. She had just flung herself into the middle of it and hoped for the best.

"Sorry," she muttered.

"No – that's not what I'm saying, Lily. We're both reckless idiots. Don't stop on account of me. Just wait for me next time, ok?"

"Ok," Lily said, and at the look in his eyes, amended that; "Promise. I promise, James."

James let go of her hand to take her face between his two palms, and Lily wound her fingers through his hair to kiss him quickly and desperately before letting go and going to round up the other students.

The school was flooded with Aurors that day. Dumbledore spoke to a few reporters from the Prophet in his office. Wanda Hartford's death was announced on WWN, and a large number of students Flooed home early after their parents heard about the attack.

The list of the dead included one third year girl, Oliver Sands and Lacy Selwyn, who both were killed defending a group of younger students, the two Aurors on Minister Hartford's protection detail, and a few parents .

The captured Death Eaters were escorted to Azkaban under heavy guard.

Lily found James at the top of the Astronomy Tower that night.

"Hi," she said, sitting down next to him. They were both in warm pyjamas, the summer night cool.

"Hi," he replied, knocking his shoulder against hers in a greeting.

Lily stretched her legs over the edge of the tower, feeling the brush and play of wind on her feet as she tipped her head onto James' shoulder.

"Are we ok?" she asked quietly.

"We're ok."

"Are you scared?"

"Terrified."

"Me too, James."

They were silent for a moment, watching the stars. They were bright and distant and they sapped the colour out of the scene. Lily looked at a strand of her hair flying in the light breeze. It was a light silver, and she tucked it back behind her ear.

"James," she said, and paused, not sure she wanted to continue.

"Yeah?"

"I was thinking."

James didn't say anything but bumped his foot against her outstretched one, an invitation to continue.

"These times are so uncertain. People are here today – and gone the next and you don't know how they were undone so fast. Lacy and Ollie and the rest… We could die tomorrow."

"This is cheery," James told her.

"Shut up. All I mean is… don't you think we should seize the moment?"

"What were you thinking?"

"I know – I know we haven't been together that long."

"Mostly because of your stubbornness," James said.

"Fine," Lily allowed; "but I – I don't know. We've known each other for a very long time, James."

"Lily," he said slowly. "What are you trying to say?"

Lily turned her head so her forehead rested on James' shoulder and she squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated.

"I'm trying to say – actually I don't know what I'm trying to say. This is ridiculous."

"Slow down," James suggested. "Just take a breath."

"You take a breath," Lily snapped, but breathed deeply anyways.

"I'm trying to say that – I love you. And I'm going to love you for as long I live, and that won't change. Sometimes you'll drive me mad and sometimes you'll probably want to hex me, but I think that we're going to be a part of each other's lives for a very long time. I've known you since I was eleven years old and sometimes I hated you but mostly I loved you. So – James Potter-"

(At this, Lily lifted her head and shifted back so she was looking into James' eyes)

"-James Potter – will you marry me?"

James just blinked.

"That was a terrible proposal," Lily realized, cringing.

"Yeah," James agreed. "When we tell people we can make it sound more romantic."

Lily started to nod before she realized what he said. "You what-"

"Yes," James said, starting to grin at her, silver and white and grey in the starlight. "Yes"

"Yes?" Lily said, laughing a bit. "You mean it? Are you sure?"

"Yeah – yes, I mean. Yes."

"Christ," Lily said, shaking her head. "Eighteen and engaged. We're idiots, you know that, right?"

"Of course," James said. "But we'll be happy idiots."

Lily threw her arms around his neck to kiss him, and the starlight shone down on them whitely and turned their skin to cool white marble, freezing them forever under the light of the moon.

A.N. Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed it, (or didn't and wanted to tell me) please leave a review.