Beautiful

Disclaimer: The characters and the general magical environment does not belong to me. Obviously. Only this short story-line is my own creation.

It's magical, the way you make me feel inside
Can't let you go, no matter all I try you stay on my mind
I can hold your hands and you can hold mine

Now we can rock until the morning light
If I could I would change back the hands of time
That we can do everything so right

I'm just a thought away for you, babe
I know we had our ups and downs
But we say it gets crazy
But trust me girl, you can always count on me

'Cause my love, my love, your love, your love
Our love, our love, our love is magical
'Cause my love, my love and your love, your love
And our love, our love, our love is magical, girl

Here we go on a roller coaster to paradise
So let me know what it's gonna take for me to free your mind
Tell 'em who's your man, 3 karats on your hand

Introduce you to a brand new life
They don't understand how we can make it last
We don't care 'cause everything's fine

I'm just a thought away for you, babe
I know we had our ups and downs but we say
It gets crazy
But trust me girl, you can always count on me

'Cause my love, my love, your love, your love
Our love, our love, our love is magical
'Cause my love, my love and your love, your love
And our love, our love, our love is magical girl

Say we don't care how you feel, feel
Our love is magical for real, real
Say we don't care how you feel, oh no, oh no

Say we don't care how you feel, feel
Our love is magical for real, real
Say we don't care how you feel, oh no, oh no

'Cause my love, my love, your love, your love
Our love, our love, our love is magical
'Cause my love, my love and your love, your love
And our love, our love, our love is magical

Magical, by Sean Kingston

"What do you want to do after we get out of here, Lils?"

Lily sighed, shifting slightly under his arms.

"I really don't know. Train to become an auror, I suppose. You already know that, though."

This wasn't the first time they were having this conversation.

James Potter looked down at her form, neatly tucked under him, and smiled.

"I didn't mean it like that."

She sighed again.

"James, I—I don't know. Really."

She was lying beside him, face snuggled up in his chest. His body was slightly on top of her, both arms holding her tightly against him.

"Well," he started, brushing a falling tendril of hair behind her ear, "I think that we should start with the guest list. Don't want unknown people crashing the wedding, do we?"

Lily blushed slightly. It wasn't like the two of them were going out. No. At least, not yet. Or, more accurately, not formally. Their relationship had always been like that. No one could have defined it, even if they tried. Somehow, calling each other their boyfriend or girlfriend was too conventional.

And conventional they were not. Certainly, not by any means.

They held each others' hand. Snuggled up before going to sleep together most of the nights. He'd be sitting on the couch, finishing his Transfiguration homework, and she'd perch right on his lap, letting her head fall on his shoulder as one of his hands, almost unconsciously, went to stroke her hair. They told each other everything, to the point where privacy was next to discarded. Yet, not even once, had either of them tried to name heir relationship.

Perhaps it was a mark of how much he had matured. Of how much he had changed. How much both of them had changed. It marked how both of them had gotten past the "Go out with me, Evans." phase.

"What are you talking about?" she mumbled, cheeks adorning a slightly crimson color.

James loved seeing her blush. He didn't know why. Perhaps it was because it made her look all the more beautiful than she already was. Perhaps it was because he knew that he was the only one who could incite it. But he loved the spots of red on her cheeks.

He leaned in and kissed her blush soundly.

She flushed a little more, smiling slightly.

"You know what I'm talking about. Evans is quite a boring name, don't you think? Potter would suit you so much better."

She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Closing her eyes, she let a muffled, almost sad sort of sigh escape her lips.

"Why do you keep saying that, James?"

She looked at him, searching his eyes.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean, just—just don't—don't say—"

James' eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

"Why shouldn't I? It's not like—"

"We can't get married, James!" she finally burst out. It had been eating her up on the inside for some time now, and she needed to let it all out. "Marriage is not a joke!"

"Who said it was?" he asked defensively. "I meant every word I said to you, Lily."

She shook her head, moving out of his grasp, but he'd be damned before he let her walk away.

"James—" She looked up. Her eyes had gone slightly misty, and before James could so much as say a word, she had started speaking again.

"James, I love you." He smiled. It wasn't the first time she had said that, but hearing it right now was like a confirmation; that she wasn't trying to go away from him.

"I love you. You know I do. It's not you. It's me. I can't—"

She drew in a frustrated breath.

"I won't let you marry me, James."

It hurt her, just to see the hurt etched so clearly on his face.

"But—but what have I done wrong, Lil?" he asked, desperate to rectify any mistake he might have made.

She smile softly. Her upper lip trembled slightly.

"Nothing, James. I told you, it's not you. It's me. You don't understand... It's—it's not just as easy as it sounds."

"But what is the problem, Lily? We'll work on it. You know we will."

And he meant it. With graduation coming closer and closer, they knew it was only a matter of months before they were out in the real world. Beyond the comfort and security of their old castle. He couldn't think of a world without Lily in it.

"This isn't something you can just change, James. You can't change the thinking of more than half of this world."

A puzzled look crossed his face, his features clouding in confusion. Slowly, his face began to clear, his expression turning the slightest bit angry.

"Lily, you had better not be talking about what I think you are," he said through gritted teeth.

Lily winced slightly, but looked up at his face with determination.

"Yes, this is exactly what I'm talking about, James. So hopefully, now you can realize—"

"What, that you're on some sort of drugs?" he asked flatly. "Yes, actually, I think I am rather inclined to agree with you, right now."

She rolled her eyes, but her expression remained determined.

"Don't joke about this, James."

"I'm not the one joking, Lily." His expression was dark. He sounded hurt. "You're the one making a joke out of me."

A pained look crossed her features.

"James—"

"No, Lily, don't." He gently untangled himself from her, sitting with his head against the frame of the bed. "You really think I'm so shallow?" he asked her, and it took her but a second to realize that he genuinely wanted an answer from her.

It almost broke her heart.

"You know I don't," she said quietly, sitting beside him in much the same position, however, choosing to look at him instead of leaning back.

"Then why would you even say that?" He looked slightly angry.

"I didn't say it to offend you, James. You know that's not what I think of you. I know you don't mind what my ancestry is, but there are others who do. Others who follow a leader who wants to kill and maim muggles and muggleborns. I know it doesn't matter to you, James, but anyone close to me can get hurt, the minute we step out of here."

James opened his mouth, but she had already started speaking again.

"You don't know what it feels like, James, being holed up here in school and knowing something bad can happen to my family at any time." A tear escaped, and she didn't do anything to stop it. "Because of me. And I might not be able to do anything."

He picked her up and hoisted her on his lap, resting his forehead against hers.

"Lily—"

"I know it doesn't matter to you, James. I do. I just—" A few more tears escalated down her cheeks, tearing him up inside. "I just can't—can't bring myself to imagine anything happening to you."

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Red," he said softly, brushing away her tears with his thumb, his other hand tightly around her waist. "I told you, all the way back in Fourth Year—I'm invincible."

He kissed her last tear away. She pressed closer to him, allowing a throaty chuckle to escape her lips.

"I can't live without you, James. But knowing that you're alright... that's more than what I could ask for. You have to understand that."

"The only time that I'm alright," he said, punctuating every word, "is when I'm with you. When we're together."

Lily let out another sob. "But—"

"Shh," he said, closing his eyes and relishing in the feeling of their closeness.

When she looked like she wanted to protest, he quickly pressed his lips to hers.

"You've done a lot of talking tonight, Lily Evans. Let me say a few things now."

She looked at him, eyes fiercely imploring, before giving a tiny nod. His arm tightened around her, his other hand cupping her cheek tenderly.

"I love you, Lily Jane Clarisse Evans. Before we talk about anything else, you get this into your tomato head."

She couldn't help it; she laughed lightly. James grin was he size of Hogwarts.

"I love you, for who you are. You're not perfect, I know that now. You have your flaws. So do I. But you're not afraid of admitting that you have them. You were new to this world, seven years back. And you're top of our class now. All those dunderheads who have a long line of wizards and witches before them, they're nothing before you. You don't even have to try. You can take on five people in a duel all by yourself. You're smart, funny, intelligent and so much more, Lily Evans. I don't even want to describe who you are in mere words, because no amount of words can do you justice."

"You're inflating my ego here, Potter," she chuckled, but her smile made everything worth it.

"Once upon a time," he started, a small smile growing on his lips, "not too long ago, you were not afraid of standing up for what you thought was right. For what was your right. I want that Lily back."

She looked at his face, but he was not laughing. She felt like screaming.

"I'm still the same person, James. I told you, I don't care about any of this rubbish. But I can't just ignore the fact that there are sick people out there who do. And they can hurt. They can hurt people, James. They can hurt you."

She was crying openly by now, not even bothering to hide the tears.

"I won't let that happen to you. You think it's easy for me to just sit here and wonder if I'll ever get to see my family again? You think it's easy for me to think that my sister would hate me even more if she found out just how serious this issue is. How anything can happen anytime. It's not, James. It's hard enough to worry about them, but I want to know that you're safe. At all times. That's what matters to me. So no matter what you say, James Potter—"

She was cut off by a pair of warm lips.

James kissed her like there was no tomorrow. His lips moved softly and ferociously against hers, both at the same time. His hands gripped her like he was preventing her from escaping at any time, while his lips blended with hers.

She kissed him back with just as much passion. Trying to convey how much it meant to her. How much he meant to her.

After what seemed like an eternity, he pulled back, taking care not to let his face move more than a millimeter away from hers, looking deeply in her eyes.

"You listen to me now, Red. I don't care what the world thinks. Your family's alright, I know it. And if anything ever happens to anyone, it will not be your fault. Just because one bastard decided to go on a murder spree and other idiots decided to follow him, it does not mean that they get to rule our lives. This is what it's all about, Lils. The group Dumbledore told us about... the aurors. We can't let them made our decisions, Lil. We have to fight. We've come a long way, you and me. I'm not going back. And I'm not letting you, either."

She remained quiet for a long time. Then, when she looked up and met his gaze, he saw a light in her eyes that he hadn't seen since they had started this conversation. It was enough to make his heart skip a few beats.

"You're right. We can't let them rule our lives. But still, James—"

He pressed his lips to hers again, cutting off whatever she had been trying to say. They would have enough time to talk afterwards.

She pulled back after the demand for oxygen became too much, cheeks flushed delightedly.

"You're beautiful," he whispered, nibbling her earlobe lightly.

She flushed again. James smiled widely, leaning in to kiss her blush noisily.

Then all of a sudden, he dropped back down on the bed with a thud, Lily lying on top of him. His legs straddled hers, keeping her in place. His hands went around her back, making sure there was no space between them.

Sh rested her forehead against his.

"But you know, you'll look even more beautiful in a white gown."

"James!"

Her cheeks had probably started a competition with her hair, by now. He laughed wickedly.

"Oh, you better get used to all this, Evans."

She scowled. "I have no intention to, thank you very much."

"But that's going to pose a very serious problem then," he whispered, the distance between their mouths already decreasing.

"Is it?" she whispered back, closing her eyes.

"Oh, yes. Definitely."

"May I ask why?"

"Because, Evans," he started, his lips caressing hers with every word, "I fully intend to change your last name to Potter, the minute we get out of here."

And with that, his lips were on hers again.

Lily sighed into his mouth. There would be no point in protesting, if she even had the heart to do it in the first place, that is. The cheeky git always got what he wanted.

"You get hurt, Potter," she very nearly growled, "and I'll make sure to have your body severely mangled. Mark my words."

"But that's not fair," he whined, then winked. "You know I'm a troublemaker."

She laughed. "Well, change your ways, then."

He grinned. "I think I can try."

She smiled, nuzzling her face in the crook of his neck.

"Sometimes, I feel like taking your heart and hiding it away somewhere," he mumbled into her skin. "Where no one would be able to find it. So that you can't give it to anyone else."

Lily smiled. "I wonder what Sirius would say, if he ever heard you saying something like that."

"Oh, he's heard me, alright. Back in Fifth Year, before Valentine's." He turned slightly red.

Lily snickered internally. No way would she ever let him live this down.

"Remember that poem I—"

"Shouted out in the Great Hall?"

"Serenaded." He coughed pointedly, causing her to laugh. "He caught me practicing in front of the mirror, the night before."

"And what did he do?"

"I think he cried a little."

"Oh," she smirked.

"Out of shame, of course."

She burst out laughing. James rolled his eyes and pretended to scowl for a minute or two, but eventually started laughing along with her.

"You know," she started, after she had calmed down, "you shouldn't have to worry about that. I don't think there will be any need for you to kidnap my heart any time soon."

"Really? Why?"

"Because," she pressed her mouth against his, "you already have it in your possession, Mr. Potter. And I never thought you were one for sharing."

"Oh, no," he assured her, not removing his lips from hers, where they moved rhythmically against each others'. He rolled them over, so that he was on top of her, pinning her down firmly beneath him. "Definitely not one for sharing."

And no matter what the world labeled them as, they were never quite what the others perceived them to be.

They were different, unique, special.

Magical.

Beautiful.

A/N: So, first of all, I'm addicted to the song 'Magical', really don't know why. And it boded pretty well with the theme and the idea of this story. Just imagine... Lily and James, with this song playing in the background... it's just too many Jily feels. *.*

As for this, well, all in a day's work. Don't even know where it came from, really. I just started typing and this came out. But I hope you guys liked it. :)

Don't forget to leave a review! You're hereby being placed under the Imperius curse, as you read this, and will not be able to leave this window before you leave your thoughts in that little box you see down there. :3 Even if it's not that strong, well... I had pumpkin pasties, did I mention that?

Have a fantastic day! Hope you liked it! Please review!

Cheers,
RainHolly