The Knight in Shining Armor

It didn't seem like it had been that long ago, but it had all happened a year ago. The night had been cool, but not so that her arms and legs, bared by her shorts and tank-top, were cold. It was midnight of a full moon and Lily Evans was breaking the rules.

She knew it was against the rules to enter the Forbidden Forest without a professor, the word forbidden was part of it's name after all, but it was the only place she knew where she could be alone. The duties of Head-Girl were tedious and with studies on top of that Lily was finding it rather difficult to maintain her sanity. The stress of Seventh Year was high, but here in the dark beauty of the Forbidden Forest, where there was silence and she was alone, Lily could think.

Lily sat in the shelter of a large smooth barked tree, and began to attempt to sort out her tangled thoughts and confused emotions concerning the Head-Boy, James Potter. He had changed so much over the summer, he had grown and matured. He and his Marauders had given up most of their pranks, mostly now they reserved their schemes for tormenting the greasy-haired Slytherin, Severus Snape. Lily had a strong suspicion that their torment had something to do with the way Snape was constantly harassing her, calling her "mud-blood" and such, though the entire school knew that he loved her. Even she had to admit that it was more than a little creepy.

Lily forced her thoughts back to James. She had seen him lately, helping people, using his popularity to keep others from being picked on. Most shocking of all was the fact that James Potter, who could have almost any girl in the school, had no girlfriend. Instead he had turned all his attention to romancing Lily. He had made it his own personal duty to watch over her now. She hadn't asked for him to become her guardian and personal protector, but he had, and to be perfectly honest she truly didn't mind. There were times, in fact, that she was truly grateful for James' presence, especially when Snape was around. The flowers and notes he had been leaving her occasionally, were starting to have an effect on her. Lily Evans was beginning to fall in love with James Potter.

Lily looked up as an ear-splitting howl pierced the silence. She knew that sound, there was Werewolf in the Forbidden Forest. Lily quickly rose to her feet, intending to run, but the moment she took the first step the Werewolf entered the clearing.

Lily's green eyes widened as she took in the creature. She could see the tense muscles rippling under the tawny skin, covered in coarse brown hair.

She stood absolutely still as he, she assumed it was a he, turned his dark brown eyes on her. Lily's breath caught in her chest; she recognized those eyes.

"Remus..." the name was a shocked whisper, barely audible to her own ears, but it was still enough to seal her fate. His monstrous head snapped up. In a flash Lily was moving, running as fast as she could in no general direction. She knew it would never be fast enough. It was a futile attempt, as a Werewolf Remus was stronger and faster than any human, but she still had to try.

She ran as long as she could, but Lily was not an athletic person. She soon fell to her knees her breath coming in ragged, painful gasps, She could hear the Werewolf — Remus— coming up behind her and she turned to face him, hoping that if he bit her, he would kill her. She couldn't bear the thought of becoming a Werewolf, and knowing Remus his guilt would be greater if he turned her into a fellow cursed creature than if he killed her.

Lily blinked and in the space of a heartbeat Remus was there, eyes gleaming as he snarled and growled at her, snapping his fearsome jaws. Lily choked back a scream as the creature, she couldn't bear to think of him as her dear friend Remus, took a step towards her. Tears were streaming down her pale face as she trembled in fear.

"Remus..." she pleaded. "Remus...please...please don't do this..." The Werewolf cocked his head as she sobbed, but still continued his advance. "Please!" she cried. "Please, oh, please! Someone help me!"

Just when Lily was certain she was going to die without ever getting to tell James how she felt, another creature, a magnificent golden stag, leapt out into the clearing and blocked the Werewolf's path. She watched in astonishment as the Werewolf nodded to the stag and turned and left.

Lily sobbed in relief as the Werewolf's howls faded into the distance. Then she found herself choking back another scream as the stag turned his liquid amber eyes on her. She knew that this was no ordinary stag, and she would recognize the look in those eyes anywhere.

"James..." she whispered.

In a second she knew she was right, because the stag was gone and in it's place stood none other than a rather irate looking James Potter.

"You know what, Lily, for someone so smart you sure can be stupid," James hissed.

Lily was stunned into silence for a few minutes before the anger set in and took over.

"How dare you, James Potter! I had no clue there was a Werewolf at Hogwarts! Though, obviously, you did and didn't see fit to tell me! "

"Tell you?! It wasn't my secret to tell! Dumbledore wouldn't have let me anyway! What were you doing out here anyway? Its against the rules, you never break the rules!"

"Well I guess you don't know me that well then, do you?"

"Whose fault is that, Lily?" James' voice was softer now, filled with hurt. "I've been trying to get to know you for seven years! You never let me close enough to get to know you!"

Lily lowered her eyes, shamed by the pain in James' voice.

"I'm sorry, James..." she said softly. "I never realized it hurt you so much. I thought I was just another conquest for the 'great' James Potter. I didn't want to be just another girl in a string of broken hearts."

"I understand that, Lily," James said as he lowered himself to his knees in front of her, "but couldn't you see that I loved you?"

"I believed you to immature for love, James, and your behavior certainly did nothing to contradict that. I hated that you used your popularity to get of so many things. It vexed me to no end... but... I think that what bothered me the most... subconsciously...I couldn't even admit it to my self until now... was that you had the courage to have the adventures I could only read about."

"Oh, Lily," James whispered, gently wiping away a tear that had slipped down her cheek. "I loved you from the moment I first saw you, sitting on the Hogwarts Express with your nose in some book, as always. Everything I've done since then was for you, to impress you or to protect you. The other girls were only distractions, attempts to assuage the pain in my heart. Pain caused by your denial of my love. A love that tore at my heart every second of every day, but, Lily, I never found that relief. Lily, you're the reason I'm Head-Boy. I never would have done half so well in my studies if I hadn't been trying to impress you."

Lily smiled and looked up, right into James' eyes.

"Lily," he whispered, "I love you."

She could see in his eyes that it was true, and never again would she doubt those words when he said them.

"I love you too, James," she whispered in return, and she meant it with all her heart. James smiled and took her hand. Lily returned the smile.

"So where does that put us, Lily?" James asked. "Where do we go from here?"

"Well, James, I suppose that since I love you, and you love me, the best thing would be for you to ask me to be your girlfriend."

James rose to his feet and then helped Lily to hers. Then he knelt on the ground and took her hand in his.

"Lily Evans, I love you heart and soul, will you do me the honor of being my girlfriend?"

"Of course I will, James, my knight in shining armor," Lily answered smiling. She opened her mouth to say more, but she never got the opportunity. Before she could speak James had his arms around her and his lips pressed against hers, in her very first kiss. At first she stiffened against him, unsure how to react, but as he moved his lips against hers she began to relax and begin to participate in the kiss..

To soon they had to break the kiss in order to breathe. As they stood there, their arms around each other, each trying to catch their breath, James began to laugh.

"What?" Lily asked indignantly. "What's so funny? Am I that bad of a kisser?"

"No, dear," James last. "Its just that I've waited seven years to do that and it was every bit as wonderful as I thought it would be."

Lily smiled and pressed her lips against his in an eager kiss.