The Proposal

James Potter was nervously pacing the boys' seventh year Gryffindor dormitories. He was planning on proposing to his girlfriend, Lily Evans.

"Calm down, Prongs! You'll make a hole in the floor! Anyway, it's just Lily. You'll do fine!" James' best friend, Sirius Black told him.

"What am I thinking? I'm only 18 years old! I'm a madman! And why the hell would she want to marry me?" James said, ignoring Sirius' command.

"James, don't worry! Just be yourself! Besides, this is your last Hogwarts' Leaving Feast. You should make the most out of it," James' friend Remus Lupin said.

"Do you know how you'll do it?" Peter Pettigrew asked.

"I have the perfect plan," James answered with a grin, quickly losing his nervousness.

"We better go down. It's almost time," Remus said, checking his watch. "Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready for a challenge," James replied.

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Lily Evans was preparing for her final Hogwarts' Leaving Feast. She was dressed in simple yet beautiful lavender robes. She was nervous because her relationship with her boyfriend, James Potter, had been on the bad side for the past few weeks. She was expecting to be dumped. As Lily walked down the dormitory stairs alone (her roommates had already departed), she thought about all the good times she shared with James. She was in the midst of thinking of the few bad times when she looked up and found James grinning at her, with his beautiful hazel eyes and spiky messed up black hair. The bad thoughts instantly faded away and she forgot all about the prospect of being dumped.

"Ready to go down, love?" James asked, linking arms with his girlfriend. "By the way, you look wonderful."

James thought she looked more than wonderful. With her silky smooth auburn hair and lavender robes that were snug in all the right places, she looked like a goddess. He was definitely motivated enough to pop the question.

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James and Lily were in the middle of discussing the finer points of Charms at their dinner table when none other than their enemy Severus Snape came over.

"Can we help you, Snivellus? Can't you see I'm talking to my girlfriend? Get outta here!" James said.

"Ooh, touchy, Potter! No need to speak nastily to me! I just wanted to say that it has been a marvelous seven years and best of luck to you after Hogwarts," he said sarcastically.

"What are you trying to say, Snape?" James asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing of the sort, Potter. Nothing at all," Snape answered, slightly grinning. "Anyway...Evans!" he said, turning to Lily. "Congratulations on your N.E.W.T.S, and have a good life." Snape gave an evil smirk and walked swiftly away.

James and Lily watched Snape go with dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

"What the hell was that sarcasm for? And he actually complimented you for once, Lily!" James said.

"I dunno, James. Snape's been acting very odd lately. Must be the fact that he's leaving Hogwarts," Lily answered, lost in thought.

They were interrupted from their Snape-thinking when a fast song started playing and Sirius and Remus came bounding over.

"Care to dance, m'lady?" Remus asked Lily, bowing unceremoniously.

"Why, of course, kind sir!" Lily answered, curtsying. Remus took her hand and they skipped onto the dance floor.

"Nervous?" Sirius asked, taking Lily's seat and glancing at his best friend, seeing that James was staring at Lily.

James tore his eyes from her to look at Sirius and said, "Yeah, I mean, look at her. She's so beautiful. What would happen if she said no? I would be torn to pieces..."

Sirius looked at Lily and saw a beautiful girl and a great friend. He told James that they were lucky to have each other, and that everything would be all right. Sirius gave him a reassuring smile, and when the song ended, Sirius asked, "Ready?"

James swallowed and said, "Now or never."

The two boys stood up and walked over to where the band was about to take their break. Sirius walked over to the lead singer, told him a few words, and the singer smiled and walked back up to the microphone.

"All right listen up, boys and girls! There are a few words my man James has to say. C'mon up, James!" the lead singer said into the microphone. Lots of people, especially the Marauders, clapped and cheered. Remus and Peter gave him thumbs up and Sirius mouthed, "You can do it!" Lily was standing nearby, wondering what James had to say.

James nervously walked up to the microphone, tapped it, and said, "Is this thing on?" Seeing that it was, he searched the crowd for Lily. Seeing her grin at him with such attention and adoration made all the butterflies in his stomach disappear.

"Hello, Hogwarts! I'm sorry to interrupt your wonderful evening here but I have a very important announcement to make," James said. Seeing that no one was stopping him (Sirius was giving threatening looks to the people around him), and although Snape gave him a very mean and evil glare, he continued on with his plan. He took the microphone off its stand and slowly began to walk off stage.

"How long have I known you, Lily? What is it, seven years? Seven magical, wonderful years? We weren't the best of friends for most of those years, but it was such an invigorating ride watching you become lovelier and more beautiful each and every day. You may have thought I was an immature, rule-breaking prat, but beyond that, I knew that deep down you liked me for who I was beyond the silly little pranks I pulled. I admit, I did most of them to get your attention. I knew that most of the time you wouldn't have been happy about my choices," he glanced at Snape, "but I see now that you were right, and I should've listened to you more. I loved you back then, even when you reprimanded me!"

James was now walking near Sirius, who had a small box in his hand, ready to be taken. James took it and pocketed it without Lily noticing, and continued to walk directly towards her.

"Lily, I love you so much I don't know what I would do without you. I want us to be together for the rest of our lives." He now was standing right in front of her and it finally hit her what he was about to do. Her eyes began to water as he knelt down on one knee. He set the microphone down, took her left hand and opened the small box.

"Lily Evans, will you marry me?" James asked with a hopeful look in his eyes.

She was looking at him with sheer love and respect. "Yes, of course! I'll marry you!"

He leapt up and hugged and kissed her with all his might. The Hall erupted in claps and cheers. Sirius even set off a few fireworks while Remus and Peter did some odd sort of happy dance. Snape had an ugly expression and hurried off to the Slytherin common room. Professor Dumbledore was smiling with a great look of satisfaction as he watched the young couple, and Professors McGonagall and Sprout were jumping up and down like little schoolgirls.

The remaining three Marauders finally went over to the snogging couple in a big group hug, and all their other friends joined the hugging crowd.

Finally the celebration of the engagement of Hogwarts' favorite couple commenced, and a further party was hosted in Gryffindor tower.

"We have a wedding to plan," Lily said dreamily to James.

"Yes, honey. We're getting married!" James said right before she kissed him.

Further away to where Sirius and Remus were sitting, Remus said, "Wow, I can't believe James is engaged. Engaged!"

"Yeah, our little Prongsie-Wongsie is growing up!" Sirius said with a fake sniff.

'They'll be good together,' Remus thought to himself, 'no matter what happens.'

THE END