*Lilah POV*

My converse clad feet fell silently against the stone flooring, making their way towards a certain glasses wearing Marauder.

"Hi," I whispered into his ear, my breath fanning his ear teasingly.

His back tensed, slightly turning his head as he smiled up at me. "Hello, Love. Care to help me with my DADA homework? I can't quite seem to get question four."

I slid onto the windowsill beside him, the side of my body pressed against his knees. "What is my matching patronus? This is fifth-year content," I laughed out, knowing that he did, in fact, know the answer.

"I thought that it would be better to ask you considering our patronuses now match," he grinned cheekily, darting his hands around my waist and lifting me onto his lap before I even knew what had happened.

I slapped his chest in mock anger, too happy to even be annoyed by his comment. "Shut up," I grumbled, my cheeks flushing a scarlet red as he rested his hand on my thigh.

"It's okay," he whispered into my ear, his grip tightening on my leg, "I find it..." he trailed off, brushing his lips down the arch of my neck.

My head fell back against his shoulder as he continued the assault, biting down gently. His hand moved dangerously up my thigh, tracing his fingers against the exposed skin. I moaned softly, loving his touch.

"Very sexy," he finished, grinning against my neck.

"Git," I muttered, too weak to force anything else out my mouth.

"But Baby," he pouted, wrapping his tanned arms around my waist, pulling me impossibly further back into his chest.

"No," I pursed my lips, fighting off the urge to laugh at my boyfriend.

Merlin, I would never get sick of saying that.

A goofy grin lit my face as I realised that I had never been as happy as I was in this moment. I would gladly spend every second of eternity with this man.

I couldn't believe that I once mourned the loss of Harry – my child. I couldn't believe that he would never be born. But most of all, I couldn't believe that I once thought that I could never love James Potter.

A life without James was like a life without sun – dreary and hopeless.

Dramatic? Yes, but it was all too true.

Now that I have him, I couldn't bear losing him.

I wouldn't.

I won't. Not if I can help it.

I don't want to go back, I don't want to face a future without him.

I gazed into his dark blue eyes, loving how they shined with playfulness and joy.

"I love you, you know that right?" I questioned, my eyes misting over slightly at the thought of him dying on October 31st, 1981.

"Not as much as I love you," he pressed a kiss to my forehead, leaning us back against the stone wall.

As much as I wanted to fight him on the matter, I couldn't. It was true.

As much as I loved him, I knew he loved me more – as impossible as it was.

And that made me love him even more.

--

I shot James a look over the textbook that I was using as a cover, encouraging him to apologise to Sirius for whatever he fucked up.

After a few mumbled words, the two men were hugging it out. Finally! I exhaled in relief, thanking Merlin that they were no longer acting like two men on their periods.

The pair walked over to the table I was at, James shooting me a discreet thumbs up. Sirius' arm slung loosely over James' shoulder, laughing as they stopped at the roundtable I was sat at in the library.

"You coming, Love?" James grinned, running a hand through his chocolate waves.

I stood up, ignoring the slight flush on his cheeks as I adjusted his askew tie. "Just a moment, I've just got to put my book back," I smiled warmly up at him, leaning up on my tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips, ignoring the fall in Sirius' face. "I won't be long," I promised.

"We-um-we'll come with," James coughed out, elbowing a half-heartedly sniggering Sirius.

I nodded, falling in line with the two men as we walked through the aisles. A soft smile graced my lips as I felt James entwine his fingers with my own, rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand.

He was so cute it was hard to believe sometimes that he was mine.

A high-pitched giggle could be heard from the aisle over, the three of us silently agreeing to check it out.

"It sounds kind of familiar," Sirius noted, scratching the back of his head, trying to place who it was.

"No one has to know if you don't want them to," a deeper voice whispered.

"It's not that I don't want them to know, I'm just-"

"Scared." The deeper voice finished, sighing quietly.

My brows furrowed as I recognised the voices but what would they-

"Holy Merlin," Sirius breathed out once we rounded the corner, staring at the pair in shock.

There stood Remus Lupin, pinning a flushed Lily Evans against the bookshelf. They were locked in a passionate kiss, one of Lily's hands roaming the expanse of his chest whilst the other was lost in his hair. His large hands gripped her upper thighs tightly, hoisting her onto his waist, her legs locking behind him.

"What the actual fuck," I whispered out, staring at the scene before me in shock and uncontained disgust.

That was my father.

And Lily Evans – the woman I had once thought to be Harry's mother.

Mother, I stood frozen, thoughts swirling as lines began to connect. Lily was my mother.

Holy fucking what.

"I think I'm going to be sick."