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James had never felt this way before. There were butterflies fluttering in his stomach and his knee was shaking but he was going to do it. He was going to propose to the beautiful girl standing on the other side of the garden, the love of his life.
The flowers in his hands felt like a cement block but he forced his feet to drag along the ground, slowly, inch by inch. He would not let nerves ruin the most wonderful day of his short life. He approached the beauty now standing mere metres away and his heart lifted when he heard her laugh, light and carefree at something the pretty, curly-haired girl next to her had said. Her smile blinded him for a moment, more than than he already was that is, but he just kept walking, uncaring that he could barely see where he was going.
The sun was shining brightly overhead, bees and dragonflies were buzzing between the blossoms. The garden was filled with beautiful people and plant life but he had eyes for just one of them. He hoped he could gaze at her like this for the rest of his life. She just had to say yes.
She hadn’t spotted him yet, still standing with her friend and admiring the flowers all around her: lilies and daisies and chrysanthemums. Surrounded by the blooms she looked like an angel, come down to earth to grace humanity with her charm and kindness. The light reflecting off her red hair cast rosy shadows on the white petals below her and James wished to be standing next to her, being bathed in that fiery glow.
At some point his legs had stopped moving but he was still an arm’s length away from the girl in front of him, still out of reach of the divine, at least for another moment. He sighed and it drew the attention of the dark-skinned woman, who smiled at him and touched her friend’s arm.
The second her eyes fell on him, he sank to his knee, no longer shaking, and held the flowers towards her. He took a breath and then, “Will you do me the profound honour of marrying me, my love?” the words fell out of his mouth and any doubts, there were none, disappeared from his mind. Seeing her from this angle, with the golden light of the sun peeking from behind her, he knew that he would never meet a woman more perfect, never experience a moment more perfect than this one.
The redhead hesitated before asking him, “Sorry, do I know you?” and for the first time, James thought about whether 10 minutes was long enough of a wait before proposing.
“James Potter, at your service,” he replied, still on his knee, feigning nonchalance. He bowed slightly and once again offered up the bouquet of pink roses he had bought at a nearby flower shop.
She reached out and took the roses from him with a small frown and a “thank you”, before turning to her friend with a bewildered smile. The other woman pushed her closer to James, for which he was thankful. At least he had her approval.
“I must know,” she spoke louder now, more entertained than nervous, “do you propose to every pretty girl you meet?”
“Only those I feel admiration and gratitude towards,” he replied, quoting the symbolism of the pink roses he had learnt from Sirius when they were fifteen and his best friend was trying to woo their mate Remus Lupin. Sirius had gone for red, true love and passion, not worrying about coming on too strong and why should he have? Remus was already in love with him, albeit secretly.
The love of his life didn’t speak but her friend decided it was a good time to introduce herself, “I’m Mary, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She smiled and went on, “I was worried our day would end up dreadfully boring when Lily suggested going on a walk but it seems this pace really is magic.
He listened to her slightly distracted after learning the angel’s name but had to agree with her sentiment about magic. This feeling in his heart truly could not be a simply human emotion, it was too strong, too pure for that. He felt almost faint as he asked Lily, “How did a beautiful flower like you get detached from its stem?”
“Well, despite how undeniably lovely it is here, I couldn’t live my whole life in this garden,” she went along with his joke.
Here Mary added, “besides, she wouldn’t be able to marry you as an actual lily, she’d be stuck as a mere decoration. Lining the aisle but not walking it.” She laughed at the blush that rose in Lily’s cheeks at her words.
If James thought it was impossible to be more in love than he had been, he was wrong. Right now, spending an eternity in hell seemed worth it after experiencing such beauty. He’d spoken to her for less than 5 minutes but it would be impossible to wipe this from his memory, no matter how this ended.
“She hasn’t said yes yet,” James reminded Mary, almost cursing himself for getting ahead of himself with that pesky word ‘yet’. They had just met, no one would get engaged this soon except him and he doubted Lily was this crazy. He didn't even think he would ever act this way under normal circumstances. This mad idea was surely a product of his friends’ wedding approaching, the magic of the flower garden they were in, and the unearthly wonder before him.
Lily smiled at him but it came as no surprise when she said, “Sorry, but I’m not going to marry you,” and laughed. She wasn’t cruel about it, in fact it seemed like she was genuinely happy, but about what he couldn’t be sure. Who would be happy to be proposed to by a stranger?
For the first time since stepping into this small slice of heaven, James Potter felt genuinely upset. Not because he’d been rejected, that was almost expected in this situation, but because he may have lost his best chance at true love in the blink of an eye. He would have kept feeling sorry for himself if a voice didn’t speak up and say, “Would you like a hand?”
He realised he was still on the ground, now on both knees instead of just one. He took the offered hand, Lily’s, and stood up, now taller than both girls. He realised they were still smiling, Lily politely, but Mary had such a big grin on her face that he wondered if he had hallucinated the whole failed proposal part of their meeting. Instead of walking away he decided to stay and continue the conversation.
Mary asked him what his favourite flower was and he answered honestly, “ I love sunflowers, my friends tell me that it’s because I’m always happy and I suppose that’s true but I just like the look of them. Also, they symbolise good luck, which I’ve been told fits me very well, but I have never agreed with that sentiment more than I do at this moment.” He smiled brightly at the two of them, the sun shining in his brown eyes and making them look like little sunflowers.
The redhead beamed at this, softening her exterior to match James with his heart on his sleeve. She held the pink roses close to her chest and he realised he had a chance.
He was so grateful for everything in this moment: meeting Lily, the love of his life he was sure now; being in this garden with the girls both laughing and seeming to have a great time; and most of all for the feeling in his chest, which he could see reflected in Lily’s eyes. He was going to marry this girl.