Azalea was red cheeked and ready at seven the following evening, waiting for James in the common room. Alice and Lily had insisted on doing her makeup, so she actually felt pretty confident in the way she looked.

She'd also let Lily tell Alice that she loved James. She'd become a lot more confident about the fact that the statement was true, but she still wasn't sure she was ready to tell him yet.

They told her it was fine. That she didn't need to tell him, that it was okay. And she tried to believe them.

So here she was, sat on the sofa, her ripped jeans and nice red top on, her face sporting a natural makeup look, when James Sirius Potter walked down the stairs.

She looked at him in awe. He was wearing a casual shirt with the top button undone and jeans, and his hair was just as messy as always. He looked like him, and she'd never been more happy for it.

James, meanwhile, just paused for a second to look at his girl in awe.

He thought he was going to pass out. Beautiful wasn't the right word, it didn't describe her fully enough. She was too confident, too perfect for beautiful. She was-

"Breathtaking," he told her, his voice soft. "You look breathtaking."

Azalea smiled gently, saying. "You don't look too bad yourself, Potter."

"I mean, it's a compliment, Edwards," smirked James, striding down the steps towards her and enveloping her in an embrace, his lips meeting hers as his hands wrapped round her waist.

Azalea reciprocated, pulling him closer and exhaling shakily against his lips, her eyes fluttering shut. James smiled widely and deepened the kiss, his tongue sliding into her mouth.

Just before they began to descend into a full on make out session, James pulled away from her.

Azalea whined slightly in protest and he laughed, saying. "I never thought I'd see the day, Azalea Edwards begging for m-"

"Shut it," Azalea advised him, but there was no bite in her tone.

"Well, I didn't just ask you out on a date to do that, you know," James smirked. "I did have other things in mind."

"Oh, really?" Azalea smiled, unable to keep it off her face. "Do tell."

"Well, first of all we need to talk a walk down to the broom cupboard," James said with a smirk.

Azalea faltered for a second, raising her eyebrows. "What for?"

"For our brooms, Edwards, get your head out the gutter," James said with a flirtatious smile and wink.

Azalea flushed bright red and shook her head, giggling slightly before saying. "I just didn't want to be the next addition to the long list of girls you've dragged in there. Anyways, why do we need brooms?"

"Cause we're going flying?" James shrugged. "Anyways, I'd never snog you in a broom cupboard, Azzie, you're worth all those girls combined and more."

Azalea tried not to focus on the way her stomach fluttered when he said this, his eyes warm and happy on her face.

"Okay then," she said with a smile. "Let's go."

✾✾✾

"Jeez, it's been months since I've been in here," James said as they slipped inside the Gryffindor team's broom cupboard, heading to their side by side brooms in the back.

"True that," Azalea said, smiling as she got her hands on the Firebolt she'd paid for spening all summer in fourth year working shifts in the Leaky Cauldron pub. It wasn't anything like as fast as James' Firebolt Three, but she didn't care, because it was hers and she was way better than him anyway.

It felt good to have it in her hands again. She hadn't flown in ages due to tournament stuff and she had sorely missed it.

"So," she smiled as she picked up her broom and shouldered it, feeling the smoothly waxed handle in her palm and wanting to burst because of it. "What are we going?"

"What do you think?" James grinned. "The quidditch pitch is empty, and it's been transformed back since the first task, so we're gonna go have a fly and I even got a quaffle cause we both know I would've been captain this year."

Azalea scoffed. "Yeah, you wish."

James raised his eyebrows. "I do, yeah, but it also would've happened."

The redhead smiled slightly and rolled her eyes. "Okay, so regardless of who would've been captain this year, I hope you know that this date idea is pretty good."

"Of course it is," James smiled. "Now come on, I'm dying to get up in the air and show you how much better I am than you."

Azalea laughed, wondering how it was possible to feel such an overwhelming rush of love for someone yet want to beat their ass at the same time.

"Bitch, if you're better than me, there's something seriously wrong," she told him, taking her broom and walking out confidently.

James just laughed, following her out.

(He loved her.

But he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell her that yet).

✾✾✾

It felt amazing to be flying again.

Like, better than anything.

She was already going rings around James as the boy threw the quaffle up and down absentmindedly, his eyes trained on her. He loved the way she looked when she was flying, her red hair behind her, her green eyes all lit up... it was mesmerising.

"Hey!" She yelled, snapping him out his daze. "You actually gonna throw that quaffle to me or what?"

James grinned, throwing her the quaffle unexpectedly and catching her off guard. She caught it, but had to shoot to the side to do so, grinning when she managed.

"Just making sure you're still up to speed!" James grinned at her, flying forwards to meet her. "Can't be playing with unprofessionals, can I?"

Azalea rolled her eyes, saying. "We've played together for five years, James, I think you know I'm still up to speed."

It was true. No matter how much arguing James Potter and Azalea Edwards had done in years two to six, they had always managed to rein it in on the quidditch pitch. Well, most of the time, when they weren't trying to outdo each other.

Now they were actually dating, however, Azalea suspected their play would be even better. They'd still try to outdo each other, but it would all be in good humour, of course.

"Yeah, sure," shrugged James. "Now come on, I didn't just drag you out here to have a sappy conversation, let's play!"

Azalea grinned widely, throwing the quaffle back to him as they raced up the pitch. James followed her, laughing loudly as she threw the quaffle at the middle ring from at least twenty metres away and got it in.

"Whoooooo!" He cheered for her, clapping his hands. "That's my girl!"

Azalea rolled her eyes but her heart filled with warmth. She'd never really seen this side of James Potter before. He'd never had a girlfriend, preferring to flaunt the fact that he could get any girl whilst keeping his options open and flirting with all of them. But now he was cheering for her and supporting her, and she couldn't be more thankful.

She grinned back at him as he flew down to collect the quaffle, coming back up in no time and making his own shot into the left ring, which flew through perfectly.

"This shit is so much easier without a keeper!" He shouted to her, grinning.

"Obviously!" Azalea grinned, flying down to get the quaffle again.

However, when she got down to the ground, running to get the quaffle, she realised that she and James weren't alone on the pitch.

"Hey, Lea!"

Azalea froze slightly, recognising that voice.

She turned to see Lauri, striding up to her with his broom over his shoulder, his face a bright smile. Behind him walked Adrian and three other Durmstrang boys, and the sight of their matching smirks made the redheads skin crawl.

She was angry. She didn't know how he'd learned where she was gonna be, but she wanted to scream and run and fly up to grab James.

Instead, she just crossed her arms and said boredly. "Why are you here, Lauri?"

Lauri grinned as he reached her, his four lackeys flanking him. "Fancied a fly, you know? Feels great on this pitch, apparently."

She bit her lip, shaking her head as she chuckled slightly. "So you're gonna attempt to assault me and now stalk me?"

"Stalk you?" Adrian demanded. "Hate to inform you, but he's in a public place."

"Fuck off," Azalea snapped, turning back to Lauri. "You fucking did this deliberately, and I swear to god-"

"You can't prove anything, Lea," Lauri said, starting forwards. "Oh and by the way, tell your boyfriend he's welcome to you, cause I don't really want a bitchy, ugly sl-"

"Get away from her."

Azalea hadn't even noticed James flying down, but as he got in between them and shoved Lauri back slightly, uttering those four words with venom in each one.

Lauri chuckled, looking past James at Azalea. "Fucking hell, you can't go anywhere alone these days, can you?"

"Why, so you can attempt to assault her again?" James snapped, his eyes narrowed.

"You know, I've been wanting to talk to you about that," Lauri snarled, getting right up in James' face. "She was practically begging for me to do it, it was you that put her off-"

"Shut up! Shut the hell up!" James pushed Lauri back harder, sending him flying backwards and into his friends.

He turned back to Azalea, looking at her with warmth. "Come on," he muttered to her, clutching her small hand in his. "I have something better planned, anyway."

His girl gave him a small smile as she squeezed his hand, letting go to pick up her broom, by which time Lauri had managed to pick himself back up.

"This isn't the end, Lea!" He yelled after her. "I'd watch your back!"

James paused for a second before turning back and marching up to him, snarling. "The only reason I'm not beating your ass right now is because she is more important, so you're gonna stop following her about and thank your lucky stars that she's this important to me."

And as he turned back round, got his broom, and picked up Azalea's hand, he didn't even think twice about it.

He knew he loved her.

And he was ready to tell her.

✾✾✾

Azalea felt slightly scared, letting James lead her, blindfolded, to the next spot on their date.

She was giggling, his hands on her hips guiding her, and she wanted to know what he had planned.

"Just a little further," James whispered to her as he walked her... somewhere. They had been in the entrance hall when he'd blindfolded her, but they'd definitely gone outside since then.

"Right, we're here," James announced as he stopped her, lifting a hand up to take her blindfold off. "Three, two, one..."

When he whipped it off her, it took a second for Azalea to adjust, but when she saw what lay in front of them, her heart warmed.

They were in the grounds, underneath the huge oak tree that their whole group hung out in in the summer. James had hung fairy lights all over it to illuminate their date in the fast diminishing light, and below it lay a picnic blanket and a basket of food.

"Holy shit..." Azalea lifted a hand to her mouth, her eyes filling with tears at how much effort James had clearly put into this.

"You did all this for me?" She asked, turning round and looking up at him, disbelieving.

"Of course," James smiled brightly down at her. "I'd do anything for you, Edwards."

Azalea giggled, wiping the only tear that had deigned to fall. I love you went unsaid in that sentence. And she wanted to say it, but she just couldn't.

"Well, come on!" The black haired boy grinned, beckoning her forwards. "I didn't set this up for nothing, you know."

Azalea smiled, rushing forwards and taking a seat on the blanket, James coming to sit next to her.

"I'm sorry about before," he told her, biting his lip. "I hope this can make up for it."

"Hey," Azalea laid a hand on his, looking straight at him. "That wasn't your fault, okay?"

"Feels like it," James sighed. "Everything he does feels like my fault, and-"

"No," Azalea said, leaning even closer. "Lauri Krum is a dick, alright? And despite you being a real pain in the ass sometimes, James, you're, like, a million times the person he is."

James smiled slightly. "Thanks, Azzie."

"No problem," smiled Azalea, reaching for the picnic basket. "Anyways, what's this food like? Cause I personally wanna-"

She stopped, pretty much speechless at the sight of what was inside the basket.

Because not only was there a small bowl of strawberries, a mini chocolate cake and a selection of biscuits, there was also a bunch of photos plastered around the inside of the basket.

Azalea looked at them in shock, her eyes widening on each one.

There were four she spotted in particular that made her want to kiss James stupid.

The first one was Alice's doing, of she and James in second year. Azalea had got a polaroid camera for christmas and James had begged for a close up. Azalea had finally relented, but only if she could be in the photo, too.

So the photo showcased James, smiling widely with all his teeth visible, and Azalea, rolling her eyes as she shoved his arm off from around her shoulders.

The second photo was from fourth year, when Alice had been taking photos for a project in muggle studies, and James and Azalea had been arguing about something in the shot of one about something the redhead didn't remember.

The photo James had cropped showed the two of them glaring at each other, Azalea's eyes narrowed and James' hands thrown up in the air. It made her giggle, because they were so close, they could've almost been kissing, yet she had hated him back then.

The third photo was from fifth year, and Azalea's cheeks flushed hard as she remembered it. All of them had stayed at Hogwarts for christmas that year, and had decided to camp out in the common room on christmas eve.

Azalea didn't remember deciding to sleep next to James, it was probably Alice, Fred and Louis' doing, but the photo was of just the two of them, lying side by side on the floor, their arms outstretched towards each other's, their hands just touching.

She didn't remember any of this, but she could bet that James got the photo off Alice or Lily, cause she knew they would be the type to capture it.

But it was the final photo that made her gasp, and become teary eyed, and cover her mouth.

It was from that stupid, stupid moment in sixth year, that quidditch match after party when James had been drunk as fuck and wanting her to dance with him. And She'd agreed.

The photo was taken by someone at the side of the room, and it was a still of both of them laughing. Azalea looked beside herself, her head thrown back in mirth and her eyes bright and happy. James was equally as happy, grinning down at her like she was everything to him.

"Oh my god," she let out, her eyes sliding back to James'. "Where the hell did you get all these?"

"Alice was really helpful," James said with a smile. "She gave me most of them."

She shook her head, giggling happily as she leaned forward to kiss him, letting their lips meet in an explosion of happiness and l-

"Right, come on," James grinned, bringing out the strawberries, the cake and the biscuits. "Let's eat."

Azalea grinned, still overwhelmed with how much she was feeling for him, as they began to eat, James talking about stuff as topical as asking Lily what fruit she liked the best and as random as the time he and Albus decided to prank Teddy by putting a gnome in his bed.

And Lea listened, overcome with love and happiness and pure bliss, because after so much work, she'd finally found exactly where she was meant to be.

"Have you ever broken a bone?" James asked her at one point.

Azalea almost wheezed. "What?!"

"What d'you mean, what?" James teased. "Just trying to learn everything about you."

Azalea shook her head. "No, I've never broken a bone, but I've dislocated my shoulder, like, three times."

"Jeez," James shook his head. "I broke my arm when I was five, the first time I ever rode an actual broom."

"You idiot," Azalea replied, when in actual fact she was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt.

"What's your favourite animal?" He asked a few moments later.

"Like, magical animal or muggle one?" Azalea raised her eyebrows.

"Muggle," James shrugged.

"A zebra," the redhead smiled. "What's yours?"

"A monkey," her boyfriend grinned.

"Yeah, that's about right cause you look like one-"

"Hey!"

He shoved her lightly and she burst into giggles, and he couldn't help but just sit back and look at the beautiful girl in front of him that he'd been after for years, and finally got.

As the night progressed they continued to talk about everything and nothing, and when it got truly dark and they'd eaten all the food, they switched the fairy lights off and came out from under the tree to stargaze.

Azalea sighed as they lay side by side, her hand in his and her whole body burning with absolute love and affection.

James was speaking, looking up at the stars and saying. "You know, I was a complete dick to you."

Azalea turned, frowning at him as she turned to look at him, their faces close together.

She was going to reply with something sarcastic, but when she saw the look on his face, as if he was contemplating something huge, she thought better of it. Instead, she said. "What?"

"I was terrible," James explained. "I'm sorry, Azzie. You didn't deserve that."

Azalea looked at him, absolutely speechless. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," James said, looking a bit insecure, his cheeks flushing as he began to explain. "It's just- I don't ever want you to think that I'm not going to take care of you, and I'm just worried that you're going to think I'm gonna go back to the way I was before, and I just promise that I'm not, Azzie, I'm not ever gonna to back to that and-"

"I love you."

She hadn't meant to say it.

It had slipped out.

She had just been watching him talk, his eyes wide with fear and his hand gripping hers tightly, and she'd said it.

James stopped talking immediately, looking at her in shock. He hoped he had heard correctly yet he wasn't sure if he had all at the same time.

Azalea, meanwhile, was terrified. She was looking at him with wide eyes and her hands were shaking.

"I-I mean," she stammered, her face flushing bright red. "I didn't- I just meant that- I-I-"

She was cut off by James grabbing her and kissing her tightly. She let out a small groan and kissed him back, gripping him tightly as they lay there, lips locked tightly in the darkness.

As they pulled apart, his blue eyes met her green and he whispered back. "I love you too."

She looked at him in shock, a small gasp escaping her lips.

Then she pulled him back in again for another kiss, this one even more passionate than the last.

And there, lying on a picnic blanket on a date with the boy she loved and who loved her, Azalea knew she was exactly where she was meant to be.

And she'd never felt more glad of it.