It was the end of sixth year.

Potter had been avoiding her, and good riddance. Ever since she’d threatened to go to the headmaster in fifth year she’d waited and watched for him to slip up. He didn’t do anything though. In fact, what Lily saw was James actually helping younger years with homework, keeping Sirius in line, and being more serious about his own studies. The more she watched him that year, the more she saw him change. 

When they were both called up to the Headmaster’s office and told they would be Head Boy and Girl together, he simply shook her hand and said “Good job, Evans” and walked away. Lily watched him walk down the corridor and answer a second year asking for directions and just thought “Oh bugger…”

He had read about Memory Charms for class, of course, and had been very interested in them. How long did they last? Did they wear off? Could they be removed? He didn’t know why he was so fascinated by the idea of modifying someone’s memory, but he couldn’t get it out of his head.

It happened when he was doing research for his Charms NEWT, which that year was to create a charmed object to fulfill a specific purpose. Another student had a better idea for the project than he did, and he caught himself thinking what if… He simply whispered ”Obliviate” and in the student’s confused stupor, stole her notes and prototype.

He then realized exactly what kind of doors he just unlocked for himself.

“Evans! Hey! Hey Evans! Why don’t you stop hanging out with Snivellus and find out what a real man is like.”

“Oh shut up Potter. You wouldn’t know what a real man was if you went into a pub and got jumped by the lot of them.”

“Why don’t you just come on back to my dorm and we can just—”

“Get your hands off of me, Potter!”

“Now see here, Evans, I’m just trying to—”

“Trying to feel me up in the middle of a hallway!”

“Everyone’s—”

“I don’t give a damn if no one is in the hallway. Potter, I said no, and you will never touch me again, do you understand? Don’t look at me, don’t talk to me, don’t send me any more of those ridiculous ‘love’ notes. If I never see your face again, it will be too soon. I should have let the Hat put me in Ravenclaw, if only because then I wouldn’t have to see you every day in class! You have no right, no right to assume you can touch me in any way. If I find out you’ve done this to anyone else, I will not hesitate to go to Dumbledore and file a sexual harassement and assault complaint against you. If you ever talk to me again during the three years I have left at Hogwarts, I swear to God, Merlin, and whoever else is listening, I will curse you so hard, you won’t be able to tell your face from your arse. Not that you could do that to begin with. Just stay away from me, Potter.”

Lily left James staring after her in the corridor, the strangest feeling in his chest like he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. He’d never felt like that before…

The strongest memories he has are when Ginny told him she was pregnant for the first, second, and third times, and the days his children were born.

The War had been over for three years, Harry and Ginny had been together ever since, and Ginny was fed up. She understood that Harry had never been in a real relationship before (Cho Chang was a disaster and didn’t count), but you’d think that after three years he’d get it

“Harry James Potter, you are not the only person in this relationship. So until you can stop being a right tosser, you can just bugger off! Don’t bother coming home tonight, the couch is too good for you.”

He spent the night at his mates’ place, and spent the whole night talking to Ron and Hermione. She hit him over the head several times for being so thick while Ron just laughed at him.

Harry proposed the next day.

The one thing Harry missed most while on the Horcrux hunt was being able to fly. He didn’t often think about it, because thoughts of flying always led to thoughts about Quidditch, and thinking about Quidditch inevitably led to thinking about Ginny.