After his resurrection, James had long remained stationed in the White Tower, burying himself in the study of advanced magic.
Lily, meanwhile, lived mostly inside the main castle, teaching classes and brewing potions every day. She rarely went out to relax.
The only times the two of them could see each other were during the three daily meals.
In the Great Hall, people came and went like flowing water. Occasionally, they would glimpse each other's figure, and another familiar image would flash through their hearts, but both buried that longing deeply and threw themselves into chasing the great ritual capable of conquering death.
Because of all sorts of coincidences and accidents, they had spent half a year in the same place without realizing each other's true identity.
Now, the husband and wife had returned to their old home, and in the weed-choked old house, they met again.
Lily's words immediately allowed James to guess the identity of the red-haired assistant witch before him. He was almost completely certain that the person standing in front of him was his beloved. That powerful instinct linked together all the little fragments of memory from his life at Hogwarts, further proving his guess.
Lily's eyes stirred slightly, but she did not directly admit it. She only stared at James, as if encouraging him to keep proving himself so that she could also be certain the man before her was her husband.
The man with the changed face looked sorrowful one moment and overjoyed the next. His words came out in a disordered rush.
"You're Lily, right? Skyl resurrected you! That cauldron! Right here, downstairs in the sitting room... I'm Jam, oh, right, I can't say it. I have an agreement with him, but you understand what I mean! Don't you?"
With things said to this point, there was no need for further explanation.
Lily quickly stepped forward and threw herself into James's arms.
"James... I missed you so much."
Her lover's face had changed, but his presence had not. His eyes had changed, but the look in them had not.
James buried his cheek in her long hair, red as blood, and took a deep breath.
"You still use the same shampoo."
Lily felt warm droplets fall against the back of her neck. She gently patted her husband's back and said through a choked voice, "Why are you crying? You're a grown man. I'm perfectly fine, aren't I?"
"Lily... my lily, I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I didn't protect you..."
"Shh, enough. Don't think about those things anymore. It's all right, it's all right. I'm here."
They held each other tightly, as if the other would turn into a ghost and leave the moment they loosened their arms.
The sun completely set, and moonlight poured down.
The sound of Sirius and Lupin's footsteps coming upstairs woke them from the moment.
The two older bachelors peered in through the doorway. They saw Lily and James, one standing by the window and gazing into the distance, the other looking up at the broken roof, so they could only see their backs.
"You're both here."
James's voice was hoarse. "Mm. We ended up wandering here without realizing it. Is it time to gather?"
"Not yet. Lupin and I are going to buy some food in the village. What do you want to eat?"
"Whatever suits your tastes is fine. Ms. Li, Ms. Ivanna and I aren't picky."
James turned his head and showed them a grateful smile. Sirius and Lupin both noticed his red eyes.
"Mate, are you all right?"
"I'm fine, truly. I just feel a little... sad for them, the Potters. They died here back then, didn't they?"
A tide of pain rose in Sirius's gray, sunken eyes. He nodded and cursed under his breath, "That damned Voldemort."
"We stopped him once," Lupin comforted his old friend. "In Albania. From now on, whether in Britain or anywhere else in the world, once the Dark Lord's traces appear, we'll rush there and defeat him."
"Hmph, I suppose you're right."
Seeing Sirius and Lupin bicker, James smiled knowingly by instinct. These two had never been entirely compatible even back in their student days. This was exactly what youth had felt like.
The single werewolf and the black dog turned and went downstairs.
Only James and Lily, the long-separated husband and wife, remained in the old house.
James walked to the window and naturally took her hand.
It was as soft as a petal, as strong as a mother's, and as warm as a lover's.
They talked for a long, long time, as if they wanted to make up for all the lost everyday words and idle chatter of the past thirteen years.
James asked about Albania and about Harry using the Unforgivable Curses.
Lily told him the whole story of the Christmas holiday.
"So that much happened. Thanks to you, Lily."
"I protected Harry, James. This time, I didn't let him get hurt again." Lily's tone was firm, but the lingering end of her voice trembled.
"When were you resurrected?" James asked softly, turning his head to look at his wife's unfamiliar face, as if he could see through the disguise illusion Skyl had cast.
"Last year, several weeks before you." Lily looked at the night scenery of Godric's Hollow outside the window, smiling in her voice. "Come to think of it, when you first walked into the Great Hall that day, I thought you looked familiar."
"I was so stupid, truly. When I saw you back then, I also thought you looked familiar, but I was too focused on Harry. Oh, right, I even asked Skyl who that beautiful new assistant beside Snape was. He just brushed me off."
"Beautiful assistant, was it?" Lily narrowed her eyes. "So you think I look prettier after the disguise?"
"Absolutely not! In my heart, you will always be the most beautiful, especially your soul. Merlin, I have never seen anyone with a soul brighter than yours!" James swore solemnly.
Lily burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. She had only been teasing her husband.
James ruffled his hair into a mess and grinned.
Then he suddenly thought of a serious problem. After Lily's resurrection, she had spent all this time as the assistant in Potions class, almost inseparable from that old bat Snape day after day. Even during meals, they sat beside each other.
"Uh, Lily, does Snape know your identity?"
"He probably doesn't." Lily saw James's little expression and immediately knew what he was thinking. "Don't be so suspicious."
"I'm just worried that Snivellus might..."
Lily interrupted him and said seriously, "Don't call him Snivellus."
In that instant, James realized the complicated feelings Lily held toward her childhood companion. Of course, many years ago when they had fallen in love, Lily had repeatedly emphasized that he was not allowed to use Snape's nickname.
Back then, he would still secretly feel jealous. That jealousy toward Snape had stayed with him for quite a long time. Only after he truly learned how to love did James slowly change from an arrogant boy into someone more considerate, and only then did he realize that much of his hostility toward Snape had not come from justice.
Now, he understood the hesitation hidden in his wife's tone.
Lily and Snape must have been getting along well. That must have made her sad.
James said, "Thirteen years have passed. Snape is still just as hateful, but back then, I was the one who wronged him. Our misunderstandings ran too deep. When the time is right, I'll apologize to him."
Lily's gaze was distant. She did not know how to answer. Matters from the past concerning Snape always made her melancholy, like an old scar that ached faintly.
All the little details from her time with Snape flashed through her mind, and a doubt in her heart grew stronger.
"James, why do you think Snape took part in the resurrection ritual? After everything he has given, was it truly only to help Dumbledore fulfill his wish?"
Sirius's voice came from downstairs.
"Jim? Collins? Are you upstairs? Dumbledore invited us to his house for dinner."
Lupin followed with a shout. "We put all the food we bought at Dumbledore's house. Let's go."
Lily and James hurriedly followed their companions to the meal. Beneath the summer night sky, the headmaster's old house was brightly lit.
Skyl sat upright at the dining table and greeted them. "Why did you take so long?"
He sounded as if he were complaining, but his face was full of smiles, and his meaningful eyes made it seem as though he knew everything.
Sirius answered casually, "That was already fast. The food hasn't even gone cold."
Only Lily and James understood Skyl's hidden meaning.
It had taken them this long to discover each other's true identities. They really had been slow.
Lily sat on Skyl's right and tilted her head, cutting him a look with her joyful blue eyes. That deeply resentful gaze made it very difficult for Skyl to hold back his laughter.
James looked around. Everyone was basically present, and there was even one extra old woman in the house. She was Bathilda Bagshot, a witch who lived nearby, an old friend of Dumbledore's mother, Grindelwald's great-aunt, someone closely connected to the Potter family, and also the author of A History of Magic.
"It's an honor to meet you. I wish you good health." The wizards all greeted this elder.
"Hm? Where's Snape?" James noticed one person was missing.
Lupin answered him. "When I went to find him, Snape had already eaten dinner at the pub."
Grindelwald carried many exquisite dishes out of the kitchen. The table was packed full, and it seemed a feast was waiting for everyone to dig in.
Everyone applauded his cooking skills. Skyl looked at the old Dark Lord's face, which strongly resembled Mads Mikkelsen's, and suddenly thought of the cannibal Hannibal hosting a banquet of human flesh for his guests. And since vampires in The Elder Scrolls liked eating human flesh, the feeling became even stronger.
Grindelwald smiled, sat beside Dumbledore, and quietly poured himself some wine.
Skyl let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, this guy did not say something terrifying like, "No one present here is a vegetarian."
"Let's eat, let's eat. We still have to go dig up graves at midnight."
Everyone readily accepted this.
Only the old witch Bathilda widened her eyes in terror.
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