Graduation

On the 22nd of June, 1978, James Potter graduated Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, aged eighteen, as the happiest young man in the entire universe. Not only had his relationship with the beautiful Miss Evans stayed together and flourished since the start of the year, but, as the Headmaster gave his final goodbyes to the seventh years after the graduation ceremony, just yesterday, something amazing had happened.

"Well, this is it," Sirius said, lying beside the grass at the side of the lake as Dumbledore finished talking to the group and started up a discussion with a cluster of weeping girls who were saying how he had been the best headmaster they could ever ask for.

"Yeah..." Petter agreed, sitting crosslegged at Sirius' feet. "It's certainly been an interesting seven years, hasn't it?"

Remus laughed, leaning back against the tree. "We spent most of it in detention, if I remember right," he said. "What with one illegal activity after the other."

"Yeah, not to mention the ones they never found out about," James added, with a wink at his friends. "Wouldn't you agree, Moony?" James, too, was lying down; the difference being that his head was resting on a lap which should get an award for being the most beautiful, comfortable lap in the entire world.

Remus rolled his eyes, smiling nonetheless. "How you ever got Head Boy I will never know, Prongs," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

James grinned immodestly, saying that it was clearly his amazing wit and charm which had gotten him the position...not to mention how the world had arranged itself so anything that could get him closer to Lily would happen. Lily smiled at this, looking very amused, while Sirius snorted.

"What he means, Moony, is that he used the same black magic to get the badge as he used to get her," he said. "Seriously, Evans, you should stop drinking anything he gives you. Immediately. For your own sake."

"Why do you find it so hard to accept that I love James, Sirius?" Lily asked, and James felt the same little thrill as he did every time she used that word in connection to him. "Are you jealous?"

"I'd say it was more to do with the fact you couldn't stand any of us except dear Remus for, oh, six years?" Sirius replied. "I mean, the number of times you rejected him, I think you need to actually are still single due to the backlog."

"He grew up, Sirius, even if some of his friends didn't," Lily replied lightly. There were no hard feelings in either of their words; they had long since developed into the kind of friends who banter with each other in diminishing ways simply to show their affection.

Peter was leaning forward, surveying James intently. "So did you really use black magic?" he asked, half-mockingly, half-wonderingly.

James replied with the air of one who could never be happier, although this would soon be proven false. "Nope, Pete, I just have been the single luckiest man in the entire universe this year."

"Man," Sirius snorted in mock-disbelief. James ignored him, silently vowing to make him pay for his rudeness later.

"All that could make this any better is if this beautiful woman agreed to be my wife," James continued, the joke in his tone obvious.

"Okay then," Lily said.

A beat of silence.

James sat up, brown eyes huge behind his glasses, staring at his girlfriend as if he'd misheard her. Sirius had also sat up, and all three of the other Marauders wore similar incredulous expressions as they looked at her.

"What?" Lily asked, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "I mean, of course, you'll have to get me a ring, but overall that doesn't sound like a bad idea."

Another beat. Then-

"Are you insane?" Sirius asked, springing forward and putting his hand to her forehead. "Are you ill, Evans?"

"I have to say, Lily, this seems a bit..." Remus started.

"Well why not? Petunia is married, and she's only a little older than I am. And it couldn't possibly be worse than her wedding to that ridiculous man," Lily reasoned.

"Yeah...but..." Peter started.

"I mean, I love James, and I think I have enough evidence to say he loves me too quite certainly," Lily added. She turned to James, eyes sparkling. "Do you want to marry me? You're the only one who hasn't said anything."

"I..." James blinked, looking around at his friends. Sirius was staring between him and Lily, slack-jawed. Remus' expression was one of surprise that was slowly turning into a large smile. Peter, too, was grinning. "Well...yeah!" he answered her, looking and feeling dazed. Around them, a few of the other congregated graduated students were staring. James jumped to his feet. "Yes!" he repeated.

From a few metres away, Dumbledore looked up from his conversation, eyes twinkling. "Something amiss, Mr Potter?"

"I'm getting married!" James replied in a loud voice, causing a sudden rush of gossip and not a few giggles.

Dumbledore chuckled both at James and at the expression on Sirius' face. "Congratulations," he replied. "Are you sure you can handle it, Miss Evans?"

Lily smiled up at him. "I'll manage," she replied.

When they got back, James decided, he was taking Lily straight to his parents' home - her father had died last year, of course, so he would invite her mother along. He would ask his parents for his grandmother's engagement ring, and he would do the proposal properly.

That, or, as Sirius kept suggesting, he would wake up and find out it was all a dream.

But as the train pulled into King's Cross Station, and Lily leaned over to kiss him, James had never been happier, or felt more real, in his entire life. His dreams couldn't possibly create anything as perfect as this.

Review? :)