Chapter Seven- The Last Day of Term

The day after the ball, I don't believe anything went back to normal. The Slytherins and Gryffindors weren't the best of friends, but I witnessed a few awkward glances between people from the two houses that clearly seemed to say, "If only you weren't a Slytherin" or "If only you were a pureblood." Maybe the houses weren't how I hoped they would be, but it was a start, I guess.

I had seen Gregory the next morning and he told me he was sad that he hadn't found out who I was at the ball. The comment got me thinking about the hazel-eyed boy who told me he knew who I was. I tried to push him from my mind. It didn't matter anyway, I had Gregory, but I still wished the boy would find me and tell me who he was.

Tomorrow, I sadly thought, was the last day of term: The day I would leave Hogwarts for another summer to go back to my unfitting mugglish life. The thought about leaving the magic from this place behind for another summer seemed impossible to me. Amber would be staying over at my house with my mother and I (Petunia had moved in with Vernon awhile ago) while her parents went to the United States to visit some old friends, but Sarah would be going to France to visit some family. I felt the feeling of separation again as we divided for another summer.

"I'll write every week." Sarah told Amber and me as we packed up our things in the Sixth Years Girl's Dormitories.

"I'll keep you to that." Amber said; I looked at my friends happily.

"After this summer we'll have one more year left at Hogwarts." I said sadly. Then somehow we all ended up on Sarah's bed crying.

"I don't want to leave you guys." Amber sobbed, "You two are my best friends." I sniffed and wiped my eyes.

"You guys are the best friends a girl would have. Promise me that no matter what we'll just be an owl anyway, even after school. "

We all promised.

**********

After our little meltdown in our room, we headed down to the common room and decided to go ask the house elves for some hot chocolate. Sitting on the couch were the four marauders- as they should be. I know I wasn't particularly fond of the pranks they pulled, especially on me, or two of the members cocky attitudes; but they were probably the four closest friends you would ever find and it make me sad to know that they too would be going off on their separate ways after school.

They were all staring into the fire as if it held some ancient secret. I thought about approaching Potter to do my long- awaited apology and thank him, but I lead the way out of the common room- Sarah and Amber followed.

"Are you ever going to thank James for saving your life?" Sarah asked impatiently- again, I was pretty sure she could read my mind.

"Yes, I will." I told her, and I honestly believed it.

"Before the end of the school year?" Amber asked.

"Probably…" I told her, and I honestly did not believe it. Sarah groaned, but said nothing and we walked down to the kitchen and to get some hot chocolate.

Sarah tickled the pear and the portrait opened revealing crowds of house elves cleaning up for the day. A little elf came over to us at once and smiled.

"Hey Hannah." Amber said, clearly knowing her for coming here so often.

"Hello madam is there anything you ladies want." She said in a squeaky voice.

"May we have some hot chocolate?" Sarah asked politely.

"Of course." She answered and she scurried off and started bustling around to get our beverages.

"You need to tell Potter." Amber said suddenly and I groaned, "I'm sorry Lily, but it's kind of dim of you up you won't even say thanks."

Hannah walked back over and handed us each our own cup of hot chocolate with whipped cream, chocolate shavings and a cinnamon stick in it.

"Mr. Potter is a delightful young man." Hannah said and I looked down at her, "He comes to the kitchens a lot- he's good company." Sarah smiled, satisfied, by the look on my face. Of course, everyone just loved Potter.

"Thank you Hannah this is delicious." Amber said smiling, wiping whipped cream off the top of her lip with her sleeve.

"My pleasure." Replied Hannah the house elf.

On our way back, Amber and Sarah drinking their hot chocolate (I was waiting), it was nearly curfew. We entered the common room where Remus and Peter were playing chess and Potter and Sirius were eating chocolate frogs.

I gulped and knew what I had to do. Why was I so nervous? I apologized to people before. Not to Potter, of course, but how hard could it be? So, I summoned up my Gryffindor courage and walked to the couch Potter was sitting at. Sirius looked up at me and gave me a doggish grin. Before either of them could speak I looked James straight in the eyes and spoke.

"James Potter, I would like to thank you for saving me from the dementors during our Hogsmead trip. I am incredibly grateful that you were there and I want to apologize for not telling you this sooner." And I offered him my hot chocolate which he took hesitantly.

Then after a moment of silence I nearly walked away. Then I realized his eyes I had been staring into looked strangely familiar. After a moment I felt my cheeks get hot and my courage failed, so I walked away.

I heard Amber and Sarah follow me up the staircase and into the girl's dormitory. I sat on my bed, trying to think. My head seemed to be filled with many things I wasn't able to face right now. For one, why hadn't Potter rubbed it in my face that I had admitted needed his help? And two, his eyes- they looked really familiar. I racked my brain, but got nothing. I felt deep down I knew the answer, but I wasn't able to grasp it.

*******

The last day of term was filled with packing, crying girls, manly hugs and other things I'd rather not talk about. In an hour we would all be on the train to our old, far off lives. I loved my mother, even my sister, but I was different and therefore different around them. It was hard to talk about certain things because neither of them would understand.

We put our suitcases on our beds for them to be sent to the Hogwarts Express. Then we all walked out of the sixth year's girl's dormitory for the last time.

"Fancy a walk by the lake?" Sarah asked and Amber and I quietly agreed. We walked down to the lake where the big oak tree we often sat under, was currently occupied.

"I'm still surprised you actually thanked him." Amber said smiling, looking over at Potter, Sirius Black, Remus and Peter. My stomach turned. I wished we hadn't come out here, despite the beautiful weather. I could handle being around Potter when I could easily be mean or irritated by him, but I don't think I had it left in me anymore. I had one more year to have to see him, after that I was free and I didn't have to be around James Potter any longer.

"Me too." I told Amber.

"Hey Lily!"

James turned from watching Lily secretly from behind his book, to look at Gregory Smith who was jogging towards Lily, Amber and Sarah. James felt Remus' eyes on him and he looked back down at his book. Remus could always tell what James was feeling or thinking- probably one of his werewolf senses.

"Hi Gregory." I said smiling, admiring how handsome Gregory looked in the sunlight.

"Mind if I steal Lily away for a moment, girls?" Gregory asked charmingly to Amber and Sarah, Amber giggled and Sarah and she walked away.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Wow, Lily, you're so beautiful." Gregory said, I blushed red and looked at the ground.

Inside James was bursting with anger. He knew he couldn't be mad- he had a girlfriend and Lily wanted nothing to do with him. But anger, like jealousy, is one of the hardest things to control.

"So what are you doing over the summer?" asked Gregory.

"Nothing planned really, Amber's staying over and we're probably going to hang out all summer."

"Sounds fun." He said, I felt him staring at my lips.

"You know I've had a lot of fun with you this year." I told him, he grinned and leaned into me, his eyes on my lips.

The feeling of one hundred knives stabbing and the Cruciatus curse being fired at him combined would not even begin to equal the pain James felt right now. He watched another man kiss the woman he loved and he knew he could do nothing to stop him. He, he knew now for sure, had no chance of winning Lily's heart. For years he had kid himself into thinking that maybe if he hoped enough or was good enough, it wouldn't be so impossible. But as she kissed Gregory back, wrapping her arms around him, he wanted to do nothing more than curl up in a ball and die. This hurt greater than the billions of times she had rejected him or when she had those pointless and short relationships he destroyed easily, no this hurt much worse than that- because he knew that their relationship would last.

"All aboard the Hogwarts Express." Shouted the conductor. Students began bustling inside finding their own compartments to sit with their friends. Gregory, his friends Derek and Andrew, Amber, Sarah and I gathered into an empty compartment where oddly, yet not unexpected, our luggage was waiting.

"Good bye Hoggy Warts, another summer we are apart." Amber said dramatically, letting out a fake sob.

"Goodbye Great Hall where the best food in the world is served." Derek joined.

"Goodbye Sixth year." Sarah followed.

"Goodbye Quidditch." Said Gregory.

"Goodbye learning magic." Andrew said.

"Two months and we will be in our final year." Gregory said, "It feels like just yesterday I got my Hogwarts letter." I smiled; maybe next year wouldn't be so bad. I need to make next year the best year I'd ever had. And, as I looked at Amber, Sarah and Gregory, I figured that making that possible wouldn't be hard at all.

A/n: Sorry for such a short chappy, but it did what it needed to do. On to the next chapter (which will be up soon.)