Chapter 12: The Final Goodbye

"James." Lily spoke in a barely audible whisper.

I hadn't even heard her come in. She had barely talked to anyone and spent most of her time walking around the grounds avoiding all of us.

I replied with "Yeah Lily." The last few days had been really awkward and we hadn't had much time to talk. I was so close to asking her out but now after everything that had happened with Sam and her parents it just wasn't right. At least I knew she liked me.

"Well my parent's funeral has been arranged for the day after tomorrow so I was wondering if you would like to come with me. I know they would have liked you. If you don't that's okay I just wanted to let you know that I probably wouldn't be up for the prefects meeting in advance." She said.

I looked at her with a small smile I didn't know how to respond it was a funeral after all you aren't meant to be looking forward to it but if it meant I would be able to spend more time with Lily I was all for it. "Sure, I'll come. What about Sammie, Mary and Alice are you going to ask them?" I asked as an afterthought.

"Yeah I was going to ask them just after I asked you. I was thinking of asking Remus and Sirius as long as he won't cause any trouble." Lily replied.

"Sirius won't he knows when he has to behave." I reassured her and followed her up to the Gryffindor tower.

"Ah Miss Evans, Mr Potter. I was just looking for you. McGonagall said stepping in front of us.

"What is it Professor." Lily said her voice not as shaky as it was before.

"Well firstly I wanted to offer my condolences to you Miss Evans; I know how hard this is for you." McGonagall said.

"Thank you Professor, I appreciate it." Lily replied sweetly her eyes starting to water.

"I also hate to be the bearer of bad news but your parent's funeral is in two days' time. Dumbledore has allowed for you to invite your friends as long as you let me know who they are by tomorrow and that they have permission from their parents to leave the school grounds."

"Yes Professor I'll just go ask them now. I've already asked James." Lily told her looking at me.

"Ah that's where this becomes slightly difficult. Do you remember Mr Potter about how you would have to be on your best behaviour? That includes not missing classes to. I hate to do this back you won't be permitted to go the funeral with Lily. I know that Lily has asked you herself but you are also needed to stay at the school as you are Head Boy. I am sorry Potter and but I don't have a choice." McGonagall finished slowly walking away.

"To bad." I said just quiet enough that McGonagall couldn't hear me. "I not letting Lily go by herself. Not at a time like this."

"James you shouldn't come. I would rather you didn't and be extremely miserable for that day than be extremely miserable for the rest of the year because you aren't Head Boy. I need you to be Head Boy, I don't think I could work alongside anyone else and enjoy there company as I much as I do with you. Besides at least then I'll have one thing to look forward to when I come back." Lily finished on a lighter note.

"Is that really how you feel?" I asked surprised.

At the start of the year Lily would have preferred to be working with anyone else. She hated me that much but now she actually thought that there was no one better. "I can think of many other people that would be a better Head Boy than me and that's what you told me at the beginning of the year." I told her.

"There isn't. Out of all of them I would choose you. Besides at the beginning of the year I was refusing to tell myself that you had matured when you showed that you towards after the Christmas holidays last year. " She reassured me with a half-smile. I guess it was still too soon to see a full smile. I didn't really expect that what with the funeral now on her mind.

I really needed James today but the thought of him not being by my side for the rest of the year was worse than knowing that he wasn't able to comfort me today.

Remus and Sirius stood on either side of me as we stood silently and watched my parents coffins get lowered into the grave. Petunia standing close to the priest with her fat lump of a boyfriend Vernon not lifting her head up to see how I was doing. At least I cared enough about her to do that.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to give Remus a water smile. I felt bad knowing that I hadn't spent my time with him. He was the only marauder that I used to be able to talk to without shouting at but now I had them all. I was grateful to all my friends for just being there for me. Sammie, Mary and Alice stood on either side of Sirius and Remus tears also in their eyes. They had met my parents before even if it was only once and Alice told me that this was a fate that they didn't deserve. Mary who was the kindest person you'll ever meet was crying silently she had never met them but that didn't matter it was comforting to know that she cared anyway.

"Well if you would like to all come inside for some tea and scones. I'm sure you all have many stories to tell about the two." The priest said softly once the funeral was over.

Petunia and Vernon were the first to leave, giving one last glance at where my parents now lay before walking hand in hand to the little room.

I looked at all my friends and saw that they weren't going to leave me; they were waiting for me to say my final goodbye. I couldn't even remember what the last words that I said to them. I really needed James with me, his hand on my shoulder or his arms around my waist as I stood next to the stone where my mother laid. Not that Remus wasn't doing a good job a comforting me but my heart was aching for James. He was the only one that was able to heal my heart. Yes it probably wasn't going to be whole again but I knew that he was the only one that could fix it.

"Hi mum, dad." I said really quietly sitting down and drawing my knees into my chin.

The others took and few steps back realising that I wanted a few words with my parents before we had to leave. I needed that the last time I saw them was when I stepped through the barrier promising that I'd be able to see them for Christmas. Now I couldn't see them because of the six feet of dirt separating us. Why didn't I let my mum's hugs linger. Let dad tease me more about James Potter who at the time I refused to like. I couldn't tell them that I had finally become friends with all the marauders and could admit to myself that I liked James.

"I wish I gave you a warning sooner. Gave you a chance to leave and hide. I never got a chance to talk to you about everything that happened. My last letter was asking you for boy advice. If I had of known I would have told you everything, explained what was really happening in the wizarding world. But you see I didn't want you to worry and as much as I love you I belong in this world. I know it's dangerous especially for people like me but you see I'm not going to let the person causing this war get away with what he's doing. One of the ways I've gained some new strength is because I've made some knew friends. Well I know you are going to laugh at this but do you remember how I said that Remus Lupin was such a kind boy that deserved better friends than James and Sirius? Well as well as become better friends with Remus I have also become good friends with Sirius Black and have realised that James and I have some kind of relationship brewing. I wish I could see you and tell you in person. Mary, Sammie and Alice are also here too. So are Remus and Sirius, I asked James to come but he wasn't allowed seeing as he is Head Boy and couldn't leave the school, not to mention that he is kind of on probation which was kind of my fault." I told them not bothering to wipe away the tears and letting them hit the soft soil.

Standing up I kept looking at their graves. "Mum, Dad thank you so much for raising me who I am I am so grateful for everything you have done for me and I would have it any other way. I couldn't image having greater parents then you. I'm sorry that you never got to see Petunia and I make up and I scared to tell you that we probably never will. I hate to say that we now belong in two different worlds. Don't worry I will never forget you. You will always be with me no matter where I am and if I am completely separated for my old life. Even if I'm in the midst of the warding world you will be there with me. I love you so much and I hope that you will never forget how much I owe you." I finished.

Ready for my last goodbye and making sure that no one was looking I conjured a bunch of flowers. Lilies to be exact, for both mum and dad. Resting them against the graves I said my last and final goodbye feeling guilty that I won't be able to come back. I've made my choice. I've chosen the wizarding world and it seems heartless knowing that now mum and dad were gone I was never going back to my old life. Maybe that's what I needed to heal more a completely different life separated from the rest of the Muggles.

I turned around looking one last time regretting that I was about to turn my backs on them but it was something I had to do.

Alice and Remus were there standing right next to me comforting me while Sirius, Mary and Sammie conjured big bouquets of roses that covered the graves so you could barely see the tombstone.

"It's alright; don't forget we're here for you." Mary told me softly as the others joined us and we walked into the little room to grab something to eat before we needed to get back to Hogwarts.

I found it hilarious to see that Lily's sister Pansy or whatever her name is was stick thin and had a long face sort of like the faces that horses have while her boyfriend resembled a humongous walrus. The moustache wasn't improving his looks. When we got into the room where there was refreshments waiting we found that they were the only ones left. Not that there was many there to begin with. There was only half a plate of scones left and they looked hard enough to break your teeth that I didn't want to touch them.

"You did this." Horsey shrieked storming over to Lily as soon as she entered the room.

Both had distinguishable tear streaks down their faces but I found it hard to believe that Lily's sister was playing the blame game. Especially here of all places. Who starts a fight at their parents funeral it wasn't something I would ever do. Although I was never told when my father died during the summer holidays. It was only when I got back to school that Regulus finally told me.

"Hey that is completely wrong." I snapped at the older girl defending Lily.

Remus and the other girls looked like they were about to draw their wands.

"Really do you know what one of the officers told me when I arrived at the house after I heard what had happened? He told me that they were murdered by one of your lot." Petal shouted. I didn't like her enough to bother learning her name.

"What do you mean her lot is she a criminal or something?" Walrus asked standing up shocked and rushing to his girlfriend aid as if she was going to be attacked.

"Look here Pansy." I told her standing between her and Lily knowing that it wasn't her real name but it sounded worse than Petal. "Lily did nothing to cause your parents death. There was nothing to prevent it. Unfortunately there is someone in our world that hates people like you and while Lily is a witch she is also known as a muggle born. It's not her fault that she wasn't born into a wizarding family." I told her.

"Sirius." Lily and Remus groaned.

I realised too late that I had said too much. I forgot that this bloke would know nothing about us.

"What is he talking about?" Walrus said his moustache twitching.

"Nothing important, my sister. Although she isn't my sister really belong to a school that helps people like them. They're all a bit crazy in the head. I'm surprised that they were all allowed to come today." Horsey explained.

"That's complete bull Petunia Evans. I know you're ashamed of me that you are jealous of me. I can understand that but you have just insulted my friends and I can't accept that. I can take it when you have a go at me. When you call me a freak but to call my friends insane and act like they belong to a metal institute is completely, utterly..." Lily said loudly causing us all to jump.

I think we all thought she was grieving too much to speak.

"Think what you like, you aren't a sister of mine but I know what you truly are. Just so you know I don't want anything to do with you again. I've realised what you truly are and I'm not going to die because of you. Don't speak to me ever again. I don't know you." Petunia shouted.

I could see that Lily was hurt, we all could and none of us could restrain ourselves from drawing our wands.

"See what I mean." She muttered to her boyfriend. "Completely insane why else would they carry around sticks."

I was about to hex her good. How dare she insult Lily? Lily was the most down to earth and one of the nicest people I had the pleasure to meet. I was told that Mary was kinder but I never really spoke to her much but Lily grabbed my arm and shook her head.

"If she wants nothing to do with me she can have that wish." Lily said sadly.

"Well what are you waiting for perform you're magic and leave oh and before you do. Vernon and I are getting married. Don't worry you aren't welcomed at the wedding." She said shrilly.

"You want to see some magic." Lily muttered quietly so her sister and the Walrus couldn't hear. "Let's disappearate right in front of them that will give them a shock."

I had to admit that sounded pretty wicked since Penelope seemed to hate magic.

"1, 2, 3…" and we were gone.

"Ah Miss Evans your back I wasn't expecting you for at least another hour or two." Dumbledore greeted at the front gates. Remus had sent along his patronus so someone would know to open the gates for us.

"Why is that sir?" I asked the funeral only went for an hour and then the reception was quick.

"Well the will and testimony is supposed to be read now." Dumbledore said glancing at his watch.

Of course Petunia would have forgotten to mention that, she would have wanted everything and since I wasn't going to get there in time Petunia would receive everything my parents wanted me to have.

"Oh, that's alright sir I always bring all my stuff to Hogwarts anyway." I told him with a reassuring smile.

"Well then why don't you all head into the Great Hall for an early lunch, and don't worry Mr Black you are still all excused from classes unless you wanted to go." Dumbledore chuckled seeing Sirius' worried face at the thought of having to go to class.

"Excellent I'm starving." Sirius moaned taking a seat on the long bench.

"Lily are you sure you don't want to go and hear the will?" Sammie asked grabbing a chicken wing.

"No, it's alright this way it will be easier for me to leave the Muggle world behind. I don't belong there anymore. Once I leave Hogwarts I'll be a graduated witch who won't belong in my old life. I want to live in the wizarding world completely not half and half." I replied sadly.

"You know, you won't hear many muggle borns say that." Remus said. "Most of them start to believe the blood status crap and start to think that they only belong in the Muggle world. It's nice to see that at least one person believes that you have the right to be known as just a witch."

"Thanks, Remus." I said.

I don't know why what Remus said made me remember it but there was something I left behind something that Petunia wouldn't keep. Something that was important to me and something that I didn't want ruined.

"What is it?" Alice asked noticing that I had gasped and dropped my fork onto my plate so it made a light ding.

"I just remembered something. There is one thing that Petunia can't have." I said standing up abruptly. "I have to see Dumbledore and floo home immediately."

"Wait Lily I'll come with you." Remus volunteered.

"Remus you don't have to, I'll be alright I'm only going home and then I'll floo back." I reassured him.

"Yeah but if you come with us, we can show you a way into Hogsmeade, that way you can apparate straight away if there is any trouble." Sirius said standing up and joining Remus.

"Fine but we can't all go. You three need to tell James where we are." I told Alice, Sammie and Mary who looked a little left out since they weren't coming.

"Come on this way Lily." Sirius encouraged leading me down a dark passage. Now it was obvious how the marauders always seemed to have a stash of sweets and butterbeer whenever I saw them. They had a secret passageway into Hogsmeade where they could go whenever they felt like it.

Almost immediately once we were reunited with sunlight I grabbed Remus and Sirius' hands and disappeared to my old home. Standing in front of it, it looked just as I left it. White washed walls, ivy creeping up the sides and the stepping stone path that curved up to the front door. There was no car in the driveway so I assumed that Petunia hadn't come yet.

"Alright this is the plan. We go inside I get what I came for and then we leave. If you hear a car pull up in the driveway then I need you to charm the front door locked so Petunia can't get in until we are gone. It won't look good if she turns up and we are here." I told them in a hushed voice.

Both the boys nodded and stayed in the hallway while I started climbing up the stairs. It was weird, I was expecting to see scorch marks or some sort of sign that spells had been cast but there was no sign of a fight inside the house. It looked like mum had just cleaned it and that dad had just pruned the roses. It was like they had just gone down to the shops and would be back soon. I was also surprised to see mum's handbag lying on the kitchen table. Surely someone would have taken it. Mum always had some money in it and Dad's car keys were hanging limply on the key rack next to his work and truck key. The third step had that little bit of a creak that always happened when you stepped on it and the picture frames hung straight. Mum had a little bit of obsessive compulsory disorder and that normally explained why the house was spotless and everything was in order.

Even if the house was just like I had left it, it didn't feel like home anymore. It had the sense of death but maybe that was because I knew my parents had both died right by the front door.

It should have been in my room but I knew that mum liked to take it and improve it each year. Luckily I saw it sitting neatly folded on my bedside table. Most people would find it weird that I came all this way for a blanket but to me this was a blanket that meant everything to me.

Dad and Mum decided that since I was always getting clothes from friends and family when I was a baby that I should have a blanket. Petunia got a knitted blanket from my grandma who passed away two months before I was born. Dad apparently thought that I deserved one two and learnt to cross stitch and sew. Apparently it was a funny sight and for the first few weeks of refusing Mum's help dad had to go days without the use of his thumbs since they had been stabbed multiple times. In the end mum finished it off for dad and I got a blanket. At first it only had a lily on it but mum wanted to add something on each year. Normally she would take it a month or a week before my next birthday and add a new picture on depending on how busy she was around January and sometimes she added one on before I went back to school. It looked like she had added another one on while I had been gone.

Right next to the cross stitch of the wand which mum added once we found out I was a witch was a gold and red star. Normally I knew what each cross stich meant or why she added it but I didn't understand why she had added a gold star on a red background. They only thing it represented was the Gryffindor house colours.

Swiping the blanket off my bed I heard shouts from Sirius letting me know that Petunia had arrived. I turned around to hurry down the stairs and lead the boys down outside the back door where we would be able to disapperate without being seen but something caught my eye. On my bedside table was a photo of the whole family right before I went to Hogwarts. Petunia was wearing a scowl since she didn't want to be standing next to me in the photo. I was holding my cousin Jemima who was one at the time and her Aunt Lacy was standing behind me in-between mum and dad. That was my whole family as mum's parents had passed away before I was born and my dad's dad died a year before the photo was taken. Now it was only Petunia and me we were the only descendants of the Evan's and Hallow family. Jemima drowned two years ago in her neighbours pool and Aunt Lacy succumbed to depression right after her daughter died realising she was alone, since Uncle Mike walked out on Aunt Lacy right before she became pregnant with Jemima. I don't think he knew he had a daughter neither mum or dad mentioned his name again. But two weeks after Jemima died Aunt Lacy committed suicide and was found the next day dead in her living room gas filling the room instead of oxygen.

It was sad to know that Petunia and I were the only ones left and I didn't want my children not knowing that I had a family so I grabbed the frame remembering that there was something important about it. Sure enough as I turned it over I saw 10 digits on the back of the frame. It felt heavier than usual, and there was a slight bulge behind the back of the frame that kept the picture secure. Not having time to work out what the bulge was I grabbed the picture wrapped it in the blanket before hurrying down the stairs back to Remus and Sirius who were doing a good job of keeping Petunia out.

"I don't know why it isn't opening. I have the right key." Petunia huffed frustrated.

"Quickly we'll go out the back way." I whispered.

"Are you sure, maybe this is sabotage from your sister or something maybe she is already here taking as much as she can. Why else wouldn't she show up at the reading?" Someone else said.

Realisation dawned on Petunia as figured that was the only possibility. "Lily Evans you are so dead when I open this door."

I wanted to make a snide remark to that and I could see that Sirius was about to but both Remus and I shook our heads at him. As quietly as we could we ran down the hall and out through the back door where the charm the boys had put on the door broke and I heard Petunia fall through the door that had opened all of a sudden.

Before she had a chance to move down the hall we apparated into Hogsmeade.

Sammie, Alice and Mary all spoke over the top of each other at lunch time when I asked where Lily, Remus and Sirius were. I could remember being told that her sister was a horrible person but to purposely keep Lily from knowing about the will was possibly the shallowest thing I had ever heard a person do. Especially from your own sister. Whatever Lily had gone back for it was obviously important to her and something that Petunia would probably trash. Apparently I had just missed them leaving so I wasn't going to see them until after I had finished with classes. Of course it would be Arithmacy which was the class that only Remus, Sirius and Lily were taking so it looked like I would be on my own. Hopefully this meant that I wouldn't have to present the assignment to the class.

Lily was sitting on the couch when I got back. No one was with her which was weird since I thought that everyone would be wanting to comfort her after what happened today. After all she saw her parents being lowered into the ground, Petunia told her to never come back and she was left out of the will. Well I'm sure she wasn't left out but now Petunia would own everything. She wasn't crying but she was turning a photo over and over in her hands a blanket I had never seen wrapped around her. These must have been the only things she wanted to take.

"Hi." I mumbled.

"Hi, how were classes?" She asked politely or otherwise she just wanted to know.

"Boring, normally they are good because I can always glance at you." I told her hoping I didn't sound creepy. She blushed so I took that at as a good sign.

"I wanted you to come, you know but I'm glad you didn't. I don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have spent the rest of my life with you." She said still looking at the photo.

That shocked me a bit because she said the rest of her life. We hadn't even gone out yet or even figured out what we wanted from each other but she defiantly said the rest of her life. She realised her mistake and blushed even more that her face was nearly the same colour as her hair.

Thinking I should go and comfort her I sat down next to her and wrapped my arms around her. I looked at the photo over her shoulder. She was just as cute and pretty as I remembered her when she was eleven. It looked like she inherited most of her looks from her father and her sister got her mother's.

"So which one's you're mum?" I asked softly.

"The one behind Petunia." Lily pointed. "That's my Aunt Lacy, Jemima my cousin, dad, Petunia and me." She said pointing to each person in the photo.

It was weird seeing a stationary picture. I was so used to moving photos.

"Was your aunt there today?" I asked. Surely an adult saw Petunia have a go at Lily and to think that her cousin probably saw the shouting.

"No, she fell into depression and committed suicide two years ago just after Jemima drowned." Lily frowned. "My family just seems to get smaller and smaller. Each death more terrible then the next."

"Hey your family isn't just you and your sister. Don't forget you have me, Sirius, Peter and Remus. I'm sure Sammie, Mary and Alice would hex you if they heard that you forget that they are your family." I told her wrapping her in an even bigger hug.

I watched as she flipped the photo over again to reveal the back. There was 10 numbers on the frame and a bulge in the middle hidden under the cardboard that stopped the picture from falling out.

"What's that all about?" I asked. I wasn't sure if I would get a response or not. Maybe it was personal.

"I'm not sure. I'm trying to remember what is so important about this picture. I can remember catching mum writing on it but she wouldn't tell me." Lily replied with a sigh. "I don't know if I want to know."

"Well I'm sure it isn't bad. It must be something important like maybe the 10 digits are an account number or something." I mused.

Lily gasped. "Dad told me they had set up a trust fund that they would tell us about when we came of age. In the muggle world I wouldn't have come of age until January but…"

Very carefully Lily lifted the cardboard backing off to reveal a folded piece of paper and a pair of keys that looked mistakeably like muggle car keys. We learnt about muggle cars last year in Muggle studies.

"OMG." Lily gasped. "They left me a car and a trust fund account." She paused digesting it all and then spoke again. "This makes it harder to leave my old life though. Although I can transfer the money into gallons and sickles that won't be too hard. What should I do with the car? I don't remember them leaving Petunia a car."

I listened as she thought out loud still holding onto in case she needed my support but it looked like she was doing ok and holding up strong.

"What do you mean leave your old life?" I asked.

"Well I don't want to go back to the muggle life where I don't belong. I made up my mind before Petunia kicked me out of whatever life I had left. So her words didn't really affect me." Lily explained.

"Do you know how brave you sound right now, especially compared to other muggle borns? Not many people would choose the wizarding world if they knew the muggle world was safer." I praised her.

"Well I think I'm ready, I'm ready to fight against Voldermort and his Death Eaters, I want to help make a difference I'm part of the wizarding world and I want to contribute to this war." Lily blurted out.

Who doesn't love a girl that is willing to do that? Lily is strong and it's obvious why she is in Gryffindor and why she is Head Girl.

A/N

So sorry that it's taken a while to write this chapter. I've gone back to school so my time is limited and I also had a bit of writers block starting the chapter. Thank you so much to those that have continued reading and to those that have added this story as one of their favourites. I wanted to also thank anyone who has added me as a favourite author. I hope I don't disappoint anyone.

Enjoy reading.
SpringBabe xxx