Disclaimer: My name is Beth and I'm a 15-year-old girl who lives in Wisconsin and earns thirty-four dollars per week babysitting. J.K. Rowling's name is Jo and she's in her 30's and makes millions by writing the Harry Potter series while living in England. The only similarities between us are that we're both females, we both like to write about Harry Potter (or the related characters, in my case), and we're both British (okay, so she's all British and I'm only part British because my grandma's all British, but still...). The similarities end there. I don't make a single penny by writing this because the idea doesn't really belong to me. I own the plot and a few characters, but that's it.
Chapter 25: Leaving Hogwarts
Once it became clear that James and I were no longer fighting, the general hubbub over him subsided. There were a few girls who weren't as easily deterred, but a few well-aimed hexes sent in their direction were enough to convince them that he was once again off limits.
"I think I've been a bad influence on you," he observed mildly when I sent a fifth year to the Hospital Wing with turnips sprouting out of her ears.
"I don't appreciate it when other girls flirt with my boyfriend, especially when it's obvious we're very much together," I defended myself.
James just grinned and rolled his eyes.
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The next couple months passed without too much incident. James led Gryffindor to a Quidditch Cup victory, with Tave playing the best game she had ever played in her six years on the Gryffindor team. She and James both felt it was a good end to their Hogwarts careers. The Marauders pulled a few pranks here and there, but that was to be expected. As N.E.W.T.s drew closer, however, it became a common occurrence to see groups of seventh years studying feverishly in the library. And when even Sirius and Tave were seen poring over their Potions notes, it was officially crunch time.
"I'm never going to know all this," Tave whined four days before exams when all eight of us were cramming in the library.
"I don't see what you're complaining about," Drusa said testily. "You only have to take three N.E.W.T.s that aren't even important. You already have a career in line for you, and that career doesn't depend on your academic achievements."
"Yeah. Some of us are taking six N.E.W.T.s that we have to pass or we won't be able to become Aurors," James put in.
"And some of us are trying to study for those N.E.W.T.s so we can pass them and therefore become Aurors," Sirius snapped. "Unfortunately, it doesn't seem that the rest of us are able to stay on task."
"Touch-y," Tave said, making a face at her cousin. He replied by throwing his quill at her.
"You do realize that if you had begun studying with my in February, you wouldn't be in this dilemma," I said smugly.
"Four months is a little obsessive," Alice commented dryly. She didn't give me a chance to respond before she picked up her Charms notes and began quizzing the group.
The following nights were spent in much the same manner. We would study in the library from the end of classes until ten, then everyone else would return to Gryffindor Tower while James and I did our rounds.
The first day of testing dawned bright and as soon as I woke up, I felt nervous.
"Just relax," Tave said, rolling her eyes at me when I could hardly eat any breakfast. "You're a freaking genius and have absolutely nothing to worry about. Remember O.W.L.s? You only got an 'outstanding' on every single one you took."
"But this is entirely different," I said, bouncing my leg up and down in nervousness. "These are so important-"
"Enough with the importance already!" Sirius exclaimed, putting his hands over his ears. "You've told us all a million times and it's drilled into our heads!"
"Worrying about it isn't going to help anything," James said soothingly. "You'll do fine."
I sighed, knowing they were all right. I would do fine...but there was always that small chance...
Somehow I got through the next three days without suffering any major mental breakdown. I felt I did reasonably well on all my exams, especially Charms. None of my friends wanted to discuss the exams, however, so I had to be content with other pastimes.
As soon as our last exam let out, James and I were found strolling along the edge of the lake holding hands, just glad to be in each other's company. The Giant Squid was basking in the warm June sunshine, and I gazed at it fondly.
"You know, I'm really going to miss it here," I sighed, moving my gaze across the grounds. Students were lounging around in groups, taking advantage of the sun and the fact that exams were officially over. "I've spent the past seven years of my life here. I have so many memories, both good and bad."
"I remember the first day I say you," James said reminiscently. "It was September 1, 1971, on Platform 9 3/4. I thought you were beautiful, even though I was only eleven and still thought girls had cooties."
"I thought cooties were a Muggle thing," I laughed.
"Nope. Muggles got the whole idea from wizards," he replied matter-of-factly. "It's a long story. But anyway, my point is that I thought you were gorgeous."
I grinned. "You sure had a funny way of showing it, what with the frog spawn, the tarantula-"
"I just wanted you to notice me," he defended himself.
"Oh, great way to get attention," I teased. "You succeeded in getting me to hate you for the next six years."
"Yeah, that was a minor setback," he replied, running a hand through his hair.
"I used to hate it when you did that," I said fondly.
"Did what?"
"Run your hand through your hair like you did just now. I couldn't stand that. Remember in fifth year when I yelled at you for picking on Snape?"
"How could I forget? You're right; you threw something in there about me messing up my hair all the time. I was completely lost when you said that because I had no idea what you were talking about. I didn't even know I did that; it was completely unconscious. It still is, actually. It doesn't bother you now, does it?" he asked somewhat anxiously.
I pulled him towards me and kissed him gently on the lips. "It doesn't bother me at all," I said. "I actually find it rather cute, to tell you the truth."
James grinned at me. "I knew you'd fall for my Potter charm eventually," he joked.
I smacked him playfully on the arm. "Potter charm, my arse! I must have been smoking something powerful the night I told you I fancied you."
"Hey!" he cried indignantly.
"I'm kidding! But in all seriousness, I never would have thought in a hundred years that I would ever date James Potter. But I'm very glad I did, because I then proceeded to fall in love with him."
He looked at me as if I had just given him the best present in the world. "Do you know how good it feels to hear you say that?" he asked.
"No, I think you'll have to tell me," I replied impishly.
"Have it your way," he shrugged, then leaned down to kiss me. It was a slow kiss, like the kind often seen at the end of a Muggle movie, but it said everything. "That's how good it feels," he murmured once he had pulled away.
"Wow," I breathed, completely blown away by the kiss I had just received. "I don't know if I got that. I think you need to tell me again."
He willingly complied until Sirius felt the need to intervene.
"Oy, lovebirds!" he called from across the lake. "Get a room, will you? There are young, innocent, impressionable children out here, including myself, that just don't need to see that!"
"If you're innocent, then I'm the Minister of Magic!" I called back. "I've seen you and Drusa go at it!"
"Lily!" Drusa exclaimed. I hadn't noticed she was sitting right next to Sirius.
"Sorry!" I said with a smirk. "It's true, you know!"
"This conversation would be much easier if you two were on the same side of the lake," James said, shaking his head in amusement. "And that's not to mention that everyone on the grounds can hear you right now."
We joined Drusa and Sirius on the other side of the lake and engaged in friendly banter all the way back up to the castle. We found Tave, Remus, Alice, and Peter and we all crashed in the Head's common room.
"Oh, how sad," Tave said once we were there. "We only have a few more nights in here and then we're officially Hogwarts graduates."
"We? Who said anything about we?" I laughed. "This is James' and my dormitory, not yours."
"Well it's as good as mine," she shrugged. "I'll bet I spent about half the year sleeping out here on this couch. I'm going to miss it."
"I'm going to miss my bed," Drusa sighed. "It was my bed for seven years, and next year some little first year is probably going to drool all over it."
"The halls of Hogwarts are never going to be the same," Sirius lamented. "The Marauders will have graduated and there will never be anyone to fill our shoes."
"My, aren't we high and mighty? You don't think anyone will ever be as much trouble as you?" Alice laughed.
"Nah. I heard McGonagall in the teacher's lounge yesterday. She seemed rather sad that we would be graduating. She was telling Professor Sprout about how she was going to miss us being in detention every other night," Remus said with a sad smile.
"We still have one last prank to pull, though," James said, making the rest of the Marauders feel slightly less melancholy than they had been the previous moment.
"I'm not even going to try to tell you not to do it," I said. "I know that no matter what I say, you're going to do it. But you know what? I'm glad you're going to pull one last prank. The Marauders need to go out with a bang."
"We will- literally," Sirius said excitedly. "We've been stocking up on Dr. Fillibuster's Firecrackers all year. There's a huge stash in my trunk and under my bed. We're going to set them all off tomorrow."
"We're also going to magick the bathroom signs to switch around once a person's gone inside," Remus said. "No one will know which ones are men's and women's anymore."
I rolled my eyes. "You guys are something else," I sighed. "You're right, Sirius, the halls of Hogwarts will never be the same. Aw, I'm going to cry." I sniffled a little as the tears filled my eyes. James put an arm around me and pulled me closer to him.
"Let's talk about how fun it will be to be out on our own," Tave said, and I was surprised to hear her voice shake slightly. Upon closer inspection I saw that she, too, was a bit misty-eyed. "I can't wait to move into a flat with Lily and Drusa. We're going to have a blast."
"And I can't wait for Alice's wedding," Drusa added, also holding back tears. "Only two more months."
"Yeah. I'm going to be Alice Longbottom in two months," Alice said, a small smile on her face. She was the only one of the girls without tears in her eyes. Apparently she noticed this as her next words were, "I'd be sad about leaving Hogwarts too except for the fact that I'm marrying Frank."
"No one blames you for not being sad," I said. "You have every right in the world to be as happy as a kneazle."
"We all should be as happy as kneazles," Tave said resolutely. "I'm going to play for the Chudley Cannons, Drusa is going to be the best Healer St. Mungo's has ever seen, Alice is marrying the man of her dreams, and the rest of you are going to be Aurors and kick You-Know-Who's ass."
We spent the rest of the night trying to cheer each other up, but we were all thinking the same thing. Our Hogwarts days were over, and we would miss them terribly. Sure, it would be exciting to be adults, living on our own, and being responsible for ourselves, but, looking back, I don't think any of us were quite ready to grow up. We would be forced to soon enough.
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True to their word, the Marauders ended the year by pulling the best prank (or rather, pranks) in the history of Hogwarts. The entire day was chaotic; multitudes of firecrackers were streaming through the hallways and making loud noises, chalk bags had been bewitched to follow around random teachers and hit them at any given moment, and all the bathroom signs had been switched around. No one really cared, as it was the last tribute to the Marauders. Even Professor McGonagall was seen chuckling when a chalk bag caught her squarely in the face.
The graduation ceremony went without a hitch. I managed to make it through my Head Girl speech without bursting into tears, though I did get rather fogged up when James referred to his and my relationship in his Head Boy speech (it was about perseverance or something like that, I don't remember exactly.). Then finally, after long last, I was officially a Hogwarts graduate.
Students, parents, and teachers mingled after the ceremony, and it was clear that the Marauders would most certainly be missed. All of the teachers seemed rather sad that they were no longer students and all said they would miss the boys in detention. Professor McGonagall pulled all four of them into a gruff hug while telling them to behave, and I was certain I saw tears in the corners of her eyes.
"We're so proud of you," my mum said to me when I met her and my father. They both gave me a hug. "Congratulations, darling."
"Thanks," I replied, feeling myself tear up for the umpteenth time that day. "I can hardly believe that I'm on my own now."
"You're sure you don't want to stay and live with us?" my dad joked. "Your sister won't be there, you know. You can have us all to yourself."
I smiled at him. "No thanks, Dad. I'll need to live in the wizarding world so I can train to be an Auror. I told you about that, I know I did."
Our conversation was interrupted by the Marauders plus Tave, Drusa, and Alice. We all posed for several photographs, and before I knew it, it was time for us to go. We had all made arrangements to stay at James' house for the time being (except for Alice, who would be going home), seeing as he had more than enough room to accommodate us all. We would be staying there until other arrangements could be made concerning places to live. I said goodbye to my mum and dad with the promise that I would be home soon to get my things. I hurriedly reassured my mother that I wasn't technically moving out yet when I saw she was on the verge of dissolving into sobs.
With that, we went to Hogsmeade and apparated to James' house. We stayed up all night reminiscing about all the good times (and even some not-so-good times) we had at Hogwarts. At the end of the night we all eventually agreed on one thing; as fun as it was, it was time to move on.
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A/N: Okay, here you guys go. Sorry if it seems rather abrupt, but I realized that this is chapter 25 and they're just graduating. By my calculations, James and Lily have just over 3 years left (:sob:). I don't want this to be ultra-uber-long, so I might have to split it into two fics. Maybe not, I don't know. I haven't planned that far ahead yet. But anyway...I'm doing my best to update as soon as I can, but it's getting increasingly difficult what with school and now cheerleading practice just starting up. If there ever is a prolonged absence (when I say prolonged I mean as in, 2 weeks or more), I'm sorry. I try to update once every week or so, but it's tough! But in the meantime, I would absolutely love it if you clicked that happy little blurple button down there and left me a little note! I would be thrilled if you just said, "hey, what's up, I'm reading your fic and I (a. like it) or (b. dislike it)". That would totally make my day. And I know you want to make my day, right?!? lol
taniita: thanks a bunch! lol, I sure hope everyone's happy they get to read it whenever I can put it up. But I try to keep them coming steadily, because I absolutely hate it when I find I fic I like and then the author doesn't update. It just bugs me. So I try to not be like that. ;-)
Secretly Smiling: lol, I'm glad you get into it even though it's fictional...maybe we can strangle Snape together, hey? Sometimes I like him and sometimes I just can't stand him. Oh, and I hope you feel better. I'm glad I could cheer you up. When in need of cheering up, just call on me (I am a cheerleader...which has absolutely nothing to do with the ability of cheering people up...). I'm so glad you read and review, keep it up!
Crazayladay: lol, thank you. And sort of understanding is better than not understanding at all, hey?
milkywaypnay37: well, it was up asap, but it's rather sad that "as soon as possible" is eight days later...:sigh:
allie: I don't know if "prickheaded" is a word, but it is now! Thanks for reviewing!
PruePotter: I know, I know. I'm having trouble in the updating department, but I try, I really do. Just bear with me, and please keep reading and reviewing. ;-)
rOk-stA: hey, I haven't heard from you in awhile! Glad you're still reading (and reviewing, of course!). I liked James beating Snape up, too. It was rather fun to write, actually. ;-)
otakuannie: :sigh: You know, sometimes I wonder how lesbians can actually be lesbians. Honestly, they don't know what they're missing. :winks: Thank you, I know the Snape/Lily dealie was overdue but I finally got it to you. Hooray for candy, I've built up my candy tolerance and am now doing quite well in the candy consuming area. ;-P
Smay: thank you!
Laney-Wood: lol, he can be sometimes (or most of the time...). And thanks!
StaringStars: yeah, me too.
edemmalily: Thank you so much!