Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, I could spend all my time writing it. Considering I haven't updated in over a month... well, you get the idea... (It's not mine!)
References to 1930s and 40s Hollywood stars are courtesy of wikipedia - I don't own them either!
AN - Yes, it's been months. But I'm back now. I have my reasons for being away but they shall bore you so I will leave them out. Suffice it to say writer's block, university, a torn muscle, an uncooperative laptop and a new job have all gotten in the way of this poor story that you have all probably forgotten about by now.
But PLEASE continue reading!!!
If you're still reading, firstly, you are amazing and I love you!
And here is what's happened so far:
Lily and James are happy and together, Gryffindor has won the quidditch cup.
Anna woke up from her coma and is happily with Caradoc. Remus is very cool about this even though it means he's all on his own :(
Cat and Sirius are... well, Cat and Sirius. And Cat can animagus herself now, which is nice.
They've all just finished their NEWTs and Lily and James (mostly Lily) are stressed about the up-and-coming graduation ceremony and ball.
In this chapter: the ceremony, the ball and occlumency entries from some of our favs :P fluffy stuff and filler to get us to the end and the sequel, to be honest. but still good, i think!
Hope you enjoy :)
Chapter 52 - Goodbye to Hogwarts Part One:
I hate lying in bed and thinking, James thought to himself while staring at the dark canopy above his head. Why am I not asleep when it's six in the morning? There's no quidditch training, I'm not supposed to be sneaking out to arrange a prank, so WHY AM I AWAKE?
Oh, right.
Graduation.
In her own bedroom, Lily was having similar thoughts.
Lily, if you don't go back to sleep you will have bags under your eyes. And, even worse, you will forget your speech in front of the entire year AND their parents.
Parents.
I forgot that Mum and Dad would be coming today. They will love Hogwarts. I hope they don't freak out too much.
…
This is pointless. I may as well just get up.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, the redhead grudgingly threw the sheets back and padded across the floor, throwing on her dressing gown on the way. Yawning sleepily, she made her slow way down the stairs into the common room when she saw James emerge from his staircase at the same time.
The first thing to run through the poor girl's head was Quick! Get to the bathroom before he sees what you look like when you wake up in the morning! Then she realised that James had in fact already seen that (and a good deal more) before and instead decided to greet her boyfriend with a hug.
"Morning, Lils," James said, wrapping his arms around her.
"Graduation," she replied shortly, hiding her face in his chest.
"Mhmm," James replied, rubbing soothing circles on Lily's back.
"Don't want to."
"Speeches?"
"Leaving. It's home."
James sighed, pulling away. "Yeah, I know what you mean. But let's get some breakfast, hey? We've got a long day coming up."
"Good thinking. Dibs on the bathroom first," Lily grinned, shoving past James to get to the bathroom.
"Don't take forever. Ellie left us brekkie!" James shouted through the door with a grin.
In fact, the house elf seemed to have left them half the Great Hall's worth of food on a table in front of the empty fireplace, complete with pitchers of pumpkin juice. Clearly she thought that they would need their energy for the day ahead, and she was right.
Lily's Occlumency Diary
So James has just gone in the shower and I'm eating my breakfast in the Heads' Common Room, but I can't just sit and eat with my mind empty of all thought. If I'm not thinking of a very specific thing while I sit, then I'll start to stress out about Graduation this afternoon… if that makes any sense.
So instead I thought I'd occupy myself by writing everything down. That always used to help me in the past. I only hope I can be so lucky this time around.
Well… I don't really know what to say.
Except that I don't want to leave Hogwarts, my friends, James; I don't want to give the farewell speech in front of my peers and their families who I just know will be watching, waiting for me to slip up so that they can say 'my daughter would've been a better Head Girl than this one. Serves them right for choosing a muggle-born over my so-and-so'.
… Okay, they probably won't say that but allow me my ranting - I'm one stressed out witch!
I could really use one of James' shoulder rubs right now. I swear he has magic fingers. But don't tell him that - his ego is large enough. More importantly, don't tell Sirius as he'd probably make some lewd comment about other things that James' fingers are good for and to be perfectly honest I can't cope with his unique brand of gutter humour this early in the morning.
Besides, James and I haven't… done anything since the first time.
Not because it was bad! Don't get me wrong - it was wonderful, truly. But I guess we've just both been so busy and tired with the quidditch cup and NEWTs and organising Graduation that we just haven't had the time. Which is a pity because it was really… (I'm not going to finish that sentence, use your imagination… actually, don't!)
I'M TALKING TO A JOURNAL! I MUST BE LOSING IT!
…
Well, that was a sufficient distraction, wouldn't you say? Now all I'm going to be able to think about during my speech this afternoon is me and James in bed.
Great - now I need a distraction from my distraction which has, ironically enough, proved to be too distracting. Argh!
Okay, I'll write out a copy of my speech again. Just so I know it off by heart.
Graduation Speech
Parents, members of the school board, faculty and staff, distinguished guests, fellow students and friends, welcome to the Graduating Ceremony of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry of the class of 1978.
(Pause for applause)
As you all know, it's been one really trying year for us all as we struggled through those Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, dividing our time between studying, quidditch, friends and family.
I think it's safe to say as a year level we have done a wonderful job of it as our results will no doubt prove in the coming weeks.
As we move on to the next chapter of our lives we will be leaving behind a place that has become a home to us over the past seven years, and farewelling a family that we've grown to love and cherish.
I speak, of course, of Hogwarts - this beautiful castle behind me - and of the teachers we've come to respect and admire.
Professor Dumbledore has been a most enthusiastic and commanding Headmaster all these years and on behalf of the student body, I would like to thank you (incline head towards Dumbledore) for making our years at Hogwarts unforgettable. Your skill as a remarkable wizard, support as a leader and love for all things muggle - including sherbet lemons - will never be forgotten.
To Professor McGonagall as Deputy Headmistress, and to Professors Sprout, Flitwick and Slughorn, the Heads of Houses, your guidance and advice over the years has been invaluable. You are each, in your own right, truly outstanding practitioners and instructors of magic and we have been lucky to have been taught by you.
To the other teachers, of whom there are too many to mention individually, your work with us since we were tiny first years has been very much appreciated. Whether it was teaching us how to handle bowtruckles or cast shield charms, the knowledge you have endowed us with will help us in our lives we shall be beginning as we leave Hogwarts for good. Thank you for all that you have taught us.
I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank not only the staff but my fellow students.
You lot have been… amazing. When I received my letter at the start of the year with my Head Girl badge I was excited and a bit nervous about being such a prominent leader within the school community but your support has made my job so much easier. Inter-house rivalry aside, I am truly going to miss seeing you and working with you day to day. You are all incredibly talented witches and wizards and I wish you the best of luck in your years to come.
(James' bit)
Thank you Lily. A round of applause for the lovely Head Girl.
Now, as our dear Evans mentioned, we've all worked our wands off this year for our NEWTs with fewer mental breakdowns than the year before us (and probably with better results, too).
Since we all first met back in first year, we've made friends and enemies, become brothers and sisters, had boyfriends and girlfriends and exes and lovers. But what is most important is that we have become a family.
A very bizarre family, I'll give you that.
We've got the bunch of clever Ravenclaws - the brainy parental units who have more intelligence than they know what to do with. Then there's the Hufflepuffs, the distant cousins, who I've discovered are fiercely loyal friends. Of course we have the Slytherins, the step-siblings we love to hate who, to their credit, do have a talent for… planning. And then there's the Gryffindors, the favourite uncles and aunts who are brave, sometimes to the point of stupidity, and who also happen to be wonderful at quidditch.
But maybe I'm being a little biased.
The point is, over our years here the bonds of friendship we've formed, whether within or between our own houses, will be what help us in the transition from childhood to adulthood.
We are moving into a world that is quickly becoming darker and more dangerous than it ever has been before. I don't want to harp on about it, because today is a celebration of our achievements and a farewell to a place that has become more than just a school. But it must be said that in these dark times, when You-Know-Who and his followers are threatening all that is good and just in this world, these friendships we've made… this family, is what will be most important.
I am proud to have been your Head Boy this year. And like many of you, I was more than a little surprised when I got the job. But it has been a privilege to be your representative and I hope that I have made you proud. I certainly know that as I look out at you guys, at our Hogwarts family, I couldn't be prouder of what we have all achieved.
So here's to you, class of 78, Congratulations!
(Applause)
Personally, I think it's a rather good speech, but I co-wrote it so I suppose my opinion doesn't really count.
Well, James is out of the shower now and as I've finished breakfast I guess it's time to set up for the ceremony. It's taking place this afternoon at about 3pm on the lawn near the beech tree. It seems like an odd place to have it, but there is a beautiful view of the castle and it's right near the lake. Plus the beech tree is significant to James and he asked if we could have it there. Why would I say no?
But I digress, time to get ready.
AHHHHHH!!!!
By the time three o'clock rolled around, Lily was an absolute nervous wreck. After she and James had set up the rows of chairs outside in front of a raised platform (complete with lectern), she had refused to relax or eat, insisting stubbornly on rehearsing her speech again and again and again. In fact, she had read over it so many times, James was sure she would be able to say it backwards, in pig-Latin with a Mermish accent if she wanted to.
"Lily, would you just stop!" James cried at his girlfriend, who was pacing non-stop in the little marquee they had set up for the guest speakers to prepare in. Lily halted, green eyes wide, her best set of Hogwarts robes swishing gracefully at the sudden lack of motion.
"If you keep that up, you'll make me nervous too. And James Potter does not get nervous," he said firmly.
"Why did I say yes to being Head Girl?" Lily said in a whisper. "I'm terrible at public speaking, everyone knows that. I should've said no. I should've suggested someone else for the job, I should've prepared better, I-"
"Stop talking, please, Lily! You honestly are insane. I know you're a good public speaker, you've been conducting prefect meetings all year, you never had a problem answering questions in class, you rarely hold back an opinion no matter whose company you're in. Why are you so stressed!?"
Lily looked up at him through her eyelashes guiltily, "Mum and Dad are out there."
"Seriously? That's why you're so mental?"
Lily just glared at him.
"Lils, they're your parents. They've seen you naked, they've seen you wet the bed, they've seen you in ridiculous dance costumes - they are nothing to be frightened of! You know they'll be proud of you no matter what."
Lily nodded, knowing what James was saying made sense. Of course it did. She was just being silly. The fact that she had had so little sleep probably had something to do with it.
"You're right, of course. I'm being irrational. Let's just get this show on the road, shall we?"
"Okay, Dumbledore's up first with the welcome speech. Then McGonagall calls us all up onto the stage to take our certificates of graduation."
"Then everyone files off stage in an orderly manner and we say our thank-yous. And then I think the representative of the board of governors might give a speech, but I can't remember."
"Doesn't matter, all you have to do is remember your speech," James said bracingly.
Lily groaned.
"It's all good, Lily-flower," came a voice from the entrance of the tent.
"Sirius, what are you doing here? You haven't come early to set up some sort of elaborate prank, have you? I swear if you meddle with any of the food I left for the parents…" she left her sentence hanging menacingly.
"It's okay, Lily," Cat said, following her boyfriend into the tent, "I've had my eye on him all day. He hasn't done anything yet."
"Like I can trust you; you're his girlfriend!" Lily joked, "But, err, just to be on the safe side…" and she rushed out of the tent to check the cucumber sandwiches for flobberworms and the china for biting teacups.
"Well, this is it, Prongs," Sirius said, taking a deep breath and looking seriously at his friend. James paused, examining his friend's face.
"Pads, you didn't actually plan a prank, did you?" he asked with trepidation. Sirius' face broke into a mischievous grin.
"Well… it is our graduation…but as to a prank, now, that would be telling."
James paled. "Lily is going to kill me," he whimpered as he left the tent.
"You didn't actually do anything, did you?" Cat grinned, hand on hip.
"Nope," Sirius said, popping his p, "But our dear old Head Boy doesn't need to know that, does he? 'Sides, it'll be fun to watch him and Lily-flower squirm."
"I should tell Lily," Cat warned.
"Oh, no you don't! Sirius said, grabbing her by the hand and tugging her to him. "This graduation isn't just about the Head goody-two-shoes couple, it's about all of us saying goodbye to Hogwarts and having fun doing it. It just so happens that it will be fun for me to watch our dear leaders jump at every little thing."
Cat rolled her eyes.
"Fine, but if Lily asks afterwards, I knew nothing!"
"Deal," Sirius agreed. "Come on. We don't want to miss it. And remember, look like you've done something prank-ish."
As it turned out, the ceremony ran rather smoothly. Both Lily and James managed (by and large) to ignore the mischievous smirks their friends were giving them during their speeches and the parents and guests applauded them afterwards. Of course, the loudest cheering came when James decided to throw caution to the wind and plant a kiss slap bang on the Head Girl during the initial applause. Too shocked to respond (either by kissing back or shoving her exhibitionist of a boyfriend on the ground in disgust), Lily just stood there looking dumbstruck until Professor Sprout ushered them offstage so that the Heads of Houses could say their piece.
Afterwards, the new graduates milled about in the warm June air, mingling with their professors and parents.
Lily was happily explaining the concept of moving staircases to her mother and father, while Cat tried not to look overly affectionate with her 'aunt' and 'cousin' who had come in place of her mother and brother. Of course, anyone watching the exchange closely would've seen these two guests surreptitiously downing polyjuice potion every hour on the hour, but luckily for Cat and her family's safety everyone else was too caught up in the euphoria of finally finishing school.
Well, most people.
The Marauders, having managed to shake off their respective relatives (Sirius' uncle had come in place of his parents), were gathered under their beech tree stuck in a collective mood of something between melancholy and amusement.
"This is it, chaps," Peter said with an air of solemnity, "One of the last summer days we'll be spending at Hogwarts."
"It's been… an experience," Remus said with a smirk, raising his bottle of smuggled butterbeer aloft in a toast. "To Hogwarts."
"To the Marauders!" James chimed in.
"To friends," Peter squeaked.
"To mischief!" Sirius crowed, and they clinked their bottles together.
Each was lost in his own thoughts as he swallowed the unnecessarily warming liquid. Surprisingly, Remus was the first to break the silence.
"It occurs to me that perhaps we haven't quite left our mark on this dear school yet," he said innocently, but Sirius instantly caught on, an evil grin spreading across his face.
"We already made the map, what else-" Peter began.
"One last hurrah, but what to include? Dungbombs, enchanted armour, levitating furniture, a waterslide?" James mused aloud.
"All of them… and more," Sirius said wickedly, "Now I think…"
As they leaned together in their prank-plotting huddle, those teachers that could see them from afar felt that familiar anxiety in the pits of their stomachs.
The Marauders were up to something.
Later that night, the ladies of Gryffindor were getting ready for the graduation ball Lily's dormitory. It was a formal affair but the dress code was for dresses and suits rather than robes, to accommodate for the families of muggle-borns. This suited the girls just fine, as dress robes really weren't the best option for showing off their figures.
Anna was dressed to impress in her floor length gown of crimson silk. It had a low back line, so that plenty of her smooth skin was on show, and her hair cascaded over her shoulders in loose curls. She had matched a gold necklace with a pair of heels and a clip to keep her hair off her face. All in all she looked lovely.
"Well I did have an awful long time to plan this outfit," she replied when this statement was voiced.
Cat, with her tanned skin and dark hair had opted for royal blue - a colour she knew Sirius loved on her - in a knee length dress. It was a bizarre style with a strapless bodice up top that turned into a sort of romantic tutu at the bottom with the skirt fluffed out by several layers of tulle. With hair half up in a messy style, she looked like something of a rock fairy princess.
Lily was dressed in her signature emerald green - the colour that she knew brought out her vibrant eyes and went beautifully with her hair. The dress was a throwback of sorts in that it had a silk underlay with a thin layer of darker voile over the top, gathered under the bust by a gold ribbon and flowing to halfway down her calves. With straightened hair for a change, and the emerald earrings James had given to her for her birthday she really looked quite stunning. Understated beauty, her mother would call it.
"I'm actually excited about this," Lily said, playing with the earrings in front of the mirror in the bathroom.
"Me too," Cat agreed. "School's finally finished - exams are done, the formal bit is finished. Now it's time to party!"
"Don't get too excited, I still have to do my exams," Anna grumbled from her position in front of the fire as she reapplied her lipstick.
"When?" Lily asked, joining the girls in the sitting room.
"I think the start of August… but I'm not too bothered about exams. It's not like I want to do anything that necessarily requires NEWTs."
"Isn't that when you're going away, Lil?" Cat asked.
"What are you going to do after school?" Lily asked at the same time.
"Dunno. I quite like writing, I wouldn't mind working for the Prophet but you need a portfolio of work, and experience and recommendations and stuff."
"You'd be good at that."
"Yeah, you could work for the society pages with all their gossip," Cat joked.
"Very funny," Anna replied, poking out her tongue. "We can't all be mighty aurors saving the planet and whatnot."
"Oi! It's a noble profession," Cat defended. "I can't wait to start."
"Got to get past all that training first though," Lily said with a sigh, "I bet I'll hardly see James while he's training."
"Have you two spoken to James and Sirius about what you'll be doing after school. Living arrangements and the like?" Anna asked with interest.
"Not really," Lily replied, "I mean, I thought I'd be living with my parents in London but as it turns out they've sold the house and are moving to the countryside. Which would be nice but I don't think I want to commute that far to St Mungo's every single day."
"Well I'd always planned on getting my own place seeing as Mum and Dad are abroad a lot of the time, but I never really thought it through to the stage of actual planning," Anna contributed.
"Remember when we used to talk about living together back in second year?" Cat grinned. "We had everything planned out. You even drew a floor plan, Lil, remember?"
"I'll bet the boys plan on living together," Lily said slowly. "I mean, we're clearly too young to be going out buying houses with boyfriends. Sharing a flat would sort of make sense."
"You think we should get a flat together?" Anna asked, her blue eyes lighting up in excitement.
"That's mad!" Cat cried, "Five seconds ago we had no idea and now suddenly we're getting a flat?"
"Why not? We've lived together for ages now anyway, we know each others routines and habits, and know that we can put up with them," Lily said eagerly. "I think it's a great idea!"
"So… we're going to get a flat," Cat said, as if trying the words on for size.
"We're getting a flat," Anna agreed.
Anna's Occlumency Diary
Okay, just a quick note before the ball, while Lily's fixing her hair.
AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!
I'm so happy that I woke up in time for this. I mean, imagine if I had missed the Graduation ball! The event people will likely be gossiping about for weeks to come; the final lasting memory they will have of Hogwarts; the last opportunity to look fabulous in an evening gown in front of your school friends.
Seriously, this dress should make all the girls drop dead with jealousy and all the guys want to kill Caradoc.
Sigh.
Caradoc. Insert dreamy expression here.
I don't know why we ever broke up in the first place. Granted it was probably my fault - I've never much been one for commitment - but I can't really fathom how stupid I was to give him up. He practically worships the ground I walk on. I mean, I like him for reasons other than that, but the unexplained devotion is a contributing factor.
Plus he is GORGEOUS! All that floppy brown hair and dark blue eyes, toned arms, broad shoulders… big feet. And a surprisingly gentlemanly character for someone as arrogant as him on the quidditch pitch.
I honestly think there's more to him than meets the eye, though. I want to know why he acts the way he does, thinks the things he thinks, etc. I also, obviously, would like to know why he says he loves me. Which is flattering and all but unless he's a creepy stalker (which I doubt - that's more a Marauder thing) I don't think he knows enough about me to be able to say that sort of stuff. I mean, sure, we've been good friends for a while now but he doesn't know me like Lily or Anna.
But, then again, what do I know about love?
Who am I to say there's no such thing as falling in love without reason or without knowing the person properly? The only person I've ever sort of loved was Remus and it turned out I didn't know his biggest secret. And then after I'd accepted it, well… things never really worked out.
Which is all for the best now because I have Caradoc.
I hope things work out for Remus, though, I really do. Because I want him to be happy. And I want to be happy.
And I think with Caradoc I just might be.
I've had this idea floating around in the back of my head for a while now about us sharing a flat after Hogwarts. It'd be nice having someone around all the time to talk to and hug and, I don't know, eat meals with? And ever since the accident (or waking up from it) I feel sort of… comforted and safe when he's around. And I want to be there for him, to keep him safe and stuff - like that time we hexed Slytherins together in the corridors when they were threatening him. Good times. He's probably going to be a target, too. He was sent a personal letter by Voldemort and he'll be joining the Order with the rest of us come the summer holidays. Living together might have given us both some small amount of comfort.
But I guess all that's out the window now that the girls and I are going to share a flat. Which I am now very excited about. Besides, it makes sense. We've been living together so long it would be strange to suddenly up and change. Like Lily says, I think we need to ease ourselves into this adult world. We're going to need our support systems, especially with You-Know-Who out there, building up his evil army.
This was only supposed to be a small entry, for Merlin's sake, I have a ball to get to and a boyfriend to wow. Time to stop my crazy ramblings and get this show on the road.
When the girls arrived in the entrance hall they split up and went to find their parents. Anna's aunt Emily, who greatly resembled her niece with the wavy blonde hair and protuberant blue eyes, had come in place of her parents who were, once again, overseas.
Cat had some difficulty finding her mother and brother as she still wasn't accustomed to seeing them in their alternate bodies, but eventually spotted them talking with James' father by the foot of the staircase.
Lily made her way nervously through the sea of bodies to find her mother and father, dressed in their muggle best, admiring the interior of the castle with another clearly muggle couple.
"Lily!" her mother cried when she saw her daughter approaching, "You look wonderful, dear."
"Thanks, Mum," Lily replied, blushing slightly in the presence of the unknown parents. They nodded politely at Mr and Mrs Evans before shuffling off to find their offspring.
"Sweetheart, you look beautiful," her father agreed, pulling her in for a hug.
"Thanks, Dad. You guys look good, too. You're wearing the cufflinks I got you for Christmas!"
"Your mum thought my outfit needed sprucing up," Greg explained. "Now where's this ball going to be?"
"It's through those doors, in the Great Hall. I think we should be let in any minute now," she said anxiously.
"You look worried, dear," Meredith observed, "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I guess… it's just that James and I were in charge of the decorations and music and food and everything. And we left clear instructions with the house elves this afternoon so that we could get ready but now I'm really worried that they've done it wrong and it'll look like an absolute mess, and no one will have anything to eat, and there will be no live music to dance to…" she trailed off when she realised sadly that James wasn't beside her to interrupt and reassure her that her worries were needless.
"Where is this James? I'd very much like to meet him," Greg said eagerly, rubbing his hands together. This only served to deepen Lily's depression.
"You have met him, Greg. Twice," Meredith said softly, holding her husband's hand.
"Oh… sorry, sweetheart. Bit forgetful these days," he said quietly to Lily.
"It's okay, Dad. Really," Lily smiled weakly, still worried about the ball.
"So where is James, Lil? We'd really like to meet his father," Meredith said, recovering quickly.
Lily paled and her eyes went round as galleons. "Excuse me, I'll be right back."
She rushed through the crowd, flying up a few stairs so that she could see over the mass of people. She spotted her boyfriend's messy mop of hair next to a nearly identical, though thinning, mop of hair with a few people that she assumed to be Sirius and some other random adults.
"Hi Mr Potter, James can I talk to you for a minute?" Lily said as she rushed up to him, dragging him away before he could reply.
"Sorry, Lily," James said before she could explain her slightly mad behaviour. "I knew you'd be freaking out about our preparations and everything but I couldn't get away from Dad to find you."
Lily was momentarily filled with 'warm and fuzzies' that her boyfriend had known exactly what she needed and had tried to give it to her, but then she remembered her cause for concern.
"No, that's not it. Well, it is it… but there's more important things!"
"What is it, Lily?" James asked, looking serious at the prospect of something more serious than their Gradation Ball.
"Our parents are going to meet each other tonight," she cried in anguish.
"Yes… and?"
"James, my parents are going to meet your dad tonight," she said slowly.
"I'm still failing to see the problem in that."
"James," Lily sighed, "This is a big deal. Meeting the parents of your boyfriend/girlfriend is a big step but to have them meet each other is massive. It's getting to know the future in-laws before a wedding massive. We're not ready for that!"
James took a moment to process what Lily, strange, bizarre, crazy Lily had said. Marriage? She was comparing this to getting married? James couldn't help but mentally smile (grin madly, really) at the thought of marrying his Lily, but of course that wasn't happening anytime soon so why was she making such a big deal out of it.
"Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" he asked gently, choosing to ignore the marriage comment for now, lest he let slip that he wasn't all that opposed to the idea.
Lily sighed heavily, "Because I really want your dad to like my parents and I want them to like him, and I want them to get on and for my parents not to embarrass themselves and for your dad not to intimidate them with all his wizard-ness. And… I don't know. It's just big, okay? I just want everything to be perfect for us, you know?"
James smiled reassuringly at the redhead, taking her hands in his. "I promise, Lils, for us everything will be perfect. They will get on like a house on fire and we will eventually live happily ever after… probably in some sort of cottage with many children and perhaps a dog."
Lily grinned. She loved how he could take her worries, fix them and then laugh them off for good measure.
"A dog?" she repeated playfully, "Couldn't we just get Sirius to fill that role?"
James laughed, "Probably, he'll be over all the time, I can just see it. Maybe a pony, then?"
"How about a hippogriff?"
"Or a giant squid?"
"We'd need a lake, James."
"That can be arranged."
They both broke into a fit of giggles at this point, Lily wrapping her arms around the Head Boy's waist and holding him tightly.
"I really love you, you know?" she sighed.
"I love you, too, Lily," James grinned, holding her close for approximately thirty seconds at which point the doors to the Great Hall opened and people started to file inside. James chanced a glance at Lily's expression; it was once again filled with worry.
"Only one way to find out if those house elves got it right," James said bracingly, steering Lily into the room.
Sirius and Remus entered the hall with Remus' mother and father (Sirius' parents had made their reasons for staying away very clear - Sirius was no son to them) marvelling in awe at the grandeur of the decorations.
Great silk curtains in silver, white and gold hung from the ceiling down the walls, covering some of the ancient brickwork. Small circular tables - like the ones that had been used for the Halloween ball - lined the edges of the room, each with a small ball of enchanted blue flames serving as lamps in the centre. At the staff table there was a selection of finger food and drinks (including several punchbowls that would no doubt end up spiked by the end of the evening) and on a raised platform in the corner a live band were assembling their instruments.
"Oh, good, live music," Remus said happily - it was just the sort of thing that his mum and dad loved to dance to.
"Prongs and Lily-flower did a good job, didn't they?" Sirius said, admiring the simple, yet classy, arrangement.
"We sure did," James said, appearing from behind Sirius. "Hi Mr Lupin, Mrs Lupin," James said, shaking their hands genially.
"Evening, James," Mr Lupin said in his gruff voice. "Good set-up you've done here. Is that a jazz band?"
"Jazz, swing, rock, all of the above," Lily said, joining the small group after depositing her parents at a table.
"Parents of Remus, may I introduce the lovely Lily Evans," Sirius said, gesticulating melodramatically whilst giving some sort of bow-curtsey combination.
"Nice to meet you, Lily," Mrs Lupin said. "Might I say, you look lovely in that dress."
"Thank-you," Lily blushed. "I have to say, though, these boys scrub up pretty well."
"Cheeky, Evans," Sirius grinned, "But I know you'd rather see us with no clothes at all."
"Oi, no harassing my girlfriend. Haven't you got your own somewhere?" James asked, drawing Lily protectively to him.
"Good point, my dear Prongs. Until next time," he bowed, slipping away to find Cat.
Meanwhile, Caradoc had already found Anna in the crowd, introduced their relatives and had stolen her away for a quick snog and then some dancing.
"You know, for a guy you're really quite good at this dancing thing," Anna teased as Caradoc spun her into his chest.
"For a little girl, you're not half bad yourself," he teased. "Mind you, I did take lessons for about three years."
"Seriously?" Anna giggled. "Why!"
"Dad thought it'd help with my quidditch coordination, Mum thought it'd make me more of a gentleman."
"Guess they were both wrong then," Anna grinned wickedly, "Ahh!" Caradoc had swept her up into his arms and was tipping her back as far as he could manage.
"Careful what you say, Brown, or I might just drop you," Caradoc threatened playfully.
"You drop me, Dearborn, and you shall be buying me another dress," Anna warned. With a shrug of agreement, the quidditch captain placed her back on her feet.
"Have I mentioned that you do look rather stunning tonight?" he asked.
"I believe so, but I wouldn't mind hearing it again," Anna smiled coyly.
"Okay then, you look absolutely gorgeous in that dress," he said in a low voice.
"Go on," Anna urged, a suggestive twinkle in her eye.
"And right now I want nothing more than to take you back upstairs to the dormitory…" he said, desire now very obvious in his voice.
"And?"
"And take that very expensive, very sexy dress off you…"
"I don't think I can wait that long," Anna said, equally desperate. Identical grins broke out on their faces.
"Empty classroom?"
"Race you there."
And with that Anna grabbed her boyfriend by the hand and practically dragged him out the door (with every intention of returning later and enjoying a very well-planned party).
"Wow," Sirius said as he approached his girlfriend. Needless to say he was more than impressed by Cat's rock-fairy ensemble. "You look… hot."
"Thanks. You don't look too shabby yourself," she grinned, taking in Sirius' black shirt and suit with dark blue tie.
"Did you manage to give your mum the slip?" Sirius asked, taking Cat by the hand and pulling her towards him.
"No, she went to talk to David, I think. And Jake's gone off to eat all the food, being the gannet that he is."
"Gannet?" Sirius raised an eyebrow.
"Never mind, it's just a saying," Cat said, leaning into the animagus. "You know, ever since I learnt how to become a you-know-what I've noticed that you have the vaguest hint of wet dog smell about you."
"Thanks a lot!" Sirius exclaimed, looking offended. "I'll have you know, the ladies of Hogwarts love my manly scent."
"Yes, well I guess they just aren't getting close enough. But I never said it was a bad thing."
"You like the smell of wet dog?" he smirked.
"Not exactly, but there's something comforting about your own personal smell, I guess," Cat said, looking embarrassed. "It's not like you only smell of wet dog, anyway."
"Well, if it's any consolation, you smell nothing like any sort of animal but I love you anyway," he grinned, twirling her out onto the dance floor.
Cat laughed, "I love you, too, you mangy mutt."
By this stage, James and Lily had managed to slip away from the Lupins and were now making their way through the crowd onto the dance floor so that Lily could, once again, try to teach her boyfriend some sense of rhythm.
"Come on, James, it really is not that difficult. You only have to count to four!" she cried in mock exasperation. James rolled his eyes.
"Face it, Lils, I'm never going to be Fred Astaire. The sooner you accept this, the sooner I can eat dinner."
"You know Astaire?"
"Well, not personally. You seem to forget I took muggle studies for many years just to impress you. Don't tell me it's finally paying off after we're already dating?!"
Lily laughed, "You can be very funny when you try, Potter."
"So, does that mean I'm off the hook?" James asked hopefully.
"Think again," Lily grinned.
"I've always seen myself as more of a James Dean. See, we even share the name."
"You're no rebel without a cause. I've always seen Sirius as the James Dean type-" (James snorted at this) "You're more…-"
"Errol Flynn? International sex symbol?"
"No, I was thinking-"
"Clark Gable? Handsome, virile with an undeniable twinkle in his eye?" James winked saucily.
"You really did study hard, didn't you?" Lily said in amusement.
"Yep, and this stuff wasn't even on the exam," James said, puffing his chest out proudly.
"You don't say," Lily intoned sarcastically. "Anyway, I was going to say that you're more of a-"
"Cary Grant? The epitome of masculinity, grace and charm?"
"That about sums you up, wouldn't you say?" Lily grinned "But I was going to say Humphrey Bogart. Star of Casablanca, unexpected hero, sexy, all around popular good guy."
"You think Bogart is sexy?"
"He's a bit old… but I think you're sexy, does that count?" she giggled.
"If you say so," James replied cheekily, "And would that make you Lauren Bacall?"
"You know, I think it would," Lily said giving her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek before twirling away from him.
"Did you know they were married for many years until his death in 1957?"
"Did you know that there was a 25 year age gap between them?" Lily countered.
"Eww, really?"
"Yep, but still… they loved each other so it didn't matter," she sighed, caught up momentarily in the romantic notion of love transcending all obstacles.
"You know, Lils," James interrupted her musings, "I love you-"
"I know that, you dolt."
"Let me finish, please," James said quietly, and for one heart-stopping minute Lily was almost convinced that he was about to propose to her. She just gulped, collected herself and nodded for him to continue.
"Well, I love you and I don't really want to let you go," James said. "But in a week we'll be leaving here for good and I don't know what's going to happen. I mean, your parents are moving to the country, auror training is in London…"
"You're not trying to break up with me, are you?" Lily asked cautiously.
"Don't be stupid, Lily. Why would I spend seven years chasing after you then dump you because we won't be living together anymore? No, the point is that I would love for you to come and live with me, but we kind of made a pact as the Marauders that we would share a flat after Hogwarts and…" he seemed to be struggling to find the right words. "Look, I'm sorry, Lils. But I promised, and the guys are really important to me and Moony will need us every month, and Peter's too scared to live on his own, and Sirius… well, he's my brother and-"
"James, don't worry," Lily smiled. "I was wondering how I was going to tell you that the girls and I are going to live together, too. I didn't want to hurt your feelings."
"You guys are getting a flat?"
"Well, yeah. I know I said I was going to live at home but I need to be close to St Mungo's for training, and Cat needs to be near the Ministry for auror training and I guess it just sort of made sense. Besides, it's not like we could just move in together. I mean, we've barely been dating a year. And, you know, we're not engaged or anything," she chuckled nervously.
"Yeah… yes, exactly," James agreed awkwardly as they revolved on the spot, each lost in their own thoughts about making such a huge commitment at such a young age.
"You know, though…" Lily said slowly, "If we did live together…"
"It'd be somewhere in suburbia," James finished. "Somewhere close to people but with enough fresh air to have a veggie patch."
Lily grinned in spite of herself. "And enough of a backyard for a pond and a giant squid."
They both laughed at the thought, then Lily spotted Cat and Sirius nearby.
"I think we should talk to Cat and Sirius about this boys flat/girls flat thing. Maybe we could live nearby so seeing each other everyday wouldn't be too difficult?" Lily suggested hopefully.
"That sounds like a great idea," James agreed, his face braking into his trademark lopsided grin.
The rest of the evening ran as smoothly as the Head Students could have hoped for. The live band were a hit with the students and their parents. Remus got asked to dance by four different girls (and one boy), Cat and Sirius made plans with Lily and James so that the girls' flat would be close enough for them all to see each other as regularly as possible. Peter and his beady-eyed mother had a heated discussion which culminated in the mousy woman storming out of the hall, and Peter getting a sympathy snog from a tipsy Ravenclaw. Anna and Caradoc had returned from their brief, though satisfying, alone time and had rejoined the party with even more gusto and dance-enthusiasm than before.
All in all, it was a relatively successful evening.
The hard part was saying goodbye to the parents at the end of things.
"We'll see you next week, sweetheart," Meredith said, pulling Lily into a tight embrace. "We'll start packing before then, but we'll leave your room for you to do."
"Have a good week, petal," Greg said, hugging her before following Meredith towards the horseless carriages.
"And don't forget to tell me all the gossip," Anna's aunt insisted. "That Caradoc is a wonderful boy, but don't worry, I won't tell your mother a thing," she winked conspiratorially.
"Thanks, Aunty Emily. I'll see you next weekend. Shopping?"
"Can't wait, honey," the woman replied with a dramatic wave goodbye.
"-And we have the cellar set up for the you-know-what in a fortnight's time," Remus' mother was whispering while Mr Lupin loitered impatiently by the carriages.
"Yes, mum, I know," Remus insisted, trying to push his mother out the door.
"Be a good boy and stay out of trouble. I want you home in one piece, okay?"
"Yes, Mum. See you soon," Remus sighed in exasperation. Words could not even begin to describe how little he was looking forward to going home.
"So I'll be staying with Lily for the first weekend back, then I'm going to the Potters' for a week, then I'll come visit, okay?" Cat was saying to her disguised mother.
"Of course, honey. We'll talk more about your living arrangements when you come home. I know our situation isn't ideal but it's only temporary, okay?"
"Thanks, Mum," Cat whispered through tears as she held the stranger tightly. Ruffling her brother's hair in farewell, she turned and went with Sirius back to the common room.
James' was one of the last parents to leave as he was deep in discussion with Dumbledore for a good part of the night.
"Thanks for getting away from work for this, Dad," James said, "It really meant a lot to me… even though I spent most of the night with my friends and Lils," he added guiltily. But David merely chuckled.
"I understand. If I had a girl like Lily on my arm-"
"PLEASE don't finish that sentence!" James winced.
"Anyway, I'm very proud of you, son. You've done the Potters proud," David beamed.
"Thanks, Dad," James said, truly chuffed that his dad was proud of him.
"I'll see you next week, then?" David asked. "If I'm home."
"Yep. Of course, Sirius is coming too. And then the week after I think Cat's coming to stay-"
"Yes, I just spoke with her mother," David agreed.
"Then I was wondering if maybe it'd make sense to invite the whole gang?" James wheedled, causing his father to chuckle again.
"You just don't want to be a third wheel, do you?" he grinned. Before James could respond he amended, "Of course it's okay. It'll be nice to have the house full of people again. The elves will be beside themselves."
Now it was James' turn to laugh.
"See you later, James."
"Not if I see you first," James replied with a grin, hugging his dad one last time before watching him get into a carriage and drive away.
Remus' Occlumency Diary
Well that was an interesting night.
I hadn't really noticed before how lonely it could be with all your friends paired off in couples. I suppose I don't really notice it much in classes or at mealtimes because we all sit in one large group but when it's a 'couples' thing like our graduation ball… well, suffice it to say I got a bit lonely.
I'm not complaining - I quite like being on my own sometimes. This was more the sort of lonely you feel when you have to be around people you don't really want to be around.
I spent a good deal of the night with mum and dad and while I love them dearly, I would rather have been in the dorm reading a good book.
And then there was all that dancing - my feet are so sore!
Four girls asked me to dance. And one guy.
I had considered, after the whole Anna/Claire debacle of '78, that maybe I should give up on the female gender altogether as they are simply too much trouble. But, having now danced (a little too close, for my liking) with a male I'm pretty sure I'll stick with the girls. It's just not for me (in spite of all the 'aww' noises all the girls were giving us). I'd probably rather go solo than… but I digress. The point is, I have never been this popular (for want of a better word).
I know I'm back on the market now, as it were, but people have never shown that much interest in me before. I wonder if it's because I'm some sort of tragic, romantic figure to them? Probably, considering the rumours (and facts) that the Hogwarts rumour mill has been churning out about me all year.
But I don't really want to think about all that stuff. It's in the past so it's best left there.
I'm more interested to know what's going to happen to us all in the next few weeks and, I guess, years. It's times like these I wish I was a seer so I could feel safe and secure. But no such luck, so I am forced to speculate.
As soon as we leave Hogwarts for the last time - next Friday - I have to go to the Ministry and sign my name on the official werewolves register. I should've done it when I turned 17 but I was excused because I hadn't completed my schooling.
Basically the register is to keep tabs on all known werewolves during our special time of the month. Or that's the Ministry's mission statement at least. I know it's really to keep us from finding employment. I know I should be used to that sort of discrimination by now, but it still annoys me to think that my chances at equal opportunities are pretty much non-existent when stupider, less efficient, crueller people will get jobs over me JUST because I have a furry little problem.
I'm a bit worried, too, to have my name permanently on some record for lycanthropy. What if one day they create a new law to slaughter all the 'half-breeds' and werewolves because they pose a danger to society and we need to think about 'the greater good'? It scares me to think that they will know who I am and they will be able to hunt me down.
I wonder if they chip us like stray dogs?
I wonder what this means for me during the full moon… Are they going to lock me up, see me from keeping my friends? I'll be all alone in the bad way and no one, not even Padfoot, Wormtail or Prongs will be able to help.
…
Well this is a thoroughly depressing line of thought. Time for something new.
Ah, yes, my brilliant idea. It's about the map.
When we created our map - the Marauders Map - all those years ago, we never imagined just how useful or powerful it could be. But I also don't think we realised that our time at Hogwarts was limited.
We saw it as this miracle cure to save us from getting into trouble - helping us to avoid teachers, know where each other are, etc - but once we leave Hogwarts, it's going to be fairly useless to us.
Which is why I thought we need to pass it onto the next generation of trouble makers.
I know Sirius and Peter won't like the idea of just giving our most prized possession away to some strangers who may have up-and-coming comic potential, and James will probably insist that we keep it for old times sake.
But I think that those who use the map need to be worthy to use it.
This got me to thinking: what is the mark of a good troublemaker? As the prefect in the group, I feel it is my area of expertise - I've seen enough rule breakers to last a life time.
They have to be clever, inventive, a little bit reckless and generally have a good sense of humour. They are also undoubtedly going to be caught by Filch at one stage or other of their young, havoc-causing lives. Which brings me to my plan.
Following the greatest prank Hogwarts has ever seen (scheduled for this Tuesday) I think the Marauders should allow themselves to be caught - by Filch - and have the map confiscated (without letting him know it's a map). Any self-respecting prankster will inevitably go through Filch's confiscated drawer when he inevitably leaves to double check with Dumbledore that hanging rule breakers from the ceiling is still illegal. Only a true rule breaking, prankster/marauder-in-the-making will be able to see the map for what it truly is. Thus, the deserving recipient of the map shall be chosen.
I, personally, think it a brilliant plan but my opinion shan't count for much considering that it was my idea in the first place.
The point still stands, though. I'll tell the others about my scheme in the morning, I'm too worn out for now. I NEED SLEEP!
AN2 - I had to stop there because I worried that if I tried to write too much, I would dry out like a prune on account of not having written for so long... and that would obviously be a bad thing. I have two assignments and a jazz exam next week. I would say that it'd keep me from writing but I am the ultimate procrastinator... so I'll probably post again soon.
In any case, it won't be another month. I PROMISE! because I need to keep you guys reading because I'm so excited about the sequel i just have to get this stuff out of the way first!
Thanks again for sticking with the story my lovely, beautiful, fantastic readers. You all deserve platters of cyber cookies - enjoy :P
Until next time, happy fanficcing! xoxo
PS special thanks to the following people who reviewed the last chapter - I truly appreciate your reviews and please each accept a cyber hug from me. It means a lot to me that you review and i really hope that my extended absence won't stop you from reviewing this chapter! happy fanficcing :)
