A/N: OMG!!! This is the last chapter!!! *jumps up and down* can u believe it??? I can't!!! well, have your tissues ready, this is a REALLY sad chapter...
Disclaimer: I own the same things I've owned the whole time...and I don't own the song Amazing Grace, or the poem that Grace and Tawny and Lily and Violet escribed on the tree (I got it on firehotquotes.com), but I do own the terrible poem that Lily wrote for Grace...
Chapter Fifteen:
Amazing Grace
Tawny screamed, "Grace!" She jumped up. "No!" Sirius held her back. "Let me go!" She sobbed.
"No. Tawny, wait. Don't."
Voldemort looked down at Grace, "Stupid girl." He spat, but disapparated seeing that there were people coming.
Tawny ran down to where Grace's body lay. "Grace! Grace, get up! Get up!" She choked.
Sirius had his arm around her. "Tawny, it's ok."
"Of course it is," She sobbed, "Grace is fine. She's fine. Grace, get up!"
"Tawny..." Sirius began
Grace's lifeless body lied on the ground. It couldn't be true. This couldn't have happened. But, it had. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes. She was gone.
"I'm not going." Tawny said, she had refused to leave her room for days. "I won't go. She's not dead."
"Tawny, please, come." Sirius was worried about her. She hadn't eaten anything since Tuesday.
"No. I won't. She's NOT dead!"
"Tawny...she is. I'm sorry, but she is. We're all sad, but it'll help if you come to the funeral."
"I won't go! I won't!" Tawny shoved herself onto her bed.
Sirius sat down beside her. "Tawny, it's hard for all of us, I know...but..."
"No! But nothing! She's dead! Nothing can fix it! Nothing will ever be right again!" She sobbed into Sirius' shoulder.
"Tawny, it'll be alright."
"No, it won't. It won't! Grace is gone forever!"
"Tawny, won't you please come to the funeral?"
"No!"
Sirius looked at her sadly, "If you change your mind, it's outside, she's being buried by the lake."
Sirius came down the steps. "Is she ok?" Lily asked
"No. She refuses to come."
Lily's eyes were red from crying. "Oh, I can't take this!"
"We are gathered here today to mourn the loss of Grace Maria Andrews, devoted daughter, friend, and student." The pastor began, Lily couldn't help think that that pastor didn't know Grace. He didn't know Grace like Lily did. He couldn't even begin to know Grace like Tawny did. "Grace Andrews was always a kind, sweet, friendly girl. She was always happy. She loved her friends, and family. She was killed saving her best friend. Now, it's time for some words from loved ones. First, Miss Lily Evans."
Lily walked up. Pale, sad, and afraid. "I knew Grace since I was twelve. From the moment we met in Diagon Alley, we were best friends. Since then, Grace, Tawny, and I did everything together. We pulled pranks, we did homework, everything." Lily stopped to let out a little sob. "Grace was my best friend. I wasn't complete without Grace. She died...she died saving my life. I don't know what I did to deserve a friend like Grace. Someone I knew would always be there for me. And now, at least I know that wherever Grace is, she's happy, because Grace doesn't deserve any less than that." Everyone at the funeral was crying by now. "Everyone's saying that they've lost Grace, but I know that Tawny and I haven't lost Grace. A friendship as powerful as ours lasts forever. I believe I said before that Grace was my best friend, but I have a correction to make. Grace wasn't my best friend. Grace is my best friend. She always will be."
"Thank you, Lily." The pastor wiped his eye, "Now, we were going to have a word from Miss Arabella Figg, but it seems she isn't-"
"Wait! I'm here." Tawny ran over, her face chalk white and gaunt. She began, "The day I met Grace Andrews, I was three years old. Just a little girl. I was in Diagon Alley with my mother, buying clothes for...for my sister. For my sister, Victoria, who killed herself several years ago. I got lost and found myself by the ice cream parlor. Grace asked me what was wrong, and told her mother, who brought me back to my parents. Since then, Grace has always saved me, she's been the only thing between me and trouble so many times. I...I haven't always had the life I would've picked out myself, but Grace saved me. She saved me from suicide. She saved me from making the wrong decisions. She saved me from everything. Grace was the one who was really there for me. All my life. She was the good family I never had. She meant everything to me. If I had the chance to go back in time, and redo what happened, I would gladly have saved Lily instead. Grace deserved to live, I think. But, seeing as she didn't live, heaven must be an amazing place. That's what it must be, because that's what Grace deserves. Grace is an angel now, but she's always been an angel. Always. And I guess now I have to share my angel with the rest of the world. A part of me has left with Grace, I think. And I don't know how I can live without it. But, I think I'll be ok, if I know Grace is happy. A certain song comes to mind now. A song that everyone must be familiar with, and I think I'll sing it now;
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.
"T'was Grace that taught...
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear...
the hour I first believed.
"Through many dangers, toils and snares...
we have already come.
T'was Grace that brought us safe thus far...
and Grace will lead us home.
"The Lord has promised good to me...
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be...
as long as life endures.
"When we've been here a thousand years...
bright shining as the sun.
We've no less days to sing God's praise...
then when we've first begun
"Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me....
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see."
Tawny wiped her tears. By the end of the song, everyone had sung. "Grace did teach my heart to fear. Grace did relieve my fears. Grace did save me. It was Grace who made me see. And, no matter what, I'll never forget that." Tawny went to sit next to Sirius, who hugged her, and kissed the top of her head.
Everyone in the room was sobbing hysterically by now. "Inspirational, child, inspirational." Said the pastor. After that, they buried Grace, saying a few prayers. Grace was buried next to Lily, Violet Tawny, and Grace's tree. Lily and Tawny looked, and that tree and smiled at the memories.
"Oh, what do we write on it?" Grace asked
"Well, this is our tree from now on, so we have to sign our names." Tawny said, logically
"Oh, I have an idea! I read this poem somewhere, it goes like this: Cross my heart and hope to die, Boys and Make-up, clothes and lies, Forever till the very end. Definition of: true best friends." Lily said, grinning.
"Oh, I like that!" Violet squealed.
"Ok! Let's carve it on!"
Once they were finished, neatly carved into the tree was the following inscription:
Cross my heart and hope to die,
Boys and make-up,
Clothes and Lies,
Forever till the very end
Definition of: True best friends
~Lily Evans, Violet Evans, Grace Andrews, and Tanya (Arabella, if you must) Figg
"We'll always have the memories, you know, Tawny." Lily said
"Yes, but that isn't enough. We won't have Grace. Grace was like my sister. No, she was deeper than just my sister, my twin."
Lily and Tawny both cried. Lily knelt by Grace's grave. "Hey, Gracie. I'm going to miss you, you know. I need to stay strong for Tawny, though. I need to help her get on with her life. I can't stand the idea of having to live without you, Gracie, it's just too hard." Lily choked on her tears. "I wrote you a poem. (A/N: you could spare me the embarrassment, and skip over my horrible poetry, if you want.) Want me to read it to you? Ok, well, here it goes,
I wish it was easier,
Saying goodbye
I wish it was easier,
Trying not to cry
I wish it was easier,
To get on with my life
I wish it was easier,
To stop the pain that feels like a knife
I wish it was easier,
Cause you were my best friend,
I wish it was easier,
Cause I thought you'd be there till the end
And I wish it was easier,
Now that you're gone,
I wish it was easier,
To understand that you've been withdrawn
Lily sobbed, "Goodbye, Gracie. Goodbye." Lily walked back into the castle with Tawny.
James looked down at his dead cousin's grave. It hurt badly. It hurt thinking how much he'd miss Grace. She was his cousin. The girl he'd found comfort in playing with since he was an infant. Now she was dead. He hated Voldemort. Lily and Tawny didn't deserve this pain. They didn't deserve this at all.
Remus placed a rose on Grace's grave. This was his fault. All his fault. "Grace, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I could've saved you. I could've saved you. None of this would've happened if I weren't a werewolf. Or if I had convinced James not to go that night. I'm sorry, Grace. I need to tell you something now, though. Grace, I love you. I always loved you. I never had the courage to tell you. I was always afraid. I was always afraid that you didn't love me back. And now you're gone, and I wish I had told you before." Remus found tears in his eyes. "I'd give anything to bring you back to life, Grace. Anything. I love you. I always will."
Two weeks later, Lily and Tawny found a scrap of paper in the drawer that was once Grace's.
Dear Tawny and Lily,
I know I'm going to die tonight. I had a premonition. If you're reading this, I'm probably already dead. There's nothing I can do to stop it. It's destiny. But, I'm not afraid anymore. This is what was destined to happen. This is what I was put on this earth to do. My job is done after tonight. I love you both, and I'll miss you terribly. I never knew what I would do when I grew up, like you two did. Don't forget what I told you that you could have when I die. I'm sorry I have to leave you. I love you so much. You're both the best of friends.
I'll never forget you,
Grace
Lily put her arm around Tawny's neck. "It's going to be alright." She said, "And, we'll kill Voldemort for this. We will."
A/N: *sob* I cried through this whole thing...ok...guess what? THIS IS THE END!!!! *jumps up and down* OMG! I can't believe it!!! *dances* it's overrrr!!!! YES!!! I've finished a fanfic!!! Sorry this was short, but OMG...it's OVER!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!! Well, this is gonna be a series...so, now we're going to first year, then I'll do 2nd year, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and then after Hogwarts...*squeals* I'm so excited!!!! This is the 1st real fanfic I've ever finished!!! Ahhhhhh!!! OMG! Otayz...i'm not doing thank-yous, cuz there's gonna be a HUGE, huge, mega huge thank-you page next chapter...with all thank-yous combined...thanks to everyone who's ever reviewed, I couldn't do it without you guyz, and you'll get your moment of glory in the thank-you page!!! Ohhh...btw, sorry I never incorporated James' present in the story, it kinda...well slipped my mind, I guess...lol...well, the present is going 2 b given to Lily in the 7th year book...'cept it's gonna be given in the end up 6th year...*nodz* so, you'll be seeing it then! Anywayz, that's it...it's over...wow...i'll see you all reviewing the year 1 fic I'm gonna write, won't I? I sure hope so! I love my reviewers, and I wouldn't trade you guys in for the world! So, look out for the year 1 fic!