***The Marauder Chronicles is a fan fiction. It is not to be taken as true to the events leading up to Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Characters and Locations
belong to J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement is intended. This isn't to be reproduced or sold.***
Author's note: I was going to have another long one, but I thought it would be more appropriate to remember the brave men and women of the Shuttle Columbia who
died on re-entry into the earths atmosphere. Exploring, one of our inmost natures, is also dangerous, but we cannot deny that part of our humanity. The families of the
crew have said that they want space exploration to continue, as do I. Space is the final frontier, and who knows what the universe holds. The crew of the Columbia were
some of the best and the brightest in the world, and they will always be remembered.
The song at the end of the chapter is not written by me. It was preformed by Diana Ross for the movie 'The Land Before Time.' Yes, it's that cartoon with the dinosaurs, the first one. It was the first movie I saw with my mom, and the song reminds me of...well, you'll see. If you ever have a chance to hear it, I highly recommend it because it's very beautiful. I had to download it from the internet to get it so it's possible. Anyway, just wanted to tell you that. There is more to come; this isn't the last chapter so stay with me readers! Now here's chapter 23.
Part Ten: Graduation
"...and as we go on, we remember, all the times we spent together. As our lives change, come whatever, we will still be friends forever..."
The portrait door slammed open to allow Sirius, Remus, and Peter to pile into the common room. There were few people sitting inside, those who had finished their tests earlier than others, but they all looked up at the hasty faces that had just entered with so much commotion. Liz was sitting in a squashy armchair not facing the door reading a book, but she turned around quickly when she heard them enter.
"What's up?" she asked.
"James sprinted out of the Tower, and we haven't seen him since. He looked really upset. He isn't in here, is he?" Sirius asked.
"I don't think so. Is he alright?"
"Well, he nearly fell down the rope ladder then booked down the stairs. I don't know if he's alright or not."
"He looked as though he'd seen something dreadful," Remus said.
"No, I haven't seen him. Actually you're the first people I have seen. Lily and Jade are still taking the Arithmancy test."
"Well, maybe I'll go looking for him," Sirius said.
"We already have. Why don't you just let him come back to us, Sirius," Remus said. He dropped his books on the table and headed upstairs.
"What is wrong with him lately?" Liz asked. "He's been so agitated."
Sirius knew that the full moon was approaching, and he was probably fed up with stress. He shook his head at her then started for the door when James came in.
"There you are," Sirius said. "We looked all over for you. What happened, why did you leave like that? Remus saw you run past him, and he came back up to tell us."
James took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "It's nothing. I just had a bit of a scare, and I went to Dumbledore's office."
"Why?"
"Trelawny said something to me, like a real prediction, and it wasn't a very pleasant one. The scariest thing is that she didn't even remember telling it."
"Wait," Sirius said looking at him hard. "She gave you a real prediction? Didn't she say she was going to do that in your dream a while back?"
James nodded.
"So what did she say?"
"It doesn't matter. I went to Dumbledore and explained it to him, and he said it couldn't be true."
"I still want to know," he said. Liz and Peter moved closer to them so they could hear as well. Then the portrait door opened again and a whole mess of Gryffindors of all years entered, including Jade and Lily.
"Glad that's over with," Jade said, Lily nodded.
"So what's going on?" Lily said, lacing her fingers through James's and kissing him. He turned to look at her but didn't know how to say it all again.
"I want to tell you something, but don't worry about it because it probably doesn't mean anything. Let's leave the common room though," he said. Lily looked puzzled by his expression, but she followed him out of the room, Sirius, Jade, Liz and Peter in tow.
James found an empty classroom and sat them all down then spilled the beans, word for word.
Liz shook it off saying that "the woman is a mental case," but she was the only one who thought that. Even Lily, who didn't really hold to all the Divination hype, looked at James peculiarly. After all, it wasn't just James's door that Voldemort would be 'knocking on' it would also be hers and whoever else's.
"But Dumbledore said that there was no heir, so that probably means the other half is false, too," Jade said.
"Yeah, but she came to him in a dream back in September, right James?" Sirius said.
"Right. I never thought she would actually do it, so I forgot all about it. She told me that she would give me a true prediction. But Dumbledore said that there wasn't anything to fret about. I booked out of the tower because it spooked me. So that's about it."
"Well if Dumbledore said it isn't so, that has to mean something," Lily said finally. "He has a good grasp on all of this, I'm sure. Too bad about the heir, though. I mean, I don't exactly believe all this future telling nonsense, but there's something to it being said twice, unless she did it to freak you out." Lily looked conflicted but told herself that it was nonsense. But she couldn't shake that tiny voice; could it all be true?
* * * * *
A handsome owl flew out of the Hogwarts owlery and began it's way south. It flew over many rivers, countless towns, many rooftops, and finally dropped it's letter through the mail slot of a manor.
'To the Parent's of L. Evans' was the only writing on the large envelope. Mrs. Evans opened it hastily and read aloud so her husband could hear:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Evans
You are cordially invited to the Hogwarts Graduation Ceremony of your daughter, Miss Lily Evans, on June 20, 1978. As you are non-magic, special arrangements will need to be met for your attendance. Two tickets have been enclosed in the envelope which you will need to present to a Mr. Krystoff Burrows at Kings Cross Station in London on the very same day. He will take you Hogwarts; you need not worry.
As I'm sure you already know, your daughter will give a speech, as she is Head Girl of the class, along with James Potter, who is Head Boy.
We look forward to your presence.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster
Mr. and Mrs. Evans smiled and cried then laughed and cried again when yet another owl delivered another letter. This one was in an immaculate white envelope with very loopy writing on the front. Mr. Evans looked at it and balled before it was even opened.
'Robert and Amanda Evans request your presence at the joining of Lily Mary Evans and James Byron Potter in the ceremony of Holy Matrimony on September the eighth, nineteen hundred and seventy eight. The Ceremony will commence at two o'clock in the Queens Garden of Westminister, London. Please R.S.V.P.'
Inside was a small note from Lily which read: I just got them yesterday and wanted to send one to you for keepsake and to make you feel all mushy and old. Just kidding. I'm sending them out tomorrow to everyone on the list, which is friends and family. I love you both so very much. See you on the twentieth for Graduation.
Love always,
Lily
Amanda and Robert cried happy tears for the rest of the day.
* * * * *
The Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests were given on the fourteenth of June. James Potter was pulling at his hair as he looked at a, well...nastily difficult question. Sirius Black, who was on the way other side of the room, was whistling through his nose as he looked at the very same problem. Remus Lupin was focusing on burning the test with his eyes. Peter was not taking the test, so he was content with making funny faces at his friends through the door window.
Lily, when coming to a question she wasn't quite sure about, wrote as much as possible even though it might not be correct. When you don't have quality, why not go for quantity? Jade was painfully honest with her test. When she came to a question to which she had no clue, she would write a funny story which made her smile, would also make the people correcting the test smile as well, and put them into a better mood. When you don't have quality, try humor; after all, laughter is the greatest medicine. Liz, who was merely taking the test because she wanted to go into the Ministry, wrote what she knew and left it at that. Why write more if you don't know the rest?
At thirty minutes past twelve, a very loud and obnoxious noise sounded through the large testing room.
"Please set down your quills, and close the test booklets. The written part of the examination is over," a chubby little witch said. James threw down his quill, stretched, and looked back at Sirius, who made violent gestures with his hands. Jade had to pull the test from Lily, who was still writing frantically. Liz turned to see Remus, but he avoided her eyes.
Once the tests had been collected, the chubby witch went around and grouped people then sent them to various classrooms. Jade was put into a group with Remus and they were sent to the dungeons for the practical section of the exam.
"After this we're done and on with the show," Jade said as she walked along Remus.
"Yeah, on with the show," he said.
"Are you okay, Remus?" she asked. "You've been off color lately."
Remus tried to grin at her, but he feared it was very feeble. "Well it's just the end, you know?"
She smiled and nodded. "Yeah. It's the end. But that's not what's really bothering you, is it?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I don't know if it's my place, so bear with me, but you and Liz don't seem to be hitting it off too well."
Remus sighed and shook his head. "No, we don't. I don't really want to discuss it."
Jade looked at him with concern but nodded and never mentioned it again.
Once in the dungeons, they were separated into different sections. Jade went with some Ravenclaws, and Remus went into a group of people with whom he'd never spoken. He figured they were breaking people up based on their chosen profession, and he was with the 'Undecided' crowd. 'Come on Remus. Just do your best,' he thought to himself.
Jade was tested on a number of things, but the concentration was on history with which she did very well. She breathed a sigh of relief and waited for Remus to finish. Liz showed up a minute later and sat down next to her.
"What is with him lately?" she said.
Jade shrugged. "Has he been offered any jobs?"
"He hasn't said, but I suspect no. I've tried talking to him, but he's just so distant." Liz sighed and leaned her head back against the stone wall. "We've been going out for a long while now, you know?"
"Yeah," Jade said, finding that no matter what she said Liz would vent feelings that she needed to express.
"If he can't tell me what's bothering him, then what kind of a relationship do we have? I'm going one way, which is fine, but he doesn't tell me where he's going. I appreciate that everyone has secrets, I really do, but GOD!" she cried out. Not a moment too soon, Remus came out of one of the classrooms and smiled at them.
Liz buried her present emotions and grinned at him, closing proximity.
"How did it go?" she asked taking his hands.
"I think I did well, but who knows. We'll see in a few days, right?" Liz nodded her head, and Jade found that to be a good time to sneak away and let them have some private time.
Back in the common room, Jade found Lily sitting on a pouf looking thoroughly relieved that all tests were now completed.
"So how do you think you did?" she asked Lily.
"Good. The written was a bit harsh, but the practical was a cinch. I'm just glad it's all off my head. I can relax now for a good five minutes before I have something else to do. What about you?"
"Well, I kinda B.S.ed the written when I had no idea. Actually that's not all together true. I wrote a story about two guys and a dragon when I got to that question about that one transfiguration spell that required something I had never heard of in my life."
"I hated that question! I just wrote about anything and everything I could about it. I know I'll get marked wrong."
"But it's over now," Jade said, crashing into a chair across from Lily. Some second years were sitting near the fireplace playing exploding snap, so the two girls watched until James and Sirius came crashing into the common room.
"That's it!" Sirius screamed, his arm around James's shoulders in a brotherly fashion. "We are done."
"Done," James nodded in agreement with a huge grin. "Done: the act of completing mindless, busy work which is all around boring and useless. Done: the act of doing nothing for the rest of the week. Done: the act of-"
"We get it, James," Sirius said. "So where's Remus and Peter?" he asked the two.
"Remus is with Liz right now for some much needed solitary time. The last I saw of Peter was him making a doggy head with his left hand through the window at me," Jade answered.
"That was a dog?" Sirius asked. "I thought it looked more like a pig."
"No the pig was later, after the dog," James said.
"So I missed the dog hand?"
"You missed the dog hand," James snickered. "But I'm sure he'll do it again for you."
Lily smiled at James and winked at him. He stared back. Jade, sensing the vibrations, got up and grabbed Sirius by the wrist and dragged him away.
"So I was thinking," James said, going closer to Lily, "that maybe you could show me that thing."
"That thing?" she asked. "Oh, that thing!"
"Yes, you know, the thing."
"I think I can do that. I'll tell you what, let me go get my wand, and we'll go to an empty classroom and work magic."
"That sounds good to me. I'll go and get mine." And they were off with wands in hand.
"If anyone asks where we are, tell them we're practicing our dueling," Lily said, taking James by one of his hands and leading him out.
"Right," Sirius said sarcastically. "Dueling. Sure, we'll tell them that. Be sure and have a good time."
James grinned back and let Lily lead him out. "So where is the best classroom for dueling practice?" Lily asked.
"Oh you know, wherever is fine with me."
"How about this one?" she said pointing to a rarely used room. He nodded, and they entered. Lily let go of his hand and walked to the other end with wand at the ready.
"Wait, we're really going to duel?" he asked.
"Of course. What did you think we were going to do, kiss?"
James looked up as if in thought then nodded. "Yeah. I saw the way you looked at me. That was the playful-Lily-look."
"Later, but I really want to duel with you to show you that thing."
"I can't do it. I've tried in class."
"Yeah, well try just a few times now that I've told you how to do it. It's very useful, you know."
"Fine. But afterwards we have to-"
"Yes, yes. Now, wands at the ready," she said. James danced around to get himself in the mood, then faced off. He bowed to her head nod then waited for the count.
"One," she said with a sexy smile that made him want to drop his wand and kiss her, "two...THREE!"
"Tartengrella!" James yelled. Lily crossed her arms and reversed the spell as she had done on the day of the dueling tournament. As a result, James was dancing all over the room causing Lily to burst out with laughter. "Fix me please!"
She muttered the counter curse and tried to stop laughing. "Okay, we're going about this the wrong way. First off, I should just hit you and you should try to protect yourself."
"Secondly," James said, "maybe you should try bowing as is proper for a duel instead of that little head nod of yours."
"Oh please. Is my lack of bow the reason you lost?"
James stared at her. "It could be," he said. She laughed again. "Well, even Snape bowed. It's a symbol of respect, and you don't do it. Do you not respect me?"
Lily arched an eyebrow and smirked.
"That's funny," he said.
"Oh James, of course I respect you. I just don't like bowing, don't ask me why. Now, back to business. Try thinking of me for this charm-like-spell, because I think of you."
"Right, concentrate on you. Okay, let's have a go." Lily lunged forward and hit him with a spell, but he failed. He got up and tried again but couldn't put up any resemblance of a shield. Then again, and again...
"Alright, so maybe you can't do it," Lily said after the tenth time and James looked like a wreck. "Maybe we're going about this in the wrong way. The shield is essentially a charm. I'm good at charms, but you're better at Transfiguration. Let me have your wand and then you can try to transfigure something."
"Alright, but after this no more magic."
"Deal." James tossed her his wand, stuck his hand over a chair, and closed his eyes. At first nothing seemed to be happening, but then the chair gave a wobble and fell into a beautiful arrangement of flowers, which he presented to Lily. She smiled brightly and blushed; words failed her.
"I guess I did have it in me," he said shyly, handing them to her. She moved closer to him and whispered, "Let's end it on a high note, shall we?"
"About bloody time if you ask me." She set the flowers down, leaned against him, and let her hands travel up his chest to the back of his neck He eased into her and met her lips. At first the kiss was soft, but it grew to be much more. Maybe it was the relieved stress, or that they hadn't had time in the past to be alone due to studying, but neither one of them had ever felt as good as they did at the moment. He pulled her closer to him, his hands on her back; she complied. He started moving down her jaw line then to her neck when she exhaled and grinned.
"We really shouldn't be doing this," she said, but didn't mean.
"Why's that?" he managed to whisper in her ear.
"I don't know, I was just it saying to be proper." Just then the door to the classroom burst open as Sirius glided in.
"AHA!" he yelled pointing at them, now very much apart. "I knew it!"
"You idiot!" James said. "Leave us the hell alone."
"Do you actually think I came in here to stop you two from steaming up the place?"
"With the way you entered...yeah!" James said.
"Oh ye of little faith. I just thought you ought to know that the teachers are going to use this room to discuss Graduation procedures. I just heard them and they're on the way down."
"No way," James said.
"Yeah. That is why I always choose the Astronomy tower. Why don't the two of you try it, eh?"
"You know, Sirius, James and I really did duel," she said as she picked up their forgotten wands and headed out the door.
"Sure you were, Lily."
"It's true. Look, James made these flowers for me out of the chair."
"I'm sure he did. All I know is, that they way you two were going at it, it's hard to believe you're both still dressed."
"Sirius!" Lily screamed, but James seemed to find it flattering. "You know well that we plan on refraining until the wedding day."
"Yeah, you plan on it."
"I am going to where a white dress with a veil, and it's going to mean something."
"No arguments here," Sirius continued with his dry tone.
As everyone expected, Gryffindor won the Quidditch cup. The final match against Hufflepuff was a resounding victory for Gryffindor with them leading Hufflepuff 300 to sixty. James was very happy with the result but saddened knowing that it was the last game he would play. He didn't cry at the end of the match, or when he was handed the trophy for the last time; he was happy with the knowledge that his talent wouldn't be wasted, but carried on-though Lily would never believe him.
Sirius pointed out that many Ministry and International departments would have their own teams, and James could play for pure recreation, which made him grin at the thought that he could beat his superiors in the future.
Final exam results came in after the match. James and Lily got the top marks, to no one's surprise, with Sirius in a very close second. Professor McGonnagal couldn't stop grinning at James and Sirius, mostly James, when she gave them the test results. They figured that at the end of the year, when they were finally leaving, she relaxed.
The Nastily Exhausting Wizardry Test scores followed the school exams. They were graded differently as they had different sections: Written and Practical. Of course they all did very well, so there's no need to elaborate further into very boring statistics. Only Remus feared that though he had gotten very good scores, they probably won't aid him much.
Lily passed some catering, decorating, and dress responsibilities onto Jade for the time being. Jade had to owl to prepare and report back to Lily with the on goings. She became very close with the Evans's in a short period of time. Liz helped somewhat, but not to the degree as Jade; Liz was very preoccupied with Remus.
The thing was, Liz didn't know about Remus and his condition. Lily had always kept that observation to herself and never breathed it to a soul. So as the full moon approached, and Remus's temper grew shorter, Liz was left in the dark. He always got a little grumpy with the coming of the full moon, but on top of his job rejections and the buckled stress of graduation, he was extremely agitated. She had tried asking him what the matter was, but he wouldn't give. He used the excuse that everyone has secrets that need not be told. Liz agreed quickly when she thought of her own.
James and Sirius sensed this tension and agreed to a day of fun preceeding the full moon. They started off with James's camera.
"Okay," Sirius said as Remus held the camera for the first time since the unsuccessful recovery of the Marauders' Map. "This is the sixteenth of June, four days before we leave this school forever. We have decided to commit this place to memory and film, with Remus Lupin behind the camera and the rest of us exploring." Sirius grinned into the lens; Remus laughed. They started with Gryffindor Tower, talking to different students and making them laugh. "Good Luck!" so many of them said, and "Have a great life!" were more of the others. But the true fun didn't begin until they caught the staff on film. Professor Sprout, who had dirt on her nose, smiled eagerly into the camera and talked about missing them and their antics. "I'll always remember you four," she said with a hearty laugh.
With reluctance, they hunted down Professor Wicks, who was surprisingly compliant with their foray into film. He told them to work on potions and always remember, "Never mix sugar with wolfsbane."
They all ran to Professor Gellar's class laughing like giddy school boys, which they were. She turned out to be quite camera shy, but that didn't stop Sirius from getting her to say a few words. "Defense against the Dark Arts is the most important of all your lessons. Um...America will always be better at Quidditch," she said with a smirk.
"You wish," James said.
"Chasers are the most important," she continued.
"Here, here!" James yelled.
"And the four of you were my favorite seventh years," she said with a bright smile. Sirius chuckled.
"You probably say that to all of your students," he said bashfully.
"Naw, just you guys. I'm really going to miss you."
"Can I kiss you? On the cheek?" he asked hesitantly, as though he'd been thinking about it for many months.
"I can't kiss you as a student. But I will after the twentieth, how about that?"
Sirius nodded and grinned. "Deal."
They even decided to capture Trelawny who told them all to heed their employers; duh.
Professor McGonnagal cried when they entered her office. She hugged James first, then Sirius, muttering through her sobs about them being so clever yet annoying in class, apparently an endearing quality for her.
"You two take care of each other out there," she said to James and Sirius. "Try not to get into too much trouble. And promise that you'll come and visit me," she said wobbling.
"We will, Professor," James assured her. Then Sirius was struck with a sudden idea.
"Professor, could you do me a very big favor?" he asked as he pulled something out of his pocket.
"What is that?" she asked, ceasing to sob as she studied his face.
"Well, I would really like it if you would wear my sunglasses so we could capture it on film." He handed them to her, which she took cautiously. "They're safe, I assure you." She looked at the four of them sternly, then slowly took off her square spectacles and replaced them with Sirius's shades.
James had to stifle a snort of laughter. Seeing strict Professor McGonnagal wearing sunglasses was far too much. She had suddenly lost all credibility. She gave them a half smile then took them off, but it was caught on film and would therefore be seen by others.
Then it was Dumbledore's turn. He asked to wear the glasses and he even did a small dance, which was very corny, but anything Albus Dumbledore did was very cool. "How's that speech going, James?" he asked, still wearing the glasses.
"Oh, great," he lied.
"You haven't started it have you?" he asked with a wry grin.
"Not a bloody word," James admitted and laughed. They left his office, feeling as though they had accomplished a great deal by interviewing all of their teachers.
Jade jumped at the chance to make a funny remark on film. She began by breathing on to the lens, fogging it up, and flaring her nostrils.
"What talent," Remus commented as she did this.
"I know," she said lightly. "But I want to be remembered."
"Oh you will be. You film very well, Jade."
"Why thank you," she said batting her lashes playfully and flipping her hair. She pulled Lily into view and made her show her ring, which Lily was only too happy to do.
"Awwww," Sirius and Remus said together as Lily showed it. "So where is this man you're marrying?"
"He's right next to you," she said as James strode up next to her. "Here he is. Isn't he adorable?"
"So kiss already. Do it for the audience," Remus said. Jade, Liz, Peter, and Sirius chanted for them to do it, so they finally gave in. Lily smiled brightly as she jumped into his arms so she was level with his face. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and grinned back at her. Then they kissed, or maybe smooched would be a more appropriate term. It was a very touching thing to witness, two people so madly in love with one another. All of them felt happy but also a tad jealous at the sight of James and Lily. Very rarely were you ever lucky enough to see soul mates. "Now say it so we all know."
James smiled cheekily at the camera then back at Lily. "I can't believe I call these people my friends."
"Me neither."
"Yeah, yeah," Remus said zooming in on their faces. "Just go."
"I love you," Lily said first, blushing as she leaned her forehead against James's.
"I love you back," he said smiling. They kissed again, this time more deeply.
"Awwwww," the rest of them said as they looked on. "Aren't you both so cute?" Sirius remarked. James and Lily stared into each other's eyes for several minutes, long after Remus turned off the camera, long after Jade took Sirius by the hand, and long after Peter skipped off to the owlry to write to his mother. They didn't talk, didn't kiss, didn't do anything but gaze into each other's souls.
When night fell, so did the happiness. There is truth to every philosopher's wise sayings, but at the time none were as true as "all good things must come to an end." But this one came from behind.
It was Sirius's idea to take some butterbeer and reminisce about the good times the four of them had together. They decided that the common room wasn't the most private, so they should hold it in the proverbial clubhouse: the Shrieking Shack. Remus would turn wild two days before Graduation, so what better night than tonight.
Under James's Invisibility cloak, eyewitness to so much crime, the four of them tripped and stumbled out into the night and into the living room of the shack. They each crashed into a ripped chair and knocked back a few drinks to loosen themselves up.
"I remember," James began, pointing at Sirius, "when you hexed Bertha Jorkins."
Sirius chuckled.
"Why, again, did you do that, Sirius?" Remus asked.
"She was nagging me."
"'Bout what?"
"Well, turned out that she had seen me kissing Florence. I thought I was well hidden behind the greenhouses, but she saw us. You know how Bertha was, she was going to spread it around if I didn't stop her. She said she'd tell Florence's ex-boyfriend, the very large Beater for Ravenclaw. So I hexed her." He took a large gulp of butterbeer as Remus laughed.
"You hexed her? Weren't you in detention for about a week?"
"Yeah. Dumbledore was harsh. Oh well."
"What about the time the two of you laced stink bombs in Snape's shoes?" Remus said. James cracked with the giggles as did Sirius and Peter.
"Every time he stepped...RIP!" James cried. "That was good. And the best part was that the stench stayed with him for three days."
"I say we do it again," Sirius said. "Just because we can."
"No. You can never do the same thing twice. It takes away authenticity," James said.
"True," they agreed.
"God," Sirius started, "remember when Peter grew a tail and panicked and couldn't get the rest to change."
They laughed some more. "We had to walk so close behind him the teachers all looked funny at us."
"Took us three days to get him back to normal."
"We could have all been toast."
This continued for about thirty minutes. Talk of their transformation woes, like the time "Sirius barked instead of coughed," or when "James kept using the wall to scratch the top of his head," and we can never forget the time when "Peter grew whiskers in the middle of Astronomy. Luckily it was dark, but he squeaked with every whisker plucked." They laughed themselves hoarse until...
"Remember when Sirius tried to kill Snape by telling him how to get into the Willow when Moony was here?" Peter said, laughing. But he was the only one. Remus dropped his bottle. It shattered as it hit the floor. He looked quickly to Sirius, who opened his mouth to try to explain, but Remus beat him to it.
"That was you who sent him down here? I thought it was an accident. I thought he figured it out for himself. But it was you the whole time?" James stared, not knowing what to do.
James knew the truth. He knew what Sirius had planned and he didn't agree, but he understood why it was done. Snape was planning on poisoning Lily with a love potion, as childish as it sounded, he was going to do it. Snape had found the potion in the restricted section of the library and was concocting it. Remus and Liz found out about it, told Sirius and went from there. Remus and Sirius hadn't said anything to James and they weren't planning to, but Peter let it slip that Sirius had told Snape how to get into the willow, and James stopped him. James was furious with Sirius when he found out, and even angrier when he learned why Sirius did it. The fact of the matter was, Remus was never told that Sirius planned it. They let it all gloss over, thinking it was best to move on and forget about it.
"Now, Remus wait. You have to understand-"
"You used me. You were going to use me to kill someone!"
"You know what Snape was planning on doing, Remus. You knew, you were the one who told me. Peter and I saw him buying the ingredients for that potion. If we didn't do something-"
"We? It was you, Sirius. You were going to take advantage of my disability to kill Snape. You were going to let me kill Snape, instead of you. You were going to let me take the fall for your planning?" He was now standing, fists clenched, teeth gritted.
"Look, if he wasn't stopped he would have poisoned her. He would have taken her free will and destroyed James at the same time."
"So why didn't you stop him, Sirius? Huh? Why? Why didn't you snuff him out? Why were you going to let me kill him for you? If you were fine with this, why didn't you tell me that day? Why keep me in the dark for over a year!"
Now Sirius was starting to lose control. James and Peter remained silent.
"You listen to me," Sirius said. "It was a good plan. Snape would have come to the Willow, seen you and you-"
"Would have killed him, making everything better, is that right? You would let me be a murderer. Hell, it's just Remus, what does he have? He'll go nowhere with his disease. He won't get married, won't have a family, and God knows he'll never get a job and will probably starve to death, or die of humiliation. So who cares if he kills one man, even if he is scum. They'll only send him up to Azkaban, or someone will slaughter him in the streets because he's just a damned werewolf, an animal. I'm Sirius Black, prefect of Hogwarts, Quidditch cup winner, and handsome ladies man. I have tons to live for. Let Remus, the loser and lost cause, kill Severus Snape. He won't mind!"
"Remus, I was trying to protect James, I didn't want to-" but Remus stopped him again.
"James. It's always James, isn't Sirius? It always has been. He's all you care about at this school, in this world. You've never been anyone else's friend. Certainly not mine, certainly not Peter's. Only James's. Well that's fine, but why go around laughing it up with others? I appreciate your constant watch over him, but he can take care of himself. Why didn't you tell him what Snape was planning? Oh, wait, he would have killed him. If Remus does it, it'll just be an accident. No one will suspect foul play."
"You know that's not true, Remus. I was only trying to help. You know, damn it, what that asshole was planning. Someone had to stop him!" Sirius yelled, his face going red.
"We've discussed that. You were going to let me do it for you. You'd hate it if your brother went to prison, wouldn't you? So let Remus go. You can live without him, but not James. And was he happy about it, Sirius? Was he proud of what you had done for him? I almost killed him, you know. To think that the two of you are so close, but so different in moral standing. He sees Snape going to the Willow, at least that's what I assume happened, tries to stop him, pulls him out of harms way and kicks me back into this room. He risked his life for someone whom he hated, who was trying to steal the most important thing to him. He saved him, the same person you worked so hard to kill. What did he think of your 'valiant' actions?"
Sirius tore his burning eyes from Remus and looked down at James, who still sat in silence but looked up at him. James had been upset with him. He didn't want Snape to be killed. Oh sure, he was angry when he found out what Snape was going to do, furious even, but killing him was out of the question. James, of course, thought it, threatened it to Snape, but Sirius told him not to kill Snape when James set out looking for him. But James knew, as well as Sirius did, that he didn't have it in him to kill someone. James could have talked all day about murder, but never go through with it. Snape knew, however, that James would do something drastic if Lily was taken, stolen, from him. The fact that James had taken it into his own hands and not gone to Dumbledore proved that he had the guts to do whatever necessary. Snape took heed.
"Well, Sirius? He was enraged with you, wasn't he? I can here it now, 'How could you kill a man, Sirius?' Is that what he said to you?"
Sirius remained silent but stared back at Remus. The room was still, and the wind didn't seem to blow outside. James didn't know whether to intervene or let them handle it. After minutes of everyone staring at everyone else, Remus spoke again. He was relaxed but by no means finished with his rage. It was spooky how calm he was. James always thought it was worse when his mother had whispered at him instead of yelled. It always sent a shiver up his spine, as Remus now did.
"I always envied you, Sirius. Always wondered what it would be like to be you. I admit it, I was jealous. What was it like to be, not only a normal human being, but beloved by so many, including myself. Three entire houses love you. You're smart, funny, easy to be around...got so much attention. What must it be like? God I wanted so much to be like you. But now I see how you really are. All that talent, that normalcy, has turned you into this: a selfish, arrogant man. Granted you love James, no doubt about that. You'd do anything for him, but no one else.
"You know what I have? Nothing. I have nothing. Since we all decided to be honest with each other, let's share out life plans, shall we? My parents are getting a divorce now that I'm a legal wizard. They're divorcing because of me. I was the one who caused them to fall apart. They can't even be in the same room without ripping each other for what happened to me.
"My future holds nothing. No one will hire me simply because they fear me, as you must. I have all the qualifications to do well, but I can't get anywhere because of what I am. Elizabeth, let's talk about her. She wants me to tell her everything. How do you tell someone that once a month you're a monster? How can you expect them to stay with you? I'll have to eventually. I'll tell her the truth. I know her well enough to say that she won't leave me right away, but gradually. And I don't blame her for it. After all, who wants to live with me? Who could stomach the thought of going to bed with a werewolf?"
Sirius stared at him, his face blank. "Remus I'm sor-"
"Yeah, everyone's sorry. I'm sorry for what I am. I'm sorry for who you turned out to be. I'm sorry you have no moral judgement for right and wrong because at least I know that. I'm sorry that you, who apparently have no conscience, got all the goods while I got stuck with nothing. I'm sorry I thought you were my friend with whom I could trust. And I'm sorry for Jade, who actually seems to like you. But most of all, I'm sorry for your parents, who think so highly of such a bastard they raised. I wonder if they would approve of the filth you are today. At least James, your confidant, didn't get mixed up in all your splendor." Remus gave him one last stare and headed out of the shack.
Sirius stood in the middle of the room, hardly blinking. James finally got up. He looked at Sirius and wanted to say something, but thought of nothing to say. He patted his shoulder instead and headed after Remus.
He was walking down the tunnel, James caught up with him. They stared at each other.
"I know this is a lot," James started, "and I know what he did was wrong. But I've gotta tell you, even I was thankful for what he did for me. I thanked him, Remus. I'm not justifying it, but I..."
"You just don't know how to be a coward, do you James?" Remus said. "After all of that, after I nearly took his head off, you come down here apologizing for him, telling me the truth about your feelings on the matter, apologizing for it, being honest. You just can't be cowardly, can you? You're not the one at fault. I know you didn't know about it in advance, and you didn't know that he kept me in the dark. I saw in the corner of my eye, that look on your face."
"It was wrong and stupid and so many other things, but..." he didn't know how to finish. Remus smiled sadly at him.
"I never thanked you," he said as if he'd forgotten a book a home.
"For what?" James asked confused.
"Saving me."
"Saving you? I never did that," he said shaking his head.
Remus surprised himself with a chuckle. "Sure you did. You cleaned up after Sirius, for the first time. He was off enjoying the girls' attention in Hogsmeade, and you came charging down to move me out of the way."
"What are you talking about?"
"The arrow. I was going to attack Hagrid. You came down, full speed, nearly gored me, and took the hit. I know it was silver tipped. If you hadn't moved me, I would be dead. It's thanks to you that I'm here now. So that's two lives, James."
"I was trying to stop you from getting to Hagrid. I didn't know he had the crossbow."
"Doesn't matter. Either way you would have been the hero. And you knew about the crossbow; I can see it in your eyes. Anyway, thanks. I shudder to think what would have happened then, if you had looked elsewhere, and with Snape."
James gazed at him and felt so desperate inside to do something, but he could think of nothing. "Remus, Sirius is my friend."
"I know. You guys have always been your own entity. You're the only person he cares about."
"That's not true."
"Well, maybe not. But I saw the panic when you finally got with Lily. It was discreet, but he was still panicked that he would lose you. He got scared when you proposed to her, right? Granted he's happy for you, but he knows that after September eighth, the 'James and Sirius' era will end. Eighteen years of that era, gone with 'I do.' It'll be interesting to see how he does."
"That's because we've been best friends since before we could walk. Look, I don't want this tension to go on forever. You're my friend too."
"And you want everyone to be happy and get along."
"Well...yeah I guess."
"He used me, James. He used me to commit murder. I don't know that I'll ever patch it up with him. I'll always be around for you, not that you'll ever need help. I wish I had your nobility, your strength, and your courage. I will always help you, or Lily if you want it or need it. Always."
James looked at him with concern. He opened his mouth several times but couldn't think of what to say.
"You don't have to respond to it," Remus said. "I'm going to the Tower. I need to try and sleep. I'll see you around, James." With that he turned and left.
James watched him go then turned back for the shack. Sirius was still standing in the middle of the room as if petrified. Peter looked a shambles in the chair.
"Sirius," James said quietly, "are you okay?"
Sirius didn't speak.
"Look, let's all go back to the tower and get some rest," he said motioning for the door.
"No," Sirius mumbled.
"Why not?"
"I just don't want to."
"Come on. We'll talk about it in the morning." But Sirius had gone into automatic shut down. James had seen if few times and could easily recognize it. Sirius would literally shut himself inside and not talk to anyone when he would get into a fight. James remembered a time when Sirius had a huge fight with Mr. Black, and Sirius felt terrible about it. He didn't talk for days. "Sirius," James tried again, but it was in vain. Sirius walked out of the room by himself, not looking back, not looking sad or angry, just emotionless.
James crashed into his chair and rubbed his temples with his fists.
"I'm sorry I didn't keep my mouth shut," Peter said.
"It's really not your fault."
"Yeah it is. If I hadn't have said that, they wouldn't be fighting. I'm sorry, James."
He smiled at Peter then started to leave. Peter got up and scrambled after him.
* * * * *
It looked like the end of Sirius and Remus being friends. Remus avoided him whenever possible, glaring at him as he took absence. James felt like he was in the middle of it all. He wanted them to resolve it and put it behind them, but Remus had an awfully good point. James had to agree on many of the finer points. While Sirius had planned the murder, done it for him, not letting Lupin know about it was pushing the envelope. Murder was pushing the envelope, actually.
Sirius tried wearing a mask to hide his despair, but it was sensed.
"Hey, let's go...turn Snape into a toad for old time's sake," James said with a smile to Sirius.
"Do you think he was right about me?" he asked.
"Well," James started, running his hand nervously through his hair. "Hindsight is 20/20, Sirius. Yeah, it was wrong what you did, and it always will be. Nothing will ever make it right. At the time, however...I was angry with you, then Snape. I even threatened to kill him. But the fact remains that you set Snape up for Remus to kill, without telling him. Being a werewolf has really messed up his life, to say the very least."
Sirius let his head fall on the table. "What am I going to do?" he asked.
"Search me," James said.
Lily came up to the two of them and sat down. She had an ink mark around her mouth, and her hair was up in an untidy bun.
"What happened to you?" James asked.
"Speech happened. I've been working on it nonstop, and I don't even think I like it. Have any ideas?"
"None."
"Haven't you started yours?"
"Nope."
"James, you have to have a speech before the twentieth."
"Yeah. I was thinking about winging it."
"Winging it?"
"Right. I'm a very glib individual."
"Is that so?" she asked.
"Yep."
Lily laughed as she shook her head. "I don't think winging it will be such a good idea."
"Why not? The class knows me, and the staff knows me. It's just a speech. No one will care," he said lightly. Sirius pulled his head up and examined James's features.
"Go write your damn speech," he said. James looked at him funnily. "Yeah, you heard me. Get off your sorry ass, and go write that speech. You have tons of stuff to say so go and say it."
"Sirius is right, you know. The entire class is looking to you to start this thing with a bang."
James sighed, and set off for a quill and parchment.
"That was insensitive of us," Lily said.
"No it wasn't. James doesn't like all that mush stuff."
"Do you think he'll be okay?"
"I have no idea. This is the big event, you know."
"I'm afraid so. Gosh, I just wish he had some relatives that could come. Everyone else has somebody, but he has no one of his own."
"I think he'll live through it. He's strong." James came back with a quill and parchment. He sat down, dipped, and stared at the blank sheet in front of him.
"I got nothing. I don't know how these things go. What do you have?"
"Well," she said, "the usual, I guess. I've never been to a wizard graduation ceremony, so I don't know how the speeches should be."
"Me neither. Do I talk about the class, the year, the seven years? Do I mention myself, others, the professors? Forget it, I can't concentrate."
He dropped his quill and looked across the table at her.
"So, not that I want to pressure you, but how many guys are standing up with you?"
He shrugged.
"I have to have an even number. Sirius will be up there, as well as Remus I assume. What about Peter?"
Sirius got up and walked out of the room. James took her hands from across the table.
"What's up?" she asked, as her eyes followed Sirius out of the common room.
"Remus and Sirius had a little rift last night."
"Oh my goodness," she said. "What happened?"
"It's kinda between them and me. I don't think it's appropriate for me to tell you right now. Needless to say, I don't know how long they're going to be like this. So you're just having Jade and Liz with you, right?"
"Yes. But if you're going to have Peter up there as well, then I have to find another girl."
"Where is it written that it has to be an even number?"
Lily wrinkled her nose and smirked, "I have no idea."
"Is it illegal to be uneven and original?"
"I don't think so," she said.
"Besides, no one ever looks and says, 'Hey Merle, there are more men than women up there!' They'll be looking at us. That's going to be so weird," he said smiling.
"What is?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter. A new era."
"You make it sound like a fragrance," she said. "And don't you want to change your last name to Evans? I think James Evans sounds better than Lily Potter."
He rolled his eyes. "Don't get all women's liberation on me. It kills romance."
She giggled. "No, I'll change my last name of course. I won't be called first for role, or get first dibs on the grades, but I can live with that."
"Excellent. So just give me a hint about your speech," he said pulling her hands forward and looking desperately at her.
She shook her head, pulled her hands from his, took her speech and ran. James followed.
After one night of prowling alone with Moony in the forest, James still had nothing to say in his speech. He figured that maybe time would give him some answers, but so far it was just leaving him less time. Remus gave him a few suggestions, but James didn't really know how to word them. Only he and Remus set out into the night of the full moon. Sirius wasn't even invited to go along. They stayed close to the castle, but at a safe distance. It wasn't exactly the most fun, but it was better for Moony's mind to be out and about rather than being locked up in the Shrieking Shack alone.
James slept for half of the next day thinking of nothing but his speech, which he would have to give in front of his class and their families. What did it matter if it wasn't the greatest? He was never one of those great writers or prophetic speakers. Besides, his family had been gone for over a year now.
"They would have liked to see me graduate," he mumbled to his pillow. He could see his mother crying as Byron would have been giving him a thumbs up. Neither one of them would be able to talk. It wasn't fair, he thought. Why were they missing this? Why couldn't they be here and watch him give a speech to the class? Why couldn't they see him get married? Why couldn't they ever be grandparents?
Because it was their time, another voice said.
James eventually thought of his speech, mostly when he was sleeping and not accessible to a pad of parchment and quill. He got it together on the twentieth and rehearsed it a few times before Peter came rambling in with his graduation robes backwards asking for James's help.
The graduation robes were slightly different from their normal ones. They were black silk, with the Hogwarts crest on the left side instead of the Gryffindor one. The boys had to wear a nice suit underneath so that the tie would show. The girls had to where either black or dark gray skirts and a white blouse with a sweater vest, much like normally. James, who was graduating at the top of the class, had a gold sash with blue trim which he would wear around his shoulders, draping down his front. His Head Boy badge was pinned neatly to his chest where it was clearly visible.
He helped Peter get situated as he said his speech to him.
"So what do you think?" he asked.
"Not as good as Lily's, but it's still good."
"She read hers to you?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I can't tell you about it. She thinks you might take her ideas."
"Why would that matter, she's going first. I'll just be glad when it's all over. Did you lay out your dress robes for the Ball?"
"Yeah. But I'm not sure that I want to go. No girls will dance with me."
"How do you know that?" he asked with a smile.
"I can see, James. I know what I look like."
"And what's that?"
"Short, squat, and ugly."
James chuckled. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder."
"I hope the beholder has blurry vision," he said and made James laugh. He checked himself in the mirror one more time, tried flattening his hair, then walked down to the common room to see thirty-four classmates, all dressed the same way, but without the sash. Lily was standing alone in a corner with her eyes shut tightly, mouthing soundless words. He started towards her.
"Well look at how slick you look," Sirius said with a grin. He had finally shook the shut down phase of his fight and started to come back, though completely ignored by Remus. Sirius was dressed in the same fashion, minus the badge and blue trim from the sash.
"Don't flatter me. But you look good too. So this is the last time we're in this room as seventh years. The next time we come in here we're just simple wizards who have completed education."
"I'm really going to miss this place."
"Me too. I'm going to say hello to Lily." He walked off and stood in front of Lily for three minutes before she noticed him.
"You'll do fine," he told her, but she was still nervous.
"I hope so. I have this horrible vision of tripping on my robes as I walk up to the podium."
"If you trip, raise your hands in triumph as if you meant to do it," he said, taking her hands.
"So this is it."
"This is it."
"You look very handsome," she said with a grin.
"And you've never looked lovelier. Well maybe, but I just can't remember."
"I still don't get how you're the top of the class. You hardly ever studied."
James squirmed and made a funny motion with his lips. "That's not entirely accurate," he whispered.
"What do you mean?" she asked pulling him closer.
"Well, Sirius and I studied after everyone went to bed. I know it's stupid, but we had to keep our brilliant and fun loving reputations."
Lily looked both delighted and shocked.
"Oh really?"
"Yeah, but don't tell anyone."
"You're not just saying that to make me feel better for being number two?"
"No, I'm not. Besides being first means that if I fall on my way up to get the diploma, everyone will laugh. But if you do it after me, it'll have lost all its humor." She smiled. The portrait door opened as Professor McGonnagal walked in. She looked like a woman on a mission.
"Could I have your attention please?" she asked. Everyone stopped talking.
"I need for you all to be in order. Prefects go first, then alphabetically, thank you." She saw to it that Sirius was first in line, Jade following, then the A's, B's, and so forth. "And there you two are," she said proudly as she walked over to Lily and James. She took a spray can out of her cloak and went for James's hair. But it was pointless; it still stood on end. "You both look so wonderful," she said with tears in her eyes. "Gryffindor leads the class. I'm so proud of you two." She adjusted James's tie, straightened his sash, and led the two of them out of the common room, leaving Sirius in charge of the rest of the class.
McGonnagal took them into the entrance hall. "Now, the families are down in the Quidditch Pitch. You two wait here and make sure everyone gets where they're supposed to be. I'll be back to get you when we're ready." She hurried out of the room and headed down to the field.
Soon they were joined by Ravenclaw. The prefects stood with Lily and James and watched as the class negotiated with their standing assignments. Soon the Gryffindors, Hufflepuffs and Slytherins joined them. They all got in alphabetical order as they had rehearsed for a few days. Then the prefects arranged themselves by academic standing. Professor McGonnagal came back and told them all some last minute tidbits, put James and Lily in front of the line, then took them down to the pitch.
There were tall stadium seats moved onto the center of field facing away from the soon to be setting sun. The chairs the graduates would be sitting in were facing the same way towards the stage. They all sat down as a class and watched as Albus Dumbledore took the stage.
He walked up to the podium and called for silence. "Welcome to the graduation of the class of 1978. As you all know, after these young wizards graduate, they will be fully fledged legal wizards capable of Apparation and Animagus transformation," James and Sirius smirked at each other, "and begin their future. The class of seventy-eight is the very first class I have seen sorted and graduated. I was made Headmaster when these fine students were only just eleven. I have come to know many of them over the years, but nearly all of them have made me proud. There isn't a student here who isn't talented in one way or another, yet they are all very unique. Since as human beings we all have a very short attention span, I will leave you good people all alone and announce the classes first speaker and Head Girl of Hogwarts, Miss Lily Evans."
There was applause. Lily closed her eyes, took a deep breath, squeezed James's hand, and walked to the podium.
'Damn there's a bunch of people,' she thought as she looked out onto the parents and her own class. She smiled at them all, many of who smiled back, then began.
"Magic. To me it has meant so many things over the years. When I was very young, it was only found in fairy tales when the brave knight would slay the evil dragon to save the princess. When I was ten, it was the slight of hand and the pulling of a white rabbit out of a hat. But the day the owl brought my Hogwarts letter, magic was no longer an illusion or a subject in fiction, but my future.
"Of all the emotions I felt when I was passing through Platform Nine and Three Quarters for the first time, apprehension and fear were dominant. I didn't know anything of this enchanting world which so many of you already knew. A mystical castle, owl post, and a magic wand were as foreign to me as a distant planet. But the tension left me as I clambered onto that train and began the now familiar journey to this wonderful place. I thought I wouldn't make friends with magical girls and boys, or that I would even fit in. Surely no one would want me because I was of non-magic heritage, and I had no clue about anything. But I was wrong.
"The very first day here, the day we all timidly walked to the Sorting Hat, I met so many great friends, friends I will have forever. As I look out into the crowd of silk cloaks, not only do I see friendly faces, but stories and memories. I remember the first feather we lifted when were eleven, the screaming mandrakes when we were twelve and none of us will ever forget the day Professor Chambers let a hinkypunk loose when we were thirteen. I'll never forget the time we shared together in this golden era we simply call school. To me it was more than an education but a teaching in life. Not all of our time here was happy, but it was memorable. I believe that all of us have grown to be the best people we know how to be. I've talked to all of you at some point or another, and we're all so different, but together we make a wonderful class.
"So now we go on. On to become butchers, or bakers or candlestick makers. (Laughter) Some of us will be Professors, great Ministry officials, politicians, inventors, doctors, and world saviors. We'll come back in ten years and laugh about the time Headmaster Dumbledore sang karaoke in our fourth year. We'll reminisce and smile when we think of that morning in fifth year when unnamed sources had turned all the owls green." She smiled down at Sirius and James. "No one will forget the losses we suffered in year six, or the drama we witnessed in year seven. But now all of that is past, and we have only the future to look forward to and ponder. After tonight, many of us will go our separate ways, but many of us will stay together." Lily looked down at the podium and started to cry. She knew she would, but she was hoping that maybe she could save it until later.
"I will always miss the time I spent here," she got out. Her vision was now blurry as she looked at her friends. "These are truly the golden years of our lives; when we were protected from the evils which haunt the world. I will miss..." she wiped away her tears, "my great Professors, especially you, Professor McGonnagal, who told me when I did well, and never hesitated to tell me when I'd wronged. I'll miss you, Professor Flitwick, for your friendly gestures and teaching my favorite class. And I'll miss you, Headmaster Dumbledore, for your wisdom, kindness, and your ability to make me smile when I just wanted to sulk." Her face was red now, her eyes bloodshot as she came to her last sentences.
"Thank you Hogwarts for allowing me to be not only a student but a member of a great family. Thank you, my fellow classmates of the great year of seventy-eight, for accepting me into your world.
"I hope all of you meet success in your lives. I hope you all find happiness. I hope you all rise to the challenges that will certainly meet you, and I hope all of you find love. Congratulations to all of us, the class of nineteen seventy-eight!" Everyone applauded grandly for her. She smiled a teary smile as she nodded to them, barely able to keep the salty tears from pouring down her face. Dumbledore helped her to her chair next to James then went back up to the podium.
James kissed her lightly on the cheek and whispered into her ear, "That was so beautiful." Dumbledore waited until the applause died to speak. "Miss Evans, you forgot to mention that not only did I sing to you and your classmates, but I also did a matching dance," he said warmly, smiling back at her. The class and audience laughed. "And now we'll hear from our Head Boy, James Potter." Lily squeezed his hand then let him go. He walked up to the podium and smiled.
"Needless to say, my speech won't be nearly as good, so please bear with me. I promise I'll try to keep it short and sweet." Mild laughter swept through. He collected his thoughts as he looked down into the class then took a deep breath. "It took me a while to find the right words to say to all of you, and I'm not sure that I have.
"I, like many of you, knew I would be attending Hogwarts since I was just a loud and troublesome toddler. I was told many stories about school, stories that were repeated over and over and over again to the point I was sick of them. I was told and taught many things, but I fear I only heeded to one: 'Your time at Hogwarts will be the best. Live every moment there as if it was your last.' I believe I have, and unfortunately some of you were victim to that." The class laughed, James grinned.
"My father once told me to live life with no regrets. It's hard to live up to. In my seven years here, I can recall many stupid things that I did because I thought it was funny, or cool, or impressive. We all have our regrets. We've all done something dumb at one time or another. We've all made decisions out of passion rather than logic, and at times the consequences were huge. We're young, inexperienced, and brash, but that doesn't mean we always will be.
"Hogwarts is just one chapter in our lives. Granted it was seven years long, but it was still a chapter. I can safely say that I won't miss Filch's temper, the destruction caused by the oh so animated Peeves the Poltergeist, or the inaccurate visions of the future Professor Trelawny would give us, and I note she's not here. She's probably up in her tower right now searching her foggy crystal ball with her 'Inner eye.'" The class really liked that one. "Yet there is something to it all. Hogwarts would be a very bland place without Filch's cat, Peeves, or any fortune teller.
"Can you imagine being here without house rivalries? Without school enemies? I don't think I want to. It added character to our years here. Nothing was more thrilling than playing Quidditch against each other, or even watching in the stands. Nothing is more irritating than a verbal volley with someone you detest. But each experience tells you, whether it be fun, miserable, or regretful, that we're alive. No one ever said life was fair or perfect. We need to experience the bad to appreciate the good. Perhaps that is why pure evil infiltrates our world; we need it to look for greatness, heroism, teamwork, and hope." He paused for effect.
"I don't know if I made a difference here, or left a mark. I know that this class, we, will always be the best class to walk this stage," he smiled as he looked upon the other nodding faces. "The future holds endless possibilities for us. But I'll always remember this chapter of my life, and the time I spent with all of you. I know I have enemies out there, you know who you are, but it prepared you and me for the challenges that are yet to come. It can't be easy out there in the real world. I don't know it from experience of course, but from the gray hair so many people in the audience adorn." There was some playful booing but mostly laughter from the families.
"As this chapter finally closes, a new one opens. The first pages may not begin with once upon a time, or end with happily ever after, but all of us shared one part of our book with each other, and I am forever thankful. I would like to personally thank a few people," he said going for a scroll in his robe pocket. He took it out, united the ribbon, and let the end fall down to the floor. "Just kidding, it's blank," he said showing it to them. "We finally made it to the end. Congratulations to the best class Hogwarts has seen!" James got a very healthy applause. He grinned at them then sat back down next to Lily who was simply beaming.
"I liked the book theme," she said.
"Yeah, well I was trying to be metaphorical."
"You just couldn't resist one last joke, could you?"
"Never," he took her hand and watched Professor McGonnagal and Dumbledore take the stage with a golden chest that held their diplomas. They each spoke of how proud they were then explained that the prefects would graduate first based on academic standing, and the rest of the class would follow alphabetically.
"James Byron Potter" was called up first. He shook Dumbledore's hand, took the Diploma from Professor McGonnagal, and walked back to his seat. He couldn't help but look into the audience for his mother and father, though he knew they weren't there. He felt somewhat empty inside as he looked at all the other families. He could see Mr. and Mrs. Black waving at him, he smiled back, but it wasn't the same. He wanted the thumbs up from his father and the tearful grin from his mother. But he wouldn't get it, ever again.
He stood over his seat and waited until his entire row had gotten their diploma. Lily followed right behind him. She turned to wave at her parents, and tugged on James to give him a needed smile.
"They're here, you know. They're watching you and smiling down on you. And I think it's safe to say they're proud."
"Killer speech, James," Sirius said to him.
"Lily's was better," James said.
"Yeah, but she's an over achiever so it doesn't actually count. Ouch!" he said. "Lily no pinching, you know it's true. But yeah, James I really liked yours. I'm glad you didn't wing it."
"It was very good, James. You didn't look nervous. I was terrified, weren't you?"
"Not so much. I'm glad I didn't cry though. Gosh how embarrassing would that have been," he teased. She lightly slapped his shoulder then linked her arm through his.
The ceremony wasn't very long, as there were only one hundred and forty three seventh years. Dumbledore made the class turn around to present them as the graduated class of 1978 so the families could cry some more. After that, they were dismissed and lots of hugging and hand shaking took place.
Soon Lily was swallowed by the arms of her very proud mother and father.
"Congratulations Princess," they both said. Mrs. Evans gave James a very tight hug and rather wet kiss on his cheek, followed by the "You're so adorable," phrase she reserved just for him. Then they traded; Mrs. Evans took Lily and Mr. Evans shook James's hand vigorously and slapped his shoulder a good few times.
"You did good, kid," he said proudly. "Congratulations. Top of the class, you even beat my little girl. Well at least the talent won't be wasted." He grabbed James by the wrist and waved a finger at him. "I expect very smart grandchildren from you, James, very smart."
"I'll try my best." He laughed then went back to Lily.
Then the Blacks came bustling over. Sirius was looking unhappy with his mother's lipstick on his cheeks, but James found it quite funny. The Evans's and the Blacks seemed fascinated with each other and took to talking. James, Sirius, and Lily found content in simply watching them interact.
"So at last I get to meet Lily's mother and father," Dumbledore said as he came up to them. "You did good with her," he said to them. Lily blushed. "Why don't we all head to the Great Hall for the feast," he said as he herded them up to the castle.
The feast was as good as it ever was. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were delighted to finally see the castle. They had charms preformed on them so they could see everything, in case you were wondering. After dinner, Lily showed them everything, including every classroom she had been taught in, Gryffindor tower, and to Mrs. Evans's great delight, Myrtle's bathroom.
When the guided tour was over, Dumbledore encouraged the parents and other relatives to join him in the east wing of the castle, while the graduates attend the ball in the Great Hall.
Remus turned down the invite to go. He said he didn't feel much like dancing.
The boys changed very quickly into their dress robes. James had black ones for lack of fashion flair, Sirius wore attractive midnight blue ones, while Peter wore...
"Brown?"
"My mum picked them out for me. Do I look stupid?" he asked
"No," James said.
"A little bit," Sirius said snickering. "Ow!" he yelled as James's elbow slipped into his ribs.
"You look fine, now let's go down to the common room and wait for the girls."
They waited there for a good twenty minutes with the rest of the guys before any girl made an appearance. Liz was the first to come down, though she wouldn't have an escort. She wore lavender robes, her hair in curls.
"Ah, you look purdy," Sirius said lightly.
"Thank you. I only wish Remus would come."
"Well, Peter doesn't have a date so maybe the two of you..." he said, pushing Peter towards her.
"Sure," she said as she smiled at him. Peter smiled but gave both James and Sirius desperate looks. "Jade and Lily are still getting ready," she told them.
"What? You girls take too long," Sirius said. But they didn't have to wait too much longer as Jade and Lily both came down the stairs together. They both looked lovely.
Jade's attire composed of blue robes with a slit exposing her legs. Her hair was pulled back into a tight bun leaving her neck completely uncovered. She smiled at Sirius then turned around so he could see the whole ensemble.
"What do you think?" she asked him. He was speechless.
Lily's robes looked much more like a dress. She had used the spell on her dress that she used on James's sweater over Christmas vacation. It was the exact color of her eyes, though almost changing in the light. It had a seductive V-neck which was revealing yet concealing. Her hair fell down long, as it most always did.
"You should be wearing a crown," James said. She blushed and smiled.
"We should start on our way down," she said. James took her hand lifted it above her head and spun her around. He clasped her hands so that their fingers laced though one another. Sirius had finally got over his shock at how good Jade looked, and took her hand. Liz took the liberty of linking her arm with Peter's because his hand was too sweaty to hold.
"Oh my," Jade said as they entered the Ball, which about summed it up for the rest of them. The Great Hall had been transformed into an enchanting array of sparkling splendor. The sky outside was light due to the moon's brightness, but the ceiling within the Hall was dark and sprinkled with millions of shimmering bright stars. Indeed, the rest of the room looked much like the ceiling. The walls were enchanted so it looked as if you would walk right past them and sail off into infinity.
The music was being preformed by Serena the Sorcerer, which brought an immediate grin to Jade who had seen Sirius perform one of her songs over the summer. The current song was very fast moving. Most couples were sitting down or watching but not dancing. Lily pulled James towards the empty dance floor, but he wouldn't budge.
"James, let's dance," she said.
"No way."
"Oh stop being such a baby and dance with me."
"Lily, I don't care how pretty you are or how good that outfit looks. I am not going out there. I'm not a dancer like you are."
"James, this is a Ball. That means people dance on occasion."
"And I will, when it's slower and I don't have to move my feet."
"Fine." She escorted them to a table.
"This is such a good song, though," Sirius said. "What about you, Jade, care to dance?"
"Well you see I would, but as soon as I get out there and 'danced' I think I'd clear the room. I'm great dancing alone when no one sees me, but not in public."
"So, it looks to me like we came with the wrong dates," Lily said. James looked at her, then at Sirius and smiled.
"Knock yourselves out," he said releasing Lily's hand. Sirius grinned, grabbed her hand and ran to the middle of the floor.
Heads rose.
"Okay, so we're here. What kind of dances do you know?" she asked.
"Improvised ones. You?"
"All kinds. Why don't we just start someplace and go from there."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
Serena struck her band up into a very rhythmic song which involved lots of drums and plenty of base. Sirius looked into Lily's eyes and swung her out, then back into him with the beat. It was hard to keep a straight face.
Now plenty of people were interested in dancing. They all congregated around the dance floor to watch Lily and Sirius have a 'swinging' good time. The two looked as if they had been dancing since birth. Lily twirled, spun, and shook in all the right times as Sirius did the small steps.
"Ever notice how the girls seem to have more fun with this kind of thing?" Jade asked James as they watched.
"There's a reason for that," he said.
"Oh, and what's that?"
"Well, try to imagine Sirius moving like her."
Jade laughed.
"I rest my case." By this time the crowd was clapping to the beat, Serena was watching and singing with a grin, and Lily and Sirius looked like they were having a grand time. By the time the song ended, the entire seventh year was applauding them.
"Did you guys rehearse that?" Jade asked.
"No we're just really good," he said. He put his hand up and she slapped it. "Okay James, you can have her back now. Thank you for letting me borrow her."
"You're welcome, but it'll never happen again." The song Serena started this time was a slow one. "May I 'ave zis daunce, my lady?" he asked in a bad French accent.
"Oui," she said. He smiled, placed one hand on her waist and the other took her hand.
"Did I tell you how beautiful you look?" he asked.
"Only every day. Did I mention how handsome you are?"
"No, but I can see it in the way your eyes lust for my body," he said in a deep voice he intended to sound seductive but instead made him sound like a chain smoker. She giggled and rested her head on his chest. He shut his eyes and kissed her forehead, smelling her strawberry hair.
"I can't believe it's over."
"Me neither."
"No more school uniforms, no more mandatory classes, no more kissing in classrooms, or owl post in the morning."
"No more Quidditch games, or Slytherin attacks. But we're getting married in eighty days."
"You're counting the days?" she asked with bright eyes as she looked up at him.
"Of course. Aren't you?"
"Yeah," she said. She kissed him repeatedly then hugged him.
"It's getting close. You sure you still want me?"
"Positive. You sure you still want me?"
"I'm pretty sure about that," he said with a wry smile.
"You are aware that I have absolutely no cooking abilities whatsoever, right?"
"No, I didn't know that."
"Well I don't. I plan on spending the summer learning. How hard can it be?"
"Just don't kill us with the food," he said. "What a way to go. I can here it now, 'they loved toast. It only seems right that the toast kill them.'" Sirius and Jade came waltzing next to them to talk.
"Have you guys seen it?" Sirius asked.
"Seen what?"
"Poor Liz and Fred Astaire."
"No, where are they?" James asked.
"Follow the sound of feet being stepped on. Then look for a short dude in poop brown robes. When you've found him, duck to avoid the flying hexes being hurtled through the air by a certain Miss Banks."
"We have so got to see this," James said. He and Lily dance-followed Sirius and Jade to the spot of trouble where they found that Sirius wasn't exaggerating.
"You step on my foot one more time, and I swear to God," Liz muttered through her clenched teeth.
"How's the happy couple?" Sirius asked with too much pleasure.
"Fine," Peter said. James had to face the other way to keep from laughing at the scene. Lily too seemed over come with the giggles, so she led them away to their table.
"I know it's mean to be laughing," she said though still flushed with laughter. The two sat down, hand in hand, and watched Sirius and Jade dance. Once they calmed down, they got to talking.
"You think he'll ever settle down?" she asked.
"Sirius? I don't know."
"How long do you think they'll go out?"
"Not sure. This is the longest one he's had, and he likes her an awful lot. She could be for him. We'll have to wait and see."
"I hope they will. She wants to be in love so badly. She already has the names of her first three children picked out."
"Tell me she's ahead of you in that respect," he said taking a sip of punch.
She fiddled with the table cloth, then quickly changed the subject. "I wonder what it feels like to be up on stage singing your heart out like that."
"I don't know. I would never do it."
"Never? Haven't you ever wondered though?"
"Not really. I'm not much in the theatrics department."
"I bet you're a closet singer," she said with a smirk.
"No. I don't even sing in the shower. Sirius does though. He's terrible, but he sings his heart out." The songs sped up again and Sirius was back in the center of it all with Jade watching. Lily got up to go see then danced with some other girls (no not that kind of way!). Jade came over and sat down next to James. She smiled at him.
"Do you really have the names of your first three kids?" he asked. She laughed.
Hours later, when the Ball seemed to be winding down and all the couples were dancing slowly to the music, Serena stopped and called for attention. James squeezed Lily's hand.
"I have it under good authority," she said in thick cockney, "that we have a young singer in the audience which no one really knows about. She has no idea what's going on, so let's all welcome Lily Evans to the stage," she said. Everyone gave surprised applause, except Lily who was staring at James.
"What?" she asked.
"Go up there," he said.
"You?"
He nodded. She stood rooted to the spot until he began dragging her to the front.
"James I can't. I can't sing in front of all these people!" she said pulling back.
"Why not? You gave them a speech. You have a wonderful voice so sing to them. You'll always wonder how it felt," he said. Serena reached down and pulled her up on stage, the crowd cheering her name.
She timidly walked up to the front of the stage and tapped the magic mike. Serena bustled over and shoved lyrics in her face.
"You know this song?"
Lily looked down at them and nodded. She had only heard it once but it stuck with her for some reason. She didn't even need the words.
The pianist started first with a soft touch of the keys, then the harp came in to play. She would have to sing very soon. What if she squeaked? Oh no, she thought, it's coming up. She closed her eyes and pretended they weren't all there, then opened her mouth to sing.
Don't lose your way,
With each passing day.
You've come so far
Don't throw it away.
Live believing,
Dreams are for winning,
Wonders are waiting to start.
Live your story
Faith, hope, and glory,
Hold to the truth in your heart.
And now the chorus, she told herself, opening her eyes to see the dazzled crowd who looked awe struck rather than amused.
If we hold on, together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by,
For you and I.
The drums started up, and Lily swayed her hips to the rhythm. This was a good feeling, she thought to herself. She sang on beautifully, the words had so much meaning to her, as if she was meant for that song.
Souls in the wind
Must learn how to bend.
Seek out a star
Hold on to the end.
Valley, Mountain
There is a fountain
Watch as our tears roll away.
Words are swaying
Someone is praying,
Please let us come home to stay.
If we hold on, together
I know our dreams will never die
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by,
For you and I.
When we are out there in the dark
We'll dream about the sun.
In the dark we'll feel the light
Warm our hearts, everyone.
If we hold on, together
I know our dreams will never die.
Dreams see us through to forever
As high, as souls can fly, the clouds roll by
For you and I
The crowd cheered her before the music stopped. Lily smiled brightly and bowed to the crowd. They kept cheering for her and she loved every second of it. James waited for her at the bottom of the stage grinning from ear to ear. She ran to him and jumped into his arms.
"Thank you," she said into his ear, "thank you."
"Don't mention it. You sounded wonderful! I think your neglecting your calling!" he said. Soon Sirius, Liz, Jade, and Peter were all talking incessantly to her about her voice which they had never heard. She blushed but smiled. The song had touched a place in her heart. She could feel it. A place not all people had, a place that was sacred, a place she had never felt before, and a place which was reserved for someone very special....
* * * * *
It was with bittersweet hearts that they boarded the train the very next morning. They had slept in their dormitories one last time, eaten in the Great Hall with friends one last time, and talked with their professors one last time. Sirius made sure he got his cheek kiss from Professor Gellar and talked loudly about it to James in their dorm as they packed up to go. Once everything was in his trunk, James took his pocketknife and carved into the stone behind his bed, "James Potter was here." Then he took a picture he had of him, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter and slipped it under a loose floorboard under his bed. He had copied it, of course, but wanted it there for some quirky reason.
They loaded their trunks onto the train, gave the castle one more good look, then got aboard. The rest of the school had gone home earlier in the week, so there was tons of room on the train. The seven of them shared a large compartment, which was good; Sirius and Remus still avoided each other. James was starting to wonder if Remus was right: would they ever be friends again? It was hard to say. Time heals most things, James thought.
And so they sat there. Lily was snuggled tightly with her arms around James's waist, and his arms were around her, his chin over her head. Jade and Sirius were holding hands and leaning on each other. Remus had his head tilted back against the wall with his eyes shut, Liz next to him, and Peter sat next to the window. He occasionally looked outside, but mostly looked around at his pensive companions. James caught his eye and gave him a friendly wink, which Peter returned.
They were done with school. Done with homework, done with agonizing tests, Ordinary Wizarding Levels, done with no responsibilities and no worries about finances. They had their lives to live now. What would they become? Would they be disk jockeys, bakers, candlestick makers? Would any of them do great things?
James sighed and looked out the windows at the passing mountains. He could still see the dot that was his old school. He gave a weak smiled to it.
"Goodbye Hogwarts," he said as the rest of them smiled. "We'll miss you."
