Author's Note : Super, special thanks to Thalia, without whom, this entire work would not be possible. I owe her a lot, and I just want to make it known that though the pairing mentioned in this story might still have existed, it would be nothing interesting without her. All thanks go to her, and a special nod should be given to her characterizations of Cassius Warrington and Kirsten Bundy as well as her help and input in using the character of Seamus Finnigan.

Disclaimer : I am poor and own nothing. All characters, situations, places, etc. therein belong to J. K. Rowling unless otherwise noted. No copyright is being infringed and no money is being made. Etc. Etc. Etc.

As Professor McGonagall, in an authoritative voice, announced to the assembled that Head Girl Emma Dobbs of Slytherin would make a speech, Seamus Finnigan, sitting in the crowd and holding a most curious doll-like item in his arms, fought to keep an inane grin from spreading across his face. Emma... HIS Emma... she had come so far. This was her moment, and he couldn't have been more proud or honoured. As the 7th year girl stepped to the podium, his applause was louder than anyone else's.

The girl....now a woman more than anything...looked out into the crowd, a bright and optimistic smile on her face. She had come so far, worked so hard for this moment - the moment when she stood before all others and proclaimed that if she could overcome the past eighteen years of her life, anyone could. Opening her mouth to begin speaking, she spotted Seamus out of the corner of her eye, and her confidence in herself was validated.

Seamus smiled softly as she began to speak, rejoicing in the expression of contentment on her face. It seemed only yesterday that he'd truly met her, crying, a small girl huddled in a corner, bruises marring her lovely face. But they'd come so far... SHE had won against such overwhelming odds.

Emma began to speak of her life, telling the story of her family, what she lived with, and just exactly what she had overcome in her fifth year. She talked of her brother, of her dorm mates, and most importantly of a boy named Seamus Finnigan. She told tales of rape, Unforgivables, betrayal, and love. She talked about the Final Battle, and she talked about almost losing someone she held close to her. Then she talked of helping after the battle...of losing lives and saving them, and for the first time in a very, very long time, she broke down into tears.

Several in the audience looked at her in surprise, at the poignant tale she told. Several others sighed in sympathy. And yet a few more felt their own vision blur. They had known Emma in those days, watched her fight her way out of hell. Next to Seamus Finnigan, a redhead looked solemn, an odd expression for him. He reached over almost impulsively to pat the head of the odd doll thing in Seamus' arms, but only got a bite for his trouble. And yet, Ron Weasley, who had been roped into going there with his old friend, couldn't bring himself to scowl or say anything irate.

Emma saw the doll bite the boy next to Seamus, and her reflexes told her to smile. She dried her tears with her sleeve and looked out on the crowd once more. "That is why I'm up here," she said, "because I didn't give up on myself or on the world around me. I stuck to what I believed in, even if it meant putting myself up against Death. I did what my heart told me to do, and I did what was right. I lived because there was no other choice for me, and I vowed to not make that precious gift I was given be in vain. Not a day goes by that I don't think about those that were left behind in June of 1998, and I can't let myself dwell on the past, but I can learn from it. I can take from those experiences and help to better myself and the people around me. I can live. And isn't that what's life about anyway?"

The crowd stayed silent for a moment, spellbound, before almost as one, burst into thunderous applause. Seamus, doll tucked under one arm, stood up and clapped loudly, his eyes filled with pride and love. He watched with a wide grin as Emma blew him a kiss, before stepping down from the podium, slightly flushed.

Several speakers (and hours) later, the program ended, as the graduates leapt up from their seats in bursts of happiness. Emma waded through the crowd (which was a rather hard feat, as someone would stop her to congratulate her on her speech every few steps) looking for Seamus, wanting to hear what he had thought of what she had said.

She was almost bowled over by a tall girl with bobbed blonde hair and a wide smile on her face. "Emma! That was terrific!" gushed Kirsten Bundy, one of the several unlikely friends that she'd made... back in THAT year.

"Thank you!" replied Emma, hugging her close friend, "I'm glad you liked it!"

"Very touching," Kirsten declared, with a rather watery smile, "It's amazing, you know... to have gone through as much as you have. But you've done very well. Especially for a Slytherin," the last was spoken teasingly.

"It's nothing you wouldn't do in my place. You've been through enough yourself, you 'Dor." Emma grinned.

"You're looking for my nutty former team mate, aren't you," Kirsten said shrewdly, "There are a few others who wish to congratulate you, I believe... but he's over there. Look for the moving lump of lilies."

Emma nearly put her face in her palms, but refrained from doing so. "Thank you, again, Kirsten. Hopefully I can meet up with you later and talk more in-depth about...well, whatever it is we talk about..."

"Biting plushies that attack Ron Weasley and the insanity of Lavender Brown for putting up with him?" Kirsten interjected with a smirk. "I'd love to, dear. I'll be waiting by the broom shed."

Emma winked and waved good-bye, walking in the direction of said lump of lilies.

"An excellent speech," another rather familiar voice called out. Standing a few feet away, a rare smile upon his face, was Cassius Warrington. "Congratulations, Emma Dobbs. You've done very well."

"And you don't think you're to blame for it?" laughed Emma, walking over to her mentor.

"I don't take credit for what I haven't done," he retorted, "I've helped you some, perhaps... but you did what you chose to do, independent of myself or anyone else."

"Especially the pulling reckless bravery stunt, right Warrington?" asked Emma, eyebrow raised.

"I did warn you not to," he replied, a mock-severe expression on his face. "Any reckless tendencies that might have sprung upon you, I lay all the blame on the Gryffindor." His face relaxed, and he nodded his head, "But really, you did well. Far better than almost any faced with your situation might have done."

This sincere compliment from Warrington was to be treasured and caused Emma blushed. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome... Emma. Good luck," he said seriously, proffering a hand.

Emma skipped the hand and gave Warrington an all out hug, transferring in it all the thank yous for her last three years of life.

The professor blinked and stiffened for a few moments as the young woman threw her arms around him, before shaking his head slightly and hugging back, seemingly not quite accustomed to such things. "Take care of yourself, Emma Dobbs," he said quietly, "Although I don't think I have to tell you... and someone else will make sure that things will go well for you."

"I will, so long as you do the same with yourself," she replied, smiling up at him.

"I'll be fine," he reassured her, adding on snarkily, "There aren't any more of our... former acquaintances with terribly complicated schemes of murdering me and such, after all." He stepped back slightly, "And I believe the perambulating greenhouse over there would be upset if you deprived him of your presence any longer, so... I shall talk to you some other time."

Emma nodded and bid him good-bye, once again making her way towards Seamus. Passing a most unhappy-looking Vera Montague, whose hair still had not recovered from a Charms NEWT mishap that had singed a few inches and turned the rest a most violent shade of purple, Emma shook her head and made her way towards where Seamus was standing, grinning ear to ear, and indeed, holding out a huge bouquet of lilies that almost hid his face from view.

"Who could be behind such a glamorous display of affection?" asked Emma, peeking between the flowers, "Do I know them?"

"I'd certainly hope so," Seamus's warm voice came out from behind the lilies, moving them into her hand before leaning in to kiss her cheek. "Please accept this humble gift from your worshipper, goddess Emma."

"They'll do." Emma inhaled the fragrant scent of the flowers, before she grinned madly, "I like it when my servants worship me."

"Which I do," Seamus assured her with an extremely solemn expression on his face. "Although I'm hurt you spent so much time speaking to Kirsten and then the Slytherin git before noticing me." The last was said somewhat jokingly, though with a huge pout on his face.

"Oh! Seamus!" Emma looked worried for a moment before realising he was only joshing her, "It's not my fault that I had to swim through a sea of admiring fans to get to you."

"It's all right," he said solemnly, before giving her a cheeky grin, "It only means that I have excellent taste."

"How so?" she asked.

"Such a lovely girlfriend," he whispered into her hair, "Someone so brave and strong and respected by all. I feel quite lucky. Especially while you were up there earlier."

"I couldn't have done any of it without you," she reminded him, "I would have been the one lying dead on the field if it hadn't been for you. It's you that kept me alive..."

"And YOU taught me... that not all of you were the same. You taught me... gave me a reason to live again," he said seriously, "I think in that, we're even."

"Then we're even," Emma nodded solemnly.

He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. "I'm so proud of you, love."

"I did it for you," she murmured, embracing him.

He laid kisses on her brow and in her hair, stroking her back with his hand, "Things are going to be all right now. You're here. You're free. We're all free. The world is a bright place again. And most importantly, we have each other."

Emma felt the doll in Seamus's pocket squirming around, and she grinned up at him evilly. "Is that a biting plushie or are you just happy to see me?" she asked.

Seamus' face turned a shade to rival Ron Weasley's hair.

Emma laughed, knowing she had bested him. "Well...are you going to answer me?"

"No," he muttered. "Er. Congratulations."

"You know I'm only pushing your buttons," said Emma, pulling the doll from his pocket, "You brought the plushie!Emma. How sweet!"

"I still don't know where plushie!Emma came from. It likes to bite Ron," Seamus murmured, looking at the doll, which was smirking at the two of them.

"Have heard many rumours about said doll over the years," Emma said, petting it, "I can't believe you still have it."

"I can't fall asleep without it," he told her, his face extremely serious.

"Really?"

Suddenly, Seamus seemed nervous, and swallowed several times before carefully setting the plushie and the lilies in Emma's arms, and taking one of her hands in his. "Emma Dobbs, years ago I'd never have thought I'd be with someone like you. You were the representation of all that I feared and hated... and yet, you went beyond that. You're so strong... so BRAVE... and there's not a day that goes by now, that I don't thank whoever is up there for bringing you into my life. Just when the world seemed like nothing would be right again, there you were. You're my inspiration, my immortal beloved. The muse I worship. You're the one I dream of... and I honestly don't know what I could have done without you my last year. I love you, Emma Dobbs... everything about you, and it would be my greatest wish if you would honour me by becoming my wife." The words were spoken somewhat nervously, but sincerely, and he picked one of the lilies out of the bouquet. Wrapped around the stem was a ring, silver with a teardrop sapphire, the colour of her eyes.

Emma's hand flew to her mouth when he presented the ring to her and it took all she had in her to keep from crying for the second time that day. She had never....expected such a thing to happen on a day like today...yet here he was, looking down at her, so sincerely, so lovingly. Words weren't coming as quickly as she wanted and she made a few gasping noises before she was able to pull her hand away and say, in a very small but sure voice, "Yes."

His smile widened to truly silly proportions as he slid the ring from the stem of the lily and onto her finger, before throwing his arms around her in a warm embrace and murmuring into her hair, "I'd hoped that you would say that, love..."

"How can I say anything else?" she whispered back, putting her arms around him, forgetting that they were there just off to the side of so many people. For once, she felt as thought there really only were two people in the world.

He kissed her lips gently, before she could say anything more. All was right in the world, and she would be his forever. They were safe, and she had said yes, and when he finally pulled away, looking into her luminous blue eyes, he smiled. "I love you forever."