Seventh Year – Part Three
Alice squealed loudly. "You're proposing at the end of the year?"
"Sh!" hissed James, looking around furtively. "Al, I don't want Lily to hear."
"Oh, sorry. But are you? Oh, Merlin, that's fantastic!"
Sirius made a coughing sound, glaring at the young woman before him.
"Sorry, Sirius, I forgot you were proposing, too."
"You are?" asked James, astonished. "Arabella?"
"Well, who else?"
Alice smiled. She had just come for a visit to Hogwarts with her fiancé, Frank, and found Lily and James as a blossoming couple madly in love, much to her surprise, since the last time she saw them, they had been arguing as usual.
Frank suddenly appeared next to them, grinning. "What're you talking about?"
"Proposing," said Sirius briefly. "Care to join?"
"Proposing?" repeated Frank, as his eyes widened in recognition. "You're proposing already?"
"At the end of the year," elaborated James. "We're not too young, are we? After all, you guys are only nineteen yourselves."
"True," said Alice absently, "but we've already got everything settled. No, I don't think you two are young at all, though I do have second thoughts about you, Sirius. However, isn't Remus proposing?"
James' light-hearted expression darkened. "No. He wants to break up with her at the end of the year."
"What?" Frank was flabbergasted. "Why?"
Sirius was about to give them a full-blown explanation of Remus' "condition", but luckily, James had nudged his best mate sharply in the ribs and gave him an accusing look. Sirius shut up at once.
"He doesn't think it's working out properly," the latter lied fluently. "They—er—aren't as affectionate as before."
"They looked fine to me," said Alice, puzzled. "I saw them cuddling in the Great Hall when we first got here."
"Oh, that's just a façade," said James with cursory. "You see, Remus still wants to keep a good image of the perfect couple like before."
"All right, then." The couple still looked doubtfully at the two boys, but said no more.
"How's Head Boy duties?" queried Frank, after moments of silence had passed.
"Fair," replied James, sighing at the thought. "There's this really evil git, Regul—" He stopped in mid-sentence, realizing that Sirius was standing right next to him. "I mean, some of the prefects are rude and obnoxious."
"You were going to say something about my brother," said Sirius knowingly. "Don't lie, Prongs. But don't worry. I don't care if you curse my brother with all the curse words in the world."
James laughed uncomfortably. "Yeah. And there are some really cool people, too. Like Kenneth, Laura, Emmeline…"
"Emmeline Vance?" interrupted Frank, looking at Alice. "Isn't she one of the recruits for the Order of—"
Alice made a hushing noise and placed her hand on Frank's mouth. "Frank Longbottom!" she whispered fiercely.
"Oh, never mind," said Frank nervously.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "Are you two hiding something?"
"No," they both replied at once.
"Alice!" exclaimed Lily. "What are you doing out here with those idiots? Come on, Dumbledore's announcing you two soon!"
Frank and Alice followed the seventeen-year-olds back into the Great Hall, where everyone was waiting patiently. The two ex-heads seated themselves at the High Table, while James, Sirius, and Lily went back to the Gryffindor table.
"Students and staff, I would like to re-introduce to you Frank Longbottom and Alice Hart, who were the Head Boy and Girl here at Hogwarts last year."
Everyone clapped politely, but those who knew the couple personally, including the Marauders and girls, clapped and cheered loudly at this announcement, while Frank and Alice blushed at all the attention.
"Why are they here?" asked a Ravenclaw curiously.
"Ah, they are here by orders from me, Mr. Fawcett. You may continue eating."
After breakfast was over, everyone went immediately either back to their common rooms or in the library, for exams were coming up for everyone, especially the dreaded O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s for fifth and seventh years, respectively.
"What if I do horribly?" said Lily fretfully, as they headed back to the common room. "Then I won't get to be an Auror, and will have to live my life doing nothing."
"Lily, you're worrying over nothing," assured James, rolling his eyes. "You're a perfect student; there's no need to be so anxious about the N.E.W.T.s."
"Hear, hear," intoned Alice, grinning. "Your boyfriend is right, Lily; don't even bother to study. You got the highest amount of O.W.L.s, didn't you?"
"Are you guys Aurors-in-training?" asked James eagerly.
"Well, we aren't Aurors yet," corrected Frank, as he slipped an arm around his young fiancée. "We've still got two more years of training. It isn't too hard, I admit, but some of the stuff is difficult, like Stealth and Tracking. Nearly failed it, I did."
"I got top marks on that," said Alice pompously, sticking her tongue out purposefully at her soon-to-be husband.
Frank snorted. "Yeah, but you failed Concealment and Disguise, in which I got top marks on there."
"Do all engaged couples argue like you two?" said Lily, rubbing her forehead gingerly.
Frank and Alice both blushed bright red, and smiled guiltily. "We don't argue; we just—er—like to tease each other a bit."
"Like us," added James.
Lily laughed, as James slipped his arm around her waist and brought her close to him.
"You two are so sweet together," said Alice, looking rather tearful. "The last time we saw you, you were still arguing like third-years."
"So, your wedding is in a few weeks, huh?" said James, changing the subject abruptly.
"Yes, we wanted to discuss that with you," said Alice, shifting her foot. "I—we—were wondering if you will be our best man and Lily be our maid-of-honor."
Lily's eyes widened. "But I don't even know you guys too well!"
"True, that we haven't known each other for a long time, but I think that you deserve it, Lily, since you've been a great friend. And James has been friends with Frank since they were kids."
"What about Sturges and Juan?" queried James, looking at Frank.
"Oh, they're to be ushers," said Frank casually. "You've been the real friend, James."
"Of course we'll accept," they chorused together, beaming.
"Arabella, Jennifer, and Violet will be my bridesmaids," said Alice dreamily. "And Sirius, Remus, and Peter will be ushers, too, I suppose, since I don't want them to feel left out."
"You've already got all this planned?" said James, astonished.
"Obviously." Alice raised an eyebrow.
"When are you two planning your wedding?" teased Frank, winking.
Lily immediately turned pink. "We aren't getting married—"
"—yet," finished James, grinning at Frank and Alice.
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Are you hiding something?"
"Maybe."
Truthfully, James was terrified at the prospect of proposing to Lily. What was he to say? What kind of ring would suit Lily the most? And most importantly, what knee was he supposed to get down on? He knew he was just being ridiculous, but he really wanted the proposal to be perfect. He had already settled on proposing at King's Cross, as unromantic as it seemed. And he was thinking of getting Lily a diamond ring, but remembered just then that she wasn't too fond of diamonds, them only having a dull whitish color. So he settled on perhaps getting her an emerald one to match her green eyes.
However, what would Lily say once he proposed? If she said "yes", then all his worries would be gone…but what if she said "no"? What if she said the only reason why she even bothered dating him was to prevent him from asking her out a million times more? All these thoughts became a jumble of mixed thoughts in his head, as he only half-heartedly to his friends' conversations.
"James, I'm talking to you; can you hear me?"
He blinked, and saw Lily's pale hand waving in front of his face. "What?"
"Are you all right?" She looked genuinely concerned.
"Do you love me?" he asked suddenly.
"You know I do, James," said Lily earnestly. "I love you with all my heart, because you're funny, kind, unselfish, and clever. What more would I want out of a boyfriend?"
"Do you really mean that?"
"Of course." Lily grasped his hand tightly, and her green eyes shined down on him. "Now, come on, then, everyone's waiting inside the common room. I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes."
James found himself being dragged by the redhead and into the common room, where everyone indeed was settled in and waiting impatiently.
"Where were you, Prongs?" said Sirius, looking rather put off.
"Outside," he returned vaguely. "What're you all doing here?"
"We're talking with Frank and Alice," said Jennifer slowly. "What's wrong with you, James? Are you sick?"
"N-no, I'm fine, thank you."
"Head Boy duties, probably," said Sirius sympathetically, and when his eyes met James', the latter knew that his best friend understood completely.
"Yeah, that's it."
"Maybe you shouldn't go to Hogsmeade today," said Arabella doubtfully.
"Now, now, don't disturb Prongs, everyone," said Sirius soothingly. "Here, Prongs, talk to me for a minute, will you?"
When they reached their dormitory, Sirius eyed his best friend. "You're having problems with the proposing thing."
"Well, how did you guess?" said James sarcastically.
"Look, James, don't worry about it. You and I are going to do just fine."
"Padfoot, I don't even know the first thing about asking a girl to marry me! I don't even know what knee to go down on!"
Sirius tried his best to subdue a laugh. "Prongs, you're worrying over nothing! Who cares what knee you get down on? I think it's your right one, though."
"No, I think it's your left one."
"Who bloody cares! Now, for the rings, I say we go to Hogsmeade today bravely and get the stupid things. I know my Bella prefers diamonds, but I don't know what Lily likes."
"Lily doesn't like diamonds, so maybe an emerald will do, d'you reckon?"
"Definitely, Prongs. Now, I say for the speeches, we write it down on parchment and remember it. C'mon, it's simple. All you do is write down whatever you're going to say, ask her to marry you with the ring, and wait for an answer. What's so nerve-racking about it?"
"Well, what if she says 'no'?"
"Oh, pur-lease. Lily loves you, remember? Or have you forgotten?"
"She could be thinking about breaking up with me any day now…and what if she's already engaged to some bloody rich Muggle? Her mum's that type of person, you know."
Sirius stared at him incredulously. "Prongs, for the last time, stop worrying. That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of in my life. Now, let's get downstairs and actually enjoy our ring shopping today."
"But we usually go with the girls, and we can't take Lily and Arabella with us, now, can we?"
"Don't worry, I've got that all set. Moony and Wormtail are going to help stall for us, while Jennifer's going to tell us where the jewelry store is."
"I know where it is; it's right next to Madam Puddifoot's."
"Oh, that store! Never mind, then, Jennifer's useless. But we need their ring sizes."
"Both size six," piped up James.
Sirius smirked and clapped his friend on the back. "Let's get going, then, Prongs. We've got some ring shopping to do."
When they arrived at Hogsmeade with the rest of the student population, James and Sirius immediately went to the jewelry shop and stepped inside.
It was a rather dusty little store, but it held amazing jewelry of all shapes and sizes. There were beautifully hand-crafted earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings made out of gold, silver, bronze, and others. A small tottering man was at the counter, and gave a toothless smile when he saw the two teenage boys.
"'Ello, there! How may I help you?"
"We're looking for rings," began Sirius.
"Rings, is it? The engagement rings are over there by that corner next to the charm bracelets."
"How did you—?" said James, amazed.
"How did I know? Why, what else would a couple of young and comely teenage boys be doing in my shop for? Now, what sizes?"
"Six, if you may."
"Six…six…ah, I sell many diamond rings that are famous in Europe. Would you like one?"
"I would!" exclaimed Sirius, relieved that his job was finally done.
"What about you, lad?" The old man peered at James.
"No, I would like an emerald one, maybe," he said hopefully.
The man smiled. "Emerald, eh? You've got a smart girl, boy. I've got emerald ones, and I haven't sold them for ages yet. They're over there." He pointed to a shelf.
"Thank you, sir."
James looked over at all the emerald rings. They were pretty, yes, but none of them seemed to fit Lily. Just when he was about to give up and pick one arbitrarily, one of them caught his eye. It was a perfect size six, and was a simple gold band that held a medium sized emerald. One may think it looked rather dinky from a fair distance, but James thought it was perfect. The emerald sparkled brightly in its small, dark green velvet box, and it reminded him strongly of Lily's own brilliant, almond-shaped green eyes. It was perfect for her.
"Sir, I'd like to get that one." He pointed to where the ring was.
"Eh? That one, is it? You sure?" The old man raised an eyebrow at him suspiciously.
"I'm sure," said James firmly. "That one, please."
The old man took it out of the glass case and handed it to him. "I'd have second thoughts about it, if I were you, laddie. I've had this one since I first started this shop fifty years ago, and no one's every looked at it twice, even though I admit it is very special. You've got good insight, boy. This would be twenty Galleons."
James handed the man the money, and pocketed the ring in his jeans' pocket. "Thank you, sir."
"What's your name, boy?"
"James, sir. James Potter."
"Potter, is it? Why, I know your parents just well. I remember your father coming in here when he was a boy, lookin' for a ring for your mother. Brave man, he is."
Suddenly, Sirius stood behind James, grinning. "I found a ring, Prongs? Look at it." He showed him a gorgeous diamond ring that was nestled softly in a small white box. "Ain't she a beauty?"
"Yeah. Hey, Padfoot, look at mine." James showed him his ring.
"That's cool, Prongs, but it looks kind of modest, don't you think? I mean, you Potters have all the money in the world to spend, and you spend it on this little thing?"
"There's something about this ring that I can't put my finger on, Padfoot. It may look rather small, but when you look closely at it, the emerald sparkles like I've never seen before."
Sirius squinted, and jumped back. "Merlin, you're right! Well, we'd better get going, the girls will get suspicious."
After he paid for his ring, the two of them exited the shop stealthily, hoping that no one saw them, and went to The Three Broomsticks, where the rest of the Marauders and the girls were waiting, sipping butterbeer and laughing.
"Hey, where were you two?" said Arabella, spotting them. "We've been looking everywhere for you, but they kept saying that you were at Zonko's." She jabbed her finger at a guilty Remus, Peter, Jennifer, and Violet.
"We were, but we didn't get anything," said James vaguely. "Nothing interesting there anymore."
"Not even a Dungbomb?" said Lily, looking surprised. "Well, I'm impressed boys. It looks like you two have finally grown up."
James and Sirius looked at each other nervously.
"Yes, they have, haven't they?" interrupted Remus, rescuing his friends' awkward positions. "We all have, since we are graduating from Hogwarts soon."
"We are!" exclaimed Lily, looking upset. "I've been here for the last seven years, and I don't want to leave." She looked on the verge of tears.
James immediately came to her aid. "C'mon, Lils," he said gently. "We've got our whole life ahead of us. Don't cry because we're leaving Hogwarts. We can always visit it whenever we want. I mean, doesn't it sound so…fantastic? Adulthood; never thought I'd reach it when I was a kid."
"Yeah, it doesn't sound real at all," agreed Sirius, chuckling. "I mean, can you believe it? Me, Sirius Black, become an actual adult and get a job? C'mon!"
They all laughed, trying to picture it, but failing terribly. After all, none of them ever thought of Sirius as a mature adult, figuring out bills and going to job interviews.
"We'll always be together, right?" said Violet quietly. "We'll keep on contact, right?"
"Definitely!" chorused the group enthusiastically.
However, Lily got a sick feeling in her stomach at the thought of separating from her friends and living on her own. Every single year, she had looked forward to September first, when they would all go to Hogwarts and start another fresh, new year. But there would be no next year…she was nearly finished with her magical schooling, and never coming back to be a student. Sure, she can visit Hogwarts again time after time, but it wouldn't be the same without actually going to class and learning something, or being with her friends on the grounds.
And what's more, she didn't have a future. Yes, she wanted to become an Auror, and had all the O.W.L.s for it and hopefully all the N.E.W.T.s, but there was also the problem of where to live. She could get a cheap little flat at London or in her hometown, Surrey. But how would she be in contact with Sirius? Arabella? James?
The thought of James made her smile. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him, no doubt. Visions of them being married and having their first child made the empty feeling in her stomach alleviate slightly.
"You know, I don't think we should be thinking about the future now," said Peter nervously, wringing his hands together.
"Why not?" asked Violet, frowning.
"I mean, wouldn't it be good to just enjoy life now and think about the future later?"
"I suppose that's legitimate," began Remus slowly, "but we need to think about the future. We need to get a place of our own now, and get a job to clothe and feed ourselves and eventually our future family. The future is now, Peter, and there's no use running away from it."
"Wisely said by our good old Moony," said Sirius, smiling. "I second to that statement!"
When they finally gathered themselves up to go back to the castle, James held Remus back.
"You aren't going to break up with Jennifer, are you?" he said anxiously.
Remus bowed his head and didn't say anything. James looked at his friend with incredulity written all over his face. He didn't understand at all.
"But why, Moony? Don't you love her?"
"I love her with all my heart and soul, James, which is why I have to break up with her. I want to marry her, and I want us to have children later and be a nice family. But it can't happen, see? I'm a werewolf, and I have to leave home every month because of my transformations. I am a monster, Prongs; Jennifer wouldn't be happy if she married me or stayed with me after we graduate."
"Oh, that's just a load of crap to me," snapped James angrily. "She loves you, Remus. Jennifer wouldn't care if you were a three-headed dog, for Merlin's sake! The girl is head-over-heels for you, and you'd break her heart if you broke up with her. No, Moony, you aren't doing the right thing at all."
"You may think so, Prongs," said Remus lightly, "but it's the best arrangement. I want to make her happy, and asking her to marry me isn't going to do that for her. I want her to marry a man who can be there for her whenever she's sad, happy, or just plain lonely or bored. We've had the best moments together at Hogwarts, but I think it's time for us to say good-bye to our relationship, because it'll never work. We can still be friends, but the boyfriend-girlfriend thing is going."
James shook his head. "You're a stubborn one, Moony, so I won't try to change your mind more. But pay heed to me right this minute. I still think you're wrong for doing this, but it is your choice. Maybe Jennifer doesn't need a man to be there for her and pamper her to perfection. Maybe she just needs a man to love her and make love to her and have that same passion that she has for him. Maybe she just wants you, Remus. Not what you can give her, but just you, the person."
Remus sighed heavily. "If only life were that simple, Prongs. If only if it was clear-cut and straightforward like we all think it is. But I will make the decision that I feel is right, whether you all think so or not. That's what life is about, James: making the right and wrong choices. But the bad thing is, you never know which is which until after the decision, but by then, it's too late to alter anything."
"Couldn't have said it better myself, Moony. Don't worry, I'm not mad. You make your choice and live with it. Just don't complain to me if it's the bad one, though." He grinned.
Even though Sirius was James' best friend and intimate confidant, sometimes he found more comfort in Remus. Remus was extremely wise and composed, and at times James needed those words of wisdom from his werewolf friend. He patted his friend on the shoulder in a friendly fashion, and they both hurried to catch up with everyone else.
***
"Oh, breathe, will you?" said Arabella, laughing, as Lily nearly fainted in the common room. "C'mon, the exams so far weren't that bad."
"You would say," snapped Lily wearily. "You're not the one who wants to be an Auror and needs top grades for it."
"True," her best friend admitted, "but you're still too worried about this. If you fail this, then I know James won't, and you can just ask him to marry you so that you don't even have to work while he does the nasty business!"
"Arabella Figg! A girl, ask her boyfriend to marry her? Isn't it supposed to be the inverse?"
"Oh, it's not like it's illegal or anything, Lils. C'mon, live a little, girl! You're always buried in one of those books of yours and never enjoy life while you can."
"I go to Hogsmeade," protested Lily feebly, though her voice wavered slightly.
"Hogsmeade! That's hardly the first thing about enjoying life. But you still have to go through that nasty Auror training, don't you? How unfortunate."
"It's worth it. I mean, being an Auror is so exciting, and very worthy. You save lives doing the things you do."
"I know! I'll go call James. He'll know what to do with you."
Moments later, Arabella came back with James and Sirius at her heels. James raised an eyebrow at Lily questioningly.
"Lily needs to live," explained Arabella.
"Er—" Sirius looked at his girlfriend. "Are you feeling all right, Bella? Haven't eaten anything Snape offered you, have you?"
"Of course not," she said indignantly. "He doesn't offer me anything, anyway. So what's the problem?"
"Lily is living," elaborated James, looking extremely perplexed.
Arabella laughed. "Not that way! I mean, the poor girl's been studying day and night, and I need you two to help me liven her up a bit. You know, enjoy life and such."
"Oh…" Sirius grinned. "Well, my dear Bellsies, you've come to the right people. We are experts of that, aren't we, Prongs?"
"Most certainly, Padfoot," replied James, emulating Sirius' sinister smile.
"Oh, NO!" exclaimed Lily, horrified. "Anyone but those two, Bella! They're pranksters; who knows what they'll do to me!"
"I know!" cried Sirius. "Torture Snivellus! C'mon, Lily, it'll be fun," he added, seeing Lily's face.
"Torturing an innocent human being is not my idea of fun," said Lily stiffly. "I thought you had enough sense than that, Sirius Black."
"Common sense and Sirius are two words that do not, and never will, belong in the same sentence, Lily," said James, grinning. "But let's not hex Snivellus and enjoy ourselves at the lake, shall we? I haven't been there for ages."
"Let's go then," agreed Arabella heartily.
So the eight of them (having dragged Remus, Peter, Jennifer, and Violet along) left the castle and went onto the grounds and took refuge under a nice, shady tree. Arabella and Sirius were laughing at something, Remus and Jennifer were chatting quietly, Violet and Peter were silent, and Lily and James were reminiscing.
"That was where you hexed Snape two years ago," said Lily softly, her eyes grazing over the glittering surface of the lake.
"Yeah," said James, sighing. "It seemed so long ago."
"And what you said at Remus' house," continued Lily, "it was so romantic and sweet."
"Oh, the letter." He blushed. "I wrote it with Sirius looking over my shoulder."
"Well, then, Sirius must be an auspicious sign." Lily laughed.
"Did I hear my name said?" said Sirius curiously, peering over his shoulder.
"Remember you were trying to help me write that letter to Lily last summer?"
Sirius snorted. "Right. You were trying to shoo me away, but I stuck around."
"Do you still have that letter?" asked James.
"Have it? Of course I do! You didn't expect me to just toss it in the fire, did you? Yes, I have it stored in my trunk."
"Do you remember when Deanna fed James that Love Potion in our first year?" said Remus. "I still remember the look on James' face when he saw Deanna sitting next to him in the same chair."
"Oh, that was priceless!"
"Remember when Lily slapped James at that Quidditch game?"
"Yeah, that was funny. Ooh, what about when James put that spell on Snape to make him like Lily?"
"Oh Merlin, I bet you didn't expect yourself dating Lily Evans, James!"
"I would've died knowing that six years ago," said James emphatically. "But now I'm as blissful as ever."
"You know, the fifteen-year-old James of two years ago wouldn't have been happy to see this change in you," insisted Violet.
"No, he wouldn't have been happy," agreed James readily. "Tough luck, though. We all have destinies, and mine is with Lily."
"Isn't he such a romantic?" whispered Arabella dreamily. "Oh, Lily, you are so lucky to have James as your boyfriend. I'd love him if he were mine."
"What about me?" said Sirius, pouting. "I'm a romantic, too!"
"Yeah, right. Like you'll ever do anything romantic for me."
"You'll see." He winked over at James.
"What is he talking about?" hissed Peter to Remus.
"The proposing, of course," said Remus, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "They're going to ask Lily and Arabella to marry them…respectively, of course."
"Y-yes, right."
"Oh, no!" Lily bolted out of her position at once. "We have another exam in eight hours! What're you waiting for, huh? Let's go inside and study!"
"Which exam?" asked James sleepily.
"Astronomy. Well, let's go then."
"Wait, wait, wait," interjected Sirius loudly, "who said we were going to study, eh? We all know that crap, anyway, why worry?"
"I'll study with you, Lily," offered James, feeling bad for his girlfriend.
However, Lily sat down again, looking defeated. "You're right, of course, Sirius. I think I have been a little too panicky about our N.E.W.T.s. But they are—"
"—an important part of our future," finished Sirius impatiently. "I know, Lily."
"Lily, we have less than two weeks left of school. Please enjoy Hogwarts as much as possible before it all ends." Jennifer looked at her friend pleadingly.
"Hear, hear," cried James enthusiastically.
"I say we explore the castle!" said Sirius loudly.
"But what about our—" began Lily, but Arabella cut her off.
"Maybe the Room of Requirement," she suggested.
"What would be our reason, though?" Lily looked dubious.
"That we need a break from exams," offered Violet. "After all, it is true. Is it all right for me to grab Jackson?"
"Sure." They all shrugged nonchalantly. After all, they almost immediately accepted Jackson into the group, since he was dating one of their best friends.
Minutes later, Violet came back clutching onto Jackson's arm, her hair slightly in disarray and her face rather pink. Jackson grinned at them with unusual haphazard hair, and waved merrily.
"Hey guys; ready to go?"
"What happened to your hair?" said Sirius, feigning innocence. "You don't usually have hair like James'."
"Oh, that." Jackson blushed violently. "I was—er—"
"Snogging Violet senselessly?" interrupted James, unable to hide a smirk.
"Stop it," chastened Lily lightly. "Let's go, then."
The nine of them set off to the Room of Requirement, and soon found themselves thinking the same thing: we just want a break from our exams. A door suddenly appeared, and they all entered eagerly. Inside, there were comfortable poufs, armchairs, and a tête-à-tête; there were games (such as Exploding Snap, chess, and Gobstones), and books nearly at every corner.
"Excellent!" said James heartily, sinking into one of the armchairs.
So they all settled in comfortably, eating, drinking (there was a small storage room full of foods and beverages), playing, laughing, and talking. Time passed by very quickly, and they ended their time discussing their plans after Hogwarts.
"Definitely Aurors," chorused Lily and James.
"Department of Mysteries," said Jennifer.
"Department of Magical Games and Sports," added Arabella and Sirius.
"Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures," said Violet.
"Department of Magical Transportation," said Jackson confidently.
Everyone else looked expectantly at Remus and Peter, who had been silent the whole time.
"I d-don't have enough O.W.L.s for any job," said Peter sadly, looking down at the ground.
"What about a Healer?" said Violet, though only half-heartedly.
"I suppose…" He shrugged.
"I don't think I can do anything, with my condition and all," said Remus quietly.
"Condition?" said Jackson curiously.
"Yes, condition," he replied through gritted teeth. Remus was never much fond of Jackson because he was always questioning him about his so-called "condition". However, Jackson didn't push the matter further, and all grew quiet.
"You know, the Department of Mysteries is dangerous," said Lily, after a while.
"Being an Unspeakable would be so romantic, though," objected Jennifer, shaking her head. "You get to know all the secrets of the Wizarding world and everything, like where you go after death, and researching new things. It's amazing, the work they do there. I met a bloke named Broderick Bode, who would guide me through all the steps and stuff."
"Bloke?" said Remus uncertainly.
"Oh, Remus, don't worry. He's in his late-twenties; he won't harm me in any way."
"He'd better not, or I'll be sure to castrate him personally."
"Didn't know you had it in you, Moony," said Sirius rather stiffly. He still hadn't gotten over the fact that Remus was planning to dump Jennifer at the end of the year.
Just then, there were footsteps that approached them, and got louder every second. At first, none of them worried, for no one could get into the room, but as soon as they stopped right in front of the door, they looked at each other. The room, which had been filled with refreshments and entertainment, had suddenly been filled to brim with socks. Puzzled, the seventh-years just stared until the door swung open, revealing Professor Dumbledore.
"Professor!" gasped James. "We were just relaxing; please don't punish us! Please, it was my idea, I'll do detention, but don't blame my friends and please don't take points off from Gryffindor. I mean, if you can just—"
"Mr. Potter, it's quite all right," said Dumbledore, chuckling. "No punishment will be given, though I do apologize for intruding onto your fun. You see, I couldn't find an extra pair of socks…" He gestured to the room with a grand wave of his arm.
James just stared at him, unable to comprehend what he had just said.
Dumbledore chuckled again, crossed the room, and grabbed a pair of socks, and left, leaving behind nine extremely confused seventh-years.
***
"I think I might faint," commented James, wiping his brow nervously, as they all got onto the Hogwarts Express.
"Why?" said Jackson.
"We're both proposing," said Sirius, as if it were every day that a boy proposed to his girlfriend.
Jackson promptly staggered and nearly tripped over the seats. "What?"
"Well, yeah. I mean, my Bella has been my girlfriend since first year. We've had some ups and downs, I admit, but she's still mine and I'm not losing her again. As for James, well, you saw how much he's wanted Lily to be his."
"Aren't you a bit too…young?" countered Jackson.
"Well, that is a bit of a problem," admitted Sirius, "but my uncle's left enough money for me to get a place of my own."
"That's lucky," said Jackson gloomily. "I still have to live with my parents until I get a job at the Department of Magical Transportation."
"An Auror is what I want to be," said James, "but it's going to take some training until I can be one."
"Three years. You sure you can handle that, mate? I mean, you can have almost any job in the Wizarding world, with your parents as top Aurors and you getting excellent grades and all."
"True, but none of the other jobs seem worthwhile enough to me. Lily and I are going to settle down somewhere near both our parents, and start Auror training at once."
"I'm working at the Department of Magical Games and Sports, since I love the job. 'Sides, I get to have Bella working alongside me," said Sirius cheerfully.
Meanwhile, back at where the girls were, Lily and Arabella were extremely puzzled as to why the boys pushed them out of the compartment for some "alone time".
"They're—er—planning a prank on Snape, probably," said Jennifer, laughing nervously. "You know, thinking that you might not approve."
"But it's Lily who always doesn't approve," said Arabella. "I never care."
"Maybe Sirius is going to give you something," said Violet, but Jennifer nudged her hard in the ribs and shook her head ruefully.
"Are you guys hiding something?" asked Lily suspiciously.
"No," they said simultaneously.
On the other side, the boys were preparing their speeches to give to their respective girlfriends.
"Arabella, when I first met you," began Sirius rhetorically, "you weren't much to me. And when our first year progressed, I still thought of you as very good-looking and sweet, but not my right type. However, when you went to comfort me that one night when I was feeling rather touchy, I realized that you and I were meant to be. I know we've been through more than a lot together, and that we've had a million arguments, but I want you to know that I'll always love you no matter what, and I want us to be together forever. So…will you marry me, Arabella Figg?"
The boys all clapped enthusiastically, and Sirius bowed low, grinning widely.
"Now your turn, Prongs."
"No!" said James quickly. "Wait…give me a second, will you?"
He nervously leafed through his speech, carefully handwritten on parchment. No, it seemed so awful to James that he wouldn't be surprised if Lily refused him at once. It was so ponderous, and so unlike the letter that he had sent to Lily last summer, expressing his love for her. What had he gone wrong now? When he glanced at the parchment again, he realized that there was no passion in the speech. Did that mean that he didn't love Lily anymore? Perhaps she wasn't the one for him, after all.
"Padfoot," he said weakly, "I can't do it."
"What?" said Sirius loudly. "Of course you can, Prongs."
"No, I can't," said James firmly. "I will not ask Lily to marry me."
"You idiot!" his best friend roared. "Here…c'mon, we have to have a talk." Sirius dragged him out of the compartment and into an almost empty one next to theirs, which held a giggly bunch of younger girls. When they saw them, they started to giggle loudly.
"May we occupy these seats temporarily?" asked Sirius politely.
The girls nodded, still giggling and sniggering, making eyes at the two tall boys.
"Now, why can't you do this, Prongs?"
James sighed. "I don't think I love Lily anymore, Padfoot. Maybe we just weren't meant to be, and maybe my efforts were just wasted."
"How can you say that?"
"I don't know! All I know is that when I wrote that speech, it wasn't from the bottom of my heart. And now I don't know how to write it so that Lily will know that I love her. Maybe I should just break up with her, since I don't feel that passion anymore when I see her or hear her name."
"You will not do such a thing, James Potter. Any blind man could see that Lily Evans is quite a catch, and boys have been chasing her all around, Prongs. But whom did she accept as a boyfriend for nearly a year now? She loves you so much, and don't give me any crap about you not loving her anymore. What if I told you that she was having an affair with someone else? Say…Snivellus Snape?"
Jealousy that he had never knew existed in him surged through James, and his eyes narrowed into slits. "I'd bash Snivelly in the head, that's what! How dare he get my girl, the slimy, greasy git!"
"See?" Sirius nodded, obvious satisfied. "If you didn't love her anymore, you wouldn't care for the world if she went out with another guy behind your back. But you do care, and that's proof that you're still in love with her. So go do it, Prongs; go propose to that girl of yours whom you've tried so hard to impress for two years."
"Propose?" piped up one of the girls, whom James recognized as Emmeline Vance.
"Oh, hey, Emmeline," said James distractedly. "Yeah, I'm asking Lily to marry me right after we get off the train."
She squealed so loud that the two boys had to cover their ears. "Oh Merlin, I must watch it, then! Ooh…how romantic!"
"I'm proposing too," said Sirius proudly.
"But, my speech," said James, waving the parchment weakly.
"Re-write it and practice," he ordered.
So James re-wrote it and read it out loud to the girls and Sirius, his voice and hand shaking.
"Lily, when I first set my eyes on you, I knew I had fallen in love, but I was too young to understand anything about it then. We've hated each other for nearly half our lives, but in our fifth year together, I finally realized that I liked you. Which wasn't a good time, either, since you still hated me then. But I did try so hard to deflate my ego so that you wouldn't think I was an arrogant berk anymore. So I changed in our sixth year, but you were still adamant about going out with you. Then, I had consulted everyone I knew, asking them what was wrong with me. Well, they said nothing was wrong with me, but that you were scared of rejection, so I kept trying. Now that you have accepted me as your boyfriend and said you'd go out with me, I thought my heart would burst. You've made me so happy, being my girlfriend, Lily. I want to spend the rest of my—"
"James, it's now or never!" cried Sirius urgently. "The train's stopped!"
James' heart pounded loudly as he got off the train dazedly. When he spotted his friends and the girls standing together, he and Sirius walked toward them.
"Bella, can we talk to you two?" the latter said casually.
"Sure."
Simultaneously, James and Sirius dropped to their knees. Many of the bystanders gasped in the crowd, the Potters and Evans included, but Lily and Arabella were looking at each other with utmost puzzlement. Sirius had already started speaking his speech, but James' mind completely blanked out. That speech that he had so assiduously labored over and memorized shot out of his memory like a rocket. But doggedly, he began.
"Lily, you've always been special to me. Without you, I couldn't have survived in this world for very long. I know that we haven't liked each other for very long, but that really doesn't matter. I know that we both are in grave danger because of Voldemort going after us, but I always want to be with you, and if we die eventually, we shall die together. You're beautiful, you're smart, you're kind…any guy would be ecstatic to have you, and I thank my lucky stars every day that I was the lucky guy. I love you, Lily Evans, so I'm asking you…will you marry me?" James groped for the ring in his pocket, and held it out to Lily.
Tears came to Lily's eyes, and she nodded slowly. "Yes, I will marry you, James Potter!"
James' nervous smile broke into a full-fledged grin as he whooped loudly, and picked Lily up and spun her around. Everyone in the crowd clapped and cheered, even Muggles, for young love was something that everyone understood universally. James gently picked up the emerald ring from the box and placed it on Lily's ring finger.
Lily had never felt happier before in her life. So that was the reason why James was so secretive for the last few weeks, always with Sirius and talking in low tones. As she saw the ring on her left hand, the tears that had threatened to fall before had fallen. She smiled through her tears at Arabella, who was sobbing loudly on Sirius' shoulder, and knew that she was where she wanted to be at last.
If Lily had thought she was happy, then her happiness couldn't have even bee compared to James'. He was more than ecstatic. Seven years ago, he would have been horrified at the thought of asking Lily Evans to marry him, much less even calling her by her given name, but now, he knew that this was what he wanted. He wanted to marry Lily and start a family with her, to be a father. Even though Voldemort's rise in power was stronger than ever, nothing could penetrate James' happiness at that moment.
- - - - -
Disclaimer: I own nothing and J.K. Rowling owns everything.
A/N: All right, here's the deal. School has officially started, and to put it bluntly, it totally sucks. I never knew eighth grade would be so annoying, and now that we have relocated into a new middle school building, I cannot find any of my classes and am forever getting lost. Not a good combo, mind you, and I'm pretty much miserable with homework and SATs. So I'm extremely sorry if I take forever on chapters, but hey, my story is ALMOST finished! I started it in January of this year, and now I am probably going to finish it (hopefully) by December, but no promises! I still have three more chapters of their after-Hogwarts years, and the epilogue. Afterwards, I will start on a new story called "Growing Up". For more information, see my bio.
IMPORTANT NOTE: This story is currently rated PG, which means parental guidance is suggested. I don't know if I should up it to PG-13, or not. Do you think it's appropriate as PG? Because I do have some cussing, though not much, just an occasional "damn" or "hell". But I realized that I had some sexual implications at the beginning chapters…hints of having sex and the like. So what do you all think?
Thank you to my reviewers:
Kady Rills Wholi – Hehe, well, Regulus is eventually going to die, isn't he? I don't know if I'll kill Lurietta, since she's only one of those characters who come and go. Also, your L/J story sounds very promising! Plz email me at helenlu@optonline.net for any needed suggestions. I'll always be available!
Lily 101 – LOL! Hehe, I know, I'm in love with fluff!
Erynwen – Yep, I will definitely add you to the mailing list!
James-Padfoot – Well, this story is only going up to their deaths, but the epilogue will have Harry in it as a Hogwarts graduate.
Phedre no Delauney de Montreve – Thank you!
Agloechen - *shrug* I have no idea why they argued over a photo…probably just some improvisation from my slightly unstable yet brilliant mind. LOL!
Lily Evans Potter9 – Four more chapters will be done. Thanks for reviewing!
sarz – Thanks!
littocherryblossom – Nope, I still have four more chappies to go! :D
X-Girl X-File – Mucho gracias!
Templa Otmena – Hehe, don't worry, be as loud as you like for the requesting! I don't mind anymore, not with all the reviews, at least ;)
Brook – Yep, I've always wanted to be an author…but only as a second job. First is a lawyer :)
Hermione101888 – Thank you! *hug*
katherine – Thanks!