Chapter 24

Final Feast

A week or two later, Lily and her friends were sitting around the breakfast table, waiting anxiously for the exam results. It was the last day at Hogwarts, and soon they would be free for the whole summer. A summer without magic… without Hogwarts… without friends… it sounded like Hell to Lily.

"And here you are, Mr. Potter… Ms. Evans… Mr. Black…" McGonagall read, handing them envelopes. As she passed, Sirius pinched her butt. "Black! Detention!" She howled.

"Last day… ha! You can't do anything! Besides, you know you liked it…" Sirius winked. Belle laughed as McGonagall left their group in a hurry.

"Well, guys. This is it." Remus said softly. "Open them, on three?"

"Let's make it five." Lily moaned nervously.

"One… two… three… four… five!" Madison chanted, and they each ripped open their envelopes that contained their scores.

"Oh, score!" Sirius cheered. "I actually passed!"

"Good for you…" Madison said sarcastically. "Look at this score for Transfiguration!" She exclaimed angrily, shoving the paper under Belle's nose.

"Apparently, your daisy still had feathers…"

"Shut up." Madison groaned. "What about you, Lily? How'd you do?"

Lily was it total shock. "I… did great. Look…" She said with bated breath.

"Oh my gosh! Lil! You got, like, 183 percent! I'm so proud of you! Congratulations!" Belle cheered, throwing her arms around Lily's neck. "You'll surely get Head Girl, now!"

"You really think so?" Lily said, her excitement rising. "How about you, James? What do your scores look like?"

"Pretty good. Have a look." James said, handing her his card.

"James! This is great…" Belle said, looking over Lily's shoulder. "179 percent! I think we've got some brains over here, as well…"

"Great job, James." Lily smiled, as she handed him his card back.

"Thanks." He replied happily. "And Mooney?"

"I passed everything. But Divination was a little fuzzy…" He said forlornly.

"That's okay." Sirius said. "I'm pretty sure Trelawny's more psycho than psychic. I really failed that class."

"How? All you had to do was make stuff up!" James exclaimed. "Anyway, how about you, Belle?"

"I totally passed. Well, okay, so I flunked potions. But that was only because I ran out of powdered dragon's claw…"

"Sure…" Madison joked. "I just can't wait until tonight!"

Lily and the Marauders slowly made their way down the steps. The final Hogwarts feast. Lily had been dreading this for a while. What if she didn't make Head Girl? Not only that, but all the Prefects had helped put this dinner on- except her. All the planning meetings had taken place when she was in the hospital wing with her hurt leg.

The Grand Hall was colored in entirely in yellow and black- Hufflepuff colors. Gryffindor had lost the House Cup. Lily supposed that having Quidditch stars in your house didn't quiet measure up to having innocent people. At least Slytherin didn't win…

"Another year, come and gone." Dumbledore announced when everyone was seated. "I am very pleased to say that this year, the House Cup is awarded to Hufflepuff- as the decorations might have suggested. I'm sorry to say that I will not see some of you next year…" He replied, his piercing blue eyes looking over the seventh years. "… Although I'm quiet sure you will be pleased to be leaving school. But for now, we eat!" Dumbledore said happily.

When all the food had been devoured, Dumbledore rose again and tapped his goblet. "And now, for the Head Boy and Head Girl announcement. I am most pleased to say, that our Head Boy for next year will be Mr. James Potter."

There was an eruption of applause as a stunned James teetered his way up to the teachers' table to receive his badge.

"And, next year's Head Girl is someone who has progressed magnificently over these past six years. I'm most pleased to say, that Head Girl will be Miss. Lily Evans."

At first, Lily didn't think she'd heard correctly. All sound was gone; she could only see her friend's happy faces urging her to get up. Finally, feeling returned to her legs and she tried to approach the teachers. Her legs felt like jelly and her smile was from ear to ear.

Once she reached the teachers, McGonagall proudly pinned on the Head Girl badge onto Lily's robes.

"Thank you." Lily muttered. But her lips were dry and wouldn't work out of shock. This had to be one of the happiest moments of her life.

And James' grin only made her smile grow. He looked so proud to be standing there.

"We did it…" He whispered as Sirius continued to cheer loudly, stamping his feet on the tile floor.

"Yeah." Was the only thing Lily could manage to murmur.

The next morning, Lily woke in a daze. She could only remember bits and pieces of the night before. She was the next Head Girl… that was all that mattered.

She reluctantly got out of bed and got dressed.

Lily, the Marauders, Belle, and Madison walked to the Entrance Hall to catch a coach to the Hogsmeade train station.

"Bye Hogwarts… see ya next year…" Sirius said, gazing out the window as the train pulled out of the station.

"I thought you were glad to be leaving." Peter said.

"Oh, I am." Sirius said. "But one year is never the same as the last… and something tells me next year is going to be very different." He replied, glancing at James and Lily.

"What makes you say that?" Lily asked.

"We've got two Heads with us now." Sirius said. "How do we know you two won't bust us?"

"Are you kidding?" James replied. "I'll be breaking the rules with you, you prat."

"Oh. Okay then!" Sirius said happily.

"You know, my sister's getting married this summer…" Lily said.

"Are you inviting us?" Remus asked.

"Well, if you all want to come…" Lily said. "I mean, you don't have to, or anything. I mean, it's going to be a little boring… but-"

"We'll come." Belle said. "Just write us when."

"Okay. Great." Lily smiled. A wave of relief flooded through her. She knew that wedding would be awkward, but at least now her friends would be with her.

Lily found her fingers were gently resting on her new locket. Remus smiled at her and she returned it.

Whatever the next year would hold, Lily was ready. As long as she had friends like the Marauders, she felt as thought she would be ready for anything. She didn't have to pretend around them. She could be herself when she was with them. Just Lily.

The End

OR IS IT??

Believe it or not—there's a sequel! That's right, Lily's seventh and final year at Hogwarts! Keep in mind, that this also was written long before the fifth book came out.    

Interested? Read on….

Lily Evans and the Hidden Crystal of Hogwarts

The Sorcerer's Stone wasn't the only stone hidden in Hogwarts. Believe it or not, it once housed the secret Rialle stone, better known as the Hidden Crystal. Its powers are insurmountable and amazing. But someone wants it for their own twisted purposes, and that someone is the most twisted of them all. The Dark Lord Voldemort is emerging and is causing destruction everywhere. Worse still, he is gathering supporters fast. He wants the Crystal, and all it's powers. He must be stopped.

The Ministry is in an uproar, and Lily Evans is doing her best to keep her head down and avoid trouble… YEAH RIGHT! As if that's humanly possible when you're best friends with the marauders. Lily and her friends are desperately trying to solve this mystery and stop this madman, before things get worse. And if things couldn't be more complicated, there is something about James that neither he nor his friends ever knew, and this secret could put James in grave danger.

And besides all this, Lily is in emotional turmoil. She's starting to see James in a completely different light—sometimes, anyway. Is it possible that he's not the arrogant balloon-head she had originally thought?

But whatever the case, Lily must team up with the marauders once again to save all humanity. If they fail to put their feelings aside and save the Crystal from the clutches of… you-know-who, he will claim the Crystal, their lives, and the universe as the most powerful sorcerer of all time.

Be on the lookout for this exciting installment (with an equally exciting epilogue at the end), which will be posted soon.