A/N: Here's another chapter, I hope you can handle it...lol. Oh and hmm...Buffy/Snape pairing? Not in this story but now you've gone and given me ideas...

Disclaimer: Although I'd love to take credit, "this book belongs to..." JK Rowling and Joss Wheaton.



Chapter NINETEEN.



The morning went really fast. The boys and Lily went almost mad, running all around the school, saying good-bye to people and places. They went to the kitchens and said good-bye to the elves, and Buffy tasted her first butter beer. They went to the Library and Lily said goodbye to the books and the librarian while Buffy stood and stared at the masses of the books with her mouth hanging open in shock and the enormity.

The boys even went down to the dungeon to announce to the empty potions classroom that they were leaving, that they would never melt another cauldron on their floor and that they would defiantly not miss it.

Lily took Buffy up to the Astronomy tower and showed her a view of the Hogwarts grounds and the lakes. Then down to the Quidditch pitch and the boys said good bye to he Quidditch coach Madame Bailey, then to the team's rooms to say good-bye to the team who were assembled there waiting for James and Sirius.

James had been the seeker for the team and Sirius had been a beater. They had both been joint captains and were the only Griffindor seniors on the team.

Lily and Buffy waited out side with Remus and Peter while Sirius and James said goodbye to their teammates and announced the new captain. They left and the others hear them making threats that if they lost the cup to Slytherin then they would come back and give them all hell.

Buffy smirked but she didn't doubt that they would do exactly that.

When they finally entered the Great Hall for their last meal at Hogwarts the mood had sobered and nearly all of the giggling had evaporated. Peter and Buffy had been walking along the back of the group and making jokes out of everything that anyone said.

Slipping into seats at the Griffindor table, Sirius sat beside Buffy and Peter beside Sirius. The other three were opposite them.

In moments Professor Dumbledore stood up and raised his hands "Let the feast begin."

Like a wave, the talking began and everyone in the hall began to tuck in on the food that had just appeared in front of them all.

"Why is there never any food like this in American cafeterias?" Buffy whined.

"Because, the mother country always does best." Peter said firmly.

"Yeah, yeah. You know, you have all got me talking English again. Now I'm going to have to learn the accent thing again."

"No you don't. It'll come naturally. Just like your English accent." Lily told her evenly.

"Americans do talk funny don't they?" Remus said mildly, and Buffy poked her tongue out at him.

The conversations from then were brief as they were all stuffing their faces, but there were different thoughts running through their minds.

Remus was thinking about the moon and what he would do when it was full and he wasn't at Hogwarts. He had spoken to Dumbledore then gone to see Severus Snape to ask about the wolfs bane potion. It was supposed to be some sort of miracle cure although it hadn't been completed yet. That might keep his harmless and moderately in control of the wolf. He knew that he would have to chase it up.

Peter looked around at his friends and saw them smiling at their own thoughts and wondered why would he ever want to betray them to someone evil. That was the stupidest thing that he had ever thought about doing. He knew that he would have to make it up to the guys.

James was thinking about the question that he was going to ask Lily. He was nervous and if he had held out his hand everyone would have seen that it was shaking violently. He looked up at the woman that he loved with all of his heart and his nerves evaporated. He knew exactly what it was that he would say and the time that he would say them. He smiled pleased with him self.

Sirius was confused. His had rested on the seat between himself and Buffy. Her hand was just beside his. How hard would it be for him to lift his hand and place it over hers? It was just a little movement, not one that took too much effort. But how would she react? Buffy wasn't like any other girl he had been interested in. There was something that was differently about them, something that was more special. He didn't want to ruin it before what ever 'it' turned out to be before it had a chance to start. Taking a deep breath he placed his hand over hers.

Startled, Buffy shot a look at Sirius as he took her hand. Yet she didn't make any move to remove it. Instead she turned her hand around so that she was clasping his. Their fingers interlocked and they continued to eat their meal with their one free hand. No one knew any better.

Lily was slightly nervous. As the head girl she needed to stand up in just a few minutes and make a speech, to thank the teachers for teaching them throughout that year. Pushing that from her mind for a moment she pondered her sister. She was sitting very close to Sirius, but Lily had noticed the bond that had appeared out of nowhere between them. She had a feeling that Remus had noticed too, but he was keeping that knowledge to himself. She smiled noticing that both had one hand under the table and remembered back to when she and James had done that, the year before Buffy had played matchmaker and set the two up. She knew that Buffy and Sirius had many fun times ahead of them.

Finally, the last of the food vanished from the tables and the plates were left clean. Lily stood as Amos Diggory, the Head Boy did and they both made their way to the front of the hall.

Buffy had a feeling that the boy's speech would be long and boring and she was right. She tuned out and waited for Sirius to alert her to when Lily would speak. When he did, he squeezed her hand slightly and she looked up.

"On behalf all of the graduating seventh years, I would like to thank the teachers." She turned to the head table. "I know that I am speaking for nearly every student in this hall when I say that you guys really have made Hogwarts fun...well if you remove the homework and the fact that this is a school...so lets just say that the weekends were fun."

The students around the hall laughed, as did half of the teachers. "But seriously, we have all made wonderful memories from our times here at Hogwarts. Those of us that have some not so nice memories should remember that what doesn't defeat us will make us stronger. I would like to wish everyone here good luck for the future and what is to come."

There was cheering and loud applause that echoed around the hall. Dumbledore began to rise to send all of the students out to the carriages, when James stood beating him to it.

"Now?" Buffy hissed incredulous and James winked at her.

"Professor, there is something that I would like to say if I may?"

"Certainly James." The professor said graciously, his eye's twinkling.

Lily went to sit down but James caught her arm and held her up the front. "Hang on a sec." He whispered to her. She shrugged but did as he asked.

Turning to the hall he began. "Most of you know me. If I haven't met you at a Quidditch match, then I will have pulled a prank on you...uh, sorry about that."

"No your not!" A Hufflepuf Seventh year called out and James grinned.

"Your probably right." The hall filled with polite laughter. "Anyway, that's not really why I'm up here talking to you. You all probably also know that I am part of a group of guys that have dubbed ourselves the Maruaders. We have not only the title of wanting detentions, but we are the Prankster Kings."

Taking a deep breath he continued. "Now, there is a point in a persons life when they realize something that will change them forever. Sometimes they realize it early, and sometimes it's later. Recently I discovered this in myself. I have decided that this King of Pranking needs to take his Queen."

He turned to Lily and took her hand. Locking eye's with hers he dropped to one knee as though in slow motion. Reaching into his pocket he pulled out the tiny box and opened it, offering it to Lily.

"Lily Jayne Evans, will you do me the honor of becoming my Queen?"

Gasps echoed around the hall. Of course they were all from the female population.

Lily's eye's widened and she looked intently at James, her emotions overwhelming her. There was only one possible answer to the question. "Yes." She whispered so that only he could hear. "YES!" She yelled again. James slipped the ring onto her finger and she threw herself at him. As he stood her arms wrapped around his neck and he spun her around in a circle, lifting her feet off the ground.

The hall erupted into cheering and even the teachers were clapping. The cat calling began as soon as Lily and James began to kiss. Sirius, Remus, Peter and Buffy were all on their feet roaring along with the rest. There were a few others that were standing too.

"Get a ROOM!" Sirius screamed at the two and they slowly broke apart red in the face.

"Well," Dumbledore announced merrily, "Although that is the end of an era here, I think that another has just begun." He smiled as James winked at him. "Very well. You are all dismissed. Have a safe summer and good luck to those who will not be returning to us next year.

The flocks of people left through the front entrance to the hall. Remus, Peter, Sirius and Buffy left following them. Letting James and Lily catch up with them when they were ready.