"Everybody Hurts"

Rowan Arkenson

Summary: Everybody hurts – especially when you're in love with a girl who won't even look at you. But James will soon realise that he's not the only one with problems...

Disclaimers: I don't own the characters or the setting. JK Rowling does, and I guess she owns the general plot, but the story, lucky me, is mine. Little verses are songs that have been in other chapters or just general. REM, Taproot, Sugababes. Yum.

A/N: cries I love you all, I will miss you all, I especially love Emrisah, Aurelie1, PammaPotter, my lovely zoeemma, and anyone else who has stayed with me throughout the story. Though I also of course love all of my lovely reviewers. ADD ME TO MSN SO THAT YOU MAY PRAISE/HATE ME STILL

(and yes, that will work if you add it to msn.)

Add me to your favourite authors, so that we may converse again somewhen if I start another fanfiction. I may go more into original…in which case, I have the same name on fictionpress :D find me if you wish lol.

Love You.

END.

sniff

Goodbye. x x x x x x x

-rowanx

Rowan Arkenson

EPILOGUE

You're not alone

'Cause everybody hurts,

Take comfort in your friends.

Everybody hurts…

Clumped in a little group around the table are eight teenagers, most sleeping off exhaustion from a heavy year. Sat one side are three girls called November, Priscilla, and Clarisse. Clarisse has her arms wrapped around a brown-haired, brown-eyed handsome looking boy called Remus. She is leaning against him sleeping, and his eyes are closed, his head on hers. The other side of the tables are sat Lily, James, Sirius and Peter. Peter is asleep, his legs curled into him on the squashed seat. The boys Sirius and James are playing thumb wars, and the girl Lily is sat on James, sleeping softly, her head against his shoulder and her hand on his chest. James looks content, Sirius mischievous. He grins at his friend, and then yells, loudly.

"…BOO!"

Everyone awakes with a start and looks up, confused, then takes in turn to glare at a giggling Sirius. The boy called James grins at his friend in an almost brotherly fashion as everyone around grumbles and rubs their eyes, slowly awakening properly.

"It feels weird to be going home doesn't it?" says Priscilla, yawning gracefully.

Her friend November nods slowly, looking around at the faces in the carriage. She stops at James and smiles lightly. "It's been a long year," she says, softly. Then she looks at Lily and grins. "But a good one." Lily smiles back gently.

James stares at Remus, who tries to smile back and fails. It's been a good year… James thought, thinking of Lily… Mostly. He's trying to block out memories he wants to forget. You can tell by the way his eyes keep darting around the carriage, and the way he looks uncomfortable and almost claustrophobic. He smiles at Lily. "Just going to the bathroom," he whispers in her ear, kissing it. He gently gets up, sliding her into her seat, edging past everyone into the hall way. Sirius' eyes follow him all the way and after a few moments he leaves up as well. Everyone is so used to Sirius and James being so inseparable that no one even stops to think this strange.

"Prongs?" Sirius says cautiously, calling out James' nickname in the hallway. James isn't even walking away. He's stood, leaning against the wall, rocking from side to side as the train is gently making its way home, but he doesn't fall over. He slides to the floor, pensively. Sirius moves to sit beside him and for a moment doesn't say anything. Just enjoys the silence between them both. And then he says, "What's on your mind?"

James know he doesn't really have to answer, that Sirius would be happy with a simple to shrug to say that it doesn't matter – but he answers anyway. "Just thinking about…you know. What happened at Christmas.

Slowly Sirius nods his head, and then grins at James. "Yeah, well, you and Lily are…"

"No." James looks at him. "I meant…" He stops, and turns away, unable to go on.

Sirius understands and looks away. After a moment's hesitation he says, "Things are…better, than they were you know." James stays still and silent. "I mean, the feelings are never gonna totally go away. I still…my parents… But I know it was stupid."

James looks at him and smiles genuinely. "It wasn't stupid. I understand. And I know what you mean. And I know you wouldn't…" he can't help lowering his eyes to Sirius' left arm and looks away painfully. Sirius looks down to his arm and fingers it gingerly.

"I haven't since December, you know that," he reassures his worried friend.

James stands suddenly. "I know. I was just…thinking. You know."

"I know." Sirius stands and the two hug briefly, before silently but comfortably making their way back to the carriage.

I'm trying to scream but I can't breathe…

Can anybody hear me?

I'm trying to dream but I can't sleep…

Can anybody shield me?

I shut my eyes and hold my cries to myself

My pride's in the shitter

But I…

Wont quit –

Never quit.

"Hey, look, we're nearly at the station!" says Clarisse, new to the group, but kind to Remus and in everyone's hearts. Being a year younger than the rest and with another year to go at Hogwarts, she doesn't feel any need for the nostalgia the others crave. She grabs her suitcase and leaves the carriage excitedly. She is staying with Remus for a few weeks in the summer, and with a quick smile at his friends, Remus follows her.

Peter leaves afterwards, with November and Priscilla following, and then Sirius, and then finally Lily and James, hand in hand, a weight of material possessions going with them. Outside of the station, the eight friends gather together, sparkling in the heat. Each are going their separate ways for a while, and no one knows exactly what to say. Though certain they are meeting again very soon, no one knows exactly when, or how. And it pains each to think it.

James looks at Lily hintingly. She smiles and the two slowly move away from the group. "Hey, where are they going?" asks Sirius.

Remus raises an eyebrows and then winks.

"Ohhh," Sirius says and grins. "Final make-out session eh?"

Lily and James are leaving the hooting and blubber behind them as they walk over to a quiet bench near the wall of the station. Lily looks up at James. "So." She says.

He smiles, gently, and looks down at their hands, held together. "So." He says. After a moment, "I love you."

"I love you," and she kisses him, gently. They break apart. "So, um, when…"

"James, remember, we're all going to meet up in a few weeks. We promised. So don't worry, I'm never going to ignore you or never see you again."

He smiled. "I know. I was just checking."

She laughs, and his insides melt, making him too nervous to ask. But he pushes forward and does so anyway. "Lily," he says, stopping her from gliding away. She comes back to him, face lit up and expectant. "If I… I mean, I wouldn't now, obviously. We're in a train station, we're only 17, and there's smoke everywhere and loads of people and – "

"James?" she urges him forward.

He gulps, nodding. "If I…asked, sometime, maybe sometime soon, or if we both thought about it or if you thought it was a good idea…"

"James."

"If I asked would you say yes?" Her heart skips a beat and she searches his eyes. "Would you marry me?" he says softly, in a rush.

Lily's eyes and locked on James, and she can't move, and she can't breathe. She stares at him wonderingly. And all she has to do is smile and he grins and hugs her tightly, swinging her in the air. She giggles, lightly, colour flooding her face. He kisses her.

There are worlds within worlds,

That keep rotating,

And so many thoughts that flow through my mind.

If this universe is really shrinking,

We'll be together in time…

"Are you too done yet?" James breaks away and grins at his friend.

"Well Moony, we're done now, obviously." He holds her to him and Remus laughs.

Priscilla smiles. "I'd better go. I'm sure my parents are waiting around somewhere, wondering if I'm still alive.

James laugh. "Yeah, me too." He looks to Sirius, who is staying with him for a week before going to his new flat. "Come on." He kisses Lily on the forehead, and smiles at each of his friends in turn.

"In three weeks then yeah?" Peter asks.

November nodded. "My house, everyone."

And everyone grins, moving away, waving, friends to the core, Lily and James' hands holding until the last second. James and Sirius walk off, side by side, and Sirius flings his arm around James in an almost unconscious manner. As if they'd been friends all their lives. Which they knew now they always would be, for as long as they lived.

Well everybody hurts.

Sometimes,

Everybody cries.

And everybody hurts…

Sometimes.

But everybody hurts sometimes.

So hold on, hold on, hold on…

Everybody hurts

You're not alone.

xxx