::Midnight Lily::

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter – it belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter Eleven

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"I knew that you'd be top of our class, Lily," Amber commented as they walked out of the Great Hall. Their results had been given back to them and almost all of them had passed seemingly. Lily held her report card in front of her with a small smile on her face. She couldn't wait to present it to her parents. They'd be so proud of her. "I'm just glad that I passed in Magical Creatures – that means that I'll be able to go into researching."

Lily caught the eye of James on the way back to the Gryffindor common room and gave him a friendly wave. "Researching?" Lily asked, raising an eyebrow at Amber. "What for?"

"There's a new species of mermaids that they found off the coast of Greenland," Amber explained. "I read an article on it a couple of months ago in the Daily Prophet. They're looking for young, aspired graduates to go with them. If I do well then there's a direct path to the Magical Creatures Department after that."

"You want to work in the Magical Creatures Department?" Sabina asked, from behind them. "I thought you'd be the type to do advice columns for the Daily Prophet – something like that."

"I give advice to my close friends," Amber agreed. "But only my close friends – counseling is a little bit of a forceful point to me."

Wade joined up with the group and placed an arm around his girlfriend, giving her a gentle swoop on the cheek. "Passed all my subjects!" he said with a grin. "How about you, Amber?"

"Yep," she said with a pleasant smile. "Lily here received the best marks, of course!"

"Well done, Lily!" Wade remarked.

"Stop it," Lily told her friends. "I'm not a know-it-all."

"Of course you are!" Sabina shouted out and they all laughed. "But it'd be good to leave this place."

"Sabina!" Lily exclaimed. "That's a horrible thing to say – you honestly want to leave Hogwarts?"

"I meant leave school," Sabina said. "Of course I'll visit Hogwarts every now and then to catch up on things here."

"Ya," Wade agreed. "I'd like to catch up on the Quidditch teams. So sad I have to leave that behind."

"Are you going to join any teams after graduation?" Amber asked her boyfriend curiously.

"Maybe," Wade shrugged. "I'm not sure Quidditch is the best way to go through your life – could end in disappointment."

"I think that Quidditch is alright," Amber said stiffly. "If it wasn't for my terrible skills I would have thought of joining one." Katie walked a little bit behind them – caught up in her own thoughts. "Katie, how about your results?"

"Passed all the ones that I need," Katie said shortly. "Potions, charms – the usual."

"Good for you," Sabina said. Ever since the notice of Katie's dead parents, everyone had been rather awkward when it came to being around her. "So what are you going to do after this?" Everyone shot a sharp glance at Sabina but she ignored them. "Buy a house with the money they left you with?"

"I'm not sure," Katie said, biting her lower lip. Ever since the letter, she had been ignoring everything that was related to her parents in the fear of letting them go. She must remember them. She wouldn't let go. "Maybe I can share a flat with you guys?"

"Ya," Sabina agreed. "I'll ask my parents if you can share the apartment with me by the coast."

"That would be nice," Katie remarked. Sabina gave Katie a warm smile and gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I'll help pay for the food and everything, though."

"Look at you guys," Wade interrupted. "You're talking about your futures like you can just lead yourselves right through them, as if everything you say would work out! You should have taken Katie as an example! You should have realized that things would just come and you should be happy with them and work your way around them!"

Lily, Sabina, Amber and Katie looked at each other and froze. It wasn't that often that Wade would come a break their happy scenario. He had a way of making them turn away from chance. That was probably why Amber had fallen in love with him in the first place. Once in a while Wade would burst and shout at them. It wasn't a happy thought – but he did bring them back into reality.

"He's right," Amber replied, after some time. "We're going too fast. The Graduation Ball hasn't even ended yet and we're talking about our adulthood." She gave him a hug. "We have the rest of the month to figure all this out. Let's just enjoy the rest of our time at Hogwarts."

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Lily sat by the fireplace that night, looking at her report card once more. The results still amazed her. She even answered all the Comparable Species questions right. That came from studying.

All of a sudden her mind reverted to the time she spent with James. Maybe that was the reason why she passed, because she had learnt to relax. Lily shook her mind at the stupid thought. How can relaxing be the key to passing in exams? Alex Watson did that all the time and he passed. But he probably used his quill. Then again, they were given anti-cheating quills so he probably didn't. She gave a small giggle to relief her tensions. Her mind was chasing its tail like a dog again...

"That's just it," James had said to her at one time. "You don't want anything; you just wish for it and yet never hope for it to happen."

That was half true. She often did wish for things to happen yet knew that they were impossible. The things that did come true were all for her family and friends. The practical things. When Lily's family wanted her to do things that would make them proud she did; she was first made prefect and then Head Girl. When her friends told her to completely ignore James and hate him, she did; she had thrown the butterbeer at him through peer pressure.

Why had she never done anything she wanted? Why had she never done the right thing for herself, for a change?

There was a simple answer to that. She couldn't. She was a puppet being played at with her friends, family, and enemies. She could just be used anytime they wanted her to be. Just a small toy. They thought she had no heart or soul of her own. Lily Evans had sold everything for them.

"Still looking at that report card?" a low voice from behind her whispered. She turned around to find James smiling at her and her stomach did a great somersault. "I'd have thought you had enough of full marks and appraisal."

"Me too," Lily said with a smile. She placed it back into her bag. "What are you doing here?"

"Talking to you of course," James said plainly. He seemed to be avoiding her eyes. "I need to talk to you about Ailsa."

"What do you want me to do now?" Lily sighed.

"Nothing, you don't have to do anything, that is," James said quickly. "The Graduation Ball is in two days; I want Ailsa to ask me to go with her tomorrow. So I'll be breaking up with you tomorrow – um, goodnight." He walked back up the stairs towards the boy's dormitory.

Lily looked into the fire, tears brimming from her eyes. Nothing will ever go her way.

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"What's going on?" Sabina asked Katie nervously. Shouts were emerging from the corridor in front of the Great Hall that morning. "That isn't James cursing someone again, is it?" She tried to look over the crowd of spectators.

"It's Potter, alright," Katie said through gritted teeth. "But he isn't cursing anyone – he's fighting with Lily."

"What?" The crowd parted slightly and Sabina saw James shouting at Lily alright. He looked red hot in anger – or was that embarrassment? And Lily. She looked heartbroken and tortured.

"IT'S OVER LILY!! GET THAT OVER YOUR THICK SKULL!! I DON'T LIKE YOU AT ALL ANYMORE!!" James roared. It was hard to believe that this was all a stunt. Lily herself could hardly pull it away from reality. James had all of a suddenly gone cold and rigid. All that was moving was his mouth. He made it sound fixed. But Lily softened it with her hurt face. "JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!! I HATE YOU! I COMPLETELY HATE YOU!"

"WHAT IN THE WORLD DID I DO WRONG?!!" Lily shouted back. Her emotions were over taking her. She could feel the tears creeping into her eyes. She could feel everyone watching them and her ears burned as red as her hair. Within her chest, something was beating like a drum, but Lily was sure that it wasn't her heart. It was her soul. "TELL ME WHAT WENT WRONG?" She felt so faint – like her knees were about to collapse from under her. This was how they're fun was going to end. James would have Ailsa and she would be left with nothing.

"We're over," James said in a final tone. He turned around and began to make his way up the stairs. Lily ran up to him and he turned around and stared back at her with his cold green eyes. "I never loved you; I can never bring myself to love you." With that he turned around and continued to make his way up the stairs.

There. Lily had done her part for James. Their deal was done. Then why did she feel so ripped off?

"Come on," Amber whispered to Katie and Sabina. "Let's help Lily."

"What was that all about?" Katie asked confused. "I thought Lily didn't like James."

"We didn't like James," Amber said coldly. "You wouldn't understand the complication of things Katie – you don't know what really happened." She ran up to Lily and placed her arms around her. Katie and Sabina took up the rear, looking very confused.

"I don't get it what happened?" Sabina asked.

"James was – Lily's boyfriend," Amber muttered.

"Lily had a boyfriend?" Sabina asked.

"No, he just broke up with her," Amber replied.

"But James was her boyfriend?" Sabina asked.

"No, he never was," Amber answered, helping Lily to her feet.

"Then why did you say that James was Lily's boyfriend?" Sabina asked.

"Because he was," Amber said hastily. She turned to look at Lily with concern, "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright," Lily muttered. "It was the final stunt – it was just an act."

"Then you're a very good actress, Lily," Amber remarked. But her tone wasn't of sarcasm, it was serious and bitter. "Tell me now, did you love him or not?"

"I did," Lily replied, looking up at Amber. She stunned herself by saying it.

"And you still do?" Amber asked.

Lily nodded silently.

"Then go after him."

Lily heard no more. She ran up the stairs and followed the path that James took. There she was – playing a puppet once more. But this time she had to agree. This time it was her heart doing the walking and not her mind.

She knew that he'd be somewhere in the Gryffindor common room – somewhere to just think what happened all over again. What had happened before was too fast for her to comprehend. They had just been walking together down to breakfast, talking and having fun and he broke into shouts. She knew it was part of the act. But somehow Lily felt that it was much more then that.

She turned a corner and heard voices. Lily froze. It was James – and not just James – he was with Ailsa.

"What did you do to her, Potter?" Ailsa asked in a bitter voice.

"We just didn't work out," James said even more coldly.

"But she loved you – she cared for you," Ailsa pressured on. "She just wasn't enough, was she? Just because she wasn't perfect, just because you didn't think she was perfect, you think she's nothing. You can't find perfection. It's not possible."

"How about you?" It was barely a whisper.

"I'm not perfect at all," Ailsa told him. "I'm just another ordinary teen trying to find ways to love. But you, you found love. You found love with Lily." There was a short pause where Ailsa and James seemed to be thinking quietly to themselves. "It's not everyday that you find someone who you can spend your life with."

"I'd spend my life with you," James said shortly.

"Excuse me?" Ailsa asked. She sounded shocked – no, beyond shock – she sounded traumatized.

"I did this all for you," James answered. "I wanted to ask you out to the Graduation Ball."

"Then why didn't you?"

"I was too afraid that you'd say 'no.'"

"Well you should have asked me then," Ailsa said. Her voice had grown softer. "Because now I say no."

"How come?" James asked.

"Lily loves you," Ailsa replied. "And I don't."

"I told you," James said intensely. "It was all a stunt for you."

"James," Ailsa said. "We girls have a way to see each other's souls. Call it woman's intuition or something, but we can. And down there? I saw Lily's eyes. They were hurt and it wasn't pretend, it was real. Whatever she might be telling you is not true. Lily loves you for real. It's really sweet that you did all this for me – but before you go and ask the wrong girl to the ball, just think about who you really feel for – who you really love."

Lily leaned against the wall and thought about what she had just heard.

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Lily waited for James to return to the Gryffindor common room. She wanted desperately to hear what he had to say. Who had he chosen? There was a certainty that he had chosen Ailsa. He had a crush on Ailsa. He probably had no feelings for know-it-all Lily. But hope was a strange thing that burned within her as the hours expired. Ailsa. That was all. It was a definite answer. He had chosen Ailsa. Ailsa. Ailsa. Ailsa.

It was close to lunch when James finally entered the common room. Lily was half-asleep on an armrest by the fire. She shook herself awake as James walked in. "So did Ailsa say yes?" Lily asked, standing up anxiously. "Are you going to the Graduation Ball with her?"

James sat down beside Lily, shaking his head grimly. "I talked to Ailsa," he began. "But she didn't worry one bit about me. She wanted to know how you were."

"And what did you say?" Lily asked, leaning forwards.

"I told her everything – the stunt, how I felt about her," James gave a sigh and looked into the fire.

"And how did she react?" Lily asked, pretending to be curious.

"Shocked," James admitted. "Mostly, she thought that it was all for the wrong reason, that I had played around with your heart and it was all stupid.

That's when I realized what a big arrogant jerk I am."

"You're not a jerk," Lily said honestly. "You really aren't. All those jokes I made of you – being arrogant and all – it may have been true but I didn't quite feel that way at all."

"I know you don't," James said haughtily. "But anyway, Ailsa gave a choice; ask her or ask ... somebody else."

"And who did you take?" Lily asked nervously.

At this James stood up straight. "With something so obvious beside me I couldn't see – I guess I needed something more then just a torch to see it," he said. "I had tried to hide my feelings from you, after you completely embarrassed me. I tried to hide it so much that I didn't realize what my feelings really were."

"What did you really feel?" Lily asked. Her heart was pumping furiously within her.

"Mostly I felt that Ailsa had cared about me before and that I should have asked her before, instead of being so locked up in this deal, ," James said wretchedly. "Then – I felt you. I felt all of you. Every time I spent with you – it just blew me over. That's why I'm not going to ask Ailsa to the Graduation Ball. I want to ask you."

Lily didn't know what to say. Was she prepared for Midnight Lily to come alive? Then what was she thinking? It was so stupid. It was all a fairytale wish that she had hoped to come true. But none of her real wishes ever came true.

"So, will you go with me?" James asked.

"That was the stupidest thing I've ever heard come out of your mouth," Lily said with a smile. James laughed with her. "And I think that it was the best too."

There was a short pause where James and Lily just looked at each other.

"I will."

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A/N: Hope you liked this chapter! The next chapter will be the final one. Thanks for all your support! Again, please R/R! Love you guys! (In a friend sort of way of course!) lol :)

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