Chapter Twenty-Five: In the End
The road called Lily and James progressed smoothly. James's mother
accepted her son and his girlfriend once James told her the depth of
his feelings. She was shocked, needless to say, but she learned that
it was his choice to make, not hers.
N.E.W.T's passed—almost surprisingly uneventfully—and graduation was
nearing.
One beautiful spring day found Lily and James under a tree with Alice
and Frank (who, by the way, were newly engaged) and Estella and Sirius
(who had made-up, but decided to just be friends… like that was going
to last long). They hadn't seen Peter much those days, but figured
that he was under the stress of N.E.W.T's like everyone else, and now
that they were done, was busy eating in the kitchens one last time.
Remus and Selene were nowhere to be found either, but no one worried,
for they were most likely together.
However, when Selene came tearfully, everyone immediately snapped out
of their lazy dazes.
"What's wrong?" Lily wanted to know.
"Could I talk to you guys… alone?" Selene sniffled, meaning Estella,
Alice, and Lily.
The boys all nodded, concerned and the girls left.
In the Seventh Year Girls' dormitories, Selene blew on a handkerchief.
"He—he broke up with me!" She sobbed.
"What?" Everyone was stunned. It was so obvious that Remus loved
Selene and vice versa.
"Why?" Estella demanded.
"He told me that there were secrets he had that he couldn't tell me
and… and he didn't want to go on without me knowing them."
She blew her nose and continued. "I told him to tell me—that I wouldn't
be angry—but he said if I knew it may hurt me.
"I'm so scared for him! Is he in trouble? Oh god…"
Lily was seething. Remus was too much of a chicken to tell Selene so
he went and broke both of their hearts. But why now?
Then, it came back to her…
Remus sighed. "It's not that easy."
"Well, if you're really serious about her, you can't keep secrets from
her! And if you don't tell her by the end of the year, Remus," she
looked him dead in the eye, "I will."
In the library… on that day when Alice had hooked her and James up for
the wedding… and Selene was worried about him because it was the full
moon!
So what now? He made it clear he wasn't serious enough about her to
tell her, so he got out of doing it. But… should she tell Selene?
Was it her place?
Lily opted to keep her mouth shut… for now. First, Selene needed some
time, as did Remus. But she swore, if they weren't over each other in
a year…
She would.
0 0 0 0 0
All the boys were thoroughly displeased with Remus, to say the least,
once he came to them slowly and sadly outside.
"Moony, she would've understood!" Sirius kept saying.
"Understood what?" Frank asked, frowning. Then, "Oh… that Remus is a
werewolf?"
All three boys gaped at him.
Frank shrugged. "I'm a Ravenclaw, what do you expect? And one of the
smarter Ravenclaws." He grinned. "After doing that essay on werewolves
in sixth year, it was quite easy to tell…"
Remus groaned. "You and Lily both."
Frank looked impressed. "Lily too? I knew that girl should've been in
Ravenclaw."
Thinking about all the Ravenclaw boys and Lily with them, James growled
out, "I don't think so."
Frank rolled his eyes.
"Anyway," Sirius continued on impatiently. "Why did you break up with
her now of all times?"
"Because Lily told me that if I didn't tell Selene by the end of the
year, she would."
Sirius and James sighed. "She might anyway, you know," James said
thoughtfully.
Remus looked like he was going to be sick.
0 0 0 0 0
A week had gone by and Remus was sure that Lily hadn't told Selene, who
wasn't acting odd towards him. She remained civil, as did he, but they
were both hurting and everyone could see it.
Graduation came and Lily was valedictorian. People in crimson, green,
blue, and yellow graduation gowns adorned the Great Hall, as did many
parents, including hers, and James's mum, who met for the first time.
She made her speech after James (who had one as Head Boy), ending with…
"…Even though, we all end up the same way, it's the road that leads us
there that is the true adventure. We'll all be taking many roads—some
intertwined, some far apart—and these roads may be longer than others.
But, in the end, it's not about the destination, it's about how you get
there. I hope that sometime down the road I will see you all again,
but if not, I wish you well. Congratulations Hogwarts Class of
1983—our adventure has just begun."
A huge applause rang out, and even some Slytherins clapped (albeit
reluctantly).
People magicked chairs and tables out of the way, and the Graduation
Ball had begun. Kids bid farewell to their parents—some who were
spending the night in Hogsmeade, others who were going home. Lily's
parents were leaving, and James's was going to Hogsmeade.
"I am sorry," Mrs. Potter told Lily again for trying to separate
herself and James.
"I understand completely," Lily told her. "I may have even done the
same if James was my kid."
To which James responded with, "Ew! Gross!"
Rolling her eyes, Lily grabbed James's sleeve. "Bye, Mrs. Potter,
lovely to meet you. Come on, you," she said at James. "We better
leave before your immaturity decreases further." And she proceeded to
drag James away from the chuckling Mrs. Potter, whom he called to,
"Bye, Mum!"
0 0 0 0 0
Students magicked a quick change spell to change from their Graduation
robes to their dress robes.
Lily was wore blue-green robes, James was in gold, Sirius and Estella in black, Selene in lavender, Remus and Alice in pale blue, Frank in red, and Peter in gray.
The friends had a wonderful time spending precious few moments with their colleagues, so Lily was a little irritated when James insisted on dragging her away.
"Where are we going?" Lily wanted to know as she and James walked around the lake that glittered as the sun set.
"Just walking," James answered nonchalantly.
Lily gaped at him. "You dragged me away from people I will most likely never see again to just WALK?"
James grinned. "Well…" he pulled her into his arms. "Perhaps a bit more than that."
Lily laughed before he kissed her.
Breaking apart a few moments later, James said quietly, "There's something I have to tell you."
Lily smiled at him. "What's that?" She asked dreamily, dazed from his kisses.
James went down on one knee and Lily started to tear up, realizing what it meant. Pulling out a case, he revealed a simple, yet beautiful ring, with an emerald in the center and two smaller diamonds on the side, all on a simple gold band.
"I know what you're thinking," James said, "but if you say yes, we don't have to get married right away. I know we both want to experience living on our own and with careers for awhile… but I'm willing to wait. And I know that you think that this is all too soon, and we only start going together a few months ago… but Lily, you're it for me." James laughed a little. "I probably loved you ever since I did dye your hair green. I can never love anyone else like you, I know that for sure." He cleared his throat before asking, "Lily Marie Evans, will you have me… will you marry me?"
Lily, whose hand was covering her mouth, pulled it away to say, "Oh—oh, yes! Yes, yes, yes!"
He caught her left hand and eased the ring on. After that was done, he gathered her up in his arms and swung around. "Prongs prevails!"
Lily laughed, then asked, once they sobered, "I always wondered how you got that nickname… and I really don't feel like going back inside, not yet. So… you up to telling me a story?" Lily asked, an eyebrow raised.
"Anytime," James said easily, knowing that it was better to get his animagi status out in the open.
So he began his story, and both were unaware of an old man with twinkling eyes watching them from the astronomy tower. Turning, he passed by their portrait, where the once fighting lion and tiger were now happily together, just like their counterparts, the future Mr. And Mrs. Potter.
And though the threat of Voldemort loomed, Dumbledore felt that, when such opposites could come together, there really was hope for the world.
He chuckled to himself. "It's not everyday you see people like those create such sparks… sparks of all kinds."
The End0 0 0 0 0
A/N: That's all, folks!
I feel really good right now. I actually finished a story—the longest I've ever written, roughtly 115 Microsoft Word pages long. Wowzers!
Thank you to EVERYONE who reviewed during some point of the story or the other, and especially thank you to people who reviewed nearly every chapter—you know who you are. Without you guys, this story probably would've been deleted a while ago (and before the best chapter, too!)
A question that someone had as to why I don't write to their deaths: A) I don't like thinking about it. B) after Lily and James get together/engaged, I think that it isn't as interesting anymore. And if I can't read it, I can't write it. And C) I don't want to write deaths, especially Lily and James's. It'd be too depressing.
Thanks again!