All of the 7th year students waited outside of the great hall, the end of year ball about to begin. Hermione decided to wear muggle attire and was in a strapless midnight blue dress with intricate gold beading across the chest, her hair in a coronet decorated with a golden tiara. The trio of friends stood in a group, awaiting the ball, and Hermione was surprised to see Ron holding hands with a talkative Ravenclaw prefect named Holly Ishmael, and Harry stood with a hand casually slung around the waist of Adriana Weasley who was wearing ice blue to match her eyes. None of the marauders had appeared yet, but somehow she knew that something very, very weird was going on.
Sirius and Lily popped up from behind them, both smiling happily. Sirius was staring at his watch, then at Lily and Hermione edgily.
Hermione found this a perfect time to reflect upon her time in 1978. She came just after New Year, a few weeks later started going out with Remus. Harry and Ron came in late march, the NEWTS in Early June, and now, on the last day of the month, was the leaving ball. Six months she had been here, and she didn't regret a thing, and after all, what did she really have in the future worth going back to? Everything she ever wanted was right here, and now she had more. She had the love of a person she would otherwise have only seen as a teacher, and in the pit of her stomach she knew that she and Remus would be together forever. She thought about his kisses dreamily, and of his touch the night before, and then smiled as she shivered away the memories. More than this, she was going to prevent the second coming of Voldemort along with her best friends.
"Hermione…" She jumped out of her reverie and rubbed her side where Harry had poked her.
"What?" She asked.
"Just making sure you were around." he teased. "The look on your face told us you were kind of away with the fairies, so to speak." She slapped his arm playfully.
"Yes, and you would know about that, Harry, what was it again… Harry Pot-head? No…Harry Prince?" She grinned as he blushed. "Aw, it's ok, I was only teasing."
"AHEM!" There was a mass shuffle as everyone turned towards the stairs, where Remus and James had suddenly appeared.
"Students of Hogwarts, there is a small thing that we would like you to witness." James said loudly, beaming.
"This sounds ominous." Lily said to Hermione, a scowl darkening her features.
"I, James potter, am a changed man after making your life relative but amusing hell for the last seven years. For once, I am not about to pull a prank. I am going to stand here and confess my love to one woman, Lily Evans." He nodded at Remus.
"And I, Remus Lupin, Am a changed man, after spending six and a half years as a workaholic and brain to the Marauders. I am not about to aid a prank. I am going to stand here and confess my love to one woman, Hermione Megans."
Hermione and Lily looked at each other, gaping, and then back at the boys who stood on the stairs.
"Padfoot, please bring the ladies forward." Sirius Linked arms with both girls, who didn't really know what to make of the situation, and went in stunned silence.
The two boys, in black suits, Remus with a shirt that matched Hermione's dress and James in a black shirt and chunky white tie, walked casually down the steps, as if it had all been pre-arranged.
The girls came to stand in front of the stairs, and as one the two boys dropped to one knee in front of their respective lady. Hermione's head was spinning as Remus looked up at her, his eyes shining with love so pure, and pulled out a small black box.
"Hermione, my wolf, could you cope with loving me forever and always? Would you marry me and bring the sunlight into my life in the dark? You hold my heart in your hands, Hermione, will you give me yours?"
"Oh, get up." She sniffed. He did, opening the box to reveal a gold ring interlaced with a rounded cluster of diamonds, with tiny ones beaten into the metal to look like stars.
She looked from the ring to his eyes, and smiled through tears that threatened to fall. Her heart swelled, beating against her ribs and a knot formed in her stomach, making her feel like when they laid together. "You have my heart, Remus..." She whispered, and burst into tears of joy as he pulled her tightly against him and kissing her with everything, every ounce of love he could possibly give her. She could hear the students cheering, but they weren't really there. It was Remus and her together, it was her lover, her friend, he held her in his arms forever, and she felt the cool band of metal slip onto her ring finger, warming to her body.
"And I will treasure it forever." He told her, laughing as his smile brought out tiny lines at the corner of his eyes, twinkling a sky blue. "I love you, Hermione."
"I love you too." He interlaced his fingers with hers, and gently wiped away her tears.
"Your make up has run." He joked lightly.
"Magic make-up only comes of with magic…that's what you've done to my heart, Remus. That's what we've made together." She whipped out her wand from a small bag and a mirror, fixing it in seconds and applying muggle lipstick.
They watched as James asked Lily, and smiled as she threw her arms around him automatically, and he lifted her up, spinning her around. More cheers ensued, and he turned to watch as Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Congratulations, Mr Potter, Mr Lupin. I think you've just become men." He laughed, and for once the four weren't embarrassed, but truly and utterly happy.
"Let the ball begin!" The old headmaster shouted, and the students, including Hermione, Remus, James and Lily, and began flooding into the hall. The marauders, including Harry, Ron and their dates, hung back.
"Congratulations." Peter, the small boy whom she rarely saw, told them. Harry and Ron, grinning like maniacs, threw their arms around Hermione.
"You knew!" she said suddenly, and they nodded sheepishly. "Cheeky buggers!" She laughed. She turned to Remus, her eyes shining.
"You know I one told you that you were cheesy?" She asked him, and he rolled his eyes.
"I know, I know, but it seemed like the highest compliment anyone could ever pay you." She wiped away her tears again.
"Yes it was cheesy, but you know…" She smiled at him, running a soft finger down his cheek. "It was the most beautiful thing I have ever known, and I don't think I will ever be this happy again." She linked their hands together.
"Come on." Sirius said, waving them down to the hall. "We have a ball to attend."
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"And so, another year has passed, another group of bright young people will leave the castle's walls forever. I have never loved a group of students as much as I have loved you. You have changed the school in so many ways… From winning Gryffindor the Quidditch cup every year since they arrived, to a certain group of select students and some amusing accidents, to some travelling through time to get here." He winked at Hermione, Harry and Ron, and the three turned to see the Marauders pointing at them, causing laughs. "Not mentioning any names in the last two categories, of course."
"But furthermore, you have grown into wonderful young adults. You should be proud of everything you have achieved whilst here, and go on to continue when you begin to work. I have seen every single one of you shine in one way or another. I have seen budding professional Quidditch stars, Aurors, Healers, and even ministers for magic."
He looked around the room of students, smiling sadly. "And it is so now, that I say goodbye to you, and then welcome new students again. Our life is like a circle, forever rotating and changing, and with change comes rebirth of something new. I wish you all the very best of luck in your futures, the lives you will lead." He held up his champagne. "To the future!" Every single student raised their glass in unison.
"To the future!"
"Peeves, Nick, Now!" Sirius shouted, and a line of ghosts carrying buckets emptied multicoloured streams of confetti over the students in blue, green, yellow and red. Students cheered as in glowing writing appeared above them. The marauders, still grinning, crowd-surfed Sirius to the stage, and he stood, shouting out what was glowing above.
"We did it!" He howled, and Hermione, ran up to the stage, pushing through the crowd, grinning. It was a small part of her speech she would have made as head girl.
"We will never forget you!" She joined him on the stage. "HOGWARTS, YOU ARE FINALLY RID OF US!"
The crowd of students roared.
"You know something, Maya? The last thing we have to do now, IS DANCE!" Dumbledore, laughing with the teachers, signalled to the band, and Sirius threw himself into the crowd, while Hermione, who had some dignity, ran off and straight into Remus, who lifted her up in his arms, in an imitation of James and Lily.
"I guess this means we dance." He said, leading her out onto the dance floor and spinning her under his arm.
"I guess it does, Mr Moony." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"What are we waiting for then, Mrs Moony?" He teased, kissing her deeply on the lips.
"That. Now let's dance!"
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Hermione hugged Lily hard as the two girls cried together.
"I wanted you to stay with me." She said, hiccoughing. Hermione nodded, then something dawned on her.
"I can… Remus, come here a second!" She beckoned him over.
"Yeah?"
"I'm going to stay at Lily's for one month. You and James have some work to do getting houses." She said cheekily. Lily linked arms with her, looking sweet and innocently at Remus.
"Women. I'll go tell Jamesie." He rolled his eyes and dragged the rest of the trunks onto the train, discussing something with James.
"Hermione I need to talk to everyone on the train, its important." Harry ran to her, looking more Serious than she had ever seen him. She felt fear ebb from her chest.
"When?" She began shaking.
"Tomorrow night." Hermione began steeling herself. "You going to be ready? Our training finished and we can all perform the curse. There will be a chance to do it tomorrow night, otherwise we will have failed."
"Discuss it on the train. Now is not the best time with death eater spawn crawling around." Lily said quickly, eyeing the younger versions of Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape.
"On the train."
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DONT FLAME ME! i know it was fluffy... leave me alone (hides from lines of fire)