Disclaimer: As if I would have let Harry be an orphan!

A/N: This is it!

Dateless ETERNITY

Lily kneeled in front of the graves, tears squeezing out from underneath tightly shut eyelids. Trista, Shawn, Jay. They had given their lives to rescue her. She had once been happy for their deaths. It was all so confusing. They were her closest friends.

Jay, who knew her so well. He had always had a crush on Trista. It seemed he'd never get around to asking her out now.

Trista, who was so intelligent. She always knew when Lily was up to something. She had had so many plans for the future.

Shawn, who was always ready to give someone a laugh. Who truly adored Sirius far more than any of his worshippers ever could. Those two had truly had something special.

Lily laid a black lily on each of the graves, giving a tiny smile. Black lilies. They had once given the Marauders cause to fear.

A comforting hand squeezed Lily's shoulder. She looked up into James' eyes. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her hair.

.xXx.

"James, this is ridiculous," Lily said. "We're going to get busted big time."

"We're Head students. No one's going to catch us," James told her as he led her out onto the star-drenched Astronomy Tower. Lily had to smile at the beauty of it all. "May I have this dance?" James asked with a bow.

Lily gave him her hand, and he pulled her close to his body, leading her into a slow dance. Back and forth, back and forth, they rocked. "The year's nearly over," Lily noted.

"Yes."

"We'll graduate soon."

"… yes."

Lily looked up into James' face. "If you don't eventually ask me to marry you, I will kill you," she said, scowling a little.

James made a face. "Beat me to the punch, why don't you?" He shook his head and produced a velvet box from his pocket.

Lily's emerald eyes grew as wide as saucers. When she said 'eventually', that's what she meant. Eventually. James kneeled in front of her. "Lily Ivy Evans, I have been in love with you for as long as I can remember. We've had plenty of battles, and I have no doubt that we will have plenty more. You make my life hell, love. But life without you? I don't have to wonder what that's like, because I've been there, done that. It nearly killed me. So please, please, make me the happiest wizard alive. Please marry me."

"As if I could live without you!"

James slipped the ring on her finger and stood to kiss her. "So I take it I get to live now?"

Lily kissed him hotly in response.

Later as they walked into the Common Room together, Lily shouted, "Oi, Remus!"

She heard the sleepy response from upstairs, "What?"

"Will you walk me down the aisle?"

The inhabitants of the Gryffindor tower nearly woke the entire castle. "WHAT!"

.xXx.

Voldemort was in a dilemma. The prophecy… that damn prophecy. His daughter's son. How could he kill them? Potter… somehow he had kept Lily from giving him the potion. Somehow… Now he had to deal with the prophecy. Voldemort's eyes hardened. Blood only went so far.

.xXx.

Five lives were wrecked that night.

Remus Lupin, the backbone of the Marauders, the one who kept them together. The werewolf whose friends kept him alive. He was the smart one, the planner, the prefect, but he still needed his mischievous friends. Peter, gone. James, dead. Sirius, imprisoned. The Marauders had fallen apart.

Sirius Black, Hogwarts' Hottie, Gryffindor's prankster. The Marauder without a conscience, the player whose smile swept girls off their feet. He never totally recovered from Shawn's death. It really had been different with her, no matter what others said. Now he was sentenced to Azkaban an innocent man.

Harry Potter, who was to be the Boy Who Lived, the youngest Seeker in a century. The one who countless times overcame Voldemort. What boy wouldn't crave such a life? Harry Potter himself. For all of these challenges, he must face alone. Because Voldemort killed his parents.

James Potter, Quidditch player extraordinare, the cunning Marauder who kept Sirius on his feet and Remus still smiling. Smart enough to be named Head Boy, it seems. Totally in love with Lily Evans… -Potter. The young father whose life was personally taken by Voldemort himself. Voldemort could have left him alive, but James Potter was the one who had taken Voldemort's daughter from him. It was a grudge murder.

Lily Evans, the smartest witch in her year. Lily went by many names: Slytherin, Gryffindor, Keeper, Head Girl, Lily, Scarlet, Scar, Voldemort's daughter. Which one was right? One person could know her true name, and that person was James Potter, the love of Lily's life. Life without him wasn't worth living. Voldemort took his daughter's life that night, though Lily knew how much it hurt him to do so. But at the end of it all, Voldemort murdered Lily Evans. That damn, evil, Slytherin Beauty.

A/N: Can I cry now? It's over! I can't believe it! Thirty chapters exactly, if you don't count the Authoress' note. Wanna know where I wrote the first ten? Laying on a beach in the Caribbean. About a year ago. This story has changed so much since then, it's hard to believe. It's been a fabulous journey, all of you, and I enjoyed making it with you.

Special Thanks to:

Clueless Bystander: El, thanx for supporting me through this whole thing! What are best friends for, anyway? Lol. Hand me that tissue box, will you?

Pupparoux: Yes, you get a thank you! You've been a fabulous reviewer, and I've gotten tons of feedback from you. Thanks! Ps—post on that fic!

Volleyballgirl: Rachel, thanks for inspiring who-knows-how-many chapters! And yes, I still believe she's going to kill off Ginny. Or perhaps Percy. I never liked Percy. Ooh, maybe she'll kill Cho 'cos she doesn't think Cho has gone through enough heart ache as it is!

And ALL of my other faithful reviewers over the chapters: I thank you SO much! All of your reviews kept me smiling and laughing over the months. If you have a story you'd like me to read, contact me! My email's on my profile, I think. If not, it's .

Happy Trails!

Keep a Sharp Eye and a Sharper Sword,

Sam