PART XVI
Lily thought long and hard about her speech. She wanted to word it perfectly. It had to reflect back on the past seven years and look towards the future all at the same time. James wasn't at all stressed about it, but when was he ever about anything academic? Lily knew that whatever he said would be brilliant and that really only half of the student body would be listening because all of the girls would be too busy checking him out. Part of Lily, the selfish part, wanted to outshine him in her writing. She wanted to show everyone that she could write insightful witty words that they would remember for years to come.
Finally the moment had arrived. Lily had primped and polished herself and felt that surely she looked presentable and maybe dare she even think it, pretty. Her Gryffindor robes were ironed and her badge was polished. She wore her hair in ringlets that had taken her hours of hard work to do- she never was a hair person. Her makeup was while subtle, still noticeable and made her look quite becoming.
She and James made their way to the front of the Great Hall, stopping only after they had reached the place where the teachers' table usually stood. All of the house tables had disappeared and instead a sea of chairs filled the room. Lily watched at James cast the Sonorous spell upon himself.
"Hey," he said giving a little wave. "I can't believe we're finally here. There were sometimes when I didn't think we'd- or should I say I'd- make it. I still remember getting on the Hogwarts Express for the first time and meeting everyone. It doesn't seem so long ago at all that we were at our sorting. I was just so relieved I didn't go into slimy Slytherin." He covered his mouth. "Sorry, it just slipped out I swear," he apologized not sounding at all sorry. "I remember joining the quidditch team and winning games, as well as all of the practices Gryffindor's crazy captains made us do. I remember pulling pranks and passing classes, going on dates and getting in fights. I remember how stressed everyone was for the OWLs and how trivial they seem now compared to the NEWTs. Hogwarts has been my life for the past seven years and it seems so strange to be leaving it. These have been the best years of my life, but honestly, and I think you'll all agree with me, I'm ready to move on into the next phase. We're all legally adults now, even if some of us don't act like it," here he shot a blatant look towards Sirius who was flirting with the girl next to him. The crowd laughed. "We're going to be getting jobs and living on our own, getting married and raising kids." He unconsciously looked towards Lily who blushed. Several of the girls let out a little "awww." "Thank you all for making this experience so amazing. It wouldn't have been the same without any of you." He acted as if he was finished and then as and afterthought added, "Oh and by the way I'm sorry for pranking you all over the years, Most of time the affects weren't supposed to be long lasting." He cast the counterspell on himself and stepped back.
Lily stepped forward and cleared her throat. She cast the amplifying spell on herself. "When I first got my Hogwarts letter, I was stunned, bewildered, and amazed. It was so unexpected. I just couldn't believe it. Then when I made in onto the train I was ambushed by some very rowdy boys, one of which had exceedingly messy black hair." She turned and looked sternly at James. "These boys would make the next few years of my life chaos. In fact it wasn't until this year that I began to be friends with them, or really anyone of you. Imagine my dismay when I found that it was James Potter who would be head boy alongside me. I'm quite sure that all of you are aware of our past. It'd pretty hard not to have heard one of our, ahem, conversations. But this year I pushed myself, and I really got to know a lot of you. I just regret that I didn't attempt to get to know you all sooner."
"While here we've all had our share of heartbreak and laughs. We've all stressed over an exam at one point or another, and we've all gloated over doing well on something. We've all found our own talents ranging from quidditch to potions. We've all gotten to know ourselves better. We've all matured and grown," she looked down at herself. "Some of us just mentally." The 7th years laughed. She was by far the shortest person in their year. "We've learned our lessons in and out of the classroom. We've all been gossiped about at some point or another and we've all spread a rumor about someone else. We've all suffered from a botched spell or potion, and we've all ended up in the hospital wing at some point. We've watched as the war has entered our lives and we've all been pressured to pick sides by our housemates. We've all taken days for granted, and we've all had our selfish moments."
"But now were ascending into adulthood, where all of our decisions will have a bigger impact on our lives. And now we must ask ourselves a myriad of questions. 'Should I take the job? Should I buy the flat? Should I further my education? Should I propose? Should I become active in the war?' All these should I, could I, would I questions can only be answered by you. So my advice to our year is only this. Follow your heart, and don't do something just because you feel pushed into it. Make your life as happy as possible however possible. That's what I'll be doing, or at least trying to. Now I'll stop rambling and let the headmaster speak. Thank you." She cast the counterspell and followed James off the stage where she found her seat.
Lily tuned out the speeches made by the headmaster and the heads of the houses. Her eyes kept falling on James who was sitting across the room from her and towards the back. He was so strong and funny and helpful and nice, just absolutely perfect. She sincerely hoped that her dream would come true. She'd like nothing more than to be Lily Potter and have his children. Following her heart indeed.
She was awaken abruptly from her wandering thoughts as the names of her peers were called. She couldn't help but smile as Sirius crossed the front of the room with his certificate in his hand. He stopped and struck a pose than winked at the crowd before relinquishing the floor to the next student.
At "Evans, Lily, head girl," she rose from her seat and got her certificate. She smiled pleasantly at the others. She was a bit shocked to hear how loud the applause was for her but tried not to show it. She was quite thankful when she finally made it back to her seat.
Rodolphus was called, and Lily stiffened as he passed her by, but he did nothing. Perhaps today of all days was unspokenly a truce. Remus was not long after and he accepted his certificate graciously. Much later was Peter and a couple of students after was James. Lily's breath caught in her throat as he walked by. He was just so profoundly incredible. Severus accepted his award glumly and stalked back to his seat. He had stayed away from Lily and the marauders for quite a few weeks now. He was obviously avoiding them. Finally the last person- Zeffer, Audrey- went up and the ceremony ended. The newly graduated students stood up and began conversing excitedly.
Lily rushed up to James and planted a huge kiss on his lips right as he turned around. He stumbled back surprised. "Whoa," he said shaking his head. "I could get used to that."
Lily smiled. "Good, because I plan on doing it as much as possible for as long as possible."
"I wouldn't have it any other way. You're stuck with me forever," he said as he placed his hands around her waist.
"Is that a veiled proposal?" Lily asked with a raised eyebrow. "Because according to the pool that our friends our running but think we forgot about, Remus would win."
"Think of it as a pre-proposal," he said. "I don't think either of us is ready for that much of a commitment quite yet."
"Pre-proposal?" Lily mulled it over. "I like the sound of that."
James looked at her earnestly. "You're my life, Lily. I mean you're the reason I'm living it. I can't imagine spending the rest of my life without you."
She smiled at him. "I feel the same way about you too. You, James Potter, are the love of my life." Looking into his eyes she felt a thrill at the look of love in his eyes. She kissed him, and in a mind-boggling moment, unconsciously they sealed their fate.
