a/n: Hello Hello! I'm so so so sorry it's been so long, I have no excuse, but I will say that it was my senior year of high school and things got a little hectic. However, I will try to finish this story before I run off to college next month. Cheers!

Chapter 28: All Good Things Come to an End

"So," Gretchen said as the girls pulled of their jumpers to reveal their "elemental" uniforms, "you and James have made up. About damn time. I haven't seen James that beat up since Fabius Watkins died three years ago."

Alice stood up, stretching her arms above her head. "I remember that! He wore black for a month."

The girls laughed softly to themselves. Gretchen began weaving daisy chains while humming to herself until . .

"So, did you and James "make up" make up, or just make up?" Tabitha asked.

Lilly fell out of her handstand, banging her knees on the hard marble, as Gretchen started laughing.

"Breeze! Well done! I'm glad to know that some of our wickedness is rubbing off on you!"

Lilly blushed and shook her head, her scarlet curls obstructing her eyesight.

--------

The party had finally wound down around 4 in the morning and Lilly could barely stand on her own feet, she was so tired. James looked down at her, smiling wearily but his hazel eyes continued to snap and spark. No matter how tired James Potter grew in body, his mind was always running. They trudged back up to the Head's tower, and James kissed Lilly gently before leaving her at her door. Later that night, after he had crawled into bed and settled in for sleep, James heard the tell tale squeak of an opening door, and the depression of bed spring. He tensed briefly before he felt the whisper of silky shorts and chemise, attached to slender, smooth arms and legs. James squinted into the darkness.

"Lilly?"

He heard her chuckle softly, the bed bouncing gently as she positioned herself comfortably.

"I still want to sleep," Lilly said, sounding so embarrassed that James could hear her blushing, "I just . . . I didn't want to be separated from you yet. Do you mind? I can always go . ."

As Lilly's warmth started to recede, James grabbed her quickly around the waist and hauled her back closer to him, pulling her back snugly against his chest before letting his arm curl around her hipbone.

"I'm a guy. Of course I don't mind if a beautiful girl wants to sleep in my bed." James said amusedly.

"Right." Lilly said. James smiled and kissed Lilly again. They both felt warmth in the kiss they had never felt before. For James, it was the warm feeling of finally having what you've always wanted. For Lilly, it was the knowledge that she finally knew what she wanted.

Lilly groaned and buried her head further into James' bare chest as the sunlight protruded into their dreams. Through the night, James had rolled over onto his back and his firm grip around Lilly waist left her sprawled across his chest, her arms wrapped around his neck. Neither heard the door bang open, or the raucous steps that followed.

"Hey James! Guess what! I finally decided how I'm going to win – Ahh! Oh Merlin's beard! My eyes! My eyes!" Sirius flung himself backwards, hands over his eyes.

James and Lilly blearily opened their eyes.

"Hi"

"Hi" Lilly returned shyly, before yawning into her hand. They then recognized that someone else was in the room.

"Is it possibly to boil one's eyeballs without causing permanent damage? There must be a spell for that?"

"Sirius! Sirius, we've got clothes on! Sirius, it's ok!" James was saying.

Lilly started to swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Sirius gestured madly at her, with his eyes covered.

"No! No, don't get up! It's ok! I'll just leave! Really! Don't. Get. Up."

"Sirius, honestly, I'm wearing -" Lilly was cut off.

"James, I'll just – I'll talk to you about it later." He finished before practically sprinting out of the Head dormitories.

James and Lilly regarded each other quietly for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

----

"So . . . did you?" Gretchen asked, smirking madly.

"I dunno, what about you and that Davies kid?" Lilly asked her right back, completely confident that Gretchen had no interest in him whatsoever.

"Uhh . . . Let's start practicing, shall we?" Gretchen said quickly, as the other girls began to laugh. Before long, flame, wind, ice, and earth flying about the room prevented conversation.

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Ladies and Gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce one of our top students and Head Girl, Lilly Evans." Dumbledore smiled at her, before taking his seat.

Lilly nervously approached the podium, fingering the wide brim of her witches' hat and fiddling with her speech notes.

"Well." She cleared her throat gently. "Welcome, parents, students, and friends to the commencement ceremony of the Hogwarts class of 1986. It's been quite an impressive year and . . ."

Lilly trailed off for a second, allowing her eyes to linger on James, Sirius, Remus, and then to Gretchen, Tabitha, and Alice. The three girls sat close together, clutching hands and beaming up at her. Lilly smiled briefly, and then set down her note cards. She took off her hat and set it own the podium and shook out her long red hair. Placing her hands on either side of the podium, she opened her mouth to speak again.

"When I came to Hogwarts in my first year, I didn't know anything about the magical world. You can ask anybody, I couldn't tell the difference between a hinkypunk and a hippogriff! I was so confused, trying to reconcile myself with events that I'd always been told were the stuff of fiction and fairy tales. People could fly on broomsticks, turn mice into tea cups! But I soon came to realize that Hogwarts is about more than just magic. It's about finding your own personal strength. It's about coming to grips with events beyond your control-"

Her eyes flicked briefly to Remus.

"It's about standing up for what's right, even if it means running away from something else."

She smiled at Sirius, who ducked his head, smiling behind his curtain of shiny black hair.

"It's about friendship, about growing and changing."

Her eyes locked with James'.

"It's about learning that first impressions are not always correct, about giving second chances, and about love."

She shook her head and glanced back at her professors.

"I'm sorry, professors, but my most treasured memories of Hogwarts won't be of taking Transfiguration exams, or doing Charms homework. They'll be of cleaning up after Common Room parties. Of interhouse snowball fights and laughter over a tankard of butterbeer at Madame Rosmerta's. And that's how I think it should be. So, thank you, professors, for giving me the tools to enter the magical world as a capable witch. But, I also thank Hogwarts, itself, for giving me my friends, and memories that will last me a lifetime."