Lily looked in the full-length mirror, long green silk robes hugged her body in the right places and then went down to the floor. He hair was pinned up into a thick bun at the back of her head with little lily flower surrounding it.
"Stunning." Was all the mirror could say as she applied her make up. She heard a whistle behind her and turned to see James, his robes were a dark midnight blue and contrasted with his pale skin. But what shocked her the most was his hair.
She went over to his and hair her fingers over it. "It took over 2 hours and a lot of gel, but it's finally flat." He said and she smiled. "You look so beautiful, If we didn't have a graduation ceremony to go to I've take you onto that bed and fu-" She cut him off.
"But the point is we do." She said and pulled away to finish applying her makeup.
"Why? It's not like Harry's gonna be there." He replied and she paused with her blush.
"Because Hermione is still there and she has no one else coming today." James just nodded and stared out the window.
"I don't think I heard you properly. You want me to what!"
"You heard me Sirius."
"You've gone insane, you don't know what you're saying."
"I know perfectly well what I'm saying."
"But why would you want me to go, they'll know!"
"No they won't, make up an excuse, besides, if you're there and I'm not, it'll will stop them thinking that we're together, please just do this for me, Sir."
"What are you going to do while I'm there?" Sirius asked and Harry's eyes lit up.
"I'm going to go to Mrs. Tout so she can fit some new robes and then I'll take Crosby into Diagon alley so we can get a few things." Harry answered smiling and Sirius sighed in defeat.
"Fine I'll go, just be careful you don't get spotted." He said and Harry hugged him and kissed his cheek excitedly.
" I will, don't worry."
The great hall had had the tables all removed and was filled with chairs for all the parents, friends, and siblings of the graduates, who had a reserved row in front while the teachers had chairs along the side. Lily and James sat in one of the blocks near the front next to Peter and Remus.
The chatter slowly started to die down as Dumbledore stood up when someone came and sat next to James. He looked over and saw it was a very familiar person with plain black robes on, tanned skin and hair that fell over his sunglasses gracefully.
"Sirius." He whispered and Remus and Peter heard and turned to look, Lily busy quieting Jack as he squirmed jumped up and down his seat laughing. Sirius looked over to him in shock but didn't reply as Dumbledore started speaking.
"May I take this time to welcome everyone to Hogwarts this fine morning for the Graduation ceremony of the class of 97. But first, let us bring in our 7th years. " He said loudly and the claps ceased as the lights went out and the doors opened. Slow chanting started as a figure walked through, followed by two lines, each student carrying a candle.
As they got further into the hall, still chanting, they saw it was a line of boys and a line of girls, Hermione leading. They guessed that Harry was supposed to be next to her, since she kept glancing to her left. They walked to the front of the hall and sat down. The lights came back on and Dumbledore smiled.
"Now, a few words from our Head girl, Miss Hermione Granger." He said and there were claps as Hermione stood up. She had red silk robes on; no doubt she had gotten fitted along with Harry in April. Her hair was straightened and hung loose down to her waist. She walked up to the podium and faced the audience, took a deep breath and started speaking.
"Good morning. My name is Hermione Granger, I am the head girl of our year. I could do my speech, but I don't really feel like putting everyone to sleep, and I'm sure this will interest you more. A few days ago, while searching the dorm of our recently forsaken head boy, I found his speech, I hope you find it as amusing and touching as I do." She took another breath, withdrew a piece of paper from her pocket and started reading.
"Good morning friends, foes and family. Well, we made it. 7 years of hard work, friendships and fun. New defense against the dark arts teachers every year, an escaped convict (I know Sirius is going to biff me for that one), and the threat of a dark lord looming over our heads. Well I'm going to not focus on all of that now and just give a few pieces of advice I've picked up over the years.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth and freedom. Never mind, You will not understand the power of the freedom to do what you want until it's gone. As for youth, I'll get back to you in a couple of years." The crowd laughed and Hermione smiled before carrying on.
"Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
You have to grow old, but you don't have to grow up… Sirius, you were there for me at a time no one else was, and that's something I can never repay you. You've given me a gift no one else could, you know what I'm talking about, and you'll get your rewards. I'm going to be the one who chooses your old age home.
Don't waste your time on jealousy; sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind…the race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.
Don't judge a book by its cover. Remus, you're the best uncle and most probably the smartest, sweetest werewolf in the entire universe." Hermione, paused, looked down at paper in horror, before looking up again.
"Awwwwwwwwwwwoooooooooooooooooooo!" She cried like she was howling at moon.
Get to know your parents, you never know when they'll be gone for good. Mum and dad, I've probably put you through a lot more then most parents deal with. The whole 'I like guys better' thing, a baby, all my horrendous relationships. But you've stuck by me through all of it, and I love you and thank you for it.
Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.
Understand that friends come and go, but for the precious few you should hold on." Hermione stopped, tears forming in her eyes. "To Hermione, after 7 years, you're still the best friend I've ever had and whether I had to never see you again or know you for the rest of my life, you're going to be my best friend. You're like my sister and words can't describe how much you mean to me and how much impact you've had on my life." She choked out, the tears no flowing freely down her cheeks and quite a few others.
Be nice to your siblings; they are the best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future. Hopefully Jack, even if he can't understand it now, will be able to remember this for me. I'll need you someday bro, when everyone else goes away, and everything falls apart, just remember you're always in my heart.
Don't give up hope. Sometimes your worst mistake can turn into your greatest gift. Crosby, you mean more then the world to me. You may have changed a lot of things, but I wouldn't have it any other way.
Lastly, pregnancy is a bitch. Labour is a bitch too. Respect woman or anyone crazy enough to go through that willingly.
To anyone else I've forgotten, thank you, without you I wouldn't be the person I am today. Good luck, may we all be fortunate enough to sit here in a couple of years watching our own children graduate." She finished, looked up and smiled. "Thanks you." She whispered and walked off stage back to her seat, the crowd bursting into a loud applause.
As Harry stood on the stool in Mrs Tout's house, waiting for her to come back with the right material, he examined his reflection. He heard a giggle behind him and looked to see a small face peeking round the corner. He smiled and winked at it and it giggled again and disappeared, footsteps thumping away on the wooden floor. He turned back to the mirror as Mrs Tout returned.
"Olivia, how would if look if you had to take it in here at the top and let it out here." He said pointing to the specific places.
"Well I don't know, we can try." She said and after a few minutes, they had decided that it looked a bit better, taking emphasis off his stomach. "You should design robes," She said.
"Really?" He asked.
"Yeah, go for it, I can teach you how to make them properly." She said and he smiled.
"Mum!" a small voice called and they both turned to see the small girl back. She was still in her night-gown and her blonde hair was standing up everywhere. She must have been about 8 or 9 and rubbed her eyes. "Mum! Can we go get ice-cream?" Mrs Tout shook her head.
"No Antonia, I'm busy today." She answered and Antonia looked put out.
"I'm going to Diagon later, I could take her with me." Harry said and Mrs. Tout shook her head again.
"She's going to be too much of a handful." She said and Antonia looked at her hopefully.
"I'll be good, I promise!" She piped up.
"I'm going to need all the practice I can get." Harry groaned. "If they're going to be anything like their father." He said, looking at Crosby's innocent face as he slept in his pram.
"Have you found out its gender yet?" She asked and he shook his head.
"We're keeping it a surprise until they're born. Or until curiosity gets the best of us." She dropped her wand, which she was using to stitch the robe up magically, making the stitches all come undone.
"They're? As in more than one?"
"Yep, two of them." He said and she picked up her wand, waved it, and let the robe out looser around his waist.
"Why didn't you tell me, it's not exactly going fit you very long like that." She said and started the stitching again.
"It isn't very different, I'm just a bit bigger than I was with Crosby at this stage." He shrugged and she finished the stitching before going to the other side.
"Maybe now, but think, it's two babies, and once they start really growing, it takes up twice as much space." She said and Harry paled. "See what I mean?" She said and he nodded slowly. "Do you still want to take Antonia?" Harry nodded and as she finished, stepped down from the stool and took the robes off and slipped into the other pair that fitted him much better, for now.
"Antonia!" Mrs. Tout called and Antonia appeared, dressed now in a robe and a smile on her face. "Harry, this is Antonia, Antonia, this is Harry."
"Hello." She said shyly.
"Hi." He replied just as bashful and Mrs. Tout smiled.
"Ok, well I have to go, things to clean, socks to darn, just bring her back when you're done." She said and walked off.
Harry walked over to the pram and Antonia rushed over to look. "Awww, he's so cute." She said looking up at Harry. "Is he yours?"
"Yup, gave birth to him just over a year ago." Harry said proudly and her eyes widened even more.
"You had a baby? As in you carried him." She said and he nodded. She seemed satisfied with this and took his free hand as they walked out the door.
As they got to the entrance hall, where everyone was busy going to their families and chattering excitedly, Remus, Peter and James took Sirius aside and started questioning him. Sirius wished more than ever that he could apparate out of there.
"It's, ministry stuff, mission thing." He answered.
"Why didn't you say anything! We've been worried sick for the past week!" James hissed and Sirius gave him an apologetic look.
"If I know you by now Prongs I really don't think you'd appreciate being called in the middle of the night." He said and James shrugged.
"Maybe we have been able to stop Harry then." James said disappointedly and Sirius feigned confusion. "He left. Just got up in the middle of the night, took Crosby and went." James said and Sirius comforted him.
"Wait, if you were on a mission for the ministry, how come you're here?" Peter asked and Remus and James also looked at him curiously. Sirius, after years of being interrogated in a similar way by teachers and other aurors, was used to it and kept his cool.
"Bit vocal today, aren't we Wormtail?" Sirius said maliciously. He had never ever gotten along with Peter, since first year. "It's my godson's graduation, of course I'm going to be here! Ministry or not!" Sirius said arrogantly rolling his eyes and looking away. His eyes rested on the buffet table and brightened.
"Food!" He said in a very Sirius-ish way and made his way over to it. James and Remus looked at each other and had the same look: He's not telling us something.
By the time they got to the table, Sirius was gone out the front doors and had apperated away.
"How's this look?" Harry asked as he pushed his design across the café table towards Antonia. She looked at it and nodded, smiling slightly as she licked her peanut butter and strawberry icecream. "It's missing something." A splat of ice cream dripped onto the paper. She pushed it back.
"Sorry." She said and Harry looked at it in delight.
"It's perfect, hold on." He sketched something and pushed it back again. "Better?"
"Pretty good, and you've never did this before?" She said and he shook his head. There was a yawn from the pram and Harry and Antonia both looked over to Crosby as he stretched, Harry held out his hand and helped sit him up.
"Have a good sleep?" Harry asked and he smiled and nodded.
"Uh huh, I dreamt about you." He said eagerly.
"About me?"
"Yep, bout you and daddy." He gave off another yawn and then looked as another child with an ice cream. "Can I get one, mummy?" He asked and Harry smiled and nodded.
He got up and went to the counter while Crosby looked over to Antonia. She smiled. "Who are you?" He asked.
"I'm Antonia."
"I'm Crosby." He answered and Harry came back with smaller ice cream for him. Antonia took a lick of hers.
"You like peanut butter then, Antonia?" Harry asked.
"Please, don't call me Antonia, I hate my name. But everyone calls me it and refuses to even use a nickname instead." She said and Harry smiled.
"I hate mine too, it's too common. How bout I call you Toni?" Harry said and she smiled.
"And how bout I call you." She thought for a minute. "Arrigo, Arr for short. Exotic enough for you?" She said and Harry smiled.
"I hate to quote movies, but Toni, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship…."
Hermione stood in the common room, watching everyone dancing and laughing with their friends. She felt a tear run down her cheek. She had imagined this night since first year when they had watched the 7th year's party under Harry's cloak, as partying long and hard along with her classmates, getting drunk and generally having fun. Of course, her vision of it had changed slightly, but it was still basically the same idea.
The only thing that was missing was Harry. No matter what she had thought was wrong with him, he never seemed like the type to run away from his problems. She looked up and saw that Ron was talking to her. He saw the look on her face and stopped talking.
"Mione? Are you alright?" He asked and she nodded sharply before putting her drink down.
"Yes, come on, let's go dance." She said, very un-herimone-ish.
"You sure?"
"Yeah, it's graduation, let's at least enjoy ourselves." She laughed and took a bottle of fire whiskey off the table. Ron shrugged and followed her as she hurried to the middle of the room.
Within an hour, both were stone-drunk. Hermione leant on Ron and giggled. "I'm having so much fun!" She slurred and he laughed. Their eyes met and Hermione turned her head to the side curiously. They leant in and kissed. Any other time, the others might have cheered, but most were now drunk or busy with their own love lives.
Without breaking apart, they stumbled up to the boy's dorm, not leaving till the late hours of the next afternoon….
Hope you like the quick update! I've just gone back to school today so the next one could take a while.
I've started work on writing this again and have eleven chapters done. It should have about twenty eight in total and two more sequels if all goes as planned.
Thanks to all who reviewed. I love feedback! Even if it is just 'yay! an update' or 'good chapter. update soon'. :D:D
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