Change of Heart
By Tempest Break
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Chapter Thirty-Two: Above All Else
James adjusted his cap in the mirror. It was a traditional wizard's cap – tall and pointy, and crimson with gold piping: Gryffindor colors. They matched his perfectly hemmed robes. His family had paid for him to look immaculate on graduation day, and it had finally come.
"You look magnificent," remarked the mirror.
"Thanks," replied James, throwing it a grin.
"James!" Lily called, pounding on the door to his room. "Come on! We've got to be there early, you know!"
James attached his Head Boy badge to his robes and rubbed it with his sleeve. It still shone as it had on the Hogwarts Express the first day of term. "I know, Lily," he replied. "I'm almost ready."
"Well, hurry up. Dumbledore said to be there at half-past the hour and we've only got five minutes – four minutes!" she insisted.
James chuckled at his girlfriend's anxiety and decided not to upset her any longer. He opened the door just as she was raising her hand to knock again. Lily's Gryffindor cap perched perfectly on her head and her Head Girl badge gleamed over her heart.
"It's about time," she said, folding her arms over her chest.
"I'm sorry, darling," he replied with a grin. He tapped her nose lightly, and she rolled her eyes tolerantly at him.
"I hope you've prepared fully for today," Lily continued, following James into the common room. "Did you write a speech? It's expected of the Head Girl and Boy, but it's not necessary. But you can't exactly go against tradition. I mean, really. I wrote one. It's not too long – only a foot and a half in parchment. I had to cut a lot out of it…"
James turned to look at Lily, who was unfolding a long bit of parchment she'd taken out of her sleeve. She was reading over it again while rattling on about it to James.
"Lily." She looked up at him. James placed a finger on her lips. "Shhh. It's okay. I've got a speech."
Lily looked infinitely relieved. "I love you," she sighed.
"Likewise." James kissed her mouth quickly. "We're almost done with this school."
Lily looked around ruefully. "I'll miss this tower. It was nice."
"We can furnish our house like this, if you like," James said offhandedly as he turned back toward the exit of the tower.
"Our… house?" Lily asked incredulously, rushing after James as he left the tower.
"Well you don't expect me to just let you go off, now, do you?" James inquired as they walked briskly toward the Great Hall. "After all these years I've finally got hold of you. I'm not going to let you go just because we've left Hogwarts."
Lily snorted. "It sounds like you just think of me as a thing," she muttered.
James whirled on her, startling Lily. "Far from it, my love," he murmured. "After all" – he slowly fell to his knees, fishing something out of his pocket; Lily raised an eyebrow at him – "would I ask a thing to marry me?"
Lily's hands flew to her mouth as James opened a small, red velvet box, and she saw the illustrious, sparkly engagement ring nestled on a satin pillow. The diamond twinkled up at her.
"Lily Evans, will you marry me?"
Lily looked James in the eye. He had never been more earnest. He was wearing his heart on his sleeve at this moment – everything rested on her response. Her green eyes brimmed with tears.
"Of course I'll marry you, James," she answered, and she hesitated for only a split second before throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder.
James grinned into the crook of Lily's neck and said, "Don't worry, Lily. I'll make sure we're the happiest people in the history of forever."
"Mission accomplished," she laughed.
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James and Lily reached the Great Hall about five minutes after the time Dumbledore had originally asked them to be there. They still had ten minutes before the doors were opened to the rest of the school, and another fifteen before the ceremony actually began, so they were hardly "late." However, Lily still opened the conversation by apologizing furiously to Professor McGonagall, who was supervising the finishing touches that some prefects were putting on the decorations of the Great Hall.
"It's quite all right, Miss Evans, quite all right," McGonagall assured the nervous girl. "The work is nearly finished, so you needn't worry yourself about anything. Just look over your speeches for the next few minutes, and open the doors when it is time."
James spent the next ten minutes watching Lily anxiously scan her speech for the graduation ceremony. His own speech wasn't nearly as long as hers—only about six inches—but he was confident that it would go over well. As much deflating as his head had done in the past year, he was still self-confident, if only in private.
"Open the doors, if you please, Mr. Potter, Miss Evans," McGonagall requested.
She won't be "Miss Evans" for much longer, James thought smugly as he helped Lily to heave the huge double-doors open. A group of more than a hundred students and parents strode into the Great Hall and took up seats facing the teachers' table, where there was a podium that was magicked to amplify the speaker's voice.
"Please, take your seats," said Dumbledore, standing at the podium. He gestured with sweeping arms to the house tables. "The ceremony will begin shortly."
In the fifteen minutes before the clock struck noon, James caught sight of several of his fellow classmates and their parents. There was Sirius with his favorite cousin, Andromeda, her husband, Theodore, and their five-year-old daughter. They were next to Remus and his tired mother, with her drooping eyelids and lifeless blonde hair, and Peter and his two stout parents. James waved to his own mother and father, who were older than most, getting on in years. His mother looked infinitely proud of him. A bit farther down the table sat Colleen and her Muggle father – a bright-looking, red-haired chap with freckles – along with four other children, all with freckles and blue eyes. They seemed to be laughing and looking around excitedly – all of them were Muggles.
"You nervous?" James asked Lily, who was sitting to his right at the table.
"About speaking or graduating?" she inquired under her breath, still looking over the long roll of parchment before her.
"Both."
"Yeah."
James smiled supportively at her. He took her left hand in his right and took great pride in the sparkly engagement band on her ring finger. "You'll do great," he told her. "I guarantee it."
Then Dumbledore cleared his throat loudly. It was all the incentive the families needed to silence themselves.
The Headmaster smiled welcomingly at them all. "Thank you all for coming to the Class of 1978's graduation ceremony. It means a great deal to your son, daughter, other relation, or friend that you are here. It is, after all, the culmination of all of their efforts for these past seven years. It's a great accomplishment to finish at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and I hope you all appreciate the great difficulty they've gone through.
"And now, without further ado, here are the Head Boy and Girl, James Potter and Lily Evans, to say a few short words about their experiences here at Hogwarts."
Amidst applause, Lily stood from her seat and walked to the podium. Dumbledore gave her an encouraging wink as he relinquished the position to her.
"Hello. I'm Lily Evans." She paused for a moment, took a deep breath, and then began her speech. "When I first came to Hogwarts, I had no idea what I was getting into. Having come from a non-magic family, I was probably one of the less-prepared students on the very first day. That's how I felt, anyway." She made an apprehensive face, seeming remember stepping off the Hogwarts Express the very first day.
"To my surprise and delight, I found a welcoming and familial atmosphere. From the moment I first saw Professor Dumbledore's face, I knew that I was safe and secure here. The other teachers, too, I learned to be consistent and trustworthy. They've taught me everything I've needed for my classes, and probably some life lessons, too.
"We've gone through some hard times this past year, what with the rise of the Dark Lord and his followers. In February, one of my closest friends, Selena Silver, died of a long illness. She would have graduated today along with the rest of us. I'm sure she's here in spirit…."
"Yeah, she is!" shouted Colleen from where she sat with her family. Sirius let out a small whoop of agreement, and Remus clapped, a small smile playing around his lips.
Lily grinned at her friends. "But, as you can see, my other friends helped me get through that. We helped each other get through that. And we've been all the stronger.
"Now, I know this is waxing long," she admitted, with a knowing look at the audience. James glared at Mathias Avery for letting out a rude yawn. "But I guess what I'm trying to say is…
"The best lessons I've ever learned, I learned here, at Hogwarts. The best adventures I've ever had, I had here, at Hogwarts. And the best friends I've ever met, I met here. At Hogwarts." She nodded quickly and rolled up her parchment.
Colleen burst into applause, followed shortly by Sirius and Remus, and then by the rest of the audience. Colleen put her fingers to her lips and whistled piercingly.
"Thank you," said Lily, beaming at their friends as she stepped from the podium.
James gave her a quick hug as he passed her. "What did I tell you?" he whispered into her ear. "You were great."
"Yeah, James!"
"Kill 'em, Prongs!"
James was used to the catcalls and cheers, and he usually received them with a smile, but this time, he raised his hand for silence. He wanted to show that this was going to be a serious speech – none of the flippant usual stuff.
"I'm afraid I'm not as good with words as Lily is," he said, shooting a smile over his shoulder at his now-fiancée, who blushed crimson. "But I hope you'll give me a break for this short piece."
James cleared his throat dramatically and started. "My name is James David Potter. I'm known throughout the school as a troublemaker, the ringleader of the Marauders. For six years, I spent my life causing trouble for others and nearly escaping expulsion.
"This year, I've changed. My head has 'deflated', if you will. I've stopped making mischief, even though the urge is still there. I think that—if you'll let me say so—I've matured. And for me, that's saying something.
"In this short speech, I just wanted to let everyone know that, even though I did it for a certain person, it's because of everyone that I've been able to do it. Dumbledore, McGonagall… Lily and Sirius, Remus and Peter, Colleen and Selena… everyone, even those I'm not so fond of." He saw Avery and Jugson exchange glances. Snape, he thought, nodded imperceptibly at James, returning the sentiment. "Everyone, absolutely everyone helped me. So, thank you, everyone, and goodbye." James smiled as he stepped back from the podium.
The audience exploded into applause. Even James's enemies grudgingly clapped, as they were almost clapping for themselves.
James again took his seat next to Lily, who smiled at him. He was surprised to see the glossy sheen of tears in her green eyes. "What?" he whispered, taking her hand again. "It wasn't that touching…"
"I know," she answered quietly. "It's just that… we're done with school. I can't believe it."
James nodded in agreement, and turned to listen as McGonagall said a few words before handing out diplomas to all of the graduating students amid applause from the audience of friends and family members.
At the end of the ceremony, Dumbledore clapped his hands, and a buffet materialized on the tables in front of the family members.
James and Lily stepped down from the raised platform to be level with the rest of the audience, and immediately Lily was enveloped by a huge, dual hug from two Muggles—her parents.
"Congratulations, darling," said a woman with Lily's green, almond-shaped eyes.
"We're so proud of you," agreed a tall, thick-haired man. Next to him stood an unpleasant-looking, horse-faced young woman who had her arms crossed over her bony chest. She didn't look a bit proud of Lily.
"Thanks, Mum and Dad," said Lily, beaming at the two of them. She caught James by the sleeve and pulled him over. "This is James Potter, whom I've told you so much about."
"I gathered." Lily's mother smiled widely at him.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Evans," said James, shaking her hand gently. "And you, sir," he continued to Lily's father, taking his hand and shaking heartily.
"Likewise," answered Mr. Evans jovially. "We've heard a great deal about you, James."
"Good things, I hope!" laughed James, shooting a glance at Lily, who looked a bit embarrassed to have been caught talking about James to her parents.
"Ja-ames!"
James turned with a wide grin toward the voice. It was his own mother and father. His mother gave him a tender hug and his father shook his hand. They quickly struck up a conversation with the Evanses, though, leaving James and Lily to wander the room alone.
"I think we ought to withhold the news of the engagement from my parents for a bit," said Lily in an undertone as she and James strolled toward the buffet table. "I mean, they only just met you. I'd like to give them a chance to get to know you before springing that on them."
"I completely understand," said James magnanimously. "Don't worry, Lily." He dropped a light kiss on her forehead. "I'll wait as long as you see fit."
"Thank you…"
"There you are, James, you little sneak! Ha-ha!" Suddenly Sirius had thrown his arm around James's shoulder. In his other hand he waved a bottle of butterbeer he'd bought from the Three Broomsticks the previous week. Remus and Peter had appeared, too. "I was really touched, man! You're welcome! Ha-ha-ha!"
James laughed along with Sirius and looked at the group that had suddenly accumulated around him and Lily.
Remus flashed a small, rare smile at James, which James returned. "Well done, James," Remus said quietly.
"Thanks."
"Hey, guys," said Colleen, sidling up to them. "Good job, James, Lily." She shot a glance at Sirius, whose face fell a bit at her appearance. "I just really wanted to say that… I love all you guys, ya know? This is a happy day, and… I love you guys." She looked at each of them in turn, ending on Sirius, whose arm was still slung around James's neck.
There was a short silence before Sirius shouted: "C'mere, you!" and he leapt on Colleen, ruffling her blonde hair violently. James and Lily followed suit, engulfing Colleen in a huge hug as she protested and Remus laughed at the sight.
And James realized while he was laughing along with his friends for that day that he was in for at least some happiness in the years to come. And he resolved that, however long or short those years may be, he would make sure they were at least filled with love and joy and, above all else, friends.
The end.
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Tempest: Well, that's the end of the main story. There's still an epilogue to come, but I've already written it, so this is technically the end of my writing this story. I have admittedly mixed feelings about this being the end. I mean, it's been over two years since I started this story… seems like even longer. I never thought I'd finish such a tale, but it seems I did. To my delight, upon reading the sixth book, I found that my story still stuck relatively to canon. The only discrepancy was that Slughorn was the Potions Master at this time and not my OC, Charon, as in earlier chapters, but that's fine.
On another note, the ending with Colleen saying she loves everyone: Well, she does. In a platonic way. I hope you guys didn't think it was romantic, as it wasn't intended that way. I hope I made that clear…
Wow. It's over. My longest and most widely-read story. Whew. Now for some reviews.
Spix: It wasn't really slowing the story down, because it was never going to be resolved. Didn't you realize? Haiga: Yep, sorry. No S/C, because, well, Sirius never mentions her, does he? I suppose it's a good reason not to talk about her. She kind of broke his heart, after all. Anne: She's of course not going to play while she's pregnant. She'll have the baby (in early January) and then after she's comfortable enough to play again, will do so, probably the following season. Don't worry. To IrishChaos: I'm sorry you hate Colleen, but oh well, must be done. Your review was a bit discouraging, because you seemed to have a lot of complaints, and then declared that my story "rocked monkey socks." Le sigh. Some Random Reviewer: I'm awfully sorry you dislike Colleen. She's going through rough times, and I had to make her a bitch for the purposes of the last few chapters. She kind of redeemed herself in this one, but, well, readers aren't the most forgiving, are we? Megisroo: I'm exceptionally pleased with your review. I know it's not exactly fair of Colleen not to tell Sirius, but to follow canon, I can't exactly have her do that, can I? Anyway, you'll see in the epilogue… And, no, I don't intend to do a sequel. Doesn't exactly work, as within a few years James and Lily will be killed…
And to sunlitmist, animerocksjapanrocks, LJ Fan, chocolatefroggie19, molly, Randomisation, luckichrm, Shima And Tempis, Amber Moons, jsas, WhiteCamellia, -Lily Evans 4 life-, Snowflake Prongsette, jdjdhjdhj, Slytherin's Cliffy Queen, Mrs-John-Cena/Stepha-Lah, dragonchick29, JPotter101, FallenMystery, StarRuby, Kat44 (I saw you added me to your C2 community—sweet), Aimz16, and xxjamesxx: Thank you all infinitely for reviewing the second-to-last chapter. I love you all and hope you return to review again.
Anyway, since this is basically the last chance you'll get to do so… REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!
—End notes—
6-01-08: This chapter has been revamped! Hope you enjoyed it more than before.