a/n: here's a poem: please read this and the chapter and review, thanks! I'll be doing one happy poem, one sad poem, alternating per chapter, so since in chapter 11 I did a happy one, it's sad time...well not exactly sad because it ends happy...but whatever! It's depressing enough...
when there is suffering
and there is dark
it seems as if nothing
will lift me out
of this endless depression
but though the sadness
is valiant
in its despondant fight
your love
is an adequate contender
and it vanquishes
the dark
and your love
fills me with light
shining from every corner
frightening off
my misery
with its illuminating sword
slashing it through
vanishing all that haunts
and all that hates
my misery
and your love
stays steadfast and true
never wavering
always shielding
me forever...
--
"And do you, Vernon, take Petunia to be your lawfully wedded..."
The words droned on and on until they became mush in Lily's mind. All she could think of was her sister's friend, Jane, standing up next to Petunia, as the maid of honor. She, Lily, was sitting in the back row, next to her friends who were all looking like they wished they could doze off. Her eyes wandered over the millions of heads in the rows in front of her. There was their next door neighbor, Mrs. Greene. There was Petunia's friend from preschool, Lorelei. There was her father's business partner, Henry Roy. There was their old nanny, Imogen.
Out of three hundred people attending Petunia's wedding, Lily was shunted to the back. Her parents sat up in the front row, but her sister had insisted that Lily and her "freaky" friends sit in the back.
Lily's mother had protested, but Lily had told her it would be fine, and that the six of them would prefer not to be in the thick of it anyway.
And that was that. Petunia and Vernon were married.
Lily stood as the rest of the company got to their feet to go congratulate the bride and groom.
"Wait here." she whispered to her friends, but James followed her anyway.
She turned, "James, please. I appreciate you being here for me and everything, but I just...I need to be alone with my sister."
He nodded once, and looking silly with embarrassment, turned to go sit back down. She smiled to herself. How could James feel embarrassed for caring too much about someone?
She went to go stand politely in the long queue of people waiting to give their felicities.
She finally reached her sister standing with Vernon Dursley, who was looking particularly porky in his tuxedo. He took one look at Lily and turned on his heel to go get a drink.
"Hello, Tuny."
Petunia remained stiff, an obvious expression of dislike apparent on her face, "Lily."
Lily took a deep breath, "Tuny I didn't just want to give you my congratulations, I wanted to tell you that even though there's a distance between us, I will always love you because you're my sister."
Petunia's face softened, and it looked like she was about to say something, then her eyes drifted over Lily's shoulder to gaze at her friends, and her expression hardened once more, "Thank you, Lily. Now I must move on to my other guests."
Lily gaped, "Tuny! You don't even care an inkling about me?"
Petunia walked sharply past her.
Lily could feel tears starting to well up, "Tuny! I'm your sister! I'm your sister! Doesn't that mean anything?"
Petunia turned back around and went to stand an inch away from Lily, "Yes. It means that I am related to a freak! Now people are starting to stare, so I suggest that you take your mutant body and your mutant friends and go back to where you came from. Why you had to come here and ruin my wedding, I'll never know."
Lily stared at her retreating back, an emptiness floating in her heart. She felt strong arms, warm arms, loving arms, snake around her, and holding her. James kissed the top of her head.
Dorcas took her hand, "Come on, love, let's go back to Hogwarts. We're not wanted here."
Lily nodded, and Remus stepped forward to wipe the tears off her face.
Her friends surrounding her, and holding her, Lily made her way over to her parents.
"Mum, Dad, we have to leave."
Her mother frowned, "So soon, dear?"
Lily nodded, "Yes, mum. We really can't miss anymore school."
"OKay, darling." her mother folded Lily in her arms, and Lily melted. She had forgotten what it was like to be held like this, to have her head resting on her mother's bosom, like she could pour all of her miseries onto her mother.
"Bye, Mum."
Lily took it in turns to hug her parents goodbye, and her friends shook their hands.
The six of them walked into the forest behind the Evans's house, and disapparated to Hogwarts.
--
Peter sat in the common room, alone. All of his friends were gone. They had left for Lily's sister's wedding without thinking once that they were leaving him alone. Without giving him a second glance. Peter had always thought that though they often teased him, they still thought of him as equal. But it seemed he was wrong. They probably thought they were being charitable, letting him tag along with them, they probably pitied him. Well Peter didn't need their pity. Someday, he vowed, they would pay.
--
Emmeline sat on a plump plum colored chair in the common room, dreading what she was about to do. Gideon was a wonderful fellow, and she had been putting off the task of telling him that she was in love with Sirius for a few days now, because she did not want to hurt him, though Sirius thought it was for a different reason.
Gideon skipped down the stairs, looking around the empty common room, and eventually spotted Emmeline sitting in the far corner, shrouded in the dark, away from the warmth of the fire.
"Hey, Em." he bent over to kiss her on the cheek, and she felt that spot burn, "James said you wanted to talk to me?"
Emmeline bit her lip, "Yes. Gideon, I have to...I have to tell you..." tears started flowing down her cheeks, "Oh this is terrible! I promised myself I wouldn't cry!"
Gideon looked positively alarmed at her unwaranted tears, "Ems! What's wrong?" he asked, worry apparent in his voice.
She wiped the tears with the back of her hand, "Gideon, I'm so sorry, but I have to tell you that, I can't...I can't be with you anymore."
Gideon sat silent as a stone, drinking in her words.
"Gideon..." she pleaded, "Gideon, please say something, don't make this worse for me!"
That got him to look up, "Worse for you?! Hah! So this is just a picnic for me?"
She looked shocked at his anger. She had never seen peaceful, calm, Gideon flared up like this, "Oh, Gideon, that's not what I meant! I didn't mean to make you upset."
He ran his hands frustratedly through his bright red hair, "Upset? You come here, you, the girl I love, and tell me that you don't want me anymore, and you don't think I'm going to get upset?" he looked at her in anger, "Dammit, Emmeline! Why'd you have to ruin everything?"
"Gideon," she said, placing her long-fingered hand to his cheek, "You loved me?"
"Not loved. Love." he spat, looking disgusted at himself.
She closed her eyes in pain, "Gideon, I'm so sorry. I never loved you enough."
"Unrequited love." he whispered.
She nodded, "Gideon, I was subject to unrequited love for so long. For six years. And now, the man I love finally told me he loves me too. You can't expect me to not take that, can you?"
He nodded, "I know it sounds amazing, but...I understand. You never loved me, and I just want you to be happy."
Her lower lip trembled and tears spilled once more out of her eyes, "You're amazing, Gideon. I hate myself that I don't love you."
He took her hand in his, "I love you, Emmeline, and always will. And I want you to be happy, and if being with this man makes you happy, then I'll let you do what you want."
She let out a sob and clutched his hand, "Gideon breaking up with you is one of the hardest things I've had to do. And I just want you to know that I love you too. Not enough to make you happy and not enough to make me happy for being with you, but I do. And I'm sorry. More than I can say."
He looked up at her, "Can I just ask...who?"
"Sirius."
he nodded, and she leaned forward to hug him, wanting to take that look of sadness off his face.
They stayed like that for a while, all of Emmeline's grief and sorrow translated in that hug, and all of Gideon's wishing he could have her in it. They melted with love, but the love was not enough for true love.
--
Lily sat holding James's hand as all of them sat in the great hall, waiting for the end of year dismissal. Emmeline held Sirius's, and Dorcas sat in between Remus and Peter, holding each of their hands. In just a few moments, they would be on the Hogwarts Express, where Lily would go back to her house on Privet Drive, where Dorcas would go to her parents as well as Emmeline and Peter. Remus, Sirius and James had bought a new apartment in Diagon Alley that they would be sharing. James had begged Lily to come stay with them but she had told him that her parents wanted her home with them, at least at first. She hoped that in a few years she and James would be married and the two of them would have a place of their own. Of course her parents didn't know just how serious Lily and James were about each other.
Dumbledore, up on the staff table, surrounded by Professor McGonagall, Professor Flitwick, and Professor Slughorn, stood up and cleared his throat, "Students. I must inform you with good and bad news. The good news: you're done with another year of school!" he paused here for the students to cheer, "And the bad news: you're done with another year of school, and now you must leave your friends. But I hope you have a magical summer and to those of you who are leaving us for good: I raise my glass to you." the rest of Hogwarts raised their glasses to the seventh-years, and then the sound of scraping chairs filled the hall as all of the students headed outward to the Hogwarts Express, and the seventh-years took one last look around at the place that had been their home for the past seven years. They said goodbye.
--
a/n: look for updates soon...Chapter 13 is being written as we speak, but then again I have to watch Bollywood movies and unearth demon monsters when I clean my room today too, so it may take some time, but I promise I'll get at least a little up on the website before the end of today. Read and Review!