Accio Evans

Chapter 49: Graduation

Recap: the group finish with their last charms exam, and collectively don't think it was as bad as it could have been. They then look forward to the ball; the ball get dressed and meet their dates, Jessica goes with Benjy Fenwick and they kiss, but Benjy admits he doesn't feel strongly enough about Jess to see this through as he's still not over Emmeline. Remus' date: Meghan Daley tells him she likes him and tries to kiss him, but he freaks out and heads off up to the astronomy tower to brood, where he is found by his friends who help to cheer him up. (I left it quite open at the end, sorry about that, I wouldn't have posted it if I'd tried to write anymore...)

"It feels wrong not planning something to celebrate the end of our time at Hogwarts doesn't it?" Peter mused, idly twisting his wand between his open palms, to which faint green sparks shot from the end.

"What? Like something at graduation?" James replied with a raised eyebrow, pulling something at their graduation ceremony two days later could be risky, with all the staff, and parents – both magical and muggle - and of course, the increased security, with the current climate no risks were being taken.

"We'd never be able to keep that secret, someone would be bound to find out our plan Pete... and we've got no time to prepare." Remus added, all three boys sighed, it would be very un-marauderish to not leave the school with a bang, literally and metaphorically.

"I don't know, I think we could pull something off..." Sirius said after a moment's pause, Remus stared at him wide eyed.

"Are you mad?! Have you not seen how much extra security Dumbledore has drafted in, I doubt you'll be able to sneeze without setting off a security alert!" Sirius mused for a moment.

"Well, it should be simple then, nothing too fancy, just one spell, something to make people smile, like they did at the sorting ceremony." He added. James shook his head.

"But that was far from simple Padfoot, making a lion out of fireworks that exploded in confetti took weeks to prepare, we've got less than two days now." Sirius looked let down, his bubble burst, then he perked up.

"You know what, I've got it!" he beamed, before taking off out the door, muttering to himself and leaving three very bemused friends in his wake.

Lily hadn't slept; she couldn't believe this was it, graduation day. Her alarm clock read twenty past four, but she couldn't sleep, thoughts were whizzing around her head at a million miles in hour. Firstly, she couldn't quite believe that her seven magical years at Hogwarts were over, she had loved every single moment, even when things went wrong and got her down, it was still tinged by magic, and that she had loved; she was forever grateful for the people she had met, what she learned and how she had grown as a person throughout the years and course she had met James, and she would never have ever met had she never found out she was a witch! Although then, there was all the things that worried her, first there was the trivial things, the answer she might have got wrong on her charms exam, her speech at the graduation ceremony, but hiding behind the trivial things were the things that scared her even more... How would she cope in the wizarding world beyond Hogwarts, would she be safe? Would just being with her put James in danger? The thought of anything happening to him, especially on her part, made her feel sick.

"Lily?" a small voice said into the darkness. Looking up, Lily was shocked to find Jessica sat upright in her bed and looking towards her.

"Jess?" Lily replied, unsure of why Jess was awake at this time.

"I'm scared, can I get in your bed?" the blonde witch asked sheepishly, twirling a strand of her long hair around her finger.

"Of course." Lily answered, peeling back the covers and allowing for her pyjama clad friend to climb in. "What's wrong?" she asked once Jessica was settled.