Chapter 60-Moving On
"Why is she so fat?" a Hufflepuff girl asked, reaching over the table to whisper to her friend.
"I don't know," the other said. "How can Sirius find that attractive?"
"She used to be pretty, but now she's gained weight," a Ravenclaw boy said. "He can have her now."
"I think she's pregnant," a girl at the Slytherin table whispered.
Halle felt tears hit her eyes. She was three months pregnant and starting to show. She should have expected rumors to fly and gossip to travel. She felt Sirius' hand clench hers a little more fervently than expected. He was looking angrily over at the other house tables. Gryffindors hadn't started to talk about them, but it was due in good time.
"Don't listen to them," Sirius whispered in her ear. "I think you're beautiful and that's all that matters."
She nodded, feeling him kiss her cheek. It was hard to block out all the whispers and lies all the time.
"If she's pregnant, that makes her a slut," the same girl at the Slytherin table said.
That had done it. Sirius, James, Lily, and Remus had all stood up and Halle had left the Great Hall crying. None of them could have expected what happened next.
The Slytherin at the table eyed Katy Jones walking quickly over to their table. The Headmaster was standing, unsure of what exactly was going on.
"If you ever talk about my friend again, I'll kill you," she whispered. With that, she raised her fist and punched the girl square in face. The two girls started to go at it with Sirius rooting Katy on in the background.
"Twenty five points from Gryffindor, Miss Jones. Be glad it's not more," Professor McGonagall said, walking over to where the fight had broken out.
Katy wiped blood from her lip, straightened her robes, and walked silently back over to the Gryffindor house table. The Slytherin girl was in a lot worst condition.
"Someone bring her to Poppy," McGonagall ordered, shaking her head.
"Katy Jones, you're my new hero," James said, so excited he could kiss her. Sirius was on the verge of practically doing so.
"Great job, honey," Remus cheered, actually kissing her.
"That girl deserved it. How could she talk about Halle like that?" Katy asked. She was looking angrily over at the table now.
"I'm afraid that whatever people say is out of our hands. Unfortunately, we have to sit back and listen to it.
I'm more willing to go about Katy's way of handling it though," Sirius said. He stood up and walked out to
go comfort his wife.
"It's our last night here, James. How can we possibly know what will happen after that?" Lily asked.
The two of them were sitting by the lake, reminiscing on past times at Hogwarts.
"We can't. Not unless you're a Seer and haven't told me about it," James joked.
"No, I don't believe in that stuff. It's just that I'm worried. Where will I go? Me and Katy are going to get an apartment together and you and Remus are as well. Halle and Sirius have a house for themselves. You still have Godrics Hollow. But, what are we going to do? I don't know how I did on my NEWTs, nor do you. It's all so frustrating," Lily thought aloud.
"Well, for you it is. I see it as the next big journey. It's not like we're never going to come back. Dumbledore will let us come back if we need to. Also, about where we're going, the Auror training program accepted us both, as well as Katy. Sirius is going to go work at Gringrotts. Peter and Halle are training to become Healers and Remus is going to be working in the Ministry. What else is there left to answer?" James asked.
"Nothing, I guess. Where will we be? I won't get to see you nearly as much," Lily complained.
"I'll come over every night. Or you'll come over every night. I'll cook you dinner, how about that?" James propositioned her.
"You can't cook," Lily said, slapping the back of his head playfully.
"I can learn. You see, nothing is impossible. I have you to keep my focus and I can do anything," James reassured her, kissing her lips gently.
"We've been through so much, James. Hogwarts wasn't safe from all the attacks. How will the real world be?" Lily asked. Her emerald eyes met his hazel ones and for once, they looked scared.
"Keep your chin up. We're going to be fighting people like Voldemort. We'll stop him, I know we will. Don't you worry about that," James said. "You're the most talented witch Hogwarts has seen in years."
"I hope you're right," Lily reflected, staring at the ripples on the lake.
"Sirius, this is where we first kissed," Halle said, taking off her shoes and letting the soft grass touch her feet.
The Quidditch pitch was the first place they had actually connected. The two of them had shared their first true moment at that pitch. Tomorrow, they would be leaving it.
"I know, love," Sirius said. "I have loved you every day since then."
"Every day?" Halle questioned.
"Every day," Sirius said, swooping her up into his arms and kissing her on the nose.
"You don't think I'm fat?" Halle asked.
"Not yet," Sirius said, honestly.
"Yet? So, I will get fat?" she asked, patting her stomach fearfully.
"Probably. A baby has to grow in there though. I wouldn't want you any other way. If you becoming fat means bringing new life into the world, I would always want you fat. Plus, you'll always be beautiful in my eyes," Sirius reassured her.
"You know, you're the only guy I know who can make getting fat seem amazing," Halle laughed.
"It's a gift," Sirius said. "That's why you married me."
"If that's what you like to think," Halle teased. "You keep on thinking it."
"You know, after tomorrow, we get to actually be married. We get to actually know what it's like," Sirius said.
"That's part of the reason why I can't wait to leave. I get to spend time with my husband, away from all
the gossip," Halle said. She kissed him on the lips, knowing the next day would alter their whole
relationship.
"Katy Jones, I have never been more proud of you than I was today," Remus said. The two of them were sitting in the astronomy tower, looking at the star-filled sky.
"For someone who hates full moons, you do love to stare at the sky a lot," Katy giggled.
"Well, it's a different perspective this way," Remus said.
"What are you going to do when you and James move in together?" she asked him.
"Well, James has agreed to let me roam his forest in Godrics Hollow where it will be secluded. Hardly anyone lives there anymore due to all the attacks. He said that it's barricaded from anyone, anyways. I'll just Apparate there for the weekend. If work allows them, the rest will join me," Remus said.
He had thought about it, but being away from Hogwarts and into the real world was frightening. He was werewolf and hardly anyone would give him a job. Dumbledore had persuaded the Minister that he was a good guy to have working for him though. Remus owed Dumbledore everything.
"Remus, I love you. Just so you know, I'll always be here for you," Katy said, her blue eyes looking into his.
"I love you too, Katy. Tomorrow, we'll just have to see where the road takes us," he said.
"In all my years at Hogwarts, I have never had such a great bunch of kids. They have taught me things that as a teacher, I have never known. Even the fair few of troublemakers, I will grow to miss each and every one of my students," Professor McGonagall said.
The seventh years were getting a ceremony for their efforts at Hogwarts. It was annual but a lot of the graduating students were already torn up by some of the speeches made.
"Now, I have come to understand that this year there were a few people close in the running for this. Three people, to be exact, two of which were the Head Boy and girl. The honor of being valedictorian of the graduating class is one that we feel belongs to this person we are about to reward it to," Professor Dumbledore said.
Lily, James, and Sirius all looked at each other. They hadn't really been keeping up with their grades, but surprisingly, they had come out on top again. As to who it was, they were all clueless.
"Sirius Black, would you care to say a few words?" Professor McGonagall asked, standing from her seat and shedding a couple shocking tears.
"Me?" Sirius asked. "I beat them? That's impossible."
"It's not, Mr. Black," Professor Dumbledore reassured him.
Sirius walked to the front of the Great Hall and glanced nervously over his graduating class.
"Well, let's just say I feel that Lily Evans deserves this honor. Before my days at Hogwarts, I didn't like people like Lily Evans. She was Muggle born and in my family, that wasn't good enough. A Black was above the rest, purest of blood. I then met someone who changed my whole perception; James Potter. We met on the train and I learned that it didn't matter who you were. All that mattered was what's in your heart. When it came time to be sorted, I wished and prayed that Slytherin was not in my future. My whole family belonged in Slytherin, but I, I wanted to go somewhere different. I wanted to be with people of noble hearts. The hat heard my pleas and listened. My family was outraged. From then on, I've had to prove myself to them. I've tried to gain their respect but have yet to prevail. Now, after seven years at Hogwarts, I feel that Lily Evans deserves to be here more than any of the scum people with the name Black. She did something for me that no one has done. She filled the void in my friend James' heart. She gave him the love he yearned for, for so long. And now, I've found love as well. Halle Douglas was a girl who changed my life forever. She helped me through my last year at Hogwarts. Without her, I would go insane. When I almost lost her, I knew I would never let her go again. So now, I wish to reveal to you all something I feel is important. The most important thing in my life. I married Halle Douglas and we're going to have a baby."
If there was no one crying before, they were now. Even Professor Dumbledore had tears streaming down his face. Even the Slytherins, who were trying to hide their feelings, seemed to be affected my these words. Although they weren't crying, hushed whispers was circling through the lot of them.
"Now, I want you all to be successful. Whatever life offers you, don't just take it. The easiest of things may not always be right. Choose wisely. This is your future. Only you can make the right choice. Congratulations to the graduating class."
With the last of Sirius' words, he lifted his hat off his head. The rest of the class followed, Professor Dumbledore's hand sitting on Sirius' shoulder.
And then, the hats flew.
"Seven years ago, I didn't even know your name. Now, I don't know where I'd be without it," Lily claimed, into James' ear.
"Lily Evans, we did it. We made it," James said.
"I know, graduating never seemed like such a big deal until Sirius' speech," Lily cried.
"I meant, we made it," James whispered, kissing her passionately.
With all the tears flowing, it was a surprise that not one person in that room was sad.
A/N: Hope you liked it, even though the writing was not that great. Catch My Fall, the sequel, is by far an improvement in comparison. The sequel will be out ASAP. Keep an eye out for it. Let me know what you thought. Please review.