It All Fell Down | A Marauder's Story

Twenty

"Kids, you can't cling to the past. Because no matter how tight you hold on, it's already gone." - Ted Mosby, How I Met Your Mother

     "I still can't believe you are Head Boy," Marlene said accusingly with a scrunching of her nose. "Dumbledore is off his rocker." She nodded at the nice badge pinned neatly to James Potter's chest.

     James snorted adding another helping of pudding to his plate. "Maybe," he agreed with the blonde, nodding his head. When he had first received the news with his regular school letter, he thought there had been some kind of mix up.

    Charlie got another slice of pie and turned to Remus. "Are you okay with it? I mean, you were a prefect first. Don't you have some type of dibs?"

     Remus gave her a wicked grin. "Have less responsibilities than James Potter and watch him struggle to get onto children for doing shit he did and still refrains from doing as a grown ass adult?" He mocked a chef's kiss. 

    "Prick," James muttered under his breath in between bites. 

     Remus gave him a suggestive look. "I hate you," James said through a mouthful of pudding. 

     "No, you don't," Remus answered with a confident laugh. 

     "Red," Sirius interjected, looking up from his dessert, pointing his fork at the redhead. "You're being unusually quiet." 

     It was true. Lily had barely spoken five words since McGonagall had removed the stool and the sorting hat from their place at the front of the great hall. She just sat there staring at the place where she had sat six years ago, thinking and hardly touching her food. 

     How has it been six years? She thought to herself. She hadn't even realized anyone was speaking to her until Marlene nudged her foot under the table. 

     "What?" Lily asked, shaking the daze from her head. 

     "What's up with you?" Marlene asked, her eyebrows coming together in concern. 

     The redhead only shrugged. 

     "Lily," Remus prodded. 

     "Just sad," she whispered, not taking her eyes from her plate. 

     Charlie leaned forward. "Sad about what?"

     "I just can't believe it's been six years since we started Hogwarts. I can't believe it's our last year. Sometimes, I want to go back and do it all again. Not even to redo my regrets, just to live it all again." Saying the words out loud caused tears to sting Lily's eyes. 

     Nobody answered her; at once, they all understood. It was exciting and thrilling to be so close to freedom, to be the oldest in the school. But, it was also terrifying. All of the mixed emotions was enough to send swirling sensations in the pit of each their stomachs. 

     Charlie was the first to clear her throat. She didn't have a high capacity for feeling sad these days, as even the slightest bit of sorrow had the ability to send her into a deep spiral. 

     "But, we still have this year, and you know it'll be absolutely wicked."

     Lily peeked up at her through her curtain of red hair with a small smile. "Yeah," she agreed. 

    "Yeah," James echoed, lightly nudging her with his elbow. "I have a whole year to abuse my power as Head Boy."

     Lily's eyes flashed. "You will not."