If Love is a Game...

Chapter Forty

The Final Chapter

Remus and Lorena never got to Dumbledore's office. All of the school was awake after she had screamed that there was a Death Eater inside of Hogwarts. In their pajamas, the school was assembled in the Great Hall with the professors and all of the adults at the doors. Aurors were supposedly on their way, but who knew what was happening outside of those huge doors.

Lily had tears streaked down her face and her face buried in James. Dumbledore had told them what he had found out from the letter that had arrived in his office. "What happens if they don't get there in time and they find my parents dead?!" she sobbed loudly into James shirt. "What happens if they're dead already or have gone through so much pain? I don't want to be an orphan, James!"

James put his hand on the back of Lily's head and his other hand was rubbing her back soothingly. And though you had to look very closely, you could see the tears stinging his eyes too. After all, his parents were also in danger.

"The Aurors will get there in time," James told her comfortingly, though he was not sure himself. "They'll be safe and they'll be alive. Nothing will happen. You won't be an orphan, Lil. I won't--" He cut himself off and laid his chin on top of her head. He had started to say that he wouldn't be an orphan either, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Sara sat on a bench on the Hufflepuff table. Nobody really cared what table they were sitting on as long as they were sitting down. She had one leg brought up to her chest and her other leg curled around her ankle with her arms crossed and lying on her one knee, her face partially covered up by her arms. She was worried--and scared straight. What happens if more Death Eaters came and attacked Hogwarts? They were more questions surrounding her. She was scared--even a Gryffindor could get scared so badly that they think they might cry.

Peter was curled up tightly in a ball in a corner of the room. He was deathly pale and beads of sweat were falling down his face. He looked around hastily. Some people were sitting under the tables so he figured that he didn't look that scared. Still, he thought if those doors opened suddenly, he might pee in his pants out of fright. He seriously thought he was going to die tonight. He saw that James was looking alarmed and that meant that there was really something to be terrified about.

Sirius and Krystyna sat at the Gryffindor table. She was trying her best not to cry, but tears were leaking out of her eyes whether she liked it or not. She had her head laid against his shoulder and her hands in her lap balled tightly together. He had his arm around her, holding her snugly, and his other hand was lying overtop of hers. He had a serious look upon his face.

"You see, this was why I tried to keep it from you all," Krystyna cried, tears leaking onto his arm and wetting his shirt. "I was afraid something like this might happen."

"Everything's going to be alright in the end," Sirius whispered gently into her ear, looking at her softly again. She opened her hands and he held on of them securely. "You'll see. Everything will be alright."

"If you say so," Krystyna muttered, sniffing and closing her eyes. "This is my fault. I should've..."

"You did what you were supposed to. It's your fault as much as it is Lorena's--none," Sirius murmured tenderly, rubbing her hand with his thumb. She opened her eyes and looked into his. He lifted her hand up and put it on his cheek. "You know it. It's not your fault. It's your father's fault and Samuel's and Marcus's and Malfoy's father's fault--not you or Lorena. You were a victim in this."

Krystyna sighed and closed her eyes. He put her hand back down, but still held it cozily. She put her head to his and just stayed in that position, thinking. "Lorena and Remus aren't here," she whispered, her voice threatening to break. "Do you think they're out of harm's way? Or do you think that they are..."

"They're fine," Sirius told her strongly, his eyes still closed. "They're going to be safe and sound. You'll see."

As if on cue, the Great Hall doors burst open. Many people gasped and a few girls shrieked, everyone backing up away from the doors, but there was no need to do so. No Death Eater walked in. Sirius and Krystyna looked up at the doors. Lily pulled herself together and she looked over at the doors along with James. Sara kept her eyes straight. Peter fainted from the shock of seeing the doors burst open. Perhaps it was better for him to have done that.

Remus and Lorena stumbled into the Great Hall and the doors were immediately slammed shut and locked again. Sirius stood up quickly. Lorena was incredibly pale and her hands were shaking quite visibly. Her eyes were wide with shock and her bright blonde hair was a mess. Remus had his arms around her and looking awfully grave. He was very out of breath too. Lucius jumped to his feet.

"Lorena...oh my...oh..." He sank back down to his seat, feeling an emotion he had never felt before. He felt guilt for the first time in his life. Never in his life had he seen his cousin look that shaken. He had never prepared himself for the sight of it. Severus Snape's eyes widened at the look of her; he cringed a little. Remus sat her down slowly. Sara unfolded herself and jogged over to them. Lily pulled James over to them. Krystyna and Sirius slid over to them slowly.

"Lorena, are you okay?" Krystyna asked in a shaky voice. Lorena held her hands out in front of her and they were shaking terribly. She glared at them, but they just kept trembling. She shook her head.

"No," Lorena whimpered in a painfully truthful voice. Krystyna put her hand to her mouth and fell against Sirius again, tears slipping down her face. However, though Lily, Krystyna, and Sara had tear stained cheeks and red eyes, Lorena kept a dry face. "Samuel was looking for you and he found me instead..."

James began to rub his temple. He squeezed Lily's hand tightly and went to get Peter. She sat down next to Lorena, who was still trying to conquer over her quaking hands. She sniffed and looked at her hands harder, but they just kept trembling. Remus put his hand over hers and pushed them down into her lap to stop her. She bowed her head and closed her eyes.

There was a sudden shout from outside of the doors and something banged on the door loudly. This made a few yelps and shrieks from the students and everyone backed away from the door. James quickly came back with Peter, throwing the doors a narrowed glare.

"I don't like this. I don't like being crammed in this room with everyone," James muttered to himself very quickly. He sat down and began tapping his finger on his knee hastily, glowering at the door. From what they could hear, there was a dueling on the other side of those doors. "I don't like being cramped in here, waiting for something to happen. I feel like a spring."

There was another loud bang on the door and another shout from somebody and everyone in the room jumped from being startled. That is, everyone except Lorena, who seemed to be off in space, thinking about something. Suddenly, everything went silent.

Sirius stood up suddenly after what seemed like minutes of deathlike calm silence. He slowly made his way over to the door, everyone just staring at him. He reached out for the door gradually and when he touched the handle with just his fingertips, Krystyna jumped to her feet like the seat had burnt her. She watched him intently. He gripped the handle and gulped. He pulled it open and peered out of a crack in the door.

Out of the blue, Samuel jumped out of nowhere and tried to push the door open completely. Everyone in the room screamed. Sirius yelped and turned around, pushing on the door with his back pressed against the door. Peter fainted again. Everyone crammed themselves in the very back of the room. James ran over to the door. He whipped his wand out and pointed it at Samuel in the crack in the door.

"I'm going to turn you into the slimy slug you are," James growled, starting the incantation.

"Damn you, Potter!" Samuel snarled as he ducked to miss the spell. This gave Sirius an advantage and he pushed greatly on the door again, slamming it shut. Krystyna, who had ran over to them, fiddled with the lock and then magically sealed the door shut. She combed her fingers through her hair nervously as she took a few staggering steps backwards.

James kicked the door. "And don't you forget it, you psychotic jerk!" he shouted at Samuel, who was on the other side of the door. There was a little scuffle on the other side that they didn't think much of. He snorted and turned around. He began stalking back to the others and everyone relaxed again.

Suddenly, the door burst open and everyone screamed. Sirius jerked Krystyna to the side. Lily shrieked--or at least they thought it was Lily. James fell to the floor with his hand on the head. "Bloody effing hell! I didn't hit you--I missed on purpose!"

"Are you alright, son?" a gruff voice asked from above him. James peered out of one eye and turned around to lie on his back. Everyone held their breath. The man above his was not his father nor was he Samuel or Marcus or one of the professors. In fact, James had no idea who this man was.

"Who are you?" James questioned bluntly, blinking.

"Auror Grant, and you are?" the man asked calmly, ignoring his rudeness.

"J-James Potter," James stammered. The man, Auror Grant, extended his hand to him. He eyed him suspiciously, but then took him. The older man pulled him to his feet. He peered from behind the man curiously. "Bloody hell, did you break the door open?"

He looked up at the man, who didn't answer him with words. James cringed and rubbed his knees. He was suddenly knocked down again when Lily tackled him, throwing her arms around his neck and crying out loudly. Now his knees were hurting so bad; it was his bottom that he was grumpy about. A few other adults, who they all supposed were Aurors, walked in.

"Who here is a Sirius Black and a... Remus Lupin?" a woman asked loudly, looking down at a paper in her hands. Slowly but surely, both Sirius and Remus lifted up one of their hands in the air. "You're both wanted dead. Do you have any reasons why Death Eaters would want you dead?"

"I'm dating her," both Sirius and Remus said in unison, Sirius pointing at Krystyna, who was looking much shaken, and Remus pointed at Lorena, who had her chin resting in her hands with her elbows propped up on her legs, "but her parents want her to marry him." Again, Sirius pointed at a nauseous looking Lucius Malfoy and Remus pointed at a shocked looking Severus Snape.

"What-they do?" Severus said confusedly, shocked. He fell backwards out of his seat.

Remus winced and then shook his head back to the woman in the front. "Ooh, sorry, wrong guy; he's not here because he goes to Durmstrang, yeah," he added quickly. He looked back at Severus, who was pulling himself back up in his seat. "Sorry about that, Snivel-Snape!"

The woman in the front sighed with frustration and threw her arms in the air. She turned around and began to walk out of the Great Hall. "Oh, great, another Pure Blood Mania case," she said exasperatedly, "just what I need!"

She walked out of the Great Hall, muttering things under her breath. Sirius and Remus looked at each other and just shrugged their shoulders. Sirius snorted and shook his head. So, he wasn't the only one who was in this jam--besides Remus. There was someone shouting outside of the Great Hall. Slowly, Krystyna walked out and into the corridor where she saw a few Aurors dragging Samuel away. He saw her watching him.

"This isn't the end, Krystyna! You'll see! You will pay for this in the end! I'm going to make sure of that before I die! You're going to die! I'm telling you ahead! Watch your back, Krystyna! This is not the end of this battle! You're going to pay for getting me sent to Azkaban! You will! Watch out! Krystyna--"

Sirius put his arms on her shoulders firmly and watched Samuel disappear. This would be the last time in her life that Krystyna would ever see her older brother. She wondered if she would begin to feel guilty for getting her brother carted off to Azkaban for life, but then she remembered what he had done to make her life and other's lives a living hell. She remembered all of the things he'd probably done. She saw the look of Lorena when she had first stumbled into the Great Hall tonight.

And then, she remembered Catherine and her baby, Thomas. Tears dripped out of Krystyna's eyes. She had gotten that wonderful woman's husband sent to Azkaban for life. Catherine would have to support a child by herself; Thomas would grow up without a father. But Krystyna wondered if that was a better thing. Would it be better to have no father at all than a terrible father, who was a Death Eater? She supposed it could be.

"Miss Melanie, that was a very brave thing you did," Dumbledore told her softly. Krystyna looked up at him with calm, red eyes. It was strange. Now that it was all over, she was calm. She hadn't been so calm in a very long time.

"I'm just glad it's over," Krystyna sighed honestly. She looked back down the empty corridor where she had last seen Samuel. "I'm just glad he's gone."

"Krystyna?" a quiet voice came from her right. She looked over to see Andrew standing there in his blue pajamas. She tried to give him a feeble smile. "Are Samuel and dad Death Eaters...?"

Krystyna didn't really want to answer him, but she knew that he was old enough and she had to tell the truth. He wasn't a child anymore. She nodded her head slowly/ "Yes, yes, they were, Andrew." He nodded his head and looked down at his feet. He then looked back up at her.

"And they're going to Azkaban, right?" he asked her quietly. She nodded her head painfully. He nodded his head again and looked back down at his feet once more. This time, he didn't look back up at her. "And they did this to you, didn't they?"

Krystyna stopped and thought about his question. Then, she nodded her head. "Yeah, yeah, they did this to me," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I doubted in you," Andrew mumbled, a few tears splashing onto the ground. She pulled him into a sibling hug and patted him on the head. "I'm sorry I didn't believe in the good in you."

"It's okay; everyone has their doubts," Krystyna whispered comfortingly. She pulled apart and looked him directly in the eyes. "Now you go sit down, okay?" He nodded his head and sauntered off and sat down like she asked him to. She sniffed and wiped the tears away quickly. Sirius suddenly wrapped his arms around her and laid his head on her shoulder.

"It's over," he sighed coolly. "We can be happy together again, right?" She looked back at him and gave him a real smile. He smiled at it.

"Yeah, we can be happy together again, Sirius," Krystyna said happily. She turned around to face him directly and he gave her a warm kiss that she had missed so much. She could die happy now. The days of being miserable were over. She was wrapped in that blissful blanket once again.

~*~

A month after the incident and Krystyna swore she couldn't be happier. She had been with Sirius and he had been absolutely the sweetest guy in the world. She knew she was lucky to have such a great guy like him. It had been a month of pure happiness--besides the dampers of the N.E.W.T.s, but that was impossible to escape--and she thought that she could possibly be the happiest girl on the entire planet.

Well, maybe not the happiest. Lily sure did seem up there too, totally involved with James the minute she finished her last N.E.W.T. four days ago. Let's just say that James was absolutely thrilled with being the object of her attention most of the time.

Sara, though she had to deal with the pestering of both James and Sirius, had remained boyfriend-less. It was only until she had relented and told them that she had been keeping "in touch" with another "guy friend" of hers that went to Beauxbatons. According to her, they blew it out of proportion. It had been quite funny to see them at it.

Peter and his--first, Sirius and James still snickered at the fact, though they tried very hard not to--had managed to stay together through the rest of the year. He had fainted and she had hid behind her friends so they were both--well, let's not get rude or anything. In fact, they had gotten even closer.

Remus and Lorena, of course, had gotten seriously close. Their most bonding times--which James laughed at uproariously and teased them constantly about--were when they had been studying for the N.E.W.T.s together. Lorena had been helping him in Potions--and the rest of them, as they all needed it--while he had helped her in Defense Against the Dark Arts. James called them "Study Buddies" and often teased how only nerds bonded over schoolwork.

Lorena had once said that she almost felt sorry for Lucius, who was now stuck with Narcissa Black--but she meant "almost". Narcissa was now following him around everywhere and would not leave him alone anymore. But, by the looks of it, she had toned down a little and he was actually gradually warming up to Narcissa--very gradually. He had also stopped saying anything to them so it was even happier. There were no more constant bickers between him and Lorena because they never talking anymore. He didn't fight with Sirius because they just ignored each other. It was wonderful.

Over the past month, things had gotten so much better. Krystyna had finally been with the boy she loved, which was ironic since she had always told him that she'd never like him one bit. Now look where she was; nearly dying from happiness that she was with him. No more girls tried to hex her anymore (not that they didn't want to), and she also stopped getting hate mail (every letter she had gotten had been tossed into the fire by Lorena).

After a quick last second meeting with the Quidditch team, things had gotten a lot better. They'd even won the Quidditch Cup; James hadn't been able to speak for a week because he had been screaming so much. Gryffindor had beaten Slytherin--again. Lorena had jumped in Remus's arms after that. The only thing that had stopped James from screaming had been Lily kissing him. Peter and Sara had been bouncing around the field. Krystyna had rushed into Sirius so hard that she knocked him down; they had been laughing, even in the mud.

Today was a special day. Now and today, was Graduation Day for all of the Seventh Years. As usual, all of the Seventh Years and their families were in the Great Hall. The tables had been moved back and instead there were tables like there had been at the Masquerade. All of the professors were there too. It was a very busy and noisy, but quite cheerful place at the moment.

Sara was sitting down at a table with her parents, filling them on all of the details of this year. Her mother looked about ready to faint and her father had very wide eyes. Her little brother, who was not attending Hogwarts yet, was sitting on the edge of his seat. She looked really pleased to see her parents actually looking quite worried.

She started laughing when her mother gasped at something she said. Her little brother stood up in his chair and put his hands on the table and yelled, "Nuh uh!" It was so noisy that barely anyone looked over to look at the little boy. Sara nodded her head and continued to laugh.

Michelle, Peter's girlfriend, had dragged him off to meet her parents, his own mother following behind them with a handkerchief dabbing at her wet eyes. She seemed proud of the fact that her had graduated from Hogwarts and gotten himself a girlfriend. Michelle was very excited and Peter didn't look all that nervous to meet her parents, to tell the truth.

Remus's mother was telling Lorena a most likely embarrassing story about when Remus was younger because Lorena was giggling and Remus was turning red in the face and groaning, "Mum, not that one again!" His father was grinning at his embarrassed son. Lorena tried to contain her giggles to a minimum when she slapped him on the arm playfully.

"I never knew you liked streaking, Remus," Lorena chortled jokingly. "Maybe you should do it some time soon again." They all started laughing when Remus turned beet red at this suggestion. He looked at her closely and thought of something he could say back.

"Maybe I will," Remus muttered under his breath. She threw her arms in the air.

"Oh, joyous, I'll bring a camera!" Lorena exclaimed very cheerfully, grinning widely when Remus turned an even darker shade of red. They all laughed and she laid her head against his arm. "But that doesn't mean I'm doing it because I'd like to keep what little dignity I have left. Besides, I'm sure all of the girls will just love it."

This was proving to be a very embarrassing situation for Remus and he was left to just grin at Lorena with a red face. She was laughing like there was no tomorrow. Ah, the mortification of when your mother starts telling your girlfriend humorous stories of your youth. How will he survive the humiliation?

Lorena's parents, the Fawcetts, had drifted by their only daughter congratulating her on graduating--maybe they were actually congratulating her on living through the year. They had only stayed for a few minutes, exchanging tense glances to the Lupins. Then, they left to go see their Allen, Lorena's twin brother, who was in Ravenclaw. Needless to say, they stayed with him and she was perfectly fine with that.

Lily was standing with her parents and her sister, Petunia, beaming proudly. The Evans were talking rapturously with James's parents, the Potters. They seemed like old friends more than anything really. James was standing beside his father, grinning at Lily. They were talking, laughing at a few things the other said.

Sirius was also with the Potters, standing beside James, as the James's parents now proclaimed Sirius as their adopted son. Really, Sirius did feel it uplifting to be called their son, as he looked very highly at the Potters. It was like James said; the two of them were like brothers. Mrs. Potter smiled at Sirius when she pointed out that he was very smart and he turned pink a little. He looked back at her and smiled and she gave him another encouraging smile.

In fact, Krystyna was still smiling when he turned back around to say something to Petunia, with a large grin on his face. She was sure he said something along the lines of, "Does my hair still look like a mop because I really did try to comb it this time?" She grinned at him, rolled her eyes, and shook her head at him. He was such a wild card--and she liked it like that.

Right now, Krystyna was perfectly content with sitting by herself at a table. Of course, she had definitely expected her mother, Marlena, and William to not show up. Really, she was glad that they didn't show up because then, her day would have been ruined and she didn't want that.

With her father and Samuel in Azkaban for life for being found guilty of being Death Eaters, they alienated her, which she was jumping for joy for. She had waited for that day to happy. They hated her; she was so happy. Then, she got a very nice and unexpected surprised.

Catherine slid into a seat across from her at the same table and she put the bassinet Thomas was in on the table close to her. She smiled sweetly at the younger girl when she started the bassinet to rock back and forth lightly.

"Hey, congratulations on graduating from Hogwarts," Catherine complimented breathlessly, still smiling very warmly at her. She raised her eyebrows. She was one of the last people to show up. She had gotten her husband thrown into Azkaban.

"Catherine, I didn't know you were coming," Krystyna said in shock, her eyes wide. She chuckled. "I didn't think you would want to see me after... you know." She shrugged her shoulders.

"No, I really wanted to see you again. I knew that you were going to be alone and I didn't want you to be on a special day such as this," Catherine replied softly, shaking her head lightly. "Besides, I really wanted Tommy to see his Aunt Krystyna."

"Thanks, I really appreciate you coming, Catherine," Krystyna said earnestly with a smile. They sat in a bit of silence, but it wasn't awkward. The older woman folded her hands and put them on the table in front of her. She looked a little troubled. "What is it?"

"I wanted to tell you that...it was me who sent that letter forewarning Dumbledore about a possible attack on the Evans and Potters and the attempted murders of Sirius Black and Remus Lupin," Catherine suddenly said lowly. She raised her eyebrows, really not expecting this to happen.

"What? You...wrote that letter that Dumbledore told Lorena about?" Krystyna said bemusedly. She slowly nodded her head. "But...why?" She scooted a little closer and Krystyna did the same.

"I never knew that Samuel was into the Dark Arts. I married him because I loved him, and he was the only boy that I ever knew that wasn't into that stuff--when he really was. I never knew that he was a Death Eater for You-Know-Who," Catherine explained quietly, feeling loads better already with this small confession. "I had a bad feeling and then I overheard him talking to Marcus. I didn't know what to do because I didn't want to betray him because I loved him, but...I didn't want people to die when I knew that I could at least do something about it--warn someone about it. I wrote Dumbledore that anonymous letter and then fixed lunch for a meeting with other Death Eaters probably."

"Oh my gosh, you risked your life for two people you don't even know and the lives of a Muggle family and the Potters?" Krystyna gasped, putting her hands to her mouth. She nodded her head.

"I know that you probably believe that it was your fault that Samuel, your father, Marcus, and Mr. Malfoy are in Azkaban for life, but it would never have happened had I not wrote that letter," Catherine sighed, patting Krystyna's hands lightly. "I knew full well what was going to happen when Samuel got caught. I knew that he was going to Azkaban for life. But I didn't want people to die. I didn't want to live with the fact that I knew my husband was a Death Eater and did nothing about it. It would kill me. And to tell the truth, I didn't want someone like that raising my son, no matter how much I loved him."

Catherine put her hands on her forehead and tried to calm herself down. Krystyna could not believe it. She was in shock. This woman that she had barely talked to--had barely known--had been lied to and had practically turned her husband and three other people in to Azkaban. It was not her fault--well, at least not completely her fault. She took her hands down and put them back onto the table.

"I just wanted to tell you that," Catherine said calmly, smiling at Krystyna, "and to tell you that if you need anything--a place to stay or something else--you can come to me. I'm going to tell your mother and Marlena of what I did. They forced this upon you and I don't want to stay friends with people like that. I had no idea what you went through and I feel bad that I didn't see it before. I guess being in love and being pregnant makes you a little blind."

Krystyna and Catherine began to laugh a little. This could only add to her happiness. Even though she had only talked to Catherine a few times, she felt much more like a mother to her than her own mother ever did. She was nice and very trustful. She was also very independent and strong willed. She wasn't pushy as in mean, but she was pushy as in helpful. That was when Sirius slipped into the seat next to her.

"Who's your friend?" Sirius asked her coolly.

"Oh, this is my Aunt Catherine, Samuel's wife," Krystyna introduced. She immediately saw the tension and confusion in Sirius's eyes, but he held out his hand across the table politely nonetheless and shook hers. "Catherine, this is Sirius."

"Your boyfriend?" Catherine asked with a light smile. Krystyna nodded her head. She looked calmly at Sirius, who was looking a little confused. "Hi, it's nice to finally meet you, Sirius. Krys has said a lot of good things about you."

"Erm...thanks... Uh, nice to meet you too," Sirius stammered, very confused. She chortled at him and his confusion was deepened.

"She saved your life," Krystyna whispered in his ear. He looked at her sharply with one eyebrow raised up high, looking befuddled.

"Huh?" Sirius grunted perplexedly. She grinned at him.

"She wrote that letter to Dumbledore, warning us that one night," Krystyna murmured quietly. His eyes widened and he looked back at Catherine quickly.

"Really?" Sirius said in a loud, surprised voice. She nodded her head. "Wow--I mean--thanks, I'm sorry about that hesitation. I was just a little confused. I mean, good heavens, thanks. You saved me from snuffing it early." He shook Catherine's hand more enthusiastically.

"Oh, you seem like a nice chap so the pleasure is mine," Catherine said with a smile. "It seems like today is just full of nice little surprises, wouldn't you say?"

They all chuckled cheerfully.

~*~

"...and now, it is finally the end of the term and you are all now graduates from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are the Class of 1978. Congratulations to you all," Dumbledore announced, raising his hands in the air. Immediately, everyone took their hats off and tossed them in the air like it was a ritual to do so. They all cheered uproariously and happily.

Lorena and Lily were jumping up and down, laughing and screaming that they were out of school so loudly and so exuberantly that they might just right jump out of their shoes with excitement. Lorena must have been really excited because she turned around and threw her arms around Remus's neck unexpectedly, snogging him senseless right then and there. Honestly, Remus seemed quite pleased with this. Lily gave James a huge, wet kiss on the lips, and he began cheering loudly.

Sara was clapping her hands and laughing at Peter, who had a few hats fall on top of him. He was also laughing with her. They smiled at everyone and anyone, jumping up and down and picking up a fallen hat and throwing it back in the air just for the fun of it. Confetti and balloons fell over top of them and they began throwing confetti at each other. James and Lily smacked a few balloons until James pulled his wand out and popped a few just to scare a few people.

"I have to prank while I still can!!" James screamed over all of the noise. They all laughed, but were sure that their laughs had been drowned about by the shouting from beside them. Sirius picked up Krystyna and spun her around, laughing. He sat her back down and they just continued laughing. She couldn't even imagine what it would have been like if she had still been alienated by them. The laughter and cheering continued on forever.

~*~

It was later that evening and the sun was beginning to set, splashing many different colours over the twilight sky. Sirius and Krystyna were outside alone, walking along the edge of the lake hand-in-hand, not really speaking. The silence was actually talking, you could say.

That was when Sirius stopped abruptly. She stopped too. He looked over the lake at into the sky where the sun was falling behind the horizon slowly. She looked at it too. It was beautiful, cascading a dark orange glow over them. He turned to her.

"I can't even imagine how I could have lived without you by my side today," he said quietly--truthfully. She smiled at him and pushed a strand of his black hair out of his face.

"Luckily, you don't have to imagine because I'm right here with you," Krystyna murmured, that smile still painted across her face. "I try not to imagine." He put his hand at her cheek and titled it up a little, a grin on his face.

"You know, you give wonderful advice," Sirius told her softly. Krystyna raised an eyebrow almost jokingly.

"I do?" she asked with a smile on her face. He nodded his head slowly, his grin broadening.

"But, can I give a bit of advice now?" Sirius whispered gently. She nodded her head slowly. "Close your eyes, okay?" She closed her eyes like he told her to.

And Krystyna felt Sirius lean in and kiss her warmly, softly, gently, and tenderly like it should be. She smiled against his lips and once again, she felt safe. She knew that things like this made the world go round and keep on spinning when it should stop. In her heart, she knew what she wanted. She knew what he wanted.

Maybe the bliss had gone to her mind, but she didn't care. She simply put her arms around his neck and let him put his arms around her waist, continuing the long lasting, breath taking kiss. It was what she knew should happen. This was how it was supposed to be. This was how her days at Hogwarts were supposed to end. It was supposed to end on a high note, but it was much higher than she had expected.

This kiss between Sirius and Krystyna, as the sunset slowly came to an end, cascading brilliant colors across the sky, was the end of their story at Hogwarts, but the beginning of the story of their life after Hogwarts.

Finis