Pomp and circumstance at its worst

They were still doing mingling and polite chatting, but Lily could feel her freedom (though freedom had become sort of a mixed bag for her) approaching ever more quickly. She still had not figured out where she would be going after the night's events... Something she should have been more concerned about really. Because it wasn't just tonight. She refused to rely on family to home her, as she really did not want to have to face the 'why didn't you tell us' conversation over and over and over again. And her savings had been nearly blown on her last little escapade. Once she walked away from Hogwarts, Lily Potter was technically homeless.

Oddly enough, the graduation ceremony was more frightening than the idea of being without house and home. It had become something she was used to, and she had found ways to get around without money and shelter. Although, in all honesty, it was going to be harder this time now that she had decided not to numb all of the pain.

Which begged the question... when would she fall prey to those habits again?

Lily sort of wanted to see Kit or Casey... Maybe even Teddy. Wanted to look out into the crowd and see them and exchange a knowing smile and a nod... and everything would be said. Her apology would be understood and forgiveness would flow into her from them, covering her own shame she felt for all she had one to them. With such a deep reservoir of self-blame, however, she doubted that was going to be happening.

The count was down to an hour now. In an hour, she wouldn't have to see these people again. She would be home free. Well... street free.

"Mes, no!" Katherine hissed, frowning at him. Even her attempts at glares were oddly delicate since she had taken ill again. "Why would I do that?"

Mesut huffed, looking down at the box in his hand. Kit was giving him a funny look, as though she had never been more confused by him than right then - and that was saying something. The man was witty and clever in the workplace. But he did not always phrase things in the best way possible, so his question had genuinely thrown her for a loop.

"But seriously, Mes, why?"

He shot her a frustrated look as the graduates started walking around and trying to find their families. "Because I can't do it. Kit, you've got to. How could I walk up and tell her it was a thank-you and not a congratulations? That's insane."

"Because you're insane," Luke cut in, leaning over to shake his head at both of them. "Just do it, kid. Otherwise we'll be ticked all day. And she won't get it at all."

Katherine pouted at the pair of them for a moment, but she knew that, if nothing else, Luke was dead on about Mesut's inevitable reaction. He was a well-meaning guy, obviously, but he did better when he understood the power structures of the people around him. Particularly when he held the power, as he preferred to when it came to his business investments. He had become a man with surprising amounts of money, considering how very little he did during the day. Not only was he the heir to the family, but he wanted to ensure that he could cover his little siblings. Kit had figured out his plan, even though Lucas still seemed pretty oblivious (and annoyed).

But then, with Luke playing professional Quidditch, and Kit getting sick, it was painfully obvious to the Ravenclaw where that money was going. And she really didn't want to think about the fact that someone was - yet again - watching over her a bit too much.

"If I do this," she began slowly, "you have to agree to properly discuss the financial... arrangement... thing." Okay, so she didn't know how to phrase it. But she wanted to be independent, and she had never been offered that chance. "You have to promise."

Mes looked to the ceiling, and she caught sight of his hand as it lifted, clearly aiming for his hair, but he dropped it again. "Fine. We will. Just take the stupid thing, bug."

Katherine rolled her eyes at him but opened her palm to take the little cream-colored box. If she had been in proper health, she might have knocked him over the head, but she just gave him an annoyed look before glancing around and trying to find Lily. When the now ex-Gryffindor was sighted, Kit started weaving her way through the other students. Before she could reach her friend(?), a moment of worry hit her and she hesitated.

She could practically feel Mes and Luke watching her, though, so she couldn't avoid it any longer. "Lily?" she called softly, half hoping the girl wouldn't hear her, or that someone would come up and interrupt her.

It was par for the course to come in in drips and drags if you had Weasley blood in your veins, Hugo was sure of it. Punctuality wasn’t essentially on of their strongpoints yet coming in the army-like flood that they had once done, punctuality hadn’t mattered. Now, though, they were all adults, mostly – but even the ones that weren’t understood the fractious nature of having red hair and hand-me-down robes. Not that Hugo’s robes were hand-me-downs anymore.

And neither were his cousins’.

So it was between two of his cousins that he found himself, idly looking down at his nails and picking out dirt that didn’t exist from under them to avoid looking at the two beside him. The blonde apparently was in a fight with the brunette but Hugo couldn’t bear to stretch himself into asking Victoire what James had done. He could already envisage behind his eyelids the indignant look that would take hold of both their faces, determined to be right.

It was easier to avoid it.

Plus, there was also Lily to look at. Across the room there, she was about to wrangle out of the education system and into the deep, dark world. Hugo could remember his own graduation distinctly, though in truth it hadn’t nearly been long enough for him to forget it. He’d had plenty of time to regret it, though. Plenty of time to overthink. Plenty of time to wonder whether it should have been him or someone else graduating that day, someone happier.

Hermione had been so proud. Ron, in that very Ron way, had loped over and slapped his son on the shoulder, squeezing it in commiseration and congratulations. Though, the former was mostly because his mother had Hugo in a choking hug. This was so very different it was almost sad. Where was Ginny? Dead. Where was Harry? Dead. This was just wrong. All of it. James and his present, disastrously wrapped with a bow on it to deflect the horror, wasn’t enough.

But it was the way it was.

“I’m going to go and talk to Lils,” Hugo announced, getting to his feet. “You two have the personalities of wet mops.”

“No, wait,” James tugged on his arm and Hugo ripped it from his grasp, passing him a dark glare. “Please,” James deflated a little in his seat before holding out the present.

“Oh go away,” Hugo moaned. “Give it to her yourself.” James opened his mouth to object. “No, James!” Hugo snapped before striding off in search of his cousin.

He neared just as the blonde girl did and Hugo decided to hang back for a few moments to let them speak, only really succeeding in making himself look creepy and awkward.

Brilliant.

"Lily?"

It almost didn't make sense that someone would be saying her name right now. The reading of the graduates had not yet begun, so what use did she have to anyone else? She turned around and her eyes fell upon Katherine Avery, and Lily took a step back, openly surprised at this little turn of events. Oh. Right. That was what friends did. They approached each other to offer kind words and congratulations. They carried little boxes in their hands. Oh. Right. She should have known. She should have known.

"Hi." Lily said, her voice almost a croak.

Casey saw James Potter first. Sawyer had spotted Teddy, who looked absolutely distraught this close to his family and unable to bring them all together. The older of the siblings hurried off to brace Teddy while Casey strode determinedly up towards James. Victoire, she saw well enough at Hogwarts. It was James she needed to speak with.

"Are you making up with Lily or not?"

[there's some godmod stuff in here, but I can edit if you want]

It was when Lily noticed her presence that Katherine realized she had no clue what the little box in her palm contained. Merlin, she should have asked. Why hadn't Mesut told her? An embarrassed wave of color took her cheeks, making her look oddly alive as compared to usual. She had probably gotten worse since the last time Lily had spoken to her, and Lily seemed a bit more anxious than the last time Kit had seen her, which was seriously saying something.

"Um," she started, stepping forward and fiddling with the gift awkwardly. "I just... This is for you," she came up with eventually. That was the truth without embarrassing Mes too badly.

Katherine held out the box and waited, watching her perhaps a bit too closely out of curiosity, and basically just stood there until Lily gave in and opened the thing. Inside was a pouch that, once turned over, poured out a silver, linked chain with three little baubles hanging from it. A charm bracelet? Seriously? Kit almost let herself look over at her brother disdainfully, but she kept quiet and still. One was a fairly generic cap that denoted graduation as per most schools. The middle one, several links over in an attempt to balance it out, was shaped like an average double-decker bus. But Katherine could pick out the Night Bus anywhere. What was he on about? She made a mental note to ask him later. And the third-

Oh, no.

Kit's eyes widened and she actually stepped back when she saw it. A paw. Oh, no. Lily was probably going to be furious. Mesut was going to get in so much trouble if he didn't have a good reason for picking that. Yes, he knew, reader. Kit had been desperate to tell someone, and Mes had seemed to like her pretty well, so wasn't he the obvious choice? But then he had gone and been so rude that Kit couldn't believe it. No wonder he didn't want to give it to Lily himself. Merlin, she hoped Lily didn't ask her to explain.

At the same time, though, she was actually really, really curious. If Lily didn't hate Kit for it, or didn't hate Mes when she realized the gift was actually from him, perhaps she would let the man tell her his reasoning. Surely it wasn't just his idea of a cruel joke. He wasn't the type. But Lily definitely didn't know that yet.

Lily wanted more than anything to hear her name called so she could get this stupid little dance done with and could be on her way, out of the eyes of everyone. But she had to wait for Kit. The girls had become too close, too reliant on each other's company during otherwise painful or droll parts of their lives, times when they had needed someone but, for their respective reasons, had been unwilling to ask for any sort of help. And Lily had broken that quiet bond with lies - she owed it to Kit, on her own graduation night, to hear her friend out.

Because, weak as the bond was, it was one of the few Lily still retained. Honestly, throughout the year, the only people who had bothered to consistently treat her like a person deserving of kindness or respect had been Kit and Christian Zabini. It had only been recently that the brothers of the two had been added, though the Zabini addition was far more present than the Avery brother. Lily knew surprisingly little on the subject of loyalty - she was a piss poor excuse of a Gryffindor for sure - but she knew Kit deserved some patience.

Lily wanted to tell Kit to take the little box away, that she did not deserve it, but she knew that such a statement was on the road to conflict, and that was the last thing she wanted. So she numbly nodded and held out her hand. The box wasn't very heavy, but the weight of the transaction burdened her. This was something being given to her when she had not earned it. She had not even graduated on time. She didn't deserve gifts.

But she took it. Because that was what friends did. She opened the box and took out the necklace.

There was this icy feeling behind her ears that she could not explain - as though she could actually feel the cold spirit people must have towards her for hiding such a dangerous condition for so long. Kit must had been one of them. She could not understand this gift, its particulars. It did not make sense. Kit was not confrontational so it could not be an accusation, but Kit should have known Lily well enough to know that werewolf was not a badge of honor for her.

Lily raised her dark eyes to the light face of her friend, who looked anxious as well. Lily opened her mouth, and the beginnings of the word 'why' barely escaped her throat before dying there. There was no use asking, no use wondering. This was apart of her curse. She no longer understood the workings of humans. She clamped her lips shut, and a muscle in her jaw worked. "Thank you, Kit."

It wasn't a very gracious tone.

She took a step towards the podium, trying to further distance herself from the people who so wanted her to join their ranks, when she felt so in between places. Where would she ever fit in?

Passing a look in Victoire’s direction, James reached up behind his head and scratched at the back of his ear. He sighed gently and looked down at the lap, sorely wishing that Hugo had just taken it so that he could slip out unnoticed. Alas, unnoticed was a reality that James could only dream about, though. Even his little cousin seemed to notice him. Indeed, she even held a little bit of anger for him – or, at least, it seemed that way.

“Casey—” James endeavoured.

“Yes,” Victoire replied sharply, extending a hand to push him out of his chair.

James stumbled to his feet and glared at his cousin before righting his suit. He swallowed, wiping his hand down his front to smooth out his shirt and he straightened his tie. Glancing down at Casey, he fished into his pocket for a couple of sickles which he held out to the Weasley.

“There’s a galleon in it if you help me out,” he tempted.