Marauder's Moments: The Last Day Pt. 1

Marauder's Moments is a series of one shots that span the time after the Marauders graduate from Hogwarts until the day Lily and James are killed. They can be read as one long story or as individual one shots. This story is the tale of the Marauder's last day. The story includes some romantic James and Lily moments, skinny dipping and secrets. Enjoy!

Weasleys are red, Ravenclaws are blue, I don't own Harry Potter, and neither do you.

Marauder's Moments: The Last Day Part 1

Lily woke up early on the last day of term. She lay in bed for a long while, thinking about tomorrow, the first day of the rest of her life. This is it, Lils, she thought, after the leaving feast today, you are an adult. Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure she was ready to be an adult, if she was completely honest with herself. Lily wasn't ready to think about that quite yet.

Sitting up she yawned and stretched, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Flurry, her white Feles Felices, or lucky cat, jumped up onto her bed, meowing softly. She bundled Flurry up in her arms and buried her face in the kitten's soft, white fur. "Flurry," Lily mumbled, "how would you feel about a walk this morning?" The kitten butted her head against Lily's chin in agreement.

Quietly, Lily dressed in a knee-length, maroon dress. The sun was rising outside the castle and it was promising to be a beautiful day. Grabbing a shawl her grandmother had knit, Lily descended the stairs into the Gryffindor common room. It was deserted. The rest of her house was sleeping in, taking advantage of not having classes or exams. Lily was thankful for the privacy. She had a lot on her mind and just wanted some peace and quiet.

Stepping out onto the grass, Lily felt invigorated. The wind tousled her hair and Flurry bounded about, chasing bugs. The grounds were quiet, the birds chirped back and forth occasionally, and the giant squid was lulling around in the morning light. Lily nestled down under a cherry tree and faced the sunrise.

"It really is beautiful here, Flurry," she said. Flurry butted her hand, demanding to be pet. Lily scratched the kitten's ears and chuckled. "It's hard to imagine that outside these grounds, there's a war being waged." Lily thought about the wars she had learned about in primary school. She had read about epic battles being waged with guns and tanks, hundreds of men going into battle to fight for their freedom, and only a few coming home again.

Dumbledore had done his best to shelter the students at Hogwarts from the Dark Lord's reign but the children heard stories from home, they read the Daily Prophet, and they had seen other students pulled out of classes when someone in their family had been murdered. Regardless of how hard Dumbledore and the other staff tried to shield the children, they knew.

Lily knew. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that when she left Hogwarts, she would be in the thick of the wizarding war.

Tears streamed down her face as she thought of her Mum and Dad. They had died within the last year. Her mother had passed away in a car accident. She had been walking the family dog when a drunk driver hit her. Her father had died a few months later, of a broken heart. She let herself cry for a few minutes before wiping away her tears. There was nothing she could do to bring her parents back, no matter how hard her Muggle sister insisted her "disgusting magic" could be "put to good use" by reviving them. Petunia just didn't understand that bringing people back from the dead was impossible and that necromancy was the darkest of magical arts.

Unfortunately, that had made Petunia resent her even more than she had before, if that was possible. Lily was fairly sure that was why Petunia had quit secondary school and run off to Miss Trinket's School of Etiquette and Society. Not to mention that she had agreed to marry that vile boyfriend of hers, Dursley something-or-other. It had always been Petunia's dream to be a house wife. She was planning on a quick wedding when she graduated from school, a quiet affair, just her new family. Lily wasn't invited.

"Tunie," Lily whispered, "I miss the little you. I miss my little sister." Lily shed one tear for the little girl Petunia use to be, the innocent and loving sister she use to have. Had Lily known that being a witch would cost her her sister and that she would be thrust into a civil war headed by the most powerful Dark Lord in history, she may have never agreed to go to Hogwarts. She may have chosen to stay home, go to school with Petunia and spend as much time with her parents as she could before they died.

Then she looked around the green grounds again. She saw the Forbidden Forest, where she had her first kiss, and Hagrid's game keeper hut out in the distance. At the thought of James Potter, her boyfriend, Lily's heart fluttered. Oh James, she thought, if anything is worth what I have been through, and what I am probably going to go through with this blasted war, it is you.

Lily had spent the best years of her life at Hogwarts. As much as she missed her parents and grieved for her lost relationship with her sister, she couldn't deny that Hogwarts had been good to her.

She had met her best friends here: James, Remus and even Sirius. She had grown into and honed her skills as a witch and was known as a budding prodigy in Charms. Early on she had loved...and lost, but had loved again.

Flurry jumped up from Lily's lap and bound off towards the castle. Startled, Lily looked over her shoulder. A dark silhouette was meandering towards her. She broke into a goofy grin. It was James.

"Hey, Evans," he said huskily, as he approached. Lily rolled her eyes and turned to face the lake again. "What? Too good to say hello?" he said, quoting the first phrase he had ever said to her.

Lily buried her face in her hands and groaned. "You are hopeless, James Potter. Hasn't that gotten old yet?"

James grinned down at her and shook his head. "Come on, Lils," he said, extending his hand. "Let's go for a walk."

Tired of wallowing in her own memories, Lily took his hand. James pulled her up into a warm embrace. She leaned against his chest and looked up into his face, trying to memorize the curve of his mouth, the color of his eyes, and the way the stubble on his chin shown with gold in the morning light.

"I love you," he whispered, tucking her red hair behind one ear.

Lily just closed her eyes and touched her forehead to his, breathing in the scent of him.

After a moment Lily felt James's lips graze her own, lightly. She smiled under his lips and deepened the kiss. James wrapped his arms tighter around Lily's waist, crushing her to his body. Lily's arms came up around his neck and her fingers tangled into his hair.

When they finally broke apart, Lily was breathless. The look in James's eyes was hungry. "Lily," he said, his voice caressing her name. Lily nuzzled her head onto his shoulder, her lips brushing the delicate skin of his neck. James moaned.

Lily's voice came out unsteady when she spoke next. "James, this is the last time we'll ever be here, in this spot, again."

James nodded, not trusting his voice.

"We're leaving tonight," Lily said, stating the obvious. James just nodded again.

The two stood in silence for a while gaining comfort from the other's presence.

Suddenly, a determined look came over Lily's face. Taken aback, James pulled away. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," Lily said slowly, pulling way from James. "I just don't want to waste my last day at Hogwarts."

"I don't think we were wasting it," James muttered, letting go of Lily's waist.

She smiled impishly up at him. "No, we definitely weren't wasting it but I have something else in mind. Something we have never done before."

A wicked grin cut across James's face. "What do you have in mind?"

"Well," Lily said biting her lip, "why don't we go skinny dipping?"

James's eyes grew wide with shock. Usually Lily was the conservative one of the two, preferring to stay out of her boyfriend's antics.

"You," James said in shock, "want to go skinny dipping? In the lake?"

"Well duh," Lily said, punching James in the arm. "Where else is there to go skinny dipping at Hogwarts? Well, besides the prefects' bathroom perhaps, but that doesn't really count does it?" she said thoughtfully.

"Alright!" James said, throwing his fist up in triumph. "Let's go, Lils," he said, pulling on her arm. "We don't want to skinny dip this close the castle. Let's sneak off into the Dark Forest. There's some wooded beach-ey areas back there," he said, pointing off into the distance.

"Sure," Lily said, leaning over and giving him a peck on the lips. "I'll race ya," she said. Without giving James a chance to reply, she took off towards the Forbidden Forest.

When Lily finally stopped, the pair was two hundred feet into the forest, just far enough away that they could no longer see the castle.

Panting, Lily said, "I think this is far enough."

James had already started stripping off his robe and shirt. "Last one in is a marsh-wiggle," James said, sliding out of his pants.

Lily blushed and turned away, stripping off her own shirt. By the time she had shimmied out of her jeans, James was already in the water, waist high. Lily, giggling like a school girl, ran for the lake and dove in. The water was refreshing. It worked to distract her from her morbid thoughts almost as much as kissing James. When she surfaced, she was ten feet from James who was gazing at her like he'd never seen her before.

"What?" Lily asked. "Do I have a bogey in my nose?" she said, wiping at her face.

"No, you're just so damn beautiful, Lils," James said, swimming towards her.

Lily smiled but squealed. "No James, get away!" she yelled, splashing water at his face.

"Aw, come on Lily! We've been dating for years now," he said, swimming towards her again.

"No James," she said, back peddling. "We're still in school!"

"No we're not," James complained. "We've practically graduated. We passed our N.E.W.T.s and our exams. There's nothing else," he finished, making a grab for her arm.

Lily swam farther out into the lake. "I don't care James Potter. We're still on the school grounds." A grin spread across her face. She loved teasing James. It was a truly glorious game.

"Alright, if you're going to be that way, maybe I'll just go find some other girl to skinny dip with," he said, swimming back toward the shore.

Lily followed at a distance. James got closer and closer to the shore. Lily wondered how far he would get before chickening out. Regardless of what the rest of the school thought, or what rumors those nasty Slytherins spread, she and James had never gone all the way.

As James got closer to the shore, his pace got slower. He stopped just as the water line reached his bum. He stayed with his back turned to her. She crept up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. He leaned back into her embrace.

"I love you too, James," she whispered, returning the gesture from earlier in the morning. He took her hand in his and put it to his lips. Lily leaned her chin on his shoulder. "I think I'm ready to talk about it," Lily whispered.

James wasn't sure he had heard her, she had spoken so quietly. "Are you sure?" he asked, not yet turning around. He felt her shake her head. "Alright, so what are you going to do after Hogwarts?"

He felt Lily take a deep breath behind him. Her chest rose and fell against his back and he tried not to let the sensation take his breath way.

"I don't know, James," she replied quietly. "I don't know what to do. I feel so lost with my parents gone and Tunie disowning me. I have nowhere to go. I'm an orphan." She whispered the last sentence so quietly that James wasn't sure if he had imagined it or not. The pain was obvious in her voice. His strong, courageous girlfriend was finally baring her heart to him, at least the part that grieved for the family she lost. He felt warm tears drip onto his chest. He gripped Lily's arms in his own, not wanting to turn around, knowing she would want her privacy while she cried. Her body shook against his for a few minutes. It hurt not being able to wrap his arms around her right then.

"I'm so sorry, Lily. I would bring them back if I could. I would give anything to alleviate your pain." His voice cracked.

"I don't know if I can go back there," she said. "I can't go back and face all the memories my house is bound to dredge up. I don't even think I can go and clean it out. I'd rather burn it to the ground and not have to worry about sifting through everything."

"You don't have to. Sirius and Remus and I could go and do it for you."

Lily sniffled. "I couldn't ask you to do that. It's not your responsibility."

"We'd do it though, for you."

"I know. Could you guys just come with me? We could do it together."

"Of course, love, whatever you need. I know the boys feel the same way."

Lily was quiet for a long while. The sound of the lake lapping against the shore was comforting.

"I am so glad I have you, James. I don't think I could face the world, filled with war, without my parents. Without you, I truly would be alone."

"You'll never have to be alone. I'm not going anywhere. Where you go, I go. I promise," James whispered, bringing Lily's hand to his lips one more time. Lily pulled him closer still and kissed his neck.

"Me too. I love you, James. Don't go anywhere I can't follow."

Just as James was turning around, two figures blundered out of the underbrush, stumbling on the tree roots.

Lily screamed and ducked down behind James. James put his arms back around Lily protectively, cursing himself for leaving his wand in his trouser pockets.

For a second, all James could see were two dark silhouettes against the forest. Then he heard a familiar snicker followed by a classic cat call. Lily's face burned red and James shook his head.

"Sirius, you prat! Get out of here!" James yelled at his best friend.

"What about me, mate?" Remus called. "Can I stay?" Sirius and Remus snickered again.

"Well, well, well," Sirius said, strolling over to the pile of clothes on the shore. "Look what I've found." Sirius held up Lily's dress. "Wouldn't this look smashing on me, Moony?" Holding the dress against his shoulders, Sirius twirled around. Remus laughed.

"Yea Padfoot, that red really brings out your eyes."

James couldn't help it. He laughed too. Lily hit him on the shoulder playfully. A grin spread across her face and she called out to Sirius, "Hey, Padfoot, why don't you try it on? I bet I could modify the Permanent Sticking Charm so you'd never have to worry about buying clothes again."

The look on Sirius's face was priceless. He quickly dropped the dress and stepped away from their clothes.

"On second thought," Sirius said, "I think I'll leave that lovely dress for you, Lily." Quick as lightening, Sirius snatched up James's clothes and took off into the woods calling over his shoulder, "As for these, though, they'll look mighty lovely on a Blast-Ended Skrewt!"

Lily dropped her head into her hands as James shot out of the water, stark naked, and took off after Sirius. Remus shook his head as the boys disappeared into the forest.

When James was out of sight, Remus turned to Lily. "Don't worry Lils, it's safe to come out. I think James will be chasing Sirius all the way to the castle. Do you want me to conjure you a towel?"

Lily heaved a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Moony."

Remus just nodded, took a rock and transfigured it into a lovely gold and maroon towel. Holding it out, he closed his eyes and turned his head away.

Lily took the towel, quickly dried off and dressed. The pair quietly started back towards the castle. "Are you scared Moony?" Lily asked quietly.

"About graduating?"

"Yes."

Remus thought about that for a second. "I am," he replied, "but probably for different reason than you may be. I can imagine you're thinking about the war."

Lily shook her head in agreement.

"I have thought about the war and what that will mean for me when I leave here. I've also thought about how I can be an asset to fight against You-Know-Who and if I really want to involve myself at all."

Lily looked taken aback. "But we have to get involved, don't we?" Lily asked. "I thought you of all people would understand about fighting for what you believe in and protecting the people who can't protect themselves."

"I do understand but I also know that I am young and inexperienced in the real world of war. I highly doubt that fighting Death Eaters will look anything like the dueling club that Hogwarts has. It is great practice but it's not practical in battle."

"What good was there in getting a N.E.W.T. in Defense and joining dueling club if we're not going to use that experience?" Lily asked, honestly curious.

"Well, Lils, I imagine you will use those skills, probably more than I will. I doubt I'll be fighting on the front lines. I am sure that those fighting against You-Know-Who will have a better use for me, something that comes more natural."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "Come on Remus, you're not pants at Defense or anything. You're just as good as I am."

Remus laughed. "No, I am not pants at defense but I have a unique set of ...skills... that could be used for the side of Light." Remus playfully bared his teeth and growling at Lily.

"No, Remus, you can't!" Lily stopped walking and just stared at her friend. "You can't really be thinking what I think you're thinking."

"It's the logical course of action," Remus said calmly. Turning to face Lily, he placed a hand on her shoulder, trying to comfort her. "How many werewolves do you think fight against You-Know-Who? He's promised us a better future under his reign. Plenty of Muggles for the hunting," Remus said, disgust drawing across his features. "Whole reserves of land fenced off and filled with Muggles for the hunting."

"That's disgusting," Lily said, turning green. "How do you know that?" she asked curiously.

"I do know other lycanthropes, Lily." Remus looked like he was thinking hard about something. He was scrutinizing Lily like he had never seen her before.

"What is it, Remus?" Lily pushed. She knew her friend was trying to decide if he should divulge some secret he was hording.

"I am not sure if I should tell you this, but someone has already approached me and asked me if I want to join the reconnaissance against You-Know-Who when I graduate."

Lily gasped. "But Remus, you're only 17. You haven't officially graduated yet."

"Honestly Lily, it's not like I have job offers and apprenticeships coming out my...well, let's just say my options are limited. The Wizarding world doesn't exactly trust my kind. They shun and despise us. The only reason I was able to go to school here is because Headmaster Dumbledore has worked very hard to keep my condition a secret. I think you, Padfoot, Prongs and Peter are the only four who actually know about me."

"Severus knows," Lily whispered.

"I doubt Snape is going to say anything to anyone. If he was planning on doing that, he would have done it already."

"Don't you see Remus? No one knows what you are outside of our group of friends. You could go live a normal life. No one has to know about you being a werewolf."

"How am I going to explain to my employer that I can't work once a month and it always coincides with the full moon? I wouldn't fool anyone. All it would take was one person finding out about me and no one would ever hire me again."

"I guess you're right," Lily said, looking forlorn. "I just don't know if I'm ready for any of us to be so involved with this war."

"I don't think it's going to matter if we're ready or not. This war, it is our war. We have to fight it to win. Think about your children Lily. Do you want them to grow up in a world ruled by Death Eaters?"

Lily let out a gruff laugh. "If You-Know-Who won this war, I would probably be sterilized, or worse. I'm Muggle-born. Remember?"

"All the more reason to fight," Remus said, with finality. "Also, please don't tell anyone what my part in this war is going to be. Not even James or Sirius or Peter. My life may depend on keeping this secret. Werewolves are not known for their mercy nor are Death Eaters."

"I'll take it to the grave, Moony."

Remus gave Lily a sad smile. "I hope that is not for a very long time."

"Me too." Remus and Lily were well aware what fighting a war meant. It meant your friends didn't always come home and when they did they may or may not be the same person you remember. War changes people or it kills them.

The two friends lapsed into companionable silence as they reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest. In the distance they could still hear James screaming at Sirius to bring his clothes back.

"Do you think I should get him a cloak or something to wrap up in?" Lily asked, looking off into the distance, trying to spot the other two Marauders.

"Eventually," Remus replied, "it would be the right thing to do." He chuckled. "The rest of the school doesn't want to see James stalkers. Trust me Lily. As funny as Sirius would find that, I don't think the rest of the school would, well the teachers at least."

Lily grinned as the image of James, butt naked, running up the Grand Staircase, entered her head. She giggled like a school girl, which she was, at least for the next twelve hours.

"I thought you'd get a kick out of that," Remus said, laughing. Just then, Sirius came blundering out of the forest and skidded to a stop in front of the duo.

"Here Lils," he said, breathlessly, shoving an armful of clothes into her hands. "I've seen about as much naked James as I can handle. You can take it from here." He grinned at her, winked, and collapsed onto the grass.

Lily held the clothes out to Remus. He just shook his head, took the clothes and stalked off towards the woods. James was still cursing Sirius from the shadows of the forest.

Lily flopped down on the grass next to Sirius and stared up at the clear blue sky. It was such a beautiful day in Scotland. The wind was warm coming off the lake and the humidity was at an all time low. The sun warmed Lily's skin and she closed her eyes, pretending again that a war wasn't raging around her. She sighed with contentment.

"It'll be good to be out of here," Sirius said, turning on his side to gaze at Lily. "I can't wait to see the world, Lils. I want to get out of here where my name doesn't taint my reputation." His eyes lit up as he imagined meeting people who didn't automatically cringe away from him at the sound of his surname. "It's gunna be great."

"What are you going to do when you leave, Sirius?" Lily turned her head to face Sirius.

"I am going to fight, of course. And then once that sadistic bastard is destroyed, I am going to travel. I hope you and James and Remus will come with me; maybe even Peter can come." He grinned like a maniac. "I couldn't leave without you guys; you're the only family I have."

Lily grinned back. "Can we go to America?" she asked, her face lighting up. I have always wanted to go see California. You know, when I was a little girl, we would watch American movies on the telly. I love To Kill a Mockingbird and Mary Poppins."

Sirius guffawed. "What is that? Some sort of Muggle disease?"

Giggling, Lily shook her head. "No, it's a children's movie. It's about this Nanny that comes to work for this house full of unruly children. She can fly with an umbrella and has a bag that's got some kind of Undetectable Expansion Charm on it and she fits all kinds of things in it. She sings and dances with the children. It's great."

"It sounds terrible," Sirius said, scrunching up his face, trying to imagine it. "Why would you watch that?"

"It's cute and adorable; that's why, you prat." Lily punched Sirius in the arm.

He covered the spot where she punched him with his hand, his eyes widening in mock anguish. "Lily, how could you? You've mutilated your fellow Marauder!" Sirius said dramatically. Then he pretended to faint, falling onto his back.

"Oh shut it, Sirius! I'm not a Marauder and you are so not mutilated."

Just then, James came hurdling out of nowhere and jumped on Sirius. Lily squealed and rolled away. As the two were wrestling around, James called out, "Lily, was this mongre," - Sirius had just elbowed James in the stomach- "Umph. This mongrel," -James had Sirius in a head lock now- "was he bothering you? Coming onto you? Do I need to defend your honor?"

Sirius had gotten out of the head lock and the two were just rolling around now, legs wrapped around each other, trying to get a good grip. By then Lily was laughing so hard she could barely speak. "James...I think that...I should be de....fending your...honor..." By the time Sirius got a good grip on James the two were in a very compromising position.

"We'll see about that," James said and went completely still. A few seconds later, Sirius had his arms wrapped around a giant stag. The stag turned its head to look at Lily. It winked and then nipped at Sirius, who yelped, just like a dog.

"Not fair, Prongs!" Sirius cried, jumping off James's back as he transformed back into a man.

"I couldn't let my fair lady think she had to defend my honor, now could I?" James said, sitting down and putting his head in Lily's lap. Lily raked her hands through James's long hair.

Sirius just grumbled about cheating and antlers being an unfair advantage. He sat cross-legged on the ground, pulling up grass. Remus was walking back from the castle, holding a pitcher of lemonade. Other students were starting to creep out of the castle as well. The student body was finally waking up, well past noon.

When Remus sat down, he took his wand out and cast Muffliato, a silencing spell, as well as a number of other secrecy spells around the group.

Lily looked at him quizzically. "James and I are still head boy and girl, Remus. You know magic isn't allowed outside the classroom."

Sirius rolled his eye and said, "Come on, Lils. It's our last day and we're all of age. What are you going to do, put Remus in detention?"

Lily glared at him. "No, I just hope he has a good excuse for blatantly breaking school rules," she said in a huff.

"I do," Remus said seriously. "I need to tell you guys something but no one can know. Do you understand me? It is so serious that if I thought I couldn't trust you three, I would make you take an Unbreakable Vow."

Lily, James and Sirius got very quiet. James sat up and looked at Remus. "Is everything okay, Moony? Did something happen last-" James cut off. He didn't need to finish that sentence.

Remus shook his head. "No, of course not."

Remus took his time pouring lemonade for the group and passing out the cups. Then he sighed. "I spoke with Professor Dumbledore in the kitchens today, while I was nicking this," he said, indicated the pitcher and glasses. "All he said was 'If we cannot trust our closest friends, than we have already lost the war'. He smiled at me, took a plate of lemon squares and left. It was the oddest thing I had ever heard but I think I know what he is talking about." Fiddling with some grass in his lap, Remus sighed but did not continue.

Sirius was the first to speak up. "Get on with it, Moony. Dumbledore was obvious talking about us, unless you have another group of loyal followers we don't know about."

James sniggered.

"Where's Peter?" Lily asked. "Shouldn't he hear what you have to say, too?"

"I'd forgotten about Peter," Sirius admitted. "He was still sleeping when we left the common room."

Remus shrugged. "He was up late studying. He's retaking his final exams in Defense, Charms, and Transfiguration so he can graduate this year. I didn't want to wake him."

Lily nodded her head, looking sympathetic. "I hope he passes; although, I wonder if Peter would be better off staying here where it's safe, instead of going and living in a war zone."

"That's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about," Remus said grimly. "Professor Dumbledore approached me earlier this week. He wants me to work with him to fight against You-Know-Who. He has created a secret society of sorts, they're warriors. They protect Muggles and Muggle-borns against the Death Eaters and work to bring You-Know-Who down."

Sirius laughed. "Dumbledore wants you to join his secret society. Are you sure this isn't some kind of joke?"

"I think it's brilliant," James piped up, leaning forward. "The ministry is mostly useless. I knew there had to be other people fighting against You-Know-Who."

"I don't think the ministry is completely useless, James," Remus replied. "Apparently there are a whole group of Aurors in Professor Dumbledore's group. That's not the point though. The point is that there are people fighting against this madman. Professor Dumbledore has specific instructions for me but I think he may want more people to join after they leave Hogwarts, to be soldiers, to fight. The Professor has decided that Frank Longbottom would be a good candidate to join the group as he's going into Auror training, for one. I think that the Professor wants you three to join as well. I think he even wants Peter to join."

Silence fell over the group as that sank in. Lily broke the silence. "What does joining this group entail, Remus? What do they do exactly?"

"I am not entirely sure but I know that Professor Dumbledore has mentioned that they infiltrate Death Eater meetings. They fight against the Death Eaters when they raid villages or attack Muggles and Muggle-borns. There are safe strongholds in Britain that Professor Dumbledore's group patrols. Apparently, there have been battles between these people and the Death Eaters. It sounds really dangerous."

A determined look came over Sirius's face. "I think it sounds brilliant. I am in," he said firmly.

"Me too," replied James.

Lily just nodded her head. She couldn't sit back and do nothing while You-Know-Who ravaged Britain. She definitely couldn't back down now that James was going. She reached out and grabbed his hand. He squeezed hers reassuringly. "Of course I'll join, Remus. If Dumbledore decides he'll have me."

A smile crept across Remus's face. "He'll have you, Lils. He's actually already got plans for you if you decide you want to join."

A shocked look crossed Lily's face. "I thought you said he just told you to tell us about it! You never said he specifically wanted us to join yet!"

Remus looked chagrined. "Not exactly, Professor Dumbledore has talked to me about your different strengths and how he can use you, if you chose to join of course. He just wanted to make sure you'd be interested before he approached you. I am not even sure if I was suppose to tell you that he had you three in mind to join. He just wanted me to feel you out and to let him know what you thought of the whole idea."

"Tell him we're in," Lily said, whole heartedly. "There was never a doubt that we'd fight against You-Know-Who. It was just a matter of how and in what capacity. I had thought about joining the Ministry. I don't want to be an Auror but I figured there were other jobs in the MLE where I could use my skills in Charms."

"I had heard of organized groups of people who fought You-Know-Who. My lovely mother rants about them all the time," spat Sirius. "I was going to hunt them out and join their militia."

James spoke up next. "I don't need to work. I have plenty of money, so I thought I'd join Sirius. We've talked about it. We're going to be partners in the field, battling rouge Death Eaters and defying You-Know-Who at every turn. We'll give him Hell, Padfoot," James said, high fiving Sirius with his free hand.

Lily chewed on her lip nervously. James noticed her distress, took his hand from hers and rubbed comforting circles on her back. "It'll be okay Lils. Padfoot and I are good at Defense. We won't get hurt."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I can't expect you to leave here and not fight for what you believe in, James. I'm worried about us being separated. All of us," Lily said, looking around at Remus and Sirius. "You three are all I have now, and Peter of course. I can't stand the thought of being separated from any of you for long." Her eyes filled with tears. "From what Moony tells me, he's going to have to go away for a while and I'm good at Defense but I'm not as good as you and Sirius. What am I going to do? Stay home and keep the fire warm?" she cried.

"Lily, I don't think you're going to have to worry about that," Remus said honestly. "Dumbledore already has plans for you, remember. He wants to use your skills in charms to fortify Hogwarts, the Ministry, Gringotts...all kinds of places. You're going to be traveling all over the place and I think Professor Dumbledore plans on sending you, James, and Sirius out together. He can't let you go out unprotected by yourself."

Lily's tears subsided and she started to hiccup. Of course Dumbledore wouldn't separate her from her only family. He knew how hard she had taken her parents' death.

She wiped her traitor tears from her face and nodded her head. "Well," she said, standing up, "let's go talk to the Headmaster. I need to know where I am going tonight when we leave Hogwarts. I have been putting off deciding where to go since I can't go home any longer."

Sirius reached out and punched James in the arm, hard. James winced. "Ouch! What was that for?" James yelled, reaching out to punch Sirius back.

Sirius scooted out of James's reach. "You know what that was for," Sirius said, looking pointedly at Lily.

Remus cleared his throat, regaining the attention of the bickering boys. "I have a meeting with Professor Dumbledore tonight. I won't be riding the train home like I normally would. Would you three like to stay and go with me? You can discuss whatever it is Dumbledore wants you to do and make your plans accordingly."

The three nodded their heads in agreement and spent the rest of their afternoon picnicking on the castle grounds, enjoying the sun and the last few hours of real peace they would have before facing the world. Whether they liked it or not, in seven hours time, the four of them would no longer be students but soldiers, fighting for their freedom.