‘You look after them,’ Mrs Lupin told her son. She brushed his sandy hair out of his face and then gave him a smile and gathered him into a hug. ‘Oh, Remus! I can’t believe it’s your last year!’

Remus Lupin’s brown eyes met James Potter’s hazel ones over his mother’s shoulder and he gave him a long-suffering look. James smirked; Remus was holding his mother just as tightly as she was holding him. Sirius Black, who was leaning against his trunk sniggered.

‘I hate patrols,’ Lily muttered as she and James walked through the dark, abandoned, second floor corridor at four in the morning. She pulled her cloak tighter around her shoulders to smother a shiver.
‘Really? I like them,’ James said brightly. ‘Lots of quality time with you, and-’
‘Funny,’ Lily said coldly. ‘I don’t like patrols for that exact reason.’

 ‘What exactly have you done, Wormy?’ Black growled when they were out in the halls.

Pettigrew, seeming scared of the wrath of the two dark-haired Marauders was walking next to Lily. She honestly didn’t think he was much safer there. She kept her right hand in her pocket as a precautionary measure.

‘I’m sorry!’ Pettigrew wailed. ‘I was trying to get Bella-’ Black grinned at this. ‘-but I missed! I’m not entirely sure what I cast! I was trying to glue her feet to the floor.’

‘Prongs?’ Remus asked from his four-poster bed. James knew it looked like he was alone, though Lily and Sirius were only a step behind him, under the cloak. ‘Where’s Paddy?’

‘Here I am!’ Sirius announced. ‘Did you miss me, Moony?’ Lily rolled her eyes. James could see it on her face she thought Sirius had planned his dramatic entrance. James knew better. His best friend was always like that.

‘It’s so clean,’ she muttered. ‘I thought it would be messy.’

Lily was still marvelling that Potter had managed to transfigure her rumpled school uniform into a pair of faded jeans and a long-sleeved shirt when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

‘James! Hey, Potter!’ Lily looked up from her spot on the couch next to Black. Katelyn Reid from her dorm was walking over with a mischievous gleam in her blue eyes.

‘No! Not them. Take me! Take me! NO!’ Potter began to thrash around from his bed on the floor, pushing his blanket away. Worried, Lily sat up as much as she was able while being stuck to a sleeping Black and tried to shift so she could get closer to him.

His hair was damp with sweat and he was panting. Lily ducked as his arm went flying overhead to cast a spell at an unknown attacker.

‘Sirius! What’s happening?! Why are you acting-’ Lily didn’t have a word to describe how he was acting, ‘-like this?’ she finished lamely.

Sirius had grabbed his wand and was dragging Lily to the door when there was a loud crack behind them.

He spun and the look on his face was one of complete shock. ‘Noddy?!’

Sirius dragged an exhausted Lily through the door of the Transfiguration classroom. McGonagall gave the sleepy Head Girl a pitying look that she was too tired to acknowledge with words. She smiled wearily at her House Head as she flopped into the seat on Sirius’ left.

James handed her her bag - which he had insisted on carrying - and, once her books were stacked to her liking, she let her head drop onto her desk. She would have been quite happy to stay there, and sleep, even if the hard wood was not as comfortable as James' pillow.

‘So what exactly is going on with you and Lils?’ Marlene asked.

‘I don’t know,’ James sighed. ‘She doesn’t hate me anymore, that’s got to count for something, right?’

Sirius emerged from a shower-stall with a towel around his waist. Marlene glanced at him, smiled and then looked away. ‘Like what you see, Marly?’ She rolled her eyes. 

“They’re together?”

“Took them long enough.”

“She’s only dating him to get to Sirius!”

“Do you think he slipped her Amortentia?”

Amortentia seemed to be the most common explanation; several students had seen James pour Lily a drink on the first night she and Sirius had been stuck together and he’d also done it a few times since. 

‘Never again,’ James said with a shudder.

‘Agreed,’ Lily said in a flat tone. She shook some of the pink heart-confetti out of her long hair. James grinned and brushed glitter off her shoulder. It sparkled against the snow by their shoes. ‘Do you want to go to the Three Broomsticks?’ James beamed down at her and practically dragged her down the street and into the crowded pub.

‘This is better,’ James said when he returned to their little table with Butterbeer.

‘Ugh! Charms was a disaster!’ Peter groaned as they headed off down the busy corridor. Remus smiled sympathetically. Peter hadn’t been able to cast his Disillusionment charm properly and had somehow managed to transfigure himself into a chameleon. They hadn’t known until then that Professor Flitwick was Scoliodentosaurophobic. The little Charms Professor had spent the lesson on his desk, even after James had transfigured Peter back into human form.

‘So...’ James said casually strolling in. He was still dressed in his Quidditch uniform, looking every bit the star player he was. Even his messy hair looked cool for Merlin’s sake!

‘Come in, Sirius,’ Peter called in a weary voice. He had listened to his three friends debating over who would be the first to talk to him. ‘I know you’re out there.’ Sirius and Remus shuffled into view, coming to stand behind James. All three of them looked a little sheepish. ‘Get it over with,’ Peter muttered.

‘You’re late, Wormtail.’

Peter ignored him. ‘It’s a full moon tonight. I think this afternoon is the best chance we’ve got.’

‘You’re sure of this?’

Peter thought for a moment and then nodded. ‘Lupin will be weak, so Potter will be distracted, making sure he’s all right. Black will be with me. You’ve arranged a group to take care of him?’

‘I have,’ the voice was amused. Peter though he was still bitter about Sirius earning him a detention.

‘Mr Potter?’

‘What?’ James asked. Sirius glared over at him.

‘I asked,’ Professor McGonagall repeated curtly, ‘if you might demonstrate.’

‘Oh, er, yeah,’ he said, looking sideways at Peter for help. Peter shrugged. Sirius frowned. James never needed help in Transfiguration, and if he did, Peter was the last one he’d ask. James scrunched up his face and jabbed his umbrella stand with his wand. ‘Alica Phoenicopteri!’

‘Lily?’ Remus said softly, sitting down beside her. She nodded, too busy staring at the wall to pay him much heed. He shared a look with Sirius. ‘Why weren’t you at dinner?’ Remus asked, putting off his real question.

He shot Sirius a look, which he missed; the shaggy haired boy was deeply interested in a painting on the other side of the room. Sirius had insisted Remus would be the best one to breach this topic with her.

‘Come in,’ Dumbledore called, placing a letter from Lorcan MacLaird back into its envelope. He looked up with a smile. ‘James, dear boy, how can I help you?’

James strode into the office, a determined look on his face. Though he’d never admit it to anyone but himself, Dumbledore was a little perturbed that James was alone. James Potter was many things, but alone was not one of them. Usually one of the other Gryffindor seventh years were with him – most commonly Sirius Black – to receive discipline for some prank or other.

‘Who-who are you?’ the boy croaked, shying away from the light that filtered into his room.

‘I am Lord Voldemort,’ the man said in a cold, high voice that the boy didn’t like.

‘Have you come to see me?’ he asked, shifting away. He didn’t like this man. He didn’t like any of the men who came to visit him, actually, or the women. He looked at the tall, pale man in front of him. No, he definitely didn’t like this man.

‘Yes,’ the man called Voldemort said.

‘Sirius,’ James whispered. ‘I think I know why my favourite colour is green.’ He smiled over at the stunning red-head who had just walked in with Pete, the boy from before. Her emerald eyes flicked between the boy called James next to Dumbledore and him. James ran a hand through his hair, nervous under her scrutiny.

Sirius laughed a truly happy sound. The boy called Pete muttered something about the moon and ran out. ‘James?’ the girl said slowly, staring at Sirius, who nodded. The girl’s whole face lit up. ‘James!’ she said again and ran over to throw her arms around him.

‘I’m here to see James Potter,’ Sirius said, giving the blonde witch at the desk his most charming smile.

She looked up, flustered, shuffling papers. ‘I’m not supposed to tell anyone where he is,’ she said apologetically, as though she wished she had better news for him.

Sirius leaned forward. ‘I’m family,’ he said pleasantly.

‘Are you sure you’re all right to walk?’ Remus asked worriedly. ‘I’m sure we’d be allowed to Floo right into the castle-’

‘I’m bit stiff,’ James said, hiding his grimace, ‘but it’s nothing I can’t handle.’ In truth, his legs were killing him and he was a bit dizzy. But he couldn’t say that. He was sick of being treated like glass. Remus didn’t look convinced. ‘Come on, Remmy, I haven’t seen Hagrid all year!’

‘He’s right,’ Peter chimed. Remus scowled, clearly feeling outnumbered.

‘I can’t believe Slughorn!’ Sirius muttered furiously, crossing out a mistake in his essay. ‘He gives us no homework, no assignments, and then suddenly he realises we’ve only got two weeks until Christmas holidays and he gives us this Merlin-cursed essay! One night is not long enough to write three rolls of parchment on everything we’ve learnt this year! I mean, it’s been three months and he expects us to remember that all in a night?!’

‘Get over it, Padfoot,’ Remus sighed. ‘I thought you were finished.’

‘I am. I just think it’s rude.’

‘James. Hey, Potter.’ James swallowed the rest of his Nutritional Supplement Potion with a grimace and turned around.

‘Hi, Alice,’ he said, confused. While he and Alice were on friendly enough terms, it was Lily who usually got a greeting from the sixth year.

‘Hi,’ she said. ‘The Headmaster told me to give you this.’ She passed over a scroll of parchment.

‘What were you doing with the Headmaster?’ Remus - who had just arrived back from the Hospital Wing - asked.

‘Everyone staying?’ Gurdan asked. ‘Good. Line up.’ Chairs scraped on the ground as the class got to their feet and lined up in the middle of the room. Gurdan waved his wand and sent the desks and chairs into the back corner of the room. ‘Right, you can put your wands away. You will not be using them in this lesson.’ Some of the Slytherins grumbled but no one challenged the instructions. ‘We’ll be starting with the Imperius Curse,’ Gurdan said. ‘I want you to fight it. I want you to try to ignore my voice in your head, and answer your voice. You first, Miss Black?’

‘Are you ready?’ Lily asked, scuffing her boots on the snowy Hogsmeade road. James thought she looked nervous.

James caught her gloved hand and squeezed. ‘Yep.’ Lily glanced up at him, green eyes searching and nodded once. Her grip tightened on his hand and she spun on the spot. When James was able to clearly see his surroundings, he found they were in a very Muggle sort of street, lined either side with small, neat houses. ‘I thought you lived in Spinner’s End,’ James said, glancing at the “Privet Drive” sign at the end of the street.

‘James? Dad?’

‘In the kitchen, love,’ Mr Evans called. Lily bounced in. ‘How’d you go?’

‘Fine,’ Lily said, hugging James. She wasn’t quite sure how her father would react to her kissing him. ‘Oh, hi, Sirius. When did you get here?’

Sirius shrugged. ‘An hour ago, maybe.’

‘Have they been behaving?’ Lily asked her father.

He smiled in a way that made her dread the answer. ‘They’ve discovered the refrigerator-’

James blinked himself awake, hearing footsteps in the hallway. A glance at Lily’s alarm clock told him it was eight-oh-seven. Yawning, he sat up, kissed Lily on the cheek and made his way over to the desk, where his rucksack was. He grabbed his Invisiblity Cloak, threw it over his shoulders and slipped out of the room.

He almost collided with an oblivious Mrs Evans on the landing, saved only by her poking her head into Petunia’s door to check of her oldest daughter was still asleep. James hurried on downstairs and back into the guest room.

‘Potter!’ a girl’s voice screeched. James looked up worried as Marlene stalked over, dressed in her Quidditch robes. ‘What in Merlin’s name are you doing?! I told you at breakfast I wanted the you and the Chasers at training an hour early! The rest of the team has already headed down!’

James swore, leaping to his feet. Tufty mewled grumpily and sat on Remus instead. ‘I’ll see you three later!’ he said. He tripped over Peter’s feet in his hurry to get to the dormitory stairs and ended up sprawled on the rug. He glared at Sirius and Remus for laughing then charged up the stairs.

Lily hovered at the edge of the Death Eaters’ camp under a strong Disillusionment Charm; Sirius had managed to find her wand within a minute of them escaping. His wand had not been with hers, and he’d refused to leave until he found it, so Lily had given him the Cloak and her wand and was waiting anxiously for him to come back; they had agreed it was too dangerous for them both to go looking, in case they got separated.

‘Where are you?’ a deep voice muttered from somewhere behind Lily. She froze, not even daring to breathe.

‘B-b-but they were t-there!’ Dorcas stammered, staring into the Cellar.
Dumbledore waved his wand and frowed. There were two magical traces in the Cellar, from Portkeys. Unfortunately, he had no way of knowing whether the Portkeys had been used to come or go. ‘I have no doubt of that,’ he told the confused blonde.

‘So they’ve escaped?’

‘Left is more likely. Perhaps they Death Eaters who realised they couldn’t get out and fled before they were discovered.’

She had absolutely no intention of moving until-

‘Siiilllyyy!’ echoed down the stairs. Harry had yet to manage to pronounce Sirius, and as such, his godfather was known as “Silly”. Sirius had been mortified and had taught him to say “Padfoot”, but though Harry knew the word, he still used “Silly” far more. ‘Mooeeeeyyy!’ Harry shouted hopefully. Peter seemed terrified of the one-year old and trembled every time he so much as touched him. Harry didn’t call for Peter nearly as much as the other two.