"Wait... guys, can we meet again- I mean, if we aren't friends forever... some date in the future?" James said, as they looked at the barrier that hid a whole different world

"OK... in... er... seventeen year?" Remus suggested eagerly.

"That's a long time," Peter said. "But I'll be there- wait, where?"

"Hogsmeade..." James decided. "Outside the shrieking shack." He cast a look at Remus, who smiled, and nodded.

"On Christmas day," Sirius said.

"Deal," James said.

"Yeah, I'll be there," Peter said.

"Yeah... good idea," Remus said, and then Mrs Potter called, and James scuttled away, rolling his eyes at his friends.

"Can you believe it?" Remus said, an awed look on his face. "Our last day... our last day ever."

"Hey, it'll be awesome," Sirius said lightly, draining a glass of butterbeer.

"More like terrifying," Peter said, with a laugh.

"I have to agree," Remus said. "I mean... this is the end, guys. No more bells, no more homework, detentions, no more hanging out by the lake in blazing sunshine, trying to cram revision into your head..."

"Are you going to miss studying or something?" Sirius grinned.

"I'll miss the order of things," Remus shrugged.

"You're mad!" James yelled, throwing himself down beside him. "We're free now, from being a name on a register, we're people! Real people. Yeah... it's scary, but can you imagine, staying at Hogwarts forever, staying a kid crammed into school box with razor edges..."

"This place is a school box?" Peter said.

"Whatever. We're free, guys, now. We're all going to be in the Order of the Phoenix, and fight Voldemort, and hang out together, drink firewhiskey- ha, Remus, you won't be able to berate us about it being 'gainst the rules anymore, will you?"

Remus smiled.

"Lily looks particularly gorgeous in that strapless dress," James smirked. "See ya!"

"There's Mary!" Peter said eagerly, looking around. "I better go to her, the ball about to start, and you go in with your partner."

"Yes," Remus said, his voice cracking.

"Wait, Rem," Peter said, looking around.

"Yeah," Remus said again, swallowed to wet his throat.

"If James and Sirius won't stop charging round pulling girls, y'know," Remus looked up into Peter's anxious, uncertain smile. "Just, well, shove Mary away, and we can hang out by the snacks table."

"But.. you fancy Mary like crazy," Remus said.

"Yeah, well," Peter shrugged, and became immensely interested in his fingernails. "I mean, er, you're my friend, and I just wanted to say..."

"Thanks, Pete," Remus said, tears welling up in his eyes. He had a feeling his offer wasn't just about the party. Peter broke off, grinned sheepishly at Remus, then scuttled off to stand by Mary.

Sirius was lounging beside Remus, watching the scene with a smirk. When Peter had gone, he turned on Remus and said, "ditto for me, ditto for Prongs, only don't be too rude when you elbow Lily out of the way, yeah?"

"Er... thanks?" Remus said, and Sirius let out a bark of laughter.

"Well, I can't hang around chatting," he said. "Aimee Chang eyeing me up, and she looks quite hot, so it's goodbye, Remus!"

Remus

It was goodbye, all right. Goodbye to the safety of school. Some friendships can last thick and thin at school, but when the world becomes real, some friendships just can't make it. Our's was one of the ones that couldn't really, once war tried to tear it apart, it disintegrated.

I didn't expect anyone to come. Only Sirius was left, and as he was a murderer on the run, it wasn't likely. James and Peter were dead. So why was I standing in the bitter cold, leaning against the shrieking shack, waiting. Hoping.

For a second, I thought he heard someone tramp up the hill, and his heart leaped. Then O saw that it was a group of young witches, and I turned away.

Back then, I can't believe Sirius could do that. I remember on our last day he said I could trust him, that I could hang around with him any time, at least that's what I thought. Sirius wasn't one for grand announcements, but his ditto meant something, I thought.

We were going to meet here, by the Shrieking Shack. Sixteen years later. We agreed, but then what did I expect? Two were dead, and Sirius, well, if he did come, what would I do?

I don't know, to be honest. He killed to of my friends. But all the same, even so, I wish we could. Talk, just for a few moments, remember. It's crazy, stupid. If I was found talking to Sirius Black, murderer, I get thrown in prison. After all I am werewolf, so very few trust me.

I wait for about an hour. In the cold. I attract a few glances as the witches pass, gaping at the Shack. What am I doing, hanging about, staring into the distance in this weather, all alone? Why aren't I am Hogwarts, aren't I a teacher there? Why do I keep staring into the distance and jerking whenever I see a movement?

After an hour, I shrug, glance down at my tattered robes, and leave. Go home, because Hogwarts is my only home left.

Sirius pushed the girl's arms off him and sauntered off. McGonagall was supervising the snack table so carefully, he didn't dare add firewhiskey. Frank Longbottom suddenly came charging into him, spinning so fast the blonde girl on his arm stumbled round in circles, then tripped spectacularly over him.

"Hey, Frank," he said. "Hey, blonde girl."

She grinned good-naturedly at him. "It's Alice- Alice Prewett," she said.

"Cool," Sirius shrugged. "You look dizzy."

"Am," she said. "And you are?"

"Sirius," he said. He didn't bother with the surname. When she looked at him oddly for a few seconds, he rather regretfully added. "Black."

"Oh, I've know of you," she said. "I couldn't see you properly 'cos I was so dizzy."

"Spin less fast then."

"If you think I was spinning fast, look at James Potter and Lily Evans," she retorted pointed. Sirius laughed. They were whirling about so fast he couldn't see where one ended and the next began... or not

"Nope, that's snogging, Alice," he replied.

They laughed. "They're such a cute couple," Frank said.

"Prongs has fancied Lily for ever," Sirius informed them. "They're perfect together though, I agree... it's a great thing to embarrass Prongs about, too. I think Prongs is going to propose," he added. "James and Lily, and all us marauders, we made a pact, we're going to be best friends for ever, and ever, and nothing'll get in the way, yeah? Only James was too busy snogging Lil."

Sirius

I bounce across the snow, pawing the ground, worried and eager at the same time. This could be my only chance to tell Remus, before it was too late... but if he didn't believe me- the stakes were so high. In both way, though. If he believed me, well, if he came, I could tell Remus, and he could get Peter.

I expect he'll still recognise me, but I can't be sure. Come on, Remus, please... please, come now. I climbed the hill easily, despite the snow, it was an advantage of being a dog.

But there isn't... there's no one, but tired old man, gazing around. Nosy idiot. He turnes to look towards me, and I vanish into a clump of tree, watching him intently. He looks so weary, so defeated, and yet-.

It hits me. It could only be bright-eyed, laughing Moony. Only aged.

I'm darting upwards, but then my foot catches on a jagged stone, and slide down. It hurts... it hurts. I stop for a second to lick the blood from my paw... idiot, idiot! I try to keep scrambling up, but Remus gives his head a final shakes, and leaves me. I let out a howl, but he doesn't turn. Idiot. It's me. It's me Padfoot, please!

But he doesn't turn. I look again, and he looks so defeated I wonder if I got it wrong, and that isn't Remus at all.

Peter was conscious of his hands shaking as he folded his tie, and dumped in, before slamming the truck shut. Johnny slammed his down too, and pushed it next to Peter's in to complete the row of six trucks, each labeled.

The party was over now, and each boy felt somewhat empty. Peter's eyes roamed over Johnny, who was pushing his truck into the very corner of the room, for no real reason, to Sirius who was sitting surrounded by rubbish, old socks and broken quills, examining each one, to James who was listlessly flicking through a quidditch magazine, to Blake, who was tracing his finger aimlessly through the dust, to Remus who was still hovering over his truck, seemingly unable to shut it.

"Are these your socks, James?" he asked, dangling a pair of socks in his fingers.

"Oh... yeah, I think so." James took the socks, opened his truck, and pushed them into a corner of it. "Thank you."

There was a silence, in which James picked up the magazine again.

"Here's an empty pumpkin juice bottle," Remus said, pulling it out from under a bed.

"You better take it out, we don't want to cause the cleaners any trouble," Blake replied, sweeping the dust into the air.

"I'll take it," Peter replied. The dormitory had been taken away, to be cleaned, and James' shoe box, which had served as a bin for the last few years, had been taken away to the dump.

Peter pulled the bottle from Remus' hands, who seemed to have gone limp, and could raise him arm, and left the room, careful to leave the door still propped open, to air it.

He walked to the common room.

He dropped the bottle in the large, black bin, then stood, stock-still for a few moments, breathing in the smell of rubbish, and staring round the common room, watching a group of third years, particularly intently. They were laughing together, glad it was the last day, planning to meet in the holidays, because for them, it was just holidays. A break from school, but not the end.

"Hello, Peter," James said, walking up to stand beside him.

"Hello, James."

James emptied a bundle of posters and old quills into the bin.

"The posters and stuff we'd stuck around the room," he said. "We had to take them down, for the next... lot who come."

"Yeah." Peter found that he could hardly speak, and his eyes were filling with tears. His throat was soar too. He crossed the room, and poured a some water from a old, cracked blue jug into a plastic cup, and sipped it.

"Pete, we'll still be friends, won't we?" James said suddenly, and Peter turned round.

"Of course."

"Yeah, of course..." James said dryly. "It's just, you know, a bit more scary now we're actually packing, not at the party. In a two hours, we'll be on the train."

"I know," Peter said, and drained the water. "I can't believe it."

"Neither can I," Remus said, appearing with Sirius and dropping a few blobs of blue-tac in the bin. "I'm scared... I won't be able to get jobs, being a werewolf..."

Peter and James immediately swung round to check no one was listening, and Remus shrugged. "If people know now, who cares?" he said. "The need for secrecy is basically over." Sirius raised an eyebrow, shocked.

Nobody was listening anyway. "Over..." Peter repeated. "Yeah, Remus, what I said earlier... it applies for all of us"

"Thanks, I know."

Any other time James would have asked what he had said earlier, but this time, James throat was too dry for him to speak.

"Friends," Sirius said suddenly. "I know this stupid and girly, but forever."

"Forever," they all repeated.

I lie, curled up on Ron's bed, half-asleep. I would normally be asleep... there's nothing much to do, to be honest, I sometimes wonder about just, running off, disguising myself, and getting a life, because I need one... I've lived as a rat for twelve- thirteen year, how sad is that... but anyway, I would normally be asleep, I am tired... but they's Sirius Black on the loose and I'm terrified.

Your past always chases up with you, I know, and it's happening to me. I almost wish I never betrayed them, because this boredom is worse than anything. I have so much time to do nothing so I end up reflecting, which is terrible. They were my friends, too... I remember, friends forever. How long is forever? It feels like forever, since I became a rat, since I laughed and hung out with the marauders. Forever is a very indefinably term, isn't it?

The reason I made friends with the marauders was because it was so exciting, always. The same, really, why I became a death eater. The same, why I asked to be sorted in Gryffindor. The same, why I ditched my studies so I could never do anything with myself. Excitement was a huge factor in my former life, and now the only excitement is terror regret, remorse, anger, misery, clawing the newspapers, looking into your old best friends face.

It's been seven years, since we were on the lake. James pushed Lily and Snape into, and she slapped him, and hated all the marauders. Now, her hand is linked in his, and Snape is in a different boat.

It's still four to a boat, but this time they let everyone bent the rules, because the marauders and Lily are all in the same, boat, watching the castle vanish into the distance.

"Goodbye, Hogwarts, goodbye," Lily whispered, and the whole boat let out a collective sigh, remember everything that had changed since last time, and determined that they would stay together, friends forever... before they turned a corner and the castle was blocked from view.

It was blazing hot day, as they dismounted the train, several hours later. It had been a quiet but tearful journey. All as one, they stepped through the barrier, into the Muggle world, leaving Hogwarts behind, ready for their new lives.