She put down her quill, and blew at her ink. After a few minutes, she rolled up the parchment and placed it at the corner of her desk. She turned and winked at Lily. Lily smiled back.

Professor Flitwick stood up in the front of the room and said, "Your exams are over. Please put down your quills." He turned to a sallow skinned boy in the middle row. "That means you to, Mr. Snape."

Sirius and James looked at each other and snickered.

"Accio exams!"

The parchments flew to Professor Flitwick, who collected them and put them int a sack marked 'seventh years'.

"Class dismissed," he said squeakily. There was a lot f rummaging and stretching of legs as the seventh years FINALLY finished their long dreaded NEWT exam on Charms.

Lily and Miri met at the door.

"Wow! That was hard!" Lily said as she peered through the crowd of seventh years.

"It wasn't too bad," Miri said, wondering why Lily, who was a straight 'O" student, thought that that exam was hard.

"Yeah. Whatever." Lily had spotted the one for whom she had been searching.

"James!" Lily waved to her boyfriend, who waved back and headed towards the girls with Sirius.

"Hey, what did you think of it?" James asked Lily.

"It was SO easy," she said. "I can't believe that was NEWT level."

"Eh, Professor Flitwick probably just decided to be nice to us. After all, he has had all of us since our first year."

"Yeah, but you can bet that McGonagall won't be so easy. And we've got Transfiguration next."

Lupin caught up with them, Pettigrew right behind.

"So, where are we off to, studying?"

"Eh, come on! We know this stuff."

"James!" Lily looked at him, incredulously. "You can't not study for NEWTs. They are THE biggest thing. Our whole lives are decided based on this!"

"Okay, okay, relax!" James looked startled at the horrified tone in Lily's voice.

"Where should we go? To study, I mean." Miri questioned. "The common room or outside?"

"Outside,"

"Common room,"

"Outside,"

"Common Room!"

"Okay, Lil, we'll go to the Common Room."

The group headed towards the Gryffindor Tower, relishing in the free time they had to talk, without feeling guilty that they weren't studying.

Once in the Common Room, they dragged out heavy books and wands and paired up.

James and Lily wound up together, leaving no doubt that they had both cheated in their lots. Lupin and Pettigrew drew each other, much to Lupins annoyance. Miri drew Sirius, who good-naturedly tugged his heavy schoolbag over to a small round table next to the fire. James and Lily took two armchairs in the back corner of the room, took out their wands, and promptly started talking, completely forgetting that they were supposed to be studying. After about ten minutes of talking, they headed out of the portrait hole and weren't seen for an hour. Lupin, meanwhile, was patiently showing Peter how to hold his wand without dropping every time he tried a nonverbal spell.

Sirius glanced into the book. "What is the spell for…changing a dog into a desk." His eyes lit up with amusement at the word 'dog'.

Miri closed her eyes, trying to remember. "Um…desdoi?"

Sirius smiled as he nodded.

Miri glanced into the book. "Okay, perform the spell for changing a single bird into a group of birds."

Sirius pointed his wand and muttered. A bird appeared at the tip of his wand, and started fluttering around Sirius's head. He flicked his wand gracefully and ten birds spurted out of the one bird.

"Great!" Miri smiled.

"So," Sirius started, "What subjects are you taking?"

Four hours later, the Common Room was empty. Except for Sirius and Miri, who were still sitting in the Common Room, talking.

"Hey, you wanna go to supper?" Sirius asked suddenly.

"Oh, is it time already?" Miri glanced at her watch. "Whoa! 6 o'clock! I had no idea it was so late."

"Time flies when you're having fun," Sirius quoted, grinning.

The two chatted as they headed out of the portrait hole and towards the Great Hall.

It was after the Transfiguration exam. The girls and boys split up, the boys headed for the Common Room, to a party in honor of the completion of exams.

The girls headed for the lake, where they sat on the edge of the lake, swaying their feet gently in the swirling water.

The two best friends giggled as they watched Mary and Susan trying to tickle the giant squid.

"So, what's up with you and Sirius?" asked Lily conversationally.

"What do you mean? Nothings up."

"Um, hello? Sirius hardly talks to anyone or more than five minutes, except for James. And he never hangs with James for six hours straight. Over supper."

'Lily, please. You are making this into something that it isn't. We just had a lot in common, that's all."

"Of course…right…I believe you…"

"Lily!"

"What?" Lily asked a little to innocently.

"Oh,-"Miri gigged as she dipped her hands into the water and splashed some onto Lily. Lily shrieked and splashed Miri. The two girls were both soaked within seconds.

"So, what's up with you and Miri?" James asked Sirius as they prepared for bed.

"James, what are you talking about?"

"You spoke to her for six hours straight. Don't you think that means something?"

"Like what? That we have a lot in common?"

"Sirius, you know what I mean. Do you like her?"

"James, I-"

"Do you?"

"Well, I guess. I mean-" his next words were drowned out by the loud 'Aha!" that James let out.

Lupin cracked up at the look on Sirius' face.

Peter tried to smile and pretend he knew what was going on.

"Are you gonna take her out?" Lupin asked when he had regained his breath.

"I don't know yet, would you guys LAY OFF for a while? And James, do me a favor and don't mention this to Lily."

James looked slightly guilty as he nodded. "Of course not. Wouldn't dream of it."

Sirius finally smiled.