I know, I'm the worst author ever (super sad face!), so please forgive me as I am probably going to grovel at your feet for the duration of this story!

I'm trying to get ahead with writing the chapters and (I'm getting better at it, hopefully!) I will be posting another chapter later this week. So look out for that!

Anyways, this signifies the end of the Hogwarts part of the story and now moves onto the post-Hogwarts/First War part of the story. There will definitely be more Sirius/Haley action (among other things!) so keep an eye out for updates.

Again, very, very, VERY sorry and I hope that I still have some readers out there! Don't forget to review on your way out!

Read and enjoy!

JUNE 1978

It was finally June, which meant not only was my seventh year at Hogwarts coming to a close, but that also meant graduation was now upon us. I could not believe that my seventh year had crept up on me so quickly, as it felt like I was a lowly third year just yesterday.

Classes resumed for one final time as a quick review before the NEWT exams were schedule, but I didn't pay much attention. I figured that one series of review classes for each subject would not amount to the levels of education we had acquired throughout the years.

I spent much of the class glancing toward Sirius, swooning on the inside, before he winked at me and changed Severus's hair a brilliant shade of something. I would roll my eyes, stifling a laugh before he changed Serverus's hair back to the greasy, black normal as the professor turned around to continue the lecture.

Out of all the things that had happened this year, the one thing that surprised me the most was my relationship with Sirius. We had gone from strangers to partners in crime. From that, onto best friends. And now he was my boyfriend…

My Boyfriend.

How weird was that? Sirius Black in a real relationship. With me.

Now, I promise that I didn't turn into one of those clingy girlfriends who wanted to be with her boyfriend all the time and continually talked about how hot her boyfriend was. But really, he was pretty good looking. I only thought about once or twice…a day…times four or five.

As the bell rang, I shook my head, gathering my thoughts while I shoved my roll of blank parchment and my wand into my shoulder bag. Hitching it over my shoulder, I turned around to join Alice and Mary, who were suspiciously gathered around Sirius with a roll of parchment held out between the three of them.

As I noticed them staring, I felt a bit self-conscious, first touching my hair and then patting my face, just to make sure nothing was there. I crinkled my eyebrows, gazing at them curiously. Sirius's smirk grew, never a good sign, as he sauntered over to me. I glanced down, seeing the piece of parchment clutched tightly in his right hand.

He glanced at it again as he stopped in front of me, sighing with contentment, before holding up the parchment for me to see. I had to take a step back in order to read it, but as soon as I saw what he was looking at, my eyes widened in embarrassment.

"Oh, God, please don't make me do that," I groaned as I slumped my shoulders. Alice and Mary snickered behind their hands as they made their way toward the door. Sirius waggled his eyebrows suggestively as he turned and sighed contently at the piece of parchment he was holding.

I swear, he almost kissed it.

"It's the last one," he replied with no sympathy, rolling up the parchment and sticking it into the back pocket of his pants. "You have to do it."

I heard footsteps hurriedly walk toward me before someone clutched at my waist, taking a hold of the rim of my skirt before folding it quite a few times in rapid succession. I squealed in surprise, trying my hardest to pull down the now shortened skirt, but the damage was already done.

"I charmed it!" Alice said triumphantly, thrusting her wand into the air as if she had just won the Quidditch World Cup. "And you can't get it off until the end of the day."

My cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of pink as I tried, unsuccessfully, to lower my skirt once again. Alice was right. There was no way it was coming down.

"Thank Merlin for that," Sirius said, in faux awe. He stared for a moment too long at my bare legs, making me feel a tad uncomfortable. He seemed to have snapped out of his thoughts, but as his eyes met mine, I could feel a sort of wildness creep up behind them.

Something stirred at the pit of my stomach, which I quickly repressed. What was wrong with me?

Mary pranced over, reaching behind Sirius and snatching the parchment from his pocket. "Since you two had all the fun this year," she claimed, dipping her quill into an open inkpot on the desk next to her, "I want the chance to sign the last one." She finished signing her name forcefully, grinning up at me as I took the parchment from her outstretched hand. I stuffed it into my bag, glaring blankly at the three of them.

"Ugh, I'm going to class now," I said, rolling my eyes as I pushed past them, "I'm going to be late if I don't leave."

I heard Sirius sigh from behind me, hitching his own bag over his shoulder. "Oh, please do. I would love to watch you leave."

….

A couple days later, I sat on the stone bench just outside the courtyard. I jiggled my foot, anxiously awaiting the arrival of my parents. People were hugging their family members right and left, launching themselves into conversations filled with the war, how the NEWT exams were, and general family talk.

I glanced up at the large clock, where it rung twice, signaling that it was already two in the afternoon. I tried to scan the crowed, looking out into the sea of people to spot my brother, but he was already long gone.

Probably having a last minute shag in one of the empty classrooms before the ceremony began.

"Haley! Oh, Haley, darling!"

I perked up, a big grin emerging on my face as I saw my mother lightly pushing herself through the crowd, my father maneuvering through the small space she made. I leapt off the bench, just in time for my mum to wrap her arms around my neck, pulling me into a tight hug.

"Be mindful of your father," she said softly in my ear, drawing me closer so she could whisper, "and make sure he doesn't see Sirius."

My father had been the least supportive parent, especially when it came to Sirius. Sirius was too lighthearted, too unintelligent, too much of a joker, had probably slept with too many girls, wasn't going to make a lick of difference in my life, thank you very much. My father had warned me a time or two that if he saw Sirius at the graduation, he would make sure my boyfriend would be hanged and quartered before the ceremony even finished.

I giggled humorlessly when I got the letter, but Sirius seemed to get a big kick out of it. He even pinned it to the inside of his dress robes just for safe keeping.

"Darling, where is your brother?" my mother asked as she pulled away from me, shooting my father a glare of warning, as he was clearly scoping out the area, wondering if he would catch a glimpse of that "Black boy who ruined his daughters life."

I shrugged, refusing to voice his probable location aloud. "He may have already gotten into line." Unlikely. "I know we're supposed to be meeting just outside the Great Hall in a few minutes from now." Daniel would make sure he was there five minutes after, just to be fashionably late. "I'm sure he's already there." Only if Lily was.

My mother patted my cheek, smiling lightly at me. "I'm so proud of you honey-"

"Would be more proud if you didn't ruin your future for a-"

"Stop it, Ralph," she cut across him harshly, shooting him a look of disgust. "Not here. Haley is graduating at the top of her class. She still has made a number of contributions to the school. We should be- you should be- incredibly proud of her."

I felt a rush of affection toward my mother, whom I had never heard speak ill about or in front of my father before. He shuffled awkwardly, obviously trying to shrug off the stinging remarks that my mother sent her way.

My mother turned back to me, a small smile on her face. "He'll come around, darling. He just needs some time."

"HALEY! HALEY! We have to go!"

I spun on my heel, thanking Merlin for the greatly timed interruption that Alice placed as she turned away from her own parents and reached out to grab my wrist.

"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Brams!" she called over her shoulder, waving at my mum and dad with a bright smile on her lips, "We'll talk after the ceremony, we're running late!"

The two of us giggled as we pushed through the crowd, trying to make it to the empty classroom just outside the Great Hall in record time. It seemed, though, that many of my classmates had the same thought, as the halls were now jammed with late seventh years who did not want to be the one to receive the last lecture from Professor McGonagall.

Much to my surprise, Daniel had already taken his place in the commencement line, but he did look a bit disheveled. And he was eye-flirting with a girl a few rows back. I rolled my eyes, but didn't say anything, as I turned to face the Great Hall once again. It was beginning to fill out, now that many of the seventh years had split from their families and were now squished into this tiny space.

I hadn't realized how many peers I had until we all had to fit into one classroom.

I also hadn't realized until that moment that Sirius hadn't arrived yet. I furrowed my brow, balancing on my tip-toes to get a better look across the packed classroom. A few rows back, Lily seemed to be doing the same thing. Our eyes met and, as if it didn't matter to her that James had gone missing, she shrugged it off, rolling her eyes with a small shake of her head.

Though, she had quite a few more months on me. She was probably used to James and Sirius disappearing at the most inconvenient times. I shook my own head, trying to glance over the heads of my classmates once more before, worriedly, turning back toward the Great Hall.

In retrospect, I should have known that the two boys would go missing just a few minutes before the ceremony was to start. Just because Sirius and I were official didn't mean that Sirius wasn't, well, Sirius. More than likely, they had taken a side trip to The Three Broomsticks to snag a bottle of Firewhiskey for after the graduation.

"Now, when you hear your name called," Professor McGonagall started, causing everyone in the vicinity to quit talking immediately. I was impressed that the woman still had that kind of power of my peers. "You will make your way up through the middle of the hall. You will shake hands with Professor Dumbledore, who will give you a diploma. Then you will find your assigned seat for the rest of the ceremony." She didn't ask for questions. She didn't ask if anyone understood.

By the way people were glancing uncertainly at each other, I almost felt like she should have.

But the ceremony started a beat later, with the name "Abernathy, Sarah" called from the front of the Great Hall. Sarah, who was a raven-haired Hufflepuff, shook as she made her way out of the classroom and into the Great Hall. Light applause filled the air.

"Adams, Michael" from Slytherin was next, followed a few moments later by "Alberts, David" from Hufflepuff.

I glanced anxiously around the hall once again, trying to scan for either of the leading Marauders, but as the names dwindled through the last of the A's, I started to get even more worried. What if they had gotten caught up with Slytherins? What if You-Know-Who showed up at the ceremony and killed them? What if-

Both Sirius and James sprinted into the classroom, laughing loudly as they took their places in line. Just in time for "Black, Sirius" to be called from the Great Hall. Sirius turned to wink at me, his cheeks slightly flushed from the run he had obviously just taken. I returned the gesture with a glare of my own, which he easily shrugged off as he sauntered into the Hall.

The applause was thunderous compared to the other students, only solidifying in my mind that Sirius was much more popular (even with the adults) than I had previously thought. I could only imagine that he was soaking up the positive attention, waving and smirking at the audience as if he has just won a prestigious award.

I silently prayed that my father kept his wand to himself and didn't turn Sirius into anything…unnatural.

"Brams, Daniel" was called next, much to my excitement, as I wasn't quite sure he would actually graduate after all. The follow-up applause was minimal in comparison to Sirius, except for my mother, who I could hear cheering from the Hall.

My body was completely jittery as "Brams, Haley" was called and as I made my way into the hall, much to my surprise, the applause was quite loud. Maybe it was because it was the first time hearing it without the protection of the classroom. Or maybe it was because Sirius was standing on his chair, clapping fanatically, cheering loudly, and everyone was following his lead.

I grinned widely at him, forgetting for the moment that I was in a room full of people. He winked at me again as I made my way down the aisle, almost tripping over my own feet as I stumbled forward to shake the hand of Professor Dumbledore.

His eyes twinkled as he handed me the thick parchment, my name printed in large, bold letters. "Congratulations, Ms. Brams," he said quietly, though I could still hear him through the calling of the next student. "You will do great things outside of this school, I'm sure of it."

I wasn't quite sure what to say, so I just bowed my head and went on my way, stumbling again on my way down the small set of stairs. Gosh, I'm such a klutz.

I collapsed into the seat next to Daniel, who was clearly trying to ignore the fact that he was smashed right in between his twin sister and her boyfriend. His arms were crossed tightly over his chest and he stared forward, pretending to pay more attention to the ceremony than he really was.

Sirius leaned back, so we could speak around the head of my brother. I followed suit, an eyebrow cocked in amusement. "And where were you?" I asked, a needed explanation heavy in my tone. He smirked at me. In the background, "Clark, Marian" from Ravenclaw was called. Sirius took out his wand and held it just at hip level, so it was hidden from view.

I opened my mouth to protest, but Sirius has already cast some sort of charm on my brother. Daniel's face contorted into a look of confusion as he picked at his ears, obviously wondering if something had made its way in there.

I threw a blank look at Sirius, who was admiring his handiwork by hissing in Daniel's ear.

"You could have just asked him to switch seats, you know," I reprimanded him, shooting a sideways glance at my brother, who was now swatting at the air, as if I horde of flies were swarming around his ears.

Sirius shrugged. "What's the fun in that? Anyways," he cleared his throat, peering at Daniel to make sure the charm was still in effect. "James and I put the map into Filch's cabinet. You know, the drawer labeled Highly Dangerous?"

I furrowed my brow, looking at him incredulously. "You almost missed the ceremony, because you had to break into Filch's office and hide your map in his cabinet of highly dangerous contraband?"

He nodded his head, as if something like this happened more often. "Well, that way only the best students would find it. If no one does, then they didn't deserve to inherit it."

I shrugged a shoulder, nodding in agreement. "I can see your logic. Good thinking." He sent me another wide grin as we turned back to the ceremony, just in time to see "Evans, Lily" get her name called.

The rest of the ceremony went by without anything surprising or exciting, except for when Mr. and Mrs. Potter jumped up and down when "Potter, James" was called from the front of the Hall. This was followed by many other students jumping up and down, laughing as James sauntered toward Professor Dumbledore, who was grinning as James grasped his hand and shook it rapidly.

As the students were dismissed, Sirius grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the back of the Hall. I slipped by my parents, determined to avoid my father confronting Sirius for the duration of our relationship, no matter how long the duration of the relationship ended up being.

As the parents filed out around us, Sirius snuck his hand to the side of my neck and planted a kiss on my lips.

"Ew, get a room, will you?" I heard James call out over the crowd as he pushed his way toward us, wrinkling his nose and shaking his head, though all the while smiling. He slapped a hand on Sirius's shoulder as he reached us, shaking him slightly. "Well, we did it," he said as soon as Peter and Remus joined us, both looking rather frazzled by the large crowd. "Ladies and gentleman-"

"There's only one lady," Remus corrected him, gesturing toward me with a grin. Sirius took the opportunity to snake his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.

"I was counting Sirius."

I let out a snort of laughter as Sirius playfully took a swing at James. James stepped back, adjusting the round-rimmed glasses that nearly fell off his face.

"Anyways," James continued, placing an arm around both Remus and Peter, who seemed rather surprised to be included in the conversation for once, "we are about to embark on the best years of our lives." He glanced around, making sure no teachers or parents were in the vicinity before grabbing a small flask from the inside of his dress robes. "To graduating!"

The five of us cheered before each taking a shot of the Firewhiskey that James had, in fact, smuggled in from The Three Broomsticks early that same morning.