So Far: Dorcas and Marlene kissed last year, and Dorcas came out as a lesbian at the year's start. Lily and James are in love, but haven't gotten their act together yet. Everybody else can see it. Come on guys, we're counting on you.

A/N: I wanted to make it clear: my personal headcanon is that the four Marauders actually stayed in the school the last Christmas, to be with Remus when he turns on actual Christmas. How James and Sirius managed to be at school on Christmas despite not being there just a week before – I can't tell you. But they did. I believe in them. For plot reasons.

Chapter 35

Or

Of a Winter Vacation and Some More Letters

Lily.

I hope you're doing well.

I managed to follow her into the woods without being noticed this time. She was doing something that was too low for me to hear, probably casting some spells. I couldn't see all that clearly either, as I was trying to stay out of hearing range.

Peter is a little better. He sends his regards.

When you see Sirius, tell him I know he took my caramel-milk chocolate, and that I fully expect him to compensate me for it.

Remus

Dear Remus,

I am well, and tell Peter thank you. I hope the two of you are good, and that Peter is no longer ill at all. I know it must be awfully lonely at Hogwarts, and we all appreciate you staying behind.

As for Tally's mysterious actions: try using a reverse revelation charm, or whatever they're called. They're mostly used on wands, but there are probably a few meant for locations. I'm attaching a list Dorcas and I comprised of books in the library that might include such spells. We're both sorry we can't help you, but you have Peter – and Mary, if you need her.

I know you didn't want to involve any more people, but she overheard us. She doesn't know much, so you can choose whether or not you're going to use her. If Peter is still sick, please do. This is no laughing matter, whatever it is.

Though I hope it is.

I truly hope it is.

My love to you all, and a Merry Christmas as well,

Lily

There was a knock at the door. Then the doorbell rang. And then both happened again.

Lily was alone at home, and, though expecting visitors, wasn't expecting them right at that second – and so she was forced to dress very quickly, while yelling towards the hallway that led downstairs that she would be there "in just one second!"

Only of course by the time she unlocked the front door and came face to face with a very disgruntled James Potter, it had been a bit longer than a second. In fact, it had been quite a bit longer than one second, and James was quite cold.

"Where's Sirius?" Lily asked, frozen in surprise.

"Let me in and I'll tell you where he is after, it's bloody freezing out here," James said, shivering.

"Right," Lily said sheepishly, moving so he could pass by her. "Sorry. Come in."

There was plenty of room, and yet James had bumped into her on his way in and suddenly his scent filled her senses, obnoxiously strong and yet a little soft, with a hint of something familiar that she couldn't quite place. And then he was inside, and she shut the door, and it occurred to her that this is the very first time in quite a long time that the two of them were alone, and sober, and not about to hurt one another. Perhaps the first time ever, but she didn't think that could possibly true. Was it? It was so difficult to remember.

She led him to the sitting room. As she walked, she couldn't help but remember the last time James had showed up on her doorstep: not for her, but for Sirius, and yet, that evening was one of the best in her life. She realized, suddenly, that they'd been standing for almost a minute already, not speaking or anything; awkwardly, she said: "I guess we should sit down."

She could see his mouth twitch – she was tempted to laugh herself. Neither did, however. They sat by side on an flowery couch – she never noticed how gaudy it was until this moment; it was truly a terrible sight for sore eyes. She looked briefly at James, then stared ahead.

He coughed.

She asked: "So where is Sirius?"

"Oh," he chuckled, "the idiot got so piss drunk last night that I couldn't wake him up this morning, although I bet once he does wake up he'll be very, very ill. In any case, he could not make it."

"That explain why you're early," she said.

James gave her a funny look. "I was exactly on time?" The sentence seemed to turn into a question halfway through, probably due to confusion.

She laughed. "Yeah, but Sirius is always late, so I give him an earlier time," she explained.

"Ah," he said. "So… are we waiting for anyone else?"

"Well, Dorcas isn't showing up till much later, and Marlene owled in that her mother is forcing her to go on a family lunch of some sort so… Not really," Lily admitted sheepishly.

James grinned. "So I guess it's just the two of us, huh?"

"Yeah," Lily said. "Just the two of us."

A beat.

"Shall we begin?"

"Right," said James. "So, I talked to my Hufflepuff friend, who's friends with a Slytherin, who told him…"

But there really wasn't much to do just the two of them; this meeting had been planned for five people who would all have different opinions and methods of finding out what the strange acting students had been up to. As far as they'd been able to gather, at the very least nine students were involved, only one or two students leaving the grounds per night, but at least one student every night. They were probably casting spells of some sort, but they weren't using any ingredients, and there was no cauldron, and they seemed to know how to pick spots where it would be difficult to get close. After maybe half an hour of discussion, they were left empty handed: besides one confirmed name that James had and Lily hadn't (bringing the total number of students up to a round ten), there was nowhere to go.

So she offered to brew some tea, and he said yes please, and they started talking.

Books came first, of course. She was rereading an old favorite; he had heard her mention it before, and had actually started reading it the day before. Then came the anger: this character was irredeemable versus a good person doing bad things. Then the tea was done, and the conversation flowed to other subjects: a new band James liked but Lily hadn't heard of. Doctor Who was mentioned in passing, which led to Lily describing the entire medium of television to James, who had known about it vaguely, but now was fascinated. Eventually they became hungry, and Lily mentioned she knew how to bake, which led to:

"Spontaneous cookies – the best type of cookies."

"Mhm," Lily agreed. "Now we add the chocolate chips – that's it – mix it and then we will put the dough on the sheets and put them in the oven."

"That's it?" James asked, sounding incredulous. "Baking's a lot easier than I thought."

"Well, we're not doing anything too complicated, like making a crust or doing anything with layers," Lily said, shrugging. "And I have helped my mum bake every summer and school vacation, so I'm decent at it. It is a skill."

"Of course it is," James hurried to say. "I just mean that, I guess being a boy, the thought of baking seems so intimidating – I never thought that I could do it."

"That's stupid," Lily said frankly. "I mean, my dad used to make full meals for us all the time. And not just meat, either. He made pasta sometimes. It was very good."

"That's nice," James said, sounding sincere. "Both my parents are… old. They were attentive, growing up, but neither of them can cook to save their own lives. We used to eat out a lot, or my mum would make something simple, and we'd make it last for – weeks at a time. Of course, once Sirius started coming over, or even living with us, that was never enough. So he learned to cook."

Lily choked. "Sirius can cook?"

"Only some things, but yeah," James laughed. "How else do you think he's survived in that flat of his?"

"Merlin's butt," Lily muttered, then shook her head to focus. "Okay, pass that tray, and follow me. You just take a bunch of the dough – exactly. Take a cookie sized piece and stick it on the paper… no, a bit bigger. Smaller. Come on, I'm doing it myself, what's –" she laughed. "You're such an idiot."

"Yeah," James said sheepishly. "But, you know, an adorable idiot, wouldn't you say?"

"Yeah, probably," Lily grinned. "I think your job from now on is to stand in the corner quietly and be pretty."

"I'm okay with that," James said. He put the dough back in the bowl and backed away, hands raised; Lily giggled, and added some dough to the tiny cookie he had placed on the sheet.

When it was done, she placed the pan in the over and said: "And now we wait."

And they did.

They somehow always were.

Babe,

I hope you're feeling better.

The meeting went… okay. We don't really know where to go forward from here. Has Dorcas come to visit you yet? She said she would, but didn't say when. It was just Dorcas and James and me, and even then Dorcas only showed up mid-afternoon. We ended up coming up with a vague idea on how to give the information we have to McGonagall without being punished for being out after hours, but that's a last resort. For now – more spying.

Yay.

I'm attaching my present, but don't open it till Christmas itself! Don't you dare! I'm writing a separate letter to Dorcas to ask that when she checks up on you she ask to see the present, unopened.

Merry Christmas love,

Lily

Lily,

Thank you for the present! I promise I waited as long as I could, but I still ended up opening it the day before Christmas. How did you know? I can't believe I've been missing a pair of pink bunny pajamas my entire life. This is the kind of thing that makes me wish I was born into a Muggle family.

Since I'm assuming you waited until Christmas day itself to open my present… what did you think? In any case, use it wisely, my friend.

Dorcas is actually only coming to visit tomorrow. I guess she wants to avoid my brother, which I understand – he's on a skiing trip with Dan all of next week. My parents are actually going to be gone as well – what do you think, should I throw a party? Oh wait, I'm not Sirius Black. Never mind then.

Merry Christmas to you as well, and a very happy new year,

Marlene

"Hey!" Marlene said, hugging Dorcas in greeting. "Come in." She led the way inside, hearing rather than seeing Dorcas close the door behind her. "My mum cooked me ten years' worth of food for when she'd gone, so we're going to at least attempt to finish one of the dishes."

"I'm okay with that," Dorcas laughed. She dropped her bag on the floor, dragging it to the corner of the kitchen. "I'm starving. But listen, I can't stay long."

Marlene had planned a busy afternoon for them, but it all came crashing down around her just then. "Oh. I thought – "

"Yeah, I know, I'm sorry." Dorcas wasn't looking at her. Instead, she suddenly possessed an intense interest in her own shoes. "Sorry. I just – I got asked out."

"Oh!" Marlene didn't even know what to say.

"I told her I was going to spend an hour with you, but – "

"Who is she?" Marlene asked, before she could stop herself. Quickly she added, "Not that you have to tell me, of course."

"No, no, it's fine. My mother introduced me to her, of all people. She works in the Auror department, and she thought we would have a lot in common. Not knowing how much, of course." Dorcas coughed into her hand. "Her name is Daisy. It's just one date."

Just one date.

"Right," Marlene said, forcing a smile to her features. "I hope it goes well! So you only have an hour." It came out flat, more of a statement than a question, but Dorcas answered anyway.

"Yeah. Well, I can push an hour and a half. But I'm supposed to meet her at two thirty, and I'd like to – Merlin, I don't even know. I've never been on a proper date before. Not with someone I – "

She seemed to remember whose house she was in, then, and stopped mid-sentence. Someone you what? Marlene wondered guiltily.

"Right. So. Um. Let's eat?"

Dorcas smiled in relief. "Please, yes."

Marlene desperately wanted to make this meal the best part of Dorcas' day. What she hoped to accomplish, she didn't know; Dorcas would probably go on that date with Daisy and have the best time of her life and all she would ever talk about from now on would be Daisy and how perfect she is and –

She would make this short hour and a half as enjoyable as she could, she concluded. She had to.

But half an hour passed, and almost the entirety of the chicken was gone, along with any chance of a conversation starting naturally. It was possibly the most awkward half hour of Marlene's admittedly short life. And then she brought dessert out – a chocolate cake she had actually made herself. And before she knew it, an hour had passed, and all they had said to each other amounted to small talk.

"So…" said Dorcas, when she had finished her piece. She had told Marlene to thank her mom for such a delicious cake; for some reason, Marlene couldn't bring herself to tell her that she was the one who had made it.

"So," said Marlene.

"I guess I'll go… get ready for my date, now," Dorcas said, blushing hard enough that Marlene could see it clearly even on her dark skin. "Thank you for inviting me. I had a good time."

Marlene nodded. "Thanks for coming. I guess… I'll see you at school?" It came out as a question, instead of a statement of fact, for some reason.

"Yeah, of course." Dorcas shot her a dazzling smile. "I'll see you then."

James,

I'm glad that Christmas went well. Give Remus my regards and that I hope he gets better soon. Being sick on Christmas – sounds awful!

At this end there's nothing much. My parents have been hovering over Petunia for the past few days, getting ready for the wedding this summer. I'll be honest – I'm not looking forward to this, but I think she'll be happy. And… that's what matters, right? I hope so.

I attached your present – I am a bit sorry that it's late, but I think you'll enjoy it in any case. I loved mine – I have no idea where you got it, but it is very, very beautiful. So… thank you. Very much.

Belated Merry Christmas, and happy new year if we're at it,

Your friend,

Lily

Lily!

What a joy to hear from you!

I might be a bit tipsy writing this, but my quill can correct spelling mistakes! Sirius gave it to me!

We're having loads and loads of fun here. We finished all of Peter's Firewhiskey trying to make Remus feel better! I think it might've not worked, though. And Peter's sort of unhappy we took his Firewhiskey without asking. I should tell him I'm sorry. Remind me to tell him I'm sorry, please? I checked, and he's asleep now. I'll probably forget. Maybe he can sense it.

I'm not making any sense.

We all miss you here. Come back safely. Avoid any racists. Avoid Remus, too. Maybe even avoid me. Hm.

I loved the recipe book, but Sirius ate all the fudge. I'm only slightly upset. Okay, I'm really upset. But I can make my own now! I might even go down to the Kitchens in the morning. Hmmm.

I'm probably going to regret sending this, but Sirius thinks it'll be hilarious, and I don't feel like fighting him.

Belated Merry Christmas and happy new year to you too,

Your friend,

James

It was the morning of Tuesday, December 27th, and James Potter had a killer headache.

It was probably because he had gotten drunk last night. He hadn't gotten drunk in… in months. Years, maybe. Since he was much younger. He paced himself, now. Didn't want to do or say something he'd regret.

"Fuck," he said, vaguely remembering doing something last night that he's probably going to regret.

"Sirius, wake up," he said, punching the boy on the bed next to him. In fact, now that James looked around, he was on Sirius' bed; he must've not had the energy to climb the extra steps to this room last night. Or maybe he just forgot he didn't live with Sirius anymore. He hit Sirius again. "Wake up or I swear on Merlin's baggy bottom that everyone in Hogwarts will hear of Friday the Third."

That woke Sirius up. "Why… Gah," he said sheltering his eyes from the light. "Why would you do this to me? It's too early to think of Friday the Third. It's too early to think. It's just plain too early, in fact, to be awake." All of this took almost five minutes to say, and was said in a low, groaning voice.

"You are awake," said James, a little impatiently, "because I need to know if I sent a letter to Lily last night."

"For fuck's sake James," Sirius said. "Yes, you did. It was probably terrible. Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Holy fucking shit, mate, why didn't you stop me?"

Sirius groaned, for about the billionth time, probably finally realizing that this was an actual conversation, and he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep. He twisted himself and shifted to his back, laying on his elbows. "You don't know why?"

"No," James said, feeling cheated. "That's why I asked."

"You're an idiot."

"True, so?"

"The two of you need to get over whatever barrier it is that's holding the two of you back, James, and fucking snog already, okay mate? I thought some drunk confessions might speed this up. Besides, now the two of you are equal on that front," Sirius said, squinting upwards. "Is that a giant spider or a shadow?"

"A shadow, Sirius," said James. "Did you…"

"Did I what?"

"Get me drunk on purpose."

"Oh for fuck's sake, James," Sirius said, looking at him pointedly. "Who do you think I am?"

James stayed silent before admitting, "I don't think you're that person… most of the time. But you've known to act… unpredictably."

"Mate, I would never, ever do that. If anything, it's Peter's fault you got so drunk, not warning us how potent that stuff was… I just... how would you say it. Used an opportunity? I don't know, my brain isn't functioning right."

"So you think…" James said, after a moment had passed. "Do you reckon she wants to snog me, as well?"

"For fuck's sake, James," Sirius said, yet again. "For fuck's sake."

A/N: We're really approaching the end, now. I'll remind you that chapter 37 is the finale! Followed by what I hope is a really adorable epilogue! I only have to write a few more paragraphs before we're good to go.

I was going to publish this chapter about a month ago, after coming back from my US trip, but I realized that I had left an entire scene unwritten. It just said [insert rest of scene here] - I wish I was joking! And then I had to actually write it, and we're currently in the middle of the Jewish high holidays, and I'm getting ready for uni, so that wasn't really an option. I hope you can't tell which scene it was I forgot to write, but feel free to leave your guesses in the reviews.

Interlude takes place about now, in the timeline. It's up on my profile for your perusal.

To those of you in school: I hope you've had a good start to the year. I can't wait to start, myself, as nervous as I am that I will be a failure.

Lots of love to everyone who's still reading this four and a half years later - I see you,

JustGail