35

The prank was instantly adopted as a part of Hogwarts' lore. While it was generally understood that James and his friends were somehow responsible, no one dared to discuss it in the open for fear of implicating them. Snape and his friends were generally regarded as extremely unpopular pupils outside of their own house, whereas James Potter had become something of a school hero through a combination of his Quidditch heroics, his knack for tomfoolery, and of course his well-documented near-misses with notable Dark Wizards.

'Just don't let it all go to your head,' Remus murmured on the evening before they were due to return to London. James, Sirius, Peter and Remus were sitting in their dormitory, idly packing their bags. A week had passed since the prank had been pulled, a week that had mercifully passed without retribution. Smart money indicated, however, that the Slytherins would try some sort of revenge prank before they arrived safely back at the King's Cross in London. 'Especially the part about escaping Dark Wizards. You know that Rochefort would love to catch you strolling about being arrogant.'

James rolled his eyes. 'Your faith in me is astounding, Moony,' he muttered.

'I'm not joking! You need to remember to stick close to the people your Dad is going to have protecting you,' he said earnestly.

'Yes, Mother, I intend to,' James said in exasperation.

Remus opened his mouth to say more, but Sirius waved him into silence. 'I think what Moony is trying to say, mate, is just be careful. We want to see you after tomorrow in one piece – even if it was a remarkably arrogant and somewhat ugly piece.'

James cuffed Sirius in the back of the head as the others laughed. 'When are we going to see each other next after tomorrow?' Peter asked.

'As soon as possible, please,' James said. 'I don't think I can stand being cooped up at my parents' place all summer with a few humourless Aurors as company,' he finished with a shudder. 'You guys are welcome any time. We can work on the Animagi thing.'

'You can stop that any time, you know,' Remus said half-heartedly.

'Nonsense,' Sirius said dismissively. 'It's just taking us a while to figure it out. We'll get there eventually.'

'Given how illegal it is, it wouldn't be the worst thing if you never did figure it out,' Remus countered.

Sirius snorted. 'Last day of school really has you in a lecturing mood, doesn't it?' he asked. 'First James is arrogant, then we're all law breakers…I seem to recall you playing a principal role in our prank just a few days ago.'

Remus sighed. 'Yes, that's true,' he muttered.

'There's something satisfying about putting that lot in their place,' Peter said. 'They're certainly not so tough when we get the drop on them.'

'Too right,' Sirius nodded. 'So what's the plan for the train tomorrow? Are we all going to find a compartment together?'

Peter made a face. 'Is Marlene going to be sharing with us?' he asked.

'Probably. Why?' Sirius replied.

'Because I don't want to get splashed by your saliva,' Peter shuddered. 'It's worse than going to watch the whales at the aquarium.'

Sirius flushed as James roared with laughter. 'Look, just because I am happy and content in a relationship is no reason for you to rain on my parade.'

'Is it really a relationship if you spend one hundred percent of your time desperately trying to suck each other's faces off?' James mused to general laughter.

'Anyway, back to my question – is that the plan?' Sirius cut them off.

James shrugged. 'I think Dorcas has invited us to the Head Compartment for the ride. A pretence, I think, for her and Cresswell to guard me again.'

'At least they're good company,' Remus said cheerfully.

'True,' James replied.

'It must be weird for you now that they're going,' Peter pointed out. 'Two big parts of your Quidditch team…'

James sighed. He'd been trying not to think of how weird the school would be without Cresswell and, particularly, Dorcas. He was quite fond of her, and he was also more than a little concerned about the world the two of them were heading out into. A world with Rochefort and Voldemort still in it, and no Dumbledore standing guard over them…

'…you there?' Sirius was asking, waving his hand in front of James' face. 'So are we going to join them in the head compartment or not?'

'Definitely,' James said as he stuffed his father's invisibility cloak into his trunk over top of his magic two-way mirror. He seized the opportunity to change what was running through his mind. 'It looks like we might finally have broken the curse for the Defense Against the Dark Arts position,' he said.

The others stopped and looked at him. James had had his final get together with Madam Bones a few days previous. They had not attempted any of the Unforgiveable Curses on this occasion, but had shared stories of duels and the unorthodox methods they had used to either win or escape. She had indicated to him then that her plan was to return to Hogwarts the following year.

'Well, now you've gone and jinxed her,' Sirius muttered. 'There's a whole summer for something to happen to her. Get killed like Professor Bowen or Professor Mondego…'

'We don't know that Mondego is dead,' Remus pointed out.

Sirius shook his head. 'Cling to that thought, Moony. If Mondego isn't dead, I'll eat my hat in front of Professor McGonagall. Why haven't we seen hide nor hair of him for almost a year exactly?'

'Maybe the same reason we haven't seen hide or hair of Lucius Malfoy,' Peter suggested. 'Maybe he decided to join You-Know-Who.'

Sirius sighed irritably. 'Not you too…' he muttered.

Peter flushed. 'Saying the name is supposed to be bad luck!'

'You don't honestly believe that rubbish, do you?' Sirius barked. 'That's just kids' stuff.'

Peter looked as if he wanted to defend himself, but thought better of it and went back to packing his bags. Remus cleared his throat. 'Quite the year we've had, when you look back on it,' he said quietly. 'I didn't think it would be possible to fit more into a year than we did last year, but somehow, I think we topped it.'

James got lost in thought once again as he reflected on Remus' words; he was dimly aware of the others continuing to converse, but he was thinking about all that had happened over the last year. He and Lily had actually managed to converse on many occasions without her wishing some sort of injury or ailment upon him. Sirius had been kidnapped by Rochefort, only to be retrieved by a cunning effort from James, Remus, Peter and Lily. James and Lily had narrowly escaped the clutches of Lord Voldemort himself, and then Frank and Alice had followed suit at Christmas.

The year had worn on and they had eventually won the Quidditch Cup. Frank and Alice had finally done what everyone had been waiting for for almost three years and kissed upon winning the game, a kiss which meant that at some point Lily owed James a date. In between these events, Rochefort had appeared to James and personally vowed that he was going to kill him, something that sent the Ministry into overdrive in efforts to protect him.

He had learned illegal Unforgivable curses from his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He, Sirius, Remus and Peter had made slim progress towards their goal of ultimately becoming Animagi. He had busted Dorcas for sneaking Cresswell into the Head Dormitory for an evening. He had given Lily Evans a Christmas present that seemed to have broken through her armour and made her hug him, that one brief moment shining out amongst the others like a beacon for his year.

By the time James had finished recalling winning the Quidditch Cup and the prank they had pulled on the Slytherins, the others were already tucking into bed. It would be an early morning the next day, breakfast followed by departing for London once more for a summer holiday. But James found himself unable to sleep. He silently padded out of the dormitory once he was sure the others had gone to sleep, the chainsaw-like sound of Sirius' snoring providing him ample cover to move unannounced.

He arrived down in the common room and chuckled at a sight he had not laid eyes on in what seemed like an eternity. Sitting by the fire, reading a book, was Lily Evans. She looked up and smirked at the sight of James.

They had not had the opportunity to talk a great deal in the last week. James was not entirely sure what her reaction to his prank would have been – not that she could really pin anything on him, but the entire school seemed relatively certain it had been his doing.

'Couldn't sleep?' he asked innocently as he sat down across from her.

'No,' she said, closing her book and placing it on the armrest of her chair. 'You?' she asked.

'No,' James replied. He paused for a moment and then nodded at the book. 'I thought classes were done for the year,' he said.

Lily smiled. 'Getting a head start on next year. Courses to select, new books to read.'

James laughed. 'You're the smartest student in our year, if not the school. Do you really need to do all of this reading?'

'Well, being that I'm not blessed with—what is it you're always saying?—superior talent, I guess I have to,' she said with a smirk.

James chuckled. 'If there's someone else apart from me I'd use that phrase to describe, Evans, it would be you.'

Lily flushed slightly. 'So what's on your mind?'

James shrugged. 'Just reflecting. It's been an…eventful year.'

'It certainly has,' Lily agreed. 'I don't know about you, but I could do with an uneventful summer,' she muttered.

James chuckled. 'You and me both. At least you don't have to have an armed escort following you wherever you go,' he muttered.

'It must make you sleep a little easier,' Lily said.

'Hardly,' James snorted. 'It's really just an ever-present reminder that someone out there wants me dead. It doesn't exactly lead to sweet dreams.'

Lily pursed her lips and stared at the fire. 'Do you have any plans for the summer?' she asked.

'Apart from house arrest? Not really,' James sighed. 'Hopefully Sirius, Remus and Peter will come to visit at some point.'

Lily stirred in her chair. 'So are you going to ask me or not?' she asked, with a trace of a smile on her face.

James looked at her in confusion. 'Ask you what?'

'Have you forgotten already?' Lily asked, batting her eyelashes.

James raised an eyebrow. 'Are we talking about our bet?' he asked.

'Yes,' she replied innocently.

James laughed. 'I got the feeling you wouldn't want me asking giving recent events,' he said.

Lily narrowed her eyes. 'Is that an admission of guilt to the prank?' she asked.

'Hardly,' James replied. 'But I don't rat on my friends.'

Lily chuckled. 'No, there's some honour in there somewhere, underneath all of that ego,' she said smartly.

Now it was James' turn to raise his eyebrows. 'So why are you bringing it up?' he asked.

'A bet's a bet,' Lily said. 'I follow through on my commitments.'

James grinned. 'Yes, but I thought this would be a particularly undesirable event for you—unless you've finally seen the light and have realized we're meant to be?'

'Don't flatter yourself,' Lily said. 'You're arrogant, pompous, bombastic, attention-seeking and a frequent bully,' she said.

'Stop, you're making me blush,' James deadpanned.

Lily smiled. 'But you also always seem to be there when someone needs you,' she said in an altogether softer tone. 'Somewhere underneath that face you put on for everyone else to see is a really good friend, Potter.'

James raised his eyebrows in surprise. 'Are you saying you want to be friends?' he asked.

Lily shook her head. 'No, I don't want to complicate things,' she said. 'I still have a friendship with Sev to maintain, and that friendship could end if I become friends with you.'

'There you go complicating things again,' James muttered.

Lily leaned across her chair. 'Sometimes complicated isn't a bad thing, Potter,' she said. 'I owe you my life. You saved my skin when we met…Voldemort,' she said.

James gulped. She was suddenly very close to him, and they hadn't broached this subject together in months. 'I owe you my life too,' he said. 'If you weren't on the back of that broom, any one of his curses would have killed me.'

'It would just be so much easier if you were a nice guy,' Lily said in a whisper, her face suddenly inches from his.

James' heart was pounding. 'But I am a nice guy,' he whispered.

'No you're not,' she whispered back, and her breath was on his face. James' eyes fluttered clothes as he breathed in. She smelled like the river—fresh, clean, clear…

For the briefest of moments, her lips touched his.

'—James, are you out here—' came a voice from the top of the stairs that cut off. James and Lily suddenly jerked away from each other, their eyes snapping open. Lily leapt to her feet as they both looked to the top of the stairs to see Sirius standing there staring at them, his jaw hanging open. He suddenly seemed to interpret what he'd just seen. 'I'M NOT HERE!' he bellowed. 'I NEVER WAS! I DIDN'T INTERRUPT! GET BACK TO—ARGH!'

And he was gone again.

James and Lily stayed exactly where they were. James did not dare to breath, and the only sounds that met his ears were the sounds of Lily breathing heavily and the fire crackling behind him. 'Evans, I'm—' James began.

'I'm sorry,' she hissed. 'I shouldn't have—I don't know what I was—' she stammered. 'I should go to bed,' she said.

She looked at James with a pained expression and he leaned back in his chair. 'Good night, Evans,' he said, offering his best confident smile.

'Sleep well, Potter,' she said, her face flushed as she sprinted back up the stairs to her dormitory.

James sighed and looked at the fire. 'Yeah,' he whispered. 'Because I'm really going to sleep now.'

The next morning was something of a one-sided conversation.

'I'm sorry.'

'It's okay.'

'I'm so sorry.'

'It's fine.'

'I am so, so—'

'Sirius, if the next words out of your mouth aren't 'I'm shutting up now', the next words are going to be 'Merlin's beard, you've kicked me in the genitals',' James said in annoyance.

They were sitting awake in the dormitory. They were all dressed and ready to go down for breakfast when Sirius' repeated attempts at apology had forced an explanation as to why he was apologizing. Remus and Peter had both been thunderstruck by the story.

'So…you kissed?' Peter asked.

James shook his head. 'Our lips touched for a second,' he said.

'I think that counts!' Peter said triumphantly.

'I don't,' James muttered.

Sirius looked to be in physical discomfort, but he refrained from saying sorry again. 'James…' he groaned.

James shook his head. 'Really, it's probably for the best. She wasn't ready. If she'd gone ahead and done it, she would have regretted it and then maybe she'd never talk to me again,' he muttered. 'But then again, maybe she'll never talk to me again now…should I have done something?'

'Don't be thick,' Remus said. 'Remember Dorcas' advice? Run the marathon, not the hundred meter dash,' he said earnestly. 'In the long run, it'll just make it all the more worthwhile.'

James laughed sardonically. 'So now you're suddenly a believer that she's into me?'

Remus rolled his eyes. 'Oh come on, James, it's obvious that she's got conflicting feelings over you. If you and Severus weren't always at each other's throats, you'd probably be right up there with Frank and Alice by now.'

Coming from Remus, this was a ringing endorsement that left James momentarily speechless.

'James, don't take this as a negative,' Remus said gently. 'She's warming up to you. Just focus on what you've done to get in her good graces.'

'But I just pranked Snape last week!' James said in confusion.

Remus pursed his lips. 'In retrospect, it was probably a bit more harmless than dropping him off the side of a building like last year,' he said. 'But more to the point, think of the other things you've done this year: going to extremes to save Sirius, you and Lily escaping Voldemort together, being there for Alice and Frank through thick and thin…you're slowly but surely proving, James, that you're not the miserable twit she thinks you are.'

'Thanks, I think,' James muttered to chuckles from the others.

'Wearing her down like the ocean, mate,' Sirius said with a tentative smile.

James smiled at him. 'Stop feeling bad, Sirius, I mean it,' he said.

They gathered their bags and deposited them in the entrance hall before heading to the great hall for breakfast. James spied Lily sitting at the end of the table with Alice, Mary and Marlene. They were huddled in discussion and she looked up to see him. She held his gaze for a moment before ducking back down into conversation.

'At least she didn't leave the room,' Peter said cheerfully. James chuckled as they sat down with their usual group. Frank, Gideon and Fabian were sitting together.

'Good morning, children,' Gideon said happily. 'Isn't it a fine day?'

'We always feel that the last day of school is the best day,' Fabian chimed in cheerily.

James laughed. 'Any sign of the Captain?'

'Oh, I'm sure she'll be along at some point. And then Cresswell will arrive from what is obviously a different location,' Gideon said with a smirk.

Fabian nodded sagely. 'Because it would be a clear contravention of school rules for the Head Girl to have someone in her dormitory,' he said.

As if on cue, Dorcas strolled through the door. Everyone at the table did a double take.

Dorcas had always struck James as something of a tom-boy. She had worn her hair in tight buns or pony-tails all through their school years, and he had grown accustomed to seeing her in either her Quidditch gear or her baggy school robes, which left everything to the imagination. But it struck him (along with everyone else in the school, by the sudden cessation of chatter in the hall) that she was not a tom-boy, nor was she a girl—she was a woman.

Dorcas' had let her hair down and it fell in elegant curls around her face. She wore a black Hogwarts' vest with the Gryffindor lion emblazoned over the left breast, and form-fitting jeans that loosened around her ankles.

Gideon and Fabian were both staring in slack-jawed amazement as she bounced over to sit next to them. 'Good morning, everyone,' she said cheerily.

'C…cuh…' Gideon stammered.

Dorcas looked at him innocently. 'Didn't get any sleep?' she asked sweetly.

James bellowed with laughter as Gideon slammed his mouth shut dumbly, Fabian doing the same. 'Captain, you look amazing,' James said.

'Don't know what you're talking about,' she said with a wink.

'Why the change?' James asked.

Dorcas shrugged. 'You only get to graduate once,' she said. 'So we thought 'why not do it with the bang',' she said.

'We?' James echoed.

The doors opened again and it was Cresswell's turn to step through in. Several audible whistles sounded from female students; he wore a dashing black suit with a white shirt and a black silk tie, only meeting the school guidelines by having custom-embroidered a Gryffindor crest onto the left breast. His hair had been immaculately styled to stick up in all manner of directions, and he had suddenly grown an impressive five-o'clock shadow that made him look years older.

'He had me perform the hair growing charm last night,' Dorcas whispered as he strutted over to join them, to much laughter from the rest of the school. 'I got it a bit too long to start.'

Cresswell chuckled as he sat down. 'I bore a striking resemblance to Dumbledore after that first go-round,' he said.

'At least I fixed it in the end,' Dorcas said sweetly.

'That you did, Dori,' Cresswell replied. 'I was hoping the food would be out already, I'm starving,' he grumbled.

'We'd have missed Dumbledore's speech then,' Dorcas said in a scandalized tone.

James shook his head. 'He won't launch into it until everyone's here, and I'll give you three guesses who still has to show up.'

'Oh, but here they come now, James,' Gideon said excitedly as the door opened to admit Snape, Mulciber, Avery and Regulus. They threw their customary scowls over in James' direction. Much to their chagrin, James, Sirius, Remus, Peter, Gideon, Fabian, Frank, Dorcas and Cresswell all reacted by blowing them kisses. Laughter erupted around the hall as the four red-faced Slytherins took their seats.

Moments later, Dumbledore stood at the head of the hall, smiling out serenely over the student body. 'Another year has come and gone. Another year has graced us with its fleeting presence, only to all too quickly have passed by into memory. It is a year that has been filled with triumphs and challenges for many of us, and before we become consumed by the fabulous feast that it soon to be before you, I must bend your ear for a few more moments.

'To those students leaving us this year, I hope you will look back fondly on your times at Hogwarts, as we teachers will look back fondly on your times as our students. The world you are headed into now is filled with uncertainty. It is a time of change, a time where our strength, courage and resolved is being called into question and service more and more with each passing day and each passing moment.

'Lord Voldemort is gaining strength and worse, he is gaining numbers. Make no mistake, there will be dark and difficult days ahead and we will all be faced with a time where we must openly declare our intentions and our allegiances. There might come a time where hope seems to wane; where it might seem like the other side is just too strong, or just too numerous, or just too ruthless.

'In these times, we must remember that even the smallest light can shine in the darkness, as it did this year – twice – when four of our very own students met the Dark Lord, defied him, and lived to tell the tale,' he said to a raucous round of applause spear headed by Professor McGonagall.

'You all have within yourselves the ability to affect great change in our world,' Dumbledore said, his eyes drifting over to James. 'For some, the call to arms will be easier to answer than it is for others. But with everything in our world being cast into uncertainty, that call is becoming louder and more persistent than ever. I hope you will all show us what you are made of in the days, months and years ahead.

'To our seventh years – best of luck in all of your endeavours. And to our other students, we look forward to seeing you next year and wish you a safe and fun-filled summer.'

Dumbledore sat down once more and the plates in front of them were suddenly filled with food once more. 'Certainly has a knack for big speeches, doesn't he,' Sirius mused as he tucked into a drumstick.

They ate their lunch cheerfully and then the time came to head to Hogsmeade Station. Several times, James caught Snape conspiring with his minions, but they hung back in light of the size of the group James was in. Frank and Alice, Gideon and Fabian, Dorcas and Cresswell, James, Remus, Sirius and Peter, Marlene, Mary and Lily were all walking together with an invitation to the head compartment.

The shopkeepers of Hogsmeade had turned out to bid them all farewell. Madam Rosmerta forced a box of Honeydukes as well as a case of butterbeer into Sirius' arms. She was clearly feeling guilty for the fact that Sirius had been kidnapped from her shop earlier in the year. The Twins disappeared for a moment to purchase some other goods from her, arriving at the train with their own sealed and unlabelled boxes.

Upon arriving in the decidedly luxurious and open Head Compartment, they all spread out and sat down. 'Not bad for your escort, eh, Potter?' Dorcas said with a grin.

James chuckled. 'You know, I'd almost forgot what you were doing, but there you go bringing it back up,' he said.

'Sorry,' Dorcas said as the train lurched and began to move. She sighed. 'It's weird knowing this is the last ride we'll take on this train.'

'No coming back to Hogwarts as a teacher?' James asked.

Dorcas laughed. 'Merlin's beard, no,' she muttered. 'I don't think I could take it. I could barely control you lot and there was only six of you,' she said.

'Any idea on who the Captain next year is going to be?' Mary McDonald asked.

Dorcas looked at James with a bemused expression. 'That'll be for you lot to decide,' she said. 'Not my department anymore.'

'What are you looking at him for?' Gideon asked indignantly. 'We're going to be the old men on the team,' he said.

Fabian nodded. 'Yeah, it's about time we earned a little veteran respect,' he chimed in.

'You two will be made Captains when Professor McGonagall wants the school burnt down,' Cresswell said coolly to a great gale of laughter.

The trip to London seemed to pass in both a great deal of time and no time at all. Dorcas and Cresswell reflected on their great memories of Hogwarts, capping off with the story of how James and Sirius had intruded on their away time in the head dormitory. Lily had laughed hysterically at the story as everyone else shook their heads.

'See, Captain?' Gideon had chided. 'Breaking the rules can be fun every now and then.'

But all too soon, the train ride had come to a close and they were back at Platform 9 and ¾. James stepped off the train to see Alastor Moody and Engelland waiting for him. James sighed as his bag was handed to him by Cresswell. 'Best of luck, Dirk,' James said as he shook Cresswell's hand firmly. Dorcas was next, and they both dropped their bags to embrace one another. 'So long, Captain,' James said.

'You take care,' Dorcas said in a strained voice. 'Look after yourself. And write often.'

'How do I reach you?' James asked.

Dorcas grinned as she picked up her bag. 'I slipped my address into your bag already. Write often. And take care of the Quidditch team! I expect you to contend next year,' she said as she and Cresswell walked off.

Mary McDonald gave James a hug next. 'I slipped my address into your bag, too,' she said suggestively. 'Feel free to write—or visit.'

'Er, thanks,' James said. Marlene embraced him, and then the Twins were up.

'We don't really do hugs,' Gideon said seriously.

'It's a bit girly,' Fabian said soberly.

'So we did a bit of research into Muggle stuff. You know, to help you with Evans,' Gideon said.

'Okay…?' James asked.

The Twins suddenly held up their hands into a bizarre 'V' shaped, with their fore-finger and middle finger to one side, while their pinky and ring fingers went the other way. 'Live Long and Prosper,' they said in unison.

'What's that?' James asked.

'Some cultural reference. Apparently it's really popular—so it must be sexy, right?' Fabian said cheerily.

James was not entirely convinced, but then the Twins were gone. Remus and Peter embraced him and promised to visit soon. Sirius was next and they hugged for a long time. 'I'm sorry, mate,' Sirius said once again.

'Oh knock it off, will you?' James said, cuffing him on the head. 'Start making up for it by coming to see me soon!'

Last off the train was Lily. She faced James for a moment and them embraced him. 'Take care, Potter,' she said. 'Please don't go and get yourself killed this summer.'

James laughed. 'I couldn't die while I still have a date with you outstanding, Evans,' he said.

'I'm serious, Potter,' she said into his shoulder.

'So am I,' James said quietly. 'I don't plan on going anywhere. You be safe, too.'

With that they separated and Lily turned without looking back and ran over to her family. James watched after her for a moment. 'Ready, James?' Engelland asked.

James sighed and picked up his rucksack. 'Yeah,' he said. 'Is it weird that I can't wait for school to be back on?' he asked.

'We won't tell anyone,' Moody said dryly as they began to walk, James in between the two Aurors. He took one last look back at the scarlet steam engine.

'Alastor?' Engelland asked.

Moody grunted and looked over at his comrade. It ended up being a mistake. The spell that blasted from the end of Engelland's wand hit him square in the face and sent him sprawling backwards across the floor of the station with a loud crash. People looked around in shock and James looked from Moody's prone form—bleeding profusely from his face—to Engelland who was looking down at him with a wide grin. James was so stunned he didn't even think to reach for his wand. By the time the idea had occurred to him, Engelland already had a hold of his arm and James had an unpleasant squeezing sensation as they apparated away. A split second of dark travel later, and James landed on a gravel road. He barely had time to gather his wits before Engelland booted him in the midsection, sending him crashing to the ground and gasping for air.

'W…why…Engelland?' James wheezed.

'Because I'm not Engelland,' said the man who looked like him, as he extracted a whirring, mechanical eye from his pocket, the grin on his face widening.