A:N/ Hey there friends, did you miss me? Well I'm proud to say that this chapter is complete (how awesome is that) and that the mission trip was fun! SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER- insane I know. I hope you like it…it's very fluffy and most certainly a filler so it's okay if you don't. Next chapter is graduation. The end. Gasp. REVIEW FOR ME PLEASE! I get so excited!

Thanks to those of you who reviewed last chapter (you know the one from forever ago? )

NarglesAreBehindIt

computer geek

JessandDarcy

HedwigandHarry

You are certainly my favorite people ever!

Disclaimer- I AM NOT J.K ROWLING. 37 times I have told you this. 37 times that most of you I have no doubt have never read ;)

James stared at the doors to the Great Hall ashamed at the tears prickling at his eyes. James Potter didn't cry. It just didn't happen. Of course there was that one time- but he didn't talk about that. And F his parents had died- but that was an exception. He wiped furiously at his eyes- he was meeting Sirius and he wasn't about to let him see this.

Thirty minutes later he and Sirius had walked the entire length of the castle and met up with Remus and Peter.

"Well gents, we're leaving" James finally said breaking a long silence.

"Yeah" Remus breathed.

"Leaving" Peter said.

"SHUT IT!" Sirius screeched suddenly, jumping up.

All of the other boys jumped in surprise. They were sitting on their respective beds in their dorm room, and had until then been quietly thinking.

"We are not going there until we absolutely have to" Sirius huffed.

James leaned back on his bed and sighed. He could tell Sirius wasn't taking graduation very well. He'd never tell anyone but it was painfully obvious to his best mate. Hogwarts was his first real home and he wasn't going to take leaving it lightly.

He was in denial.

"Let's just plan a prank or something…please?" His voice was so pathetic, the Marauders had to comply.

"Okay Padfoot, but it has to be something huge" Peter said.

"But not dangerous" Remus reminded them sternly causing them to roll their eyes. All eyes turned to James as usually by now he would have said something.

James was deep in thought.

"Graduation" he said finally. Sirius' eyes grew alight with mischief and Remus fell back on the bed in exasperation.

"No." he said. Sirius gave him the lost puppy look.

"But Remmy…why not!" he whined. Remus sat straight up and glared at him.

"I don't know about you Sirius but I would prefer that my last seven years at Hogwarts not be for nothing, I would quite prefer actually graduating" he said harshly.

James swiveled his body to look at the large calendar hanging above Remus' bed.

That explains that he thought. Two days after graduation was the full moon- Remus must already be feeling the side effects.

"Once they give us our diplomas they can't do much, and plus if it's not dangerous Dumbledore won't do anything" James reasoned.

Sirius nodded enthusiastically.

"Pleeaasseeeeee Moooonnnyyyy!" he begged pathetically.

Finally Remus smiled a small smile and said:

"I guess so…but nothing dangerous" he warned. Sirius nodded and made a dramatic cross over his heart.

"Promise!' He said getting more excited by the second.

"But Prongs…" Peter squeaked "won't Lily be mad at you if you mess up graduation"

James' eyes widened as Remus and Sirius smacked their heads with their palms.

"You had to bring Lily into it" Remus complained.

"Now we'll never get to do it!" Sirius whined.

James wasn't listening though; he was remembering all hexes he'd endured from Lily due to stupid pranks he'd pulled.

But maybe that was the key- it just couldn't be stupid.

"No we can do it" he said dazedly. "But now that you mention it I want to go see Lily, I miss her"

Sirius grinned before frowning.

"Wait you're ditching us for a girl you saw an hour ago?"

"It's Lily" James said before walking out.

"Bonkers, he's gone bonkers!" Sirius cried. Remus grinned and shook his head.

"No it's just Lily. "

Lily stared at the maroon graduation gown hanging in her closet. From her criss-cross position the floor she could just barely see the cap with the golden tassel hanging. It was three days from graduation and Lily was becoming more certain every second that she wasn't ready yet. Sighing she turned back to the photo album she'd been perusing.

Nostalgia hit her hard as she turned the page to a photo of her and Hestia from second year. They were dressed for Halloween, her as a devil, Hestia an angel. Lily giggled as she turned the next page to another photo of her and Hestia this time at her house in the summer.

She missed the days when it had been just her and her best friend, no boys, no future careers to worry about and no fearing Voldemort. Sigh.

The next photo was one of her and Hestia as well as the Marauders. Sirius was tickling Hestia, Remus was shaking his head at them, Peter was eating, and James was whispering into her ear. All of them were laughing hysterically and Lily was suddenly glad she was a witch- if only for the moving pictures.

Tears sprang to Lily's eyes and she hurriedly swiped them away. She still had a few days left- why spend them crying?

"Isn't it a little early to be getting teary?" a soft voice from the doorway made Lily's head snap up. Glaring at her boyfriend she wiped harshly at her face.

"No." she said before bursting into sobs.

James laughed loudly before moving from his leaning position on the door frame to sit down next to her, stretching his legs out and leaning against the bed. Cautiously, he wrapped an arm around the sobbing girl and pulled her into his chest.

"Shhh" he whispered "its okay Lils, its only graduation"

Lily slapped his arm and looked at him tearfully.

"Just graduation?" she shrieked "James this has been our home for seven years and now we're leaving...we-we-we we're never coming back!" she burst into another round of sobs.

James chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"Lily darling, it has to happen. Don't think about the fact that we're leaving, just think about all the wonderful memories you've had here" he said smoothly rubbing his hand up and down her arm.

"B-b-b-but" She started but was cut off by a sweet kiss from James.

"No buts. Some girl told me once that if I kept saying 'but' she'd transfigure me into one" Lily chuckled.

"That was like third year, how do you possibly remember that?" She asked teasingly poking him in the side.

James used the pad of his thumb to wipe away the tears still falling down her face.

"Lils, I was practically a stalker. I remember everything you've ever said to me" he said softly.

Lily smiled a watery smile and leaned farther into him.

"Thank you" she said softly after a few moments of silence.

"For what?" he whispered kissing the top of her head.

"For not giving up on me"