That school year went by too fast to keep track of. They worked on the order of the phoenix, James and Lily did their head duties, gryffindor won the house cup, and last but certainly not least, they studied the shite out of their N.E.W.T.S.

It was the night after their final day of testing. The entire gryffindor common room was in an uproar of celebration. Not just the gryffindor common room, but all of them. The seventh years weren't even staying restricted to their own anymore. The gryffindor common room was full of mainly gryffindors and hufflepuffs, with a decent amount of ravenclaws. But almost no slytherins. The war was taking its toll and the separation between houses was greater than ever.

Lily had just come from the ravenclaw common room. She had been at the hufflepuff one for about an hour before that. Hufflepuffs were good at enjoying themselves. They didn't care what the others thought. It was also great, because all the drunk Hufflepuffs were sort of inclined to take care of each other.

Ravenclaws were… different. Half the house was completely wasted in an effort to stop worrying about the scores they got on their exams and most of the others had stopped caring a long time ago and just set up massive games. Truth or dare and spin the bottle took up most of their common room.

Lily climbed through the portrait to the gryffindor common room, a little tipsy, but mainly sober. The fat lady was complaining loudly about how "these children need to learn to stay in one place!"

Lily looked around the room for the marauders. It didn't take long to find them. Sirius was standing on the couch by the fireplace making some sort of toast.

"Black!" she called, making her way across the room

"Evans!" he cried in return "Lovely day isn't it?"

"It's midnight, black."

"Ah, so, the start of a new day! A new life with no school to weigh us down!"

"Yes, just death eaters and voldemort. Feet off the furniture."

"You're no fun!" he complained, hopping off the couch and onto the coffee table next to it. Still not the floor, but better than the couch.

"But i still have a toast to make, so listen up, you scrubs!" the surrounding people turned to look at him "as most of you know, i am quite charming-" he was cut off by the boos of enough people lily just had to laugh "AND quite good looking!" he yelled over the complaints "so i know there have been wonders, oh, there have been wonders about my dating life. So i am here to tell you that not only am i charming and good looking, but utterly fantastic at keeping secrets. Well, lads, ladies, and everyone in between. You were right. I have a girlfriend." he put a hand to his heart like he was making some grand, humble gesture.

Shouts from the engaged listeners of "who?" and "why didn't you tell us!" And "wait, aren't you gay?" popped up from around the room

"I'm getting to that! Not the gay thing though, I am very into women." he silenced them "it is… drumroll please!" lily leaned down and did a drumroll on the back of the closest chair

"It is… Marlene Mckinnon!"

"What!" lily yelled along with a group of other people

"That's right bitches!" marlene suddenly appeared on the coffee table next to him "now watch this." she draped an arm around his neck before pulling him to her for a public makeout session lily honestly couldn't watch. She looked around and saw the other marauders at the other end of the coffee table in discussion. They looked pretty baffled as well. She made her way over to them.

"So," she put an elbow on peter's shoulder "you guys didn't know either?"

"No!" james declared and remus just shook his head emphatically

"No idea." remus added

"Well, what a great bunch of detectives we are." she snorted

"Listen, lil, we're not ravenclaws!"

"I feel like you should still have common sense!"

"You didn't know either!" peter threw up his hands.

…[...[]...]...

The next morning was probably one of the most nostalgic Lily had ever experienced. Her trunk was packed with all her belongings and yet she couldn't quite fathom the fact that she wouldn't be coming back next year. She wouldn't get to share a dorm room with some of her best friends and take all the classes she loved so much, despite how stressed they made her.

There was a long session of goodbyes and hugs and tears from everyone in the dorm. Lily didn't know how long it lasted but she didn't want it to end because once they left the room they would never be coming back. The girls slowly made their way to the door and all stood in front of it for a moment, without saying a word. All of them were just trying to soak it in as much as possible. Trying to burn it into their memories.

One by one they trailed out. Mary was the last one standing staring at what looked so empty without them. Just her and the single tear that seemed as if it had been on her cheek this whole time.

They separated slowly through the walk out of the castle. Drifting off to see a favorite spot one last time or say goodbye to a friend they would likely never see again. It was so hard to keep track of each other after graduation, especially with voldemort gaining more and more power every day.

Lily was left alone in the hall, students all around her hugging or saying goodbye to a favorite portrait on the wall. Lily just stood there staring. Not at anything in particular. Just staring. She had to leave. This was it. The place that had been her home for the last seven years of her life was suddenly going to be gone. Like when you're putting a puzzle together and get a big chunk separate from everything else. Imagine if that big piece just disappeared. That was what seemed to be happening to Lily right now.

She eventually trickled out with the others, trying to make it stop hurting.

…[...[]...]...

Lily filed onto the train with marlene and mary. Mary caught sight of hestia and went to talk to her.

"Well," Lily turned to Marlene "do you want to sit with james and the others?"

Marlene nodded and the two of them walked off to the marauders compartment.

All four of them were inside already. Remus was showing peter something on a yellowed piece of paper that he quickly put away when he saw lily and Marlene.

"What's that?" Marlene asked, walking over and sitting on Sirius's lap as if it was the only place in the compartment to sit..

"Nothing that concerns you." sirius said, wrapping his arms around her waist. Marlene giggled. Lily had seen Sirius with girls before but Marlene was different. Something lit up in his face when she walked in a room. Lily wondered how in the hell she didn't know they were together before.

She walked over and sat next to james, across from Marlene and Sirius.

"Ah, yes." Sirius said knowingly

"What?" lily asked

"You two."

"Us two?" lily gestured to herself and James

"Yes. what a tragedy. Already so fast past the honeymoon stage. Onto acting like you're some married prudes. It's only downhill from here." Marlene nodded along like some sympathetic infomercial actor.

Ha. that's what you think. We still haven't had sex yet. Wait, what? Lily asked herself after that thought popped into her brain. She was embarrassed at the fact the thought made her blush.

"See? She's blushing in shame. In embarrassment. All because she knows i'm right."

"Oh shut it, padfoot."

"Denial. Always the first step. That relationship fire is dwindling, kids."

Lily simply raised her eyebrows at him and reached over and kissed james. It was all a matter of practice, you know. And they had certainly practiced enough.

Lily pulled away and did a small bow from her seat. Sirius slow clapped.

"Perhaps you have a few months left in you."

"Mhm. perhaps." lily joked

"So, Lil, are you two done, or is there a spitting contest coming?" James gestured between them.

"Not that i can foresee, but you never do know."

"Well, tonight my parents are throwing a party of sorts. The usual 'our only son graduated, we're so proud' and all that nonsense. Should be a prudish affair with all their old people friends."

"James, dear. Point?"

"Would you like to come? Our old pal Sirius will be there if you two would like to have your spitting contest then."

"I can spit rather far…" lily pretended to be mulling it over "alright. I suppose."