James was really glad lily had been able to come to the party. And, bloody hell, she looked fantastic in that dress. She should wear dresses more often. But he knew she hated dresses and he'd probably be flayed alive should he make the suggestion. So he simply told her she looked nice.

"Three." sirius started the countdown under his breath, knowing somehow exactly what was coming. He could always tell and james had no idea how, but he went along anyways.

"What?" lily asked, looking between them

"Two." james continued. She'd see soon enough

"One." sirius said. james pointed a finger and, sure enough, James's father tapped on a glass.

Lily looked perplexed "how did you-"

"It's an art form, evans." sirius cut her off

"Excuse me." James's father's voice rung through the room as he stepped up on a chair "i would like to make a toast." james buried his head in his hands. Lily sarcastically patted his back

"I would like to make a toast for my son!" he was practically beaming "who has graduated hogwarts this year! after captaining the gryffindor quidditch team to winning the house cup, too! His mother and i couldn't be prouder!"

James groaned

"And," he drew out the word dramatically "he has also found himself a wonderful girlfriend!"

This time it was lily's turn to groan in embarrassment as the room took her in. James uncovered his face to look at hers and laughed. Beet red. Just like he had suspected. He laughed and she smacked his arm.

"So, lily, we are delighted to have you with us to celebrate my son's graduating! Guys, he did it! He actually did!"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence dad!" James called across the room and people laughed.

"I'll let you get back to your evening, ladies and gentlemen." he stepped down from the chair with the help of James's mother.

"Well, james," Lily turned to him "did you graduate, or…?"

"You know, lily, at this point it really is anybody's guess." sirius played along

"Oh shut up." James joked

"Ah," lily made a little gasp and put a hand over her heart daintily "well, i never. Did you hear him, black?" sirius nodded along "my very own boyfriend told me to shut up."

"I heard it."

"I should not tolerate this!"

"You shouldn't."

"What ever shall i do?"

"I don't know."

"Hmmm…"

And lily leaned forward and placed a quick peck on james's lips

"I think that outta do it."

"Lily, i am disappointed." sirius shook his head

"You're one to talk, Mr. Public makeout session with Marlene Mckinnon."

"That was justified!"

"How?"

"The people wanted it!"

"Who? What people?"

"Oh, you know you did."

"Ew." lily threw her hands up "i did not."

"Pads, i think i speak for everyone when i say that Lily is right. Nobody wanted that."

"Hey, speaking of marlene, where is she tonight? Not invited to this grand to-do?" lily asked

"She had plans with Alice. To be honest, I didn't really listen past face mask."

"Hm, maybe you should have gone with them, Sirius. those pores are getting a little loose…" lily reached forward and poked his cheek. Sirius slapped her hand away and Lily laughed

"They are not!"

"Whatever you say, Black."

"Hey," james intervened for a second "how would you two like to bicker away from the prying eyes of the elderly." because sure enough, when they looked around they saw the four or five old women that had turned to stare at them disapprovingly, wine glasses being swirled in their hands adding to the whole aura of mourning their late husbands in a tea room type thing they had going on.

"Yeah." lily nodded, hiding her giggle behind her hand "let's do that."

"Stay here." james decided "i'll be right back." and he walked off towards the kitchens.

"Master Potter!" the house elves called when he walked in

"The sir has graduated!" Lebby cried and the other house elves broke into cheers. James's face couldn't help but to break out into a huge smile. They always made him happy. He missed the house elves whenever he was away at hogwarts. He guessed he wouldn't have that problem anymore, though, would he...

"Didn't mean to interrupt," he said to silence the cheers "just wanted to grab this." he reached and snatched a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey off a shelf on the wall.

"It is no interruption!" dibby exclaimed

"Well, thank you, dibby, but i'm afraid i have to go now."

He received a chorus of goodbyes that made his smile grow wider as he ducked out of the kitchen and snuck around to where lily and sirius were.

"Follow me, kids." he commanded, holding up the bottle

An hour later James, Sirius, and Lily sat in the garden of the manor's backyard, legs all crossed on the stone beneath them. It was a little cold, but not bad. Besides, they always had the firewhiskey to warm them up. They passed the bottle around, talking about whatever came to mind.

"I can't believe it's really over," lily took a swig from the bottle and passed it to Sirius "i mean, after seven years we're just not going back…"

"I know," sirius nodded "strange, isn't it? Can you imagine what it'll be like next august when you're sitting at the breakfast table waiting for the owl to come to your window and it just… never will?"

"On the bright side, at least we'll stay busy with the order and everything."

Order of the Phoenix meetings were a regular occurrence that lily both looked forward to and dreaded.

"Do you ever just think how bloody unfair it is?" james took a sip from the bottle and passed it to lily again, who took it in her cold hands "we could have been born at any time. We could have had lived where we wouldn't have had to worry about voldemort, and yet… we got stuck here with the genocidal prick ruining everything."

A small flame lit inside lily. He didn't even know the half of it. He didn't have to be afraid to go outside. He didn't have to be worried about being called a mudblood and a piece of filth whenever someone found out who your parents were. He was a pureblood, he was rich and here he was preaching like he had the most difficult life in the world.

Lily forced herself to smother the flame. None of what she'd just thought was his fault. He was doing everything he could to help take down voldemort, and for that Lily was grateful. He would just never really be able to understand.

"It's cold out here." was all Lily said as she took a long drink of the whiskey that was so appropriately named.

"Here." sirius held up the coat jacket lying next to him he hadn't been wearing anyway "trade you."

Lily handed him the bottle for the jacket and wrapped it around herself appreciatively.

"You're not cold?" she asked him with a slight shiver

"I'm not wearing spaghetti straps." he raised an eyebrow

"Not trying to steal my girlfriend, are you, Pads?"

"Please, mate, i've got my own."

"How are things going, by the way?" lily had forgotten to ask earlier

She watched as a big smile plastered itself onto Sirius's face. Not a sly smirk, or a debonair kind of smile, but a real, genuine smile. One that squinted his eyes and raised his cheeks.

"Good." he nodded "just- yeah. Good."

"That's it? Just 'good'?" lily asked leaning forwards

"You're really not gonna give us anything else to go on?" asked James

"I mean, what do you want to know?"

"I don't know!" Lily threw her hands up "i didn't even know you two were dating until the other day."

"How we missed that one is beyond me." James shook his head and slid the firewhiskey to lily across the smooth pavement.

"I'm rather good at keeping secrets, if you haven't noticed. Remus?" he raised an eyebrow then quickly looked at lily "i mean-"

"I know."

"You do? Since when?"

"Oh, just since i was about, oh, i don't know, twelve."

"But, Prongs, does she know about-"

"Yes."

Sirius just looked at her slightly wide-eyed

"You are referring to the fact that you're animagi, aren't you?"

"Actually i wasn't, but merlin's tit, you know that too?"

"It's not that hard to figure out. If you just- wait?" she turned her head and looked between both of them

"What don't i know?"

"Do you think we can tell her?" james leaned in and said quietly to Sirius. He was leaning directly over lily like he didn't see either her, or the issue with what he was doing.

"Helloooo," she threw her hands up "i'm right here!"

They either acted as if they didn't hear her, or were actually too caught up in their bromance to notice

"Do you think we can?"

"I dunno that's why i asked you."

"I think it's fine. Who can she tell, you know?"

"Okay." Sirius nodded and leaned back

"Okay." james also leaned back.

"So, Lily, we're going to tell you a very interesting story about a thing we like to call the marauder's map.."