A/N: So this chapter fast forwards quite a bit to the end of the school year. But prepare yourselves, because after they graduate, things will really start to escalate! Hope you're enjoying the chapters and story!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I am not JK Rowling, who owns all the rights and characters.

Time seemed to fly, especially for the seventh years. Their final year was winding down, and for six students, they knew things were going to get very tense and hectic soon. Not only because they were finishing up classes and exams, but because they would be leaving the safety of Hogwarts, and entering into the world where a war was building. They knew what was coming, and they had been trying very hard to prepare for it.

Sirius had continued to go to the unused classroom, hoping his brother would be there to tell him he would turn spy for them. He hadn't told his friends what had transpired that night with his brother. How could he tell them his brother had killed someone, had become a Death Eater? Reading the Daily Prophet the following week, and seeing that a young muggle couple had been murdered in their apartment building, Sirius' stomach dropped and he tried to keep himself from looking at the Slytherin table at Regulus.

Unbeknownst to him, Marlene had been watching him closely. She had noticed since that night he stormed out of the Room of Requirement, he was a bit off. She had apologized to him for snapping at him, but he seemed to brush it off. He wasn't his usual joyful, jokester. When she saw him reading the Daily Prophet, she saw him flinch.

"Sirius, are you alright? You look like you're going to be sick," Lily asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I just need some air," he said before hurrying out of the Great Hall.

Marlene looked at James, Remus and Peter looking after their friend. "Shouldn't one or all of you go check on him?" She asked.

James shrugged, "I'm sure he's fine. Like he said, he needs some air. End of the year, stress," he picked up the paper Sirius had been reading, and also seemed to pale. "Not to mention reading disturbing news."

He showed the others the paper. "But this isn't the first murder that's happened this year," Dorcas pointed out. "Why would this one be any different?"

James didn't answer, but looked back to the doorway Sirius had just left through. "Maybe I should go check on him."

"We'll come too," Remus said, starting to stand with Peter following him.

"Oh look! Frank and Alice became Aurors!" Lily exclaimed, catching everyone's attention, aside from James, who had already left to go after Sirius.

"Really?" Marlene asked, excitedly. Finally, some good news to make them all smile.

On the page following the news about the murders, there was a list of newly appointed aurors. Listed in alphabetical order, there was Frank Longbottom and Alive Longbottom. "This is so great! I know since they got married last year, they had been working so hard to become aurors," Dorcas said.

"They'll be great aurors!" Peter exclaimed, having sat back down.

"I miss them," Marlene said. Frank and Alice had been sweethearts at Hogwarts, and they were close friends with Lily and Dorcas. Well, more Alice than Frank, but they had gotten to know him more since he had started dating Alice. Before their seventh year had started, they had gotten married, and Lily had been Alice's maid of honor, and Marlene and Dorcas had all been bridesmaids for her.

"Well, good for them! We need as many good aurors as we can get now," Remus said.

"Must you always be so gloomy?" Dorcas asked, playfully nudging him.

Remus turned a bit red. "I didn't mean to make it sound like that."

Dorcas giggled. "I know, I just like giving you a hard time. You're so cute when you turn red."

Remus turned even redder. Clearing his throat, he said, "Pete, why don't we go find James and Sirius?"

Peter was smiling. "Sure Remus." He followed a red-faced Remus out of the Great Hall.

"When will you two stop dancing around each other and actually start dating?" Marlene asked Dorcas.

Dorcas sighed. "I keep thinking he will ask me, but he's so shy! I don't know how much clearer I can be about how I feel about him."

Lily couldn't help but think about the woman lying next to Remus when they had seen him dead, in this very hall. Harry had mentioned a son they had just had. James said she was actually Sirius' little cousin, and he couldn't hardly believe she and Remus had married. She wondered if Remus and Dorcas did actually date—in the future. Not knowing about her girlfriends' futures, she shut the door on those thoughts, not wanting to imagine what could have possibly happened.

Shaking her thoughts from her head, she said, "I think it'd be great if you asked him."

Dorcas sat up and looked at her friend. "You think? What if he said no?"

Marlene laughed. "Oh, I don't think he will. The way he turns red around you, especially when you flirt with him, I think you'll be fine."

"Gosh, I can't believe we only have a couple weeks left of school!" Lily exclaimed. They all stood and left the Great Hall, heading to their class.

"Have you two thought of what you'll be doing after school?" Marlene asked. They both looked at her oddly. "What? Haven't you thought about it?"

"Well, yeah, but aren't we going to be working even more on you know what and getting rid of you know who?" Dorcas whispered, not wanting students bustling around them to overhear.

"Well yes, but have you thought of how? Like becoming an auror, or a healer, or-"

"I'm joining the Order," Lily said all of a sudden, causing Marlene and Dorcas to almost stumble to a stop.

"The Order?" Marlene whispered.

"Actually that makes sense. It sounds like a good idea," Dorcas commented.

"Really?" Marlene questioned. "How are you going to make a living? Pay for rent, food-"

"Marlene, we'll get jobs too," Dorcas cut into Marlene's rant. "I'd actually love to be a healer! Maybe I can take a few medical classes."

Marlene looked at Lily. "What about you Lils?"

Lily honestly hadn't thought of doing anything else. Her main goal right now was to find all of Voldemort's horcruxes, destroy them, and destroy him. She didn't want to waste time taking extra classes to become something, like a healer or an auror.

Before she could answer, they had arrived at their class. Sitting down, she looked around for James and his friends. Not seeing them she looked at Marlene and Dorcas, who shrugged their shoulders. As McGonagall started class, Lily couldn't help but think of what was to come in the next few months.

oOo~oOo~oOo

James found Sirius by the lake. Sitting down beside him, he chose to stay quiet until Sirius was ready to talk.

"Are you scared, James?"

James was surprised by the question, and looked at him oddly.

"Are you scared of what can happen? Of what will happen?" Sirius asked, looking at the lake still.

James thought about it and shrugged. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't. There's a lot that can happen after we leave here. Hell, a lot has happened just this year."

"Yeah, and knowing exactly what is going to happen doesn't make things any less scary does it?"

"No," James sighed. "It really doesn't. If anything, it makes it even more real, more intimidating."

Suddenly Sirius turned to James, causing James to jump a bit. "I'm joining the Order as soon as we graduate."

James wasn't too surprised to hear that. He grinned at his best friend. "Well, I'd be offended if I didn't join with you! Besides, I can't have you go off playing hero without me."

Sirius grinned but it fell quickly. "Have you talked to Lily about it yet?"

James sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "No, not really. We've been trying to live a normal life, have a normal relationship before it all goes to hell."

"Yeah, so when are you going to ask her to marry you?" Sirius asked him.

James startled. "W-what? I-what makes you think I'm going to ask her to m-marry me?" he stumbled over his words.

"Prongs, I know you better than I think you know yourself," Sirius smiled. "Besides, you've been in love with Evans since second year, you both traveled to the future and saw you had indeed gotten married, had a son, albeit, things didn't turn out the greatest, but here you are dating this entire year, so silly me must think you're going to ask her to marry you eventually. Not to mention the impending doom coming upon us all as we will soon be leaving this place."

James looked at him and gave him a side grin. "You know, for as dimwitted as you are majority of the time, you do have your moments where you actually sound smart."

Sirius pushed him over and laughed.

"Oi, what did James say now?" Peter asked, as he and Remus came and sat beside them.

"Oh, he's just being a nutter and I called him out on it," James said.

"All I asked was when he was going to pop the question to Evans," Sirius said.

Peter started clapping excitedly while Remus shook his head. "Oh! So, when are you?" Peter asked.

"I never said I was!" James exclaimed.

Peter deflated a little. "Well why not? We all know you love her, and she loves you."

"Yeah, but we have more pressing issues to take care of after we graduate," James said, careful not to spill too much to Peter.

Peter seemed to pale. "Oh, you mean with this war." He wrung his hands in his cloak.

Remus patted Peter on the back. "Don't worry mate. Whatever comes our way, we'll face it all together."

"Yeah, and old what's his face is going to think twice about messing with this group of marauders," Sirius laughed.

Peter smiled and nodded his head. "Right!"

"Alright, we better get to class, before Minnie has a fit," James said standing up.

"Oh, dear Minnie, don't you think she'd let us off easy, since we are almost done with school anyway?" Sirius asked, as they walked into the school. He didn't realize the others has stopped and he ran right into someone.

"Misters Black, Potter, Lupin, and Pettigrew; just because you are almost done with school, does not give you the right to not come to your classes," McGonagall said, staring the down over her spectacles.

"Aw Minnie, come on! I wasn't feeling good, and needed some fresh air," Sirius told her.

"Hm, and so of course your friends had to escort you outside to make sure you didn't wander off I presume?"

"Exactly," he said, smiling and obviously proud of himself.

"Well, then I think it'd only be fair to all of you to let you off with nothing more than cleaning the third-floor classrooms for the next week," she grinned.

They all looked at her with their mouths agape. "Seriously? That's all you're going to do to us?" Remus asked her.

"If you'd like more, I'm sure I can-"

"No, no," they all exclaimed at once.

McGonagall almost smiled at them. "Get to class, before I decide to give you more of a punishment."

Walking back to her classroom, Sirius whispered to James, "Is it just me, or is Minnie slipping a bit on punishments?"

"Either she's ready to be rid of us, or she really does like us and doesn't want to ruin the last couple weeks with us," James whispered back.

Walking into the classroom, James' eyes immediately found Lily's, who was looking at him with concern and love in her eyes. He smiled at her as Sirius started humming the wedding march.