Chapter Six

"I CANT FIND MY WAND!" Sirius yelled running around the manor kitchen opening random draws causing the house elves to watch him nervously.

Remus sniggered as he bit down on a chocolate, his packed trunk had been ready for days. "Serves you right, every year you leave it till the day we leave-" But he was cut off as a rather sharp object came flying towards him and he had to leap out the way.

Mrs Potter stopped the knife in mid air looking slightly disapproving, "That wasn't nice Sirius." She couldn't help smiling when he shot her a guilty smile.

"I'm sorry Mrs P, its just I need my wand. We leave in a few minutes." Sirius whined running a hand through his smooth hair.

"It's a good job that I stopped by to say goodbye before I left for work. Claire gave me this, she found it by the pool, stuck in the ceiling. I don't even want to know how," She smiled fondly giving him his wand that she had hidden behind her back.

Sirius sighed with relief and hugged her warmly, "You Mrs P. Are amazing. Any chance you might have a change of heart and become Mrs B instead of Mrs P?" She blushed slightly and swatted him away.

"Your charms don't work on me Sirius, try them on someone who was born in the same decade as you." She kissed his cheek and walked over to Remus hugging him tightly. "You be good to Amber, she is a sweetheart."

Remus nodded, "I will. Take care, see you soon." He promised.

Sirius slumped in the chair next to his friend and pulled an exasperated expression. "Please, can you not just take us to the station. We will be really quick." He promised pouting in the way a small child would.

Smiling sadly Elizabeth Potter shook her head, "I'm afraid not boys, the office is going mad at the moment."

"It feels like we haven't seen you all summer." He moaned stealing one of Remus's sweet snacks.

"All the more reason to look forward to Christmas." She replied kissing the top of his head. "Now behave! Its your last year and I do not want any more letters telling me you boys blew up the girls bathroom."

Sirius snorted making the cookie crumbs fly out of his mouth, Remus smiled fondly at the memory, "To be fair that was an accident."

"I don't care. Behave boys. Have a lovely year!"

On Elizabeth's search to find her son she found Poppy sitting on the window seat outside her room. She was staring out to the lake with a distant expression. "Poppy Anneliese, you should smile my lovely girl." Having known Poppy since she was young, Elizabeth found it necessary to adopt her as the daughter she never had.

"Hello Aunt Lizzy, I was just thinking." She said smiling faintly.

Mrs Potter perched on the edge opposite her and pulled a hair from her face. "Your mother told me about the arrangement." She said softly.

Poppy looked up slightly surprised. "Oh. I didn't think she was telling people."

"She isn't. I contacted her after seeing you weren't yourself. I know you my dear." The older woman teased.

There was a slight pause as Poppy blinked back tears, it felt good to have someone finally on her side. "I don't know what to do." She admitted in a chocked voice.

Elizabeth put a hand on her knee and pulled her into a motherly hug. "Whatever you choose you have a home with us. I do know there is a boy in this house who would be lost without you. Just let things happen."

She nodded pulling away from James' mother with a slightly brighter smile. "I just don't know what is the right decision."

"Sometimes there aren't right and wrong choices. Just difficult ones." Elizabeth said wisely. "You should enjoy this year. I can tell it will be a good one."

"Please come to the station Aunt Lizzy," Poppy pouted.

It was hard for Elizabeth, out of the six years she had only ever waved James off twice. And as the years past she found her goodbyes had grown as James friends began to feel as if they were her children as well. It was one of the worst times for the Auror office because of the weaknesses of travel so she could never get time off.

"Poppy, don't make this hard on me. You know I want to." Poppy squeezed her hand.

"I wish my mother was more like you at times, I don't know what I'd do without you." Elizabeth Potter felt her chest tighten for the poor girl, she couldn't imagine what she was going through.

Not knowing what to say, she hugged Poppy tightly. "You have always been my daughter my dear. And you always will be. As much as I love my dear James and Sirius, I love having a honourary daughter."

"Thank you." Poppy held back the tears that were swelling in her eyes.

"And please look after James and Lily, that girl needs all the love she can get at the moment, and I know my son doesn't always go about things the right way."

…

"Look who it is." Remus said glancing out at the student standing outside their carriage.

A boy with flat black hair glared through the window at the four friends as he walked past. Severus Snape was already dressed in his robes, he followed Regulus and Bellatrix Black. "You reckon he's got the mark yet?" Sirius pondered.

"Probably." James scowled. He remembered the thankless rescue from last year and shivered. "Lets just leave him this year."

Sirius looked as if he was about to argue but Remus kicked him in the shin. "I think that's sensible."

"Fine." Sirius whined rolling his eyes. "I guess this means we can focus more of our Marauder efforts on Regulus this year then."

Peter who had been staring out the window finally looked back at his friends. "Are we still doing the train prank this year?"

Sirius gasped dramatically. "But of course Wormtail, its tradition."

"Tradition for you to be unprepared." Remus countered rolling his eyes. "I managed to find the glitter you were supposed to bring."

"You'd miss my traditions." Sirius said with a shit-eating grin.

"Are we all set for it?" James asked tapping his wand gently making gold sparks sprinkle out of the end.

Remus nodded. "Yes, we just need to be ready ten minutes before."

"What would we do without you Moony?"

"I think the school might burn down." Remus said seriously making the other Marauders laugh. "Wait, that was second year."

"Lets make this year the best yet." James smiled looking at the rolling hills that were flying by. "We want to be remembered."

Sirius gasped. "Prongs, we are already going to go down in history at Hogwarts."

A tap at the glass made them all turn. Lily stood at the door frowning at the four boys. "Oh crap, I forgot we had that Head thing. Evans is going to kill me."

"Be back in time!" Sirius warned as James left the cabin.

Lily frowned crossing her arms under her chest. "Potter, this Head boy position isn't some joke."

He winced. "It honestly isn't to me, I just forgot."

"Right. Just hurry up." Lily sighed walking towards the cabin for the prefects.

"What is it we are doing again?"

She hadn't glared at him like that since the end of their sixth year and it didn't give him the same satisfaction annoying her anymore. "Sorry." Her gaze softened in a way it hadn't before.

"We just need to give a short introduction to the prefects. Give a short talk and give out some duties. We will be fine." She rubbed the slight crease out of her robes.

"Are you convincing me or yourself? You'll smash this Evans." The kind words made her hand tremble slightly as she went to open the compartment. She wasn't used to James being so openly honest.

The meeting went far smoother than James had expected. To say the group adored Lily would be an understatement. Aside from a few students from Slytherin they stared at Lily with nothing but admiration. She was confident as she spoke of the plans for the upcoming year with the balance of kindness whenever someone asked a question.

A young Hufflepuff boy who initially looked nervous gazed at Lily with a wide smile. He kept nodding at everything she said. James partly wondered if he looked at Lily the same way. She was so strong. A natural leader. He had slipped in a few comments here and there making the group laugh but he let Lily control the talk. She was in her element.

"You were incredible Lily." He said as soon as they were alone and leaving the carriage.

Lily flushed and smiled back. She was still trying to get used to the way he switched between her first and last name. "You aren't just saying that?"

"I never give compliments I don't mean."

Instead of arguing with him over the statement she walked with him back to the carriages. It was the comfortable kind of silence that she had with very few people, it must be due to the time they spent together over summer.

They reached his carriage first. "See you in our dorm later. You really did a great job."

"Our dorm?" She questioned but he was already gone. Strange. Their interactions were becoming increasingly confusing to Lily. A lot of the time he was still the cocky confidant boy she had known from first year, only recently he had started to show her a softer side. One were he seemed genuine, patient and who actually seemed interested in what she had to say. James Potter was now an enigma her thoughts always seemed to circle back to him.

"Red?"

Only one person called her that.

She turned in shock and amusement. "Aidan?!"

He was standing there, in plain black robes with the widest grin she had seen from him. "You are here?"

"I am here." A bemused laugh came from him. "Not happy to see me?" Doubt had started to seep into his voice.

"Of course I am. Just so surprised. Come here." She jumped into a tight from him. He had been her rock through summer when she wasn't sure she had anyone else. Leaving him had been so difficult she was delighted to know it wasn't the last time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" The brightness in her voice seemed to eliminate the flicker of doubt.

"I wanted it to be a surprise!" She hugged him again and felt the safety of his arms around her waist.

"It is. And it's the best surprise ever. I can't wait for you to see Hogwarts!" Part of her was slightly jealous he got to experience the magical moment for the first time. It had been a memory she kept so closely she could picture it perfectly.

Aidan wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "And I cannot wait for you to show me everything Red."

"Come on, you can come meet the girls! They'd love to meet you and Poppy will be there."

James sat in his compartment glaring at the exchange happening before his eyes. They were less than a meter away from him and the happy mood had been sucked from him the moment he saw Aidan Daniels. Lily's reaction had felt like a physical punch to the stomach.

"Prongs?" Wormtail questioned. He was the only one that didn't know about Aidan.

"Looks like we've found our next target for this year." Sirius nudged him.

James didn't react. He just shrugged as he watched them walk away together. "He had to turn up."