Chapter 14: Recruitment

A/N I've finally made it. Yay! This chapter is basically the chapter I have been wanting to write the most since I started this sequel story. Mainly because I had already written some scenes for it, and I had so many notes for what I wanted to happen in this chapter. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I had fun writing it.
Also, as a side note because I forgot to mention it in the last chapter, the idea for the prank came from "Top 25 Pranks of the Marauders" by darshitshah009 on Wattpad. The food fight idea was also from that same story, so I appreciate the inspiration and the ideas.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything in this story that appears to come from anything Harry Potter related. The only thing that I own in this story is my OC, Jasmine, as well as the plot of this story.

Finally, NEWTs were over and done with and now the Marauder and Lily could finally relax and enjoy their final days at Hogwarts. Over the past couple weeks since the infamous portkey fiasco as it has been dubbed, the Marauders have been busy revising and studying for their NEWTs. Though, they are quite proud that students are still talking about their amazing prank even several weeks later. It was an amazing feeling to be the talk of the school.

Anyway, the Marauders and Lily were enjoying their time until their final end-of-term feast at Hogwarts by enjoying a nice day out by the Black Lake. They were lazing out under a tree just enjoying doing nothing for once after the weeks and weeks of revising and studying. It was nice to finally be able to enjoy themselves and not have to worry about exams or what the future held. They needn't worry, despite the fact that by this same time tomorrow, they would be heading back to London on the Hogwarts Express for the final time. It was actually quite a daunting thing to think about but something none of them really wanted to think about at the moment. Right now, they were enjoying living in the moment (and also the prospect of the food fight they would "accidentally start" later that night).

Eventually, it started to get dark, and the Marauders and Lily had to go back inside and get ready for their last end-of-term feast. This one was sure to be one none of them would soon forget, thanks in part to the food fight.

Soon enough, Lily, Jasmine, and the rest of the Marauders were heading down to the Great Hall for the last time (as far as they knew). All their stuff had been packed away in their trunks. James had gotten his owl from the owlery earlier. Overall, they were all set to leave Hogwarts the following morning and head out into the unknown scary world that awaited them.

The beginning of the end-of term feast was nice enough. The Marauders were joking around, and the girls were making plans to meet up soon. It was going well, at least until half-way through the feast, when suddenly out of nowhere, a dish floated up in the air and tipped over onto an unsuspecting Severus Snape (Sirius had to have his revenge after all). After that, a voice (read: James) shouted: "FOOD FIGHT!" and all hell broke loose. Suddenly food was flying across the hall in every which way. It was a mess, but also the best thing ever (for the students, not so much for Filch who was staring in horror at the mess he was going to have to clean up).

As the food fight continued, Filch got angrier and angrier because the longer it lasted the more of a mess it made for him to eventually clean up. The caretaker knew just who was responsible too, so he started to march toward the Gryffindor table where the Marauders were currently sitting. Sirius spotted Filch coming first and signaled to the others to initiate the next part of their plan, which was to basically scatter. And scatter they did, but as they did so, James made sure to "accidentally" drop the cleared Marauders' Map so that Filch would see it. He only hoped the caretaker would be more interested in the parchment than he was in catching them. Thankfully, that is exactly what happened. Instead of going after any of the boys or Jasmine, Filch decided to confiscate the parchment that had fallen out of James's pocket. He had assumed that it was something bad or at least something to do with their many pranks that irritated him to no end. Whatever it was, he was going to be keeping it in a safe place.

While Filch was distracted, the Marauders snuck out of the Great Hall to wait until the food fight had dies down a bit before they returned. Sirius was going to spend this time with Jasmine until he happened to notice his little brother Regulus sneaking out of the Great Hall. Regulus seemed to be looking for someone too, but Sirius couldn't be sure as to who it could be that is until Regulus spoke. "Sirius? I know you're out here. I need to speak with you."

Sirius had been hiding just around the corner with Jasmine in case Regulus was actually just coming out there to get them in trouble. Upon hearing his brother call for him, he stepped out from around the corner. "Reg, I'm right here. What is it you want to talk about?"

Regulus glanced around as if to check if anyone else was listening. "Not here. Come with me, please."

Sirius shot a glance back to where Jasmine was still hiding. He almost wanted her to come with, but he could feel that what his brother wanted to tell him, Regulus wouldn't talk about with Jasmine or anyone else around. So, Sirius nodded and followed Regulus outside of the castle into the cold night air.

As they walked, Regulus thought about why he was doing this. While he was sitting at the Slytherin table during the end-of-term feast before the food fight started, Regulus couldn't help but look over to the Gryffindor table where his brother was sitting. He saw Sirius was laughing and joking around with Potter and his other friends. He had his arm around Jasmine, whom he hadn't spoken too since before the Christmas holidays, which only further reminded Regulus as to why he wanted to talk to hie brother.

Regulus saw that Sirius was so happy, and that only made Regulus sadder. He hadn't spoken to Sirius much over the past term. He just always seemed to be incredibly busy. It made Reg miss Sirius in a way and almost made him wish that Sirius had never left home. It made Reg wish that Sirius hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor and be the first Black in history to ever be a Gryffindor. And well, maybe if he and Sirius had talked more before the Christmas holidays, Regulus wouldn't have needed to talk with Sirius right now. For that reason, among others, Regulus knew that he needed to talk to Sirius once again before he left for good. This would be the last chance that he would get to see his brother, at least for a long time, if at all.

As they approached the Black Lake, Regulus decided that they were far enough away from any prying ears and stopped just short of the shore of the lake. He looked up at his elder brother who was standing next to him, now, and before saying anything, Regulus double checked to make sure that they were in fact alone. He really didn't want anyone interrupting them or overhearing them. It appeared that they were alone, though. None of the Marauders had followed them out, including Jasmine at least as far as Regulus could tell.

So, once Regulus was sure the coast was clear, he took a seat on the ground. Then, he gestured for Sirius to join him on the ground. Soon the two brothers were sitting in companionable silence staring out at the Black Lake. It was several minutes before Regulus finally spoke up. "I'm going to miss you, Siri," Regulus admitted using the nickname he used for his elder brother when they were younger.

Sirius spoke up after a few minutes. "I'm going to miss you too, Reg. I wish I had taken you with me when I ran away and left that horrid house. I never wanted to leave you there."

Regulus smiled sadly at Sirius. "I wouldn't have gone with you, Siri. I couldn't have gone. I'm not like you Sirius. I'm not as brave. I'm no Gryffindor, despite what that dreaded hat might think."

This catches Sirius's attention. He isn't sure what Regulus means, and he is about to ask, but suddenly, James comes up and interrupts their moment.

The head boy had gone to find Sirius and Jasmine to tell them the coast was clear to go back into the Great Hall, but he hadn't found either of them where he thought they would be. And since they had already lost the map, James couldn't even check that to see where his two friends had gone. So, James went to look for them and decided to start by looking outside. He figured that they might have gone outside to have some alone time without any interruption. And so that is when James spotted Sirius sitting and talking with someone by the Black Lake, at least he thought it was Sirius. He couldn't be sure until he got closer since they were so far away, and it was dark outside. So, James slowly approached the two, and when he was sure it was Sirius, threw caution to the wind about who the other person was and walked right up to them, interrupting their conversation.

Meanwhile, unbeknownst to any of them, Jasmine was standing a little bit away from Sirius and Regulus as she followed them outside of the castle. She still didn't trust the Slytherin boy even if he was Sirius's brother. She didn't want anything to happen to Sirius. But she knew by Regulus's hesitation to tell Sirius whatever it was that she couldn't be seen. So, she had cast a disillusionment charm on herself once she was outside and moved slowly so she wouldn't be spotted. She hid in the shadows when James came and interrupted the moment between the Black brothers.

"Hey, Padfoot," James greeted. "What are you doing…" The question died in his throat upon seeing Regulus. James smiled at the younger Black, and just to mess with Sirius he winked at Regulus because he is just that type of person even if he is with Lily now. He couldn't miss a chance to mess with his best mate. James was so occupied with watching Sirius's reaction and Sirius was so busy glaring at James (both for interrupting their moment and winking at his brother) that neither of them saw the slight blush that crept onto Regulus's face after James winked at him. Jasmine didn't catch the blush either as she was too far away to see it. But she did slap herself on the forehead because she couldn't believe how stupid James was for interrupting them like that.

Eventually, James turned his attention back to the younger Black to greet him properly. "Hey, Reggie." James had always called Regulus, Reggie ever since he first met the boy on the train in their second year. 'Reggie' was James's personal nickname for the boy because he believed it pissed him off, and it did. Though at times, Regulus almost found it endearing, but he hated himself for thinking such a thing. It was annoying this slight attraction that he felt for Potter at times, especially when he wanted to hate James for corrupting his only brother.

Upon greeting the boy, James attempted to pull Sirius up and drag him away since they needed to get back to the Great Hall. They couldn't have it look suspicious that they were the only ones absent once the food fight was over. Plus, James still had to find Jasmine. But James's attempts were stopped as he finally realized that he interrupted something between the two brothers. So, he apologized, "Sorry, boys. Didn't mean to interrupt. I'll be going now. I just wanted to let you know that the coast is clear, Sirius. And also, to ask if you knew where Jazzy was, but I'll just find her on my own." James backed away from the brothers before finally turning away and heading back up to the castle. He resigned himself to being in the dark for the moment. He figured that Sirius would tell him about what happened with his brother later, but for now, James would keep it to himself. Since Sirius hadn't told them about his rendezvous with Regulus until this past year, James assumed he would want to keep this one quiet, at least for now. Anyway, James had other things to worry about like where Jasmine had wandered off too.

Instead of following James back into the castle, Jasmine decided to stay. This seemed more important than letting James waste time looking for her when she was actually just there. Jasmine would definitely have to ask James about what happened when he interrupted Regulus and Sirius. She was a bit too far away to hear anything really. The only reason she was staying was because she wanted to be there for Sirius afterward because she had a feeling that whatever Regulus wanted to tell his brother, would not be received well. Also, she wanted to make sure that Regulus didn't try anything, though she doubted that he would.

Sirius, once James was out of earshot, brought the conversation back to what they were talking about before James had rudely interrupted them. He turns and looks Regulus right in the eye and asks, "What did you mean by 'despite what that dreaded hat might think'? Are you trying to tell me that hesitation from the sorting hat during your sorting meant that you were almost sorted into Gryffindor?"

"What else did you think I meant, moron?"

Sirius stares at his younger brother. "What?!" He couldn't believe what he was just now learning about.

"Yeah, and I chose to go to Slytherin because I remember how our parents treated you after you were sorted into Gryffindor. I was only 11 years old, and I couldn't bear to go through the same abuse our parents put you through, so I told the hat to put me in Slytherin. I wish I hadn't. I wish I had been brave like you and stand up to our parents."

Sirius just stared at his younger brother for several minutes, not saying anything. He couldn't believe what his brother was telling him. He couldn't comprehend what he was being told. "Reg, it's okay. You were 11 years old after all and had seen what I had to go through for the past year. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone, especially not you, little brother." Sirius smiled sadly at his younger brother. "It's not too late, though, Reg. You don't have to keep staying in that house. You can come and stay with me and Jaz in the place we bought together."

Regulus smiled sadly at Sirius. "I wish I could, Siri, but it's too late now. I made some really bad choices that I wish I hadn't made now." Regulus looked around them to make sure no one else was watching. He hadn't noticed Jasmine who was still hidden by the disillusionment charm she had cast. Seeing no one, Regulus pulled up the sleeve of his robes. Sirius gasped upon seeing the dark mark upon his brother's arm. "You see, Sirius, I can't. I wish I could come live with you, but I just can't. I can't put you in that kind of danger even if I already put myself in that kind of danger."

Sirius could feel the tears prickling in his eyes, but he was determined not to cry, especially in front of his brother. "Oh, Reg!" Sirius pulled the other Black into a hug. "I wish you had told me about this before you went and did it." Sirius was regretting leaving Regulus behind when he ran away to the Potters. He had never felt more regret or guilt about his choice to leave Regulus than right at that moment.

"I know, Sirius. I wish I had too. I just got in too deep, and I didn't see another way. Plus you were a bit busy at the time what with you just having made up with Jasmine." Regulus hugged his brother back before pulling away. "I have to go Sirius, but I'm glad I got to see you one last time before you left." And with that Regulus got up and slipped back into the castle, with only James and Sirius (and Jaz) knowing that he was there.

After Regulus left and was safely back in the castle and out of sight, Jasmine reversed the disillusionment charm. Instead of waiting for Sirius to come to her, she walked over to him and took Regulus spot that he had only vacated moments ago. They sat in silence for quite a while before Sirius finally spoke up. "I've lost him, Jaz. Despite everything that I've tried to do to keep him away from all that darkness, it didn't work."

"Pads? What are you talking about? What happened? What did Regulus need to talk to you about?"

Sirius turned to Jasmine, a few tears having escaped by now, and he whispered, "He signed up with you-know-who. He got the mark of his followers, which based on what I heard from my cousin Bellatrix before I left is called a Dark Mark. There is nothing I can do for him now." And that is when Sirius broke. He cried into Jasmine as they sat there. It wasn't much longer before he stopped crying, knowing that they needed to get back to the Great Hall before they were caught. And as they slowly made their way back to the castle, Sirius told Jasmine everything. He needed to get it out and tell someone. He would later tell James about it as well, but that was it. They were the only two to know about his brother's appearance, and Sirius intended to keep it that way. He didn't need it getting out that Reg was questioning his loyalties to you-know-who. He was afraid for his brother's safety and wished that he had a way to get him out, though he was sure there was no way now without the man himself coming after them. For now, he would just have to worry at a distance. Hopefully, he wouldn't lose touch with Regulus all together.

By the time Sirius and Jasmine returned to the Great Hall, the food fight was basically over. What was left was a huge mess and tons of food everywhere. Most of the food that had been on the tables was on the walls and floors of the Great Hall. Basically, it was a disaster.

As soon as everyone had settled done some and most everyone was back in a seat if not their original seat, Dumbledore stood up and the whole hall quieted. "*Ahem* That was quite a way to end a term I must say. And I see some of you had more fun than others." Dumbledore glanced over at some of the students who were completely covered in food, lots of whom were Slytherins. "Despite all of that and the fact that this was an excellent way for you to let off steam, I expect this not to happen again. I best no see anyone attempt this in the future lest he or she face possible detention upon returning to Hogwarts. Also, they will be forced to clean up the Great Hall in its entirety without using magic. Thus, unless you want to face those consequences, this shall not happen again." Dumbledore smiled. "Though, for this time only, that won't be the case as I am unsure exactly who the perpetrator or perpetrators are, but I am sure that they, whoever they are, will not be attempting something like this again." And with that, Dumbledore waved his wand, and the mess was gone. He thought he would save the poor caretaker some work this time as the Great Hall was in a terrible state.

"On a separate note, it was a wonderful term. I look forward to seeing the returning students back here come September. Otherwise, I hope you all have a wonderful summer holiday." Dumbledore retook his seat. And as soon as he did, students started to file out of the Great Hall. Some would need to wash up before going to bed and others had a bit of last minute packing to do. The Marauders had planned to have one last night together in the Room of Requirement, something that before they left, Sirius promised to show them all. Little did all of them know, those plans would soon change once they reached the Gryffindor common room.

Upon entering the common room, James went up to the boys' dorm to get his invisibility cloak. They would need to be extra careful not to get caught since they no longer had the Marauders' Map. But upon entering the dorm room, James found letters on each of their beds with their names on them. So, he gathered all of them and took them down to the common room to the rest of the boys. "Hey, guys, I found these on our beds. Not sure who they are from but there is one addressed to each of us," James said to the boys.

James handed out the letter and the boys immediately opened them. Meanwhile, Lily looked over James's shoulder and Jasmine over Sirius's shoulder.

The Letter simply read:

Please report to the Headmaster's office as soon as you receive this letter.

It wasn't signed or anything. This not only confused but also worried the boys. "Do you think that he is actually going to punish us for that food fight? I thought he said he wouldn't be punishing anybody!" Peter stated rather nervously.

"If he was going to punish us Peter, Jazzy would have gotten a letter too," James said.

"Well, I don't know if I got a letter yet Prongs. I haven't actually checked my dorm yet," Jasmine said. Then she promptly went up to her dorm room only to find it empty with a letter on her bed as well as Lily's. She grabbed both and headed back to the common room. As she came down the stair she announced, "I got a letter too, but so did Lily. So, as long as hers says the same thing, I am sure that this isn't about the food fight." Jasmine handed Lily her letter as soon as she reached her cousin. Both ripped o pen the letters only to find the same message written on there as the boys had on theirs. "There, it i sn't about the food fight. But we best get down to Dumbledore's office. Guess the Room will have to wait until later."

And so the group exited the common room and headed toward the headmasters office. It didn't take long as they knew all the shortcuts to get there quickly. Though, as they approached the office, they realized that none of them actually knew the password to get up to Dumbledore's office. It turned out they didn't need to know though as when they reached the entrance it opened for them as if it was waiting for them. Soirée was odd, but even so the six Gryffindors still headed up the stairs to find out what this mysterious meeting was about.

Upon entering Dumbledore's office, they found they weren't the only 7th years to receive a mysterious note from the headmaster. Also in the office we're Lily and Jasmine's dorm mates (Marlene, Alice, and Mary). There were also a few scattered students from Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw as well as a few other Gryffindors. There weren't any Slytherins there though, and hey were about to find out why when Dumbledore appeared coming down the steps in his office.

"Welcome, welcome. I'm so glad you all could make it. I see you all received my letter. I apologize for any confusion they may have caused, but you see I needed to keep this meeting a secret thus the late hour and the unsigned notes. I wouldn't want anyone else outside this room to know about this." Dumbledore paused and smiled before continuing. "Now as for why I've called you all here. Well, now that is quite simple. As I'm sure you all know, a war is being fought outside these walls. And well, there is a group I have established called the Order of the Phoenix. I'm telling you this because I want to extend an invitation to each of you to join the Order and fight against Voldemort and his followers. I've chosen you all specifically because you are the best and the Order would be lucky to have you join us.

"Now you don't have to give me your answer tonight, but I expect an answer within the next week. If you don't give an answer tonight, you may owl me. Otherwise, you all are dismissed. I expect you to go straight back to your dorms after you leave." Dumbledore glanced over at the Marauders before saying that last bit. A twinkle could be seen in his eye as he smiled at them.

As soon as Dumbledore was finished talking, chatter broke out amongst the students who were present. Many of the student were debating amongst themselves about whether they should accept Dumbledore's invitation/proposal. Many were on the fence and decided to sleep on it. They figured a clear head would give them the clarity to make the decision they felt was best. Other students thought about it and gave their answers to the headmaster before they left his office. That included Mary, Alice, and Marlene, all of whom accepted Dumbledore's invitation to join the Order. Alice had already knew she would join as Frank was also in the order.

Soon everyone was gone and all that were left were the Marauders and Lily. Now they hadn't stayed because they still hadn't decided. No, rather they had all taken one look at each other after Dumbledore announced his invitation and all knew immediately what their answers would be. They had actually only stayed because they wanted to give their answer to Dumbledore after everyone had left. They liked the headmaster, and rather than offhandedly give him their answer, they wanted to make it more sincere. So, they waited until they were the last ones left.

Once the 6 of them were all that were left, they approached Dumbledore. James grabbed Lily's hand and Sirius grabbed Jasmine's as they approached the Headmaster's desk. As head boy and head girls, James and Lily stepped forward. As they did so, Sirius gave Jaz's hand a little squeeze. "Dumbledore, we have decided we would all be honored to join the Order and fight the good fight," Lily said, rather proudly.

Dumbledore smiled, "I figured you 6 would join. Now there a few things that you must know, but we will go over those things at the first meeting you all come to. I'm sure Mad-Eye will appreciate some more skilled duelers to help with missions and such. Otherwise, I will send you all messages on when that meeting will be, so be on the lookout. It won't come by owl though. I fear owls can be intercepted. Rather it will come in a different for, just be prepared for the message. Otherwise, you may all go back to Gryffindor tower. It was a pleasure being your Headmaster." The 6 of them started to head out, when Dumbledore remembered something. "Oh, Miss Dupont, would you mind staying back for a moment. I have something I would like to discuss with you before you go."

Jasmine glanced over a Sirius. She kind of wanted him to stay. She was getting nervous and quite anxious about what lie ahead. She couldn't quite wrap her head around the fact that she was leaving Hogwarts for good. And well, having Sirius just be there has really helped assure her that everything is going to be fine. As long as she had him, everything would be alright. Though, given Dumbledore only asked her to stay, Jasmine reluctantly let go of Sirius's hand. She shot him a look that hopefully conveyed 'I'm going to be alright.' And with that the only people left in the headmaster's office were Dumbledore and Jasmine.

"Come, child. Take a seat." Dumbledore smiled and motioned toward the chair across from his desk. "You needn't be nervous. I just wanted to have a chat. I haven't actually been able to talk to you much since you started here 3 years ago. I hope Hogwarts was as accommodating as Beauxbatons. I know it's not the same, but I hope you at least enjoyed your time here while it lasted."

Jasmine hadn't been expecting this topic of conversation but indulged in it, nonetheless. "Sir, it was wonderful. I almost don't want to leave. I think I've enjoyed my three years here almost more than I enjoyed my time at Beauxbatons. That's not to say that I didn't love Beauxbatons, but rather that I met some of my best friends here. I wouldn't trade my time here for anything else in the world."

"Ah, yes. I see. And from what I have observed, you have also met what I can only assume is the love of your life. You and Mr. Black have something special; I can tell. He loves you very much from what I've seen." Dumbledore smiled. "Though, that is not why I wanted to speak with you, but as I look at the time, it seems a bit too late. I will have to speak with you about this another time. So, off to bed with you, Miss Dupont. You don't want to be tired for your train ride back to London tomorrow."

Dumbledore started to usher Jasmine out of his office. "Wait, but what was it that you wanted to talk with me about? Please, I would like to know before I go to bed."

Dumbledore sighed. "Dear girl, if you don't know that, then I see we didn't really have anything to talk about. I just assumed you might know something about your father's work. I see that is not the case." Dumbledore smiled sadly before closing his door, leaving Jasmine to ponder outside about what he meant about her knowing something about her father's work. She thought about it all the way back to Gryffindor tower. She would have to see what the others thought about this parting thought Dumbledore left her with in the morning. Too bad they never got the chance to go to the Room of Requirement. Maybe they would come back some day when their children were at Hogwarts, and then Jasmine and Sirius could show there friends the Room. And with that parting thought, Jasmine entered the Gryffindor common room and found her friends waiting for her.

"What are you all still doing up? It is quite late. We should probably get to bed," Jasmine told them.

They had all been sitting around the fireplace with their backs to the entrance, all except Sirius who was watching the entrance waiting for Jasmine to appear. When she did appear, Sirius stood up and started walking toward her. Everyone else stayed seated but turned toward Jaz as she spoke. Sirius, walking toward her, answered her question though. "We we're waiting for you. What did Dumbledore want to talk to you about?" Sirius asked, as he led Jasmine over to the fireplace where everyone else was. She took a seat on Sirius's lap. She really needed to be close to him, especially after Dumbledore had just brought up her father.

Upon taking her seat, Jasmine "answered" her boyfriend's question. "Well, I planned on telling you all on the train tomorrow morning. I assumed you would have all gone to bed. It is quite late and after all, we don't want to oversleep."

Sirius sighed as did Lily. Jasmine was obviously avoiding the question, which meant that Dumbledore asked her about something personal. And given how much Jaz was cuddling into Sirius, the headmaster likely asked her something about her family. Given that, Sirius figured they would have to wait until morning to get their answer as to what Dumbledore asked Jasmine about. So, instead of pushing her, they all said goodnight and headed up to their dorm rooms for the last time, all except Sirius and Jasmine. Sirius couldn't actually leave until Jaz got up off of him, but he didn't mind. Rather he shooed the rest of them away until it was just the two of them left in the common room.

Once they were alone, Sirius whispered in Jaz's ear, "Mare, love, would you rather sleep in our dorm room tonight or your own bed?"

Jasmine smiled and lifted her head up from Sirius's chest to look him in the eye. "See that right there is one of the many reasons I love you, Sirius Black." Jasmine said. "But that said despite how much I would love to cuddle with you tonight, I really want to sleep with the girls. It's the last time I'll get to do so. Soon you'll have me all to yourself, but for tonight, I'd like to sleep in my own bed." And with that, Jasmine got up off Sirius.

Jaz turned and helped Sirius up before pulling him in for a kiss goodnight. As they broke apart, Sirius whispered on her lips, "I love you too Jasmine Dupont." And then they parted ways and headed up to their dorm rooms for the last time ever (or so they thought).

Jasmine fell asleep with thoughts about Sirius and her father. What Dumbledore had said had really gotten to her and she just could shake the feeling that there was more to her father's feather than what she had been told.

It wasn't long before the 7th years were heading to the train station at Hogsmeade via the boats as they had their first year coming to Hogwarts. Now Jasmine had never been on the boats as she had taken the carriages up to Hogwarts when she first arrived, so this whole thing was a new experience for her. And what an experience it was. She finally got a view of the whole Hogwarts castle (at least for the most part). It was absolutely breathtaking and something she wished she could have seen earlier. And whole Jasmine was taking in this whole new experience, Sirius was right by her side, holding her hand. He was admire Jasmine and all of her beauty, which was really something as he watched her awe over her first time on the boats. Also in the boat with them were Lily and James. Not far behind them in another boat we're Remus and Peter with Mary and Marlene.

Before they all knew it though, their boat ride was complete, and they had officially left Hogwarts for good. It was a sad moment, and they would miss the wizardry school, but what they gained from their time would be something none of them would soon forget.

Not long after the Hogwarts Express was off, and they were headed back to London. And as the 6 of them all sat there in the compartment, they all shared, 5 of them all had one thing on there mind: 'What had Dumbledore wanted to talk to Jasmine about?' They would soon get their answer.

About a half an hour into their journey, Jasmine decided they had waited long enough. "Okay, I know you all are wondering what it is Dumbledore wanted to talk to me about. And you see, even I'm not clear about what he wanted to talk to me about. He didn't actually end up talking to me about anything much. Just apologized for not getting much of a chance to speak with me during my time at Hogwarts. Also, he mentioned that I was luckily to have found Sirius, or something to that effect. It was basically all small talk, that is until the end. He didn't actually tell me at first why he wanted to speak with me. He actually dismissed me and told me to go to bed that we would speak at a later time. But I couldn't just leave like that. I had to know why he possibly wanted to speak with me. And that is when he left me with a rather peculiar statement. He said that if I didn't know that then I wouldn't have been any help, anyway. He apparently wanted to speak with me about my father's work. But therein lies the problem. I don't actually know what my papa did for a living. No one ever told me and I don't even know if my mother ever actually knew. I never really thought about that much either, especially since I was so young when I lost him." Jasmine started to tear up a little toward the end. She tried to hold back the tears, but couldn't stop them from falling, which is when Sirius pulled her into a hug/cuddle and comforted her. Eventually the tears stopped, and Jasmine fell asleep on top of Sirius, leaving them all with a thought as to what could Jasmine's father have possibly done for a living that would draw Dumbledore's attention. But in the end that was a thought for another day.

As far as the future goes, though, most of the Marauders had big plans. Obviously Sirius and Jasmine as well as James and Lily were planning on staying together post-Hogwarts. With Jasmine and Sirius, they had already bought that house they had talked about getting months ago. It was hopefully going to be money well spent. Though, they had no immediate plans to move their relationship to the next level past living together. Both were still a bit insecure about themselves. Also, neither thought they would be ready for marriage, if they even would because at the moment both of them believed they were still too broken too be a good spouse for the other. So, for now, they planned on hopefully enjoying their time living together in a house they could call their own. Plus, given the magical promise rings on both their fingers, they both were in this for the long haul. Before they move in together though, Jasmine is going to spend a few days with her aunt and uncle. She also needs to pack her stuff up as well.

In terms of James and Lily, well they had been occasionally looking at places to possibly get together. And out of the few places they have looked at, Lily really likes this cut little place in Godric's Hollow. It's a cute, quaint little place that Lily adores and to top it off, it's in a wizard oh neighborhood, which was a big draw for James. They haven't bought it yet, or at least that is what Lily thinks. However, James. Bought the house already and plans to surprise Lily with it in a few days. For now, Lily is going to head back home to see her parents. Her and James have plans to meet up in a couple days for a date, which is when he will surprise her with the house. James thinks it is the perfect plan and has been so excited to see Lily's reaction to his surprise.

Meanwhile, Remus and Peter weren't actually sure what they were going to do after Hogwarts. Peter hadn't really discussed his plans with the others. While Remus was in a bit of a predicament as it was hard for werewolves to get a job in the wizarding world. That was mainly due to the fact that they were scared of werewolves and at the moment there was no cure for them. It was going to be a rough life for Remus and he didn't have much money to begin with. Though, James has told him multiple times since he had plenty of money that he was more than willing to help Remus out. Remus is one of his best mates, so of course he would offer his own help. James knows how difficult being a werewolf is for Remus. The only problem with James's generosity is Remus's stubborn pride. Remus has protested James's offer to help Remus out by at least helping him get a flat. Eventually though by the end of the year, Remus finally relented to James and agreed to accept some help to obtain a flat after they leave Hogwarts. So, now reluctantly Remus has a flat thanks to James. He swears to only let James help him at first. Remus isn't about to take advantage of James's generosity and help.

So, as far as they all know, everyone has a plan for what they are doing as soon as they get back to London. Once they step off the Hogwarts Express for the last time, they know that is not the last time they will see each other. They have made friendships that will last a lifetime and they don't plan on losing something that special anytime soon.

Though, there is still some doubt about Peter, especially from Jasmine when halfway through the train ride (after she has woken back up), she remembers her plan to watch Peter. Upon realizing that is not what she did, Jasmine shoots a quick glance over at Peter, who doesn't notice. Thankfully no one else noticed Jasmine glance either. They were a bit busy reminiscing over their time at Hogwarts, back over the early days before Jasmine joined them. So, while they all did that, Jasmine silently cursed herself for forgetting about her plan. She almost couldn't believe that she had, but then she remembered just how busy and hectic the beginning of this last school year was. So, really, she couldn't blame herself for forgetting about Peter. Anyone else would have probably forgot about it as well under those circumstances.

Despite all of that, Jasmine would keep an eye on Peter. She wasn't sure whether to trust him. And she couldn't bring this up to the others because well she didn't actually have any proof that Peter was actually up to anything. After all, it could have just been a case of wrong place wrong time. Or Peter could have been being bullied by those Slytherins. Which is why Jaz had planned on watching Peter, but since that was now out of the question, Jaz would just be leery around Peter. But soon Jasmine would forget all about her suspicions about Peter as the Marauders and Lily continued to reminisce. Jasmine learned a lot about her friends lives before she graced them with her presences, and well, she enjoyed hearing about it. She had only gotten glimpses of it from Lily's perspective when she was at Beauxbatons. It was a wonderful time as they filled the rest of the ride back to London with their various stories. Jasmine even shared a few stories from her time at Beauxbatons.

Before any of them were really ready, they arrived back in London and got off the Hogwarts Express for the final time. As they stood on Platform 9¾, the group turned and gave a short wave to the train that held so many memories for them including the memory of meeting Jasmine for the first time. Then together, they walked out of the station and into the unknown.

A/N Gah! I finally did it. I finished this story. I am so very happy because I have so many more ideas for the next story/book. That one, at the moment, has tentatively been named "From Hogwarts [Going] Onward" or "The Journey Onwards." I'm still not sure about the title, so if you like either of those titles or you have a better on, let me know in the comments.
I will say, this story did take a bit longer to write than the last story (or so it felt). That being said, I think I am going to write at least a few chapters of the next story (which will go until James and Lily's death) before I post anything to that story. I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of this chapter and the whole story. Also, the sequel to this story will take place almost immediately after the end of this story (maybe give or take a few days?)

Until the sequel,
Knk6700