September 1st marked the first day of the Marauders seventh and final year at Hogwarts. For all the seventh year students it was a time to be happy, as well as a time to be sad and nostalgic. It marked the end of an era in their lives. And while the Marauders pretending to be ecstatic about leaving, deep down they all knew that they were going to miss the hallowed halls of Hogwarts in which they had ruled. They were even going to miss the teachers.
But out of all the wonderful things that Remus loved about Hogwarts, the thing he was going to miss the most was seeing his best friend's everyday. He knew they would still talk, they were all too close to let their relationship completely fall apart, but talking and seeing each other every so often wasn't the same as seeing the people you cared about everyday. James put it the best when he said 'Graduation is just like an extended summer holiday only with different seasons."
Remus sighed as he heaved his bags into an empty compartment on the Hogwarts express. This would be the last time he voyaged to the school, he thought to himself as he gazed out the window, waiting for his friends to come aboard.
He had arrived at the station early only to find out that there would be no Prefect meeting on the train this year, instead they would meet with Professor McGonagall later that night. Remus laughed to himself. James had been selected as Head Boy - James Potter! Who could believe that James Potter would be Head Boy? - Which Sirius had teased him mercilessly about. Everyone had thought that Remus would get the honor, but he wasn't at all sorry.
"Moony! Been looking everywhere for you!" Sirius exclaimed as the door to the compartment slid open and James, Sirius, and Peter all entered. Remus smiled widely at his friends.
"Smart man," said James as he took the seat nearest to the door while looking up and down the hallway in search of someone (probably Lily). "Thought you'd come and save us a seat than?"
Peter shut the door and earned a glare from James. "Sorry mate," Peter said apologetically as Sirius laughed out loud.
"Seriously Prongs, could you get any more desperate? Starring down the corridor for a glimpse at your dear flower-" Sirius was cut off by a quick smack in the stomach from a glaring James.
Oh how Remus had missed his friends over the summer. He leaned back in his seat smirking as he watched Sirius and James playfully beat each other while hurling insults back and forth. Peter clapped his hands in glee.
The four boys were soon interrupted when the compartment door opened again. Both Sirius and James stopped mid punch and starred stupidly at the four girls in the doorway. Remus smiled.
Adriana, Circe, Lily, and Kelsey all made their way into the compartment. Adriana immediately took the seat next to Remus and she smiled up at him as he put his arm around her. Kelsey, who looked nervous as always, timidly sat down next to Peter and shyly smiled at everyone in the compartment. Both Circe and Lily stood in the middle of the compartment, Circe desperately trying to catch Sirius's eye who had decided to ignore her completely and stare out the window, and Lily looking annoyed because it looked like she was going to have to sit next to James.
"Bullocks!" Circe muttered, not caring that everyone – except for Sirius – was now eyeing her strangely. She determinedly walked over and stood in front of Sirius and James. "Mind scooting down a bit Potter?" She asked, sitting down in between the two friends as James began to laugh hysterically, smirking at his best friend. Adriana and Circe all looked up at Lily who was starring at James's chest in complete shock, obviously looking at the Head Boy pin that was attached to his clothes.
"They made you Head Boy?!" Lily exclaimed, and then blushed when she realized how rude she sounded. Remus suppressed a laugh as James frowned. If anyone other than Lily had been so disbelieving he would have had some rude things to say right back, but since it was Lily he just looked disappointed.
"So it would seem," James said coolly, earning a shocked look from everyone in the compartment. James had never been 'cool' to Lily, and Remus wondered briefly if his friend was over her.
James had really matured over the summer and since the end of sixth year he had stopped acting like such a prat all the time (except when it came to his best friends and Snape). Maybe with this newfound maturity came the end of James Potter's love for Lily Evans.
Remus sincerely doubted it.
Suddenly the train started moving, jerkily at first, and Lily was sent flying into James's lap. Adriana burst out laughing and Remus felt the movement against his side and smiled. Lily, blushing furiously, crawled off of James's lap and took the seat next to him. Both Head Boy and Head Girl sat awkwardly as they stared at the floor in front of themselves. James was definitely not over her, Remus thought to himself.
Everyone was quiet and Remus looked around the compartment at his friends. Peter and Kelsey began to speak to one another quietly and Lily joined in. Sirius still sat rigidly, anger radiating from his body as he stared out the window. Remus frowned. He didn't know exactly what, but something had happened before the train ride as they left Hogwarts last year between Circe and Sirius and he knew that whatever it had been it had upset his friend greatly. Remus's lycanthropy allowed him to hear Circe as she whispered quietly to Sirius, trying to get his attention.
Remus decided it would be rude to eavesdrop and he turned to look at Adriana whom he realized was smiling up at him. "Hi,"
"Hey there Lupin," Adriana whispered as she settled herself closer against his side.
He had missed her immensely over the summer, even though they had visited twice and sent each other owls virtually every night. He loved her so much, and was glad that a new school year had started and he would now be able to see her every day.
"Did you have a good trip getting here?" Remus asked, as he breathed in the scent of her hair. She hadn't altered her appearance at all which made Remus happy as he hated it when she changed herself. Her beautiful brown curls were pulled back in a pony and he brushed a stray one off her cheek.
Adriana opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted suddenly. Everyone turned to look at Sirius who was standing up now and finally looking at an extremely shocked Circe.
"Sod off will you? Just leave me the bloody hell alone!" Sirius didn't spare another glance at anyone as he turned abruptly and walked out of the compartment, slamming the door behind him. Circe stared gaping as everyone turned their eyes to her. While at first she looked like she was about to cry, anger soon sparked to life in her eyes and she stood up angrily, following Sirius.
After the door closed gently behind Circe, Remus instantly looked to James who turned to look at him at the same time. Sirius's behavior came as a complete shock to them. Instantly, Remus wondered if whatever it was that had happened last year was much more serious than either he or James had thought. It must have been if Sirius was treating Circe so horribly, after all, Sirius was in love with Circe.
"What was that all about?" Kelsey spoke up for the first time, and than lowered her eyes so that she was starring at the floor when everyone turned to look at her.
"Black is such a prat," Lily said as she looked to the door, as if willing to see Circe and Sirius.
James turned and scowled at her, another thing that never happened. "He is not, it's bloody Bloom who's the problem."
Remus, although he wouldn't say it out loud because his girlfriend was Circe's best friend, agreed with James. Circe had been really hard on Sirius and had basically strung him around through all of sixth year. And while he considered Circe a friend, if she was going to treat Sirius like that, it was about time that Sirius got over her.
"Of course you would think that," Lily glared at James who only glared back. "You're just like him."
"I'd rather be just like him than anything like you," James said before turning away from Lily's shocked face and striking up a conversation with Peter.
Remus was extremely shocked for the second time that day. If things were as they appeared, James had finally given up on Lily, and he was not trying to hide it.
Adriana coughed in the face of the awkward moment and Remus looked from James, to Lily, and than finally to Ri. "That was odd," mouthed Adriana and Remus nodded.
The door to the compartment slid open again and Remus opened his mouth to welcome back Circe and Sirius when he was suddenly surprised by the people in the doorway. It was not Circe or Adriana coming back to the apartment as Remus had expected, but three of the least likely people to ever stop by the Marauders compartment.
Severus Snape, Alexia Dreyfuss, and Marcus Zalphin all stood in the door way, glaring scathingly at the Marauders.
"Having a good time?" Sneered Marcus, as he eyed the compartment with a look of absolute bored disinterest. Remus saw Marcus watch Adriana out of the corner of his eye and his hand instantly went to his wand.
Snape, Dreyfuss, and Zalphin were all in seventh year in the house of Slytherin and none of them were particularly well liked by the Gryffindors. Both Sirius and James deeply loathed Snape, and while Marcus wasn't nearly as bad as the rest of the Slytherin house, he was still an annoying jerk. Alexia was an evil girl who never hesitated to get people into trouble, she and Marcus were dating, but the two rarely hung around Snape who usually kept to himself.
Now that Remus thought about it, why were they hanging out with Snape?
"We were," James said, mimicking the haughty bored look that Marcus was using, and doing a much better job of it. He arched a brow, as if waiting for them to try anything.
Snape sneered and Remus noticed that he had his wand gripped tightly. He was obviously afraid that James was going to hex him while he also appeared to be resisting the urge to attack James.
"Can we help you?" Adriana asked, annoyance evident in her voice as she glared at Alexia. Both girls hated each other. Alexia hated Adriana because Ri was a Metamorphmagus, and Adriana hated Alexia because Alexia was a "dumb, unimpressive, stupid whore".
Marcus turned so that he was facing Adriana and he smiled slowly at her, silkily speaking to her, "I'm sure you could," Remus's grip tightened on his wand and his knuckles went white. He was so sure that Zalphin was hitting on his girlfriend and he had to tramp down the urge to hex him.
"Doubt it," Adriana said scathingly, putting her hand on Remus's thigh to show that she was taken. Remus smiled as Marcus looked down at Ri's hand and scowled.
"Where's your other half?" Spat Snape as he glared at James, not daring to take his eyes off him in case James decided to attack.
James laughed mockingly and tilted his head. "Why? Afraid we're going to ambush you Snivellus?"
"Shut up Potter!" Snape said, bringing the hand that was clutching his wand higher up in a threatening gesture.
James, pretending to cower in fear which brought a laugh out of Peter, spoke "Ooh, I'm so scared."
Snape seemed to be about to say something when Marcus suddenly turned around. "Let's leave, this isn't nearly as amusing as I had thought it would be."
Snape glared once more and backed out of the room, obviously not wanting to turn his back on James. As Marcus left the room he put his arm around Alexia. He stopped in the doorway and turned to look once more at Adriana. "Maybe one day you can help me Finn ... I'd definitely appreciate it." He winked at her and closed the door behind them.
"That stupid, slimy, wanker! I ought to hex-" Remus's tirade was stopped when Adriana kissed him lightly on the lips. He stopped glaring at the door and looked down at her, releasing his grip on his wand.
"Ignore him," Adriana whispered up at Remus.
Lily laughed once and everyone turned to look at her. "That's got to be a first," she said, laughing again.
"What?" Kelsey asked Lily, as everyone looked at the redhead while she continued laughing.
"James Potter and Severus Snape, both in a room together and neither one hexing the other? Must be some kind of record." Lily answered, laughing again and looking at James.
James smirked and looked down at Lily. "Do I get a prize?" He asked teasingly, for once giving up an opportunity to ask out Lily Evans.
Lily shrugged, appearing confused that he hadn't asked her out. James always asked her out.
The rest of the train ride went on in peace, although neither Sirius or Circe returned to the compartment. Remus sincerely hoped that they had made up and come to some sort of agreement between the two of them.
And when the train ride ended and the group of Gryffindors made their way towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Remus smiled sadly to himself. This was going to be their last year, but while it was destined to be the last, Remus vowed that it was also going to be the best.
A/N: I made this chapter a long one in hopes that it would make up for the lack of chapters that I am going to post for the next two months. Hope you enjoy it ... and pay attention to Marcus Zalphin .. he will definately be appearing later on whether you love him or hate him ... foreshadowing!! Thanks for my lovely reviewers!!