James' feet slammed into the grassy pitch as Madam Hooch's whistle blew, signalling the end of the match. Sirius landed beside him, leapt off his broom, and grabbed him in a bear hug, whooping.

"We did it! We won!"

The crowd roared as the rest of the Gryffindor Quidditch team landed and threw their arms around one another. Peregrine Flint hoisted Parvana Patil onto his shoulders, and she shook the glittering golden ball in her fist at the stands, to thunderous applause.

Marlene McKinnon and Susan Li led the Gryffindors in a victory chant. "We won the Cup! We won the Cup!"

"This puts us fifty points ahead of Hufflepuff for the House Cup, too," added Sirius to James. "Just think, both Cups could really be ours… if our luck holds…"

"If we stay out of trouble for the next few days, you mean?" said James.

Sirius grinned wolfishly. "Exactly."

Madam Hooch elbowed through the raucous cluster of Quidditch players and presented James with a shining silver trophy. "The Quidditch Cup — for the third year running, mind you. Congratulations, Potter."

James lifted the Cup in the air and waved it at the Gryffindor stands, where Professor McGonagall was on her feet, applauding and looking fiercely proud. "This is for you, Professor!"

She raised both hands in triumph, acknowledging his call; when she lowered them, he thought she might be wiping her eyes.

Back at the Gryffindor common room, it seemed like half the school had piled inside to celebrate. Sirius was plying students of all ages with obviously homemade drinks, which he swore were no stronger than Butterbeer; meanwhile, Marlene had enlisted several first years to help set up a duelling ring in the centre of the room. A Muggle pop song with a pulsing beat emanated from the record player in the corner, which Remus and Lily were fiddling with.

Only Peter seemed out of place; he was standing by the hearth, clutching one of Sirius' drinks and looking around nervously.

"Alright, Pete?" asked James.

Peter gave a little shrug. "Not bad, I guess."

"Where's Mary? Don't you two usually have a little snog after we win the Quidditch Cup?"

Peter gestured miserably towards the portrait hole, where Mary was embracing a skinny blond boy with such eagerness it was hard to tell whose limbs were whose. "She got a boyfriend this year, apparently. Reginald Cattermole, in Hufflepuff."

"Ah." James placed a hand on Peter's shoulder. "Bad luck, Wormtail. Want to try your hand at duelling? That'll clear your mind…"

"No, thanks." Peter spoke the reply into his mug, as if the bright purple drink might be better company than James was.

"You're sure you're alright, Pete? You can tell me if something's on your mind."

"No, I — I don't want to be a bother."

That was what Peter usually said right before saying something that was absolutely a bother, such as obsessing about the Jinx for the millionth time. But James said, "It's no trouble at all. I promise. What's going on?"

Peter took a sip of his lilac drink, perhaps for courage. "Well, I — er. I've been waiting for Dumbledore to ask me to join the Order, since he's talked to everyone else about it. But he hasn't — he hasn't spoken to me. So when I saw him walking back to the castle after the match today, I pulled him aside and, er. Asked if I could join. But he — he didn't seem too happy about it, to tell you the truth."

James blinked, not sure which he was more surprised by: that Peter wanted to join the Order, or that Dumbledore didn't welcome him with open arms. "What do you mean Dumbledore wasn't happy?"

"Exactly that." Peter flushed. "He tried to talk me out of it. Said I don't need to join just because everyone else is, and that I should think about what I truly want to do."

"Yeah? And how'd you respond?"

"I got a bit upset, I guess," admitted Peter. "I told him that being in the Order is what I truly wanna do, and that I wasn't gonna change my mind. So he relented a bit. He said that he wouldn't refuse my help if it's what I really want — and that we could talk about it more this summer."

"That's good," said James. "Just… blimey, Pete. I'm a bit surprised, too, to be honest. I didn't think you had any interest in the Order."

"Well, what else am I going to do?" said Peter. "Everyone else is joining. It would be weird if I got a desk job at the Ministry while you lot are out risking your lives."

"That wouldn't be weird at all! We want you to be safe, and I know you're not always comfortable with the kinds of risks we take. You've always wanted to work in the House-Elf Relocation Office, like your mum does — a job like that would be perfect for you."

Peter shook his head. "Sirius would judge me if I didn't join the Order."

"Sirius judges everybody, you know it isn't personal. Besides, he'd still be your friend. All of us would be."

Peter's lip quivered. "That's just it. Dumbledore thinks I'm just trying to — to tag along, but is that really such a bad thing? You and Sirius and Remus are my best friends. If all of you are joining the Order, then why shouldn't I join, too? It's not like I've got any better ideas about what to do with my life."

If Dumbledore couldn't change Peter's mind, there was no way James would be able to. Still, he had to be sure Peter knew what he was getting into. "Working for the Order will be dangerous. Remember how you worried about what the Jinx meant? About when our bad fortune would come? That's child's play compared to what we're up against."

"I know," said Peter. He glanced around and lowered his voice, as though confessing to a heinous crime. "I still think about the Jinx, even though I shouldn't. I don't know if it's come to pass yet. I hope it did, when Sirius' uncle died, or maybe at the masquerade. But the Jinx might have been predicting our future in the Order, or maybe something that happens after the Order. It just — it drives me mad that there's no way to know for certain."

"Exactly," said James. "Nothing is certain in war. Being in the Order is going to change us, and it might not be for the better. To be honest, Pete — and I'm not trying to scare you, I just want to be honest — some of us will probably die. Even if we survive, we won't be the same. Can you live with that?"

Peter chewed on his lip. "I don't know," he said at last. "But I want to try."

"That's good enough for me," said James, clapping Peter on the back. "Good enough for Dumbledore, too, by the sound of it."

"Yeah," said Peter, and he gave James a small, watery-eyed smile. "I guess you're looking at the Order's newest member."

"That's the spirit," said James. He whistled over to Sirius. "Oi, Padfoot! Get Peter a drink — he's joining the Order!"

Hours later, curfew had long since passed, and all but the most daring students from other Houses had left the party. Scorch marks marred the rug where the duelling ring had been, and those who were still awake milled about in small groups, or lounged in the squashy armchairs by the fire.

James was on the sofa, watching the silver Quidditch Cup wink at him from atop the mantel. His arms were around Lily, who was snuggled against his chest, breathing deeply. He wasn't sure how long they'd been like this; long enough for him to have several of Sirius' drinks, and for her to fall asleep.

Lily stirred, as if she could sense he was thinking about her. She looked up at him, eyelashes fluttering sleepily, and lifted her chin to whisper into his ear.

"Want to get out of here?"

James glanced around the common room. Remus and Sirius were long gone, and Peter was curled by the fire, soundly asleep. "Sure," he said, standing up. He made for the staircase to the dormitories, but she tugged on his sleeve.

"Not to the dormitory. Let's go out." Her emerald eyes dared him to say yes.

He raised an eyebrow. "Feeling like a nighttime stroll, are we? It's almost two in the morning."

"We're Head Boy and Girl," she said with a grin. "The rules don't apply to us."

They crept out of the portrait hole and down the stairs. "Hang on," said James when they were on the fifth-floor landing. He pulled the Marauder's Map from his back pocket and examined it briefly. "Good — Filch is in his office, and all the ghosts are doing something odd in the Divination classroom. But — oh, shit —"

He grabbed Lily by the arm and dragged her into a nearby corridor, but it was too late. Yellow eyes gleamed in the dark, and Mrs Norris emerged from the shadows with a loud, indignant yowl.

"Run!" said Lily, and they darted down the corridor, though Mrs Norris' caterwauls pursued them as they went.

"There's a secret passage behind the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor," puffed James. "If we can just make it there, it'll take us to the Astronomy tower —"

A scowling figure rounded the corner ahead of them, cutting them off.

Filch, the caretaker, raised the oil lamp he was holding. His scowl deepened as he registered their faces. "Potter and Evans," he spat. "Out past curfew, are we? How disappointing — the Heads themselves, flaunting school rules… the immeasurable shame of it all…"

"I'm sorry, sir," said Lily quickly. "We didn't realise what time it was."

That was much better than the lie James had come up with: he had been about to say that they'd been trapped inside a mirror for the past six weeks and had only just gotten free. "She's right," he said. "We were just going back to the common room, so if you'll excuse us…"

"Not so fast." Filch narrowed his eyes. "What's that parchment you're holding, Potter?"

"Er." James' voice cracked. "It's homework?"

Filch's careworn face broke into a triumphant, yellow-toothed smile. "There's no homework during N.E.W.T.s," he croaked. "Hand it over."

James reluctantly held out the Map. "Our mischief's managed, anyway," he said, and the ink faded from the Map as Filch snatched it away.

Filch spent at least seven minutes examining the blank parchment and pretending to mutter spells, which was excruciating to watch. "Don't think I'm fooled," he growled eventually, stuffing it into his cloak. "You and those scoundrels you call friends are always scheming behind my back. This parchment's likely cursed… hexed at the very least, mark my words…" He began to shuffle away, Mrs Norris at his heels. "And twenty points from Gryffindor! Each!" he added over his shoulder.

Once he had gone, Lily turned to James, biting her lip. "I'm sorry about the Map. Maybe you can get it back when he's not looking…"

"Nah, it's alright," said James. "We've only got a few days left at Hogwarts, anyway — and it's not like we'll need it in London. At least if Filch has got it, maybe some other students will steal it from him, and the Marauders' legacy will live on…"

A corner of her lip twitched. "I think you lot will be remembered for more than your pranks at school, when all is said and done."

"I hope so," said James. "Imagine peaking at Hogwarts. How sad would that be?"

"Tragic," agreed Lily. She glanced down the corridor where Filch had gone. "I can't believe he only took twenty points each. He must be fond of us."

"That, or he's getting soft."

"Or both," said Lily. "At least we're still in the lead for the House Cup. Only by ten points now, though…"

"Best we not do anything to endanger our chances, then," said James with a wink.

"Of course not," said Lily, and she strode down the corridor, ducked behind the statue of Gunhilda of Gorsemoor, and disappeared from view.

James followed her, leaning against the statue. "And just where do you think you're going?"

She was already a dozen steps up the cramped staircase in the hidden passageway. "I'm still hoping for a bit of privacy with you."

"But the House Cup —"

"What about it?" She waggled her eyebrows at him. "Last one to the Astronomy tower's a Doxy egg."

"You're on," said James. He took the stairs two at a time, trying to catch up with her, but she darted ahead. He ran even faster, using the handrail to propel himself forward, but she was determined not to let him win. When at last they reached the Astronomy tower, they collapsed on top of one another, breathless from sprinting up hundreds of stairs and giddy from laughing all the way.

On the last day of term, the seventh years didn't take the carriages to Hogsmeade with the other students. Instead, Hagrid guided them down a winding rock tunnel until they reached the underground harbour where the Black Lake lapped at the castle's foundations. Dozens of small, wooden boats bobbed against the docks.

Lily's soft hands clutched James' arm. "Are those…?"

He nodded, suddenly lost for words. These were the same vessels they had sailed in to reach the castle when they were eleven years old, before they'd even been Sorted, or knew what it was to learn magic. A heavy lump rose in his throat, and he didn't trust himself to speak. Lily seemed to understand what he was feeling, though; she beamed up at him through watery eyes.

"Four to a boat," called Hagrid, climbing into the only dinghy large enough to hold his massive frame. "Yeh know the drill!"

"I'll see you later," whispered Lily, squeezing James' arm, and she went to join her friends.

Sirius, Remus and Peter had already gathered beside one of the boats, and they motioned James over.

"Who goes first?" asked Peter.

"I will," said James, and he stepped into the boat, which wobbled under his weight. Sirius went next, taking the seat opposite him — "For balance, we're the biggest, though I'm slightly larger, of course" — then Peter, then Remus next to Sirius.

Once they were all settled, the boat rocked gently, as though it had been pushed. The fleet began to move all at once, sailing out of the cave.

"Merlin, this is nostalgic," said James.

"Isn't it?" Sirius trailed his fingers in the water. "Last time I was in one of these, I thought I'd be Sorted into Slytherin."

"Imagine if you really had been," said James. "Snivellus might have been your best friend…"

Sirius pretended to vomit over the side of the boat.

The little fleet picked up speed, and James caught sight of Lily, who was with Marlene, Mary, and Parvana. He waved as the girls sailed past, and she blew him a kiss.

The boats fanned out as they reached the centre of the lake, slowing momentarily, and a warm breeze ruffled James' hair. A faint clapping sound rose from the shoreline: the teachers of Hogwarts ringed the lake, applauding the seventh years.

"Bye, professors," called Sirius, waving to them. "Oh, look, McGonagall and Pomfrey are standing together… my two favourites, I'm going to miss them…"

"I don't see Professor Prewett," said James, squinting at the teachers. "Did he leave already, Moony?"

Remus nodded. "Something urgent came up in Transylvania, apparently. But I don't think we've seen the last of him… he'll be hanging around Order headquarters, at least."

"Speaking of the Order," said Sirius, "wanna be my flatmate, Prongs? We're both stationed in London, it makes sense…"

James grinned. "I thought you'd never ask."

"What about me?" said Peter. "I'll be in London, too."

"Oh," said Sirius. "Er. Sorry, Pete — Uncle Alphard's flat only has two bedrooms. Unless you don't mind sleeping on the couch, that is."

Peter worried his lip. "Yeah, alright. I can sleep on the couch."

"Not a chance," said James. "You deserve a proper bed, Pete. We'll help you find a place, how's that? I can spot you some Galleons, too."

"I — that's really — you don't have to…"

"But I want to. It's no trouble at all."

Peter's cheeks were pink with sunshine and discomfort. "Er. If you really don't mind — that would be great. Money might be tight for a while, my mum doesn't make a lot, and — this whole Order thing, I'm not sure I should break it to her yet… might be better to ease her into it —"

"You're rambling," commented Sirius.

Peter's voice grew very small. "Anyway. Thanks, Prongs."

"Wonder what our first assignment for the Order will be," said Sirius as the professors faded from view. "If it's staking out the Ministry for twelve hours a day like Dorcas does, I'm going to quit."

James snorted.

At last, their boats bumped against the opposite shore of the lake. They climbed out, and Hagrid lead them up a muddy path that snaked between a dense forest of trees. The Hogwarts Express was waiting for them at the tiny Hogsmeade platform, belching thick grey smoke.

It didn't take long for the Marauders to find the Gryffindor girls, who were sitting in a compartment near the back of the train.

"Alright, Lily?" said James, taking the seat beside her and pulling her into his lap.

"Glad you lads could join us." Marlene closed the compartment door with a flick of her wand. "You know what time it is."

"The Year in Review!" said Mary. "Our last one ever, boo…"

"That's right, so let's make it count," said Marlene. "The first question, as always — who here has had an excellent year?"

James thrust his hand in the air without even thinking about it, and the others were right behind him. Only Peter remained with his hands in his lap; he blinked, startled that everyone else had put theirs up so quickly, and raised a pudgy hand belatedly.

"All eight of us, really?" said Marlene. "Excellent, that's an Outstanding! And for the first time since year three, if memory serves. Next up: did we win the Quidditch cup?"

"How could we ever lose?" said James, and the compartment erupted with cheers. Remus clapped Sirius on the back, and Mary grabbed Parvana's hand by the wrist and held it high, as though she'd just won a boxing match.

"The Quidditch Cup stays in McGonagall's office where it belongs," said Marlene smugly. "What's even better is the House Cup…"

"Ours by ten points!" crowed Sirius, and Mary whooped.

"I still can't believe it," said Parvana. "Gryffindor's first win in decades, somehow we pulled it off…"

Marlene gave the boys a knowing look. "You lot must have really reined it in this year."

"Nah, we didn't," said James. He tugged gently on Lily's hair, and she giggled. "We just got better at not being caught."

"That I believe," said Marlene. "On to the final category then, and saving the best for last…"

"Romance!" said Mary excitedly. "We did so well this year — we're all coupled up, aren't we? I've been with Reginald since April, and we've gotten to third base."

"Ooh, are we kissing and telling?" said Sirius. "Well, Remus and I have been together since March, and we've gone so far past the bases that I had to invent entirely new ones, such as —"

"This isn't Quidditch, Black," said Marlene. "I don't need a play-by-play."

Remus was massaging his temples as if he had a bad headache. "Thank you, Marlene."

"Alright, alright," said Sirius, and he ruffled Remus' hair. "I was only joking, anyway, Moony. What we get up to is between us — I'll leave all the juicy bits to the imagination."

"Are Lily and I the longest relationship, then?" said James. "Since we've been dating since December?"

Everybody stared at him. Lily elbowed him in the ribs, though he couldn't fathom why.

"December?" said Marlene. "You two got together last summer."

"Oh yeah," said James. "I, er, guess we did. Forgot about that." He let out a strangled laugh.

"Dorcas and I have been together longer than you two have, anyway," said Marlene. "We started seeing each other in June."

"Ah, you win, then," said James.

Parvana piped up. "Technically, I've been seeing Bilius Weasley in Ravenclaw since we won the Quidditch Cup last year. That was in May, so…"

Marlene gave Parvana a playful shove. "I don't believe it! You've got all of us beat. Good for you, Parv." She turned to Peter, who was playing with a loose thread on his robes. "What about you, Peter? Got anything juicy to add?"

Peter looked alarmed at being the sudden focus of attention. "Oh, I — er. Yeah, alright. There was this girl in, er, Hufflepuff, and we —" At Sirius and James' quizzical looks, he faltered. "No, I haven't been with anyone. Sorry, Marlene. Not a lucky year for me, I suppose."

"That's nothing to be ashamed of, Peter," said Lily kindly. "The Hogwarts dating pool is pretty skint, anyway."

"Yeah, your luck will turn around soon," said Sirius. "London's full of fit witches. Muggles, too, if you're into that sort of thing…"

Marlene shot him a sharp look. "Seven out of eight isn't bad, anyway," she said. "Our total for the year, then… that's one Exceeds Expectations and three Outstandings! We really did go out with a bang, didn't we?"

Remus nodded, looking pensive. "Now the rest of our life begins."

When the train pulled into Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, they tumbled onto the platform, shouting goodbyes as they split ways. Some of the other seventh year students were crying — the Hufflepuffs were having a particularly rough go of it — but there was only exuberance in James' farewells to his friends. After all, there was nothing to be sad about; they would all reconvene soon to work for the Order, so it wasn't really goodbye.

Sirius pushed Remus against the platform's brick wall for a last, passionate snog, and Peter and his mum went to do a bit of shopping in Diagon Alley, leaving James and Lily alone with one another.

As he looked into her brilliant green eyes, he realised there was one person he wasn't ready to say goodbye to. "Fancy a bite at the Leaky Cauldron?" he asked. "My parents are here, you could meet them."

Lily shook her head. "I'd love to, but my mum's picking me up. I'm going back to Cokeworth for a few days to spend some time with her."

"Another time, then," he said. "My parents will be visiting London plenty, now that Sirius and I live here. Every weekend, probably. You'll have loads of opportunities to meet them."

"I'm looking forward to it." She smiled. "Maybe you can help me move when I get back to London — Dorcas and Marlene are letting me stay in the spare room in their flat. I was going to bring some furniture from home."

"I'd love to." He struck a pose, flexing his arms exaggeratedly. "I'm extremely strong, you know. Don't even need magic to do it."

Lily's smile grew mischievous. "Is that so? Because they live on the twelfth floor, and there isn't a lift." She checked her watch and deflated a little. "I should go. Mum's probably waiting in the car."

James suddenly wanted to demand that she stay — just for a minute longer, or maybe an hour — but he settled for embracing her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "It's going to be weird, being apart."

"Yeah." She looked up at him, grinning. "I've gotten used to you being underfoot."

"At least it's only for a few days," he said, kissing the top of her head.

"I know. I'm not the one who needs reassurance, here."

"Who says I need reassurance?" he said.

"James. You look like you're about to cry."

"I do not," he said, and he buried his face in her hair so that she couldn't see him. "I've never cried in my life. Except when I was thirteen and Puddlemere United won the British Cup. And when you showed me that Muggle movie about the baby deer."

"Of course," she said with a little laugh. "How could I forget?" She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his mouth. "I love you, James. Say hi to your parents for me."

"I love you, too."

She squeezed his hand one last time. Then she was gone, her dark red hair disappearing into the barrier that separated Platform Nine and Three-Quarters from the Muggle world.

"Oi, Prongs! Are you coming, or what?"

He turned. Sirius had his arms around Fleamont and Euphemia Potter, who looked like they might burst with pride.

James grinned and grabbed hold of his trunk, hurrying to join them. Soon — perhaps very soon — he would go toe-to-toe with Death Eaters, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. But until then, he needed to have lunch with his parents at the Leaky Cauldron, explore London with Sirius, and hold Lily tight when she returned. Whatever the future held after that, whatever plans Dumbledore had for him, he would face head-on, with courage and strength. He was not afraid.

A/N: Fin.

This fic has been my companion for four years, across two continents, and through a global pandemic. It feels surreal that it's finally over — I wanted to continue for another chapter, or two, or three, the way James wanted to hold onto Lily forever — but all good things must come to an end, and it was time.

If you've enjoyed the story, I would love to hear from you :)

Thank you for reading!

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(I miiiight write a sequel.)