Final exams went off without a hitch. Sirius may have been accused of pruning his aconite plant too much, and his completed Pepperup Potion may have smelled like honeysuckle instead of bell peppers, but overall he was sure he'd done well. His friends had, too—everything had gone perfectly for James, of course, and even Peter had managed to cast a flawless Expelliarmus for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Remus fretted over every mistake he possibly could have made, but Sirius knew he'd done better than he would admit; Remus always did.

They had one day left at Hogwarts after exams, which most of the school decided to spend swimming in the Great Lake. The water was as cold as always, but the temperature of the air had gone up considerably, and some of the older students had cast a charm over the lake to make it feel warmer than it actually was.

James, Sirius and Peter stripped down to their swim trunks and dived in, feeling the water cleanse their hot, sweaty bodies. Sirius stayed underwater for a full minute before emerging, sweeping back his long black hair. James jumped on top of him, trying to drag him back under again, but Sirius shook him off and sent a jet of water into his laughing face.

"I don't ever want to leave here," Sirius sighed, turning to float on his back and feel the sun hot against his face.

"Me neither," agreed Peter. "I do miss my parents, though."

Sirius snorted. He certainly didn't. A feeling of dread welled up in him as he realized he'd have to see them again tomorrow, for the first time since he came to Hogwarts. He shook it off quickly, flipping around and diving down to the depths of the lake, opening his eyes into a world of clear water and schools of rainbow-colored fish. He had one more day at Hogwarts; he sure as hell was going to make the most of it.

"Oi, Remus!" James was yelling when Sirius surfaced again. "Come join us!" Remus was still sitting at the edge of the lake, wearing all his robes with only his bare feet dangling in the water.

Remus smiled sadly. "No thanks," he said. "I'll just wait here." But there was regret in his voice, clear enough for even Sirius to notice it. He wanted to join them, but for some reason he felt like he couldn't. Why?

"I don't get Remus," Sirius said to James as they swam away from the shore. "He always seems like he's hiding something. It's so mysterious."

"I know," James agreed. "I mean, who could be more trustworthy than us?" Sirius laughed.

"That's a job for next year," James decided, lifting his chin. "We'll figure out what's going on with Remus if it's the last thing we do."

"That sounds very dramatic," Sirius said, "but okay."

"I live for being dramatic, Sirius."

That night, there was a huge, delicious Leaving Feast in the Great Hall, at which it was announced that Ravenclaw had won the House Cup. "I don't think Gryffindor's ever going to win that thing while we're at school," James told Sirius once the applause had died down.

"I'd consider it a dishonor if they did," he replied. Remus rolled his eyes at them.

The boys then returned to their room at the top of Gryffindor Tower for the last time to finish packing up their things. It was only then that the full reality of their leaving hit Sirius: he would not be seeing any of his friends for two-and-a-half months. He felt the sting of tears in his eyes at the realization; quickly he wiped them away, embarrassed.

"I'll miss you guys," Peter sniffed; he was doing a much worse job of hiding his emotions.

"Me too," agreed Remus. "You guys are all crazy, but you were pretty great roommates."

"I'll miss our room, too," James sighed, glancing around. "Look, Sirius, there's still that chink in the window from when I threw your wand at it."

"Oh, yeah." Sirius nodded fondly. "After I hid all those mice under your bedsheets."

"I liked having the top room in the tower," Remus added. "It's so peaceful all the way up here."

That's when Sirius had his final brilliant idea of the year. "Well, what if we don't have to give it up?" The other boys turned to him, their eyes instantly lighting up.

The next morning, when the boys said goodbye to their dorm for the last time, the plaque that once had read FIRST YEARS was now engraved with their names: SIRIUS BLACK, JAMES POTTER, REMUS LUPIN, AND PETER PETTIGREW. ALL OTHERS ENTER AT THEIR OWN PERIL.

"That'll keep out the new firsties," James beamed, giving Sirius one last high-five. "This room is ours now, forever."