Wednesday 23rd May 1979

Library, 15:00

"Don't talk to me unless it's to recite all the laws of Transfiguration," Tonks said in a very hysterical voice.

It didn't help that her voice was in a whisper, it just made her sound more crazed. But Chryssie didn't mind because she was also feeling crazy. Everyone in their year was. NEWTs. Enough said. Just how did Lily and her friends survive this last year? It was ridiculous. And difficult. But that went without saying, didn't it?

"Could you do that for me?" Chryssie asked, setting all of her books and revision notes down - there were a lot of them. "I can't remember any of them."

"Why do you think I'm revising them?"

This had to be the calmest conversation she had had all week. People got a little... aggressive about their studying. Chryssie had thought OWLs were bad but they had nothing, nothing on NEWTs.

Nasty? Definitely. Exhausting? Chryssie wasn't sure how many hours of sleep she got over the past three days but she was definitely convinced that it wasn't the advised amount. She was pretty sure no one in their year had. Actually, Chryssie knew that there had been at least five people who has ended up in the Hospital Wing due to issues with taking so-called Energy Boosters and Wit Sharpeners. The latter was fine for revision, in moderation. But seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds were exactly good with that. Never mind the fact that the wot sharpening Potions were rarely the real thing. Or were poorly brewed versions of the real thing. No, there would be no such Potions for her. It wasn't worth it. Even if she was just running off adrenaline these days.

"Have you finished revising Potions?" Chryssie asked as she started flipping through her textbook, it was their next exam. The practical one. Yeugh.

"No because I need to learn these laws!"

"But that's not until next week."

Potions was definitely more urgent in Chryssie's mind. There were so many complicated Potions and far too many ways they could go wrong. And then there were the steps to memorise and what ingredients to avoid for each one. The list was endless.

"But I can't focus on Potions until I figure these out!"

Chryssie gave her a confused look. That didn't make any sense at all.

"Just open your Potions Textbook."

It was really that simple but Tonks was shaking her head.

"I can't! I won't be able to focus on any of because I can't list the laws of Transfiguration!"

It made no sense to Chryssie but Tonks was getting more and more worked up which was no good for anyone. And it wasn't like she was going to get any of her own revision done while she was like this.

She closed her Potions Textbook and held out her hand for Tonks' Transfiguration one. She had to revise Transfiguration as well, after all.

"Here, I'll quiz you and then you quiz me."

They were going to get through this.

Saturday 26th May 1979

Evans House, 18:00

"Why don't we both go in on a flat together?" Marlene suggested.

This way hopefully she would be able to get a nicer flat. London was expensive, okay? And her current one was so pokey.

Lily bit her lip as she thought it over. Marlene tried not to get too impatient. She didn't see what there was to think over. Lily had spoken before about feeling ready to move out and London was expensive and they were friends. It just made sense for them to get a flat together like this.

And it would be fun. They were best friends, after all. Why wouldn't it be fun? They managed to share a Dorm for seven years so they should definitely be able to share a flat. It would be easier than living with some of her siblings, she could tell you that. At least she and Lily would have their own rooms.

Though, if Marlene was being honest with herself, having her tiny flat all to herself was very lonely. It was why she was with Sirius a lot or people from work. She didn't really like being alone. Too used to always having someone around. That's what she got for sharing a room with someone all of her life, from Teagan to Lily and Alice. It was a bit crazy now that she thought about it but it was what she was used to. Hence asking Lily. Who, by the way, still hadn't answered her. Or even looked like she was going to answer her.

Lily was acting all distracted, not paying much attention to Marlene at all. Which was unfair because this sort of decision affected both of them. Marlene needed her mind to be fully present. And maybe even enthusiastic about it because it was going to be fun. She wanted it to be fun.

She really wanted to get a flat with Sirius but she didn't think her parents would approve. And also, she wasn't sure whether he or she were ready for that type of commitment yet. She knew she wasn't. She liked what they currently had. It was easy. It was fun. She didn't need anything more than that right now. So, it was a no to a flat with him. But hopefully it was a yes to a flat with Lily. If she would just pay attention!

"What do you think?" Marlene asked in a louder tone than normal.

Loud enough to startle Lily out of her thoughts, which is exactly what she had been going for.

"Sorry, what?"

"The flat," Marlene said impatiently. What else would she be talking about? "Do you want to get a flat together once my contract is up?"

"That sounds good."

Again, very little enthusiasm there.

"If you don't want to-"

"No, sorry, I do," Lily said earnestly. "I really do. Sorry. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Everything okay?" Marlene asked, feeling a bit guilty that she hadn't noticed that herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Lily dismissed. "Just a lot going on, you know?"

Marlene did know. Work had her and everyone else slogging away, for good reason, obviously, but that didn't stop the days being long and exhausting. Lily's were like that too though, from what Lily was allowed to tell her, hers was all research driven. No wonder she was so tired - looking at parchment and books for hours on end would drive anyone crazy. Especially when you had a deadline for all of it.

"Yeah," she said, scrunching up her nose. "Being an adult suck."

Well, sometimes it did. Like the long working hours and all that.

"Sometimes," Lily agreed. "But some of its fun. Like maybe moving in with your best friend?"

Now that made Marlene grin. Now they were getting somewhere.

"There's a few in Diagon Alley that would work for us..."

Tuesday 29th May 1979

Knockturn Alley, 13:00

Remus took a deep breath and, without looking around him, took the plunge. Yes, that's right, he walked right into Knockturn Alley. No looking nervous. The picture of calm, in control and somebody who knew what he was doing. That was the air he hoped he gave off anyway. Would make him less of a target. That's what Dumbledore said anyway and he was very rarely wrong, if ever.

This was strange. This was really strange. Of course, he had been in Knockturn Alley before. Technically. Once. Way back in third year when he, James, Sirius and Peter had a competition on who would go the furthest in. He was pretty sure that James was still offed that Sirius had managed it. But Remus didn't think that one time really counted. Especially since he only went something like ten feet in (beating Peter's six feet but not James').

Now he not only had to enter Knockturn Alley but go right into it and walk around. All out of sight of the entrance. No easy way out if he needed it.

Actually, it was the lack of a clear escape plan that was making him more nervous than the idea of actually being in Knockturn Alley. It was never a good thing not to have an escape plan but he was going to have to live with it.

He walked down the main street, keeping to the side like he had been advised. Walking down the kindle I plied that you thought yourself as important and you were afraid of people knowing who you were or the fact that you were here. Yeah, Remus was going to stick to the side like almost everyone else. Though, he did take careful note of who was walking down the middle- they might be full of self-importance because of some sort of affiliation with the Death Eaters. That made a lot of people cocky no matter how loosely they were associated with Voldemort.

Remus drew his cloak closer around him. He was sure that everyone here somehow knew he was an outsider, even with his face covered and voice adjusted like it was. He didn't know why but he could just tell. They still scurried out of his way so he must be giving off the appropriate 'don't mess with me' atmosphere. Good. That's what he was going for. He really didn't want anyone to approach him. No thank you. He didn't know how he was supposed to interact with them if they did.

Something pulled at the hem of his robes and he quickly pulled them away. It was some sort of beggar, maybe. It was hard to tell in here. Either way, it was someone sitting on the ground with some things laid out on a blanket with clawed hands.

No. He was better of not knowing. Though je probably should walk a little bit further away from the buildings to stop himself from getting pulled into one.

Case in point, that happened to someone just up ahead. Dumbledore had strictly told him not to intervene in such things. Which was a lot harder now that he was experiencing it. Remus shook his head. His task. He had to focus on his task.

He pushed onwards into the depths of Knockturn Alley. Why did everything seem darker down here?

Friday 1st June 1979

Marauder Flat, 20:00

"Come on, James, you have to admit that it makes sense."

Peter was trying to explain to James about what Merton had explained to him. It just made sense in his mind. Apparently not for James.

"The Death Eaters can't tell just by looking at you that you're a pureblood, Wormtail."

Peter frowned at the childish nickname. When would they stop using them? And he supposed he had a point. Sort of.

"Surely they'd want to know so they'd try to get them on their side?"

"Yeah, but they don't exactly go around asking questions when they're shooting spells at you!"

James was awfully crabby sounding.

"But if you didn't fight-"

"They'd still be doing what they're doing. And they'd still need stopped."

But was it really their job to stop them when they technically weren't the people the Death Eaters despised? Actually, James was. The Potter family were considered blood traitors. Hmm. That complicated things.

"You'd think that they'd be a bit more careful then."

James shook his head. "They don't care. Trust me, they really don't care."

Peter frowned. Of course, they cared. As horrible as it was, the Death Eaters were espousing pureblood ideology. Which meant that they wanted purebloods on their side. Lots of them. They couldn't do that if they were dead. So, they wouldn't kill them.

James looked at him and then sighed heavily. He seemed to age several years in front of Peter's eyes. It was quite disconcerting.

"But-" Peter tried to argue his point again but James raised his hand d to stop him.

"Wormtail. Peter. I'm telling you; they don't care. That attack I was trying to prevent? They killed everyone they could. No one was spared if you were in the way of their wands. Aurors and civilians alike. It didn't matter if you were fighting, running or hiding. If they saw you, they tried to kill you. It's as simple as that."

"But that's because you were fighting them."

Couldn't James see that? If they were just left alone nothing bad would happen. To purebloods anyway, he supposed. Peter wasn't sure what Muggleborns and half-bloods were supposed to do.

"Yes. And I'd fight them again," James said resolutely. "Every single time because we can't let people like them think that they're right. Because they're not. Do you understand that, Wormtail?"

Sunday 3rd June 1979

Evans House, 11:00

"Do you ever go and visit your mother?"

Severus shrugged. He just didn't feel the urge to go see his mother. It wasn't like he was ever very close to her. Not like Lily and Chryssie and their parents.

"Don't you think you should?"

"Why?"

He didn't know why Lily was always so insistent that he go see his mother. Look, they just weren't that close. That was pretty normal, wasn't it? Not everyone was close to their parents.

"I don't know," Lily said after a pause like she hadn't expected that response. "To see her? Tell her what you've been doing?"

"I sent her a letter when I got into my Apprenticeship. What more does she need than that? She wouldn't be interested anyway."

Because she wouldn't. She had never been interested in what he did Growing up, only giving his reports a cursory glance, satisfied that he wasn't failing and that was that. Good thing he didn't study to get into her good graces or he would have got nowhere in life.

Lily was frowning at him. "Surely she'd be interested?"

Severus shook his head, definitely not convinced. Like he said, she had never been interested in him before. He wasn't going to go looking for her approval. He had done that when he was younger and always got disappointed. No. He wasn't going to.

Lily looked confused about the fact that his other wouldn't be interested in what he was doing. But then again, she had nice, normal, involved parents who were actually proud of what she was doing even if they didn't quite understand it.

"It doesn't matter," Severus said in an effort to change the subject. "Did Chryssie say anything about how her exams were doing?"

Lily gave him a look that said that she knew what he was doing but thankfully allowed the subject change. "No, I haven't had any owls from her since last month. And I don't want to bother her while she's doing her exams. Has she owled you?"

"Uh, yeah, once since exams started." Severus rubbed the back of his head, a gesture he had frustratingly picked up from James. He hadn't realised that Chryssie hadn't been writing to anyone but him. Huh. Then again, she had been asking him for help. "She was asking me some questions on Potions."

"Oh."

Lily was also good at Potions. Huh. It hadn't occurred to him to question why Chryssie hadn't asked Lily. He didn't think they'd had a falling out; Lily would have been upset and hopefully would have told him.

"It wasn't anything much," he said. "She just wanted something clarified."

"Did you manage to sort it for her?" Lily asked.

"I think so. I haven't got any further letters."

Hopefully she understood his explanation, he knew he wasn't always the best at those. It was hard to explain when Potions came kind of naturally to you.

"That's good. She told me she'd write after all her exams are over. I was thinking of surprising her in Hogsmeade before her Leaving Ceremony?"

"That sounds fun."

"Oh, and mum said you are to come to her Leaving Ceremony. You're basically family, after all. I'm bringing James as my date," she said pointedly. "You're free to bring a plus one as well."

Severus sighed. She wasn't going to start on this now, was she? He was just fine without a girlfriend. She didn't have to worry so. He had his job, his Apprenticeship and friends. He really didn't need anything else.

"I don't have someone to bring as a plus one."

He didn't have time for this dating nonsense. He never had when in school either. Not when there were things to learn, which was far more interesting than the petty dramas of teenage romances. No thank you. It wasn't for him. He just wasn't interested.

"No one at all?"

Did she really have to look so hopeful?

"No one."

There. Hopefully he said that firmly enough that she would drop it. What was with all the worry about him today? First, his mother and now his relationship status? He was fine! Everything was fine!

Longbottom Manor, 14:00

Alice struggled not to yawn as her mother paused in her endless talking to take a sip of tea. Her lips curled as she set the teacup back down.

"I do wish you would tell your elves not to let it stew for so long, Alice. Three and a half minutes, not four." Celia told her.

"Does thirty seconds really make that much of a difference?"

The look that earned her said that it very much did.

"Sorry, I'll get them to do it right for the next one. Would you like a fresh one made?"

A house Elf already appeared before her mother could say anything. The cup was soon replaced with a new one, an equally new steaming pot of tea appearing as well. Her mother didn't look overly pleased with this but she stopped complaining about the tea which Alice took as a win. She got very few of those when it came to her mother so she may as well seize the ones she could with both hands.

"Now, what were we talking about?" Celia asked as she set down her cup and gave Alice yet another critical look.

That made the fourth one today and she had only been here twenty minutes! Alice knew she looked a bit worn out. She and Frank both did. That's what happened when work was long and hard. She couldn't help it. Unfortunately, her mother wouldn't understand that. All she saw was that Alice didn't look her best and that was something to disapprove of.

"You were telling me about the Browns," Alice said in a tired voice.

"Indeed," Celia said through pursed lips. "They rather rushed wedding to that Weasley. They got it planned in less than two weeks."

"And? We're in the middle of a War, mother. Lots of people are getting married quickly."

Lots of people in work had. There had been a lot of weddings.

"Nonsense. They're probably in the family way. The Browns are like that you know. What do you expect from that family?" Celia sniffed.

She was referring to the fact that the Browns were a bustard branch of either the Black Family or the White Family. It had never been confirmed but everyone knew of their status.

"Speaking of in the family way, it's almost been a year."

"Yes, Frank and I are hoping to get some time off to enjoy our anniversary together."

Not a lot of time, obviously. They wouldn't be able to do that anyway but one day would be nice.

But her mother just dismissed it, "Yes, yes, but have you not thought of how embarrassing it is? For me especially?"

And she'd lost her.

"Mother? What are you talking about?"

That earned her yet another sigh. Really? Really? It wasn't Alice's fault that she was slow today, she had been put on so many late shifts recently it was ridiculous. The only good thing about them was that she had been with Frank for nearly all of them.

"An heir, Alice! I'm talking about an heir!"

Alice stopped and stated at her mother's out of character outburst.

"An heir is extremely important, you know this."

"I know, mother."

Thays what had been drummed into her from a young age, ever since she learned that women gave birth, basically.

"It's your duty."

Eurgh, duty. She was really starting to hate that word. She hadn't heard it for a while but that didn't make it any less distasteful. Yes, she was aware of what her duty was. Unfortunately, so. Too many things were her duty. Eurgh.

"Much more important than this silly nonsense you've been doing."

"That sill nonsense is Auror work and it's important."

"Yes," Celia dismissed. "Of course, it is. But not for you."

"Yes, for me!" Alice couldn't help but explode. "Why do you think I'm doing it?"

"Honestly, Alice," she got tutted at like she was some small child. "Calm yourself."

"How can I calm myself when you say what I'm doing isn't important?"

That still didn't faze her mother. Which was just infuriating. Everything about her mother had gotten more infuriating over the last year. She couldn't stand it anymore.

"I'm saying that you have more important things to be worrying about than a silly job that you have no need for."

Somehow her mother managed to put in even more disdain that Alice thought was possible into that sentence.

"I'm not worrying about getting pregnant. Why should I be worrying about getting pregnant?"

"Because it hasn't happened yet," her mother said in a voice that implied that this should be obvious.

Well, no. Alice frowned. It hadn't. And it wasn't like they had abstained from anything. Not that they got to do a lot of that most days.

"It hasn't even been a year yet," Alice brushed off, trying not to feel too unconcerned.

And she hadn't been until her mother brought it up like that. Why did she have to bring it up? It was normal not to get pregnant right away. Plenty of women didn't get pregnant within their first year.

Her mother made a disapproving noise and took another sip of her tea.

Thursday 7th June 1979

Marauders Flat, 20:15

"Do you know when James and Lily are supposed to be back?" Sirius asked suddenly, fiddling with the cuff of his sleeve, unbuttoning it and buttoning it up again.

Remus raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure. They're normally back before nine and James will leave Lily home first, so after that?"

Why was Sirius even wondering when James was returning? It wasn't like James was going to rush his date for anything so he and Sirius really shouldn't have anything planned.

"So, about an hour?"

Remus checked the clock. It was eight fifteen.

"Yeah, sure. Maybe." Then he gave Sirius a suspicious look. "Just what exactly have you got planned?"

"Nothing!"

Remus didn't believe that for a second. That was a far too innocent look on Sirius' face.

"Pete, do you know what's wrong with Sirius?"

"Everything?" Peter suggested.

"Hey!"

"Obviously," Remus said. "But we're talking about right now."

"Nothing's wrong! Can't a guy just ask about his best friend?"

"Not when said best friend has only been away for two hours!"

That made Sirius try to punch him but Remus stepped back, somehow managing to fall into Peter. The three of them were in one big dogpile when the floo flared green.

"Uh, guys?"

That was James. And Lily. Huh. They were back early and looking very happy despite that. Remus gave Sirius and Peter an almighty shove and stood up as they scrambled around.

"You're back early," Remus stated.

Lily and James smiled shyly at each other and then nodded.

"Yeah. We kind of wanted to wrap up early," Lily said with a massive grin on her face.

James was bouncing on the balls of his feet, his hand still linked with Lily's. Remus did a double take at their hands. Specifically. Lily's hands.

"Lily's wearing a ring."

That simple statement made Peter and Sirius stop wrestling on the floor.

"What?" Peter asked, confused.

"Finally!" Sirius cheered, jumping to his feet.

"Yes," Lily beamed, lofting her hand up (still with James' attached). "We're getting married!"

There was silence for all of ten seconds and then they all started cheering and congratulating them. James and Lily didn't get a chance to say anything else because they were soon squeezed into a group hug.

They were getting married!

AN: If you want to read James' proposal to Lily, please check put my one-shot Marauders: A Proposal