They had finished their exams. There was a week left for the students to stay at Hogwarts, and Lily was spending more time up in the hospital wing interning with Madam Pomfrey. Peter had toned down his mousey ways even more, and James had become mysteriously silent, missing obvious grabbing, prodding, whispering, and sly grins from Sirius to Remus. Peter had three galleons that James would piece it together by the end of June, Lily had six that he wouldn't realize until Christmas. Remus wisely did not bet, but Sirius had placed twenty galleons on the chance that James would think it was some elaborate prank. For a week. After New Years.

But Sirius, meantime, had received news that his Uncle Alphie – the only member of the Black family that genuinely cared for Sirius himself – had died in an attack. Remus as well heard word that his old nanny had passed away mysteriously. Both boys immediately linked the deaths to Death Eaters. And neither were pleased with it. Despite the sunny weather and their fellow classmates' happy dispositions, both boys lapsed into states of mild depression.

"Once upon a time, life was better than this."

"And before that?"

"It sucked even worse."

"So it's fluctuating?"

"I suppose so, mister Dictionary."

The retort was met by a light punch from the sandy-haired teen. Sirius only grinned at Remus, but his eyes held sadness. Remus wondered if they always would after this night.

"But that means that it'll get better, right?" he offered hopefully.

Sirius turned his face away from Remus as tears rolled down his cheeks. But he nodded, and Remus, frowning, looked out over the lake. For once, these two marauders were stuck. There seemed to be nothing left. No underground tunnels to take, no hidden passages to discover, no detentions to serve. They were trapped. Were they still marauders if they had no grand plan?

"We have to do something," Sirius said, and Remus turned to look at him, his brows to the hardness in the other boy's voice. "We can't just bloody well sit around and let it tear us all apart. We're marauders! The marauders! We don't sit around!"

"What is there to do?" Remus asked softly as Sirius turned to him, passion alight in his grey eyes.

"Fight."

Remus sighed from behind James and Sirius' backs as Dumbledore looked at them closely.

"It will be extremely dangerous," the older wizard said slowly. "You will be risking not only your own lives, but the lives of the ones you love."

"That's already the case now, isn't it, professor?"

Dumbledore looked at Remus. "Indeed," he said slowly, "but if you do embark on this mission – this life-long mission – the dangers will only increase, and keep increasing." He leant forwards to the boys, and even Remus mirrored his movement. "This is not a job. You get no holiday time, no pay, nothing. This is a way of life. The consequences of putting one toe out of line, letting something slip, is detrimental to all of wizard kind. You must understand this."

"Yes sir."

Dumbledore did not smile. "The three of you, and your companions," he added, nodding to James, "are high risk as it is. Some of you Voldemort only wants dead." His eyes connected with James'. "Some of you he wants to use." This time is was Remus who stared into the blue moons. "And the others," he nodded to Sirius, "he wants to torture. To pay their debts. By joining this organization, I cannot promise that you will have enough protection to live however long you want to, but you will have protection, help, and a chance to be happy."

"That's all we want," James whispered. Remus and Sirius nodded.

"Then I will be happy to have you join," he said solemnly. "But you must understand that no one else is to know of this. Lily is welcome to join, as I'm sure she will, but you are not to advertise."

"Yes sir."

"After the graduation feast I would like the four of you – yes, James," he added as James started with his brow furrowed, "only the four of you. I understand that Mr Pettigrew is a good friend to you all, but we must practice constant vigilance."

The boys bowed their heads.

"You are to meet me here after the graduation feast," he continued, "where we will travel to an Order of the Phoenix meeting." He looked at them, resigned. "You may go."

"Thank you, sir," Sirius said softly as they reached the door.

"Sirius, James, Remus," Dumbledore said from his desk, and they looked back at him. "Please, call me Albus."