Remus, Sirius, James and Peter sat together at the Gryffindor table during breakfast next day. Remus had returned early that morning when the full moon had finally waned. He looked slightly worn and a little windswept, but otherwise glad to be back in the castle. Sirius, James and Peter had joined him as usual, after Snape's return to the castle and they had prowled Hogsmeade together.
When everyone had finished eating, Professor Dumbledore stood up.
"Last night," he announced. "We nearly lost a student. I shall not mention the name, but you can ask his saviour personally if you wish to. That saviour was our very own James Potter of Gryffindor House. He prevented one of our students from being eaten alive, at great risk to his own life and for that, I commend him. I award Gryffindor House eighty points for James's courage."
Down the table, James caught Lily out of the corner of his eye, looking up at him with something close to wonder written all over face. But the moment he turned his head to look at her, she looked away and started talking to the Gryffindor ghost, Nearly Headless Nick.
"Nice one, Prongs!" said Sirius from beside him. He lowered his voice. "I think Lily will regard you more highly now."
James grinned.
"I hope so," he said.
On his other side, Remus was chuckling.
"Haha, I could've eaten Severus Snape! I could've killed you aswell!"
Sirius let out a bark of laughter.
"I'd never forgive you, Moony," he said.
--
Their very last sixth year examination was Divination. The Marauders never generally paid much attention to Professor Trelawney's mystic voice, but they were very good at making up dream and crystal ball predictions, which impressed Professor Trelawney enough to give them twenty points apiece and name them some of the most capable Seers in the year. James and Sirius especially, found this very amusing. The students were called up individually into Professor Trelawney's tower room while the others waited at the top of the spiral staircase. The Marauders were some of the first to arrive. Lily was already there, chatting to two girls James recognised as Alice Longbottom and Molly Weasley. Adrian Belinsky was just climbing down the ladder when Professor Trelawney's voice wafted out of the trapdoor.
"Sirius Black…"
Sirius grinned at his friends and then climbed up the ladder out of sight. It was several minutes later that he climbed back down to join his friends.
"How did it go?" James asked, as Terry Burtingal ascended the ladder.
"Great," Sirius said. "Managed to convince her totally. In the crystal ball, I told her that Peter was sobbing over a goblin's dead body when Snape turned up and Peter won a duel against him. Then in the tea leaves I told her that Professor Slughorn would lose some weight in the next three days and in terms of dreams I told her that I dreamed about Professor McGonagall having kids and that it meant that Lucius Malfoy was breeding bulldogs."
James, Peter and Lupin roared with laughter, deciding that Sirius was the best of the four at deceiving.
"I'll wait here until we've all done," Sirius said, sitting down on the top step.
Back in the common room, the Marauders discussed how truthful they had actually been during their exams. All of them had managed to convince Professor Trelawney that their fake predictions were actually real and that a pass was inevitable for each of them. They were sitting by the fire when James noticed Lily walking towards him. She stopped before him, surveying him with a piercing but not unkindly stare.
"Urm…well done for rescuing Severus," she said. "That was – that was brave of you."
Red-faced, she turned and walked away, leaving James in a state of surprise.
"Did you hear that?" he said.
--
Their exam results came out the week before the end of the year. All four Marauders had passed with great marks in each subject. They had even received top grades in Divination, which made them all roar with laughter as they thought of how they had tricked Professor Trelawney into thinking they were gifted students.
"Only one more year to go!" Remus said as they sat by the Gryffindor fire. "Who'll be Head Boy and Girl, do you think?"
"Well, Head Boy – you, obviously," James said. "And Head Girl? Erm…"
He wanted to say 'Lily' but' he couldn't get himself to say it.
"I – I don't know," he said. "Hope I'm Quidditch Captain, though!"
James was a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and seemed to have a talent for goal scoring since he had scored the majority of Gryffindor's goals.
"We've got to sit our N.E.W.Ts aswell," said Sirius. "Man, it's gonna be a tough year!"
"We're gonna have a great summer, though," James said. "All of us at my place, remember! Mum and Dad are going to plan loads of stuff for us!"
"And we'll be able to use magic this summer!" Sirius said, jovially. "I can't wait!"
--
The procession of carriages bore them from the doors of Hogwarts down to Hogsmeade Station where the scarlet Hogwarts Express sat waiting for them. The four friends got out their carriage and began heaving their trunks towards the train. Someone brushed past James as he walked – a double take told him that it was Lily. He wasn't sure if he was right, but he was certain that it had been deliberate, that Lily had got that close to him on purpose. Smiling slightly, he continued on.
--
The Hogwarts Express pulled out of the station and began its long journey south. Remus, Sirius, James and Peter got a compartment to themselves, playing wizard games and stuffing themselves with sweets and cakes. As James bit the head off a Chocolate Frog, looking out of the window as the train passed from Scotland into England, Lily Evans appeared outside their compartment door. She gave James a quick glance and the same eruption of colour awoke in her cheeks as before, but then she was gone. James leaned back, finished his frog and then closed his eyes, smiling to himself.