'I think she still needs anger management. You better get one of those Muggle perathists, Prongs.'

James shot daggers at his best friend.

Lily curled up in the armchair, the heavy book keeping her legs warm. She was at the back of the library, with The Founders of Hogwarts: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin in her lap.

Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin then set out to build the castle, the school, that became the most famous school in the History of Magic.

Lily sat there reading the book about Hogwarts until Madam Pince, the librarian, came and ushered her out.

She left the library and went to the nearest classroom to read. Through the door of that classroom, she found another door. She stepped over the threshold of the second door to find herself in a cosy store room.

She kept reading, until it got quite late.

Thus Hogwarts School began…

She slowly closed the book shut, smiling at the history of the Hogwarts founders, and eager to get to bed.

'You wanted to sp-p-peak to me?' said a voice.

Lily was about to answer when another voice did.

'Were you followed?' said a male's voice.

'Well … I d-d-don't think so …' said the first voice, also male.

'Good.'

Lily crept to the door of the store room.

'I have a task for you.'

The other voice did not answer for a while, as if he was waiting for the second person to speak.

'I-i-is it about that –'

Lily's curiosity got the better of her and carefully, she poked her head around the corner, just enough so that she could see.

'Do not mention anything!'

'My ap-p-pologies,' mumbled the first voice.

'You never know who might be lurking around the corner.'

Lily felt a shiver run down her spine. Who were these people? Lily couldn't see their faces, or any features that would give their identities away. And their voices were familiar, but Lily couldn't depict who's'. She crept back to the end of the store room and silently cast a Disillusion charm over herself. She crept back to the door of the storeroom and continued to eavesdrop.

'Now, your task, no-one knows of it apart from Ell-em, Ar-bee, myself, and soon, you.'

'Yes, I und-d-erstand.'

'It is to do with that – thing – you were about to mention earlier. Before I explain to you what you are to do, you are to show me where your heart lays.'

'H-heart?'

'Show me.'

What was this person talking about? And how could the other boy understand? Who was Ell-em and Ar-bee?

'Good, very good … Come closer, and I shall whisper what you have to do.'

There was a shuffle of footsteps and Lily heard the soft rustle of robes, as the superior person whispered what he wanted to the inferior.

Lily strained to listen, she didn't want to give herself away by performing any charm to magnify the voices so that she could hear, or anymore magic as a matter of fact.

'You understand?'

'Y-yes, I do.'

'Do not ruin the plan. I hope it all goes well for you. Remember, one hiccough…'

'Yes, I und-d-erstand.'

'Now, back to your Common Room.'

There was a short pause and then a soft click of the door being closed. Lily's heart was thumping. These people were not good. They were planning something, something evil. Hearts? What was that about? There were three – now four – people who were planning a – a something.

Lily finally braved to fully stick her head around the corner after checking that the charm was still cast upon herself. She opened the door that lead into the hallway, and after carefully scanning the corridor, she stole back to the Head Girl's room.

-----

'Your NEWTs will be held soon,' said Professor McGonagall one March day.

'Soon? Soon? What do you mean by "soon"? We have –'

'A month and a half left until the first day of the exams Mr Bhatt. And that is not that far away. I hope that you are all revising well for these tests. It can affect your whole future. Each teacher shall be handing out homework that will help you revise what you have learnt from nearly seven years of magical tuition, help you prepare for the upcoming tests, and yes, if you are falling – even just and inch – behind, you shall be made to catch up with extra homework. We,' McGonagall added loudly over the protests from the class, 'expect every single seventh year to be revising and finishing homework, for their N.E.W.T.s, at least thirty-five hours a week.'

Bhatt was at it again. 'But Professor, that's like, a whole week! Studying non-stop for a whole week!'

'Now really! Please, do your maths! Thirty-five hours divided properly will give you about five hours a week. Or you can distribute your time differently, depending on your classes and other activities..'

The bell rang, drowning out Bhatt's next attempt of protests.

Lily was glad that the homework was starting to pile on top of her. The N.E.W.T.s weren't too far away, and she had studying to keep her mind away from what she saw – heard – in the empty classroom that day.

Lily drew up a revision timetable, not only including what to study and when, but also where. She avoided the Common Room when Potter was there, preferring to stay hidden in a corner in the library most of the time. When the Head Boy was outside practising Quidditch, or in a lesson and Lily had a free period, she would only then retreat into the Common Room, taking advantage of how quiet and how there was no distractions from other students or the librarian. She also liked to take advantage of the books she found on the bookshelves in the Common Room.

-----

'Stupid – thing.' muttered James as he dragged the crate containing the practise Quidditch Balls back into the shed.

'What's stupid?' asked Remus

'Stupid newts, that's what.'

'What's so stupid about it? It isn't going to be hard. I mean we're top of everything,' grinned Sirius.

'Yeah, well we are expected to study a hundred hours a week for it.' James kicked the crate hard and began hopping on his left foot.

'Well how would the teachers know how much you've been studying?' asked Peter.

'I have no idea. But I just got caught for only doing only –' James screwed up his face to imitate Professor McGonagall's stern face '– "fifteen hours of studying Potter! That is no where near efficient if you want to pass your NEWTs"'.

'And only you got caught?' asked Remus surprised.

'Well she didn't mention anymore figures or names.'

'Well then Padfoot, how much studying have you done?'

'Wh-what? Who said that I spent thirty-five hours studying?' stuttered Sirius

James' eyes widened. Remus had excellent observation.

'Well,' said Remus continuing on, 'you haven't been caught yet have you?'

James, Peter and Remus had to chew their lips when they saw that Sirius' was actually turning red from embarrassment. 'Er, no I haven't.'

'Ah-hah! You nerd!' yelled James. 'You traitor! How could you betray us!'

'You,' corrected Remus, nodding in James' direction.

As the Marauders trudged back up to the castle with the rest of the Quidditch team, Sirius kept defending himself, saying that he was only studying so he wouldn't be busted by Professor McGonagall, but Rebecca King, the Keeper, pointed out that Sirius had never really cared about Professor McGonagall, so how would this time make a difference?

Rebecca laughed at Sirius when he couldn't think of any excuse to rebut her argument, as she went to the girls' showers with the rest of the girls on the team.

'Okay, okay, okay. We were only joking with you.'

'Sure you were…sure…'

'Oh come on, let's go and see what's for dinner.'

Sirius was still grumbling as he scoffed down his pumpkin pie, grunting when James tried to explain that it was okay being a nerd, no-one would really care because then he could be friends with Evans.

'Oh come on Padfoot. Since when did you care if we were teasing you?' chuckled Remus after dinner. This cheered up Sirius considerably, which was probably not a good thing because now Sirius had taken the upper hand, much to Remus' disappointment, and was starting to win the game of Wizard Chess.

'Checkmate!' said Sirius. Sirius had just defeated Remus using his knight, bishop, both rooks, three queens and a pawn.

'What? Already?' asked James. 'It's only been -' he checked his watch, '- ten minutes!'

'Aye, Prongs, m'dear, but when you challenge Padfoot to a game of Wizards Chess, you is going down hard.'

'Yes, so we've realised,' said Remus. 'Anyway Prongs, how much studying have you done today?'

James put down his quill. 'Erm, not quite sure.'

'Aye, Prongs, m'dear, but when you challenge McGonagall's expected revising hours, you come down hard.'

'Oh shut up,' said James, laughing along with the rest of the Marauders.

'Well, maybe you should go according to McGonagall's time distributed thingo, starting from tomorrow.'

'Best idea you have ever suggested,' said Remus.

'Well then, I suppose in order to actually do that -' James screwed up his face '- five hours tomorrow, I'd better do a bit in the morning, before breakfast. Oh Merlin, I hate these stupid bloody newts,' James added as he slumped out of the Gryffindor House Common Room.

-----

'Oh, it's you,' said Lily when she looked up at who had just entered the room.

'Who else would it be?'

'Peeves,' said Lily shrugging, as she packed up her books and shifted them to under her arm.

'You're expecting him?'

'No. Good night.'

'What's so bad about me, Lily?' James muttered as he heard the door click shut.

James kicked open his door and sat at his desk with his head in his hands. Everything was going fine this year. The best Hogwarts year he had had. Well, sort of. Sirius had created this trouble. Partly.

Ah, but all Marauders are trouble, a voice in his head said.

But we didn't do that much this year! James argued back.

Oh, really? Well it's about time something happened.

Well…I did play that prank on Padfoot…

That, compared to all the other planks played before this year, was nothing. Take this as … a chance for freedom.

Chance for freedom?

Don't worry about Evans for once, and go about your daily life – or lives – as it was before you noticed that there was a certain red-head in your house and class.

-----

James took the advice his conscience provided him with, and did relax and act like he was before Lily. Playing minor pranks with his friends every now and then when they needed a break from studying from their N.E.W.T.s. And before they knew it, it was mid-April and the teachers were fussing over the seventh year students. Many of the students had also fainted after only minimal hours of sleep and were sent to the hospital wing to have their nerves calmed down.

Of course the Marauders didn't take the N.E.W.T. studying hours into consideration, but as the first of June grew closer, they were agitated and kept fidgeting, in and out of classes. When the night before the first day of exams arrived, the seventh year students were called into the chamber off the Great Hall to be spoken to.

'With all the studying the most of you have put into these Nastily Exhausting Wizard Tests, you should be happy with the outcomes when they are owled to you sometime during August. These exams can affect your whole future, whether you want to become minister for magic, or just a shopkeeper. A mark or two lost isn't just nothing, it may be the mark that determines whether you pass or fail. So I trust that you all have realised how serious these exams are.

'All of you have taken your Ordinary Wizarding Level exams, and the grades of the NEWTs are distributed, like the OWLs, by determining how many marks you gain. The pass grades in descending order is as follows: 'O' for outstanding, 'E' for exceeds expectations, and 'A' for Acceptable. The fail grades are: 'P' for poor, 'D' for dreadful, and –' Professor McGonagall coughed '– 'T' for troll.

Professor McGonagall rambled on about the NEWTs and was oblivious to James and Sirius mouthing the words she said, Remus taking notes, while adding his own comments here and their, and Peter pretending to strangle her.

At long last, the deputy headmistress' speech ended. 'And, so, I suggest that every single one of you to go to bed early, and not to do anymore revision tonight. You have all had a very long couple of months, and they will all end by the end of the week. Goodnight.'

The crowd dispersed and trudged back to their common rooms.

'Next time she calls us in for some speech, make sure we bring Music Plugs. I can't stand the tone of her voice when she talks, it's so monotonous. The only time it's interesting is when she flames us for something. Even magic won't be able to change her voice,' mumbled James.

'But Music Plugs are banned at Hogwarts. The teachers never know if you are actually listening to them. And anyway,' added Remus when he say that Sirius was about to retort, 'The teachers have added more magic to the walls of this school. Music Plugs will automatically turn off if you are listening to them but meant to be listening to a teacher.'

'We were joking Moony. We had our own Music Plugs confiscated.'

'Oh yeah,' piped Peter, 'We were meant to be listening to McGonagall go on about the Dark Lord in first year … and how he is a threat to all of us.'

'Mm, speaking of Voldemort and all that Dark Magic, I've been thinking, what do you want to do after school? I mean, that one thing. I know, that when we took our N.E.W.T. subjects, we were supposed to have in mind an occupation that we wanted to take up, and I had a number in mind remember? Well anyway, I thought that maybe I could become an Auror. You know, that hero stuff and duelling and all that. Sounds like an interesting life,' said James.

'Yeah it does,' said Sirius, 'but just think of what my parents would say – I mean – do.'

'Threaten you, strangle you,' suggested Peter.

'Yeah, something along those lines,' said Sirius, as if this was something that would make his life worth living. 'What about you Moony?'

'I don't know. I mean, with my – problem, I'm not sure if I'll do well …'

'You – don't know – if you – will do well? Can I just make a statement? You have common sense, logic, and good looks like the rest of us? Why would people care if you are -' Sirius paused, as if searching for the right word, '- um - care if you are … animal-like?'

James laughed. 'If he's animal-like, then what are we?'

'What does Wormtail want to be?' asked Remus.

They all looked at Wormtail, who thought, but fidgeted.

'I don't know …' he finally said. 'I'm not sure what life has to offer me … everyone knows that I'm weak and frail – no wait, that's for thin people, fat people like me … what you call them? Well, with the Dark Lord on the rise, people like me will have no hope against him. I might as well go join him.' Peter gave a laugh.

'Well that's one thing I will NEVER do,' said James strongly.

'Hear hear!'

The group walked on in silence for a while, then Remus said abruptly 'What is one thing that you will do then?'

James was about to say that he was definitely going to marry Lily Evans, but he caught himself just in time. He was meant to feel relaxed and not to worry about their relationship. 'Join some kind of force against Voldemort,' he said after some thought. 'If he is going to get stronger, there has to be some force to push him back. We can't all live in a world where he dominates everything. That wouldn't be fair.'

'I was thinking the same,' said Remus. 'Even though I have a physical disorder, it might come in handy one day … I hope,' he added.

'Would be nice to be called heroes and given an Order of Merlin some day … wouldn't it be nice?'

'Mm…' said Peter.

'Yeah, and do what? Rename ourselves and "the Marauders of Merlin"? No, that sounds as if we are posh, civilised people. "Would you like a cup of tea darling? Yes…I did get an Order of Merlin … oh, you would like to see it? Oh alright…" Or, you know those really prim people. "Straighten you back! Stand tall! Hold your head up high. Walk daintily! Don't shout! Don't slurp! Don't –'

'Potter! Why aren't you in your dormitory getting a night's rest before your exams?'

'I'm going just now …'

Professor McGonagall watched James' retreating back, and also started to tell off the remaining Marauders.

-----

'Don't' worry.'

'Calm down.'

'You'll do fine.'

'It'll be over before you know it.'

The next morning, everywhere, there were seventh years calming down their friends. Madame Pomphrey was especially busy with all her new patients.

The first exam was Defence against the Dark Arts, and James thought that he did quite well in the theory part of the exam. In the practical part, James' concentration was distracted slightly when he saw Lily produce the most amazing Patronus. When he was asked to try and produce a Patronus, James new that he could, he had done so in class. Only a handful of students were able to produce one, but the professor said not to worry, producing a Patronus was very advanced and even some fully qualified wizards and witches could not even produce one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a silvery winged animal. It looked like an eagle, but James could not be sure. Every movement it made was so graceful, like a swan, yet the bird wasn't as large.

'Excuse me, your Patronus.'

'Wha-? Oh, yeah, right.'

James produced a Patronus, but it wasn't very strong, not his usual self. He was thinking about that animal Lily had produced. It was beautiful, but it wasn't very happy, it was graceful, beautiful, yes, but it looked sad.

-----

'Finally,' said Professor Dumbledore, 'the last of the exams for the NEWT and OWL students have finished today. Thankyou.'

The Great hall cheered. The week had lasted for what seemed for a hundred years.

While the seventh year students cheered, Lily smiled sadly. Yes, she was glad that the exams were over, but this was her last year at Hogwarts. Hogwarts had been a place where they caught you before you fell. Out in the real wizarding world, who knew what was going to happen? She hadn't lived in the wizarding world yet, she was still living as a Muggle in the summer holidays. She didn't usually go and visit her friends in the wizarding world often. Who knew what was going to happen. If Lily would trip, she would only be caught by a thin net. She was going to miss this place. This was where she discovered her talent, her friends - herself.

Lily walked down the corridor during her patrol duty. The dungeons, seemed welcoming, even though it was as dark as before, as cold as before. Potions, on of Lily's favourite subjects. She was going to miss this place. A lot. No more sneaking down to the kitchens. No more watching the snow fall from the Hogsmeade roofs. No more magical tingle. No more lessons.

Instead of looking into classrooms and broom cupboards to tell off any late wanderers, Lily just strolled down the corridors, leaving the rooms locked and untouched. This was probably going to be the last chance for the seventh year students to hide inside broom cupboards.

Lily heard voices coming from down the corridor, the large dungeon. She smiled at the excited whispers, and let them be alone, to do whatever the wanted to do. Lily passed the large doors, and just a few paces from the door, a rough hand violently grabbed her wrist.

A/N

Hello! apart from the fact that i am slightly sun burnt, my neck hurts so much that i can't sleep properly, my elbows hurt that I can't stretch them out properly, my shoulders feel heavy, I have a small blister on my foot, and my thighs hurt, I am positively perfect. Never better.

I also have something else that I want to boast about.

WE CLIMBED UP MOUNT KOSIOSCO!

Uh-huh. I just came back from camp on Friday, and on that day we climbed Mount Kosciusko. It isn't as famous as the big Mount Everest, but oh well, It's the highest point in Australia. What an achievement. HPOD sufferer was the first girl from our group to reach the summit (big round of applause for her!). Everlasting Icelands and moi were the absolute last students to get back down to the foot of the mountain. (Did I mention that we went on a chairlift part of the way then walked the rest of the way up?) Everlasting Icelands and I walked back down practically non-stop. She only had about five seconds rest, then we were up and killing our feet again. We were so slow ... so behind.

Anyway, I'll just leave you all to produce a nice long review for this chapter, and get on with my next.

(By the way EI, I still have your hairtie, and - they opened the fish store in Carlingford Village! Have you seen it? some of the goldfish were huge! The size of the normal fish you eat in restaurants. Does goldfish taste good?)