A Much Needed Break

A/N: Hey guys, wow we are halfway through! I can't wait for the ending, I've already planned what's going to happen. I am seriously going to try and get out OOTP as fast as I can but jeez that one is long. So sit back, relax, and enjoy some quality time with our characters. ENJOY R&R PLZ!

The homey smell of lasagna filled the air and had all the guys sniffing hopefully. Lily entered the kitchen and dropped Harry into his chair before going to join Hermione at the stove. "Something smells in good in here."

"Thanks, it's my mom's recipe for lasagna," Hermione pulled the baked dish from the oven carefully with two holders.

"Need any help?"

"Nope I got Sirius to help me."

Lily put on a show of shock, "Sirius Black was actually cooking? And that too, cooking real food and not mischief? I think I need to sit down."

"Oh ha ha," Sirius came in the kitchen followed by Remus and James. "Lilykins you really hurt me sometimes."

"Well you've never volunteered to help me cook," Lily pouted theatrically.

"I didn't volunteer this time either," Sirius fell into his seat. "Mya threatened to not show me the pictures if I didn't help."

"Speaking of which," James joined in also sitting down. "When do we get to see those photographs?"

"After dinner," Hermione promised. Remus and Lily set the table and Hermione laid out the food. There was the lasagna, garlic bread, Caesar salad, and for dessert ice cream. There seemed to be some sort of unspoken agreement amongst them as no one even mentioned the coming year. They ate their meals in mainly amiable silence occasionally broken by a compliment for Hermione's cooking or some equally innocuous comment. When the meal was over, Hermione went upstairs and fetched her photo album for the others to see. They all sat on the floor with the pictures spread out in front of them.

"This is Harry at the Yule Ball with Parvati," Hermione passed the snap to Lily.

"Oh he looks so handsome," Lily grinned. "Those robes really do look nice on him."

James held the one with Harry dancing, "My poor boy, he's so uncomfortable here. I remember when I first danced with a girl. Nightmare that was, must've stepped on her toes five times in the first minute. What've you got there Pads?"

"Viktor Krum," Sirius smirked. "Bit angry looking don't you think Mya?"

"Still better than people who haven't seen in a haircut in more than four years," Hermione snatched the picture back while Sirius pretended to cry.

"You look lovely Mya. Cho is quite nice as well," Remus noted. "I do hope she and Harry get together." Hermione couldn't hold back the snort when she thought about how THAT relationship had worked out.

"Uh-oh that didn't sound too promising to me," James grinned while picking up another photo.

"A story you shall hear all about tomorrow," Hermione bobbed her head. "All I'm going to say is you and Sirius may die of embarrassment or laughing or both."

Sirius and James looked at each other with wide-eyes, "dating lessons," they said unison.

"Guys remember it may be different this time," Hermione reminded them, adjusting her legs.

James shook his head stubbornly, "Mya I absolutely refuse to take the chance that my son, the Marauder heir, could have a horrible love life."

"Mya I'm afraid you won't be able to dissuade them from this," Remus rolled his eyes. "They have been discussing this since the day Harry was born."

"Wonderful, he's barely figured out the difference between his hands and his feet," Hermione replied dryly.

"It doesn't look like he's progressed much from there here," Sirius tapped the photo. Hermione stared at the dog trying to be indignant for her best friend but her façade cracked easily and she started laughing causing everyone to laugh too. They carried on until it was time for bed and the group tiredly marched upstairs to get some sleep.

Lily put Harry to sleep and joined James in their room. Baths taken, teeth brushed, clothes changed, soon they lay in bed contemplating what lay ahead of them in the morning.

"Are you worried?" James asked his wife.

Lily turned to face her husband and cupped one side of his face, "We're committed to fixing this. It won't be easy but I have to believe that we can change anything bad that happens."

"You're right," James pecked her cheek.

"Of course I am," Lily snuggled against his side.

Sirius and Remus dressed for bed more awkward than anything else. The sounds of their arguments still echoed in their ears not to mention their heads were swimming with everything that happened in fourth year. Neither knew where to start or whether to even start at all.

Finally Sirius coughed, very focused on his buttons, "Remus I am sorry for what I said to you."

"Me too," Remus nodded at the ground. "I shouldn't have been so quick to judge."

"Don't worry, I was thinking the same thing about myself for a little while." The two chuckled.

"Hey," Sirius looked at Remus. "If anything happens to me in the years that we're going to talk about, I want you to know you'll always be my best friend, no matter what."

"Same goes for me," Remus replied with thick emotion. "Marauders to the end?"

"Marauders to the end."

After a quick shower, Hermione exited her bathroom and tossed the towel on her bed. She opened the album to a photo from Christmas during their fifth year. It was supposed to be just a shot of Sirius and Harry but they invited Remus, then Ron, then her, then the twins decided to jump in and they called Ginny, who called Tonks. Finally, the picture was all of them dog-piled on that old couch in the den laughing like maniacs. Harry and Sirius would get theirs done eventually but that was a moment when nothing else existed but their friendships. She looked at Sirius, tomorrow she would have to tell him he died at the hands of Bellatrix because Voldemort manipulated Harry's love for him. But just like in the photo that didn't matter right now, in that moment all was well.