Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

~Lily~ Pastel Yellow and 'Muggle Aurors'

Lily knocked repeatedly on the Marauder's door. She waited for them to answer it impatiently. Honestly, how long does it take to walk two feet to the doors?

"Coming!" a voice inside the room called out. She heard a few crashes and bangs as the person made it across the room. The door swung open revealing Remus and Peter standing there together, blocking the room.

"Hello Lily," Remus said cheerfully.

"Hey."

"Hullo Lily," Peter said.

"Hi," she said, trying to look past the boys. "Can I come in?"

"No," Peter blurted.

"No?"

"No," he confirmed.

"What he means is that Prongs hasn't gottem ready yet, despite my reminders," Remus said smirking.

"Hey!" James shouted from behind them, "You weren't supposed to say that. Besides I'm almost done." Lily laughed and pushed past the boys. James was throwing random articles of clothing out of his trunk as he rummaged through it. Lily picked up a pastel yellow blazer.

"What is this?" Lily asked.

"Oh that's what I'm wearing to the wedding," James said.

"Is this a joke?"

"No, Remus said it'd be good for a Muggle wedding. And you said it was your favourite colour," James explained. Lily turned to Remus who was trying not to burst into laughter.

"Well I do like the colour, not usually for a suit, but we don't have enough time to buy you a new one. So I suppose you are stuck with it," Lily sighed, "Please tell me there aren't matching trousers."

"No I got black stacks and a matching black shirt and tie," James said.

"Slacks not stacks," Lily corrected.

"Why what's wrong with it?" James asked. He stared at the jacket.

"It's just unique... for a wedding. 'Specially a wedding like Tuney's," Lily said.

"I could do a colour changing spell," James offered. James glared at Remus for messing with him.

"No it's alright. The more that I think about it, the better an idea it is. Petunia would absolutely hate it," Lily said.

"I don't want your parents to hate me though," he said.

"Oh don't worry James, they'll love you. Besides my dad wears silly colours all the time," Lily told him.

"Really?"

"Yes, but we have really have to go. We don't want to miss the train," Lily said. "Which I might add, leaves in 5 minutes."

"Why don't we just apparate," James suggested, "It'll be a lot quicker."

"You can't apparate in or out of Hogwarts," Lily reminded him.

"But you can in Hogsmeade," James reminded her.

"Yeah but it isn't a Hogsmeade weekend," Lily said. The three boys looked at her, waiting for her to get it, "The secret passages?" The boys all nodded and smiled a bit to.

"It would be a lot quicker," Remus added.

"Fine, but if I didn't know any better James doesn't want to spend time with me," Lily teased.

"Naturally," James said sarcastically. "Now I'm going to change into this very handsome outfit." He went into the bathroom.

"Very handsome, did you hear?" Remus said to Lily.

"I can't believe you convinced him to wear that," Lily said giggling.

"I didn't think he would actually buy it. But knowing Prongs he is going to make it into a new style," Remus joked.

"Let's just hope his Potter fan club don't all begin to resemble bumblebees," Peter said with a laugh.

"Let's hope not," Lily said, "Where's Sirius?"

"I don't know, he took the Map with him though," Remus answered. "He is still upset about Marlene."

"I tried talking to her, but she won't listen. You know how she gets," Lily said defeated, "They both think it's pathetic to go back to each other, even though they both fancy one another."

"Prideful doesn't even cover it," Remus agreed. Then James burst out of the door, looking- well- incredible. Dashing, strapping, handsome, godly, and any other word. Not that Lily would ever say those things to him. Not that Lily could if she wanted too either, because somehow she had suddenly lost her voice.

"Wow James," Peter said excited. Somehow the yellow and black just worked for him. Lily managed to get herself together and pry her eyes from him. Even more surprisingly, he didn't seem to notice.

"You look nice, James. Presentable," Lily said politely.

"Why thank you, darling. You're looking gorgeous yourself," he said kissing her hand. Lily laughed. He always knows how to break the tension, even if he isn't trying to. She liked that about him.

"You're ridiculous," Lily said, grinning.

"Am not!"

"Are to."

"You both are ridiculous," Remus said, shaking his head.

"Well I suppose we should probably get going then, if you are finally ready," Lily said.

"I just need to grab my wand and I'll be set," he said.

"Alright, let's go," she said. "Bye Moony. Bye Wormtail." She hugged each of them and watched them grin madly when she called them by their nicknames.

"See you guys! Tell Paddy that I said bye," James told them as Lily dragged him out the door.

"Are we going to the mirror passage?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, sounds like a plan," James said. "Fancy going under the cloak?" Lily agreed. She certainly didn't want to get caught sneaking into Hogsmeade. The Marauders were such a bad influence on her, she thought.

With a loud crack the two Gryffindors Apparated to Lily's hometown, Cokeworth. Lily realized that they were still holding hands, but she didn't want to let go. Not yet and not here. They were only a few feet away from an old playground with a large chimeny taking up much of the skyline.

"This is where I first met Snape," Lily recalled sadly. She watched as James' jaw tensed up, but he said nothing. "I was playing with Tuney, right over there. I was maybe 9 and I didn't know I was a witch. But I jumped off that swing right there and I used accidental magic to float me to the ground. I don't even know if accidental is the right word, because I could control it, I knew what I was doing. Anyways, Sev, he was hiding behind the bushes, watching us. I was showing Tuney how I could open and close a flower with magic and he revealed himself. He told me I was a witch and Tuney a Muggle." Lily began to tear up, she took a moment to pull herself together.

"Of course neither Tuney nor I knew what a Muggle was, but he said it with such distaste. And calling someone a witch is sort of an insult in the Muggle world, needless to say Tuney and I rushed home without giving him the time of day," Lily finished.

"How did you guys become mates then?" James asked.

"Not long after that, he tracked me down and explained to me everything about magic and Hogwarts. Well except about blood purists and all that. He was my link to the magical world, a world where I belong. Tuney was convinced he was lying to me and that everything I did using magic was 'unnatural'. But she didn't understand. I felt alone in the Muggle World, like a freak as my sister so lovingly calls me. When Snape came into my life he offered an explanation to why I was different. He changed everything for me. One day we were sitting beneath a tree and Tuney was spying on us. When Snape saw her, he was so mad. Fuming. She insulted him and he made the branch above her crack and fall. It hit her shoulder and I was so mad at him," Lily said. "I couldn't make myself abandon him though. He had it rough at home. His father wasn't a good person and his mother wasn't always so nice either. And on top of that Petunia hated how he lived in the bad part of town. He was my first wizard friend and I was his first friend... ever."

"Y'know, sometimes I think you are too nice for your own good. And I adore that about you," James said, "but just know that you don't owe anyone anything. You don't owe it to Snape to be his friend because he was the first wizard you met. And you don't owe it to me to be my friend, just because I stuck up for you one time."

"Don't say that," Lily said looking at him sternly, "You know you are my friend. A better friend than Severus ever was. And for the record, I don't owe you anything. Nor you I. We are friends and I'm glad you are here with me." She watched the corners of James' mouth turn up into a smile.

"Okay wonderful," he said.

"I'm sorry. This is probably all terribly boring to you," Lily apologised, wiping her tears.

"No, I'm glad you told me. I think I understand why you were insistent on being his friend even when he didn't deserve it," James said swallowing his pride, "He was the first person who introduced you to magic and you couldn't imagine him as a bad person because of it." Lily looked at him for a moment, realizing that James had grown so much. Here he was, talking about Severus Snape without looking like he could throttle someone.

"Yeah, I was quite naive. But we both chose our paths. His happened to lead down a darker road and I couldn't do anything to stop him," Lily said. "I tried, I really did."

"But there was nothing that you could do. Sometimes people can only be saved by themselves," James said introspectively.

"Can I ask you something," Lily said after a long pause. She looked up into his eyes, needing an answer.

"Ask away."

"When did you become so mature?" Lily asked, causing James to chuckle, but Lily was serious.

"Me? I'm not convinced I really have. I've just seen more of the bad parts of life, I suppose. But I wouldn't say that I've changed, not really," James said grinning at her, "I think that you only saw the real me when we became friends, because before that I was too big of a prat trying to show off for you."

"Too bad I didn't become your friend sooner," Lily said regretfully.

"I'm just soaking up every moment we have," James told her, squeezing her hand. Lily led him down the street, towards her house. She couldn't help but feel undeniably happy around James. He just made her elated. She knocked on her front door, hearing footsteps bustling. The door swung open to reveal her sister. Her sister with her excessively long neck. Her sister with her glowing smile changing to scowl at the sight of Lily. Her sister who made her feel so inferior.

"Lily," Petunia said with distaste. Her eyes dropped to Lily and James' intertwined hands. The disgust somehow increased tenfold.

"Hey Tuney!" Lily said, using the nickname more out of habit than anything else. "D'you remember James?" Petunia nodded while pursing her lips. She stepped aside allowing the witch and wizard to enter.

"Mum! Dad!" Lily shouted. She ran over to her parents, who she missed dearly. They embraced for a few heartfelt moments before releasing one another. "I missed you guys."

"We missed you too Lilyflower," her dad said putting his arm around his wife. Lily though she saw her father's eyes grow wet with tears.

"You brought James!" her mother exclaimed before hugging James too. Lily watched Petunia do a double take at James' pastel yellow jacket. Lily suppressed her giggles and looked at her father who was doing the same.

"Mum," Lily said, "You've gotta let James go." Her mother released James who grinned unblushingly.

"Sorry James. I like your jacket," she said appreciatively. Lily grinned at James.

"S'alright Mrs. Evans-" James promised.

"-Call me Rose."

"Say, Rose, d'you really like my jacket? I wasn't sure if it was too bold," James asked charmingly.

"I love it. Besides, it's Lily's favourite colour," Lily's mother explained, "Back when she was just a little girl she had us repaint her room just that colour."

"Really?" James said with a raised eyebrow, "I'd love to hear more stories about Lily." And her mother was more than happy to oblige in embarrassing Lily, albeit unintentionally, as she theatrically retold the story about how Lily had got sent to the principal's office in third grade for fighting with Bobby O'Clary. James was soaking it all up, probably as payback from all of Lily's conversations with Mrs. Potter over Christmas.

Later on, after they had arrived at the church, just before Petunia began walking down the aisle, James reached for her hand once again in a completely platonic manner and began whispering in her ear.

"I've learnt so much today."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" Lily humoured.

"Well for starters, a microwave is rather innovative, just like a Heating Charm, but for Muggles. And your parents are just great fun. But most importantly, I learnt that you are a Marauder at heart," James said with a smirk. "Fighting Bobby O'Clary. Wow. Who knew that you'd turn out to be a Prefect!"

"Oh shove off," she said punching his arm. "And be quiet; it's starting." Lily watched as heads turned to catch a glimpse of the bride. Petunia looked beautiful in her traditional wedding dress. She had her hair pinned up and makeup done by a professional. Her bridesmaids were dressed in a lavender colour. Even though Lily wasn't up there with her or a part of the wedding planning at all, she still knew that this was exactly what Petunia dreamt it would be like. And Lily was overjoyed for her. Her sister was getting married! She almost wanted to cry tears of joy and just for a second forget that Petunia hates her and that her sister is marrying Vernon Dursley. Lily leant on James' shoulder and squeezed his hand. Everything felt natural with him and she knew it wasn't fair. It wasn't fair how she was treating James, but her feelings were too complicated for her to even think about.

Once the ceremony was over, Petunia and Vernon shared their first dance. They were absolutely awful dancers, despite having taken dancing lessons every week since they were engaged. She had to shut James up as he sniggered.

"C'mon let's show them all how to dance," James said dragging her onto the dance floor.

"You better not step on my shoes, Potter," Lily warned lovingly.

"You'll find that I'm actually a wonderful dancer," James informed her. The music started and James, as he proclaimed, was a great dancer. He moved so fluidly and sensually, that Lily could barely catch her breath. She didn't even realize that everyone else had stopped dancing to watch them. Everyone was as immersed in the way James and Lily moved together as they were. When the song ended James kissed her hand and pulled her in close. They stood there swaying together, Lily with her head in his chest and James resting his head on top of hers.

"Told you I wasn't a bad dancer."

"I suppose, but not better than me," she teased. She was staring into James' eyes when a camera snapped from the side. They both turned in surprise to see the wedding photographer taking pictures of them.

"Lovely, lovely," the photographer muttered as he looked at the picture, "So young and in love." Lily felt herself blush and she dropped James' hands from her own. She saw Petunia storming over.

"What did you think you were doing!?" Petunia screamed.

"Calm down Tuney," Lily said, "What did I do?"

"You- you were stealing the spotlight on my wedding day!" she complained.

"Me!? We were only dancing," Lily said.

"Yeah but the whole damn place couldn't help but stare at the perfect Lily Evans and her perfect boyfriend," Petunia said bitterly. Petunia glared at James, so Lily gestured for James to go get drinks. Lily saw everyone staring once more, so she dragged Petunia out to the hall.

"Look, I'm sorry that I'm the cause of you being upset on your wedding day, but I'm honestly not trying to steal your spotlight. We were only dancing," Lily said not wanting to start a fight.

"'Only dancing' God how dimwitted are you!? Why do you think I didn't want you to be here today? I didn't want you to show up with your perfect hair and dress and boyfriend. Just being obliviously happy," Petunia snarled.

"I'm anything but perfect. For God's sake you call me a freak every 10 minutes. And for the record James isn't my boyfriend," Lily said, frowning.

"Well if I didn't call you a freak then no one else would! And I couldn't- I couldn't let that happen," Petunia explained. And it sounded awfully familiar compared to what she used to say to James. "And don't try and pretend you aren't dating that boy. The way you look at each other, I swear you're in love already." Petunia was shaking her head and scowling fiercely.

"We are just friends," Lily said weakly. Then she realized that wasn't important at the moment, "Tuney, I'm sorry. I want your day to be perfect. And if that required me to leave then so be it. Today is your day." Petunia didn't say anything for awhile. She just stared at her younger sister blankly. Lily opened her arms for a hug, knowing that it would probably end badly, but Petunia accepted her hug. They stood there hugging for a few minutes not saying anything at all. They were only interrupted when the photographer snuck up from behind and snapped a picture of the two sisters. That seemed to wake Petunia up and she jumped back from Lily's arms.

"You should go," Petunia said quietly. "I told Vernon about what you are and- and he wants you gone too." She just wanted her sister to be happy today.

"Alright then. Goodbye," Lily said. Petunia nodded, then returned to her wedding party. Lily felt drained, she slumped against the wall. She wanted nothing more than for James to come running around the corner and just being there for her. But he was still inside the party, a party where Lily was no longer welcome. Lily found her hands playing with her necklace. She fingered the green emerald, remembering James' sweet gift. And suddenly she knew how to find him. She held down on the beautiful green gem, hoping that James was wearing his matching one. She released the necklace and waited. She waited for the boy that plagued her dreams. The boy whose smile was the thing she thought of before falling asleep. The boy who she used to think she hated, but now never could. The boy who turned into a man before her eyes.

"Lily!" James shouted as he stumbled around the corner. He had one hand on his wand. "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. I'm fine, James," she assured. He instantly looked relieved. But he seemed a bit off. "Are you drunk?"

"Drunk? Me?" he said as if she was crazy, "Well maybe a bit. All these girls kept pining after me to dance and they kept giving me tons of drinks. And you were right Tigerlily."

"You'll have to specify, I'm right most of the time," Lily joked. He laughed with her.

"Muggle drinks are much stronger than ours. It's good stuff, I must say," James said.

"I'd say that we should Apparate, but I'd hate for you to get Splinched since your drunk," she told him. "And I've never tried to Side-Apparate someone with me."

"Can you use the Muggle car?" James asked.

"No I never learnt how and besides, my parents need that car to get home. I suppose we could call the Knight Bus," Lily offered. She had never ridden it, but Marlene had once and apparently it hadn't been a good experience.

"Oh I know!" James said. He pulled his mirror out of his pocket and 'called' Sirius.

"Hey James," Sirius said sulkily.

"Oi Padfoot. Fancy picking us up in your motorbike?" James asked. Instantly Sirius' face lit up.

"Yeah! I'll be right there. Wait- where's the wedding?" Sirius asked slowing down for a second.

"Cokeworth, England. You'll be able to see the church from above," James told him.

"Alright Prongs. I'll be there in twenty minutes," Sirius promised. He was as excited as a child on Christmas. Sirius disconnected the call and probably rushed off to his motorbike. Lily sat there in disbelief for a moment.

"You know how to get out of just about anything, don't you?" Lily asked.

"'Course I do," he said. "And Sirius really needed the pick-me-up right now. I'm not even sure if he's still upset over Marlene or maybe something with his family..."

"Probably a mix of everything. The war, his family, friends, Marlene. He probably feels like everything is crumbling around him."

"Yeah I hate that feeling," James said making Lily give him a curious look. James saw it and obviously didn't want to talk about it. "Fancy getting an ice cream?"

"Sure..." Lily said frowning. When did James feel like everything was crumbing around him?

"I'm here Prongs!" Sirius shouted from the mirror in James' pocket, "I'm parked around the back of the church." The two magical teens filed out of the ice cream parlour and crossed the street back to the church. They went to the back car park, as instructed, and there it was. A large black motorcycle complete with a sidecar. Sirius sat in the front seat with his usual casual elegance. He even had a leather riding jacket over a black and gold T-shirt to complete the look. It really suited him well.

"Thanks for coming mate," James said hugging his best mate. Sirius happily returned the hug. Then proceeding to show Lily every little thing about his motorcycle. You could tell how much he likes his bike.

"That's great and all, but how is it going to fit three people?" Lily asked.

"We're wizards, aren't we?" Sirius said with a chuckle. he pointed his wand at the vehicle and expanded the sidecar to fit two people. "It might be a bit tight, but I'm sure James won't mind the close quarters." Sirius smirked at Lily, whose face turned bright red.

"D'you mind if I change out of this? It's so bloody hot out here," James said tugging on his jacket. Sirius jumped up and rushed to his vehicle.

"I have just the thing!"

"I was just gonna transfigure it into something a bit more comfortable-"

"Rubbish. You'll wear this," Sirius said grabbing a T-shirt matching his own out of his bag. It had a large golden emblem on it. James shrugged and took his jacket off. Then his shirt and Lily realized she was staring. She spun around so fast, praying to God that James didn't see her staring at his physique.

"You can turn back around Lily," James said chuckling with Sirius. The shirt fit snugly around his torso making Lily gulp.

"Alright then. Let's go," Lily told the boys quickly. She hopped into the sidecar. James and Sirius both got in as well. Lily heard the kick start rev up and the engine didn't pur or hum, it roared. Loudly too. She saw the exhaust floating above their heads. And then it took off. Way faster than any Muggle motorcycle should. And it was rather silly of her to assume that Sirius wouldn't enchant it. She had figured he did it out of spite because of his family, but soon enough realized her mistake when the bike took to the air.

"Whoa!" Lily said, clinging to James' back, her arms snaked around his waist. They weren't that high off the ground, but with the speed they were going, it was incredibly scary at first. She wasn't usually scared of things like this, but it took her by surprise. She heard Sirius and James guffawing and she felt herself loosen up. Her nails had been digging into James' shoulders and she felt bad. So instead she moved her arms around his waist.

"Oi Prongs! Ima head back down to the ground? I see some Muggle Aurors up ahead," Sirius shouted with a mischievous grin. They touched the ground smoothly and proceeded to speed down the street.

"Lily! Put this on!" James said handing her a cloak. Lily threw the cloak around her, remembering this is his Invisibility Cloak. He was protecting her from the 'Muggle Aurors' as Sirius had called them. The smile dropped from her face as Sirius made a sharp turn. And at the speed that they were going, in any regular vehicle the passengers would be sure to fall off, but Sirius was a good driver. Both James and Lily stayed on the motorcycle and they drove right past two very startled police officers. Lily watched the taller officer put the sirens on the top of the car. And for about fifteen minutes the cops chased the two wizards and one witch. Lily hadn't heard either of them so happy in a while. Then Sirius made another very sharp turn causing the police car, that was on their tail, to slam on it's breaks. Lily hoped that Sirius knew what he was doing, because they were heading down a dead end. The police car tried to drive through the alley as the motorcycle had, but it couldn't fit. The paint was chipped off a good portion of the side of the car. The two officers exited the car looking disgruntled. The bigger of the two men had much difficulty squeezing past the car. Buttons flew off his shirt and his pants ripped on the car mirror. They inched their way past the car in a slow agonizing way that was surely an insult to their dignity.

"Get off the bike!" the bigger officer barked. He didn't seem to be in a very forgiving mood as he stared at Sirius with such incredible dislike, as if Sirius had personally offended him somehow. Sirius on the other hand seemed to be enjoying this run in, almost basking in the flashing blue and red lights.

"No helmets! Exceeding the speed limit by– by a considerable amount!" The larger man's face was bright red (threatening purple) with a large vein seeming to throb on his forehead. "Failing to stop for the police!" the man continued to list.

"We'd have loved to stop for a chat," said James, who was trying to implement some of his charm. But for some unknown reason it seemed to work best on women, "only we were trying—"

"Don't get smart! You two are in a heap of trouble!" bellowed the lankier officer. "Names! Now!" Naturally Sirius took a different approach from James'.

"Names!? Er– well, let's see. There's Wilberforce... Bathsheba... Elvendork..." Sirius said keeping a straight face. Lily was stuck between laughing at Sirius' silliness and getting up and slapping him for being cheeky. But she decided to just watch and see how it played out.

"And what's nice about that one is, you can use it for a boy or a girl," James played along with Sirius. Lily rolled her eyes.

"Oh, OUR names, did you mean?" asked Sirius "You should've said! This here is James Potter, and I'm Sirius Black!"

"Things'll be seriously black for you in a minute, you cheeky little—" the lanky officer sputtered, although he seemed impressed with his wit. Bu LIly saw her two friends look suddenly rigid. Their eyes were trained to the sky that was suddenly much darker. James and Sirius both reached to their back pockets and brandished their wands, searching the skies to locate who ever was up there.

"Drumsticks? Right pair of jokers, aren't you? Right, we're arresting you on a charge of-" the skinnier officer jeered. Lily would've chuckled if they hadn't seen three cloaked and masked people flying on brooms directly above them. James and Sirius noticed too. They looked at each other and knew what to do.

"Wingardium Leviosa!" James and Sirius said in unison. The cop car was rearing on its back wheels. The Death Eaters had flown low and the car smashed into their brooms at the right time, smashing the brooms to pieces. The Death Eaters slammed to the ground senseless as well, but surely alive. The police officers were in shock. Their heads swivelling from the car to the now empty sky then back to James and Sirius.

"Thanks very much!" Sirius called as the engine roared back to life "We owe you one!"

"Yeah, nice meeting you!" James called over the throb of the engine. "And don't forget: Elvendork! It's unisex!" The boys lowered the police car to the ground causing a loud crash. Lily figured that the boys did that for the dramatic effect as the motorcycle flew out of the alleyway, leaving to very confused Muggles behind with three incapitated Death Eaters.

"What were three Death Eaters doing in Cokeworth?" Lily demanded as she tore the Invisibility Cloak from over her.

"No idea, but that was fun," Sirius cackled.

"Good thinking: Wilderforce, Bathsheba, Elvendork!" James said laughing too.

"This is serious! You both used magic in front of Muggles. And- and we just encountered THREE Death Eaters! In my family's town no less!" Lily pointed out. She wanted them to realize that this wasn't a game. They weren't at school.

"Don't worry Tigerlily, we handled it and no one was hurt," Sirius comforted, "And all of us are of age, so the Ministry can't be mad about it."

"I know but-" Lily began.

"We are ok Lils," James said with a twinkle in his eyes. "We are bringing you home." Lily looked around and James was right. They were passing the large factory in town and winding river. She saw Severus Snape's deteriorating home the overlooked the factory. Then on the other side of town was her own home, with it's lawn in pristine condition.

"S'alright if I set her down on the lawn?" Sirius asked.

"Ok just try to not hit the flower beds, my mother would have a fit," Lily warned. Sirius slowed the bike down and lowered them to the lawn only narrowly missing the flowers.

"Splendid!" Sirius said examining his work, "Didn't even touch the flowers."

"Thanks for picking us up Sirius, my sister kicked James and I out," Lily said gratefully. She saw Sirius' face transform, not to pity but to understanding.

"That's horrible, but I get it. I just recently got kicked out of my Uncle Alphard's funeral. One of the only decent guys in my family. He left me a load of money too. Split his fortune between me and my cousin Dromeda. I didn't even know him that well. He was cut off the family when I was young. Still I get how it felt being turned away," Sirius said giving Lily a long hug. She could feel his tears seep into her hair for a moment, then he pulled away.

"Yeah," she said unsure what else there was to say. Sirius understood regardlessly. "And James, thanks for coming with me."

"Any time," he said sticking his hands in his pockets. Lily gave him a hug too, shorter than the one with Sirius.

"So I suppose I'll see you back at school next week," Lily said.

"Yeah we'll see you then," James said waving goodbye. The two wizards hopped back onto their magical motorcycle and flew away. James keeping eye contact with her until she couldn't see him anymore.

~James~ Unwanted Reminders

"That's it! We did it," Sirius hollers as they exited the Great Hall. "No more tests!"

"Until next year," Lily added as she walked up to them.

"Ugh don't talk about next year," Marlene groaned as she joined the group. "I don't want to get a job."

"I'm not going to bother with a job. I want to fight!" Sirius announced. James grinned at him they had discussed their plans for after Hogwarts.

"Yeah me too," he added. "Nothing else is worthwhile now."

"Sure but how are we going to do that. Don't you have to be in the Ministry, like as an Auror or something?" Marlene asked disheartened. Lily looked at James and Sirius who shook their heads slightly. They all were thinking the same thing.

"You're right. Maybe becoming an Auror wouldn't be so bad," Sirius said. Even though James knew that they could trust Marlene, he also didn't want to break Dumbledore's trust. Especially because James and Sirius Wouldn't even know about The Order if Aberforth hadn't let it slip.

"Don't you need five NEWTs for that though?" Peter piped up, looking shaky. They had just finished their Transfiguration final, which wasn't Peter's best subject.

"Well sure you do, but that doesn't seem hard in the slightest," said Sirius. He didn't seem worried at all about his results. It was almost like he didn't care at all. James also wasn't worrying at the moment, he felt confident about his performance and he couldn't do anything about his grades now.

"For you perhaps, but the rest of us actually work hard in school," Marlene spat at Sirius.

"Hey! I try in school," Sirius defended. "Maybe I just study away from prying eyes. Don't judge me." James watched Marlene open her mouth to retaliate. Just when he thought that they could be civil around one another they had to go and ruin it.

"Both of you stop it now," Remus said annoyed. He had a very commanding voice when he wanted. "You sound like children. So get over your stupid breakup and just be friends."

"Sorry Remus. Friends?," Marlene said, but Sirius didn't take that approach. He held his head high and kept walking. Marlene scowled at him from behind. And then apparently Lily decided to take care of it herself.

"Sirius! Get back here now!" Lily shouted with a voice as commanding as Remus' had been. Even Sirius turned back in surprise. "Marlene was just making an effort to put everything behind you guys and be friends, but you couldn't swallow your pride for two seconds to let her. And even before that you were bragging about how smart you are and it doesn't matter if it's true, because we all know."

"I wasn't trying to brag, I was just trying to convey that I didn't think five NEWT's would be hard. My personal opinion only. And for the record no one can force me to be her friend," Sirius said pointing at Marlene.

"Alright then can you at least stop fighting?" James asked. Sirius gave James a look that said, 'if I must'

"We'll stop fighting," Marlene promised. Although she gave Sirius a scathing look.

"Good," Remus said looking surprised at himself. The group walked in silence for a bit.

"Let's go in the lake," Lily offered excitedly.

"But isn't that breaking some school rule?" James asked grinning.

"Honestly James, I'd figure with all the maraudering you do that you'd have the rules memorized by heart," Lily sighed, "'Swimming in the Black Lake is prohibited without faculty or Prefect supervision.' And Remus and I are both Prefects."

"Nice one Lily," Sirius said high-fiving her.

"Well none of us have bathing suits," Peter pointed out.

"Guys, I won't judge you if you don't have the guts to go swimming in the Black Lake," Lily teased. She kicked her shoes and socks off, then took off her robes. James then did the same. He rushed to kick his shoes and socks as well as his robes. He raced towards Lily who was now running towards the lake. James caught up to her and his arms seemed to have a mind of their own. He scooped Lily up into his arms, leaving their faces very close together. And for a tantalizing moment her eyes fluttered closed, as if she awaited his lips, but that was probably a figment of his imagination. He didn't want to ruin anything between them, so he ran to the shoreline of the Black Lake and threw her as far as he could.

"You are so dead, Potter!" Lily screamed. Her entire body was soaked. "Tarantallegra." James' feet started to tap dance against his will. He couldn't do anything but watch Lily laugh.

"Hey set me back," James begged as he laughed.

"Not yet. Aqua Eructo!" she said pointing her wand at James, which then thoroughly soaked him as well.

"Are you two lovebirds done over there?" Sirius asked grinning.

"Yeah. Finite," Lily said fixing James' dancing legs. His eyes widened when Lily didn't correct Sirius, but it probably meant nothing. He tried to meet Lily's eyes but she wouldn't look up.

"I can't believe you just did that Lily," Marlene said laughing.

"I can't believe you didn't go in yet," Lily countered. She made eye contact with James and grinned. He whipped out his wand just as Lily did. James levitated Sirius while Lily levitated Marlene. He heard Marlene's scream and Sirius yelp as they hovered directly over the water. Remus and Peter behind them couldn't stop laughing.

"Put me down!" Sirius screamed at them. James smirked.

"Certainly," James said. He flicked his wand and Sirius dropped into the lake. Sirius popped up immediately and levitated Remus over and dropped him even deeper in the lake. Lily gently placed Marlene at the edge of the lake.

"C'mon Lily that's weak," Sirius joked. James had laughed until he saw Lily looking suddenly sick.

"Lily, what's wrong?" James asked gently. He grazed her arm with his hand, but he felt her flinch from his touch. And suddenly he felt bad too. Was she mad at him?

"I need to go," she said before turning and walking back up to the school. She didn't even bother using a spell to dry herself off, so water dripped from her clothes as she walked away. James looked back to his friends who had all stopped laughing and splashing each other too.

"I should go-" James said.

"No you shouldn't. I'll go," Marlene said forcefully.

"Did I do something?" he asked crestfallen.

"I'll talk to her and figure this out," Marlene assured him. She took off towards the castle following in Lily's footsteps. James sat down with his feet in the water, as his friends all came over.

"Bad luck, Prongs," Sirius said genuinely.

"I don't know what I did. We were all laughing and joking then she put Marlene down instead off in the lake. And when I touched her arm she froze, like- like she was scared of me or something," James pouted.

"You really don't know?" Remus said looking pained.

"Obviously not Moony. But it'd be nice if you'd bless me with your wisdom," James quipped. Remus only raised his eyebrows, "Sorry Moony."

"She isn't scared of you, Prongs. She was just reminded, and eerily so, about what happened last year with Snape," Remus explained. But the other Marauders didn't seem to understand.

"Why would this remind her of Snape?" James said, finally remembering the incident last year.

"Well it was almost the same exact time and it involved you holding someone up in the air against their will," Remus said shrugging.

"But she was doing it too and Sirius and Marlene knew we were joking. If it was really bothering Sirius then I would've put him down," James defended. He jumped up and ran his hands through his hair.

"But you have to remember how the two of you used to be enemies and that day changed everything."

"How? She probably hates me again," James told them frustrated, "She flinched when I touched her. Like we were strangers or something."

"I promise you she doesn't hate you, never has as far as I can tell. And if you can't see what's right in front of you I'm not going to tell you," Remus said, shaking his head. "I should go find Emmeline." And then Remus was gone too, leaving James soaking wet with Sirius and Peter.

"What am I missing?" James wondered to himself.