The Marauders: Year Seven Part Two

The Last Time Out

Lily sat cross-legged on Remus's bed, next to Remus, and broke off a bit of chocolate from the large bar of Fudge Nougat Delight that she'd gotten from the book on Remus's shelf. She drew a damp cloth over his face and handed the bit of chocolate for him. "Here you are, Rey," she said, smiling down at him as she smoothed the curls away from the top of his forehead. "Eat, you'll feel better soon."

Remus smiled weakly, taking the chocolate. "Thanks Lily," he said, voice scarcely above a whisper.

It was early afternoon on the night of the full moon and James and Sirius were packing their things for the night in the Shrieking Shack while Peter had gone to fetch food from the kitchens. Remus was feeling especially moony, a fever and chills racking his body and he was wrapped in several layers of thick woolen sweaters as he lay beneath his covers, head propped up on a good deal of pillows.

"Can't believe this is the last time we're going to be doing this," said James, bending to yank an old jumper from his trunk. He shoved it into his rucksack.

Sirius shook his head, "Me, either."

"Reckon we ought to dismantle the clubhouse tomorrow morning."

"Probably would be for the best," Sirius agreed. "Do you suppose Dumbledore will tell the village the place's been exorcised now?"

James shrugged.

"How long have you lot been going out there?"

"Ages!" Sirius said.

"Ever since we became animorphamanguses," James replied.

"Animagi, Prongs," Remus murmured. Lily smiled at Remus and rolled her eyes in amusement.

"Yeah," James said, "That."

"I'm going to miss the cruddy old place," Sirius said reminiscently.

"I'm not," Remus murmured darkly.

James and Sirius exchanged glances and went back to their packing.

Lily said, "I do wish that I'd been friends with you lot when you figured out how to become animagi." She looked into Remus's green eyes. "I would love to keep you company, too."

"Just think, if you'd been friends with us all along, all the bloody heartache and bullshite you would've saved yourself," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Could've been with that ding-dong over there back in second year, I reckon."

"Could've been with this ding-dong first day on the Express if you'd wanted to," James muttered, flushing.

Lily smiled sadly. She looked around the dormitory. "Gods, I'm going to miss this place."

James paused in packing his rucksack. So did Sirius. "Me, too," Sirius said. "It's... Hogwarts is... it's home."

"Yeah," James agreed. He took a deep breath, "But home is wherever we all are at, I reckon, really." He smiled ruefully, and went back to packing.

When Peter returned carrying a sack of food, he packed his own rucksack while Sirius packed Remus's and James went out to the corridor to say goodbye to Lily. She leaned against the wall and he splayed his palms, leaning forward before her and kissing her softly on the lips. She pulled away after a few moments.

"Are you four going to be getting a flat? Remus said something about a flat."

"Yeah," James nodded, "Well, Sirius, Remus, and I were talking of it any rate. I reckon Peter will go home to his parents... We're going to go looking 'round east London, me and the fellas. Mum and Dad are staying in the Lupin house, Remus has offered them."