Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter books or movies. That's all J.K Rowling's and Warner Brothers'

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Once in a While

Chapter Twenty five – Whatever was waiting.

"Moony!"

Remus gave a strangled yelp as Sirius flung his arms around him, squeezing him so hard he thought his ribs would break. He looked down at his friend with a look of terror, and pushed him roughly, "Get off me!"

Sirius didn't seem to pay any attention to this statement, instead tightening his grip on Remus and lifting him off the floor in an excess of high-spirits. Remus continued to look angry and confused alternatively as Sirius carried him around the dorm, then dropped him on the floor.

"What just happened?" asked Remus weakly from his crumpled position on the carpet. Sirius grinned and bounced away.

"He's picking people up," informed James.

Then Peter stepped out of the bathroom.

"Wormtail!" cried out Sirius ecstatically, throwing himself at him most violently while the other two looked on with interest.

"As of this evening," announced Sirius grandly a minute later, letting go of Peter and allowing the others to finally start pulling on their robes, "we will be Hogwarts graduates. We will, my friends, be men!"

"God help us." muttered Remus, and James laughed loudly, before pulling on his other sock, which didn't match his first, but no matter. He was filled with the same excited giddiness he could see shimmering in Sirius' eyes. He stood and clapped his best friend on the back, "I think my head's going to explode," he said gravely, and Sirius nodded sincerely. "Me too, Prongs old pal, me too…"

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Lily sat in the Great Hall, drooping into her cereal, which was going soggy in the milk. 'This is the last time I'll eat cereal here', she thought. And that alone was enough to form yet another lump in her throat.

Lily had spent most of the night lying awake, dreading today and feeling her stomach squirm. She didn't want to leave Hogwarts. In fact, she was slightly worried that when it was time to go, she'd grab hold of a banister and refuse to let go. She'd got into bed last night thinking, 'This is the last time I'll sleep here'. She'd put her school robes on and thought, 'This is the last time I'll wear these'. And now she was feeling so low that even cereal could make her burst into tears.

At that moment, the marauders exploded through the doors to the Great Hall, linked in one long line and singing 'The boys are back in town' at the top of their lungs. A grave contrast to her own mood.

'I hope this is the last time I see that', thought Lily.

Breakfast that morning was a riot of dungbombs, exploding letters and loud laughter and screams. Most of which was caused by the marauders. The ball last night had prevented them from planning any large pranks, and they had simply decided to cause as much havoc as possible in the few hours they had left at the school. All the time in extremely high spirits. The high point of the hour was definitely James and Sirius proposing to Professor Slughorn, for reasons unknown. The teacher actually choked on his piece of bacon, and Flitwick attempted to administer the Heimlich manoeuvre. As Sirius said, it was the kind of scene which could both give you nightmares, and yet one which you couldn't help but love.

They went for a big group walk round the grounds, and Sirius pushed Peter in the lake. Then he jumped in himself, yelling something about the Giant Squid and a betrayal of love. They'd all hugged a bemused Hagrid, and James had managed to stick a 'Feed me' sign on the giant gamekeepers back before they walked back to the castle, and Peter was once again pushed into the lake.

Later on they met up with Lily and a group of her friends, all of which seemed quite weepy. Sirius was more than pleased to allow a few to sob on his shoulder, and James didn't seem too bothered by Lily hanging onto him for dear life. He attempted to cheer her up by reminding her what the inside of a certain closet looked like, but that didn't go down to well. In fact, she called him an insensitive prat and stormed off the girls toilets.

After this James had turned to Sirius, who had witnessed the whole situation with amusement, and shook his head. "Do you think this is turning into a slightly abusive relationship?"

Sirius laughed and threw an arm round James' shoulders, "I think she's cruel to you Prongs. But she is also, if I may say so, quite hot. So I am inclined to forgive her. That and the whole thing amuses me greatly."

"Thank you."

"That's quite alright."

Remus and Peter, who had been distracted by a suit of armour that hurled abuse at everyone who passed (except Sirius, strangely enough), appeared behind them. "What's going on?"

"Prongs has been rejected."

"Again?"

"As I said, thank you."

Suddenly, a huge figure loomed out of a classroom door at them, glaring down sternly. James gave a yelp and almost fell over Remus in a mad scramble to get away, while the others watched on with slight amusement. Even the darkened figure (who had turned out to be Professor McGonagall), seemed to have to fight to keep from smiling. After James had got control of himself, she shook her head at the four.

"You know," said McGonagall thoughtfully, "I think I'm going to miss you four more than is probably necessary."

"Aaaw! Minnie!" cried Sirius, and flung his arms round her. The teacher looked horrified as he was soon joined by James (who had apparently recovered immensely), then Peter and Remus. "I knew you loved us really!" announced Sirius happily over her shoulder and the four others nodded their agreement. When they let her go, she was slightly pink and her hat had fallen off. She coughed nervously. "Well... right. I'll see you all soon I shouldn't wonder."

"Yep!" agreed James happily, "See you soon Professor." And the four began to walk away, leaving McGonagall standing watching them go. Her first year class were gaping out of the open classroom door and she was just glaring at them, enjoying seeing the cower, when Sirius turned around and yelled over the heads of his fellow marauders.

"We love you Minnie!"

Minerva sighed and bowed her head as the twelve year-olds giggled nervously. No' one would ever be afraid of her now...

Pet names aside, the teachers were quite pleased with the way the marauders were acting towards them on this final day. There had been nothing but gratitude and good-natured jokes towards them since breakfast. The rush of affection this caused towards the controversial group was so great that a small group of adults accumulated in front of the Hogwarts doors to bid them goodbye.

Of course, Sirius milked this for all it was worth, performing a theatrical bow which went on for a good minute before James' hand appeared and yanked him into the carriage by the scruff of the neck. The teachers looked fondly on, thinking about how nice it was to see these four rebels putting their childishness to one side for the day in order to bid a proper farewell.

That was, until Sirius and James said goodbye to their much loved school by mooning out of the carriage window.

Remus swore he would never forget the sight of a group of smiling and waving teachers simultaneously freeze mid-wave and turn pure white, smiles apparently frozen on by horror. Or Sirius' hysterical laughter which lasted the whole ride back to the station.

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The Hogwarts express approached platform 9¾, revealing to the waiting crowd Sirius and James both leaning out of the window with their eyes squeezed shut against the wind blowing in their faces. Through the slits of their eyelids, they recognised a figure standing on the platform and gave identical whoops, waving frantically. "Mrs Lupin!"

Remus slid down in his seat, groaning, as his mother, a mousy haired muggle with gentle brown eyes, gave a chuckle and waved back at his two friends as they sped past. Lily and Emma both giggled as the train pulled to a stop at the station, when the two girls stood and began to pull their trunks down, absorbed in gossipy chatter. Sometime between giggling and gasping, Emma's trunk came free from its place with an unpredictable jerk, causing it to land on her trainer-clad foot. She yelped with pain and began to hop around on one leg, massaging her sore toe.

Lily watched her with amusement, before realising that something was wrong in the compartment. Then she realised that none of the boys had reacted in any way to Emma nearly breaking her foot. Instead, the air was suddenly thick with a miserable humidity. She looked around.

The four boys were still sitting in their seats, looking decidedly uncomfortable. It seemed that the hyperactivity which had lasted all day had finally worn down. They didn't move even when other students started piling past the compartment, a few peering curiously through the glass at them. The tension seemed to mount in the small space, no' one wanting to say what they were feeling. But as they all knew, a certain member of the group would never stay quiet long.

"I don't think," pondered Sirius, "that I really want to leave."

"No," agreed James, almost conversationally, "I agree."

"Let's just wait here."

Lily sighed, looking down at the four boys. They sat looking casually out of the window at the heaving platform, Sirius with his long legs resting between Peter and Remus opposite, who were both reclining gently back. James was the only one who gave away a hint of tension, chewing his bottom lip methodically.

Despite the peaceful exteriors, she could guess what was running through their heads right now; the same things she had been wondering last night when she lay awake in her four-poster, tears tracking slowly onto the pillow. Would things remain the same after school? How could they? How would they get along not seeing each other all day, every day? Would they drift apart? The very idea of the four boys being separated made her breath catch, so Merlin knew how they themselves were feeling...

Lily glanced at Emma, who was looking concernedly at the four marauders. "Guys," Lily said gently, "we've got to go."

None of them replied.

"Come on," she reached down gently and took James' hand, before reaching across the take Sirius'. Both of them looked at her with some level of surprise, as if they'd forgotten she was there. "Come on," she repeated. Opposite her, Emma took hold of Remus and Peter, urging them to their feet.

No' one said a word as they began to take their trunks down from the racks above their heads. Nor when they made their way off the train, though Lily noticed the boys were walking slightly closer together than normal…

James stepped onto the platform, his stomach churning uncomfortably. He'd told his parents that he and Sirius would apparate back home, so they weren't here to meet them. He regretted that now. He would have liked to see his mother's head of wild black hair emerging through the crowd, if only to reassure him some things hadn't changed – not that he'd tell anyone that.

"My parents are over there," said Lily quietly, gesturing into the crowd, "James, come say goodbye in a minute." James nodded and Lily smiled softly at him before turning to each marauder in turn and giving them a hug and kiss on the cheek. "Bye guys!" she said, her voice falsely chirpy, before giving James one last look and disappearing away into the groups of students filing away from the train. There was a heavy silence.

"So…" This was Peter speaking, scanning the crowd nervously, "I guess this is it."

"Yeah," agreed Remus quietly, "Wow."

For once, Sirius didn't speak.

"You're all coming over." announced James, "Right? I mean," he looked nervously at the other three boys, "you will, won't you?" It seemed suddenly very important that they came to his house, sat in his room, ate his mother's food and laughed over memories of the last year. Together. James didn't know why, but he was sure that if they didn't come today, the first day, then they wouldn't at all. They'd all drift off in different directions, and this seven year bond would be broken.

"Erm…" Remus glanced over to where they'd seen his mother, "I should really go back and see mum and dad…" he saw James' frantic look, and understood, "but I'll come over this evening, yeah?"

"Great. Pete?"

"Um… okay, sure. I'll be over this evening too."

James felt a rush of relief, as if an invisible rope had been untied from round his chest. A lob-sided grin grew on his face and he nodded, grabbing the handle of his trunk and beginning to pull it away from the train. They reached an area free of people, and he and Sirius dumped their trunks unceremoniously on the floor. Remus and Peter both veered off to see their parents, and the two companionably leaned back against the dirty wall. They watched the crowd seethe around them, students mixing with parents, owls hooting as cats hissed at them angrily, younger brothers and sisters darting between the forest of legs…

James stiffened as he noticed a certain family standing across the way from them. A tall, cold-looking man with thick black hair and a woman with similar features, both looking down their noses at the surrounding sea of people, as if worried someone would touch them. Sirius' parents.

Obviously they were meeting his brother off the train. Sirius never spoke of his family, not since that time two years ago when he's arrived at James' door, shivering and holding back tears. He wouldn't even nod at his brother if they passed in the hallway. James had taken his lead and it had grown so bad James didn't think he'd recognise Regulus even if he tried.

James glanced across at Sirius, praying he hadn't noticed them. But even if he did, Sirius gave no indication of it, except maybe a flicker in his dark grey eyes, but that may have just been the light.

"Okay," Remus was suddenly at their side, minus his trunk, "Mum's taking stuff to the car, so I'm walking out with you guys. Wormtail's just coming."

"Right," muttered James, his neck craned as he watched Lily hug her mother and father in turn. She seemed to sense his probing stare, because she turned and saw him, gesturing him over.

James' eyebrows shot up and he made a choking noise before shaking his head manically. Lily pouted and Sirius, who'd been watching the whole exchange, gave a bark of laughter. "Meet the parents Jamie!" he sang, and gave his best friend a sharp shove into the crowd. James shot him a furious glare, which was met with a thumbs up, but had no choice but to move towards Lily and her family.

"James!" His girlfriend took his hand and dragged him through the crowd, "Mum, Dad, this is James. James, these are my parents."

"Erm… nice to meet you." stammered James, slightly stunned, and shook both their hands in turn. When he took Mrs Evans' hand, he had a mad urge to start dancing with her, but decided that probably wouldn't be the best idea.

"So you're the young man who Lily can't stop talking about," smiled the woman, releasing James' hand with no idea how close she'd come to doing an Irish jig. James smiled and nodded, "I suppose so." He was very pleased that all the sentences he'd spoken so far seemed to make sense.

Mrs Evans nodded, "Well, it's very nice to meet you at last James. Isn't it Michael?" and she looked reproachfully at her husband, who'd been staring at James in a stony kind of way. "Oh! Erm…" he took in his wife's meaningful glare, "yes dear."

James now knew where Lily had got her bossy streak.

He wondered how he was supposed to leave. Ideally, he'd have liked to kiss Lily senseless, but he didn't fancy the idea of being thrown under a train by Mr Evans. Lily solved the solution by kissing his on the cheek, hugging him close and whispering in his ear, "Owl me okay?" James smiled and promised to, and Lily smiled, blew a kiss and began to walk away.

She was quite a distance away when James' mouth took on a life of its own. "Lily!"

She turned and yelled back across the platform, "What?"

James licked his lips nervously before running forward to catch up with her. Her mother took her fathers elbow and led him away, leaving them alone on the platform. He wanted to tell her something. Something he'd meant to tell her yesterday but had been forgotten in all the drunken excitement. Stomach churning, he leaned in to whisper gently in her ear.

"I love you."

He pulled back, and Lily stared at him, eyes wide. "What?"

"I love you." James realised then that, unlike the other times he'd said it to her, he was sure this time. He loved her. He loved her so much it actually hurt to think about it. He looked into her now familiar face and smiled, dropping his guard and allowing her to see exactly what he was feeling reflected back to her in his eyes. Lily stared up at him for another long moment before allowing a smile to grow over her face. It came slowly at first, but then exploded out like a flag unfurling. James thought it was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen.

"Really?" she asked, and James nodded madly, his own lips quirking upward. Lily grabbed the back of his neck in an uncharacteristically violent gesture and pulled him to her, kissing him hard. James could still feel her smile still in place as she pulled away, her face centimetres from his. "I love you."

"Yeah?"

Lily nodded this time, and then both of them were grinning madly, foreheads pressed together and lost in their own little world as the crowds of Hogwarts students and their parents swarmed round them in a complicated dance.

"Oi! Loverboy! Come on!"

The two extracted themselves from the others grip and turned to see Sirius standing on a trolley and peering over the crowd while the other two held it steady, gesturing for James to get a move on. James rolled his eyes, "Sorry."

"Don't worry," Lily replied, her eyes shining. James kissed her briefly, "I'll owl you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye." Another kiss, this one lingering for a second or two longer. When they pulled away Lily laughed gently, before looking up into his face. "Seriously. Bye."

"Bye!" James leaned in once again, but froze when he heard his name called.

"James! You're going to see her in about a day! Get your bony arse over here!" bellowed Sirius across the sea of heads, accompanied by the others cries of agreement. James kissed Lily one last time, held her close for a second, and bounded back to his friends. They gave a sarcastic cheer and began to pull him over towards the barrier. James turned one last time to wave back at Lily, who waved back before being swallowed up by the heaving crowd. Then he grabbed the trolley pushed at him by Sirius, which was piled high with his belongings and fell into step next to him. Together, arguing merrily, they walked through the solid brick wall, away from the chaotic hustle and bustle of the platform and towards whatever was waiting on the other side.

The End.

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A/N: I need to say a huge, overwhelming thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story; especially those of you who have been here from the start. I honestly don't know what I'd have done without you all! Thanks sooo much! Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I've loved writing it, and I really hope some of you will look at my next fic, which will be pretty much following on from this. Thanks again – you've all been incredible! xxxxx

P.S. Please review! ;)