The Next Great Adventure (A Marauders Fan Fic)

Chapter Forty Eight

Chapter Forty Eight

“If I have to answer one more past question on Disillusionment Charms I am going to cry,” Lily muttered as she squinted at her textbook.

Alice smacked her head on the table and moaned, “Me too.”

Their N.E.W.T.s were well under way and the seventh years were divided between the common room, the library and the grounds. Everywhere they went, however, they were accompanied by stacks of books and could be seen to be muttering various phrases and spells under their breath; every day the library was filled with students scribbling in the gloom, their heads bowed over enormous books, and anyone talking in the common rooms was sharply told to be quiet. They had spent so long working up to this that, with each exam which passed, the summer went by disconcertingly quickly; it wasn’t long before they had finished and, instead of spending ever waking minute working, they lounged around and enjoyed their final summer at Hogwarts.

Nearly every day contained a conversation about how they were leaving soon and, although they were excited to leave, they also knew that they would miss Hogwarts a lot; in the back of their minds, above all, loitered the knowledge that when they left they would find themselves in the middle of a war. This knowledge was hardest to escape when one spent an extended amount of time with the Marauders, for whom nearly every day had a conversation which held a hint of what was to come.

“You’re looking forward to it,” Lily said straightforwardly when she overheard them talking about it again.

“Of course we’re not-“ Remus replied as the other three looked shocked.

“You are,” she rebutted, “James and Sirius haven’t even tried to deny it.”

“That’s because, Lily, much as I love you, you’re being utterly ridiculous,” James said.

“Oh, so you don’t see this as a chance to repeat your earlier stint filled with stunts in hallways? You don’t feel even a tiny thrill of excitement when you think about the danger you’re going to face when you leave? Because I know you James and I know how you think and, try as you might to argue, I know you’re looking forward to it.”

He ran his hands through his hair and looked at his friends. “Well you know Lil… it’s better to be prepared. And I wouldn’t call it excitement… it’s like - what did they call in that one Muggle Studies lesson we crashed? - adrenaline. Is that right?”

“Stop trying to impress me with your scientific knowledge,” she grumbled.

“Course we’re a little bit excited Lil,” Sirius said as he stood up, waltzing around her and grinning at her. “It is a little bit exciting, don’t you think?”

“No. I’m not particularly keen to throw my life away.”

“Hey we’re good duellers, you too; we won’t be throwing them away. We’ll come out of this alive, no problem,” he smiled.

“I think you’re seriously underestimating the abilities of the other side. Think what happened to the Joneses,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper. “You’re eighteen, they were trained Aurors in their forties.” Sirius scowled and muttered, “Come on Lily, work with us here. Of course we’re bloody terrified, we’re not mad… but Peter had this crazy theory that if we pretend to actually be less scared about it than we are then we might you know… feel better.” He raised his voice and instantly regained his cavalier air. “Trust me, dying straight out of school was never exactly on my list of favourite things to do.”

“Well really, who’d want to spend their whole life here?” James asked. “I love this place but it’d be miserable if we never got to see anything else…”