"I am not sleeping in a tent," Juliet Romilly snapped.
Marlene Mckinnon rolled her eyes, "yes you are, get over it."
"I simply refuse."
"Sleep on the sand then, Romilly," James said cheerily, putting up his and Lily's tent with a flick of his wand.
"It's our graduation party, Juliet," Marlene said sweetly, "you can sleep with Bella and I if you're scared of being alone."
At that, Juliet faked a vomit, and flicked her wand at her own tent, "I'd rather sleep in the ocean than share a tent with you two. I'd sooner share with those three," she said, gesturing to where Remus, Sirius and Peter were desperately trying to assemble their tent the muggle way.
"They are so annoying," Arabella said, rolling her eyes and flicking her wand so their tent was also assembled.
"Bella!" Sirius exclaimed.
"We had it-" Remus groaned.
"We were so close, Greengrass," Peter sighed.
"Certainly didn't look that way," Juliet said sweetly, opening a bottle of firewhiskey.
James was looking at his girlfriend intently, not that he wasn't always staring at her, but tonight, it was different. Everyone but Lily noticed it.
Lily, Marlene, and Arabella were attempting to surf, falling off the boards every few seconds and screaming and giggling as they struggled to stand. Meanwhile, James and Peter and Sirius were trying to explain how to do it, but actually could not do it themselves.
Juliet lay by the fire in between the tents, slowly drinking her firewhiskey and reading a book.
Remus lay beside Juliet and propped himself up on his elbow, "gonna happen tonight, I reckon," he said, nodding his head towards where James was holding Lily's waist as she balanced on a board on her knees.
"Them?" She asked, subtly cocking her head and looking down at the man.
"Mmm," he muttered, picking sand up and throwing it on her.
"Stop," she said, smiling ever so slightly but not looking up from her book, when he did it again she threw some back.
As he reached for more to throw sand she grabbed his wrist to stop him, whether it was the firewhiskey or that they were finally alone, he pulled his wrist in so she was level with his face and kissed her, hard. She sighed into his mouth and returned it, desperately.
When they broke apart he kissed her again, softly, and put an arm around her, trying to gently wave Sirius off who was jumping up and down, celebrating, behind a tent.
"Only waited six months to do that again," he muttered, still close to her.
She smiled, although she hadn't allowed herself to admit it, she had missed Remus massively.
"And now you're vanishing to a safe house for the summer," he sighed. "When will we have time for... this?"
"You'd surely rather me in a safe house than Grimmauld Place," she teased, resting on her elbow to lie beside him, her face close to his.
"Obviously," he breathed, physically resisting leaning in. "It's just annoying."
"You can visit," she smiled. "Without them," she cocked her head at the other marauders, missing how Sirius was still staring over at them with a huge grin on his face. "Just us."
He shook his head and sighed, "depends who the secret keeper is. It's a safe house for a reason."
"Oh."
"I'll ask Moody, if it can be me. I'm in the order now, they trust me." he muttered. "So I can come."
"What about Marlene?" She asked, thinking about how sad Arabella would be.
"They've had time," he said quietly, "we haven't yet. After Christmas, I wasn't even sure if... if it meant anything. Or if it would happen again. Or if you wanted it to."
"Of course I did," she said softly. "You've changed everything for me."
He smiled at that and leant back onto the sand, resting his head on his hands behind his head.
"You've certainly gotten rid of my house prejudice, Romilly."
She laughed, "and you my werewolf prejudice," she glanced up at the moon and realised the full moon was close. "How are you feeling?"
"Currently? Never better. Perfect," he winked at her and she rolled her eyes. "Nah, fine. A bit tired."
"I'm sure a sleep in a tent will help that," she laughed.
They both fell asleep, for a while, warm from the fire and lying side by side, nearly touching. Juliet was more content than she had been in months, the same warm feeling that Christmas brought. The same warm feeling that Godric's Hollow had. The same warm feeling that her day out with Remus and Sirius had.
Perhaps it was Remus.
The pair were awoken with sobs and screams, Lily was shaking Juliet and crying her eyes out, Remus was already up, hugging james and slapping him on the back. Lily held out her left hand to the witch which now held a dazzling ring, the same one that James had shown Juliet and Remus at Christmas. The ginger witch collapsed onto the floor beside Juliet, holding onto her and sobbing into her shoulder. Oddly, Juliet found herself crying too, squeezing Lily and grabbing onto James after, hugging everyone.
"I want," Sirius said, choking on his words as he held a bottle of butterbeer up, "to propose a toast. To my best friends, Lily and James. It was a really fucking annoying five years, granted. Watching him obsess, and truly, we all never thought it would happen. But you did it Prongs, you really did it."
"To James and Lily," Marlene smiled, sobbing as she spoke and gripping onto Arabella.
Everyone drunkenly slurred, "James and Lily," Remus had his arm around Juliet's waist and in the drunken excitement and distraction pulled her in and kissed her on the side of her head as everyone shouted. An action that, despite it being her moment, did not go missed by Lily Evans. The witch beamed harder than she had been, everything was going right.
Juliet tossed and turned in her tent, there was giggles coming from Marlene and Arabella's tent, which she rolled her eyes at and groaned loudly, hoping to hint at them. When there was an attempted knock on the soft fabric of her tent she unzipped it and smiled at Remus Lupin.
"Welcome to my humble abode," she smiled, moving back so he could slide in next to her.
He grinned at the sight of her, wearing a Slytherin quidditch training top and looking extremely exhausted.
"Do you know what time it is?" She asked.
Remus glanced down at his watch, "four."
Juliet groaned and squeezed her eyes shut, lying back down and pulling her thin blanket over her, "Marl and Bella need to learn how to cast a silencing spell."
Remus laughed, "tell me about it. Sirius and Peter have been playing exploding snap for the last two hours."
"Merlin," she replied, opening her eyes again and smiling up at the man.
"I spoke to Prongs, you go to the safe house tomorrow," he said, sounding slightly sad. "We haven't been told who the secret keeper is yet. I'll ask though, for it to be changed- er- to me, if you want it to."
Juliet laughed, and took one of his hands, pulling him down so he lay next to her, "we'll have time, Remus. I promise."
"When? You're still at Hogwarts next year, I'll be training, or fighting, or de-"
Juliet put her hand on the back of his neck and pulled him into her, softly putting her lips on his and feeling him sigh into her mouth, when she pulled away she smiled into his mouth, grateful he couldn't see her.
"After the war, there'll be time."
Remus flopped his arm over her waist and tightened his grip, pulling her into him, "I want time now, though."
"At least we've had tonight," she smiled, leaning into his chest.
"Before you go..."
"Yes?"
He sighed, the topic of the witch's 'fiance' had been on his mind for six months, he wasn't sure he could take much more of it.
"Regulus..."
"There's nothing there," she said.
"Okay," he said, not wanting to push any further.
The morning after James and Lily's proposal, the group, save Peter, who had left early, stood in Marlene McKinnon's garden, Juliet and Arabella with trunks at their feet. Alastor Moody and Frank Longbottom stood at the gate, one waiting patiently, the other muttering under his breath.
Marlene McKinnon was in floods of tears, she was kissing Arabella all over her face and promising to write to her every single day.
"This is for the best," Arabella whispered to her. "I've officially joined your side now."
"I love you," Marlene sobbed out.
"Woah, McKinnon-" Arabella said, being interrupted by another kiss. She grinned, "I love you too, for what it's worth."
Juliet hugged Sirius, wiping her eyes as she did so, then James and Lily, beginning to cry and congratulating them constantly. When she turned to Remus he smiled a little, his eyes glimmering.
"I'm proud of you, Romilly," he muttered, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his chest. "Been begging you to accept help for the last two years."
"Thank you," she said, her voice muffled by his t-shirt. "This is all because of you."
"You'll be safe," he said into her hair. "And I'm going to get them to make me the secret keeper, I promise."
"Alright," she nodded, smiling as he kissed her on the head.
She stepped back from the group and linked Arabella's arm, walking towards the two aurors.
"Juliet Ro- Juliet," she said nervously, holding her hand out to either of them.
A good looking brunette wizard who she remembered to be Frank Longbottom shook it, "Frank, glad you're here."
The other ignored her and eyed both wizards with suspicion.
"Come on then," the nicer one said, holding out an arm to Juliet.
The cottage was small, out the windows nothing could be seen but fields and sheep. Certainly different to the upbringing in London which Juliet and Arabella had both had. The aurors had left instantly, advising them that the wards stretched for a mile in each direction, so they could not stray further. Their secret keeper would keep them stocked, apparently.
"My parents are going to kill me," Arabella sighed.
"Good job they won't know where you are, then."
"Hogwarts next year is going to be scary."
"I know, they'll all know by then. That we aren't on their side anymore."
"And you won't have completed your task."
Juliet sighed and shook her head, "I don't even know if we'll get through the school year, with the war."
"Yeah, we'll fight though. We can practice here. Duelling and stuff. Whoever our secret keeper is can help."
"Yeah," Juliet nodded, smiling at how far her and her friend had come. "Just us now, Greengrass."
"Just us, Jules."