For the Marauders, 1978 began with a bang.
They stood on the shore of the lake across from the castle, having trekked through the trees - it hadn't been a long walk, but regardless Sirius had spent the time subtly complaining how much faster it would've been in their animagus forms, had they not had to walk the whole way because of Lily, Regulus, and Remus's inabilities to change. The beach was pale blue and lavender from the light of the moon reflecting off the dark of the lake and the sand. They magicked two big old logs onto the center of the sand and Lily set a lovely little fire with a flick of her wand, and they sat about it on the logs, talking about anything and everything except that war, having agreed that it was time to think of happier things.
"One wish for the New Year," said Remus, looking about at them, remembering the game his mum and dad used to play just before midnight every year. "Starting with you, Sirius."
"I wish for the most bang on wedding there was bleedin' ever - wish disco balls and unicorns and muggle pizza for food."
"Wedding?" Regulus asked in surprise.
Sirius nodded and he held up his hand, which had Remus's father's ring on it. Then nodded at Remus. "My Moony's agreed to make us legitimate."
Regulus's eyes bounced between the two of them.
"Though I suppose you and mother still won't count it, seeing as it's gay as fuck," Sirius said accusingly.
Regulus shook his head, "Actually... I... my wish is that I could come to it." His voice was hopeful.
"Of course you can," Remus said before Sirius could say no.
Sirius didn't look like he'd been about to say no, however, his face was stunned as he stared at Regulus...
"Pete, what's your wish?" Remus asked.
Peter stammered, "I - I wish for... for peace, for James's plan to work and for me to be freed." His face turned rather pink and Lily wrapped an arm about his shoulders and kissed his cheek. Peter flushed happily at the contact, so casual and so much like something that Lily would've done to Sirius or Remus, yet so rarely did it happen to Peter, and he was thrilled to feel like he was as important as the others.
"Lily?" Remus asked.
Lily thought for a moment, looking at James, who smiled at her. "I wish for all of us setting on the right paths for our futures," she decided. "For acceptances into programs we want to study at university and getting jobs and everything that we dream about."
"Good one, Evans," Sirius spoke up.
"James?"
"As Lily said... our futures," James said, nodding, "Love and life and all the things we want in them." He smiled as Lily squeezed his hand.
Remus nodded, looking around at them all.
"How about you, Moony?" Sirius asked, "What is it that you wish?"
"That we don't lose touch with one another after school ends," Remus said quickly, "That we all remain as close as we are today for the rest of our lives."
"Of course we will," Sirius said, "Bleeding hell, we're the fucking Marauders!"
Peter said, "Can I add that wish to my list as well?"
They all laughed.
Sirius stood up and stretched, "Well," he said, "Near to midnight. Are you lot ready?"
"Ready?" Regulus asked, "Ready for what?"
Sirius grinned, "For my most bloody brilliant Filibuster's display yet."
"You've got Filibusters?!" Regulus asked, and for a moment his Prefect showed as he said, "Those are on Filch's banned items list!"
Sirius snorted. "What Filchy doesn't know won't hurt us," and he turned to face toward the little island in the center of the Lake, raised his wand and within a second there was a loud pop and a whistling jet of light shot up into the sky, sparks flying in a great stream as they shot up, up, up into the sky, before bursting into a brilliant turquoise explosion, hissing and spraying sparks every which way. One after another, the fireworks exploded against the backdrop of the silhouette of Hogwarts school, and they watched the colorful pops and whizzes, laughing as lights in the castle turned on, dotting the dark shadow of it's looming figure as students awoke at the sound of the explosions, looking out to see the firework display.
Sirius had not been exaggerating when he said that it was his most bloody brilliant display yet. It truly was. He had so many Filibusters that he'd collected over the last year that the show seemed unending and as it was getting to the close, more than one at a time began going off until there were four or five at once, their showering sparks mingling and fizzing s they fell over the lake, turning the world around them shades of red, blue, green, gold, silver, pink... Until finally, the very last one, exploded in the air to reveal a sizzling hot message of light that read HAPPY NEW YEAR 1978!
"Happy New Year!" all the Marauders and Regulus and Lily shouted and Sirius did an obnoxious rendition of Auld Lang Syne making a noise not unlike a kazoo with his mouth as Regulus and Peter laughed and James and Lily kissed to welcome it in. Sirius saw them kissing and grabbed onto Remus, pressing their mouths together. Regulus and Peter stared up at the still glowing letters in the sky, Peter clapping his pudgy hands together, "Good show, Padfoot!" he exclaimed.
And so began the year...
Far, far off from the celebration in Hogsmeade, in the Lupin house, Dora and Charlus Potter were ringing in the New Year as well, sitting side by side on the couch, kissing, Charlus's wand lit and sparking like their own private fireworks show. Dora's arms were about Charlus's neck and Charlus's were about her waist and they were happy and well, and together...
In a little flat in London, Frank Longbottom hugged Ali Prewitt, too, and they talked about their future together, about how lovely it would be when Ali could move in there at Frank's place and their lives together could truly begin...
On Diagon Alley, Jasper and Edgar Odair sat in Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlour with the man, Florean himself. They had great big sundaes with gobs of fudge and hundreds-and-thousands, Edgar nearly falling asleep as Jasper smoothed his hair and talked with Florean about the future of the ice cream shop, discussing ideas for new flavors to invent...
In the castle of Hogwarts, Dumbledore was in his office stroked the head of Fawkes and whispered, "Happy New Year, you old bird," into the steaming Phoenix's ear as the bird coddled against his fingers...
A few floors below, Minerva McGonagall and Elphinstone Eurquart were standing at the window, watching the Marauders' fireworks display far below over the lake. "Sirius Black's doing, that is," muttered McGonagall, shaking her head and simply knowing who was responsible for such a thing as Filibusters being set off over a lake. She wasn't angry, though - how could anyone be angry when such beautiful colors were lighting up the sky, when an entire new year was upon them and the possibility for anything at all filled the air?
At Fallengunder, Ned Veigler stood on the grass, hugging Elva who had come around since the fight on the lawns of the castle, having finally seen that there were good werewolves and bad werewolves inhabiting the same woods. Newt and Tina Scamander were beside them, and all the wolves that had been in the program, all the men and women and children who were shunned from society but accepted at Fallengunder, and they watched their own fireworks display, popping and sparking overhead brilliantly...
Gideon and Fabian Prewett, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and an odd collection of Ministry officials and Aurors were in a wizard pub in Edinburgh, singing loudly and clinking their steins of mead and firewhiskey together, dancing and enjoying the music... Dorcas Meadows was there, too, and she squealed when Gideon Prewett scooped her into his arms and gave her a kiss to ring in 1978...
Bilius Weasley sat side-by-side with the ghoul on the roof of the burrow, drinking a bottle of mead and wondering what the year would bring - besides, of course, the birth of the tiny things kicking around in Molly's belly several floors below. Percy, Charlie, and Bill slept through the turning of the year, as Charlie dreamed of dragons and Arthur and Molly whispered ideas for baby names as they snuggled on the couch...
Tom Riddle sat alone before a fire, staring into the flames blazing in the hearth, his fingers drumming against the armrest of the chair he was seated in, obsessing with the idea of time and death, his mouth twisted sourly at the thought that tonight he had turned 52 and he felt no younger than that but rather quite a deal older...
And in a quiet part of Surrey known as Little Whinging, under the pale light of the moon, Vernon Dursley's car turned onto a dark cul-de-sac in a quiet neighborhood. Vernon came to a stop outside of a little house, brick, with hedges growing along the front. The house was dark, no curtains in the windows, just sitting and waiting to be occupied. It was bathed in the light of a street lamp, which glistened off the brass number 4 nailed to the frame of the door, and in the yard stood a sign that read SOLD in big bold red letters. "What are we doing here, Vernon?" Petunia asked, confused, "I thought we were going home?"
Vernon smiled behind his walrus mustache. "We are."