"the best people in life are free"

*

"What can I get you?" Madam Rosmerta asked, throwing in a fun wink that usually increased her tips. "I suppose your trips to my pub are limited now, boys."

With spring finally banishing the cold weather away, the windows of the Three Broomsticks had been thrown open, allowing a sweet wind to blow into the pub. After their usual raid of Honeyduke's, the boys flooded into their favorite spot in Hogsmeade, savoring one of their last trips together.

Sirius grinned and brushed his hair out of his stunning gray eyes. "Nah. I'll always pop in to visit you, darling."

"Don't let your girl hear you talking like that," she rebuked him with a smile.

"But Rosmerta, I'm madly in love with you! I can't deny the chemistry between us. Forget the age difference! Forget Eva! Forget these idiots here! I've got a motorcycle and a wildly beating heart! We'll hide away in the countryside and-"

"Chill out, mate," James said impatiently. "I want something to drink!"

Everyone laughed.

"All right, lads, what'll it be?"

"Four butterbeers, please," Peter said, eager to down the delicious beverage. "Make 'em cold."

Remus held up a hand. "Make that three."

Her cherry-red lips pursed into a frown. "What about you, Mr. Lupin?"

"I'll just take a water, thanks."

The blonde bartender bobbed her head and scurried away, her curvy hips swaying back and forth in a way that caught the attention of all four boys. Their mouths hung open for a moment until Remus came to his senses. He snapped a finger in front of their faces.

"Oi! You've got a girlfriend, you've got a Lily, and you've got more dignity than making eyes at a forty year old woman."

James chuckled and pushed his glasses up his nose with a knuckle. "I don't have a Lily. And off the high horse with you, Remus. Don't act like you weren't looking, too."

"I'm newly single. Leave me alone."

"Rubbish. That was months ago, mate! Move on already!" James pushed him jokingly. Remus only raised his eyebrows, an amused smirk on his scarred face. Everyone knew he never really got over Kriss, but they didn't let him stay depressed for long.

"What about you, Padfoot?" Peter asked. "Looking at Rosmerta when Eva could walk in on us any minute?"

"Rosmerta's got nothing on Blondie," Sirius answered resolutely, a smile creeping onto his face. "Besides, if I talked to Eva like that, she'd ask what I was on."

"Ah, let him be," James said, winking. "Padfoot can window shop all he wants. It's only a problem if he decides to buy something."

Sirius slapped him across the face as Madam Rosmerta brought the drinks.

"Whatcha doing getting water, Remus?" Peter asked before taking a big gulp of his drink. "These are barely alcohol."

"Nothing," Remus said. He ducked his head, hoping that the red on his cheeks would be attributed to the warmth of the pub. "Just didn't fancy a butterbeer, I suppose."

Sirius noticed the embarrassed look on his friend's face. He didn't like that expression on anyone, especially not Remus, who spent half of his life hating himself.

"Moony, what's really wrong?"

Remus sighed. He swished the ice cubes around in his glass of water. "Nothing. It's just that we're not that far off from graduation. I reckon saving some money might not be a bad idea, you know?"

He stared down at his hands, the blush on his cheeks deepening. Out of everyone in their group, Remus was the only one without a job lined up after school. They wanted to help, but he wouldn't take anyone's charity, even his friends'. No one really knew what to say for a moment.

Then James clapped him on the back and said, "that's our Moony, the only smart one here!" before launching into a spirited rant about their odds for the final Quidditch match, a distraction Remus knew he concocted just to change the subject, and he was grateful for it.

"Seriously, though, can you believe we graduate in two months?" Peter asked after James finally took a breather in between Quidditch talk. "Bloody insane, that is."

"It is. But it doesn't matter," James said. "We'll always stick together. We're unstoppable! No one brings us down!"

"Cheers!" the boys yelled, clinking glasses in the center.

"Honestly, though. There's no way for us to know what's going to happen," Sirius said as he downed his entire bottle, then waved Madam Rosmerta over for another. "When do you reckon Dumbledore's gonna talk to us about the Order? For real, I mean."

"Keep your voice down," Remus hissed, rolling his eyes. "If you didn't want anyone to hear us, we should have gone to the Hog's Head. No one's ever there."

James rubbed his hands together. "Speaking of that, we need to stop at the Hog's Head. Ab's the only man who'll sell me firewhiskey in all of Hogsmeade, and we'll need some for the party when we win the House Cup."

"When, huh?" Peter asked. "Sounds a bit cocky, Prongs."

James gave him an exasperated look. "You think that between me, McKinnon, and Blondie, we aren't going to win?"

"True," replied Peter.

Three figures entered the pub and walked up to the counter a few seats down. Snape, Mulciber, and Yaxley.

Sirius stood up instantly and pushed back his stool, but James yanked him back down.

"Take it easy. We don't want any trouble."

James never found an opportunity to thank Snape for saving his life, and he didn't plan on searching for one. For once, he disagreed with Lily and agreed with Snape: they were even. Civility was enough. He wouldn't do anything unless he was provoked.

"We can take them," Sirius growled, his gray eyes like storm clouds as he glared. "Come on James, I want to hex them for what they did to Eva-"

"No, Sirius. Don't be thick. They're not bothering us. We'd be the ones getting in trouble."

Sirius sighed like a little kid. "You're less fun than you used to be."

"Did you know Alice and Frank are eloping right after school lets out?" Remus asked, quickly changing the subject. He grinned when all of their mouths dropped.

"What?" James screeched. His yelp scared half the pub, but he just flashed them a thumbs up before turning back. "Are you serious?"

"No, I am!" Sirius interrupted. "But really, they're getting married?"

"Yes. Frank told me yesterday during History of Magic. They're both going to work at the Auror Office and they've been together for years. Everyone saw it coming, it's just happening sooner rather than later because of this war." Remus shrugged, still astounded that they had somehow all grown up. Part of him still felt like that scrawny kid walking into the Great Hall for the first time.

"Blimey!" James sputtered in surprise. "I'm his teammate and Frank didn't say a word!"

"Probably because he knew you would react like this," Sirius wisecracked.

Peter frowned before proclaiming, "I'm never getting married. Relationships are too much to handle."

"Oh?" James raised an eyebrow with an amused smile. "Don't tell me you weren't talking to Mary the other day after Charms? You were carrying her books, Wormtail!"

"That was nothing," Peter muttered, his cheeks turning tomato red while everyone laughed. "Really!"

"Oh, of course it was," James said, clearly mollifying him. "I'm never getting married! Relationships are too much work! We're friends! When will the lies end?"

"Hey, who are you to make fun of him?" Remus added. Now the attention turned to James, who at least didn't blush. He only shook his head and messed up his hair, a rueful grin on his face.

"I've told you a million times, it's nothing. I like being friends with Lily."

"Because her eyes sparkle like emeralds?"

"Because she's short and spicy?"

"Because she doesn't know you have a pair of pajamas with snitches on them yet and therefore can't make fun of you for it?"

"Because she's not as stupid as you lot."

"Harsh, Prongs," Peter said, wincing dramatically.

Sirius jokingly asked, "So, if she asked you out, you would friendzone her?"

James instantly perked up. "Why? Did she say something to you?"

"No, absolutely not!" Everyone laughed, even James, although his hazel eyes darkened underneath his rectangular glasses.

"Give me a break. If anyone's getting hitched, it's Sirius," Remus said after the laughter had finally died down.

Sirius' grip around his bottle tightened. "What makes you say that?"

"What wouldn't make me say that? You've been in love with Eva since we were kids, and there's a war going on. Plus, the rest of us are pathetically alone, so I'd say it's definitely you out of the four of us."

Peter and James bobbed their heads in agreement. Sirius ran a hand through his hair, for once at a loss for words.

"You three are mad," he finally muttered after a long moment of silence. His tone was as easygoing as ever, but Remus saw a change in him. He seemed sharper, more alert, more on edge. Stiff, unlike his usual relaxed self. He was the only one to notice this, as James and Peter were counting coins for the bill. Remus tilted his head, asking an unspoken question, and Sirius shook his head in response, silently begging him to end the conversation.

Even though Remus was more curious than he'd care to admit, he dropped a few coins on the table and stood up. "You guys want to get going? I want to stop at Zonkos and I guess we're making a pit-stop at the Hog's Head. Maybe we can meet up with the girls later. I think Lily mentioned Scrivenshaft's."

"Sure!" Sirius said, jumping in with too-much enthusiasm and cringing at himself. Once again, the other two were oblivious, and Remus only shook his head.

As usual, the Hog's Head played host to no more than five dodgy guests, none of them from Hogwarts. Remus and James had to duck when they entered so that they didn't hit their heads on the doorframe. The small room smelled musty and no one had bothered to open the grime-covered windows. James immediately strode up to the counter like he owned the place and addressed the barkeeper, a tall man with a long beard. A goat bleated happily, ran around the counter, and nuzzled against Remus' legs. He patted the goat on the head.

"Hey Ab, can we have the usual?" James asked with a grin.

Aberforth Dumbledore's old eyes surveyed the boys. He leaned on the counter, surveying them shrewdly. "Ten galleons."

"What? You usually charge five!"

"Is anyone else going to sell to you, Potter?"

"You're scamming us! That's barbaric!"

While James and Peter argued with Aberforth, Remus pulled Sirius close to the door, shaking the goat off of his legs as he walked.

"Are you seriously thinking about marrying her?"

Sirius scratched the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah, I thought maybe."

"That's brilliant!"

A slow smile spread across his face. "Really?"

"Yeah! The two of you... wow." Remus shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned, imagining two of his favorite people spending the rest of their lives together. "I didn't know you were that sure about this."

"I'm not," Sirius confessed, shaking his head. "I don't know the first thing about marriage or any of that. I mean, before her, I didn't even believe in love. When James would drone on about Evans, I'd just smile and nod. But, I dunno, there's this war, right? And we're going to fight in it, and she's perfect. Or scratch that, she's not perfect, but neither am I, and our imperfections work together. Who knows what'll happen there, but I just can't imagine life without her. And if she feels the same way, why wait, right?"

Remus smiled. He hadn't seen Sirius so excited about something in a long time. When he thought about it, this made him more excited than he'd been in a long time.

"I assume this is a secret?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah. I don't really know when I'm going to do it, and if James or Peter finds out, the element of surprise gets thrown right out the window."

"You got it." Remus pretended to seal his lips. "Lets go help the others. Just our luck and they'll pay triple instead of the normal price."

*

"Lils. Lily? Lily!"

Lily finally snapped out of a reverie at Eva's raised voice. "Sorry," she mumbled, tucking a strand of hair out of her face. "Just distracted."

Instead of doing who-knows-what with the Marauders, the girls decided to have a fun day to themselves. They meandered around Hogsmeade, stopping to buy quills at Schrivenshaft's and to visit the owls at the Owls Post. Then, they got ice cream and claimed a bench, enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. All four agreed that this was much better than crashing pubs with the boys.

"You've been quiet all day," Marlene said. She licked her ice cream cone before asking, "Is everything okay?"

No. I like him! That's not okay at all!

"Oh yeah. Totally fine."

"Not true," Eva said. When Lily gave her a questioning look, she added, "Kriss stole both cherries off of your sundae and you didn't notice."

"Eva! That was you!" Kriss protested, giggling. "I swear it wasn't me!"

"Yes, it was!"

"It was you!"

As the two continued bickering, Lily took both of their cherries and ate them. Eva glanced down at her chocolate ice cream and gasped like someone had stabbed her.

"Lily Jane Evans!"

Lily smirked. "Revenge is sweet."

"Do you think if I went back in and just asked to buy cherries, they'd give them to me?" Eva asked thoughtfully, twirling a blonde curl.

"No," Marlene answered in a blunt voice before frowning. "Lily, you with us?"

A completely blank expression had passed over the redhead's face.

"Lily, we're worried about you," Kriss said, reaching across the table to take her hand. "You've been acting odd for a while now."

"Is there anything we can do?" Eva asked. Her eyebrows drew together in concern. "Snape's not giving you a hard time again, is he?"

"No!" Lily said quickly. "No, it's nothing like that."

"Then what is it?" Marlene pressed.

"IthinkIlikeJames."

The three young witches looked puzzled.

"What language was that?" Marlene chuckled.

"IthinkIlikeJames."

"One more time?" Eva asked with a confused smile.

"I... I think I like James."

Silence. Then,

"HOT DAMN, GIRL!"

"Marlene!"

Marlene whipped off her heart-shaped sunglasses and turned to Eva, her blue eyes even bigger than her open mouth. "She loves James and you're yelling at me? We're finally going to get some quality girl talk!"

"What about Sirius and me?"

Marlene waved her hand dismissively. "You two are cute, but you're no Jily."

"Hey!"

"I don't love him!" Lily rushed over her words in a failed attempt to calm her friends down.

"It's finally happening!"

"They're going to be so cute!"

"I knew it!"

"Guys, calm down!" Lily begged. Eva heard something in her voice that she didn't expect: fear.

Her feelings for James Potter actually scared her.

Eva smiled and tilted her head. "How long have you liked him?"

Lily hesitated. She stared down at her dish of ice cream and thought about when she realized she liked him, but there wasn't a particular moment. It was a million little moments: walks around the school, wearing his sweatshirt under the fireworks, laughing in the common room, trying on his glasses for a joke, him holding her the night Eva's mother died, late-night studying, dancing at the Christmas party.

"I don't know... a few months?"

"A few months?" Marlene exclaimed, whacking Lily with her purse. "You kept it a secret that long? We're your friends!"

"I know!" Lily said guiltily. "Saying it just made it, I don't know, real? It's so weird and strange and ugh."

Kriss clasped her hands together. "This is perfect! You two are so perfect for each other!"

"We're just friends now," Lily said, rolling her green eyes. "I don't even know if he likes me like that anymore."

Eva looked at her in exasperation. "Never thought I'd hear that sentence."

"He hasn't asked me out all year!" Lily pointed out. "He doesn't flirt with me anymore, and he doesn't - what are you all smiling about?"

They all dissolved into laughter.

Eva ate a spoonful of strawberry ice cream before responding. "Lils, open up those gorgeous green eyes! He's head over heels for you!"

"Really?" Hope began to fill her up with warmth and joy. "I thought he finally moved on."

"No," Kriss assured her. "Haven't you seen the way he looks at you?"

Lily's face felt unnaturally hot. "How?"

"Like there's no one else in the room."

Kriss smiled at Lily's enthusiasm, but her heart ached. She missed when Remus would look at her like that, how his lips would turn up ever so slightly when she walked through the doors. Each time they were assigned patrols for prefect duty, she wanted to scream, just to fill the terrible silence that suffocated them both.

After graduation, she was leaving. She hadn't told anyone, not even her friends or family. It was an agreement made with Dumbledore a month ago, her allegiance to the Order if she could be sent away for a while. Without requiring any explanations, he agreed. Kriss wanted to find out who she was without Remus Lupin, and she couldn't do that if she saw him every couple of weeks at meetings. Alone time would be the perfect recipe to get over him once and for all, and she could finally return to a normal life.

Eva opened her mouth to tease Lily, but a hand covered her eyes.

"Guess who?"

"A very handsome idiot," she joked.

"Merlin, you're smart," Sirius said, bending to give her a quick kiss. The boys crowded around them. Remus made sure to stand far away from Kriss, who looked down at her hands.

"What're you ladies gossiping about?" James leaned on the bench and winked at Lily. It confused him when her cheeks turned the faintest shade of pink.

"Quidditch," Eva said quickly, flashing Lily a small smile.

"Funny, we were just talking about that," he replied. "If you lot want to hop up to the castle early, we can play four on four at the Quidditch pitch."

"James, I don't fly," Lily answered doubtfully. Her fear of heights always kept her off of broomsticks.

To her immense relief, he nodded. "That's fine. You can keep score."

An argument rose between them as they debated teams. The eight friends wove their way through the village of Hogsmeade for one of their last times as students. Eva paused for a moment to take it all in. She loved everything about Hogsmeade, from the shops to the food to the memories made.

"You coming?" Sirius asked, slipping his hand into hers. "I called you for my team, so we kind of have to win now."

"Who else do we have?"

"Kriss. It's the three of us versus James, Pete, and Marlene, because Remus is APPARENTLY TOO COOL FOR BROOMS!"

"I heard that!" Remus called, not even bothering to look behind him.

A second later, he was almost run over by Sirius, who carried a hysterically laughing Eva on his back.

"Race you to the pitch!" He yelled obnoxiously before taking off. Everyone ran after him, their laughter loud and free, enjoying their last few months of childhood while they still had them.

Hi! Hope you liked this chapter!

I have Elton John songs stuck in my head and I'm not upset about it.

QOTD: favorite of the girls?

AOTD: Eva! (I guess I'm biased lol)

Make sure to vote and comment ;)