James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter stood shoulder to shoulder to shoulder to shoulder on the sidewalk in front of the Evans's house, staring at Lily as she stood, holding the door opened to a white car - an Austin Maxi - and gesturing to the space inside.

Sirius held the wrapped biscuit tin to his chest. He looked side to side at the other Marauders, then said, "Alright, if no one else is going to say it, I'll say it." He cleared his throat as the others looked at him - Lily with impatience. "You're mental if you think we're all going to squash in there like a tin of sardines and ride muggle style all the way to Hogsmeade."

"It'll be fun!" Lily countered. "A road trip!"

"Like Jack Kerouac," said Remus.

"Exactly!"

"Well I am not Sal Paradise and I am not riding in that rolling tin squashed up between these idiots all the way to Min's."

Lily said, "It will be fun! Where is your sense of adventure!"

"I must have left it at home," Sirius shrugged.

"I think it does sound like fun," Peter said.

They all ignored him.

"My mum used to take me and dad on roadtrips to Bath," Remus said, shrugging. "We did have fun," he admitted. "She would pack us a lunch and we'd go to the beach and -"

"I've packed a lunch!" Lily said excitedly.

"My parents used portkeys," Sirius said. "Before they wanted to murder me, that is."

"So did mine," James said. "Minus the murdering me part." He paused, "It could be kind of groovy."

"Yeah well," Sirius muttered, "You both seem to share the fetish of doing rubbish the muggle way lately..."

"It will be really great," Lily said pleadingly, "We'll make stops along the way, and we'll have fun and listen to music.. Music, Sirius! I have an 8-track deck in the dash! You can play anything you like."

"My Queen cassette has been itching for a bit of exercise," Sirius murmured.

"Well, excellent, perfect time to give it a go!"

Sirius nodded, "Alright, I suppose."

"Shall we pop home and get the tape?" Remus asked.

Sirius reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a small square, no bigger than a breath mint. He put it on the ground, waved his wand and the square swelled and grew until there stood before him a large storage box. Opening it, he rummaged about through a very large collection of records and 8 track tapes until he found what he was looking for and held it up. "I've got it."

"You carry all that with you everywhere?" Peter asked, amazed.

"And some other stuff." Sirius shrugged and reshrunk the box, stuffing it into his pocket.

"But why?" Peter asked.

"For times like this, of course."

Sirius ignored Petwr's amazement and turned to Lily, handing her the tape. "And if your rolling sardine tin hurts my Freddie I'll dismantle it one bolt at a time."

Lily grinned and took the tape, excitement in her eyes. "Alright then, everybody in!"

"Well hang on, what if Sirius isn't the only one opposed to this plan?" James asked. "What if the rest of us need convincing as well?"

Lily stepped over to James and stared up at his eyes. "Giving me what I want now may very well pay off for you later," she said, her voice sultry.

James nodded, "Well that's decided then, lot, everyone in the car!"

"I don't understand why I have to be in the back, straddling this ridiculous console, when Remus gets to lean back in luxury up there."

"Because you've the shortest legs," Remus said.

"And you're the one most use to straddling things," James added, smirking.

"That is discrimination against the otherwise sexually oriented," Sirius said, punching James in the arm. James punched him back and the two of them jostled, slapping at each other stupidly, rocking the car as they moved, and squashing Peter even more against the passenger side wall.

"Stop it - we all know it's true, James is just the one who said it outloud," Remus said, half turning in his seat to swat at Sirius's flying arms. "Stop - smacking - Prongs!"

"It's utterly ineffectual anyway," James hooted.

"Ineffectual! I'll give you ineffectual -"

"Yes - besides that, there will be no fighting in the back seat of this car," Lily said, glancing in the rear view to catch a glimpse at them. "And certainly no wand use Sirius!"

Sirius had just draw his wand from his hair. He met eyes with Lily in the mirror and slowly put it back where it had come from, turning forward and crossing his arms as James laughed and relaxed in his seat beside him, grinning and flushed.

"Bleedin' children, not adults," muttered Lily, rolling her eyes.

"Sorry Evans." Lily muttered something about James being sorry later on, and his eyebrows raised. "Hang on, I didn't do it, he's done it."

"And you continued it!"

James looked at Sirius, "You arse, you got me in trouble!"

"Sorry I ruined your chance at any future sexual escapades," Sirius replied.

"Sirius Organic Black-Lupin shut your mouth!" Lily squealed.

Sirius laughed evilly.

Silence fell over the car aside from the wailing of Freddie Mercury and the turning of the wheels below on pavement.

"Are we there yet?" Peter asked, sounding miserable.

They'd nearly made it off the end of the Evans's street by then.

Remus looked out the window as Lily came to a stop at the sign and he found he could still see the mailbox that read EVANS when he looked over his shoulder. "This is going to be a long ride," he muttered.

James chortled and said, "You know what's NOT long?"

"Peter's dick?" Sirius guessed.

Peter punched Sirius's shoulder.

"A portkey ride," James answered his own question.

Lily snapped, "WE ARE GOING TO HAVE FUN ON THIS TRIP DAMNIT!"

"Yes Evans," chorused all 4 boys. (Although peter and Remus said Lily, and Sirius said Lilith. James was just the loudest.)

They sat at the stop sign for several long moments.

"Alright," Lily said, clearing her throat and flushing slightly pink. "Who knows how to get to Hogsmeade?"

"North," James declared.

"You know what this reminds me of? The time we drove to Harvok or whatever the fuck that place was." Sirius declared. "Wasn't the directions for that trip North as well?"

"What?" James looked confused.

"You weren't there," Sirius said.

"What Sirius is getting at is once again, the place we are headed isn't exactly a muggle tourist location on a map. It's north, very north so drive North and eventually we'll figure out the details." Remus reasoned.

"Or give up and make a port key?" James suggested.

Lily turned on her blinker stubbornly. "North it is!"

They turned the corner and Peter pressed his nose to the window to watch houses and trees go by. Sirius was humming along with the 8 Track and James watched Lily's face in the rear view, wondering if she'd forgotten he was in trouble yet. Remus leaned forward and rummaged in a rucksack at his feet and withdrew a book, opening it and resting it so it leaned against the dashboard, balanced on his knees.

Lily drove to the motorway headed North.

After a time, they started falling into conversation, discussing quidditch scores and a serial on telly that Lily had gotten them all watching together. Sirius switched out his 8 Track for another of Queen's albums, and proceeded to sing along even more boisterously. They stopped and ate lunch, and Sirius transformed into a dog and disappeared into the woods, returning a few minutes later with a stick, which he made James play fetch with. One of the times Snuffles had gone off to get the stick Remus said, "We should all get in the car and leave him here, it'll be a quieter ride."

"He'll only disapparate back into the car," Peter said.

They didn't ditch Sirius, and instead all piled into the car again and started back to heading North on the motorway. Peter asked twice if they were almost there yet, and Remus switched from one textbook to the other. Sirius started falling asleep, leaning on James's shoulder.

Then Bohemian Rhapsody started playing on the 8 Track.

"MOMMMMAAAAAAA JUST KILLLLLED A MAAAAAAAN...."

Sirius sat up very suddenly, and, having an epiphany, he shouted, "Oh. OH. OHHH!"

Remus looked up, eyebrow raised.

"Pads?" James asked, looking with concern.

"I've got it!" Sirius cried, "Bloody hell, I can't believe I didn't think of it before. Of course! Of COURSE!"

"What are you on about?" Lily asked.

"I - hell what time is it? I reckon I could - if I run, of course - maybe -- Oh she would never suspect, so surprised -- I --" Sirius was grinning wildly now, all but trembling with excitement. Peter stared at him with wide-eyed concern. "Oh I simply MUST... at least try... I mean -- utterly disappointing if I didn't --" He grinned about at the others. "BE RIGHT BACK!"

"Be right back? Be right --?" Remus turned in his seat but by the time he had done Sirius had disapparated away.

"Mad," Peter whispered, though he wasted no time in claiming a bit more room for himself in the seat.

"Barking," James agreed.

It was nearly two hours later, after night had fallen and they'd decided to stay at a little inn along the way, before Sirius reappeared.

He was out of breath, a bit sweaty, and quite disheveled.

"Sirius?" Lily's voice was quiet and sleepy.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Remus demanded, putting down his book. James and Peter were both asleep, Lily only barely awake, and Remus was sitting up in a chair, his eyes bleary but clearly having not taken any rest. "And why are you all out of breath? What have you been doing?"

Sirius panted, "Ran all that way, didn't I?"

"All what way?"

Sirius grinned, sitting down on one of the beds in the little room they'd taken for the night. He smirked and shrugged off the leather jacket before bending to untie his boots. "Don't worry your pretty little mind, Moonshine." He patted the mattress beside him, swinging his legs up onto the bed and nodding for Remus to come and join him.

"You were gone hours and hours," Lily murmured.

"Go to sleep, Lilith," Sirius said as Remus sank down beside Sirius.

Lily sighed, and started to close her eyes. Then, "Sirius?"

"Lilith?"

"If you ever disapparate out of my car while I am driving it again, and not return for hours, I'll kill you."

"Kill me?" Sirius grinned, "You wouldn't. You love me too much."

"Mmm," she murmured, falling asleep.

Sirius turned to Remus.

"I might help her if it comes to it," he said, and he reached over, taking Sirius's shirt up in his hands, and pulled him close. "Where were you?"

Sirius's breath was hot and Remus could feel his every exhale brush his face, they were so close. "Hogwarts, of course," he murmured.

"How? You can't disapprate onto the grounds and -"

"The Shack, of course," Sirius replied, grinning.

"And why?" Remus demanded.

Sirius's expression of amusement only grew wider. "Because, my darling," he said, sinking into the pillows with a highly luxurious stretch of his arms and legs, "I had terribly important business to take care of."

"At Hogwarts?"

Sirius nodded.

"What did you do?"

Sirius winked, and rolled to his side.

"Good knight, Moonshine," he said, chuckling to himself as he waved his wand. "Nox."