James was pouring over his Official Ministry of Magic Auror's Legal Guide and Handbook Manual for the Aspiring Auror textbook at lunch, robotically eating his sandwich and crisps as he read, eyes wide with excitement. The cafeteria in the Auror Training Center was packed and loud with shouting trainees as they exchanged jokes and stories. James was like an island of solitude in the midst of the chaos as he silently concentrated on his book.

Frank Longbottom smirked as he came 'round the corner from the kitchen carrying his tray and spotted James's hunched over form. He shook his head and carried his tray along through the fray, waving and nodding at various trainees yelling to him as he walked past them until he reached James's table. Frank stood beside James for several long moments as James continued reading, and, when it became apparent that James was utterly oblivious to Frank's presence, he dropped his tray, hard, onto the table, making a very loud clattering sound that about knocked James Potter off his seat.

"BLIMEY! Bloody hell, Longbottom!" James said, ruffled by the sound. "Announce yourself, you git..."

Frank laughed and dropped himself coolly into the seat opposite James. "So much for CONSTANT VIGILANCE." A smirk twitched across his face. "Old Mad-Eye not getting through to you?"

James leaned back in his chair, closing his book, "I swear if I had a nickle for every time that old bugger said that..."

"Then you'd be twice as rich as you already are?" teased Frank. He kicked James's boot under the table.

James laughed, "Well."

"I counted it 142 times in one of his speeches last year," Frank said, nodding. "He certainly knows how to create a mantra."

"If Sirius was here, he'd want to make it a drinking game - take shot of firewhiskey every time Moody says CONSTANT VIGILANCE," James said with a smirk.

Frank snorted, "You'd be blackout drunk in under a quarter hour."

James nodded, "When you're Sirius, you're blackout drunk in under a quarter hour anyway."

Frank laughed. "So... has he found a job yet?"

"I don't think he's even looking, to be honest," James said with a shrug. "Or if he is, he's not looking... right. Probably just knocking on all the doors of the shops he likes in Diagon Alley or something."

Frank sighed, "It's rubbish he wasn't accepted in the Mediwizard program at Mungo's."

"I know," James replied. "He never told Remus, you know. That he wasn't accepted, I mean. So don't say anything. If you see Rey, I mean. Or to Sirius for that matter. I don't expect I was supposed to tell you about it."

Frank made a locking-key motion over his mouth. "Seriously though - RUBBISH. He had the grades, yeah?"

"After shirking everything off through fifth year, Minnie got him back on track, and yeah his O.W.Ls were good and I s'pect his N.E.W.T.s should be good as well." James shrugged. "Dunno."

Frank's mouth was full of sandwich, but he spoke around the food, "I'm glad you got into this program."

"Nearly didn't, I messed up the N.E.W.T.s for myself. McGonagall got me out of a mess, as usual..." James shrugged. "I dunno what overcame me at the exams, I just couldn't concentrate. We get down to the last 5 minutes and everyone else is basically done, laying down their quills and just sittin' about all finished and I'm looking at a blank parchment with some bunk of rambling essay question answers, and I just had enough, I guess. Suddenly it was like I was overcome by this... this anger, like everything was pointless because bloody nothing matters when Voldemort's out there destroying everything that we care about, you know? I couldn't take it. I stood up and just said what a pointless thing we were working at."

Frank shook his head, "Whatever is that school going to do without you lot there?"

"What?"

"Hogwarts," Frank laughed, "Never a dull day with the Marauders about, but I'm betting the fall term will be a right snoozer."

"Well, we told Peeves to carry on for us, and we knighted Dexter, Ollie, and Wally as the next generation of Marauders."

"Them little kids in first year?"

"They're third years. Well, fourth years by the time they're at the school next."

"Bloody hell, I feel old."

"Right?" James laughed.

Suddenly there was a great sound that split the air - a siren that James could feel as much as he could hear. He covered his ears, "What the bloody hell is that?!" he asked, looking at Frank across the table, who was jumping up and drawing his wand out.

"Probably just one of Moody's stupid drills. C'mon." Frank waved for James to follow him, and James grabbed his wand and his textbook and they rushed out of the cafeteria.

Frank led James through the halls of the Auror Training Center and out to the embankment, where a small crowd of trainees and instructors were gathering, carefully trying to stay inconspicuous to the London tourists looking at the Thames. Gideon and Fabian Prewett were standing by a tall war memorial statue, laughing. Frank nodded for James to follow him and they headed over to join the twins.

"Oh hullo, Potter," said Gideon seeing James, "How's the program treating you?"

"Yeah - has Mad Eye tattooed your brain with his constant vigilance yet?" Fabian asked.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE," echoed Gideon in a dead ringer for Moody's tone.

"Oh plenty," said James.

"Bit paranoid, he is," Fabian said.

"A right jolly chum with the notion everyone's out to kill everyone else," Gideon said in a mock nostalgic tone.

"Which in this day and age is possibly true, mind," Fabian intoned.

"But you don't bloody mention it!" both of the twins said together.

"One of these days, the old gent's going to set off the sirens as a drill and none of us are going to react," Gideon said, and he shook his head. "Nearly stayed in and finished up our paper work, we did."

"But then we said... WHY? It's bleedin' paperwork!"

"With any luck there are actual Death Eaters in there making mince of my desk and I won't have to process any of those ruddy owls that keep pouring in from Mr. Underhill."

"Underhill?" asked James.

"Our new boss," Frank replied.

"Appointed by bleedin' Barty Crouch himself," Gideon added.

"I have a fiver on him having a wand stuck up his Aaaaaalastor, hullo!" Fabian cut himself off and grinned as Alastor Moody clumped up next to them. His magical eye was spinning about wildly and his face had a fresh scar across it that James hadn't seen even just the day before. He glanced at Frank, who shrugged and sipped the cuppa he had carried with him from the cafeteria at the sound of the sirens.

Mad-Eye narrowed his good eye as he stared at Fabian, then glanced about the crowd of talking, laughing witches and wizards gathered along the Embankment. "They aren't taking these drills seriously," he grumbled, watching a pair of office witches exchanging spells for nail colours and glancing James and Franks way, with airy, tinkling giggles that made James a bit dizzy.

"Well no offense Mad-Eye, it's just that you do them so often, they're less a drill and more a... welcomed break." Fabian said, trying to be delicate.

"And to be bleedin' honest, the only siren call I want to hear at this hour of the morning is --" Gideon stopped mid-sentence with a flush to his face. "Well, never mind, but it isn't this one."

Frank and James shared a knowing grin.

"All the more reason they should treat it as authentic!" Moody said, stamping his wood leg, "Caught off guard, they bloody would be if it were a real attack! Look at them, fawning over these trainees like they're on display in Honeyduke's window!"

Fabian looked James and Frank over, "Really? These gits? Ladies, I'm just a tad to the left and a much finer view!" he called out.

James turned red but Frank laughed, "Oi don't be trying at auctioning either of us off, you lot, we're both engaged men."

"BOTH?" Gideon demanded. He looked at James expectantly.

"Lily Evans," said Frank.

James grinned.

"Nooo way!" cried Fabian.

Gideon turned to him, "AHA! I knew it. Pay the piper, dear sir!" He held up his palm and Fabian fished in his pocket, dropping a couple shiny gold galleons into Gideon's palm.

"What's this?" James asked, "Betting on me and Evans, were you?"

"Gotta do something to pass the time when you're a bloody teacher," Fabian said. Then, "You lot don't happen to know what the deal with Emmaline and Marlene is, do you? It's just I can get my coins back if you have the right answer for me."

The thought had never crossed James's mind, but now that it had, he felt his jaw drop. "I- well I don't know now you say it!" he scratched his head in confusion.

"Thick as butter," muttered Frank.

"Guess I'm keeping the galleons, Fabulous."

"For now," murmured Fabian.

While they'd been talking, Mad-Eye had been counting heads and, having counter the full staff strewn about the river's edge, he started ushering people back through the entrance. Suddenly a short, rather older man stepped before him. The man had a semi circle of remaining hair in his head, but his face was small, buried behind a swath of thick gray beard. "Pardon," he muttered as he cut, uninvited into the line in front of James.

"S'cuse me but the line starts back there,"James murmured. He glanced around.

The man looked James very squarely in the eyes. "I do hope you might be wiling to make an exception,"said the man, pausing. He held up his hand to James. "Underhill," he said, and James shook his hand.