"It's kind of sad. Leaving Hogwarts for one of the last times." Mary said to Lily.

The latter had needed to pack things last minute, since she was planning on doing it the night before, but hadn't because of Petunia's letter.

"Really? I think it's sort of a happy occasion." Lily replied levitating both their trunk's in front of them down the girls' stairs.

"How so?"

"Well, I think of it as a new adventure. Coming home is always stressful, especially now, but I need a break from school. Maybe this will be good."

"Tell that to me in a year after we graduate and you're crying into my shoulder."

Lily snorted. Thinking about going into her seventh-year was crazy for her. It didn't quite sit right with her. It felt like just yesterday she was boarding that boat across the river and entering the Great Hall for the first time.

...

The two girls caught up with the rest of the group before they caught a carriage. James shot her a crooked grin, which she returned and accepted the hand he offered to help her into the carriage.

She sat down in between Alice and Marlene, who both raised their eyebrows at the interaction. No one had been able to get out what happened between the two of them. Even though it was obvious something had.

"Do you know what pulls the carriages, Evans?" James asked taking a seat in between Sirius and Remus across from her.

"Thestrals. You'd know if you read Hogwarts: A History, Potter."

"Ah, but that's what I have you for."

...

Remus and Lily were late to the last Prefects meeting, just as they had been the first meeting. Sirius has asked Lily for a cigarette and by the time she actually found one, it was five minutes until it started.

Nothing too important was scheduled to happen, but the disapproving looks that were given to them, were uncomfortable to receive.

"I'd like to thank you all for being the best prefect team I could ask for! This year wasn't exactly easy, ever since Frank left, but..."

Lily zoned out during Hayley's rather long thank you speech. Each head over the years has given the same speech and it was quite boring for her.

Remus was in the same boat. Although, he tried harder to pay attention than Lily, he still didn't last more than fifteen minutes.

Thankfully, the prefect meeting ended sooner rather than later and they were all dismissed. That is, if you weren't Lily.

Hayley had called her over, in what seemed like a desperate attempt to converse with someone.

"Hey Lily! I just wanted to thank you personally for helping me out on that one patrol! It was very nice of you considering it cut into your free time!"

"Oh, no problem Hayley! I hope you have a great time outside of Hogwarts!"

As Lily left it occurred to her that she really couldn't hate Hayley. As much as she tried to come up with a reason she couldn't and that bothered her. Hayley was a perfectly nice person that she had nothing against.

She would've continued on this warpath for a while had it not been for James laughing hysterically in the train hallway with a slightly grinning Remus standing next to him. James had collapsed onto the ground from laughing so hard, which only concerned Lily. Why wouldn't James be inside the compartment laughing?

"Ah, the lady of the hour," Remus said, now fully grinning.

"What're you on about?" Lily asked the two boys.

"You snogged Dickory in a broom cupboard! That's hilarious!" Lily's eyes widened, but James just kept laughing.

"I'm going to kill them. Merlin they're terrible at keeping secrets."

"It's fine, I like a girl with experience." James said with a straight face to a blushing Lily. She then slapped him on the arm.

"Oh sod off."

"If I did that, would you go and snog Dickory?" That remark earned him yet another slap.

"Oh, just get in the bloody compartment."

...

Remus despised change. Ever since he was little, he would follow a carefully created schedule that he had to follow or there would be a tantrum thrown. So, getting off the Hogwarts Express for one of the last time gave him chills that crept up his spine.

"You alright? Your face looks a little ghastly." Mary nudged him with her shoulder as the right of them said their goodbyes.

"Wow, thanks for that. Yeah I'm alright, just kind of dreading the return home." He frowned and then finally spotted his short mother in the crowd. His father had left her to pick him up herself again.

"See ya later Macdonald."

"Bye."

Alice has been watching the entire interaction and announced to herself that she would keep an eye on those two. Something was definitely going on.

What she had to deal with first was Sirius throwing a fake and rather melodramatic scene.

"I'm going to miss you Lilikins!" He fake wailed. The four girls simultaneously rolled their eyes.

"I'll miss you too, Sirius. I have no idea how Euphemia and Fleamont deal with you two."

"We try our best. Of course, it got better when Sirius arrived because then James had someone other than us to talk to." Lily chuckled at Fleamont's remark.

"C'mon boys! I've got to make dinner before your mum gets home!"

With two last smirks, the brothers left trailing their father, while spouting what seemed like a hundred stories at once.

In the time it took James and Sirius to get out of sight, Marlene, Peter, and Alice had found their rides home. Peter left with his tired-looking mum first as the girls wanted to share one last moment together.

"Mary, don't forget to write like you did last year." Marlene said.

"Lily, try not to hex Petunia and play nice with your mum's boyfriend." Lily cringed at Alice's statement.

"Alice, don't miss Frank too much. You'll see him soon." Mary said a reassuring smile on her face.

"And Marlene, don't get caught snogging Sirius by your brothers." Marlene slapped Lily on the arm for that one.

That was one of their traditions. As a group, each of them would tell them something not to do during the summer. Marlene always went first, followed by Alice, followed by Mary, and Lily went last.

Mary and Lily had both told their relatives to wait outside the entrance to Platform 9 3/4 because they were muggles. So, they walked together, arm in arm, with a skip in their step.

Lily saw Petunia first. She was hard to miss in her very expensive tight, bright red dress. Her black heels were at least six inches tall, not that she needed any height. Her neck was at least six inches tall by itself. Thick black framed sunglasses and matte red lipstick topped the outfit off.

Her mother looked like she was wearing very expensive clothing too. An emerald green dress, that was snug in all the right places, and leopard print heels. Her hair was teased and Lily could tell it was newly highlighted.

Lastly, Henry was in a black tuxedo, with a black tie. His black dress shoes had just been shined and the sun glinted off of them.

Lily looked like a farmer compared to them and it wasn't because she was wearing wide leg overalls. Her hair was in two space buns that Alice had insisted she do that morning. The shirt she was wearing was rainbow tie dye and her pink heart sunglasses really made her stand out.

"You guys all look nice. What's the occasion?"

"We forgot to inform you that we're meeting some ambassadors for a lunch party."

Lily would trade all the stars to get back on that train.

...

Author's Note:

THAT WAS THE LAST CHAPTER!! Well, kind of, there's some stuff I have to say in a separate author's note, but that doesn't really count.

I was going to update this earlier, but I got really distracted by this comment section I was involved in. #rosebennetmurdersquad If you know you know.

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
⭐️teddy⭐️