The next few weeks were wonderfully quiet. The Slytherins were too scared of the Gryffindors to annoy them. All of them could be expelled if a teacher was to find out about the Polyjuice Potion. So all they could do was watch and glare malevolently at the marauders any time they passed each other in the hallways.

They were spending their free time studying and apparating anywhere they could. James was still up to his ears in Quidditch practices as usual, but he was confident they were going to play well in the finals.

It was Thursday afternoon, and the marauders were working very hard on their star charts outside under their favorite beech tree.

"Ok so Jupiter has the craters or is it Saturn?" asked Sirius, biting the end of his quill, his brows furrowed.

"Neither." Said Remus looking up from his own. "I thought it was Venus. Then again, I wouldn't know because someone broke my telescope again." He shot Sirius a nasty look.

"All in good fun mate. In all fairness, how was I supposed to know James would trip me and I was going to fall onto your telescope? It's completely not my fault!"

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Why aren't you working, Peter?" he demanded, frowning at Peter.

"I'm cutting Astronomy. I just can't do it." Said Peter looking downcast. "I never know where we're supposed to be looking and then Sinistra yells at me when I daydream."

"Well…considering it's kind of a night time course…" said Sirius raising his eyebrows. "There would be little time for day dreaming." James snickered.

"Shut up." Said Peter pouting. "I just hate that class. And anyway," he continued. "We'll have to drop some classes next year for N.E.W.T's won't we? We can't possibly take them all still."

Sirius looked up hopefully.

"Oh good!" he said looking as though Christmas had come early. "Reckon we can drop Potions?"

"Nah, I think we have to keep all our old subjects." Said James frowning. "I wouldn't mind skiving off Divination. Load of rubbish, if you ask me."

"I don't want to drop anything but Care of Magical Creatures." Muttered Remus. "I honestly can't stand that class."

"Aw, come on, Moony. It's not that bad. Some of those creatures are kind of fun." Laughed Sirius. Remus glared at him.

"I'm sure it is fun when there isn't a hippocampus keeping you up a tree for nearly three hours." Sirius looked as though he was trying not to burst out laughing.

"You sure were up there a while." He sniggered. "Just goes to show how much Kettleburn likes you." Remus was about to reply when Sirius' face went an odd shade of green.

"Uh….I'll see you guys later." He said in a weird voice. "Yeah…see you in the common room." And he gathered his things and ran off before any of them could say anything.

"What the-?" began James, but he was cut off by Frank Longbottom coming towards them looking very angry.

"All right, where is he?" he barked. Peter, Remus, and James just stared at him blankly.

"Who?" they asked in unison. Frank threw up his hands in agitation.

"SIRIUS BLACK!" he bellowed. A bird flew out of the tree screeching. The three looked at each other still very confused.

"What do you want with him?" asked James. Frank looked even more angry.

"I just need to speak to him, all right? There's a matter that needs…never mind. Now where is he?" Something very strange was going on here. Frank was turning pink.

"No idea." Said Remus putting down his star chart. "He just went back to the castle."

"WHY THAT-" Frank began but regained control of himself and stormed away.

"Ok…that was confusing." Said James scratching his head. "What's Longbottom want with Pads? I wonder what he did."

"Whatever it was, it must have been something serious (no pun intended) I've never seen Frank like that." Said Remus.

They didn't see Sirius all the rest of that day. He was always dashing out of rooms and corridors whenever Frank was around. He had clearly done something to upset Frank, but he wasn't telling and Frank was obviously too embarrassed to say anything either.

It wasn't until that night in the common room when Sirius finally sat down with them that they found out what was really going on.

"Ok…well…" Sirius began. "I went into the broom cupboard and snogged his girlfriend, Alice." James sat with his mouth hanging open.

"WHAT?"

"He's going to kill you!"

"I know." Murmured Sirius miserably.

"Why the hell would you do that, Sirius? You know they're going out!"

"I know…It's just…"

"What?' demanded James.

"She was really hot."

Remus threw his quill at him laughing.

"You are probably the most pathetic person I have ever met, Sirius Black." He said still laughing. "Frank is going to roast you. What are you going to do?" But Sirius couldn't reply.

Frank Longbottom had propelled himself into Sirius and was punching every inch of him he could reach.

"OW NO! FRANK, I'M SORRY! UGH!"

"YOU LITTLE PRICK! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" cried Frank pounding on Sirius' head. This went on for about fifteen minutes.

When Frank decided he had had enough, he slammed Sirius into the table and stalked away red in the face. Sirius was now sporting a black eye and bruises everywhere.

"Thanks for your help, guys." He snarled at Remus, Peter, and James. "I appreciate you diving in there and saving me like that. Good to know you care!" They were trying not to laugh.

"Well, in all fairness…you kind of deserved it, mate." Said James, his voice shaking with laughter. "It's not good to screw around with other people's girlfriends." Sirius brushed his hair out of his eyes.

"You never cared about me and Lily!" James stopped.

"WHAT?" Now it was James' turn to jump on Sirius. People in the common room were turning to watch.

"LEAVE MY LILY FLOWER ALONE YOU SLIMEBALL!" Lily Evans came out of her dormitory.

"Dare I ask?" she asked looking at Remus who shook his head grinning.

The next few months went by horribly fast. Weeks turned into days and soon the four Marauders and Lily were studying their brains out. By June first, tempers and tensions were running very high.

The common room was silent almost every night while the fifth years studied. Some were beginning to crack under the pressure.

Frank Longbottom, who was preparing for N.E.W.T's was screaming at random students for things like breathing too loudly and turning pages too much.

"If he's so intent on studying, why doesn't he just go to his own dormitory and STUDY?" asked Sirius as he and the other three marauders were shouted at for laughing too loudly.

"Yeah, I hope we never get like that when we're seventh years." Said James.

Their classes had all been extended by ten minutes so they no longer had any time for fun. The teachers were stressed almost as much as the students.

"You must get at least an E if you intend on taking my class for N.E.W.T year." Said Professor McGonagall. "I don't accept anyone under that." Then she set them to work on transfiguring their desks into pigs which was extremely difficult.

Madeline Johnson, one of Jane Swinton's friends fainted during Herbology and woke crying and saying that she shouldn't even be a witch in the first place. She wasn't the only one though. Several fifth years had to be given calming draughts when they started speaking a language no one recognized during Potions.

The Marauders were trying hard not to break under the pressure. None of them seemed to be wonderful at Potions and spent as much time as they could in the dungeons making up for lost time. Peter was suffering the worst.

"I'm just going to leave now." He wailed after melting his third cauldron. "I can't do it!"

"Don't worry, Pete." Said James clapping him on the shoulder. "If you fail one O.W.L no one will really care. It's History of Magic that has me worried. None of it makes any sense."

"We're all going to fail Divination." Said Remus gloomily at Lunch that afternoon. "I don't think I've learned anything at all except that crystal gazing makes me dizzy." Sirius looked smug. "Well what are you so confident about?" Remus demanded.

"My dear gentlemen, it's called the noble art of making it up." Said Sirius taking a bow. "Trelawney likes random depressing death stories doesn't she? Well that's how I plan on passing my exam. Just make up a lot of horror and she'll suck it right up."

"That's probably not a terrible idea." Said Remus gathering up his things. Sirius took a bow.

James had gone pale.

"What's up?' asked Sirius.

"The Quidditch final…it's tomorrow!" he said looking green. "We're going to lose. I now we're going to lose. There's no way we can win."

"James, come on. You've been saying the team's looking good."

"I know…but…" James couldn't seem to speak. The Quidditch match was on his mind all day. His friends tried in vain to distract him but everywhere they went, James saw Quidditch.

The next morning, James was up at dawn and out practicing, not even asking his friends to accompany him. They ate breakfast in silence and watched out the windows. It was pouring rain.

"He's going to do fine." Said Lily firmly. "I know he will."

"You're so into him." Smirked Sirius.

"I am not." Lily looked indignant. "I just think he's a good Quidditch player, and he needs to not lose his head over this."

"Whatever." Said Sirius. Lily glared.

The stadium was crowded as full as it would go. Every seat was full of cheering, roaring supporters for Gryffindor and Slytherin. The rain didn't seem to dampen anyone's spirits.

Sirius, Remus, and Peter were huddled under a huge black umbrella waving golden Gryffindor flags and wearing their gold and scarlet scarves. The Slytherin supporters were equally decked in silver and emerald green.

James was in the locker rooms with Carter Patil and the rest of the team. He was truly nervous. The weather was humid and uncomfortable, and the rain didn't help anything.

"Ok, now remember, James. You cannot, cannot catch the Snitch until we're more than seventy points up."

"Why seventy?" asked James looking surprised. "We beat Ravenclaw!"

"Yeah, well unfortunately, only by ten points. That was a close shave. Too close. We can't let that happen again, and it won't because the Seeker isn't a girl with goo-goo eyes." Carter looked a bit disgusted. Seventy points." He repeated. He looked pale and nervous. James twisted his fingers in his lap.

"How are we supposed to see, Carter?" asked Rachel Lovegood, looking miserable. "It's so foggy no one will know where we're going! We could hit each other, or score on our own team!"

"Well then, you're just going to have to suck it up, Lovegood!" bellowed Carter. Rachel blanched. "I hate these conditions too, but Slytherin CANNOT win. If they do…" He broke off obviously thinking about what he would do if Slytherin won. That thought, however, seemed too horrible for him because he turned back to his team and said,

"All right. Their chasers are terrible. Nott and Crabbe are thicker than the goal posts, but Zabini is fast. I'm hoping that will be their problem because of the other two being at a disadvantage." He looked at Keith Robbins and the other two chasers who were gripping their brooms rather harder than necessary. "So stay on them. Be there if they drop it. If they miss, you'd better save it, or you'll have me to answer to." He looked around at all of them.

"Ok…well…this is it. You know this is it. Slytherin won't win. We've got the best team in the school. Everyone knows it. So let's…" He broke off again. He seemed to be fighting tears.

"Let's get the snake out of dodge!" cried Rachel Lovegood punching the air. The rest of the team cheered in agreement.

The damp, hot air whipped James' face as they waited in the pit beneath the stadium. Carter had his eyes closed and was muttering to himself.

James heard Madam Hooch introducing the teams and showing the crowd the Quidditch Cup. There was a moment when he heard only a pounding in his head…three…two…one…and the blast of the whistle sounded through the stadium making the crowd cheer. He kicked off hard and flew fifty feet into the air. The rain pounded on his robes soaking them, but he didn't care. There was nothing in the world like flying. It was time to beat Slytherin.

"AND THEY'RE OFF!" cried Jack Dempsey into the magical megaphone, "THIS IS IT PEOPLE OF HOGWARTS! THE FINAL SHOWDOWN BETWEEN THE TWO BEST TEAMS OF THIS YEAR. GRYFFINDOR AND SLYTHERIN!" there was more cheering. "PLAYING FOR THE QUIDDITCH CUP AND TWO HUNDRED EXTRA HOUSE POINTS HERE WE GO!

'AND IT'S BROWN, ROBBINS, PEAKES! OOOOH! HIT IN THE BACK BY A BLUDGER FROM BEATER SEBASTIAN FLINT! YES LET'S SEE…YES SHE'S ALL RIGHT! BACK ON HER BROOM AND NO HARM DONE!" James looked at Kate Peakes. She looked a little dazed but she was all right.

"AND NOW SLYTHERIN IN POSSESSION! CRABBE, NOTT, BACK TO CRABBE…AND HAHAHA! OH I SAY!" The Gryffindor supporters roared with laughter. "I DON'T THINK WE'VE SEEN THAT BEFORE. YES SLYTHERIN MAY WANT TO RECONSIDER THEIR CHASER CHOICES NEXT TIME!"

Nott had collided with Crabbe in midair. Apparently forgetting that he was not supposed to take the quaffle unless the other team was in possession. Keith Robbins had taken the quaffle now and was shooting towards the Slytherin goal posts.

"ROBBINS IN POSSESSION! AND ROBBINS SCORES! GRYFFINDOR LEADS TEN NOTHING!" James cheered along with the rest of Gryffindor and shot higher and higher above the pitch looking for the Snitch. He couldn't catch it now though. However, it wouldn't hurt to follow it if he could. He was just about to do just this when something slammed into him so hard, he almost fell off his broom.

"All right, Potter?" sneered Lucious Malfoy, shooting past him. He had purposely hit him. James swore and waited for Madam Hooch to call penalty, but she obviously hadn't seen what happened. His arm hurt now, and Malfoy was just laughing.

Anger pulsing in his veins, he shot after Malfoy, but he was now obscured by the rain. Swearing again, James hurtled toward the Gryffindor end.

"AND IT'S ZABINI OF SLYTHERIN WITH THE QUAFFLE STREAKING TOWARDS THE GRYFFINDOR END. HE DODGES BROWN, DODGES ROBBINS! COME ON CARTER, STOP HIM! OOOOH…" A swell of cheers ruptured from the Slytherin supporters. Slytherin had scored.

They were down ten points now. Slytherin had scored twice since the beginning. James was hearing a funny sort of chanting going on in the Slytherin end of the stadium. At first he thought he was hearing things, but then the words became more pronounced. They were also stamping their feet.

"SLYTHERIN!" stamp, stamp, stamp.

"STIFLE THAT ROAR!" stamp, stamp, stamp.

"WIPE THE FIELD WITH" stamp, stamp, stamp.

"GRYFFINDOR!" stamp, stamp, stamp.

James looked in horror at the Slytherin end. Bellatrix was standing on a box in front of them, conducting the whole thing. She was grinning evilly as she did so. The chanting was growing louder, and James was getting annoyed. He was half hoping Professor McGonagall or Madam Hooch would stop them because it might be considered a distraction. No such luck. While Madam Hooch was looking a bit irritated about all the commotion, she really couldn't do anything because now, the Gryffindors were making their own chant to rival the Slytherins.

HEY SERPANTS THANKS FOR TRYIN'

NOW GET EATEN BY THE LION!

YOU ALWAYS LET THE QUAFFLE IN!

SEE YOU LATER SLYTHERIN!

James laughed out loud. Sirius was standing and conducting the Gryffindors. This really was getting ridiculous. If this kept up, they'd be playing into the night. The rain was getting heavier and dusk was beginning to fall. It was hard to see anything, let alone a single snitch. James' hands were numb from gripping his broom handle, and he was soaked to the skin. He was beginning to lose hope when he heard the words he had been waiting for all game.

"AND PEAKES WITH THE QUAFFLE ONCE AGAIN AND SHE-ER…DROPS IT AND IT LANDS IN NOTTS HANDS WHO….DROPS IT TOO! ALL RIGHT THEN, ROBBINS WITH THE QUAFFLE LEAVING THE SLYTHERIN CHASERS IN THE DUST! HOW DOES THAT TASTE BOYS? SORRY PROFESSOR…AND…GRYFFINDOR SCORES AGAIN! THIS LEAVES GRYFFINDOR LEADING; TWO HUNDRED TO ONE TEN!" They were more than seventy points up. He had to get the snitch now.

James sped off looking desperately for it. Then he saw something that made his stomach turn. Lucious Malfoy was already shooting ahead of him, his arm outstretched. James' heart plummeted. He needed more speed!

He hurtled off after Malfoy, leaning as far forward as he could go. The chanting from both ends had ceased. Every eye was watching the two seekers flying after the tiny gold ball.

James and Malfoy were neck and neck, both glaring at each other. James shoved hard at Malfoy's broom. Malfoy shoved back. It was very much like when James had played Ravenclaw. They were that close. But this time, he wasn't messing around. James reached, swung and missed.

This had been a mistake.

Malfoy grabbed his arm and for a horrible second, James hung in midair. Then he fell…

People were screaming and gasping. James felt himself falling. He had lost. He knew it. And now he was probably going to break his neck. How he had wanted to beat Malfoy! He struck the hard ground and knew no more.

"My God, that must have been two hundred feet!"

"Is he all right?"

"I can't see!"

"Oh move over! Let him breathe!"

"He was a great seeker."

"What do you mean 'was' idiot? He's not dead!"

James' vision was blurry. He saw a few dark shapes above him all whispering. He moved his head and neck waiting for the pain to start. But it didn't come. He tried again. Still no pain.

He was all right.

The hospital wing was coming into focus. Rain was still lashing at the windows and about ten people were huddled around his bed looking terrified. He saw the Gryffindor Quidditch team, covered in mud and soaked to the bone. On the other side of his bed were Sirius, Remus, Peter, and Lily all pale and frightened looking.

'HE'S ALL RIGHT!" he heard a yell and the next moment he felt incredible pain shooting through his torso. Sirius had jumped on him dog-like.

"OW! Geroff me, Pads!" Remus dragged Sirius away and Lily looked at him clearly.

"James, you had us so worried! We were watching from the stands! We thought you'd died." She was shaking and had her hands over her mouth. James picked up his glasses from his bedside table.

"No, I think I'm ok." He said, flexing his arm. Then the truth hit him.

"I'm sorry, Carter." He croaked, looking towards the Quidditch team. "We lost the cup…I should have been more careful. I should have stayed to the left like we did in training." He lay back on his pillows, only to find that everyone was grinning at him.

"What?" he asked completely perplexed.

"Well erm…" began Sirius. "When you fell…you kind of…"

"Took the snitch with you." Finished Remus. James looked at the team. Carter was beaming.

"You caught it up your sleeve, Potter." He said sounding triumphant. "We've won!" James didn't know whether to believe it. He looked around at everyone who were all still smiling.

"HAHAHA!" he laughed, sitting bolt upright. "We did it!"

"You should have seen Malfoy's face when it went up your sleeve, mate." Snickered Sirius. "He's absolutely livid. He chucked his broomstick and had quite a little temper tantrum."

"It was pretty amusing." Said Remus with a smile. "Bellatrix wasn't happy either."

And they all sat around discussing the match and James' excellent luck. Although when the team left, Carter hung behind and swore that if James ever screwed up the tactics again, he'd knock him off his broom himself. James decided to laugh this one off. Better to stay in good humor.

James was out of the hospital wing the next day, and returned to the common room to find banners draped all over saying "LIONS FOR THE CUP!" Clearly, the effects of the previous days match still lingered. Every Gryffindor he met was shaking his hand and congratulating him.

But only a few days remained until their exams started. Remus shut himself in his dormitory one night saying that if anyone dared disturb him, he'd take points from Gryffindor. He could do this as a prefect. He and Lily were taking more subjects than the other three, and both returned from their Ancient Runes review class looking disheveled.

"I'm never going to remember all of it." Wailed Lily, biting her lip. "There's too much! The difference between the Greek alpha and the Goblin alpha are too similar!" She flung herself down in front of the fire. "What do you think, Remus?"

He just shook his head tiredly, and sank into his favorite armchair.

"I'm just going to wing it." He said. Sirius laughed.

"That is the most human thing I've ever heard you say, Moons." Remus closed his eyes.

"Good to know I'm not a complete failure then." He muttered.

The next morning, the examiners arrived. A small ancient woman with a black cane came tottering into the Great hall. Her eyes were so wrinkled it was a wonder she could see anything at all. The next man was tall and thin, and stately looking, much like a judge. His hair was silver and in a short ponytail. He wore magnificent robes of mauve.

Several other odd looking witches and wizards walked in and took their seats next to Dumbledore who seemed to be talking to all of them at once.

Breakfast was a very odd affair indeed. Peter, who usually ate more than any of them, had not touched his food. James was roasting a potato with his wand and then set it on fire. He gasped and dropped the flaming potato which rolled out of the hall. Sirius had stuffed six hard boiled eggs into his mouth at once, and was trying to recite incantations. Lily grew so disgusted by this that she stood up and moved to join Jane Swinton at the Ravenclaw table. Remus, who had been looking green all morning, suddenly sprang to his feet and whispered that he was going to be sick, and ran from the Great Hall.

All fifth years were asked to remain behind. Dumbledore waved his wand and the tables disappeared. In their place were about a hundred high backed chairs.
"If you will all take your seats, please." Said Dumbledore smiling. "The examining will go alphabetically. I wish you luck. On your chair is your name and the name of your examiner." James looked at his own chair. Hovering above it was some gold writing saying James T. Potter: Ordinary Wizarding Level: Grade Five: To Be Examined by Madam Griselda Marchbanks

James took his seat nervously. He was further along in the alphabet and he would be waiting a while. Dumbledore called out the first set of names.

"Adrian Avery, Mildred Alcove, Ryan Anderson, Kate Ashton, Dominic Applegrove, Damian Alexander, Bellatrix Black, Sirius Black, Evelyn Bangle, Daniel Buggins, and Vanessa Cadwallader. The students got nervously to their feet and proceeded through the wooden doors to the Great Hall. Sirius grinned uncertainly at James as he left.

James twisted nervously in his chair.

It went on like this for hours. No one ever came back through. James suspected the students had been held in the back chamber to prevent cheating on anything.

Remus came back just in time for his Transfiguration examination. He had barely sat down when his name was called. He went even more pale than usual, and for a moment, James thought he was going to pass out, but he didn't. He walked calmly through the doors.

The hours ticked by. Peter had gone in about fifteen minutes ago shaking. James was the only marauder left. He looked around for other familiar faces. Jane Swinton was sitting with her hands twisting in her lap.

Finally his name was called.

He stood up and walked through the oak doors. There was an enormous table set up where the examiners were sitting. James spotted Madam Marchbanks near the left and walked over. She smiled warmly at him.

"No need to be nervous." She croaked, looking at him through glasses the size of basketballs. "Now what I want you to do first is turn these rabbits into a pair of slippers. James thought for a moment, remembering page 45 of Transfiguration Theory Grade 5, and waved his wand. The white rabbits were now a pair of very fluffy slippers. Madam Marchbanks smiled and marked something on his examination sheet. James sighed with relief.

The rest of the exam went quite well, James thought. His tortoise into a teapot was better than it had ever been, though the teapot still had a pattern of the tortoise's back on it. All in all, he thought he had done very well. When the bell finally rang for his exam to be over, Madam Marchbanks gave him a pat on the shoulder and said he was free to go.

James practically skipped out of the hall into the chamber behind it. The room was huge, and full of tables and chairs. All of the fifth years were sitting talking quietly. James could pick up small bits of what they were saying.

"I know I screwed that one up." Muttered a Hufflepuff. "My slippers had whiskers."

"OY!" James looked up and saw Sirius waving madly at him. He was sitting at a table with Remus, Peter, and Lily. James grinned and took a seat next to Sirius who clapped him on the back.

"Well that was the easiest thing I've ever done!" he exclaimed, tilting back on his chair legs. Lily scowled. "What did you think, Prongs?"

"Piece of cake." Said James uncertainly. "Why? Did you think Madam Marchbanks was a babe or something?" He laughed. Sirius pushed back his hair.

"She was all right." He said with an evil grin. "If she was a few hundred years younger, I might actually consider it." They all laughed at this.

"How about you, Remus?" asked James. Remus was still looking green. Sirius gave a hoot of laughter.

"He was perfect, of course!" Remus looked stern.

"I wasn't." he muttered. "My raven into a wine bottle was terrible."

"Well you must have done better than Peter." Peter glared.

"Why, what happened, Pete?" asked James interestedly.

"My raven flew away and started pecking the examiner across from me." He murmured, putting his head down.

"Aw, it's all right, Wormy." Said Sirius patting his shoulder. Peter continued to glare.

"What else have we got today?" asked Lily checking her schedule.

"Ugh…Ancient Runes and Arithmancy." Groaned Remus. "I don't think I can do it."

"Yeah, we have to go." Said Lily dragging Remus to his feet. He gave a pleading look at James before they swept off to what was undoubtedly a horribly difficult exam.

Sirius, James, and Peter had no more exams that day. Their Care of Magical Creatures Exam wasn't until tomorrow as well as Divination and Charms. None of them would be too hard, unless Kettleburn made them take care of something dangerous. Divination, as Sirius said, would mainly be made up death stories, and Charms was usually a more relaxed affair.

So the three of them spent the rest of their day playing Quidditch and Fanged Frisbee. However, they felt slightly guilty knowing that their other two friends had to be inside making complex calculations in a stifling hot classroom.

They went up to the common room at six to find Remus and Lily already there talking animatedly by the fire. They both looked tired but happy.

"Hey how was it?" asked Sirius sitting down. Lily smiled.

"Oh it was wonderful! Hardly anything too difficult and everything followed the formulas! I was so worried we'd have to make something up." Remus nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, it was a lot better than I expected. Good thing I studied the gnome syllabus or else I wouldn't have had a clue about part twelve, but I think it's all right."

"When I decide to care what the hell you two are talking about, I'll let you know." Said Sirius closing his eyes. "Care of Magical Creatures first tomorrow?" he asked. Remus shuddered.

"Don't remind me."

"Come on, Remus. It won't be that bad. You'll do fine."

"It's not the grade I'm worried about, Sirius." He said sitting up. "I'm going to get eaten by something one of these days."

"No, you're not." Said Sirius laughing. "They should like you. You're kind of like, one of them right?" Remus gave Sirius the death glare.

"Yeah, sure." He snapped. "They just hate me because generally, my kind like to eat stuff like them." He got to his feet. "I'm going to bed." He said tiredly and a minute later they heard the dormitory door close.

"You don't think anything really would try to eat him, do you?" asked Lily frowning. Sirius laughed and lay back on the couch.

"The creatures? Doubt it. Kettleburn? You never know."

That morning, breakfast was very much like that of yesterday. Sirius now had seven hard boiled eggs in his mouth causing Lily to start shrieking hysterically about how much she hated him and never wanted to see his big stupid face again. Peter was eating again. Care of Magical Creatures was easier than Transfiguration. James was gazing longingly at Lily, and Remus was staring into space.

Their exam was at nine o'clock by the lake. When they arrived, they all drew in their breath.

It looked like an obstacle course.

Professor Kettleburn explained to them that they had two hours to complete a series of tasks. First, they had to remove their shoes and socks and find a kelpie in the water. They then had to ride it (without being thrown off) thirty feet to a platform. On the platform, they had to catch a billywig and feed it to their kelpie.

They then had to proceed to the land where they had to prune a bowtruckle, and feed it. If the bowtruckle attacked, points were deducted. After the bowtruckle, the students had to groom a fire breathing krup, and finally coax a baby unicorn into a paddock without being gored by its father. When the father unicorn allowed you to pass, the exam was over.

The four marauders just stared. Lily looked excited.

Overall, it could have gone worse. They went one at a time, not alphabetically, but in the line they were standing in. Professor Kettleburn obviously had very little patience for organization. Lily went first and did everything perfectly. The Gryffindors cheered as she climbed over the fence to the paddock smiling and looking relieved.

Peter went next. He did all right, James thought. He only fell off his kelpie once, and had to be fished out. The father unicorn hadn't liked him much, but eventually, Peter too climbed successfully over the fence.

James found the exam rather enjoyable. The Kelpie's stare was difficult to ignore, and he nearly went into the middle of the lake, but he managed to get to the platform unharmed. It took him less time than anyone to get a billywig because of his Seeking skills. The krup had been difficult when it set his robes on fire, but the father unicorn had let him pass without complaint.

Sirius did great until the unicorn. The baby just didn't seem to like him at all, and he was chased around the paddock by the father. Kettleburn had to drag him over the fence to keep him from getting gored by the two foot long horn. James was shaking with laughter and Sirius hit him over the head.

Finally, it was Remus' turn. He shook as he approached the lake. He took off his shoes and socks and waded into the lake. The Kelpie surfaced and blinked her large eyes. Remus was not affected by it, and mounted her. This part went rather well because Remus didn't weigh very much. He got to the platform in one piece and caught a billywig which the kelpie ate happily. He then stepped onto land and pruned his bowtruckle with ease. He lost a few points when the bowtruckle sliced his hand. He hissed in pain, but gently continued to prune the bowtruckle.

The krup gave him trouble. It didn't seem to want to come near him, but he stroked its glossy coat and muttered something to it. It took him a while, but he finally proceeded to the paddock. He was about to climb the fence when he stopped.

The class held its breath. His face was grey. Remus gripped the post of the fence for a moment, swayed slightly, and collapsed in a dead faint. The Slytherins laughed. James, Sirius, Lily, and Peter however, ran forward. Kettleburn was leaning over Remus.

"Is he all right?" he growled, looking uncertain.

"Truthfully, I think he was scared, Professor." Said Sirius with a smirk. "He's been worried about this all day." Kettleburn's eyes narrowed.

"Take him to the hospital wing then, Potter, Black."

"Sure, Professor." They chorused.

When Remus regained consciousness later in the Hospital Wing, he was sure he had failed the exam and couldn't seem to remember anything that had happened.

"You did fine, mate." said Sirius for the seventh time. "And Kettleburn said he's considering letting you drop the class and take the written part instead."

"Finally." Sighed Remus. "I'm so glad we're done."

"Yeah." Said James leaning back in his chair. "It's the end of the line, gents. Next year at this time, we'll be starting our N.E.W.T classes and becoming like Frank.

"NO, GOD NO!" shouted Sirius so loudly that Madam Pomfrey looked disapprovingly from the next bed over. He waved heartily back and Remus laughed.

"Nah, we won't be like Frank." He said firmly. "We'll have a sense of humor and a like of the human race…just as long as Sirius doesn't mess around with his girlfriend anymore."

Can't make any promises, Moons." Said Sirius sweeping back his hair casually.