It was done. James sighed as he watched the familiar castle disappear behind the mountains. The train continued his smooth journey back to London at an unwavering pace and suddenly he lost sight of the castle which had been his second home for seven years.

'Feels strange, doesn't it?' asked Remus who was sitting next to him and who like him had watched the castle vanish. 'Being done with school, I mean.'

'Yes,' said James. 'I keep thinking that it is just another summer holiday, but this time I will not be back in September. I am not sure how I feel about it.'

'Well, I know how I do,' said Sirius, who was lounging on the other side of the compartment with Marlene snuggled close to him. 'I'm might glad that it's over. I think I would have gone mad if I had had to spend another year doing nothing useful.'

'You are probably the most motivated auror trainee the program has ever seen,' said Peter. 'It's quite weird if you ask me. Looking forward to being part of the most serious conflict Britain has seen in decades is not something sane people do.'

'Madness runs in the family, remember?' said Sirius carelessly. 'Besides, defending what you hold dear is perfectly normal. The chance of getting killed or maimed in the process is just part of the deal.'

'Keep your mouth shut about that when Lily returns,' said James. 'She has been berating me about how dangerous my career choice is since the bloody letter arrived. Mum and she are going to get along well in that regard. With the two of them on my arse like that it will be a miracle if I manage to show up to the start event on the first of August.'

'Your mom is still not impressed with your career choice then?' said Marlene with a wicked smile on her face. 'You have my sympathy.'

'Rotten liar,' said James. 'At least I have made up my mind. What do your parents think about your lack of ambition?'

'My father is rather relaxed about it actually,' replied Marlene. 'He thinks that I don't need a career given how I can just marry a rich wizard and call it a day.'

'Yeah, that's going to work out,' snorted James. 'I guess he has no idea how little you like any kind of serious commitment.'

'Does your father expect Sirius to marry you?' asked Peter.

'I hope not,' said Marlene. 'And I doubt that Sirius is the kind of bloke my father wants me to marry in the first place.'

'Hey!' protested Sirius. 'I am quite the catch thank you very much! I'm from one of the oldest and richest pure-blood families after all. I surely don't have to point out my devilishly good looks and razor-sharp intelligence.'

'You forgot to wax about how humble you are,' said Remus dryly. 'And you were disinherited by your family, were you not?'

'Details, details,' said Sirius vaguely.

'Details that matter quite a bit,' said Marlene. 'But I think your disinheritance works in your favour with my father. He isn't a fan of the Black family, you see.'

'Sounds we have that in common,' said Sirius. 'But I'm not worried about your old man. I can turn on the charm and wrap him around my finger whenever I want to.'

'Naturally,' said Marlene. 'But you don't have to worry about that anytime soon. We aren't planning to get married after all.'

'Yeah, we aren't crazy,' said Sirius staring at James. James just rolled his eyes at the less than subtle barb.

'So out of the five of us, only Sirius and James have jobs already, right?' asked Marlene.

'Actually, I have managed to snag an internship in the Ministry,' said Peter. 'In the Department for Magical Coordination. Apparently, they need some help filing memos.'

'Really?' asked James. 'That's great Peter. When did you set it up? I didn't even know that you had sent an application.'

'It sort of fell into my lap,' said Peter. 'I heard about it through the grapevine and thought I would give it a shot. It is only for three months, though, but it will pay decently and give me some time to figure out what I want to do.'

James was rather surprised at that. He had not been aware that Peter had any connections inside the Ministry. His friend had more tricks up his sleeve than he had expected.

'What about you, Remus?' asked Marlene.

'Well, I don't think the Ministry is for me.' said Remus dryly. James, Sirius and Peter shared a look, but didn't say anything. Werewolves were of course banned from any position in the Ministry.

'I'm not sure yet what I'm going to apply for. Something with books would be nice. Maybe I could try at helping out in Flourish and Blotts.'

'I think that would suit you,' said Lily, who had just entered the compartment. 'We would probably have to drag you away from work every day. Oh, and James, you do know that you're supposed to patrol the corridors, don't you?'

'Of course I do,' said James lazily. 'I just don't want to.'

'James!' said Lily indignantly. 'You are head-boy!'

'Yes, for a few more hours,' said James. 'And there is nothing anybody can do if I decide to actually enjoy my last train ride in the Hogwarts Express. They can hardly put me in detention after all. Come on, Lily. Join us and relax a little. You have ran yourself ragged all year.'

Lily looked torn for a moment, before blowing out a breath.

'Fine, but if we get into trouble for this, I'm blaming you for everything,' she said. 'Budge over.'

James made some room for her and she settled down between him and Remus.

'Where you talking about what everybody is going to do after school?' she asked.

'Yes,' said Marlene. 'But we already know what you are going to do given how much you've gushed about it during the last few days.'

'I haven't gushed about it,' protested Lily. 'I might have been pleased that St. Mungo's has accepted me for the healer training program, but that's hardly inappropriate.'

'Pleased,' said Sirius, shaking his head. 'Evans, you were not pleased! You were as ecstatic as a Niffler in a Gringrott's vault. It was impossible to get you to shut up about your bloody new job.'

'Rubbish,' said Lily. 'And I clearly remember how chummed you were about your acceptance as an auror, so you can hardly judge me in that regard. At least I didn't actually start studying for the first time in seven years only because I wanted a certain job.'

'You both can be proud of yourself,' said Remus diplomatically. 'You're about to enter very difficult and prestigious careers in the wizarding world and we are all happy that you have made it.'

'Thank you, Remus,' said Lily, smiling. 'I am sure you'll find a wonderful job as well. In contrast to Marlene, you actually want to work after all.'

'Hey, I'm not totally opposed to working,' said Marlene. 'I might be fine with a few hours each week. Or I could try and go pro as a Quidditch player. That would be neat! Do you think I have enough talent, James?'

'Maybe,' said James, mulling over the thought. 'You might make it into the second league.'

'Why only the second league?' asked Marlene. 'Only the first-league players earn decent wages. The second league are just a bunch of glorified amateurs.'

'You lack the discipline to be part of the first league,' said James. 'Getting to this level requires a lot of work, not only a healthy amount of talent. I've known you for most of my life Marlene and you're one of the most undisciplined people which I've met.'

'That's not true!' protested Marlene. 'I can be highly disciplined. I was part of almost every Quidditch training for example.'

'And you only paid attention to half of what I was saying,' countered James. 'You relied on your talent to carry you, instead. Remember when I used to write you detailed game notes before each match? You didn't even glance at them and you never did any auxiliary training sessions to learn new moves. That is enough to be a good player on a school team, but not enough to climb to the top.'

'Well, maybe, but it still not a very nice thing to say,' said Marlene, huffing in annoyance. 'Sirius, back me up here.'

'He is right, Marl,' said Sirius. 'You are a bit lazy.'

'Traitor,' she muttered while James cracked a smile.

'I'm not being mean, Marlene,' said James. 'I just want to answer your question truthfully. I don't want you to have wrong expectations. If you really want to become a first-league player, you have to put in an insane amount of training. You probably could to it if you really wanted to, but I think the price will be too high for you. Just think about it. You know how much time I have spent planning out my professional Quidditch carrier over the last ten years or so. I know how it works.'

'You wanted to become a Quidditch player for that long?' asked Lily. 'Since you were seven?'

'Yes,' said James. 'My father took me to my first match when I was five and I've been hooked ever since. Well, it didn't work out in the end, did it?'

'You could still do it, James,' said Peter. 'You've all the things you need. I think you could earn a spot in a first-league team if you tried. You don't have to be an auror after all. The people need Quidditch players as well as they need aurors. Without any distractions around, the war is going to drive us all mad.'

'No,' said James. 'That Thestral has flown. I cannot go back to the side-lines. Not after my kidnapping. I have to fight. With a bit of luck, the war will be over soon and I can resign from the auror office to become a Quidditch player.'

'Do you think that's likely?' asked Remus.

'Probably not,' admitted James. 'I think it will take a while to defeat the Death Eaters and by then I will probably either be too old to play or just too involved in the Ministry to care. Being an auror changes one with the years: Just take a look at Moody.'

'Or your father,' said Sirius. 'He is twitchy as well from his time in the field.'

'Exactly,' said James. 'But it is a nice thought nevertheless.'

'Aren't you angry about that?' asked Lily. 'It was your childhood dream after all and now you can't chase it because a group of murderers roams the country.'

'Of course I am angry and disappointed,' said James. 'But I consider myself lucky if all I lose in this war is my chance of playing Quidditch. Others have paid much higher prices already.'

'That's true,' said Lily. 'Still, it requires quite a lot of maturity to see it this way.'

'I am not fifteen anymore. The world has changed and I was changed with it.'

'I've noticed,' said Lily and gave him a quick peck on the lips. 'You're much more serious than before.'

'Sirius, no,' said Remus when Sirius opened his mouth. 'Everybody here knows what you are about to say and nobody thinks it's funny.'

'Oh come on,' said Sirius. 'It's the last train ride! Surely a little classic joke is appropriate.'

'We've exhausted the serious-Sirius-jokes back in first year,' said Peter. 'Just let them rest.'

'You all have no sense for tradition,' grumbled Sirius. 'What do you think you will miss the most? I think it will be the company. We aren't going to share a dorm anytime again.'

'Yeah, me too,' said Remus. 'I truly felt like a part of something bigger. It was a great feeling.'

James traded a look with Sirius. They both knew what Remus was trying to say in code: At Hogwarts, he had been able to live like a normal student for most of the time. Now that he was out in the real world, his lycanthropy would become a bigger problem again. He would have a lot of trouble finding a job given that most people were deadly afraid of werewolves. Of course, he could try to keep his illness a secret, but an observant employer would quickly connect the dots if Remus called in sick every month around the full moon. If Remus got lucky, he would find one of the few wizards who were open-minded enough to give him a chance, but James felt rather pessimistic about it. The war was making everyone more paranoid to begin with and there had been reports of werewolves working with Voldemort. That didn't improve Remus's chances. He ought to talk with his father about that particular problem. Maybe one of the old family friends could be convinced to give Remus a job. It would have to be done deftly, though. Remus would not accept anything feeling too much like charity. He was too proud to easily accept help.

'Yes, it was,' said James. 'I am going to miss the freedom we had. Even though they kept us quite busy during the last few years, we still had enough time to roam all around the school and cause all kind of trouble. I don't think that is ever coming back again.'

'I will miss the learning,' said Lily, causing the rest of the apartment to groan. 'I am serious! We spent every day accumulating more knowledge and becoming better witches and wizards and our future jobs are not going to keep up in that regard. Granted, auror and healer training will be intense, but after the training period is over, we are going to spend most time stuck in our daily work rather than exploring new and exciting ideas.'

'There were quite a lot of lessons at Hogwarts which were neither new nor exciting,' said Sirius. 'You cannot seriously claim that you enjoyed History of Magic, Evans. That was a total waste of time and I am glad that I will never have to deal with this kind of rubbish again.'

'Alright, History of Magic was a bad subject,' said Lily. 'But there were tons of other good ones. And it was across the board rather than only one specific area. I'm going to spend a lot of time learning healing charms and potions, but I will not going to do a lot of transfiguration anymore and I think that's quite sad. You and James will not learn any more about caring for magical creatures for example nor will you do anymore Herbology. I think that's quite sad. I am sure that there is still a lot more to learn in these subjects.'

'You really want to learn more about Herbology?' asked Marlene incredulously. 'I am very happy that I will never have to deal with that subject again. Or with Potions for that matter.'

'It's just an example,' said Lily. 'And Potions is a wonderful subject.'

'So what you're saying is that you would like a more general further education?' asked Remus.

'Yes,' said Lily. 'Something like Hogwarts only on a more advanced level.'

'Nothing like that exists,' said Sirius. 'And frankly, I don't see the appeal. Specialization is necessary if you ever want to dig deeper into a subject. It's simply not possible to know every detail about every subject in the world. You would only end up confusing yourself. The whole point of Hogwarts is to give you a base to build upon. It is purposely broad so that you can pick any job after school and have a reasonable starting point. There simply is no need for something similar on a higher level.'

'I know all that,' said Lily. 'But I still feel like it would be nice to have the option. Eighteen is too young to pick a profession for the rest of your life. What if I find out ten years from now that healing is not really for me and that I should've become an auror like James and you?'

'Then you quit your job and start auror training a bit later in life,' said James. 'Fortunately, you don't have to be fresh out of school to become an auror.'

'What if they don't let me join then?'

'Then they are idiots and you shouldn't work for them anyway,' said James. 'Relax, Lily. You are not slamming all doors shut by picking a job. And if you find that you absolutely cannot stand your job anymore, then you just quit.'

'Not everybody has enough money to only work for fun,' Peter pointed out and James could detect a trace of bitterness in his voice.

'Granted,' said James. 'What are you going to miss about Hogwarts the most, Peter?'

'Probably how peaceful it was,' said Peter. 'Sure there was a lot of crazy stuff going on and some of the Slytherins were downright nasty. Exams were a pain and everybody went a little mental during Quidditch, but we were safe from the war and all the rest of the normal world. We are not going to get that kind of shelter again.'

'Yes, and is about time that we get out there,' said Sirius. 'I've wanted to fight these Death Eater bastards for ages! I don't want to cower behind the castle walls and wait for someone else to clean up the mess. I want to do my part!'

'Merlin's beard, you actually mean it,' said Peter. 'You're mental, Sirius. Absolutely mental. Nobody in his right mind would willingly leave the safety of Hogwarts. A lot of grown-ups would pay to enter the castle again, just so that Dumbledore could keep the safe!'

'And while I can understand that, I still think they should grow a pair and actually fight for their bloody country,' said Sirius. 'This conflict could only escalate to this level because so many people either lack the courage or the willingness to fight for blood equality. Wankers like my parents are the worst kind of Death Eater supports, but you must not steep down to their level to do harm. In my book, anybody not fighting Voldemort is supporting him one way or another. If we all decided to band together this was could be over in a month.'

'I think you are being overly harsh here, Sirius,' said Remus. 'It's the Ministry's job to keep us safe and we shouldn't take matters in our hand. Of course many people could do more to support the aurors, but not everybody is a fighter. And the Death Eaters are brilliant at spreading terror around the country. People are terrified of them! They don't want to come home one day and find their family slaughtered with the Dark Mark burning in the sky. That only makes them human!'

'Maybe, but it also makes them cowards,' said Sirius. 'They don't have to fight, they can do something else instead. Donate money, collect information, help with the wounded, you name it. Everybody can do something! And don't forget the collaborators in the Ministry who actively hamper the prosecution of these murderers! They should haven been rooted out already, but nobody has the courage to do a clean sweep.'

'I know how you feel, Sirius,' said James. 'And I agree. It would be wonderful if we could tackle this problem together. But I think the reason why we cannot work together in this regard, is the main reason why we have the problem in the first place: People don't really believe in blood equality. Oh, the more civilised ones will tell you how much they desire equal treatment for everyone and how wonderful a bigger influence of Muggle-borns is for wizarding society, but most of the time they only say it to feel better about themselves. As soon as they are expected to actually do something about equality rather than just waxing about it, they somehow fade into the background. Just open a history book and see how difficult most law changes for the benefit of Muggle-borns have been. Neither Muggle-born nor Muggles have any powerful support in our society. Only this makes it possible for a few bigots to deal that kind of damage and it makes me sick.'

'Hear, hear,' said Sirius. 'That is exactly the kind of fire we need in our fire against Voldemort. Dedication is the key to victory.'

Peter snorted.

'Or the key to an early grave,' he said. 'I don't say you are wrong, James, but you cannot change the way people think, just because you think they are wrong. Muggles are not like us and they never will be. That is the reason why many wizards, especially the ones without any regular contact to them, don't care for them. Muggle-borns are obviously closer to Muggles than to pure-blood wizards and therefore some people lump them in with the Muggles. It may be bigoted and maybe even stupid, but it is not going to change anytime soon.'

'So what would you do, Peter?' asked Sirius heatedly. 'Keep your head down and wait for it to blow over? That is exactly why we are in this mess in the first place. We have to take a stand or the Death Eaters are going to win.'

'I am no fighter,' said Peter simply. 'It is just as Remus has said: The Ministry is supposed to keep us safe. It shouldn't be our obligation in the first place.'

'Let's not talk about this anymore, please,' said Marlene. 'At least until we reach London we are still out of the bloody war and I would like to enjoy the last few hours of peace.'

'Of course,' said Lily. She threw pointed looks at Sirius, who had been about to open his mouth. James was irritated at Peter's cowardice, but he clamped down on the feeling. Marlene was right, he shouldn't press the issue now. It was quite pointless. Nobody could force Peter to fight the Death Eaters after all. Besides, he wouldn't make it into the auror program anyway.

'What about you Marlene? What are you going to miss the most?'

'Well, I am not sure,' she said. 'Quidditch probably, I am not sure how much I am going to get to play in the future. Being on the team was quite a lark even though James was a pain in the bum to deal with.'

'Hey!' protested James. 'I was only doing what was necessary to win the cup.'

'Of course, of course,' said Marlene waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. 'And we love you for your dedication, but that doesn't change the fact that it was a pain in the bum.'

'It absolutely was,' said Sirius. 'Oh, I have thought of something else I am going to miss: The huge selection of fit birds!'

'You are a pig, Sirius,' said Lily while James, Remus and Peter laughed. Marlene seemed torn between amusement and disapproval. 'And just in case you've forgotten it already: You are in a relationship, so you'd have not use for other girls anyway.'

'Yes, yes,' said Sirius. 'But they are still nice to look at. Ah, I just wish that I had shagged a few more of them! The fact that I never got to see Aria Clearwater naked will haunt me until the day I die.'

'Who was she again?' asked Peter.

'That blonde Hufflepuff bombshell with the huge,' said James, but he changed what he was about to say when he caught Lily glaring at him, '…eyes. Yeah, she's definitely fit. And from what I have heard, she's very nice as well. Why haven't you snagged her, Padfoot? Hufflepuffs are usually your forte.'

'Yes, but she took offense in the fact that I shagged her best friend and dumped her rather harshly,' said Sirius. 'Afterwards, she only glared at me at no amount of sweet-talking got me in her good book again. A bloody shame. If I had known what it was going to cost me, I would have kept it in my pants for once.'

'Your romantic sorrows surely are moving, Sirius,' said Remus dryly. 'I can only imagine your pain.'

'Shove off,' said Sirius. 'I'm opening up here and all you do is rib me about it. Romantic regrets are an absolutely key in growing up. Don't tell me you don't have them.'

'I do,' said Marlene. 'I regret how I exploded when Charlie proposed to me. I should've kept my head and just calmly told him that I wasn't ready for that step and that he probably should find someone else.'

'And maybe you and he would still be together if you hadn't gone ballistic on him,' mused Lily. 'Charlie is a nice bloke, he probably would have given you all the time you would have wanted.'

'Yeah, maybe,' admitted Marlene. 'He was always very considered.'

'Oi, and what am I?' asked Sirius. 'Marlene, you should be glad that things didn't work out between Davies and you. Otherwise, you would have never known the pleasure of having me as your boyfriend.'

Lily looked like she very much wanted to say something mean. James squeezed her hand and gave her a pointed look and she refrained from commenting. Sirius and she weren't friends, but she clearly had the greater respect for his feelings and much more restrain. James was glad that this was case as he didn't fancy getting caught in the middle when Lily and Sirius clashed.

'And I am glad it worked out this way,' said Marlene, leaning over to give Sirius a small peck on the lips. Sirius was mollified by that but still looked a little grumpy.

'I am just trying to say that relationships can be hard. Even when you don't want to have one. My own history with romance has been bumpy after all.'

'That's certainly true,' said James. 'But that's not too uncommon. Just look at me: I spent months chasing after Lily and it never worked out. Back then, I was sure that I would never get it right with her and a year and half later things suddenly fell into place. It is okay to fail as long as you get up again and learn from the experience.'

'And what have you learned that made romance blossom between the two of you?' asked Sirius.

'That sometimes not trying that hard is the key to success,' said James. 'Oh, and a few months of additional maturity don't hurt as well.'

'As does not hexing everything in sight,' said Lily dryly. 'But I have to agree, you did clean up nicely. And you have certainly learned from your mistakes. For example, you haven't written anymore poetry.'

Everyone laughed at that. Poetry had been one of James's disastrous attempts to woo Lily back in fifth year. Sadly, he had no talent for that kind of art whatsoever and had only caused both of them a lot of embarrassment.

'Yeah, well, I have to admit that it wasn't my best work,' he said. 'It was worth a shot, though.'

'Keep telling yourself that, James,' said Sirius. 'Maybe you will believe it one day.'

'I think it is uplifting that it worked out between you two,' said Remus. 'To be honest: I was quite sure that you two would end up killing each other when I heard that you were this year's head-students. Maybe that's the thing we should remember about seventh year: Sometimes things work out better than expected.'

'I can agree to that,' said James. 'And if we are lucky, the war will be over soon. That certainly would be better than expected.'

The others all agree and they spent the rest of the ride back to London without a thought to the war. James knew that his immediate future would be dangerous and challenging, but today he was just happy with what he had. He would tackle whatever problem his future held when he encountered it. And with a bit of luck, these would work out better than expected as well.

The End

And that marks the end of my biggest project so far. I am glad that it is over given how much bigger it turned out in the end than I had originally planned. I'm going to take a break from writing fanfiction for a while and focus more on my original works. Thanks to everybody who has reviewed and favorited the story. I hope you enjoyed it!