Author's Note: This is the last chapter, actually, it's a double sort of thing. Both of these chapters were obscenely short compared to the two previous chapters and so i thought that i'd put them in the same set. Anyway, i hope you like them. Thankyou again to Alix33 my utterly fabulous beta reader. She is amazing beyond all words. :-))

Part. 3

In which the best man wins… sort of…

James found Severus Snape staring out into the sunset of another glorious day, the old Potion's Master looked oddly alone in this land of bliss.

"Hello James." He said dispassionately.

"Severus." James replied cordially, coming to stand next to his old nemesis. They both tried to get the odd taste out of their mouths. Both thinking dispassionately that it may take an eternity to get used to greeting each other like friends.

"You know, it bothers Lily when you disappear for days at a time like this. She always wonders where you are."
Snape didn't look away from the darkening sky.

"Didn't you tell her I was here?"

James smirked at nothing, enjoying the cool that suddenly mixes with the sun-warmed air as the sun sets.

"My wife worries far too much, and I usually try to alleviate some of her fears. However, I can see when a man doesn't want to be found. And, I can respect that."
Snape stole a glance at him, rather surprised at this.

"Thank you Potter."
"You're welcome Snape."
James turned to leave, knowing that Lily would come looking if he was gone for long.

"Potter?" Snape called quietly, causing the other man to turn back, "If it is too much for me to be here, around you, after… after what I did. After, all the things that you know about me now…" He trailed off, unable to articulate further.

James stopped and sighed, running a hand through his hair. The seventeen year-old-boy's body seemed to stretch around the wisdom of a man.

Snape suddenly realized that they'd all grown up too quickly after school ended.

"Do you still love her?"

Snape dropped his gaze to the moonlit grass at his feet. The sun had disappeared behind the hills, and they were left alone.

"I will always love Lily… for the friend that she was to me. Even when… when I did not deserve her. Now, I will admit to you, that in school, I loved her as you did. As you do,now. But when I joined the ranks of the Dark Lord, I turned that love to hate." Snape smiled a small sad smile. "After I… betrayed you both, and turned to Dumbledore for some relief to my guilt. I learned Occlumency, and part of learning that skill as well as I did, is being able to successfully bury any such feeling so deep, that I doubt that I could bring them to light even if I wished to." He shook his head, as if surprised that he had shared so much. "To answer your question James Potter, no. I am not jealous of you. Nor do I love her as anything more than my best friend." He brought his gaze up, suddenly direct and honest. "I have found out, that the best man did, in fact win."
James nodded slowly, feeling the sudden bout of awkwardness that always follows a time when two males share about something from the heart. Both he and his ex-enemy were feeling urges to clear their throats, shuffle their feet, anything.

James broke the horrid silence first, a wry smile on his young face.

"Thank you Severus. Although, to tell you the truth… the only way I got her to marry me was because I told her that I was pregnant."

Part 4:

In which the Marauder induct a long lost member into the illustrious (and most likely cursed) order.

Nineteen human-years later- found four people seated at the base of a shady tree.

Ever since greeting him at the station, (and the unspoken accord that had happened that one time post-sunset) the four had been nigh inseparable- it was odd- to everyone else. But for some reason, they had accepted him. Not really knowing why.

Sirius was laughing loudly- the others were looking amused, as Sirius had no shame.

"Did you see McGoogles's face when little Scorpius was sorted into Gryffindor?" Asked James- pressing his glasses up his nose.

Snape's eyebrow rose slightly, speaking in his low voice.

"Poor Minerva two shocks in one night- she almost had a heart attack when little Albus was sorted into Slytherin."
They all heard the pride in his voice as he uttered those words.

James shrugged.

"You know- since I've been dead- I've found new respect for your house Severus."

Snape nodded.

"The feeling is mutual."

"You know-" Sirius said, ignoring the fact that James had just signaled Remus to do something. "I still consider it rather creepy that you use McGoogles's first name…"

Snape's dark eyes betrayed nothing, and Sirius grinned emphatically, starting to learn to read the otherwise unreadable man.

"We worked together." He replied primly.

Sirius waved a hand.

"No matter what you call it I need to ask you one thing-" Remus groaned inwardly, James resisted the urge to grin. They both knew that bad things happened when anyone in the Black family got that face. Snape began to worry himself, although he let none of it show.

"What were your intentions with our beloved Transfiguration Professor?"

Snape's mouth dropped open,

"What the-"
James –who judged the timing to be about perfect- cleared his throat, stopping Snape's tirade- and looked to Sirius, who looked shiftily at James and then cleared his throat and nodded to Remus. Snape pretended that he had missed the whole exchange. Although he could read the three of them rather well by now, he found it generally less disturbing if he didn't ask...
"Severus-" Said Remus- who had been suddenly and rather abruptly elected spokesperson of the group coughed and spoke suddenly. "We've been talking- and we think that it's been too long since The Marauders have been a full group- and...well Sev- we think that you've always been a Marauder at heart and-"
Severus Snape raised a hand- effectively stopping Remus' words.

His young face no longer filled with the lines of his life. He still held grief and guilt- but his past sins no longer made him who he was. He was free.

"You want to know if I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good?"
James grinned widely-

"Yeah- something like that."

~Fin~

So anyway, i liked it. and i hope you did too. i was thinking of perhaps making this into a sort-of miniseries you know, different random stories about my favorite characters in their afterlives. I don't know... i thought it might be fun. so tell me what you think.

Thank you much to all of you who have reviewed and commented and complimented (especially ya'll) my story. I did enjoy writing it, and i'm so enthused that you liked reading it.

Ummmmm........ i really have nothing else to say, except... umm... well.. nope, nothing.

YOU ARE COMPELLED TO REVIEW heheheh

Thanks again,

Red