A/N: Dedicated to those I spent New Years' with, except Evans, who is a prat and unworthy of dedication…. Just kidding about that.

Set in 1977-1978: the year after the Marauders leave Hogwarts. Peter is left out for a reason. I see him as the one that after their school years, he sort of began to drift, casually passing one of his old dorm mates at an Order meeting, but not really having the bonds that were there before. Instead, Lily comes in and takes his place, as James is obviously going out with her at the moment.

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There came a time when words were no longer needed to express what was felt between the tight knot of friends. There seemed to be a bond stronger than verbal ties, reaching across from one mind to another to deliver a message.

With a nervous glance from Sirius to Remus, it was clear that he was asking, 'Are we all going to be here like this when next year rolls around?'

Remus, in turn, would shoot his gaze to James, wondering silently, 'Do you think…do you think that Voldemort will kill us before 1979 is brought to us?'

James paled, knowing not the answer, nor wanting to know. The sense of foreboding rose in him, and he turned to the person that he had trusted for the longest of time. Sirius shook his head slowly, not feeling that the time was right to break the companionable silence. Instead, he set about to relighting a candle that had been blown out; and began studying the way the flame bent and squirmed with the wind.

'Do you feel okay?' Lily would evaluate James with a practiced eye, reading through the tough and stern exterior façade that he would adorn himself with whenever times got difficult.

James would lie to her with a mischievous glint in the air and sparkle of his smile, brushing it aside. He turned to Remus, his expression reading, 'Why not give us your resolutions first, eh?'

Closing his eyes, the werewolf lowered his head, then said quietly, "To find a way to go on, as though…as though nothing were wrong with me," the man said, and twitched the end of his wand. Instantly, the candle before him went out, and a light blue smoke hovered just about him, shaping itself into a small crescent moon.

Heaving a sigh, Sirius said, "To get rid of them all." It didn't take much effort to know what he was talking about, for the loathing of the Death Eaters (most of which were related to him) spread throughout the entire group, but none so much as the gray eyed nineteen year old. With a flick of his wrist, his freshly lit candle flickered out, and a green haze created a paw print above them.

The red head calmly whispered, "To take care of you three." Quick hand motions and movements of her wand led to a third candle going out, this time a pink cloud condensing into the shape of an owl's wing.

The three turned to face James, whose face was turned down, shadows concealing his expression from view. "To…." He paused. Whatever he was determining to do, he was apparently unsure about it. Whether it was too great of a resolution, or it was something that he didn't want to share, but he said anyway, "To take down the Dark Lord. I…I know I won't be able to do it quickly, maybe not this year, or decade, but I will…. I can't…can't let others suffer any longer."

He reached for his wand, hesitating once again. By putting out the small flame before him, he was making an oath, a promise to carry through with his decree until the day of his death.

With a jab of his wand, the flame went out, and a silver cloud compacted into a stag's footprint. The four foggy shapes floated for a moment, suspended in midair as Sirius reached for his watch, confirming the countdown.

"Three, two, one…."

The miasmas soared above them, enlarging and connecting to form an emblem of their own, unifying them as one.

The New Year had arrived, and the four had spent it together once again, unsure as to whether it would be the last. With a glance from James to Sirius, to Remus, to Lily, they vowed it not to be.

And even though it wasn't, it was the only one that was remembered three years later, on October the thirty-first, when the emblem slowly separated, remaining only words unspoken to the four who loved so deeply, cared so fully, and never forgot.

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A/N: Possibly the worst ending that has ever been written for a fic, but I tried. It seemed such a great idea in my mind, up until it came time to write Remus's resolution, at which point I choked. This was the byproduct. It sucked. Go ahead and flame me, I deserve it fully.

Happy New Years' to you all.