Disclaimer: If you recognise it, it's not mine. If you don't, it's mine!

Well, ladies and gents, here it is. Back by popular demand...If you haven't read the first story in this series, The Seventh Year, you should probably do that or you won't understand this one! You have been warned! And for those of you who have read the first one, there are a lot of loose ends to be tied up...so just give me time, okay? Don't start asking about the dreams right off, that'll take a while, okay? Thanks! Enjoy,

Yana

Chapter 1: An Assignment

Kelria Song looked haggard as she exited the Ministry of Magic building, glad to be done for the day. It had been a long, exhausting day, and all she wanted to do was go home and put her feet up.

"Kel!"

She sighed and turned around, pasting a smile on her face when she saw Lily Evans--Potter, Kel, Lily Potter--approaching, looking excited about something.

"Hey, Lil, what's up?"

"James and I bought a house!" she said excitedly, trying to catch her breath.

"That's great, Lily, congratulations!"

"Thanks. We're having a party next Friday, you know sort of a housewarming thing, and I was wondering if you and Remus would like to come."

"Sure, we'll be there for sure, Lily," Kelria replied.

"Awesome! Have you seen Yana? I wanted to catch her before she left."

"Sorry, Lil, you missed her. Sirius picked her up on that bike of his, and I don't know when they'll be back."

"Oh well, I'm sure she'll be in tomorrow, I'll catch her then."

"It's not likely, Lily, as tomorrow's Saturday. Yana probably won't be in. Like I said, she went off with Sirius. The likeliness of them being back before Monday morning is zero to none."

"Oh yeah. Well, I guess I'll catch her Monday morning, then."

"Yep. So, how have you been, Lily? I hardly ever get to talk to you anymore!"

"I know! School's a lot of work, though."

"Yeah, I know. It's a good thing we all really want to be aurors, otherwise I'm sure at least two of us would have dropped out before now."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"So, you're doing well?"

Lily nodded, grinning. "This baby is no trouble, Kelria! No kicking when I'm trying to sleep, nothing like that! Alice is going mad; her baby kicks all the time, and just generally keeps her awake when she wants to sleep."

Kelria laughed. "Yeah, babies tend to do that."

"Oh! We found out that it's a boy!" Lily said excitedly.

"Congratulations, Lily!" Kelria said, genuinely happy for her friend.

"Thanks! James is bound and determined to name him James."

Kelria laughed. "Yep, that sounds like James."

"I told him he can't, because then he'll end up being "JJ", and I don't like that. So he's consented to give him a different first name…but he's absolutely adamant that the middle name has to be James."

Kelria nodded. "That's James Potter for ya."

"Indeed. Anyway, I should let you go. See you later, Kelria!"

"See you, Lily," Kelria replied.

After Lily had disappeared, Kelria spun on the spot and disapparated, reappearing right in her living room, and plopping down on the couch.

"I just want to sit and do nothing for the rest of the night," she said aloud.

"That's a pity," a voice replied from the kitchen, startling her out of her wits, "Because I had big plans for tonight."

She didn't even have the strength to stand as her boyfriend entered the room with a big smile on his face.

"Hey, Remus."

"Hey, beautiful. I was going to ask how your day was, but from the sounds of things, it wasn't so great."

"No, it really wasn't. We were at the Ministry again, and they've given us an assignment…Merlin, Remus, I don't even think the nine of us are going to be able to solve this one!"

"Nine? What's the assignment?"

"Yeah, we get a full squad, isn't that cool? James got elected the leader, of course…no one would have it any other way. So, in our squad it's me, Yana, Lily, James, Frank, Aaron Marsh,--he was in Ravenclaw in our year, do you remember him?-- Emily-Hope Jeffries,--she was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team, she's the one I had that hex war with the match Yana got sick--Harvey McArthur,--he was in Hufflepuff--and Kennedy Mora--he was on the Ravenclaw team too. And the assignment…oh, I don't even want to talk about it, it makes my head hurt just thinking about it!"

"Wow, how did that group come together?" Remus asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"We were assigned."

"Ah, I should have known."

"Yeah, you should have," Kelria agreed. "Question."

"Yes?"

"Why are you in my house?"

Remus grinned. "I'm your welcoming committee."

"I see."

"But, since you just want to, and I quote, sit and do nothing for the rest of the night unquote, I will just have to eat this delicious dinner myself."

"Go ahead," Kelria groaned in reply. "I ate lunch with Yana at Marty's at like 3 this afternoon, I'm stuffed."

Remus frowned. "You two eat at Marty's a lot."

"Well, it's a great restaurant! They have awesome food!"

"Yeah, fatty food, Kelria!"

"Are you implying that I'm fat?" Kelria asked teasingly.

"Maybe," Remus replied, grinning at her mischievously.

"I'm insulted, Remus."

Remus laughed. "You never get insulted, Kelria."

"Well, maybe I should start then!" Kelria replied.

"Don't bother," Remus answered.

Kelria sighed, then smiled.

"What are you smirking at," Remus asked.

"Just thinking."

"About what?"

"What do you think of Yana and Sirius?"

Remus looked puzzled. "What about them?"

"Do you think they're sleeping together?" Kelria asked.

Remus looked startled. "I'm shocked that you would ask such a thing, Miss Song," he replied.

Kelria rolled her eyes. "Answer the question, Lupin."

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment, then said, "No. I don't think they are. I wouldn't put it past Sirius, but Khyana's too levelheaded. And Sirius says he isn't, so I believe him. He's not exactly ashamed to "kiss and tell", persé."

"No, that he certainly isn't," Kelria agreed. "Oh, by the way, Lily and James are having a housewarming party next Friday, we're going."

"We are?"

"Yes. Lily asked me, and I said sure."

Remus looked a little worried. "You do know next Friday's the full moon, don't you?"

Kelria looked thoughtful. "Oh, so it is. Well, I guess we're not going then."

"You can go, I just won't."

Kelria groaned. "I suppose I probably should, eh?"

"Yeah, you probably should," Remus agreed.

"Very well," Kelria sighed.

Remus grinned. "You haven't even given me a hello kiss, you realise that, Kel?"

Kelria groaned again and stood.

Remus grinned at her, but didn't move.

When Kelria reached him, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"Hello," he murmured, kissing her.

"Hi," she replied, grinning. "How was your day?"

"Actually, not too bad," he replied. "I met with Sirius and Peter this afternoon…it was interesting."

"Mhm. What did you talk about?"

Remus shrugged. "Stuff."

"Like?"

"Stuff," Remus replied, grinning.

Kelria sighed. "Fine."

That weekend, Kelria spent every day in her den or kitchen, working on schoolwork, which included the assignment that had been assigned to the six friends. How on earth they were supposed to figure it out was beyond her. However, she knew that Khyana had some contacts they could use, and possibly someone else did as well. This was a real case, and they needed to treat it like one. It would be difficult, but if they could solve this one, they could solve anything.

When Monday morning rolled around, Kelria was feeling much more confident. They'd be fine.