A/N: Okay, so after that epiphany last night (thanks be to Gwendolyn's great-aunt or whoever it was) I have begun again. Starting this story the last day of the seventh year, right before the Marauders leap into action and join The Order of Phoenix. Hope you all like it. Since I haven't written the characters in a while please let me know if anything seems off and I'll be sure to fix it right away... Thanks to all the loyal fans and may the story continue - Angel

Chapter 1

June 1978

"Man, can you, believe those tests are finally over?" Raven said leaning back against the tree her hazel eyes shining. "How'd you think you did on Charms, Remus?"

Remus smiled up at her his head laying on her lap, "Well, Charms wasn't too hard. At least I didn't make my quill dive bomb the professor."

"That's not fair!" Gwendolyn said from across the group where she sat curled up against Sirius. "I didn't have any experience when that happened! And it was nearly two years ago."

"But you have to admit, Gwen, it was hilarious." Sirius said grinning until she looked back at him. "Thinking back on it...that is..."

"Well, I guess... but it was so embarrassing... And poor Professor Flitwick still hasn't let it go. He still flinches every time I lift my wand in his class."

"That is true. I remember the other day he flinched when you charmed that teapot to pour him a cup of tea. It was so funny! He must have thought that you were going to charm it to pour it on his head..." Sirius laughed and Gwen turned to face him.

"You have no right to talk!" she said narrowing her eyes at him though she smiled. "I'm not reason that Raven now sports a boys cut! I still don't want to know what you were planning to do to poor Severus with those charmed scissors."

"Hey, that wasn't our fault. Raven took them for... what was class was it again?" James piped in.

Raven looked innocently up at her page cut and smile. "Well, truthfully, it was a surprise back then but I was making a sweater for Remus' birthday. Still it all worked out. I had been thinking of cutting it anyway, plus there was never a more surprised Lupin to be seen."

"Of course I was surprised! You screamed!" Remus said his amber eyes lighting up, he'd started to come out of his reserved shell thanks to Raven. "What guy wouldn't be scared our of their minds for their girlfriend?"

"And what girl wouldn't scream? Muggle scrissor do not leap to life and chop off your hair without a moment's notice!" Raven retorted her eyes gleaming and then snorted. "It was so cool!"

"I don't think so... The darn things didn't even cut it evenly."

"Of course not! It was for joke of Snivellus... aw man, Raven, if you hadn't we could have--"

"James..." Lily reprimanded her green eyes glaring daggers through him, her hair had grown longer and if possible a brighter shade of red. It had taken them long enough but, finally after James had settled down and become Head Boy and Captain of the Quidditch Team, they had gotten together.

"Hey, calm down, Lil... You know my marauding days are over. I don't even look at Sniv--Severus cross-eyed anymore. Honest." James grinned sweetly holding up his right hand. Lily only stared at him, her green eyes piercing him until he smiled sheepishly. "Okay, okay, so I look at him cross-eyed but I swear, that's it..."

That made Lily smile, despite her best effort. "Aw, James you're just too cute..." she said throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tight.

"It's about time you admitted it, Lily Evans." he said kissing her gently on the side of the head.

"It wasn't my fault that you were an arrogant toerag, James Potter." she said frowning up at him.

"But a cute one," he interjected, he still liked to have the last word.

"But a cute one," Lily agreed and kissed him.

Their sparing matches still continued and they matched wit for wit on a daily basis, especially when they had Head Boy and Girl duties together, but their sharp remarks were interjected with love-filled eyes and gooey kisses that made even Sirius, ever the ladies' man, turn away in embarrassment. A lot had changed, besides just hair cuts, for the Maurauders and their girls. With James and Lily together, the Marauders had calmed their evil ways-mostly-but there were bigger things to worry about then just them The world outside of Hogwarts was changing too.

The Dark Lord who had been coming into power had made the outside world a horrible place to live. Wizards fought wizards, it was hard to tell who was on which side. Even James had been approached by the Death Eaters, which of course he had turned down with Lily beside him in his decision. The muggles didn't understand the death and destruction that seemed to be everywhere and more and more people, wizards and muggles alike, were disappearing everyday. Even the magical creatures were feeling the effects, the giants had taken with the Dark Lord and his Death Eaters and Gwen had lost contact with her mother and their Junta faery clan just this past month. She had no idea if they were dead or alive and there was no way of knowing.

This was the world they were heading into. Tonight would be the last time they would all be together and tomorrow, the train would come to send them all home to the evils they knew not... "Gwen, you alright? You're thinking really hard again, aren't you?"

"A little... but it's just that this is the last time we'll all be together." she looked around at Lily and James cuddled close and Remus laying with his head on Raven's lap as they talked quietly together. Right now, life looked too good to be true. "You know a least for a while... Where's Peter?"

"Peter?" Sirius looked up and saw that he wasn' t there. "I think he's studying for his last N.E.W.T. That boy's never done scurrying around, you know."

"Oh." Gwen tried not to let it bother her. She smiled and laughed and listened as everything went over the years they had all spent together. As the final banquet drew nearer she found herself gripping the locket Sirius had given her for her birthday closer to her head. Shielded within it, her faery stone glowed warm and even through the silver she felt it, and it comforted her. Tomorrow they would all be leaving. Gwen to find her family and the rest of them to where their lives would lead them. Still it worried her. Peter spent less and less time with the marauders and when he did return there something so sneaking about him. It gave off the same rat feeling she had gotten the first day that she had met him... and it made her wonder.

"Hey, Gwen...?" Lily's quiet voice interrupted her thoughts. "Where are you going to go, tomorrow, when we all leave?"

Gwen looked around and saw that everyone was looking at her. "Why?" she said trying to smile.

"Well, you haven't heard from your mother have you?" Raven asked quietly.

"No." she looked at everyone in turn, except Sirius. She couldn't look at him. "I'm...That's why I'm going home. I have to know what happened. I have to know if they're... alive... Or dead..."

"I'm going with you then." Sirius said, his voice even.

"No, Sirius. I can't let you." she said pulling away from him so she could look at him. But she found that when she did face him it was a stubborn gaze that met her own.

"It's not about letting me. What are you going to do when--if you find out they're not alive? I can't let you go alone. I can't let you go alone. Not that I'm going to stop you, but you're going to need someone there."

"Gwen, he's right. What if they aren't alive? What if... What if He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named killed them all?" Lily asked tentatively. "What will you do then? How will you cope with it all by yourself?"

"Fight." Gwen said without a moments pause. "I would fight for them without any regrets, but I have to know first. I can't just assume their dead. There's still hope that their not dead, that their hiding. And until I make sure, that's what's going to keep me looking for them."

"But if they are...If they are really dead...then you'll join the Order?" James asked his eyes sparking with a serious light.

"The Order?"she said looking confused at everyone.

"Do you remember how I told you that I was approached by the Death Eaters. Lily was with me, we were on a date, and those... those bloody bastards just walked right up to us and asked neat as you please if we wanted to join the Dark Lord and be on the winning side. They said he'd even overlook Lily being a Muggle-born and all because she was strong..." James' hazel eyes hardened. "I turned them down, as you know... took all I had not to punch out their bloody lights for the way they talked to Lily, but just the same when it was done I went to Dumbledore and told him what had happened. He told me that I was welcomed into the Order of the Phoenix, his resistance group against the Dark Lord, if I wanted. When I accepted he told me I could recruit others. Lily's already agreed, as have Remus, Raven and Peter. I just told Sirius yesterday but he's basically agreed. I haven't had the chance to ask you but you're also welcome... when you've made sure of your family, that is."

"Lily? Raven?"

"I have to join," Lily said. "He's going after people like my parents and my sister. He won't get away with it."

"I agree." Raven said her eyes hard and the mischievous glint vanished. "My brothers have always protected me and its my turn. Dumbledore even made it possible for me to still train to be a Healer like I want to, but it's not going to keep me from the front lines. The Dark Lord is messing with wrong people and he needs to know it."

Gwen turned to look up at Sirius. "When were you going to tell me?"

"When you told me that you were chasing after your family. It didn't feel right to share if you weren't willing to share with me too." he said seriously and Gwen felt the tears fill her eyes. "Gwen..."

Gwen turned to look at James her eyes shining with tears and determination. "Of course I'll join. But I have to know... First I have to know what happened to them. Please understand, I have to know..."

Turning she buried her face into Sirius chest and he held her close. "We do understand. I understand and that's why I'm going with you... I can't let you take the chance that they are dead and that you'll be alone and have to deal with it alone."

"O...kay..."

"I love you..." Sirius whispered and the tears came into Gwen's eyes as she held onto him tighter.

"I'm...sorry..." she whispered and beside the Black Lake, their friends huddled around them Gwen and Sirius held on to each other and began their life. Together, tomorrow, they would face the train and they would begin the search for her family. Together. It was what Gwen secretly had wanted but it was also something that she had been too afraid to ask for. Even now... she was scared. If he went with her, there was the chance that she could lose him... Just as she feared that she had already lost her family...