Prologue

"Souls can't move that quickly, and are left behind, and must be awaited, upon arrival, like lost luggage." --William Gibson

He sank low behind a fallen tree, its massive trunk just high enough to shield him from view.

"Oy, James!" he heard a deep voice call, a little too close for comfort. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

He smiled, shaking his head as he held his crouch. His legs were beginning to burn, but readjusting might give away his position. Instead, he inched his hand down and cautiously brushed away some of the dead leaves, wincing as they crackled deafeningly in the silent forest.

"Oh, Prongs," said the other boy, now off to his far right. "Just admit your defeat."

Never! James thought, scooping up the handful of stones he'd just uncovered and weighing them in his hand. Suddenly, he heard a soft snuffling near the far end of the trunk. "No fair!" James cried, springing up from his position. "Animagus forms are totally against the—" He was cut off mid-sentence as the large black dog launched itself in his direction. James ducked swiftly, diving into the underbrush.

"Coward!" Sirius cried, shifting seamlessly back into his human appearance.

James darted out from behind a tree and hurled a rock at the shaggy haired boy.

"Missed!" Sirius called, cackling madly as he dodged the incoming fire. "Nice try, Jamesie—" But James had already taken aim and thrown another stone, smacking Sirius squarely in the chest. "Ow," Sirius said, clutching at his loose shirt dramatically. "Jesus Prongs, that hurt."

James rolled his eyes, starting toward his friend. "Oh Padfoot, don't be such a girl—" Too late, James realized his mistake as Sirius took advantage of his distraction and pounced, tackling James into the thick undergrowth. They wrestled for a minute, their boyish grunts drowned out by the din of snapping twigs and crackling leaves. With a battle cry, Sirius threw his weight against the other boy, knocking James' glasses askew as he pinned him to the forest floor.

"Give?" Sirius said, breathing heavily as he sat on James' chest.

"Are you boys quite finished?" Their heads snapped up to see a petite girl standing over them, her green eyes alight with amusement.

"Ah, hello Lily," Sirius said, not moving from his position on James' chest. "I was just teaching your boy here a proper lesson about respecting his elders."

James rolled his eyes. "We're the same age, you git!"

"Ah," Sirius said, shaking his head. "Technically, I lived to see thirty six, while you offed it around twenty one. That gives me fifteen years on you."

Lily gazed down at the two boys, neither of which looked a day over seventeen. "When you two are done arguing," she said, placing her hands on her slender hips, "I think you might like to know about our newest arrival."

Sighing, Sirius hopped up and offered James his hand, heaving the boy up in a shower of dead leaves.

"Who's here?" James asked, squinting as he scanned the ground. Lily chuckled, picking up his glasses and placing them firmly on his face. James smiled gratefully, leaning down to place a soft kiss against her lips.

Sirius cleared his throat loudly. "You were saying?" he said, grinning wryly.

"Yes," Lily continued as James slung an arm over her shoulder. "We've got a new arrival—two, actually," she corrected herself as they stepped onto a narrow dirt path and headed for the forest's edge.

"So, who is it?" James asked, glancing down at his wife. "Anyone we know?"

She smiled coyly, brushing her long hair off her face. "Oh, I'd say so."

"Gah, come on, Lils," Sirius said, darting in front of her and continuing down the path backwards. "Who is it?"

She grinned, her eyes glinting. "Guess." Sirius stayed silent, glowering at her. "Oh, fine," she said, chuckling softly. "It's Remus."

Sirius' eyes widened as James sprung to attention next to her. "What?"

"Remus," Lily said again, still smiling. "You know… best friend, werewolf, lover of—"

"Moony!" Sirius whirled around to hurtle down the path, slowing only to shout, "Last one to Remus is a tosser!"

"Hey! No fair!" James yelled, taking off after him. "Come on, Lils!" he shot over his shoulder as he disappeared from view. Lily tossed her head back, laughing brightly as she sprinted after them. They broke through the abrupt edge of the forest into bright sunshine, their shouts of excitement startling a large snowy owl from her perch on a high branch.

"Too slow, old man!" James cried as he drew level with Sirius, his arms pumping swiftly at his sides.

"Ha!" Sirius shouted, putting on an extra burst of speed as they started up the hill toward the courtyard. Lily laughed as Sirius stuck a long leg out to the side and sent James toppling over into the wet grass. James reached out and grabbed at Sirius, barely grasping the heel of his boot.

"Oy! Geroff me!" Sirius said, attempting to free his leg from James' grip. "You're such a cheat!"

"Me?" James cried, yanking hard enough on Sirius' ankle to pull him to the ground. "You're the one who morphed in the forest and—"

Lily jogged past the tussling pair, waving sweetly as she reached the top of the hill. She paused, surveying the vast courtyard. To her right stretched a low stone wall, over which the ocean was discernable in the distance. A cobblestone path wound through the lush grass, lined by stone fountains that gurgled pleasantly. Dozens of people sat on the fountain ledges or the marble benches scattered throughout the quad. She smiled as she spotted an old wizard chatting with someone hidden behind a fountain outcropping, a large tea cozy just visible above the stone ledge; the man looked up, winking at her from behind half moon spectacles as she passed.

"Lily?" she suddenly heard a soft voice call from behind her. She whipped around, already recognizing that familiar tone.

"Remus!" she cried, closing the distance between them in one lithe leap and throwing her arms around his shoulders. He hugged her back just as Sirius—short one boot—came into view.

"Tosser," he said over his shoulder to a panting James who was just breasting the hill.

"Cheat," James shot back, straightening his grass-stained shirt.

Sirius shoved him. "Wanker."

"Git."

"Bastard."

"Twit."

"Death hasn't changed them, then?" Remus asked, amused.

Lily sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Not one bit."

"Moony!" they both cried, bounding over and catching him in a crushing embrace.

"How've you been, mate?" James said.

"Is it wrong that I'm glad you're dead?" Sirius asked, ruffling Remus' hair.

"Yes," Lily said, leaning over and kissing Remus lightly on the cheek. "So good to see you; I'm going to go grab Emme and the others."

"Hey," James said, punching Remus on the arm as Lily flitted away. "Get your own wife! Oh, wait, you have one!"

Remus' face darkened momentarily, his eyes shadowed with sadness. "Yeah, I do. And a—"

"Son," Sirius interrupted, slapping him on the back. "We know."

"We saw," James said, winking at him. "You dog, you."

Remus smiled ruefully, wondering how Teddy would fare without a father. James placed a hand on his shoulder, all signs of kidding gone. "I know," he said, holding Remus' gaze. "I really do. But he'll be okay."

Remus cleared his throat loudly. "You're right," he said, nodding. "At least he still has Tonks, and—"

"Remus!" Emme called, sidling over to the group. "Lily told me you'd arrived! Welcome aboard."

"Emme? You look great!" he said, taking in her appearance. Her dark hair fell loosely around her shoulders as she grinned at him. "Last time I saw you, we were pushing forty," he continued, tilting his head to the side. "And you, too, Sirius." He frowned. "What is this place?"

"You can never just go with the flow, can you? Have to ask questions," James said, shaking his head. "Come here." He grabbed Remus' shoulder, dragging him over to a nearby fountain. "Look," he instructed, giving his friend room as he stepped away.

"What--" Remus began, but faltered as he took in his reflection. His features were young, his eyes not yet clouded with the ghosts of the wars that had passed. The lines that had creased his face for most of his adult life had smoothed themselves away, leaving him looking innocent and vulnerable. "Where are we, exactly?" Remus asked, glancing around at his surroundings.

"Somewhere between here and there," Sirius replied, clapping him on the shoulder. "Come on, let's go somewhere and talk."

Sirius led the way toward the shady pond, the other three following in his wake. Remus grew more relaxed as he recognized familiar faces, even waving shortly to a red-headed boy shooting fireworks into the air.

They stopped under a large oak tree, James flopping down on the grass below it. Remus gazed up at it, frowning. "You know," he said, "if I squint my eyes, it almost looks like—"

"Yeah, it does," Sirius agreed, nodding. They stared at the towering oak in silence.

"We had some good times under that tree, didn't we?" Remus said, sinking down next to James, who had propped himself up on his elbows.

"I'll say." Sirius smirked as he leaned against the wide trunk. "Hey Moony, remember the time James and that mermaid—"

"Shh!" James said, glancing around wildly and relaxing when he spotted Lily chatting with a tall blonde at the far end of the courtyard, seemingly engrossed in conversation. "Lily still doesn't know about that; she'd kill me if she found out."

"But that was before you were dating, wasn't it?" Emme countered, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, back in the days when James followed Lily around like a lost puppy," Sirius said, aiming a swift kick at James' midsection.

"Shove off," James said, rolling out of the way. "I did not."

"Oh you most certainly did," Sirius said, looking to Remus for support. "Right, Moony?"

Remus, who had been scanning the far banks of the pond, glanced back toward his friend. "Hmm?"

Sirius frowned, casting a meaningful look at James. "Prongs stalked Lily like--"

"Oh," Remus replied, nodding. "He's right, James," he said, a trace of a smile playing at the corners of his lips. "I remember this one time in sixth year…"