A/N: Baaaaack! Thank you all for reviewing the first chapter - you're the ones who make it worth writing every day to get this story completed. There are still so many places this story should go so suggestions are welcome. Should I write James and Lily's death? Stop beforehand (because let's face it, the idea of killing them off is DEPRESSING)? Should Riley return? How should everyone react if she does? Any charactesr you want to see return to this story from TotB and Kotb? Any characters from the HP series you would like for me to mention? So many ideas! To listen to your opinion, you really need to review...
Disclaimer: I'm broke. And therefore not J.K. Rowling.
Goodbyes on the Balcony
By ByeByeBirdie
Chapter 2: Of Dishes, Nicknames, & Flasks
++LILY++
I strolled into Potter Manor and like I so often did, shouted out, "JAMES! SIRIUS! REMUS!"
Naturally, an echo responded. I found it easier screaming their names out than hunting them down. The mansion was so large, it often took wasted minutes looking for them. Then again, they often couldn't hear me when I screamed for them with so many nooks and crannies. That, or they were ignoring me. I'm going to pretend like it's the former.
I screamed their names out again, glancing down at my watch at the time.
"LILY-BEAN!" Sirius shouted back as he appeared at the top of the stairwell. I looked up at him and grinned. He slid down the banister towards me, an entrance that was a trademark of his. "Tell me you have Thai food with you."
I lifted a confused eyebrow, shaking my head slowly. "Er…no. I already ate."
Sirius groaned, imploring a pout. "Damn you, Lily-bean."
"Is James here?"
"Do you see me eating Thai food?" Sirius responded immediately. "No, but thanks for reminding me."
I gazed at him curiously, a look that he was often on the receiving end of. "Why are you obsessing over Thai food? Or is this one of those times where I really just shouldn't ask?"
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "He was supposed to bring home Thai for the three of us. I guess he's stuck at the office."
"What else is new?" I said with a strained chuckle. Ironically, it seemed that ninety-percent of the time I barged into James' house, he wasn't even there. "Well, where's Remus? We should go soon or we'll be late."
"He just got home a few minutes ago and jumped in the shower. He should be down soon. Want a beer while we wait?"
"Of course," I said, following him into the kitchen.
"Well, while you're here, I wouldn't mind an omelet," Sirius teased, gesturing towards the skillet piled up in the sink with the other dirty dishes.
I reached into the refrigerator to grab a beer before sending a skeptical look Sirius' way. It was no surprise that their refrigerator was nearly empty except for beer, old Chinese food containers, some moldy bread, an old carton of milk, eggs, and a leftover box of cold pizza. "No, you just want me to do the dishes."
He grinned sheepishly and slid into an empty seat at the kitchen table, propping his feet up on the table. "I can't get anything by you."
"I have my own dishes to do, thank you very much," I snickered, shaking my head. Sirius was always trying to get me to do his share of the chores. "If I always do your dirty work, how will you ever learn on your own?"
"Why would I want to learn to do the dishes?" Sirius spoke, arching an eyebrow.
"It's called a flick of your wand, Sirius."
"That requires lifting my hand. That's far too much effort."
"Well, then get used to a sink full of dirty plates."
"Are you trying to lure Lily into doing our dishes? Don't fall for it, Lily. It's his turn to do them," a familiar voice came from the kitchen doorway. Remus gave Sirius a look as he ran a towel through his wet hair.
"Shhh, I think it's working," Sirius groaned.
"Oh, just finish your beer," I chuckled, rolling my eyes.
"I just got a message from James. He's running late and asked us just to go ahead and he'll meet us there," Remus explained, taking a swig from my beer with a sheepish grin.
"Whaaat? James is stuck at work? Shocking!" I said sarcastically with an amused chuckle.
Sirius chugged his beer. "How late do you think this meeting is going to go?" he asked.
I shrugged, swiping my beer back from Remus. "How should I know? These things can last anywhere from thirty minutes to three hours."
Sirius made a face, finishing off his beer and chucking it into the garbage. "Let's hope we're out of there by midnight."
I rolled my eyes. "Why? Got a hot date?"
He grinned. "Of course."
"At midnight on a Thursday night?" I snorted, clenching my teeth irritably. "I guess by date I really meant booty call, hm?"
He shrugged. "You know me so well."
"Yes," I murmured with a sigh. "A little too well."
Sirius' mouth tightened and I recognized aggravation in his eyes. We've had this argument before, but I knew we were probably going to get into it again. "You have a problem with me calling up a girl on a Thursday night?"
"Uh, I do if you forget to soundproof your bedroom," Remus chimed in with a laugh. Cracking a joke to ease the tension is what Remus always did.
"If you want to call up a girl on a Thursday night, you go right ahead," I said with a curt shrug. "But it's not just a Thursday night. It's a Monday night and a Tuesday night and a Wednesday night and a-"
"Yeah, I get it," Sirius interrupted with a grunt. "But if I want to fuck a girl every night, then I'm going to fuck a girl every night."
I scoffed, giving him a look of pure distaste. "Were you always this much of a demoralizing womanizer?"
"Yes," he responded with a haughty smirk. "You finally going to tell me what you really think?"
"Guys, c'mon," Remus pleaded, but I cut him off.
"What is that supposed to mean?" I snarled, ignoring Remus completely.
"It means that James isn't around to shut you up. I know that you don't exactly think highly of my relationship choices so please go ahead-"
"You call your rolls in the sack relationships?" I snorted, a cynical smirk spreading across my face. "That's rich."
"Hey, how about we put this argument on hold and get to the Order meeting?" Remus suggested.
We both ignored him. Sirius narrowed his eyes at me, but I saw hesitance. He didn't respond immediately, but his eyes never left mine. "Some of us aren't exactly satisfied with a four-year relationship," he said softly. "So I'm sorry if I'm not living up to your expectations or your standards, Lily-bean, but it's not your expectations and standards I need to live up to. It's mine."
"Oh? And when did you lower your expectations and standards, Sirius?"
The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Especially since we all knew the answer.
His look grew soft, his eyes filled with surprise and regret. "Don't patronize me, Lily-bean. You don't have to like how I spend my time with the opposite sex," he murmured. "But maybe you should learn to accept it because I'm not planning on changing any time soon."
I opened my mouth to respond, but found that I had no argument. Because he was right; I didn't necessarily like his womanizing ways. But it wasn't about acceptance. It was about fear. Fear that Sirius was losing himself. And if he kept slipping away into this person that I didn't necessarily like, I was afraid that there would come a time where Sirius wouldn't like the person he's become either. And I loved him too much to watch him deteriorate.
But I couldn't tell him any of this. He would resent me. And I was pretty sure he already resented himself so the last thing he needed was me adding fuel to the fire.
"Fine," I eventually murmured, earning a surprised look from both Sirius and Remus. I finished off my beer and threw it into the recycling bin, even though I knew I was probably the only one who ever used the recycling bin in Potter Manor. "C'mon, let's go before we're late."
"Er…okay," Remus said, exchanging a look with Sirius. They both shrugged and followed me out of the kitchen.
We apparated into the hillside of Hogsmeade and inconspicuously headed into the alley of the Hog's Head, creeping into the back door. We headed down the creaky stairwell into the musty basement where the meetings were now held.
"Hello, Lily," Dumbledore greeted as I led the three of us into the expansive room. "What have you been up to lately?"
I smiled. "Just keeping myself busy," I said vaguely with a shrug. "How was Halloween at Hogwarts this year?" It was an appropriate question seeing as the holiday passed only a week earlier.
"Chaotic," he responded. "I think James and Sirius had a run for their money this year. Every time I finished cleaning up after someone's prank in one of the corridors, I was called to clean up another only minutes later. The Head Girl and Head Boy had an interesting time handing out punishments."
I chuckled, feeling a twinge of envy in the pit of my stomach. I never thought I'd miss Hogwarts as much as I do. Life was an easier time back then. "Oh, Hogwarts," I sighed, shaking my head.
"Actually," Dumbledore continued, a glint of mystery flickering in his eyes, "This year's Head Boy and Girl remind me a lot of you and James three years ago."
"Oh yeah?" I said curiously. "How so?"
"Let's just say that they don't quite get along. Their constant bickering is causing a few problems here and there."
I blushed, reminded of my more immature days. I smiled at the reminder of the day James and I got together and everything changed between us. "Well, if it helps, the feud between me and James only last a few months. We quickly got over that."
"Yes, some time after a fist fight, am I correct?"
My heart skipped a beat as my jaw dropped in shock and embarrassment. Albus Dumbledore somehow knew everything. "Er…something like that," I said, cringing guiltily.
"How are the two of you doing?" he pried.
I shrugged. "Same ol', same ol'," I said with a smile.
We continued chatting until Frank and Alice walked in and I was bombarded by Alice. Dumbledore said his goodbyes and left to go chat with Frank.
"Hey, Alice. How's Auror life?" I asked. I had always considered Alice one of Kay's friends until she and James went through the Auror recruitment program together. I started spending a lot more time with her and suddenly, she became one of my closest friends.
"Eh, you know. Boring and uneventful," she joked. "How's the international trading life?"
"Eh, you know. Very action-packed and dangerous."
Alice laughed and quickly changed the subject. "So, you'll never guess what happened tonight at dinner?" Due to her excitement, I couldn't even get out a peep before Alice gestured towards her left hand. "Frank proposed!"
My eyes lit up in shock and enthusiasm. "Alice, congratulations!" I embraced my friend tightly, my gaze landing on James sauntering through the door. He caught my eye and waved to me. I forced out a smile as Alice stepped back.
"I still can't believe it. We had talked about this in the past but I was completely thrown," Alice explained. She ranted about Frank's romantic proposal, but I only half-listened, watching James' every move as he greeted Dumbledore cordially and nodded a hello to the three Gilmore brothers.
Eventually, James made his way over to us. "Hey, Beautiful," James said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and kissing the side of my face.
"Aw, that's so sweet but don't you think you should be directing that towards Lily?" Alice teased.
He nudged her shoulder with his own, chuckling. "I'd hit you but it's against my policy to hit a recently engaged woman."
"But all other women are okay?" I laughed, winking up at my boyfriend.
Alice ignored me, her eyes narrowing at James. "Frank told you he was proposing to me before he actually proposed to me, didn't he?"
James hesitated. "Um…what answer gets me in the least amount of trouble?"
"Excuse me, I have a fiancé to pick a bone with," Alice said with a feigned scowl.
"You just wanted to use the word fiancé!" James called out after her.
She laughed but I could tell by the glint in her eye and her effortless smile that she quite enjoyed using the word.
"Guess we'll have to add yet another wedding to our busy social calendar," James spoke, smiling. But there was hesitation behind his smile.
"That's what we get for having friends who are in love," I teased.
"Damned love. I always knew it would bite us in the arse one day."
++SIRIUS++
As I glanced around the room, a sense of pride was instilled inside of me. These people were dedicating their life to try and make a difference. There were about thirty of us squished into that room, our attentions keenly focused on Dumbledore at the front of the room. Frank and Alice were practically sitting on top of each other, their hands intertwined. James and Lily sat side-by-side, Lily looking a tad uneasy. I'll have to ask her about that later. Remus looked as uncomfortable as he always did at these meetings and Peter just looked out of place. Fabian and Gideon Prewett were in the corner, Gideon constantly glancing over at Marlene McKinnon for her reaction. Seeing as they had been dating on-and-off since Hogwarts, that wasn't surprising. I couldn't remember if they were on or off at that moment but based on the nostalgic look in Gideon's eye, they were probably in off mode. Caradoc Dearborn and Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in the back of the room observing silently and yet so majestically. Dedalus Diggle sat hunched in the corner with Emmeline Vance right beside him. Benjy Fenwick's bright pointy hat stood out across the room. Mundungus Fletcher and Sturgis Podmore both looked a tad mischievous in a dark corner, huddled together and whispering throughout the meeting. And the Gilmore brothers all stood proudly together, Rafe, Caleb, and Lance looking so proud and fulfilled. Drew would have been standing right beside them with his hand crushing Dezzy Potter's fingers if they hadn't still been on their six-week long backpacking honeymoon through South America. They weren't the only presences missing that evening. Aberforth was upstairs manning the bar (I couldn't remember the last time he actually attended a meeting), Moody was apparently back in the office to prepare for a trip to the States the following day, and Edgar Bones and Dorcas Meadowes were apparently out of the country on an unknown Order mission.
I joined the Order of the Phoenix with the idea that it would give me a sense of accomplishment. I didn't have much in my life back then. And sadly, I didn't have much in my life three years later. But the Order became less of a hobby and more of a necessity for me. Three years earlier, I was drowning and falling apart. The Order gave me purpose. The Order gave me hope. Most importantly, the Order gave me my life back.
So that night, when Dumbledore suggested that a few of the Order members that weren't Aurors drop in surreptitiously on the States' west coast to get a different perspective on the attacks, I volunteered immediately. Being a Quijudge, I did have quite a bit of spare time on my hands. So when I had the time, I was always willing to pitch in with whatever Dumbledore needed or wanted.
He smiled down at me. "Great. Thanks, Sirius," he approved. "Based on this unexpected attack on the States, I believe we need more round-the-clock surveillance on potentially known Death Eaters. Have we been able to track down Bellatrix Black or Rodolphus Lestrange's whereabouts?"
"We're still working on it," Frank spoke up, clearing his throat disappointedly. "Moody had a tip that Voldemort may be having regularly scheduled meetings at Malfoy Manor but myself and Alice have been tailing that house and so far not much has gone down there. We sure as hell haven't seen Bellatrix or Rodolphus coming in or out."
"Which in itself seems odd since that's where Bellatrix's sister lives," Alice muttered defeatedly.
Dumbledore merely nodded, his eyebrows knitting together curiously. "Well, keep on it," he urged. "We know she's Voldemort's right-hand woman so if we can get to her, we have a better shot of keeping him in our sights. And we don't want another potential Executioner situation on our hands."
A murmur of consented agreements filled the room. I shuddered at the reminder of the Executioner. He was one that reminded of us what could happen if Voldemort reaches his true breaking point. The Executioner was once Voldemort's right-hand man. They were a tag team, before any Death Eaters had really been recruited. We were all under the impression that the two of them believed they could singlehandedly (well double-handedly…) bring down the wizarding world so recruitment of Death Eaters hadn't been their main priority at the time. Until one day when the Executioner literally went berserk, killing a part of his family and then murdering nearly thirty Muggles in a local town. Ten Aurors tracked him down and he was inevitably killed.
Dumbledore's voice spoke through my reminiscing. "Is there any new business?"
James cleared his throat awkwardly, casting me a sideways glance before speaking up. I knew what he was going to say and pursed my lips in anticipation. "Er… the attacks on the west coast happened in the middle of the night and because we had no warning, most of the Death Eaters got away before Aurors could get on to the scene. But we did catch one," James murmured. "Regulus Black."
I tried ignoring the stares of the people I respected most in the world. Just the fact that the people I was joined with in the room dedicated their lives to taking down Voldemort was the sole reason that I could never disrespect any of them. "He'll be let off," I spoke up with a shrug. "He'll give up names of others. He's a coward."
Dumbledore nodded curtly, sharing a furtive smile with me. I think it was his way of telling me agreed with me.
James quickly continued before anyone else could get in a word edgewise and for that, I was thankful. "And an Auror from the French Auror office, Sydny Lafevre is transferring to our office."
"Thank you, James. Am I to assume you've already started the background check process?"
James nodded.
Dumbledore smiled proudly, though I could have sworn it felt forced. "I figured as much," he said. "I have some news for everyone. Starting at the end of January, we will finally begin advanced defense training with a heavy focus on nonverbal spells. Moody has offered up the basement training facilities, but in order for us to use them, Rufus Scrimgeour can't know. So I hate to tell you this, but these trainings will take place at midnight every other Friday night."
"Great, there goes date night," Frank joked, earning a laugh from the group.
Alice smacked him on the shoulder, rolling her eyes. "When was the last Friday you took me out on a date?"
Frank narrowed his eyes in scrutiny, pondering the question. He eventually gave up and shrugged, grinning sheepishly. "Touché."
Even Dumbledore couldn't help but chuckle. I had a feeling he was thinking the same thing I was: we had all come a long way in three years.
The meeting didn't last much longer with a promise from Dumbledore that we would all convene as one entity at least once more before Christmas.
"Anyone up for coming back to my place for some coffee?" Lily suggested as she gathered her things.
I quirked a curious eyebrow, thinking about our argument earlier that night. I was supposed to be going out with Georgia that night, but I still had time before I was planning on meeting her. "Any chance you have brownies or cookies lying around?"
Lily rolled her eyes at me (something that I have gotten used to from her over the years). "Y'know, Sirius, I have a life. I don't always have time to bake."
"Who said anything about baking?" I joked. "They can be storebought."
Lily threw her head back and laughed. "I think we might have some leftover pie, if that helps."
I grinned. "I'm there."
"I'm there, too," Fabian chimed in with a grin.
Lily rolled her eyes. "Now why does that not surprise me?"
James wrapped his arm around Lily's shoulders, kissing her on the cheek. "I guess I could be persuaded to stop by for a little while."
"Count us out," Alice spoke up, smiling up at Frank. "I think we're just going to go home and celebrate our engagement."
I made a face, pretending to gag. "That's just code for a full night of kinky celebratory sex."
"Sirius!" Alice groaned. "Must you be so crude?"
I responded by flashing her a grin. "Of course. It's one of my many talents."
"Talents, burden. Same thing, hm?" she spoke with an amused arched eyebrow.
"For Sirius, yes," Fabian chimed in, ducking as I attempted to smack him.
We all waved our goodbyes to Alice and Frank and watched them apparate back to Frank's house in Alphamstone. The rest of us apparated back to Lily's flat on the outskirts of Godric's Hollow. "Keegan!" she cried out, throwing her jacket on to the coat rack. "Are you here? Are you awake? Most importantly, are you decent?"
"Ooh, I sure hope not," Fabian teased as a chuckle was heard from the kitchen. We all wandered into the kitchen where Lily's roommate and writer for the Daily Prophet, Keegan Rouge, was in the middle of making chocolate chip cookies. "Hey there, sexy," Fabian said, kissing the side of her face.
Oh, did I forget to mention she was also dating Fabian? Personally, I think Fabian could do better.
Fabian chuckled as he attempted to wipe flour from his girlfriend's forehead.
Keegan smiled before her eyes fell on me. She rolled her eyes. "Black, don't you have some girl to be rejected by?"
"No," I said bluntly, dipping my finger into the cookie batter. I gazed up at my friends. "Does that actually happen to people?"
Keegan rolled her eyes and slapped my hand away from her bowl. "Why must you be so revolting?"
"Why must you be so uptight?" I snapped. I couldn't tell you exactly how Keegan and I got off on the wrong foot. I remember meeting her in the beginning and finding her slightly charming. I tried being nice (probably flirted a tad…okay, a lot, because even though she's irritating as hell you can't deny the girl is good-looking), but her immediate reaction was to insult me and make snide remarks. It took all of five minutes before I realized the girl clearly didn't take a liking to me. So I, too, decided to not take a liking to her. I didn't know why at the time, still don't, but I always had a sneaking suspicion it had something to do with the fact that I had been the only unattached guy in our group of regular friends at the time and she had just had some sort of nasty break up with her boyfriend. I had a feeling she hadn't been too trusting of the single male is ironic since about a month later, she and Fabian started dating. "Now, I believe there was promise of pie."
"Not anymore," she said, throwing us all a sheepish look. "I had some of the staff over earlier for some last-minute editing and we finished it off."
"That's code for she ate it all," I chimed in, giving her a look. "Fatty."
"You two are so childish sometimes," Lily said, shaking her head incredulously. She wandered over to her coffee pot and reached for the filters. "Can you at least come up with better insults for those who have to listen to you bicker?"
"I just tone my insults down so he can understand me," Keegan said, her eyes flickering with amusement. She gestured for Fabian to hand her a cookie sheet.
"If you already had coworkers over, why are you making cookies now?" Fabian asked curiously, reaching underneath the oven to find a cookie sheet.
"Did you not get the concept behind the Fatty insult?" I snorted.
Fabian shot me a look and handed a cookie sheet to Keegan, ignoring me as he kissed her flour-covered forehead.
"Isn't midnight a good a time as any to make cookies?" she joked, scooping out the batter.
"If they're ready by the time I head home, then yes," Remus joked, hoisting himself on to the kitchen counter.
"What did your boss do to you this time?" I snorted at Keegan, handing Lily the coffee beans.
Keegan glared at me. A deathly glare that she saved just for me. Yay. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Oh, please, we all know that you only bake when you're pissed off at Malone."
Keegan rolled her eyes, spooning the batter on to the cookie sheets and turning her back on me. "Malone is an idiot."
"Oh, yes, because we haven't heard that phrase before," I muttered under my breath sarcastically. "What did he do now? Give a scoop that you deserved to someone of the male gender?"
Keegan scowled. "You're officially banned from this household."
"That means I'm right."
"That means that unless you want this batter shoved down your pants, you can go home now."
I rolled my eyes, but before I could retort (with a cruel sexual innuendo that the others probably would have found inappropriate and less than amusing so it was probably best that I didn't utter it), Fabian stepped in, reaching for her hand and intertwining his fingers in hers. "What happened with Malone?"
Keegan rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "I don't really want to talk about him," she growled. "All you need to know is the guy's an ass."
"I thought you said he was an idiot before," Lily joked.
"Yeah, well I upgraded him to a full-fledged ass," she said with an amused shrug, sticking the cookies into the oven with the help of Fabian. She wiped her messy hands on the dish towel. "I hope you can all wait eighteen minutes."
I weighed my options. It was eighteen more minutes I had to spend with Keegan and eighteen more minutes I lost with Georgia. "I'm going to have to take a rain check," I muttered, stifling a yawn. Cookies weren't worth being in Keegan's presence. "I have to wake up early tomorrow."
"I thought you had a date," Lily murmured.
Damn. Forgot I had told her. "Okay, yes, I have a date. But then I have to wake up early tomorrow."
She rolled her eyes, but I was thankful she didn't respond. I wasn't surprised when Keegan chimed in. "What girl have you brainwashed tonight into thinking you're a gentleman?"
"I don't have to brainwash anyone," I retorted with an impish grin. "I simply flash my charming smile and the girls come running."
"Or go running," she snorted.
I rolled my eyes. "On that note, I'm out of here," I muttered.
Lily hopped off the kitchen counter and kissed my cheek. "Let us know if you find anything out tomorrow on the west coast."
I nodded. "Of course."
"I'll follow you out," Remus chimed in, finishing off his coffee quickly and levitating his mug towards the sink. "I have to be at the Ministry lab tomorrow morning at seven."
"I should probably go, too," Peter said, sighing. "Tomorrow morning's inventory."
"Suit yourself," Keegan said with a curt shrug. "I should probably finish editing my article anyway. I have a deadline due for the Sunday edition."
Lily grimaced, scrunching her nose. "When did we become those people?" she murmured, shaking her head in disbelief.
We all gazed at her curiously. "What people?" James asked.
Lily hesitated, glancing around the room at all of us with a look that I couldn't quite read. Which already, was unusual. I have been friends with her for so long that I can usually pinpoint every single emotion in her face. "Those people whose lives are solely based around their jobs."
James frowned. "Is that such a bad thing?"
"No, I never said it was a bad thing," Lily quickly corrected. "I just never thought it would be us."
"Elaborate," Keegan requested, gazing at her curiously.
She shrugged. "In Hogwarts, we took time to ourselves even when we were swamped with studying for exams and writing essays and finishing projects. We snuck into Hogsmeade and went for random strolls around the grounds and stole moments in broom closets and the Astronomy Tower and slipped into the kitchen for a late-night snack and we just hung out with each other for hours in the common rooms. We did a lot more relaxing back then," she clarified, smiling nostalgically.
"Well, we had more time to relax back then," James argued, sounding almost defensive.
Lily shrugged. "I know that," she murmured. "I'm simply saying that we've changed, that's all."
I couldn't agree with her more. Somewhere in the past three years, we went from impulsive kids to workaholic adults. Needless to say, I had never pictured myself as a workaholic anything, much less someone who had matured into an industrious grown-up. Over time, it just because inevitable. And one day, I stopped trying to fight it and accepted adulthood. "Change happens," I said vaguely. "And you just have to learn to accept it unfortunately."
"Why does change have to be a bad thing?" James argued, gazing at us curiously.
No one responded. I was under the impression that perhaps James welcomed change a lot more than the rest of us. More because he's been forced to not necessarily because he's wanted to. But there were parts of my life that had changed that I was proud of and others I tried harder to ignore. I got the sense that I wasn't the only one. "I'm thinking that midnight is not the time for a philosophical discussion," I dissuaded.
"I'm thinking I agree," Fabian chimed in, stifling a yawn.
James frowned but slowly nodded. I could tell something was bothering him but I also knew him well enough to recognize that he, himself, wasn't entirely sure what was so unsettling. "Okay seriously, I think it's time I head out," I murmured.
"I actually have to go, too," Fabian muttered, earning a disappointed look from Keegan. He kissed her, ignoring the chorus of groans as we watched them. "Sorry, but I need to get back to my sister's place."
"At midnight?" Keegan pouted.
He laughed. "She has four children under the age of eight, including seven-month old twins. She's going slightly nuts and Arthur has been working around the clock. She basically just wants some help around the house so that she can get some much-needed sleep."
"How noble of you," she said with a chuckle. She smiled, kissing him again and wiping flour from her forehead to playfully cover his cheek with. He laughed, winking at her, and made no motion to remove the white powder. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
Fabian nodded and led me, Remus, and Peter out of the kitchen, all of us waving dismissively at our remaining friends (oh, and Keegan) before apparating home.
Georgia and I ended up back at Potter Manor a little bit later (we opted to skip out on grabbing a drink from Blarney's Pub and just went straight into a long night of shagging), but oddly enough, it was my brother that was mainly on my mind that night.
+++KEEGAN+++
When I became Lily's roommate, I simply had needed a place to live and heard she had a spare bedroom (through Lance actually. As a writer, I spent a lot of time in his book shop's café and somewhere along the lines, we had become friends. He had known that I recently broke up with my boyfriend who I had been living with and needed a place to live, so when he and Kay moved in together, he told me about Lily needing a roommate. Enter moi). But I never imagined that Lily would become more than just a roommate. In fact, I never thought her friends would become my friends either. I've always kept to myself and hoped that everyone else around me would do the same. But Lily had a way of making me realize that I didn't need to hide my present because of my past. I stopped holing myself up in my room whenever I was home and started to find myself wanting to get to know her better. And with Lily came her friends. Surprisingly, I didn't mind it.
Lily could bring me out of a horrible mood any day with her contagious laugh. She and James were a perfect fit and although sometimes it hurt seeing them so seamless together, I ultimately couldn't help but smile around them. I think that while I don't always show it, I had a lot in common with James. I'm not the greatest with showing my feelings and I get the sense that over time, James has become more withdrawn and guarded as well. One look into his eyes and I could tell that the tragedies he's been through had somewhat defined the person he'd become. Kay was the most down-to-earth out of the group and she's the girl I called up when I just wanted to take a casual stroll into town or grab a beer at Blarney's. I think she understood that sometimes I didn't want to have a serious discussion about the wizarding world's misfortunes or about my troubles at work with my asshole of a boss. Sometimes I wanted to have a lighthearted conversation about the last Quidditch match or what we think the best features of a guy are (personally, I think it's the eyes that draw me in). And Lance was the most dependable, protective guy I've ever met. He was constantly watching out for Kay and anyone could see that he genuinely loved her. Remus was a total sweetheart. He was the least selfish person I know and I believed he would do anything for anyone. I had only known him a couple of months before Jillian left him but he didn't deserve to be dumped on his wedding day. I barely knew Jillian, but I knew that if I ever ran into her again, I'd wring her neck for what she did to him. When Remus doesn't think that anyone's paying attention to him, I can really see how much her abandonment hurt him. I didn't know Peter very well. He was the quiet one in the group, but there was something I didn't trust about him. I knew enough to keep my eye on him. And Sirius…well, from the moment I met him, there was something about him that kept me on my toes. Something in his eyes, his demeanor, the words he spoke. He was like every other haughty single guy I had ever met and I was wary of it (I honestly think it had a lot to do with the fact that in a group of friends filled with so many couples, it was suspicious that he seemed to be the only one single). I basically refused to fall for his charm like I had unfortunately fallen for so many other guys in the past. It was easier keeping him at a distance.
I had met Fabian at one of the infamous Ministry parties. Usually, I avoided the Ministry parties, but Lily had convinced me it might be fun. And it was. Mostly because I ended up going home with Fabian. We've been dating for about five months. Which is about a month shy of when all of my break-ups happen. But that's really a story for another time.
I realized that they all grew up together and have shared so many wonderful memories together that I wasn't a part of. All of them have known each other for far longer than I've known them, but in a way, I didn't mind. They had their secrets and I had mine. The past was simply that: the past.
Sure, I got a twinge of jealousy when they all started reminiscing on their Hogwarts days. I thought about my time at Beauxbatons and it's hard not to smile. But when my life had been suddenly turned upside down, I had no other choice but to flee. I needed to get away from my family, my friends, and most of all, myself. I packed up my things and moved to England overnight and I hadn't looked back since.
But that doesn't mean I'd forgotten who I was back then. Or who I was with.
While James and Lily had always been so good at being warm and welcoming and I hardly felt like the third wheel around them, I knew that it had been a while since they spent longer than a few seconds together. So after I took the cookies out of the oven and we shared the gooeyness together, I started to throw the dirty dishes into the sink with the intention of sidestepping out of the room and leaving them in peace.
"Before you go, I have a little favor to ask of you," James said.
I hesitated, wondering what he could possibly need from me. "Sure, anything."
"I need some information on a new transfer recruit we're getting at the British offices. I was hoping you could go into your own journalism databases and scrounge around for me."
I nodded, grinning wickedly. Digging up dirt on people was not only my specialty but something I quite enjoyed. "Sure thing. What's her name?"
"Sydny Lafevre."
I nearly dropped the cookie sheet I had in my hand. "You're telling me that you're an Auror and you don't know who Sydny Lafevre is?" I asked, shocked.
He tensed up, sharing a confused glance with Lily. "Er…should I?"
"Does the name Slaughterhouse Syd ring a bell?"
He gasped, his jaw dropping open. "Sydny Lafevre is Slaughterhouse Syd?" His voice went up a few octaves.
"The one and only."
"Er…can I interrupt here and ask who the hell Slaughterhouse Syd is?" Lily asked sheepishly.
"She's an Auror currently working for the French Auror office," I explained, squinting my eyes as I tried to remember a recent article I had read about her. "She's been said to be one of the best Aurors in Europe. Maybe even the world. She has sent more Death Eaters and dark wizards to Azkaban than everyone else in the French Auror office combined."
"Why the hell is the French office transferring her if she's such a strong asset?" James murmured, shaking his head. I could tell he thought it sounded unusually suspect. "It's not like we're in desperate need of exceptional Aurors. Not only is our office three times the size of the French office but we have been known to send a few Death Eaters to Azkaban ourselves from time to time." His sarcasm had a hint of bitterness to it. I wondered if he was slightly jealous of this apparently awesome transfer recruit.
I simply shrugged. "I couldn't tell you why the French office was transferring her," I murmured. "However, I can gladly dig up any information on her at the Prophet. Merlin knows there have been enough articles written about her."
"Great, I'd appreciate it," James urged.
"Did she go to Beauxbatons with you, Keegan?" Lily asked curiously.
I frowned, trying to rack my brain from my Beauxbatons days. "I don't know. If she's from France, it's a good guess that she went there but I can't recall. She is a few years older than me, but it's not like Beauxbatons is such a huge school I wouldn't at least recognize the name," I spoke, shrugging curiously. "Guess I'll be able to figure it out from doing research."
I finished sticking the dirty pans into the sink figuring I could clean them in the morning and started heading towards the kitchen door. "Now, it's been a few days since I've gotten a good night's sleep so please refrain from screaming at the top of your lungs during your sex marathon," I teased, earning a look from the both of them.
"We're not going to have sex," they both snorted in unison, staring up at each other in surprise.
I grimaced. Trouble in paradise? I didn't question it, however, and instead left them two to contemplate.
+++JAMES+++
Lily was glancing at me, shocked and confused. "You don't want to have sex?"
"You don't either!" I pointed out.
She shrugged and bit down on her lip like she often did when she was anxious about something. She slowly slid off the kitchen counter and headed into the living room. I quickly followed, joining her on the couch. "Lily, what's going on?" I asked hesitantly.
"I feel like we never spend any alone time together anymore," she said softly, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"We spent all Saturday together," I pointed out, reminding her of my sister's wedding.
"Yes, without about two hundred and fifty other guests," she snorted, giving me a look.
"And you didn't think that was romantic?" I teased.
She frowned, unamused. "Rack your brain, James," she said. "When was the last time you and I spent time together just the two of us?"
I hesitated, reminiscing on the past few weeks. I thought of all the nights I spent with Lily and realized that there was always at least one other person there. We had gone to Friday night dinner at Franducci's with most of the gang. We had gone to Corner Joe's for our typical Sunday morning coffee and pastries, but Peter, Kay, and Lance had been there as well. I couldn't pinpoint the last night we spent at my house but I do know that Remus and Sirius had been there. And whenever we spent a night at Lily's apartment, Keegan was there and often, so was Fabian. I couldn't remember the last time I had planned a date for the two of us, probably because work always seemed to get in our way. And we always seemed to stay in instead of go out. I realized she was right. Wow, I was a bad boyfriend. "Good question," I sighed.
She slumped down on the couch, nodding solemnly. "Do you realize that before Saturday, we hadn't had sex in thirteen days?"
I frowned. "No way was it that long."
She made a face. "You're the guy. Aren't you supposed to be keeping track?" There was a hint of a smile tugging at the end of her mouth.
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Okay, so maybe we've been a little busy. But-"
"Well, maybe I'm tired of us always being busy," she sighed. "Or maybe I'm just tired of us using that as our excuse."
"I wouldn't call our work an excuse," I argued.
She sighed, offering me a lopsided guilty smile. She reached for my hand, tracing circles on the back of my hand comfortingly. "It is though," she said thoughtfully. "We break dates for deadlines, you disappear on missions for days and I have no idea where you are or what you're doing, I travel to the States often and am out of touch with you, we spend pretty much fifteen hours at the office every day leaving very little time for us, we miss out on Friday Night Dinners and Sunday morning coffee dates to finish paperwork. Must I go on?"
"No," I muttered, shaking my head. I hesitated. "You're right," I found myself whispering. "When did we become these people?" I reiterated her earlier question. I thought I had an answer to that one: probably around the time JT died. But she was right. It just sounded like an excuse.
She offered me a crooked smile. "I love how career-oriented you are, James," she said cautiously. "You've barely been out of the recruitment program for five months and yet you're already climbing the ladder of success. I'm so proud of you. But I don't want you to forget about the rest of us as you climb that ladder."
I felt my ears turning pink at the unwarranted compliment. "Good Godric, I could never forget about you," I reassured firmly. "Is that what you're afraid of?"
She shook her head. "Maybe forget isn't the right word. Neglect maybe?"
I cringed. "I have been distant lately, haven't I?"
She merely shrugged. Which was a yes.
"I'm sorry," I whispered and I meant it. I brushed her hair back from her face, noting that her green eyes were filled with genuine concern. "I hope you know how much I love you, Lily," I whispered, leaning over to kiss her.
She smiled, wrapping her arms around my neck and drawing me close, intensifying the kiss. But only slightly. "I know," she whispered back, throwing her legs over my lap. "And I love you, too. But it would be hell of a lot easier loving you if I actually got to spend time with you."
I snickered, kissing the nape of her neck. Good Godric, thirteen days? How did I keep my hands off this beautiful girl for thirteen days? "Well," I murmured suggestively. "We're alone now." I quirked an eyebrow and I was thrilled to see a grin spread across her face.
"I like the way you think, Potter," she whispered before pulling me close to her and pressing her lips firmly against mine.
Yep, I definitely loved her.
++LILY++
I awoke early the next morning to a loud gasp mixed with a scream. "That's my couch!"
I popped my head up groggily and smiled sheepishly at Keegan, who was shielding her eyes. "What happened to no sex?" she snorted, quickly whisking herself away into the kitchen.
James stifled a yawn and peeked an eye open. "Was that Keegan I heard?"
"Yes, and I think she's going to start looking for a new apartment," I giggled. "Or at least a new apartment mate."
James laughed and kissed my cheek. He scrounged around for our clothes and quickly handed me whatever he could find.
"I don't have the time to go apartment-hunting or roommate-hunting," Keegan's voice carried from the kitchen. "But I'm definitely going couch-shopping!"
I laughed and headed into the kitchen, James right on my heels. "Coffee?" I asked the other two who nodded vigorously. I reached for the coffee grounds and poured water into the pot with a flick of my wand. "And we need a new couch considering there's still that stain from when Sirius spilt an entire bottle of firewhisky on it so if you want to go ahead and go couch-shopping, then I'm definitely going to stand by the impulse couch sex."
Keegan couldn't help but laugh, giving me a look. "Who wants pancakes?"
"Definitely me," James agreed with a grin. "After I shower."
I kissed him on the cheek before he sauntered out.
"Try not to taint the shower! I don't have time to remodel the bathroom on top of searching for a new couch!" Keegan called out, earning a chuckle from the both of us.
"Had anyone ever told you that you are overly blunt?" I snickered.
She flashed me a grin. "Of course."
I laughed and slipped into an empty seat at the small round kitchen table. "So, how are things going with Fabian?"
I noticed Keegan hesitate. "They're fine," she said with a shrug and a smile as she flicked her wand and all of the pancake ingredients went soaring towards her.
"Why do you not sound convinced?"
"No, no, I am," she argued immediately. "I like him. A lot. We have fun together."
"Fun?" I questioned curiously. "That's it?"
"For now."
"What do you mean 'for now?'" I snorted. "You've been with him for almost six months."
She didn't respond, but I didn't expect her to. She stalled by pouring the ingredients into a bowl.
"Okay, what's going on?" I demanded.
She rolled her eyes. "Nothing. We're having fun. What's wrong with that?"
I frowned. There was such hesitance in her voice. "Nothing's wrong with it, you just don't sound convinced."
She didn't respond but surprisingly, I wasn't expecting her to.
I sighed. She always got so distant and hesitant every time I brought up anything about relationships. "Can I ask a question?"
She nodded. "Of course."
"How long was your longest relationship?"
I saw her stiffen immediately. "Why does that matter?"
"Just curious. You never talk about your past relationships."
"Well, neither do you!"
"That's because my past relationships pretty much consist of James. Oh and a three-month teenage relationship with Shane. But that's-"
"Shane? As in Redford? Your coworker?" Keegan said, turning around with a glint of amusement in her eye.
"Nice try but we are so not changing the subject."
"Does James know about this?" she teased.
"Yes, and we are not changing the subject, Keegan!" I whined.
"We most certainly are," she argued, shrugging as she turned back around to stir the ingredients.
I sighed. "Why is it that whenever we all talk about relationships, you clam up and successfully change the subject?"
"Maybe because I'm not as lucky as you to be with the man I plan to spend the rest of my life with," she retaliated.
I hesitated, confused. "So Fabian's not someone you plan to spend the rest of your life with?" I asked.
"None of the guys I date ever are." She poured the pancake batter onto the griddle, ignoring all eye contact with me.
I sensed discomfort and regret in her voice. I had a feeling she was hiding something. "What do you mean?"
She sighed, reaching for a spatula. "I just mean that you're lucky," she murmured, turning her back on me with a sigh. "Love doesn't come around often, Lily. And you've found it. So you should hold on to it as best you can."
I frowned. "When did this become about me?"
She shrugged. "Don't be so caught up in the whole marriage thing that you don't appreciate what you have."
My heart skipped a beat. "Just because we're not getting married anytime soon doesn't mean I don't appreciate him," I said softly, suddenly believing in my own words. All of the weddings and engagements recently may have been making me a tad anxious, but that didn't change what James and I already had. "I love him. That's all that matters."
"You better be referring to me," James drawled, entering the kitchen as he dried his hair with a towel. He kissed me on the side of the cheek before gesturing for Keegan to give him a cup of coffee.
"Nah, she was talking about Shane Redford."
"Keegan!" I groaned as James' eyebrow shot up.
"I always had my suspicions that you were having an affair with him," James whined with a teasing grin.
"That's what you get for not being around all the time," I teased, pulling myself out of the chair and walking over him to kiss him.
"Hm, I know this started out as a joke, but now I'm slightly concerned," he contemplated as Keegan handed him a cup of coffee.
I chuckled, nodding towards the kitchen table. "Don't worry. Shane was so six years ago," I smirked. "Now hand me a stack of pancakes so that I can rush off to work. I have a ton of paperwork that unfortunately won't complete itself."
James groaned. "Don't remind me. I've been hoping that if I ignore the pile of paperwork on my desk, it would somehow disappear on its own volition."
"Oh, yeah, and how's that working for you?" Keegan asked with a hint of a smile.
James frowned. "Not so well. More just keeps being added to it funnily enough."
"Shocking how that works," Keegan joked. She flipped the pancakes on to the large platter and handed them to James. "Now, hurry up and eat because I've gotta be out of here in exactly twenty minutes."
I grabbed the butter and syrup from the refrigerator and slipped back into the seat at the kitchen table. "Well, then, I guess there's nothing else to say but dig in."
Keegan grinned. "Couldn't have said it better myself."
++JAMES++
I rushed back to Potter Manor to change into another set of clothes before heading to work. As I was about to traipse into my own room, I heard voices coming from Sirius' room. My initial instinct was to roll my eyes, under the impression he was trying to kick a girl out, but I realized a half a second later that it was Peter's voice I was hearing conversing with Padfoot.
I peeked my head in and a quick survey of the room had Sirius perched at the entranceway to his bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth, Peter casually sprawled across Sirius' bed with the Daily Prophet, and Remus straddling Sirius' desk chair with the Sports section of the newspaper. "Peter, what are you doing here?" was my first question (I wasn't surprised to find out later that he had crashed at our place).
The three of them barely looked my way before continuing whatever conversation they had been having before I interrupted. "Just say it, Moony," Sirius spoke.
"No."
"Three words! Not that difficult!"
"It's not the difficulty of the words that is stopping me from saying them. It's because you're an idiot."
"An idiot? Or a god?"
"Idiot."
"Or a god?"
"Padfoot!"
He grinned before slipping into the bathroom. As the sink turned on, I turned towards Remus. "Why is Padfoot a god?"
"He's not," Remus said, rolling his eyes as he let his gaze linger further on the Quidditch standings in the newspaper.
"Am, too!" Sirius' voice cried out from the bathroom.
Remus rolled his eyes. "I assure you that I am not going to now, nor will I ever, be calling you any sort of god, Sirius Black. Your head is plenty big enough without me complimenting you."
"So why is Padfoot not a god?" I dared to ask, leaning up against the doorframe.
"I am a god!"
"According to Georgia maybe, but not me!" Remus cried out.
My eyebrow arched in utter confusion. "Who the hell is Georgia?"
"The chick he had over last night," Peter finally chimed in, stifling a yawn.
"Correction: the hot chick I had over last night," Sirius spoke, reappearing from the bathroom. "The hot chick who called me a god."
"I don't even want to know why," I sighed, a cheeky grin spreading across my face.
Sirius grinned. "I'm pretty sure you could guess."
Remus groaned, shuddering. "Please don't guess."
"Say it, Moonylicious!"
Remus shot him a look. "That is so not going to be a nickname you'll be encouraging."
"I don't know, it has a nice ring to it," I chimed in with a shrug, meeting Sirius' amused eye.
"So does Prongress but after you shot that nickname down five years ago by hexing Padfoot, we learned to let it die out. But if you want to welcome the idea of me hexing you, please feel free to call me Moonylicious."
I couldn't help but laugh, remembering back to our fifteen-year-old selves when Moony, Wormtail, Prongs, and Padfoot had really grown into the Marauders. We had been so immature and probably spent most of our time in detention, but I wouldn't change a single minute of it. "Alright, fine. No calling Moony Moonylicious. I'll make a mental note."
"You caved far too quickly," Sirius sighed overdramatically.
"Would you like me to go back to calling you Paddington Bear?" I teased.
Sirius scowled. "The only name you all should be calling me is God. Remus-"
"I'm not saying it!" Remus scowled.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Wormsicle, be a doll and convince Remus I'm a god, will ya?"
He glanced up from the front page news. "Wormsicle?" Peter repeated curiously. "Where the hell did that come from?"
"Hm, not sure, but go with it."
"I most certainly will not, Paddington Bear."
"Lukeworm."
"Padfoot-in-mouth."
"Sqwormy."
"St. Paddy."
"Moony Lisa."
"HEY!"
Sirius grinned sheepishly at Remus. "I ran out of Wormtail nicknames."
"Why do you insist on nicknaming our already provided nicknames?" Remus sighed.
"Dunno. Must I have a reason?" Sirius said with his trademark grin.
"Have you ever not been annoying?"
"Can't be certain but I highly doubt it."
I found myself grinning at the banter between my friends. No matter what was going on in my life – work, play, relationship, family, friends, etc. – it was great knowing that the Marauders would never cease to exist. We could get through anything as long as we had each other and I was proud to call them my friends.
"Oy, Prongs!"
I snapped out of my own head at the sound of Peter's voice. "What?" I asked innocently.
He rolled his eyes. "Answer the question."
"Er…what question?"
Sirius snorted. "Gee, are we boring you?" he drawled sarcastically. "Who's hotter? Georgia or Melinda?"
"Haven't I already pointed out I have no idea who this Georgia bird is?"
"But you don't deny that Melinda is hot?" Sirius continued with a smirk.
"The barmaid?" I asked curiously. "From Blarney's?" Our go-to pub.
"What other Melinda do you know?"
I rolled my eyes. "I'm going to go with the answer I always go with: Lily is the hottest girl I know."
"Merlin, you're so boring," Sirius sighed. "At least tell me you got laid last night."
I rolled my eyes. "Why do all of our conversations inevitably turn to sex?"
Sirius blinked, sharing a curious look with the other two. "Are there other topics of conversation?"
I couldn't help but laugh at my best friend. "Keegan found Lily and myself this morning on the couch and has decided she will be buying a new couch. Enough said."
My three friends erupted in laughter. "That's fine. You need a new one after Padfoot spilled an entire bottle of firewhisky on-"
"It was half a bottle! Why is it whenever that story resurfaces, people always say it was an entire bottle?" he muttered, shaking his head. He was smart to attempt to change the subject as he leaned gracefully against the bathroom doorframe. "And, pray tell, Prongsie, was Lily's bedroom not adventurous enough for you?"
"Yeah, what's with you and couches recently?" Remus snorted, reminding me of my encounter with Lily on Saturday night.
"Hey, at least I'm getting some!" I argued, flashing him a grin.
Remus rolled his eyes and was about to retort when of course Sirius chimed in. "But does Miss Lilykins call you a god?"
"You're not a god!" Remus and Peter both spoke in unison.
Sirius chose to ignore them. "On second thought, I don't need to know about your mushy dirty talk, Prongsie."
I rolled my eyes, trying so hard not to laugh at the weird turn this conversation had made. "Good, because I so wasn't going to tell you."
Sirius turned back towards the other two. "Alright, we still have a question that needs to be answered."
"I can assure you that whatever question it is it probably does not need to be answered," Remus sighed.
"Sure it does! Who's hotter: Georgia or Melinda and hell, we'll even throw in Lily-bean."
"I'm not answering that."
"Oh, c'mon, Moonylicious!"
"SIRIUS!"
"What? It's a simple question."
"That's not why I was screaming your name, Paddington Bear."
A sly smirk spread across Sirius' face. "People do often like to scream my name out. Mostly women. Including Georgia. Followed with 'Sirius, you're a god.'"
"I'm not saying you're a god, Sirius!"
Sirius sighed. "Once you admit it, Moony, you'll feel better about yourself."
"Can't even begin to imagine how." Sirius opened his mouth to retort but Moony hastily continued, "Nor do I want to!"
"How is it that Sirius dragged you both into his room this morning to discuss whether or not he was a god instead of you traipsing off to work?" I dared asking.
Remus and Peter locked eyes and couldn't help but let out reluctant sighs. "Dammit," Remus swore, shaking his head. "Because unfortunately, Georgia was hot. And not like any other girl hot. But a could-have-been-a-model kind of hot. A probably-has-been-a-model-in-a-past-life kind of hot."
"Melinda kind of hot," Peter added.
I rolled my eyes. "So you two are just vicariously living through Sirius Black? You sure that's wise?"
"Sounds to me like a certain Prongress is jealous," Sirius mused teasingly.
"Don't make me hex you, Paddington Bear."
"You would never," Sirius said dismissively, reaching into his closet for a set of wizarding robes. "Now, I've got to head out to the west coast, but please feel free to continue musing on my status of god while I'm gone."
"Continue musing?" Remus snorted. "Pretty sure we weren't musing over that to begin with."
"Nonsense, it's something you all probably muse over often," he argued, shaking his head as he pocketed his wand. "Catch you tonight at dinner?" Every other Friday, the gang all got together for dinner.
"You going to be back in time?" Remus asked.
Sirius shrugged. "Guess it depends on what I find," he contemplated, heading towards me. I stepped aside so he could slide past. "But don't worry. If not at dinner, you can find another time to call me a god, Moonylicious."
I yelped and ducked as a jet of light from Remus' way came flying my way.
Sirius grinned, dodging the hex as well, before rushing down the hallway. "YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO ADMIT IT ONE DAY! I'M FREAKIN' AWESOME, MOONYLICIOUS!"
"Some days I wish murder was legal," Remus sighed, but a grin played on his lips.
Peter and I couldn't help but laugh.
Spending a morning with the Marauders was always a good way to start the day.
++LILY++
I strolled off the elevator on to the fifth floor of the Ministry, the Daily Prophet folded under my arm and a latte in my hand. I barely walked three steps before I was bombarded, which wasn't an unusual occurrence.
"Lily, has Canada signed the new cauldron trade agreement yet?" Nyger Lunder, the Head of the International Magical Office of Law, cornered me before I could whisk into my office.
"Of course not because Grailand Watkins is an idiot," I snorted, giving my boss a look. Nyger Lunder was one hell of a boss, more like a friend. He could probably make his way up in the ranks within the Ministry but he had always had a knack and a strong interest in international policy which is why he remained farther down on the totem pole than he probably deserved. "I'm meeting with him later so he can, oh what did he say, 'touch upon the more indistinct details.'"
Nyger rolled his eyes. "I think he just likes to torture us to get a rise out of us."
I couldn't help but nod, chuckling.
"Well, see if you can knock some sense into him later."
"I can try, but let's face it. Next week, he'll find some other reason not to sign it."
"The guy's a prick," he snorted. "Why is Canada always the last country to sign any proposal or agreement we send out?"
I knew it was rhetorical and Lunder nodded his goodbye before meandering back to his office.
"Lily!"
I made a face and turned to my right to face Shane Redford, the Senior Advisor to South America and my friend. "What now?"
He glanced at me curiously. "Gee, that was welcoming."
I laughed, smiling guiltily. "Sorry. I haven't had my morning coffee yet."
"Oh, well, what was I thinking hunting you down before you injected yourself with caffeine?" he teased, falling into stride with me as we headed back to our offices. He nodded to the latte in my hand. "Drink up. I have business to discuss."
I took a sip to amuse him and walked into my office with Shane quickly behind me, sliding into the extra chair in front of my desk (It's still hard to believe that I have my own desk much less my own office). Shane shot me a sheepish grin and said, "I hate to do this to you, but-"
My loud groan interrupted whatever he was planning on saying next. "You're forcing me along on one of your business trips, aren't you." It wasn't a question. I knew exactly what he had intended to say.
He shrugged guiltily, propping his feet up on my desk for the sole reason that he knew it irritated me. "Lunder asked me to travel to Philadelphia next week for the International Wizarding Trade Conference. He told me to take you or Gunther with me and we both know how I feel about Gunther."
Franz Gunther was the Senior Advisor to Mexico and Central America and the oldest guy with the Department. Needless to say, his company wasn't always sought after. "These are the times where I hate that we get along so well," I murmured, a hint of a smile tugging on my face.
"I know. It's really more of a curse than a gift," he teased. "But I am going to have to play the 'you owe me' card. You forced me along to Canada last month for that boring tax and tariff summit."
I winced, remembering specifically that Shane and I had downed our boredom with a few shots paid for by the Ministry. "Dammit," I muttered. I sighed. "When do we leave?"
Shane grinned, basking in his victory. "Tuesday and we don't get back until Friday."
I grabbed my planner from my briefcase and sifted through it. I sighed when I realized I had no reason not to go. "Fine, count me in," I caved. "But don't think I won't get drunk in order to get through all of the discussion panels."
Shane snorted. "I plan on keeping a healthy buzz the entire time I'm there."
I chuckled. I had gone to Hogwarts with Shane and he had been a Gryffindor as well, but he was a year older. He reminded me a lot of Sirius in certain ways and sometimes I wonder if he had been born a year later if he would have been a Marauder along with James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. On a completely different note, I had dated Shane for almost three months when I was fourteen but it had quickly fizzled out just as soon as it had begun. I could blame it on the fact that I was young and had no idea how to be in a relationship but I think that Shane and I will always make better friends than anything else. Surprisingly, James really enjoyed Shane's company and I think he had forgotten all about my brief relationship with Shane. At least I hope he has.
"How's James doing?"
It was as if he had read my mind. I smiled immediately, thinking back to the prior night with James. "He's good," I said, shrugging. "Busy. We haven't had a lot of time to spend together lately."
"What else is new?" Shane snickered. "I guess that's what you unfortunately get for dating an Auror."
"Or maybe it's due to all of these business trips that somebody keeps springing on me," I joked, flashing him a smile.
"Just think: we'll get paid for working overtime," he argued, quirking a knowing eyebrow.
"Ahh, I knew there was an upside."
"Yes, because it couldn't possibly have been the person you'll be accompanying on the trip."
"Nope, not at all." I ducked as he chucked a quill from my desk at me. "Do you really think throwing a sharp object at my face is a good idea?" I pouted.
"I made sure not to aim for the eyes."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "Gee, how thoughtful of you," I drawled sarcastically. "Now get back to work, Funny Boy. Or at least let me get back to the mountain of paperwork I have. Especially considering I won't have time to fill any of this out next week."
Shane chuckled and slowly stood up. Before he departed my office, he shot over his shoulder, "Just remember: healthy buzz!"
I grinned. "I'll try and remember to bring the flask!"
I could hear him laughing down the hallway.
A/N: And that's the end of chapter 2. A little more going on. LOVE the Marauder banter! And of course I adore James and Lily. Don't think I've forgotten that they are uspposed to be the main characters in this story (although, who doesn't want a bit of fun Marauder plot lines, too?) And I have introduced more characters - Keegan & Shane to be specific. They'll both show up from time to time in this story. This was a bit of a filler chapter. Not a whole lot going on but I'm just trying to set the character development up for the future chapters. It will get more exciting, I promise! Not much else to add except please tell me what you think! Reviews give me the motivation to update...just saying :)
