Sirius sat in the kitchen after explaining everything that had happened from when he woke up to calling in Lily and James, who were sitting across from him. Fresh clothes had been laid out for Catherine, as promised, and tea was made for four, with Catherine's being kept warm.

"And she doesn't remember anything at all?" Lily asked, horrified. "That poor thing. She must be terrified."

"I think she is," Sirius said, rubbing his neck thoughtfully.

He really had thought her eyes would be gray.

"I guess we'll be having a meeting at some point soon," James said, stirring more sugar into his tea. "If she's staying here, people have to know about her. Lily, what are the odds she'll start to remember?"

"I'm not an expert on mental Healing, James," she said. "I expect that after trauma it's not uncommon to have some measure of amnesia. But I thought it was more of the event in question, not everything."

"She knows her name and she knows what her bedroom looks like," Sirius said. "She remembers going to bed, and she doesn't remember anything else."

The three friends sat in silence for several minutes before Lily couldn't stand it anymore and said, "Did Dumbledore mention Remus?"

"No," Sirius said. He took a sip of his tea. "No, I don't think he wants us to know, whatever it is. I'm trying not to ask any more questions than I have to, Lily. Whatever it is, we've got to trust them."

She nodded, but Sirius knew that look. She wasn't about to let it go, and he really didn't expect her to. Before he could think of a change of subject, he heard the door to the bathroom open and close. He must have perked up, because James quirked an eyebrow.

Sirius didn't know how to explain it, but ever since he'd seen Catherine he felt that he needed to make sure she was safe. She had looked so fragile, unconscious on the floor of the front room. He'd actually had a thought of a picture he'd seen once in a book of poems Lily read in school, something about a lady in a boat surrounded by flowers, floating down a river, dead.

She had looked dead.

And then when she didn't know the answers, she looked so small and afraid, like a child. There was something childlike about her, not because she looked especially small or young, but something in her expressions.

Not two minutes later, Catherine came into the kitchen with wet hair, although now that it was clean Sirius could see that it came down to her waist, at least while wet. Her skin was clean, although it was still uncommonly pale, and she smiled weakly.

"You must be Catherine," Lily said pleasantly, smiling a sad smile. "Please, sit. We've made you tea."

"Thank you for the clothes," Catherine said. "You must be Lily."

"They're a bit big," Lily said, frowning slightly. "Here, let me just…"

She did a few quick spells to alter the dress, and it suited Catherine much better. Still, if they couldn't figure out who she was, Sirius knew that Catherine would have to be getting some clothes of her own. They couldn't just expect her to keep wearing Lily's old things.

"I'm James," James said as Catherine sipped her tea. "James Potter. It's very nice to meet you. Here, we've brought the paper from the last few days. Maybe you'll see something that strikes your memory."

Catherine nodded, and she glanced at the front page of the top paper James pushed her way, but she looked very uncomfortable, so Sirius decided to change the topic. She could read them later, alone.

"Was there shampoo?" he asked lightly.

"Ah, yes. A little."

"Oh, gosh, it was probably that awful stuff Caradoc's been using," Lily said mournfully. "I'll get you something better, Catherine. You shouldn't be expected to use something ghastly just because you're a guest."

"It was fine," Catherine said nervously. "I really wouldn't want—"

"Let her take care of you, Catherine," Sirius said, grinning. "Lily always gets her way, just ask James. Here, they've brought us a lovely roast for supper. Tell Mum I said thanks, yeah?"

James nodded.

With a look of confusion, Catherine looked between them and then asked, "Are you brothers?"

Sirius paused. He hadn't even thought about it, calling Euphemia Potter Mum in front of a stranger.

"As near as matters," James said, grinning. "You'll love it, Cate. She's put in extra gravy."

They all watched her carefully to see if she reacted to the shortened version of her name positively, but they were slightly dismayed when she seemed puzzled by it. She nodded slowly before saying, "I don't think I've been called that."

"Cate?" Sirius tried again, and she shook her head.

"If you don't like it, we won't," Lily said quickly.

"No, no, it's fine," Catherine said nervously. "I…I like it fine. I just don't think anyone's called me that before." Then she frowned again, blinking rapidly. "But I can't really remember, to be honest."

She was about to cry again, and Sirius felt a sudden surge of panic. He didn't want her to cry. He didn't want her to be even a little bit upset or distressed. She had likely already undergone something horrific, and the last thing she needed was to be traumatized again.

"Here," he said, pulling out another Calming Draught, left by Dumbledore. "I reckon it's time for another one of these."

"Oh, Sirius, really?" Lily asked, frowning disapprovingly.

"Dumbledore said so, Lily. Just until she gets more comfortable. It's not good for her to hyperventilate while she's acclimatizing."

Lily continued to look disapproving, but she didn't stop him or even argue as Sirius dosed Catherine's tea. The trembling girl drank the tea without fuss, thanking him after a few slow sips.

"Now, then," Sirius said, forcing a smile and turning back to his two best friends, "how are the wedding plans coming along?"

And with those well-selected words, they had conversation fodder for hours.

/-/

By the time Lily and James left, Catherine felt as though she had known the pair a lifetime. She had heard the whole story of their love, from their meeting and initially rocky acquaintance, to James's falling madly in love with her and begging her to be his for years, to his toning down and her finally seeing his merits in return.

"That must have been exhausting," Catherine said, smiling as she and Sirius tucked into the roast Madam Potter had made for them. "They have so much energy. I would hate to see them fight."

"You probably will, if you're around long enough," Sirius said with a wink, pouring some water, sliding it across the table to her before pouring a second one. "Granted, it's not like the old days, but they're still something to see."

Catherine nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, noticing that it was still damp from her bath.

She had looked over the papers while Sirius had cooked some cabbage to go with the roast, and she felt a kind of emptiness as she set aside the last of them.

"Anything?" he asked.

"No," she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I still only have a name and a bedroom, unfortunately."

"Well, tomorrow there's a meeting," Sirius said encouragingly. "I'm sure someone will have ideas. Don't worry, Catherine. We'll find something. It might take time, but we'll find it."

Catherine smiled weakly and nodded, but she didn't feel the optimism that seemed to seep off of him. She wanted to believe him, but she was beginning to grow tired with all of the attempting to remember, like using a muscle she wasn't used to using.

He tossed the papers on the counter and dished up some cabbage, sitting down across from her and smiling again.

"Well, go on, then. Try it. I guarantee you'll love it."

She did try it, and she was pleased to taste savory, succulent meat, seeming to fall apart in her mouth. She must have made a sound of approval, because Sirius smirked triumphantly before digging hungrily into his.

There were things Catherine wanted to ask him, things she was curious about, like why he talked about James's mother like she was his mother, and why he kept looking at her like he knew her, but couldn't place her.

She wished he really did know her. She wished it would be something simple, like Sirius suddenly realizing how he recognized her and giving them a clue, or perhaps the whole key to her existence. Maybe they'd been regulars at the same restaurant, or they'd met at a bar once, or they'd grown up on the same street. Anything, she really didn't care, as long as it was something more than what she already knew.

But if he knew her, he seemed no closer to unlocking it than he had when they'd first met, and dinner passed with no questions answered, his or hers.

"Where's the room Albus mentioned?" Catherine asked after she'd brushed her teeth and come back out to the front room, where Sirius had lit a fire in the grate and was stoking it.

"Uh, it's just the first door on your right." He turned and smiled, and with him backlit by the fireplace, she realized he had quite strong arms. "I think the sheets are clean. If they don't seem clean, let me know. We've got clean linens around here somewhere."

Catherine nodded, and she turned to go, but something stopped her.

She turned back around to see Sirius sitting down on the sofa, the sofa she had woken up on early that day, a total stranger in a completely new place.

"Sirius," she said softly, "thank you for staying with me. I… I'm sure you'd rather sleep in your own bed."

"It's not a big deal," he said cheerfully. "You shouldn't be alone tonight."

"Is…. You're not sleeping on the sofa, are you?"

He turned to look at her and smiled.

"Why shouldn't I? Don't worry, Lily cleaned it while you were in the bath. It's perfectly sanitary."

"But I…" She felt uncomfortable, like she was putting him out. "I really didn't want to cause any trouble. I…. You shouldn't have to sleep on a sofa just because I'm here."

"Cat, you've not got anywhere to go," he said kindly, smiling at her. "Don't worry about me. I've slept on a few sofas in my life, and I'm not so old yet that it matters. I'll be perfectly comfortable. Besides, I won't be able to sleep if I don't know that you're safe and sleeping peacefully. Okay? Don't worry about me."

But she couldn't help worrying about it. There was something about Sirius, she was terrified of inconveniencing him. But she nodded weakly and thanked him again before going to the bedroom in question.

The first thought when she turned on the light in the sky-blue room was that it was twice the size of the bedroom in her weak memory. The bed was huge, big enough for two or three, where the one in her mind's eye could only really hold one comfortably. It had a desk, a closet, even a bedside table with a little lamp. The sheets seemed clean enough for her, and they were cool and fresh to the touch. She wasn't sure why, but the sheets she remembered from before seemed damp like…like sweat or blood or something was on them. They weren't fresh, she knew that much.

Blood.

She shivered. What a thing to think of, to be on sheets. It was probably sweat. Sweaty sheets weren't unheard of.

"Everything okay?" Sirius called.

"Yes," she called back, and her voice sounded tight. "Yes, it's perfect."

She couldn't help thinking as she got into the bed that there would have been plenty of room for the both of them, if they hadn't been strangers. It wasn't that she was afraid of him, because she actually felt very safe with him, but it didn't seem right, inviting a strange man to share a bed with her, no matter how sweet he was.

And she didn't think he would have accepted, anyway.

/-/

A sore, battered, mud-soaked Remus Lupin shivered, looking up at the starry night sky. New moon tomorrow, and he would slip away as he always did. Most of the wolves went separate ways on new moons, which gave Remus the perfect opportunity to go to meetings. Dumbledore had scheduled a meeting on every new moon since Remus had been given his task, knowing full well that they were the only meetings Remus could guarantee attendance for.

Tomorrow he would see his friends again, hear the news. He hoped for some good news, since he didn't have any of his own to add to the table. He would settle for no bad news. He flicked sandy hair out of his eyes and thought of the upcoming wedding. Lily and James had gone out of their way to schedule it for a new moon. He told them it wasn't necessary, but he couldn't lie to himself. He was pleased that they'd made certain that he could be there.

For the time being, all he could do was wait patiently, and hope his suit still fit and looked respectable by the time the wedding came around. He smiled to himself for the first time in months and closed his eyes, basking in the starlight.

/-/

Peter rubbed absently at his forearm as he rested his head against his bedroom wall. He knew he should stop, because he couldn't risk doing the unconscious action around his friends, around the Order. It would be hard enough, avoiding Mad-Eye's particular gaze. He said that and said that and said that, hoping they wouldn't mark him, but no luck. After all, as they pointed out, nobody really looked at him. He went unseen, unnoticed.

The meeting tomorrow, that would be the test. If he could be natural, if he could be himself so much that no one even noticed him, then he would have done his job. He couldn't deliver people like Sirius might have, being the best man at the wedding, being exceptionally persuasive and talented. But if everything went to plan, he knew that his part would be just as important.

Peter inhaled a sharp, rattling breath as he thought of what Sirius would do if he knew what Peter had done.

When he knew, Peter realized.

It was crazy, it was foolish even, but Peter Pettigrew knew that he was more afraid of Sirius Black than he was of the Dark Lord, and no rational line of thought could tell him why.

/-/

James kissed Lily's forehead on the front porch of his family home. He was pleased Lily had agreed that they should start their life together in Godric's Hollow, in the village he had always lived. The night sky wouldn't have looked right anywhere else.

"I can't believe she would do this to me," Lily said. "I mean, I was in her stupid wedding. I don't understand."

"Is there anyone from school you'd want to be your maid of honor?" James said, giving her a sympathetic smile. He knew her sister was going to be awful about it, but Lily didn't want to give up on the cow.

Lily shook her head, looking out at the church in the distance.

"There was really only Mary."

James froze, trying not to remember what it had been like, finding Mary's body on patrol. He'd never seen so much blood before. And the sound of screaming…. He thought it had been Lily making that sound, but Remus politely told him that it had actually been him making that horrific cry. Lily lied and said it was her for telling their friends, probably to help him save face with Sirius.

"Someone in the Order?"

She shook her head.

"Lily, if you want, I don't have to have a best man. Sirius would understand."

"No," she said firmly, fiercely, looking back up at him with that stern gaze she used to use for turning him down, bless her. "You are not doing that to Sirius. He's so excited to be your best man, and I'm not taking that away from him. I don't need a bridesmaid, James. I'll be fine. Sirius give speech enough for two. And if you want, we can have Remus give a speech as well. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."

James nodded, smiling at the thought of the two speeches. Remus would take it so seriously, give such a moving speech. Something that would make everyone cry tears of joy and sentimentality. And then Sirius would get up and everyone would be mildly uncomfortable, or bursting with laughter. James would come away embarrassed.

"If that's what you want," he said, kissing her forehead again, pulling her into a hug. "It's going to be perfect, love."

She nodded.

His parents had even gone to Cokeworth to ask Lily's sister if she would be a bridesmaid, but Petunia was just terrible like that. And now with everything with this girl Dumbledore found, their day wasn't shaping up quite like they'd planned. James told himself that he'd find a way to make it up to her, even if it meant staying up all night to think of a way.

Lily kissed him one more time and walked a little way up the street before Disapparating on the corner.

James had a reflexive thought to drop by Sirius's flat and have a drink, but then he remembered that Sirius was staying at headquarters, keeping guard over Catherine, the mystery girl. He frowned slightly, although he wasn't sure why his muscles decided to do this. He rubbed his cheeks as though they might be cold and he walked back into the house, his mind already moving on to how best to spoil Lily.

A/N: Enjoy the mystery? Anyone got any preliminary guesses on who she is and how she got here?

Review Prompt: If you'd been able, would you have joined the Order, or tried to find a safer way to survive the war? (no shame, either way)

I would have joined the Order as long as I just did low-key things that didn't involve dueling or other exercise.

-C