Every Beast Has Their Beauty

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. I do not own any of her work.

Author's Note: It might be a bit of time before I post the next chapter (like a week or so, haha) but I rushed to get this chapter finished :) Special thanks to mylittleredboots, huflepuff girl14, and guest…I do appreciate the reviews!

Chapter 8: Choosing Fate

Sunday, August 19

James stared blankly at the ceiling, wishing the day would soon be over even though it had barely begun. He was still lying in bed, unwilling to move. He was considering his options that lay before him.

On the one hand, he could continue to search for his soul mate that seemed to not exist. He could waste the time that he had left with his friends trying to find a woman that apparently didn't want to be found. The pros? He could actually find her in time and be able to spend his whole life with his friends. He would be happily together with the woman who captured his heart. The cons? He might not actually find her, thus wasting his time away from his friends. He would still continue to date hazardously, feeling more alone than he's ever felt.

On the other hand, he could stop searching for his soul mate. The pros? He would be able to spend all of his remaining time with his closest friends, the very friends that have given up their lives to be with him during this trying time in his life. He would be able to end on good terms with all of them, giving them and himself good memories to last. The cons? He clearly wouldn't find his soul mate if he wasn't looking. There would be no chance for him to return to the magical community with his powers.

Angrily, he jumped up from his bed. He didn't want to be here anymore so he ran to get ready for the day. Either option sucked in his mind. How was one expected to find their love on a time stamp? People weren't supposed to mess with fate. But then again, he thought he knew what his destiny was. He was going to marry a beautiful woman, inside and out, and she would give birth to their children. They would live in a large home that had room for their close friends and family to visit and stay with them. They would have a Quidditch Pitch in their backyard and he and Sirius would teach his children how to play. He would be a renowned auror and he would be powerful. He did defeat Voldemort, didn't he? They should have known about the sorceress before it was too late.

Fate changed. The destiny he envisioned was not looking so hopeful right now. His destiny circled around the magical world that he knew and loved. It was a part of who he was. It wasn't that he hated the muggle way of doing things, it was just that magic was him. Fate was sick. This was just a sick joke that he was done playing. He was living a lie every day. It wasn't like he could just go out and tell the world that he was a powerful wizard who simply lost his power. The muggle world would institute him immediately.

He owed it to his friends to try, didn't he? Or did he owe it to his friends to give them a good year before they left? If one fights with fate, one will always lose.

Making his decision, James resigned on the couch, defeated. He rested his head back and started watching the ceiling again.

After a few moments of staring at the paint lines in the ceiling and trying to find shapes, he heard laughter in the next room. Frowning, he looked in the general direction with an eyebrow raised.

"PRONGS!" a voice called out loudly. "PRONGS! WHERE ARE YOU, MATE?"

Sirius, James thought.

Before he responded, he saw Sirius and Remus run into the room.

"Ten gallons, mate," Sirius grinned to Remus. Remus sighed, emptying out his pocket. Seeing James' amused glance, he explained.

"I bet Sirius that you would still be lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. He bet that you would be sitting on the couch. Really, James…can't you do anything unpredictable?" Remus scolded jokingly.

"What are you guys doing back so soon? I thought Lizzie said you would be coming back late tonight?"

"Eh, we figured you needed to get out of here. Ray is cooking a large feast for tonight for all of us as well as a few others. But before that, we're going to go around Hogsmeade and reminisce," Remus responded, picking up a piece of fruit of from the counter to eat.

"You're dressed. Good. Let's go," Sirius replied.

James shook his head. "No thanks. I'll stay here, I think."

Sirius rose an eyebrow. "We figured you'd say that to which we will counter, when's the last time you've been back to the magical community?"

"Two years, 8 months, and 16 days," James responded, squinting his eyes at the calendar hanging on the wall.

"Precisely. You need to get back there. You're too depressed. C'mon. Ally and Sahara are waiting for us. Get your lazy butt off of the couch. Besides, we told the boys you would be coming today," Sirius grinned, knowing that James wouldn't be able to disappoint the twins. James groaned, closing his eyes.

"Why must you find amusement in my torture?" he growled.

"Because you are such a wonderful sport," Remus stated, smiling. "Now, let's go."

Remus and Sirius both approached James on the couch and dragged him up. Sirius apparated ahead of them while Remus held onto James' arm and apparated them both.

Within seconds, they were appearing inside of a large study. It was beautifully decorated with wall-to-wall bookshelves filled with books. There was a large desk that was covered with opened books with highlights. Papers were strewn all around, falling onto the floor. The couch even had a couple of books on it with papers falling off.

"Geez, what happened in here?" James asked, looking around. Lizzie and Ray were both organized individuals so to see everything thrown around was a bit unnerving.

"Research," Remus shrugged. "Don't worry. It's organized. That section of open books is dedicated to the sorceress who cursed you. That section of books is designated for the fairy we are seeking and that section of books is about breaking curses in general and over there-"

"I get it," James cut off. "Where is everyone?"

"Ray is outside with the boys and the girls are in the living room, waiting. Lizzie is out with Dumbledore, trying to sort some things out."

"I wish she wouldn't work that hard. I mean, it's Sunday…shouldn't she be taking a break?"

"You know she can't," a voice declared, walking into the room, towing along two smaller figures.

"Uncle Jamie!" the voices cried, running to him and hugging him tightly.

"Hey boys," James grinned, hugging them both back. "Hey, Ray."

"Hey James. It's been a long time. And don't worry about Lizzie. You know how she gets when she's close to solving something. Besides, you're family. You'd do the same if it were one of us," the tall man exclaimed. He was taller than James by a couple of inches and he had shaved his head bald with some scruff growing in. "But they'll all be taking a break tonight when they return for dinner."

"They?" James asked.

"Lizzie, Dumbledore, McGonagall, the Weasley's," Ray answered. "A big family reunion," he grinned.

"And the occasion is…?" James inquired suspiciously, with a hint of hope.

"Family reunion," Ray responded as if it were obvious. "Anyways, I was just talking with Ally and Sahara and they agreed that we should have some guy bonding while the girls did…whatever it is they do. So, we're going to go to a Quidditch practice…we'll end up having a late dinner, but that's okay."

"We go, too?" Josh asked, his blue eyes shining with excitement.

"Sorry bud, not today. We're dropping you off with Molly," Ray answered. "You can go play with Bill and Charlie."

"Okay!" the two boys grinned happily.

"Whose practice?" Sirius asked curiously. He'd go to anything Quidditch related over going to Hogsmeade any day.

"English National…they're not that great, I know. But, it's something, right?" Ray asked. "Their practice starts at…10:30 A.M., so we need to leave soon if we're going to go."

"Whatever," James replied, depressed. He was hopeful to hear about any progress they made the day before and was missing Quidditch terribly. It was his favorite thing to do and now, he couldn't do it anymore.

"Alright, let's go," Remus agreed. The boys gathered the two younger boys and went to the Weasley's house to drop off the young ones before leaving to go to the English stadium. It was empty other than the team members who were flying high. Ray had graduated with one of the players, being one of his friends, so they were able to watch the practices without notice. They went to the highest seats and watched the players on the field.

"So…what happened yesterday?" James asked curiously.

"It was alright. We got to Russia, and we thought Mara Deirdre was there…but she wasn't. It was a decoy. She's certainly a trickster. We did find another fairy who didn't like her much and was more than willing to give us some hints on how to catch her. She went underground right now, which we can't do. She'll resurface eventually. Not many magical beings like her too much because of her trickery. She tricks people into making promises they can't keep and then they're cursed forever, apparently. I had no ideas fairies were this evasive," Remus rambled excitedly. He loved to learn new things about the magical community. Upon seeing James' face, he softened.

"I'm sorry, James. Don't worry though. We'll get her. We were this close," he added, pushing his forefinger and thumb together tightly to indicate how close they were. "How did your date go last night? Was that place any good?"

"Seeing her again?" Sirius added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Absolutely not," James answered, shaking his head. "The date was doomed from the start but the determining factor was the fact that she's married."

"Ouch. How'd you find out?" Ray asked.

"Ms. Evans," James responded, shrugging. Sirius and Remus both gave him strange looks.

"And that is?" Ray asked.

"His new personal assistant," Sirius waved off quickly. "How did Lily find out?"

James shrugged again. "Girl thing, maybe? Intuition? I don't know, I guess Darla, that was my date's name, informed her in the bathroom. Fortunately, Ms. Evans informed me before the date moved elsewhere."

"Well, that was nice of her," Remus said thoughtfully.

"And Darla wouldn't have worked anyways. She's against anything magically related," James responded as if offended by the thought.

Sirius snorted. "Boy, does she have a lot to be disappointed in."

"So…how is it going with Ms. Evans?" Ray asked.

"She's manageable, I guess. Wasn't my first choice, but these people wanted her for some reason," James replied, waving his hand in the direction of Sirius and Remus.

"Manageable? She broke up your date with a married woman…that sounds a bit more than manageable," Remus claimed while Sirius and Ray nodded in agreement.

"And I appreciate her for doing that, but I still don't trust her and I don't understand why you guys do," James countered.

"And we don't understand why you don't," Sirius replied, smiling.

"No matter. I'm not getting rid of her…I just said I don't trust her yet. She's not my main concern anyways."

"Would you ever consider dating her?" Ray asked.

James snorted and then started laughing. "Never in a million years."

"Why?"

"She's not my type."

"She's a female…female is your type," Sirius stated, laughing. "She's pretty, smart, ambitious-"

"Headstrong, argumentative, stubborn-" James added, frowning.

"So…just like you?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Whatever. It doesn't matter. I've made a decision," James stated, crossing his arms and focusing hard on the practice above him.

"And that is?" Ray asked curiously.

"I'm not going to waste my time anymore. I'm going to hope that you guys can find this Mara Deirdre character and reverse the curse. I can't fight fate. I can't turn over every stone to find 'my true love' before I'm 25. I'm just wasting my time."

"Well…that's a healthy way to look at it," Sirius replied, rolling his eyes. "If you give up, you'll definitely find her," he added sarcastically.

"It's my decision."

"It's a stupid-" Sirius went to counter but was cut off.

"It's his decision," Remus stated. "I know we thought that finding your 'true love' was the only way…but clearly they found that it might not be so. We will find Mara Deirdre…even if we don't, there is always a way with magic. We will find it."

"That's the hope," James mumbled, trying to stay focused on the game. He hadn't wanted to inform them that he would be leaving them all if they couldn't find the solution before he turned 25. He didn't want them to ruin their lives as well, staying focused on what seemed to be a lost cause.

"Yes, I know mom," Lily responded into the telephone while she was cleaning her room.

She had already cleaned the kitchen and the bathroom while listening to her mother talk on the line.

"Nope, no one special," she said absent mindedly, sweeping under her bed. "Yes, I understand my clock is ticking, come ON mom…it's not the end of the world."

Lily rolled her eyes, taking the dust to the trash can.

"Well, Petunia's just lucky I guess," Lily stated, irritated. The conversation with her mother always tended to find its way to marriage and that she needed to find a guy soon and have some grandbabies for her mother.

"I do too go on dates!" Lily exclaimed loudly after her mother accused her of not even trying to find her perfect man. "Well….um…I dated Roger in college," she said, remembering her last boyfriend.

"I know you liked Roger," Lily mumbled through clenched teeth. "I know, he was perfect….because I didn't like him, mom."

Lily threw her stuffed bear onto her bed. It was quite an ugly stuffed animal. It used to be white with a red floral pattern. Now, it was just an off-whitish color with faded flowers and a mouth that was coming unsewn. It was a gift from her grandfather when she was just a little girl. She hadn't known him, but she did want to. He and her mother never got along…he kicked her mom out of his house shortly after his wife died. However, he was a better grandfather than a father, her mother claimed. Lily always told people she never met her grandparents because she had no memories of any of them. She wished she did. She sighed, fixing the thrown stuffed animal so that it was neatly placed.

"You know, there's more to life than finding someone to marry," Lily grumbled. "What do you want me to do? Parade around with a sign saying I'm offering my hand to the first guy that comes around?"

Lily sighed as her mother ranted on. She sat down on the bed, running out of things to do. After a long moment, she cut her mom off.

"Mom…mom…MOM…I'm busy. With work, you know. Remember? I just got a new job. It's not like I can just go out and start dating all of the time. Ja-Mr. Potter keeps me busy….ugh, not like that. He's not that great of a person….no, I'm not coming home…I don't care that Roger is single…yes, I know he's involved with volunteer work…isn't who I marry my decision?"

Lily pushed the phone away from her ear, waiting for the muffled discussion on the other end to cease.

"Well, I'll be home for Christmas and New Years, by the way," she slipped in, hoping to change the subject. "No…just those days…it's a business trip…yes, my boss will be there…don't you think that's a bit unprofessional to invite my boss over?...Of course I'm not going to invite him, what are you, mad?"

Rolling her eyes, Lily continued. "Okay, mom. I'll try to be more open to relationships…no, I don't want to date Roger!...because I don't!...goodbye mom…yeah sure…put dad on…bye mom…love you, too," Lily stated. "Hey daddy," she grinned. "Yes, I'll be coming home for Christmas and New Year's…of course I'll make my special pie…the weather her has been rainy, of course…I still don't know why you and mom ever left London…no, I don't think Petunia wants to talk to me…alright…bye dad, love you, too."

Lily finally hung up the phone, irritated. The conversation with her parents went the same way every time. Her mom would rant and rant about things going on at home and work and if Lily were lucky, her mother would say she was busy and had to go. However, more often than not, her mother would turn the conversation on what Lily's love life looked like. To her mom, Lily should have married straight out of college to Roger, her then boyfriend, almost fiancé. Instead of that, she moved to London. Sure, she liked Roger…but she just couldn't see herself marrying him. Her mother also wanted Lily to move back home because she missed her and thought she should just marry Roger and have children. Petunia wasn't going to be having children anytime soon because Petunia didn't want children and whatever Petunia wanted, she got. The pleasures of being the first born.

Sighing, she looked out the window to watch the rain hitting her window. Her roommates still weren't back yet and she had absolutely nothing to do. She watched her reflection in the window, peering back at her.

"What's wrong with you, Lily?" she muttered to herself. "Why are you in London?"

"Oh, that's right. Because I don't just want to be somebody's wife who has a business on the side. I want to be someone. I want to have a life. I actually like to work. But why London? Maybe because it rains so much and the rain is absolutely wonderful."

"And now, I'm going crazy," she snorted, shaking her head. "So, Lily…what kind of wife would you be? Mother? Miserable, that's what. I don't know how to be a wife. I don't know how to put someone else's needs above my own. I don't know how to make decisions with someone else. Who am I? Who is Lily Evans? Maybe I should have gone to school to learn about magic…maybe I wouldn't feel so lost. Yeah right…like mom and dad would have ever let me live that down….alright, crazy time is over now," she stated, turning from the window.

"I need friends," she muttered aloud, looking around the empty apartment. She looked towards the clock and saw that it was only 3:00 P.M. Making a face, she grabbed her raincoat, umbrella, and keys. Time for a walk, she thought to herself. She didn't normally use umbrellas, but she would carry it in case the rain grew stronger.

Lily Evans, perfect in nearly every way, and yet, she still felt like something was missing from her life.

James stared at himself in the mirror that belonged to the bathroom that he currently escaped to. It wasn't that he didn't love his friends…his friends that became his family. It was just a bit much sometimes…being back in the world that he was no longer a part of. He was trying to be his old happy self again but it was difficult to do. He had bags under his eyes indicating his lack of sleep and his eyes that once shone with mischief now only stared blankly with a dull color.

"It's not the end of the world," he muttered to himself, flushing the toilet to pretend he was finishing up in the bathroom. He rubbed a large hand across his face, rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Maybe this is my fate now. Maybe this is what my fate always was…defeat the dark lord, sacrifice my only magic. I guess it's not so bad, looking at it that way…" he claimed, as he turned on the sink water to indicate he was washing his hands.

"Yeah, that's how I'll look at it. It was a sacrifice. A frustrating sacrifice, but one I wouldn't take back, I guess," he continued. "But…I still can't stay with my friends. If I do, they are going to waste their lives away trying to find a solution, even if I tell them to stop. It really is best to leave. Another sacrifice, I guess. But, at least they're still alive."

Nodding, trying to convince himself, he smiled at his reflection. A sacrifice, he thought, turning the water off and taking a moment to pretend he was drying his hands before leaving the safety of the bathroom.

"Hey James, dinner will be ready in 30 minutes," Ally stated, walking down the hallway he was in. "Is the bathroom safe to use?" she asked jokingly. To her surprise, James laughed along.

"You might want to watch out for the purple towel," he replied, grinning mischievously. Ally rose an eyebrow at him in amusement.

"Did James Potter just…dare I say it…laugh? And did he then hint at a…prank?" she teased, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. She stood on her tiptoes to put a hand to his forehead. "Nope, not running a fever. Maybe your body isn't fighting off the infection…"

"Funny, shorty," he grinned, making a fist and rubbing the top of her head.

"HEY!" she called out, trying to pull away from him. She then grinned and hopped up, hugging him. "My brother is back!"

"I never left…" James replied, returning her hug.

"Psht…you've been gone for years," she stated, rolling her eyes.

James smiled guiltily. "Have I been that bad?"

"Worse," she smiled. "It's good to have you back…even if it is temporary insanity for the day. Why the change?"

James shrugged. "It's good to be back. Even temporarily. And…I don't know. Trying to not be depressed, I guess."

"Yeah, depression does NOT suit you. I'd love to stay and chat…but I've been drinking water all day…" she stated, indicating her need to use the bathroom. James stepped out of her way so that she could pass him. As soon as she shut the door, his smile faded. This is going to be harder than I thought, he thought to himself. It was nearly painful trying to joke around like nothing has changed when everything has, but he had to…if it was the last gift he could ever give to his friends.

He sighed and made his way to the Living Room where the rest of his friends lay in wait.

"Uncle Jamie…wanna play with me?" Brody asked from his position on the floor with trucks lying around him.

"Me too!" Josh piped in from his position slightly farther away from Brody with the same trucks.

"Yeah, Uncle Jamie, come play!" Sirius grinned, patting the ground next to him where the twins had convinced him to play. James grinned.

"Only if I get to use the red truck," he stated seriously. Brody found the red truck and lifted it up to James. James smiled and plopped down.

"You do realize you have the marauders looking after your children, right?" Sahara asked Lizzie, laughing. "You're going to have the marauders part 2!"

Lizzie shrugged. "It won't be my problem…only Dumbledore's when they're in school," she smiled. "Besides, it won't be that bad….just for the girls."

"Poor Dumbledore," Remus stated seriously, shaking his head.

"I think you mean 'poor Slytherins'," Ray stated, stepping into the room with a ladle in his hands.

"Poor Slytherins?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow. "How do you figure?"

"They're going to go into school thinking every Slytherin is a death eater…even the eleven year olds," Ray suggested, shaking his head. "Anyways, our guests will be here any minute. Would you be able to set the table, Lizzie?"

"Of course," Lizzie responded.

"I'll help," Sahara stated, standing up with Lizzie.

"Me too," Remus replied, following them out while the other boys continued their play on the floor.

"Auntie Ally, auntie Ally…do you wanna…um…auntie Ally…wanna play?" Josh asked as Ally stepped back into the room.

"I'd love to!" Ally exclaimed.

"You can't…you can't have the red truck though…uncle…uncle Jamie wanted it," Josh explained while he crashed his own truck into James'.

"Aw man…that's okay. I'll take this one right here-"

"No…that one's broke," Brody explained. "Here you go," he continued, finding another truck that wasn't in the middle of a truck crash.

"Ally's going down. Let's crash her truck!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly, driving his truck towards Ally's. They continued in their play, crashing every truck against each other, letting the two younger boys win.

"I win!" they both exclaimed excitedly.

"Alright boys, time to wash your hands," Ray called from the kitchen.

"Time to wash our hands!" James exclaimed as he and Sirius jumped up, each taking a boy under one of their arms and flying them to the bathroom to wash their hands while they cried in laughter. James and Josh won the race to the bathroom, shouting triumphantly.

"He seems to be in a better mood," Sahara noted, coming back into the Living Room with Ally and helping her put the trucks away.

"He does," Ally stated, not convinced. "It's a bit odd, don't you think? It's kind of sudden."

Sahara shrugged. "Maybe he's realized it's not the end of the world. Maybe he's actually hoping for the best. You don't think it's honest, do you?"

"Not at all. He's hiding something," Ally stated, frowning. "I've grown up with him…he's like my brother. He's acting like the old James…but he's not the old James. He's clearly lying."

"Clearly?" Sahara asked, curiously.

"Clearly. His left eyebrow twitches very, very slightly when he's not being honest. It's only brief…it will only twitch a couple of times and then stop. But it twitches. He's always been a horrible liar the entire time I've known him."

"I've never noticed his eyebrow twitch…" Sahara stated, contemplating her interactions with James.

Ally shrugged. "I wouldn't have either until his mother told me one time before we got to Hogwarts. She told me how to tell if he was lying so I could keep him and Sirius and Remus out of trouble. It definitely came in handy," she grinned.

"Why do you think he's lying about it?" Sahara whispered right before the boys came back from washing their hands.

Ally shrugged as they followed the boys into the dining room. Their guests were just arriving. An older man just apparated into the dining room followed by an older woman. The older woman was still much younger than Dumbledore.

"Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall," the group greeted as they approached the woman and man.

The woman smiled brightly, sincerely happy to see her old students. She briefly hugged them all, lingering just a moment with James.

"James, it is good to see you," she smiled, squeezing his shoulder appreciatively.

"Good to see you as well," James responded, smiling. "Ready for your new bout of students?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," she smiled. Although she was James' professor for nearly 7 years, she loved her students as if they were the children she never had. The marauders tested her patience and teaching capability, but they matured beautifully throughout the years. She had noticed that although troublesome, good had reigned in their hearts. She specifically felt tied to James as he was suffering through this trying time in his life. "I still expect you to come back to Hogwarts as a guest speaker this year."

"You know I always say no," James smiled.

"And you know I'll keep asking until you say yes," Professor McGonagall grinned. James nodded in agreement.

"He'll give in one of these days, professor," Professor Dumbledore stated, a hint of humor in his eyes. A moment passed before two tall redheads appeared, lugging four children. Two were infants, heads still slightly bald, while two were toddlers, anxious to see their friends.

"Arthur, Molly…it's nice to see you," Remus stated cordially while he hugged Molly Weasley and shook Arthur Weasley's hand firmly. The others greeted them as well.

"James! How is that muggle world? Did you find anything more fascinating? Any other trinkets that I might be interested in?" the older redheaded man exclaimed, excitement filling his voice. He shifted the sleeping infant he had been holding to Sahara who was yearning to hold him. Molly gave the other infant to Ally who was grinning widely and dying to squeeze his cheeks.

James shrugged. "Nothing is really that interesting to me anymore, Arthur. I guess living there for so long makes you immune to their charm. You are welcome to visit anytime…well, give notice first so we can make sure it is safe to apparate in our apartment."

Arthur's eyes widened in excitement as if Christmas came early. "Really? That'd be great! As long as you don't mind…"

"Not at all. I miss the company," James stated, smiling. The Weasley's were older than his group of friends by a few years but they remained on friendly terms. They even fought alongside each other during the war with Voldemort. Arthur had saved James' life, blocking the killing curse that was sent at his back from another death eater, allowing James to continue his fight with Voldemort. After his life was saved, the group became closer, the older couple taking it upon themselves to look after the group as if they were their parents. Molly had quite the mothering instinct.

"Wonderful, wonderful," the man muttered happily, looking to his wife anxiously. She smiled in return.

"Food is ready!" a voice called from the kitchen as it walked closer. "Ah, all of our guests have arrived. Perfect. It's good to have the family all here," Ray smiled. "If you are under ye high, then this table is for you," he exclaimed, making a motion at about 4 feet tall and then pointing to a smaller table for the younger kids to sit at.

"Boys, go sit over there," Molly snapped at her two young children as they ran around the room chasing the twins. Sadly, they obeyed.

The adults sat around the larger dining room table, helping themselves to food. Ray and Lizzie give their house elves off on the weekend so that they can spend time with their own families. Today, they had gone to visit some shops in Columbia. The dinner lasted a few hours before everyone started to head home to retire. The boys said goodnight to everyone and disapparated to go home.

"So," Sirius started, sitting on the couch and throwing his feet onto the coffee table. "What's with the good mood?" he asked James accusingly.

James shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about," he smiled.

Sirius narrowed his eyes at him.

"What?"

"Just wondering why you're lying to me, your best friend, your brother, your confident, your-"

"Oh, stop being so dramatic," Remus cut off, but narrowing his eyes at James as well. "So?"

"Still don't know what you're talking about. I'm going to bed…you should do the same. I expect to see you at work bright and early."

"You'll see us here bright and early," Remus pointed out. James waved his hand dismissively, walked to his bedroom, and shut the door.

He walked over to his desk and pulled out his parchment and utensil. Sighing heavily, he started the many letters that he had to write.

Dear Sirius,

Best friend, brother, confident, that you are. By the time you are reading this, I will already be gone. If you are reading this, that means we were unsuccessful in finding a cure for the curse before I turned 25. I cannot allow you to keep wasting your life for my benefit. I hope that you finally come clean to Remus about dating his sister…now you can't use the whole situation with me as an excuse to be dating her in secret. You should be happy. You all should be happy.

Now that that is out of the way, don't look for me. I really need you to listen to me…I need you to follow this last command I make. Please, don't look for me. I want to thank you for being the best friend I ever had. We've been wreaking havoc for who knows how long but all good things must come to an end. Thank you, for being my friend, my brother, my confident. I can smile knowing that even though this new road in destiny has torn us apart, we still have the best memories ever. I will always remember our first prank that we pulled together when we were just three years old and at that ball. We ran around putting dungbombs in people's drinks when they weren't looking. I remember we managed to get 12 unknowing suspects before we were kicked out of our first party.

Thank you, for giving up a big portion of your life for me during this time. I'm glad I got to fight with you by my side. Magic is no longer a part of my life, but it still is a part of yours. Don't give it up. Please. It has been fun trying to figure out this whole muggle living situation with you and Remus. I am forever indebted to you. It is now up to you to take care of Remus during his 'mood swings'. You are the best friend any man can ask for and I know you will take care of Remus.

You are now the rock of our friends as my time is up. You'll be brilliant…you always have been. No words I say here will be enough to tell you how much you mean to me and no amount of words will be able to say the goodbye you deserve.

Stay strong, Padfoot. I love you, brother.

James

James stared at his written words and slowly rolled up the parchment. He tied a string around it and hid it in his muggle safety deposit box that he purchased a long time ago. He figured that they would eventually open his safety deposit box if he were no longer around.