A/N: Hope it wasn't too long of a wait for you guys! ^_^ Thanks to: JessaShelby, Happysmiles500, && HumeraPotterhead212. Enjoy!
'Are you sure you want to do this?' Sirius asked, leaning his head against the wall behind him.
James nodded, 'Yeah. I - I'm not ready to head back home. Not yet anyways.' Sighing, James looked out the window. 'I don't want to impose on the Evans' for a long period. Just enough so I can really get to know Lily. And mourn fully.' With a grimace, he ran a hand through his hair. 'With school ending so soon after their deaths, I don't feel as though I completely got. . . something. I dunno.'
'The word you're looking for if closure, Prongs.' Remus said, walking into the compartment. Looking at Sirius he smirked, 'Still trying to talk him out of staying with Lily and her family?'
'No, of course not.' Sirius grinned. 'I'm just trying to persuade him to stay at Grimmuald place with me.'
'HA!' James grinned. 'Not gonna happen. Sorry mate.' The dark hair boy shook his head, 'Your mum gives me the willies.' Grinning, James looked at Remus, 'Where's Lily?'
'She stopped to talk to Alice and Frank. Head duties are much simpler at the end of term.'
'That's because you don't care what the first years. . . er, or are they second years now? Anyways, now you don't care what they do!' Sirius laughed, 'I mean it's not like you can get in trouble if one of them blows up or anything.'
'What a terrible thing to say!' Lily flew through the door. Pausing to kiss James, she smiled. 'You should be ashamed. What if one of them did manage to somehow blow themselves up? You'd feel terrible!'
'Nah! I don't think it would bother me too much.' Sirius sat back. Putting an ankle on his opposite knee, he grinned, 'Though. . . I wouldn't be surprised if Abigail Niall managed it somehow.'
Sitting down, Lily narrowed her eyes, 'Abigail Niall. . .' looking at Remus, she asked, 'Is she the one who blew up her feather in Flitwicks class, beginning of the school year?'
Sirius nodded, 'Yup! The one and only!' Grinning, he whispered, 'I think I saw her with a bag of feathers, Lily-flower. It is your duty to this school to protect us all!'
Laughing, she threw a candy wrapper at him. 'Hush it, Padfoot.' Rolling her eyes, she looked at James. 'How have you put up with him for so long?'
'Hm? Oh, I just ignore most of what he says.'
'Hey! I resent that!'
The group laughed and chatted between themselves. James and Lily sat closely together, hands clasped, sharing secret smiles. While Sirius leaned against his seat, legs stretched as far as they'd go. Remus sat, book in his lap, an easy smile on his face. No one noticed how jumpy Peter was. A door down the train slammed and he almost toppled over.
x-X-x
Standing on the muggle side of Platform 9 3/4, James ran a hand through his hair, 'And you're positive your parents are cool with me staying?'
'Well, my mum is for sure!' Grabbing his hand, Lily tried to pull him and push her cart forward. 'Daddy will be. . . after a time.'
'Great.' Sighing James looked at the couple walking towards them. 'I'm pretty sure your father hates me for some reason!'
Giggling, Lily stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss against his cheek, 'Daddy doesn't hate you. He just is very protective of his little girl.'
'You've got that right!' Looking up, James offered the man before him his hand, 'I don't hate you. But, hurt my little girl. And,' James felt the hand grasping his tighten. He bit the inside of his lip, trying to appear tough, 'and I will. Got it?'
'Daddy!' from Lily, and a 'William!' from her mother. James just shook his head, and met the man eye to eye, 'Don't worry, Sir. I don't plan on hurting her. Ever.' He wrapped his arm around the girls shoulder, and said, 'I love her. And plan on marrying her.'
'Humpf!' Lily's father looked at him, 'Well. No matter. You will be staying in your own room. No magic will change that.'
'Daddy!' Lily sighed, and looked at her mum with wide eyes.
'William.' Laying a hand on his shoulder, she raised her eyebrows.
Mumbling under his breath, he grabbed his daughters cart and started pushing it through the train station. The sound of laughter floated towards them; turning the young couple saw Sirius and Remus standing a few feet back. Sirius was holding his stomach while Remus appeared to be holding back a laugh, 'Have fun Prongs!' Sirius said, grinning widely.
'HA!' James grinned at them. 'I will. I'll be with Lily. Have fun with your mum and the house-elf.'
'Oh! Not nice, Jamie!' Sirius wagged a finger at him, and frowned, 'Not nice at all! Lily, you might have to give him a spanking for that.'
Lily blushed, but laughed. 'Go home, Padfoot!' Crossing to the boys, she pulled them each into a hug. 'We will have to get together. Soon!' She sighed and pulled back, 'How am I supposed to go a day without seeing your faces?'
Smiling, Remus kissed the top of her head, 'And what would you do if we randomly showed up one day for a visit?'
'Oh! Do it!' Lily grinned at him, before turning towards Sirius. 'Not you.' She shook her finger at him, with a grin, 'You sir, are a bad boy. Who I just know will hit on my mum!'
'What if I promise to be on my best behavior?' Sirius asked, with a frown. 'I can withhold flirting for roughly an hour. Maybe two.' He grinned, and winked at James. 'Hey! I've got it! You've a sister. Is she a looker?'
Laughing, Lily shook her head. 'I am so going to miss you, Padfoot.' Wrapping her arms around him, she sighed. 'Come visit. Whenever.'
As James and Lily walked away, he chuckled. 'You're going to regret extending that invitation to him.' James said, linking his fingers with hers. 'He'll be there tomorrow.'
Smiling, she laid her head against his shoulder. 'Good. He's family. They both are.'
x-X-x
It was in fact the next day that Sirius and Remus showed up. James sat at the table in the kitchen with Lily's sister, Petunia. Lily was up in the shower, and you could have cut the awkwardness with a knife. 'So. . . uh.' James looked around the kitchen, spotting a bag of celery and a box of raisins, he grinned. 'Have you ever had ants on a log?' he asked.
Petunia looked up from her nails; her face had a very pinched look. As though she was forced to swallow a glass of lemon juice, 'Ex - excuse me?'
'Ants on a log?!' James grinned at her, his eyes twinkling. 'You know. You take celery and cover it with pea -'
'Is that some kind of. . . food for freaks?' Petunia shrieked, standing quickly. Her chair flew out from under her.
'Uh. . . I wouldn't know. You see,' James leaned forward, and cocked his head, 'I'm not a freak. And neither is your sister. It's simply a type of food I had as a child.'
'Yo - you are most certainly a freak!' She jumped when the sound of car backfiring echoed down the street.
James just grinned at her, and shook his head. 'Eh . . . maybe.' Leaning back in his chair, 'So, have you always been this. . . jumpy. Or do I make you ner -' He was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the back door.
Looking over her shoulder, Petunia gasped. Where James saw his two best friends; Petunia saw two more wizards. She wasn't stupid. She knew the boy sitting at the table didn't like her, you could just tell. He tried to be polite when her parents were home, but ever since they left for work, he'd been giving her this look. Glancing at the boy again, she shuddered and rushed from the room. Stopping in the hallway, she heard the door open and laughter floated towards her.
'Who was that?' A deep voice asked. Even down the hall she heard the mockery in his voice
'Eh, oh. Petunia. Lily's sister.' That from the boy her sister was dating.
'Oi! Lily got all the looks then?' The voice from before replied.
'Sirius!' This voice belonged to someone else. It was smoother, and calmer, 'Really? Do you need to act so. . . so immature, all time?'
'Yeah, for the most part, keeps things interesting.' Sirius laughed. Petunia heard chairs being scraped against the floor. 'I'm hungry. Feed me, Prongsie!'
'No!' She heard laughter, and a quiet bang come from the kitchen. 'Damn it, Padfoot! Why didn't you eat before you came here?'
Sighing, Petunia crossed into the living room and blocked out the hushed conversation from the kitchen. Picking up the telephone she dialed the number of her boyfriend, Vernon. He picked up on the second ring, 'Yeah?'
'Vernon. It's me. Can you come get me?'
x-X-x
Lily stood in her bedroom window, a frown on her face. She just watched her sister fly from the house and jump into a Vernon Dursleys car. Scrunching her nose she sighed, what a dreary man. With another sigh, she grabbed her brush and left her room. She hadn't even made it down the stairs when she heard the laughter. Standing in the doorway of the living room, she smiled at the sight. James was stretched out on the couch, flipping through one of her dads car magazines; while Remus stood at the bookshelf, browsing her mother's classics.
'And where is Sirius?' she asked, a grin on her face.
'Behind you.' Looking over her shoulder, Lily laughed when she saw the boy walking toward her. He had a sandwich in one hand, and a bag of Oreos in another. When he walked by; she saw a bottle of soda sticking out of the back pocket of his jeans.
'Please. Sirius, I know you must be hungry. Go get something to eat!' Lily laughed, and sat by James' feet. Pulling the brush through her hair she rolled her eyes.
'What? I was hungry.' He said around a bite of sandwich.
'I can see that.'
'Lily?' Glancing up, she smiled at Remus, 'How do you work this?' he asked, his hand resting on the television.
'Oh. I forgot. Televisions aren't a normal thing for you guys, are they?' When the trio shook their heads, she grinned. 'Whelp, let me show you a little bit of muggle magic.'
x-X-x
Three hours later, Lily sat on the front porch listening to the shouts coming from inside. The boys had located something they all enjoyed. Futball. The rules might be different, and the play was extremely boring; I mean they don't even use brooms! (That was from an outraged James.) But still, it was a sport. She heard the screen door open behind her. 'Lil's?' Looking up she smiled at him.
'Yeah?' James sat next to her, and grabbed her hand.
'We kind of got a little caught up.'
'Really?' She laughed, 'I hadn't noticed.' Shaking her head she smiled, 'Don't worry. I'm glad you find muggle sports entertaining.'
'Yeah. You missed it. They don't need brooms to be hurt.' Grinning he looked at her, 'I mean the guy by the goal just barely blocked the ball. It like, rebounded and hit some dude in the eye. Blood everywhere!'
Sniffing, Lily looked at the ground, 'It's kind of disturbing that you find blood. . . a requirement for sports.'
Laughing James nudged her, 'That's what makes it manly.'
'There are girls who play Quidditch! It's just like you to make such a sexi -'
'Now, now children. Play nice.' Sirius taunted from the doorway. Pushing the door open, he jumped over them and sat on the ground. 'Only been living together for one day and already at each other's throats. Tsk tsk.'
Looking at Sirius, Lily narrowed her eyes. 'It's healthy for couples to have disagreements.'
'Not denying it.' Winking at his friend, he continued on, 'I'm just saying. It's only been one day. And you two wanna get marr -'
'Leave her alone, Sirius.' Remus said, walking out the door.
'Yeah! Leave me alone Sirius.' Lily smirked and kissed James. 'You sir, are just jealous 'cause you can't wear skirts for him anymore.'
'HA!' Rolling his eyes, Sirius smirked at her, 'Oh but I still can, Lily-pad. I still can.'
x-X-x
As the summer slowly passed, those staying in the Evans household slowly made a routine. Every morning, like clockwork, Petunia would leave the house to spend the day with her boyfriend. She would be home in time for dinner, and then retire to her room and lock her door. William Evans would wake and leave for work. But when he returned he would make sure to sit in whichever room his youngest daughter sat, keeping his eyes glued to the boy living with them. Lily's mother went to work, and continued the rest of her time normally. James did everything in his power to learn all the muggle devices, and to convince Lily's father he was someone trust worthy. Lily as it was, spent all her time with James, learning everything about him.
One night, James sat outback with Lily. They had a few moments to themselves, seeing as Lily's mum had needed her father's help in the kitchen. After he took a deep breath, James looked at the girl next to him. The wind was whipping her hair around her face, and the sun was setting behind her. Smiling to himself, James tucked some loose hair behind her ear, 'Lil's. What are you doing tomorrow?'
'Hmm?' Looking up, Lily smiled. 'Uhm, nothing that I know of. Why?'
'I've been thinking about going back to my parents' estate; I've got to get the letters they left for me, and I need a few things.' After running a hand through his hair, he said, 'I was just wondering if you'd be willing to go with me?'
Laying a hand against his cheek, Lily smiled. 'Of course I will be.' Pushing against him lightly, she giggled, 'You best show me pictures from when you were little.'
'Oh! I will.' Leaning back, James smirked at her. 'I was a gorgeous child.'
x-X-x
Lily stood in the middle of the living room of James' childhood home. You could tell, just by looking around, that he was a well-loved child. There were photos of him everywhere, from all stages of his life. Smiling she picked up a frame of him, maybe six years old, flying around on a broom while his dad stood in the background laughing. 'Hmm. No wonder he's such a good flyer.' she thought to herself, with a smile. Putting the picture back down, she crossed to a bookshelf in the corner.
James stood in his backyard, hands tucked into the pocket of his robes. Frowning, he kicked at the ground, and crossed to a giant willow tree on the back of the property. He tugged on the rope hanging from the branches. With a sigh he began his climb. At the top, he shimmied his way inside and looked around. There was a muggle beanbag chair in the corner, and a pile of Transfigure-Man comics next to them. Grabbing the comics he thumbed through the first one, with a smile. Looking around, he found the loose board he had been looking for. Pulling it up, he saw the two letters. He grabbed them both, and looking at the top one, he opened the envelope.
James.
My wonderful boy. How I wish I was there to say this to you. But at last, I'm not. And it seems useless to dwell on the. . . well, useless. Firstly I want you to know how much I love you. You have always been my sun. I am so glad that you were in my life, my son. Marry, have children. Live your life. Don't let us stop you. If I find out that you've stopped living. I will be pissed! And do you really want to deal with a pissed momma?
Now that we've cleared that. You must know. Voldemort, don't ever fear his name. You are too strong for that. For, fear of his name will only increase fear of him. There is nothing he has that you don't. But many things you have, that he never will.
I am assuming that by you reading this, means that something has happened to your father and I while you are still at school. And I regret that. Knowing that I didn't get the chance to say goodbye. Be strong darling. Know, we fought for what we believed in. We fought, to make this world a better place for you, and someday our grandchildren.
I love you. And always will.
Never forget.
-Mum.
Using the back of his hand, James wiped at his cheeks. Just like the paper, it came away wet. With a sigh, he looked at the letter from his father. Knowing that at the moment, he would not be able to handle a goodbye from him as well, he carefully tucked the letters away in his robes. Then picking up his comics, and a tin of chocolate frog cards he made his way to the bottom of the tree. Standing at the base, he looked around at his childhood playground. With a smile, he slowly made his way back to the house.
Lily sat on the couch, flipping though, Gabrielle Duncan. Witch of the future. Looking up, she smiled when he walked in the room, 'Hey.'
'Hey.' Sitting next to her, James flipped the cover over with a laugh. 'That was one of my mum's favorite books. Apparently this Gabrielle is just full of good ideas.' He rolled his eyes, and said, 'It came out back in the fifties, I think. It's all about women's rights in the wizarding world.'
'Hmm.' Lily traced her fingers over the cover, and smiled at the well-worn pages, 'I believe it. It's actually quite interesting.'
'Oh yeah?' Raising an eyebrow, James stood, and offered her a hand. 'Well then. You must keep it.' Smiling, he pulled her into his arms, 'You've got everything?' When she nodded, he pressed his lips to hers, and the young couple spun on the spot.
x-X-x
The next day, James sat with Sirius and Remus at the Leaky Cauldron, 'Have any of you heard from Wormtail?' he asked, distracted.
Sharing a look with Sirius, Remus shook his head, 'No. I've sent him a few owls these past few weeks. I dunno if he's just busy or what. But he hasn't replied to any of them.'
'Strange.' James looked up and shrugged, 'I dunno.'
Sitting back, Sirius yawned, 'My mother's house is driving me crazy.' When the boys just laughed, he frowned, 'No. I'm serious!'
James smiled and shook his head, 'Maybe we should just get a flat together.' Looking at Remus, he grinned, 'How much do you figure a three bedroom flat in the middle of London would cost us?'
'A three bedroom? Why do you need three bedrooms?' Remus asked, a frown on his face. When the other two just looked at him, 'Oh.' Looking at the table, 'Uh. . . I'm good. I mean, no one is really into hiring . . . someone like me.'
'HA!' James smirked at him, 'Are people having trouble getting over your furry little problem, Moony.'
'It's not funny. And, yeah.' Remus glared at him, his lips twitching.
'Well. . . it's not like you have to actually tell them about it. Do you?' Sirius asked, reaching for his butterbeer.
With a roll of his eyes, Remus nodded, 'It's not like I can miss three days out of the month and not have a reason to. Duh, Padfoot.'
'Why is it. That whenever I ask a question. The word 'duh' is usually in the answer?' Sirius asked James, laughing.
'Really? Duh, Padfoot. Your questions are stupid.' Looking up James grinned, 'Mostly. Sometimes you say some deep stuff.'
'Whatever.' Standing up, Sirius dropped money on the table and grabbed his cloak. 'Come along boys. We have to go flat hunting!'
A/N: So, what did you guys think. Good? I hope so! I love you all. And I will love you a zillion times more if you decide you loved my story so much, you just have to leave a review! ^_^
