Lily walked home. She had been out for a drink with some of the ladies from her birthing classes. They had all had their babies within a few weeks of each other, and had made an effort to maintain contact. Tonight, they had gone to have a quick drink at a pub in the little town. Ann had declared that they needed one night to be women, rather than mothers. Lily had enlisted her father to watch Harry. He had encouraged the idea, thinking that Lily deserved a break.

James sat having a drink with Dorcas. He had had to obtain permission from Marlene before asking her out. He thought the girl was going to demand a kidney as collateral, but she'd settled for his most sacred promise that he would not – under any circumstances – pull any of the crap he had with Lily.

It had really been no problem to promise. He never wanted to experience that sort of guilt again. He was turning over a new leaf. He smiled, looking at the girl in front of him.

"So, what made you join?" Dorcas asked.

"The Order?" he clarified. "Oh, you know," he said, when she nodded, "chance to see the world, fair pay, excellent benefits."

She laughed. He did like her laugh. There was really nothing better than a fit girl with a good laugh and a clear sense of right and wrong.

"Truly, though?" she said. "A lot of people realize he's a monster, but few are willing to fight."

James shrugged. "A lot of people don't have the option. I mean, if I had to worry about making rent, I might not have the luxury."

She snorted. "I don't think most people would look at fighting in a war as a luxury."

He laughed. "Yeah, but I'm a Gryffindor through and through." He shrugged again. "Anyway, I guess I'm just not interested in seeing hate and prejudice win the day, you know? Someone has to stand up to people like this, or atrocities will become common place."

She nodded. "Yeah, I've heard he wants to make muggleborns register. And there are whisperings about prison just for being a witch or wizard without a close magic relative."

James agreed sadly. "That's not the worst of it, either. I could see him being the sort to be satisfied with nothing less than complete extermination. Just murdering everyone who he considers less than him or a potential threat."

Lily wandered up the lane, smiling at the night. It was warm, and clear, and lovely. She grinned up at the stars. It was nice having friends, she thought. Ann with her upfront attitude. Chelsea with her overwhelming thoughtfulness. Ashleigh with her quick wit.

Dorcas shook her head. "It's absolute madness."

"Yeah," James said. "Which is why we fight." He smiled. "Lucky for us though, we have enough sense to still enjoy the finer things in life." He raised a glass and clinked it against hers.

"Lucky for us," she smiled back.

"So," she said, "do you mind if I ask you a question?"

He shook his head. "Course not."

She tilted her head, smiling in a most distracting manner. "What took you so long to ask me out?"

He shrugged. "I've been a bit of an arse the last few relationships I've tried. I wanted to make sure I was in a better place. So that I knew I was going to take this seriously and not mess you around."

"So considerate of my feelings?" she teased.

"That and Marlene had threatened to castrate me if I got too close to anyone she cared about," he responded.

She almost choked on her drink, she laughed so hard.

And the best part was, thought Lily, they all understood what the others were dealing with. Waking up every few hours to feed the baby, panicking at the first cold, the ridiculous paranoia that if she couldn't hear him snoring, he wasn't breathing. She couldn't count the times she had woken Harry up in the first few weeks over that particular fear.

"You're right," Dorcas said, catching her breath. "You must be a Gryffindor to the very core if you are willing to risk Marlene's wrath."

James shook his head. "No one is that brave." He grinned. "I got her permission first."

Dorcas raised her eyebrows. "How did you get her to change her opinion of you?"

"Is it that bad still?" James asked, surprised.

Dorcas laughed again. "Not that I'm aware of," she said. "But then, I wasn't aware she threatened to castrate you either."

James took an uncomfortable drink. "I think that was more exaggeration than anything else."

She smiled. "I'm sure. She seems to think very highly of you, actually. Says you've grown up quite a bit since Hogwarts."

James watched her finish off the last of her drink.

"We should probably head back," he said, regretting it. He felt like he could have stayed talking to her for hours.

She nodded.

He settled the tab efficiently and rose to walk her home.

Lily laughed softly to herself as she walked. She may have more reason to be concerned for her son's safety than most parents, but she had discovered from her friends that most of what she had experienced was perfectly normal for new mothers. She took a deep breath and spun in a slow circle, basking in the feel of the night and the slightly tipsy feeling the alcohol had caused.

"Tell me," Dorcas said, glancing at him sideways on the walk back to her flat. "Has Sirius grown up as well."

James considered. "I'm not entirely sure." He couldn't see her, but he had the distinct impression she rolled her eyes. "About Voldemort, I think he's always been pretty mature."

"And about girls?" she asked.

"Well," James said, "there he might be a bit, well, stunted. But he seems fairly keen on Mar."

"Oh?" was all she said.

"Well, for starters, he asked me if I'd have a problem with it," James explained. "In the past, Sirius would never go after a girl if he thought I'd have an issue with it. So it makes me think he's a bit more interested than usual. And, beyond that, I've really never seen him devote this kind of time to anything but the Order and, well, pranking."

She laughed. "That's fair, I suppose."

"Really," James added, "I almost never see him anymore. And I live with him!"

Dorcas nodded. "That's how it is with Marlene too." She gave him another look. "She's always over at yours. Probably there right now."

He nodded. "Most likely."

He glanced up when she stopped, realizing that they had already arrived at their destination. Time seemed to move so quickly when he was with Dorcas.

She stood waiting on her doorstep. He looked at her for a long moment before leaning in to kiss her softly. He pulled back far more quickly than he might have liked. He was trying to work on being a gentleman, after all.

"Would you like to come in?" she asked quietly.

He nodded. Being a gentleman was overrated.

Lily hummed quietly to herself as she walked. Rounding the last bend before her house, she stopped dead in her tracks.

It took about three seconds into the flat before James was kissing her again. She responded enthusiastically.

He pushed her back against the door, shifting to get a better angle. His mouth worked on hers while his hands began to wander. She didn't seem to mind in the least.

As he started unbuttoning her blouse, she pulled back.

"Bedroom's over there," she nodded in the direction of a battered door.

He murmured something that hopefully conveyed acknowledgment before going back to kissing her.

Once he had the shirt successfully off, he started pulling her back toward the room she had indicated.

She managed to pull off his shirt on the way.

Once they got through the doorway, he tumbled her onto the bed. She moaned as he trailed his mouth down her neck, hands working at the button on her jeans. Once he had them off, he really went to work.

"No," Lily whispered, staring at the dark mark hovering over her house.