October 24, 1981

Desi doodled a picture of a little bow on the corner of her parchment. Since she had been put on in-house duties—which really stirred Women's Lib among the witches in the office—she had taken notes, charted maps, and logged information for recon teams.

She was one paperclip away from going mad.

She leaned back in her office desk and touched the tip of her quill with her finger, testing the sharpness of the point. Squinting her eyes and taking aim, she launched the quill at one of the foam ceiling tiles, smiling to herself when it stuck.

"Bored, love?"

Desi spun in her chair and sighed as Lily approached. "That's an understatement," she said. "I feel so out of the loop. I don't like this at all."

"You might as well settle in, dearest," Lily said sympathetically. "Dumbledore waited a little longer to bench me, but if you care to recall, I did my time in that chair."

"Where are the boys?" Desi asked suddenly, frowning at the comings and goings and noting three glaring absences.

"Remus and James went with Alastor and Dumbledore to meet someone. I suppose Sirius tagged along."

"Where were they going?" She suddenly felt anxious. Something wasn't right.

"The safe room in old Lipton's cabin," Lily said. "Des, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," Desi said, frowning. "But...something."

"Come on," Lily said as she gripped Desi's wrist.

"Where are we going? I'm not supposed to leave," she said as Lily dragged her to the fireplace.

"We're going to the cabin," Lily said. "I know you, and I know your hinky forewarning feelings...if you think something is wrong, then something is wrong." She pulled Desi into the fireplace, shouted the address, and threw down some Floo Powder. They disappeared in a tunnel of green flame.

When they reappeared, it was in a low hearth in a dank cabin. By the time the women stopped spinning, James, Remus, and Sirius were standing in front of the hearth with wands at the ready.

"What in the bloody hell do you think you are doing here?" Sirius roared, hauling them from the fireplace. He gave Lily a shake and passed her to James, then turned his attention to Desi. "We could have killed you!"

"Don't be so dramatic," Desi said hotly. "It isn't as if Death Eaters often use the Floo Network."

"What are you two doing here?" Remus asked, gently drawing Desi's attention before she and Sirius got into a full-blown fight.

"Desi feels something...wrong," Lily said.

"So you show up unannounced?" James asked. "Dammit all, Lil, you don't know what you could have been walking in to."

"What are we walking in to?" Desi asked.

"A meeting, Desdemona."

The group turned at the sound of Dumbledore's voice. Beside him stood a man that Desi hadn't seen since Hogwarts—Severus Snape. Though they had been on the brink of a fight a moment before, Desi found herself stepping closer to Sirius as a sign of solidarity. She noted the way he had gone deadly still, frozen in place with hatred burning in his icy blue eyes.

"What are you doing here?" James asked, his voice eerily calm.

"My business is with Dumbledore, Potter, not you and your ever-faithful lackies," Snape said, raking the group with a sneer.

"Are you offering your services against Voldemort?" Lily asked. Snape whipped his head around and stared at her.

"My business is with Dumbledore," he repeated.

"Well our business is Dumbledore's business," James said, stepping forward.

"James," Remus warned.

"You might have weaseled your way into Hogwarts," Sirius said, advancing as well, "but I'll be damned if you lead your Death Eater friends to the Resistance."

Snape turned to face them fully with a flurry of robes, reaching for his wand. The sudden movement was the only bait James and Sirius needed. They rushed forward and grappled with Snape. Lily and Desi burst into action, pulling at their spouses as they tied in the fray.

"Stop, both of you!" Desi shouted, pummeling Sirius and James on the back.

"Severus, please!" Lily cried, trying to squeeze between her husband and her former friend.

"James, Sirius, that's enough!" Remus called, looking around the tumble of bodies toward where Dumbledore was standing.

"ENOUGH!"

Everyone froze.

In all the years they had known him, no one had ever heard Dumbledore raise his voice in anger. Fury roiled like a living beast as he glared at his most trusted wizards.

"Out," he said quietly. "James, Sirius, Remus...assist Alastor outside. Desdemona and Lily, please, go home."

"You can't possibly be considering-"

Dumbledore interrupted Sirius without a word. He simply raised his hand and the younger man fell silent. Respect, he had learned, worked far better than arguing.

Remus shuffled James and Sirius outside while Lily and Desi returned to the hearth. The last thing Desi saw before they disappeared from the cottage was Snape and Dumbledore in an intense conversation. She saw the shock in Dumbledore's eyes as he looked toward the fireplace, but then they were gone, back to the offices used by the Resistance.


The dimly lit pub was loud and crowded. Desi looked to where James and Sirius sat huddled in a corner, talking intently. Lily sat across from her with her face buried in her hands. Harry sat in a highchair next to the mahogany table, babbling happily as he gnawed on a licorice wand.

"I don't understand," Lily whispered, her voice so quiet Desi barely heard her. "Why us? Why is he coming after us, specifically?"

"I don't know, honey," Desi said, reaching over and laying a hand on Lily's head. "What did Dumbledore say when he called you in?"

"I'm not supposed to discuss it," Lily said miserably. She looked up at Desi with tears in her eyes. "I have to pack up everything, hide from everyone, and I can't even tell you why! I want this sonofabitch to fall, Desi. And soon," she added, looking at her son. "I don't want Harry to grow up like us."

"Hey, now. We did alright, didn't we?" Desi asked lightly. Lily didn't smile, so she gave up the cheery pretense. "I don't want to raise my child with Voldemort on the loose either. We'll find him, Lil. We'll take him down, and then we'll live our lives the way they should be lived. Harry and Little Baby can play together in the park. We'll take them to Ireland to see my folks and you can meet my brother," she said, smiling sadly. "You and James and me and Sirius, we'll get old and grey and hassle all the youngsters who listen to rock'n'roll music."

Lily chuckled, sniffing, before turning sad again. "What'll happen to you if I'm not around to keep you from trouble?"

"I'll just have to keep myself out of it for a bit, until you get back," Desi said. "And maybe without his partner in crime, Sirius can keep his nose clean too," she added. She saw the men rise and start to cross the pub.

"Lil, sweetheart, it's time to go," James said. His voice sounded thicker, harsher than it usually did.

Lily stood and bent to pick up Harry. Desi followed her, sliding from the booth, and wrapped her arms around James. Over the past couple of years, he had changed completely from the arrogant, insufferable prat who had been at school and Desi had come to love him. It was hard for her to say goodbye, even temporarily.

She released James and turned to Lily, who passed Harry to Sirius. Both women tried to hold off tears, but had barely embraced before the torrents came.

"I love you, Des," Lily whispered on a broken sob.

"I love you too," Desi replied. "So much. I don't know what I'd've done if I hadn't found you."

"Gotten expelled, probably," Sirius said, bouncing Harry.

Lily laughed through her tears, but still didn't release Desi. After a moment, James placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We have to leave, love," he said quietly.

Sirius gave the baby to Desi as she wiped her eyes on the end of her sleeve. The child chattered as she watched Sirius embrace James. Her husband squeezed his eyes shut and breathed deeply, holding his emotions in check. He slapped his best friend and brother on the back and cleared his throat.

"I'll be seeing you," he said, bending and placing a chaste kiss on Lily's lips. He lifted her in a bear hug, holding her feet a few inches off the floor. "Take care of my boy," he said.

"Which one?" Lily asked, burying her face against his neck.

"I reckon the old one can take care of himself," Sirius said, setting her back on her feet. "You just take care of my godson. And don't go trying to ruin him," he added, wagging his finger in her face. "As soon as this is done, I'm gonna teach him everything I know. I can't do that if he's all ruined with good manners."

"I love you," Lily said, giving him another quick squeeze. Desi passed Harry to her and she stepped away from them. "Take care of each other," she said as James wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She stifled a sob and buried her face in his coat as he turned and led her from the boisterous pub.

"Sirius."

Sirius watched his best friends leave and wrapped his arms around his wife, huddling her in his arms as she clung to him and cried.


Desi opened her eyes in the middle of the night. She turned her head and looked at Sirius, but he was sleeping peacefully so she didn't want to wake him. Sliding from her bed, she pulled on a t-shirt as she left the bedroom and went downstairs to get something to drink. She reached for the scotch before she remembered the baby. With a sigh, she put it back in the cabinet and got a glass of water. She was returning to the staircase when something down the hallway caught her attention. A bright, pulsing green glow was coming from the direction of the den.

Curious, Desi padded down the hall. Her breath caught when she turned the corner. Her living room—no, not her living room. Lily's living room, she realized, seeing the photos on the floor—was turned upside down. Broken furniture littered the area. Desi struggled to breathe, wanting nothing more than to run from the room, but unable to do so. Something drew her onward. She cried out as she stepped on something sharp with her bare foot.

She closed her eyes as fear gripped her heart. Slowly turning her head to the right, she opened her eyes. Bile rose in her throat as she caught a glimpse of the dark figure slumped against the wall. She looked down, lifting her bleeding foot and choking back a sob when she saw the broken spectacles.

"James?" she whispered, approaching the body. Summoning her strength, she bent and touched the man's cold cheek, unable to stop the trembling in her hands. The head flopped to the side, the eyes—James's eyes—were open and unseeing in death.

Desi scrambled back, falling on her butt. Debris pierced her palms, but her eyes stayed riveted on the dead body of James Potter. She knew she was dreaming...she had to be. She had dreamed this dream before, but not with such realism. She pushed herself to her feet and began looking around for Lily, ignoring the pain in her feet as she trampled on broken glass and splintered wood.

"Lily!" she cried. "Lily, where are you?"

She heard a sound coming from behind her and turned, slightly disoriented at finding herself at the end of the hallway in the Potters' house. She ran toward the sound, a high, keening laugh.

She knew that sound.

"Lily!" she shouted, bursting into the nursery. Voldemort stood there, his wand drawn and pointed at her best friend. Desi attacked him, but his form slid through her hands like smoke.

"Not Harry," Lily pleaded, shaking her head. "Please! Not Harry."

"Stand aside, you silly girl," Voldemort said with a chuckle. "Stand aside now."

"Not Harry," Lily repeated, louder. "Please. No, take me! Kill me instead!"

Voldemort laughed again as if this was all just one big folly. Desi couldn't move. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't pull herself from this nightmare. She was powerless to do anything but stand and watch the downfall of her family.

"Have mercy!" Lily shouted. "Please, I'll do anything!"

"Avada kedavra!" Voldemort shouted, and the room became washed in bright green light.

"NO!" Desi screamed, bolting upright in bed. Around the room, the glass from picture frames exploded as she sent out a pulse of uncontrolled magic. Sirius was beside her in an instant, his arms wrapped tightly around her as she sobbed and heaved against his chest.

"Desi?! What is it, love? Des, you're scaring me," Sirius said as he stroked her back. "Sshh. It's alright. You're alright. Shh..."

It was a long while before she could speak. When she finally found her voice, it sounded strange to her ears, deeper and coarser than normal. She told him about her dream, holding her face in her trembling hands as she struggled for control.

"We lose," she breathed. "All of it is for nothing, Sirius. We lose."

"Hush now, love," he said, taking her into his arms. "It was only a dream."

"It wasn't just a dream," she said. "I think it was a vision. I've had it before, sort of. This was only part of the usual nightmare, but I've had it before. I've seen how we die."

"You never put stock into future-casting," Sirius reminded her. "You've always been firm in the idea that we make our own futures."

"Maybe we can stop it," she said. "I don't know. I don't know why I keep having that dream, but it is getting stronger. And it was more centralized on James and Lily this time."

Sirius was quiet for a long moment. Finally, he kissed her head. "Come on," he said, getting up. "I'm taking you to Dumbledore," he explained when she looked at him questioningly. "He'll know what to do."

They sent an owl to Dumbledore and went to the Resistance headquarters to wait on him. When he arrived, Sirius recounted Desi's dream to the older wizard.

"Sir, James and Lily are in hiding, but I'm not certain that that is enough protection for them."

Dumbledore looked troubled, which made Desi even more unsettled. "I agree, Desdemona. I agree. We must take every precaution to ensure that your vision does not transpire."

"Perhaps a Fidelis Charm?" Sirius suggested.

"That is a good idea, Sirius," Dumbledore said, looking thoughtful. "A Fidelis Charm will lock the Potters' location away so that no one, not even they themselves, can divulge the information. We should go to their flat tonight."

A sharp pain streaked through Desi's stomach, making her catch her breath. She pressed her hand against her abdomen.

"Desi, are you alright?" Sirius asked, looking at his wife. She nodded, but he looked doubtful.

"I'm fine," she insisted. "I think the baby's just upset," she added.

"You need to rest," Sirius said.

"I have to go with you," she countered, looking at Dumbledore for support. "I can help."

"Sirius is right, Desdemona," Dumbledore said with a shake of his head. "You should get some rest. Your child will thank you for it."

Desi's eyes filled with tears, but she raised her chin stubbornly.

"I'll take care of them, love," Sirius promised quietly. "Go on home."

Angry and hurting, Desi Disapparated back to her bedroom, leaving Sirius and Dumbledore to go to the Potters' house and see to their move.