Uhm…I'm a little ashamed to be coming up now, since I'm well aware that it's been forever since I updated. School is a bitch as always and it's my final semester of Pre-U! I don't know if I should be happy or terrified, but it's been pretty horrible so far. How long has it been since the last update?

Here' s a new chapter, forgive me?

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

But what do you say to taking chances?
What do you say to jumping off the edge?
Never knowing if there's solid ground below
Or hand to hold, or hell to pay,
What do you say,
What do you say?

-Taking Chances, Celine Dion

::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"Are you sure you won't change your mind?"

Lily looked up from the bed to where James stood, straightening his clothes. An apprehensive look crossed her face as she watched him sigh deeply and sink into the mattress next to her.

"I'm sure, Lily," he said with an air of finality.

She let out an exhale. "I know you are," she said finally. "I just feel wrong for not agreeing. I feel like a right coward. I feel selfish."

"You're not a coward and it's alright to be selfish sometimes," James told her, kissing her forehead. "And I don't think of you any less for it."

Lily smiled. Over the past three months, their relationship grew. They had agreed not to rush into things, but they came to care for each other a great deal since their marriage.

"Thank you," she said, helping him with his cloak. "Please be careful."

"I will," he promised her. "You don't have to stay up for me, go and rest."

She nodded. She reached up to kiss his cheek and he gave her one last look before Apparating away.

Lily watched the spot where he disappeared long after he was gone.

::::::::::::::::::

James arrived at Hogsmeade to find Sirius waiting for him inside the Three Broomsticks, smooth-talking a blushing Madam Rosmerta, the curvy woman who worked the bar.

"Prongs!" he grinned as soon as his best friend came into view. "I was wondering when you'd show your face around here!"

"Hello, Rosmerta," James greeted, pointedly ignoring Sirius.

"Hello, James, dear," she replied, smiling. "May I get you a drink? A Firewhisky, maybe?"

"Just a Butterbeer for me, I don't want to be too drunk," James said graciously.

"Yeah, you don't," Sirius snickered. "You don't want to come home to Lily drunk. Forget Death Eaters, she will murder you!"

"Oh, yes, I've heard about that," Rosmerta piped up, her eyes sparkling with interest. "How is married life treating you, dear?"

"Well," James said, grinning. "It's been great so far."

"When are you taking her round here?" Rosmerta asked. "I would love to meet her."

"I'll make sure to bring her around," James promised.

"I think we have to go," Sirius said looking at his pocket watch. "Thank you for the drinks, Rosmerta."

"Anytime, boys," she waved animatedly.

"Come on," Sirius said, yanking James's arm and dragging him away.

The two of them made their way to the castle and into Dumbledore's study. A round table was already in place and half the members of the Order were already seated. Dumbledore was deep in conversation with Hagrid, while McGonagall sat next to Alice and Frank Longbottom. Mad-Eye Moody was making gruff remarks to a giggling Marlene McKinnon and Dorcas Meadowes.

"Ah, James, Sirius, how nice to you to drop by," said Dumbledore pleasantly. "Come, have a seat."

"So, Remus and Peter not yet here?"

"No, Remus sent word that he will be a little late, but Peter, Merlin knows what that boy is doing. He probably forgot there's a meeting," replied Mad-Eye, his artificial eye whizzing madly in its socket. Marlene rolled her eyes. "Oh, give the boy a break, Mad-Eye," she said. "Peter is doing his best. It's not his fault."

James chuckled. Peter was not the best wizard, but he sure was a loyal friend to them, and it was more than anyone could ask for.

A few more people arrived. The meeting started but James's mind was elsewhere. He thought about his wife- who was alone at home. His mind started creating horrible scenarios involving Lily: what if Death Eaters found their way there? What if they managed to break into their house and abduct Lily? His involvement with the Order was not exactly what one might call a secret- and his wife could very well pay the price.

"…isn't that right, James?"

James snapped out of his reverie. He found himself being stared at by the rest of the Order. He allowed himself to look embarrassed before mumbling an apology.

"Now that Potter's finally out of his own little world…" Mad-Eye said, shooting James an irritated glance. "We need some people for the Ministry party in two weeks too. Several possible Death Eaters will be present, and we need people to watch out for Lucius Malfoy and the Lestranges in particular."

"I would love to keep tabs on my dear cousins, so I volunteer," Sirius raised his hand lazily.

"Me too," James piped up. "I already received an invitation."

"I forgot, it's by invitation only," sighed Dorcas Meadowes, a scowl on her face. "As much as I'd love to go, I'm not invited."

"Alright, Potter, Black, Alice and Frank," Mad-Eye grunted, pointing at each of them in turn. "This one's yours."

They nodded and Mad-Eye dismissed them. They then took turns disappearing into Dumbledore's fireplace. James and Sirius were the last ones to go.

"See you," James nodded to his friend before disappearing into the emerald flames.

The next moment, he was greeted by the sight of his wife sitting on the couch, poring over a thick tome.

"Welcome home," she greeted, setting the book aside, smiling up at him.

"Was everything okay?" he asked. She rolled her eyes in response. "Yes, James, I can keep myself out of trouble for a couple of hours while you're gone. Give me some credit."

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "By the way, have you thought about what you're going to wear for the Ministry Gala?"

"What gala?" Lily asked, her eyebrow arching.

"Did I forget to tell you?" James ran his fingers through his hair. "We received an invitation to the Ministry's Annual Society Gala."

"It will be my first event since we married, won't it?" Lily said softly. "I should get ready for it."

"You don't have to worry much about it," James said quickly. "It's really nothing much."

"I want to," Lily said quickly. "I want to make a good impression, since it's my first as your wife."

"Alright, but don't overwork it," James said, kissing her forehead.

"I won't," Lily promised.

Lily smiled and got up to her feet. "I'll go upstairs," James nodded. "Are you coming?"

"Later. I want to finish this book first," she held up War and Peace with a shrug. "I'm almost done."

"I'll see you in the morning."

Lily nodded.

The next day, James found her sprawled on the couch, War and Peace lay open on her stomach. He smiled a little before going to the kitchen to start making coffee.

Lily woke up on cue. James learned early in their marriage that his wife wakes up at around eight o'clock in the morning every day. She also despises coffee, preferring hot chocolate instead. She takes this with a dash of cinnamon and almost always opts to have English muffins with it. James made sure to prepare these before she woke, earning him a grateful smile from his still groggy wife.

"What happened last night? Were there any attacks?" she asked as she reached for her mug.

"Nothing much, really, it's just mostly patrolling and things like that, nothing too dangerous," he answered, shrugging.

"Nothing dangerous? You're trailing Death Eaters for Merlin's sake," she said.

"Lily, I'm going to be fine," James insisted. They had this argument too many times. "I have people with me, people I trust. Nothing's going to happen to me, I promise."

She nodded, but James knew that she would not let the matter rest easily. He finally realized what Sirius meant when he said that Lily does not know when to give up.

"Petunia and Vernon are coming home in a month," she said, trying to diffuse the slight tension in the room. "I'm not sure how happy I'll be seeing my sister's whale of a husband, but I suppose I can tolerate him for her sake. I still don't know what she saw in him!"

James laughed. "Sounds interesting."

"No," Lily looked at him incredulously. "He is absolutely horrid. Almost as bad as my sister. But then again, you've never met Petunia before, have you?"

"I haven't had the pleasure," he said.

"It's no pleasure, believe me," Lily wrinkled her nose. "She wasn't like this before. I don't know what happened, but she just started being unpleasant and we kept fighting and fighting," her tone softened and her expression changed to one of hurt.

James was at a loss. Lily must have noticed his discomfort because she immediately looked up and smiled. "What are you doing today?"

James almost exhaled loudly in relief.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

"James, hurry up, we're going to be late!" Lily called to her husband, putting on a pair of diamond earrings. "James!"

"I'm nearly done!" James emerged from the bathroom in his black suit, his bow tie undone and hanging around his neck. "I absolutely hate these galas."

Lily giggled. "You must have attended hundreds by now, surely you've gotten used to it?"

"I don't think I'll ever get used to it," James said as she helped him with his tie. "But you look stunning, Lil, you always do."

"Thank you, but you know, being my husband does make it a biased opinion."

"I mean it, Lily."

Lily kissed his cheek. "I know you do, darling."

"Are you ready to go?" he asked her.

She grabbed a satin clutch from her vanity table and said, "Yes, now I am."

"Shall we?" he offered her his hand. As soon as she took it, they Disapparated from their house.

The Annual Ministry Gala, was, as usual, attended by the most prominent figures in Wizarding Society. The whole ballroom was decked in blue and gold banners and streamers. In the farthest right corner was an enchanted orchestra, playing a selection of classical music. Garlands decorated the staircase and streamers hung from the banisters. James looked at Lily before she smiled at him and proceeded to the grand staircase.

"James!" a woman's voice called out. "How good to see you!"

The couple turned to see an elderly lady, dressed in midnight blue dress robes. She has greying hair framing her smiling face.

"Minister," James bowed slightly. "It's an honor."

"Oh, you," she said. "Are your parents coming?"

"I'm not sure yet," James replied. "Mother was feeling a bit under the weather yesterday, but I think they might be able to make it."

"I see," Minister Bagnold smiled and looked expectantly at Lily, who was still clutching James' arm.

"How rude of me," he said, finally taking notice. "Minister, may I introduce my wife? This is Lily."

"Pleasure to meet you, Minister," Lily extended her hand.

"Pleasure's all mine, dear," Minister Bagnold laughed. "Have you any trouble with this one? I've known him since he was a boy, he's a mischievous one, James. But a good lad…good lad."

"May I ask how you knew him, Minister?" Lily said politely, suddenly interested, ignoring James's scowling face.

"His mother and I were friends. He used to come around here and play around his father's office too. He was a handful, he used to run around and hide in cupboards. Once we weren't able to find him until we had to close for the day!"

"I think that's enough," James interrupted.

"I don't think so, do you, Minister?" Lily asked, smirking.

Minister Bagnold laughed. "She's a nice girl," she said, nodding towards Lily. "Take care of her, James."

"She doesn't need it, but I will," James said.

"It was very nice to meet you, Minister," Lily said, extending her hand.

"Likewise, dear. Always a pleasure. If you'll excuse me, I think I need to attend to the orchestra selections."

Lily and James watched as she stalked away, her skirt bellowing after her.

"I'm sorry, this is awfully boring, I know," James turned to her.

"What are you talking about? We made the choice to go together, there's nothing you have to apologize for, don't be silly."

She took his hand and they walked together towards the dance floor. He led her to the middle, right underneath the spectacular crystal and wrought-gold chandelier. The musicians had changed their song just as they held hands- a soft melody on the piano that was soon accompanied by a single violin.

"Salut d'Amour," she mumbled.

"What was that?" he asked, leaning a bit to hear.

She laughed. "The song. It's called Salut d'Amour. Love's Greeting."

"Oh."

"It's my favourite."

James made a mental note of that.

She was very light on her feet, James noted. He felt like he was too nervous at their wedding to notice, and they had not danced since. But now, with her favourite piece on the background, he felt like there were no other people in the room. She looked beautiful, in her green dress that made her eyes seem so much brighter, with her red hair tumbling in curls behind her and the smile he missed so much gracing her face. He was reminded of how she laughed at his jokes, and how she smiled wryly when she thinks she has the upper hand. How she never apologizes even when she knew she was wrong. How she relentlessly defended every single case until they forgot what they were arguing about. How she got angry for unknown reasons. How she they argued about who would sleep on the couch during the first few weeks of their marriage. How she eventually allowed him to sleep next to her. How she was starting to trust him.

He was reminded of how he fell for her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, interrupting his reverie.

"You."

"Me?"

"Just you."

She scoffed. "Don't you try to sway me with your pretty words."

"I'm not. I don't need to, do I? I am married to you, you know."

"Stop daydreaming," she said, trying to sound annoyed but failed- she could hardly keep the amusement from her voice.

"Well, I could-"

"JAMES!"

James mentally cursed Sirius for being so damn loud. "What do you want?" he asked. And this better be good! he added mentally.

"Can I steal him for one second, Lils? By the way, you look ravishing," he said, winking at her and pulling James by the arm.

"Thank you," she said crisply, staring after them. James looked helplessly towards his wife who simply smiled and took a canapé from a passing waiter.

"What is it?" James asked once they were out of earshot.

"I don't know why, but I have the feeling my dear baby brother is being coerced," Sirius said, suddenly sounding grave, in stark contrast to the chirpy tone he used with Lily earlier.

"By who?"

"Who else? But the proper," he said this with a scowl, "side of the family."

"Surely your mother isn't mental enough to think that's the right thing to do? I mean, sure she's awful, but this?" James argued. "Your brother is only seventeen, for Merlin's sake."

"Who knows what my hag of a mother is thinking?" Sirius said in a loud whisper. "I know I'm not all that fond of my idiot brother, but I don't want to see him risking his neck in this business!"

"Wait, why did you think of this, anyway?"

"I heard Bella talking to him about a mission. What else would Bella talk about? It's an open secret that they're involved with Death Eaters."

"Do you think they will try to do something here?" James asked, casting a worried glance over his shoulder at his wife, who was standing alone in a corner.

"I don't know. There are too many people, but then again, when have they been afraid of confrontation?" Sirius scoffed. "They probably can't do it openly though, they might conceal their identity instead. They wouldn't want to ruin their reputation, it's their best leverage."

"I know, but-"

"We just have to keep an eye out. That's what we're supposed to do, isn't it?" Sirius said. He followed James's gaze and nodded. "Go back to Lily, she might be getting bored."

James nodded, his eyes still on her. "She's getting worried, I know. She stayed up to wait for me after the last meeting."

"She's bound to notice something. She's the suspicious type, Lily," Sirius noted. "She's not going to let anything go. One of her annoying traits, if you ask me."

"Do you-"

James got cut off by the sound of an explosion. There was a stunned silence in the room, before someone screamed- one of the walls decimated to rubble. James nodded to Sirius, who set off towards the source, while James fought his way through the chaos to find his wife.

"James!" he heard her shout. She was running to him, hiking her skirt up and holding her wand at the ready. Another explosion startled them and he grabbed her quickly, almost as if he was afraid that she would disappear right in front of his eyes.

"Are you alright, Lily?" he asked her frantically.

"I'm fine, but what in Merlin's name is happening?" she said, looking around. There is a mad scramble for the Floo Network and the sound of multiple Apparitions filled the room. James took Lily by the wrist and went off to find Sirius.

"Lily, you have to get out of here," James told her, keeping a wary eye out for his best friend.

"What about you?" she asked. "You're not going to stay, are you?"

Before he could answer, his eye caught dark shadows lingering at the destroyed wall. A group of people no less than twenty-five were marching in, wearing masks and dark cloaks. A lump formed in James's throat.

Death Eaters.

The first thing on his mind is that the needed to get Lily out of there and fast. She watched the scene in front of her with unperturbed eyes, her hand clenched tightly around her wand. She pushed her hair off her face and looked up at James.

A loud cackling filled the air. The two of them looked up to see Sirius emerging from the smoke, circling a hooded figure in a combative stance. The two started firing spells one after the other, moving in a strangely graceful dance.

More hooded figures appeared in front, their wands raised. They surrounded Lily and James, and to James's horror, Lily did not move back. Instead, she drew herself to her full height and faced them, her eyes issuing a silent challenge.

Try me.

The one at the farthest left whipped out his wand and sent a jet of red light towards her, which she deflected wordlessly. She looked at her gown for a split second before tearing it, littering the smooth marble floor with shreds of smooth green chiffon.

She looked up at him and smirked.

We're in this together.

They were barely missed by a spell and James knew he needed to be alert. He drew his wand and stood back to back with her. Spells fired left, right and centre. Most people have gone, but the Minister and several Aurors have joined the fight. Lily sent Stunning Spells flying towards the Death Eater close to her and hit him squarely in the chest. She then disarmed the one who attempted to curse James while his back was turned.

"Potter!"

Alastor Moody has joined the fray. James felt an immediate sense of relief upon seeing his scarred face. He was tackling three at once and the limp in his gait becoming more and more noticeable. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sirius still engaged in a battle with who he assumed to be Bellatrix, his eyes glinting with a maniacal rage. To his left he could see Lily, still struggling to keep up with her opponent on her delicate heels.

He did not have the time to worry about her. He was kept occupied by two Death Eaters who took turns trying to curse him. A sharp pain brought him to his knees- someone must have attacked him while he was busy warding off his opponents.

It was a pain he had never felt before. It seemed to course through all the veins in his body, rendering him immobile. If he had to compare, it would be akin to the sensation of having multiple white-hot knives piercing him from underneath his skin, all at the same time.

"James!"

Lily's panicked scream brought him back to reality. "Stupefy!" she shrieked, not bothering with nonverbal spells anymore. He heard the sound of her opponent falling to the ground and the sound of her shoes as she ran towards him.

"James!" she shouted again, this time, her voice was closer. Seconds later, he felt her hand on his face, caressing him.

"Cruciatus curse," he managed to choke out.

The sensation wore out eventually. He managed to sit up, only to fall back down.

"Keep down!" Lily scolded him. She then raised her wand to stun an approaching opponent, who keeled over backwards immediately.

A moment later, a sharp pop made the entire room fall silent. Albus Dumbledore had arrived, his blue eyes twinkling as he surveyed his surroundings. His purple robes swished behind him as he was immediately engaged in battle by a tall figure, whom he had no problem defeating. More members of the Order appeared one after the other, wands held aloft, ready to fight.

Almost at the same time, the Death Eaters all looked at their arms, some clutching it in pain. They started Disapparating, but not before Bellatrix delivered a well-aimed Cruciatus Curse towards her younger cousin. Sirius managed to avoid it, although it hit and shattered the podium behind him. Mad-Eye Moody grumbled about cowardice while the other members set out to inspect the surrounding area.

"It's the Dark Mark," James answered the question on Lily's mind. "It burns whenever he summons them."

She nodded, still holding his hand. She watched Dumbledore as he waved his wand over the carnage, willing everything to go back to the way they were.

"Well, that was extremely arrogant," Dumbledore mused. "You wouldn't think Death Eaters would do such a thing, would you?"

"I'm sure Bella is just fine with brandishing her wand around as long as it hits somebody with a curse," Sirius sneered.

"They've got some real guts doing it at a gathering," James said.

"Are you alright, mate?" Sirius asked, as if he suddenly remembered that his friend got cursed. "I was going to come help, but Lily took care of it."

"You were busy with your psychotic cousin, Sirius, we forgive you," Lily cracked a smile.

"I think you better go home and rest, James," Dumbledore suggested. "You've done enough."

"I can handle him," Lily said, helping James to his feet. "But before that, Lord Dumbledore, may I speak with you?"

"Of course," he said. Lily nodded to Sirius, who took her place next to James, supporting him.

She led Dumbledore until they were well out of earshot. James watched her serious face as she spoke. Dumbledore listened intently to her, but James could not read his lip movement when he replied. Lily looked determined, and finally, Dumbledore nodded.

She walked back after bowing slightly to Dumbledore and smiled at James. "Let's go," she said as she slung his arm around her shoulder, supporting his weight.

"Are you sure, Lily? I mean, I can help you," Sirius offered.

"I'm fine, Sirius," she assured him. They made their way to the fireplace, where green flames were already burning.

"See you tomorrow, Padfoot," James said.

"See you, Prongs, Lily," Sirius replied. Lily nodded to Sirius before helping James step into the flames.

"Godric's Hollow," she said in a firm voice and the emerald flames engulfed them.

Moments later, they found themselves in their own fireplace. "I can walk, Lily," James told her. He set himself down on the couch while Lily went off to the kitchen to make tea.

"What did you talk to Dumbledore about?" he asked when she returned, balancing a tray on her hands.

"I asked him something."

"What about?"

She sighed, and looked at him straight in the face. He could see the tenacity in her emerald eyes as she spoke.

"I asked to join the Order of the Phoenix."

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I'm sorry, do you want to beat me up for being so late?

I finished this because I have an hour-long interview I don't really want to transcribe and two articles to write for my journalism class. I really work better with things like this when I have schoolwork to shy away from. -_- I always tell myself to sit down and write but somehow never get the motivation. I spend plenty of my time stalking Arashi videos on the internet and procrastinating my homework. But here's to hoping I'd get a move on and write more.

I had some trouble with this- I seriously don't know what to fill up the gap between the wedding and the next big event in the plot (oh, yes, something will happen soon!) and I'm looking forward to writing more about their married life. I tend to write what excites me first, then realize that I need to write a build-up for it. I'm an idiot, I know.

It kinda sucks that I know how to end this before I planned the filler events. Bad planning skills.

Anyway, I love writing Sirius. The bit where he called his mother a hag actually came from a show I was watching- the lead character had the tendency to call his mother a 'witch' and a 'hag', something that wasn't really unjustified, to be fair.

I was also trying to be more careful in writing Lily, because I noticed that I seem to have made her a little too nice? Maybe it's because some of her unsavoury characteristics have not come to play yet, but I don't want her to be a character that isn't fully fleshed out, I want her to have complexes and her own reasoning and flaws. I love complex characters, although I don't know yet if I'm any good at writing them. It annoys me when the character is too good to be true and I try to be careful when writing to avoid such characters.

I'm writing this semester for school, because I chose magazine journalism as my practicum, and boy is it HARD. My lecturer seems to enjoy ripping my self-confidence to shreds, but she's well-meaning. I've started accepting criticism more, which I think contributes to my growth as a writer. I've also started blogging more often to practice my writing. I've written some backstories on some of my characters and I've put it up on a website, but I think I'll take that down and instead put it in the chapters. Like one at a time. What do you think of that?

I would like to thank everyone who's reviewed so far, and those who added me to communities (little do I know what those are!). You guys rock!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. I'm losing steam on this story, though, but I'll press on! I would also like to remind you that I thrive on feedback so review away! Please don't just favourite it or alert it without reviewing, it gets discouraging. Seriously.