AC- Merlin readers! I am so sorry for my tragic ignorance of my story! I am writing, I swear! I've been so busy lately it's not even funny. I'm supposed to be on holidays I know! Anyway I hope we like this chapter; yes we are drawing near the end as sad as that is. I am so, so, so sorry for not updating! I'm trying to continue writing as often as possible and I'm trying to update as often as I used to. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into the one chapter or more a day routine. Thank you for reading, thank you for the reviews and the constant readers who add me to their favourites! Thank you to those of you who review and give words of advice it means a lot. SS x

I was rather tired now. I had been spending most my days running around doing stupid errands for the Auror office with Alice. 'I bet it's because we're girls' she hissed as we hauled stuff up the many flight of stairs. 'They aren't that sexist are they? I mean come on, it's not like we haven't proven we are good at fighting' I muttered my chest hurting. 'Maybe the boys have said we need protection' Alice groaned and I rolled my eyes. 'I would much rather you wouldn't jinx that Alice. I think it is because they are running out of things for us to do...' I told her stopping to catch our breath for a moment.

'I know you don't believe that Lily' she said blandly blowing her hair out her face, 'or don't you read the bloody Prophet anymore?' I ignored her and just focused my energy on heaving the boxes in front of us. 'Sorry that was mean' she apologized a moment later. 'It's fine. I just don't like not fighting, I don't like being told to shut up and haul around boxes while they risk James' or Sirius' or Frank's lives' I told her softly and an understanding past through us.

'Fredrick a word please' I called as we finally arrived where he said to meet him. 'Yes?' he asked distractedly still focusing on the folders before him. 'Why are we not on the bloody field?' I asked fury enveloping me. 'I- What?' he asked clearly confused. 'I am sick of hauling your shit around! You want to move it do it yourself! I want to fight I don't care if it's dangerous I was under the impression you understood I was capable' I told him and he looked at me bemused.

'What do you mean Potter?' he asked getting concerned. 'Don't act like you don't bloody well know! Making Alice and I move your shit around while you send everyone but us to fight Death Eaters. Why do we get the box job?' I asked stepping forward my eyes so furious I felt they could burn holes right through him. 'Yeah!' Alice agreed causing me to giggle slightly in my head.

'Alright sorry. I guess I didn't realise, again sorry. Merlin I guess I've been up to my eyes in work I haven't had time to see what's going on around here' he said again getting distracted by some folders. 'Just... Let me see what you've got going on' I sighed moving him over and looking at them. 'Are you serious?' I laughed rolling my eyes at Alice who sneaked a peak at the folders before trying to stifle a giggle.

'Fredrick, Sirius and James planted fake folders of work in your office to distract you. To cause a stir. These are those fake folders you dimwit' I laughed out loud as his face turned a horrid blotchy red colour. 'POTTER, BLACK HERE NOW!' he yelled a vein pulsing in his forehead. 'Shivers. We're out, I don't want them to kill us for telling you' I squeaked grabbing Alice and shuffling out the room as fast and discretely as we could.

'Yes sir?' I heard James ask casually flopping himself on a seat. 'WHAT ARE ALL THESE? WHY ARE YOU PLACING FALSE WORK IN MY OFFICE WHEN I WAS CLEARLY BUSY ENOUGH!' he yelled at them ad me and Alice tried to contain our giggle from our hidey spot on the other side of the door. 'Well Fredrick, we were getting a bit bored-' Sirius tried. 'BORED? WHEN I SEND YOU ON THESE BLASTED MISSIONS WHERE YOU FIGHT FOR YOU USELESS LIFE AND YET YOU'RE BORED ENOUGH TO CAUSE MORE SUFFERING FOR YOUR BOSS? I OUGHT TO FIRE THE PAIR OF YOU BASTARDS NOW!' Fredrick screamed and me and Alice tiptoed down the stairs.

'They are in loads of trouble' I giggled to Alice as we joined the remaining Aurors in the tea room. 'What happened?' Rolf the smallest asked grinning cockily at us. 'You know those folders they slipped into Fredrick's? Well Alice and I just tipped Fredrick off about them and well, now they are in it, the deep end without floaties as my mummy would say' I laughed at their reactions. 'Nice going' Frank nodding approvingly kissing his wife's forehead as he slipped his arm around her waist and they snuggled together.

'Well, at least we get to go back on missions now' Alice said playing with a strand of her hair. 'Why did I have to marry the arrogant, bullying, idiotic, annoying guy in our year?' I sniffled acting envious of their snuggling, causing Alice to laugh unstoppably. 'What?' Frank asked looking at us as though we had gone mad. 'Nothing. Just something we used to laugh about at Hogwarts' I told him laughing along with Alice at the use of a joke we had used countless times in Hogwarts. I was amazed we still remembered it.

'Geez thanks whoever it was that dobbed us in' James muttered slouching in the room with Sirius both looking thoroughly downcast. 'What happened?' I cooed walking straight to his side not meeting the others eyes. 'We get your jobs for the next three months and you and Alice get to go on all the most dangerous missions' he sighed sadly. 'YAY!' me and Alice cheered high fiving each other. 'Wait Prongs!' Sirius said holding up his hand. 'They sold us out! Bitches!' he gasped dramatically raising his hand to his heart in mock horror.

'No!' James joined in pushing me from his side nearer to Alice. We glanced at each other before falling into fits of hysterics. 'You... idiots!' I gasped between my fits of laughter. 'Lily! How could you?' James asked continuing with their mock horror act. 'Don't be a fool Potter. We all know you had it coming to you' I teased tickling his ribs before cracking up into another fit of giggles. He glared at me clearly unimpressed.

'You are so paying when we get him' he said through grinded teeth as we all cleared off to get back to work. I shimmied my hips at him smirking before following Alice and Frank down the hall to the office we shared. 'James, I hate your wife' I heard Sirius yell and a thump and a yelp told me one of them hit the other. I grinned to myself before sitting in a swinging chair and spinning around the office for probably two minutes.

We finished work in a matter of time; I got to sit around and gloat watching Sirius and James heave the boxes up and down, from top floor to bottom floor handing out things to different ministry employees. Now, I was at home with a furious James who was fun to annoy no matter how much he hated it when I did. 'Prongs, Potter, Prick, Prat, Pathetic, Puggly, Pupid' I sung tormentingly. 'You're making up mumble jumble words' he muttered trying to block me out. 'No I'm not! Merlin Potter you pathetically puggy Prongs with your prick from a prat of a pupid brain' I said trying to use all the words at once and he snorted.

'Stop' he suddenly growled flipping over so that I sat on his lap. 'No' I mumbled against his lips. 'Lily Evans, are you saying no, again, to James Potter?' he asked raising an eyebrow. 'No' I whispered kissing him lightly. 'Then what did you say just then?' he asked his voice teasing me. 'No' I repeated and he chuckled. 'I still need to get you back from work today you know' he whispered dangerously in my ear. My heart fluttered in excited fear, though I would never admit it, and I know he knew it did because he chuckled. 'Nervous Evans?' he asked innocently but I shook my head not trusting my voice to respond. 'Sorry? I didn't hear that' he smirked. 'No, not nervous' I squeaked quietly and he laughed loudly.

But his punishment wasn't too bad. A little kissing, well lots of kissing and a little sweet talk. I mean, who calls that punishment? Soon I was busy cooking though and he was telling me about this one time Sirius got a muggle girlfriend and what a catastrophe that turned out to be. 'You two really are horrible with girls aren't you?' as he told me the catastrophic end. 'Like you could do any better!' he defended themselves. 'Oh please you were fifteen? Just turned sixteen? Any normal guy can read a girl by then' I snorted.

'That's not true and you know it' he sneered playfully at me. 'Sometimes I wonder just how pathetic you are James. The girl was giving him all the signs, her name was Mariette right? Well she used the silence after the mentioning of 'how things were with her family' to say 'not so well, I don't want to talk about it' but answered anyway hoping he would know to stop the conversation or comfort her. By saying' ohh I've always loved romances!' when Sirius mentioned that stupid movie she was saying 'oh hey could you invite me to go see it? You know, like a date?' Are you really that daft?' I asked banging his head lightly with a wooden spoon.

We talked a while longer as the beans cooked and the toast heated up. I really wasn't in the mood for a proper meal tonight. 'Fine then miss I'm-so-smart-my-husband-is-an-idiot, next time we'll get you to sneak on a date with them and you can hiss advice in his ear' James snorted winding his arms around my waist and hugging me from behind. 'No way. I am not about to tag along on his date James. I'm not a third wheel type of girl' I told him kissing his cheek as he rested it on my shoulder.

We ate through a small dinner consisting of beans and toast and glasses of wine each. I told James stories of when I was little and he told me stories of when he was young. When we finished eating we continued with our stories but snuggled up next to each other on the couch like a real married couple would do. We were tucked up in our nice and warm bed in a matter of time though. And as soon as we drifted off the first snow of the year began to drift lazily past our window landing gently, decoratively on our window pane or on the grass down further below. When we wake it would truly be a beautiful sight.