A/N- Here's the next one. This is around the beginning of 1980, in case anyone was wondering. I have most of the story planned so hopefully I'll be able to finish it off quickly.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Death everywhere. Bodies dropping like flies - wizards, muggles and everything in between. Voldemort was fear. Voldemort was terror. Voldemort was death. The Ministry of Magic tried its utmost to send Aurors into potential target areas. But each time, they would reach too late. Soon, it became certain that there was someone passing information to the dark side. There was never any concrete proof of a single person's involvement, just hints and whispers which would foster the first seeds of doubt. And doubt can grow on practically nothing. Like the most tenacious weed, it slowly but firmly draws itself up, moving from one part of the mind to another, spreading suspicion, increasing anxiety and poisoning trust. Perhaps this was why Voldemort had gained such tremendous power. He wasn't just an extremely powerful wizard, he also knew exactly how to tear people apart. The more unsure, the more doubtful, the more frightened - this became a terrifying trend in his campaign against those you opposed him.

Albus Dumbledore knew Tom Riddle. He knew the pride and arrogance which dictated each and every one of his moves. He knew that defeating him was near impossible. He also knew that he had two very powerful weapons. Lily Evans and James Potter.

19 year old Lily Evans was a clever witch, a brilliant potioneer, a good duelist, an empathic member of the Order, and a muggleborn. She was the antithesis of everything Voldemort was and represented. She did not take pride in her abilities, she was humble, she knew fear and she was an uncommonly kind person. She had faced discrimination and prejudice throughout her life, and she had learnt that people do the most terrible things when they're afraid. She wasn't quick to trust, but she was willing to look beyond initial appearances. Her magic was so strong because she poured her soul into it, not afraid or ashamed of who she was. It was no wonder that she had come into Voldemort's radar. She was everything that Voldemort feared, and therefore wanted to eliminate.

Another 19 year old, James Potter, although sharing many traits with Voldemort, differed where it mattered most. James had been arrogant in school, although that had faded over time. He knew he was a fantastic wizard. He was a pureblood. And he loved with all his heart. Every person who knew James Potter, knew that he was the one person willing to dole out second, third, fourth and even fifth chances. James was not a quitter. He would never give up on people. He liked to believe that under the right circumstances, everyone would be able to reform. Perhaps it was because he came from an exceedingly rich family with parents who often spoiled him silly. Maybe it made him slightly naive to the ways of the world. But that was James Potter's greatest gift - his ability to love and care for people. Underneath his mischief, pranks, silly arrogance and inflated ego, there stood a young man hoping that he could change the world.

And all of Dumbledore's well-laid plans went astray when it was suddenly announced that Lily Evans was 4 weeks pregnant.

"Honestly, Prongs, do you have no control?" asked Sirius, grinning from ear to ear. "I mean, I know that Evans is fit, but couldn't you keep it in your pants for a little longer? Not that I mind this development too much. I can't wait for little Prongslet!"

Lily scrunched up her nose. "Prongslet? Excuse me? I'd rather you didn't refer to our unborn child as 'Prongslet'. It's bad enough that I've got a Prongs."

"Aw, Evans, you know you love it. How could you not?" said Sirius. He nudged James in the ribs, causing him to stir violently. "Prongsy, you've been awfully quiet. Responsibility getting the better of you?"

"Huh? No… I was actually wondering about the baby. I spoke to Dumbledore earlier," said James, thoughtfully.

"Oh? What did he say?" said Remus, noting the odd edge in his friend's voice.

"He suggested that we abort it."

"What?!"

"Oh dear…"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Everyone turned to the loudest exclamation that came from a furious redhead.

"I will NOT abort our baby! And if you would rather not have anything to do with it, I'm fine looking after it on my own! Do you understand, James Fleamont Potter?" she finished indignantly.

"Really?" said James, looking a little astonished. Slowly a grin formed on his face. "I'm so glad you feel that way, Lils. I didn't want to abort our baby either but Dumbledore was telling me about all the dangers of bringing a kid into the world now. And also how we'd be liabilities after that. Not to mention the fact that you wouldn't be able to go on missions for a while."

"Fuck all that shit. I am not giving up our baby."

James laughed and swiftly moved in to kiss Lily. Remus gave them a small smile while Sirius wolf whistled.

"I'd ask you lovebirds to keep it clean, but you've already done your bit."

"Ew, Sirius!" said Lily, throwing a cushion at him.

"I didn't do anything!" he cried indignantly as James and Remus joined in with more cushions. "I'm outnumbered here!"

Remus was sitting outside the garden in front of James' house. He thought back at everything that had just happened inside with a small smile on his face.

"You complete arse, Potter!" yelled Lily, flinging a book at the bespectacled boy in front of her. James grabbed it expertly and ran across the room, hoping to avoid further heavy objects sent in his direction.

"What'd you do, Prongs?" asked Sirius, grinning at them both. Lily turned towards him, belly slightly swollen, sweat glistening on her face. All that was belied by the fact that she was glowering with rage. "Woah, Evans, calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down?" she yelled, marching towards Sirius, who had backed up hastily into a foot stool and almost lost his balance. "I am pregnant! Do you know how difficult that is?"

Sirius was about to answer, when he felt Remus beside him. "For Merlin's sake, Padfoot, don't answer!" he whispered urgently.

"I can't go on missions! I have to control what kind of food I eat! Everyone is patronising me for some unfathomable reason! And to top it off, my boyfriend wants to marry me because he's embarrassed to have a child out of wedlock!"

James moved the book from in front of his face, looking bewildered. He was about to open his mouth, when both Sirius and Remus hushed him violently.

"I can't believe you, James," she said, her volume lowering slightly. "How could you…"

"Lil's, you've got it all wrong," said James, getting up and ignoring Sirius and Remus asking him to keep shut and far away. "I don't want to marry you because you're pregnant. I want to marry you because I love you."

"Are you sure?" she asked, her voice very quiet.

"Of course! I've known that I wanted to marry you since seventh year. I've always fancied you, Lils. But it's been awhile since that has changed. I love you, Evans. I have for the longest time."

Sirius and Remus watched with bated breath as Lily stood still, considering what James had just said.

"What do you say? Will you marry me?" asked James, hesitantly.

"Yes. Yes! Of course! I thought… But now that you've… Oh, James!" she said, hugging him with all her might.

James looked extremely relieved as he stroked her hair, gentle and loving in every way. The others came forward and joined in the hug as congratulations were passed along. James' parents came home a little later and were overjoyed to hear the news. The first order of business was to inform Lily's parents, and with a lot of help from the redhead, the Potter's were able to use the telephone and speak to their future in-laws.

The date was set for the Easter weekend. It was close enough that Lily wouldn't be too heavily pregnant but far enough so that a proper wedding could be planned. The Order was recruited to help in any way possible. Molly had just given birth to twin boys - utterly adorable and far too mischievous for a couple of infants. Sirius and James had a fantastic time playing with them, while the others tried to get the work done. James had also invited Sirius' cousin Andromeda and her husband Ted. Though not officially in the Order, they had been helping Dumbledore in various ways. Their 6 year old daughter, Nymphadora would just follow Remus and Jessica around. Being a metamorphmagus, she would change her hair color unknowingly and end up confusing poor Peter. Dorcas, Benjy and Hestia would come back from their respective missions and stay up late to work on any wedding preparations. Even Moody had helped out, barking orders to a few frightened Aurors in training.

James was the happiest person alive. He had burst into tears a number of times, Sirius, Remus and Peter assuring him that he was indeed not dreaming. Lily was grateful that her parents were living with her, under magical protection. Even in these tough times, Petunia and her husband Vernon had refused to share in her joy. Mrs. Evans consoled Lily, assuring her that things would slowly get better between the two of them.

In the midst of these preparations, Jessica had a bit of news for Remus.

"So it would cure my lycanthropy?" asked Remus, skeptically.

"Not cure," she replied, taking out a piece of parchment. "Damocles Belby has been working with Aconite for a while now and he suddenly came across a way to work it into a potion to fight lycanthropy. Drinking the potion would render you harmless during the full moon. No worries and no risks."

"But wouldn't it be terribly tricky to brew?"

"Yes. But," said Jessica, with a bright grin. "Damocles happens to be an old family friend. I'm sure I could pull some strings."

"That's really nice of you, Jess. But I couldn't… It's too big a favor."

"Oh shut up, Remus," said Jessica, rolling her eyes. "You need to stop this I-don't-deserve-help-because-I'm-such-a-monster rubbish. I'm going to get you the potion so all you need to decide when and where you want to transform."

Remus bit his lip worriedly. He hadn't thought that telling Jessica about his condition would mean that she would manage to find a very rare and expensive cure which she could somehow procure through family connections. He would feel too indebted. His desire to shut out everyone and everything had been growing stronger with the war.

"Look, Remus. You've known me long enough to know that I won't stop. So you might as well pick your conditions."

"Alright," conceded Remus with a sigh. "We'll go to your place. I'll move my stuff from the Potters'. I can transform there without the others knowing. You cannot tell anyone else about this potion, Jess. If you do, I swear to Merlin that I won't take it."

"I can't believe how stubborn you are," said Jessica, rolling her eyes. "And what about James, Sirius and Peter? What about when they'll want to be with you during your transformations?"

"I'll think of something. But you can't tell them anything."

"Fine."

"Thank you," he said, with a sad smile.

"I don't know why you feel so indebted, Remus. I'm doing this because I love you," she said, stroking his cheek.

"I love you too, Jess," said Remus, kissing her softly.

A couple of weeks before James and Lily's wedding, Dumbledore recruited four people to go on a very dangerous mission. Frank and Alice Longbottom, Caradoc Dearborn and Emmeline Vance.

"There has been some unusual activity at the Black family home. For matters of discretion, you are to keep this mission to yourselves. I know Sirius is greatly invested in his family's doings and would not hesitate to charge into a dangerous situation without consideration. As you may have heard Lady Walburga has been of very ill health recently, following the death of her husband, Orion. Their younger son, Regulus, a known Death Eater has been significantly under the radar for the past few months. I have it on excellent authority that tonight, the Black family home will be almost completely empty, providing us the perfect opportunity to investigate. I have already briefed you on protective measures you will encounter and how to best handle anything untoward. Please be careful and see whether you can find what is causing the unusual activity. Good luck."

12 Grimmauld Place was a terrifically gloomy house which screamed despair, death and destruction.

"Merlin, no wonder Sirius ran away," muttered Caradoc. They moved in cautiously, breaking into the house with minimum difficulty thanks to Dumbledore's instructions. The inside of the house was a tribute to everything wrong with the wizarding community. Anti-muggle, pro-Voldemort and reflecting the heavy influence of the Dark Arts.

"Let's get this over with quickly," said Alice, shuddering at the sight of the house elves heads hanging on the walls.

"I agree. Let's split up into two groups," said Frank in a low voice. He and Alice started with the ground floor, while Caradoc and Emmeline went up to the first floor.

There wasn't much to find other than various Dark objects and anti-muggle propaganda. In fact, Frank and Alice were done with their floor quite quickly. They moved on to the library next, hoping that they would be able to locate something of use.

Meanwhile, Caradoc and Emmeline had just finished with Sirius' room. It had been full of posters of muggle women in bikinis and various kinds of motorbikes.

"Such a prat," snorted Emmeline.

"I'm quite sure he just used his mother's irritation as a justification for all the stuff he had already put here," said Caradoc with a laugh. "Sirius has always been such a dog."

"Come on," said Emmeline, walking out through the door. "We need to look into Regulus' room as well."

It was a sharp contrast to Sirius' room. It was mainly dark green and black, sober and uninviting. There were a few newspaper clippings here and there, but other than that Regulus Black appeared to be a very neat and organized, albeit unimaginative, Death Eater.

"Hey, what's this?" said Emmeline, picking up a piece of paper which had fallen on the ground.

"Em! I think I've got something!" said Caradoc, looking curiously at the object in his hands.

"This can't be…"

"Merlin's beard!"

They both looked at each other in shock, astounded by each of their individual discoveries. But before either of them could say anything there was a deafening pop and the room was filled with loud screeches.

"Blood traitors! Blood traitors in the Noble and Ancient House of Black! This is an outrage!" screamed a beady looking house elf.

"Shite!" cursed Caradoc. "Let's get out of here! Frank! Alic-"

Before he could continue, they were suddenly surrounded by half a dozen hooded figures. They wore masks to cover their faces and Emmeline caught a glimpse of a tattoo on one of their forearms.

"Stupefy!"

"Expelliarmus!"

"Crucio!"

"Impedimenta!"

"Reducto!"

"Avada Kedavra!"

"Petrificus Totalus!"

Spells of many different colors shot out of the wands and rebounded on the various items in the house. Frank, Alice, Caradoc and Emmeline struggled to ward of the host of Death Eaters who had no doubt been summoned by the house elf's shrieks. A few of the Death Eaters weren't too competent, a couple of spells sufficient to knock them out. Just as they were escaping through the door, a jet of green light hit Caradoc on his back, causing him to crumple into a heap on the floor.

"DOC! NO!" shouted Emmeline, frozen by the sight in front of her.

"Em! We have to go! He's gone! We need to get out of here!" shouted Frank as he cast another spell at one of the Death Eaters. He and Alice grabbed Emmeline from either side and performed Side-Along Apparation to get back to headquarters.

Once there, Hestia and Dorcas quickly administered potions and healing spells on them, while Dumbledore gravely examined what had been brought back for him at the cost of Caradoc Dearborn's life.

To the Dark Lord,

I know I will be dead long before you read this but I want you to know that it was I who discovered your secret. I have stolen the real Horcrux and intend to destroy it as soon as I can. I face death in the hope that when you meet your match you will be mortal once more."

R.A.B

The locket quivered on Dumbledore's desk.

"Heard you got knocked up by Potter."

Lily turned around in surprise, eyes widening in astonishment at the person standing in front of her.

"SIA!"

Both girls exchanged tight hugs, or as tight as possible with Lily's protruding belly. It had been about two years since they had last seen each other.

"I can't believe you're here! I didn't think you knew about the wedding!"

"Are you kidding? I'm surprised James didn't put out a PSA with the heading "Proof I had sex with Lily Evans!"," said Sia with a grin.

"Oh shut up! It's not that bad."

"Oh please! The bloke's been in love with you since Merlin knows when. I honestly thought he'd accidentally kill Voldemort out of sheer excitement," snorted Sia.

"Speaking of, have you met anyone else?" asked Lily, looking at her knowingly.

"No. And I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone I'm here. Especially not…" Sia trailed off, glaring at her friend.

"Fine fine. But how are you going to attend the wedding without people seeing you? Do you have an Invisibility Cloak stashed in that bag of yours?"

Sia grinned wickedly but shook her head. "Nothing as exciting as that. I have my ways, Ms. Soon-to-be-Potter Evans."

"So I can't tell James?" asked Lily, pouting slightly.

"No. I'll find a way to meet him without anyone else seeing. You," she said, pointing her finger at Lily. "Just need to keep quiet."

"Fine," sighed Lily. "Is that why you chose now? Because this is the very brief 30 minutes prior to the wedding that the bride must stay locked away?"

"Absolutely! Plus everyone's too busy making sure that James doesn't collapse from a fit of nerves, so," she said, chuckling at the idea of the young man losing his bearings just before his wedding.

"Very smart. Quite devious actua-"

"Evans, what are yo-"

Lily and Sia froze at the sound of a familiar melodious voice with a hint of haughtiness. There stood Sirius Black in his best man's tuxedo, looking impeccably handsome and a tad curious.

He couldn't believe his eyes. There she stood, next to Lily, looking the same but strangely unrecognizable. Her hair was in a loose bun, a few strands falling on her face. Despite the familiar feelings, he could see that something was different. Her posture, her face, her skin - something was off.

"Hello Trouble."

Her head snapped up in his direction once again, and for a second he saw panic.

"Sirius."

"Sirius? Why're you here?" This time it was Lily looking a little vexed. A comical sight really because her wedding dress was all lace and delicate detailing while her expression showed fire and annoyance.

"Prongs was freaking out. Moony thought it was better for me to go and check on you rather than let Prongs run in and see you before the wedding," he replied easily. He was still looking at Sia. She didn't look too thrilled to see him. He wondered why. He hadn't seen her since they had finished at Hogwarts. Two long years later he would've thought she might at least smile at him. Especially how they had left things off.

"I'm fine. You aren't supposed to be here!" said Lily, extremely annoyed. "Make sure that James is alright. And don't tell anyone what you saw just now."

Sirius stared at Sia, trying to gauge her expression.

"Sirius!"

"Alright! Merlin! Don't get your wand in a knot, Evans! My lips are sealed," he said, exiting. "Though I don't know why.

It was a beautiful wedding. Simple, classic and extremely emotional as everyone marvelled at the strength of Lily and James' love enduring a terrible war. Sia stood far away, hidden under a Disillusionment Charm, wiping her eyes as the couple exchanged vows. As the rings were placed on their fingers, Sia took it as her cue to leave. She wished that she could have spoken to James but she really couldn't risk being seen by anyone.

Nearing the apparation spot, she sensed someone behind her. Sure enough, there was a big black dog padding softly through the grass. Panic flitted through her eyes for a second before she hurried to get away. She wasn't quick enough because Sirius was there, standing in front of her, a frown on his forehead.

"Where're you going?"

She refused to answer him, turning away and hoping she would be able to leave before anyone else saw her.

"What's happened?"

She refused to look at him. Her back was rigid and turned towards him. He was growing impatient. She had been hiding throughout the wedding and now that it was over, she was trying to escape without saying anything.

"Damn it, Sia! Why the fuck aren't you saying anything?"

"Don't you care about anyone anymore? You didn't keep in touch with any of us for more than two years! Lily, Remus, James-" He stopped, hesitating to say his own name. "Heck, what about your Ravenclaw friends? Did you even stay in contact with Rowena, Anna and Bedelia? What the hell-"

"They're gone."

"What?" he stopped his rant, gazing at her curiously.

"You heard what I said. You aren't deaf."

"I heard you. But I don't understand what you mean."

"Of course you don't."

"How could I if you don't say anything?!"

"THEY'RE GONE SIRIUS! ROWENA WAS CAPTURED BY DEATH EATERS! ANNA IS MISSING! AND-and Be-Bedelia's dead."

"How? When?"

"We were on a mission and well-"

"What're you saying? How could that be? We didn't know anything! How is that possible? You have to go to Dumbledore-"

She let out a hollow laugh. "Dumbledore? He's the one who sent us on the mission."

"Huh…? What mission was this?"

"Grindelwald."

"What?"

"Grindelwald. Dumbledore thinks that his old friend can help in the war against Voldemort. He sent the four of us to try and determine his location."

Sirius' mind was reeling. Grindelwald? The powerful dark wizard whose name evoked terrifying fear only second to Voldemort? Why would Dumbledore…

"Look. I've said too much. I have to go. I'm still on the run. Please don't tell anyone about me," said Sia, imploring him with her anxious voice. "Sirius, you mustn't tell anyone. Please."

"Alright," he said, begrudgingly, his grip loosening on his wand.

"Thank you," she said, pointing her wand and Disapparating before he could stop her.

"Wait-!" he called out, as a soft breeze blew through his hair.

What do you think? What's going to happen next? :O Leave me a little feedback! I'd love that.

Cheers xxx