Chapter Thirty-Six

It was a Friday evening about a month after the disappearance of James Potter and Sirius Black that found Remus Lupin and Lily Evans at The Order of The Phoenix's headquarters, making dinner for those who were there that night.

Lily was slowly unraveling, even more so than before. Remus was angry that all that he could do was stand by and watch as James' absence took more and more of a toll on her. Sirius, he thought, was going to get a walloping when they found him. Even as she stood there, stirring the pasta, tears were threatening to spill past the barriers that were her eyelids. Remus had no idea that one person could feel such saddness over the absence of another. What he and Sirius had been feeling in reguards to the betrayal of Deborah Stevens and the death of Abby Cook was nothing compared to what Lily's emotions had been doing over the past month.

The arrival of Alastor Moody shook Remus from his thoughts. The Auror burst into the room, demanding to see Dumbledore.

"He just left," Remus informed the Auror. "He went back to Hogwarts."

"I found your friends," Moody said excitedly to the young ones. "We have a man on the inside and he knows where your friends are. He managed to convince his companions who captured Black and Potter to leave them for dead, telling them that they'd be in much more pain that way. Then our man came to me and gave me the location. The Death Eaters will have left about an hour ago. We can bring Potter and Black home."

"They're definitely alive?" Lily said shakily.

A beaming Moody nodded. "They're alive, young lady."

"Lets go!" Lily exclaimed, grabbing her cloak.

"Lils, no," said Remus. "Dumbledore said we're to stay here. Let someone else go."

"No, Remus!" Lily said sternly, walking toward Moody. "I am done waiting around for someone else to bring him home. I'm going."

Remus bit his lip in thought. "Fine," he said finally. He picked up his cloak, following the two from the house. "When Dumbledore cuts our heads off, I'm telling him to start with you."

"I'm fine with that," said Lily.

---

"They left us here," Sirius stated weakly.

"I noticed," James said, his voice cracking slightly. "However, we're wandless and we're chained up."

"Yeah…we're, er…we're going to die, aren't we?" Sirius said quietly.

"Most likely."

There was a slight pause.

"I'm sorry, mate," Sirius came out with. "I was stupid."

"Yeah, you were," James said, but then he smiled feebly at his friend. "Padfoot, you're my brother, and I don't regret coming after you."

"I regret not making you leave when you found me," Sirius said earnestly. "Lily…"

"Yeah," James said, knowing what he was going to say. "Yeah…"

"Wait a second," Sirius suddenly whispered.

"What?"

"Shh!" He strained to listen and then heard it again…a voice! A friendly voice! "Do you hear that?" Sirius whispered to James.

James struggled to listen, but heard nothing. "What is it?"

"It's…it's Remus," Sirius said, not knowing if he should dare to believe his own ears. "REMUS!" he suddenly shouted. "REMUS! UP HERE!"

In a shower of sparks, Remus Lupin burst into the room closely followed by dear Lily Evans with the man James recognized as Alastor Moody bringing up the rear.

"James!" Lily exclaimed, rushing to where he was. "Sirius!" she said, turning toward him. "I have half a mind to leave you there! Turning your wand on me…"

James chuckled, but stopped when Remus said, "Hey! I have half a mind to leave you here, Mr. Lets Leave My Girlfriend After Fighting With Her So That She Feels Really Bad About Herself." This shut James right up and caused Lily to smile at her friend.

"Lets get out of here," Moody interjected roughly. "You can continue this little love fest back at headquarters where there's no chance of us getting killed."

"Au contraire, my dear man," Lily said as she and Remus unchained the other two. "Dumbledore is going to murder me and Remus."

With some quick wand work and a few well placed minor healing spells, the five disapparated from the holding cell, reappearing back at headquaters.

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I'll understand if you hate me due to the short-ness of the chapters as of late...just one more to go, by the way.