"I don't like this song."

Beth laughed. "You don't like it because it's not by one of the three bands you listen to."

"Okay, first off, I work at a radio station. I listen to music for a living. Your comment is offensive and insulting. Second, this song is terrible."

"The man is a legend."

"I didn't say he wasn't." Beth's former roommate, Polly, tucked her legs underneath her and picked up the record, examining it closely. "I like 'Jailhouse Rock.' I like 'Suspicious Minds'. I don't like this song."

"Well, we can't put 'Jailhouse Rock' on this tape."

"Why not?"

"It doesn't fit the theme," Beth explained.

"Oh who cares about a theme. It doesn't need a theme, it needs good music."

"Every one of the tapes you've ever made has had a theme."

"But all of my themes allowed for good songs."

Beth rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. When she'd gone over to Polly with the intention of creating a new mixtape, she hadn't considered her friend giving her opinion on each and every song they had available to them. The "fun and relaxing" activity designed to help them procrastinate on studying had only led to argument after argument regarding what songs belonged on the list. At the rate they were going, it didn't sound like it was going to end any time soon. She could almost imagine the conversation between her and her professor. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't study for this exam because I was too busy arguing over an Elvis Presley song." That'd go over well.

"I don't care what you say." She wrote it down on her ever-growing list. "I like it. I'm putting it on the list."

Polly groaned. "Then you have to put that Rolling Stones song on there."

Beth shook her head. "I don't like that one."

"Oh, so since you don't like it—"

"This is my tape!"

"You asked for my help!"

Beth heaved an overly dramatic sigh and wrote down the song. "I shouldn't have."

"Your tape would be trash if you didn't, and you know it." Polly sifted through the different albums strewn about her floor, smirking at some of the different artists she saw before finally picking one up. "Did we go through Earth, Wind, and Fire yet?"

Beth shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Oh good, we can take turn this junk off then." Polly slid over to the record player, transferring the discs off and on with careful precision. Beth hadn't seen much of Polly in the past semester. They'd roomed together their sophomore year and had stayed in close contact over their junior, but their conflicting schedules had made it more difficult this year. When Beth realized that it was nearing the end of the semester and they still hadn't seen each other, she'd quickly set out to make ammends. It just so happened this project required assistance, and who better to ask for help making a mixtape than the girl majoring in music business that worked at the local radio station? Gently, she placed the needle down onto the vinyl and slightly turned up the volume. "So what color were his eyes?"

It was Beth's turn to groan. "I told you, I'm not answering any more questions about him."

"Oh come on," she pleaded. "You can't just drop this on me and not expect me to ask about him."

"I told you everything you need to know."

"No, you told me the guy came and stayed with you for a month, you hooked up on the last night he was here, and now he's gone."

Beth shrugged. "That's all that happened."

"That can't be all that happened!" Polly sat down next to her, eyes shining with curiosity. "I need details! Why did you wait a month? How did it happen? Was he good—?"

Beth picked up the pillow on the couch next to her and smacked her with it before she could finish her question. "I'm not answering anything else."

"Why after a month?" Polly continued, undeterred, picking up a different pillow for defense. "Why did he leave? Did he even give you a reason why he left?"

"James' parents died, I told you that."

"Okay, so he had a good reason to leave, but that still doesn't explain—"

"I told you, no more questions."

"But—"

"No more questions, or I'll drop everything and start studying. Don't test me, I'll do it."

Polly huffed, picking up the case for the record playing. In the midst of trying to cram a recap of a semester's worth of events into a couple of hours, Beth had haphazardly mentioned Sirius' presence, resulting in a slew of questions she'd been unprepared to answer. Polly knew about James, but obviously knew nothing that Beth knew now, resulting in a bizarre jigsaw puzzle as she tried to tell her as much about Sirius as possible without giving away any crucial information. Turns out, it was weird, very weird indeed, to have an ex from England come and stay with you for a month and then suddenly disappear.

He'd been gone now for almost two weeks. It had been weird, seeing someone everyday and then suddenly having them gone. She'd spent the better part of that first day just staring at the wall, trying to make sense of what her life had become. With him gone, it felt strangely ordinary, as if all of the adventure and excitement that had been present in her life was just now suddenly gone. With him gone, it was almost easy to forget that any of this had actually happened, that she was involved in some secret society and was reading newspapers daily to try to find out if anything suspicious was happening. With him gone, she felt like she was just…Beth. In fact, if she hadn't had the note explaining his whereabouts, she would have been able to assume it had all been a dream. Answering questions about it, though, made it real, as well as made her remember some very real actions she had done that had been easy to forget now that he was gone.

"I just want to know—"

She shook her head. "No, stop, I don't really want to study. Don't call my bluff." She looked at her friend, who was staring at her with pity clear in her eyes. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I think you miss him."

"Of course I miss him," she replied honestly. She picked up another album and absentmindedly traced the pattern with her finger. "He lived with me for a month. But I'm not sitting here pining over the one that got away, am I?

"At least not with me."

"I'm not pining! I went on that date right after he left."

"You said that was dinner with Archie."

Beth shrugged. "So?"

"So that wasn't a date, that was planning out the bake sale for International Business Association."

Beth couldn't help but laugh at the point she made. "I'm not pining," she repeated.

"You might not be pining, but you are sitting here making a mix tape with me, which, even I'll admit, is just as sad." Polly leaned her arm against the couch, resting her head in her hand. "It's okay to miss him, you know."

"I know that." Beth stood up and walked over to the record player, record still in hand. "What's not okay is you pounding me with questions after I said stop."

"Okay, okay, fine."

Beth glanced down at the album she was holding. Road Food by The Guess Who. Caitlin had suggested it in the last letter she wrote to her.

Sirius hadn't written her. James had, Remus had. But not Sirius.

"The sex had to have been pretty good though, wasn't it?"

Beth responded by turning up the music as loud as it could go.


"How's everything going over there?"

It was a week later, and she and Remus were sitting at one of her favorite bars, watching a surprisingly intense game of darts. He'd come over only an hour earlier, but the clear exhaustion and tension radiating from him demanded something a little stronger than the wine she had in her kitchen. He hadn't fought her even a little bit on it.

"I don't even know anymore, Beth." He rubbed a hand over his face, wiping the sleep away from his eyes. "I haven't seen them in so long. Not since her funeral, at least, and I really didn't even see them then."

"Where'd they go?"

"I don't know. Greece, I think. Said they needed to get away."

Beth nodded her head and brought her glass up to her mouth. "Can't blame them there."

He shook his head, running his hand down his glass, tracing the path of condensation. "Then Sirius was asked to go to Switzerland. I haven't seen him in…I don't even know how long."

"Why'd he go to Switzerland?"

"Low-stakes mission, just scoping out the area. I think Dumbledore wanted him to get away for a bit. Marlene went with him."

Her heart tightened at the familiar name from her note. "Marlene McKinnon?"

Remus nodded. "He was supposed to be back last Thursday. Still hasn't come back. Peter and I've written him a couple of times, but the owls keep coming back empty." He took a long drink, then set it back down. His jaw was clenched tight. "I think they're trying to get away from me."

"Why would you say that?"

"There was a full moon on the third." He didn't look up at her, but kept his eyes trained on his glass. "They came to be with me. I told them not to, told them to stay with Euphemia, especially since his father's funeral was the day before that. And then…" He swallowed hard, and Beth saw his knuckles go white as they clenched into fists.

"It's not your fault, Remus."

He shook his head. "They both could have been with her when she passed, and instead they were with me."

Beth placed a hand on his arm, stroking it gently. "It's not your fault."

"Perhaps," he whispered unconvincingly. His fists were still clenched. "They've got to come out of hiding first."

"You think they're hiding?"

"Wouldn't you, if you lost both of your parents within three days of each other? And your brother too, in Sirius' case?"

Beth traced her finger around the rim of her glass. "I guess."

"Out of everyone involved, he would have the best reason to hide. It couldn't have been easy. I can't even imagine." He brought his hand up to his chin, and settled his head there. "I'm just happy that you were there for the beginning of it all. I'm happy Marlene's there, now. At least with her there, we know he won't try to do anything involving permanent repercussions."

The implication made Beth's heart ache, and a brief moment of selfishness, of wanting to be the one to help chase away the sadness, crossed her mind. She shook it away. "What about Peter?"

Remus let out a soft chuckle. "Peter met a girl at the funeral."

Beth scoffed alongside him. "Of course he did."

"James and Lily get to run off together, Marlene and Sirius, now Peter and this person. It's almost unfair if you forget the circumstances as to why it all happened." He took another drink. "And then there's me, whose biggest chance of a holiday is coming to see you."

Beth placed a hand over her heart, covering a fake wound. "Hey, I'm a delight. You'd be lucky to spend your holiday with me."

"Well then, maybe you and I should run off together." A teasing smirk escaped him as she rolled her eyes, downing the rest of her drink. "We could go to Fiji. Remember when I was going to go to Fiji and start all over? Maybe we should go together. Forget everything."

Beth put down her glass. "Maybe you've had one too many drinks."

He nodded his head once. "Maybe you're right. Long shot, anyway." The bartender came over to them at the notion of his hand, and Beth laughed when he ordered another drink, no doubt in spite of her last comment. She ordered another for herself too. "Maybe you should come to England for Christmas."

She laughed as she thanked the bartender for her new drink. "If I remember correctly, you're the one that has a magical device to get you here, not me. Maybe you should come here."

Remus shook his head. "I have feelings and emotions to validate and moderate. I can't go anywhere."

"Well I don't have the money to buy another ticket over there. I am but a poor, broke college student."

"Yeah? Try being a poor, broke werewolf and then get back with me."


Two days later, Beth was walking out of her first final, cursing herself for spending so much time on that stupid mixtape. Polly and she had finally narrowed down the list, but it had become such a welcome distraction that she'd overdone it. She'd almost completely forgotten about today's final exam, and had spent early hours this morning scouring over all of her notes.

Of course, if she hadn't had a person living with her for all this time, and maybe if Remus would calm down on his visits… Well, then she would still be in this predicament, because she would have definitely found any other excuse to not study. She only hoped her professor graded on a curve.

"Hey," a voice called out. "How do you think that final went?"

Beth turned to see David Pierce coming up behind her. She smiled at her classmate. They'd had a couple of classes together over the years, and they'd easily established an easy and formidable friendship between each other. In fact, he was one of the people that was at the study session she meant to go to the night that Sirius and her…

"Oh, definitely failed that," she responded.

"Yeah, me too." He came up beside her, and they continued walking together. "What was that one question even asking?"

"Oh, nineteen? I don't even know."

"No, seventeen. The one about the flag."

He pushed open and held the door for her, and her breath hitched at the cold breeze that immediately met her. "Oh, that one. I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know what answer he's looking for on that one."

David laughed and stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. "I'm going to start a protest. Picketing and everything, right outside of his office door."

"I'll make the posters," she quipped.

David thanked her for her generous contribution to his cause. "Maybe we could make them together? Say Saturday night over dinner?" Beth's heart lept at the offer, and didn't realize she'd stopped walking until she found herself facing him directly. His face held a soft and hopeful smile."Or maybe just dinner?"

Beth stared into his warm, brown eyes, and thought of deep, gray ones. "I think I'd like that."

The hopeful smile turned radiant at her response, and her heart fluttered at his obvious excitement. "Really? Great! I'll pick you up at what, 6:30?"

"6:30," she confirmed. She plastered on a smile for good measure.

"You still live at—"

"D207."

"D207," he repeated. "Well then, I'll see you on Saturday at 6:30 at D207."

When Beth returned to her apartment, though, her hand immediately went to the small card sitting on her coffee table, the paper now holding a small dent from constant use.

Had to leave, will explain later. —Marlene McKinnon

"Sirius was asked to go to Switzerland… Marlene went with him."

She stared at the note like a secret message would suddenly appear, something bold and obvious telling her to move on from him, to forget everything and start anew. That was what she felt like she needed. Some great, big, unavoidable sign telling her to continue living her life. She was trying. She had been trying for weeks now, trying to remind herself that she'd offered and he'd taken, and that a death in the family was a formidable and perfectly acceptable reason to up and leave without a breath of a goodbye. The more she focused on that, the easier it had begun to be to begin distancing herself from the memories he'd left.

But she didn't necessarily want to forget him. She didn't necessarily want to move on. But he was gone. He was gone, and had found help and comfort from someone else, someone who even Remus spoke highly of. In her mind, images of what she assumed this person to look like began flooding her brain. Someone beautiful and perfect and patient, who deserved all of Sirius' attention and who could take him away from her at a moment's notice. Someone who had no qualms about completely upturning someone else's life. Someone who thought that six meaningless words would be enough to starve off any questions Beth might have had. Someone who had taken away the spark of hope that had begun to ignite, that maybe things weren't really as bad as they seemed between the two former lovers.

And suddenly, Beth couldn't stand her, this imaginary person she'd never met that Sirius had turned to in his time of need.


Three days later it was Thursday, and Beth had just returned from her last final exam when a knock was heard on the door. A pair of tired eyes met her gaze, and a sad smile accompanied them.

"James," she breathed, and immediately wrapped her arms around her friend. It had been nearly a month since she'd seen him at Thanksgiving. Times had been so different then. Happiness and joy and laughter had been plentiful then. Now, things were different.

"Hello," came the muffled reply.

She tightened her hold on him. "How are you doing? Are you okay?"

"No. But it's okay to not be okay." He pulled away from her, and they walked towards the couches in her living room. "At least that's what Lily keeps telling me."

"She's right, you know."

"I know." They both sat down, her looking expectantly at him, him staring at his hands like they were the Sistine Chapel. "She always is."

The response would have won him a smile if it hadn't been so heartbreakingly somber. Beth reached out to him. "I know that I'm all the way over here, but if there's anything I can do—"

"Oh, please don't start with that, too."

Beth's brows scrunched up in confusion. "With what?"

"You want to do something for me?" He managed a brief glance up to her, but quickly returned his focus. "Please talk to me like I'm a normal human being and not someone who just lost his parents."

"James—"

"I'm fully aware of what happened, I know that it happened, I've made peace with the fact that it happened, but if I have to hear one more person offer me whatever I need, I'm going to end up joining my parents after a spontaneous combustion. Do you know how many casseroles I've had to pretend to eat in the past couple of weeks? Molly has made us food every single night since dad passed, but so have about fifteen other people, and there is only so much magic can do when you've got fifteen different variations of chicken and rice casserole in your icebox."

Beth let out a nervous laugh. "That doesn't sound all bad."

"I'm being coddled. I'm being babied. And yes, it was nice immediately after, to have all these people reaching out and asking how I was doing and whether or not I needed anything. It felt nice to be cared for. But now—" his hands came up to rub his face, "—after being given everything I could possibly want, all I want to do now is go back to living life. But I can't because…"

He never finished his sentence, and Beth pretended not to notice him quickly swiping at his face.

"You have a lot of people who truly care for you," she said quietly.

"I know. I know. I just want things to go back to the way that they were, and it won't. And now Sirius is gone, and Peter's meeting people, and Lily's pregnant—"

"Lily's pregnant?!"

"Yeah."

Beth reaches out and hugged him tight. "Congratulations! That's incredible!"

Her voice was filled with excitement and joy at the prospect. The look he gave her held destruction and sadness. "It is," he admitted somberly as she released him. "I'm thrilled."

"You don't sound thrilled," she gently teased. "This is great news! You're going to be a dad!"

"I know."

She paused, waiting for him to continue, prompting him when he never did. "But?"

He sighed heavily and whispered, "We didn't tell them before they died."

"Why not?"

"I didn't want them to die feeling guilty for not being there." He took in a shuddering breath, and Beth fought the clear and urgent impulse to comfort him in the same way he'd just been complaining about. James breathed out, twisting his hands around each other. "But now I feel guilty for not telling them."

Her heart twisted at his honest confession. "Are you sure you don't need another casserole?"

James let out a soft laugh. "I've started giving them to Peter and letting him pretend he made it every time he brings someone over."

"That's probably a more effective way to get rid of them."

He looked so tired. So tired and broken and physically exhausted, like he had been trying to run away from the troubles that were always right behind him, the troubles that would never evade him. And now they were haunting him from afar, looming over him, waiting to snuff out the final ounce of strength he had. No wonder he and Lily had run off. How else were they to continue going on?

And now he was going to be a father. Her childhood friend was bringing life into his world as life simultaneously left. The cruel irony was not lost on anyone.

"What can I do to help you?"

James looked at her directly for the first time since he'd come over, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Come over for the holiday?" he asked hopefully. "Come over and tell jokes and complain about finals or your president or Yoko Ono or something. Be normal. It's going to be hard and I know I'm not going to be okay, but that's what I have Lily for. I need a reminder that life still goes on."

"James, as much as I would love to be there, I can't afford another ticket right now."

"What if I already had a ticket?"

She sighed heavily. "James—"

"In fact, what if I had it right—"

"I can't let you—"

"Too late." A ticket was extended out to her. "You leave Sunday."

She shook her head. "You shouldn't have spent money on this. Why can't I just go the same way you guys come here?"

"By Portkey? Literally one of the most nauseating experiences ever. I wouldn't ask you to go through that. Trust me, this is much easier."

"Can't you do that thing where you just appear out of nowhere?"

"Too dangerous time do over such a large distance," he explained. "Even Dumbledore won't do it."

She stared at the document incredulously, realizing how quickly all of her worries were being invalidated. He'd though this through. He'd though this through. He'd been prepared. "What if I already had plans?" she weakly offered.

"You don't, Remus told me. He also gave me this idea, so if you hate it, blame him."

He extended it out to her further, but she could do nothing but continue to stare at it, wondering how much money it must have cost to buy an international ticket on such short notice. She knew his parents had been wealthy, but it shouldn't be spent on her. It should be saved, invested, something, especially with a baby now coming

"Please." His small voice and shaking hand brought her out of her thoughts. "Just come and sit and be a different person for me to stare at for a couple of days. I need…"

When a single tear rolled down his cheek, she grabbed his hand. Not the ticket, but his hand. "Hey."

"Sirius still hasn't come back even though we keep writing him and I just need—"

She shook her head, cutting him off. "I'll come."

James sighed with relief, and the tension that had been straining in his hand released, and for a shining cloud of a moment, life flashed into his eyes. "Thank you."


On Saturday night, as she looked at the mass of clothes strewn all across the floor as she tried to pack, she heard a knock on the door. "It's open," she yelled, forever thankful that her new friends knew how to condense objects so she didn't have to pack another suitcase. "Promise me you won't comment on the mess, Remus, I know it's bad."

"Are you going somewhere?"

Beth immediately turned at the voice, inwardly groaning when she saw who it was. "David, hi."

"Hi."

She looked at her clock. It was 6:30.

"You forgot about tonight, didn't you?"

"I did," she sighed, sitting down on the table next to her, not even trying to come up with an excuse. "I'm sorry. If you give me a couple of minutes, I'll go get ready."

He stuffed his hands into his pockets and nodded once. Feet shuffled. Eyes wandered. She got up to get ready, but then he said, "I don't get you, Beth."

She sat up straight at the accusation. "What do you mean?"

"This person that suddenly is fine with blowing off friends and staying holed up in here and not talking to anyone. That's not who I became friends with."

"I haven't—"

"You have." It was spoken with such tenacity and bitterness that Beth nearly lost her breath. "All those study sessions you said you'd go to, all of the get togethers and after-class drinks, the IBA, you used to be the one who planned all of those."

"I'm sorry for not living up to your expectations of me—"

He scoffed. "Don't even try that, Beth. You chose to not come."

"What if I was busy?"

"Were you busy?"

She wanted to answer. Wanted to tell him the truth. Wanted to tell him everything.

Instead, she said nothing. What could she have said?

"Do you think that just because you got this dream internship that you're better than all of us? Is that it?"

"Why, why would you even ask that?" She stood up, taking a step towards him. "You know that's not true!"

"Because I don't have any other explanation, Beth. To me, that's the most plausible reason. Even Dr. Allen asked about how you were doing the other day. Dr. Allen, Beth. Our professor noticed something was off." He stepped towards her and grasped her arms. "What's going on, Beth? Tell me."

She couldn't see anything but David. Just David. Only David. And in that moment, she realized that Polly coming over had been the first time all semester she'd actively tried to hang out with someone who wasn't coming from England. She realized how different her life had become, how an entire semester had flown by and the only memories she had of it were with someone who didn't even attend the university. She had liked David, had often wondered if something, somewhere, sometime would happen. Here was the opportunity knocking on her door, begging for entrance.

But even with David standing directly in front of her, of him touching her and overloading her senses, her mind drifted to Sirius. How easily she'd decided to provide him with any comfort he'd needed. How willing he'd been to accept her offer. How tender and loving and grateful he'd been to her. How right now he was with Marlene McKinnon, and how she so desperately wished to have him back with her. She'd given up her friends, her time, her energy for him.

The question floated through her mind before she could stop it. How much more would she be willing to give away?

"Didn't anyone tell you not to keep your door open? It's like a robbery waiting to happen in here."

David dropped her arms at the sound of the new voice, quickly turning his head to see who was here. Remus continued, "Whoa, looks like a robbery already—oh, hi. Beth didn't tell me she was expecting someone else."

Beth cringed when David straightened his back. Any chance of tonight was almost certain to be gone now. Probably any chance of salvaging a friendship with him, too.

"I was just leaving," he spoke sharply.

"No need to leave on my account," Remus assured, extending his hand out to him. "I'm Remus."

"He was just leaving," Beth said sharply, interrupting a chance of a reply.

David said nothing else, just quickly brushed by Remus and stalked out the door. Beth sat back down on the table, and the question once again entered her mind.

How much more would she be willing to give away?


James picked her up at the airport, just as before. They greeted each other at the gate, just as before. Everything, just as before, and yet so different it could make her head spin. Last time, she'd been oblivious to this whole other life and all of the people involved in it This time, she knew.

He was fairly quiet on the car ride back to their place, so she spent the drive telling him about the latest letter Caitlin had sent her, which included a story about a backpacking trip that lasted all of two hours and a subsequent trek to find the nearest shoe store after stepping in mud. She told him about going door to door with Polly, trying to find good music for the mixtape they'd made and how Polly had loudly voiced her opinions on whether their music was good or bad. She told him about the lady in her elevator that was talking too loud to one of her friends about her latest doctor's appointment and where she thought the rash had actually come from.

He smiled, but mainly stayed quiet, the tension and tiredness still deep in his eyes. She didn't mind. She kept telling stories, some much more embellished than what actually happened in real life, taking pride in the small glimmers of happiness she was able to share with him.

When they got back to his place, Remus, Peter, and Lily were there to greet her. It was strange, being greeted by people who she had regularly seen her for the past several months as if they hadn't seen her in ages. They immediately whisked her off to go get food and help keep her awake after the six hour time jump. James seemed to liven up more as time went on, at one point even belly-laughing at something Peter had said.

Lily was the one who told her that Sirius still hadn't contacted them about when he'd be coming back.

Beth spent the rest of the day and all of Christmas Eve with Remus, James, and Lily. Peter had left to go spend Christmas with his family, promising he'd be back on the 26th. Together, they got lost in the select shops that were still open, looked at Christmas decorations and lights, and drank an obscene amount of hot cocoa. Beth was also able to stop and make a quick phone call to her family in Okinawa to wish them a Merry Christmas. They'd asked to speak to James privately, and whatever was said between them clearly moved him as he handed the phone back quickly and took a few steps away, his back to everyone else. Her parents told her it was good of her to go visit him, but that she'd better make sure that the next ticket she bought was to come visit them. She laughed and agreed.

That night, with the radio on and the tree twinkling and yet another cup of hot cooca in each of their hands, Beth felt at peace. All of the accusations that had been thrown her way by David were completely absent from her mind. All of the worries she'd had about the trip had vanished. James was sitting with his arm around his wife and his growing child, and he looked contented. Not quite happy,but not by any means disheartened. He looked to be perfectly content to sit there and simply enjoy the way his life was going right now. Remus was sitting in a chair by the tree reading something long and complicated, only making sounds when it came time to turn a page. And Beth, Beth was staring out the window, wondering how she'd made it this far into the year without still having seen it snow. Maybe she would wish on a star.

"Anyone up for another cup of cocoa?" Lily asked.

James groaned loudly. "How, how can you still be up for cocoa with the amount that we drank today?"

"I'm drinking for two. Your child is demanding chocolate."

"Maybe it's father is demanding a nightcap."

"Maybe your wife thinks that because she can't have a nightcap, you shouldn't either."

Remus hadn't looked up from his book.

"I'll get it," Beth offered, reaching out for the cups on the table. She could have almost sworn the look Lily gave her in return was one of annoyance.

While she was in the kitchen pouring the drinks, she heard James declare something with extreme fervor and excitement, followed by an equally vibrant response from Remus and Lily. "What is it?" she called out, but no response was given to her. Shrugging, she finished topping off the drinks and carefully picked them up, walking back to the living room.

"We were only gone for a week," she heard a voice down the hall say as she set the drinks down.

"Two. You were gone for two."

"Two and a half, actually."

"You're back now, that's all that matters."

"I'm sorry, Prongs. I'm sorry. I just couldn't—"

"I know. Marlene, thanks for keeping him in line."

Beth immediately turned her head toward the hall at the name. How had she not recognized the voice? Her feet carried her to the entryway before she could process anything any further, and all she could think was, It's him. It's him. It's him.

And it was also her. A gorgeous, tall, perfectly shaped person that she could only assume to be the famous Marlene McKinnon that everyone so greatly revered standing next to him, rubbing his back, looking at him with what could only be admiration and affection. "It was a difficult task on my part, but I overcame it."

But then his eyes met hers and went wide, and Marlene's arm dropped, and he took one small, hoepful step towards her before stopping.

"Beth?"

It was in that moment she realized she should have asked if they'd told Sirius she was going to be here, too.


A/N: Slowly but surely getting there! These past couple of chapters have added some content I hadn't originally planned on, so now we're looking at about 53 chapters. More story for us! Yay!

Thank you for staying patient with me through all of this. Student teaching is a lot of work!

Nimblescrivener, thank you for reading this at 1 in the morning, What a trooper.

I appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you for the follows, favorites, and reviews! Keep them coming!