Chapter 4: A New Home

While the girls continued to chat about Claire's school days and Lily's future over packing, James was up in his room being tortured by his mother. Or at least, that's how he saw it given that Sirius and Remus kept pulling faces at him due to her nagging.

"Mother, please, just give me a minute and I will finish this myself!"

"James, you never knew how to pack and there's no need to pretend you do now." Marilyn then turned to the other boys as well. "Honestly, I have no idea how you three boys expect to live. None of you have matured past your third year here. You can't cook, can't clean, can't do laundry... really. It seems foolish for you all to believe that you can live on your own."

The three friends started to look very sheepish and guilty. Nobody knew how to react.

Finally, Remus spoke up. "Well, I don't think we'll be entirely alone for long. We were talking about getting a fourth roommate... someone who will definitely keep us in line."

James started shaking his head frantically, hoping that Remus would see and his mother wouldn't.

"Oh really, Remus? And who might that be?"

"Well, we were going to ask Lily to move in with us."

"Excuse me?!"

James sighed. He knew this was coming.

"Well- I mean - We just..." Remus stammered.

"Mrs. Potter," Sirius took over, "we just thought it would be good for Lily, you know, since she doesn't really have anywhere else to go. She has to sell her parents' old house, and she can't go with her muggle sister..."

Marilyn's face suddenly softened.

"That poor, poor child..." Marilyn whispered. "I suppose that might be acceptable, as long as your new house has enough room. I do expect that you have a fourth bedroom and a separate bathroom for her?" The boys nodded. "Very well then. Has she agreed to this?" Nobody had a response. "Have you even asked her yet?"

"Not in so many words, mum."

"Well, don't you think it might be a good idea to do that?"

"Yeah, it's just we haven't had the chance yet."

"Well, why don't you talk to her about it today then?"

"I- I guess so, mum."

"Now, I'll be back. I'm just going to go check on your sister and fiancé. You boys be good and finish packing up your things."

"Yes ma'am," Sirius and Remus said at the same time.

"God, I thought she would never leave us alone!" said James. He turned to Remus. "What the hell were you thinking?! Lucky for you Sirius was able to bail us out of that one..."

"Well, you really think it would have been better for her to find out by coming on a surprise visit and seeing Lily in the living room watching telly?"

"I guess not..."

"We better do what she says... we only have about 30 minutes before we need to get out of here. It's hard to believe we don't have to come back here again..." Sirius trailed off as he started throwing things into his trunk.

"Knock, knock!" Marilyn said, as she entered into Lily's room. "Are you girls almost through in here?"

"Mum! Yeah, we were just finishing up," Claire said, shoving the pocket watch into Lily's open trunk.

"Well, I'll be waiting downstairs for you. Just let me know if you need any help."

"Thank you very much, Marilyn."

"Of course, dear."

As soon as her mother was safely out of the room and out of earshot Claire jumped up and closed the door. She then ran back to Lily's bed and jumped on it. "So, tell me everything. I mean, why James?"

Lily giggled. "I love him... that's really it. And, even though I cannot stand him when he gets mad or jealous, which he tends to do rather easily, I am in love with him."

"That is so sweet... so, have you guys done anything yet?" Lily gave her a puzzled look, which caused Claire to sigh. "You know, hooked up or fooled around or anything like that?"

"Oh! No, nothing really exciting... just kissing... innocent enough."

Claire shook her head. "You just don't know what you're missing out on... something tells me you're going to need to train that boy..."

"Huh?"

"You'll see," she responded, with a sly grin on her face. "All men need to be trained."

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Nobody really knew where the time went, but somehow everyone (less Marilyn and Claire) was loaded up on the Hogwarts Express for their final journey home.

"This is so exciting... our next adventure," Sirius said, barely able to sit still.

"Yeah, right..." Lily said obviously disinterested in the whole thing. She moved to lie down, resting her head on James's lap.

He started stroking her hair. "You ok, Lil?"

She closed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nervous about what I'm gonna do, that's all."

"Well, I'll tell you what. You're going to marry me, and then you won't have to worry about anything."

"James, don't be ridiculous. I need to work... somewhere."

"Well, I know some people at the Ministry. Maybe I could get you a job in a different department or something."

James and Sirius were both to begin jobs as Aurors for the Ministry of Magic. Remus still hadn't found work, but this didn't surprise anyone. It was often hard for a werewolf to be hired anywhere in the wizarding world.

"We'll figure something out, I promise," James assured Lily. She simply nodded in response.

By the time the train arrived at Kings Cross Station in London, Sirius and Remus were lost in a game of exploding snap. Lily was asleep on James's lap, and James was very concerned about his bride-to-be.

When they got off of the train and left Platform 9 3/4, everyone had family there to pick them up. Well, everyone of course except Lily.

"Do you need a ride home, dear?" offered Marilyn.

"No, that's alright. I'll just take a taxi."

"Lil, are you sure? I mean, do you even have any of that muggle money?" James asked.

"Oh god... I completely forgot about that. I can just go by Gringotts and exchange some, since I'm going to need to do that anyhow."

"How about we take you home first, and then you can get settled before worrying about finances."

"Are you sure, Marilyn? I don't want you to go out of your way."

"Really. I insist. James, get a buggy and help her with her trunk and things."

"Sure."

It was quite a show for the muggles at Kings Cross. With the former Hogwarts students, their trunks, their owls, other seemingly random items and their families, it looked as if some sort of circus was in town.

Lily and James said their goodbyes to Sirius, Remus and their respective families. They then climbed into the car that was waiting for them and set off toward Lily's parents' house, located in Grafton-Underwood. The car- ride was silent. Lily just stared out the window at passing scenery, and James stared at her. Even Scarlet, Lily's owl, didn't make a sound in her cage.

"Lily, which house is it?" Marilyn asked her.

"The third driveway on the right."

"Alright." She pulled the car in. "Well, here you are then. James, will you help with her things?"

"Ten steps ahead of you, mum." James had jumped out of the car and began unloading Lily's things as Lily unlocked the front door of the house.

"Where do you want this stuff?" he asked cautiously.

"Just anywhere is fine.. I'll get to it later."

James set her things in the entranceway. "Should I let Scarlet out?" Lily nodded. James took the cage outside and released the beautiful snowy owl who immediately took flight.

"Thanks James. I really appreciate everything... your mother didn't have to go out of her way like this for me."

"What? Don't worry about that. She loves being able to drive that thing around. She hardly ever gets to at home." He smiled at Lily. "Well, I guess that I should probably run... mum and Claire are waiting. I love you."

"I love you too, James." Lily kissed him goodbye. "I'll send Scarlet to you soon."

"Alright. Maybe I'll try giving you a call tonight, provided I can find a phone..."

"Bye," Lily said as James walked out the door.

As soon as the door closed behind James Lily started wandering around her old house aimlessly. The last time she had been in there was when she came home for her parents' funeral three years earlier after they were killed in a car crash. It had been a terrible drunk driving accident.

Lily wandered from room to room and noticed that quite a bit of the furniture was missing. "I guess that Petunia raided the house when she moved in with that weasel Vernon," Lily thought out loud. She finally made her way upstairs and to her old room, where she immediately collapsed on her bed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

She woke up at 9 o'clock that night only because Scarlet had returned and started to nip at her nose. "What is it, girl?" Lily asked. She then noticed a note tied to Scarlet's leg. "Thank you." She untied the note and Scarlet flew downstairs to the perch in her cage. Lily opened up the letter and immediately recognized Jem's handwriting.

Dear Lily, I hope that things aren't too strange for you at home. I know they are for me, and that's with everything the same as how I left it. Anyhow, all I'm trying to say is that if you need anything, don't hesitate to send word. I'll always be your friend... and I especially hope you remember that when you pick your bridesmaids... hehehehe Love ya! Jem

Lily decided it wasn't worth going back to sleep after that point, so she decided to bring her trunk upstairs and unpack some. "Well, at least I don't have to carry the damn thing..." she said, as she pulled out her wand and levitated the heavy trunk up the stairs. After looking around to check for anything that might have fallen, Lily went upstairs after it. She unpacked for a while, and then went to wash her face in the bathroom. Unfortunately, this meant passing the door to what was her parents' bedroom. She couldn't help but go in. There was still some ray of hope inside her that the last three years had been a horrible joke of Petunia's, and her parents would be lying in their bed reading, like they used to do on Sunday mornings.

Lily took a deep breath and opened the door to the bedroom. Other than everything being covered in layers of dust, it was exactly as she remembered it. Her mother's robe was even still draped across the back of the vanity's chair. Lily couldn't handle seeing this. She immediately broke down, collapsing onto the floor in fits of sobs.

She didn't know how long she had been crying. She could hardly see because her eyes were swollen with tears. But suddenly someone lifted her up off of the floor and carried her downstairs and into the living room where a fire had been started in the fireplace.

It was James.

"Shhh, shhh," came James's soothing voice. He stroked her hair as she continued to weep on his shoulder. "It's ok. Everything is going to be ok... I'm here."

"I just can't believe they're really gone," Lily cried, clutching a handkerchief in her hands. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. They were supposed to be there when I graduated, when I came home, when we get married... James, who's going to walk me down the aisle?"

"I wish I knew what to tell you, baby, I really do. When my dad died, it was hard for all of us, but I'm sure that was nothing compared to this. Just know that I'm here, and I won't let go. Never."

James continued to hold Lily in his arms for quite a while, kissing the top of her head periodically. He knew that there was nothing to be said and that it would just be easier to let her have her cry.

It wasn't until the clock struck 6 in the morning that Lily's tears seemed to subside and she spoke again. "James?" she sniffled, "How did you get here?"

He smiled. "One of my friends at the Ministry hooked me up with a portkey. It took me just down the street."

"But, why? How did you know...?"

"I don't know exactly. Something just told me that you needed me here."

"Thank you, then," she whispered, giving him a kiss.

"Lil, maybe this would be a good time... there's something that I wanted to ask you. Well, all of us really wanted to know..."

"What's that?"

"Well, maybe you'd consider moving in with me and the guys? I mean, at least that way you'd have all of us, and I'd know that you're safe. It's a win-win situation, really."

Lily smiled faintly. "What about your mother, James? She would never agree to that..."

"Actually, she loves the idea." Judging by the shocked look on Lily's face, James knew she didn't believe him. "Really! She just wanted to make sure that you'd have your own bedroom and bathroom. So, do you think you'll at least consider it?"

"When can I move in?"

James laughed. "Well, you'll have to at least wait until Monday like the rest of us."

Lily sighed. "If I must... but James? Do you, well, I know your mum wouldn't like it, but... do you think you could stay here with me until then? I just don't want to be alone, it's very eerie."

"You could come and stay at my house, if you want," he offered.

"No, I'd rather stay here. It's been so long, and I think there are some things I need to take care of. I just can't handle it alone..."

"I'll see what I can do, but no matter what, I promise you won't be here by yourself."

"Alright." Lily yawned.

"How about you try to get some sleep now?" James asked, as a blanket appeared. He pulled it up over Lily, who just nodded as she drifted off to sleep.

James, somehow, managed to keep his promise to Lily. He didn't leave her side for the following three days. She wondered what his mother was thinking, but didn't really care enough to ask. She was just glad to have him there with her. Together they cleaned the house and set aside some furniture that they would take with them to their own house.

"Everything is pretty much set, Lil. Ready to go, except for the closets. They're still full of clothes."

Lily sighed mournfully. "I know. I'll go sort through everything. Most of it we should be able to donate to charity. It's what they would have wanted."

"Come on, I'll help you."

The two of them went upstairs and back into the Evans' bedroom. It was pretty much empty now, as they had moved most of the furniture downstairs for Lily to use in her bedroom in their new home. As she had explained to James, her parents' bed had been in their family for generations, and she saw no reason to end the family tradition.

"Well, how about if while you sort through the clothes I go and fix us something to eat?"

"Um.. James, are you sure that you want to try to cook? You've never even made toast without a house elf there to actually do the work..."

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever, I'll be fine. Just let me know if you need anything."

Lily shook her head as James walked out of the room. "Just don't set anything on fire!" she yelled after him. She then saw James run back into the room, his wand pulled out and a flash of yellow light coming from it. Lily immediately burst out laughing. It was the tickling charm.

"Don't set anything on fire, honestly woman. What do you take me for?" And he left her there, curled up on the floor laughing her head off.

James really wanted to prove Lily wrong, but in the end he knew she was right. He really couldn't cook. So, instead, he used a bit of magic and summoned the Potter House elf, Reena.

"What does Master James want of Reena?" she asked as soon as she appeared.

"Is my mother going to miss you for a little while?"

"Master James should no worry about Reena, sir. Reena has taken care already."

"There's no need for that, Reena. All I need is some help making lunch for me and Lily."

"Reena cooks, sir." She immediately found her way to the kitchen and started working with the food she conjured up for herself.

When the effects of the tickling charm had worn off enough so that Lily could actually function again, she began to clear out her father's closet. It was very hard for her to do, but she somehow managed to get through it with minimal tears. In her mother's closet though there was something that caught her eye. In fact, it caused her to scream out loud, with delight. Of course James didn't know that, so he came rushing in.

"What? What happened?" he asked frantically.

"It's beautiful!" she squealed.

"What?"

"Nothing! Don't look!" James looked confused. "I think I've found my wedding dress..." It was true. Lily found her mother's wedding dress and fell in love with it instantly. Instinctually, she wanted to try it on, but she knew she couldn't with James in there... it would be bad luck. "James, would you mind going back downstairs? I need to see how it fits."

"Um, sure, I guess. I'll just go finish lunch."

Lily locked the door behind James and put the dress on. It fit like a glove. It was sleeveless and had a fitted bodice and a full skirt, that was not very meringue at all, just perfect. "This is it..." she whispered as she looked at herself in a mirror.

After staring and dancing around the room for a few minutes, Lily changed back into her clothes and went downstairs to join James.

"Something smells really good!" she yelled from the stairs.

"It'll be ready in a minute, I'm just setting the table."

And then the kitchen door opened. "Miss Lily!" Reena ran right back into the kitchen and started banging her head on the counter.

"I'll be right back!" said James, rushing in to try and stop her. "Reena, it's alright. You don't need to do that."

"Miss Lily wasn't supposed to see Reena, sir. Sir didn't want it."

"No, it's ok, Reena. I said so."

"Is everything alright in here?" Lily asked, opening the door. She smiled when she saw Reena. "Do you remember me? We met once when I visited the Potters."

"Yes, miss. Reena remembers miss."

"Did you cook all of this food?"

Reena looked at James, who nodded, so she did as well.

"It smells very good. I can't wait to have some, I'm starving."

"Miss go and sit at the table. Food will be right there, Reena promises."

"Thank you very much," said Lily leaving the room.

"Alright Reena, I think it's time for you to go back to mum now. Just be sure to give her this for me," he handed her a note.

"Reena will, Master James." And with that, she disappeared.

James walked into the dining room to find Lily sitting at the table grinning from ear to ear.

"Don't even say it," he said. "I'll admit it, you were right, I was wrong. I can't cook. Happy?"

"Very!" She was still grinning.

"What?"

"Nothing." She started to giggle.

"What?"

"You might want to look in a mirror, that's all." She then began to eat, trying hard to ignore James.

Since there were no longer 'no magic outside of Hogwarts' rules to stop him, James summoned a mirror to appear beside him. When he turned to look at his reflection he saw that his ears had grown into the shape of the ears of a house elf, and his eyes had changed shape as well. There was also a sign flashing above his head that simply said "Lazy." He immediately jumped up from the table, knocking into it on his way up, and causing it to jump slightly as well, which made several things fall right onto Lily's lap.

"Serves you right!" he shouted.

Lily couldn't ignore him any more. She started to laugh and point at him. "You deserved that," she said, cleaning herself up with a wave of her wand. "Bringing your house elf here to do your work, shame on you James Potter."

James tried frantically to change himself back to normal, but it wouldn't work. "Get rid of it, NOW Lily!"

"I can't. It's just going to have to stay like that for the next hour or two. Then they'll go back to normal." She laughed again wondering how he had missed her pointing her wand at him before he sat down to eat.

For the next two days, Lily and James played house like they were 10 years old again. Other than a night or two, they had never really spent any great length of time alone together. They cooked together, washed dishes together. Went shopping together. All the while smiling adoringly at each other. To an outsider it might have seemed quite sickening, actually, but they didn't care. They knew that they wouldn't really get away with this once they moved in with Remus and Sirius, so they had to get it out of their systems now, or at least until they did get married and move into their own home without roommates.

Chapter 5: The "Real" World

Almost too soon though, Monday arrived and Lily found herself locking her parents' house up yet again as she left to return to the wizarding world.

Through his friends at the Ministry of Magic, James had arranged for a car to meet them and take their things (and themselves) to their new home. What James didn't know was that Sirius and Remus were in the car waiting for them.

"Where the hell have you been, man?" Sirius asked as James opened the car door for Lily.

"Sirius! Remus! Hi," Lily said.

"What are you doing here?" demanded James as he got into the car and it started on its way.

"Same as you. We just thought we'd tag along. Haven't been able to get in touch with you for a couple days."

"Well, I've been here the whole time. Why? What have you heard?"

"Well, your mother was a little shocked when I came by looking for you," Sirius said.

"Oh no... you didn't..."

"Man, if you were gonna tell her you were staying with me, you should have told me first!"

"James, you told me it was alright for you to be here!"

"Well, it was, cos she didn't know... What did she say, Sirius?"

"Oh, nothing really. Claire covered for you. You're lucky that girl hasn't gone back to Brazil, or wherever she's living this year."

"Ok, I'll have to thank her for that..."

Roughly 5 minutes later, the car stopped in front of what looked like a beat up old shack.

"We're going to be living here?" Lily asked nervously. She was obviously rethinking her decision.

"Yup! Isn't it great?" Remus seemed genuinely excited. "Come on! Let's go inside..."

I sure hope it looks more inviting than the outside does, thought Lily.

They all walked up the front steps and James opened the door. Everyone ran inside.

"Oh my god! It's beautiful!" exclaimed Lily. It really was. The door opened to a beautiful entrance hall, with cathedral ceilings. There was a staircase immediately in front of you (a coat closet was on the right, and a small bathroom on the left) that led to the second level, where there was a small balcony enabling you to see into the entrance hall. This was only the beginning...

"Let us show you around, Lil," Sirius said.

James took her hand and led her through a doorway on the right. "This is the living room," he said. It was already furnished with a sofa, loveseat and 3 lazy-boys, all facing a television set. There was a fireplace with a gorgeous mantel in there as well, and plenty of windows.

The next room they went to was the sitting room. Lily didn't pay any attention to the furniture in there though. She was too distracted by the jet-black baby grand piano. It had a vase of multi-coloured roses sitting on it. The contrast was perfect.

From here they made their way into the kitchen, which was fully equipped, and even had a bakers island in the middle. There was also a table and chairs set in there. The last room on this level was the dining room, which also had a fireplace.

They then all went up the back stairs to the second level. "This is the master bedroom, which will be yours Lil. My mom insists that you have your own bathroom and stuff, so this'll be the easiest way. Plus, I think you have the most stuff." In truth, that was only half the reason Lily was placed in that room. "This is my room," James continued, walking down the hall, "and that's Remus's room, and that last one is Sirius's."

"It's perfect," Lily said.

"If you boys will excuse me, I'm going to unpack my things," Lily said, making her way down the hall and into her room. Under normal circumstances she would have been surprised to find her furniture already there, but she learned never to underestimate James and his friends early on in their friendship. When she was half way through her unpacking there was a knock at the door. "Come in!"

James walked in and sat down on the bed, looking rather uncomfortable. "Um, Lily? I just wanted to tell you something, I mean, if it's ok with you then, um, well..."

"Oh for heaven's sake, James, spit it out!"

"Well, we aren't really renting this house."

"What do you mean?"

"I kinda bought it. When my dad died, he left me a pretty decent amount of money, and I decided to actually be responsible, so I invested it."

"And...?"

"Well, I'm getting there..." Lily sighed. James was notorious for taking an hour to say the simplest of things. "See, I kinda bought this house."

"What do you mean, you bought it?"

"Just that. I own it. It's mine. Well, ours. I bought it for us to live in when we're married. But since none of us had anywhere to go now, I thought maybe it would be a good idea... Sirius and Remus already know, and are actually looking for other places to live once we are married... does that sound ok? If you don't like it we can try to find someplace else... Lily, say something."

Lily was obviously overwhelmed. "I can't believe that you actually planned something that far in advance, James. It is so sweet... I couldn't have chosen a better house. Just think, we'll raise a family here some day..."

Lily then kissed James, who immediately pulled out his wand, aimed it at the door and muttered something causing the door to close and lock so that neither Sirius nor Remus would just walk in. They didn't want to be interrupted.

Over the course of the next few weeks, it was becoming increasingly harder for Lily and James to behave themselves. They tried not to be overly "couply" in front of Sirius and Remus, and they both did believe in waiting until their wedding. Of course, this belief didn't keep them from sleeping in the same bed, kissing, or from getting even closer at times.

One morning, late in August, Lily and James were awakened by a pounding on the locked bedroom door.

"James! Get your ass out of bed! We're gonna be late for work!" came Sirius's booming voice.

James groaned and threw something at the door. "It's too early," he muttered.

Lily turned over and glanced at the alarm clock. "James! Get up! It's almost 10!"

James sat bolt upright in bed. "Oh god! I can't be late again, they'll fire me!" He jumped out of bed, threw on his Auror robes, gave Lily a quick kiss, and ran right into the door.

Lily laughed. "You might want to try opening it first," she suggested.

"Love you too," he said quickly, not at all pleased with himself as he left the room. "Why didn't you get me up earlier, Sirius?"

"I don't know what you two are doing in there!"

"Oh come on, we were only sleeping."

"Riiiiiiiight..."

"I'm leaving now, see you at work," James said curtly. He immediately apparated to his office. "I'm here, I'm here... don't worry. Not late, just on time," he said to everyone as he walked through the maze of desks trying to find his own.

"Potter, that's the third time this month," his superior, Mr. Ocran said, walking up behind him.

"I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

"It had better not, Potter. You are one of the finest Aurors we've had, and it would be a shame to have to let you go."

"Yes sir."

"I'm glad we understand each other then." Sirius walked up from behind. "Sirius! How are you doing today?"

"Just fine, sir," he beamed. When Ocran's back was turned to him, he stuck his tongue out at James, who responded with a nasty look.

As soon as Ocran left James's office, Sirius sat down in one of the chairs by the desk. "Tough break, Potter."

"Shove off. I'm not gonna let this happen again... you just need to try to keep better track of me."

"What? I'm not your house mom. Why don't you try actually setting that alarm clock of yours? Or else have something ready to wake you up in the morning..."

"Lily usually does, but she's been tired recently. I think working with those kids has been getting to her."

"Well, don't count on her giving that job up any time soon, she loves her job."

James nodded. He knew it was true. Lily loved working with children, especially these ones.

Lily got out of bed just after James left. She took her time getting ready, went downstairs and cooked some breakfast. "Remus! There's some food for you!" she called.

"Thanks Lil! Be down in a minute," he responded.

She sang to herself while cleaning up the mess that Sirius had left in the kitchen. Remus came up behind her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"What would I do without you?" he asked.

"Probably starve!" she laughed. "Now, eat it while it's hot, and I've also set aside some lunch for you to have later."

"Thanks, Lily, really. You're making all of this a lot easier for me."

"Well, it isn't your fault. I just wish that more people were understanding about your condition. I'm sure you'll find something to do soon though."

"Yeah, right," he sighed.

"Don't be down about it. Everything will come together. But for now, I've got to run. My shift starts at noon. I'll see you later!"

"Have a good day!"

Lily then disappeared from the kitchen and reappeared in the entranceway of her workplace. She could hear the sounds of the children running through the hall upstairs, and smiled to herself.

"Good morning, Lily!"

"Morning Bridget. How are you today?"

"I'm doing just fine. A bit relieved that you're here now... it's been a madhouse this morning."

"Really? Why?"

"We've had a new arrival..."

"Oh, no."

"I'm afraid so. A little boy, Aaron. He's upstairs in his room."

"I'll just put my things away and then go check on him. Thanks for letting me know, Bridge."

"Sure."

Lily made a quick stop in her office to set some papers down, and then headed for the stairs. She worked as a caseworker in an orphanage for children who were abandoned by their muggle families due to their magical abilities.

Lily knocked gently on the door to Aaron's room. "May I come in?" she asked quietly.

"I guess," said the boy.

Lily opened the door and found Aaron sitting on the windowsill staring outside. "I'm Lily," she said, extending her hand.

"Aaron," he responded, not turning from the window.

"How old are you?"

"I just turned 8."

"Wow! Well, happy birthday then."

"Not really," he said, burying his face in his hands.

"Aaron, do you want to talk about it?" Lily asked, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to him.

"Why didn't they want me anymore?" He started to cry. "Don't they still love me?"

Lily sighed, and put her hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Sometimes it's not as easy as that. A lot of people are scared of what they don't understand." She looked at Aaron, who had turned around and was now facing her. It broke her heart to see his tear-stained face. "Do you know what I mean?"

"How would you know?"

"Well, believe it or not, I come from a muggle family too."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"And did they throw you out too?"

"No, they didn't. But if it was up to my sister they would have. She hates anything that isn't normal."

"But at least you have your parents," Aaron protested.

"Not anymore," Lily whispered. Aaron looked up at her. "They were killed, several years ago."

"What happened?"

"It was a car accident. Some silly muggle decided it was a good idea to drive home after drinking all night at a local pub."

"I'm sorry."

"Thank you, Aaron. I just want you to know that if you need anything, I'm here for you to talk to, and so are Bridget and Jared. You met them already, right?" Aaron nodded. "Good. Now how about we go downstairs and get you something to eat?" Lily smiled.

"That sounds good," he said, reaching out to take a hold of her hand.

Lily smiled again, took Aaron's hand in her's, and led him out of the room and down to the kitchen.

As soon as the pair entered the kitchen, Aaron's eyes grew wide and he hid behind Lily. "What are those?!" he screeched.

"Those are the house elves, Aaron. It's alright, they won't hurt you," she said stepping aside and pushing him gently forward. "This is Dinky, and this over here is Slinky."

The two elves rushed forward and dusted their cozies off. "Dinky/Slinky excited to see new Sir," they said at the same time.

"What do you do?" Aaron asked them, curiously.

"We's here to cook and clean, watch over Sirs and Ladys of house," Slinky said. "Is new Sir hungry?" She offered him a tray of peanut butter sandwiches and a glass of milk.

"Thank you," he said gratefully, sitting down at the small table in the room.

"If you will excuse me, for just a minute, Aaron, I need to check on something in my office. I'm sure that you'll be fine in here. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask for it," Lily said.

Lily smiled because she could just make out the muffled "Okay," from Aaron's peanut butter filled mouth.

Lily walked back to her office all the while smiling to herself about Aaron. I know I can help him, she thought to herself. The fact was that in her 2 months at the orphanage, she had succeeded in helping over 20 children turned away from muggle life to find welcoming and loving homes in the wizarding world. Something told her that Aaron would be special though. She just wasn't sure how.

Chapter 6: Wedding Assignments

The rest of the day went fairly well for everyone. Lily introduced Aaron to the other children that he would be living with, James was actually successful at hunting down a vampire that had been on the loose for 3 weeks, and Sirius spent his time kissing up to their boss. By the time everyone got home, they each felt that it had been a very productive day. Even Remus had found a way of keeping busy: he decided to cook. He had sent owls to his roommates so that they would be sure to be hungry when they got home.

Needless to say everyone was terrified when they appeared in front of the house and saw smoke coming out of every window.

"No!" shouted James.

"What the hell happened?!" yelled Sirius.

"God, I hope Remus is alright!" added Lily.

Sirius and James took it upon themselves to throw the door open. They expected to find the interior of the house engulfed in flames, but instead, everything appeared normal. There was no fire, not even any smoke. Just Remus, standing in front of the stairs, beaming at them.

"Scared ya, huh?" he asked smugly.

"What the hell did you do that for?!" demanded James.

"Just for a reaction. You all knew I was going to cook today, so I thought it'd be funny. And boy was it... the looks on your faces... priceless." He continued grinning. "Oh ye of little faith..." He shook his head at them.

"Why you little-" Sirius started. He would have finished too, but Lily gave him a look that silenced him.

"We deserved that, Remus. You're right." She laughed a little. She then walked past a fuming James and into the kitchen. "It looks great!" she shouted back at Remus.

"Thanks!" He then turned back to James and Sirius. "Don't you think you owe me an apology?"

"Not until we've tasted the food," they both said, staring him down.

"Fine, have it your way." He led them to the back and reveled in the fact that their jaws dropped when they saw everything he had made.

It was truly a feast. Everyone thought it could rival some of their meals at Hogwarts.

"God, Remus! Who knew you could cook?" said Sirius, with a mouthful of roasted chicken.

"You didn't cheat did you? I mean, bring a house elf here or something?" asked James.

"Unlike you," began Remus, "I actually cook for myself and don't just push it off onto someone else."

Lily almost spat out her drink, she was so amused by that statement. Once she managed to swallow, she started to speak. "It really is good. I'm very impressed... maybe I should just let you do the cooking from now on." She winked at him.

Remus shrugged. "Whatever, that's fine. It'll let me contribute in some way at least."

"Oh! Speaking of," James cut in, "We've got to figure out what we're going to do with you when there's a full moon... since there is one coming up at the end of this week."

"Can't we just put him in the basement?" Sirius asked.

"We could, but what about Lily? If I got loose it might not be the greatest of ideas..."

"I'm sure we can arrange something down there. We'll have a look after dinner and see what we can find," James said.

Once dinner was finished, Lily told the boys she would clean up while they decided what would be done about Remus and his condition in the coming days.

"Thanks, baby," James said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before heading down to the basement with Sirius and Remus.

All it took was a wave of her wand in order to get everything cleared, cleaned and put away. After that, Lily decided to take a nice hot relaxing bath. She grabbed a bottle of wine, a glass, and all the candles she could find and went up stairs.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the basement the boys decided that the space would do for at least one transformation.

"If we put in some kind of shackles or something and bolted them to the floor they should hold you," Sirius suggested.

"I just don't like the idea of being chained up. It makes me think of what my parents would do to me."

"I know, but for now at least we don't have much choice," said James. "If we set them up on the far wall over there, and leave a long enough chain on them, you'll be able to move around. We can also bring some things down here for you to try and tear at, so you won't attack yourself as much."

"You guys really don't have to do this. I could just go away and handle this on my own."

"Nonsense! You are our friend, and we're going to be right here to help you just like we always have!" Sirius stated.

"Well, thanks..."

"Come on, we've got to figure out where we're gonna find all this stuff."

"Knockturn Alley... that's where we're gonna find it all," James said, shaking his head.

"Knockturn Alley? Are you sure?" Remus asked nervously.

James sighed. "I really think that's our best bet. Sirius and I will look into it tomorrow. Let's try not to think about it for the rest of the night... and don't mention it to Lily. I don't want to worry her." And with that, the three headed back upstairs.

"Where's Lily?" asked Remus, when they stepped back into the kitchen.

The faint sound of jazz could be heard coming from upstairs. "If she's listening to that it means she's in the bath," answered James.

"You gonna go join her? Huh? Wink, Wink, nudge nudge," said Sirius, a sly grin appearing on his face.

"No. If she's in the bath it means she wants to just relax and not be bothered."

"Bollocks! All any woman wants is for her man to-"

"That's enough, Sirius!"

"Oh, come on James. Really, you're going to honestly tell me that you haven't done anything with her yet?"

"I really don't see how that is any of your business."

"Well, that's the sign of someone who isn't getting any..."

James looked disgusted. "Would you stop it, Sirius? Let it go, man."

"I'll bet you've never even seen her undressed."

"That's not true!"

"A-HA! I knew it!"

"No! I mean, yes! No, oh just sod off!" James stormed out of the room and up the stairs.

James tapped on Lily's bedroom door, but didn't hear any response. He slowly opened the door and called out "Lily?"

"I'm in here!" came her voice from behind the bathroom door. The music was then turned down. "Did you want something?"

James sat down on the floor and leaned against the door that separated him from his fiancée. "Lily, I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"When did you want to have the wedding? It's been a while since we've talked about it even..."

"I know, honey. I was thinking the same thing. You can come in here, if you want to talk."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course, don't be silly."

James cautiously opened the door, staring down at the floor careful not to look at the tub.

"You can look up, it's alright, James." Lily smiled, and James looked up. Lily was up to her shoulders in bubbles, with a glass of wine resting on the ledge to her right, and a stack of wedding magazines on the floor to her left. "We really do need to plan the wedding," she continued.

"So you do still want to marry me?"

"Why would you ever think otherwise?" Lily was genuinely surprised by his question.

"I don't know. It's just that we haven't talked about it for so long."

Lily nodded. "You're right. I guess we've just both been busy with work. That'll change though. I'm thinking of cutting back my hours at the orphanage... I think it would be more beneficial if I spent more time with Remus. It's hard for him to not have anyone around. Plus, that'll give me time to plan for us," she added quickly.

"So when do you think we should do it?" James asked.

"I was thinking about November, or is that too soon?"

"It sounds perfect."

"Well then, at least that is settled," she said. She then conjured up another glass and poured James some wine. "To our wedding!" she toasted. They clinked their glasses together and each took a sip. "I love you, James."

"I love you too. More than anything..."

James leaned across and kissed Lily, with perhaps a little more enthusiasm than he had originally intended. She didn't seem to mind though, instinctually putting her arms around his neck. Of course, once she realized what she had done she broke away from him. "Sorry," she giggled, "you're all wet."

"It's ok," he said, "Never liked that sweater anyway." He grinned, and after pulling the sweater off, he kissed her again.

Things continued along those lines for a few more minutes, until the worst interruption possible came about. "James! Your mother is here!" Remus yelled up the stairs.

Unfortunately, James was pretty much in the bathtub with Lily at this point. He leaped out, apologizing over his shoulder to Lily as he ran into the bedroom. "I'll be down in a minute!" he yelled back.

It was obvious that he had been sharing the room with Lily. His stuff was all over the place, and what was supposed to be his room was virtually deserted. James opened the bedroom door a sliver to make sure nobody was in the hallway, or at least that his mother wasn't. When he decided it was clear enough, he started levitating his things across the hall and into his room. He then grabbed some clothes, threw them on and raced out of the room, closing the door behind him, and ran downstairs.

"Mum! Hi," he said, out of breath, but hoping she wouldn't notice. Her back was still to him, which was fortunate. Remus quickly pulled out his wand, pointed it at James and muttered something. James's hair & clothes were suddenly dry, and he was very thankful because Marilyn turned around a second later.

"Well, there he is," Marilyn said. "My long lost son who doesn't think he needs to talk to his mother any more. Are you too big and important to keep in touch with me?"

"What? Of course not, mum. I've just been busy..."

"I expected that you would tell me that. Maybe it was a bad idea after all for Lily to come live here. Ever since there hasn't even been any mention of the wedding."

"Actually, mum, we've decided to get married in November."

"That's right, Marilyn. November 16," Lily said, suddenly appearing in the living room.

"Really?" They both nodded. "Well then, that doesn't leave us much time at all, now does it? We'll need to start making arrangements at once. We need to decide locations, guest lists, invitations, food, you James will need a tuxedo for yourself and your best man, Lily, you need a dress-"

"I have that already."

"Do you, dear?"

"Yes," she whispered. "I'm going to wear my mother's wedding gown."

"I'm sure that will be quite lovely, and she would be very pleased to know it."

Lily smiled faintly. "Me too..."

"But darling, you still need bridesmaids, dresses for them, flowers... so many things to do!"

"Well, sounds like you guys have your work cut out for you," Sirius said, laughing. "I'll just be off now..."

"Not so fast, Mr. Black," Marilyn began. "You and Mr. Lupin here will be helping as well."

James and Lily both grinned.

"Remus, given your new interest," Lily started, "maybe you could help with the reception... you know, planning the menu and things like that?"

Remus's eyes lit up at the suggestion. "That would be great!"

James feigned a weepy expression. "Our little chef... they grow up so fast."

"James! Behave!" Marilyn said sternly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"And- um.. well, what about me?" asked Sirius, not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.

"I'm not sure yet, but I'm sure we'll find something that will suit you and your particular... talents," Marilyn replied.

"Terrific," he said with great sarcasm in his voice.

Before she would leave that evening, Marilyn insisted on giving the house a once-over. Everyone knew her actual reason for this of course: to check and see that separate bedrooms were being maintained by her son and his fiancée.

After glancing in Lily's room (much to Lily's hidden horror) Marilyn found it to be relatively neat and clean. She then immediately went down the hall 2 doors on the left. Half expecting to find what was supposed to be James's room deserted, a great feeling of relief flooded over her when she saw the disaster area inside. Her son had always been a mess, but she had never been pleased to find his room in such a state until now. Naturally she had no idea that it was only in this condition because he had thrown everything in there upon her arrival, but what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her (or him, for that matter).

"James!" she called, pretending to be angrier than she actually was.

"Yes, mum?" he answered appearing at the door, not sure of what to expect.

"Do clean this room up, won't you? It's a disgrace..."

"Of course! I'll do it tonight," he said, careful not to sound overly relieved. But at that moment someone suddenly occurred to him. While he had moved his clothes and things like that out of Lily's room, he had neglected to move his bathroom stuff. This meant that his toothbrush, toothpaste, razor, shaving cream, towels, etc. were all still in Lily's bathroom and that his was empty. After saying a silent prayer that his mother wouldn't go into either room, he added "Mum, it's getting late. Would you like me to escort you home?"

"Trying to get rid of me already?" she laughed as they went back downstairs.

James forced a sincere smile. "No, don't be silly! It's just that we all have work in the morning."

"Of course, you're right. I should be off anyhow. Lily dear?" Lily looked up at her. "I'll put some lists together of things to be done or considered, you know."

"Thank you so much, Marilyn. I do- We do so appreciate all of your help with the wedding plans."

"Of course, child, of course. Now, I must be off. Goodnight everyone!"

"Night mum/Marilyn/Mrs. Potter," everyone said at once.

No sooner had she disapparated out of the room then the four roommates each heaved a gigantic sigh of relief and collapsed onto either the sofa or chairs in the living room.

"Well, that went well..." Sirius trailed off.

Chapter 7: Waking Hours

Over the course of the next few days, Lily and James tried to be more careful about their living arrangement. This didn't last too long though. Soon James was back to pretty much living in Lily's room, and she didn't mind one bit. She had grown used to sleeping next to him, and actually had a hard time of it without him there.

Life for the 4 roommates continued as usual, but with Lily working less hours (trying to plan a wedding) and Remus spending more time in the kitchen. They had even gotten their full moon routine down to a science. This all changed though early one morning in October.

There was someone pounding on the front door of the house. James jumped out of bed and threw on his robe, rushing down the stairs. He ran into Sirius and Remus in the hall and on the staircase, each of them doing exactly the same thing. Sirius got to the door first and threw it open, not sure of what would be on the other side. James and Remus had their wants ready, just in case.

The three boys looked around frantically, but didn't see anything. It took them a minute to notice the small boy crumpled on the ground, leaning against the doorframe crying his eyes out.

"Can I help you?" Remus asked carefully.

"I- Can- Miss Lily- Talk..." he could barely speak through his sobs.

"Of course. James, go and get her, now." Remus rarely took control of any situation, but James obeyed him immediately and ran upstairs. Remus leaned down, picked up the trembling boy, and carried him inside. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Lily..." he sobbed.

Lily rushed down the stairs so quickly she looked as though she was flying. As soon as she saw Remus holding the boy she exclaimed "Aaron!"

Lily ran over to Aaron and Remus. "What happened?"

"Bad people," Aaron gulped. "Everyone's dead... they killed everyone..." he started crying again.

"What?" Lily couldn't understand what was going on. "Aaron, who? What do you mean?"

"Black robes, hidden faces..."

"Oh no! They couldn't..." Lily buried her face in James's chest, and he in turn wrapped his arms around her.

"Sirius, get to the Ministry and find out what's going on. I'll be there as soon as I can, but send me an owl or something to let me know."

"Ten steps ahead of you," Sirius said, already dressed. He immediately apparated to his office.

James looked at Remus who nodded knowingly. It could only be one thing: Death Eaters, the followers of Voldemort. Looking at it from a logic standpoint, it made perfect sense. They had attacked a place known to care for children of Muggle families, or mudbloods, as they called them.

Lily was still sobbing into James's chest when an owl came flying into the house with a copy of the Daily Prophet. The headline on the paper read "Children's Cries Lost In the Dark Night." Just then Sirius appeared.

"James, you've got to come to work. They're calling in every Ministry worker they can get their hands on, Auror or not."

"Don't go, James, don't leave me, not now..." Lily pleaded.

"It's ok, Lily, I'm here. James needs to go and help," Remus said, trying to comfort her.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, Lil. I swear," James whispered.

She nodded tearfully. James then got up and joined Sirius in rushing off to the office. "I love you!" he yelled before disapparating.

"I love you too," she whispered.

Remus had his hands full that day. Lily refused to eat and kept pacing around the house, nervous about whether or not James would come back to her, and mourning the loss of her friends and the children she cared so much for. Aaron took a while to get calm, and once he was, he fell into a troubled sleep. He kept calling out for his parents, but of course they weren't there. Instead, it was Remus who answered his cries. Lily would have, but she could barely concentrate. She did lie down with him for a bit in the afternoon, but that didn't last. They each kept waking the other up with their nightmares. Remus eventually separated them, perhaps more for his own sanity than theirs.

It was dark outside by the time Lily was able to make it back downstairs.

"Has there been any word from them yet?" she asked Remus. He shook his head in response. "And Aaron? Where is he?"

"He's asleep in my room."

Lily collapsed into one of the recliners. "Remus, what would I do without you?"

"Don't worry about it. That's what I'm here for."

"No, really. I appreciate this... I- for whatever reason, I just couldn't get a hold of myself... and now, poor Aaron..." she trailed off.

"I was thinking, actually. I mean, if you think that it might be possible... I've got money, you know, and I think I've found a place to live..."

"Remus, what are you saying?"

"I'd like to adopt him." Lily stared at him with wide eyes. "It's not as though I will ever have any children of my own, and as long as I can count on all of you to help me when there's a full moon..."

"Of course we would," she said, breathlessly.

"I'd really like that."

"I swear to you, Remus, I'll do whatever I can to help..."

He smiled. "I know you will. Now, how about we clean this place up a bit and wait for James and Sirius to come back."

Once the house was clean, Lily sat down on the rug in front of the fire. She bundled herself in a blanket and had a mug of hot cocoa in her hands. She didn't say a word to Remus, instead choosing to simply stare into the flames. Other than occasionally taking a sip from her mug she didn't move at all. And then she saw it. In the flames. It was one of the dementors from Azkaban. She couldn't tell where it was, but what she could see was that it was about to administer the most horrifying of all punishments: a kiss.

Who is that? Who is it about to kiss? She wondered. "James?" she whispered. It can't be, she thought. Just then she saw James, in his animagi form, Prongs. He was galloping around several people, and causing the Dementors to back away. He was protecting those people. Lily squinted. One of them looked rather like Sirius, but drained. Another, the one she thought was James, she recognized as the son she had seen in her last vision. "Harry..." she whispered. Then everything went black.

Two days went by and Lily still had not woken up. The wedding was just over a month away and James was beside himself. He would never leave Lily's side for more than 5 minutes at a time, and on those rare occasions, he made sure that someone was there to take his place. This was generally Remus, as Sirius was still working on the orphanage case at work. Even Ocran, James & Sirius's boss agreed to let James take the time off to be with Lily, not that James really gave him much choice in the matter.

Now, in addition to Aaron, there were three more near permanent fixtures in the household. In addition to Marilyn practically moving in, Kayla Black, Sirius's mother, was there as well. The third was someone who everyone trusted above anyone: Professor Albus Dumbledore.

As soon as they had all realized it would be impossible to revive Lily on their own, Remus sent Scarlet, Lily's owl, off to Dumbledore at Hogwarts. He replied instantly, saying that he was more than willing to take time off from the new school term, and that he would help in any way possible. He arrived within an hour.

"James," said Dumbledore's soothing voice, "Do please get some rest. It will do none of us any good for you to wear yourself ragged."

"Professor, with all due respect, no," James said, quite simply.

Dumbledore sighed, but smiled slightly. "I did not expect that you would give in."

When Lily still didn't wake up on the third day, Dumbledore insisted that she be taken to the hospital. Nobody wanted to stay behind, so everyone gathered some things together and either apparated or traveled by floo powder (Remus & Aaron did this) to the wizards hospital.

Despite the magical overtones, the emergency room here was much like any normal muggle hospital: they were told to wait. That of course changed when Dumbledore appeared. The entire staff knew that if he was there trying to help this poor girl that it was serious.

Lily was then admitted almost immediately and taken back to an examination room, accompanied only by Dumbledore and James, in addition to the doctor, Dr. Handwerger.

"Is she gonna be alright?" James asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"She will be fine, James. You two still have much to accomplish together," Dumbledore replied.

James was getting fed up with Dumbledore's cryptic speaking. "You have been telling us that for years! What does it mean?!" he yelled, not really meaning to.

Dumbledore understood that James was simply overcome with grief at his current circumstances and didn't really mean him any offense. "You will see in time," he replied. "But for now, let us all concentrate on getting Lily well in time for your wedding."

James knew that he was right, and was about to apologize but then he noticed the doctor fixing a potion for Lily. "What is that?" he asked.

"It is a very powerful potion that I discovered during my time in the Congo. It should restore her consciousness almost instantly," Dr. Handwerger said. James noticed that he was adding a baby mandrake to it.

"This will work, right?"

The doctor and Dumbledore both nodded.

Dr. Handwerger leaned over Lily's motionless body and opened her mouth. Careful not to lose a drop of the potion, he poured it down her throat. She started to cough, and then sat bolt upright on the bed. She turned to James.

"You saved him! All of them!" she yelled, looking as though she was about to cry.

James looked concerned. "What are you talking about, baby? Saved who?"

"Our son," she whispered, falling back onto the bed.

James looked to Dumbledore for help, but this time he had none to offer.

"You saved him," she whispered again, before drifting off into a gentle sleep.

"What was that? I thought you said she'd be awake! What is she talking about? Who did I save? How?"

"She is fine," Dr. Handwerger said. "The potion worked, and now she will sleep comfortably for just a few hours. I would recommend leaving her here for the night, as I would like to keep an eye on her, but she should be fine."

"But what about what she said?"

"We can only guess at this point, James. The answers will come though. You can be certain of that," Dumbledore assured him.

James nodded, and sat silently, staring at Lily for a few moments before speaking again. "Will you tell everyone she's alright?"

"Of course, James. You stay in here, and I shall return momentarily," Dumbledore told him.

Lily never was one to follow the rules or do exactly what she was told. So it was no surprise that she woke up again about 5 minutes later.

"James?" she whispered.

"I'm right here," he answered.

"James, I saw you... in the fire... as Prongs... you saved him?"

"Who, Lil?"

"Our son."

"You had another vision?"

"I guess so. All I remember is I couldn't sleep, so I sat by the fire waiting for you and Sirius to come home, and then I saw you in the flames, and Sirius. I sound a little like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, don't I?" she laughed a little. "Anyhow, after that, the next thing that I remember is waking up here."

"Lily, it's been 3 days..."

"Really?" He nodded. "I'm so sorry, James... to put you through this..." Her expression suddenly changed. "How's Aaron?"

"He's fine, he's with Remus. They're quite the pair, those two," James smiled.

"Remus is very taken with him, isn't he?"

Just then the door flew open and everyone flooded into the room.

Dumbledore smiled as he walked into the room, after everyone else. "There was no point in trying to stop them," he said.

"Stop us, indeed!" said Marilyn. "How ridiculous."

"Is Miss Lily ok?" asked Aaron.

"I'm fine, everything is going to be fine," she said calmly.

"You poor thing," said Mrs. Black. "Is there anything that we can do?"

"What she needs is some rest," said Dr. Handwerger, obviously not happy that everyone ignored his advice and came into the room. "If you would all please give her some air."

"Doctor, nobody here wishes any further harm for Miss Evans. Please do let them have their visit, and then she will be left in your capable hands," said Dumbledore.

Dr. Handwerger muttered something under his breath before leaving the room and practically slamming the door behind him. Sirius started to laugh, but Remus quickly silenced him. Other than that, the rest of the evening went by smoothly. Everyone was concerned about Lily, and asked her how she was feeling every 2 minutes. The doctor returned a while later and everyone finally agreed to leave, except James.

Lily was released the following morning only on the condition that she would take it easy on herself. She was also not supposed to be left alone for any length of time. This of course presented no challenge, as James refused to leave her side unless Sirius or Remus were there to take his place.

Chapter 8: The Palace of the Prophets

Dumbledore returned to Hogwarts leaving James with strict instructions to contact him immediately if anything else went wrong. Both Lily and James were very grateful for all of his help.

When Lily got home, she was very disappointed to see that the house was a total wreck. But, as she didn't have the strength to deal with it at the moment, she waved her wand and everything cleaned itself. She spent the rest of the day in bed, arguing with James about what she could and could not do.

"James, really. I think that I can at least look through the invitations book... we need to choose one."

"Not now, Lil. There's no reason to start with wedding stress right away."

"Don't be ridiculous," she said, summoning the book with her wand.

James intercepted it. "NO."

"Fine then. I'll do something else." Just then her stack of bridal magazines appeared next to her on the bed. She picked one up and started flipping through it. "Are you going to stare at me all day?"

"Yup."

"Please don't, you're making me nervous."

"Well, what would you have me do?"

"Read this," she said, tossing him a magazine. "Get some ideas."

By the end of the week, wedding plans were well underway. There was no further mention of what happened to Lily that night in front of the fire. Aaron had become a part of their little family, and had even started calling Remus 'dad', which they both liked a lot. It had been a long, long time since Remus had that special twinkle in his eye, and every time Aaron called him that, it was very noticeable.

It was that Friday when Marilyn appeared in their living room, yet again, but this time with news of a location for the wedding. Lily's face lit up like a candle.

"Where?" she asked anxiously.

"It's called the Palace of the Prophets," she answered. Judging by Lily's puzzled expression, Marilyn felt the need to explain. "It's much like what muggles refer to as a nunnery. It is a training ground for the Sisters of the Light."

"Essentially they're prophets, Lil," James said, walking into the room.

"Exactly. But it is a beautiful place, and they have agreed to let us use the grounds, provided that you like it, of course."

Well then, I think that we should go and have a look," Lily said.

When Lily and Marilyn apparated in front of the Palace, Lily could feel her heart skip a beat. The door opened, and smiling faces welcomed them inside. Lily at once felt strangely at home.

An older woman stepped forward. "I am Prelate Victoria, I am one of the senior members of this establishment," she said. "You must be Miss Evans."

"Yes, that's right," Lily said. A strange feeling of recognition came over Lily.

"It is a great honour to finally meet you," Victoria said. The other women nodded.

Then it hit Lily. "Your eyes... they're the same as mine..."

Victoria smiled and nodded kindly. "Come with me," she said softly, and led Lily deeper into the Palace.

Marilyn was not at all surprised by this. In fact, it seemed as though she had expected it. She followed some of the other women around and started to take pictures of various parts of the Palace that she was considering for the ceremony and reception.

"It is very rare that we would allow an event such as your marriage to take place on our grounds," Victoria told Lily.

"I do appreciate it. This place is so lovely, but there's something-"

"Familiar?" interrupted Victoria.

"Exactly," Lily nodded. "I don't understand why though."

"Perhaps I can help. Follow me."

Victoria led Lily down a dimly lit hallway and into what turned out to be her office. "Please, sit down," she said, gesturing to one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Would you care for anything to drink? Some tea, perhaps?"

"Please." No sooner had she said that then a tea tray appeared, and Lily had a cup in her hand. "Thank you."

"Of course. Perhaps we can have a talk now?" Lily nodded. "You have been told what we are and what this Palace serves as, correct?"

"Marilyn and James gave me a brief description. They said that you are Prophets?"

"Yes, dear. Reading and understanding the great prophecies(?) is a very difficult task. It takes many years to train and learn to control the visions, if you will. It has been brought to my attention that you have experienced some of these visions for yourself, and that you in fact possess the divine gift, is that not so?"

"How did you know that?" Lily asked, not thinking about the question.

Victoria smiled. "Albus Dumbledore and I have been very good friends for many years. In fact, he used to study here, and still comes regularly for meditation purposes."

"May I ask you something?" Victoria nodded. "Why do you and I have the same eyes?"

"Why child, I would have thought the answer to be quite obvious, especially to someone with your natural talents."

"I- I don't understand..."

"My name, my given name, was Victoria Evans."

"But.. how? How is that possible?" Lily asked, growing more confused with each passing second.

"Lily, when I was 17 I had a child. And that child was your great-great- grandfather."

"That doesn't make any sense though! That would make you over 150 years old!"

"Actually I will be celebrating my 275th birthday later this year."

Lily tried to say something, but no words would come out.

Victoria smiled. "It really isn't as complicated as it seems. One of the traits of the Sisters of the Light is that we do not age nearly as quickly as ordinary people do. But you are right, at the time that I met your great- great-great grandfather, I was already 130 years old. Let me start at the beginning though.

I was brought here when I was only 5. Unlike you though, my parents were not muggles. They were a properly trained witch and wizard, both graduates of Hogwarts. They expected that I would go there as well, until that night.

I had had my first vision. I could see everything so clearly in front of my eyes, but nobody else could. Then I fainted, and did not wake for nearly 2 weeks. As soon as I did though, my parents rushed me here. They knew, from that moment, that I had the divine gift. It seemed strange to me, I thought they didn't want me around any more. But I was wrong. There were only a few other children here at that time, it seemed that what the Sisters call a Skip had occurred. That is when the gift seems to skip a generation or two, and it was taking it's toll.

I began my training almost immediately, and I was a very quick learner, if I do say so myself. Over the years I learned to control my fainting and the occurrence of the visions. I also learned the tricks of reversing the effects of aging. That is how I have managed to live for so long.

I remained here for 100 years, teaching the trade to others as it had been taught to me, but it just seemed as though something was missing from my life. So, I spoke with the Prelate at the time, Daphne, and we agreed that I would go out into the world and try to create a life for myself."

"And that's when you met my great-great-great grandfather?"

Victoria smiled. "Exactly. As soon as I met him, I knew what I was missing: love. Edward was a muggle, but accepted me for what I was. After we were married, we had a son, Erik who was not magical at all. When Erik was only 8 though, Edward died. I should have foreseen it, but I had neglected my studies for so long, I was too happy.

I remained with Erik until he was married, and then I returned here. I could not bare the thought of watching another of my loved ones die when I would barely age a day. Also, I knew that one day I would be needed again, by one of my decedents, you."

"I understand if this comes as a shock to you, Lily. But you must know that whatever happens is meant to be, there are many reason greater than ourselves."

"I know... it's just... I just thought that... well, I just thought that the only family I had left was Petunia..."

Victoria laughed. "That girl, leave her where she is. She belongs in the muggle world, even though she resents you for not being a part of it."

"Why didn't anyone tell me before?"

"Someone actually did, only not in so many words."

"Who? What are you talking about?"

"One of your professors at Hogwarts. Professor Trelawny?" Lily nodded. "She actually studied here for a while. As a matter of fact, I was one of her mentors during her time here."

"You mean she's for real? No offense, but we always took her as rather flaky."

Victoria laughed. "So did we. She didn't remain with us long, insisting that her gift was far superior to ours and that she did not need any further training. She had some trouble finding work though, on the outside, so I spoke with Albus, who was at that time an old friend and he agreed to give her a position at Hogwarts."

"Well, that explains a lot about her..." Lily smiled.

"Now that you have been acquainted with a bit of your family's history, why don't we concentrate on the future? It means so much to me, that I will be able to see you married."

"I'm just so excited that I'll have family there after all!"

"My poor dear. I consider it to be a great honour. That is why I approached Marilyn Potter. Albus informed me that she was assisting you and James with your wedding preparations. It was imperative that you come here, for I have taken a vow never to leave these grounds again."

"Come now, let me show you around the Palace. Perhaps we will even find Marilyn."

"Alright," Lily replied, getting up and following Victoria out of the room.

By the end of their visit, Lily and Marilyn had agreed on the perfect spot to hold the wedding ceremony, and Victoria had shown them the gardens which would be perfect for the reception. Just as they were about to leave Lily gave Victoria a big hug.

"Thank you so much, Gran," she whispered in her ear.

"You deserve all of the wonders that the world has to offer you. God be with you, and I shall see you again soon." Victoria kissed her cheek.

Lily wiped a tear from her eye, smiled and said "Bye," before disapparating back to her house with Marilyn.

"Thank you so much for this, Marilyn," Lily gushed as soon as they had both arrived.

"Don't thank me, it was all Victoria and Dumbledore's doing. I was simply the messenger."

"So, what do you think?" James asked, walking into the room.

"It's incredible, James! The most amazing thing happened!"

"Oh really? What?"

"The woman... I'm not alone... the Prelate in charge, Victoria... her name is Victoria Evans... she and I are family. And she's going to be there, James. At our wedding, someone from my family is going to be at our wedding!" Lily was crying now, she was so happy.

"Jesus James! What did you do to her?" Sirius demanded when he saw Lily crying, yet again.

She started to laugh through her tears. "He didn't do a thing, Sirius. Thanks though. It was all Marilyn, and I really appreciate it so much..."

Marilyn smiled and Sirius just looked really confused. "I'll explain it to you later, Sirius... as soon as I figure out exactly what's going on for myself," said James.

"Alright, whatever," Sirius shrugged, picking up a magazine and walking out of the room.

"Sirius, wait!" called Marilyn. He turned around. "I've thought of what you can do for the wedding..."

"You mean other than being my best friend's best man?" he grinned.

"Yes," she replied. "I want you to handle security arrangements. Even though the Palace of the Prophets is one of the only places nearly as safe as Hogwarts, certain measures must be taken. I want you to work on that, if you don't mind."

"No, that's fine. I'll see what I can do at work tomorrow."

"Thank you, Sirius," she said. "And now I must be off. I'll probably be back early next week. I'm going to visit Claire for a couple of days. But, should you need anything, don't hesitate to send an owl or contact me by other means." And with that, she was gone.

That night the only thing that Lily could think about was Victoria and the fact that she actually had a blood relative other than Petunia. Since she wasn't told of any other magical relatives since Victoria's time Lily could only assume that there had been a rather large skip that spanned until she herself was born. As a child, Lily would often dream about things that would end up coming true, but she never thought anything of it until now. It didn't even occur to her that it was anything significant when she got her letter of acceptance to Hogwarts.

"Oh, well," Lily said.

"What?" asked James.

"Huh? Oh! Did I say that out loud?" James nodded and Lily giggled. "Sorry. I was just thinking about today discovery and things that I did when I was little..."

"Ok..."

"Don't worry." Lily smiled. "Anyhow, we found the perfect spots for both the ceremony and the reception... it's going to be beautiful, James."

"I don't doubt it at all, Lil," he said smiling.

The next morning Lily and James found two surprises waiting for them in the kitchen when they finally made it down there. The first was a giant clock on the wall, that was counting down. There was a sign above it that read "Time Remaining of Freedom" and the clock was currently at 32 Days, 8 hours, 23 minutes and 12 seconds.

"Sirius," James said, shaking his head.

"I think it's kinda funny," said Lily, laughing.

"That's what I thought too," said Sirius. "And James, are you actually coming in to work today? Ocran has it in for you I think... at this rate you won't have enough time off for your honeymoon."

Lily's smile disappeared. "You'd better go in then, James. I'll be fine here."

"You sure?" She nodded. "Okay, I suppose I'll actually go in today..."

"Before you do, I have some news," said Remus, entering the room. All three turned to look at him with questioning glances. "I've found a place for Aaron and me to live, so we'll be moving out on November 1."

"Are you serious?" asked Sirius.

"You're sure about this, then?" James asked.

"That's wonderful for you!" exclaimed Lily. "I knew you'd be able to do it."

Remus smiled. "As long as you all keep your promise to help out once a month, I think things will turn out really well for us."

"Of course we'll help you! Haven't we always?" said James.

"Yeah!" added Sirius.

"Glad to hear it. I'm going to go wake Aaron up and tell him the news, if you'll excuse me..." and he left the room.

"We should probably get going too... be back for dinner... love you!" James said, kissing Lily goodbye.

"Me too," she said.

"And what about me?" Sirius grinned.

"I love you most of all," Lily said, jokingly. She then kissed his cheek. "Have a good day!"

By the time James and Sirius got home, the giant countdown clock in the kitchen was at 31 Days 21 Hours 57 Minutes and 35 Seconds.

"That was a long day," said Sirius as he collapsed onto a kitchen chair.

"Tell me about it," agreed James. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "All that smoke was just too much..."

"Well, nobody told you to actually walk into the room."

"Well, there really didn't seem to be any other option."

"Listen, I really don't want to get into this again."

"Me neither... Is there anything to eat?"

Sirius pointed his wand out and aimed it at the refrigerator, which immediately opened. "Looks like Lily or Remus left us some dinner."

"Thank god," James said, levitating the food to the table.