Chapter One: "When I look to the Sky"

Train

The horn blasted as the steam train came to a stop, and the students poured out with their trunks clunking behind them. Among the throng of children and young adults, six in particular stood together, hugging each other. Two girls, aged about seventeen, hugged and kissed goodbye the four similarly aged boys, turning away and walking out of each other's lives, possibly forever. Well, one of the two girls did at least. The second, furious from a row she had been in earlier, bid her farewells to the others, excepting a certain raven-haired boy.

Lily Evans and Meredith LaBelle wiped tears from their eyes as Remus Lupin, James Potter, Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew faded from view. On the other side of the brick wall border, they left each other for their families, hugs and tears speaking in lieu of words filled the already humid June day. Each was leaving platform 9¾ for what seemed to be the very last time in their lives…

--

A nineteen-year-old Lily opened her eyes to see rain splattering the window of her London flat. She had fallen asleep again reviewing patients' files on her window seat. Stirring slightly, she ran a hand through her auburn-claret hair. That memory… Why wouldn't it just leave her alone? That day, the day of their Graduation, the Marauders plus Lily and Meredith all had bid each other goodbye, setting off for the rest of their lives. They'd all found different ways to go, well, almost.

James and Sirius both followed their natural talents as Quidditch players, moving on to play professionally for England. James was England's star chaser; Sirius was his right wingman, and the two of them with the young seventeen-year-old Matthew Maloney were damn near unbeatable.

Lily and James had not exactly left on good terms. Actually, she had been quite angry with him when they said goodbye to each other that day. But somehow, even after their horribly catastrophic break-up, James would write to Lily, telling her how the Quidditch trials were going, and she would always grudgingly write back, sometimes pretty bitterly, telling him how time consuming her job was, and how she couldn't write to him for long, people were waiting for her. Soon they grew older, and as they did, they grew further and further apart, and nowadays she received almost no owls from him. The last she had received was one saying that he wouldn't be able to write for a while, because they were going to Switzerland for a tournament, and he was leaving his owl at home.

Meredith, conversely, as one of the more brave ones in their group, went on to auror training, and at twenty (she was older than Lily by five months), she completed her training in record time. Her mentor and advisor turned out to be Mad Eye Moody himself, and even though she was a rookie, Meredith was called out a lot for missions where her expertise in charms (she had Lily train her at night all through 7th year until she was a charms master). The last time Lily had heard from her best friend, they were conducting a Death Eater raid in some far off location and wouldn't be able to inform anyone any further as to the status of her work.

Remus' job searching was going harsh, because trying to get hired was hard being a werewolf and all. He would come over and visit Lily occasionally, staying for hours at a time. She was the only remaining person out of their group of six that he could get within thirty feet of without being mobbed by fans or stunned by aurors. Lily had grown to really enjoy Remus' company, as neither of them had anyone else their age to really have a conversation with. Lily was sure that he was still just her friend, but Remus was handsome, sweet, smart, and since Meredith had gone fully into being an Auror, available. Neither of them was sure where Peter went to; he seemed to just disappear into thin air. That bothered Lily. How could someone with such famous friends just vanish?

Lily sighed at the thought of her friends. They were gone, so it shouldn't matter to her anymore, right? Wrong. Her friends remained in the back of her mind, and at night her dreams brought them back to her, in haunting shadows of their past selves. Lily pressed her cheek to the cold window one last time and then got up from her seat. A few minutes later, Lily was in the shower and out again, dressing quickly and efficiently.

She was Head Healer in St. Mungo's and with Voldemort on the rise, she, like everyone else in the Wizarding world, was a little tenser. Day by day there were the normal accidents and injuries, but she had gradually seen a rise in the number of aurors coming into the wards from spell damage. If they weren't near death, they were out of their minds, or worse, just in a vegetative state. On a daily basis she wondered if it was going to be one of her best friends in the stretchers and hospital beds.

The lime green robes with the wand and cross bones emblazoned on the front clashed terribly with Lily's red hair and emerald eyes. She wished that there was something that she would be able to do in order to make them look different, but policy was policy, and uniformity gives strength, they say. Strength was what they needed now, more than ever before.

"When it rains it pours, and opens doors, and floods the floors we thought would always keep us safe and dry" she sang to herself while tying up her hair. Rain was often troublesome in London with accidents, but when it rained, it seemed as though the city was washing away everything. As much trouble as it was, Lily enjoyed rain, and if it wasn't for that fact, she would never have fallen in love with the calmness of the city during a rainstorm.

-"And in the midst of sailing ships we sink our lips into the ones we love that have to say goodbye."-

--

Thunder exploded and lightning flashed, tearing white-hot bolts in the light morning sky. Ripping his gaze from the window, James turned to stare blankly at the other side of the room, exhaling. It was raining everywhere it seemed, even back in London, where Moony was. Remus isn't the only one in London you care about… his mind tugged.

"And as I float along this ocean, I can feel you like a notion that won't seem to let me go." The song was playing itself over and over in his head, and quietly he sang part of it to the window.

"James. James? Hello? Did you even hear a word I just said?" a voice cut into his thoughts.

"Yes, of course I heard you Padfoot." He replied automatically, lazily looking at his friend.

"Fine, then, what did I say?" Sirius grinned and folded his arms challengingly.

"Okay, I wasn't listening. Sorry, it's just that I can't stop thinking about her. She's everywhere! Whenever I turn around, I see those eyes staring back at me with that gaze burning into my face." He answered.

"You're thinking about Virginia again, aren't you?" his best friend rolled his eyes and turned back over onto his stomach. The two guys were hanging out in James' loft. Since their team was in Switzerland for a three month Quidditch Tournament, each of the players was given an apartment to live in. Sirius was reading a Quidditch Supplies magazine on James' couch, but James was sitting on his window seat.

"I wasn't thinking about Ginia!" James retorted defensively.

"Oh sure, I believe you. You only had that dreamy glazed over face while you stared out of that window at the exact same spot for an hour. You definitely weren't thinking about her." Sirius sarcastically said, flipping through the rest of his magazine.

-"When I look to the sky something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything alright."-

Virginia Moore, the girl James had been thinking about, was England's best seeker, but she was also James' girlfriend. He and Sirius had known Ginia for years; she was the first person they had met when they were drafted into professional Quidditch. They had met quite by accident. She was blindsided by a bludger and had fallen off her broom during one of the practices James was watching. She had landed in his unsuspecting arms. Virginia had satiny dark brown, near black, hair that fell to her shoulders. Her eyes were the apex of her beauty though. They were a gorgeous, luminous and brilliant ice blue color. One look from those crystalline eyes, and James would be on his knees. It wasn't his fault completely that she had such a hold over him: she was extraordinarily unlike anyone James had ever met.

-"And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me, and I can always find my way when you are here"-

"Anyway, Prongs, like I was saying while you went completely gaga on me, I was going to invite some of our old buddies from school up here for a little get together. You know, for old time's sake."

Sirius grinned mischievously. Having all the Marauders and their best girl friends, Meredith LaBelle and Lily Evans, come over would be great fun. True, they hadn't seen each other since he and James had left the train station nearly three years ago, but that didn't matter. Sirius had made a promise to all the others, that nothing in the world would sever their ties to each other completely, come hell or high water.

"What? Who exactly did you say was going to come over here?" James perked up.

"Oh, some of our old friends." He said flippantly, heaving himself off the couch and walking towards the refrigerator. "Do you have any ice cream, James?"

"Don't change the subject!" he snapped, wanting to know who he was planning on parading around his apartment, "Sirius, who are you inviting?"

"Oh, you know the old gang. Moony, Wormtail, Meredith, Lily…" he trailed off, sticking his head into the freezer to look for something to eat.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I thought we talked about this! I told you I'm done with Evans!" James stood too and grabbed his friend by the shoulders, pulled him from the appliance and turned him around. "I refuse to let you invite Lily up here. I have a girlfriend that I happen to like a lot, and I don't think that it's the best idea to bring the girl I asked to marry me!"

-"And every word I didn't say caught up in some busy day,"-

Sirius saw the flashing hazel eyes and stopped smiling. He knew how much Lily had hurt James, but she was one of their best friends from school. It wouldn't be right if Lily wasn't there. He liked Lily, regardless of how she had turned James down; she was one of the gang! James would never let him live to say it, but Sirius knew somehow they were perfect for each other.

It's all Voldemort's fault. He thought bitterly, thinking about how happy his best friend would have been had it not been for Voldemort and his twisted followers. Like your brother. No matter how hard he tried, Sirius could never block out the memories he had about his brother. Regulus had been the son his parents wanted, one that would have done everything to please them, even if it meant becoming a Death Eater. Sirius had been the black sheep, the one that was scorned for running away and openly denouncing the dark side.

"James, you can't run from the girl. She was your friend before your girlfriend, don't you remember that Lily, The one that you were just friends with?"

"That's just it Padfoot, I never really was just her friend! I always loved her. I always loved every little thing about her! She just didn't seem interested in guys at all, and I found it hopeless to tell anyone about it." James dropped his hands from Sirius' shoulders and turned away, walking over to the couch and plopping himself onto it.

"Prongs, I always knew. Moony did too. Hell, we all knew that you loved her." Sirius said quietly, "It was how you stared at her for hours at a time, and when we brought you back from your gaze, you thought it had been only a minute. I can't blame you for not wanting to see her James, but sometimes you've got to let go of old grudges."

-"And every dance on the kitchen floor we didn't have before,"-

James shifted in his seat, obviously uneasy with the thought of old times. It was true; he had tended to stare at the back of her head for full class periods at a time while subconsciously writing "Lily Evans Potter" all over his notes. His situation didn't improve at all for years, every class he had with her was his favorite part of the day. He had given up in fourth year because Marlon Finch had pushed Lily into the lake, and for the longest she seemed to think that every guy in the whole school was a worthless, good for nothing jerk out to get her. That had changed when the six of them became friends at the beginning of 5th year. James didn't prank as much as he used to, and he stopped picking on Snivellus for once in his life. Lily began to laugh more, smile more, and shine like the star he had always imagined her to be.

But that was all over now, and he didn't think about her anymore since she broke his heart those long three years ago. James decided that he had officially "moved on", and with that, he determined that he was over Lily. So why did he care so much about her coming over for a friendly get together? I mean, there would be four other people there for them to talk to! It wasn't as if it was only him, on a date with her. That, James resolved, would have been complete hell.

-"And every sunset that we'll miss I'll wrap them all up in a kiss, and pick you up in all of this when I sail away,"-

--

The doors slid open as Lily stepped out of the elevator, proceeding to the nurse desk. She picked up the tablet and touched her wand to the charted page. "Lily Marie Evans" scrolled its way into the empty box by the 9:00 a.m. slot, signing her in for the day. Another day, another round of sick and injured people to take care of, people to save from death or pain, people to comfort and console. Too many people to remember, too many hurt people in the world, waiting for her and her colleagues to help.

"Good morning Healer Evans" the witch lazily replied as Lily handed the tablet back to her.

"Good morning Pricilla, any new cases so far?" she inquired while consulting her wristwatch.

"No serious ones, not on this floor as of last night, no."

"Thanks."

She turned away and pushed open the double doors to the Spell Damage Ward. As she checked on her patients, she sang quietly to herself, "And while I float upon this ocean I can feel you like a notion that I hope will never leave,"

--

-"When I look to the sky, something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything all right. And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're here with me, and I can always find my way."-

Remus sat in Dumbledore's office, looking over all the little trinkets that were placed here and there across his shelves and desk. I wonder what they're all for… He found himself wondering the same thing he had always wondered whenever stepping into the Hogwarts Headmaster's office. A little whirring noise was emitting from one of them, its rotating arm spinning about urgently, like it had been for the last ten minutes. Puffs of smoke were coming out of another in intervals of 13 seconds exactly, showing various objects in the ephemeral white wisps.

"Remus." An old and wizened voice came from behind him as the sounds of a grinding stone staircase came to a stop and a door was opened.

"Albus," Remus got to his feet and lifted his hat off his head in respect for his old professor and lifelong mentor. Dumbledore had allowed him into Hogwarts as a young boy, despite his… well… condition. Remus had come to grips with the fact that he was no longer a teenager and did not have his best friends always around to protect other people from him. He was open with prospective employers, telling them that he was what he had been trying to hide- Remus Lupin was a werewolf. As one could imagine, things never went very smoothly from that topic.

"Remus, I know how hard it is for you these days," Dumbledore calmed said, taking his seat behind the vast mahogany desk, "but there are some things that require your attention, you see…"

"What is it?" his voice was weak, like he was tired of hearing the same old same old. He often wished that he could be back as a student at Hogwarts, what with all the fun and merriment that he and the other Marauders were constantly creating.

"Peter. I need you to find him, wherever he may be, and bring him back to me. I mean for you to cause your dear old friend no harm, no, not at all. I mean to talk to him about his service to the Dark Lord."

Remus gasped. Service to the Dark Lord? He knew that Wormtail was silly, a fool, at best, but he couldn't have gotten himself in such a multitude of trouble! Well, a voice deep inside of him whined, He never really liked hanging out with you, Sirius and James at the end of the year… He never did any pranks with you on the Slytherins after that one time that you all found him beaten up crawling back to the common room. It was true. The three of them had been returning to the common room late at night after a midnight snack form the kitchens, when they had found poor Peter passed out and all beaten up nearly 30 feet from the portrait hole.

"Me, Albus? But why?" he knew that he shouldn't question Dumbledore's judgment, but something about going off into the world and tracking down some old friend that didn't even bother to owl him once in a while didn't seem to be Remus' favorite activity.

"Because you, unlike the rest of your friends, are the sharpest tool in the shed."

(A/N: I know, I know, that is a completely old, over-clichéd line… but I like it!)

"Fine, just tell me where to go."

-"Whether I am up or down or in or out or just plain overhead, instead it just feels like it's impossible to fly"-

--

Three days later, James trudged into the apartment, throwing his broom and Quidditch bag off to the side, away from the doorframe. Their team had just had the worst practice of their lives, and James had been the sole cause of it. Okay, well maybe not the sole cause, but he definitely added a lot to the equation. It was wet and stormy, and neither him, nor anyone else on the team could really see straight. It was the kind of weather that felt like someone was sitting just above the clouds, violently pitching anything in its reach down at the ground.

Seems like that an awful lot lately, doesn't it? The somewhat cynical side of him chided as he pulled off his jacket and curled up on the couch with a blanket his mom had made for him when he was first going off to Hogwarts. It was silly for him to still have it, really, but his mum had spent so many days making it for him, it seemed wrong to get rid of it. Besides, whenever he felt cold, inside or out, this blanket warmed him up completely. He had spent nearly two whole weeks just sitting around with the blanket after Lily refused him, and somehow he recovered, and started his life over.

Funny, he thought, it doesn't seem like I've changed much in my life. The basics remain the same: Sirius is my best friend; I have a girl that means the world to me, and everywhere I go people are always know my name.

James took off his glasses and set them on the table end next to the couch, and as the world blurred, he closed his eyes, hoping maybe he would feel better after waking up from a long rest.

-"But with you I can spread my wings to see me over everything that life may send me, when I am hoping it won't pass me by"-

--

KNOCK, KNOCK.

Lily looked up from her work at the door. She was seated at her desk in her office, deeply immersed in one of her books, Ye Olde Forgotten Healer-magic, to be exact. Her hair was a mess from multiple frustrated strokes between flipping pages, and she was in no mood to be entertaining a guest in her office. She stole a glance at her wristwatch, which read 10:30 P.M. Who on earth would be coming to see me at this time of night? Sighing heavily, she waved her hand nonchalantly and watched as the door opened to reveal someone she had not seen in nearly three years… Meredith.

"MEREDITH!" Lily screamed with elation and jumped up from behind her desk, wrapping her best friend in a hug.

"Lily… air… need… air…. To BREATHE!" She forced out from Lily's suffocating hug.

"Sorry."

"It's ok; I at least know you were excited to see me." Her best friend said sarcastically, grinning.

"Sit down, please." Lily said, waving a hand at the chair in front of her desk. Another swift motion closed her office door, and Lily re-seated herself across from Meredith. "So, what business are you here on? Auror work I suppose?"

"Actually," she said hesitantly, "I'm here on call from Dumbledore."

"What?"

"Dumbledore sent for me from the Auror Academy to round up our old gang again. He wants us to meet with him next Friday at noon, over at Hogwarts." She supplied the information and prepared herself for the blow… the old gang certainly encompassed James and that was a person Meredith was still very sure that Lily was not going to want to see.

"Really? He took you out of the Academy?" Lily said, trying as hard as she could to maintain a civil disposition. She was fully aware of what Meredith meant by "the old gang": their six Gryffindor friends, two of which she was definitely not speaking to.

"Yes, and I'm supposed to tell you to leave your Deputy Head Healer in charge, as we are going to Switzerland."

"SWITZERLAND? What on earth for?"

"To round up our Quidditch players of course." Meredith giggled. She couldn't help that she thought it was funny that Lily was mad a James, it was completely silly- they were meant for each other, and yet she didn't think that three years ago when he asked her to marry him. Something about going through and seeing the state of the world and the transient trials of love had taught Meredith that some things needed to be, even if it was only for a while.

-"And when I feel like there is no one that will ever know me there you are to show me"-

"I refuse." Lily said directly, pushing the heavy book off her desk and putting it back on a nearby bookshelf.

"You can't refuse Dumbledore!" Meredith's voice rose slightly, showing her great respect for the man, even after their school days.

"I'm just saying that I will go to Hogwarts and see Dumbledore myself."

"No, Lily, I can't let you! I have direct orders!"

"Well then break them!" Lily almost shouted.

Meredith's caramel brown eyes looked hurt. She was only doing her duty to Dumbledore and fulfilling his requests, and Lily had turned rashly on her. Lily's life had changed her; her line of work was triumphant at times, but the death and pain that usually surrounded Lily weighed heavily on her shoulders.

"Mere, I didn't mean-"

"No. You're right. You go ahead and I'll get the boys from their tournament." She stood solemnly, and turned to leave.

"Meredith, please, wait-"

"No, you've said your peace Lily Evans."

"Please! Wait, Mere, I'm sorry, I know you had your orders, and-"

"And I'll just have to carry them out by myself. All I ask of you now is to find Remus, and tell him that I'm sorry. 'Bye Lily."

"Meredith! Sorry for what?" Lily called out

Meredith apparated out of Lily's office, still feeling hurt. Something happened to the both of them since they had seen each other last. Maybe it was because of the distance that they had between them. Maybe it was their lives taking them down foreign paths. Maybe it was just the fact that people just have to grow up and change. Whatever it was, Meredith did not like it one bit.

-"When I look to the sky, something tells me you're here with me, and you make everything alright when you are here. And when I feel like I'm lost something tells me you're right here next to me, and I can always find my way when you are here"-

--

A/N: OKAY! Chapter Two is done! Love it? Hate it? Wanna print it out and burn it? Doesn't matter to me, just tell me about it. And as many people who know me know, I will write you an awful message back if you write me one! So just, be forewarned! OKAY! So, this chapter is way like, more depressing, yes, but I had to stop the comedy somewhere and start the drama! It will get more comedic soon though, so do not fret! Okay! Onto my faithful followers... I mean, um, reviewers!

rEvIeWs

Snowy- Thanks!

Sally- I did, I did, chill out girl!

PhsycoChick991- I read your story, fyi, and It was good, I mean you have a lot of potential… Revising and finding a Beta would be good for you though. :D Thanks for the review, and keep on reviewing please!

Allie- thanks! J

Ourlittlesecret7- lol like the whole grade are cheerleaders my school! Hahaha… yeah but given those options, I'd totally go with the Shakespeare thing. Totally. Wow I feel like such a valley girl… :-/ oh well! J

Velvet Curtain- thanks! The first of this series is like the next chapter, so please read! Wait, but you'd have already read that to be reading this. Oh well. Whatever!

Okay, that is all from me folks!

Your loving, omnipotent yet benevolent Princess Emerald ;)