...Winding Path...

By Zetta
Summary: James Potter's had a rough year, and when he decided he needs a break from being an Auror, Albus Dumbledore comes up with an interesting proposition.... This Chapter: James goes to London and the estate, very emotional times.
Characters: James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Sybil Trelawney, Taura Sinastra, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, and more!
Rating: PG-13
Sorry for the delays! James was being very difficult!
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Chapter Six

All who had gone out that night were miserably sick the next morning. Sybil walked around offering predictions of death to anyone who spoke to her, Taura promised to throw the next person who mentioned food out the window of the North Tower, and Lily threatened to sick a toaster on the next person who spoke too loud or mentioned her green completion. (The threat worked because no one knew what a toaster was, but it sounded quite frightening) James swore that he'd prank anyone who brought about the next bout of sickness, but then had to take that back when the house-elves tried to help him by bringing him breakfast. The breakfast sent him running for the toilet, but the house-elves were far too nice for him to scream at. Sirius, Remus, and Peter had all stayed at Sirius's place in Hogsmeade, which was conveniently near to an apothecary who stocked special potions to take away hangovers.

At last when the hang-overs had faded away- for the most part- life went on.

The next week passed quickly, and soon enough, it was the night before the students would go home for Christmas break. James was seated in his classroom, trying to get a stack of tests graded so that students could have them before the break. There would only be one class tomorrow, but it was his biggest one. He planned to give them the test and then let them relax for the rest of class. He didn't think it was likely that anyone would be paying attention to anything he had to say anyway.

Engrossed in the seemingly never-ending stack of papers in front of him, he didn't realize anyone was at his door until they cleared their throat.

James motioned to the visitor to wait a moment, marking a few things on the paper. Then he looked up, and winced, realizing that it wasn't a student. "Oh, sorry, Albus. Come in, please. Like any tea? I just made it a bit ago. Oh," he said, glancing at his watch. "Maybe a bit longer than that. I can make fresh anyway."

Dumbledore shook his head, smiling pleasantly. "Alas, I've not the time for tea- I've promised Minerva to meet her to discuss the points for the houses today. I've soley come to ask you if you would join me and a group of the staff and several former students for dinner on the twenty-sixth."

James glanced at his calendar by reflex- he already knew what his plans were. But he could easily reschedule the appointment with the solicitor, perhaps to go before Christmas...

"If you're busy," Albus said. "I could certainly speak to you about it before or after that night."

James shook his head. "I'll be going to London for part of the holiday, and out to the estate for another part, but nothing that can't be rescheduled."

"Then nothing important?" Albus pried, but James suspected that he knew what it was about.

He shrugged, meeting Dumbledore's gaze. "Necessary business."

"Ah," the Headmaster nodded and smiled sadly, and again, James had the feeling that Dumbledore knew what he was planning. "I look forward to your presence. I shall send a reminder to you sometime over break. If you would excuse me, I must catch Professor McGonagall now, as she mentioned she would like to speak to me tonight."

James nodded and watched as he left, then turned back to the stack of papers.

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The following day, all of the students were ushered out of the school. The dozen students that had chosen to stay were off in their houses for the rest of the night, and James figured that the following two weeks would be rather boring.

And so he contacted his solicitor and made an appointment to see him, packed a bag and set off to find Dumbledore to tell him farewell.

He ran into Sybil first- she was walking down the hall intending to go upstairs.

Sybil was a woman he didn't understand. She was quiet and a little shy, and that was okay, but the predictions she made (the ones that came true and the ones that didn't) puzzled him and made him a little uncomfortable. He had, at the start of the term, made a silent promise to try and get along with her, though she often annoyed him, simply because she was a teacher. It also helped that she was one of Lily's best friends, but that was another matter entirely.

She didn't seem to like him. James wasn't particularly sensitive about who liked him or not, but he didn't always understand why. And in this case, he was extremely puzzled- it had been a long time since he and Sirius had swapped the shampoo in the girl's bathroom for hair dye, and that certainly wasn't much of a reason to dislike him so much.

The look she gave him was almost a frightened one, and she sped up as she got closer to him, avoiding his gaze, though he had smiled at her. She hurried past him and he frowned and looked after her, wondering what he had done-

"Don't worry about it," said a friendly voice.

James turned and gave Lily a small smile. "I was just wondering what I'd done..."

Lily shrugged, clearly knowing something, but not telling. "It's not important. Are you off today?"

He shifted the bag on his shoulder. "Yeah. London or bust."

She grinned at him. "Well, mind the gap and you'll be all set."

He gave her a blank look. She burst out laughing. "It's a Muggle thing," she said, still grinning. "Don't worry about it." He nodded a little, not understanding. She tilted her head a little as she looked at him. "How long will you be gone?"

Feeling a little ridiculous- as though he were back in fifth year, talking to Professor Sinastra, whom everyone had thought was hot- he gave her a small smile as he answered. "I'll be back in time for Christmas."

"Well," she said. "We'll have to do something while all the students are gone, when you get back. There's a Muggle town not far away from here. Not very big, but there's a bowling alley and a nice little hole-in-the-wall diner. We can go bowling and get coffee or something, if you're up to it. Have you ever been bowling?"

James looked puzzled. "What is it?"

She laughed. "When you get back, we'll definitely go bowling. Taura and Syb both love it, and if they both agree that it's fun, it's got to be pretty cool." Her eyes twinkled with amusement. "Actually, Dumbledore says he enjoys it too. I keep meaning to get him to go with us one time..." She laughed. "I can see him bowling, and dear Merlin..." She giggled.

He shrugged, unable to stop himself from smiling back at her, though he really didn't understand the humor of it. "Sounds good. I don't know what it is, but sure."

She smiled at him and they began walking down the hall towards the main exit. "It's fun stuff," she said. "But it's easier to show you than explain it." Her eyes twinkled again. "And I'm sure to beat you, so that's a plus."

He laughed. "I can plead first-timer."

"And I'll still have the satisfaction of saying that I've beaten you," she retorted.

He rolled his eyes. "So what else are you planning to do for the holiday, aside from beating me at mowling."

"Bowling," she corrected. "Like the bowls you eat soup out of."

He gave her another puzzled look. Muggles created the weirdest things... What kind of game could you use a bowl in? "Anyway," he said, shaking his head. "Aside from that. What'll you be doing?"

She sighed. "Sleeping in all the way until eight, maybe. I might even stay up until midnight once or twice."

"Party animal," he accused.

She laughed. "That's me." They started walking down towards the main entrance and exit of the castle. "Will you be here for Dumbledore's dinner?" Lily asked.

James nodded. "Any idea what it's about?"

Lily grinned ruefully. "I was hoping to find out from you."

"Drat," James said with a sigh. "I suppose we'll have to wait."

She nodded a little. "So what are you doing in London, if I can ask?"

He shifted his bag on his shoulder. "My father made a few investments before... well, before. The solicitor's requested that I come look over the current arrangements."

She winced. "Petunia did that when my parents passed away. I was still too young."

James gave her a smile that didn't meet his eyes. "I don't have much of a choice- there isn't anyone else left."

She surprised him by taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. "If there's anything you need, let me know, all right? I know Sirius and your other friends are probably all ready to help you, but if you just want to talk to someone different or need a new perspective, just let me know."

He smiled at her. "Thanks, Lily."

Their eyes met for a brief moment. She smiled back, dropping his hand. "Have a safe trip."

"See you in a few days," he said.

He glanced back when he got to the bottom of the steps, to the carriage that was waiting for him.

She was still in the doorway, watching him.

Unable to stop himself from grinning, he quickly looked away and climbed into the carriage, knowing that the image of her looking out of the doorway after him would be in his mind for quite a while.

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The day after he'd left Hogwarts for the break, James found himself entering the cemetery his parents and family had been buried in.

The Potter plot was towards the back, and he walked slowly. He didn't dread the trip the way he'd dreaded it a few months ago, but it was still not going to be the happiest moment of his life. He carried several small boxes, minimized floral arrangements for his family and for the Black family graves- Sirius rarely visited the cemetery, and his family lived too far away to have the opportunity.

He reached their graves first and spent a few moments cleaning the headstones off. It had been a while since anyone had visited, and James refreshed some of the anti-growth spells on the headstones and then laid the floral arrangements in their proper places. Then he stood up and enlarged them. He waited for a moment to make sure he wasn't forgetting anything, and then continued his trek to the back of the cemetery, growing colder with each passing step- and the biting wind was only part of the problem.

The Potter plot was marked by a large plaque of sorts bearing the family standard, a stag with gold and red and purple highlights. Directly behind were the oldest graves of the family- one from 1542 and another from 1546. They were not the first Potters, of course, but the first to have been buried in this plot. There were two other graves in the entire cemetery that were older- and they were both in the Malfoy section. The traditionally bloody rivalry dated back to the date that a Potter had killed a Malfoy in 1532- and that grave was the oldest in the cemetery.

From where he stood, James could just make out the very top of the very grand and attention grabbing statue the Malfoy's had placed. He looked away from it and sighed as he slowly walked up the long row of graves, watching as the years grew more and more recent, the front row starting recent and then winding around again, a snakelike chronological pattern.

When he reached the last row, he walked up through the grass until he reached the graves of his grandparents and the aunt he'd never met, and paused there to straighten their headstones and place flowers. And then he sighed and moved on to the next headstones- the ones that would hurt the most.

He cleaned them up first, not looking at the names on them. He knew if he looked, he wouldn't be able to deal with the grief. It didn't take long- someone was taking care of the sites for him. He knew it was either Mrs. Lupin or Mrs. Pettigrew, and decided to stop by and thank them after he took care of business and before he went out to the estate.

When the very last grave was cleaned and the flowers were placed before them, he stepped back, noting that it looked odd- ten headstones in a row, all with similar flower arrangements in them. He grinned wryly, unhappily. There weren't a lot of people who lost so many people within such a short period of time- especially in the wizarding world, where the average age varied depending upon the purity of the bloodline. The Potters were exceptionally long lived- or so they thought. The Potters had a history of getting involved in dangerous things, and the vast majority never reached a healthy old age.

His family was no exception, he though with a heavy heart. He sighed once more and sank to his knees in front of his parents graves. "I'm sorry it's been so long since I've been here," he said quietly, as always, finding it awkward to speak as though they were there- but it was soothing in a way, and so he didn't stop. "I told you I was going to Hogwarts again, and I did. It's been interesting. I don't know if I'd say fun, but it's a change from the Ministry- a break."

He hesitated for a moment, then sat down the rest of the way in the muddy grass. He could always apparate to the hotel to change before his meeting in the afternoon.

"I know it's stupid," he said. "But I feel like this is my fault. Like I should have tried harder, or I should have known that he was coming for you, and been there and stopped him somehow. And I know that it couldn't have happened- I've thought about it over and over again and I made myself think of what could have gone different. And there's no reason that I should have know what was coming. Alastor didn't even know Voldemort was planning an attack that night." James rubbed his eyes. "But I still feel like I should have done something. You both always told me I blamed myself for everything, and I have to stop... But I'm having a pretty rough time doing that. Sirius is helping, a lot. He moved up to Hogsmeade. I've seen him at least once a week." James managed a small grin. "One day I'm sure we'll have to part ways for a while, and it'll kill us, but for now... Well, I'm glad he's there."

He managed another grin. "He's been flirting with a few of the women up there. Rosemerta Wyers, Taura Sinastra and Lily Evans, and even Sybil Trelawney. Rosemerta told him she's met someone else a few days ago. Taura seems to be interested in Remus. I don't know how serious they are- we'll find out the first time the full moon cancels her plans, I suppose. Sybil's pretty, Sirius said, but she's far too focused on divination and such. And Lily..." James sighed. "Well, I think I've, uh, developed an interest in Lily Evans. The head girl."

With sudden vividness, he could see his family's reaction. His brother laughing hysterically with his sister in law rolling her eyes. His sisters giggling at him, teasing him because he "liked a girl!" His father hiding a smirk and asking for details, and his mother beaming with pleasure, getting teared up. "She's beautiful, she's funny, she's smart. She's someone I could see myself with," he murmured.

He felt very odd suddenly. His parents would never see him married. They'd never kiss their grand-children by him, or kiss their second daughter-in-law.

Not that he knew that Lily would be the woman in question- but he did want to have a family some day, and it had never occurred to him before that they wouldn't be a part of that. "It won't feel right," he said. He remembered the way his father had looked walking Angelina up the aisle, and the way his mother had watched with tear filled eyes, proud and happy for her son. And later, at the reception, she had kissed his cheek and murmured that she couldn't wait for him to be married.

And then he remembered the way that his father had beamed when David had announced that Angelina was pregnant...

"I don't have dreams about you every night any more," he said softly. "But once in a while it hits me what life is like without you all here, and that's when it hurts more." He sighed. "You'd like her. Lily, I mean. I know you talked to her for a minute at the end ceremonies, but not enough to get to know her. You'd like her, I think. She's been through all of this before, when her parents died. Her sister's still alive, but they don't have a very good relationship. She's strong. And she's very smart. She knows a lot about Dark Arts, especially considering she's Muggle born. She's a wonderful teacher- her students love her, and Minerva thinks she walks on water." He managed a small grin. "Of course, she thinks I do too, so I don't know if that's all that impressive of a statement. She wants to do something with bowls over break. I don't know what, but that's not the important part."

He shifted a little, frowning. "She told me a while ago that she didn't think I was ready for a relationship yet, and that we should wait before anything happened. Does it mean something that she wants to go out now? Does it mean that she thinks I'm ready? What the hell makes her think that I'm any different now than I was a month or so ago?" He frowned when he saw a smudge of dirt on the headstone before him and pulled out his handkerchief and began wiping at it. "If I am ready, shouldn't I want to go back to the Ministry? I do feel different than when we talked, but I don't think I could deal with that again- not yet. Mum, it's times like this when I could really use your help. Sirius isn't exactly all that great of a source for help.

"Sirius," he sighed. "He won't say it to my face, but he's being run down. They're so tight for help at the Ministry that he gets two breaks a month, and spends the rest of the time sleeping. Four days a month. It makes it even tougher for them to stay alert, but there's no other choice- Voldemort's keeping everyone tied up. Four Aurors have been killed in the past three months. Thank Merlin Sirius wasn't at any of those attacks. I haven't known any of the Aurors very well. Martin Wallice was one- I had a class with him at Hogwarts, a long time ago, but the other three were older than me. I feel like I should be there. But I don't think I'm ready to be back there, either."

Distracted, he pocketed his handkerchief once more. "Edward Rafferty owled me a few weeks ago. One of your investments paid off. And he wants to talk to me about David's house. I'm going over there in a little while." He glanced down at the headstone with David's name on it. "I think I'm going to end up selling the second house," he said, feeling very uncertain. "I won't sell the manor because it's been in the family so long, but... it's too much of a hassle keeping it and the manor and the beach house."

It just felt very wrong to be selling his brother's home, and he couldn't help but want to rationalize it to his brother.

He suddenly felt the wind hitting him again and stood up, shivering a little. "I've got an appointment for in a few hours, and I'd like to see the Lupins and Mrs. Pettigrew before I go back to the school. So..."

Why did it feel more awkward saying goodbye to his dead family than saying goodbye to anyone else? He could remember dates where he'd left early and it had been more comfortable. He pulled his cloak tighter around him. "I'll be back at Easter," he promised, and for a long moment, stood over the headstones, the wind wretchedly cold. "I love you," he murmured, looking at each of the markers.

And then he slowly walked away.

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The estate was in perfect condition. There was no sign of the violent scene that had taken place a few months ago.

James had already tugged his jacket halfway off by the time he was halfway in the door, several hours having passed since he'd visited the cemetery.

"Mister James?"

He turned, smiling slightly when he saw the shy house-elf poking it's head out of the family room. "Hello, Maddy."

The house-elf squealed. "It is being a long time since you is here," the house-elf said, grinning happily. "We is making a special dinner for you."

James grinned back. "I can smell it. It smells fantastic."

The house-elf beamed. "Maddy is working all day to make it for you. We is even making special scones for tea."

James's mouth watered. "The lemon ones?"

The elf beamed. "Yes!"

"I knew I loved you guys," he said.

The house elf flushed bright red. "Thank you, sir."

"The Pettigrews and Lupins are coming over for a late tea," James said. "Mrs. Pettigrew was just telling me how much she loved those scones. That's two of us who adore them."

The house elf was clearly very pleased. "We is going to make lots of scones for you."

James grinned. "Thanks Maddy. But I was also going to ask them to stay for supper, if you could manage?"

The house elf nodded eagerly. "We is very happy to be making foods for many people. I is going to go to the kitchens right now and tell and we is going to make it a big feast!"

"Thanks," James said. "There will be seven of us, including me. Sirius, Remus, Peter, and the Lupins and Mrs. Pettigrew."

The house elf looked thrilled, and disappeared before James could thank him again.

James laughed softly and made his way up the stairs to his room, pausing to say hello to some of the portraits, all of whom were pleased to see a Potter in the house.

He passed by his parents room on the way up and couldn't help himself. He opened the thick oak door and stepped in.

Light streamed in through the huge windows, falling on the canopy bed that was the centerpiece of the room. His mother's perfume bottles were still on top of the dresser and his father's single bottle of cologne was hidden behind them.

There was a book on the night table on his mother's side- a marker still in it, where she'd left off.

The Daily Prophet from the day of the attacks was still on his father's nightstand.

He dropped his bag by the door and went further in, looking out the window. There was a fantastic view of the property from there.

With a heavy sigh he turned and slipped out again, picking up his bag.

But he stopped in all of the bedrooms first, pausing in his own only to drop his bag in the doorway. David's room was across from his, on the same side as his parents' room. Tiffany and Marie were next to theirs, Tiffany's on James's side of the hall. Little Michael's room was next to Marie's, and filled with all of David's old toys.

The memories that were brought back were wonderful, yet awful- the very definition of bittersweet.

The countless hours he and David had played together when they were younger, and then the times they had stayed up late talking, often with Sirius as well, especially after his parents had died. And of course, the time he'd walked in on David and his fiancée when they were rather involved... A small grin on his face, James shut the door on his brother's room, going over to Marie's.

It was one of the only times James had ever seen it neat- the toys were put away and her clothes were all in the dresser instead of on the floor. Her dolls were lined up neatly. He crossed the room and picked up, touching the soft, brightly colored bear.

It had been on the floor when he'd run inside that night.

Flinching from the onslaught of emotions that brought up, he set the bear down on the bed.

Tiffany's room was no less emotional, and Michael's room was all that much harder because of the worn blanket neatly folded at the end of his bed. The house-elves had always put it there when he dropped it somewhere, and then he'd always come back for it. It had been the same at his house, and James wondered if David's house-elves had done the same thing for Michael at their house- the two house elves his brother had now inherited now lived in the Potter mansion, occasionally returning to the other house to be sure that it still looked nice, and everything was taken care of.

James shut the door on his nephew's room and returned to his own, barely looking around- like the rest of the house, it had remained unchanged. He lifted his bag up and dropped it on his bed, pulling out the few things he'd bothered to bring home and dropping them on the bed. Then he stripped out of the dark blue robes and he'd been wearing earlier and pulled on slacks and a white shirt, as the ones he'd worn earlier had been rather muddy from the cemetery, and he'd only put a glamour on them to hide the stain for a bit.

That done he washed up the rest of the way and went downstairs, just as the doorbell was ringing.

The house elves would get it, he knew, and stayed in the sitting room, looking out the window at the snow which was just beginning to fall.

"Mr. James," said Maddy. "Mr. and Mrs. and Mr. Lupins is being here now."

James nodded. "Show them in and bring the tea please."

"Hello, James," said Mrs. Lupin with a smile, and James crossed over and kissed her cheek and hugged her, then shook hands with Mr. Lupin, then exchanged the usual slap on the back with Remus, who looked especially exhausted- the full moon had been two nights ago.

"Peter and his mother aren't here yet?" Remus wondered as they sat down.

James shook his head. "I think Sirius was going to go by their house before they came."

"They're apparating?" Mrs. Lupin asked, startled.

"They're flooing," James assured her with a grin. "I just didn't tell Sirius that."

"So it's your fault," Sirius accused from the door. Covered with soot, he looked very disheveled and a little green. He'd quickly regretted his decision to move so far away from London because he had the Floo so much. Usually, he apparated in short hops in the morning until he was there, but apparently he'd decided to stick with the Pettigrews and Floo with them that day.

Behind him, a grinning Peter and his mother followed.

Maddy entered carrying a tray, another elf named Soupy with him. "Hello," they said with big smiles.

Greetings were exchanged, and Sirius lost his bad mood with the news that he was being treated to dinner as well. Two house elves lived with him in his apartment, but both were horrible cooks, though no one would ever tell them that.

They settled into small talk and sipped tea and ate crumpets, and soon enough, the afternoon had passed and the house elves announced dinner was ready.

James took Mrs. Pettigrew's arm, and with Peter on her other side, accompanied her into the dining room. En route, he offered her a quiet thanks for her help at the cemetery. she gave him a weepy smile. "I liked your parents a lot, James," she said, and then looked over at Peter. "And for everything you've done for Pete, it's the least I can do."

Peter looked a little embarrassed.

James smiled a little. "I wouldn't say it's what we've done for him- he's something else."

"If you're quite done talking about me like I'm not here," Peter muttered, irritated and embarrassed. His ears were red.

Mrs. Pettigrew sniffed and kissed her son on the cheek. "Oh, hush up, dear."

Hiding a grin at Peter's expression, James entered the dining room behind Sirius and the rest. It was uncomfortable for him to sit at the head of the table, but he did it anyway. At least this was something he'd done before- his father had often been absent from dinner because of work, and after David had moved out, James had been the eldest male in the house, and so he had been given that responsibility.

But still, it was a little different with no one sitting at the other end of the table, and non-blood relatives on the other sides.

Sirius was on his left, then Mrs. Pettigrew and Peter. To his right was Remus and further down were the Lupins.

The meal was as excellent as tea, and by the time they were finished eating, all were stuffed to the gills.

Mrs. Lupin sighed and set her fork down. "I swear, James, your house elves are marvelous."

Mr. Lupin laughed. "Yes, how much does it cost to hire them? A year's salary?" He laughed, and Mrs. Lupin looked amused.

"Well," Mrs. Lupin said. "I could use the company at least." She gave her son a pointed look. "Some people are just too busy to come home and visit anymore."

Remus groaned softly- clearly this topic had been broached before.

James laughed. "Too busy with Taura to visit your mum?"

Mrs. Lupin looked interested. "Taura?"

Remus gave him an annoyed look. "How's Lily, James?"

James smirked at him. "Quite well, last I saw her. We're doing something with bowls when I get back."

"Bowls?" Sirius and Peter wondered, giving him puzzled looks.

Remus snorted. "Bowling, you mean?"

James nodded, puzzled by the amused look the werewolf had on his face.

Mr. Lupin laughed out loud with his son, the two having spent much time with a Muggle cousin of theirs. "Don't forget to bring your favorite bowl with you then," Remus said, his eyes twinkling. "It's not nearly as fun when you have to borrow someone else's."

James frowned at him. "Lily didn't mention-" He cut himself off, realizing that Remus was doing nothing more than harassing him and rolled his eyes, but not before Remus and his father started laughing again.

Sirius grinned, thinking clearly enough to have figured out the humor already. "Gullible today, James?"

James snorted. "Something like that."

"So who's this Lily?" asked Mrs. Pettigrew, changing the subject again. "And is Taura the astronomy teachers? Sinister or something?"

"Taura Sinastra," Remus said with a sigh. "She's the astronomy professor, yes." He gave his mother an irritated look. "And don't get excited- she knows what I am, but we haven't talked about it, and it's not serious."

"Then what on Earth were you doing all those times you two disappeared?" Sirius asked, giving him an innocent look.

Remus flushed.

Everyone else laughed at him.

"Changing the subject," Peter said with sympathy for his werewolf friend. "How's your holiday been so far, Potter? Lucky git that you are with a two week break."

Sirius winced. "I'm sure it's been lovely, Pete. Do you remember what we talked about earlier?"

Peter stared at him, then his eyes widened and he sent an apologetic look towards James. "Sorry, I forget that you were- um, yeah, I didn't remember-"

"It's okay," James said, shrugging. "It wasn't as bad as I'd feared." The Lupins looked puzzled. "I went up to the cemetery today," he explained. "I had wanted to thank you and Mrs. Pettigrew for taking care of everything while I was gone. I appreciate it."

Mrs. Lupin sighed. "It's the least we can do, James. You and Sirius are like Remus's brothers, and I feel like you're two more sons. Three, with Peter. And we're up there anyway for my mother, so it's not all that hard to swing by the Black and Potter plots."

Sirius looked up sharply, his eyes dark and shadowed with memories and anguish- in many ways, he had never really recovered from his parents' deaths. "You... for my parents?"

Mrs. Pettigrew patted his hand. "Of course, dear."

Sirius looked very surprised, and very uncomfortable.

James cleared his throat a little, drawing attention from Sirius. "Well, whatever the reasons, thank you for doing it. I'd considered hiring someone to do it, but I feel better that you could do it while I was gone for so long. It should work out that I can come back a bit more often for the rest of the year."

"Even if you don't, it's not a problem," Mrs. Pettigrew said matter-of-factly. "My husband was a Muggle, of course, so the spells at his site aren't as powerful. I've got to go back every few months and fix them up."

"Changing the subject," Remus said. "You went to the solicitor's office too, didn't you? Is everything okay?"

James took a long drink and sat back in the chair, the reminder sending an odd shiver through him. "Yeah. I did. Dad's stocks tripled."

They all looked at him. Daxius Potter's name had been made dealing in the market- he'd been known because he was a Potter, but his first big pay-off had introduced him to the world as a major player- and everyone knew he had invested heavily. "Tripled?" Sirius repeated. "Merlin, Jim. I don't know the details, but your dad had a fortune invested."

James nodded. "How else did you think I could afford to have you three over for dinner? Before it was just going to be your parents. I like them better anyway."

"We appreciate the financial sacrifice," Remus said dryly.

"I take donations," Sirius said. "And I'm sure they all do too."

Peter hit him upside the head. "Sorry mum," he said when Mrs. Pettigrew glared at him for his rude behavior. "But he deserved it, and you know it."

Sirius rubbed his head. "Pettigrew, if your mother weren't here, I'd tell you exactly what I think of you."

James snorted and gave the Lupins and Mrs. Pettigrew a friendly smile. "You should be impressed. Sirius is really on good behavior."

He ducked when Sirius tried to hit him.

*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*

At Hogwarts, Lily sat in silence, staring at the book she wasn't reading and wondering what James was doing. It was the twenty third, and he had said he would be back in time for the Christmas Eve feast.

She'd never felt quite so excited about anyone, even back when she'd been attending classes, rather than teaching them. The very thought that she would see him in just one more day sent shivers through her.

There was something about James Potter that was making her crazy, and she wasn't sure if she liked it or not.

But she'd already decided that she wouldn't try to prevent it any more. That was why she'd suggested bowling to him- it would be an easy time to see him alone, away from Hogwarts and without all of his friends around, and figure out what he was really like.

She wanted to get to know him better, she wanted him to get to know her, and, indulging herself in a momentary bought of hormones, she wanted to snog him senseless, ridiculous hair and all.

With a sigh, she closed the book and marked the page. She wasn't getting anything productive done, and holding the book open was doing nothing more than aggravate her fingers and crease the binding.

She yawned as she stood up and stretched and glanced out the window at the dark grounds, and then the Muggle clock on the desk near the front of the room. It was nearing eleven now.

Tonight would not be the night she reached midnight, she thought with a grin, remembering the conversation she'd had with James before he left.

She climbed up the stairs and crawled into bed, turning out the lights and pulling the covers over her.

And she dreamt of a strong embrace and comforting eyes, and love.

*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*..:..*

Sybil's dreams were far less pleasant.

It was the seventh time in seven days that Sybil had been awakened by horrible visions, and this time she would not return to bed.

She pulled her dressing gown over her night dress and waved her wand at the candles on her dresser, and on the tables throughout her bedroom.

Lily would still be asleep, and likely, about as much help as someone like Sirius Black.

Her stomach jolted a little at the thought of him, and she wasn't sure if it was because of the dream that she'd just had or just that he made her feel funny.

She shuddered a little. "I am not going to go for that madman," she declared out loud, and stuffed her feet into her slippers, grabbed her Tarot Cards from beneath her pillow and went into the attached classroom.

Her scrying glass was on her desk. That wouldn't work. Tarot Cards were too unclear. No tea leaves for the same reason. It would be the crystal ball.

She seated herself before it and took several deep breaths before she began to focus.

Her hands a few centimeters from the glowing orb, she immediately began seeing things- shapes from her dreams.

The stag, toward the front. The Grim and that awful rat, behind the stag. The shadows creeping over them, hiding them from her view.

And then the fog slunk away and left behind blood. So much, running crimson, staining the skin of the man and woman left lying on the ground, half enveloped by the black fog. The woman was Lily. The man was James. He was also the stag. She didn't know how she knew, but she did know.

She also knew that, for whatever reason James was dead, it was his fault that Lily was dead too.

She shuddered and waved her hands over the crystal, clearing it. She stood and went back into her room.

She would do a reading for Lily this afternoon. It was urgent. Whether Lily liked it or not, the fact was, Potter was dangerous- he would lead to her death.

Sybil felt terror rush through her. She couldn't stand the thought of losing Lily. Lily had been her best friend, her sister, the one person in the world she trusted for a long time. To lose her would be to lose everything.

Sybil forced herself to calm down. She was over reacting.

But she remembered another dream she'd had, years ago in second year, a week before her parents had been killed. It had come true, and the consequences had been horrible- Sybil wasn't sure she could deal with such a wretched thing happening again, not when she'd dreamt of it and could have stopped her parents from dying.

But Lily hadn't believed her the last time they talked about it.

Sybil wiped her eyes, a little startled to find her hand came away damp.

Shuddering, she began dressing for the day.

She would talk to Lily- she had to. The alternative was just too grim.

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everblue3- Well, I originally had intended to not bother mentioning the morning after scenes, but since you mentioned it, it sounded fun, and thus, Lily's threatening with toasters and Sybil's predicting death. :o) Very glad you're liking Sybil, because as fruity as she is I like her too. lol- I'm a huge fan of your stuff, so I'm glad you like mine too. :o) I'm going to go back and work on previous chapters as I work on the new chapters, so thank you very much for your comments about Sirius- I did see them and I will be working on him. One thing though- I've looked all over- where did I say it was the first time James visited the graves? I really didn't see it, and it's not supposed to be, and if I did say it, I've got a major edit to do! Lol- you put it perfectly, describing what James needs that Sirius can't do. I'll have you know that your comments have made me stress out over the grave scene- in a good way, mind you. Lol- "we have faith in your ability to maneuver your characters to where you'd like them to be." You mean, I'm supposed to know how this story goes? Okay, so I do know where they need to go, it's just getting there... Well, thanks for the faith! And for the fantabulous review!! Anymore "Outrunning Our Shadows" soon? :o) Thank you also for reviewing Rain-Sweetened Kisses. Sorry NYC weather sucked- but don't worry, I'm very familiar with crappy weather. Michigan has the honor of being surrounded by a bunch of really large lakes, and with our location being rather northernly and all, we get *loads* of weird weather. We just got loads of snow- that sucked, because it got really cold and tough to drive in. The rain Lily and James were in was *totally* different from the rain we got when I wrote that, too. :o) lol, and I'm glad you liked the lack of sex- once in a while I get in the mood to write a nice G-rated fic, and that was it. Also glad you didn't hate the non-substance of it. Thanks for the kind words! And sorry if I've already replied to any of this (I'm getting confused). :o)
Destiny's Phoenix- lol- I'm pretty glad you found it again too. Thanks for the review for this and my other fic!!
Iris cream- Glad you're liking, sorry it's slow on the romance. That'll be picking up in a few chapters, don't worry. Sorry, I won't be ignoring Peter- he's a very important character in the Harry Potter story, whether we like him or not, and if I ignore him, I feel like I'm trying to take away from JKR's brilliance, and then I feel guilty and it just all goes downhill from there. :o( So, sorry, I can't ignore him. Thanks for reviewing though- and thank you for reviewing the other story too, and sorry the giggling irritated you.
StormMuse aka Nicole: Glad you're liking, and especially glad you like the male bonding. Comments about drinks and Sybil at the bottom.
Jemi Fal- Glad you liked the bonding, and thank you for reviewing yet again! And thank you for reading and reviewing Rain Sweetened Kisses. I'm glad it made your day better!!
Stating-the-obvious- Glad you're enjoying the story!! Don't worry, Sirius'll get a girl... For a while, and then I'll make him miserable again! :o)
Mooky: I'm really glad to hear you liked the new prologue- I was *really* unhappy with the old version. And I'm glad you like chapter six and Sybil. Thanks!
kellie: It was worth being late? *grin* Thanks! I feel honored!
Twisted Rose: Thanks for reviewing, and sorry it wasn't up sooner!
Aileron- lol- I'm confusing myself by what I've said to you via e-mail and reviews to your stories, so you'll have to settle for a *huge* thank you for your review- and for e-mailing me. :o)
Got Harry- Thanks for the compliments. :o) Okay, I think I'll need to be working on the beginning of that chapter- everyone seems to agree with me. But glad you thought the male bonding worked. I'm one who blubbers at the first sign of trouble, so I'm having a hard time figuring out how much emotion is appropriate to show, and trying not to turn him into a blubbering wimp- like me. :o) I've been trying to imagine horrible things happening and how I'd react, but, to be honest, I can't do it very well. I've got the immediate shock of it pretty well figured out- it's just, what happens in the months and weeks after? Thanks for all of the help, and I'm glad you like the new prologue!!
LaQuinn- I'll try not to "stall" the relationship too much longer. Thanks!
lllll original lllll- lol, glad you're liking! Thanks for also reviewing the other fic!
Rain-Sweetened Kisses Reviewers: medevil princess- Thanks for the review, even the "flame". :o) As to the lack of description in Rain-Sweetened Kisses, I did that on purpose- it was meant to be a short easy fic, and I wanted to keep it very, very basic. I don't quite understand what you mean about the to be verbs though. I guess our writing styles are just meant to be different. Sorry you didn't like it so much! Much thanks also to: Apolla, dancer24, Scarlett*Eyes, Grim-Wolf, Lily-White, Darcel, Liat86, winney, Senna, and Amelia. Seems like many of you felt like a fluffy little fic, so glad I could help! :o)

Comments/Suggestions Requested on...
- Sybil's predictions so far and for a while are not the same as the one in Prisoner of Azkaban. In the PoA prediction, she doesn't know a thing about what's going on, and when she comes out of it, she doesn't remember it. The dream she had was a dream, not a "prediction" in the same sense as used in PoA. More of it will be explained as the fic goes on. If that doesn't cut it for you, well, count it up as something I decided to change from the books.
- Note on drinks: One reviewer suggested that whiskey would not be the drink of choice for James & Co. in the previous chapter. What do you think they would drink instead? Did I miss the mention of a more adult Wizarding drink? (I'm not quite to the Hogsmeade scenes in my re(x2,000,000)-reading of PoA, so if anyone can help me out, I'd appreciate it.)
- How did James at the cemetery go? I had a tough time with that scene, and this is the best of all the versions I've come up with, though that's not saying much. Is his grieving believable? Do his actions fit the timeline?
- Obvious hint for you- I'm working towards the L/J relationship. Something will happen between them soon, though I'm not entirely sure how fast. Tell me what you think about that- Is their relationship going at a good speed? Do I need to slow down or speed up, or keep at this pace? All comments and suggestions are welcomed.
Coming Soon... (In anywhere from one to several chapters.) James returns from the estate, everyone celebrates Christmas, Dumbledore's mysterious meeting, Lily and James get more confusion in their relationship, Lily and James get together, more news on Voldemort & Co., and much, much more...
Read More: A fic that comes before this one, dealing with James's career choice: storyid=1279429 or click on my profile to read it.

Let's Make a Deal!... I'll give up a review from you if you'd do me a huge favor and go read Lavender's fic Falling Grace. She just updated, and is having a bad day, so she could use some moral support- and it's a great story!... Click on my name at the top of this page and the link is at the very top of my profile. Or, just cut and past this: storyid=869657