Winding Path

by Zetta

James Potter's had a rough year, and when he decided he needs a break from being an Auror, Dumbledore comes up with an interesting proposition... Yes, it's alive! Updated and edited 1125! PreOotP

10. Chapter Nine

...Winding Path...

By Zetta
CHARACTERS: James Potter, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Sybil Trelawney, Taura Sinastra, Minerva McGonagall, Albus Dumbledore, and more!
RATING: PG-13
SUMMARY: A Quidditch Match goes wrong, Death Eaters prove their something to worry about, and James faces the realities of what he was and what he is.
DELAY: Well, I've had this chapter planned out and half written since the beginning of this story. Then I got to this point and realized that what I had happening wasn't working, and it's taken me almost an entire month to figure out what to do to get it right, and now I've looked at this chapter so much that it's really irritating me. But now it seems to be working, so... Without Further Ado, I present to you, Chapter Nine of Winding Path.

Chapter Nine

It was strangely amusing to be in the beginning stages of a relationship with another teacher. Lily had never quite thought about it before, but there was a lot that had to stay hidden. Not, of course, because she was ashamed of her relationship with James- which was growing more and more important to her at a frighteningly quick pace- but simply because they had to set an example for the students, and it wouldn't do for them to be seen snogging in the Astronomy Tower, as they would have in their earlier years.

When they had been students, they had had cheerfully and confidently paired up most of the members of the staff, snickering at some of them- like Professor Figg and Professor Dumbledore, and McGonagall and Flitwick, and certainly Filch and every staff member in the school since he was far too old for any of the students. (The last had brought every student to disgusted giggles every time it came up.)

It was a lot harder to find the humor when the rumors were going on about them- and some of them were serious!

James shared two notes he found with Lily, and while both found them amusing, it was also a little disconcerting, because it wasn't nearly as fun being the butt of the rumor instead of the founder of it.

And somewhat disgusting- Lily respected Professor Dumbledore a lot, but she had absolutely no interest in "shagging him" as one of their students suggested.

And James certainly not having an affair with Minerva McGonagall or Arabella Figg or both!

She hoped. Snickering a little, Lily recalled the more amusing effect of the notes- both of which had mentioned that James had a very nice arse. One of the notes had been all about how the writer spent the entire Dark Arts class drooling into her notebook and watching him (and wishing his pants were tighter).

Lily had never seen a man blush quite so much, and had found it incredibly amusing.

It was even funnier, however, when she poked her head in his class a few days after that and found that he was going out of his way not to turn around and show off his "incredible arse" to his students.

She'd laughed so hard that she'd had to run out of the room and hide in her classroom until the giggles stopped, and after the class had ended, James hadn't quite been able to look at her.

Lily was enjoying it more than she should have, but it was such a rare occasion that he blushed that she couldn't help it.

Most of the rest of the staff knew they were involved by now- between Minerva McGonagall's tale of their first kiss, Taura's not very discreet or quiet suggestions for them, and the fact that she was sure they had noticed her staring at him like a besotted fool, it was rather hard to miss.

Nonetheless, they were trying to keep things quiet. James had confessed that he didn't mind gossip about him, he just didn't care to give people gossip, and Lily understood- though she didn't care to be gossiped about at all.

The only one who seemed to be against their relationship was Sybil, who would give them sharp looks when their hands brushed, and cross her arms impatiently when their eyes met. Lily felt mildly guilty and decided she should probably tell James about Sybil's predictions. Even if it would make things rather uncomfortable since their relationship was so young, and really, who wanted to be told that they were doomed if they decided they wanted their relationship to progress?

Lily wasn't entirely sure how he would react to hearing about that. She figured he would either look at her as though she were insane for even bringing it up, or shrug it off as though it were nothing.

Which, she admitted, was very likely. Sybil's predictions were just as often wrong as they were right.

But then, that also meant that they were right just as often as they were wrong.

James had already told her he didn't place much stock in predictions, so she was rather hoping he'd find it nothing more than an irritant.

Though she wasn't sure it would be a good idea to give him another reason to dislike Sybil.

So, instead of talking about her friends, they talked about anything and everything else. James was still reluctant to talk about his family, but Lily understood- it would take a long time to heal those wounds.

He didn't mind listening to her talk about amusing occurrences during her Muggle Studies classes, and she didn't mind listening to him go on about his classes, or whatever else he felt like talking about. She liked that he felt like he could talk to her about things.

And amusingly enough, Lily even found herself interested in Quidditch when he talked about it- though he did get a little over-excited about it, in her opinion.

They talked about their students, and which ones were the troublemakers, and Lily admitted to him that no one had come close to topping what James and his friends had done the years they had been students. They were both thankful for that.

And they sat close and their hands touched and they kissed, and it felt like one of the strangest times of her life, because as miserable as the rest of the world was, when James was there with her, it was as though everything else was forgotten, and life was good.

By the time the end of February came around, the short kisses had been swapped out for longer ones, sometimes even lengthy snogging sessions, usually on the short couch in Lily's classroom, but also in his room, sometimes even on one of their desks, which amused her as much as it embarrassed her the day after.

The weekends were spent with their friends, with Fridays as a night for them do go out and do their own thing, and Saturdays as a night when they usually all went out together. Neither had early classes on Thursdays, so Wednesday nights they stayed up late as well, in addition to the time they spent together, which was scattered throughout their days and nights.

James was seeing Sirius on a regular basis now- almost every Tuesday night they went out to a pub and did "manly things" as James explained- and Lily found it amusing that he usually came in to kiss her goodbye before he went into Hogsmeade to see his friend.

She found it a lot less amusing when he returned with grim news of the Ministry's situation.

There weren't enough Aurors, James had confided to her one night after leaving Sirius's side. No one would volunteer to train because it was so dangerous. Frank Longbottom's wife had been attacked not a week into February, and very nearly killed.

Who would want to knowingly submit to such risks?

It worried Lily a lot more than she wanted to admit when James seemed to take this news so hard- she knew without him telling her that he wanted to be out there, fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Every day, a new name was listed on the front page of the Daily Prophet- Voldemort's latest victims. He was relentless in his attacks, and on more than one occasion, students found out about the loss of a loved one through the newspaper rather than their families or a Mourner owl. It was so bad that the only businesses that were outright profiting from the dark times were the news industries and funeral parlors.

It was a regular occurrence for a student to be pulled out of school for a few days to attend a funeral.

On the second weekend of February, two students lost their parents. One, a second year Muggle-born, dropped out of Hogwarts completely. The other, a sixth year Hufflepuff, didn't bother going home- she had no one left to go to.

Far too often, James left the school at night, not to go visit with Sirius, but because he had to go to a funeral.

Life went on, despite the pain.

One of Lily's roommates got married, and another had a baby. Those occasions were reunions for the women in Lily's graduating class, and some of the men as well.

Remus and Taura seemed to be growing closer, though Taura confessed he was still hurting pretty bad from his parents' deaths, and didn't take much time to see her. Lily picked up on tension between the couple, but had a hard time figuring out what exactly the problem was.

And of course, the students focused on the important things in life- like House Points and the Quidditch Cup.

There were two games left in the year, the first between the rivals Gryffindor and Slytherin, and the last between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw.

It was almost a certainty that the Gryffindors or the Slytherins would win the Quidditch Cup- Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff had been slaughtered by the other two teams. ("As it should be," James had said with amusement.)

In addition to the two contests the Houses were fighting for, it seemed almost as though they were fighting for more than that.

Though no one voiced it, everyone knew that Slytherin was host to a large majority of the Death Eater families. In a way, it was known that all supporters of Slytherin were supporters of Voldemort. Gryffindor supporters were against Voldemort.

It was, of course, not the complete truth, but it was the prevalent attitude among many of the students, and so the rivalry got a little more personal and a little bit hotter.

The tensions were at a peak the first week of March, which was the week of the Gryffindor/Slytherin Quidditch match.

In all seven of their years at Hogwarts, neither Lily nor James could remember a time when it was uglier- certainly, the situation had never been fantastic between Gryffindors and Slytherins, but this made everything else pale in comparison.

James stayed up most nights and walked around the school, looking for students out of bed.

He caught three and saw two more, and told Lily he felt somewhat like a traitor when he turned them in to Minerva and Arabella.

Lily laughed at him.

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

The morning of the Quidditch match, the weather was wretched. It was raining, lightning lit the skies, and thunder woke most everyone up before seven, five hours before the match was to begin.

The Slytherins all wore their green sweaters and cloaks, and the Gryffindors wore red and gold. Several from each carried signs, and the star Gryffindor player wore a crown on his head- he was the King of Quidditch. James fought a grin- he'd been King two years in a row for Gryffindor house, and had been quite pleased by it.

The Slytherins hissed at the boy and the other players, and James and Lily ended up escorting the two teams out along with McGonagall and Figg, who feared a fight would break out.

James had barely restrained himself from pulling out his old uniform, and had settled on wearing a crimson sweater under his own black cloak. That much, he supposed, was allowed, since nearly everyone knew he'd been sorted into Gryffindor, and he'd sooner kiss Filch than wear Slytherin Green.

He hid a grin when Lily came down the stairs, not wearing her usual green cloak, but a black one instead, with a small Gryffindor pin on the collar. She smiled at him, and he knew she was thinking the same thing about him.

Taura walked with her, wearing her traditional yellow and black. Sybil was nowhere to be found, but Lily had told him a while ago that she couldn't stand Quidditch, and only went to the Hufflepuff matches, if she went at all.

Lily smiled up at him. "Good morning," she said. "Sleep well?"

She surprised him by taking his hand as they began walking. He didn't complain. "Quite well, actually." A little white lie wouldn't hurt anyone, not really. He'd actually had a rather vicious nightmare. "You two?"

Taura nodded. "Nicely, thank you."

Lily shrugged. "Fairly. Will you bet placing odds on the match?" she asked. "Arabella's cackling with glee over her Seeker, and McGonagall thinks that Gryffindor has it because of our Keeper."

"Our Keeper?" he teased, holding the door open for them.

She raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you misheard me. I certainly would not take sides at an event like this." She covered up her pin and smiled innocently.

Taura grinned. "Of course- she said the Gryffindor Keeper, not our Gryffindor Keeper, because Lily is perfect and would never show favoritism."

He rolled his eyes before answering. "I decided not to bet. I refuse to bet that Slytherin will win, and unfortunately, they do have a better Seeker, and no Keeper in the world has a chance against three good Chasers- which Slytherin also has."

Lily frowned. "Then you're saying that Gryffindor probably won't win?"

James sighed. "Alas, yes."

"I can't believe those words came out of your mouth, James Potter."

He shrugged. "I love my teams, but I do know how to judge them. We'll be down by at least one hundred before anyone catches the Snitch, and the Slytherin Seeker is better."

She looked torn between laughing and staring in shock. "I'm still trying to get a handle on this- even that match in sixth year when all three of you Chasers were out with injuries, and Sirius quit the team, you were still saying that Gryffindor would win."

"I was team captain," James said, amused. "Of course I said we would win." He remembered that game as well- he and the other two Chasers had been in a brutal fight with the Slytherins over whose turn it was to practice, and they'd all walked away nursing injuries- James had an extra hand, one of the others had an extra leg, and the other resembled something painted by Picasso. And, of course, it had been shortly after the Whomping Willow Incident- so Sirius had discreetly been told to turn in his resignation. They had lost by two hundred points- to Slytherin, at that. It was not his favorite memory from Hogwarts. James and Sirius had stopped speaking with each other for a week over everything, and then had made up when they'd punched each other.

"The best match I ever saw was probably the last one in our seventh year," Lily said as they walked. "Between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw."

James nodded slightly, remembering. "It was pretty good." The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had been competing for first place- it had been a tight match, but Gryffindor had one. With a lot of thanks to him, James admitted, though he was normally rather modest. But he'd had a very good day, and had scored 80 points, including the one that brought them back from a deficit, and the ones that had kept them in the lead. "I take it back," he said, remembering the thrill of that particular victory. "It was very good."

"So modest," Taura sighed.

James shrugged. "It's a family trait, you should hear what David said...." It came out of his mouth before he thought about it. He shut up and for a moment, it hurt to think about things- it hurt to think that here he was, on his way to a Quidditch match, when the rest of his family would never even open their eyes again. And he wondered if it would ever stop hurting, because so far it hadn't, and would it always be this painful to think about them? "What David said about all the matches he was in," he finished a moment later, trying to keep his voice somewhat normal.

Lily squeezed his hand, and for a moment, he forgot where they were and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She didn't fight it, and they walked in silence until they got to the gates.

They had to walk single file up the stairs, and Taura followed them up, drawing Lily into a conversation about the game.

James found himself remembering the last time he and David had been at a Quidditch match together- David had invited him to a match against the Cannons, a real last minute thing.

They hadn't been out together in a while, and it had been even longer since they'd been out alone. Before it had been with their family along, or with Sirius, and even a few times out on double dates, David with his wife and James with whatever girl he'd been with at the time.

It had been fun- the Cannons had lost, of course, but they'd still argued about their chances at the cup- just for the hell of it, because the Potters had always been fans of the Cannons. James was something of a rarity in that he also liked Puddlemere and Montrose-of course, everyone understood, because they had, after all, offered him a spot on their teams.

And then a few weeks later, David had been killed, and they would never go to any more Quidditch games together.

They had reached the top. He followed Lily up and across, to the back row, and sat next to her, with Taura on the other side.

"And will you be betting on the match, Potter?" Arabella Figg asked, true to Lily's predictions. She was giving him a smirk, as though she knew exactly why he wouldn't.

James raised an eyebrow. "My dear Professor Figg," he said. "Do you think I could live with myself if I fleeced you out of all of your precious Galleons? Really, ma'am, I couldn't."

The Potions mistress was not fooled, and her smirk was so obvious it was irritating. "Really? Are you quite certain it's not because of your fears that your Gryffindors will be soundly defeated."

James snorted. "We Gryffindors do not know the meaning of defeat."

McGonagall was joining them, garbed in a maroon gown. "Quite true, James. Arabella, leave the boy alone."

James winced. He felt like a student every time she called him 'boy'.

He watched as the two House Heads sat next to each other and began trading insults and barbs about who would win.

"Poor Gryffindors," Lily murmured. "Our team hasn't won the Cup since you were playing."

James sighed. "I knew I should have failed all of my NEWTS and stayed on as an eighth year student."

Lily patted his shoulder. "There, there," she said. "I'm sure they'll win again soon."

"I do hope so," James sighed. "Otherwise I'll have to pull on my uniform and get some Polyjuice Potion and save the team."

She rolled her eyes.

The school nurse joined them, smiling pleasantly. "So, James," she said. "Who do you think will win it all in the League? My fiancée wants to make a bet on it, but I wanted to talk to you and find out what you think, since you know so much about it."

Since he liked her a lot, and was never able to resist talking about Quidditch, James was drawn into conversation with her, while Lily and Taura chatted amongst themselves.

The match started brutally, with the Slytherins scoring twice within the first two minutes.

James groaned along with his former house and watched as the Slytherins continued relentlessly, scoring more and more.

The first injury came twenty minutes into it, when one of the Gryffindor Chasers was hit by a Bludger and knocked to the ground.

James silently cursed the Slytherins, and then felt as thought that were an inappropriate thing to do because they were, after all, his students, and all younger than him, and really, it would not do to set such a poor example.

Next to him, he knew that Lily was watching him and laughing at his expression, but he found that he didn't mind that at all- it felt too good to just sit back and relax and watch a good old Quidditch match between his former team (it really had been his- captain and everything) and his arch-rivals- er, former, he quickly corrected, fighting a grin.

He lost the grin quickly enough when Slytherin scored again.

Arabella cackled with glee, and James had a feeling it would be a long day if Slytherin won. She was a fan of rubbing it in- even back when they'd been students, any time Gryffindor had lost a match, or Slytherin had won, she became quite unbearable to be around.

The Gryffindors got the Quaffle and took it down to the Slytherin end, scoring on pure luck, and likely, James admitted, on that alone.

Minerva was on the edge of her seat next to the commentator, obviously fighting the urge to scream along with her students. Her eyes were wide and her hands were clenched in fists in front of her. She was gritting her teeth and obviously trying hard not to shout out whatever she was thinking, which was probably as inappropriate as what James was thinking.

James had to look away before he started laughing. In doing so, he saw Taura Sinastra's face lose all color. She jumped out of her seat. "Albus!" she cried, pointing towards Hogsmeade.

James and many others looked to see where she was pointing.

James felt his stomach twist. Glittering green light shining down over Hogsmeade, and fires already working their power on some of the buildings.

Someone tapped the Headmaster on the shoulder, and he looked and lost his smile at once. He stood up, pointing his wand at the field, to Madam Hooch, and speaking too softly for him to hear.

A silvery white phoenix shot out the end, and a moment later, Hooch turned and seemed to listen to the bird speaking.

"What's going on?" Lily asked, still sitting. She glanced over at Hogsmeade, but didn't understand. Next to her, Taura still stood, white-faced and staring.

He gave them a grim look. "It's the Dark Mark. Over Hogsmeade- the Death Eaters are too close to the school to risk the students being out."

That explanation was coming from several people at once. Minerva, alerted to the Dark Mark now, was standing and leaning over to talk to Dumbledore.

On the field, Hooch immediately began blowing the whistle. "TIME OUT!" she roared. "TIME OUT!"

Puzzled, the two teams slowed to a halt, looking around curiously and shooting irritated looks at her.

McGonagall used the Sonorus Charm. "All students return to your towers immediately, in an orderly fashion."

A roar of outrage from the crowd followed that statement, and several indignant cries came from the players on the field.

"You two," Arabella Figg said, pointing over at Lily and Taura. "Take the Gryffindors- Minerva will have her hands full dealing with the rest of this mess. We will get our houses, and Vanessa will get the Quidditch teams."

Dumbledore nodded grimly. "The rest of you, disperse to fend the wards- James, take the far side of the castle with Hagrid, and the rest of you to your traditional places."

The staff began filing out. James slid out and moved closer to Dumbledore, who looked at him patiently, even as he shook his head. "The students need your help more than the villagers- they will have help from the Aurors. The students are, for the most part, defenseless. I know that it is contrary to your instincts, but the best thing you can do is help secure the wards."

James had no choice but to do as the Headmaster wanted. It went against everything inside of him to ignore the Dark Mark above Hogsmeade, as Dumbledore had said. He tried to convince himself that it was better this way.

Lily touched his arm and they joined the group going down the stairs. "If they get into the castle," Lily reminded him softly. "It would be worse than anything that might happen in Hogsmeade."

He nodded stiffly, knowing she was right, and it was his duty to defend the students.

But damn it all, it was hard.

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

Sirius studied James's face and was worried about his friend. However, he could also tell that James wasn't in the mood to talk about what was bothering him. Frowning, he drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. "Bob Wright was killed about a month ago," he said. "You remember him at all?"

"One of David's old buddies," James said, nodding.

Sirius hadn't known about that connection. He winced. "Yeah, well...His brother-in-law was one of the men killed today. His wife gave birth to twins about two months ago. The other was an old man, a Squib. He worked at Honeydukes. The woman who died... I don't know if you heard, but it was Marcella, Rosemerta's sister." James nodded, signifying that he'd heard. They exchanged a long look, both remembering the number of occasions they'd flirted with the sisters- and best friends- at the Three Broomsticks. And now only Rosemerta was left. "There were about four others injured pretty bad, and a bunch of places destroyed." He closed his eyes and leaned back in the chair.

He'd been on the backup team for the day, and had only arrived after the main force. Still, the images of the day were gruesome. The old man had been tortured, and Wright had been killed in some bloody fashion- they were still trying to figure out the curse that had been used.

"No word on why they attacked?" James asked.

Sirius shook his head. "Nothing so far. We're assuming it's the general scare tactics."

James nodded. "Albus said he'd cancelled all Hogsmeade visits for the rest of the year, and possibly next year. Black Market on sweets will be running high."

Sirius managed a grin. When they'd been students of the school, he'd taken it literally- The Black Market, run by Sirius Black. Of course the other boys had helped, but he'd insisted on it being the Black Market with No Other Names.

Sirius leaned back in his chair, stretching so much that his back cracked before he looked at James again. "Have you decided what you're going to do?"

James raised an eyebrow. "About what?"

Sirius gave him an irritated look. "It's March. Classes let out in June. You're going to have to make a decision on if you're staying or not."

James nodded slightly, his expression perfectly blank. Sirius knew that meant that it wasn't up for discussion at the moment.

But he had to push, because James had to know the importance of it. Of all people, he knew what it was going to take for James to return to being an Auror, and he knew it wouldn't be easy. But he knew it was what James had always wanted to do, and he also knew that James would regret it if he didn't. "We need you, Jim," Sirius said, watching his best friend carefully for any emotion. "Twelve Aurors have dropped out since you left, and we've got two more looking to go in our department." His lips twisted bitterly. "Not to mention all the dead ones."

James looked away. "I know."

Sirius took a drink of water. James had told him in short sentences what he'd done after they'd seen the Dark Mark, and Sirius knew that James was frustrated because of his torn loyalties, and the fact that he felt like he hadn't done anything when he could have helped.

It wasn't pleasant to realize it, but if James had left the Quidditch Match straight away, he would have beaten the first group of Aurors there, and either of the two dead men or maybe even Marcella might have had a chance. Death Eaters tended to run away quickly when the Aurors showed up. He hoped James didn't realize how slow they'd been to react that afternoon.

Sirius sighed and stood up, setting his water on the edge of James's desk. "I'm going to get going. I'm dead tired."

James stood up as his friend stood. "Sorry," he said. "I didn't even think about it, or I'd have sent you home a long time ago."

Sirius shrugged and led the way out of the office. "It's all right. I'd have ignored you anyway, I'm sure."

James clapped him on the back. "You are rather stubborn, I suppose."

They stepped down the stairs, entering the classroom. "Speaking of women," said Sirius, looking for a lighter topic. "How's Lily?"

"She seems to be doing all right," James answered, not looking particularly surprised by the change in subject.

"Have you slept with her yet?"

James gave him a look that could only be described as irritated. "First off, it's none of your business."

"That's a no," Sirius concluded, hiding a smile.

"Second... Well, I don't have a second. So shush up."

"You declared your love for her yet?" Sirius asked.

James gave him a startled look. "Excuse me?"

"Do I need to act it out?" Sirius asked. "Really, Jim. You're rather obvious about it. She probably knows already. She love you?"

James looked flustered. "I really don't-how did you-She didn't-"

Sirius smiled tiredly. "Take her to town, buy her dinner, tell her, give her a ring, be happy."

James stopped walking. "Give her a ring- Sirius, I don't even know if I'm that serious about her!"

Sirius softened his tone. "You mentioned her to your mum and dad before you'd even snogged her, Jim. I'd say that was a clue."

James looked down, frowning, and began walking again. "Sometimes I regret ever telling you about that stuff," he muttered.

Sirius patted him on the back. "You know even better than I do that your mum and Dad would tell you to go for it if they were here. Your mum would have booked a bloody reception hall already. If she were a ghost, she'd be pestering me to do so on your behalf."

James laughed shortly. Sirius frowned and studied him carefully. It hadn't been a long time that James had been able to deal with casual discussion of his parents, and sometimes Sirius wondered if he was really ready even now.

But James was looking more annoyed than mournful, and this was a relief to Sirius- it meant he was focusing on the Lily Situation, rather than his family so much. Good progress, considering it had been only six months.

Sirius continued to study him, aware that James had noticed and was giving him an annoyed look. It hadn't hit Sirius until about two weeks ago, when the group of them- except for Remus and Taura, Remus having had to go to work, and Taura deciding to stay home- had been out to see a Muggle movie. Sirius still wasn't entirely sure what had clued him into what was going on between the two, but the expression on James's face when he'd looked at Lily had certainly helped. And judging by her expression when she looked at James, Sirius figured she was a goner as well.

And since he had been seeing a rather attractive blonde he'd met at a pub for almost a month already, Sirius was surprisingly okay with everything. Most of the time. Sometimes it was still a bit frightening to think that James was really that serious about a woman, and he wondered if things would be very different if James and Lily ever actually did get married or even engaged.

Not discreetly, James changed the subject, drawing Sirius's attention again. "I don't understand what the motivation for attacking Hogsmeade could be," he said. "All it does is strengthen our defenses."

Sirius shook his head. "We've been trying to work it out all day. The only reason he could be doing it is just to scare people."

James snorted. "Hogwarts is still the safest place in the entire Kingdom," he said. "People should just wait it out."

But they both knew it was a bit of bravado- Hogsmeade was very close to Hogwarts.

Sirius glanced over at James, and found him looking back. "How many times did we sneak in?" James asked, his expression light, though it was obviously an act.

"I stopped counting," he admitted. "Too many."

They'd only been caught twice- once when someone had robbed Honeydukes while they were inside, and were then held after for questioning, and once more when Arabella Figg had walked into Zonko's and found them, having seen them through the window on her way to the Potions shop to buy a few things.

"I'll have to talk to the shopkeepers in town," James said, frowning. "Ask them to let me know if students are going in. I have to go into town soon anyway. I suppose we have another funeral to go to."

Sirius sighed. "Poor Rosie," he said. "I wonder if she's even going to keep it open any more. It's a lot of work for one woman. It was a lot of work for two, and I know Marcella usually did the numbers."

They passed by the Great Hall. "Where'd you leave your broom?" James asked, glancing in the hall to see that no students were still in there.

Sirius pointed to the closet in the entry way to the castle. "I'm working overtime this week," he said. "So if I don't show up Friday night, don't be surprised."

"Send an owl," James said as Sirius opened the closet and pulled out the broom. "It'll take five minutes, and it'll mean peace of mind to us."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You worry too much." Then he realized that, given the day's happenings, perhaps not. "All right. As soon as I can, I'll let you know for sure. Lily still wants to go see a movie Saturday?"

James nodded. "Yeah. She asked what kind I wanted to see. I don't know what it is, so I couldn't say."

"You want something with blood and guts," Sirius said. "Otherwise you'll end up watching some romantic thing, and they're awful. Though," he said, grinning. "Now that you're getting all settled down with Lily, maybe it's time you gave in and let her choose that sort of thing."

James stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Stuff it," James advised.

Sirius smirked and glanced at the clock above the door. "I'll see you soon then," he said.

"Right," James said, nodding. "Take care."

"You too."

He hopped on the broom and took off.

He glanced back as he got to the edge of the woods, and found that James was still in the doorway, watching.

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

You declared your love for her yet?

It was two weeks later, but Sirius's words were still driving him insane.

Not so much because he hadn't known it- or at least suspected it- when Sirius had said it, but because Sirius thought it was so obvious.

James hadn't ever been in what he would call "love". He'd been in "like", and been in "lust", and been sincerely confused about all of the L-words many times. But never in love. This was different, and he liked it, and he didn't want it to go wrong. He'd never told any woman that he loved her -family aside- and wasn't entirely sure if it was acceptable to just say it or not. Given the choice, he'd have just skipped past all the fancy formal stuff, and just said it, and she would have said it back and life would be just dandy. But every time he tried to say it, he felt like a little boy stuttering while trying to talk to a beautiful woman. His tongue got tied up in knots and his brain went blank, and on more than one occasion, Lily had given him a worried look and felt his forehead, as though she thought he had a fever.

He was very irritated with himself about the entire situation, and Sirius wasn't helping much. Since he'd been so busy with over time at work, they hadn't had the opportunity to see each other. But every owl they exchanged, Sirius ended it with "Have you told her yet?" or some variation of it. Lately, it had been a bit more obnoxious- "Aren't you going to ever tell her?" or, James's favorite, "You git, just tell her!"

James personally couldn't wait until Sirius fell for a woman, because he was planning on making life miserable for him.

And Remus had a somewhat serious interest too, but Sirius hadn't made a single mention of any L-word in regards to them.

Of course, Remus had pretty much confided in them that he and Taura weren't looking for a serious relationship. He didn't want one because he thought he was a monster- he didn't say that of course, but James knew him well enough to fill in the blanks- and Taura was very uncomfortable around him when the full moon rolled around, and made a lot of flimsy excuses to avoid him.

James knew from a lot of previous experiences that wizards and witches from pureblood-or even half blood- families often struggled to get over their prejudices, and a lot of them weren't successful. Peter had been nervous, but once he realized that Remus couldn't "infect" him with the werewolf thing except on the full moon, he relaxed. James had had a very difficult time with it, though he'd hidden it well- not so much because anyone in his family was particularly prejudiced, but because he'd been taught that they were Dark Creatures, and therefore, Evil. Sirius had just rolled his eyes and had assured them that a werewolf was nothing compared to what freaks some of his mum and dad's family were.

The difference between himself and Taura, of course, was that James had straightened out and learned better. Taura was snogging Remus, but still couldn't manage that.

James hated that Remus was okay with the situation, and found himself uncomfortable around Taura.

And since he didn't particularly like Sybil either, he felt bad, because Lily got on with Sirius, Peter and Remus quite well, and they all seemed to like her, too. Sirius had flat out said so, Remus seemed relaxed around her, and Peter smiled and teased her a lot.

He'd already promised himself that he would do his best to smile and nod and get along with the two women, come hell or high water, and so far, his resolve hadn't been tested.

This was made much easier, of course, by Sybil's reluctance to go to most places, and Taura's strange schedule of classes. She had a lot of night classes because that's when the stars and sky were easiest to see, and so had a very strange sleep schedule.

Last night had been some special occasion, and she had been up all night teaching and studying the stars, and was planning on sleeping all day to recover.

Sybil was holding an extra class for her most dedicated students, and was unavailable.

Which was perfectly all right with James, not only because of his discomfort around them, but also because he wanted to be alone with Lily. He'd decided that one way or another, whether he had to stutter it out, or write it down on a parchment in shove it in her face, or managed to say it in a somewhat acceptable manor, he was going to tell her that he loved her, because the discomfort of not saying it was bothering him greatly.

He looked through the window of an odds-and-ends shop in the center of town and tried to practice what he'd say. Then he sighed and turned around, giving up, because he refused to rehearse anything. That was what a kid would do, and he was an adult now, and damn it, he'd do it right.

Lily I think I love you. Or maybe, Lily, I've got something to tell you, and I hope you'll say you feel the same...

James rolled his eyes and glanced around town. It was fairly empty, considering it was a Saturday morning, But then, with the Death Eater attack not two weeks ago, people were skittish.

James started to go to the Three Broomsticks, where he'd told Lily he would meet her. As he started, he saw her at that end of town, carrying a large bag of some kind and going towards the door. He relaxed. At least she wasn't standing him up or anything.

She paused on the way in, letting someone else slip in past her. James's attention was drawn to the man, who wore a long black cloak with the collar turned up. He looked as though he belonged at the Hog's Head rather than the Three Broomsticks.

The man in question glanced around and folded down his collar, and James caught a glimpse of his face.

Ice gripped James's heart as he recognized him. Rodolphus Lestrange- a man suspected to be a Death Eater. He and his wife were believed to be in the innermost circle of Voldemort's ranks, but no one had been able to finger them...

James discretely drew his wand and started walking towards Lestrange, keeping his eyes open for Bellatrix Lestrange as well- where one went, the other was not far behind.

Neither of them had any business in Hogsmeade, and the only reason he could imagine they were there was for no good. It would do no harm to question him for a little, and while James couldn't use "Auror Business" as his excuse, he could always use the old fall back- they'd been classmates, though in different houses. And neither had liked each other, but it was a technicality.

Lestrange glanced around again and this time, saw James. His mouth twisted into a sneer and he began walking in the opposite direction. James sped up to catch him, dread growing within him. He had a terrible feeling that something was going to happen.

Lestrange kept walking, past the Three Broomsticks, going towards the Hogsmeade Station, which had a train stopped in front of it.

James slowed down in front of the Three Broomsticks, tense and worried. Clearly Lestrange wasn't going to talk to him. And if he was leaving, then that meant he couldn't be doing anything... Right?

Uncertain, he stopped, still looking after Lestrange, who hadn't looked back, and was drawing all that much closer to the train.

And then the Three Broomsticks exploded, flames bursting from the windows and sending glass and shrapnel flying through the air.

James was knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion, and even as he stumbled to his feet, he felt terror grip him.

Lily was inside.

Before he could move, he felt a wand against the back of his head, and heard a woman's voice. "I don't think so, Auror Potter."

REVIEW RESPONSE: From both versions of chapter eight. The rewrite went out four days after the original went up, so if you only read the crappy version, please check out the less crappy version which is currently posted.
Aileron- 1st Review: I think I talked to you about most of it already, but I wanted to thank you for your review. It was extremely helpful in figuring out what I liked and didn't like about that chapter. *blushes* And I'm glad you like my story so much. :o)
2nd Review: You deserve more than a dedication, but I don't know what else to offer you. :) Glad you liked the rewrite better (I certainly do!) You really think it has a British air to it?! Oh, cool!! lol. I'm very glad to hear that.
Well, in this chapter, Romance Has Been Established, so i hope it's still believable. Yeah, I'm feeling bad for poor Moony as well. The dear sweet wolfie... *sigh*
Yes, there's a bit of a psychological sub-plot for Peter, though it won't get much attention. I love the dear boy (for a bit longer, anyway), but he's not the focus of the story. Hopefully, you'll see hints of it throughout the rest of the story.
*grin* Hope your brain isn't feeling quite as mushy any more. When's the next chap coming out?!
Anon- Oooh!!!! Is that some sort of criticism?! 'Cuz I've been *dying* for a flame, so if you read any more of this, would you elaborate?! Please?!
Got Harry- Glad you enjoyed the bowling, since that part's still in there! :o) 2.) I didn't know that JKR's Dad was named Peter... Hrm, that's interesting... *raises eyebrow* I'll have to think about that a bit more. 3.) lol- glad you didn't notice all the errors. Another notch in the Sirius column, but no such luck. I don't think anyone will figure it out. Maybe I'll ask about it at the end of the story, and people will get it then... Hrm. You didn't notice Taura's name? Well, that's good, I suppose. And yes, she is tricky to figure out... Well, she's going to get worse. :o) lol- and glad you read the Up Next.
Y. Kuang- Well, I got rid of a lot of the fluff in the last chapter's rewrite, so I hope you like it better. I didn't particularly like the first version either, and I quite agree with your assessment. And I would not disregard your review even if you *had* been the only one to say such things. I value your opinion, and I appreciate your comments. I don't always notice the things I do wrong, and I need people like you to tell me so! So, thank you, and there are no apologies necessary!
everblue3- *sigh* I suppose you didn't have much choice in being a girl anyway. You're forgiven, but just this once! Aww... doggies! lol. And good luck finding any dog that won't chew or pee all over everything. Girls are better, aren't they? Okay, you've convinced me. (And I have a boy puppy who's about 6 and still manages to use my bed as his personal toilet. He's got a weak bladder, it's nothing personal. I hope.)
lol. Well, my drunken stories aren't all that amusing, but they do teach me to moderate how much I've had. lol. Your words are encouraging me to consider writing a Sybil fic. Hrm... But I can't handle having yet another story on my plate, so that gest pushed aside 'til later. Well, I suppose I'm sorry that you don't like hot-headed fights. I don't particularly like writing fights, but I'm trying to work tension into the relationship between the three of 'em. So, yeah. :o)
Glad to hear you think I made up for it by the end. I still reworked it, but I"m still glad to hear that. (And I want more OOS!!!)
lol. Well, I was sort of inspired for this chapter, so hopefully it's better. It's been a chapter I've been looking forward to since Day 1. :o) I don't know if it's a "brainchild of some little niggling", but I've been looking forward to it. (*squeals* OOooh! OotP!! SOON!) I like McGonagall a lot too. She's my favorite teacher on the staff, though Sybil's a close second. (And Lily and James in this fic, but that's obvious, I'm sure.)
Remus will be turned into a suspicious character. But right now it's still spring of '79, so I've got a bit of time before that has to happen. lol. You don't think I could write tawdry romances? My dad was just telling me that I have a real talent for bull shit, and i could put any author to shame. 'Course, he's biased, so maybe not. And I take no offense- I rather like more serious plots, because fluff is boring. Yay Tragedy!
Just for you, I pulled out all specific references to Muggle culture, so hopefully that will help out.
Peter's commitment to the Order and Dumbledore will eventually be enforced. I shall say no more. :o)
Wow... If Taura changed her name by one letter and went into hiding and called it good... lol, stupid story idea. lol. I"m moving on now.
A mention of James's family and angst about moving too fast? there's a bit of it. And the Quidditch match gone wrong almost got changed around, but it never had anything to do with a rogue bludger. lol. Or swallowing a snitch.
And it's not fair to use my words against me! It's just not write! *sigh* Happy writing to you as well!
Mooky- Sorry to remove the movie parts that you said you liked- they were just too fluffy for me. Sybil and the dressing thing- she's always had an issue with dressing appropriately, and doesn't seem to mind getting strange looks. Glad you liked the tension.
Lamina Court- Remus is going to have ups and downs- he'll get a little happiness, then it'll get ripped away from him. :o) I like torturing him- it's not that I have anything against him, it's just fun- and he's an easy target. :o) I'd like to see your Remus fic like that though. lol.
Sorry you don't like Peter. (I do- for a while longer, anyway.) Sirius was not who Sybil would end up with, but you're not the only one to say that. People are shooting fireworks? Um... Sorry?! lol. *puts on dumb-US citizen cap* What's Victoria Day? And are fireworks a normal Victoria day thing? 'Cuz I thought it was just Guy Fawkes day that they did the fireworks on over there. (We only do them on the fourth of July for the most part.) lol. Feel free to call me an idiot all you want- I mis spelled two main characters names, I deserve it. *grin* Nope, no sex yet. lol. YAY! NOT MANY DAYS TO OOtP!!! :O)
Questions and Comments
1.) I went back through my reviews recently and saw one that suggested Lily as being a bit too perfect. Unfortunately, I think I'm seeing this happening again. Any thoughts on this? True or no? Suggestions or Observations? Etc.?!
2.) I'm trying to put Lily and James together. I want it to be something that they both sort of just slide into, if that makes sense. I want this chapter to show that it's something that they both easily accept, and want, and know is real. Any comments or suggestions on their relationship thus far, or for in the future?
3.) The beginning was supposed to cover a lot of time. Did it flow well? Was it too long? Too boring? Should I have done something different?
4.) What do you think of this chapter? What do you think of the way it fits in with the rest of the chapters?
5.) All additional comments are welcome. :o)
Up Next: Sybil reads poetry, James does the hula, Lily becomes a auto mechanic. Actually, none of that happens, but can't you just see James in a grass skirt, coconuts, and swaying his hips? lol.
Actually... The aftermath of the explosion- what happened to Lily? What happened to the rest of the people inside at the time? Was Lestrange really a part of it? If not, Who done it? *cue music* DUHN DUHN DUH... Find out next time in the next exciting chapter of.... WINDING PATH!!!
(I never realized how much I dislike the name of this story until this chapter. Isn't that nice?)

ATTENTION ALL MWPP WRITERS, ARTISTS, & FANS!
Lavender (The author of the Falling Trilogy) & I have teamed up to create a brand new mailing list for MWPP fans, called lazymwppwriters. It's a list for all the MWPP fans who want a place to talk about MWPP, their stories, their artworks, and all sorts of things. Lavender and I, who both like being lazy, came up with the idea and have decided we're brilliant for thinking of it, because surely we're not the only ones who love MWPP but have a problem with being lazy. Come prove us right and join up! Sign up by e-mailing: lazymwppwriters@yahoogroups.com, or click on my profile to learn more about the group and see the link! (Some of you will also be getting an invitation by e-mail if you've reviewed either of us before- join us!)
As a bribe, (though I'm not sure how effective), I've posted two never-before-seen stories at the list in the files section, and anyone who joins will be seeing the next chapter a few days earlier than the rest who don't... :o)