Lily Potter struggled against the cold wind with her jacket up, covering her young son, Harry. She was tired, very tired, and hungry. Her head ached from Harry's nonstop crying an hour before. He had finally fallen asleep. Lily sunk down to a bench to rest on her way to Remus's house. She pulled out an old, battered journal from a pocket inside her thin windbreaker.

August 14th, 1981

Awfully cold tonight. Harry slept most of the night, until James came and woke him up with his yelling about money. I really don't know what's wrong with him. Remus took him to counseling, and when he's sober he's the old James- but drinking is just too much of a temptation for him. Then he drinks himself into debt, yells at me, I go to Remus's house, Remus takes James to counseling until drinking is too tempting. A vicious cycle.

Remus is an angel. I really don't know what I'd do without him. I feel bad taking his money and food, considering it's hard for him to get a job, being a werewolf and all, but I don't know what else I can do. My wages are barely enough to pay him for half of what he provides for me.

The Order of the Phoenix isn't doing too well. A few of our members have had terrible things done to them. I cried for weeks when I heard what happened to Marlene McKinnon. They got her whole family. And of course Gideon and Fabian Prewett- Molly Weasley's brothers- murdered, both of them. Took a whole load of Death Eaters to get them, although I heard surprising news that a few people that aren't Death Eaters are being accused. Apparently they're not even in Voldemort's ranks. Plus, Frank and Alice Longbottom- well that was terrible. Tortured into insanity…I could happily kill the Death Eaters that did it to them and never regret it. Rumor has it that it was Bellatrix and Rodolphus Lestrange. I remember Bellatrix as a quiet, shy girl that got bullied quite a bit. James used to be so mean to her. But no wonder- he had the most inflamed ego I ever saw.

We had a picture taken a few months ago of all of us- before James became a drunk. I haven't seen Molly Weasley since- I think she'd die of shock if she saw me now.

That goes for all the girls in our year at Hogwarts. Didn't they just all want to kill me, all because James was infatuated with me. How I wish they could see what he's become- the devilishly handsome playboy, James Potter, that everyone wanted. Living a street life.

Everyone except a few. Among them, I'm remembering Bellatrix wasn't a James fan. She was quite in love with Remus, until she moved to Durmstrang in fifth year. Smart girl. Remus is like a brother to me, and probably would beto a lot of girls- whereas James is the annoying boy that lives beside you and always pulls your hair, but you can't help falling in love with.

I remember now that Remus had a crush on me back then. I liked him too, before I dated James in seventh year. I wonder if Remus even remembers back then… I'll have to ask him. Speaking of Remus, I should be getting to his house. Harry's starting to stir.

Lily stood up, tucked away her journal, and began the long walk to Remus's house. The sun was starting to come out, and gradually the street lights faded. The wind blew, harder and harder, whipping Lily's hair out of place and sending it streaming in front of her face.

Finally she got to Remus' house. Exhausted, stumbling, she tripped up the front steps. Harry stirred at the sudden movement, and began to whimper in his sleep.

"Poor child, you've seen more than anyone should ever… but thank God you won't remember a thing." Lily sighed and held Harry close. She wished she too could forget, be like her little son and just go to sleep. Lily, however, knew she would remember ever brutal night she spent on the street.

Climbing the steps to Remus' house felt like tackling a mountain. When Lily finally reached the top, she paused and leaned against the door. She felt so old and weary. If the Lily Evans of even three months ago could see her now, she would never have believed it could possibly happen. James would never have let this happen to her, right?

Lily raised a tired hand to knock on the door. She waited. And waited. She frowned. Remus never took this long to answer the door. Oh well. She shrugged. He must be sleeping or something. Lily knocked again, louder this time. She sank down onto a step, close to tears. He wasn't home.

The realization hit her like a triple-decker bus. Lily sat on the step for a long time, wondering what to do. Then sleep finally overpowered her, and she rested her head on the welcome mat.

'Just a little nap. Then I'll be refreshed for work in the morning.' Was Lily's last thought before drifting off.

After being released from the Ministry a few hours later than he got there, Remus Lupin was thoroughly confused. He had absolutely no idea why the Ministry of Magic would accuse him of the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian. Him, twenty-year-old Remus Lupin, prefect in his Hogwarts days. Whatever. He shook himself mentally. It was just that Umbridge woman against 'part-humans', the stupid biased bitch.

"It's not my fault I got bit by a werewolf," Remus muttered angrily as he walked down the street. He stopped suddenly. Lily! He had totally forgotten that she might be waiting for him, hungry, cold, and with a one-year-old son. He cursed, and apparated quickly to his house.

When he got there, there was an eerie kind of silence. Lily was nowhere in sight. Remus frowned. Where could she be? Surely not with James and Sirius, they were probably passed out drunk by now.

Remus shrugged and walked up the steps, stubbing his toe on the stupid little muggle garden gnome statuette.

"Son of a-" Remus hopped on one foot, then tripped in the dark and landed with a thud on his front doorstep. He groaned, rolled over, and his cheek hit a small black book that was lying on the doorstep. His pain momentarily forgotten, he picked up the book, and puzzled, flipped to the front page.

"This journal property of Lily Evans," he read aloud, and finally understood why it was laying abandoned on his doorstep.

Remus was tempted to open it, but decided against it and shut the journal firmly. The question in his mind was why would Lily leave something so obviously private lying around?