A/N: Alrighty, everyone, I want to let you know in advance that I'm in a wedding this weekend, so I'm shooting for Tuesday, July 13 for my next update. On an unrelated note, the conversation between Dumbledore and Moody in this chapter is dedicated to everyone who wanted James to be an Auror.

I don't own Harry Potter's universe.

Twice Defied

"Thank you for everything, Mrs. Potter," Lily said as she prepared to Floo home.

"It was my pleasure," Mrs. Potter smiled. "We've loved having you, Lily. It seemed more like Christmas with you here."

Lily smiled. "Well, maybe next year, you can come to our house for Christmas."

James grinned. "That's a great idea! Christmas dinner will be at our house next year!"

"Have you found a house, then?"

James and Lily looked at one another. Mrs. Potter laughed.

"I'll take that as a no. You'd better start looking. You can't live apart once you're married, and you only have about six weeks until the wedding!"

"We know, we know," James smiled. "We'll start looking tomorrow, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that," Mrs. Potter replied with a grin. She leaned forward to kiss Lily's cheek. "Good bye, darling. Be careful going home, now."

"I will be," Lily promised. "Tell Mr. Potter that I said good bye."

"I will," Mrs. Potter replied. "He was sorry he couldn't see you off, but he had to work."

"I understand," Lily said. "Tell him not to work too hard."

"I will," Mrs. Potter said. "Maybe he'll listen to you. Goodness knows I've been telling him that for years!" She laughed. "We'll see you soon, Lily!"

Lily nodded, and waved good bye again. She took her suitcase in one hand, and a fistful of Floo powder in the other. She tossed the powder into the fireplace, calling her address.

She choked as she emerged from the fireplace in her own flat. She smiled as she looked around. Nothing had changed. It was wonderful to be home.

"Lily!"

Lily nearly jumped out of her skin. "Goodness, Dana! You scared me to death!"

"I'm sorry!" Dana giggled as she ran toward her friend. "I wanted to show you what Aidan gave me for Christmas!"

"All right, let's see it, then" Lily agreed. "Did he get you the necklace you wanted? The one that you showed him about twelve times in the past two months?"

"No."

"No?" Lily laughed. "You don't seem nearly disappointed enough!"

"It's even better than that necklace! Look at this!" Dana exclaimed, flinging her left hand out in front of Lily's face.

Lily gasped. "Dana! Is that --?"

"Yes! Aidan asked me to marry him! We're engaged!"

"Dana!" Lily cried. She threw her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly. "I can't believe it! When did he ask? Does Olivia know? What did your parents think?"

Dana giggled again. "I guess I'll have to field those one at a time. First, Olivia hasn't come back yet, so she doesn't know."

"She's going to be so upset that she didn't find out first!"

"I know. But she'll get over it."

"What about your parents? Were they excited?"

"Incredibly," Dana smiled. "They adore Aidan."

"Here, sit down and tell me about how he asked."

"Well, he asked me on Christmas Eve."

"Cute!"

"It was. My family always opens presents on Christmas Eve, so everyone was there. Aidan insisted that I should open his last, and when I finally got to it, he gave me a necklace box. Of course, I was thrilled, thinking that it was the necklace that I wanted. But, when I opened it, it was empty. So, I looked up to ask him what was going on, and he was down on one knee! In front of my entire family! Of course, I started crying right away, and he got a little teary, but he got the question asked in the end. So, there we were, both of us in tears, and my mother busted out her camera!"

Lily giggled. "I'll bet she took a million pictures."

Dana picked up a box from the coffee table. "Take a look."

Laughing again, Lily opened the box. As she was beginning to flip through the pictures, Olivia came in.

"Hey, girls!" she exclaimed. "What have I missed?"

Lily looked to Dana, who jumped out of her seat to show her ring to Olivia.

"Well, I guess that just leaves me," Olivia commented. "All the rest of you are engaged."

It was much later, and Dana's ring and pictures had been thoroughly admired. The three girls were lounging together in their flat, eating leftover Christmas cookies and drinking peppermint hot chocolate.

"That's not true," Lily argued. "Laura isn't engaged, either."

"And neither are Remus, or Peter, or . . . Well, I guess it's sort of ridiculous to say Sirius, isn't it?" Dana giggled.

Olivia rolled her eyes, and took a sip of her drink. "Be serious, girls. Laura and Remus are practically engaged!"

"But they aren't actually engaged," Lily said. "And that puts them on the same level as you and Sirius."

"Well, Peter doesn't count, then," Olivia said. "He hasn't dated anyone since Kathleen."

"I feel horrible for him," Dana said quietly. "He lost so much when she died."

Olivia looked down, then up again. "I still miss her," she said softly. "Kathleen was such a wonderful person, and so full of life. It's not fair that she's gone."

"You know," Lily almost whispered, "sometimes, I still have trouble believing that she is gone. When I was Christmas shopping a couple weeks ago, I saw this barrette that reminded me of the ones she always wore in her hair. I was going to buy it for her. I actually had it in my hand before I remembered . . . I can't buy her Christmas presents anymore."

All three girls were silent for a moment, thinking of their fallen friend. It was Dana who broke the silence.

"Does it ever make you scared – what we're doing? I mean, the Death Eaters killed Kathleen, and they're the same people that we fight with the Order. Isn't it a little scary?"

"If you aren't a little afraid, you probably shouldn't be doing this," Olivia said quietly. "We face death all the time. If that doesn't scare you, there's something wrong with you."

"I don't know," Dana sighed, her face contorting slightly. "I guess it's just that now, with Aidan and I being engaged, I'm looking at things differently."

"Dana," Lily said slowly, "you aren't thinking about leaving the Order, are you?"

Dana looked at Lily for several moments, while an uncomfortable silence fell over them. It was broken by a burst of light. All three girls jumped up as a golden phoenix feather fell down on the coffee table. Olivia picked up the accompanying slip of parchment.

"It says to Apparate to this address immediately," she said tensely. "We'd better take our wands."

The scene that met their eyes was one of a battle. Death Eaters swarmed about the neighborhood they had arrived in, torturing wizards and Muggles alike. Screams and bursts of light filled the air. Lily looked around her in horror. How could anyone create this scene of destruction, death, and chaos? Footsteps approached them, and the girls looked up to see Frank Longbottom coming toward them.

"We're trying to control the situation right now," he said as he reached them, his face emotionless. "We need to take care of anyone who's injured, and to modify the memories of all the Muggles. There are Death Eaters everywhere, so stopping them is our first priority. Stun any of them that you see, but don't kill them unless it comes down to your life or theirs. We need them for questioning. Make sure you work with a partner. I don't want anyone caught alone in this."

Olivia felt herself slipping into Auror mode as the emotion left her own face. "I'll go with Dana," she said quickly. "Lily, you can –"

"Stay with me," Laura said from right beside them.

"Where did you come from?" Lily asked.

"I just Apparated," she replied. "Come on. Let's go over to that house."

Lily nodded, and followed her friend toward the house in question. They couldn't see any lights inside, save for the occasional flash that indicated spells being thrown.

"Did Remus come with you?" Lily asked as they walked.

"We both went home this morning. I assume he came over with the guys," Laura replied. They reached back of the house, and she raised her wand. "Ready?"

"Ready."

Laura opened the door. Moving as silently as possible, the girls entered the house through the kitchen. Based on this room, they had entered a wizarding house. It was still and silent. The girls glanced at one another, and held their unlit wands out. They knew they couldn't light them and risk drawing attention to themselves. It was so quiet in the house. Too quiet.

Lily held her breath, listening to the silence. Then, she heard it: a murmur that sounded like an incantation. She turned quickly to her right, and saw a flash of light. She looked back a Laura, and motioned for her to follow. Laura nodded, and the girls crept toward the swinging door, unsure of what lay beyond.

They inched toward the dining room, pushing the door open slowly and silently. As they moved closer, a new sound reached Lily's ears. It sounded like someone was crying. Her heart twisted. Who could do that to an innocent person? Who would want to make someone cry?

"Please, don't" an unknown voice whispered. "Please, have mercy. Have mercy!"

"Crucio."

Still holding her breath, Lily swung around the corner. The sight nearly took her breath away. A woman was kneeling on the floor, rocking back and forth as she sobbed. Her eyes were wide as she looked to her left. Lily's eyes followed hers, and saw a small child, most likely only three or four years old, shaking in pain. A scream escaped his lips, followed by a strangled cry from his mother. Lily was sure that those two sounds would haunt her forever. She looked quickly around, trying to find the one who was casting the curse. Her eyes fell on the masked Death Eater, and she didn't even stop to think.

"STUPEFY!"

The Death Eater fell to the floor in a heap. Lily put him in a full body bind, and rushed forward. Laura followed her, pointing her wand at every corner of the room.

"Are you all right?" Lily asked, touching the woman's shoulder.

"Check Elton," she sobbed. "Please, is he all right? I tried to protect him, but they wouldn't stop – they bound me here, and I can't move! I couldn't help him!"

While Lily went to pick up the little boy, Laura waved her wand, undoing the invisible bonds around the woman's wrists and ankles. She flexed her joints, and rushed toward her son.

"Elton? Can you hear me, sweetie?"

"You said 'they,'" Laura said. "How many were there?"

"Three," the woman replied, taking Elton from Lily.

"Three," Laura repeated. She looked down at the little boy that was now in his mother's arms. "Is he all right?"

Lily shook her head. "He's completely out, but he's still breathing. I don't know what to do for him. We need Dana or Remus."

Laura nodded. "We need to find the other two Death Eaters, Lil."

"I know. But one of us needs to get them out of here. Elton really needs medical attention. And we can't search the house alone."

"What are we going to do?"

Soft footsteps sounded in the kitchen. Lily and Laura were facing the door with wands raised in an instant. Lily's heart was pounding, but her wand was very steady. Whoever was there, she was ready for them.

"Lil? Laura?"

Lily nearly laughed in relief. "James?"

"Thank goodness," he sighed, coming fully into the room. "Longbottom told us this is where you were, and when we saw all the light coming out of the house, I was sent in to investigate."

"We're fine," Lily said quickly. "And our friend over there isn't going anywhere fast. But this little one and his mother need some medical attention."

James nodded. "Remus and Dana have already set up a medical tent outside. Let's get them out there."

"Wait," Laura said quickly. "There's still two Death Eaters in this house somewhere."

James nodded slowly. "Right. Laura, you take them out to Remus and Dana, and Lily and I will find the Death Eaters."

"Are you sure?" Laura asked.

"Yes," James replied. "Go quickly, and be careful. There's still plenty of Death Eaters outside."

"I'll be careful," Laura promised. She helped the woman to her feet, and led her toward the kitchen.

The woman turned around, and looked at Lily. "Thank you so much," she said, her eyes moving to take in all three young Order members. "Without you, I don't know where we'd be right now."

"You're welcome," Lily said, giving her a smile.

"If there's anything I can do . . ."

"Just take care of yourself and Elton," Lily replied. "Go with Laura. We'll be fine."

Laura ushered the woman and her still-unconscious son into the kitchen. Just before she left the room, Laura turned back to Lily and James. "You two be careful, too."

"We will," Lily promised.

Laura nodded again, and followed the woman out of sight. Lily looked back to James.

"Let's search down here first."

They moved silently into the next room, the foyer. Like the kitchen, it was silent and empty. They exchanged a glance, and a thumbs-up, their signal that the room was clear.

There was only one room left on the first floor, the sitting room. Lily and James moved toward it. Lily's heart began to pound again. If the Death Eaters were still on the first floor, they were in this room. She and James each stood on one side of the archway, holding their breath. They exchanged one last nod, and slid around the corner, into the room.

The Death Eaters were waiting.

"STUPEFY!"

Lily dodged the jet of light, and flung her own wand out in front of her.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled in the direction of the Death Eater.

The Death Eater threw himself to the floor, waving his wand at Lily as he fell. Her spell went over his head, but his hit her. She hadn't heard the incantation, and wasn't sure what spell he had used, but found herself bleeding. She grabbed her arm, which had been cut. Blood began to stain her robes.

"Impedimenta!" she cried.

The Death Eater dodged that spell as well. "Reducto!" he yelled.

Lily jumped out of the way just in time, not wanting to know what exactly that curse would have done to her. She looked around wildly, and found her target again.

"Expelliarmus!" she yelled again.

This time, her curse struck her mark. The Death Eater she had been fighting flew backward, his wand soaring high in the air. Lily ran forward, and put yet another Death Eater into a full body bind. She grabbed the wand he had used, tucking it into her pocket.

"Lil! Heads up!"

Lily jerked out of the way as another spell rushed toward her.

"Stupefy!" James yelled.

The Death Eater fell forward, and James quickly bound him. He looked over at Lily.

"You said there were only two more?"

"That we know of," she agreed.

"What happened to your arm?" James cried, watching as the red blood seeped through her blue robes.

"I'm not sure," she said. "I don't know what curse it was."

James touched his wand to her arm, muttering a healing charm. The bleeding stopped as the wound healed itself. Lily looked at James with a grateful smile.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," James replied, running his hand through his hair. "We need to get Longbottom and Moody over here. Can you shoot green sparks above the house?"

"Sure."

Lily stepped outside through the front door, and aimed her wand into the air, shooting the green sparks. They hovered above the house, marking an area that held bound Death Eaters. The sounds of battle – the screams and shrieks of pain, the running footsteps, the slamming of bodies, and the shouted spells – rang in her ears. She wondered how many Death Eaters were there in all. Frank hadn't told them. By the sound of it, they wouldn't see anyone from the Order anytime soon.

Then again, maybe she was wrong. She heard footsteps coming toward her, and, expecting to see the Aurors, turned to her left.

"Miss Evans," a high-pitched voice spoke softly, "we meet again."

Lily's smile slid off her face, and her heart jumped into her throat. Lord Voldemort stood before her.

"I had hoped to see you again," he said. "I don't think we parted on the best of terms the last time we met."

Hot anger rushed through Lily as she remembered the last time she had seen this man. Her eyes began to snap. "How dare you speak of the last time we met?"

"Ah, you remember it. I'm touched."

"I only remember it because of what happened to my parents," Lily hissed, realizing that what she was doing was probably the stupidest thing she had ever done. Even so, she couldn't stop herself. "I wouldn't remember it because of you. What do I care about a pathetic little man like you?"

James appeared in the doorway. "Lil," he muttered. "What are you doing?"

"You will show respect!" Voldemort shrieked. He raised his wand, pointing it straight at Lily. "Imperio."

A relaxed, dreamy feeling filled Lily's being. She remembered this feeling somewhere in the back of her mind, but she couldn't remember where. She only knew that she didn't want it to end.

"Come here, Lily," Voldemort said in a sick, twisted whisper. "Come closer, and let me teach you the proper way to speak to one such as myself."

"NO!" James yelled, rushing forward. "You leave her alone, you sick bastard!"

Voldemort turned to him, fury in the back of his eyes. "Of course. Mr. Potter. You are rarely away from your fiancée, are you?"

James' face registered surprise at the fact that Voldemort knew of their relationship. For some reason, this seemed to delight the Dark Lord.

"Oh, yes, I know all about your relationship," he said softly. "I know everything about you, James. And I know that right now, the last thing you want is to see your girlfriend at my mercy, but that's exactly where she is."

"We'll see about that!" James growled. He raised his wand, ready to use a curse – any curse – to make Voldemort leave Lily alone.

Voldemort smiled slightly, and waved his wand. James was hurtled backward, and thrown into the side of the house. He moaned as he struck the house, and slid down the wall to the ground.

"Watch, Lily," Voldemort commanded. "Watch your boyfriend suffer."

Lily obediently turned her head. Once he was sure she was watching, Voldemort waved his wand again. James' arms flew backward, and smacked against the house. Heavy iron shackles appeared, binding him to the house by his wrists.

James looked helplessly at Lily. "Fight it, Lily," he said fiercely. "I know you can. Fight it. Fight, Lily! Fight!"

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Voldemort asked, his eyes narrowing. "Perhaps you both need to learn respect today. Once you have learned your lessons, naturally, you will be killed. We have no use for such disrespectful people in our world. Lily, use the Cruciatus curse on James."

Lily raised her wand. Then, in the corners of her mind, she recognized James. He was staring at her. He was in pain – he was hurt. What was she supposed to do?

"Say crucio, Lily."

No.

"Say it, Lily. Cast the spell!"

No.

"Cast the spell!"

NO!

"CAST THE SPELL! USE THE CRUCIATUS!"

"NO!" Lily screamed.

The Imperius Curse was lifted. The feeling of relaxation was gone. The dream-like state had disappeared. Everything came rushing back to her. She was standing before Voldemort. James was shackled to the side of a house. Voldemort was going to kill them both.

"Oh, Lily," Voldemort hissed. "How very, very disappointing. Good help is so hard to find anymore." He pointed his own wand at James. "Crucio."

James fell as far forward as the shackles would allow, shrieking in pain. As the sounds of his screams filled her ears, Lily ran forward. She had to do something. She had to save James.

"NO!" she screamed. She pointed her wand at Voldemort. "Impedimenta!"

The spell had the desired affect; Voldemort lifted the Cruciatus. He turned to Lily, his eyes gleaming. Something about his eyes terrified Lily. Once again, her heart began to pound as Voldemort raised his wand, pointing it at her.

The last thing Lily remembered seeing was a jet of red light.

"Green sparks," Moody commented. He looked at Olivia and Sirius, who had just bound two Death Eaters. "Black, everything's under control right here. Go collect the Death Eaters from that house."

"All right," Sirius agreed.

"Alexander, come with me," Moody said, motioning for Olivia to follow him. "We have quite a few more Death Eaters to stop."

Sirius gave Olivia a slight smile, and took off for the house in question. He wasn't sure who had gone in to deal with this house. He went in through the back door, which was swinging open. Holding his wand in front of him, he moved cautiously through the house. He found one Death Eater in the dining room, and was about to create a Portkey to send him to the Ministry of Magic, when a horrific shriek filled his ears. He jumped up, and raced to the front of the house.

"Stop! Stop it, you sadistic – AUGH!"

Sirius' heart pounded in his ears. That tortured cry – that sounded horribly like James. He threw the door open, and bounded outside. James was writhing on the ground, screaming in agony. Sirius looked up to see who was casting the spell, and felt his heart stop. He was standing in front of Voldemort.

James screamed again. That was all it took.

"CRUCIO!" Sirius bellowed, pointing his wand straight at Voldemort.

The Dark Lord screamed, and the curse on James was broken. Sirius glanced to his right, and saw his friend slump over, his hands still shackled to the side of the house. His moment of inattention was enough. He suddenly felt unbearable pain shoot through his body as Voldemort cursed him. He broke the curse, and smiled malevolently at Sirius.

"Mr. Black. I should have known that you would come to your friends' aid."

"You bastard!" Sirius yelled.

All rational thought was gone. Sirius did the only thing he could think of, and began to run through his repertoire of curses and hexes, all learned to torment Snape. He threw them at Voldemort one after the other, trying to do some damage to the Dark Lord.

"Crucio!" Voldemort yelled, stopping the flow of spells from Sirius' mouth.

Sirius shrieked in pain. He couldn't do this alone anymore. He needed help. He needed help. He needed help.

He finally managed to raise his wand. Trying desperately to think clearly through the pain, he aimed his wand at the sky, and shot up red sparks.

Within ten seconds, five Order members had Apparated to his side. Voldemort gave a shriek of frustration.

"Damn you! I'm not through with any of you!"

"STUPEFY!" yelled five voices.

But it was too late. Voldemort was gone.

Sirius struggled to stand, and went to James. He waved his wand, undoing the shackles that held him to the house. James' arms fell limply to his sides.

"My, God, James," Sirius muttered. "What did that bastard do to you?"

"Black!" Dorcas Meadows yelled. "What did he do to Evans?"

"Lily?" Sirius questioned blankly. "I thought only James was here."

Dorcas shook her head. "Lily's over here. He got both of them."

Numb with shock and horror, Sirius sank to his knees.

"Do you think they'll be all right?"

Sirius looked down at Olivia, who was curled up against him in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. "Yes."

"You seem very sure," Peter said, running his hands over his face.

"They can get through this," Sirius said firmly, his eyes glittering with determination. "James and Lily are two of the strongest people I know. They – they'll make it. They have to make it."

Anguish filled the faces of the four friends in the waiting room. After Sirius and the other Order members had saved James and Lily, they had been rushed to the hospital. Remus, Dana, and the Potters were in the examining room with them. Sirius, Peter, Olivia, and Laura were left alone to wait.

"This is awful," Peter muttered. He began to pace the small waiting area.

"Wormtail, is that doing them any good?" Sirius sighed.

"No," Peter admitted. "But it's giving me something to do."

Laura watched him for a moment before tears gathered in her eyes. Several ran down her face before she could stop them.

"Hey," Olivia said in a choked voice. "Don't start that, or I'll be right there with you."

"I'm sorry," Laura whispered, wiping at her eyes. "It's just . . . I was there! I was right there with Lily, and then I took those people to Remus and Dana, and . . . I should be the one who's fighting for her life, not them!"

"Laura, it isn't your fault," Olivia said, her own tears beginning to fall. "There's no way you could have known what was going to happen. Voldemort has it in for Lily and James. I don't know why, but . . ."

"Because they fight him," Sirius said firmly. "He has it in for every single one of us. Lily and James just tend to get in his way more often than we do, that's all. He would have gone for any of us just as easily as them. He didn't think twice about going after me when I showed up."

Olivia shivered at the thought of Sirius fighting Voldemort, and touched his bruised face. "Did you have someone look you over?"

"I'm fine."

"Sirius, you dueled with –"

"I said I'm fine!" Sirius nearly shouted.

Peter stopped pacing. "I can't take this anymore," he said. "It's too much. I'm sorry –"

And with that, he Disapparated.

"What was that all about?" Laura exclaimed.

Sirius sighed. "Peter doesn't always handle stress that well. He'll be back. Just give him some time alone."

Peter was far from alone. He Apparated into his parents' kitchen. His father was in the room, making coffee.

"Peter!" he exclaimed in surprise. "I thought you were helping your friends fight the losing battle!"

"I was," Peter said shortly.

"Well, don't let me stop you. If you need to fight against the inevitable, go right ahead."

Peter shook his head. "Tell me something, Dad."

"What?"

"Tell me why two of my friends – two of the best people I know – are currently lying in St. Mungo's fighting for their lives. You keep saying that the strong will survive, and that the best wizards will be left to create this new society, but if James Potter and Lily Evans die, that isn't the case! You know as well as I do that the Potters are one of the oldest, most powerful wizarding families in Great Britain! And Lily can match James in every way. Without them, the wizarding world will suffer, and suffer greatly. We need James and Lily – I need James and Lily! They're my friends, Dad! If you're so right, and I'm so wrong, then why are they on the brink of death?"

"Because they're foolish," Mr. Pettigrew said harshly. "James Potter was foolish enough to fall in love with a Muggle-born witch, and they were both foolish enough to think that they could challenge the Dark Lord. Oh, yes, Peter I've already heard about what happened. James and Lily may be talented wizards, but they haven't made the right decisions in life. And their current situation tells me that they are paying the consequences of their decisions." He gave his son a hard look. "Is that what you want to have happen to you? Do you want to wind up in a hospital bed, fighting for your own life? Do you want to put your mother through the torment of watching you die?"

"Of course not," Peter said quickly. "I'd never to anything to hurt Mum."

"But you are," Mr. Pettigrew said, his voice soft and urgent. "Every day that you continue to fight against the Dark Lord, you are putting yourself in mortal peril. Every time that you leave the house, your mother prays that you will return safely. And you choose to put her through that, Peter. You value your friends above your family, and you side with them."

"I don't want to hurt Mum," Peter said again. "I don't want to be in danger. That's why I'm fighting with Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore couldn't save your friends from danger, could he? He couldn't save Kathleen's life, could he? What makes you think he could keep you out of danger?"

Peter looked out the window. He couldn't formulate a reply.

"You have to think, Peter. You have to use your brain. The Dark Lord is quickly taking over. What are you gaining by fighting against him?"

Again, Peter didn't reply.

"Do we have any idea of exactly what happened?"

Moody looked up at Dumbledore. "Not yet. It was Black who saved them in the end. He called in the Order, but he was the one who found them, and who deserves the credit for saving them. He took quite a few curses himself before it was over. Dueled with the Dark Lord. Without him, I don't want to think about where Potter and Evans would be right now."

Dumbledore nodded. "The bond between Mr. Black and Mr. Potter has always been very strong. I'm not surprised that he risked his life for them."

Moody nodded. "Between the three of them, they nearly managed to bring down the Dark Lord." He glanced at the closed door of James and Lily's room. "It's a damn shame they didn't become Aurors."

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "Based on what they've done with the Order, how exactly do they differ from Aurors?"

Moody considered him for a moment, then pulled his jagged face into a smile. "They didn't attend the Academy with me. I'll suggest to them that they should when they come out of this." He looked back at the closed door, falling into his thoughts.

"I think I would like to speak with Mr. Black," Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "Perhaps he can shed some light onto what exactly transpired this evening."

"He's in the waiting area with the others," Moody offered.

Dumbledore nodded, and walked toward the waiting area. Hopefully, Sirius would be ready to talk about his experience.

"Why haven't they told us anything yet?" Laura asked, wringing her hands together. She looked at the clock from her seat on the floor, leaning against a wall. "It's been almost two hours! Remus said he'd come and get us as soon as he knew anything!"

"He will. They'll be fine," Sirius said for what felt like the thousandth time.

Laura looked at Sirius with disbelief. "How can you say that so easily? We don't even know what curses he used on them!"

"I know that," Sirius snapped. "I was there, remember?"

"Sirius," Olivia murmured, placing a soothing hand against his cheek. "Please calm down. I know it was difficult to tell Dumbledore what happened –"

"Difficult?" Sirius exclaimed. "Difficult?"

Fortunately, the girls were saved from Sirius' temper by Peter, who walked slowly into the waiting area. Sirius looked at him, a slight smile crossing his face.

"I knew you'd be back."

Peter tried to smile and failed. "I just . . ."

"You don't have to explain," Olivia said gently. "It's hard for all of us to be here."

Peter smiled at her, and sat down across from her and Sirius. Silence fell over the four friends, who turned their attention once again to the clock.

"Guys?"

Four heads snapped up as Remus and Dana entered the waiting area. Sirius, Peter, and Olivia all stood from their seats, and Laura scrambled to her feet.

"How are they, Moony?" Sirius asked, his voice tight.

Remus smiled slightly. "They'll live," he said.

"They're going to take a week or so to recover, but they'll be just fine in the end," Dana added, smiling in relief.

"They did it, guys," Remus said, running his hand through his hair. "They beat Voldemort."

"Again," Sirius said, a wide grin breaking out across his face. "They're the two luckiest people in the world."

"Say it again, Remus," Laura implored, hanging onto his arm. "I need to hear it again to believe it."

Remus grinned. "They'll be fine."

It was the news they had been praying to hear. All six friends came together in a many-armed hug, laughing and crying. Relief was the only emotion they could feel. Wonderful, freeing relief.