A/N: Sorry about the delay. Believe me, I had the first part of this done within a day of posting the last chapter – it just took me awhile to finish it. Well, enjoy!

I don't own Harry Potter

Questions of the Future

James and Lily Apparated instantly to Sirius and Remus' flat. When they arrived, Remus, Sirius, and Laura were huddled together on the couch. Remus looked up at them, misery the only expression on his face.

"I'm sorry to be such a problem," he said softly.

Lily was at his side in an instant, pulling him into a comforting embrace. James looked at Sirius, who nodded, and stood from the couch. Lily took his seat, and Sirius crossed to James.

"What happened?" James asked softly.

"The Healers found out that Remus is a werewolf," Sirius said quietly. "They think that he's a danger to their patients and the other Healers, so they booted him out of the program." He balled his hands into fists. "To consider Remus, of all people, a danger, is lunacy! He's one of the best people I know!"

"I know," James said heavily. "They obviously don't know him very well."

"No, obviously not," Sirius agreed.

"How did they find out?" James asked.

"I don't know," Sirius replied slowly. "I asked Remus that same question, but he said that he didn't know."

"'He said that he didn't know?'" James repeated, shrewdly analyzing the situation. "You don't believe him?"

"I don't know . . . I feel like he's not telling us everything."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we were kids, and Remus tried to come up with a cover story? Until seventh year, he was never as good at it as we were. He'd get this look in his eyes, and we'd know he was lying."

"Yeah," James grinned. "I always noticed it when he talked about going to see his mum. That's why he would never look us in the eye when he told us he was leaving."

Sirius nodded. "James, I saw that look when he said he didn't know how they found out. There's something he's not telling us."

A loud crack split the air, and Dana appeared. She took one look around the room, and ran to Remus. She dropped down to her knees in front of him, and took his cold hands in hers.

"What happened?" she asked softly. "Healer Byrd came back in without you, and he wouldn't tell me where you were. Are you all right?"

Remus shook his head. "I've been removed from Healer training, Dana."

Dana gasped. "Why on earth would they do that to you, Remus? What do they think that you did? We'll go talk to them, and tell them that it wasn't you. You'd never do anything wrong, Remus!"

"I didn't," Remus sighed. "But something was done to me long ago, and it was enough to end my days of Healer training. Dana, they expelled me because they found out that I'm a werewolf."

Dana frowned. "They didn't know that before?"

"Of course not," Remus replied. "Why would I tell them something like that?"

"I guess I thought you'd have to," she shrugged. "But that's the only reason they had for getting rid of you?"

"So they said."

"God, Remus, this is awful," Dana said, leaning in to hug him. "I can't believe they'd do that to you. It's disgusting!" She paused, and looked deeply into his eyes. "Do you want me to quit? I will if it's what you want."

"Why would I want that?" Remus asked, looking at her in bewilderment.

"To prove a point," Dana replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No, Dana," Remus said, taking her hands in his again. "You really love what you do, and you're going to be a brilliant Healer. Don't cheat yourself and your future patients out of your career just because of me."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Remus smiled, and squeezed her hands. "You're a fantastic friend, Dana. But I don't want you to do that for me."

She smiled. "All right. But if there's any way I can help you, I want to. You just say the word, and I'm there."

"You're helping me right now, just by being here," Remus said softly.

Across the room, next to Sirius and James, the fireplace sprang to life. Within moments, Peter was stepping out of it. He brushed off his robes, and straightened up.

"I came as soon as I got your owl . . ." Peter's eyes skipped past James and Sirius, and fell on Remus. "What's wrong with Moony?" he asked in a hushed voice.

Sirius ran his hands over his face. "The Healers found out that he's a werewolf. They kicked him out of the program."

Peter's mouth dropped open. "What? How could they do that?"

"Pretty easily, apparently."

Remus looked up, and saw his three friends standing in a tight cluster. "You guys can come over here," he said. "You don't have to stand over there to talk about me."

Exchanging sheepish grins, James, Sirius, and Peter crossed the room, dropping themselves into seats around Remus and the girls. James ran his hand through his hair distractedly.

"We didn't mean to be rude, Moony. We really just don't know what to say."

A grin flitted across Remus' face. "Well, there's a first. James Potter doesn't know what to say."

James smiled. "It happens to the best of us."

The fireplace jumped to life again.

"Sirius?"

Sirius stood up, and crossed to the hearth, where Olivia's head had appeared. He knelt down to talk to her. Although they couldn't hear the words that were exchanged, it was obvious that he was telling her what had happened. The expression on her face said it all. As soon as Sirius stopped speaking, Olivia stood up. Within moments, she was climbing out of the fireplace.

"Remus, are you all right?" she asked.

"As well as I can be," Remus muttered.

Uneasy silence filled the room again. It was broken when two soft pops sounded as Remus' parents Apparated into the flat. He looked at them in shock. The others tried for expressions of welcome, but failed miserably.

"Oh, Remus!" Mrs. Lupin was across the room in an instant, pulling her son into a warm embrace. "Are you all right, darling? We wanted to come as soon as we heard, but we could only just get away."

"How long have you known?" Remus asked in surprise.

"I found out right after it happened," Mr. Lupin said grimly. "I tried to talk to them, but it was no use. They're convinced that you'll endanger someone."

"Which is utter nonsense," Mrs. Lupin said quickly, not wanting her husband to continue. It was obvious that Remus felt bad enough without knowing that his father's job had been threatened if he pursued the matter of Remus' expulsion from Healer training.

"I'm sorry, Dad," Remus said, looking down. "I know how much you wanted me to be a Healer. I know how much it meant to you."

"Remus," Mr. Lupin said, putting his hand on his son's shoulder, "the important thing is that you're all right. Are you going to be? Have you decided what you're going to do now that this has happened?"

Remus looked at him blankly. "Do?"

"Yes, for a career."

Remus shook his head. "I haven't even thought about it."

"Well, we can worry about that later," Mrs. Lupin said hastily. She looked around at her son's friends. "You're all so sweet to be here for Remus. Have any of you eaten dinner?"

Seeing them shake their heads, she smiled.

"Well, then, why don't I make something for all of us? Remus, Sirius, I'm assuming you have some sort of food in your kitchen."

"They do," Laura said, standing up. "I'll help you, Mrs. Lupin."

"Stay with Remus," Mrs. Lupin said, waving her hand. "I'm sure I can find everything."

Dinner was a strained affair. No one knew what to say, even though the meal did give them all something to do. Remus picked at his food, but, for once, his mother didn't push him to eat. Once they had finished trying to eat, the girls volunteered to clean up, giving the Lupins some extra time with their son.

Remus' parents stayed until they had assured themselves that Remus truly would be all right. After he had promised to talk to them every day, and to come for dinner on Sunday, they took their leave.

The eight friends settled themselves in the sitting room again, all trying to think of something to say. It was Sirius who finally broke the silence by asking the question that had been plaguing him ever since he had found out what had happened.

"Remus, I know I asked you this before, but are you sure you don't know how the Healers found out?" he asked. "I mean, the only people who know are us and your parents, right? And none of us would have told anyone."

"I know," Remus said miserably. "But word got out somehow."

"Do you think the Healers who treated you when you were a little kid said something?" James suggested.

"They may have," Remus replied. He drew a deep breath, and ran his hands over his face. "Guys, I think the more important thing is whom they told, not who told them."

"That makes no sense at all," Peter frowned.

Remus sighed. "The Healers at the Academy were the second ones to find out about me."

"Who was first?" Laura asked gently, holding one of Remus' hands in both of hers.

Remus closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "The Death Eaters."

A collective gasp rang throughout the room as everyone looked at Remus in shocked silence. Once again, Sirius was the one to break it.

"What do you mean?"

Remus looked at his friends miserably. "About a week ago, two Death Eaters showed up here. They wanted to talk to me. They said that they knew that I was a werewolf, and that they wanted me to join them, to help them build an army of werewolves or something. I told them to get out, and they said that they would make me pay."

"What did you do then?" Laura whispered.

"I told them that no price was too high, and that I never wanted to see them again." He dropped his head into his hands. "It was so stupid! Now they know that I oppose them, and they won't stop until they've destroyed me." He pulled his head out of his hands. "Look at what they did to Marlene McKinnon's family because they found out that she opposed them. I didn't just put myself in danger when I refused them. It could have been my parents, and it could have been . . ."

He looked up again, his eyes locking with Laura's. "I was so scared that they'd do something to you. I never in a million years guessed that they'd attack me this way. And, Laura, if I had to pay for what I said, for my refusal to join them, then I'm glad to pay this price. I'd far rather lose my place in Healer training than lose you."

Tears filled Laura's eyes, and she flung her arms around Remus. The others looked at one another, not quite sure of what to do.

"How do you think the Death Eaters found out, Remus?" Peter whispered.

Remus pulled away from Laura, and looked at him. "I don't know, Peter. I really don't. Maybe James is right. Maybe one of the Healers who treated me when I was little let them know." He let his eyes move around the circle of his friends. "I trust every one of you. When I told you the truth about me, I put my life into your hands. I know that none of you would deliberately betray me like that."

"Of course we wouldn't," Sirius replied almost fiercely. "Just as you wouldn't do anything to hurt one of us."

"None of us would," James said with simple trust. "We'll always be here for one another. We stick together."

"We always will," Lily said softly, taking James' hand.

Olivia frowned slightly. "But, Remus, we've always all been open with one another. Why didn't you tell us when it happened?"

"I guess I was a bit ashamed," Remus admitted. "I mean, none of you have been approached by Death Eaters. I didn't want you to know that they had picked me."

"There's nothing to be ashamed of!" Lily exclaimed. "It's not your fault, Remus. We would have understood."

"I know that now," Remus replied. "Thanks, guys. I don't know what I'd do without you."

In the end, they all stayed overnight with Remus and Sirius. They stayed up late, talking about all that had happened. They never mentioned Remus' future. They all knew he wasn't ready to think about it.

The future became the present the next morning when Remus watched his friends getting ready to leave for the day. He gave them a smile as they all prepared to Disapparate.

"I feel like the mother saying good bye to her children," he joked. "Have fun at school, everyone."

Dana flinched at his words. She would, indeed, be going to school without her companion of so many months.

"It's not going to be the same without you, Remus," she sighed.

"We'll make it," he said, trying to smile. "Both of us."

"What are you going to do today, Remus?" Laura asked seriously.

He shrugged. "Maybe I'll check the ads in the Prophet, and see what jobs are to be had."

Laura nodded. "I take my lunch at noon. Why don't you come and join me? We can go out to a restaurant in London."

"I'll be there," Remus replied, leaning in to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Once they were all gone, Remus took a long, hot shower. He let the water pound against his skin, the events of the past day tumbling around in his head. He still couldn't believe that it had happened. He had never imagined that he would be expelled from Healer training.

But then, he had also never really imagined himself as a Healer. He had started the program because it was what his father wanted. His father loved the art of healing. Dana, too, had a great love for her work. But Remus had only ever gone through the motions. Perhaps he wouldn't have been a good Healer – but not for the reasons he had been expelled. It was because he just didn't have the passion for the profession.

But now he was free to make his own destiny. He was free to live his own life. He could do what he had always wanted to do – but what was that? He had never really considered what he wanted for himself. He had only worried about what his parents wanted. He forcefully shoved that issue aside. He'd worry about it later. It wasn't the important thing.

The thing that bothered him the most was the very thing that Sirius had brought up during their conversation the previous night. Who had told the Death Eaters that he was a werewolf? He had never given it any thought until this had happened. He had spent all his energy worrying over what the Death Eaters would do to him, or to Laura. The cause of it all had seemed inconsequential. But now it was the most important thing to him – and it was a question that would probably always remain unanswered.

He finally turned off the water. He needed to get going if he was going to consider a new job before he met Laura for lunch.

Remus was still feeling introspective as he walked into Laura's department at the Ministry of Magic. Several wizards smiled as they rushed past him. He returned their smiles, remembering meeting them during earlier visits to Laura. He walked down the hall to the office that she shared with two of her coworkers.

He paused in the doorway of the office. Laura was at her desk, bent over a stack of parchment. Both of her officemates were there, busy with one thing or another. For a moment, he just stood there, watching her. He leaned on the doorframe, smiling at the sight of his Laura.

"Hey, love," he said softly.

All three of the office's occupants looked up. Laura's face lit up with a smile.

"Hi!" she exclaimed. "I just want to finish this, and then I'll be ready to go. Can you wait one minute?"

"Sure," Remus replied.

One of the men who shared the office, Gary Nickel, grinned. He put his quill down, and stood from his seat.

"Remus was talking to me, Laura," he said. "Isn't that right, Remus? I'm ready to go right now, sweetheart."

Laura looked up with a tolerant smile. "Honestly," she sighed.

She went back to her work, while Remus and Gary both laughed.

"I am on my way out right now," Gary said. "Remus, come in and take my seat. George, are you going to lunch now?"

George Blythe, the room's other occupant, nodded. "All right. Did you two want to join us?"

"No, we're off to Muggle London on our own today," Laura replied, barely looking up. "I'll see you guys this afternoon, all right?"

"See you then."

Remus waited while Gary and George left the room, then walked all the way in. He perched on the edge of Gary's desk, facing Laura. She pushed her parchment aside, and smiled up at him.

"How was your morning?"

"All right," Remus replied. "I took a long shower."

"That's all?" Laura laughed.

"Hey, don't push me," Remus grinned. "It was a lot just to do that."

"I'm sure," Laura said quietly. "You've been through a lot in the past twenty four hours."

Remus felt the grin sliding off his face. "I can't spend forever like this."

"I never thought that you would."

"Laura, my dad's right. I need to find another career."

"Well, you don't have to find one today," Laura said reasonably. "You just need some time to adjust before you devote all your time to searching for a new job. You have plenty of time."

"Do I?" Remus asked. "Laura, we're getting married in three months. We have our entire wedding to pay for, plus the rest of our lives. I can't exactly spend all my time in the shower. I have to be an adult about this."

"I have a job, love. I can take care of us for awhile."

"But not forever," Remus replied, running his hands over his face. "Laura, I feel like I've failed you."

"How on earth did you come to that conclusion?" she exclaimed.

"I had a career, and now it's gone," Remus said softly. "How can I provide for you if I don't have a career? How can I give you everything that you want for our house? How can I give you the life that we wanted?"

"Remus, you know that things aren't important to me."

Remus continued almost as if he hadn't heard her. "You know, I never wanted to be a Healer the same way that Dana does. I never loved the work, or the idea of making my career working at St. Mungo's the way she does. I'm not my dad. I just did this to please him. But, now that it's gone . . . I don't have a clue what to do with myself, or how to build our life."

Laura stood up, and moved so that she was standing directly in front of him. She took his face in her hands, and forced him to look her in the eye. "Remus Lupin, you listen to me. I love you, not your career. I loved you long before you started Healer training, and I still love you now that it's not an option. As for what you do with the rest of your life, the only thing that matters to me is that you're happy. There's no set path we have to live by, Remus. We're starting a new life together in three months. We can make our own rules. If that means that I work, and you do something else, then so be it. All that matters to me is that we're together."

Remus put his hands over hers, and leaned in to kiss her. "I love you, too."

Laura smiled. "Now, tell me what you want to do with yourself."

"I don't have a clue."

She took her hands from his face, and threw them up in frustration. "Remus! Honestly! Am I trying to get bloody water from a stone here? All right, what was your favorite class in school? We'll start there."

"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus replied promptly. "It was my best subject."

"Good! Now, what can you do with that?"

"It's not exactly a career, unless I want to teach it," Remus replied. "And somehow, I doubt that anyone would hire me to teach. Think of all the children I'd endanger!"

"Remus, stop that, or I'm not helping you," Laura warned. "I don't want to hear you go on about how much of a danger you are. Either you're going to be open to every option, or we're not having this conversation."

"All right," Remus agreed humbly.

"Right," Laura said. "Now, let's get back to this Defense thing. You could be an Auror."

Remus shook his head. "Aurors need good Potions marks, and mine weren't all that great. Sirius was the one who saved me in that class. If he hadn't gone over all the notes with me before the tests, I would have failed miserably."

"What about something in the Department of Mysteries?"

"I don't like all that secrecy. I have enough of that in my life without having to keep my job from everyone I know and love."

"You could work here, with me."

"What would I do here? You deal more with law than Defense, and I've never really liked the bylaws and clauses – it makes me think of all the laws surrounding my condition." He gave a shudder. "I can't imagine doing that all day."

"You were a little kid long ago," Laura said with a hint of an annoyed smile. "What did you want to be then?"

Remus blushed. "Nothing."

"Don't lie to me, Lupin," Laura laughed. "I know you wanted to be something! Tell me! I won't laugh, I promise."

Remus took a deep breath. "Well, remember what I said before about teaching?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I always sort of wanted to be a teacher." He looked away from her. "I know I could never do it, but it's what I wanted to do when I was a kid."

"Why couldn't you do it?"

"Laura, haven't you been listening? What Headmaster would allow me to teach? Besides, there's one wizarding school in England. It's not exactly something that there's a large job market for."

"Yes, but you don't necessarily have to teach in a school. You could be a tutor. Loads of kids need help over the holidays. You said yourself that you wouldn't have made it through Potions without Sirius. You could help other kids who can't get through Defense." Laura's eyes began to glow with excitement. "Remus, this is brilliant!"

"Laura, people still wouldn't want their kids exposed to someone like me."

"I'm exposed to you everyday, and I'm still standing," she said stubbornly. "Not everyone is biased against you, you know. You have quite a few very good friends who are living proof of that."

"You really think that I could do it?"

"Definitely!"

A slow smile spread across Remus' face. "Maybe I could."

"None of this maybe. You can do it. I know you can."

"I don't know how, or what do to do, or even where to start."

"Well, I can tell you where to start. You need to talk to Dumbledore. He'll be able to help you." She gave a squeal of delight, and kissed him again. "Remus, this is so exciting! And just think – if you hadn't been expelled from Healer training, you never would have been able to live your dream! See, it's true what they say. Every cloud really does have a silver lining!"

Lily moved from one side of the kitchen to the other, trying to get everything ready for dinner. She glanced at the clock for the third time in ten minutes. James was late. She took a deep breath, promising herself that she wouldn't panic. He was only a few minutes late. He probably just stopped to talk to Laura or Adam before he came home. It was nothing to worry about.

The minutes ticked by. Lily tried desperately to keep herself from worrying as the hands of the clock moved farther away from the time James should have been home. He was only fifteen minutes late. Anything could have happened to detain him. And that was what scared her. Where was he? She began to chew on her bottom lip, and paced across the kitchen again.

Just as she was setting the table, a loud pop filled the room. Lily looked up in surprise. James never Apparated with such a loud sound.

"Are you all right?" she greeted him.

James looked at her for a moment, trying to remove the residual anger over his job from his face. "Of course. Why would you think I'm not?"

"Well, first of all, that was the loudest Apparition I've ever heard from you. You actually sounded angry before you were here!"

"Sorry," James said quickly.

"And, second, you're late," Lily said, looking up at the clock. "Where have you been?"

"At work. Where did you think I was?"

"I didn't know!" Lily exclaimed. "You're half an hour late, James! You're never that late without letting me know that you're going to be."

James grinned. "Well, I promise, I was at work, not trying to find a girlfriend."

"I didn't think about that," Lily replied softly.

"What did you think, then?"

"I didn't know what had happened to you," she said, still in the same soft tone. "We're in the middle of a war, James, and now word is out that one of our friends opposes Voldemort. You saw what happened to Marlene's entire town because she opposed him. What if the Death Eaters had found you? Who knows what they would have done to you?"

James looked at her for a moment, almost as if trying to decide if she was serious. When her bottom lip began to quiver, he crossed the room and pulled her close, folding her in his arms. "Lily, Lily, I'm fine. I'm right here. I'm never going to leave you."

"I'm sorry," Lily said, regaining her composure. "I shouldn't worry like that."

"No, it's all right. I should have let you know that Nott made me stay late."

Lily pulled back, and tried for a mischievous smile. "And you really don't have a girlfriend?"

James smiled back, and began to tickle her sides. "You little minx. You know there's no one but you. There never has been."

Lily struggled, trying to twist her body away from his. "Oh, I think quite a few Hogwarts graduates would tell me differently."

James held her tighter, and moved his hands, tickling her even more. She gave a shriek of laughter, and collapsed against him. James laughed, too, and kissed her forehead.

"Are we all right?"

"Of course we are," Lily murmured. She tipped her face up to kiss his lips. "Just let me know next time, okay?"

"I promise."

"Good." She pulled away, and smiled at him again. "Are you hungry?"

"Sure."

"What did happen to make you so late?" she asked as they sat down at the table.

James rolled his eyes. "Nott. He insisted that I had to explain every agreement I've made between England and Bulgaria, England and Greece, and England and Hungary since I started. Needless to say, it took some time." He picked up a roll, and put it on his plate. "And, it was a completely avoidable activity. If he actually knew how to read, he would have been able to answer all his own questions by going over my reports."

Lily giggled in spite of herself.

"This isn't funny, you know," James said, quite obviously annoyed.

"I know," she said, trying for a straight face. "But if you could hear yourself! I'm sure the man can read, James."

"I'm not entirely convinced of it," James said, fighting back a grin. "Aside from not being able to read, he's decided that he alone has the power to dictate what rooms we can use for conferences. We used to be able to just sign up for a room, but now we have to submit a request to him, and he assigns us a room – usually only ten minutes before our meetings. He's also rearranging everything in the office, so I can't find anything anymore. Emmeline and I were talking about it today, and we're actually starting to miss Fudge, as unimaginable as that is."

"Ah, well, I guess they're right – the evil you know is better than the evil you don't know."

"Lils, this is not the time for clichés!"

Lily giggled. "You need to relax! It's just a job, James."

"One I don't intend to have for very long."

Lily's eyes rounded. "You're going to take Dumbledore up on his offer, then?"

"I think I am," James said slowly. "After today, I'm not sure I can handle another day of this, let alone the rest of my career. I'm just not cut out to be a Ministry employee."

"You think you'd like teaching, then?"

"I do," James affirmed. "I'm going to hate marking papers, I know that. But I think I'll like the activity that goes with it. Teachers don't have to spend all their time behind a desk, and they don't have a supervisor breathing down their necks all the time."

"Good point."

"Speaking of, what happened with your article?"

"It ran today," Lily said dismissively. "If you could read, and you read the Prophet, you'd know that. And don't change the subject."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I want to know if you're really serious about going back to Hogwarts to teach."

"I think I am," James said. "I'm going to sleep on it tonight, but if I still want to do it tomorrow, I'm going to get my letter and resume together for Dumbledore. He said he needed to hear from me by the end of the week, and that's looming."

"So it is," Lily said with a smile. "I'm so excited for you, James!"

"Don't be yet," James warned. "The job isn't mine. Once it's signed and sealed, we'll celebrate."

Lily practically held her breath as she walked into her office the next morning. Minnie was already there, looking as anxious as Lily felt.

"Today's the day," Minnie said quietly. "We'll find out how our article went over."

Lily shivered. "Min, if we were wrong, we're out of our jobs."

"I know," Minnie said. "Do you have any doubts?"

"That we were right? None. But I'm afraid that it won't go over well."

Minnie gave a hint of a smile. "Maybe that Lestrange guy has it right. Maybe we should write things that won't offend anyone."

Lily frowned. "I still don't feel right about him."

"Because his wife's a Death Eater?"

"Because I'm not sure that he isn't a Death Eater."

"Do you think we should -?"

"Minnie, Lily, you're already here!"

Both girls' heads snapped up at the sound of Damon's voice. He was standing in the doorway of Lily's office, hanging on to the door.

"We're going to have a meeting with the editors in fifteen minutes. You two need to be there. It's in board room A." The words were barely out of his mouth before he had left.

Minnie looked at Lily, her face a delicate shade of green. "This is it, Lils. We're going to find out one way or the other."

Lily swallowed. "Fifteen minutes," she whispered, licking her dry lips. "That's not nearly enough time to be sick."

Minnie giggled. "All right, we do need to calm down."

"I think that might be easier said that done."

Fifteen minutes later, Lily and Minnie walked into the board room together. Damon was there, as well as Lily's old editor, Elaine, the editor-in-chief of the paper, Perry, and, unfathomably, Dorcas Meadows.

"Welcome, ladies," Damon said. "Please, sit down."

Lily and Minnie glanced at one another, and took the two free chairs at the end of the table. Damon passed them each a sheaf of parchment.

"These are the Ministry reports on the Death Eaters you ladies exposed in your article. As you can see, two of them have already been arrested, with trials pending. The other two have been added to the list of wanted Death Eaters." He smiled. "Well done, ladies. You uncovered four Death Eaters, and saved countless lives through your work."

Perry cleared his throat. "Lily, Minnie, I've talked to Damon, and to Elaine. They both have worked with both of you, and have agreed that you would do well in a different department. We, along with Dorcas, all agree that the investigative department has been without new blood for far too long." He smiled at the expressions of shock that were coming over their faces. "Dorcas Meadows is the new editor of the investigative section, and she would be thrilled to have her join her department, if you are willing."

Lily and Minnie glanced at each other for a split second.

"We'd love to!" Lily exclaimed.

"Definitely!" Minnie agreed.

"Excellent," Perry said, standing to his feet. "Well, I believe my work is done. I'll leave the rest of this meeting up to all of you."

Elaine, too, stood up. "Congratulations, girls," she said. "I knew you'd go far with this paper."

Once the door had closed behind them, Damon smiled.

"I'm really going to miss you two," he said. "You've done fantastic work for me. I don't know where I'm going to find two new writers."

"You'll come up with someone," Minnie smiled.

He smiled, and shook both of their hands. "Congratulations. Congratulations to you, too, Dorcas. You're getting two brilliant writers."

"I'm sure I am," Dorcas smiled.

Damon, too, left the board room, closing the door behind him. As soon as he had gone, Dorcas turned to Lily and Minnie.

"Welcome aboard," she said. "I'm going to be completely straightforward with you two. I want you to investigate Death Eaters. I've seen the work that you've done, and I'm impressed." Her eyes flicked from Lily to Minnie and back. "Lily, Professor Dumbledore tells me that you've made certain arrangements with him . . ."

"Minnie knows about it," Lily said. "At least, she knows the board facts."

Dorcas nodded. "Good. I want you to continue using the contacts Dumbledore has arranged for you. I'm also going to give you two an open schedule. You will create your own hours, provided that your stories are in on time, and are up to your standards of writing. You are free to spend as much time as you need during the day on investigations and field work."

Lily and Minnie nodded.

"Do you have questions yet?"

"No."

"Not yet."

"Good. Come on, let's go upstairs and get you settled."

Minnie left the board room first. Dorcas grabbed Lily's sleeve, holding her back.

"Dumbledore wanted this," she said. "Thank goodness it worked out the way he wanted."

"Did he place you here?"

"Yes. But we both thought I'd have to fight to get you two in my department. Thank goodness I didn't need to. Perry actually suggested it when he saw the reaction to your story. Damon was a bit of a tough one to sell – he really didn't want to lose you girls. But, Dumbledore and I need to you in the investigative section. You're going to need the time to research the Death Eaters."

Lily smiled. "Sometimes things really do work out."

Peter finished putting the day's deposit in the appropriate envelope, and put the envelope in the safe. He turned the combination lock to lock the safe, and went back around to the front of the counter. He always loved the end of the day at the shop. There was something about leaving everything in order that made him happy.

He had just turned out the lights when a knock sounded on the door. Frowning slightly, he wondered why people couldn't just read. The sign on the door clearly said that he was closed. Knocking wasn't going to get anyone anywhere.

He picked up his cape, and the knocking began again. This time it was louder, and more insistent. Resigning himself to the idea that he would have to verbally tell the customer to return the next day, he put his cape down. He waved his wand, relighting the lamps, and crossed to open the door.

He dropped his wand at the sight of the two men in the doorway. He knew them. He had seen them before, meeting with his father.

"Hello, Peter. Do you mind if we come in?"

Peter stepped back silently, and the two men entered the shop. They closed the door behind them, and turned to look at him.

"Peter, I'm sure you know who we are."

Peter nodded. He still didn't have the power of speech.

"We're here tonight to talk to you about joining us. We've spoken to your father, and he thinks that you might be receptive to our ideas."

"Y – you want me to join you? To become a Death Eater?"

"Yes, that's what we've come to ask of you."

Peter looked at them wordlessly.

"It is a big decision. But, consider this, Peter. The Dark Lord's followers are gaining power. He is spreading his reach beyond England. Within a year, we will have taken over the wizarding world. We will have defeated those who oppose us – those like your friend, Remus."

"Remus?" Peter whispered.

"We know you are his friend. And we know how your father would feel if he knew that you had befriended a werewolf. Now, you don't want him to hear that little tidbit of information, do you?"

"That's blackmail," Peter whispered.

"No, it's just a simple fact. We are a powerful organization, Peter. We have ways of making people comply. This is one bit of information we have, and way we can work with you."

"What if I refuse? What will you do if I choose not to join you?"

"Why would you make such a foolish decision? We know how your mind works, Peter, and we know your heart. We know that you want to be on the more powerful side. We know that you have doubts about fighting against us. And we know that you want to please your father."

To please his father . . . All the years of disappointing his father played through his mind. Yes, joining the Death Eaters would certainly please his father. He would tell Peter that he was proud of him. He would be thrilled to call him his son. But his mother wouldn't be pleased. No, she had always wanted him to oppose the Death Eaters and the Dark Lord. What would she say if she found out that he had joined the Death Eaters?

And what of his friends? They had sworn to stand by one another, and they had sworn to oppose the Dark Lord. But that opposition had cost Remus his career. It had cost Kathleen her life. Kathleen . . . She would tell him not to do this. She wouldn't want him to become a Death Eater. But if the Dark Lord was truly taking over everywhere . . . Peter screwed up his face at the impossibility of the decision before him.

"You don't have to decide tonight. We can return."

"When do I need to decide?" Peter asked shakily. He definitely did need more time.

"The sooner the better. You certainly want to be a part of the Dark Lord's army as it takes over the world. The longer you take to decide, the more glory you cheat yourself out of. Think about it, Peter. We'll be in touch."

The two men swept out of the store, leaving Peter alone. He stood on shaking legs for a moment, then sank down to the floor.

"What am I going to do?" he moaned, covering his face with his hands. "What am I going to do?"