A/N: I just wanted to alert you to a change in my normal Friday posting schedule. I will not be posting the next chapter next Friday – it's going to be posted either Saturday or Sunday. I'm going to be flying all day Friday, so the chances of me getting to a computer to post are pretty slim. The good news, however, is that I'm flying home for break! So, after next weekend, I'll definitely be posting more regularly.

Thank you all for reading and reviewing, and remember – next update by 20 March!

I don't own Harry Potter.

No Easy Solution

Love is simple
Hate breeds
Those who think difference
Is the child of disease
Father and son
Make love and guns
Families together
Kill someone
Without love
I believe in love

Without love,
I wouldn't believe
In anything that lives and breathes
Without love,
I'd have no anger
I wouldn't believe
In the right to stand here
Without love,
I wouldn't believe
I couldn't believe in you,
And I wouldn't believe in me
Without love
I believe in love
- Believe, Elton John

James felt as though he had been slapped. How could this be happening? How could one of their own members have turned against them? He trusted all the Order members – he had defended their lives in battle situations just as they had defended his. He felt like he was going to be sick.

"How?" he managed to ask. "How could someone play both sides like that?"

"Plenty of people do," Dumbledore said easily. "Think of Lily's source. The only reason that we know that Voldemort has a list of the Order members' names is because this person is willing to work with both sides. These people are doing no more or less than what you are as an Order member. They're willing to risk their lives for what they believe. What they believe happens to oppose what we believe, but that doesn't make it any less real or 'right' to them."

"But to spy for Voldemort?" James muttered. "How can that seem like a good idea?"

"For the same reason that spying for me is," Dumbledore replied.

"You have spies?"

"Oh, yes," the Headmaster nodded. "I have several spies placed within the Death Eater organization. They are not Order members to protect their identities, so you do not know who they are."

"But this," Lily whispered. "Isn't there anything that can be done?"

James looked at her, noting that she looked as ill as he did. "Can't we find out what this person is after?" he asked.

Dumbledore looked thoughtful for a moment. "That is an interesting point," he said. "It would appear that they are looking to destroy the Order as a whole."

"What makes you say that?" Lily asked curiously.

"They are currently only giving Voldemort broad information. Several attacks that we knew were being planned never happened – clearly, the spy passed on the information that we had heard about them. On several occasions, Aurors were sent in to arrest Death Eaters at a meeting, only to discover that the meeting had been cancelled – again, the spy alerted them to our plans. These are difficulties, naturally, but have not targeted any one member of the Order."

"But now they have our names," James said.

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "But based on the information Lily has given me, they have all our names. They don't just have my name, or yours or Alastor Moody's. They have marked all of us, not only one or two."

"Should we be relieved that they're going after the organization as a whole rather than a specific member?" James asked.

Dumbledore smiled slightly. "You knew when you joined the Order that your lives would be in danger. That danger may now be a bit more constant, but it is still the same danger."

"Our lives would have been in danger anyway," Lily shrugged. "We're in the middle of a war that takes aim at people like me – and at people like James for marrying people like me." She looked at her husband. "Professor Dumbledore's right, James. In terms of our personal safety, nothing has changed."

"I know that," James said. "I just wish we knew who it was that is leaking information to Voldemort. If I knew, I'd make sure that person could never speak again."

"Acting out of vengeance is rarely the best course of action, James," Dumbledore said softly. "However, we do need to discover who the spy is."

"How can we do that?" Lily asked.

"You have done quite a bit to help us already," Dumbledore replied with a smile. "As for uncovering this person's identity . . . As of this moment, everyone is a suspect."

"Everyone?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

Dumbledore smiled. "I won't put the two of you in that category. I know that I can trust you both. But, clearly, one of our number cannot be trusted. Aside from the two of you, Alastor Moody and Frank Longbottom, I consider everyone a suspect." He gave James a penetrating look. "Everyone."

James and Lily walked back to his office hand in hand. Their intertwined fingers prompted many giggles from the students they passed, particularly the girls, but neither cared. After the conversation with Dumbledore, they needed the physical contact. They needed to feel close to one another.

Alone in his office, James pulled Lily into a tight embrace. He held her for a long time, each clinging to the other.

"My God, James," Lily whispered against his chest. "How could this have happened?"

"It's like Dumbledore said," James murmured against her hair, "everyone has to fight for what they believe in."

"But how could anyone believe in Voldemort's cause?" Lily asked with a shudder.

"I don't know," James said heavily. "But if no one did, we wouldn't be in this war right now. It was bound to happen, Lil. Someone was bound to start spying on us for Voldemort."

Lily nodded, and pulled back from him. "And now it has happened, and we have to find a way to fight it. We have to find a way to discover who this spy is, and to eliminate him or her from the Order."

James frowned. "Everyone is a suspect," he muttered. "Did you see the look that Dumbledore gave me when he said that? What do you think that he meant by that?"

"That you should watch your back?" Lily offered with a shrug. "Maybe he thinks that you're too trusting."

James shook his head. "I don't know. I want to ask Sirius about this, though. Maybe he'll know who the spy is."

Lily nodded slowly. "I don't think we should tell too many people yet."

"Why not?"

"Well, the more people that know, the better chance of it getting back to Voldemort that we know he has a spy within the Order. And if it does get back to him, I don't even want to think about the consequences."

James nodded. "All right. I do want to talk to Sirius about this, though. I'll swear him to secrecy. It won't go beyond you, Sirius and I."

"All right," Lily agreed, knowing that she trusted Sirius Black with her life. "Let me know what he thinks."

"Sirius?"

Sirius came out of the kitchen with a smile. "Hey, gorgeous."

Rebecca smiled. "What's going on? That letter you sent me asking me to come over didn't give many details."

"Well, I knew that we both had the day off, so I thought we could spend it together."

She smiled wider, and stepped across the room to kiss him. "That sounds lovely."

"Good," Sirius replied, kissing her again. "I made you lunch."

"Some sort of sandwich, I assume?"

"Of course," Sirius laughed. "We didn't get very far with the cooking lesson last time, did we?"

Rebecca laughed. "I didn't hear you complaining at the time."

"Nor will you hear me complain ever," Sirius grinned. "That was the best cooking lesson I'd ever had. You certainly are good at what you do."

Rebecca flushed slightly. "Are we still talking about cooking?"

Sirius leaned down to kiss her neck. "What do you think?" he whispered.

"God, Sirius," she moaned, tipping her head to the side to give him easier access to her neck. "Why do you have to be so good at this?"

He pulled his head up to look into her eyes. "Natural talent."

She laughed, and pushed him away. "Take that ego to the other side of the room."

He laughed. "Come on, let's go into the kitchen for lunch."

"All right," she agreed.

"Sit down," he said, indicating a chair at the table, which was already laid out with plates and cutlery.

"You put the forks on the wrong side," she laughed.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "So picky."

"I'm just trying to help!" she said defensively. She laughed. "But I suppose it's the effort that counts."

"That's right," Sirius said, putting a tray of sandwiches down in front of her. "How's that for effort?"

"Fantastic," she said, giving him a glowing smile.

He sat down across from her, and offered her a sandwich before taking one himself. "How does your schedule look for next Friday?" he asked.

"Friday? I think I'm off that day. Why? Are we having another lunch date?"

"No," Sirius smiled. "I'm thinking of having a party for my friends that day, and I want you to come."

"A party?" she asked, her eyes lighting up. "What's the occasion?"

"No occasion," Sirius said. "We haven't had a party in awhile, so I want us to have the chance to get together. Besides, who says we need something specific to celebrate? With all that's going on in our world right now, I think we should be able to celebrate just being alive."

Rebecca's smile faded. "That's a rather morbid thought, Sirius," she said quietly.

"But it's true," Sirius replied. "So, will you come to my party?"

"Of course," she smiled. "Does this mean you're going to make me cater it?"

"Of course not!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly. "That's what restaurants are for!"

They both laughed, then chewed in silence for a moment, each busy with different thoughts. After a moment, an odd look came over Rebecca's face, surprising Sirius. He could only describe it as being somewhere between nervousness and dread.

"What's going through that pretty head of yours?" he asked.

In an instant, the look vanished, and she gave him a warm smile. "Nothing," she said quickly – too quickly.

"Rebecca, lying to me does no good," he sighed. "What's wrong?"

She smiled again. "I just told you, it's nothing."

"Sweetheart, you have to be able to tell me what you're thinking."

She sighed. "All right, then. Is this party for all your friends?"

"Of course."

"And does that include Olivia?"

"I'm going to invite her, but I don't know for sure if she'll come or not."

Rebecca nodded slowly, and looked thoughtful. Sirius watched her face for a moment, then sighed.

"Rebecca, I can't not invite her. I've been friends with her as long as I've been friends with Lily and Dana. To invite everyone else and not her is just rude."

"She's not just your friend, Sirius. She's much more."

"No," he said firmly. "No, she's my friend and my coworker, but nothing more. I told you the other day that everything is over between Liv and I. You have nothing to worry about."

"All right."

"You don't believe me, do you?"

She smiled slightly, rising from her seat. "Can you seal your words for me?"

"With what?" he asked curiously, watching her every move.

She rounded the table to stand next to him, and leaned down to whisper in his ear. "A kiss."

"A kiss?" Sirius grinned. "All right, I think I can pay that price."

He reached up just as she reached down, and their lips met in a passionate kiss. Rebecca sat down on his lap, and he pulled her closer as they both sank into the kiss, letting their hands explore one another's bodies.

They had just reached the point when Sirius was going to suggest that they go back to his bedroom when a soft pop split the air.

"Did you hear that?" Rebecca gasped as Sirius kissed her neck and ran his hands over her body.

"Hear what?" he murmured.

"Sirius?" A new voice drifted in from the living room.

Sirius and Rebecca pulled apart quickly, looking at one another in shock.

"Who is that?" Rebecca asked.

"James," Sirius said with a smile that conveyed both affection and exasperation. "He does have impeccable timing, doesn't he?"

"Sirius? Are you home?"

"Hang on a minute, Prongs!" Sirius yelled. "Just wait in the living room!"

"All right," came the rather confused reply.

Sirius looked at Rebecca. "Want to go say hello?"

A look of horror crossed her face. "What will he think if he sees me looking like this?"

"That we were having fun until he interrupted it," Sirius replied. "He's married, Rebecca. He knows what goes on in relationships behind closed doors."

She smiled. "Well, at least let me fix myself first." She began buttoning her blouse, then readjusted her skirt to sit right on her hips.

Sirius straightened out his own clothes, putting his shirt back on and buttoning his jeans. He ran his hand through his hair to smooth it back down, and, thinking that he looked completely normal, walked out into the living room.

James took one look at him and burst into laughter.

"What?" Sirius asked in confusion.

"Were you shagging Rebecca on the kitchen table?"

"No," Sirius said, wondering how James had managed to guess so close to the truth.

"You've taken to wearing lipstick, then?"

Sirius crossed the room to the mirror that hung over the fireplace and studied himself critically. His face did indeed bear quite a bit of Rebecca's lipstick, and his hair was sticking up not unlike James's did on a daily basis. He grinned.

"Well, I was snogging her."

"So I can see."

"And I would have been shagging her if someone hadn't decided to stop by for an unannounced visit."

James waved an impatient hand. "Since when have we ever announced visits? I need to talk to you."

"All right," Sirius said, instantly realizing that this was going to be a rather heavy conversation. He sat down on the couch, across from the chair James was currently sitting on. "What's up?"

James glanced around. "Is Rebecca still here?"

"Right here," she said, coming into the living room. "How are you, James? It's nice to see you again."

"It's good to see you, too," James smiled. "Sorry to interrupt your visit. I had no idea you were here."

"It's all right," she smiled. "I should be going anyway. Sirius, I'll see you soon, all right?"

"All right," he smiled, standing up to give her a farewell kiss.

The kiss was longer than was normally necessary, and when it ended, Sirius held her tightly against him.

"We'll get together soon to finish what we started," he whispered.

She giggled. "I can't wait."

Sirius released her, and she Disapparated. He took his seat on the couch again, and looked at James, who was shaking his head.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"You are such a horny bastard," James grinned.

"And proud of it," Sirius laughed. He shrugged. "What can I do? She's gorgeous."

"You've decided that you love her, then?"

He sighed, and ran his hands over his face. "I don't know."

"You know, it's a pretty big difference between love and lust," James said.

"Yes, I know," Sirius said testily. "Did you come here to lecture me?"

"No, I actually came here to talk about something else. But, that's my token pearl of wisdom for the day."

"'Pearl of wisdom?'" Sirius repeated with a laugh. "What are you, an eighty-year-old woman? Who says that?"

James laughed, and waved his hand. "Quit getting me off topic."

"Oh, we had a topic?"

"We're about to."

"All right, let's hear what you came all the way over here to say."

James drew a deep breath. "I just came from Dumbledore's office. I was there with Lily."

"Is she all right?" Sirius asked with concern.

"Yeah, she's fine. But she had just had an interesting conversation with one of her sources at the Prophet, and she wanted to relay the information to Dumbledore."

"What's happened?"

"Her source told her that the Death Eaters have a list of Order members."

The color drained from Sirius's face. "What? How is that possible? Our identities are some of the most strongly-guarded information on the planet."

"I know," James said heavily. "Dumbledore said this confirms suspicions that he and Moody have had for awhile – that one of the Order members is a spy for Voldemort."

Sirius's eyes grew wide, then narrowed. "And just who is it?"

"They don't know. Dumbledore said that right now, everyone is a suspect."

"Everyone?"

"Everyone. Well, accept for Dumbledore himself, Moody, Longbottom, and Lily and I."

"How did you two get off the hit list?"

James shrugged. "I guess because we were the ones to tell him."

Sirius whistled, and ran his hands through his hair. "Shit, James. This is really bad."

"I know."

"How did Dumbledore take it?"

"Oh, you know him. Nothing can shake him from that calm demeanor."

Sirius shook his head. "So he's not worried?"

"Oh, no. He's worried. I could tell that. But he's not going to let it beat him. He's going to discover the spy, and remove them from the Order."

"How's he going to do that?"

James shrugged. "I was hoping that you'd have some idea who it is."

Sirius shook his head. "I trust everyone in the Order. Apparently, that's misplaced trust, but it's still there. They've all defended me in battle situations. How could I not trust them after that?"

James sighed. "I don't know, Sirius. I just don't know what to do."

"We'll follow Dumbledore's advice," Sirius said with a half smile. "We just act normal, yet suspect everyone."

James laughed. "Yeah, it does sound a little odd, doesn't it?"

"We'll find him, James," Sirius said. "We'll discover this spy, and we'll save the Order."

"But how?" James asked in exasperation. "How can we discover someone when the only advice that our leader has is to suspect everyone?"

"Well, let's think," Sirius said. "Who has the most spy-like tendencies?"

"Define spy-like."

"I don't know. I've never been a spy. Let's say it's someone who's shady."

"Shady?" James repeated. He thought for a moment. "Dumbledore's brother."

"Aberforth?" Sirius laughed.

"Yes," James said stubbornly. "Have you met him? He's the oddest person I've ever known!"

"Yeah, but 'odd' doesn't necessarily mean 'spy.' There's no way he could be the spy. First of all, I don't think he's got enough sense to be a spy. Second, there's no way in hell that Dumbledore's brother would be a spy for Voldemort. That's like suggesting that Barty Crouch's son is a Death Eater."

"I didn't even know that Crouch had a son."

"Oh, yeah. Quite bright. He got more OWLs than should be allowed by law a couple years ago. This year he takes his NEWTs. I can't wait to see Dad's reaction if he doesn't do well."

James grinned. "You're getting us off topic again."

"Sorry. Right, back to this spy. Other than Dumbledore's brother, who's a shady enough character to be a spy?"

James ran his hands through his hair, clutching it as he had done when tutoring Peter at Hogwarts. "Shit, Sirius, I don't know. How the hell are we going to figure this out?"

"I don't know," Sirius said. "But I do know whose advice we should take."

"Whose?"

"Moody's," he said promptly. "We need to practice constant vigilance."

James laughed in spite of himself. "He does go on about that all the time, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, but it applies! I mean, we just have to watch everyone, and see who's acting the shadiest. We have to be observant, and watch for anything that might indicate that one particular person is spying for Voldemort."

"This isn't going to be fun," James said.

"No," Sirius agreed. "And it's probably going to be a long road until we find them."

"It's going to be tough to sit and wait, too," James said. He grinned. "Can your lack of patience handle it?"

"It's going to be tough," Sirius agreed, his face rather pensive. Then, his somber expression brightened. "But until we can discover this spy and toss them out of England, we'll celebrate."

"Celebrate?"

"Yes, celebrate. I'm having a party next Friday."

"What's the occasion?"

"Living until then," Sirius said grimly.

By the end of the next day, Sirius had issued invitations to all but one of his friends. Olivia remained ignorant of the party. He wasn't waiting to tell her because of Rebecca's concerns, but rather because he wanted to talk to her in person about it. Knowing that he would see her at work, he had put it off.

When he arrived at the Auror Department, Olivia was nowhere to be found. Sirius grinned, knowing that she was probably hiding in her office. All the new Aurors had become masters at avoiding anyone who could potentially give them "office projects." He went to her office, and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

He pushed the door open and stepped into the small office. Olivia was alone in the room, sitting at her desk, looking extremely busy as her quill moved rapidly across a piece of parchment.

"Hello," Sirius greeted.

"Sirius," she said, looking up from her desk. "I thought you were someone with a filing task for me. They've already come for my officemates."

Sirius grinned. "No, no filing. I did come to talk to you, though, but if you're busy, I can come back later."

Olivia laughed, and held up the parchment she had been writing on. "It's my grocery list. I'm not busy, but I'm trying to look like I am so anyone who wants to give me work to do will feel bad about it. I'm hoping it'll make them change their minds." She put the parchment and quill down on her desk, and looked up at Sirius, giving him her full attention. "What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I wanted to invite you to a party I'm having next Friday."

"Next Friday?" Olivia repeated.

"Yes. I know that James and Lily will be there, and so will Remus and Laura. Dana and Peter both said they'd let me know."

Olivia bit her lower lip in concentration, and, watching her, Sirius shifted uncomfortably. He wondered if she knew how endearing that facial expression was. Any time she had done that while they had been dating, it had made him want to kiss her. Unfortunately, it still had the same affect now; however, unlike then, he couldn't act on his emotions.

"I guess I can come," she said. "But can I bring Greg? We're supposed to go out that night, but we don't have definite plans yet."

"Of course," Sirius said, tension finding its way into his voice.

"Are you sure?" Olivia asked. "I won't bring him if it's a problem."

"Why should it be a problem?" Sirius asked, trying for a lighter tone. "If you're supposed to see him, of course you should bring him."

Olivia nodded. "Thanks. I need to talk to him first to confirm, but as far as I'm concerned, we'll be there." She wanted desperately to ask if Rebecca would be there, but refrained. After the screaming match she and Sirius had had not even a week ago, she knew it was far better to keep all Rebecca-related questions to herself.

"Good," Sirius said. "Next Friday at eight, then."

"Perfect."

He nodded, and backed up. "I'll just let you get back to your grocery list."

Olivia grinned. "Thanks for the invitation, Sirius."

"You're welcome."

After work, Olivia took the lift up to Muggle London. She and Greg had arranged to meet for coffee at the end of the day. For once, Olivia was working normal business hours, enabling them to get together. She reached street-level, and headed toward the building Greg had described.

She opened the door of the coffee shop, and saw Greg already seated at a table with two steaming mugs in front of him. A smile lit her face, and she crossed the room to join him.

"Hey," he grinned, rising from his seat to greet her. He kissed her cheek, and pulled out her chair for her. "I'm sorry, but I already ordered our drinks. I know you said that you like minty things, so I got you this mint coffee."

She smiled, feeling mildly annoyed that he had taken it upon himself to order for her. Then she became annoyed with herself for being annoyed. After all, he was just being thoughtful. "Thanks. Have you tried it before?"

Greg grinned as he sat down again. "No, I usually stick to straight coffee. But you'll have to tell me what you think of it."

She took a sip, and smiled. "It's really good! You should try it. Do you want a sip?"

"Thanks, but I think I'll just drink my own beverage." He looked at her for a moment. "How was work?"

"It was work," she shrugged. Then, remembering her conversation with Sirius, she sat up straighter. "Oh, there is something I need to talk to you about."

"What's that?"

"Did you have anything special in mind for what we're doing next Friday?"

"Not yet," he replied. "Have you had a sudden stroke of brilliance on that front?"

"Sort of," Olivia laughed. "My friend is having a party that he wants us to come to. I said I'd check with you, but I'm sure he'll want to know if we're coming or not so that he can plan everything."

"Sure," Greg replied, "that sounds fine. Does this mean I'm going to meet your friends?"

"Yes," Olivia grinned. "And they'll most likely all be there, too, so you'll get to meet everyone at once."

"Sounds dangerous," he grinned.

"It can be," she replied. "But they don't usually bite."

Realizing the reference she had just made to Remus, Olivia wanted to take the words back, but it was too late. Fortunately, Greg was oblivious to her mistake.

"I'm excited to meet them," he assured her. "I'm sure they're great people."

"Er – there is one thing you should know," Olivia said hesitantly. She wasn't sure if it was wise to make this confession or not, but she had to let him know before he found out on his own.

"What's that? You were kidding about your friends biting, right?"

"Yeah, that was a joke," she said. "But Sirius, my friend who's hosting the party, is the one I used to be involved with."

"Your old boyfriend?" Greg asked, his eyebrows shooting up. "He's the one you nearly killed that waitress over? The one you're not ready to see with someone new?"

"Yes."

"And you're still friends?"

"Yes."

"Good enough friends for him to invite you to a party he's hosting?"

"Obviously," Olivia replied, becoming annoyed by his line of questioning.

Greg looked at her in disbelief. "Why? I mean, if it were me, I would never want to speak to him again. In fact, I haven't spoken to any of my former girlfriends since we broke up. The relationships are over; there's no need to look back."

"I know," Olivia said desperately, "I know that's how I should feel and how I should act. But it's different with Sirius and I. We're friends with all the same people, so we have to see one another all the time because of them. Aside from that, we work together, so we're together most days for professional reasons. For us, it's easier if we stay on civil terms. But we're not together on any romantic level. We're just friends. Can you understand?"

Greg shook his head. "Understand? No, I don't understand it. But I can accept it as your decision and your relationship."

"Really? Just like that?"

He shrugged. "I trust you. If you say that you're just friends, then I believe you."

A smile lit her face. "You are the most wonderful man I've ever met."

He smiled, and blushed. "Just because I trust you?"

Olivia didn't respond with words. Throwing caution to the wind, she leaned across the small table and kissed him. Their first kiss was a long time in coming, in her opinion, and this seemed like the perfect moment for it. When she pulled back, she looked at him uncertainly.

"Was that okay?" she whispered.

In response, Greg leaned across the table to kiss her again. She smiled against his lips.

"I'll take that as a yes."

He pulled back, and grinned at her. "Clever way to get me to try your coffee," he said mischievously. "And you're right about that – the mint is a good touch."

"What just happened had nothing to do with coffee," she said with a grin.

"I know," he replied, kissing her again.

Light cloak already wrapped around her shoulders, Lily walked to the study, where James was marking essays. She knocked on the door, then stepped into the room. James looked up with a smile.

"Where are you off to?" he asked, taking note of her attire.

"Your mother's," Lily replied. "Would you like to come?"

"My mother's?" James replied with a slight frown. "What are you going to do there?"

"Tomorrow night is Sirius's party," Lily said. "I'm going to learn to make that chocolate cake of your mother's that he raves about. I want to take it over for him tomorrow."

James raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Lily laughed. "Don't be jealous, now. If you tell me your favorite dessert that your mother makes, I'll learn to make that one, too."

James grinned. "How about some chocolate mousse?"

Lily grinned, and nodded. "Chocolate mousse it is. Do you want to come along?"

"I do," James replied, "but I have about fifteen essays left to mark, and I want to give them back tomorrow."

"All right, then. I'll be back soon." She leaned down to kiss him. "Go easy on the essays."

"I will," he laughed. "You be careful."

"I will," she promised.

He touched her stomach. "Take care of Mummy, little one."

She grinned. "Don't go getting all mushy on me, Potter."

"I'd never dream of it."

She laughed. "See you later."

"See you."

Lily Disapparated, leaving James alone with his essays. When she opened her eyes again, she was in the immense foyer of the Potter mansion.

"Lily!" Mrs. Potter exclaimed, hurrying forward to greet her. "You're right on time! Are you ready for this lesson?"

"We actually need to add to it," Lily smiled as she shrugged off her cloak. "I told James what I was planning to do this afternoon, and he got a little upset that I wasn't learning to make his favorite dessert, so I promised to learn to make –"

"Chocolate mousse," Mrs. Potter finished for her as she took her daughter-in-law's cloak and handed it to Hetty. "You know, that was his first solid food. After his first bite, he never looked back. All right, we'll do both of them. How are you with cooking spells?"

"Pretty good."

Mrs. Potter smiled. "Darling, but the time I'm done with you, you'll be a master."

Several hours later, Lily was able to produce cakes and mousses that rivaled the ones her mother-in-law could make. Mrs. Potter beamed with pride as she sampled Lily's chocolate mousse.

"James will love this," she smiled. "Here, take one of mine and one of yours home, and see if he can tell the difference!"

"All right," Lily agreed with a grin.

"I must say, it's nice to have someone to cook for again," Mrs. Potter said, a bit of sadness creeping into her eyes and voice.

Lily looked at her with compassion. "Is it getting any easier?" she asked carefully. She wasn't really sure how to phrase what she was trying to ask.

"To live without the one man I loved in my life?" she asked sadly, understanding Lily's question. "No. It's getting easier to go on, of course. Every day it's a little easier to get out of bed, to face a lonely breakfast. But I can't stop missing him. Harold's death broke my heart, Lily. No, it didn't break it. It shattered it. The only one that can make it whole again is him, and he's gone."

Lily's eyes were open wide. She had never seen this side of her mother-in-law before. She had never had anyone lay her heart out in front of her like this. Oh, she and her girlfriends had had their share of heartache and had shared discussions about the boys who had broken their hearts, but this was different. This was a woman whose life had been destroyed by the death of the love of her life. This was a woman who was trying to fight her way back, to rise up from her own ashes.

"Don't look like that," Mrs. Potter said gently, touching Lily's cheek. "I'm all right, darling, really. It's difficult, but I'm going on. I'm not going to give up, because if I do, then the Death Eaters have won. Voldemort has won. And they can't win – we can't let them. We have to find a way to fight back, a way to regain control of our world."

"I wish I knew how to do that," Lily confessed sadly. "I wish I knew how to make us all whole again."

"My darling, you are," Mrs. Potter said softly, yet with conviction. She touched Lily's expanded midsection. "Your baby is proof enough that we will win. The fact that she – a baby of a mixed background, a baby of two powerful wizards, of two good wizards –will be born and will grow up in this world is proof enough that we will prevail. If we don't, what future is there for her? We must succeed – for her, and for all the others like her who are born every day. And somehow, the very fact that you are pregnant with her, the very fact that she will be born, is enough of a sign to convince me that we will indeed succeed. We will defeat this evil, and we will create a better, safer world for your child."

Lily blinked rapidly. "I pray that she will have a safe world to grow up in. I pray that I'll be able to protect her from whatever evils cross her path. I love this little baby before I've even seen her. I would give my life for her."

"I know you would. That's exactly how I've felt about James since the day that the Healer told me that I was pregnant, all those years ago." She smiled, and kissed Lily's cheek. "Seeing you gives me hope. Holding your baby – my first grandchild – in just a few months will give me something I haven't had since Harold died."

"What's that?" Lily whispered, struggling to hold back her tears.

Mrs. Potter smiled sadly. "Joy."