The Legacy of Two Generations

by LadyoftheLake

Lily and James started dating in their last year at Hogwarts, but that is only the beginning. Now, what will happen to their notorious son? Rated PG13 for some language. Harry's 6th year has begun & new adventures. PreHBP. Please r&r :ON HOLD! For the

28. Part II Chapter 4

A/N: Hello! I'm back once more with another chapter. I would like to thank all of you who reviewed, I really appreciate all your input.

Disclaimer: I do not own a thing, except for the plot and characters you don't recognize.



Chapter 4 ~ Life Goes On





Life goes on. Mr. Potter had told James that once, life goes on and we must do the best we can. And he meant to do so.

The plans for the Fair went forward and everybody worked non-stop on the following days. Katie had arrived with Sirius on the day before the events would start.

"Oh Lily! I can't tell you how happy I am to see you!" Katie exclaimed the moment she saw Lily waiting for her on the steps.

"I'm glad to see you as well." Lily laughed as she hugged her friend.

James welcomed Sirius as both stood looking at the two young women greeting each other.

"Oh you will not believe all the things that have happened to me." Squealed Katie as Lily and James led their friends to the front parlor.

"Well, now that you are here we will have time to talk about it." Said Lily with a smile. Her friend always seemed to have too much energy for her own good. Then she noticed something. A stone glittered on her friend's finger. Lily gasped. "Katie, you are engaged." She squealed and grabbed Katie's hand to look at the ring.

Katie giggled happily.

James looked at Sirius with surprise. "I thought you said you weren't ready to get married."

"I'm not, but we talked about it and decided to have a long engagement." Said Sirius with a silly smile on his face.

"Just to give him time to get used to it, you understand." Katie said.

"Oh Katie, congratulations, I'm so happy for you." Said Lily hugging her friend.

"Congratulations old man, never thought that you would be the first Marauder to get married, I always thought that Remus would." Said James slapping his friend on his back.

"There is time, as far as we know, I might be the last to do so." Laughed Sirius.

The young people spent a merry afternoon making plans. James and Sirius stood on one side of the room planning the bachelor party, while the girls chatted about bridal gowns and decorations.

Dinner was a happy affair. Everybody was looking forward to the Fair that would start the next day with the Fair at the center of town. There would be dancing, food, and merchandise sold by the small businesses of town. Everybody chatted and made plans for the next day.

After dinner, the group sat on the informal parlor, taking tea and playing chess or card games.

"I went to see her of course, I couldn't just stay at home knowing that Emma was in the hospital." Katie was saying.

"Why didn't you tell me James, that Emma was in the Ministry the day of the attack?" Asked Lily as she hit James on the arm.

"I didn't know." He frowned. "Why didn't you tell us Sirius?"

"I thought you guys knew." Sirius exclaimed.

"Well, it doesn't matter, she wasn't badly hurt, she was supposed to leave St. Mungos' today and go home." Said Katie.

"I'll owl her tomorrow. Make sure that she got home ok." Replied Lily.

The group fell silent as they continued playing. They were too engrossed in their game that they didn't notice an owl flying in front of the window.

"Lily, there is an owl behind you." Said Mr. Evans who up to now had been reading a newspaper.

Lily turned to look at the owl behind her and opened the window to let it in. The owl flew around the room until it stopped and dropped a letter in front of James. Then it took off. Everybody turned to look at James who looked at the letter with a frown.

"Go on, open it." Urged Sirius.

James took a deep sighed and reached for the letter. He opened it and read it in silence. Everybody patiently waited to find out what it was about.

They heard James swear and saw him dropped the note.

Sirius frowned and reached for it. He swore as well.

Katie snatched the note from his hand and read it.

"Oh no! This can't be true." She exclaimed.

"What is it Katie? What happened?" Lily said.

"Emma is missing, she never made it home from the hospital." James said.

Lily gasped. Katie started to sob. Sirius ran to her and gathered her in his arms.

"How did it happen James?" Mrs. Potter asked.

"They don't know. All they know is that she left St. Mungos' this morning and used the Floo Network because she felt too weak to try apparating. This afternoon she wasn't home yet. Her parents apparated to St. Mungos' she wasn't there. They can't find her anywhere." Said James.

"Oh dear." Said Lily as silent tears started to fall down her face.

James hugged her, Lily sobbed.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans quickly went to the young women and tried to comfort them.

"I'm owling the Ministry, see what they know." Said James and quickly left the room.

"I'm owling Dumbledore, he might want to know about this." And Sirius followed him out.

"Why don't you take the girls up to their room." Said Mr. Evans.

Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Potter nodded and silently led the girls to their rooms.

Nobody slept that night. Owls flew in and out of the estate the whole night.



The morning was bright and warm. A perfect fall day. The town was busy putting the last minute touches for the Fair. The families in the large houses were all up and eager to start the festivities. Only the Potter estate started the day in a subdued and sad mood.

Breakfast in the Potter house was silent and morose. Lily and Katie picked their food and ate very little of it. Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans kept looking at the girls with worry. Mr. Evans tried to keep a conversation that didn't seem to go anywhere. Sirius and James had not come down to breakfast.

"Lily dear, try to eat something, you don't want to get ill." Urged Mrs. Evans.

"I'm not hungry mum." Whispered Lily.

Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Potter turned to look at each other in consternation.

Mr. Evans cleared his throat, trying to gain the attention from the ladies. "Perhaps you ladies would like to change for an outing. The Fair is about to start." He encouraged.

Lily and Katie shrugged and left the room in silence.

"Oh dear." Said Mrs. Potter.

"Perhaps an outing is what they need. It will keep them occupied for a while." Said Mr. Evans.

"Maybe you are right." Sighed Mrs. Evans.

The adults soon followed the girls to their respective rooms, while a meeting was taking place in the library.

".they said that she definitely left St. Mungos' but something went wrong, she never arrived home. How could she go missing Professor? She used the Floo Network!" James was saying as he paced the room. Sirius was sitting in a chair by the fireplace and Professor Dumbledore's head appeared floating in the lit fire.

"The Floo Network is never quite safe James, if somebody is not used to it they might come out in the wrong grate, but it can also be intercepted. But that requires precision and planning, somebody must have kept tabs on her." Dumbledore was saying.

"But what do they want with her? I don't understand any of this." Exclaimed Sirius.

"Do any of you know what she did in the Ministry?" Dumbledore asked.

"She does research for the Department of Magical Creatures." Said James.

"In part. She does work for that department, but the research that she has been doing is top secret. There are a lot of people who would like to find out what she has found so far, and I'm afraid that Voldemort might well have a hand in this." Dumbledore said.

"Is the research that important that he would go to that much trouble to get to her?" Asked James.

"Indeed it is. If the research the Ministry has been working on for the last months falls into the wrong hands a lot of damage could be done. Voldemort would become more powerful than ever and there might be nothing that could be done to defeat him." Dumbledore replied.

Sirius and James swore. They didn't know that the work that had kept Emma so busy was that important. Everybody thought that she had just used the work to try to keep her mind off Remus.

"What can be done?" Sirius asked.

"Nothing for now. We don't know where she is and I'm afraid that there is a strong possibility that she might not come out alive from this. Voldemort and his followers will do everything possible to get that information from her, even if it means killing her." Dumbledore said sadly.

That was something Sirius and James didn't want to think about, she had to be found, she had to be alive.

"Do you think the Ministry will get there in time?" Asked James.

"I hope so, but time is of the essence and I'm sorry to say that things do not seem bright. She has been missing for almost twenty-four hours and I can't think that they would keep her alive for that long." Dumbledore responded.

"In other words, there is nothing that we can do but wait here until they tell us that they have found her body." Sirius Exclaimed.

"I'm sorry. But unless they have some news in the next couple of hours, I'm afraid that we might never find her." Dumbledore said.

"Thank you Professor, you will keep us informed won't you?" Asked James.

"I will." Dumbledore said with a nod and after a faint pop, his face disappeared from the fire.

"Oh God! How could this happen, if she knew she was in danger she should've told us!" Exclaimed Sirius.

"You know she would never tell us, especially if it was top secret. None of us would tell a secret that we knew would only hurt the others." Said James.

"What are we going to tell Remus?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know. It was hard enough to send him an owl with the news that she was missing." James replied.

"He is going to blame himself, you know that."

"I know. But it's not his fault, none of us knew."

"Should we tell the girls what Dumbledore said?"

"I don't think so. Let's wait until we get some news, whether they are bad or good. No use getting them worried more than they are now." Said James.

"I guess, we should go out there then, and see if we can manage to seem happy for this Fair." Said Sirius and walked toward the door.

James followed him in silence. How were they supposed to act happy when their hearts weighted down in their chests? For the first time in his life, he didn't feel like taking part of the annual Harvest Fair.



The group from Gryffindor Manor was seen around the fair with happy countenances, only they knew how heavy their hearts felt and how difficult it was to keep their social masks on the whole morning. The only ones who were truly enjoying their time at the fair were the twins, and the grownups were happy to see them thus.

"Uncle Sirius, we want a pie."

"Uncle James, we want to see the show."

"Nana Susan, can we get some candy?"

"Lily, we want to see the people dancing."

They took the group all over the fair. They wanted to see everything and eat everything. It was an enjoyable morning for them and the grownups were happy to leave their worries aside for a moment to keep the girls happy.

A person soon approached them, the twins were happy to see him and squealed with joy the moment they saw him. The grownups were a little surprised to see him but at the same time they felt relieved and happy that he decided to come.

"How are you two little rascals doing? Not making things difficult for your uncle and grandmother are you?" He asked.

"Oh no Uncle Remus."

"We have been good."

The twins replied.

"Well, I'm happy to hear that." He replied with a smile.

"Good to see you Moony." Said Sirius as he slapped his friend in the back.

"You should have said something Remus." Chided Lily as she gave him a swift hug.

"And ruin my surprise? Never." He said as he let her go and turned to hug Katie.

"Oh, we are so glad that you are here." She said, her eyes were moist and she was clearly fighting to be her tears at bay.

"Don't worry Katie, everything will be all right, you'll see." He whispered in her ear before letting her go.

"I gather you received our owl." James said as he shook his hand.

"Yes, I came as soon as I could." Replied Remus.

"Well, doesn't matter, you are here and we are glad to have you." Responded Mrs. Potter.

Remus nodded. Nobody said anything more. The twins soon were pulling Remus toward the food booths wanting to show him everything in the fair. The rest followed in silence happy to leave the twins in charge of Remus.

Soon, it was time to return to the Manor. The group walked silently to the house, the twins running ahead of them, playing an impromptu game of tag. Only their laughter and giggles filled the air.

As soon as the entered the house, the twins were taken to the nursery by their nurse. They were to be fed and put in bed for an afternoon nap.

The rest walked toward the back parlor and stood in silence by the door when they noticed that there was somebody there, waiting for them.

"I hope you don't mind that I made myself comfortable in your house." He said.

"Oh no Albus, you are welcome here, as you well know." Said Mrs. Potter leading the group into the house.

"Do you have any news, Professor?" Lily asked as she came into the room.

"Indeed I do my dear." He said with a smile. The others watched him with surprise and suspense. What did he find out? "She was found a couple of hours ago. She is hurt but alive. She was taken to St. Mungos'."

Emotions exploded from this piece of news. Katie and Lily started to sob with relief, James and Sirius hugged them as they tried to comfort them. Remus fell into a chair holding his face. Mrs. Potter and the Evans started to bombard Dumblodore with questions.

Dumbledore laughed and motioned everybody for silence. The room quickly turned quiet and he continued.

"As I said, she is St. Mungos' a group of aurors are keeping guard at her door. She is sleeping now, the doctors had to give her a sleeping potion to calm her down. The Ministry and I will talk to her later. She was found in an empty lane near Hogsmeade, we believe she escaped and was trying to get to Hogwarts. We will not know the whole story until we speak to her. I will have to ask you to stay here for now. She must rest and there is nothing for you to do. I will bring her here while she recovers. She will stay here for a few days, they will be looking for her, she is still in danger. I will take her to a place where she will be taken care of and be safe. I must ask you to not go looking for her. As long as Voldemort is in power, he will be looking for her." Dumbledore said.

The others nodded their understanding but didn't respond to his news.

"Very well, I'll be owling you with further news." Dumbledore said as he stood from his chair.

Mrs. Potter quickly came forward and walked with him as he left he house.

"Oh, I'm so glad she was found." Said Lily, silent tears running down her face.

"Don't worry Lily, she will be fine. Dumbledore will make sure that she is kept safe." James said as he gathered her in his arms and comforted her.

"Come Edward, we need to talk to Susan about tomorrow, I'm sure that she will need our help." Said Mrs. Evans, clearly trying to give the young people some time alone.

"Yes, dear." Mr. Evans said as he followed his wife out.

Sirius, Katie, Remus, James and Lily didn't noticed them leaving, they were too preoccupied with their own thoughts.

"I wonder where they will take her." Katie said.

"And how long she will have to stay there." Lily responded.

Silence filled the air as the young people lost themselves into their thoughts.



The Potters were to host the hunt the next day. James woke up early that day, he wasn't really feeling like running with the hounds and hunting an innocent fox, even if it wasn't real. The fox that was hunted was a charmed wooden animal that passed off as the real thing. The Potters always believed that it was unsporting to hunt a small animal with horses and dogs. What luck did the fox have of escaping? That is why the Potters had created this charmed creature, the town would have its sport and the Potters didn't feel sorry for killing the small fox.

James sighed before leaving his bed. Lotty, his personal elf, was in the dressing room putting his attire in order and starting the shower for James.

"Lotty, make sure that Remus and Sirius are awake, please. If I'm going to have to ride the horses in this hunt, they might as well help me with it." Said James as he entered the dressing room.

"Yes, Master James. Will Master James want breakfast this morning, or will Master James wait until after the hunt?" Asked the bobbing elf.

"I think I will have only a cup of tea and a piece of toast, I don't want to get sick when I ride. We'll be ridding hard today." Said James after thinking about it for a minute.

Lotty bowed once more before leaving the room. James got into the shower, doing things automatically as his mind lost itself once more with thoughts of what was going on in his once orderly world.

Remus and Sirius were woken up by elves. They mumbled and complained but they also knew that James would require their help and it was a good way to think of other things besides their current problems.

The three young men met in the front parlor after once they were ready.

"Really James, I see no reason why this thing has to take place in such an ungodly hour. Why won't you country folk do the same as in town and sleep until noon?" Exclaimed Sirius the moment he entered the room.

"Because we have lots to do, unlike you lazy bums that have nothing to do but go to parties and spend money." Responded James good naturally.

"Hey, I'm not a lazy bum. I like to have fun that is all." Sirius said.

"Yes, I'm sure you do. But I think that you wouldn't be able to live by yourself and making do with what you have even if your life depended on it." Said Remus as he stood by the window listening to his friends sparring.

"I could, if there was a need for it. But as I don't see why I should, then I don't see why we need to discuss it." Said Sirius.

"Well, if you two are done with your morning greetings, I think it's time for us to go to the stables. The neighbors should be here soon." Said James taking his riding hat and crop from a table beside the door.

"Oh very well. Let's ride then." Said Sirius as he and Remus followed James out of the room.

By the time the three young men had arrived to the stables, most of the neighbors who would take part on the hunting were starting to congregate.

"Good morning Potter, a good day for riding, what?" Said the old gentleman when he saw James approaching the group.

"Good morning Mr. Morris, it certainly looks like the gods are smiling upon us." Responded James.

"Well yes, it seems that our little fair is going quite well. My wife is certainly planning on shopping this afternoon." Said another old gentleman.

"Indeed, so is my wife, I really don't see the need but as long as it keeps her out of my hair I don't mind." Said another gentleman. Those around him laughed.

"You are lucky young man, you are not married but I'm sure that your time will come soon." Mr. Morris said as he slapped James on the back.

"I'm sure it will, but I do say that the lady who will become Mrs. Potter will never tire me." Said James.

"Oh no, Lily would never do so." Exclaimed Sirius.

James glowered at Sirius while the other gentleman stated to ask questions. "Lily who?" "Young man, you have been hiding someone." "Well James, it seems that you have a lot to say during this ride of ours."

"Oh come gentleman, Sirius is only teasing, he is so besotted with his own intended that he thinks we all should be getting married." Responded James and smiled when the others turned to Sirius.

"Oh I say. Good news that."

"When is the wedding young man?"

"You must present her during the ball."

Sirius in turn glowered at James who just looked at him with an innocent smile. Remus was chuckling behind him.

As the gentleman met at the stables getting ready for the hunt, their ladies were either still in bed or getting ready for a turn around the town and shop in the fair.

Mr. Evans soon joined the other gentleman in the stables. Lily, Katie, Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans were in the informal dining room eating a healthy breakfast.

"Well dears, what do you feel like doing this morning?" Mrs. Potter asked as she looked at the two young ladies.

"Oh, we are fine for now Mrs. Potter, we thought of going to the gardens and have a try to one of the mazes." Said Katie with a smile. It seemed that the news that they had received last night brought up their spirits.

Mrs. Potter nodded. "I'm sure you will enjoy it. I remember I got lost in one when I first came to the manor. Alaister had to go and find me when it was starting to get dark." She laughed. The others laughed with her.

"Perhaps you should take a string and mark your way dears." Smiled Mrs. Evans.

"Oh but that would take away the sense of adventure mum." Exclaimed Lily. "But if it starts to get dark and we are not back, send a couple of servants or James and Sirius. I'm sure they will bring us back in one piece."

They laughed and chatted as they continued to make plans for the day. Tomorrow was the ball and they all knew that they would be busy the whole morning.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans decided to go to the fair in town and shop for things that they might need for the next day.



The gentleman returned from their hunt a little after noon. They were all in good spirits. Men from all ages had joined in the fun, the youngest was thirteen and the oldest was sixty-four. But they all had fun and enjoyed their morning. Mrs. Potter was waiting for their return with a light luncheon served in the formal dinning room.

"Oh thank you Mrs. Potter, we are quite famished." Exclaimed Mr. Morris as soon as Mrs. Potter welcomed them.

"Oh I'm sure you are, my son could eat more than the lot of you I wager." Mrs. Potter laughed.

"Mum, I do not eat that much!" Exclaimed James, while the others laughed or smiled. They had all seen James grow up and knew how much James used to eat, and they were all sure that there were times that he forgot his manners and ate as he used to.

The dining room was full of gentleman eating and drinking among chatter and laughter. It was a very masculine atmosphere and the ladies didn't deem it appropriate to join them. As a result, the ladies of the house as well as the wives of some of the riders who had come to meet their husbands after their exercise had a small luncheon in the informal dining room.

The conversations in both rooms couldn't be any more different. The ladies talked about their husbands, their families, fashion, the ball of the next evening, and housekeeping while the man talked about sports, their lands, their newest equipment and their plans for the next evening.

As a whole, it was a very entertaining day. It was late afternoon when the guests had left the manor, all in good spirits and assuring the Potters that they would be returning the next day for the ball.

"Phew! That went well." Exclaimed James as he flopped on one of the couches in the back parlor. Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Evans, Lily and Katie were all busy reading magazines and discussing their attire for the next day.

"Really James, you need to change dear, you still have your riding clothes on." Said Mrs. Potter noticing her son in his muddy attire with a lift of her brow. "I don't want to have this place cleaned up James, go change dear." She urged.

James rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother." He said as he slowly walked out of the room. Behind him he could hear Lily and Katie giggling.



The next time they all met again was for dinnertime. The Potters, the Evans, Sirius and Katie met in the back parlor before dinner.

"I'm sure dear that it will look great on you." Mrs. Potter was saying to Lily. They were discussing the dresses they all planned to wear the next evening.

"Well f you think so ma'am." Lily replied.

There was a knock on the door. Everybody turned to look, hoping that it was Roberts with the news that dinner was served. They were all hungry by now, it had been an exciting day.

The door opened, and indeed, Roberts came in, but it wasn't with the news that they expected.

"Professor Dumbledore, ma'am." Roberts said before stepping aside to let Professor Dumbledore in.

"Albus, welcome. We were not expecting you." Exclaimed Mrs. Potter.

"I'm sorry my dear that I didn't let you know but I have been in London on urgent matters." Professor Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Oh not to worry Professor, will you join us for dinner?" Invited James as he greeted the old Headmaster.

"I will be glad to James, but I came because there is somebody that would like to see you." Professor Dumbledore said.

They all turned to look at each other with questioning glances.

Dumbledore stepped out of the room for a moment, then returned with a young lady in hand. She looked tired and in need of a good meal.

"Emma!" The young people exclaimed before they ran to her.

Emma sobbed in silence as her friends hugged her and exclaimed over her.

"Oh Emma, are you all right?" Lily asked.

"How are you feeling?" Katie wanted to know.

"Perhaps you should sleep." Said James.

"That's a good idea, she should go to bed, one of the servants can take some food to her room." Said Sirius.

"What do you want to do Emma?" Remus asked.

Emma smiled at her friends' worry. "I would like to rest." She quietly asked.

James quickly turned to Roberts, who had been standing by the door all this time, and ordered for a room to be readied and a servant or an elf to help her to the room and serve her during her stay in the manor. Roberts bowed and silently disappeared down the corridor.

Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans had taken hold of Emma and led her to a chair. The group of young people followed her to the corner where the older ladies had sat her.

"There you are dear, Mrs. Roberts will have a room ready for you in a moment and you can rest all you want." Said Mrs. Potter. "Now the rest of you keep away from her, I don't want you tiring her." She said turning to the others as they waited behind her.

"But mum -" James started to say.

"No buts James, she needs rest and you lot can be so tiring sometimes." Mrs. Potter said.

James, and Sirius mumbled but Lily, Katie and Remus looked resigned.

Roberts returned a few minutes later with the news that a room had been readied and that he would lead Emma to her room.

Emma followed him out eager for a soft bed and some rest.

Those left behind in the parlor watched her go with mixed feelings. They were happy that she was alive and safe, but worried that she had lost so much weight and spirit. Professor Dumbledore seemed to read their thoughts.

"Don't worry." He suddenly said breaking the silence. "She will be all right. All she needs for now is some peace and quiet. Don't be surprised if she doesn't say anything about her ordeal, she will talk about it when she is ready. The Ministry and I have decided that she can stay here for a couple of weeks only while we make arrangements to take her to a safe place where she can hide." Dumbledore said. The rest nodded and felt silent.

When finally they sat for dinner, everybody was in a happy mood. Emma was back and they would make sure she was kept safe. They discussed the best way to keep her so as they ate.

"The Ministry will send a group of Aurors to stay here while she does." Dumbledore was saying.

"Perhaps it would be wise if they disguised themselves as James' servants, that way nobody would know that they are Ministry agents." Mr. Evans said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Undercover agents you mean. I agree. There is always a chance that there might be somebody watching. She will be safer as long as there are less people aware that she is here." Dumbledore said.

"How many people in the Ministry know that she is here?" James asked.

"Only a few. The Minister and his advisors, and Mr. Crouch, Head of Magical Enforcement Department, they are the only ones that know. Her old co-workers don't know. Not even her Supervisor knows, but I think he would think that she is in hiding. Jack Robinson is a clever fellow and knows that the project his team is working on would bring Voldemort down, but if his findings fall into Voldemort's hands, we might never be able to defeat him." Dumbledore said.

"Jack Robinson? I remember my father talking about him. He said that Mr. Robinson was a genius in Potions and Charms and that at the time father died he had been working in some very important research." James said.

"Indeed. Jack Robinson is Head of Experimental Charms Department. He took over the research when it first started." Dumbledore said with a nod.

"Would he look for her?" Lily asked.

"No. He knows that as long as she is hidden and away from Voldemort, his work is safe. He also knows that if Emma had been broken, Voldemort would have gone after him by now. He is happy to keep things as they are." Dumbledore said.

"How long will she stay away?" Remus asked.

Everybody turned to Dumbledore, the same question running through their minds.

"I cannot tell you that, as long as Voldemort is alive and in search for power, her life and the knowledge she carries is in danger. Only when there is somebody that can defeat him can she return." Dumbledore replied.

"That can take years." Katie quietly said.

Dumbledore nodded.

Dinner was soon over. Dumbledore left to return to Hogwarts and the others decided to go to bed early.

None could sleep that night.



Everybody woke up late the next day. The servants and elves were running from one place to another putting things in order for the Ball that evening. Lily, Katie and Mrs. Evans went to town to shop while James, Remus and Sirius went to the hidden Quidditch Pitch to play, Mrs. Potter had asked them to leave the house and let her prepare the ballroom in peace.

Emma stayed in bed. Lily and Katie had invited her to go with them but she didn't really feel up to the task. She felt weak and saddened by the events of the last weeks and felt a headache coming on.

Emma was awoken later that morning by movement in her room. She sat up abruptly and reached for her wand, which she kept under her pillow. She sighed in relief when she saw who it was.

"Does Miss want something to eat? Minnie brought toast and chocolate for Miss." The small elf said when she noticed Emma had woken up.

"Thank you Minnie, I am feeling a bit hungry." Emma said with a smile.

Minnie bowed and promptly levitated a tray toward the bed. Emma reached for it as soon as it hovered near. She truly was hungry, she thought as she started to butter her toast. Her stomach growled and she chuckled. It had been a while since the last time she had a good meal. That thought brought memories of her ordeal and suddenly the hunger abated. There was a time when she thought that she would never see the light of day again.

"Isn't Miss hungry?" Asked Minnie when she saw Emma putting the toast down to the plate.

"I'm sorry Minnie, I'm sure my hunger will come back in a minute. My memories just intruded there for a minute." Emma said gently.

Minnie nodded and turned to start putting things away. Professor Dumbledore had sent that morning a trunk with Emma's belonging. Minnie was trying to put things away to make Emma feel at home.

Emma watched as Minnie worked silently.

"Minnie, can I ask you a question?" Emma asked.

Minnie turned to look at Emma. "Of course Miss. Minnie will try to answer." Minnie said with a nod.

"Don't you ever want to be free?" Emma asked.

Minnie looked scandalized. "What would Minnie do with freedom?" The elf asked.

Emma shrugged. "You could do whatever you want. You could go to different parts of the country. You could have a family of your own. You could have fun." She said.

"But Miss, elves don't have fun. Minnie does all things Miss mentioned. Minnie goes with Master James and Mistress Susan when they travel, and Minnie has a family. The Potters are my family. Why would Minnie wish to leave her family?" Minnie asked. Her eyes were wide and questioning.

"But don't you want to have money so you can buy what you wish? Wouldn't you like to have some time off and rest?" Emma asked. She never had questioned the roles of elves before but now she was starting to see things differently.

"But Minnie has money Miss. The Potters pay their elves, there is a vault in Gringotts with money for elves." Minnie said with a frown. She obviously didn't see the need for such vault to exist.

"There is? And what do you and the other elves buy with the money?" Asked Emma. She had never known of a family before that gave money to their elves. It seemed that the Potters' elves were relatively free compared to others in other families.

"Oh Minnie and the others don't touch the money Miss. There is nothing that is needed." Minnie said with indifference as she continued to put things away.

Emma continued to watch the small elf and smiled. It seemed that there was no need to feel sorry for the elves in this house, they seem too happy. She found that her hunger had returned and promptly picked her toast and started to enjoy her meal.



James was flying around the goal posts waiting for Remus who was looking around the orchard for the quaffle. Sirius had thrown it too far and it was now hovering around the apple trees.

"Did you find it yet?" Asked Sirius as he sat on the floor with his broom hovering beside him.

"Yeah, I see it, it's stuck in one of the trees." Remus called back

"How come you don't have a shielding charm around the Pitch James, there should be one so the balls don't escape." Sirius said as he munched on an apple.

"There was one, but it seems to have worn off, I might as well put one on as soon as Remus returns, it wouldn't do if the balls escape during the game tomorrow night." Said James as he landed by Sirius.

"Need any help with it?" Sirius asked after he discarded the apple core.

"No, I can do it." James said.

Both saw Remus running back toward them with the quaffle cradled in his arms.

"I have it." He said as soon as he stopped, panting, in front of his friends.

"You need some exercise Moony." Laughed Sirius.

"I'm not the one spending his days in parties and luncheons. I think I am in better shape than you are." Said Remus.

"I'm not idle. Why does everybody thinks that all I do is sit and eat and do the pretty at parties, that alone is a lot of work." Exclaimed Sirius.

"Perhaps we should test your prowess." Said James. "The full moon is coming up, let's see how fast Padfoot is then."

"Are you mad! I cannot stay here during my transformation, you know there a lot of things that can go wrong." Exclaimed Remus.

"For once I agree with Moony. This isn't Hogwarts. In Hogwarts we could do whatever we wanted on the grounds, there were not a lot of people who dared to leave the warmth of their beds in the middle of the night. And when things got really bad, the Shack was there for our use. There are a lot of people who could get hurt here James, and you know your tenants are up at all times of the day and night taking care of things." Said Sirius.

"We could return to Hogwarts, nobody needs to know." Said James a twinkle starting to shine in his eyes.

"Hogwarts?" Both Sirius and Remus asked in surprise.

"Yes, we know every part of that castle and I think we need to have some little fun don't you? It has been years since we've done it. And maybe we can tell Dumbledore that Remus will need to use the shack for a couple of days as I don't have a safe place for him here in the estate. I'm sure he will let him use it and keep students away from the grounds on those nights. With Remus inside we can easily sneak into the shack. We would just apparate in Hogsmeade." James said trying to get the others to agree with him.

"You are forgetting something." Quietly replied Remus.

"What?" Asked James with a frown. He was sure that he had thought of everything.

"One of our little group is not here." Remus said.

"We can contact Peter easily and get him to join us, that is no problem." Said James with a wave of his hand.

The others shrugged, it did sound like fun. It had been a while since the Marauders had been together and have some fun.

"If that is settled maybe I should perform this charm before we start playing again. I don't want the snitch to escape, I wouldn't know what to say to the muggles in town." Said James.

Remus sat beside Sirius and pulled some apples from his robes, he had picked some while he looked for the quaffle. The two friends sat munching on apples as they saw James walking around the Pitch performing the blocking charm.



While the Marauders made plans in the Quidditch Pitch, Mr. and Mrs. Evans along with Lily and Katie were being entertained by the things they saw around the town square during the Fair.

It was the third day of the Fair, and there was one more day for the town to enjoy themselves. The weather was still warm and a small breeze flowed through the square. Farmers were selling their product. Merchants were crying out loud trying to get the attention of potential customers. There was a small tent in the middle of the square where a puppet show was taking place; the children were squealing and laughing and it could be heard throughout the Fair. The twins had been brought by Nurse and were currently in the show clapping and enjoying themselves with the rest of the children. At one end of the square stood a small stage, a band playing on it. In front of the stage was a cleared space where couples danced as people surrounded the space clapping and cheering those who were dancing.

Katie, Lily and the Evans walked throughout the Fair trying to take it all in. It was a happy atmosphere and they were glad to be part of it. The first time they had been there they didn't enjoy it as much; it was the day after they found out that Emma was missing. But Emma was back now and they could now enjoy it and take part in the festivities with a lighter heart.



Everybody was back at the manor by early afternoon. The young men were in an exuberant mood, and the ladies were excited. The light luncheon that they partake at was cheery and fun. The ladies talked about their wardrobe and about the music and about all of those who would be joining them that evening for the ball. The men just listened and contributed to the conversation once in a while, they knew better than to interrupt the raptures of the ladies.

Once luncheon was finished, they all retired to their rooms to prepare for the ball. Servants and elves were seen quitting and entering their master's and mistresses' rooms at all times.

Emma was the only one that stayed quiet in her own room. At the moment she was sleeping, a servant keeping watch on her as she rested. She knew her friends would be visiting her before they went down to wait for the guests. They had come earlier to try to change her mind about attending the ball.

"You should go, Emma. You need a bit of fun." Katie had said as she and Lily sat at each side of Emma's bed.

"But I really don't feel up to it Katie. I don't think I could even handle dinner." Emma had responded.

"You could come just for part of the dance. You do need a bit of exercise it will be harder for you to recuperate if you don't try to walk once in a while. Your muscles need to exercise." Lily had said.

"Perhaps, but I don't even have the energy to leave the bed at this moment. I don't see how I would leave to go to the dance. Even if it is for a little while." Emma proclaimed.

"Are you sure you want to stay up here all by yourself? You won't feel lonely?" Asked Katie.

"I'm sure. You two go ahead and have fun. You must come tomorrow and tell me all about it. I just want to rest and recuperate my energy. It won't be long before Dumbledore comes and takes me away and I want to be better by then." Emma said with a smile.

The three fell silent at the reminder that soon Emma would be leaving them for a safer place. They didn't know to where nor for how long. All they knew was that the Sirens would be no more and that they will certainly miss the good times they had together.

"Well." Lily said; breaking the silence that they had fallen into. "If you are sure that you will be staying here then we will leave you to rest. I'm sure we must be tiring you. We'll come later, before we go down to dinner." Said Lily as she stood up. Katie nodded and together, the two girls walked out leaving a thoughtful girl behind.

She knew that Dumbledore and the Ministry were doing the best they could to keep her safe. Nobody had said anything but she knew that secret agents were posted inside the manor as servants. She knew she had seen some in the Ministry before. She wanted to know where she was being sent to, but Dumbledore wasn't talking. It must be a very secret place and a very important one because she knew that the Ministry and Dumbledore had sent several owls and were in constant contact with somebody. All she had heard about this person was that it was a woman. She heard mention of "The Lady" at all times as she worked in the Ministry. Nobody seem to know who this Lady was and it seemed that only Dumbledore and the Minister himself were the only ones who knew her and owled her. Emma had the feeling that this Lady was very important to the Magical world, even if nobody knew about her.



The men were the first to finish getting ready and awaited the ladies in the front parlor.

"Do you wish for refreshments?" James offered as soon as all the men reunited in the formal parlor.

"Just some cider." Said Remus.

"Might as well." Said Sirius with a shrug.

"Mr. Evans?" James asked as he turned to Lily's father.

"Just a bit of brandy." He said.

Mr. Evans had been silent most of his visit. James thought that he seemed tired and listless. So different from the man he met some years ago during the Christmas House Party on his seventh year. The man he met was full of energy and life. James knew that Mr. Evans had been sick earlier in the summer. Lily had told him that much. Now he worried whether the older man had completely recuperated from his illness. James didn't say what was on his mind of course. There was no need to worry the Evan ladies, especially if he was wrong.

James turned back to the others with his hands full of glasses and sat to wait for the ladies to make their appearance.

It was half an hour later when the ladies were ready to join the men. Mrs. Evans and Mrs. Potter were the first to arrive to the parlor, Katie and Lily had gone to Emma's room.

When they had arrived to the parlor, they found the men in an exuberant conversation about Quidditch. The young men were trying to explain the concept of the game to Mr. Evans and were trying to tell him about some of the professional games that they had attended to. Mr. Evans seemed to be interested in the sport and was looking forward to the game for the next evening.

"Good afternoon gentlemen." Greeted Mrs. Potter as soon as she and Mrs. Evans glided into the room.

The men stood and greeted the women.

"You are looking extremely well my dear, dare I hope that you will allow me the first dance of the evening?" Whispered Mr. Evans to his wife. Mrs. Evans blushed. She was giddy to think that her husband still thought of her as a beautiful lady after all these years of marriage.

"I'm sure I can make the arrangements." She whispered back. Mr. Evans winked and kissed her hand. "Oh you!" She exclaimed before breaking into giggles.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Evans was looking at the young men and nodded with satisfaction at what she saw. The young men certainly knew how to dress for a party.

"Where are Lily and Katie?" Asked Remus after James had served some wine to the ladies.

"They should be coming along in a few moments. They wanted to check on Emma before coming down." Said Mrs. Evans as she daintily sipped her wine.

"I see. How is Emma doing? I haven't gone to her room. It seems inappropriate if I go." Said James.

"Of course it is inappropriate, a gentleman should never enter a lady's room without invitation. Not that you should with an invitation either." Responded his mother. James just rolled his eyes while Remus and Sirius chuckled. Who would think of such old fashioned ideas nowadays?

Before Mrs. Potter said anything, Lily and Katie came into the room. The young men were impressed at how wonderful they looked, and for once, Sirius was happy that Katie was his intended. That ring in her hand would certainly keep other men away from her.

Before James could offer refreshments, cars were heard arriving in the driveway.

"Well, it seems that our guests have begun to arrive. I only invited the most important families to dinner, there will be only thirty sitting at the table tonight. The rest of the town will be coming along later for the dance." Said Mrs. Potter as Roberts and his footmen took their places at the door ready to welcome the guests.

Soon, the parlor was overflowing with people. Servants moved along the crowd with trays of drinks as the guests waited for those who still needed to arrive before dinner was announced. Wizards and muggles blended and chatted to their neighbors and from some discussions Lily overhead it seemed that the muggles in the area knew that some of their neighbors were wizards and witches, especially as she overhead a discussion between the old colonel, who was a muggle, with old Mr. Fitzwilliam, who was a wizard, about the quidditch game scheduled for the next evening.

Lily was surprised at this and looked with consternation to James, who was beside her at the moment. James lifted his brow with a questioning glance.

"Why are they speaking about quidditch in mixed company? I thought that it was against the Ministry rules to speak of anything magical in front of muggles." She said.

"Well technically is not a rule, it's a precaution that we are urged to follow. But people hereabouts have known that there are wizard families in this area. The town as well as Godric's Hollow, were originally settled by wizard families. That is why our family has property in those areas. But as time went on and wizards and witches were born from muggle families, they brought their families to these areas and muggles started to settle with us. Most of the people here are old folks who had lived here all their lives and might have a family member who is magical. There are only a few muggles that have no idea about magical folks, but we all know who they are so nothing is said in their presence. The old Colonel has a brother who is a wizard, and he wished all his life that he had magical talents as well, but it wasn't so. He enjoys talking about the magical world, in his mind I think he thinks of himself as a squib." Said James with laughter in his eyes as he looked at the old colonel who seemed to enjoy his quidditch conversation.

"Oh. So most of these people here will come to the game tomorrow?" Lily asked. Who would've thought that there were communities were muggles and wizards lived together without problems. During all her time at Hogwarts she had been told about all the rules the Ministry had passed in order to keep the magical community in secret, and she never thought that she would see something like this town that seemed to accept the talents of their neighbors. She knew that there were people who would never countenance this kind of society. Some muggles went out of their way to keep a blind eye to magic, even if it was in front of them. Petunia came to her mind. Her sister was so scared of magic and the talent that Lily had that she acted as if no sister had ever existed, and her husband, Vernon Dursley, was just like her.

Half an hour later the group was moving into the dining room, eagerly seating at the table for a fine meal.



In a town near the welsh coast, there was a small house. A lady laid in bed resting as a young man sat in a small parlor, reading a parchment with a frown.

"Meet me in the town inn in two weeks from now. It is to your advantage that you are there, otherwise, your mother will not live for long."

No signature at the bottom of the page. Peter Pettigrew was worried. Everybody knew that he had spent the last years after Hogwarts taking care of his mother, magical potions and charms couldn't do much for her and muggle medicine seemed to ease her pain.

Four years ago she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. She had seek help at St. Mungos' but at the time there were no potions and charms that could take care of it. She was then referred to a muggle hospital where surgery and chemotherapy had kept her alive. But the cancer had emerged two more times after it was first diagnosed and the chemotherapy had started to take its toll.

When Peter graduated from Hogwarts he had moved his mother to the coast, hoping that the fresh air would help her. It seemed to be working, they flooed every month to London for Mrs. Pettigrew's appointments with the doctor and the rest of the month they spent it quietly at the small house that Peter had bought with the money the Ministry gave him after the death of his father. His father had been an auror for the Ministry, for forty years he worked for the Department of Magical Enforcement and had been killed in one of the first attacks that the Death Eaters had done some seven years ago. The Ministry had then started to take care of the widow and teenager that he had left behind. When Peter left Hogwarts, the Ministry had stopped giving him money, but his mother would still receive money until she died. Peter, had taken that money given to him and invested with help from James and his friend's father, Aliaster Potter, as a result, by the time Peter had left Hogwarts, he had accumulated a small fortune that allowed him to live quietly as he took care of his mother.

He had lost some contact with his friends. Sometimes he received owls from them but he wasn't a very good correspondent, thus, his notes were brief.

At the moment his mind was on the note in his hand. Who wrote the message? And was it a threat that he was reading? He knew that sometimes he was slow to arrive to conclusions and that was why he had been so close to his friends, because they helped him along. He would've never finished Hogwarts if it hadn't been for them. He thought of going to James with the note, but at the same time he was afraid of leaving his mother alone, especially if it was a threat. He thought that if he told somebody about it, the person who wrote the note would somehow find out and his mother would be in danger, and he would do anything to keep her alive and well. She had gone through a lot already.

He made up his mind. He would not go to James, it was time for him to take care of his problems by himself.



Dinner was soon over and the guests started to pile into the ballroom waiting for the rest of the town to join them. The musicians were starting to test their instruments. The windows were open, a cool breeze flowing through them ready to cool those inside after a few dances warmed them up. Golden curtains and lace had been tied beside the windows. The French doors were open leading to the formal gardens that were lighted with old- fashioned lanterns. The flowers that Lily had chosen a few days ago were creatively arranged in vases placed in columns around the room. An ivy trellis with small flowers was placed behind the band. The colors of the cloth and flowers were perfect for the Fall season being celebrated.

Cars were heard arriving, the guests started to pour into the room, soon, the ballroom was overflowing with people, laughter and gaiety.

James and Mrs. Potter stood at the door greeting those coming in, the rest mingled and chatted with the townspeople. When the strains of the violins were heard, Mrs. Potter motioned James it was time to leave the door and start the dance. Roberts would greet the latecomers.

James led his mother to the center of the room and as the first melody played, the couple started to dance. Soon, the dance floor was full of dancing couples, and only those too old and too young to dance were left at the sidelines sitting in couches and chairs lining the walls.

The cool breeze was welcome, the heat in the room had increased several degrees in just half an hour and refreshments were placed in an adjacent room. In another room were placed game tables for those who wanted to get away from the dancing for a bit. Card tables, chess and checkers were seen throughout the room and was soon filled by gentlemen who were not very fond of dancing.

Lily and James were dancing later that evening, their parents were sitting together resting for a while.

"Enjoying yourself?" James asked with a smile as he noticed Lily's shining eyes and happy expression.

"Oh yes. I never thought that a position as a teacher for a couple of twins would allow me to have such fun." Lily said with a laugh.

James laughed as well as he twirled her around the floor.

"Slow down James, you are going to make me lose my dinner." Squealed Lily.

James slowed down and looked at Lily with a sheepish expression. "Sorry." He said.

"Tell me about tomorrow. You must be very excited about it." She said.

"Oh yes, the Quidditch game is the most important part of the Harvest Fair." James exclaimed.

Lily laughed at this. "Only you would think so." She said.

James smiled. "Well, perhaps. But everybody around comes to see it. Only those few that do not know that there are wizards and witches around these parts don't come. You will see a lot of muggle neighbors tomorrow night. Some of them have even tried taking part of it of course, but as they don't have any magical abilities they cannot play. The Ministry has rules about muggles and Quidditch, that there are muggles here who know what we are and about the game is bad enough, but if the Ministry gets wind of it then we are in trouble." He responded.

"Oh. How is it that they don't know about it?" Lily asked.

"Don't know, there have been enough Ministry workers here during this time, even the Minister. I guess they have decided to turn a blind eye on it." James said with a shrug.

"Your family must have a lot of influence in the Ministry." Lily said with awe. James just shrugged. It was clear to Lily that he really didn't want to speak about it.

The dance continued until very late at night. The last guests left around one in the morning. It was close to two when everybody in Gryffindor Manor was finally asleep.



The next day was quiet around the town. Everybody seemed to be still in bed, recuperating after the dance from the day before. There were only a few people who seemed to be fine enough to be up that morning and go around taking care of business. The servants in the big houses were also up, those that worked with the Potters were busy putting things back in order. They were all glad that they were all wizards and witches and the elves were there helping, otherwise it would've taken longer than what it actually did.

Emma was also awake. She was looking at the ceiling and studying the carvings of the wooden panels around the room.

She was bored. She knew that it would still be a long time until her friends were awake and come to see her. She had tried getting up earlier. Tried to walk. But her body was still sore and it hurt when she moved.

She was thinking that she should've asked for some books brought up, but she hadn't thought about it.

She sighed. She must as well sleep some more, she wasn't going to be going anywhere anyways.

She must have fallen asleep, because the next time she opened her eyes there was somebody in the room with her.

There was somebody sitting in the chair beside the bed. She smiled when her mind registered who it was.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you." Remus said.

"I was awake earlier but I got bored so I thought to sleep some more." Emma said with a smile.

"Thought that you might get bored, I brought you some books." He said as he motioned to a stack of books on the nightstand.

Emma smiled. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Answered Remus. The silence that follow was awkward as both remembered that this was the first time they were alone after their breakup.

Remus was the first to break the silence. "I'm sorry."

"About?"

"If I had been here none of this would've happened."

"You couldn't have done anything to stop it. The work that I do is special. I knew that it was dangerous the moment I started working with the group. I knew what I was getting into. I still would've accepted working on it if you and I would've stayed together." She quickly added when she noticed he was about to say something.

Remus just sighed, what could he say after that?

"Don't worry." She said. "I will be alright. Dumbledore will take care of me."

"Do you know where they are taking you?" Remus asked.

Emma shook her head. "No. I just know that it is supposed the safest place in the world."

"I missed you while I was away, but I had the hope that I would still be able to see you whenever I returned. Now you won't be here." He said.

"I missed you too. I will miss you. Perhaps it was for the best that our relationship didn't work as we hoped it would or our goodbye would be harder this time." She whispered.

"Perhaps." He tried to speak past the lump that had formed in his throat. "I will leave you to rest. The others will be up soon and I'm sure the girls will want to tell you about everything that happened last night." He said as he got up from the chair and started to walk toward the door.

"Thanks for the books." She called after him.

"Enjoy them." He said with a smile and closed the door behind him.

It was an hour later when Lily and Katie walked into Emma's room. Emma had spent the hour reading one of the books that Remus had brought her and barely noticed the passage of time.

"Oh Emma, you cannot guess how much fun it was. You missed a great night." Squealed Katie the moment she came in. She bounced onto the bed.

"Katie, you will hurt Emma." Lily chided as she sat in the chair beside the bed.

Emma just smiled. "Don't worry, I'm fine." She said.

"Oh Emma, you should've seen the decorations." Katie prattled off for several minutes. Emma and Lily laughing as she told about all the things she had seen and heard. She kept them all entertained for a couple of hours.



Sirius had just walked into the bookroom where he found James and Remus sitting by the fireplace talking.

"About time you showed up." James said the minute he saw Sirius walk in.

"I was tired." Was all Sirius said.

"Well, now that you are here we can go to the pitch and practice." James said.

"James, we are not in Hogwarts anymore. This is not the game for the House Cup, it's just a friendly game, don't be so serious about it." Exclaimed Sirius.

Remus laughed. It was true, James had been so obsessed about the game lately that it was as if they were back at Hogwarts and the upcoming game was the one against Slytherin.

James just smiled. "I suppose that means that I have been obsessed again."

"Yes!" They both said.

"All right!" Exclaimed James. "Let's go to the pitch and get things ready, my gardener wanted to see if the grass needs to be trimmed." Said James. He quickly stood from his chair and walked toward the door.

Sirius and Remus followed him out.



The day was sunny and warm, really uncommon for that time of year. The gardeners and tenants were busy working on the Pitch and around the orchards to make everything ready for that night. The seats were being inspected and cleaned, and a space in the back prepared to sell food and drinks for the game. The money from the sales was given to the elders and poorer families of the town.

James, Sirius and Remus walked into the pitch to find it full of activity.

"Master James." A short, stout man called as soon as James stepped into the pitch. The man ran toward James, panting and in a slow pace.

"Yes, Mr. Sanders." Said James as soon as the man approached him.

"Master - James." Mr. Sanders panted. "I wanted to make sure you were going to participate tonight. The tenants were asking earlier." He finally finished.

"Oh. Yes I will, why? Is there a problem?" Asked James with a frown.

"Oh no Sir, I think they are thinking of making banner for you." Mr. Sanders said.

"Oh, tell them not to worry about it." James said a blush flushing his face. He was embarrassed and pleased at the same time that his tenants were cheering for him.

"Oh Sir, they will enjoy it. Have you decided who is going to referee the game?" The older man asked.

"Remus here will referee Sanders." James said slapping his friend's back. "And Sirius will be the captain for the other team. Has everybody signed up for the game?"

"Oh yes Sir, we had to turn down some people because we had enough players." Mr. Sanders said with a smile.

"Good, is everything ready?" James asked as he looked around at all the people working in the Pitch, there was laughter in the air. It was clear that those working in the Pitch didn't mind it one bit.

Mr. Sanders was James' estate manager. He was originally hired by Aliaster Potter to take care of the estate while he was away in London working with the Ministry. James had seen no need to change managers when his father died. He was fond of the older man. He was the one that had taught James how to shoot and how to take care of the estate. When James was a small boy and his parents were too busy with guests and Ministry issues, the young James used to escape his nurse and join Mr. Sanders on his rounds around the estate. Mr. Sanders had taught James how to keep the estate books in order, how to deal with merchants and had introduced him to all the tenants in the estate. The older gentleman was also very proud of the young man beside him. James had become the son that Mr. Sanders never had. Mr. Sanders had been committed to the estate, as a result, he never had the opportunity to meet a caring woman and marry. He didn't mind his single state though, he enjoyed his job and couldn't work for a better family, there was nothing that he regretted.

Mr. Sanders was a wizard born from muggle parents. After he finished his training at Hogwarts he had apprenticed with his own father as estate manager of a wealthy muggle family but he had kept contact with the magical world. Six years after he left Hogwarts he saw an ad in the Daily Prophet and a muggle newspaper that the Potters were looking for an estate manager. He was ecstatic. He applied for the job the next day and got hired on the instant. Aliaster Potter never regretted his decision and James didn't think that he would either. Mr. Sanders was also a very good beater and always participated in the annual estate Quidditch Game at James' side.

The Pitch was looking at its best this day. The bleachers were starting to shine in the sun, the grass was looking greener and the aroma of the food being prepared was smelled through the air.

"I'm getting hungry." Sirius suddenly said as his mouth started to water from smelling the food.

James and Remus laughed. "That is no surprise." Said Remus.

"Well, I for once, agree with him. That food is making me hungry, maybe we should go back there and see how the food is going." Said James with a sparkle in his eye.

Sirius readily agreed with him. Mr. Sanders watched the three young man walk toward the kitchens with an indulgent smile, everybody knew how fond James and Sirius were of food.



Afternoon was soon over and everybody was sitting for dinner. James and Sirius were impatient and excited about the game that they gobbled down all the food served in front of them.

"James, Sirius, slow down. I'm sure nobody wants to see you get sick in the middle of the game." Chided Mrs. Potter as she watched her son eat a stake in record time.

"Don't worry Mrs. Potter, James and Sirius always ate that much before a game in Hogwarts and they never managed to get sick." Said Lily with a laugh.

"Oh dear, I have never seen anybody eat that much." Exclaimed Mrs. Evans when Sirius shoved a large piece of chicken in his mouth.

Mr. Evans laughed. "That's because we never had any sons dear, our daughters would never eat that much."

"Well, they always managed to win the game." Said Katie looking at the two young men with disgust.

"But this time they are playing against each other." Said Remus.

"This is going to be a good game." Said James after he swallowed a quarter of an apple. It seemed that he didn't even chew but just swallowed everything that entered his mouth.

At that moment Francesca and Cassandra came running into the room. They were giggling and in high spirits.

"Uncle James."

"Uncle James." The twins hollered as they came to stop beside James' chair.

"What happened?" Asked James with surprise. His food out of his mind for the moment.

"When is the game?"

"We want to go to the game." The twins said looking expectantly at James.

"Is that why you came here at such speed? The game is not until later tonight, and if you want to go to the game you should be in bed right now taking a nap." James chided. The girls' sunny faces fell which made James feel bad about scolding them.

"Come here dears, why aren't you up in the nursery with Nurse?" Asked Mrs. Potter as she motioned the girls to come to her.

"Nurse is asleep."

"We sneaked away." They said in whispers, which really weren't because everybody heard them. All the adults in the room smiled. The twins had become really dear to everybody who met them.

"You shouldn't have done so dears, go upstairs and get into bed. We will wake you up when it's time to go to the game." Mrs. Potter said as she shooed the girls to the door.

"Will you really?"

"Promise?" The twins asked looking at their grandmother.

"I promise. Now go up and rest, otherwise you will fall asleep in the middle of the game and you won't see it." She said. The girls nodded and ran out of the room toward the stairs. A footman appeared from the entrance hall and silently followed them up to make sure that they got to the nursery all right and to make sure that they didn't get into mischief before getting there.

The twins were known for their curiosity. They were often found in the empty rooms of the house looking through furniture and opening doors at random. The staff had taken it upon themselves to keep the girls safe and keep them from mischief. But they weren't always successful.

"I shudder to think what kind of owl we will get from Dumbledore, mother, when those two get lose in Hogwarts." Said James after the girls were gone.

"No worse than the owls your father and I received about you I wager." Said Mrs. Potter with a smile.

Lily and Katie giggled while Sirius and Remus looked at James with commiseration. It seemed that there would be a new generation of Potter terror in Hogwarts and they new quite well of the mischief a Potter could get into. If one Potter was enough, how will Hogwarts survive after two Potters?

James shuddered. Perhaps he was being punished for all the trouble he got into when he was in school. He hoped that his own children would be more circumspect and less energetic, he didn't think he could handle too many owls about their mischief.

"As long as there isn't any Lupins or Blacks, or Pettigrews there to urge them, perhaps they would be fine." Said Lily with a tone that clearly said she really didn't believe what she just said.

"Well, I'm going to see if things are ready, we still have five hours until the game starts." Said James as he put his napkin aside and got ready to leave the table. "Enjoy your dinner everybody, I'll see you at the game." He said before leaving the room.

"I might as well go as well, I don't even know who is in my team yet." Said Sirius as he grabbed some of the pies waiting for desert and followed James out.

Remus shook his head and looked longingly at the vast array of sweets and ice cream waiting in the middle of the table. With a sigh he stood up. "I might as well go, I'll try to keep them out of trouble." He said. Throwing a last look at the desert platter he slowly left the room.

"Oh poor Remus, he does love his sweets." Said Katie.

"Perhaps we should put some away for him. He can have them after the game." Said Lily as she started to pile some of the cookies and pies into a plate. She covered the plate when it was full and put it aside.

"Will he want to eat all that food after the game. Granted that I have never seen a game of qui-, quit- how do you say it?" Asked Mrs. Evans looking at her daughter.

"Quidditch." Lily said.

"How is this Quidditch played? Sirius and James tried to explain it to me earlier but I must say that they made it sound too complicated." Said Mr. Evans.

Katie and Lily laughed. "You couldn't have chosen anybody worse to explain it to you daddy, they are Quidditch mad. I bet they tried to tell you all about fouls and some history of the game when you asked." Said Lily with laughter.

"Yes, I believe they did." Said Mr. Evans.

Lily and Katie tried to explain the game to Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Mrs. Potter listened with a smile in her lips.

The house was silent. There were a few servants and elves walking around the house doing last minute chores. Everybody was looking forward to the game that night and they were all planning to have a short nap before leaving for the Pitch.



In an inn, not far from the Welch coast, sat a portly young man. He was nervous and scared, what had made him come? He asked himself. Why was he here? But of course, there was only one reason that would make him leave his house at such a late hour, his mother's safety.

Peter had been waiting in a booth of the town's inn for a while now. The note that he had received the day before was in the right pocket of his coat. The note had made him nervous. He didn't want his mother to be in danger, but he thought that the note made it clear that if he wanted to keep his mother safe then he will have to be in danger. He didn't know what the writer of the note wanted from him, but he knew it must be dangerous.

He was too preoccupied with his thoughts that he didn't notice two men entering the inn. They were dressed in black suits. Because the town was a muggle town, they were dressed in muggle clothes, and anybody who would look at them would think that they were just two businessmen who had just got out of work. The two men looked around the room. One of them pointed at Peter sitting in a booth at one corner of the room. The light was dim in that side of the room and made the booth look as if it was separated from the rest of the room. A perfect location for their clandestine meeting. The two men started walking toward it.

Peter was taken by surprise when the two men sat in front of him.

"You?" He gasped.

"Oh please Pettigrew!" Said a familiar sneering face.

"What are you doing here Malfoy, are you and Snape here writing threatening letters now? What a thrill for you." Said Peter.

"Don't try to be witty Pettigrew, it doesn't suit you." Snapped Snape.

It had been three years since Peter had seen the two Slytherins sitting in front of him. He had never thought that he would see them again after leaving Hogwarts. They ran in completely different social circles and Peter had been living away from society since graduation.

Peter looked at the pair warily. What did they want from him?

"Let's get to the point. Pettigrew, our master wishes to speak with you." Said Malfoy.

"Master?" Asked Peter. What the heck were they talking about?

"Use your brain Pettigrew! We are talking about You-Know-Who!" Snapped Snape. He had been looking around the booth in a nervous manner, making sure that they were not being overheard.

Peter blanched at the mention of You-Know-Who. "W-w-why does he want to see me?" He stuttered.

"Because he wants you to do something for him." Malfoy said.

"What?" Asked Peter.

Malfoy sighed and Snape rolled his eyes, they clearly thought of Peter as a fool and didn't understand why Voldemort would want Peter in their prestigious group.

"He wants some information, and you might be able to get it for him." Malfoy said.

"What kind of information?" Peter asked. Perhaps he should have popped to see James after all and gotten his help. He didn't know how to deal with this situation.

"A couple of days ago we got hold of a Ministry worker who had secret information about the latest work in the Experimental department but before our master could get information from her, she escaped. We know that the Minister and Dumbledore will take her to somewhere safe, somewhere where she might not be found. We want to know where she is being taken." Said Snape.

"You are speaking of Emma." Exclaimed Peter. He had been owled about her disappearance and her escape from the Death Eaters, he also knew that she was taken to somewhere safe.

"Bravo Pettigrew, you can think on your own after all." Sneered Malfoy. Peter glared at him but Malfoy didn't seem to mind. "We are talking of Holmes, we want the information she carries and we want you to find out where she is taken, I'm sure that Potter and the rest will be told where she is being taken, you will be able to find out." He said.

"Why would I do that?" Said Peter.

"Because if you don't, your mother will not live for long Pettigrew, and you are not a wizard that can stand up to our group." Snapped Snape.

"Since when does You-Know-Who makes propositions, wouldn't it be easier for him to torture me and kill us anyways?" Said Peter trying to sound brave, but inside, he was quaking, he didn't want to die.

"We think so, but he says you could be of use in the future. Think about it Pettigrew. You have two days to decide if you prefer death or safety." Said Malfoy. Both Snape and Malfoy stood up and walked out of the inn without looking back.

Peter stayed in the booth watching them go. "Oh Lord." He exclaimed in a whisper. What should he do?



Night had fallen. Most lights in the town had been turned off and it seemed that the inhabitants of the town around Gryffindor Manor were asleep. But if somebody looked out their window and watched closely, dim silhouettes could be seen sneaking out of some of the houses making their way to the Manor.

In contrast, the Manor was brightly lit. The servants and elves seemed to be everywhere at once. Some were walking down the path toward the orchard with bundles in their arms. Others kept watch in the house. The members of the family didn't seem to be part of this migration.

Lily and Katie were currently in Emma's room. Emma was feeling well enough to be part of the spectacle and was looking forward to watching the game. Lily and Katie were helping her get ready.

"Oh, you should wear this Emma, it looks good on you." Katie was saying as she held up a revealing dress.

"Katie, she can't wear that. We don't need the referee to be distracted during the game. Besides, she would get a chill in that dress." Said Lily.

Emma was watching them as she sat in front of the dresser, looking at them with an amusing glance.

"I'm already dressed." She said before her friends said anything else.

"Oh. Then what are we waiting for?" Asked Katie turning to look at Emma.

"We are waiting for a footman to come. Emma is being taken to the Pitch by a footman. He is going to carry her down there so she won't tire." Said Lily with an exasperated tone.

"Oh. Why isn't one of the boys taking her?" Katie asked.

"Because they are at the Pitch getting ready." Answered Emma as she looked at herself in the mirror making sure her hair was in order.

Katie shrugged and flopped down on the bed with a sigh.

"It won't be long." Said Lily taking the chair by the bed. She knew that Katie was bored. Katie had not been able to nap that afternoon and had been a pest for the whole evening.

There was a knock on the door. A footman entered when Emma called him to enter. The girls were excited. It had been a while since they had gone to a game and were really looking forward to see the boys play once more.

They walked down the path toward the Pitch accompanied by the other members of the household. Mr. Evans was looking forward to watching a game that so far he only knew by description. Mrs. Evans didn't know yet how to feel about the game. According to what she heard it seemed very dangerous to her but Susan didn't seem too worried about James playing. The twins were skipping and running beside them playing a game of tag as they made their way to the game. The staff followed behind. Everybody seemed eager to reach the Pitch.

The orchard surrounding the Pitch seemed dark and silent. Nobody looking at it would understand why hundreds of people would want to walk toward it. But once the orchard was crossed and the center was reached, tall walls surrounded the center and a glowing light seemed to be coming from it. No sound was heard but everybody knew that there were lots of people waiting inside.

When the party from the Manor entered, a kaleidoscope of color greeted their sight. The walls supported a ring of seats high up in the air. They had to go up several flights of stairs until they reached a boxed area with cushioned seats and near the food court. The group sat around the box, each choosing the seat that gave them a better view. The twins sat in front beside their grandmother who was trying to keep them still before they got themselves into trouble or shoved one another over the ledge in front of them. Lily, Katie, Emma, Mr. and Mrs. Evans sat behind them.

Mr. Evans looked around the Pitch. The young people had tried to explain what the game would look like but somehow their explanations didn't seem to give him much of an idea of how it was done. He looked in awe at the large posts at each end of the field; three long poles with rings at the top at each side. He looked around the seats and saw several pairs binoculars in front of them. He grabbed one and stared at it with a frown. Unlike the ones that he owned and took with him whenever he joined some friends at a soccer game, these were very different. Lily giggled when she noticed her fathers' confused glance at the apparatus he held in his hand.

"They are omnioculars daddy." She said.

"Omnioculars? How do they work?" He asked with curiosity.

"Well you see these knobs here?" Lily asked as she pointed at the knobs on top of the omnioculars. When her father nodded she continued with her explanation. "Well, this one slows the game down if you turn it this way, if you want to return to normal time you just turn it back. This knob here gives you a play-by-play breakdown. Now this one here gives you a replay." She explained. Both her father and mother listened attentively with expressions full of awe. Who would've thought that something like this existed?

"Do you think I could get one of these for my soccer games?" Asked Mr. Evans as he played around with his omnioculars getting the hang of them.

Lily laughed. "Sorry daddy, they only work with Quidditch. You would only get weird looks it you take a pair of these to a soccer game." Lily said.

Mrs. Evans chuckled. "I don't think your father would mind that dear, as long as he can get the game with these."

Lily smiled at her parents. She was so glad that unlike her sister, Petunia, they had accepted her for what she was and had embraced her world with open arms. There weren't many who would put aside their fear of the unknown and try to learn about the magical world in order to keep in touch with their daughter. She had never imagined that she would be able to share such an important aspect of her world with them.

"I'm going to get some food for these two." Said Mrs. Potter pointing to the twins as she looked behind over her shoulder. "Maybe that would keep them still until the game starts. Do you want anything?"

"I'll go with you Susan and help you." Said Mrs. Evans. Both ladies stood up and walked with the twins toward the back were food was being sold.

"Whom are they playing against?" Asked Lily to her friends, who were sitting on one side. Her father was sitting on her other side.

"James' team is made up from tenants of the estate, Sirius' by townspeople." Said Katie as she looked over the audience with her omnioculars.

"Who will comment?" Asked Emma.

"I heard old Mr. Thomas will." Said Katie. When she noticed that her friends were looking at her with questioning glances she continued. "The innkeeper. He was a beater for Hufflepuff you know. Sirius told me." She said with a shrug.

"Speaking of Sirius. When are you going to get married?" Emma asked feeling a little envious of her friend. She never thought that Katie would be the first of the trio to get engaged.

"We haven't decided yet. Sirius needs to get used to the idea." Katie responded as she looked at her engagement ring with a smile.

"I'm sorry I won't be there." Said Emma with sadness.

"Oh no, you have to be there!" Exclaimed Katie looking at Emma with horror.

"But I'm leaving soon remember, I don't know when I will be back." Emma replied.

"Oh, we will miss you Emma. I never thought that you wouldn't be there for our special events." Said Lily as tears started to shine in her eyes.

"Don't worry, I will be fine." Said Emma. Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans returned at that moment, followed closely by the twins, therefore Lily and Katie didn't respond to Emma's optimistic view.

"Roberts said that the game will start soon. Mr. Thomas is on his way to the commentary box." Reported Mrs. Potter as she sat by the twins who were busy eating some of their snacks.

The group settled in the chairs and watched as the glowing in the walls seemed to dim. Lights at the top of the walls got brighter and shined at the center of the Pitch. The audience was quieter and looked at the small doors by each end of the field for the teams to appear with held breath.

A portly, middle-aged man entered the box next to the Potter's box. Lily recognized him as the town's innkeeper and tonight's commentator.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen." His magnified voice was heard throughout the stadium. "Welcome to the annual Quidditch game of the Harvest Fair." Thunderous applause was heard permeating the air. "Let's thank the Potters for allowing this tradition to continue." Applause continued without stopping. "Let's welcome the players for this year's game." One of the doors at each side to the Pitch opened and seven red blurs flew around the Pitch. "The team representing the Gryffindor Estate. Mr. Potter, captain, Jones, Mulligan, Smith, Sanders, Moran, and Goldsmith." Applause, cheers and catcalls filled the air.

The other door opened and seven golden blurs blended with the red ones as they flew around the field.

"Representing the town, led by Mr. Black, Mallory, Pierce, Carroll, Stevens, St. John, and Blake." More cheers and applause was heard throughout the audience.

"And refereeing this evening, Mr. Remus Lupin." Mr. Thomas yelled. Remus walked into the pitch. The chest with the balls underneath his arm.

"Mr. Lupin mounts his broom. Kicks open the chest and the bludgers and snitch fly into the air. Remember that the seeker that catches the snitch ends the game and wins 150 points for his team. Mr. Lupin holds the quaffle and with a whistle throws it up into the air. Let the game begin." Mr. Thomas yelled.

"Look at them go. Mr. Potter and Mr. Black seem get the quaffle from each other as soon as they steal it back. Potter intercepts, Black slips it out of Mr. Potter's grasp. Mr. Potter again. Back to Black. Boy, no wonder Gryffindor was undefeated with these two in the same team. Potter again. Back to Black. Potter. And he makes his escape after Mr. Black had to sidestep before a bludger hit him. Potter has hold of the quaffle, throws it to Jones, back to Potter. Look at that move, Mallory had no chance to steal before Potter passed that quaffle to Mulligan. St. John getting ready to stop that quaffle from getting through. Mr. Black trying to intercept. Mr. Potter shoots, and ten points to the Manor Team." Mr. Thomas screamed.

The families of the tenants and the servants of the Manor yelled and waved their homemade flags and banners.

"Wow, this looks exciting. We have to go to a professional game dear, I really would like to see how those look like." Mr. Evans yelled at his wife as the people around them screamed and jumped urging their team.

The game continued. "Mr. Black has the quaffle. The Manor team getting ready to intercept. Passes to Mallory, Pierce in possession, back to Black. A bludger narrowly misses Black. Look at them go. Back to Mallory. Mulligan is now side by side with Mallory, will he be able to steal it. Yes, he did. Ouch, that bludger must have hurt. Mulligan is hit and Mallory steals it back. He flies into the scoring area and shoots. Ten points to the Town Team." The audience exploded into cheers and catcalls. "How is that for an exciting game folks. Our teams are truly playing their best." Mr. Thomas yelled.

The game continued in similar manner for several minutes. The teams didn't seem to score one or two goals ahead of each other, and when they did the other team quickly caught up. It was clear that the only way a team was going to win was if the snitch was caught, but so far the snitch had eluded the seekers and they flew around above their teammates.

Suddenly there was a gasp among the audience and everybody turned to see at the two seekers as both sped toward the ground where the golden snitch could be glimpsed fluttering about. "And the snitch has been spotted. The snitch has been spotted." Mr. Thomas said. Everybody was holding their breath as every eye followed the movements of the two seekers.

"Oh dear, they are going to crash." Exclaimed Mrs. Evans covering her eyes with her hands.

"Don't worry dear." Said Mr. Evans as he looked through his omnioculars with delight. "I'm sure they know what they are doing."

The seekers were near their target. The golden snitch still fluttered about one meter above the ground. The others players had stopped playing as they watched the two seekers speed toward the golden ball.

"Look at them go, either one could fly away with the ball here folks." Mr. Thomas was saying. But nobody seemed to be paying attention to anything he said, they were all too busy keeping an eye on the seekers.

The two seekers were trying to keep control of their brooms, they were both flying at great speed and bumping against each other trying to make the other lose control and pull up. The snitch continued fluttering above the ground. It looked as if it was taunting the seekers calling them to it. Suddenly both seekers were upon it and a fight ensued as both tried to keep hold of the snitch as it tried to escape the hold of someone's grasp.

Everyone was holding their breath, who got the golden snitch?

The score was tied, the seeker with the snitch would win the game for his team.

"The snitch seemed to be caught between the seekers, but who got it? The seekers are struggling to keep hold of the snitch."

It felt like minutes as the seekers fought for the ball, but actually it was just a matter of seconds. The crowd moaned and cheered when one of the seekers finally lost the battle and fell off his broom while the other flew into the air with the struggling snitch fluttering in his grasp.

The crowd exploded into cheers and applause. "And Adam Goldsmith has the snitch. The Manor Team has won the game. The Manor Team has won the game." Mr. Thomas was yelling.

James was flying around the Pitch in a form of victory dance. The servants and tenants of the estate were jumping and dancing in the stands. The twins were jumping and screaming. Mrs. Potter, Mrs. Evans and Mr. Evans were applauding. Emma, Lily and Katie were yelling excitedly.

"Uncle James won."

"Uncle James won." The twins were screaming.

"Yes dears, they won. But please contain yourselves, you are going to fall if you don't take care." Mrs. Potter said in an effort to calm down the girls.

"Can we go and see him?"

"Please grandma." The twins asked looking at their grandmother hopefully.

"We will wait until they are ready. They will go and change now and then we will join them." Mrs. Potter said.

"Poor Sirius. This is the first game he has ever lost." Said Katie.

"I'm sure he won't mind. It was a good game." Emma said.

"At least he didn't lose to a Slytherin." Lily replied.

"That would've been worse." Katie laughed. "But I will uplift his spirits."

The girls giggled. They had a good idea of what Katie could do to cheer Sirius up.

The Pitch was slowly filling with spectators. Tables and chairs were being brought down. It was customary for a victory party to be held right after the game in the Pitch and everybody was invited to attend, winners and losers alike.

"Let's go down. The teams will join us as soon as they are ready." Said Mrs. Potter. She took the twins' hands and led the group down to the field. They walked slowly so that Emma wouldn't tire too easily.

A small band was forming at one side of the field. Servants from the inn were bringing in kegs of ale and cider. Servants from the manor were setting food and fruit upon the tables set nearby the band.

People were grouped all over, talking about the game and it's exciting end. The group from the manor was constantly stopped by others to congratulate them. They slowly made their way to the chairs brought down to the pitch were they sat to wait for the teams to join the revelry.

When the teams finally made their way out of the lockers they were greeted with cheers and applause by everybody in the field.

The kegs were opened and toasts were called. After a few minutes the band started to play and the dancing began.

'There is my baby. Oh James I'm so proud of you." Squealed Mrs. Potter as James, Sirius and Remus joined them.

"Mum!" James exclaimed as he blushed at his mother's name for him. He really didn't like it when she called him her baby.

"Great game young men." Exclaimed Mr. Evans. He had been really impressed by the game and the agility that the players seemed to posses in order to do a good show.

"Thank you Mr. Evans, I gather you liked the game." Said Sirius as he accepted a glass of ale from one of the servants nearby.

"Indeed. That was some game." Said Mr. Evans.

The men started to talk about the game, the girls rolled their eyes and Mrs. Potter and Mrs. Evans were joined by other older women.

The party continued until early hours of the next morning. Mrs. Potter had retired earlier with the twins who had fallen asleep as the party went on. Mr. and Mrs. Evans followed soon after. Only the young people stayed behind until the party finally ended.

It was getting chilly and the sun was setting as the group slowly made its way to the house. Emma and Remus walked in front whispering to each other. Sirius was leading Katie to the kitchen garden holding her hand. Lily and James brought the rear. Both felt like it was a magical time. It had been a while since they all felt this way.

"That was great." Lily said.

"Yes, just like Hogwarts wasn't it?" James said with a smile.

"Indeed. We only needed Professor McGonagall telling us to go to bed." Lily laughed.

James chuckled. It was true, the atmosphere in the party after the game had been so similar to those they had in Gryffindor Common Room after every game and for a moment James had thought that they were back in Hogwarts and had just defeated Slytherin for the Cup.

"Those were simpler times." James whispered.

"They were." Lily responded. Both remembering the good time they had together during those earlier years.

"Come, I want to show you something." James suddenly said. He took her hand and started pulling her toward the walled gardens.

"Where are we going?" Asked Lily with surprise. A sense of exaltation spread through her body.

"You'll see." Said James as they ran down the path.

They finally stopped in front of the walled gardens. Lily had explored them before and had found them fascinating. The one that intrigued her the most was the last one. The one that was kept locked and out of bounds. She had asked Mrs. Potter and had been told that nobody knew what was inside. The last time it was opened was before James' father died. And at the time it was barren and dirty. But James had taken hold of it and locked it.

"What are we doing here?" Said Lily as she panted and held a hand at the stitch in her side.

"I want to show you something." James said. Looking at her with a sparkling eyes.

Lily smiled. James hadn't looked at her in that way since they had broken up.

James led her through the gardens, one led to another each different to the others. They finally arrived at the last garden. The locked garden.

"Here we are." Said James.

"What about it? I know it is locked, I tried." She said.

James laughed. "You and everybody in the estate." He said. He started looking through his pockets until he took out a small golden key. "But I have the key."

Lily smiled. She was trembling with excitement, what would she find inside? And why was James showing it to her now?

"Ready?" He asked.

Lily nodded.

The walls were covered with Ivy. James had to pull it aside to find the knob. When he finally found it he put his key in and turned. Lily heard the key mechanism turn and a slight squeak as James pushed the door open.

Lily gasped. "Oh James!" She exclaimed.

"I had inspiration." James whispered.

The walls were surrounded by rose bushes, red, white and pink; Lily's favorite colors. There were orchids and tulips in small beds around the garden; also some of Lily's favorite flowers. There was a small pool in the center of the garden. Lilies of every color surrounded it. Water lilies floated in the pool. Golden fish swam in the sparking water.

Lily turned to look at James. Tears shining in her eyes. "It's beautiful." She whispered.

"Not as beautiful as you. I tried to captured that, it isn't enough." He responded with a sheepish smile.

"Thank you." She said before kissing his lips for just a second. She smiled up at him.

He smiled back and leaned in to kiss her. This kiss lasted longer than the one Lily had given him.





A/N: Here you are, it took me a while to finish this chapter originally and after rereading and editing now to post it here I saw that it was perfect after the previous chapter. I know that the Quidditch Game doesn't sound as exciting as the ones JKR writes, but I gave it my best, I'm not an athletic person and sports are not really my forte. Anyways, I hope you liked it and please don't forget to review.