Disclaimer: I never have or ever will intend to copy JKRs work. I'm just borrowing the characters, I am going to give them back! Really I am!

Thanks to the following reviewers:

A/N: Hello everyone. No this is not Mei. This is Fred the lil ol muse who helps with this story. Mei is temporarily distracted. She's freaking over the approaching prospect of UCAS applications. Not to mention she's been a bit mis since Sunday cause her Final Fantasy X2 game got deleted from her memory card (accidentally). So she's a bit pissed cause she has to do the game all over again when she spent all holiday on it. Plus she has come down with a dreaded case of writers block and is stuck on the last few chapters of the story. Maybe I can help her out.

Thanks Fred. Hey everyone. Mei has returned. She reminded herself that she shouldn't be miserable and panicky when she has dedicated reviewers out there to please. So anyway hello! I had quite a few questions put forwards at the end of the last chapter so I'm going to answer them.

Firstly from Kates Master I will speed up updates once the story is finished. Like Fred said, I'm only three chapters away (I'm on chapter 33 and the story finishes at 36).

Secondly from tincat I do use Microsoft word for spelling and grammar but I suck at both as my teachers will tell you. I do try but I'm not perfect.

Thirdly also from tincat Sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry! I got the lyrics for 'we are the champions' wrong. I've only ever heard the song a few times. I'm a dunce!

Finally from Sugur-huny-bun May Stardust fall in your dreams! I say stardust a lot as my friends will tell you and the saying sort of sprang from there. Dreams are funny things. Pay attention to them. My friends have sayings too (you all know Jenny's, it involves her green pyjamas (which do actually exist by the way!)).

Anyway. On with the chapter. 'insert marching music here' chaaaarrrrge!

Chapter 23

"I think I must be the only person in the year who doesn't want to be an auror!" Jenny said. She looked at Tash, James, Sirius and Remus, all whom were hidden behind pamphlets on Auror Academy. Lily put her own down on the breakfast table.

"You're not Jen," she consoled. "Crystel wants to be a healer too. You're not the only one!"

"Yeah I suppose," Jenny sighed. Lily picked up her leaflet again. The seventh years would be having career consultations with their heads of house that day. Lily realised that Jenny was right. With the war against Voldemort it seemed that everyone who had lost someone wanted to help in the best way they could, by fighting against him.

"So Tash," Jenny took another piece of toast and looked at Tash, whom Lily was surprised to see was not shovelling food down her throat at a superhuman speed. She was in fact, like the boys stuck in her leaflet.

"Tasha!" Jenny repeated. Tash looked up.

"Beg your pardon Jenny. You say something?"

"Yes I did," Jenny said. "Have you written to Chris since he got out of hospital?"

"Not yet," Tash said. "I was going to write sometime this week."

She settled back to her reading just as the post owls swooped in, some of them looking a little worse for the wear due to the strong wind outside. Lily looked up from her own leaflet to see, with amusement, a very dazed owl drop a package on Sirius's head.

"Sirius?" Jenny said. No one looked up. "Sirius! Earth to the only decent Black in this hall!"

She kicked him under the table. Sirius looked up in surprise.

"Yes?"

"An owl just dropped a letter on your head," Jenny said.

"Really?" Sirius looked around and finally noticed the package.

"That owl must have been dopey. It's for you Tiger Lily."

"Thanks," Lily picked up the package and groaned when she realised what it was.

"What?" Jenny asked. From across the table, James looked up too.

"Wedding details!" Lily said in disgust. "The venue, places, menus…the bridesmaids dresses! My god! What is she thinking!"

She dropped the picture and Jenny leaned over and shrieked.

"Holy Merlin!" she said. For once, Tash put down her leaflet too see.

"What in the name of all things sacred is that!"

Lily shook her head at the picture of the full length purple dress.

"I'll tell you what that is," Jenny said gesturing to the skirt. "That is a fine example of curtain maker gone bonkers!"

Across the table the boys paused in reading to snort in laughter.

"And those sleeves?" Tash said. "That is Snow White on crack!"

"Who?" James asked.

"Tell you later," Lily said.

"I'm serious guys," Jenny began still looking at the ridiculously long skirt.

"No I'm Sirius!" Sirius interrupted. "I'm the one and only! No one else even compares to me because I'm so serio…"

"We know dear," Tash sighed.

"Seriously," Jenny changed her grammar. "You could probably make another dress out of that extra material!"

"Have to be a pretty short dress but yes you could do it," Tash remarked. "Sorry Lils. You have my sympathies."

"It can't be that bad," James said.

"Yes it can," Lily said. Next to James, Sirius was bouncing on his seat trying to see the picture.

"This ladies and gentlemen," Tash said gesturing to her boyfriend, "is a fine example of Sirius Black on a sugar high. Doesn't it scare you!"

Lily showed the boys the picture. James frowned at it and Sirius laughed at the description of 'curtain maker gone bonkers'. Remus on the other hand made a noise of understanding.

"Sorry Lily," he said. Jenny was shooting Sirius incredulous looks.

"What can possibly be funny?" she asked.

"Curtain maker gone bonkers! You are so right!" he chuckled.

"I can see what's so bad about it," James said. "But you'll look fine Lils."

"I hate it," Lily said. "I do not want to go to this wedding!"

"We know Lily," everyone said in unison.

OOO

"Good afternoon Miss Evans," Professor McGonagall was sitting at her desk as Lily hurried into the room for her careers meeting. "Please take a seat."

Lily sat in the chair grateful to sit down. She had ended up taking the long way round to the classroom since the Slytherins were meeting down the corridor. Lily had decided that being late was preferable to being hexed into the next century by a group of Death Eaters.

"Well during your last meeting two years ago you seemed unsure of a career," Professor McGonagall started. "Have you chosen a career that you might be interested in perusing?"

"Yes," Lily nodded. "I've been looking at becoming an Auror."

"That's a noble career Lily," McGonagall said. "You are certainly taking the correct classes and are capable of achieving the grades, but it's a difficult path."

"I know," Lily said. "I've been thinking about it a lot and I think I can cope."

"You are aware of course," McGonagall paused as though choosing her words carefully. "With the present situation, being an Auror would place you in extreme danger."

"I know," Lily said again. "But as long as I'm doing something to help against Voldemort, that's a risk I'm willing to take."

Lily noticed McGonagall flinch at Voldemort's name and she felt puzzled.

"Well I wish you all the best Lily," McGonagall gave her a smile. "I'm sure you will make a very good auror."

"Thanks Professor," Lily smiled back.

OOO

"Are you sure about this?" James asked again. They were sitting in the Gryffindor common room going over their final applications for Auror Academy. Over in the corner, Jenny was brewing a draught of peace. Sirius and Remus were also filling in their application forms. Tash had yet to make an appearance and Lily guessed that she had got held up after her meeting.

"Positive," Lily said. "I won't sit idly by and watch good people like Jenny and Tash have their families torn apart by Death Eaters. And I won't have the same happen to my family. I'm going to fight."

"I don't want to lose you," James said.

"I don't want to lose you," Lily replied with the same words. "You want to take this career too remember. And in any case, you won't lose me. Okay I'm done."

She folded up the parchment and gave it to the owl next to her. James sighed and tied his application with hers. The owl blinked at them and turned to face Remus and Sirius who were still scribbling. At this point Tash hurried into the common room and flopped down beside them.

"You are never going to believe what I just heard!" she said.

"Bellatrix got expelled?" Sirius asked hopefully.

"Well no, but that would be bloody fantastic!" Tash said. "Okay I'd just come out of my interview with McGonagall and I went to the library to fill in my form. I did that in about five minutes and I left. I was going back to the staircase when Dumbledore went past me. I thought he looked worried about something so me being nosy lil ol' me I decided to follow."

Lily recalled the ball when she'd noticed just how old and weary Dumbledore looked and immediately felt concerned. James cut in.

"You realise Dumbledore is a highly skilled Legilemans?" he asked. "He probably knew you were there." Tash paused about to continue.

"Oh dear I'm in trouble," she winced.

"Why?" Jenny asked stirring her potion, a sliver mist rising from it.

"Well Dumbledore went to see McGonagall. There were some other teachers there too. Flitwick was there, Amie was there… Don't think I noticed anyone else. Anyway, he was talking to them about the war and how even more aurors are being targeted every week. He mentioned something about 'the order of the phoenix'. I have no idea what that was about."

"I do," James said. Everyone looked at him.

"I heard my parents talking about it over Christmas. It's a secret resistance movement. Dumbledore founded it. From what I heard they're working against Voldemort."

"Isn't that what the aurors are for?" Jenny asked lowering the heat on her cauldron.

"The aurors are protecting the people but they're not doing very much to actually stop Voldemort," Sirius said.

"Have you noticed," Lily said suddenly. "Everyone's becoming afraid of Voldemort's name?"

"Yeah I did notice that," Tash said. "Every time Dumbledore mentioned it someone was wincing or cringing."

"Yeah and when I was in my interview McGonagall flinched when I said it," Lily said recalling her Professors reaction.

"Everyone's terrified," James said. "I got a letter from my parents this afternoon. They said Diagon Ally's practically deserted. No one wants to go out anymore. And everyone's getting married because they don't know how long they've got left together."

"Sweet," Jenny said.

"Do you think we'd be allowed to join the Order?" Sirius asked.

"I don't think so," Tash shook her head. "Dumbledore was pretty firm about not allowing underage wizards in."

"We're not underage!" Sirius objected. "We're all seventeen!" Jenny and James coughed. "Sorry eighteen." Sirius amended. "But still why can't we join!"

"Because we're still in school," Tash said.

"Voldemort doesn't care how old we are," Lily said. "He'd still kill us!"

"You're right Lily but there's nothing we can do," Tash said. "We'll just have to wait until we finish. In the meantime what the hell am I going to do!"

"You?" James asked.

"Yes me!" Tash said. "Dumbledore must know I was evesdropping! I'm dead!"

"No you're not," Jenny said taking a goblet and filling it up with the draught of peace that she had now finished. "Take a sip Tash."

She handed the goblet to Tash who drank it. She immediately stopped panicking and became incredibly dazed.

"Well I was going to keep this potion for the exams but I can always make some more," Jenny sighed taking the empty goblet. "When I say a sip I don't mean the whole goblet Tash."

"She's calm that's all that matters," Lily said as Tash slid sideways onto the floor. "Lets go have dinner and get these applications posted off. We can find out more about the order of the phoenix later."

"And we can find out about how we can join," James added seeing Sirius open his mouth to add exactly that.

A/N: I am a poor little author trying to have a bit of fun. Take pity and leave me a review. It is going to get better. I'd better go and write some more for chapter 33. I think a good dose of sugar is in order.

Next chapter: Lily and Tash run into Death Eaters and all hell breaks loose! YAY! Lots of action! Told you it was going to get better.

May Stardust fall in your dreams!