In an effort to start his life over again, again, Sirius finally went out and found himself another flat in the January of 1979. It was a new year, it was supposed to be a fresh start. Thanks to the money he was earning as co-owner of the WWN, he was able to get a larger, more luxurious place than his flat in Diagon Alley. Situated near the station in Wimbledon, the flat was in a building run by an elderly muggle woman who winked unabashedly at Sirius. Something about her reminded him of his 6th year Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Arden.

A two-bedroom flat, the place was spacious enough for Sirius to feel somewhat comfortable. A long, wide corridor with high ceilings served as the living room and doors to the two bedrooms as well as a bathroom were on the left wall. A large bay window facing north covered a large portion of the right wall. The living room opened into a large kitchen at the end opposite the door

"You know you're welcome to stay with Mum," James said as he flicked his wrist and a box hit the wooden floor a little harder than Sirius would have liked.

Frowning slightly, Sirius raised his eyebrows at James from his position at the door of the larger of the two bedrooms. "Isn't it a little weird for me to be living with your mother?"

"Why?" James called as Sirius ducked back into the room

Sirius sighed, and lazily sent clothes flying across the bedroom into an open dresser.

James shrugged and went back to moving around Sirius' boxes. "She's going to be really lonely now," he said, rather absent-mindedly. "Remus is leaving too and Lily and I are in the London flat permanently now."

"Maybe she should move to one of those Elder Compounds in Somerset or Devon?" Sirius suggested, calling out of the bedroom.

James looked at Sirius doubtfully through the door, pushing his glasses up further on his nose. "Can you honestly picture my mother going on planned trips to Glastonbury Abbey and Cornwall with groovy seniors named Maude and Dennis?"

Sirius stifled a laugh at the image of composed Abagail Potter on a bus full of overly chatty and hard-of-hearing wizards and witches searching for "the real Merlin" in the South-West of the country. "Fair point," Sirius shrugged. "It was just a thought."

"I don't think she wants to leave, even though the house is huge. She doesn't want to leave Gringy or her garden or her bedroom. She's been there for almost 25 years." James pondered his mother's situation as he unpacked Sirius' boxes by hand now, sitting on the new red and brown couch against the left wall and facing the huge window. "I kind of want to stay with her…"

Sirius popped his head out of the bedroom and noticing his friend's now-dejected position, took a seat next to him. "Have you mentioned it to Lily?"

James stifled a small laugh. "We aren't exactly talking. Not since Christmas."

"How does that work. You're married to her." Sirius smiled awkwardly.

Putting his head in his hands, James sighed loudly. "She's Lily. That's how it works."

"Awww, Prongs," Sirius placed a hand on his friend's back. "You guys will make up, you always do." She doesn't run away, he almost added.

James looked up at his friend. "Maybe she was right, though. Maybe I should have talked to you. I should have said something."

As James sat back up, Sirius lay his head down on the top of the plump couch cushions and exhaled. "Would I have listened?" he said quietly.

"No," James said simply, leaning back on the couch into a position similar to Sirius. "But I still should have said something."

"Don't worry about it, mate.

"Still not talking to James," Remus asked as he carried a box the five feet from his new front door to his new bedroom.

Lily followed close behind with another box. "No," she said firmly.

Remus put the box next to the dirty mattress that lay in the corner of the tiny room under a small, grimy window. "Plan on ever talking to him again?"

"Eventually," she shrugged.

"Glad to hear it," he laughed mirthlessly and sat down on his new bed. Looking around the dirty, one-room flat he had rented in Diagon Alley, he sighed loudly. "This place is awful."

"No," Lily shook her head, plopping down next to Remus. She looked at the rusted sink and stove on the other side of the room under another tiny, dirty window. Her eyes took in the peeling paint the color of dirt, the worn-through brown carpet, and what looked like a blood stain in the middle of the room. She lingered on the second-hand green sofa with a spring sticking out at an awkward angle. Before she knew it, her gaze had returned to the corner she was now sitting in.

"It's cozy. Nothing a little paint won't fix" she said, nodding at Remus' doubtful expression. Eventually her smile faded. "Alright," she said, looking back to the excuse for a kitchen. "It is terrible."

Remus laughed suddenly, falling back on to the mattress. "This is where I live now," he was in hysterics.

Lily giggled a little. "At least it's close to work," she said and almost immediately joined him in the laughter, collapsing on top of him. "This is the worst flat ever, Remus. Congratulations!"

They laughed together for a few minutes, rolling around on the mattress in the ridiculousness of it all. When they had finished laughing and lay on their backs, looking up at the water-damaged ceiling, Remus wrapped an arm around Lily's shoulders.

"You can come to dinner anytime you want," she said, still laughing.

"I'll bring you a book," he said flatly. "I get a 20 discount as a Flourish and Blotts employee." He laughed harshly again.

"Remus," Lily turned her head to look at him. "You'll be fantastic, I know it. No matter how pathetic you feel now, it'll all work out. Watch."

"Thanks Lily," he squeezed her shoulders and they looked back up to the ceiling. Two pairs of eyes found what looked like a crack.

"Come on," Lily said. "I'll buy you a drink."

"Despite all of our suggestions, Tiberius Ogden has insisted on going on his annual holiday to the Lakes District next week," Moody growled, scratching at a large gash on his left forearm. "So, I think it would be wise for a few of us to keep an eye on the idiot."

His small beady eyes glanced around the table in the old Prewett home. There was a view of the 15th century Dover castle out of the window Sirius was facing. He couldn't help remembering that about half a mile to his left was Dorcas' childhood home. He began to remember the Easter Holiday they had spent there, but immediately shook the thought from his head when he saw Dorcas sitting next to Gideon Prewett – the Auror who had inherited the home they were now in.

Moody continued to look around the table; no one in the Order seemed particularly enthusiastic to baby-sit the cranky Wizengamot elder.

"I'll go," Gideon finally said. "Assuming I'll be excused from work." He nodded at Moody.

Moody shrugged.

"Fabian?" Gideon turned to his twin brother on his left side.

"Of course," Two identical faces smiled broadly at each other.

"Fantastic," Moody said wearily. "Moving on, there is a really shaky lead about a Death Eater attack against Jason Cole happening sometime in the next week. After that comment he made in the Prophet, it's sort of inevitable."

"He's a valuable ally," James proclaimed; feeling a great sense of loyalty to the outspoken journalist. "We should follow that one up."

"Those were my thoughts," Moody nodded, twitching a little.

"A good number of us should go," James thought out loud, drumming his fingers on the table. "If they are going to attack, we should be ready. At least four or five of us need to check it out."

"I agree with James," Sturgis Podmore popped in, his thick blond hair falling into his face. "At least four."

"Well then," Dumbledore looked around the table from his place. "Who's volunteering?"

"Well, of course, I'm going," James said definitively. He paused before looking to Lily. He didn't say anything, just gave her a meaningful glance.

"Yes, James," she said quietly and without opening her mouth much. "I'll come."

"Sirius?"

The black-haired mannodded without much thinking, still staring at the huge medieval castle in the window. "Definitely."

"Remus?" Lily looked at the pale man next to her.

"I have to work," he said peevishly, looking at the table. "The new Gary Lotter book is coming out next week. They need everyone."

"Right…"

James looked to the fourth Marauder, who could rarely be counted on for real action. "Peter?"

Peter turned a ghastly shade of white. "I…I…I…Its my Mum's birthday, I promised I'd stay."

There was a very obvious rustling of clothing as the entire order shifted uncomfortably in their seats. James swallowed hard. "Well, we can't anger Mum now, can we?" He sighed.

"I'll come, James," Sturgis volunteered eagerly.

"Great," James smiled, nodding enthusiastically. "So, that's four. We should probably have one more, just in case."

"Why don't you come, Dorcas?" Sturgis looked at the reserved witch sitting next to him. "It'll be a good starting point for you. Not that you need help, you've had more first-hand experience with Death Eaters than I have."

Dorcas looked a little taken aback, but she quickly righted her face and, unable to say anything, nodded awkwardly. "Alright," she finally got out.

Sirius caught her eye and her lips pursed together as her glance went to the table.

"Wonderful," Dumbledore stood, suddenly breaking the tension between the ex-lovers. "I have arranged a wonderful surprise for us all today. A photographer is coming to immortalize the importance of this group. So if we could all file outside, I believe he is waiting for us."

A/N: Okay...I'm back, officially...So sorry for that RIDDICULOUSLY long hiatus. Things were definitely crazy. Plus I lost all my outlines in the process of moving so, I had to re-plan a chunkof the story. I am, however, back. The action on my story over the past two weeks was a little editing. I had a few comments about innaccuracies in the story and, so, being the worshipper of Canon I am, I felt the need to fix. Plus I flushed a little of my long dialouges out with some description. Overall, I think it was a good thing to do. The story is better now. Anyway...I know this chapter was a little slow, but stay tuned: Chap 47 will match the rest of my insanely dramatic epic tale.