It's loud. She wants to wake up because the noise is unbearable; shouts and screams of pain, cries of people dying. All she could see was red. Rivers of blood streaking down flesh, pooling on stone. Red eyes. She wants to wake up but she can't. She never went to sleep. Someone is trying to speak to her, asking her if she's all right. She doesn't know. She's never had one this loud. The noise seemed to choke the breath out of her.

She sees flashes; a broken house … parents hugging a baby … a terrifying man with red eyes … a group of four, fierce in nature…

She gasped dramatically as her breath came back to her, enough that she could say the words that weren't her own.

"The ones with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born in betrayal in the year of fidelity … wolf, dog, stag and doe … in unity they have the power the Dark Lord knows not … the final battle will end when either dies at the hand of the other, for neither can live whilst the other survives … the ones with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches as the tenth month dies…"

Her brain cleared, heart pounding.

"Okay?" he asked and she nodded. "You — I think you just had a prophecy about You-Know-Who."

"That doesn't make sense. He has nothing to do with me!"

He tapped her nose, "You know that's not how it works. What are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

This assignment or mission or whatever sucked, was Remus' most notable observation. James and Sirius had been right — insufferable gits — when they said Remus didn't have to do this. Of course Remus didn't have to do this but if not Remus, who else? But looking around the dank underground, with it's stone arched ceilings and the dozens of tents crowding the area, voices echoing loudly Remus deduced that anyone else would have been better.

City Road Tube Station was tiled onto the walls. It was a muggle train station, abandoned in the fifties and the werewolves, outcasted and in need of sanctuary, did what wizards do best with abandoned muggle buildings. They hid it from the muggle eye — making sure it looked viably abandoned and dangerous to go in — and set up a camp for werewolves. Some came because they were intrigued but most came because they had to. Most of these people were criminals or beggars, the worst were the ones who used magic to steal from muggles. Remus hardly fit in with this sort of crowd but he found a non-offensive group of people to plant his tent next to.

Jim and Chris Richmond were brothers, a few years apart from each other, their home, like Remus', had been attacked by a werewolf and they had both been bitten, Jim when he was thirteen and Chris when he was ten. They seemed the most normal out of the lot. They pick-pocketed to make ends meat but "Only of the filthy rich sort — you know the snooty pure-blood type" Jim had explained and of course Remus was all to well with those type having just broken into one of their manors and so decided that the Richmond brothers were the lesser of evils in this dungeon.

The next person of the group found Remus. He spotted her as she walked towards him. She reminded him of the sun. Honey blonde hair hung down to her waist in a thick, shiny sheet and a fringe falling into her gold eyes. She had sun-kissed skin wearing a knitted yellow dress with a short grey cloak. Her eyes found his staring ones and she smiled as though she had found what she was looking for which was ridiculous because why would she be looking for Remus, she didn't even know Remus.

She walked right up to Remus, conjured a chair next to his and sat down as though invited and said, "I'm glad to see werewolves get five star luxury in London." The accent surprised him. Not British but American.

"You new?" Remus asked, wanting to know if she was newly turned.

"New to the country, not new to the disease."

"Interesting way of putting it."

"A disease, by definition, is a disorder of structure or function in a human or animal. What would you call it?"

"Something much less kind."

"Hm, are you some pretentious pure-blood brought up with the ideology that werewolves are beasts worse than dementors who was recently turned and can't live with himself?"

"Zero out of three. My mother is a muggle. My dad a Ministry man — not overly wealthy but enough to support us. Dementors aren't beasts and I was turned when I was five."

She gawked. "Five?"

Remus shrugged. "It is what it is. You said you were new to the country?"

"New York."

"Oh so that's what the awful accent was."

"Hmm, if you're parents are okay financially why are you in a hole like this?"

Remus shrugged. "Maybe I'm just accepting my path."

"Your path?"

"Every werewolves path, you know the descent into poverty and crime because we can't hold jobs longer than three or six months and everyone you tell stares at you like you're an abomination."

"You say it like it's your fault."

"Sometimes it feels like it is."

"That's bullshit. It's theirs. Theirs and the fear that drove them to shun us despite the fact that we're as harmless as any human soul every other day of the month. I don't see why those of us who take precautions are outcasted. We didn't do anything wrong except have the unfortunate misfortune to get bitten."

Remus smiled, genuinely smiled and stuck his hand out to her. "Remus Lupin."

"You're shitting me right?"

"Hmm?"

"Remus Lupin. Your name is Werewolf Werewolf."

"Er, what?"

"Remus is a name from Ancient Rome, the brother Remus and Romulus fought to death over the control of Rome and they were raised by — get this — a wolf. Lupin is literally latin for 'wolf-like'. You my friend, were destined for this."

Remus frowned, thoroughly unhappy at this revelation. "Do me a favour, don't tell my mates this. They'll never let me live it down."

Haley laughed softly and said, "Will do."

"So what's your name then?" After a beat. "Don't worry I won't analyse it."

She laughed again, "Haley Daniels. You don't mind if I park my tent here, do you?"

"Not at all."

Remus pretended to be occupied as she turned her attention to her bag, pulling out her tent and using magic to erect it quickly. She disappeared inside for a few minutes before coming back out with two mugs of hot cocoa. She handed one to Remus as she sat down.

"Oh, thanks, you didn't have to."

"Consider it a peace offering. I was sixteen when I got bit."

"That must've been tough. Sometimes, sometimes I think it's better that I was bitten so young. I don't remember anything different — not anything substantial anyways."

Haley nodded. "When I got bit, it was the end of my world. I couldn't go to school anymore, anything I was thinking about career wise was shot to hell." She shook her head. "It was a tough time."

"I'll bet."

"You know, you don't sound like a person who's never been to school."

"That's because I did go to school," Remus replied. "Hogwarts."

"But you were bitten when-"

"I know, my parents didn't think I'd be able to go either but Professor Dumbledore came over one day and said there wasn't any reason why I shouldn't go to school as long as precautions were taken."

"Precautions?"

"Secret tunnel guarded by a whomping willow that led to an abandoned shack, reinforced by Dumbledore himself to hold me in."

"That's — you're school had a whomping willow?"

"That's what you got out of all that?"

"You're lucky that you had a Professor like Dumbledore. He's something of a legend over in the States."

"He's a bit of a legend around these parts too."

From there the two chatted about the differences between Illvermony and Hogwarts comparing everything from teachers to houses to buildings versus castle. Eventually, Chris and Jim joined in on the side of Hogwarts but interested in hearing about what other magical education was like.

They all stayed up late talking huddled around the blue flames that Haley had conjured — warmer than normal flames. Remus had meant to subtly bring up the war — that was his mission after all; to find out what side the werewolves would be on — but the opportunity eluded Remus as light hearted talk about school memories and family floated out of each of them. There'd be tomorrow and the days after that, he supposed. This really wasn't a mission with a time stamp on it.

Alice lounged in her bed as she watched Marlene and Adaline try to put up a shield charm that Alice had been taught by Moody. Technically, she shouldn't be showing them this, in fact, she could get thrown out of the Auror Training program if she did but they were in the Order and no doubt a shield like that would come in handy.

It was a powerful charm performed silently and it created an invisible wall that absorbed the energy of spells that hit it. In theory, if your shield gained enough energy, you should be able to push the shield forward to knock your opponent back.

None of them were taking it very seriously — after all this was one of the only times three of them had been able to meet up just to hang since Alice's wedding. A bottle of firewhiskey sat on the desk, each of the girls holding a glass with a sizeable amount of the drink in it as Alice flicked mostly harmless jinxes towards Adaline and Marlene.

"Oi, that almost hit me!" Marlene said affronted before dissolving in laughter.

"Well then you're not doing the spell very well," Alice shot back.

"When's Frank get home?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "He's on a super, duper secret mission with the Order so hopefully sometime this week."

"This week?" Adaline exclaimed.

Alice shrugged then. He'd only left this afternoon, which was why she'd invited the girls over. The house felt big when it was two of them but on her own, it felt like a creepy mansion. He hadn't been able to tell her much about the mission except that he might not be home for a few days.

"Life of being in the Order, I suppose. Del, your making your movements to wide. The tighter it is, the more power you can channel."

"The more power you can channel," Marlene sniggered. "God, Al."

"It's how Moody said it," Alice said with a sly smile.

"Merlin, that makes it even funnier," Adaline giggled. "The more power you can channel. Constant vigilance!"

"No, no, no — you didn't say it with enough force," Marlene shook her head. "He's more like: The more power you can channel! CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" The girls dissolved into laughter.

"Merlin, he's an intense man."

"He's not so bad," Alice shrugged.

"Yeah, okay," Marlene huffed. "That's like saying Dumbledore isn't brilliant."

"You're probably just use to him."

"Probably," Alice agreed. "He's a great teacher though. He's seen so much that you just know that he's teaching you the good stuff. The stuff that'll keep you alive but, Merlin! Duelling him makes me want to die. Honestly, the way he duels, you'd think we were the Death Eaters."

Silence fell over the girls, all simultaneously taking a sip of their drinks. Alice smirked before hitting Marlene with a small stinging hex.

"OI!"

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Adaline shouted and that was all it took for the girls to dissolve into laughter again.

It was peaceful here. James' low, excited voice was telling her the story of the lost treasure of Merlin as they stood at the helm of the old ship. It was the oldest ship in wizarding history and rumoured to belong to Merlin himself. It was perfectly preserved at the docks of a small wizarding village called Earlsea.

This was where James had taken her after Euphemia all but kicked them out of the house after bringing Fleamont home. It was a relief that Euphemia didn't seem so worried that she wanted her and James to stay at home but also Lily felt exhausted after the last few weeks. From Voldemort attacking and her mum dying to finally closing the book with Petunia to Snape's potion to Fleamont's accident — the exhaustion had seeped into her bones and she felt like she wanted to sleep for eons.

She couldn't say any of this though. James' parents may be alive but his dad had just lost eyesight in one eye and become colourblind in the other, not to mention the scaring on his face. This was difficult for James and if being somewhere like this cheered him up, she'd do it gladly even if she had a muted wish to be lying at the bottom of the ocean where the water blocked out all the noise.

"This was my favourite place when I was a kid."

"I'll bet it was your favourite story too," Lily smirked.

"Mum told it to me most nights."

"At your request."

"You got me."

"It's strange to think what we would've been in those times, who we would've become."

"Oh, we'd be outlawed pirates on the seven seas chasing adventure."

"Yes, I could imagine you and Sirius wrecking havoc on the seas. Me though, I'm not so sure."

He wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe not at first but one day our ship would dock in your village and we'd meet and you'd run away from Petunia with me. I'd just be that charming, you wouldn't be able to resist."

Lily laughed. "And we'd live happily ever after."

"You'd force us to teach you how to fight with a sword and we'd get married one day and have a cute pirate baby that would take over our legacy."

"Our legacy?" Lily quirked her brow.

"Most notorious and richest pirates ever — eluding escape from the red coats and conquering any ship that dares to battle us. We'd be pirate royalty."

Lily laughed delicately, enjoying this little make-belief life of theirs. Life of adventure on the sea sounded so much simpler than the reality they faced.

"Keep talking, Potter, and I might insist we commandeer this ship and do just that."

"There aren't any pirates anymore, not like there used to be."

"Already a few hundred steps closer to becoming the King and Queen of Pirates," Lily joked.

James turned her around to kiss her deeply and she could feel herself blushing because there were mothers with little kids and older folk also wandering around the ship but she couldn't find it in herself to care. Instead she hummed lowly into the kiss and hugged him closer, needing him after the last few days they'd had. In this kiss, she could ignore everything around her and pretend that they were kissing at the helm of their ship, victorious after a long a hard battle.

James pulled away and rested his forehead on hers, his eyes such an intense gold that Lily could happily stare into them for the rest of her life. Such a gold had to be treasure for sure and in that moment she was jealous of his god damned eyes because he looked like the whole damn sun and she had green. What even was green? Nowhere near as interesting as gold.

"What?" he murmured at her intense stare.

"Mm, just thinking your eyes are like the sun."

"Yours are like a forest." Lily scrunched up her face and he chuckled, "Forests are cool. I quite like forests."

"And I quite like the sun."

They moved back onto land after a while, talking quietly to each other about nothing important in particular before stopping at a fish and chip shop and taking an order to go. They sat at a picnic table by the sea, sitting opposite each other when James asked:

"Do you think Moony will be okay?"

"Only a few more days before you get to see him," Lily said softly. "I'm sure he's fine. He looked after the lot of you for seven years, I'm sure he can handle himself."

James chewed his bottom lip. "It's just odd, him splitting off to do his own mission without any of us. We were always, like a team or something."

Lily, thinking of her conversation with Fleamont the other day, said, "A pack."

"It's just weird knowing he's not at our beck and call, you know?"

Lily did know. The four of them would drop heaven and hell for each other if either of them gave the word to.

"He'll be all right," Lily assured James, grabbing his hand tightly.

They spent the rest of the day in each other's company talking about all the things that had escaped them before. They'd both been so busy between James' Quidditch practices, Lily's full time work at the Ministry, visiting James' dad at the hospital and Lily brewing as much of the potion as she could at nights after work — a task that took from the moment she got home until the moment she went to bed. They'd barely had time to chat passed all the important, immediate things.

Lily felt the calmest she'd felt since her mother's passing and since James now knew about the project she was working on at the Ministry, Lily started telling him all about it and she loved him so much more when he sat there for a half hour as she told him all these nerdy facts about charms.

"You know, Mulciber showed me something pretty cool."

"Francis Mulciber?" James raised his brow.

"Don't look at me like that. You know I have to become friends with him for the Order."

"Doesn't mean I have to like it," James uttered.

"Yes, well I don't like it much either but he showed me something and it was pretty cool."

"You've called it 'pretty cool' twice now. It must be so cool."

She nudged him. "Did you know you can stop a spell in midair?"

James furrowed his brows. "What you mean like a shield charm?"

"No, I mean like just stopping a spell." Lily looked around out of habit but they were in a wizarding town. There wouldn't be muggles for miles. "Watch." She shot a stunner at a nearby tree but before it could hit, the spell stopped in midair, forming into a small ball the size of a snitch and then with a flick of her wand, the streak of red shot straight into the air, exploding like fireworks.

"How'd you do that?"

"Magic is an extension of us, so if you concentrate enough, you should be able to do it to any spell you cast."

"Huh. Show me," James said eagerly and so Lily showed him again before talking him through how to do it. He managed quite well, slowing his spells down but he couldn't quite manage setting them in a different direction.

Eventually, they settled on a picnic blanket, lying down facing up at the sky and huddling under James' cloak.

"I've been thinking," Lily started.

"Didn't know you could think."

Lily nudged him and told him to shove it before continuing. "I think I should move out."

That got James' attention. He turned to face her and she did the same. "Lils, you don't have to think about this yet. You're mum … she only passed away three weeks ago." Lily looked down, her fingers playing with the blanket they lay on. She wished he hadn't mentioned her mum. "Hey," he said softly, his fingers on her chin guiding her face back to his, "I didn't mean to mention her but I just don't want you making any big decisions whilst you're still grieving."

"I guess the next part isn't going to go down so well either," Lily mused and at James' expectant gaze she continued, "I think I should move out and I think you should come with me."

"I — wait, what? Are you asking if we should move in together?"

"No, I'm saying we should move in together."

"Oh."

Lily frowned. "Oh?" She sat up confused. She hadn't been scared to ask because she thought she wouldn't have to convince him. She had thought he'd be onboard and excited.

"It's just — my parents!" he exclaimed. "Especially dad, I don't want to leave him and you're mum just died — shit I'm sorry I brought it up again."

"Well, we wouldn't move out straight away. I mean we still have to actually find an apartment. But I was hoping maybe by the end of the year we'd have our own place — together. Do you," she coughed, "Do you not want to?"

He sat up, cupping her face in his hands, "Hey, you know it's not about that. Of course I want to but," he sighed. "A lot of things have been happening the last few weeks and we both know that if you're mum was still here, we wouldn't be having this discussion right now. I'm just — I'm not saying no, love. I'm saying let's give it another few weeks and then we'll talk about it properly. Is that okay?" he asked the last part hesitantly and she knew he was sincere. He just wanted some more time and she could give him that.

Living at his parents place was nice but it wasn't home for her but it was for James so she could understand his hesitancy to immediately agree to move out even though she hadn't seen it coming. Of course he didn't want to leave his elderly parents to live at home by themselves, especially after Fleamont's accident.

As much as she loathed to admit it, he also had a point about her mum. If her mum were still alive, she wouldn't have brought up this conversation as soon as she did, in fact she probably would have waited from him to say something first.

She nodded and his face relaxed as he brought her in to sit on his lap. "You know, I love you," he whispered in her ear sending something warm through her entire body.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him close because she did know and she was so, so terribly, audaciously lucky.

It was time. He was kicked out of the house by his own mother to go be with Ella because it was "really sweet of you, dear, to stay at home to be there for Lily and James but you've barely seen Ella in two weeks!" Little did she know that that was the whole point of coming home — to avoid Ella and to be able to just think away from her expectant stares. The stare that told him he should know what to do but he didn't know what to do. How could he know what to do?

He had three options; the first two were the more realistic options and the third would be what he considered the lucky option. Option one was to stay, screw it all up and resent everything in ten years becoming a worse parent than his own parents. Option two was to leave and let Ella raise the baby alone. Option three was to stay and have everything turn out fine — it wouldn't be the life he'd ever imagined for himself but he'd have a woman who loved him and a kid to adore.

Sirius never considered himself lucky. Lucky people don't end up with racist families who disinherit them but Sirius thought it was time to go on a bit of faith so it was with a hesitant step that he pushed open the door to his and Ella's apartment. He knew she'd be home, he'd confirmed with Marlene who'd looked at him with a knowing and proud smile.

"Marls, is that you? I haven't got lunch ready yet! You're early and — oh," she came out of their bedroom and stopped short staring at Sirius from the end of the corridor and this was why he had to try.

The very sight of her had his mind working in overdrive. She wasn't even anything special in an old pair of pyjamas with a stain on the chest and bed hair that rivalled James' normal hair and yet Sirius couldn't think one rational thought.

"Sirius," she breathed, her face full of hope and relief all in one, as though she'd known he'd come and yet had been scared he wouldn't at the same time. "You're here."

"I'm here and I'm in." He closed the door behind him and stepped closer towards her.

"What?"

"You asked if I was in or out and I'm in. I'm all in, baby."

"Really?"

"I'm still scared out of my wits to do this but I'm going to try, okay? I'm going to try and do this and be better than what I had because that's," he stopped for a second, he'd never said it out loud and now it seemed like it fit perfectly, "that's our baby."

Ella's face lit up in happiness as she rushed up to him and wrapped her legs around his waist as he caught her with an 'omph'. She kissed him deeply the kiss holding everything she couldn't say. Thank you for not leaving. Thank you for being the man I love. Thank you for showing up. And so Sirius poured everything he couldn't say into the kiss back. I'm sorry for leaving at all. I'm sorry for making you wait. I'm sorry for doubting that this could work.

"I love you," she whispered into his lips.

"I love you, too."

"Does this mean we have to start telling people?" Ella scrunched up her face. "I mean, how do you think Mr and Mrs Potter will take it?"

Sirius chuckled as he let her slide her feet to the floor. "You know, you can call them Mia and Monty. Lily does."

"But how do you think they'd take it?"

Sirius shrugged. "Not much they can do about it now, is there?" But at the worried look on Ella's face he added, "I'm sure Mia will have knitted the baby an entire wardrobe by the time it's born."

"So you think she'll be happy about it?"

"Yeah," Sirius nodded. "I do."

Everyone's reaction — save Marlene and James who decided acting mock surprised was the best way to go — was genuinely surprised to the news when they casually announced it at a Sunday lunch at the Potters.

"You're — what! Oh my god!" Lily squealed, completely gobsmacked in Sirius' opinion before she threw her arms around both Ella and Sirius. "Congratulations!"

"Yes, congratulations to this completely shocking news," James agreed, stepping in to join the hug. Sirius elbowed him and Lily smacked him lightly on the arm conveying disbelief that he didn't tell her.

"Wow guys, jumping the wand much," Frank teased, clapping Sirius on the back.

"Had to win at something," Sirius shrugged. "You guys got married, we got knocked-up."

"What are you winning at exactly?" Marlene quirked a brow.

"Uh, being an adult."

"Yeah, I think that's still going to come with time," Ella said.

Lunch was then filled with when did they find out and why didn't they tell everyone sooner and Euphemia had the house elves whip up a cake for dessert to celebrate and Fleamont brought out a sixty year old bottle of champagne. Despite all this though, something didn't feel … right and it wasn't just the fact that Remus wasn't there. He felt like there was something everyone wasn't saying.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked his surrogate mother when he was helping her clear the kitchen. She had been gracious to Ella — had even taken the news considerably well and to an eye that didn't know Euphemia Potter, nothing at all was wrong. But Sirius Black was an eye that knew Euphemia. He could tell from the slightest hum in her voice, the slightly disappointed look in her eye that all was not as it seemed.

"Hmm?" she asked, busying herself with putting leftovers in the fridge.

"I know that Ella being pregnant isn't, well, ideal but we're going to make it work."

"I know you'll try, sweetie."

Sirius bit the corner of his lip. "So you don't think we can make it work. Why?"

"It's not that I don't think you can make it work … it's that I do."

Sirius furrowed his brows. "You've lost me. You're not happy about the fact that Ella and I can have a baby and make it work?"

"I'm not happy about the fact that you won't be happy." Euphemia finally turned to look at her son. "Ella is lovely but I never saw you two making it long term."

"I — you don't know anything about us." Sirius crossed his arms across his chest and stared stoically at the wall beside Euphemia's head.

"That may be true and, Sirius, it's not that I have any ill-wish towards Ella or you-"

"But you just think we shouldn't be together."

"I think you two are what each other need for right now. Maybe one day you'll understand or maybe we'll find I'm completely wrong, in which case I give you full consent to say 'I told you so'."

Sirius frowned not sure what to make of all of this so he latched onto something else. "What about the baby? Are you happy about the baby?"

"Of course," she grinned from ear to ear, "Ideal or not, that's my grand baby."

Marlene was having the worst day she could remember having in a long time. The emergency room was full of patients sick with flus and common colds and it was all she could do to see the first patient out of the exam room before the second one came rushing in. With her wand perched in her hair, Marlene was finally going to have a fifteen minute break. She was going to change out of the filthy scrubs that have been sneezed and coughed on one too many times and she was going to eat a sandwich and down it with a soothing cup of tea and honey.

"Healer Adams? Patient in exam room four is requesting you."

Merlin have mercy, she didn't even make it three steps out of her own exam room. She hesitated. "No one else can take it?"

The nurse smiled in an odd way and said, "You'll want to take this."

Marlene shrugged, maybe it was a good case. Maybe it was something that would make administering pepper ups to people all day worth it. She walked over to exam room four, glancing at the chart the nurse handed her and entered. She spared a moment to glance at the name and froze in the doorway.

"Professor Dumbledore," she said completely gobsmacked because in exam room four sat the elderly Headmaster in his usual outrageous robes (an almost pink colour this time) and cool as can be.

"I was hoping we could talk."

"Oh, er, now's not a great time, the emergency room is packed and-"

"I do have a terrible cough if you'd be so kind to take a look," Professor Dumbledore said with the added effect of a fake cough. Marlene didn't know whether to laugh or have the ground swallow her up. Fake or not, she felt entirely under qualified to be examining Albus Dumbledore — the greatest wizard of their time — for anything.

Marlene looked around hoping for something or someone to save her and when nothing and no one came forward she nodded. "Very well." She pulled out her wand and started a few standard tests. "You said you wanted to talk?" Marlene prompted.

"It's come to my knowledge that you're not sure of your place in the Order and I hope you can forgive me for waiting so long but I do have a role for you."

"To heal people off the books after missions, I know but I was hoping-"

"For a larger role," Dumbledore smiled knowingly. "And you're correct, healing people off the books is part of your role but I see that more as a perk, an extra skill on top of what I really want you to do." He paused for such a long time that Marlene was about to open her mouth to ask when he answered. "I want you to recruit people. I looked into Maria Matthews and Steven Socha and they're a good fit. I remember Mr Socha from Hogwarts — terribly bright student — and Miss Matthews has a glowing recommendation from Beauxbatons. I would be immensely grateful if you could ask them to join and if they accept, introduce them to the Order."

Marlene's arm fell to her side as she stood gobsmacked at Professor Dumbledore. "You want me to recruit people into your very, super secret organisation?"

"Yes, Miss Adams. I'm not all together interested in the skill sets people can learn though they are wonderful perks. I'm more concerned in the attributes someone is born with. Anyone can learn to defend themselves. Anyone can learn to heal but not everyone can read people. Not everyone can talk to a person once and know, without doubt, if they are good or bad. Miss Adams, I believe you have that attribute which is why I hope you accept."

It was a lot for him to ask. One wrong recruit, one mistake could cost the Order everything it stood for. "I have a choice?"

"Of course."

"What — what would this involve exactly?"

"If existing members want to recommend someone, you will check this person out, look into the history, evaluate what you think they could bring to the Order and offer them a chance to fight. Of course all final recruits need to be approved by me."

Marlene nodded, though unsure and said, "Okay," and as soon as she agreed it felt like a weight lifted off her shoulders. She finally knew her true role in the Order.

"Wonderful. I expect to be introduced to Miss Matthews and Mr Socha at your earliest convenience. Have a good day, Miss Adams."

Lily was lounging with Ella in the new apartment and new it was to Lily because with all that had been going on, she hadn't the chance to properly stop by since her and James helped with their boxes. Of course, it was slightly out of the box of what Lily expected and it wasn't because of the muggle posters hanging on the walls or the sleek leather couches or the glass coffee table but rather the three books sitting on said coffee table. What To Expect When You're Expecting by Natasha Donovan. Raising Magical Babies by Helen Burns. Pregnancy Sucks by Ruth Mills. Lily picked up the last book and showed it to Ella with raised brows.

"A really good read, actually," Ella said. "The witch at Flourish and Blotts raved about it and said after reading this one I wouldn't need the other two."

"And?"

"She was right."

Lily aimlessly flicked through the book, absorbing absolutely nothing from it before putting it down and standing up.

"Leaving already?" Ella asked.

"Got to get to headquarters and update Gid. You can come if you like, leave them," she gestured to whatever James and Sirius were working on in the kitchen, "To collude in peace."

Ella laughed and agreed so when they walked into Headquarters they were still talking lightly about Ella's fears of becoming a mum and Lily doing her best to assure her. They walked down into the kitchen to a rather tense scene of Moody and Fenwick yelling at each other.

"Er, is Gid around?" Lily interrupted them.

"No — no one is around and we've an emergency," Moody barked.

"What kind of emergency?" Ella asked.

"A house with the dark mark over it. Muggle area. We need someone to investigate but no one is available."

Lily and Ella glanced at each other and then Ella stepped forward. "We're available."

Moody eyed them. "Like I said, no one's available."

"We just said we were," Ella fought.

"You've no experience in the field."

"And we're not going to if you keep benching us. We can do this," Ella fought. "Besides you said the Dark Mark was up which means the Death Eaters have moved on already and it's just an empty house."

It wasn't just an empty house. The scene was horrific and Lily clasped Ella's hand tightly as they walked through. The front door had been blasted opened, it lay flat on the floor wobbling precariously as they stepped on it. The telly in the living room was still running, the latest newsreel talking about the unexpected traffic on a freeway. Four people sat slumped at the dinner table and Lily's breath hitched.

The oldest man was only in his mid thirties but his eyes were blank, the terrified look on his face forever there, looking at his wife. She was pretty with blonde perfectly permed hair — she reminded Lily of Petunia — and the scared look on her face like a scar distorting her face, the last thing she saw the faces of her children. They were little — too little to die. Only around eight and ten, Lily guessed. This perfect little family. They would have been picturesque. The dad with the pretty wife. A son and a daughter. The perfect set.

They were just eating dinner and a flash of Lily's mother stabbing herself to save Lily and James flashed into her mind. They had just been eating dinner too.

Ella squeezed Lily's hand tightly before letting go. "We have to figure out who they were," Ella whispered so quietly because noise would surely disrupt this place.

They separated, Lily to the keys and wallet on the bench and Ella to a handbag by the living room door. Lily opened the wallet and pulled out the driver's license. Mark Roberts. 34. A creak in the floors had Lily dropping the wallet and whirling around with her wand up only to sigh.

"Damn it, Ella," she hissed. To say her nerves were on edge was an understatement.

"Sorry. Her name is Eva Roberts. 32. The place seems muggle."

Lily nodded in agreement but before she could say anything the floorboards creaked again and out of the hallway stepped in Severus Snape only to face the wand of Lily Evans.

Her body was so tense she may as well have been a statue. The both of them stood staring at each other, one pleading for forgiveness with his sad, black eyes, and the other burning every memory she could ever remember with him. Gone were all the times they lay on the grass counting clouds as children, gone were all the times they sat under the willows by the lake doing homework together and gone were all the reasons why she thought he deserved to live.

"Lily," he pleaded and God he sounded so pathetic and the second her name was out of his lips, her fist collided with his eye because he didn't have the right to say her name at all, least of all like that.

"That is for telling him where I live!" She pushed her fist forward again, the sickening crush of his nose giving her satisfaction she never thought she could feel. She was about to hit him again but his mouth opened.

"I didn't. I would never." He sounded like he believed it and it made her so angry that fists weren't enough. She wanted to decimate him.

"Spare me the fucking lies, Snape! She's dead because of you! He killed my mother because of you!"

"I didn't tell the Dark Lord where you live. I don't know how he found out."

"Fuck off, Snape," Ella hissed, "Before we cut off whatever is left of your balls."

"No one asked you, blood traitor," he said with such venom in his voice and then turning sickeningly sweet again as he looked at Lily. "I promise you, I didn't do this."

"You also promised me that the magical world was fantastic! That everyone in it was wonderful! That it was magic! And that was all bullshit! Fucking bullshit! This world is just like everything else! It's shit, and cruel, and manipulative and I hate you! I hate you down to my very core because you told a little girl that she had nothing to fear about this new magical world but I did! I did and you knew it! In fact you were the very person I had to fear and you fooled me time and time again. Well, no more! So say whatever the hell you want to me but just know that I know everything you say is utter bullshit and I blame you."

"And why wouldn't I!" Lily shouted as he stared at her unable to stop. "Look at what you and the people you've allied yourself with do! This family — this young family who were just trying to eat dinner — what the hell did they ever do to you! What threat could they have possibly posed!" They both stared at each other and then his eyes flickered to Ella as though begging for a way out.

"Don't look at me you sack of shit. Answer her."

"I — I — Lily, please-"

"Don't say my name and answer the fucking question! Better yet! Why don't I answer it for you?" she proposed. "Which one of the kids were muggle-born?"

"Blood traitors," Snape whispered. "She was my cousin."

"So you were just pruning your family tree," Lily said disgusted.

"I was," he agreed. "And if you stay with Potter, you will forever be targeted. The Potter's have enemies and they'll come after you. You should get out of the country, Lily. Leave him and save yourself."

"I'm not a coward like you so hear this. We are done." Lily turned to Ella. "Let's go. We know what we needed to know."

Ella grabbed Lily's hand and with a twist and a crack they were in Ella's apartment and Lily looked around for a moment as her body released all the tension and a statue she was no longer. A cry escaped her lips and it sounded so strangled and angry and loud, bouncing off of the walls so long it would haunt all who heard it.

In the other room, James and Sirius glanced at each other before jumping up and scrambling into the living room. They found Lily clutching at her head, crying. Crying like the whole god damned world was falling apart around her.

"What happened?" James shouted at Ella whilst approaching Lily but she stepped back from him.

"No, no, no!" she cried. "I can't — I can't!"

"It's Snape — he was there and they had it out. It was bad."

"Weren't you at Headquarters?" Sirius asked but James waved him off. The how wasn't important at the moment.

"Lily — Lils," James said, stepping closer to her. He didn't know how to help her, he wasn't even sure what happened but what he did know was that he had to find a way because she was breaking in front of him. Tears streamed down her red blotched, face and her hair was frazzled and wild.

"I can't," she shouted at him. James noticed from the corner of his eye Ella and Sirius leaving the room.

"Can't what?"

"Everyone's gone! They've taken everything from me! Everything!" she screamed. "Petunia, my innocence, Snape, my mum! And one day they're going to take you too! They kill everything good! Everyone good!"

James stepped forward and grabbed her hands. "They couldn't pry me away from you with the force of the universe if they had it, Evans."

Lily looked up into his eyes and licked her lips, shaking her head. "You don't know that."

"I do," he told her. "Because I don't want to be here if I'm not with you. So I do know."

"You don't — you don't," she didn't know if she was saying it as a sentence or a plead for him to prove her wrong. "You're all I have left."

"That's right," James agreed. "You have me and one day, we're going to get married and have kids and have a family of our own because me and you, we're gonna change the world."

"You can't know that," Lily sniffed.

James studied her for a moment, wiping her tears away with his thumbs and fixing her hair. "I do because I believe in us and we're not going to stop until we're safe. You hear me?"

She wouldn't look him in the eyes so he cupped her face, his whole world in his hands, "Hey," he said softly, "Do you hear me?"

She looked up into his sun filled eyes and nodded her head. James sighed in relief and pulled her into a hug as she let out another sob. "I hear you, I hear you, I hear you," she repeated, into his neck.

Remus needed an excuse to leave the underground which is fine because it wasn't unusual for people to leave the sanctuary only that it was unusual for Remus to leave. He decided to bank his excuse with Haley. She was nice and he hoped she could understand his fake excuse of leaving to visit his parents without too many questions and as though scripted, she said, "Of course, I'll cover for you."

Remus left the sanctuary with his hood pulled up and walked three blocks before finding a quiet, secluded alley to apparate from. He landed in Knockturn Alley and shivered. He did always hate the creepy lane with it's dark shops displaying human skulls and animal skeletons. He glanced around the alley and didn't know whether to feel comforted or worried that there was no one else in sight. Pushing it aside, he walked into the grimy tavern he'd apparated in front of. Skull and Bone was even dirtier than the Hog's Head. Sticky tables were placed around with no specific order with stools shoved underneath and everyone in here wore their cloaks drawn up and hoods up. Remus stuck his hand in his pocket, his fingers wrapped around his wand just in case as he surveyed the room for James.

Before his gaze could wonder too far, he spotted a pair of glasses peaking out of a hood with two pints on the table in front of him. Remus made his way over and slid into the opposite seat. He went to pick up the pint but James stopped him.

"I wouldn't drink unless you fancy a trip to Mungo's."

Remus smirked and put the drink down. "It's good to see you, James."

"And you. Are you alright? You haven't run into any trouble have you? Because if you have I'm totally down for acting as a werewolf to kick some butt."

Remus smiled because he knew James would — they all would — and it filled his heart to know he had friends like that. "Please, anyone who messes with me isn't going to be scared of you."

James laughed. "All right, you got me," James conceded. "But really, how is it?"

Remus shrugged. "It's a bit like camping except underground so it stinks something awful. Haven't found out much news that could help the Order yet though. Still too new but I've made a few … acquaintances. Jim and Chris Richmond, steal off the rich. And a lady, Haley Daniels. She's American."

James' eyebrows shot up. "What's she doing here then?"

Remus shrugged, "She said she was travelling."

"Hell of a time to come. Doesn't she know we're in a war?"

Remus shrugged again. "She might just be passing through but she hasn't said anything about moving on from England yet and it's been a week."

"All right well keep being careful. Don't let your guard down. Nobody really expected you to have news yet but the quicker you do-"

"The quicker I can get out," Remus nodded, "I know. I'm doing my best."

James nodded. "I know you are. Now, would you like some news about the outside?"

Remus nodded and so James started with Ella and Sirius being knocked up which irked Remus to no end. Sirius with a baby. That ought to be interesting. Then came a bout of apologies when James told Remus of Fleamont's recent injuries. And then came joy.

"You're really going to propose?"

James nodded with a shy grin. "Yeah. I just, I needed you to know before I did."

Remus smiled slyly, "Hopefully she says yes the first time, aye?"

"Oh sod off, you prick."

Alice slipped into the huge hall with no disguise. She wore navy robes tied at her waist and heels that were not the best choice for an undercover mission. She'd been chosen not because they believed she could do this but because she was the only one with a legitimate reason to be there despite her true loyalties.

Alice would never had accepted the invitation in normal circumstances but as it had it, she and Emmeline decided to show the Order at an impromptu meeting that consisted of Alice, Emmeline, Frank, Moody and the Prewett brothers.

"She's a competent fighter," Moody said. "She's top of her class."

"She's only in first year!" Emmeline argued.

"It's simple recon, she'll be in, see what the lunatic has to say and out," Frank pointed out. "There wouldn't be any fighting involved."

Alice, bored with their pointless arguing, said, "I can do this, Emmy. I know the risks."

So Alice found herself in the midst of would-be Death Eaters, people who sympathised with Voldemort's cause and she sat at a seat ten rows from the back. The room was large, with a grand domed ceiling and a raised stage at the end of it.

The invitation that had arrived by owl was in her pocket and despite the proof that she could be here, Alice couldn't help feeling out of place. It wasn't because she was surrounded by people she didn't know, it was because she was surrounded by people she did know. The Aitken sisters, Snape, Avery, the Mulciber brothers, and even one or two people from families who didn't outwardly agree with Voldemort, the most surprising of all being James' cousins, Isabella and Eliza Greenglass. The latter at least look more nervous being there but Isabella looked perfectly at home.

Before she had time to dwell on it, Alice's own cousin stepped out onto the stage and started a long winded speech that made Alice want to roll her eyes. Bellatrix talked about how muggle-borns were ruining wizarding traditions and culture and how they were stealing jobs off of pure-bloods. She badmouthed the Ministry for having a five percent increase in muggle-born hires whereas Alice wondered why the Ministry even kept track of whether an employee was pure-blood, half-blood or muggle-born. As Bellatrix continued, Alice pursed her lips in distaste. Bellatrix made muggle-borns sound like criminals and she was convincing at it. More than half the people in the room, Alice could tell, bought into the bullshit Bellatrix was spreading.

Bellatrix speech finished with a flourish. "I implore you, my friends, my family, to think for yourselves about any time a muggle-born stole from you!" Bellatrix stepped down from the podium as house elves appeared with trays of refreshments and drinks. Alice stood, her chair disappearing and the scene changed to a more social gathering where everyone drew together in groups, chatting and gossiping.

"I'm glad you came, cousin." Alice barely tensed as she turned to face Bellatrix. "I fear your sister is lost and I was afraid for you when you joined the Aurors, but I see now, I needn't have been so worried."

"I'm open to all possibilities," Alice said through a smile. Like the fact you're an adnominal psychopath. "I was glad for the invitation."

"We are about to find out who our true supporters are," Bellatrix said. "We've big plans today. The beginning."

"Beginning of what?"

"We want muggles gone so we've staged a few demonstrations to show how inferior muggles really are. To show how weak they are."

"Oh," Alice said, "Anywhere I should, uh, steer clear of?"

Bellatrix looked at her calculating for a moment and then, "Burlington Arcade."

A/N: Hello everyone! new chapter and hopefully the next one will be up sooner than usual because i do have the next two chapters pretty much done, I'm just messing around with the order of certain events mostly.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Anyway I hope you enjoy! Please review!

-Natalie xx