"You can't just add people into the Order and into our mission," Sirius declared as he bit into an apple. Marlene walked beside him, holding a bunch of books she was checking out of the library, with Remus on the other side of her. He was being annoyingly okay with a Miss Mary MacDonald being assigned to their mission.

"Yes, I can," Marlene replied easily. "Recruiting people into the Order is my job and Moody agreed that she'd be helpful seeing as she was one of the students attacked."

Mary, also hadn't been the last. Since they'd unpetrified the first five students who'd been attacked at the end of the last school year, another student, Martha Lowe, had been found petrified when James and Lily had been away on their honeymoon. Marlene thought the boys could use all the help they could get.

"How do we even know we can trust her?"

"She's a muggle born."

"Yeah so is the she-devil."

"She's Lily's friend."

"Do I really have to use the same example twice?"

"Okay I see your point but unlike the she-devil, Mary never tried to snog any of our boyfriends," Marlene argued and then when Sirius still didn't look convinced. "We know Mary! She's a Gryffindor! We've known her for six years!"

"Do we? I don't even remember her from school." A lie but Sirius was feeling petty.

Remus raised a brow. "You snogged her in fifth year."

"Really? How did it end? Maybe that's why I've blocked her from memory."

Marlene rolled her eyes. "You are the downfall of all men, Black. Honestly, just try to play nice yeah?"

"Don't hold your breath."

Marlene gave him a stern look but Sirius ignored her as he bit into his apple again. He wasn't going to play nice with MacDonald after she elbowed her way onto their mission.

"You really should play nice," Remus said when Marlene was gone but Sirius rolled his eyes.

"She's only going to slow us down."

"You don't know that. She could give us a fresh perspective."

"It's going to take us days just to catch her up to speed on everything not to mention how many Marauder secrets are we going to let her into?" Sirius asked with a raised brow. "I mean, there's the map for starters, then there's the fact we're using our animagus powers to help us, and then we disappear to the Shrieking Shack once a month for your furry problem. I mean are we supposed to tell her these things?"

"I don't see any harm in letting her in on the map. And I'm sure we'll find a way to be discreet about the other two. We always have."

"Mmmhmm and how many hours, days, weeks is that going to cost us?"

"You're being dramatic."

"Am I?"

"Yes."

"We never would've found that hidden stairwell if Peter hadn't been a rat."

"It's going to be fine," Remus insisted.

"So you say."

Annoyingly, Mary MacDonald was an easy person to like. She moved in across the hall from the boys with no fuss and often hung out with them in their shared common room. The four boys quickly got to work catching her up to speed on all their information and like Sirius predicted, it did take days for her to wrap her head around their progress and methods and theories.

"Ahem, my theories," James corrected Sirius.

"Don't you have a wife to go make babies with or something?" Sirius asked. "No one likes a bragger."

"Besides you could be wrong," Peter pointed out.

"I have never been wrong a day in my life."

"I don't think the same James Potter came back from the honeymoon," Remus commented and James flipped him off.

"The way you lot bicker it is a wonder you get anything done at all."

"Listen, MacD, we didn't ask to have you here. In fact, I'd say your level of help to this mission has been less than Peter's."

"You'd still be stuck in the trap stair on the fourth floor if it weren't for me so shove it," Peter bit back at Sirius.

"Touche, my friend. Anyway, as I was saying our theory can only be confirmed by locating the Chamber of Secrets."

"My theory," James muttered.

"Okay, but what else are you guys doing? I mean what if your theory is wrong and there is no Chamber and no basilisk?"

"Glad you asked," James grinned as he pulled out the map. "This here, is a map of the entire school. We track everyone and we've now modified the charm to alert us of any person walking about alone. If the attacker is a student — which I severely doubt — we'll know which student as soon as it happens."

"I'd like to point out that that was my idea," Peter said pointedly looking at Sirius.

"Yeah, no one likes a bragger, Peter," James said.

Sirius was admittedly impressed with how quickly Mary slipped into their way of working but he didn't want her to know that of course. He was still pressed that Moody and Marlene forced this arrangement on them in the first place.

"You're slowing us down, Donald."

Mary smiled sweetly. "You had two months to solve this."

"And we haven't been petrified by a huge ugly snake. I'd say we're doing better than others. I don't want to name names but it rhymes with Wary."

"Really, Wary?"

"Must the two of you always bicker?" Remus asked with a sigh.

"I just don't understand why we aren't searching the third floor where I was petrified."

"Because, Mac, we already searched in great detail all the areas where petrified students were found."

"Are you ever going to say my surname in its whole?"

"It's three syllables. Too long. You're just jealous because there is no easy way to botch my name."

"Yeah, sure thing, Block," she quipped and then, "I just don't think it's a snake."

"Oh, here we go," Sirius muttered. "We've been over this fifteen times."

"It's an interesting theory but I think I would've noticed if a huge snake had been nearby!"

"You clearly haven't been taught how to have constant vigilance. Moody will fix that at the earliest opportunity."

"You not noticing it probably saved your life," Remus pointed out.

"I just don't see the harm in exploring other possibilities."

"We did explore another possibility. Cockatrices."

"A what?"

"A cockatrice. The only other beast that has the ability to petrify. Oh, wait, it couldn't possibly be that either because you didn't see a rooster lizard thing the size of a small dog because you didn't see anything."

"Well, she must've seen a reflection of the basilisks eyes else she wouldn't have been petrified."

"Yes, thank you, Peter, for stating the obvious."

"Happy to help."

"Mr Black."

The sound of Professor McGonagall's voice calling his name from behind still filled him with incessant dread at being caught breaking the rules.

"Professor McGonagall."

"Have you seen Mr Potter?"

"Er, no."

"If you see him send him my way."

She strolled off and Sirius sighed. "Do you think she can still give me detention if she finds out I know James escaped to Hogsmeade to have dinner with Lily?"

"You're not a student anymore," Remus pointed out. "Weren't you supposed to go too, with Ella?"

Sirius rolled his eyes, his relatively happy mood turning sour all too quickly. "She's working late."

It'd been so long ago that James had owled Emmeline that he'd forgotten until an unfamiliar owl had tapped on their window this morning with a letter addressed to him.

"Look at this letter Vance sent me this morning," James shoved it at Peter who quickly unfolded it and started to read it.

"Morfin Gaunt killed a muggle family."

"Keep reading," James pressed.

"Thomas Riddle Snr, his wife Mary, and their son Thomas."

"Thomas Riddle," James tapped the letter. "The Thomas who'd have been roughly the same age as Morfin's sister. Morfin's sister whose father's name was Marvolo. Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Our Tom."

"Our Tom," James agreed.

"Still doesn't prove he's Voldemort."

"True but it's a step closer in proving that Tom Riddle would have the ability to talk to a gigantic snake and that homicidal tendencies run in the family."

"Not to mention the audacity to preach blood purity when he's a half-blood," Peter added. "Do you think Voldemort would really put Riddle in his ranks though? A half-blood."

James was sure. Voldemort had been prepared to overlook Lily's parentage — or at least make weak grabs that she was connected to a pure-blood family — because of her talent.

"I think Voldemort is interested in power and if Riddle came to him with something as big as knowing about the Chamber of Secrets … I don't think Voldemort would have turn—"

"James!"

He paused as he turned to look at who was calling his name only for his face to turn stoney.

"Let's go," he muttered to Peter.

"James, wait!"

She grabbed his arm to force him to stop and his blood turned to ice. Her face was full of desperation, her robes half hanging off her shoulders and her bag strap was in the crook of her elbow, her hair a wind blown mess. Their last encounter ran in his head like it was yesterday.

"Lily wanted me to check on the flat."

"Ah, yes. The poor decision to let Scott the Slut stay there."

James pulled a face as they started walking in the direction of their building. "And to water her plants."

"You need to invest in a watering charm, my friend."

"Lily thinks they need personal love not fake love. Do you think the potion will work for Moony tonight?"

"I really hope it does," Sirius admitted. "As much as I love our full moons … it's hard to lie to Ella constantly."

"Lily's right though … you could tell her. She is one of us."

"If Lily didn't have to know because of the mind stuff … would you have told her?"

James considered and then, "Yeah. With Remus' blessing, I would've."

They turned onto their street and Sirius sighed. "I just don't know. I get scared letting anyone in on the secret."

"Why?"

"Because I love Remus like a brother but under the worst circumstances I told someone else his secret. How can I trust someone else if I can't even trust myself?"

"We all make mistakes, Sirius. You need to forgive yourself for that."

"I'll never forgive myself for that. I could've ruined Remus' life and it haunts me every day."

"I know," James said as he pulled open the building door. "But forgive yourself anyways and learn to move past it enough that you can put faith in someone you trust not to make the same mistake as you."

They started climbing the flights of stairs in silence as Sirius thought on it. When James opened his apartment door he stepped in and then stopped so suddenly Sirius slammed into him.

Mia was naked on his couch with Gabriel Lemaire also naked on top of her leaving no room to the imagination to guess what they'd been doing. James gaped for a solid minute as Sirius said, "what the fuck?" Lemaire and Mia scrambled for clothes and the throw to cover themselves.

"What the — what the fuck is he doing in my flat?" James asked in a deadly calm voice.

Sirius stepped next to James and wrinkled his face. "I think you need to buy a new couch, mate. I'm surely never sitting on it again."

"I — he was just-" Mia stammered, the throw wrapped around her as Lemaire tugged on his trousers.

"We can see perfectly well what he was just but why is this baby Death Eater in my house?" James asked coldly.

"I — he's not a Death Eater."

"Oh, for the love of Godric," Sirius muttered. "Your supposed non-Death Eater boyfriend was the very one who sneaked actual Death Eaters into Hogwarts! Are you so stupid that you can't see that?"

"You're lying," Mia insisted.

"Lying am I?" Sirius said nastily. "That son of a bitch is the reason why my daughter died. I should kill him right now."

"Sirius," James said softly.

"James, please, he's not so bad if only you'd give him a chance. Get to know him," Mia pleaded, her brown eyes full of a desperation that was pathetic.

"I know all I'll ever need to know about him. He's a raving, blood-purist maniac and he's not welcome in my home."

"And you're a filthy blood traitor mixing in with that mudblood Evans. I was so very pleased to hear that information I leaked to the Dark Lord assisted him."

James' eyes narrowed. "What information?"

"Well, where Evans lived, of course. I was only sorry that he didn't manage to get the two of you as well. You were the main targets after all and the Dark Lord wants you two very badly."

"You're the one who told Voldemort where Lily lived," James realised, a coldness spreading through him. "How did you even know where-" James turned to Mia. "You stupid, stupid bint! You brought this scum into the house of a woman who took you in? Did you even stop to consider anything before you were so stupid!"

"He's lying," Mia whirled to Lemaire, her lip wobbling. "You're lying! Just admit that you're lying!"

"I'm not lying, Mia. I told Regulus, who told his cousin Bellatrix, who told the Dark Lord."

"But Mrs Evans was innocent and she t-took me in, why — why would you do that?"

"You told me everything I needed to know to get rid of the Mudblood, even when Potter visited for weekly dinners. It was two-in-one and secured my position in the Dark Lord's ranks when I finish school."

"B-but I'm muggle-born. I don't understand why you would want to be in You-Know-Who's-"

"Clearly, Lemaire's views on blood purity can be modified for stupid girls who blindly gives him everything he wants but not so much so that he'll become a blood traitor."

"I'm so s-sorry, James, I never meant-"

"I want the both of you out of my house. You're never to set foot in here again."

"B-but I don't have anywhere to go." Mia wiped a tear off her cheek.

"Scott, we warned you about Lemaire time and time again. You never heeded our warnings to devastating consequences, in fact, you're lucky I'm letting either of you walk out unscathed. You've ten minutes to pack up your things. Perhaps Lemaire can put you up, though I wouldn't be so sure that his parents wouldn't chuck you in the dungeons."

Lemaire went to walk out but as he passed James, James' fist collided with his jaw and then just as he straightened up, Sirius knocked him on the other side. James unable to control his rage, punched him again and again and then once more, in the stomach causing Lemaire to double over in pain but James hoisted him up by his collar giving him a firm shake.

"Listen to me closely, you manky, gormless cunt. If I were you, I'd stay away from battles where we might cross paths."

"I'm so scared, Potter," he grinned, blood dribbling out of his blood soaked mouth.

James punched him hard in the stomach again. "You should be because I'll be coming after you first chance I get and I've been in the game a lot longer than you have not to mention I'm a lot more creative. Now get the hell out of my house." James threw him out the door so hard that Lemaire crashed into Sirius' door and slid down to the floor.

"Great, now I need a new door and you need a new couch." Lemaire was just getting to his feet when Sirius went up to him. "Let me help you there, Lemaire. I'll show you to the stairs." Sirius grabbed his forearm and pretended for a moment to straighten Lemaire's shirt and then with a seamless out-of-nowhere shove and an unaffected "oops", Lemaire went tumbling down the first flight of stairs ending up in a heap on the landing as he groaned.

Sirius turned to Mia. "You better get packing unless you want to go the same way, you ditsy bedswerver, not that you wouldn't deserve it."

James and Sirius waited as Mia tearfully packed her belongings into her Hogwarts trunk. She avoided eye contact as she passed them at the front door and as soon as she was out, James slammed the door after her.

"Fucking — what the fuck just happened?" James ran a hand through his hair as he started pacing. "What the hell am I supposed to tell Lily?"

"You'll tell her the truth."

James shook his head not knowing how Mia could do this to someone who'd been so open and welcoming when Lily had no motive to do so. Lily could've and should've shunned Mia after the whole tried to kiss Nate debacle on New Year's Eve in '78.

"How am I supposed to tell her this? This is bloody-" James shook his head.

"I'm surprised you didn't hex Lemaire."

"Punching him felt more satisfying but bloody hell, next time I see him. He'll be fucking dead, I swear it."

"Come on, water Lily's plants then we'll get some booze and hide out in the Shack until you've calmed down."

Lily'd been heartbroken when James had told her. She had cried until she'd fallen asleep and was wrecked for days knowing that someone she'd considered a friend was the reason her mother died. It didn't help that a letter arrived every other day from Scott. The only thing that'd been useful for was lighting the fireplace.

"It's Mr Potter, Miss Scott," he shook his arm out of her grip. "Did you need help with Professor McGonagall's assignment?"

"No, I-"

"The homework she assigned, perhaps?"

"No, I-"

"I'm afraid Mr Pettigrew and I have somewhere to be. If you'll excuse us."

"Ja- Mr Potter, please!" Mia said desperately as James and Peter turned away. "I feel terrible and if you could just tell Lily how sorry I am, please?"

James walked up to her quickly and asked in a low voice, "you think Lily gives a flying fuck how sorry you are? Her mother, a woman who took you in out of the kindness of her own heart, is dead because of you. We don't care how terrible you feel. We don't care how sorry you are. Stay away from me. Stay away from my wife. And stop sending letters."

James turned away and stormed off, Peter following him hastily.

"Harsh, Prongs."

"Not harsh enough," James muttered, remembering Lily's heartbroken face when James had told her. Remembering the pain she'd gone through after her mother's death.

"Who's turn is it next to try and get something useful out of Moaning Myrtle?" James asked not wanting to keep talking about Mia Scott. "I know she knows something about what killed her. She has to."

"She hasn't said anything worth the socks on my feet all summer. Why would she say something now? She hates us since that game you and Sirius had. Ghost Grapes."

"Hey! Sir Nicholas loved that game," James defended. He remembered when he and Sirius had come up with the game. It was simple really. You'd throw grapes at a ghost and you'd get points based off the body part it went through. Head was 50 points. Torso was 10. Legs or arms were 15. If it went through the heart it was 60 points. Myrtle was deathly offended by it.

"Myrtle certainly didn't and now we're paying for it," Peter said glumly.

That was true enough. James ran a hand through his hair as he sighed. He never thought it'd take this long to prove his theory right. A whole summer and apart from confirming that Morfin Gaunt existed and he was convicted for the murders of three muggles, the Riddles, the actual Chamber of Secrets part was still eluding him.

They'd searched six out of seven floors by now and each day their hope diminished and the fear grew. James felt like he was waiting with bated breath for the next student to be attacked and his stomach positively lurched at the thought that they may not be so lucky to be petrified.

"Worse comes to worse, we'll get someone else to come and question her."

"Mary might have better luck," Peter considered.

"No, she knows that she's friends with us," James shook his head. Mary and Sirius really had gotten off to an exceptionally well start all things considered. James didn't know if it was because Mary was willing to overlook a few things since she'd literally seen Sirius beaten to a pulp or if it was Sirius thinking he owed her something because she saved him from being beaten into a further pulp. But whatever it was, their friendship bloomed quickly and everyone knew about it. "But we can try. Where are the three tossers anyways?"

Peter shrugged. "Don't know."

The best part of James' days lately were the days when Lily would arrive at Hogwarts after curfew. He was glad today was one of those days. It was a clear night which was strange for late October so they'd rugged up and Lily grabbed a stack of blankets and they set up under their old favourite tree.

"The apartment sucks without you," Lily complained and James kissed her temple.

"It sucks being here without you. You could visit more," he hinted.

"And risk getting caught by McGonagall? I'd be mortified."

"We are married now. I mean, she has to know we, you know."

Lily laughed and nudged him with her elbow. "I do not want to think about our old teachers thinking about us having sex!"

"I'm just saying!"

"I found an interesting book," Lily told him just to change the subject.

"Yeah?"

"Mm-hmm," she began tracing the lines on his palm, "it's absolutely brill. It's an old journal dated from twelve hundred and thirty-six. A woman was interested in the old ways."

"Ah, a thirteenth century Lily. Well, what did she have to say about it?"

"She researched a lot and having been back then, she found a lot of things. It seems she collected any books she could find on it and Melanie's been helping me to try and find her collection. Strange that her journal should end up at De Clermont's but not her collection. Melanie can't quite figure it out either."

"What is it with the two of us and finding mysterious journals?" James sighed and Lily chuckled. "How come you're getting so interested in this ancient magic stuff?"

Lily shrugged. "I guess I just found that stuff about the Powers That Be interesting and then the idea that we had a completely different way of performing magic. It's interesting. I wonder if, with the right teaching, we could still do that kind of magic. You know, Xina says this could be something worth publishing."

"Oh?" James asked. "Is that something you'd want to do?"

"I don't know. It'd be cool but also weird. I mean, aren't I too young to write an academic article?"

"It just makes it a greater achievement and with all the research you've been doing, you could write a whole book."

"Urgh, now I'm just picturing myself as an old batty lady who only has cats for roommates."

"There's nothing wrong with cats," James pointed out. "It'd be a huge accomplishment, Lily. Maybe talk to Xina about it more. Or even Meadowes."

"I'm not going to my boss's boss."

"She's in the Order," James reminded her.

"I just, at the moment I'm interested you know? And I'm doing all this research because I want to but if I start turning it into something and giving it deadlines, I'm worried it'll ruin the, urgh, the magic of it all."

James laughed at her unintentional pun, nuzzling his face into her neck to press a soft kiss in the spot that she liked.

"Honestly," she huffed, "What words do wizarding people even use to describe wonderful or impossible things?"

"Wonderful and impossible," James supplied, earning him another elbow to his ribs.

"I'm sorry. I know Remus asks all of you to check up on me since he's been at the school, but you really don't have to. I'm fine."

"Oh, well, Remus isn't the only reason I'm here. My mother-in-law gets antsy if no one in the family checks on the house, especially since Dung got caught stealing. Besides, I've been dying to get a chance to have a proper conversation with you! I think this is the first time Remus has ever been this serious about someone."

"Why's that?" Haley asked.

"Pure martyrdom syndrome," Lily explained, a hint of mocking in her voice. "He never wanted to put a girl in danger because of his furry problem, so he's stayed a bachelor as Sirius would put it."

"I don't think Black likes me much," Haley sighed thinking back on her numerous attempts to have anything resembling a civil conversation with Black but Lily didn't seem fazed as she poured them tea.

"Sirius takes a while to warm up to new people. He'll come around."

Lily handed Haley her cup of tea and their hands brushed lightly.

Haley stiffened, her grip around the burning cup tightening. She could see a baby.

"Two futures, one darker than the other… both with hardships of different kinds… one…"

Haley could see a five year old boy in clothes that weren't bought for him, the inside of a cupboard under the stairs, a man facing an opponent.

"…ten years of loneliness, the truth the biggest mystery, the Chosen One … two…"

Suddenly, her visions of a lone boy switched. It was the same boy but there were always people around him. Lily sitting next to a boy in a hospital bed. James shoulder to shoulder with a teenager, wands up. Sirius running towards a teenager in dark woods, a green glint reflecting down on them. Remus teaching the boy wand movements.

"…burdened with the knowledge but not the task, protected by the pack…"

Her visions switched again. A hand squeezing another's. Lily in pain. The cry of a baby.

"…born as the seventh month dies…"

The visions stopped as suddenly as they came and Lily's face was half concern and half confusion. Haley brought a hand up to her head not knowing how the hell she was going to play this one off. She'd just had a full blown prophecy. It had come on so quickly, she hadn't been able to stop it from coming out.

"Er, are you okay?" Lily asked, her eyes wide with confusion. "What was that you were saying about — about a - a chosen one?"

"It was nothing. I'm - I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

Haley could see that Lily did not believe her in the slightest but Haley couldn't explain what she now knew. Lily was pregnant. Haley would wager that Lily didn't even know yet. Haley spared a glance at Lily's stomach and a seed of worry for the unborn baby formed in Haley.

"Yeah, I just get really light headed sometimes."

Two possible futures. She had never seen that before. It was always the pack. It had always been about the wolf, dog, stag, and doe. The fawn was always to be protected. But this one said there was a possibility he'd be 'the Chosen One' and in that future there was no Lily or James. No Sirius. No Remus. Haley wondered if she'd read her prophecies wrong. What if the child was the one who was meant to one day defeat You-Know-Who? The idea sounded bizarre and the possibility was terrifying.

The second future had to be more likely. She had had five prophecies about the second future to date. Her summer had been the busiest in her entire life because of those prophecies. She'd come to England for those prophecies and maybe she'd gotten more than she'd bargained for.

Her sight led her to the London werewolf underground where she'd met Remus. From Remus she'd met Lily, James, and Sirius. Fate was a funny thing and being a seer, she got to see that first hand.

Lily had been her second prophecy confirming she was the doe. Then her sight had told her to take Remus' place in his mission so she went to Greyback's camp. She helped the auror Alastor Moody raid the place which landed her with a long list of injuries confining her to Headquarters. And Headquarters was right where she needed to be.

Her next prophecy happened when James handed her a glass of water. Then another when Sirius handed her a newspaper. Then another when Remus brushed his lips against hers. Each prophecy solving a part of the puzzle. Lily was the doe, James the stag, Sirius the dog, and Remus the wolf. And now with her sixth prophecy, Haley was sure the fawn would be born at the end of July.

"Are you sure? Maybe we should get Marlene to have a look?"

"No, no," Haley assured. "I'm absolutely fine. I promise."

Lily still looked worried but Haley didn't know how to say it wasn't her that needed the concern.

"Marlene mentioned there's a library in Oxford that's a must see."

Lily nodded, still unsure but grasping onto the subject change. "Yeah, it's fantastic. Never seen anything like it. You could come one afternoon with me if you like."

"You go often?"

"Mm-hmm. With James off at Hogwarts most nights, I've got a little side project of my own. I won't bore you with it now though."

"Well, maybe I'll take you up on your offer and you can tell me all about it."

Mistress Campbell had taken up more of Lily's time than Lily had ever anticipated but the further she read Mistress Campbell's journal, the more entranced Lily was. Campbell was clearly a wealthy lady of a noble house. That was clear by the very fact that she could read and write and also because she had time to keep a diary. She certainly had money to waste in years of research.

Campbell was remarkable. She'd written old spells in her journal. She listed the names of books she found that helped her along. She listed people she had spoken to. The journal was a mine and Lily had barely gotten through the first fifty pages. So Lily kept digging. She wrote her own notes. She tried to track down the long forgotten books that Mistress Campbell had read in the year 1236.

In early October, Lily found a spell that Mistress Campbell had copied into her journal. It was like nothing Lily had ever seen before. It had ingredients and words in a language Lily guessed was maybe ancient greek. Lily scribbled on parchment after parchment trying to deconstruct the spell until she figured out every element and what it was supposed to do.

"Lil!"

The front door opened, James stepping in and Lily sighed her concentration broken.

"Hey, love," James smiled as he spotted her sitting on the floor in the living room.

"Hi, honey," she sighed.

She'd been trying the spell since she'd figured out that it was meant to be able to create fire three weeks ago but with no luck. She hadn't even been able to set the wick of the candle smoking. She'd even enlisted Xina for advice but she didn't have much to offer except that maybe Lily was worried or distracted by something subconsciously.

"What could that be?" James had asked when she'd shared this with him.

"I — well, when I saw Haley a week ago, she, well, I think she had a prophecy. And I mean, I like her but I'm worried about Remus." She explained before sighing and sitting on James' bed. "I don't know, James. She seems nice enough but if every time I meet her she has one of those weird premonitions," Lily shook her head, "I don't know it's weird!"

"What exactly did she say?"

"She said she didn't know what it was."

"No, love, the prophecy."

"It wasn't-" James raised a brow at her and she sighed before reciting the prophecy, sitting on the edge of the bed. "She said something about two futures, both would have hardships. The first one she said something about 'ten years of loneliness' and 'the Chosen One'. The second one was 'burdened with the knowledge but not the task' and 'protected by the pack'."

She watched as James wrote it all down and he pushed his specs up to look at her. "The first prophecy she had when she met you?"

"Oh, James. This is all just rubbish. It's silly. It's nothing."

"She's had premonitions two out of the three times she's met you. That's not nothing. The first prophecy?"

"It was short, something about 'the doe protecting the fawn' and 'one of the four'."

"The second prophecy mentions a pack and then the first prophecy calls you out as one of the four. The pack has four people then?"

Lily shrugged. "I guess, myself and the fawn."

"I'm not so sure the fawn would be a part of the pack. The way it's worded it just sounds like the pack is protecting the fawn."

"That still leaves us with three unknown people."

"We have to assume it's people you know and well. A pack is considered close."

"Like a pack of wolves," Lily murmured and then she flopped onto the bed. "James, this is ridiculous. I'm not part of a pack. Or one of four or whatever. Can we just drop it, please?" She rolled across the bed to him, pulling the parchment out of his hands and chucking it to the floor and that had been the last time they'd discussed it but she still couldn't perform the ancient spell.

"Still no luck?" James asked opening the fridge and grabbing a butterbeer.

"I'm starting to think the Powers That Be knew shit," Lily grumbled, picking herself up off the floor. "How're the boys?"

"Keen to get out of Hogwarts for a night."

"Halloween," Lily said as she grabbed James' butterbeer out of his hand and took her own sip before handing it back. "I picked up our costumes this morning."

Mary and Marlene had been a terrible duo to unite it turned out. They insisted that to raise morale the Order should throw a Halloween party at Headquarters. Moody had made noise that the Order wasn't a frat house but Marlene and Mary won somehow and so everyone was heading into Headquarters for a Halloween party of all things.

"Oh, who're we going as?" James pulled Lily closer to him, pressing his lips lightly to hers.

"You'll see," she grinned mischievously.

They got distracted snogging in the kitchen for a couple of minutes before James pointed out the time and they began to get ready. Lily was satisfied at the excited response James gave to the reveal of their costumes.

"Are your parents expecting us tomorrow?"

James nodded as he laced up his boots. "Yeah, I told them we'd be a little later than usual though I didn't tell them it's because we'd probably be too hungover to function."

"Oh good. I want to show your dad the spell. I know he's a potions expert but maybe he'll see something I'm missing."

"This spell is really getting to you, isn't it?"

"It's a spell designed to be performed wandless and I can't even perform it with a wand! I won't let it beat me," she said stubbornly.

"That's the spirit. It's how I feel about Hogwarts and the Chamber of Secrets. I mean, have we searched every single floor top to bottom? Yes. Am I letting that deter us? No."

Lily sighed. "What if there is no Chamber? What if your theory is wrong?"

"It's too many coincidences. Riddle? The connection to Gaunt who's an heir to Slytherin? Petrified students? The Slytherin legend? I'm going to find that room, Lils."

"If anyone can, it's you and the boys."

They heard the front door open and then close loudly enough that Lily wasn't sure it was considered a slam, though she did consider it rude.

"You're being an arse," they heard Ella tell Sirius.

"Well, it's nice to see the old Sirius and Ella are back," Lily muttered.

James and Lily left their bedroom to see Sirius and Ella. Ella was dressed in the infamous costume of Evie Figboot from the band Dragon Wagon but Sirius was dressed in his usual attire of jeans, a t-shirt, and his leather jacket.

Sirius eyed their costumes and snapped his fingers.

"See? Why couldn't you get us cool costumes like James and Lily's?"

"I don't understand what was wrong with the costume!" Ella huffed to Sirius.

"I'm not dressing up as Carl Figboot from the Dragon Wagon. Firstly, their music sucks. And secondly, he's sympathetic to the anti-muggle movement."

"I asked you if the costume was okay and you didn't reply. What was I supposed to do? I can't mind read!"

"We don't even listen to Dragon Wagon," Sirius pointed out.

"How about you go to the costume place next time and pick out a costume if you're going to be so bloody picky about it? It's Halloween for Merlin's sake not a political statement!"

"Then why couldn't we go as something neutral like pirates?"

"Actually we're dressed up as Captain Betty Jameson and her lover Augustus Kilne. She was the only captain to have commanded a mixed crew of muggle and magical folk."

"You completely ruined my point, Lily. Potter, sort your wife out."

"I think what you mean to say is 'thank you Lily for supplying me with alcohol whilst I bitch about a costume I could have easily bought myself'."

"And on that note, we should get going," James jumped in.

When they arrived at Headquarters it was to find it unceremoniously empty with the exception of the masterminds behind the whole night: Marlene and Mary.

"Did everyone simultaneously decide tonight was going to be lame? Did we not get the memo?" Sirius asked.

"Apparently not," James agreed.

"We may have exaggerated to you lot the actual start time of the party," Marlene admitted.

"It was Marlene's idea!" Mary threw her hands up as Marlene rolled her eyes.

"It was a necessary evil. No one can get a party together like we can. Sirius, you're on drinks; three punches — try to only make one of them lethal."

"I'll need the assistance of Twinkle!" Sirius declared.

"Oi, don't go roping the house elves into this," James said. Lily knew he was beginning to worry after his parents alone in the big house so he'd been making sure the house elves spent more time there than here. He'd also effectively asked them to spy on his parents for him — though James denied it instead claiming he was concerned. Lily believed it was both. He was spying on his parents because he was concerned. It was endearing really.

"Fine then you can help me. Your cellar is a maze that I cannot hope to navigate in such a small time."

"We have forty minutes until the party," Lily commented

"You clearly have never been in the cellar."

"Well you'd have had an hour if you'd bothered to show up on time," Mary pointed out.

Sirius poked his tongue out at Mary who flipped him off as James gently nudged him down the corridor.

"What are our jobs?" Ella asked.

"I really only needed Sirius here early," Marlene admitted. "Though I do have some excellent elf wine we can start on."

Lily and Ella glanced at each other before shrugging. The four girls made themselves comfortable in the living room, as they steadily worked their way through the bottle of wine only to be busted later on by Sirius and James as they brought up the big bowls of punch.

The party was in full swing two hours later and most of their friends were completely sloshed but the party was a huge hit. The music pounded and there was dancing and shenanigans and a lot of drinking. They also met a lot of people from the Order they'd never met before.; Edgar Bones who was an absolute commodity of a person; Elphias Doge who had a lot of stories about Dumbledore before he was a seasoned old wizard who seemed too wise to have ever been young and stupid; Sturgis Podmore who introduced himself as Stu and had a wicked scar running up the entire length of his arm; Daphne Jones who had a daughter starting Hogwarts this year.

There was also a few reunions on their end — seeing students from their year who'd joined the Order at the same time as them for the first time in a while. Helena Bonham being one of them.

"Heard you guys actually got hitched," she said with a raised eyebrow.

Lily winced. "No one is ever going to let me forget about that."

"It's true," James piped. "Sirius waxed on about it for twenty-three minutes in his best man speech."

"Well congratulations," Helena said.

"Well it is about time," Lily teased. "I broke the news to you over a year ago."

Helena rolled her eyes. "What's next? You tell me you're pregnant?"

"I certainly hope not," James laughed nervously. "I mean, we want kids one day — lots of them actually — just it'd be—"

"It'd be horrid timing. I mean, your mother would be ecstatic but I mean, well, we're only nineteen. Besides, we'd have to find the dream house first."

"Exactly! Before we find the forever house it's a moot point. It'd be absolutely ridiculous. Plenty of time for kids later on when things are … better."

"Love that we're on the same page, love," Lily said.

"Love that for us," James agreed and they clapped their hands together in a high-five.

"I think the both of you are smashed," Bonham announced.

"Lily's smashed. I'm perfectly sober."

"I am not smashed!" Lily protested.

"Then we are doing something wrong. Where is Sirius and his infamous shots?"

They never made it to Sirius since James pulled Lily into a secret cupboard that she hadn't even known was there.

"Where even are we right now?" she giggled, into his lips as he kissed her. His hands searched her waistline, slowly untucking her shirt so he could slip his hands onto her bare skin and she hummed in pure delight at the contact.

She would never tire of his touch.

"I've told you, Evans. I know every inch of this house." His lips pressed against her jawline, "no one's gonna find us."

She hummed again, wrapping her arms around his neck as he kissed down hers, his hands running up and down her back.

"And what do you propose we do with this time, Potter?"

His lips slowly kissed their way back to her lips and each lingering kiss had Lily sinking deeper. His lips hovered over hers for a moment.

"I can think of a few things."

And they both began removing each other's clothes in between kisses and giggles and 'I love you's'.

The music cut of suddenly and Alastor Moody's shout could be heard.

"Priority zero!" he shouted, walking through the corridor, his heavy footsteps making deep thuds. "Priority zero! A bar in London is under attack by Death Eaters!"

Everyone shared worried glances as Moody continued to shout out details. It was a wizarding bar hidden in muggle London — the Golden Mermaid.

"Well, shit," Sirius whispered knowing that if it hadn't been for this party, they probably would've hit that bar at some point tonight. They'd been advertising their halloween 'come as your favourite muggle or muggle-born' party for weeks.

"Longbottoms! You're to go now as Aurors — the team is already setting up a perimeter! Potter and Black! I want the two of you on recon. I've heard you two are good at sneaking, get as close as possible to the centre, feed us back intel — avoid any altercations with Ministry staff. In and out. Prewetts! I want you to be our eyes in the sky. Doc and Vance! I want the both of you floating around the scene. Vance use your Daily Prophet credentials to get as much as you can out of bystanders. I want to know what everyone's story is."

"Aye, captain, you'll need this," James threw his mirror at Moody who caught it. "More subtle than a patronus."

"You may be dressed like a pirate, Potter, but I'm not a captain and this isn't a joke. Everyone let's move and remember constant vigilance!"

"Told you Moody would introduce you to this concept," Sirius muttered to Mary.

"Just try to stay alive tonight, yeah? I still need someone to push in front of a basilisk so I have a chance to run."

"Glad to know you care, Mac."

He pushed off his perch as Ella rushed over.

"Don't do anything stupid," she told him, her hands cupping his face.

"Maybe the Carl Figboot costume would've given me an edge after all."

She shook her head as she laughed, resting it on his shoulder. "I hate you so much sometimes."

"Nah you don't." With his fingers at her chin, he tilted her head up to face him. "I'll be back before you know it, babe."

He leaned down to press a soft kiss before James shouted his name.

He tore himself from Ella and walked to the hallway where James was waiting with Lily, who was set on walking them to the door it seemed. Sirius watched as she gave James one final kiss before he stepped out the front door.

"Black," Lily said, quietly but firmly. "You make sure my husband gets back in one piece."

"Yes, ma'am."

They split away from Moody before the reached the scene where all the activity was happening. The aurors were working out of a medium sized tent — James was sure it was bigger on the inside — that was partitioned off by ropes to block access to anyone not necessary. Aurors bustled in and out.

"So what's the plan, Prongs?"

The two of them walked away from the rendezvous point and around the corner where it was a lot quieter.

"Enter through the basement. Stun anyone we come across quietly."

They both turned into a small laneway that they knew would lead to the basement entrance. It was eerily dark and it seemed the Death Eaters had somehow managed to turn off all the lights on the block.

"As far as plans go, that's pretty shit."

"You got a better one?"

"Your plan it is."

"Wands up," James said.

"You mean you didn't already have your wand up? Are you trying to get us killed?"

"Shove it." He paused at the door and nodded. "We have to get in quietly."

James, knowing it would be futile, tried alohomora to unlock the door to no avail.

"Leave it to me. I've got just the thing," Sirius announced, kneeling in front of the door, his wand between his teeth as he pulled out a small object.

"What the bloody hell is that?"

"Dung sold it to me." He flipped it open and James realised it was a penknife with a sudden all-knowing doom. His life somewhat rested in the hands of a penknife sold to Sirius by Mundungus Fletcher. Anyone with the word 'Dung' in his name couldn't be trusted for such important odds. "Said it could open any door. Thought it might come in handy. Let's test it shall we?"

Sirius knelt by the handle of the door, fiddling with the penknife before sticking it in the lock. With one swift turn, the satisfactory click of the door being unlocked could be heard.

"Never thought we'd have to thank Mundungus Fletcher," James muttered as they stepped inside, wands up.

As Sirius closed the door quietly behind them, they were thrown into pitch darkness.

James quickly cast mufliato around them, whilst they were moving around it probably wouldn't be foolproof but it'd give them some cover.

"I can't see two steps ahead of me."

"We can't cast lumos, someone would be able to see us coming from a mile away."

"I have a charm," James whispered and then, "candelae."

A single flame appeared at the tip of his wand, the equivalent of a lone wick burning.

"Neat."

"Lily came up with it when she was annoyed at me turning on the lamp to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night."

They headed down the corridor, cautiously. Though they had the assistance of a bit of light, the corridor was mostly black and they could barely see five steps ahead of themselves. They climbed a set of stairs to be met with a closed door.

"This leads to the main floor of the club, right?" James asked.

"Yeah, opens right next to the bar."

Sirius knelt down, pressing his ear against the door before grimacing and getting down flat on his tummy to press his ear to the opening at the bottom of the door. James followed suit.

"Hear anything?"

"Barely," James shook his head in annoyance and then, "What if we vanish a peep hole into the door?"

"We risk vanishing the entire door."

"We did it in sixth year."

"On a piece of paper. We're talking about an inch thick piece of wood."

James extinguished the light from his wand. "Trust me?"

"Sure."

James closed his eyes for a brief moment and then tapped his wand to the spot he wanted to vanish. He muttered the words and then opened his eyes.

"Overshot it a bit but all things considered, good," Sirius praised.

An arched hole as tall as a wand and about five inches wide had disappeared from the bottom of the door. At least at the bottom of the door it was likely to go unnoticed.

James shrugged and he and Sirius both leaned down to get a peak.

The scene was surreal and James had seen a lot of things since his time in the Order but this left him with his heart beating in his ears.

Seven people were swinging by their necks off the beams of the roof.

"Well fuck," Sirius whispered.

Author's Note: if you're still reading this, I thank you profusely!