Ch. 21- Darker Times and Precious life

A/N: hey there guys! I'm updating in less than a month, aren't you proud of me? anyways, only ONE more chapter! yeah! and I'm working on the sequel, so we'll see how long that takes me- hopefully not too long...anways, enjoy the next chapter:p

And in the streets: the children screamed,
The lovers cried, and the poets dreamed.
But not a word was spoken;
The church bells all were broken.
And the three men I admire most:
The father, son, and the holy ghost,
They caught the last train for the coast
The day the music died.

American Pie- Don McLean

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As the months passed, Lily got bigger and bigger. James had gotten over the initial shock of the news and was now in full servant mode. He got Lily whatever she needed, was always hovering over her, and would chide the rest of us if he thought we might be disturbing her in any way.

"Joie, are you there?" I heard a voice from the fireplace ask. I turned and saw Lily.

"Hey, how's it going?" I asked, smiling.

"I'm going to go insane if I don't get out of here soon!" She exclaimed, her voice rising barely above a whisper. "I love James, I do, and I know he's just trying to help, but if I don't do something for myself soon I think I might have a breakdown. Can I come over to your place for a while?"

"Of course you can." I said, laughing at her predicament. "You know you're always welcome here. Do you want me to fly over?"

"No, I can floo- the doctor said it was okay, but James won't have any of it." She said, rolling her eyes. "He's afraid to even let me sleep peacefully. Look, I'll be there in just a minute- if James finds out he's going to lock me up, so I want to do this as quickly as possible."

Her head disappeared and after a minute her figure appeared in the fireplace, spinning. She stepped out of the grate, brushing herself off and smoothing back her hair.

"Well, sounds like Prongsie is taking this whole fatherhood thing seriously." I said, smirking.

"Yes and it's going to be the death of me!" She said, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen him take anything seriously except for his pranks."

"Aw, Lily, he's just looking out for you." I said, in high-pitched sweet voice. She shot me a look.

"So, can I do anything around here? Clean, cook, take out the trash?" She said, clapping her hands together and looking around. "Anything that will make me feel like a human being again?"

"I think we can find something," I said, laughing.

We spent the day making cookies and talking. The topics ranged from memories at school to the future and what it would hold. We both knew, of course, that the times were changing and it was getting more and more dangerous to trust even the closest people to you. I thought about the conversation Sirius and I had about Remus and him being a spy. I suppose it was entirely possible, but it just didn't seem like it could be true. I honestly couldn't picture Remus as a death eater.

"Well, how are things going with you and Sirius?" She asked, changing the subject to a lighter matter.

"Things are good- he's actually cooking dinner for me tonight. I'm not sure how I feel about that exactly." I said, and Lily laughed.

"Well, I'm sure it won't be too disastrous. Who knows, maybe he'll turn out to be a good cook." Lily said, with a shrug.

"Yeah, maybe." I replied, still not totally convinced.

Later on, after Lily had left, Sirius came home and promptly told me "get the bloody hell out" until seven- and he meant that in the nicest way possible, of course. He said that he needed to get everything ready and that he wanted it to be a surprise. So, I left and went to Diagon Alley.

As I was wandering around browsing through some of the shops, I saw Remus. He was at Florean Fortescue's with what looked a bunch of paperwork in front of him. He looked a little worse for the wear- he hadn't shaved in what looked like a week and was in bad need of a hair cut. But he also had scratches up and down his arms and seemed a somewhat frazzled as he scribbled furiously across a page of parchment.

"Hey, Moony," I said, gently touching his shoulder. He jumped about a mile, which caused me to jump back.

"Sunshine! I'm sorry, you just scared the bloody hell out of me." He said, closing his eyes and slowing down his breathing. "How are you? I haven't seen you in ages."

"I'm good." I said, with a nod, sitting down opposite him. "How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm great. Doing really great," He said, distractedly. I studied him for a second and realized that this wasn't the Remus I'd known my whole life. This was someone else living in his body.

"Remus," I said, taking one of his hands in mine, causing him to stop writing. "What's really going on with you? I haven't seen you in such a long time and we work together at the ministry. I mean, where have you been? And what happened to you- you look like you been in too many fights to count."

"I've just been around, picking up some cases from the office. I've just been doing a lot of field work lately." He replied, casually. "And you know how some of those wizards can be- they never come quietly."

I looked at him and I knew he wasn't telling me the truth- or at least the whole truth. I hated to think that he was lying because that was something I never thought I'd have to worry about from Remus. It also meant that what Sirius had said might be true and I didn't know if I could take it if Remus was a death eater.

"Well, you should drop by sometime soon. I've really missed you." I said, smiling at him.

"Yeah, I've missed you too." He said, smiling back- but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'll see you around, Sunshine."

"Alright, bye."

I wandered through the shops a while more and then I headed home. Sirius had said that dinner was at seven-thirty, but that I could come back at seven to get ready. So, I headed back.

I didn't know if this was suppose to be a formal outfit thing or just casual, so I settled for somewhere in between. I out on a pair denim Capri's and matched it with a simple, yet nice black tank top. I slipped on a pair of black flip-flops and left my hair down. I didn't put on any make-up since I thought I looked better without it. I gave myself a once over in the mirror, satisfied with my reflection.

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I walked out into the dinning room area at seven-thirty five, impressed with what Sirius had done. He had turned all the lights off, opting for floating candles instead. He had little red ones all over the place, which bathed the flat in a red-ish glow. The table was set for two and the whole place smelled amazing.

"My lady, this way, if you please," Sirius said, coming out from behind me. He had on jeans and white button down shirt. I took his hand and allowed him to lead me to my place. "Alright, now prepare to be blown away by the sheer fabulousness of this meal."

"Fabulousness?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Is that even a word?"

"Probably not, but then I never was a real stickler for grammar." He replied, nonchalantly and I laughed.

"Alright, well, I'm ready to be amazed." I said, shaking my head at him.

"Good."

The food was pretty amazing- especially for Sirius. And I knew for a fact that he couldn't cook to save his life. He'd tried a few times at James' and it had always ended in disaster. But tonight nothing was burned and the flat was still standing. He had made pasta with marinara sauce, salad covered in a zesty Italian dressing, and garlic bread. And for dessert he had little cream puffs prepared. As far as music and entertainment, he had some wizarding band on that I'd heard of playing and there were roses that kept changing colors in a vase in the middle of table.

"So, impressed?" He asked, shooting me a sideways glance.

"Very," I said, nodding. I didn't know if I was imagining things, but Sirius seemed very fidgety and nervous.

"So, I have something to tell you- well, ask you really," He said, twisting his hands around each other.

"Okay," I said, a little confused. Sirius stood up, so I did too, and he came over to me.

"Well, we've been dating for quite a while now and I've been thinking about where we're going in the future and all of that," He started, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "And well, I guess I can only see us going in one direction from here."

"Where is that?" I said, still confused and a little anxious at where this might be going.

"Sunshine, I'd be lying if I said I think we have the perfect relationship. We don't always agree on everything and we definitely have our share of fights, but every relationship does." He said, biting his lip, a habit he only did when he was really nervous- which wasn't that often. "You keep me guessing and I know I'm never just going to get anything with you. I have to work at it. You don't take my shit and you're always there for me. I guess I wouldn't be who I am today if it weren't for you.

"So what I'm trying to say is that…well, I was thinking and I came to the conclusion…um, wow, I didn't think that it would be this hard…" He stuttered, fumbling with something in his pocket. "What I am trying to say is," He went on, going down on one knee, "will you marry me?"

I stood there in front of him, looking at the ring in his hand. Sirius was looking up at me, still biting his lip. I couldn't speak for a moment from the shock of it all. I guess logically it made sense and I should've known he was going to propose, but it still caught me off guard.

"Yes- of course I will." I said, finally. A huge smile broke out over Sirius' face and he jumped up, grabbed me around the waist and spun me around. I was laughing and I wished that this moment would never end.

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Summer was upon us, as was Lily's due date. James was still at her beck and call and she was still trying to escape. But I knew she didn't really mind- after all, he was showing some kind of responsibility and that was a miracle considering it was James. Besides, they had made an agreement. Lily wanted some sort of sanity, so James had to let her do some stuff or else she said she'd curse him to oblivion.

"Okay, so what names do you have picked out for the baby?" I asked a couple of weeks later as we sat outside on the porch in the late July sun. It was the first time I'd seen Lily in quite a while.

"Well, I like Samantha or Adrian if it's a girl," Lily said, taking a sip of her lemonade. "And Benjamin or Adam if it's a boy. James wants Carina or Emily for a girl and Patrick or William for a boy."

"Those are good names- I like them." I said, nodding.

"Well, what about you and Sirius? Have you guys set a date yet?" She asked.

"No, not yet. We've both been so busy at the Ministry and we still have to tell my dad. We haven't been able to get a hold of him yet." I replied, shaking my head.

"Well, I am going to help you plan this because I barely got to do any of my own." She said, in a business like voice and I laughed. "Oh, Joie! I am so happy for you!" She exclaimed.

"I know! I still can't believe I didn't see it coming." I said, shaking my head.

"Well, I'm just glad that he finally did it." She said, matter-of-factly and I looked at her confused. "Oh, he's been planning this for quite a while. That ring has to have been burning a hole in his pocket for at least three months."

"What?"

"Don't sound so surprised. He has been trying to think up the perfect way to propose to you- and he even owled your dad for permission. Why he did that, I don't know. I mean, your dad practically told you that he wanted you to marry him. But I guess it's the thought that counts right?" She said, rubbing her hand over her belly. "He was over here quite often talking it over with James. I remember the day he bought the ring."

"You mean to tell me that Mr. I-don't-get-nervous-or-scared-about-anything was fretting over how he was going to propose to me?" I asked, and she nodded. "And you knew? And you did tell me?" I added, trying to sound offended.

"I didn't want to ruin it. He all but made me write it in blood that I wouldn't go and tell." She said, with a laugh. I laughed too. "No, he came over and he and James were in the kitchen talking. I was in there making cookies and half listening to what they were saying. And then all of a sudden I hear James go 'whoa, mate, are serious?' Which, you know, is never a good thing for either of them to be saying to each other."

"Of course not," I agreed, with a nod of my head.

"So, I looked over and Sirius had a ring opened out on the table. And he said 'I just picked it up today, but I'm not sure when I'm going to do it.' Well, of course, I chimed in and told to stop being thick and just do it- that you would say yes for sure. But he wasn't so sure." She said, looking out across the street at some kids playing in the yard. "He was always second guessing himself and always so sure that you would say no. He thought, for some reason, that you were going to tell him that he wasn't the one and that you were going to go run off with blonde hair hippie type."

"That's absolutely bonkers! Why would I do that?" I said, laughing at the very idea.

"I don't know, but that's what he thought. You know, he really loves you." She said, looking at me over her sunglasses.

"I know. And I'm never going to let go of that. I honestly don't know how I would be able to live without him." I said, with a small smile.

"Yeah, I know what you-" She stopped mid sentence and leaned forward. Then she stood up.

"Lily, are you okay?" I asked, standing up as well.

"Joie, my water just broke. This is it- my baby's coming." She said, looking up at me and I looked down. Sure enough, there was a small puddle of water there.

"Okay, okay, let me get James- stay right here, I'll be right back." I said, and then dashed inside to find James.

"Hey, Sunshine, what's the rush?" He asked, as I skidded into the kitchen. I'd already run around the entire house only to find him here.

"Lily- the baby- coming- now-" I gasped, and he looked at confused. "We have to go! Now! Lily's having the baby!" I repeated in on breath.

"Merlin, are you serious?" He asked, and I smacked him.

"Prongs, get going or she's going to have the bloody baby on you front porch!" I shouted and he jumped up and made for the front door. I was hot on his heels.

By the time Sirius met us at St. Mungo's Lily had already been in the delivery room for well over an hour. James was in there with her- no doubt being screeched at, from what I could hear in the waiting room.

"Hey, she still in labor?" Sirius asked, coming up behind me.

"Yeah, and from the looks of it she might be for a while." I replied, as he sat down next to me. "James should be due to come back out with a status report any second now."

Sure enough about a minute later out came James, only to tell us that Lily was still in labor. The contractions were closer together, but the healer said that the baby wasn't quite ready to come out yet. Just after he went back in, Remus and Peter came rushing in.

"Hey, she hasn't had the baby yet has she?" Remus asked, breathless.

"No, she hasn't- what you'd do, Moony, run all the way here?" Sirius asked, shaking his head. I was glad to see that at least for now they were being civil with one another.

"Well, just about. Couldn't very well apparate in middle of a bunch of muggles, now could I?" He replied, with a grin.

We sat there for another eight hours, waiting for the baby to come out. And then finally, just before eleven, James came out with this goofy grin on his face.

"It's a boy!" He exclaimed, happily. "I have a son!"

"Oh Merlin, a little Prongsie?" I said, shaking my head, but ruining the effect by smiling broadly. "What is the world going to do?"

"Oh stuff it, Sunshine." James said, throwing me a dirty look. "Do guys want to see him?"

"No, Prongs, we just waited here for nine hours to hear that your baby is in the world. We don't want to see him at all." Sirius said, dryly, rolling his eyes. But he was smiling too.

We followed James down the hall and up a flight of stairs. We turned down a brightly colored corridor and stopped in front of a blue door.

"Hey, sweetheart, they're here." James said softly as we filed in after him.

"Oh great." Lily said, looking up from the bundle in her arms. Even after nine hours of labor she looked radiant. "Alright who's first?"

"Me!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping forward. He took the little bundle gently from Lily and cradled it against his chest protectively. "What's his name?"

"Harry James Potter." James said, proudly.

"Merlin, he looks just like you already, James." Sirius said, looking up from Harry to his father. "Except for his eyes- he's got your eyes, Lily."

"Alright, Sirius, don't hog him, the rest of us would like a turn." I said, stepping forward and taking the baby from him. "Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing ever!" I cooed at the little bundle. Underneath a tuft of jet-black hair was an adorable face and pair of bright green eyes.

"He's going to be a trouble maker alright," Remus said, with a laugh. "Especially with a father like you."

"Hey! I resent that!" James said, indignantly.

"Well, it's true." I agreed, smirking at him.

"Then I guess it's a good thing you and your fiancé will be baby sitting, now isn't it?" Lily said, smiling at James.

"And why the bloody hell would think we would baby sit for you?" Sirius said, in a playful tone as I passed Harry to Remus.

"Well, you are going to be his godparents and all, so it just makes sense, doesn't it?" James said.

"Wait- did you say godparents?" Sirius asked, looking from James to Lily.

"That is, of course, if you wouldn't mind," Lily said, smiling at us.

"Of course we'll be his godparents!" I said, taken slightly aback. "We would be honored."

"Yeah, anything for you two." Sirius added, nodding.

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Two days after Lily had Harry, James should up at our flat in a frantic panic. I heard a loud crack followed by his voice calling out for Sirius and me.

"James, what's wrong?" I asked, coming out of the bedroom.

"Oh thank Merlin you're here!" He said, grabbing me by the shoulders. "Sunshine, we're in danger- Lily, Harry, and me."

"What kind of danger?" I asked, immediately alarmed.

"Voldemort is after us- Dumbledore thinks there might be a leak on our side." He replied, biting his lip. "Where's Sirius?"

"At the Ministry, finishing up some paper work." I said, and he turned looking around- for what I don't know. "Look, I can go fetch him and meet you back here."

"No, no, you could already be in danger by me even coming here. Go get him and meet at Hogwarts in Dumbledore's office." He said, shaking his head.

"Alright." I said, and he disapparated.

I wondered how we were going to deal with this. I hated to think that James and Lily were in grave danger and that there wasn't anything we could do about it- I didn't know if I could handle that. I also didn't know what I would do if I found out who the leak on our side was.

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dun dun dun...what's going to happen? well, I guess we all already know what happens, but still...haha, okay, well, please review!