A/N: First of all, wow! I can't believe how well this story has been received, and I can only thank you for reading, following, favoriting and reviewing! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

"Lia? Lia, love. Wake up."

The darkness surrounding her would've startled her if it weren't for the comfort in James' soft voice. She had forgotten she was with him, and as she opened her eyes she realized she had fallen asleep on his bed at some point. She wasn't sure how she had ended up in there, nor how long she had been there, but there was some sort of calm surrounding her. The things she had learned at the wedding didn't quite have the same effect on her anymore, and now, rather than feeling panicked and despondent, there was a stillness within her. Not a positive stillness, but yet, calm.

"Hi," she mumbled, with a small smile as she met his worried gaze. He was sitting on the side of the bed, his hand softly placed on her arm, and she could just catch glimpse of an equally worried gaze from Sirius standing in the doorway.

"You've been asleep all day. How are you feeling?"

"Bloody hell, Prongs, how do you think she's feeling?"

"Nobody asked you, Padfoot."

"I'm… fine," she managed, and while it perhaps wasn't entirely truthful, having the both of them around did make her feel better, at least.

"Mum's making supper, do you think you'd be up for joining us downstairs?"

"Otherwise we can bring some up for you," Sirius chirped in, earning himself another glare from James, who clearly wasn't happy with his best friend at the moment. It made Aurelia wonder if it was her fault. There was this instant sense of not wanting to stay there, if her presence took a strain on their friendship.

"I'd need a shower first," she concluded, realizing that she didn't have any clothes besides from the terrible dress robes from yesterday, and the muggle t-shirt she was currently wearing.

"Of course, love. Mind if I join you?"

"Disgusting, James. Could you be any more insensitive?"

"What are you still doing here? This is my room!"

"Now, now, boys, that's enough. Your bickering is not doing any good here, now run along."

Sirius backed out of the doorframe at Mrs. Potter's voice, which was much friendlier now than it had been when Aurelia arrived after the wedding. Granted, she had come banging on their door in the middle of the night, and half her family were bloody death eaters; no wonder the woman had been on her guard.

"Yes, James, that goes for you too. Downstairs, please."

The woman had taken Sirius' place in the doorframe, and while her voice was kind and soft, her hazel eyes were determined as they locked onto her son.

"Alright, alright, mum! I'm going!" he bitterly replied, reminding her for a moment of a sulky child who hadn't gotten the sugar quill they wanted. The notion brought a small smile to her lips as she looked up at him where he was still sitting at the edge of the bed.

"I'll see you soon, alright love?" he murmured, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before he got up and left the room, much to Aurelia's dismay.

"You must be quite the witch, having both my boys fuss over you like that," the older witch remarked, as she entered the room holding a stack of neatly folded clothes in her arms.

"Oh no, I'm nothing special."

"I don't believe that for a second, dear. Now, your family is looking for you. Not to worry, they don't know that you're here. But I was wondering if I have your permission to contact your grandfather? I used to work for him at the ministry, and well, we best come up with a solution before Monty and I get in trouble for keeping a minor here. You are sixteen, are you not?"

"Yes, I'm sixteen," Aurelia mumbled in response, pulling herself up in a seated position on the bed. She hadn't even considered the possibility that James' parents could get in trouble for taking her in, if only for a day so far. It wasn't fair of her to ask that of them, and so she knew Mia was right. They did need to come up with a solution, and seeing that her father had agreed to this bloody betrothal, it was likely the Malfoys were in charge of the family now, and thus, contacting her grandfather was not the solution. Hector Fawley, despite being a retired Minister for Magic, appeared not to be in charge of his own family anymore, given the recent union between the Malfoys and the Blacks.

"I doubt grandfather is in a position to help, but thank you for the offer. I don't wish to impose on your hospitality, Mrs. Potter, so I should be going tonight."

"It's Mia, dear. And you have clearly misunderstood me. The boys would never forgive me if you were to leave now. I want you to stay for as long as you'd like. We just need to sort things out with your parents first."

"Thank you, Mia. Let me deal with my parents."

"Alright. I found some fresh clothes for you at the back of my closet, I hope they'll do. I imagine you'd like to shower before dinner?"

"I do. Thank you."

Aurelia was in the shower for what felt like an eternity, washing off any trace of the disastrous evening before, and letting feelings of betrayal and guilt wash down the drain. She needed a plan, desperately. Her parents wouldn't simply agree to letting her stay with the Potters and break the betrothal they had set up, and she knew it wouldn't matter what Mia said. The facts were still absolute. She was a minor and under the care of her parents, and thus, she would have to come home and eventually marry Lestrange. Unless she came up with an unfailing plan.

Luckily, negotiating was somewhat of Aurelia's area of expertise. Seeing that magical law enforcement was the career she had strived for since she was just a child, she had done plenty of negotiating in her days. She had negotiated for the last treacle tart, for the latest dress robes, and for getting out of spending weekends in Wiltshire. She had negotiated for a visit to muggle London, for private lessons in apparition, and more recently, for spending Easter holidays at Hogwarts. Surely, she could negotiate her way out of a marriage to Rabastan Lestrange; somehow. The only issue was that negotiating meant she would have to give something up, too. She needed to figure out a way of getting what she wanted, but still giving them what they wanted, which wasn't the easiest thing to do.

After her shower, Aurelia put on the simple black dress which Mia had left for her, and made her way downstairs where the family was gathered in the kitchen. They really were like a family, with Sirius in it too; much more so than her family had ever been. It just seemed so natural, the four of them in the kitchen, each with their own tasks. There were no house elves there to cook, yet none of them seemed troubled over it. James and Sirius were harmlessly bickering while setting the table, levitating plates and glasses through the room in a manner which had her worried they would smash into each other.

"You must be Miss Fawley, it's a pleasure to meet you. I've heard so much about you," Mr. Potter said as he rose from his chair at the sight of her, dropping his newspaper, although the vegetables kept on being chopped. She had expected him to shake her hand, although the elderly man pulled her in for an embrace.

"It's lovely to meet you too, Mr. Potter. Call me Aurelia, please."

The man sat back down in his chair with a friendly smile on his lips, crossing his arms around over his chest. He looked so much like James, like an older version of James, but without the glasses and with bright blue eyes rather than hazel ones.

"Or just Lia. Everyone calls her that," James added with a smile, as he set down the plates on the table with a thump.

"Alright, Lia. And you may call me Monty, Fleamont is a bit of a mouthful to be honest," he confessed, glancing over his shoulder as his wife put her hands on his shoulders.

"The dress looks lovely on you dear, I'm glad it fit. Let's eat, shall we?" Mrs. Potter bid with a smile, as she swiftly levitated the pots and pans over to the dining table, as everyone took their seats, James next to her with a comforting yet encouraging hand resting on her back. The whole situation was odd.

There she was, having dinner with his family like it was the most natural thing in the world, whereas her family would've lost their wits if they knew about her relationship with James. They were different, to say the least, and she wished her family could be more like his; less complicated, and more familiar. It was no wonder that he was such a bright and comforting person, seeing that he had grown up in such a warm family.

"So, Aurelia. Did you get a chance to think about the situation with your parents?" Mia inquired, as she poured some gravy on her plate.

"I did. I'm going to send them a letter later tonight. I think I came up with a solution that will keep them happy enough."

"What's the solution?" Sirius asked bitterly.

"I'm going to make them give me five more years."

"Five more years to what?"

"To marry someone of my choice."

"And if you don't?"

"Well, I've got to give them something, don't I?"

"What? No Lia, you can't," James argued, finally having caught up to the conversation between the other teens.

"Don't worry, James. It won't happen. Five years is a long time."

Later that evening, Aurelia sat in the guestroom which James reluctantly had showed her to, about to write a letter to her parents. Some people seemed able to get everything they wanted in life; family, love, success. She couldn't quite figure out how they did it. Perhaps it was simply luck, and she deeply hoped that someday she could get a portion of that luck, so that she could keep both James and her family. For now, though, she needed to focus on the dilemma at hand. Either she would have to marry Rabastan and be miserable for the rest of her life, or she would leave her family and never look back. And seeing as neither of the options were acceptable, she picked up her quill and wrote a letter to her parents, hoping to Merlin that they would agree to her proposal.

Mother & Father

I hope this letter reaches you well. As you may have been made aware, I have been informed about your planning my betrothal to Rabastan Lestrange without my knowledge. I was under the impression that we had an understanding, and that you had given me your word that I would be allowed to marry out of love when the time came. Given the current circumstances, I understand that a more formal agreement is necessary.

First of all, let me assure you of one thing. Should you move ahead with your plans regarding my betrothal to Rabastan Lestrange, I will instantaneously elope with a muggle and you will never see me again. But perhaps more importantly to you, the family name will be dragged into the mud.

Now, seeing that my future marriage seems to be at the top of your priorities, I have a suggestion to make.

You will allow me, as initially agreed upon, to marry out of love. Should I, at turning 21 years old, have failed to marry a pureblood wizard, you may arrange a betrothal to a wizard of your choosing. However, I will have you know that Rabastan, on several occasions, has attempted to force himself upon me, and I highly doubt that he is the kind of wizard you would want to wed your daughter.

If you agree to these terms, we can arrange for a meeting to discuss the matter further.

Your daughter,

Aurelia Rose Fawley.

A/N: Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I just love seeing James and his family together, and the bickering between James and Sirius, what do you guys make of it? Also! What did you think of Aurelia's proposal? Will it work? And if it does, will she go back to her family? Let me know what you think, and if you liked it, please follow, favorite and review to make my day!