"Will you care for him, and help him take his place within the life and worship of Christ's church?" Sirius fidgeted anxiously on the spot, eyes darting from James to the minister. James gave him a reassuring nod and Sirius cleared his throat to answer.

"I will."

The ceremony took all of ten minutes, ending with Harry in tears as he had the holy water run along his forehead. He was happy when the minister, a stranger to him, placed him back into the protection of his father's arms.

"I cannot believe you convinced me to do that," Sirius grumbled as they all exited the church, Harry tucked safely in his pram.

"It means that if anything were to happen to us—"

"Which it won't," James interjected pointedly.

"Yes, but if it were, you would be Harry's guardian." Lily couldn't pretend the ceremony hadn't provided her with a little relief. Knowing that Harry would fall into the protection of those who loved him if she weren't around…it was a small mercy. She knew that Sirius and Marlene would raise Harry as their own if it came to it and there wasn't anyone else she would rather bring up her son.

"How pissed was Marley when she got called out on a mission?"

"Fuming. You know she doesn't like to be left out," Sirius scoffed, "especially when it comes to you."

"She's his Godmother in my mind," Lily stated, "besides, if anything ever happened it'd be both of you taking care of him."

"Right," James agreed with a cheeky grin, "because those two are guaranteed to be together forever."

Lily smacked her husband's arm. "They do live together now you know!"

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they've been together for nearly three years now."

"Me too, mate."

"So I guess we should be waiting for a proposal?" James continued to tease. "Are you getting ready to get down on one knee and pop that question, Padfoot?"

"Don't push it," Sirius snapped, looking genuinely terrified at the prospect of marriage. "Besides, you know she'd never agree to it. I think she'd be more horrified by the idea of marriage than me."

"That Marley. Never wants to be tied down, does she?"

"I think she'd give up her independence for Sirius," Lily shrugged.

When they returned to their cottage they were surprised to find their friends waiting for them with afternoon tea. The Longbottoms had brought Neville over and he and Harry rolled around in the baby playpen while the rest of them – Remus and Peter had shown up as well – enjoyed lunch.

"How bad was it, then?" James finally asked Frank. "Minchum's house."

"Awful," the latter concluded. "His children…they were just kids. Young girls with their whole lives ahead of them, and they killed them like they were nothing."

"They're monsters," Sirius shrugged, as though it were the most obvious thing in the world, "every one of them." Lily swallowed back her usual warning to be open-minded. A year ago she might have told Sirius to look at the bigger picture, not every Death Eater could willing murder two innocent children, but she didn't currently feel so forgiving. When every day she woke worried for the safety of her son, it was difficult to believe all Death Eaters couldn't be evil – willing to stand by while their master murdered an innocent baby.

"What do you think of Bagnold so far?"

"She's okay," Frank responded with little passion.

"She's neutral for the most part. She condemns the Death Eaters' behaviour but she hasn't the guts to take any hard lines against them either," Remus informed them. "At least that's the news Dorcas has passed along so far."

"Who would want to take a hard line after seeing how it turned out for the last Minister?" Lily shivered every time she remembered Harold Minchum's gruesome end.

"I'm just ready for this bloody war to be done with," Alice groaned. "If I have to listen to one more missing person's list on the radio…."

"I stopped listening months ago," Lily agreed. "It's too horrible."

"Do you think you two will go back to The Order?" Remus asked, looking from James to Lily. "Now that Harry's getting a bit older."

Lily struggled not to blurt out the truth: that she would if she could, that they hadn't any choice but to lay low in their quiet village. All Remus and Peter knew was that she and James had taken time off to spend with their son and avoid any unnecessary danger. It was the assumption of most of the Order.

"We'll have to see," she stepped in, knowing well James didn't have the stomach to lie to his friend's face again. "I worry about leaving him with a stranger…"

"I don't think it'd be possible to both go to work again if we didn't have Augusta around to help out," Frank piped up in support, knowing well the truth James and Lily hid.

It was another two hours before everyone cleared out – headed back to their regular schedules – and James and Lily were left to their own devices. James had been quiet since Remus' innocent question had popped up, and Lily left him to his thoughts while she put Harry down for his afternoon nap.

She wasn't surprised when she wandered downstairs thirty minutes later to find James hiding in the garden, sneaking a cigarette. He nearly dropped it when he heard Lily stepping outside, his mouth drawn open in horror. He looked ready for a cross-talking to, like a young boy about to be scolded by his mother.

"Those will kill you, you know." Lily tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat.

"So I've been told." James tossed the cigarette aside, crushing it with the heel of his boot. "I'm sorry, I just keep them by for—"

"I'm not mad," Lilly assured him. "Besides, you're awful at covering up the scent. I always know when you've had one."

"What?"

"You stunk of them every time I got back from a mission." Lily couldn't help but smile.

"You really are extraordinary, Evans."

"Evans?" Lily raised her eyebrows. "Haven't heard you use that one in a while."

"Old times sake." James stepped forward and wrapped an arm around his wife's waist, drawing her up against him. "Have I mentioned lately that I love you?"

"Probably," Lily blushed, "but it doesn't hurt to hear it again."

"I love you," he repeated, kissing her tenderly. "Mrs Potter."

"Fourteen-year-old me is gagging right now," Lily told her husband as he kissed her neck.

"Mrs Potter," he repeated, his lips finding hers again. "Mrs Potter…"

Suddenly her back was against the house, James holding her close as he kissed her.

"Harry's down for his nap," Lily exhaled, pulling away from him for just a second. "We should take this to the bedroom."

"Like respectable adults?" he teased her.

"I don't plan on doing anything respectable," Lily promised.


Everyone left the Potters' together, ready to go their separate ways, but Alice had something else in mind.

"Remus," she said, stopping the man a few paces ahead of her. "Do you have time for a chat?"

"Of course."

"You're okay to pick Neville up from Augusta's?" Alice turned to her husband now.

"Yes." He looked from Remus to Alice with nervously. "You're sure you're okay?"

"I'm sure," she promised. Alice leaned in for a quick peck on the lips before Frank followed the rest of the group up the street and around the bend.

Alice and Remus, alone for the first time since Christmas, turned back towards the park a block away. It was late January, but a nice day at that. The sun reflected off the centimetre of snow covering Godric's Hollow. They found an isolated bench, resting side by side.

"God Alice, I don't know where to begin. I'm so sorry…"

"I know."

"I went too far, I was drunk, I…"

"Remus," Alice exhaled sharply, a cloud of smoke rushing from her mouth. "Is that what you think of me?" She wasn't looking at him, her attention drawn towards a family, sledging down the hill at the other end of the park.

"No," he shook his head. "Maybe at first I thought…it seemed so soon, and we're all so young…" He was stumbling over his words. "It seemed naïve at first when you guys announced that you were expecting, but now…you might be the happiest people I know in this country." There was silence for a moment and then Remus broke. When Alice looked to her side his head was bowed as tears spilt down his cheeks.

"Come here," she put her arm around him and let him shake softly against her chest. "Is it Dorcas?" Alice worried. She couldn't stand the thought of the two of them breaking up.

"I don't think she trusts me anymore," Remus sobbed.

"None of us know what work Moody has her doing," Alice struggled to comfort him. "Frank told me it's the gossip of the office. She loves you, Remus, believe me—"

"What could be so awful?" Remus looked up, his eyes were red from all the tears. Alice had an idea; she had since Frank had first mentioned Dorcas' odd behaviour at work.

"The day after Neville was born we were visited by Moody and Dumbledore," Alice began hesitantly, not sure how much was fair for her to divulge. It was her story too, her truth, and why should James' poor decision affect her friendship with Remus as well? "They informed us of a prophecy, one that had been shared with Voldemort." Alice watched the colour drain from Remus' face. "A prediction that the one to vanquish the Dark Lord was approaching…that he would be born at the end of July."

"Neville?" Remus asked, his chin trembling in horror.

"No," Alice replied, swallowing back tears. "Voldemort chose another." It was a second before the truth snuck in, Remus sinking back into the bench. Alice watched the emotions swarm across his face, the confusion, and the pain. "I'm sorry, Remus, I—" Alice's voice quavered. "It wasn't mine to tell." She bowed her head in shame. "I think that's why…I think Dorcas has been struggling to both protect you and do her duty…"

"James…he…" Remus choked on the words. "He didn't tell me?" He looked to Alice in shock. "Who else knows?"

"Not many," she insisted, tears rolling down her rosy cheeks. "Dorcas, Frank and I, Marlene…"

"And Sirius?" Remus demanded. "Sirius knows?"

"Yes," Alice nodded her head. "Sirius knows."

Remus ran his hands along his face, his eyes wide in disbelief. When he turned back to face her Alice was certain he'd be furious, she would've been.

"You know Alice, I think you might be the only friend I've got at the moment."


The Auror office was shocked when Marlene and Dorcas returned from their six-hour long mission with two Death Eaters in tow. Truthfully, no one was more shocked than them. By the time the altercation between the four of them had arisen they'd been scoping out a building, looking for missing witches and wizards, for nearly an hour. They hadn't expected any company and yet, despite being caught by surprise, they'd managed to return victorious.

"Good work, you two," Moody congratulated them once they'd locked their captives away in one of the office's cells. "Meadowes, why don't you take the rest of the day off? Go spend some time with that man of yours."

"My man?" Dorcas teased her boss with a smirk.

"Don't make me change my mind," Moody grumbled, stomping back towards his office.

It was five in the afternoon, enough time for both women to return home to their partners for a quiet evening, but they were too hyped up on adrenaline for quiet. Instead, they found a local muggle bar in downtown London and purchased themselves some much-needed drinks: tequila shots to start, two each, and then a pint of beer to follow.

"You're a good partner in a crisis, you know," Dorcas noted. They were sitting up at the bar, two of out of the five people that were drinking at five P.M. "I'm surprised you never thought about joining us."

"And spending the rest of my life being compared to my mother?" Marlene made a face to reflect her feelings on the matter. "I'd rather not."

"She's a talented witch, your mum," Dorcas raised her pint as though in a toast. "Not a bad woman to be compared to."

"I never wanted to end up like her," Marlene admitted. "She did what she thought she was supposed to, getting married, having children, but she never really wanted any of it. She was never married to anything quite so much as her job."

"She loves you guys—"

"Did you ever see Caroline with James?" Marlene asked, cutting Dorcas off. "That's who I've always wanted to be…"

"Caroline Potter?" Dorcas smiled. "Another wonderful lady."

"She was more of a mother to me than mine ever was," Marlene sighed, the alcohol certainly getting to her head. "I always thought…when I grow up I'm going to be just like her. I'll have the big house and the happy marriage and the perfect family…"

"Did you love her more than your own mother?" Dorcas asked bluntly, barely batting an eyelash. "Sorry," she apologized, noticing Marlene's startled expression, "two tequila shots deep over here."

"Caroline never had any expectations." Marlene was too drunk not to be brutally honest. "My mother always wanted something from me, she needed me to be smarter or more independent or less whiny. She always thought I was too focused on boys or that I didn't read enough—"

"Read enough?" Dorcas laughed.

"Merlin, she barked on about that. She thought I was too focused on how I looked and should worry more about educating myself."

"Bloody hell."

"The Potters were an oasis for me. Caroline didn't care if I spent twenty minutes worrying about my hair, she didn't pester me about my grammar, she didn't care when I needed to blab on about a boy."

"I think my mum would be thrilled if I announced tomorrow I was quitting my job and settling down for a quiet life in the country."

"Yeah?" Marlene smiled, finishing off the rest of her drink. "You and Remus raising a litter of your own."

"Don't joke," Dorcas glared. "Besides, you seem about set to have a litter of your own."

"Maybe I'll have four kids just to really piss off my mum. She'd hate that if I gave up my career and settled down with Sirius. I don't think anything would ruffle her feathers more than seeing me spend the rest of my life with him."

"She must like how unconventional he is?"

"She'll never see him as anything more than the cast-off son of blood traitors."

"Seems a harsh judgment," Dorcas shrugged.

"Have you met my mother?"

"And what if you'd married James? Would she have been happy then?"

Marlene had known the answer to that since she was four years old. Since her mother and Caroline had squealed with joy every time she shared a hug with James, every time they made some childish proclamation of love.

"My mother had a very specific life laid out for me." Marlene had been told from birth exactly what kind of woman she'd be. Her mother had wanted her to be a Potter, an Auror like her, she wanted Marlene to do everything she hadn't had the opportunity to. "My not falling in love with James was the first disappointment of many."

"Imagine how much easier it would've been if you had." Dorcas slammed her glass against the table as she finished her beer, motioning at the bartender.

"Can we get two more shots please?"

"Are you trying to make me puke? I won't be able to get home if we do two more shots!"

"It's my first day off in months!" Dorcas protested. It didn't take much to convince an already drunk Marlene that she needed another drink. Besides, she knew she'd only return home to Sirius bragging about how he had been chosen as godparent to Harry.

The bartender returned, pushing two shots and a salt shaker across the bar. Marlene would regret this later when she woke up with a pounding headache.

"Since we're on the subject of your busy schedule…"

"Are we?" Dorcas asked. She didn't look up as she licked her hand and scattered salt over it.

"Remus has been worried."

"Hey, I thought we were having fun? Take your shot and shut up about work." Dorcas followed her own instructions, throwing back her tequila and puckering her lips as she sucked on her slice of lime.

"Dumbledore doesn't know, does he? Whatever it is you're up to," Marlene continued once she'd done the same. Sober, she might have let the issue slide but now - hyped up on beer and tequila shots - she couldn't help but pry.

"Top secret." That was all Dorcas had said to anyone for months when they inquired about her strange activity. It seemed everyone was trying to figure out what she was up to but Marlene already had a good idea.

"Of course, there's only one thing I can think of that Remus remains completely in the dark on." She watched the corner of Dorcas' mouth twitch when she said it. The witch turned her head, as though to protect herself from giving away the truth.

"Well, you'd know more about that than I would."

"You wouldn't be able to make that dig if you didn't know," Marlene reasoned. "It's why you've been cold to Sirius, isn't it? Moody told you, specifically you, so he could get you to do his dirty work."

"I don't want to discuss this, Marlene." Dorcas' mood had shifted, and quickly at that. "Drop it."

"Moody's got you trailing Snape, doesn't he? He doesn't trust him. He and Dumbledore still aren't working together," Marlene put the puzzle together. "After all this time…"

"I'm going to the loo, maybe you'll be done talking nonsense when I'm back-"

"Does anybody else know?" Marlene asked, her tone grown quite serious. "Does he at least have Kingsley helping?" The silence was all the answer Marlene needed. "That's reckless, Dorcas."

"Please don't push it…"

"No, I…" Marlene shook her head. "I can't let you throw yourselves to the wolves when I know I can help." Dorcas' head perked up then.

"Help?"

"Aren't you the one who just said I'd be a great asset to the team?"

"Yes, but—"

"You can't do this all alone, Dorcas, and I…I owe you."

"Owe you?" Dorcas looked at her like she was crazy.

"I never properly thanked you for everything you did in my last year…" Marlene couldn't quite look her in the eye as she said it. She never felt quite right bringing up Donovan's around Dorcas or Kingsley. She'd watched one person she loved die, they'd been forced to listen to the desperate screams of half their team...

"If it weren't for you I'd never have had that final goodbye."

"If it weren't for you two forcing Kingsley and me out of Donovan's I wouldn't be alive," Dorcas reasoned. "All debts paid."

Marlene couldn't let that be the end of it. "I can't just sit around while everyone I love is in danger. James is my family, and Remus, I've seen him go through more than enough hell. I can't let him lose you. Hell, none of us could handle losing you. It'd be the end of this bloody war if we did."

"Oh please," Dorcas brushed the compliment aside.

"You're the best of us," Marlene assured her. "Now, tomorrow, when you go back into the office, you're going to march right into Alastor Moody's office and tell him you've got a new partner. If I can't work at the Prophet at least I can help watch your back."

Marlene was shocked when Dorcas looked at her with relief. "Fine," she agreed, giving in to the relentless demands. "Let's do it."


Remus was sitting in the kitchen, where he'd been frozen since his talk with Alice, the room gone dark around him. He couldn't move, he wouldn't, until Dorcas got home. It was the only thing he could think about, seeing her, speaking to her. He clenched his fists on the table, filled with every emotion from anger to despair. When the front door finally popped open, despite hours left alone to his thoughts, he could barely think of what to say.

Dorcas dropped her keys at the front door, he listened as she kicked off her boots and unzipped her coat. He'd been sitting, quietly, for a few moments before she finally strode into the kitchen, jumping with fright when she flicked on the overhead to see him sitting there.

"Merlin, what're you doing sitting in the dark?"

"Thinking."

"Thinking? Is this always how you think?" She teased him. She was drunk, he could tell. The way she stumbled slightly on her walk to the fridge.

"I finally talked to Alice today," he began.

"That's great!" She was pouring herself a glass of water.

"She told me something funny…"

"What's that?" Dorcas had her back to him so she couldn't see the disappointment waning on his face. Her expression changed quickly from one of joy to utter fear in the second she turned around.

"I think you already know what she told me." Remus' heart was pounding in his chest. "I think you've known for months."

"Remus…"

"You can't even deny it," he seethed. "I was sitting here, praying you would walk through that door and deny it."

"It wasn't like that," she insisted, rushing towards the table. "Remus, please," she reached for his hand but he recoiled. "I was told in confidence," she pressed, "by my boss."

"Bullshit!" Remus pushed out of his chair.

"You think I wanted to keep this from you?" She countered. "Do you think these past few months have been easy for me—"

"You lied to me! For months you've just been lying—"

"I never lied," Dorcas corrected him. That much was true, she'd just never said anything. Somehow it hurt more. Remus walked away, too angry to face her, pacing the width of the living room while Dorcas watched with concern.

"I understand you're upset," she began. "But I'm not the one who lied to you—"

"You're right," he turned on her, his face crumpling in pain. "You just lived with me for months, knowing that my friends were sneaking around behind my back, hiding the truth from me!" Remus turned away as tears began to fill his eyes once more. "Fuck!" He kicked the trash bin in the corner so hard it went flying across the room, exploding against the wall.

"If I'd had a choice—"

"A CHOICE?" Remus howled. "A bloody choice? You had your choice, Dorcas! You made it!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" She shrieked impatiently. "I told you my job came first. You knew what it was going to be like, you've always had the option to leave—"

"But I love you!" Remus hollered back, torn apart. "Do you think I have a choice in that?"

Dorcas leaned back against the wall, closing her eyes in thought. "I knew this was a mistake," Remus heard her mumble, his heart breaking just a little more.

"A mistake?" he demanded, storming towards her. "Mistake?"

"I told you about my past!" She shot back at him. "You promised me you'd be different, you swore you understood," she shook her head, tears flying from the corners of her eyes. "I didn't want to keep this from you! I've been begging Moody for months to let you in on it. I have been losing sleep over this bloody secret and you…you think I chose this? That I wanted this for us?"

Remus looked away, the agony on her face too much for him to bear. She was right, of course, she hadn't been the one to betray him, she had simply been a casualty in the act.

"I'm going to get some air," Remus announced, heading for the door. "I'll be back in a little bit."

He didn't give Dorcas time to argue, pounding down the stairs and storming out into the street. He had a purpose, a one-track mind, as he turned the corner and apparated away.

He flew up the stairs of the building he had landed outside of, pausing for a second outside the door to hear the laughter ringing from inside. He knocked three times, stepping back to get a breath in before the door was answered.

"Moony?" Sirius asked, lips turning up into a grin. "What're you doing—"

Remus' fist flew into Sirius' face before he could get out another word. Marlene, who'd been sitting on the couch, shot up, eyes wide in shock.

"What the hell?" Before she could get to Sirius' side Remus kicked him hard in the groin, Sirius grunting in pain. Marlene shoved Remus hard in the chest, getting him away before he could do any more damage.

"You're a git!" Remus shouted down at one of his oldest friends. "You know that? I know it was you that convinced them."

"What're you going on about?" Marlene demanded, helping Sirius to sit up as he clutched his bleeding nose.

"The prophecy," he clarified, "but I'm sure you've known about that for months, haven't you?" He said, staring right at her. She couldn't deny that he hadn't expected her to. Likely, she had been the first to hear the news.

"Remus…" She stood up, taking a step towards him. She made it impossible to be mad at her when she looked at him like that, her face filled with such remorse. "Things just got so fucked up. None of us knew what to do and it was before you and Sirius made up…"

"Did you believe it too?" Remus asked, his voice losing its edge. "That I was the spy?"

"No," Marlene swore. "Of course not. James doesn't either, Remus, I swear—"

"But you'd stay with someone like him?" Remus pointed towards Sirius, just beginning to get himself together. "Someone who could think those things about me?"

"You accused him of the same," Marlene stated fairly. "He's just as scared as the rest of us, Remus—"

"That's no excuse." He turned his piercing gaze to Sirius now. "I forgave you for James' sake because I hoped there was still something good left between us four but you killed that. And you." He looked towards Marlene, her blue eyes glistening. "You deserve better."

And that was that.


James was reading in the living room as Lily gave Harry his bath upstairs. He could hear his son's laughter echoing down the stairs, warming his heart on a cold January evening. The knock which drew him from his thoughts belonged to Remus Lupin, who he found waiting for him at the front door.

"Moony," James began casually, "back so soon?" It was not until Remus looked up that James noticed the tears in his eyes.

"Come in," James insisted, stepping aside.

"No," Remus shook his head, "I don't think I should."

"What're you going on about? It's freezing outside and you're upset—"

"Why didn't you tell me?" Remus asked suddenly. "Was it Sirius' idea?"

James' stomach sank. "Moony…"

"Don't call me that." It was a plea rather than an order. James' face fell.

"We weren't supposed to tell anyone," he continued, desperate to explain himself. "Especially with a spy in the group—"

"You think that spy is me?"

"Of course not!"

"Than why keep it from me?" James hated the pain that came across Remus' face. He hated that he'd caused it. He hated having to have a conversation like this in the first place.

"I don't know," James admitted. "I don't know." He shook his head, filled with shame. "Sirius suggested it when you were still fighting, and we just listened. We're terrified, Remus, we haven't thought straight in months, we've been cooped up in this house—"

"You looked me in the eye this afternoon and lied," Remus' chin wobbled. "Despite everything…despite all these years…"

"Remus, please," James begged, terrified of losing one of his oldest friends. "It's more complicated than that…this is all more fucking complicated than any of us ever imagined. It's like when you lied about your mum for all those years to cover up your secret."

"That's different…"

"You thought we'd see you differently if we knew. We had to figure it out for ourselves before you'd even share the truth. They told us that he wants to kill our son. Our baby." James' voice broke. "I just want to keep him safe." He tried so hard to fight off the tears but they came anyway, filling his eyes so that Remus grew blurry.

"It wasn't about you," James promised, struggling to get the words out. "I swear, Remus…I've never believed what Sirius said, I never thought…I just want to keep them safe…" James closed his eyes to try and stunt the flow of tears. "I need them to be safe."

He heard footsteps and assumed that Remus had turned to leave before the grip of two strong arms came around him. James melted into his friend, wracked with guilt and fear. He had been afraid to protest when Sirius suggested they tell no one else because he didn't know whom he could trust. Someone amongst them was a traitor and no one seemed anymore certain now than a year ago about who it could be.

"I'm sorry," James cried. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too," Remus replied, holding James a little tighter.


The message from Dorcas came just after midnight. Marlene, who'd been sufficiently drunk when Remus had shown up on their doorstep and punched Sirius in the face, had been moments from going to bed when she was ordered to meet her friend at the Ministry within twenty minutes. Marlene had made certain Sirius was asleep when she slipped out the door, not wanting to field any questions.

If he knew what she had agreed to earlier, to become Dorcas' partner in crime, he would have lost it. She knew he'd never agree, she wouldn't if the roles were reversed, which was exactly why she had no plans to tell him. Not yet at least.

"Your boyfriend paid us a friendly visit," Marlene announced as the lift doors drew open. Dorcas was waiting for her, back against the wall, just outside the elevator.

"I figured," she frowned. The two women began walking down the hall, towards the office at the end.

"I can't say we didn't deserve it," Marlene sighed, her hands tucked into the pockets of her hoody. "It was still awful."

"I know." Dorcas pulled a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, the office as quiet as Marlene had ever seen it. With a flick of her wand, Dorcas turned her desk lamp on, the only source of light in the room.

"So," Marlene began, drawing a chair over from a nearby desk. "Why the late night meeting?"

"You said tonight that you wanted in." Dorcas was fiddling with her drawer, shaking around the key in the hole until it clicked. "Well, this is in." She produced a folder Marlene could be certain was filled with information on Severus Snape. "This is everything I know."

"Did you know he was in love with her?" Marlene asked. "Probably still is."

"I had an idea…"

"He's obsessed with her. He hates James with a passion. I doubt he feels anything tender towards Harry."

"Despite his feelings for Lily?"

"I can't imagine Severus could care for anything that had half of James' DNA." Marlene had never been particularly fond of Severus Snape. She'd found him pretentious and rude when they were younger and now she thought him a coward.

"Do you trust him?"

"I trust that he doesn't want to hurt her," Marlene shrugged. "I trust that Dumbledore has a good read of people. I believe he wants to protect her."

"But what about Harry?"

"I think that if Harry were a casualty he'd be okay with that."

"This guy," Dorcas shook her head, leaning back into the office chair she sat in. "All of his movements suggest to me that he's devoted to Voldemort's cause. He only interacts with Death Eaters, he lives with a fellow Death Eater, he's in deep with the movement."

"But?"

"He put his life on the line coming to Dumbledore. He saved Harry's life, James and Lily's too most likely. That has to count for something?"

"I think that, in his twisted mind, protecting Harry will make her forgive him. I believe that he wants to do it, to protect him."

"But?" Dorcas smirked.

"What's to say he can't be swayed? Like you said, he's in deep, he believes in this shit, he lives in their world. How long is his history with Lily going to sustain him? How long until it's not enough until he falls in love with some pureblood witch and realizes he doesn't give a shit about Harry's safety?"

"There's more," Dorcas confessed, averting her gaze. "Voldemort is starting to get…impatient."

"Right…"

"Dumbledore wants to start tracking the Potters' movements more closely. He thinks that there should be less travelling outside of Godric's Hollow and, um…he wants them to start informing Moody of their movements…"

"James isn't going to like that."

"I know."

"He's already going out of his mind as it is…"

"There's been a discussion of putting the house under the Fidelius charm, to conceal it from being found."

"Isn't that a bit…"

"It won't be long before Voldemort figures out where they're living, and when he does…"

"This is bad," Marlene determined her heart in her throat. "This is really bad."

"Quite honestly, they shouldn't even have people over, especially not when we have a spy in our midst—"

"Operating like that will just drive us all mad."

"The alternative is us all being dead," Dorcas stated pointedly. "The time to trust people before pointing the finger is gone, Marlene. This war isn't ending anytime soon and if it is, it won't be an ending any of us will like." The thought made Marlene sick. After all they'd done, after all, they'd lost, the thought of losing the war was almost worse than death. The faces of those they'd lost, Fabian, Gideon and Henry, looming over her, reminding her that she had failed them, haunted Marlene.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Read this file," Dorcas said, sliding the folder towards Marlene. "Then wake up bright and early tomorrow and meet me at the safe house."

"What're we doing?"

"Tracking Severus Snape's movements from the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep."

"And the day after that?"

"We'll do the same. We'll keep doing it until we find something useful or he slips up."

Marlene gulped anxiously, taking the folder of information into her hands. She could still remember the first time she'd met Severus Snape, the second day of Hogwarts. Lily and Marlene had bonded immediately and stayed up all night chatting on Marlene's bed. In the morning, when heading down for breakfast, Severus had met them at the front doors, elated to finally be reunited with his one friend.

He'd barely said a word to Marlene. He had treated her as a nuisance, someone who was taking Lily's attention away from him, and she got the sense he'd be happier if she weren't around. She hadn't known back then who he would turn out to be, or the threat he would pose to the ones she loved.

Severus would do all he could to protect Lily but Marlene doubted he cared much about James. James, who had been her first kiss at the age of six. James, who had built pillow forts with her in the winter when it was too cold to play outside. If Severus had no concern for James' life Marlene certainly did. From the time they were children she had protected him, she had thrown herself in front of whatever harm tried to touch him. She wouldn't let him down now.