July 31 – August 1, 1989

"Happy birthday, Harry!" Callie knelt and hugged her nephew tightly.

"You came, Aunt Callie!" Harry announced joyfully. "I thought you'd be too busy."

She pulled away and held him at arms' length. "Too busy to drop by my favorite nephew's birthday party? Never." She beamed. "I brought you something." From behind her back, she produced a carefully wrapped box. Harry grinned and took it.

"Wow! Thank you!" He hugged her again, and yelled over his shoulder, "Mum! Aunt Callie came!" He ushered her into the living room and closed the front door before rushing into the kitchen, carrying his present.

Callie chuckled and followed him. She thought she recognized all the voices coming from the kitchen. No sooner had she stepped inside than she was nearly knocked over by Lily's embrace.

"Callie! Merlin, it's been ages. We were getting so worried!" Lily pulled away and looked her up and down, inspecting her for cuts or burns. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

Callie chuckled and took her hands. "I'm fine, Lily, really. Thanks for letting me turn up like this."

"Sirius was just telling us about the dragon," Marlene said. "Again." Callie turned to see her at the kitchen table, Sirius standing behind her. He smiled at her as brightly as usual, but the casual air didn't quite reach his eyes.

James grinned and slapped her on her back, snapping her from her thoughts. He drew her into a bone-crushing hug. "I always knew my little sis would turn into a dragon-vanquishing hero!"

Callie laughed, pushing her brother away. "Thanks, James, but please." She glanced at Sirius, catching his eye again. How much had he said, exactly?

"He was just getting to the part where you escaped with only a handful of minor scrapes," Remus reported. He smiled at her. "Hi, Callie. It's good to see you again." Callie noticed he looked thinner and wearier than ever. She returned the smile.

Callie greeted them all warmly, even Marlene. Molly Weasley showed up a few minutes later, bringing her youngest two children, Ron and Ginny. Harry immediately pulled Ron outside to play Quidditch with him, and Minerva, Harry's little sister, brought Ginny upstairs to play with her dolls. Ginny cast a long-suffering look back at her mother, but received no pity.

Callie took a butterbeer from the table and shifted to the outskirts of the room. She was exhausted. Hot on the trail of the third Horcrux, which she and Dumbledore both suspected was the Gaunt Family ring, she barely had time to think, much less sleep. She knew where it was: the ruins of the Gaunt shack, where the last of the family had lived. But it was protected by powerful, dark magic, and getting through the barrier was proving to be difficult.

She watched Harry from the kitchen window, thoughts soon trailing off. It had been over a year since she'd seen her family and she'd missed them desperately. She'd missed Harry's last birthday. She'd missed Christmas, too, and Easter. This business tracking down the Horcruxes was much harder than she'd imagined it would be. She'd only seen Sirius one other time since the night in the safe house. She thought she was over it! Honestly, it shouldn't be so off-putting to see him again. She sighed privately, mentally kicking herself. Why did her mind always go back to him of all places?

"He's just like his father, isn't he?"

Callie looked and saw Remus standing beside her. She shook herself, attention turning back to the boys in the yard. Peter and James had joined them, Peter on Ron's team and James on Harry's. Harry was riding James' favorite broom, soaring up and looping around, dodging the old, weather-beaten Bludgers. He and Ron tossed the Quaffle back and forth skillfully, much to the frustration of the other two. It was obvious now that James' early predictions were likely to come true: the boy just might be the youngest Quidditch player of the century. She smiled softly. "Yes. Just like him."

They watched Harry for a while. He threw the Quaffle to Ron, who caught it clumsily, lost his balance, and toppled off his broom into the dirt. Laughing so hard he almost fell himself, Harry swooped down to check on his friend.

"How are you, Remus?" Callie asked without taking her eyes from the boys. "It's been a long time. We never did manage to find time to grab that mug of butterbeer."

"No, we didn't. I'm afraid that's my fault."

"It's alright." She turned and smiled at him. "It's really good to see you. Have you found a steady job yet?"

"No, not yet," he replied heavily. "Work is hard to come by these days."

Callie grinned. "What about a girlfriend?"

Remus chuckled. "Why are you all on my case about that?"

"Because you always look so sad!"

"There's a war, Callie. Am I supposed to look happy?"

"Well, happier." Callie turned back to the window. "I still say, at the very least, you could use a friend that's a girl."

"Your suggestion is accepted and filed away," Remus assured. He was quiet for a moment, watching the boys resume their game. "So… you and Sirius?"

Callie stopped. She cleared her throat and tried to sound casual. "What are you talking about?"

Remus smirked. "Callie, do you know how many times he's bragged about the accomplishments of a woman? Only once before, and that was about Lily landing James."

"That doesn't mean a thing," Callie argued. "He trained me. So really, he's bragging about his own accomplishments."

Lily called the kids back inside for cake and presents. Everyone gathered around the table. Harry was seated at the head of the table, in the place of honor. A red and gold birthday hat was set on his head, and the heavenly smells from the kitchen finally revealed their source as Lily brought forth the cake. Everyone sang an off-tune "Happy Birthday" with varying levels of skill. The cake was cut, the pieces distributed and devoured in minutes.

Presents were brought out next. Harry received a sweater with the Chudley Cannons emblem from Remus, a book of mythology from Marlene, a broom servicing kit from Callie, a Chudley Cannons poster from Ron, a brand new set of Quidditch balls from Peter, and a new broom from Sirius. He and Ron fussed over the broom, running their hands over it reverently before taking it for a spin outside. James, Remus, and Peter all groaned and reluctantly handed over a Galleon each to Sirius for once again buying the favorite present.

"It's not fair," James complained. "I wish I had an uncle who paid me for leaving my family."

Sirius pocketed the money with a smug smirk. "Guess I know your kid better than you do, Prongs. Deal with it."

Lily began clearing the plates. "Callie, will you help me with this?"

Callie turned her attention from the photos on the wall. "Sure, Lily." She gathered the remaining dishes and took them into the kitchen.

Peter jumped at the chance. "I'll help, too!" He followed them into the kitchen.

Lily put the dishes in the sink and ran the water. Callie grabbed a clean towel to dry them with and Peter stood beside her, ready to put the dishes away.

"Okay, spill," Lily demanded without warning. "What is going on between you and Sirius?"

Callie sighed and rolled her eyes. "Not you, too! Why does everyone think there's something going on?"

"Because the only other person Sirius will actively brag about and be serious when doing it is Harry, his godson," Peter replied. "How stupid do you think we are?"

Callie took the towel hanging on the rack and began drying the plates Lily handed to her. "Honestly, guys, nothing's going on. I've only seen him twice since I got this assignment ages ago. Maybe he's bragging on me because he taught me pretty much everything I know about being an Auror; did you think of that?"

"No, that's definitely not it." Peter put a plate away. "He coached me through becoming an Animagus, and you don't hear him bragging on me."

Callie sighed. Somehow, amid the chaos of the last part of her life, she'd forgotten that little secret. James, Sirius, and Peter were all unregistered Animagi. James had told her sometime after she'd graduated. Or rather, he'd turned into a bloody stag in her bedroom in the middle of the night and scared her half to death.

"That's a little different, Pete," she argued.

"Yeah, I agree: I'm not a girl."

"I hardly think Sirius would be attracted to you if you were," Callie shot back.

"Agreed." Peter grinned. "He'll never admit it, but he prefers redheads."

"It's not red," she growled through clenched teeth, "it's auburn."

Technically, it was auburn. A bright auburn. She'd always hated the color. It reminded her of fire and blood and pain. She'd died it a honey blonde most of her time at school and the years after, but since hunting the Horcruxes, she'd been a little short on time for maintenance of that sort. As a result, her auburn hair was showing now in all its glory.

Peter laughed. "Whatever you say."

"What animal is Sirius, anyway?" Callie asked, shifting the conversation. "James never told me."

Lily cast her an unimpressed glance. "Take a guess."

Callie thought of Sirius' ferocity. "A bear? A giant, brown bear like from Alaska?"

Peter shook her head in disappointment. It reminded Callie of McGonagall. "Honestly, you call yourself an Auror? I'm getting concerned."

"Shut up and tell me!"

"I think not!" Lily resumed the washing smugly. "I'll let you figure it out for yourself. Force you to think more about him."

"You've been spending far too much time with my brother," Callie accused.

"And you've been spending far too little time with Sirius," Lily argued. "Tell us what's going on. I know you want to. Did you sleep with him?"

Callie flushed. "No! Oh, Godric, no! How could you even suggest that!?"

Lily shrugged. "Because there is absolutely some tension between you two. Palpable tension."

"No, Lily, I did not have sex with Sirius Black. And I cannot believe we're even talking about this. This is disgusting." Callie scoffed loudly. "And I don't know about any 'tension.'"

"Don't insult our intelligence," Peter said.

"Sirius and James came as a package deal when James and I got married," Lily pointed out. "Sirius was here all the time. I know him almost as well as I know James. And let me tell you, you're special to him."

"Yeah. I'm special because I'm James' little sister and he promised James he'd look after me."

Lily's eyes lit with realization. She exchanged an understanding glance with Peter. "Ah," she said. "There is it." She smirked. "Well, don't you worry about that. I'll talk to James. He won't stand in the way of you two anymore."

Callie was beginning to lose her patience. "This is ridiculous! James isn't standing in the way of anything because there's nothing for him to stay in the way of!"

Lily changed tactics suddenly. She set down the plate she was scrubbing, giving Callie her full attention. "Listen. Sirius and I have been good friends for years and from time to time, he confides in me. So I might as well tell you that he told me what really happened with that dragon."

"And Lily told me, so there's no use trying to keep secrets," Peter put in.

Callie's stomach dropped. She clenched her jaw. "Oh, did he? And what did he say?"

"Well, he said you two… had a moment."

"'Had a moment'? What are we, Lily, fifteen? What did he really say?"

Lily sighed. "He said you nearly died, and he patched you up, and you two snogged."

Her face warmed, betraying her. Callie growled in annoyance. "Damn his ego! That's not how it happened at all."

"He also said that seeing you bleeding out like that… well, he said he's never been so scared. He said it took ages for the wound to close, and every second he got more afraid of losing you. And he said that if he lost you, he didn't know what he'd do."

"First of all, that was said in private, and I don't think you should be telling me or Peter what he told you in private. Second, it was not a snog!"

"But it was a kiss?" Peter clarified.

"Drop it!"

"Callie! He's afraid of losing you! Don't you know what that means?"

Callie sighed deeply, setting down the plate she was holding. Her chest felt heavy, her insides squirmed. She drew a deep breath to steady herself and push down the flood of emotion before speaking. "Look… I like Sirius. I really do. He's a great friend and it's nice to know there's someone out there who's looking out for me. But… look, there's a war on. Neither of us have any time for anything but making sure we save as many people are possible."

Lily looked at her friend for a moment. "If things were different, and there wasn't a war… would you be interested in him?"

"Things aren't different. And to be honest, I can't even imagine what life without all of this would even look like."

"Callie…" Lily sighed. She set the plate down, dried off her hands, and took Callie's hands in hers. "Listen… you're doing such amazing things. And I know it's all for Harry, to protect him, and I cannot even begin to thank you for that. Just be careful, alright? You've got to find some hope somewhere that things will get better. Not just for other people, but for yourself, too. Maybe Sirius can be that for you."

"Aurors are dying almost every day, Lily. The odds of both of us surviving-"

"Everyone dies sometime," Peter interrupted. "If Sirius died tomorrow, would you have any regrets?"

Callie didn't have to think about it. Yes, she would. More than she cared to count. She took her hands away and went back to drying dishes to keep from answering.

"That's what brought James and I together, you know," Lily continued. "We knew we couldn't have any regrets, so we got married. You have to live every day like it's your last, Callie."

Callie was silent for a long while. Tears stung her eyes, threatening to spill over. She blinked them back furiously. "He's with Marlene."

Lily shrugged. "Marlene is one of my best friends, and I would never want to see her unhappy, but honestly… they're not going to make it. I probably shouldn't tell you this, but they've been fighting a lot recently."

"That doesn't mean anything. They've been on and off since school, right?"

"Yes," Lily admitted. "But they've never fought like this."

"That doesn't mean a thing," Callie argued.

Lily let out a breath and handed over the last dish. "I can see we won't get anywhere, Peter," she conceded. "So, as much as I hate it, I'll leave you to figure it out yourself, Callie. I just hope you do before one of you gets killed."

Callie dried the dish and set it down. "Thank you both. I appreciate your concern. I really do."

Lily nodded. "I just wish you'd take this seriously."

"I am taking it seriously," Callie promised. "There are just other things that I need to take more seriously. Like protecting Harry."

"I know. I just don't want you to have regrets. If you love someone, you should tell them."

"This isn't love, Lily. This is… I don't know what this is."

"Okay," Lily relented. She took the dried plates and put them back in their proper places. "So…" She nudged Callie's arm and grinned. "Is he a good kisser?"

Callie blushed bright red. "I am not dignifying that question with a response!"

The kitchen door opened, and James poked his head in. "Remus has to take off," he reported. He seemed to notice something off, and glanced between the three of them. "I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No," Callie said, stepping away. "We were just finishing up the dishes." She pushed past her brother and back into the dining room. Her eyes fell almost automatically on Sirius. He was talking with Remus and Marlene about something she couldn't hear.

Now that she was paying attention, she could see that something between Sirius and Marlene was strained. She was surprised she hadn't realized it sooner.

Callie carefully chose to file away most of the conversation to a little drawer in her mind that she'd open at a much later date. Remus caught her eye and smiled. He nodded her over. She noticed that Sirius stilled when he noticed her watching him. She wasn't the only one; Marlene took notice as well. She slid her hand into his as a subtle reminder that she was there, too.

Callie politely said her goodbyes. Sirius smiled and cracked a joke about her having a hot date, but after the conversation with Lily and Peter, it was impossible for Callie not to notice the odd look hidden in his eyes. Or maybe she'd imagined it. She laughed it off. She gave Harry a hug, said a quick goodbye to James and Lily, and left as quickly as she could.

Try as she might to block them out, Peter and Lily's words haunted her. Callie wondered what on earth Lily had told Sirius to do. What else had Sirius told her?

She couldn't afford to be distracted like this. Harry went to Hogwarts in two short years, and there were still five Horcruxes left to destroy.

Peter was shocked awake in the small hours of the morning, sweating and shaking. Red eyes still swam before his vision and he could still hear the dark, high-pitched laugh echoing off the walls. He sat up, pulling his legs to his chest and resting his forehead on his knees. It took him several minutes to get his heartbeat under control.

He peered at the clock on the far wall. 3:15 am. Taking a deep, fortifying breath, he swung his legs out of bed and opened his bedroom door. Light shone down the hall. Callie must still be up. With a sigh, he ambled his way into the drawing room.

The room was empty, but the candles still burned and the air smelled of ink and paper. Books and parchment littered the floor. He scanned a few abandoned pieces, noting the runes etched into the paper. He'd never been much good at runes, but he vaguely recalled an old manuscript Remus had dug out of the restricted section their fifth year that dealt with powerful enchantments built into some runes.

He checked the kitchen and didn't find Callie there, either. She wasn't in any of the rooms he checked. Maybe she'd left in the middle of the night; it wouldn't be the first time. Still, he went outside and investigated the last place she frequented.

The Pettigrew's home faced North. Its roof was mostly a sloping triangle, but there was one place, above the South-facing drawing room, where it leveled off. That was where he found her. She was sitting with her legs dangling over the side of the roof, arms behind her holding her weight as she leaned back. Her eyes were cast up at the sky.

It was one of those rare, clear nights when the British clouds made themselves scarce and the air itself seemed to sing for joy at the appearance of the stars. It was a mild night, full of magic that felt as old as the hills. Magic that welled up and spilled over the earth, seeping into the blood and filling his heart with something between peace and melancholy. The sky was already just beginning to lighten; the darkest hour of night had passed. The Sun rose very early in the summer. They were so far removed from the bustling cities of England that it mattered very little; no Muggle light pollution hid the sky.

Peter scaled the side of the house, using the chimney and a conveniently-placed wall to push against. His muscles protested the exertion and he huffed. He was getting fat. Fat and old. Complacency wasn't doing a thing for him.

He was older than James and Sirius, he was sure of it. Technically he was second-youngest of the group, but he was sure James and Sirius were on some sort of de-ager. There was a marked difference between him at twenty-nine and them at twenty-nine.

He heaved himself onto the roof and took a moment to catch his breath before crawling carefully onto the flat ledge. Callie must have known he was there (he wasn't exactly quiet), but she didn't move. He sat next to her and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees as he studied her. Her hair was pulled behind her back. It was getting long, he noticed. The red had grown out but she hadn't cut the blonde off yet, leaving an effect that reminded Peter of fire. She looked sad and distracted.

Peter followed her gaze to the sky after a while. The moon was absent, but thousands of stars twinkled merrily in the heavens. He'd always liked Astronomy in school. He and James had been pretty good at it; it came in very handy in Divination when they made up loads of predictions that had the professor eating out of their hands. Sirius had hated it, though. He always said it reminded him too much of home. Every once in a while he'd tell them stories, likely made-up, of Black family ancestors during their Astronomy lessons.

Peter found the constellation Cetus in the Southern sky and trailed the tail over to Taurus in the East. He knew there was some deep meaning to the position of the planets and the constellations, but he didn't care to remember at the moment.

"If you're looking for Canis Major," he said, breaking the silence, "you won't see it. It's a Winter constellation."

Callie chuckled. "I'm sure there's some poetry to Sirius being a Winter star." She let her hands fall back, lowering her back onto the roof. She folded her hands behind her head. "It was getting a little stuffy inside. I wanted to clear my head."

"Yeah, I get it." He paused. "Look… I'm sorry for pressuring you about Sirius. I know you've got a lot to deal with right now and it probably feels like you can't even think about that."

"Thanks."

They slipped back into an easy silence. Peter lay back beside her after a while, studying the sky. The expanse above them was gradually turning a lighter blue.

"Hey, Pete," Callie said after a while. Her voice had a tense edge to it, and he knew something was bothering her. "Do you think there's something wrong with me?"

Peter turned his head to look at her. "No, of course not," he replied in perfect honesty. "What do you think is wrong with you?"

"What if I'm not cut out for this? For tracking down Horcruxes and saving the world, I mean."

"What makes you think you're not cut out for this?"

"Well… I'm in Slytherin. Or I was. I saw some really horrible things, Pete, and I wasn't exactly unaffected by it. And I'm not a great witch. I don't have incredible talent."

Peter let out a deep breath. "Honestly, Cal, you're doing it. And at this point in the war, I think that qualifies you enough." He grinned. "Besides, there's not many people who could face a dragon and live to tell about it."

Callie was quiet for a long moment. "Do you think Sirius really sees something in me?"

"Yeah, I do."

"What?"

Peter shifted his weight and rested his hand over his stomach. "It's not that hard to figure out. You're lovely and intelligent and the bravest witch I've ever met. You're also a bit daft, and Sirius has always been attracted to that."

She chuckled. "Thanks, I think."

"He's a good man, for all his faults. Bluntly, I think you two were made for each other. And no, I don't think there's anything wrong with you, and I don't think Sirius thinks so, either."

Callie didn't take her eyes off the sky as it faded gradually from deep blue to gold. She was thankful that, even with the world coming down around her, she still had family. She still had stargazing on rooftops with Peter. She had Harry's hugs. She still had James' smile. As long as she had those things, she'd be okay.