23

Precocious Prewetts:

"I am afraid, I have a horrible thing to announce tonight" Dumbledore said at the Order meeting.

He had a horrified expression on his face.

Doe looked around the room. The senior Order members looked just as upset.

" I am afraid that Voldemort had murdered the Prewett Family" Dumbledore said sadly.

Around the room several people gasped. Marlene and Emmeline burst into tears.

" Gideon and Fabian Prewett however were out at the time, and are still alright" Dumbledore added.

Doe's eyes looked over to the spots that were usually occupied by the twins.

" Why?" Lily asked, her eyes full of tears.

Dumbledore handed her a hanky, " The Prewetts refused him"

Lily dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief. She still looked quite upset.

Dumbledore looked around the room again, " Our new top priority is keeping Gideon and Fabian safe. I have spoken to them and neither wants to go into hiding. Meaning it will be on the shoulder's of the Order members to guard their home in surrey"

Everyone nodded intently and Dumbledore began arranging a schedule. Remus and Doe were set to stand guard outside of their house in a few nights from now.

The rest of the meeting was quite a sour one. The news of the Prewett family death had been awful. Alice, who was a cousin of the family, hadn't fully recovered from the news.

Molly Weasley, their younger sister was clutching at her husband Arthur, looking very miserable.

When the meeting ended, Lily and Doe left the Diggle Manor and headed back to their apartment.

Lily still quite shaken up, " Their poor family" she said quietly.

Doe shook her head, " It's horrifying"

Lily looked down, " Maybe it isn't the right time for a wedding"

Doe stopped her, " Lily, of course it is. This is the perfect time for a wedding, with all that's going on, we could use a little more love"

Lily smiled slightly, " Well does that mean that next month isn't too early?"

" Next month?" Doe asked her.

It was sooner than she had thought it would be, but she figured in right of recent events it would be a good thing.

Lily nodded.

" Next month sounds great, Lilypad" she told her and took her arm walking back to their apartment.

" That is brilliant that is" Doe told James.

They were all sitting at one of the tables in the Lively Portkey and he had just shown her the Order spell for communication he had mastered. His patronus, a large stag, had taken form and repeated everything he said to it.

" I need to master it" Lily said, trying and watching her own patronus, a Doe, fail at repeating it.

Sirius eyed Lily's patronus strangely and the turned to Doe, " Have you ever wondered why Lily's patronus is a doe, and yours isn't, I mean it is your name"

Doe shrugged, " Lily's is a doe because James' is a stag I'm guessing"

" But why wouldn't that be yours, I don't get it" Sirius said shaking his head.

" Well mine's a gazelle" Doe said conjuring it for him.

" Dorcas means gazelle" Remus pointed out, " her given name translates to gazelle"

" Which incidentally are hunted by wolves" Doe pointed out.

Remus gave her a look and rolled his eyes, " Exactly what I want to hear, that by nature I try to kill you"

" Maybe chase would have been a better word" she said with a small smile.

" Probably" Remus agreed, smiling slightly.

" Actually," Lily said, " James and I had something to tell you guys"

" You're pregnant aren't you?" Peter said quickly.

Lily eyes him strangely, " What? No. Why would you think that?"

" Just an idea" Peter said.

Lily blinked quickly, " No, actually James and I just decided something we wanted to tell you"

She elbowed James.

Realizing she wanted him to talk, James said " Oh, huh well, Lily and I have decided to move in together and we found a house and everything, so we just wanted to tell you guys"

" You're moving out already?" Sirius asked, looking slightly disappointed.

James nodded quickly.

" It just makes the most sense" Lily added.

Doe should have realized this was coming. They were getting married of course they would live together.

She would be living alone now.

Sirius made a face, " Well looks like we have an open room in the apartment"

He turned to her, " Hey Meadowes, how do you feel about having three roommates, since you're also without one now"

" Living with three Marauders?" she asked him. She shook my head firmly, " I think I'll pass on that one"

They chuckled.

It would be sad though, now living alone. Doe liked living with Lily. It felt like what she imagined growing up with a sister would.

" When are you moving out?" Doe asked Lily.

Lily looked at James, " Well we already found the place. It's a little house in Godric's Hallow. So this week I think"

" A house?" Doe asked her, " What does it look like?"

Lily smiled widely, " Oh Doe, you're going to love it. It's so charming!"

Lily began telling them all about the house and the neighborhood. Everyone looked very excited about it. Everyone, except Sirius. Doe noticed he looked rather put out about it.

She expected he would probably miss not having James live with him anymore. They were very close.

As the night got later, Remus and Doe had to leave to watch over Fabian and Gideon.

" Please be careful, you two" Lily called as they left.

" Dont worry, we will" Remus assured her.

They left the pub and Remus took her hand. It was starting to warm up outside as summer approached.

" Lily and James are moving in together, and getting married" Doe said in disbelief as they walked deeper into the alley.

" It seems like everything is changing" Remus agreed, " Do you think you'll be okay living alone?"

Doe nodded, " I'm sure, I'll be fine. I've got all those enchantments."

Remus nodded, " I just worry about you"

She squeezed his hand, " I know, but I'm always okay"

Remus looked at her, " I know, but I am in love with you. It's my job to make sure you stay that way"

She spun around quickly, " Yes but I am fine. It's you I should be worried about" she said tracing one of the new deep scars on his arm.

He shook his head, " It doesn't even hurt, don't worry about it"

" Telling me not to worry is like telling me not to breathe" she pointed out, " I never stop worrying"

Remus took her hand and kissed it before clasping it tightly, " We should go, Emmeline and Caradoc are waiting"

She nodded and felt Remus apparrate quickly. She closed her eyes and they landed on the side of the the Prewett Home.

Seeing them, Emmeline and Caradoc apparated quickly and they resumed their place. Sitting down on the low garden wall.

" Emmeline really does look quite a lot like you" Remus said, " like you could be cousins"

Doe nodded, " I know, our fathers used to joke about that all the time."

They sat in silence for a few minutes watching the empty street in front of the Prewetts home.

Remus clasped her hand between his hands, holding it there.

" Is something the matter?" she asked him.

He was looking down, and he shook his head, " No, I was just thinking about life is all"

" Oh, is that all?" she asked, a wide smile on her face.

Remus smiled back at her, " Yes, life and all of it's complicated faucets"

" And what conclusion have you come too?" Doe asked.

" I haven't" Remus said, " I'm trying to decide if life is a serious of random occurrences or is ruled by something greater"

" Like fate?" she asked him.

He nodded, " Do we make our own decisions and create our own paths, or are we victims of a pre-decided series of event?"

Doe intertwined her fingers with his, " I think maybe it's both"

" What do you mean?" Remus asked her.

She looked up at him. " I think there is a plan for how our lives are going to go, but with every decision we make, we change it. And in that way, we have the power to change our fate"

Remus looked at her, " Well that was very profound".

Doe grinned, " It happens occasionally"

Remus leaned over and kissed the top of her head. He stayed there for a minute, holding her against him.

" I feel very sorry" Remus began, " for those who live life without someone they love"

" A life without love isn't one worth living" she told him, " I think thats why James and Lily have decided to get married so suddenly, they don't want to live without being so"

" Most likely," Remus said, " It's something James' been talking about since third year, he always knew he'd marry Lily"

" Way before she did" Doe said with a laugh.

" You've got to admire his unwavering persistence" Remus pointed out.

Doe was about to say something when a cat jumped up onto the other side of the wall and knocked over the large metal gate that had been leaning against it. There was a terrible crashing noise and the door of the Prewett's house opened quickly, and Fabian emerged wand drawn on them.

" Fabian, it's me, Doe" she said stepping in front of him, " and Remus"

Fabian eyed them strangely, " Ppp prove it" he said his wand still raised, " show me your left arm"

Doe lifted her sleeve, " Fabian it's me, and if I was a Death Eater taking Polyjuice Potion, I wouldn't have Dark Mark. Next time make sure you ask a personal question" I told him.

Fabian lowered his wand, " Sorry, Doe, Remus. I'm just a little paranoid lately"

Dpe nodded, " It's okay, you have reason to be".

" Gid, it's just Doe and Remus" Fabian called into the house.

" How are you doing?" she asked him.

Fabian looked down solemnly, " Besides Gideon and Molly, all of my family is dead. And it's all Voldemort's fault"

" He's going to fall eventually Fabian," she told him earnestly.

" But he as so many followers" Fabian said shaking his head.

" It's the quality of one's convictions that determines success, not the number of followers" Remus told him.

Fabian sighed, " I really hope you're right"