Night to Remember:
They had ended up having to tell all of the Marauders about the incident at the Potter Home. Moody had insisted. James and Remus were both enraged that Death Eaters had shown up. Sirius was equally upset, but his anger was diluted slightly by how impressed he was by how they had handled it.
The evening was not an entirely bad one. After Moody had left, Lily and Doe spent the rest of the night talking and it had felt just like all of those late night sleepovers we used to have during the summers between their years at Hogwarts. It felt good to relive those happier times, now that so much was going on. They were greeted they next morning with good news as well. Turns out the Wolfsbane potion had done exactly what it promised and Remus was able to feel exactly like himself during the transformation. He said it was lifechanging. It had made her so happy. Remus finally had something that would make his life easier. She made a mental note to talk to Severus about seeing if he could make some more.
Meanwhile, Lily and James had decided to have a dinner party on Thursday night. It was the first Friday in a while that they hadn't had an Order meeting and Lily had insisted that it was important for them to have moments like these so that their whole lives were not consumed by the war.
So after work, Doe came home and Remus and Doe got ready to go to Lily and James.
" Zip me up?" she asked Remus, pulling her hair to one side and revealing her open back to him.
Remus took the zipper in his hand and zipped the dress up slowly, kissing the back of her neck when he finished.
She turned around smiling, " You look exceptionally handsome tonight" she said straightening the collar on the jacket Remus was wearing.
He smiled, " Why thank you, and may I say, you look lovely in red"
" Thanks" she said slipping on the heels she had left out.
" Do you know who is going to be there tonight?" Remus asked.
Doe shook her head, Lily hadn't told her who she had invited.
" I guess we'll see in a minute" Doe told him.
Remus nodded and a minute later they both apparatted.
Doe loved Lily and James neighborhood at night, it was beautiful. Without any muggle inventions like streetlights, all of the stars in the sky seemed to shine down on the cobblestone street below.
There was so much light from the stars tonight that for the first time, Doe noticed the sign that hung from their neighbors mailbox.
It said very clearly, Bagshot.
" Bagshot?" Doe asked as she approached it.
She turned to Remus excitedly, " You don't think this is Bathilda Bagshot's house do you?"
Both Remus and Doe had a deeply rooted love for Bathilda Bagshot. It was one of the interests that had started their relationship all those years ago.
Remus eyed it carefully, the excitement evident on his face " I don't know of any others, let's ask Lily and James"
Doe took his hand and they walked back over to Lily and James house, knocking on the door softly.
James opened the door quickly. A wand in one hand and a bottle of firewhiskey in the other.
" Moony! Doe! Good you're here" he said opening the door and letting them in.
They followed him into the living room, where everyone else was gathered.
Alice and Frank Longbottom were sitting together on one of the couches, both of them waved happily.
Sirius was sitting on the other couch with his arm around a nervous looking blonde. Peter was sitting alone in one of the armchairs, and both Professor Dumbledore and Slughorn were also seated in chairs around the coffee table.
"Lily's in the kitchen" James said as they sat down in the empty seats, " cooking up a storm and she won't let anyone help"
" I think you two were the last to arrive" James said continuing to pour the drinks, " Actually no, Mad-eye's not here yet"
" Moody's coming?" Doe asked as James handed her a cup filled with firewhiskey.
James nodded.
" So what he's trying to say" Sirius piped from the couch, " is do not get drunk because our boss will be here"
There was a knock at the door. James went to answer it.
It was Moody and he walked in looking directly at Sirius.
" When has my presence ever stopped you from drinking, Black?" he asked.
Sirius stared at him wide-eyed, " Bloody hell Moody, how did you hear that?"
Dumbledore let out a small laugh, " You would be surprised how much Alastor hears, Mr. Black"
Moody turned to Sirius " Constant Vigilance, boy! What if I had been a Death Eater?"
Moody and Sirius launched into the usual argument about his auroring skills. Remus and Doe turned to Frank and Alice.
" Alice, I love your new hair" Doe told her gesturing to her new pixie cut.
Alice smiled, " Really? Thank you, I've been feeling so strangely about it, what with the pregnancy. I think it's addled my brain" she joked.
" Have you found out whether it's a boy or girl?" Remus asked Frank.
Frank smiled happily, " A boy"
" Oh that's wonderful!" Doe said happily.
Alice and Frank beamed at each other, " We're thinking of naming him Neville"
" I love that name" she told her.
Alice smiled, " Thank you, it was my great uncle's name"
" Frank, Alice" Remus asked, " did you hear about the strike at Gringotts?"
The three of them launched into a discussion about the latest Goblin rebellions. Doe squeezed Remus' knee and told him that she was going to check on Lily.
He nodded and listened intently to Frank's explanation about the new policies.
Lily's dining room was just off of the kitchen. As she approached it, She started to smell the delicious variety of smells pouring from it.
" Lils?" Doe called as she opened the door. Lily was standing over a white cake, decorating it carefully with green and purple trimming. Her long red hair was pulled back from her face with a barrette.
She looked up at me and smiled, " Doe!" she said coming over and hugging her. Her belly slightly in the way.
" What a feast!" Doe said noticing the assortment of dishes she had laid out in the dining room.
" Too much?" she asked nervously.
" Not at all" Doe said admiring her handiwork.
" I did use magic" She said biting her lip anxiously, " I hadn't planned on using it, but it was just so much work" she huffed.
" Lily, that's what magic's for" Doe assured her.
She clutched at her stomach, " This baby is just making me so tired" she complained.
" So does that mean you're going to name him Doe then?" she asked jokingly.
Before Lily had a chance to object, Sirius strode into the kitchen.
" Not a chance, beautiful. They're naming it Sirius" he said reaching into Lily's liquor cabinet for a bottle of Black Cherry meade.
" Moody got you down?" Doe asked him.
He grumbled, " I swear that man is determined to make me look like a bad auror" he said bitterly.
" Maybe you are one" Lily said with a slight smile.
Sirius eyed her seriously, " Not funny, Lily" he said and left with the bottle in his hand.
They both giggled when he left.
" Who was that he brought?" Doe asked Lily as she sampled one of the cookies Lily had made.
" I dunno really. He did introduce me but I forgot her name" Lily said slightly embarrassed, " she was a Hufflepuff though, a couple of years behind us"
Doe nodded.
" I figured you would know her" Lily added, " seeing as you two spend so much time together"
Doe shook her head, " Sirius has too many conquests for me to know them all"
Lily laughed, " This is very true. Sirius isn't exactly the one woman kind of man"
" I don't get that though" Doe said shaking her head, " it's not like he isn't decent. He could have one if he wanted."
" You know him better than most" Lily pointed out, " plus I think Sirius likes it the way it is"
Doe shrugged, " I guess so"
" No way!" Sirius said to Doe loudly during drinks after dinner.
" Yes," she told him, " I'm telling you Augustus could be a death eater"
" Augustus Rookwood?" Sirius asked, " of the Department of Mysteries. Not a chance"
They were sitting in the Potter's living room and the subject of possible Death Eaters had come up.
" He's so odd" she pointed out, " and every time I talk to him he brings up my muggle mom, and the other day he went on about how powerful the Death Eaters were"
" He is a little creepy" Frank agreed.
" I dunno…" Moody growled taking a sip from his hip flask.
" Wait a second? Can it be?" Sirius asked excitedly, " Mad Eye Moody disagreeing with Dorcas Meadowes!"
" Don't call me Dorcas!" she hissed at him. Remus rolled his eyes, a slight smile on his face.
" I don't argue with her because she always does what she is told" Moody reminded him, " something you haven't yet grasped"
Lily tried very hard to hide her laughter. She was curled up under James arm on the couch.
" I think that Bones woman could be involved" Sirius pointed out.
" Amelia Bones?" I asked him, " She's way too nice"
" No she's not"
" Yes she is"
" She is definitely hiding something" Sirius said, flipping his hair out of his eyes.
" Okay, Sirius, Whatever you say" Doe said rolling her eyes at him.
Sometimes he could be so adamant about things.
" Moody if they're partners, I feel for you" Peter spoke up. He had been very quiet during this conversation.
" The only reason I let them is because they watch out for each other" Moody said, " They'd take a killing curse for one another"
Alice laughed, " I'd be more worried about them killing each other"
" We've come close a few times" she said smiling at Sirius.
He winked at her from his couch.
" But no one beats the rows you used to have with Prongs" Sirius pointed out.
" Oh I remember those" Professor Slughorn said, " even the teachers were surprised when you two ended up together"
" Well James was an arrogant git sometimes" Lily said with a smile.
" My loving wife" James said sarcastically.
The conversation turned to some of Lily and James more infamous rows.
Doe squeezed Remus' hand and leaned back against him slightly.
" Hi" she said to him.
He tucked some of her hair behind her ear, " Hello love"
From the couch next to them, Lily stifled a large yawn.
" Lily, you're exhausted" Doe told her.
" No, I'm fine" Lily said but her body betrayed her and another yawn escaped from her mouth.
" Remus and I have to head out anyway" Doe told her.
She frowned.
" We have to go too" Frank said, helping Alice up.
" I'm afraid Hogwarts will probably missing the two of us" Dumbledore said as both he and Slughorn stood up.
" I have to go too" Moody told her.
" We should probably get going too" Sirius' blonde date replied.
Sirius looked at her like she had three heads.
They all bade our goodbyes and headed for the door.
" Meadowes" Moody hissed quietly as they left the house. He pulled her and Remus aside.
" Keep your eye on Rookwood" he said, " But don't tell Black"
Doe blinked at him. " Don't tell Sirius?" she asked. Sirius was her partner and her best friend, why didn't Moody want me to mention it?
" You're my best junior and I don't want more than one of you working on this, got it?" Moody said.
Dpe nodded. Doe took any compliment from Moody, no matter how harsh it seemed.
He turned to Remus, eyeing his jacket pocket, " Er...Good luck with that" he said to him.
Doe waited for him to elaborate.
He didn't, he just disapparated.
" What was that about?" she asked Remus.
" Dunno" Remus said quickly.
She frowned, slightly confused. Remus took her hand and they apparated back to their flat.
When they got there, she kicked off her heels quickly. She wasn't a fan of them. She always panicked that she was going to have to duel in stilettos.
She walked into the kitchen and started to put on some tea.
" Doe, can you come back here for a minute?" Remus asked from the living room. His voice sounded slightly shaky.
" Is everything okay?" she asked him as she walked over to him.
He stood in the kitchen, messing with the sleeve of his jacket. He was pale and looked very nervous.
" I think you can do better than me" he said quietly.
She was so confused.
" Remus, we've been through this" she said quietly, " You're the only person I want"
She felt the tears start to form in the corners of her eyes. She couldn't deal with losing him again.
" No, don't cry" he said coming over and wiping the tears from her eyes. He pulled her into a tight hug.
He let go of her and looked at her seriously, " I only wanted to give you the option to go"
She bit her lip nervously.
" You promise me" Remus said looking into her eyes, " that you aren't here out of pity and that you would leave if you wanted too"
She nodded vigorously. Remus smiled and bent down to the floor. On one knee.
" Dorcas Euphegenia Meadowes" he said pronouncing each one of her given names carefully.
He looked up at her, " I love you more than I have ever loved anyone, and I care for you more than myself"
He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small velvety box.
He. Was. Proposing.
Doe felt all of the air leave her chest.
He opened the box. Inside was a ring. It had a gold band and a round diamond. She was having difficulty breathing.
" So," Remus said taking a deep breath, " Will you marry me?"
Doe nodded quickly, " Of course I will" she managed to say.
His nervous lips upturned into a smile. He rose to his feet and pulled her into a tight embrace.
" I love you so much" she cried into his shoulder.
Remus pulled her face to his and kissed her quickly.
He put her down and took the ring out of the box.
She held out her left hand and watched as he slipped it on her finger. It fit perfectly.
" You deserve something bigger-" Remus started.
She put her hand over his mouth.
" It's perfect" she told him.
She leaned up on the tips of her toes and kissed him deeply.