Disclaimer: The characters are the property of the amazingly talented J.K Rowling! I'm only borrowing the characters and world that she has so brilliantly created.

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Beta by: ilovethedotgame

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Chapter Seven: A Turn of Events

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According to information from a Black family tree J.K.R. donated for charity, the names of James' parents are most likely Charles and Dorea. So, I've changed their names in my story to fit with what is most likely cannon. Please don't be confused!

James remembered the first time he'd ridden a broom, the wind playing with his hair as he soared over the grounds of his home. It had felt as though he and his broomstick were one. The first time he'd held his wand there had been warmth in his finger tips and a fluttering anticipation in his stomach.

Both of these events had felt natural and right, but neither one could compare to how right kissing Lily Evans felt. Their bodies fit like lost puzzle pieces that had been brought back together after an eternity of lying forgotten on the floor. Her soft jaw fit exactly in his hand, the skin warm beneath his touch.

Her kiss was soft and sweet as their lips gently caressed each other. He could feel her arms wrapping themselves around his neck, and her hands reached around to entangle themselves in his already untidy hair. Her hair was soft as he ran his hand over it, tangling his fingers in the loose auburn curls.

After what seemed like ages, they slowly drew apart. Resting his forehead against hers, James took a deep breath. She smelled nice, like vanilla and some kind of fruity shampoo. The corners of his mouth turned up slightly in a small smile as he remembered the smell of his Amortentia potion, and how its scent had been a reflection of his feelings for Lily…

All of a sudden Lily gasped and pulled away from his embrace, leaving James feeling cold without her next to him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, startled and worried.

"Hestia."

As that one word fell from Lily's lips, James' world came crashing down around him. The realization of what had just happened - of what he had done - hit him like a rampaging hippogriff. Groaning aloud in frustration, he closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands.

"Why did my parents do this to me? I don't want to date Hestia. I never have," he brought his hands away from his face and added in softer voice, "I want to be with you.

I care about you Lily. And I know you care about me too, or you wouldn't have kissed me like that."

"James…" Lily's voice wavered. "It doesn't matter how we feel about each other. It can't work. Even if Hestia doesn't feel anything for you but friendship, she's still my friend, and I won't go behind her back."

James swallowed hard. "I know. It's just so frustrating to think that we can never be together because of some stupid contract made when I was two years old."

Lily nodded, and James' heart throbbed painfully as he watched tears escape her emerald eyes and slowly make their way down her pale cheeks. Reaching out, he wiped the glistening tears from her face.

Without warning, Lily sank to her knees, her hands covering her face. "I feel so horrible, James! Hestia trusts me with you, and I broke that trust tonight."

Kneeling down beside her and wrapping his arms around her small frame, James stroked her hair. "This isn't your fault, Lily. I kissed you knowing full well what I was doing. The fault is mine."

Lily hiccupped and shook her head against his shoulder, hugging him in return. "No, James. I could have moved away, but I didn't. I wanted to kiss you. I'm just as much at fault as you are."

James nodded. "We're going to have to act as though nothing has happened between us… You have no idea how much I wish that it didn't have to be this way."

"I think I do," Her words were muffled by his sweater, but he still heard them.

They knelt wrapped in each others arms in the middle of the meeting room floor until James knees began to protest his position.

"Lily," he whispered in her ear. He didn't know why he was whispering, but somehow it seemed fitting for the occasion. "It's time we were getting back to the common room. People will wonder where we are."

Lily pulled away slowly and nodded. "I 'spose you're right."

On an impulse, James leaned forward and placed a heavy kiss to her forehead. "We can walk back together. It'll look strange if we suddenly start avoiding each other. We can still be friends, Lily. No one can come between that."

Again, Lily nodded weakly, seeming drained of strength.

James had never thought that the distance between the common room and the Prefect's meeting room was a long one, but tonight the walk seemed to take ages.

Stepping through the portrait hole, the familiar sight of the common room greeted them. Their friends, who were seemingly engaged in a lively discussion, were sitting around a table in the far corner of the room.

James looked at the group at the table, then down at Lily. "Ready?" he asked.

Lily looked at their friends. "No," she answered simply. "But I don't really have a choice, do I? Time to find out what kind of actors we are, eh?"

"I'd say we've done pretty well so far," James pointed out honestly.

"True," Lily smiled wryly, then smiled brightly and waved to Hestia who had just noticed their presence.

L … J

"We can still be friends, Lily."

Friends? How could she possibly be only friends with him after what had happened in the common room. Lily didn't have much experience with boys or kissing, but she was sure kisses that felt that right didn't come along everyday.

They had such chemistry, yet the only way she could be near to James was to be his friend. She would have to sit on the sidelines and watch while Hestia dated James, married James, and gave birth to his children.

"Lily, it's your turn."

Lily brought her head up sharply to see Emmeline watching her inquisitively. "Are you all right?" Emmeline asked, concern filling her voice. "You seem kind of sad."

Lily shook her head. "No, I'm just a bit tired, that's all," surveying the chess board she ordered her remaining knight to take out one of Emmeline's bishops.

"Oh no," Emmeline groaned, slumping in her seat. "That was my last bishop, too."

Lily smiled faintly and tried to concentrate on the game, but soon found her thoughts drifting back to James.

While she was sure that at this point in her life she didn't want to marry James or have his children, she did want to be with him in the capacity that he wanted to be with her. She wanted to be able to walk with him by the lake, and to be the one to congratulate him on his Quidditch victories.

Maybe if she and James were allowed to date they would break up and go their separate ways. But maybe they would stay together, fall in love, and get married.

But Lily would never be able to do find out if she could love James or if she could promise to be with him for the rest of her life. Hestia would be the one to share her life with James while she, as Hestia's best friend, would be forced to watch.

Hestia doesn't even want to be with him! Her mind cried angrily. It was a sad circumstance for everyone involved. It was like something out of a storybook, she thought as she cornered Emmeline's king. Except this story wouldn't end with the words happily ever after.

L … J

James was biting into his third piece of bacon when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

McGonagall stood behind him, looking as stern as ever. "Mr. Potter, please follow me."

"I didn't do anything!" James protested through his mouth full of food.

"You're not in trouble, Potter. Not from me anyway. Your father is here. He wants to speak with you."

James' mouth went dry. "My father? Here?"

"He's waiting for you in my classroom," a look of pity briefly passed over McGonagall's' face. "I suggest you hurry."

James nodded and stood up. "Thanks, Professor."

McGonagall gently laid a hand on James' shoulder. "Good luck, Potter."

L …J

James took a deep breath as he opened the door to the Transfiguration classroom.

Charles Potter stood in the middle of the room, fingering his dark cherry wood wand. As usual, he was wearing immaculate flowing black robes. A traveling cloak was thrown over a desk, and a smart looking black bowler hat sat next to it.

"Hello, son," Charles' voice was hard and cold.

"Father."

There was an uncomfortable pause, then Charles spoke. "An interesting piece of information reached my ears the other day."

"Really," James commented dryly.

"An acquaintance of mine saw you in Hogsmeade with a young lady."

James felt as though a large boulder had been dropped into the bottom of his stomach as he realized with sudden clarity why his father was here to speak with him.

"The young lady was not Hestia Albright. The girl in question had red hair," Charles' voice lowered as he leaned towards James. "Am I mistaken when I say that I remember Miss Evans having red hair?"

James swallowed hard and nodded, attempting to keep his facial expression neutral.

"Did I or did I not specifically tell you to stay away from Miss Evans?"

James squared his shoulders and drew himself up to his full height. "Lily's my friend."

Charles pocketed his wand. "You took Miss Evans on a date. That hardly seems to be the actions of friends."

"It might have looked like a date, but it wasn't," James bit out. "I was just trying to get Lily to live on the edge a bit, to take some risks. It's something that friends do."

"Whether or not this truly is the case," Charles replied tersely, "your actions were completely thoughtless. What if word of this got back to the Albrights?"

"So what if it does?" James blurted out without thinking.

Charles clenched his jaw and took a long, heavy, deep breath.

James raked a hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, all right?"

Charles fixed James with a cold stare. "Sorry isn't good enough. I want you to promise me that -"

"I'm not going to end my friendship with Lily. I don't care what the punishment is, I won't do it."

"I want you to promise me that you'll start paying more attention to Hestia," Charles continued as though James had not spoken.

"Hestia's my friend."

"No, she is not your friend. She is your girlfriend and your future wife, and you will treat her as such."

"I'm not going to pretend to have romantic feelings for Hestia. That's not fair to her or to me."

"You will."

"I won't!" James shouted, fisting his hands at his sides.

"You will, James."

"I won't treat Hestia like you treated mother!" James spat.

Charles' face turned white with anger. "How dare you -"

"I'm just putting words to what everyone else is thinking. Have you even said a kind word to mother since you were married?"

"I will not - "

"Once mother had served her purpose and given you an heir, you were done with her, weren't you?"

Charles whipped his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at James. "You've gone too far."

James smiled wryly. "I don't care. I've been waiting years to say that to your face."

L … J

Lily sat in the library trying to work on her Charms essay when Sirius Black sauntered up to her table and took a seat.

"Don't mind if I sit here, do you Lily?" he asked, already pulling out a chair and taking a seat.

"No, go ahead," Lily mumbled, waving a hand at him dismissively. Something was bothering her, something James had said the other night. "It's just so frustrating to think that we can never be together because of some stupid contract made when I was two years old."

Contract…contract…

"Sirius?" she asked impetuously.

"Yeah?" he looked up hopefully, and Lily felt a twinge of guilt. "I was wondering…I was wondering if you could tell me about magical contracts."

"Magical contracts?" he frowned. "Well, it rather depends on the kind of contract you're talking about. Which kind were you interested in?"

Lily felt her face grew a bit warm. "Well, James said something the other day -"

"Oh, marriage contracts," Sirius interrupted, his face dark. "What do you want to know about them?"

"I guess…" Lily stammered. "I don't really understand them is all."

"Hestia's never explained a magical marriage contract to you?" Sirius asked, grey eyes wide in shock.

Lily shook her head. "We've talked about her betrothal, but she's never explained what it entails. She's always made it sound like a mutual agreement of sorts between their parents, but then James mentioned the word contract, and it made me realize that there was more to the situation that I had previously realized."

Sirius sighed and leaned back in his chair. "James and Hestia are bound by a magically binding contract signed by both sets of their parents agreeing that their children will marry. They sign in blood."

"But what's really binding them?" Lily asked. "If the agreement is between the parents, can't James and Hestia mutually agree to end the betrothal?"

Sirius laughed hollowly. "Charles Potter wouldn't leave that large of a loophole in a contract of his making. He and Garrick Albright set a date stated in the contract by which James and Hestia must be married, and if by that date they aren't, they experience severe dizziness and nausea that no potion or spell can cure twenty four hours a day until they are."

Lily's mouth dropped open. "What's wrong with these people? What's so terrible about letting James and Hestia marry for love?"

Sirius shook his head. "Charles and Garrick want to see their pureblood family lines continue. As I'm sure you've seen, Celeste Albright does whatever her husband tells her. Mrs. Potter didn't want an arranged marriage for James, but Charles didn't listen to her. A common occurrence, as I'm sure you realized when we were there."

"Why are James' parents married if they don't love each other?" Lily asked, resting her chin in her hands.

"They had an arranged marriage," Sirius smiled wryly. "Neither had married by a time deemed suitable for marriage and children, so their parents took matters into their own hands and arranged a marriage for them. Charles was the perfect gentleman towards Dorea until after James was born. It's not that he's cruel to her per say, but he's rather indifferent, which is worse than being outwardly hurtful to her, really."

"That's horrible," Lily whispered trying to imagine the empty life Dorea Potter must live.

Sirius nodded gravely. "Yeah, it is. Dorea Potter is more like my mum than my mother is. She's the sweetest lady I know. She deserves better."

L … J

James sighed, remembering the words that had been said between him and his father. After sternly reminding James of his responsibilities towards Hestia, his father had left the castle to return home.

He couldn't pretend to have romantic feelings for Hestia, but what was he supposed to do? His father had ways of getting information; he would know.

Am I a Gryffindor, or not? James thought, taking a deep breath. I will find a way to fight this. I will win.

L … J

James threw his Quidditch arm guards on his bed and began removing his sweaty robes.

"How was practice?" Remus asked, looking up from an essay on the magical plants of the Highland Lochs.

"Brilliant!" James exclaimed. "We've finally got that new formation down. You know the one I told you about? We're sure to win against Ravenclaw next month."

"Excellent," Remus nodded, and then noticed that Sirius had not returned from practice. "Where's Sirius?"

"Still in the locker rooms, I expect. He was talking with McClendon about some strategy he found in The Beater's Bible."

Remus nodded, seeming satisfied with this answer. "James…" he began, then stopped looking unsure. "I…I know."

"Know what?" James asked as he searched for his trainers.

"About you and Lily."

James felt his body stiffen slightly, but managed to keep his facial expression in place. "Know what?"

"I know that you fancy her."

James swore and ran a hand through his hair. "How long have you known?"

"I've had suspicions for a while now," Remus replied, flipping through one of the open books on his bed. "You looked ready to kill when Sirius kissed her underneath the mistletoe, and you've been quite protective of her lately."

"He's not what she needs!" James exclaimed, stuffing his feet into his trainers and pulling the laces tight. "She doesn't fancy him anyway."

"No, she fancies you, doesn't she?" Remus asked, but it was not so much a question as it was a statement of truth.

James sighed heavily and looked away. "Yes."

Remus pushed aside his essay and leaned forward. "James, you've got to let her move on and find someone else. You can't be with her, you know that. Your father is never going to allow it."

"He is if I have anything to say about it," James announced boldly and strode from the room, closing the door with a loud click.

L … J

The sun had barely risen when Lily woke up, pushing her heavy bedcovers off her small frame. Climbing out of bed, she noticed a large bouquet of roses resting in a glass vase on her nightstand.

"Oh, Lily! Who sent you roses?" Emmeline exclaimed enviously as she too noticed Lily's gift.

"I don't know," Lily answered honestly. "There isn't a note."

"A secret admirer!" Alice giggled through a yawn as she opened her wardrobe, searching for something to wear. "How romantic!"

"From the girl who already has a boyfriend," Emmeline laughed and made a face in Alice's direction.

Lily ran her fingers lightly over the soft, delicate petals of the roses, admiring their beauty. "I wish I knew who sent them," she said softly to no one in particular, while silently wishing that they were from James.

L … J

"Ah, Valentine's Day, such a bloody waste of money," Sirius observed as he and the rest of the boys took their seats at breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Says the man who spent a fair sum on a bouquet of roses for Lily," Remus pointed out as he helped himself to a slice of bacon.

"You sent roses to Lily?" James asked, nearly stabbing himself with his own fork.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I borrowed your cloak and put them on her nightstand last night."

Envy bubbled inside James, and he struggled to keep a neutral facial expression. "I thought you were going to leave Lily alone," he commented, nonchalantly, noticing the warning look that Remus was giving him.

Sirius waved his hand and reached for the pitcher of pumpkin juice. "No, I said you didn't have to help me find out information about her and I told her, I wasn't giving up entirely. That still allows me to anonymously send her flowers on Valentine's Day."

L … J

Lily had not expected to receive anything at all on Valentine's Day. The flowers on her nightstand had left her shocked and more than a little curious about the identity of the sender. As unprepared as she had been for the roses, Lily was completely floored when a large tawny owl carrying a thin white box landed next to her during breakfast in the Great Hall.

"Who's it from, Lily?" Frank, who was sitting next to Alice, asked curiously.

Lily examined the box, searching for a tag, but found none. "It doesn't say."

"Well go on, then!" Hestia urged her anxiously. "Open it!"

While the three other girls and Frank looked on expectantly, Lily untied the red and gold ribbons and gently lifted the lid from the box. Lily's mouth dropped open in wonder as she gazed upon the contents. Inside was a carefully arranged display of flowers, all of the lily family. In the bottom corner there was a neatly a neatly folded note, which Lily pulled out and opened.

"Read it out loud," Emmeline demanded, resting her chin in her hands.

Lily cleared her throat nervously and began. "There are dozens of varieties of the lily in the world, each as beautiful and unique as the next. But none can compare to you, a truly unique and beautiful Lily."

Lily felt her cheeks growing warm as the other four stared at her.

"You lucky cow!" Emmeline exclaimed. "Two secret admirers!"

"Why didn't you write me a note that that?" Alice teased Frank, who looked as though he did indeed wish that he had written such a note to Alice.

"I'm going to take these up to my room," Lily announced gathering up her box with the flowers and the note. "See you guys in Charms."

Once back in her dormitory, Lily conjured a vase and carefully placed the lilies and some water inside. Stroking the petals, she smiled sadly. If only she knew who they were from. If only they were from James…

L … J

Entering the Charms room, Lily stopped short. Alice and Emmeline were paired together, as were Sirius and Remus, and Hestia and James.

Lily felt a wave of envy course through her at the sight of the Hestia and James talking. They are technically dating, she reprimanded herself. Still, Lily felt left out. Searching out the remaining member of the group, Lily looked around for Peter, but he was sitting by a dark haired boy from Ravenclaw. Internally sighing, Lily sat in the empty seat next to Alice and took out her notes.

"Oy! Lily!" Sirius called. "I hear you have two blokes on the line!"

Lily blushed and ducked her head. "I wouldn't phrase it as such," she muttered, embarrassed. "I just received some flowers."

Sirius laughed heartily. "So, who wins? The bloke with the roses? Or the bloke with the lilies? If you ask me, the lilies were quite cliché."

"And roses on Valentine's Day aren't?" Lily challenged, feeling a light fluttery sensation at the mention of her flowers.

Sirius shook his head. "Of course not. They're traditional, not cliché."

Lily thought for a moment. The roses had been beautiful, but then so had the lilies. In the end, Lily supposed it was the touching note that drew her to the sender of the lilies.

"I like the lilies best," she announced with a small smile, her face warm.

L … J

"Why are you smiling like that?" Sirius asked James darkly as the four boys walked to Defense Against the Dark Arts that afternoon. "You've been bloody chipper since Charms this morning."

James tried to force down his smile, but failed. "Can't a bloke be in a good mood?"

Sirius merely responded with a shrug, a frown, and a throaty grunt.

"Just because Lily liked the lilies better than your roses doesn't mean you have to pout about it," Remus observed wisely.

"Well it's not exactly something to be happy about, now is it?" Sirius threw his hands up in the air in an exasperated motion.

"You'll just have to do something to upstage the bloke with the lilies," Peter said, nearly dropping his Defense book as he tripped over his own feet.

"There's an idea, Wormtail…" Sirius pondered, tapping his index finger to his chin thoughtfully.

James and Remus both sighed heavily, then sharply glanced at the other.

Sirius looked to the two suspiciously. "And just what was that for?"

"Nothing," both replied wearily.

L … J

Hestia was sitting in front of the common room fire with a book when James approached her clutching a red rose. He extended it to her with a small smile.

"I wanted to give it to you in person. I know we're both in this situation against our will but I still wanted to give you something out of friendship."

Avoiding the thorns, Hestia took the rose from James, their fingers brushing slightly in the process. Hestia felt her face grow warm and she smiled shyly. On an impulse, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, James. It was sweet of you."

James seemed flustered by her actions, but he nodded and smiled. "You're welcome."

L … J

Lily and James had been patrolling for a little over an hour, but so far had only caught a few students out of bed. Neither minded of course, and they passed the time by talking and catching up.

As the pair strolled down the Charms corridor, a thought entered Lily's mind. "James, I've been thinking."

"About?" he replied, yawning and stretching his arms over his head.

"That night we went to Hogsmeade you said that you'd met that warlock with the bagpipes in second year. How is that possible when we've only been going on Hogsmeade visits since third year?"

James smirked. "Well…let's just say that when you own an invisibility cloak, there aren't too many places that are off limits."

Lily's mouth dropped open. "You – you own an invisibility cloak?"

"Family heirloom," James explained nonchalantly.

"Can I see it?" Lily asked breathlessly. "I mean, I've read about them, but I've never heard of anyone but Aurors owning one. Aren't they terribly rare?"

"Extremely," James grinned. "I'll bring it along the next time we have rounds and show it to you."

"All right, then," Lily agreed, then realized something James had said earlier. "Wait… you used it to sneak out of the castle in second year?"

"Maybe," James grinned, eyes glimmering with mischief.

"You were twelve."

"What can I say? We criminals start young. Besides, it's not like I was by myself. Sirius came along."

"Oh, that's reassuring. Two boys and half a brain."

"What?" James laughed. "Is that a muggle saying?"

Lily felt her face begin to grow warm. "Of sorts. My mum always says that when you have one boy, you have one brain. When you two boys, you have a half a brain, and when you have three boys you have no brain."

"Should I be insulted by this?" James wondered out loud.

"No," Lily amended. "You and your friends are brilliant, but sometimes …" she paused, searching for the correct words to convey her thoughts.

"What you're saying," James said, the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile, "is that when we're together, common sense goes out the window."

"Essentially, yes," Lily smiled.

"We've gotten better though, haven't we?" James asked. "I mean, except for the whole escaped plant thing, we haven't been too bad this year, now have we? I can't even remember the last time I hexed Snape."

"Yes, you four are loads better," Lily admitted, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It's funny, really. Until the end of last year, I couldn't stand you and the other guys –well, except Remus, I've always been friends with him – and now we're friends."

"We were such prats," James muttered, embarrassed. He shoved his hands into the pockets of his trousers. "But I guess we've grown up a bit now, eh?"

Lily glanced over at James, thinking about what he'd said. "Yes, I'd have to say you four have grown up quite nicely."

L … J

The seventh year Gryffindors were in Potions brewing Veritaserum when Professor McGonagall entered the dungeon and walked up to Professor Slughorn's desk. The two urgently whispered in low tones for a moment before Slughorn nodded, and McGonagall made her way over to Lily and Hestia's cauldron.

"Miss Albright, I need a word with you in my office."

Hestia looked confused, but nodded and stood up to follow the Professor. "Is something wrong, Professor?" she asked.

Professor McGonagall gave no definite answer except to place her hand on Hestia's shoulder as the two excited the dungeon.

Lily watched Hestia walk away, wondering what McGonagall could possibly need to see Hestia about in such short order.

"Miss Evans! Feel free to join another group since your partner is no longer here," Slughorn called to her and Lily nodded, gathering her things and joining Emmeline and Alice at their cauldron.

"What did McGonagall want?" Emmeline asked, stirring the potion counter clockwise.

"She didn't say," Lily replied, looking at the empty doorway. "But I get the feeling that it's something serious."

L … J

Hestia lay on her back in her four poster bed staring at the wooden ceiling of the bed, unblinking. She heard the dormitory door open and then soft footsteps as they made their way over to her bed.

"Hestia?" Lily's voice filtered through the curtains, filled with concern for her. "Are you in there?"

"Yes," Hestia answered, her voice hoarse from her time spent crying.

Slowly the bed hanging parted, and Lily gently sat down on the side of her bed. Lily asked nothing, just sat waiting for Hestia to tell what was bothering her.

"Lily…there was an… attack… in Diagon Alley…" Hestia choked out. "Mm-my parents….th-they're….dead."

And although Hestia had just spent the last hour crying, suddenly her eyes filled with tears, and she began sobbing into her pillow, the enormous sense of loss seeming to press down on her from all sides.

Lily's arms engulfed her, and Hestia turned to cry into her friend's shoulder, letting all of her emotions out. Lily made no attempts to say how sorry she was, she simply said, "I'm here, Hestia," and those three words meant more to Hestia than all the "I'm sorry's" in the world ever could.

L … J

James sat down, feeling as though he had been struck by lightening. "Garrick and Celeste are dead?"

Lily nodded, blinking back tears. "She wanted me to tell you since she didn't think she could manage it herself right now."

"Can I see her?" James asked, wanting to offer his friend any kind of support he could. Although he had always harbored a bit of ill-will towards Garrick Albright for his role in his bethrothal, on the whole, Mr. Albright had been a good-intentioned person and had always been kind to him.

Lily shook her head. "She's not ready to see anybody yet."

James nodded, understanding. "Let me know when she is."

Lily agreed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand as she did so. James watched her retreating form as she went to rejoin Hestia and the others in the girls' dormitory.

James ran a hand over his face. Voldemort hadn't struck for some time and now this attack on Diagon Alley. He wondered how many others had been killed in the attack, and if any of the other students had lost family or friends.

Feeling rage broil in the pit of his stomach James swallowed, tasting blood. Becoming an Auror had always been expected of him, but now James felt the desire to right injustice and evil swell inside of him, and he vowed that he would do whatever was in his power to protect innocent people from having their lives torn apart by someone like Voldemort.

L …J

The funeral had been solemn and formal. A man who had never met her parents had stood up front and said kind, respectful words about the Albrights and what a hardship it was to loose such good people at such a young age.

Hestia reached out and ran a hand over the large white headstone that marked her mother's grave, then did the same to her fathers. They had not always listened to her - in fact, they had listened to her own wishes very little - but they had been her parents, and she had loved them. She regretted now that they had not separated on the best of terms, and that she had never replied to the last letter from her mother.

Hestia blinked, her eyes were dry and sore from the many tears she had shed in the last few days. Several paces behind her, James and Lily waited while she said a final goodbye to her parents.

Kneeling at her parents' graves, Hestia decided that she would honor her parents' last wishes, and make her relationship with James a proper one. It was all she could do to honor their memories.

L … J

James lay on his back, still clad in the dress robes he had worn to the funeral. A million thoughts and images were rushing through his brain at an incredible speed. Memories of times spent at the Albrights' home or at his own home, conversations between he and the Albrights, the family portrait that hung on the wall in the lounge at home.

Although he felt terrible for even thinking it, James realized that with the Albrights gone, it would be easier to end his engagement to Hestia. After his confrontation with Remus he had decided to talk with his parents about it, but to do so now would seem inappropriate and disrespectful to the Albrights memories. He would wait awhile, perhaps until school was out to talk to them.

For the record, I know that boys aren't allowed up the stairs of the girls' dormitories. When Sirius says that he borrowed James' cloak and set the flowers on Lily's nightstand, he didn't walk up the stairs. He's a marauder. He has his ways.

I'm sorry for the wait, but my computer was being stupid as usual. And then there was finals and graduation...But I hope this chapter was worth the wait!

Please keep on the lookout for a new ficlet entitled "Ask Remus"! It should be coming soon if all goes well!

Reviews and constructive criticism greatly appriciated!