A/N: Hey everyone. I know the last chapter was sad but I needed to put it in there to make their relationship grow. I don't know if I wrote it very well so I was taking a shot in the dark.

RubyBinds: Thank you! No, there is still more to the story. Hope you like it!

Horupeensk: Yeah, I know. It was also kinda essential to the story. Lily needs to have fun. Everyone needs to have fun.

Marauders rox: Thank you sooo much!

SuGaRLiLy: I really like your story and I'm glad you like mine. Thank you!

Twilight8ec: I'm not like those people who try to make sad moments into stupid moments. That makes me not very happy. I can't really believe you were speechless. I am not that good, sheesh, but I am sooo glad you like it. I'm not trying to be modest but I've never had anyone say that to me before. It's new to me! Thank you!

RandomObssessivePsychoFangirl: I know, I want James to sound hot! That's how I always pictured him. Not all men can hold in those kinds of feelings. It's a natural emotion and I wanted to bring that into my story. Like I said last time, Even Remus has a bad side.

Artemis' Hunt: I have horrible punctuation skills. I never saw that when I read through it. I am trying, really trying, to make them longer. I'm glad you like it.

A/N: I wonder if anyone caught that I put 'sock' instead of 'sick'. I just caught that myself. Well, this starts off sad but should get happier soon. Promise!

Ch. 7. Surrogate Brothers Stick Together

Lily woke up the following morning and looked around. She tried to get up but found she couldn't. Looking down, she saw a pair if arms wrapped around her waist. She turned to find the owner of the arms was James. While trying to figure out a way to escape from them, she saw the letter and the envelope on the table and the entire night before came flooding back.

She gave up the fight to free herself. James needn't be awakened and be reminded of the previous night so soon. She laid her head back down on his chest and slowly drifted back off to sleep.

James woke up, the smell of his favorite thing filling his mind. He looked down. The redhead he loved was fast asleep in his arms. He remembered the night before and a great wave of emotion swept over him. He could feel the tears threatening to run from his eyes. He wiped them away with the sleeve of his jacket. Lily began to stir. She woke and looked at him, then at the clock in the corner. 7:30 a.m. Breakfast was starting. James needed to see Sirius to tell him what happened. He had a right to know. Sirius was the Potters' surrogate son and they were closest things he had to a real family. James could remember the day that Sirius showed up on his doorstep.

James was sitting in his room finishing up an essay for Slughorn. The Properties of Dragon Blood and Its Uses in Potion-Making. He was just writing the last sentence as the sun was setting. Two weeks into the summer and James was already finished with his homework. They had just finished O.W.L. year and already the teachers had given them homework for 6th year.

'They love giving us homework, don't they,' thought James, as he rolled and sealed his essay.

He looked out on the grounds of the Potter estate, watching the shadows grow longer. He was watching the pathway to the door when a figure came out of the shadows and made it's way to the door. The dark figure was dragging along the ground, as though it was injured. When it made it to the door, it collapsed on the front step. The hood fell back. There was no mistaking that matted dark brown hair. James bolted through his door and down the stairs.

"James, dear, what's wrong?" his mother, Katherine called from the kitchen. She looked worried and walked out after him, followed by her husband, Gregory.

James threw open the door and grabbed him and pulled him in. Sirius's head flopped back. His face was covered in scratches and there were holes in his clothes. He showed clear signs of having been in a fight. He was unconscious, so James laid him down on the carpet in the front hall. 'Remind me to tell him to lay off the sweet for a while,' thought James as his parents came running out into the hall.

His father carried Sirius up to his room. He always came over sometime in the middle of the summer. James knew something was wrong. He never came over without warning and he most certainly never came looking like he was sent through a food processor. Sirius's family hated him for not following in his brother Regulus's foot steps and joining the Death Eaters, but they had never hurt him like this before.

They left him alone to get some rest. The Potters went down stairs to eat their dinner. James thought the smell of food would wake up Sirius but it didn't. 'He must really be hurt. Food always gets him up and moving.' James was quiet and didn't eat much. His mother was beginning to worry.

"James, don't worry. He'll be fine. I'll make sure of that," his mother said. His mother was an Auror along with his father, but St. Mungo's wanted her because she was very gifted and would have made one of the best Healer's they had ever seen. She wanted to become an Auror. That's actually how his parents met.

James's father was head of the Auror department at the Ministry. When the old Minister retired, many people wanted Gregory Potter to become the next Minister of Magic but he said he would rather keep his job in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.

James went upstairs to get some sleep, hoping that Sirius would be awake tomorrow. Tomorrow came and went and no sign of movement came from him. His parents were starting to worry, saying that if he didn't wake up soon, they were going to take him to St. Mungo's.

Three days had gone by and Sirius still had not woken up. The next day they were going to take him to St. Mungo's. Friday came and went. On Saturday, James woke up to the sound of his father's voice telling him to get up, dressed and downstairs in ten minutes. He was down in five.

A stretcher that was controlled by James's mother was supporting Sirius. To his surprise, Remus was waiting, talking to his father.

"Remus, what are you doing here? I thought you were at home with your mother."

Remus looked up from the conversation he was caught up in to look up at his friend. "You're dad sent me a letter a few days ago, explaining what happened to Sirius and that, if I wanted, I could accompany you. I said I would be there as soon as I could. So, here I am."

They were going to Side-Along Apparate with James's father while his mother went with Sirius. They arrived at St. Mungo's and went up to the front desk. The witch there saw Katherine Potter and immediately stood up. They got Sirius into a room. It took a week to discover what caused him to stay like that.

They took him back to the Potters and then proceeded to tell James and Remus what happened. He got sick of his family and when he made to leave, his father and mother began to curse him. It took a week for him to travel to his second home. James's parents said that Sirius would come and stay with them every summer after. They sort of adopted him as a second son.

James thought about the day that happened, how much they cared about Sirius when he was hurt. Yes, James needed to be the one to tell him instead of hearing about it from someone else. He knew the Prophet would print this story. The two most known Aurors were murdered by Lord Voldemort. It would most definitely make the front page.

He looked down to see the face of Lily Evans looking back at him. He unwrapped his arms from her waist and helped her up. He got up as well and snatched up the letter. He had to talk to Sirius and, as a second thought, Remus. James's parents, instead of keeping James away from him, were very supportive of his 'furry little problem'. He gave a small, reassuring smile to Lily who returned it. He grabbed her hand and she led him out of their common room. This was something she never would have let him do, but under the circumstances, she let him. She was thinking about the other night. He had surprised her and had torn down her defenses in one move. He not only added number 12 to the list but also had allowed her to see him in a different light. He had cried. His tears let her see that he wasn't a guy that never showed emotion, never let anyone see him lower the wall to his heart and let the strength fall away, showing the pain that he felt. That had made the flow start in her that night. She couldn't take it. She couldn't bear to see him like that. It broke her heart.

She realized that he had led her to the House common room. He gave the password and walked in. He couldn't find Sirius in the common room, so he and Lily went down to the Great Hall. He wanted to beat the post so he hurried down, pulling Lily behind him. He walked in and saw he was sitting with the others. (A/N: I am constantly going to bad mouth Peter in this 'cause he is a little snot-nosed wanker. Okay? Or I'm going to ignore him. He's here just not noticeable.)

He walked up to them and put his hand on Sirius's shoulder.

"Prongs!" he said jovially, jumping up and hugging him. When James didn't hug him back, he knew something was wrong. "Hey, what the matter?"

James looked at him. He could feel the tears threatening to cross the threshold of his eyes and pour down his cheeks. "You haven't seen the Prophet yet this morning, have you?"

"No, why," asked the thoroughly confused Sirius. James held up the black envelope. Remus stood up, followed by the girls. Sirius snatched the letter out of his hand. He looked up at James, praying for a 'Gotcha!' somewhere in there. His fears were confirmed by the single tear that made its way slowly down James's cheek. Sirius crumpled to the floor, the Ministry letter falling with him. Remus grabbed the letter off the floor and ripped it out. His eyes were flying across the parchment, not wanting to believe it. The girls were staring, mouths open, eyes wide. Everyone at the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables turned to see what the commotion was. People were looking at the crying Sirius on the floor, the shocked looks on the faces of Sam, Aly, and Emma, Remus sinking onto the bench, and James and Lily crying into each other's shoulders. Then they saw the black envelope on the ground.

Professor McGonagall came sweeping up between the rows, behind the sorrowful teenagers. Before she could yell at them for making a scene, Aly picked up the envelope and handed it to her. Her expression changed from harsh to shocked to sadness. She took the letter and quickly walked up to the teacher's table. She gave it to Dumbledore who took it and read it, his eyes scanning the letter. He got up and walked up to the group. They all looked up at him. Everyone's eyes were red and puffy.

"Everyone, please meet me in office now," and he walked off in the other direction. The boys-minus Peter, he had been absent from breakfast- being supported, made their way to the headmaster's office.

They were seated in the office when Dumbledore came in and sat down at his desk. He fixed his gaze upon the seven crying figures in his midst.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, I cannot even begin to express how sorry I am for your loss. I knew Gregory and Katherine. They were very dear friends of mine. I have talked to a couple of friends of theirs and mine and they have agreed that, should you find that you cannot do the job yourselves, they would get their affairs in order," he said, peering over his glasses at them. "You are quite free to go over there for a few days to do what you wish. If you do, I highly suggest you bring your friends. You can often find the comfort you need in those close to you. If you do choose to go, you need not worry about your classes. I will have it taken care of when you return."

James and Sirius looked at each other. They knew they had to do it. It could be the only way to get some feeling of closure and hopefully lessen the pain. They nodded their heads.

"Okay. If you wish, you can pack some clothes and let your friends know if they are to come as well. I need to get in contact with the Auror Dept. at the Ministry. It is not safe if you go alone." James stiffened at the mention of his father's work. They nodded and turned to leave. James turned back to face him.

"Sir, do you have any ideas of why Voldemort chose my parents?" he asked.

"James, I have my reasons but I cannot be sure. Perhaps, your parents were a force to be reckoned with. Maybe they weren't the intended targets. I do not know. However, I do know that they only wanted the best for you, for you to be able to live your life to the fullest." James nodded at walked out with the others.

A/N: Whew! That was really long for me. For all you who wanted longer chapters, hopefully this is long enough. Still sad but it will get happy again, don't worry. I really need reviews. They make me happy. The happier I am, the sooner I update! So…PLEASE read and review!!! Hugs all around!!