Remus, Sirius, and Jamie had spent the greater part of the weekend with Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Black, searching for new dress robes and in the process, prodding into their parents' past.

Whenever the three teenagers neared the subject of what may have happened fourteen years ago, Mrs. Lupin or Black would abruptly change the subject. The trio decided to give up their endeavor for at least the weekend.

Gladrags Wizardwear was their main attraction, and the group spent a great deal of time within its cozy interior, among several other shoppers from Hogwarts, who were also preparing for the ball later next week.

Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Black had much fun going through rack after rack of women's dress robes, not only for themselves, but also for Jamie. They continued to delve through the various fabrics, and pick out ones they believed suitable, handed them to Jamie and ushered her into the dressing rooms. The two older women chattered happily and commented what colors would maker her eyes stand out, which ones seemed to wash out her pale skin, and which robes were too low cut.

Jamie was quite overwhelmed with the entire experience. She had never had a female counterpart to interact with on such a personal level, joking and talking about things as the other girls in her dormitory had done.

"Well now," Mrs. Black stood back with her hands on her hips. She looked Jamie up and down, closely eyeing the robes she had just put on.

"I do believe we have found something here," Mrs. Lupin nodded happily.

Jamie turned to look at herself in the mirror and simply had to stare.

The robes were off-white, almost ivory, with ruching at the bodice that fit snugly up until her waist, where then the fabric cascaded down to her feet. It was a very light, flowy material of wizarding origin, and the young witch that was attending them mentioned it was a blend of cotton and silk.

Jamie looked at her reflection in the mirror, which commented how nicely her dark hair contrasted the color of the dress and her skin. She laid a hand on her bare shoulders and felt a bit uncomfortable with how the bodice pushed up her breasts and hugged her figure.

Mrs. Black must have sensed her discomfort, because she quickly turned to the Gladrags employee.

"Could we possibly alter it slightly? I think it would look better with straps," she said.

"Yes, of course," the young witch said, smiling, and stood in front of Jamie and continued to mutter a few words under her breath, the fabric extending from the dress until straps had formed over her shoulders and connected with the back. Another flick of the wand, and the fabric transformed into the same material as the rest of the dress.

Jamie immediately straightened up and reevaluated the look in the mirror. It was simple, yet stylishly cut, and she felt better now that she didn't feel as exposed.

"Perfect," Mrs. Lupin commented.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Jamie said, slightly awed at how she looked.

Mrs. Black let out a sigh. "This makes me wish I had a daughter."

Mrs. Lupin laughed. "You and me both. I know I would be able to deal with Remus better if he had been a girl. But no, I was blessed with a son."

"So…Jamie, m'dear, you going to the ball with any one in particular?" Mrs. Black asked, a small smile on her face as she helped Jamie slip off the dress robes.

"Oh," Jamie blushed ever so slightly, "I don't know. I hadn't really thought about it."

"How is it that you have those two idiots," Mrs. Lupin pointed her thumb over her shoulder at the curtain dividing the dressing rooms, "and not have developed anything more than a 'friendship'?"

"Oh good God," Jamie moaned, pulling her sweater over her head as the attendant placed the dress robes in a box and wrapped it with a ribbon.

"Sorry, but I don't see either of those two in…that way. That's just wrong," Jamie shook her head and had to laugh slightly.

"Well, I suppose I can't blame you. Especially if Sirius goes around treating girls the way his father did when he was in school," Mrs. Black smiled.

"Oh lord, that pompous little ass," Mrs. Lupin rolled her eyes.

Jamie laughed and told them that she thought that the two looked identical to their fathers, and supposed that their personalities weren't far off either.

"Oi, you three done in there? We were hoping we'd get back to the school before the ball started next week."

Mrs. Black pursed her lips as her son's voice carried over the curtain. The three women left the dressing room and met a disgruntled looking Sirius and Remus.

"Now," Mrs. Black said, "On to you two."

"Oh no…," Remus rubbed a hand over his face.

"Come, this will be much quicker."

And with that, the two mothers whisked off and disappeared among the men's dress robes. They returned a few minutes later with a couple of robes each for their sons.

"Now, go try these on and we'll be out of here," Mrs. Lupin said reassuringly as the two trudged off into the dressing rooms.

Sirius ended up with a black pair with satin trim, and Remus agreed with the navy blue robes his mother had picked out.

Jamie smiled to herself as she stood in front of her two best friends in their best.

"You two look very spiffy," she said.

Sirius adjusted his collar, "How come we didn't get to see you in your robes?"

Jamie shrugged. "Guess you'll have to wait 'til Friday."

"Can't wait," Sirius snickered at the thought.

Jamie wondered to herself what they would think when they saw her.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

The week passed by slowly, as the three friends had bade good bye to Mrs. Lupin and Mrs. Black and wouldn't be seeing them again until Thursday. Plus, the trio found it best that they finish their rather large amount of homework before the ball, and holed up in the library for the duration of the next four days.

"How do you think this is going to work tomorrow?" Sirius asked as he leaned back in his chair, balancing a quill on his upper lip.

"I don't know. I mean, I don't think that with the amount of people that are going to be there, that anyone is going to notice a group of people go missing at some point in time during the ball," Remus said, scribbling on a piece of parchment.

"So you think he's actually going to have some sort of meeting with the Order during the dance?" Sirius asked, letting all four legs of the chair land on the ground again.

"Yeah, I mean, think about it. Who would notice? And what better time to have everyone there at the same time, in the same place, when everyone's mind is on something else?" he said, then added, "And it's the perfect opportunity for old friends to meet up again and recruit people to the Order. It's perfect."

Sirius and Remus turned to Jamie, who was staring out the window and did not seem to hear the conversation, let alone had said anything during the exchange.

"Jamie, are you perhaps thinking about some boy?" Sirius asked wickedly.

"What?" Jamie snapped her attention back to the two boys.

"Hmm, yes Padfoot, it seems as if our little Jamie must be daydreaming about some young chap that she would like as a date," Remus said coyly.

"Oh, shut up, both of you," Jamie said loudly and crossed her arms.

"Ssshhh!" came Madama Pince's harsh warning as she walked by.

"Oh come on, tell us," Sirius said, lowering his voice, "You know, we can, erm, convince him to ask you out."

Jamie laughed.

"I wasn't thinking about any boy. I was just going to point out that the carriages are pulling up outside," she said neatly.

Sirius and Remus immediately rushed to the window, where they had a perfect view of the carriages drawn by thestrals as they passed through Hogwarts' iron gates and made their way up the dirt path to the great castle doors. Students were already spilling outside to greet their parents.

"Sweet," Sirius said, "Let's move."

"Wait," Remus stopped Sirius, "We need to make sure that our parents don't come into contact. That'll be kinda awkward."

"So what do we do? Pretend we don't even know each other?" Sirius looked agitated and shook off Remus' arm.

"No, we'll just have to conveniently avoid each other. Jamie, this will be kind of difficult for you, as you'll have to move between both of our parents," Remus said quickly.

"Right," she said, piling her books into her bag. Sirius and Remus did the same and ran off down the hall to drop off their books in the common room.

By the time they had arrived downstairs, the Great Hall was filled with teachers, students, and parents, all milling around and greeting each other. The trio quickly split up in different directions, Sirius and Remus attempting to find their parents in the crowd. Jamie lost sight of them within seconds. She felt suddenly very lonely as she heard the happy cries of mothers as they hugged their children, and saw fathers shake their son's hands enthusiastically, then giving in to a hug as well.

She tried to separate herself and clung to the banister of the great marble stairs, and settled on sitting down on the lower steps and watching the scene continue to unfold. Teachers ushered parents and students into the Great Hall, attempting to raise their voices above the noise, encouraging them that they would be more likely to find each other if everyone just sat at their house tables.

Jamie was so absorbed by the noise and confusion, that she barely heard the voice of the person that approached her.

"Excuse me, I was wondering if you could help me find someone."

"Oh shut up Sirius, I'm not going to help you in this mess. You're on your own," Jamie said, not even bothering to look up.

The person stopped short, as a second pair of feet approached him from behind.

"Excuse me dear, you're in Gryffindor house as well, aren't you?"

Jamie immediately recognized Mrs. Black's voice and looked up.

Jamie's mouth dropped slightly as she looked up at Mr. Black staring down at her fixedly.

"Oh my God – I – I'm so sorry," Jamie stammered.

She quickly pulled herself to her feet and attempted to straighten her sweater.

"I didn't know who you were – I thought you were Sirius, I'm so sorry!" Jamie began to feel the heat rise in her face.

Mr. Black was almost exactly what Jamie imagined Sirius would look like in twenty years' time. They had the same crystal blue eyes, must have been within an inch of each others' heights, and to Jamie, seemed almost to stand in the same way. Their voices had been almost identical.

"It's all right, my dear," Mrs. Black said in a friendly manner and held out her hand.

"I'm Mrs. Black, Sirius' mother." Jamie shook her hand and pretended that this was the first time they had met. Mrs. Black smiled reassuringly at her.

"And this is my husband," Mrs. Black had to actually nudge the man standing next to her. He had seemed to be transfixed at the initial sight of Jamie.

"It's nice to meet you," Mr. Black said, and shook her hand.

"Likewise," Jamie said, then added, "Again, I'm so sorry, I thought you were your son. You sound very much alike."

Mr. Black shook his head and laughed a little.

"Not at all, I'm glad to think that my son has a friend like you that keeps him in his place."

Jamie smiled.

"Um, well, shall we go and try to find him then? He's probably already at the table," she said, as she didn't quite know what else to say.

"Yes, let's," Mrs. Black said quickly as if to break the strange silence that had developed between Mr. Black and Jamie.

Jamie felt quite strange at seeing the man that was her father's best friend for the first time, and she imagined he felt not much differently at properly meeting his goddaughter for the first time again in fourteen years.

Jamie led the way into the Great Hall, Mr. and Mrs. Black in tow behind her.

She navigated her way through the crowd and found Sirius sitting at the Gryffindor table, looking up and down the hall when his eyes met hers.

"Hey, I found something that belongs to you," she said as Sirius' eyes landed on his parents.

Mrs. Black wrapped her son in an enthusiastic hug, Mr. Black shaking his hand and clapping his shoulder. Standing next to each other, Mr. Black and Sirius were quite amazing to watch.

They did have the same posture, shared hand movements, and laughed in the same bark-like manner. Jamie couldn't help but smile to herself.

Mrs. Black gave a tiny little cough as if to redirect Sirius' attention.

"Oh, right. Mom, dad, this is Jamie Potter, one of my closest friends," he introduced Jamie.

"Yeah, we've met," Mr. Black said, a mischievous smile on his face that Jamie had seen so many times before.

"Really? Well, good," Sirius said, giving Jamie a slightly confused look.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore had risen to his feet and raised his hands for silence.

They quickly seated themselves and looked up at Dumbledore quietly. Soon, everyone had settled into their seats and stared at the headmaster expectantly.

"Welcome, students, teachers, and parents," he began as the last voices died.

"I am very glad to see you all gathered here today, as I'm sure tomorrow will be quite an event. I hope each of you has found your children and that each have made arrangements in Hogsmeade. You are welcome to dine with your children for dinner in the Great Hall, and feel free to travel between Hogwarts and your lodgings in Hogsmeade."

Jamie looked down the table and attempted to find Remus, but couldn't see him among the multitude of people.

"Tomorrow's festivities will begin at six, and I hope that everyone enjoys themselves. Let this be an opportunity for you to spend time with your children, meet their friends, and perhaps even meet ones that you yourself have forgotten. These are dark times, and one can not stress more the importance of strong friendships. Tomorrow, perhaps, you can speak of old times, look at the world now, and think of what can be done to ensure that the future is as happy for you and your children as it was for you, or, as it wasn't."

These words were greeted with a strained silence, until Dumbledore continued in a much more lighthearted manner.

"Now, without further ado, please, enjoy your dinner, as I'm sure you are all worn out from your travels."

And with a clap of his hands, food appeared on the dishes in front of them. The hall immediately filled with the chattering of people, laughter rippling up and down the tables.

Sirius and Jamie remained quiet and silently exchanged looks.

"Why so grim?" Mrs. Black said, attempting to lighten their moods, "Come, let's eat."

Mr. Black had watched the exchange between the two friends closely, and Jamie caught his eye before quickly looking away.

As she did so, she spotted Mrs. Lupin's vibrantly pink hair, and Remus seated next to her a little further down the table. Neither were looking in her direction, but as Jamie's eyes moved over the man sitting on Remus' other side, she found Mr. Lupin staring right back at her. She gave a small smile, as she didn't know what else to do, but Mr. Lupin had looked over her head, and his expression changed.

Jamie turned to look at Mr. Black sitting next to her and watched as his eyes hardened as he met Mr. Lupin's gaze.

Remus had said something to his father, but when he did not answer, followed his eyes to see Jamie and Mr. Black. Remus paled slightly and Jamie gave him a look as if to say 'What can you do?'

Sirius had become aware of the silent battle occurring across from him and quickly distracted his father.

"So, how's work dad?" Sirius said, shoving the bread basket into his hands.

"What? Oh, you know, the usual," Mr. Black said distractedly as he tore his eyes from his long time enemy, his long time friend.

Mrs. Black gave her husband a reproachful look which he chose to ignore, but Sirius and Jamie both knew that this was going to be a long week.

-----------------------------------

If I could please get at least one review, I would know whether or not this is worth continuing. Please?