A/N: Right, so this is the last chapter that's going to be beta'd, unless someone offers to beta for me. I'll likely go over the other chapters on my own and fix my obvious mistakes, but I may miss things. In the chapter, I mention MLE which, for those of you who don't know, is the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It's in speech (Sirius' dialogue, if I'm not mistaken), and so the characters all know what's being said, but you all may not. I have chapters eight through ten finished, but I'm not going to post eight until I get a review or story alert or favorited story for RF. In fact, this is only coming to you because someone recently alerted it. That made me happy.
DISCLAIMER: What? I don't own Harry Potter and all affiliated characters and whatnot? That's news to me! Please don't send me to jail! I don't wanna die!
"I can't believe that-- that cow expected me to move home just because her 'condition' was worsening. She's driving herself batty, finally, and can't take it. Doesn't she see that she's driven everyone else away and they can't take her either?" Regulus was scowling at his hands on Lily and James' table.
In the kitchen with him were his brother, James, Remus, and Peter. In the living room, Annabel, Severus, Lily, Harry, and Rose were playing.
"It's been two weeks," Sirius stated, getting fed up of this line of conversation. "Can't you just get over that Mummy loves her baby Reggie best and needs him to be around to hear her malicious ramblings?"
"Tell us how you really feel, Pads," James chuckled, more out of nervousness than anything else. They all knew it was tense with Peter around. They had to watch everything they said.
"I think you ought to give your mum the benefit of the doubt," Peter piped up. Sirius and Regulus swiveled their harsh gaze onto the rat.
"This is the woman that locked me in my room for a week for saying that goodness will always conquer evil when I was five," Sirius said, glaring at what he would have once considered one of his best friends.
"When I had a nightmare about getting the Tickle Charm placed on me so many times I died, she said I ought to make myself less weak," Regulus added.
"And when my stuffed dog, Procyon, was ripped to shreds by the neighbor's cat, she told me it was unbecoming of a little boy to carry stuffed animals around anyways! I was four!"
"When the neighbor lady called me a good for nothing suck up, she told me that I was good for nothing!"
"I think we've heard enough examples for a lifetime, boys," Remus remarked calmly. Both Sirius and Regulus calmed down slightly, both still glaring at Peter.
"Boys, be nice to poor Peter. Annabel tells me he's had a rough couple of days at work," Lily scolded as she opened the oven to check on dinner. Regulus and Sirius walked out of the kitchen muttering, the former about venting to Severus, the latter about playing with his godson and teaching the boy how to properly get in trouble.
"The two have been on edge lately," Remus explained to a slightly terrified Peter. "Regulus is upset because his mother keeps owling him and Sirius is tired of the Death Eaters Regulus spends time with coming over to our flat." Peter just nodded mutely.
"Don't worry yourself, Peter," Lily added. "You know that Sirius is infamous for his moods."
"D'you remember the time fifth year when he was in that giant mood and that second year was so terrified of him, she wouldn't sit in the common room when he was there?" James asked, a nostalgic look on his face.
"Or that time sixth year when the first years were convinced he was possessed, he was so evil?" Remus asked, laughter dancing in his eyes.
"Didn't they try to perform an exorcism, only for him to tell them that he was really a zombie?" Lily looked up from the roast that she was carving.
"Oh yeah!" Peter cried, consoled by the memories. "Or that time seventh year when Moony wouldn't talk to him for a week and he locked himself up in the dorm and the third years were convinced he was a vampire."
"Didn't he eat a whole loaf of garlic bread to prove to them he wasn't, just as soon as Moony was talking to him again?" James laughed.
"And then he decided it was the perfect time to kiss me," Remus added dryly. The four laughed.
"Baby Harry," Sirius whispered to the child he was carrying. "Why are they all laughing? Are they plotting my demise?"
"We were talking about your moods," Peter explained, still a little afraid of Sirius.
"Did you talk about that time sixth year when I made that Slytherin fourth year piss his pants because I was in such a towering rage at Regulus?" Sirius looked amused.
"I'd forgotten about that!" James cried, sharing in Sirius' amusement.
"Would you not talk about such grotesque stories in front of my child?" Lily asked, arms akimbo and lips pursed.
"Lily's right. You two are terrible," Remus added, looking only slightly appalled.
"Was that just the two of you?" Peter asked thoughtfully.
"Might've been," Sirius remarked musingly.
"Must've been," James stated decisively. "If Peter were there, he would've found an escape route before that and if Remus were there, you would've been forced to calm down before you caused someone too much terror or harm," he explained.
"Ah, you must be right. But I seem to remember a third…"
"You know," James mused, "It was probably…"
"Oh, yeah. Duh." Sirius rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. They both knew it was Severus. Surprising that the boy could cause so much fear in his own housemates. "It actually makes more sense that way."
"And yet none at all," James replied.
"No, it makes absolutely no sense," Lily insisted. "You boys are quite ridiculous. I don't see how Remus and Peter can stand to be around you so much."
"But you know you love us," James and Sirius said in unison, both wearing bright grins.
"Before you ask, Lily: Yes, they do practice that." Remus just shook his head.
"Give me my child before he catches your stupid, Sirius." Lily held out her arms and Harry was handed to her. Even he looked at his father and Sirius oddly. "Come Harry, let's put you to bed. It's getting late for my little darling."
"Are Severus and Rose spending the night then?" Remus asked James, who nodded.
"She seems fine with the, you know, thing," Sirius said, not too subtly.
"Honestly!" Remus cried, getting quite fed up with James and Sirius being ridiculous. They couldn't even come up with a subtle way to mention the kiss.
"What is it?" Peter asked interestedly. "Tell me!"
"Come on, Peter. These two are about to become incoherent with terrible allusions. We should leave while we can." Remus all but dragged the boy from the kitchen.
"She's pretty much ignoring it," James shrugged. "Although, I think she really wants some time alone with Severus to talk about it. It's so hard for them to get alone, too," James added. "What with Rose and Harry monopolizing all of their time."
"What do you think she'll say?" Sirius looked concerned for his friend. It was one of his few serious moments.
"I don't know. She'll definitely want to talk it out with him though. All that crap about feelings and whatever else girls like to talk about." James looked glum.
"Are you calling Snape a girl?" Sirius looked amused.
"Didn't we grow out of this by third year?" James grumbled.
"Did we?" Sirius looked like he was considering it. "I didn't grow out of it. I personally find it ridiculously funny."
"Well, that just says that your sense of humor hasn't matured since you were thirteen," James muttered dryly.
"Did I start the sex jokes when I was thirteen?" Sirius looked thoughtful. "No, I was definitely fourteen. So my sense of humor has matured."
"Not by much," James muttered. Sirius hit him good-naturedly.
Later that night, when it was just James, Lily, and Severus left, there was quite the tension in the room. "I ought to go to bed," James muttered, more to get away than anything else. "I've got the breakfast shift tomorrow." He kissed Lily on the cheek, said his goodnights and headed up the stairs.
"I want to talk to you about something, Severus," Lily stated dramatically. "I've been waiting quite awhile to say this, mind, because you're really difficult to get alone." Her green eyes shot him a serious look.
"What is it?" Severus looked concerned.
"I know about that kiss between you and James a couple weeks ago," she said, not meeting his eyes. "And I know you two are still quite in love."
"Lily," Severus started to say but Lily cut him off.
"No, I'm not finished. He's said that he has me and Harry and that's enough but… I fear it's not." Her eyes were full of tears when he looked up.
"He's not going to leave you," Severus said as consolingly as he could. "He's mad about you and he spent six years just getting you to accept his requests for a date. He's not going to give all that up for me."
"And Rose. You have Rose now," Lily added. "And he obviously adores her too."
"But he married you," Severus stated firmly. "And he couldn't love any one person more than he loves Harry. That boy is his world, Lily. And your world too. You share something so very important to both of you. I don't have that."
"You know I'm a very accepting woman, Severus," Lily fixed him with a hard stare. "And I've come up with the only possible solution that would make James happy. We shall share him."
Severus stared in incredulously. "Are-- are you sure?" Severus watched Lily closely. She seemed quite serious and willing to go through with this.
"We both want to see James happy, don't we?" she said, taking his hands in hers. "And he won't be happy so long as we make him choose one or the other."
"But, is this what you really want?" Severus asked her. "I'm not asking about anyone but you."
"Yes." She looked sure too.
"Then we shall," Severus said, sounding more sure than he felt. She hugged him. "How shall we tell him?"
"Ah…" she looked uncertain. "I hadn't thought of that."
"We'll figure it out in the morning," Severus assured and her smile came back brightly.
The next morning, Lily and Severus didn't wake until after James had left (though they did wake when their children woke). They planned the morning away with ways to tell James. They grew increasingly frustrated as no good way came up.
"If only Remus were here," Lily muttered distractedly. Severus quirked an eyebrow. "He was the planner in the Marauders," she explained.
"Makes sense," Severus muttered. "James and Black don't have the patience for it and Pettigrew lacks the brains."
"What are we talking about?" James asked, dropping heavily into a seat at the kitchen table near the two.
"You, sweetie," Lily replied simply. Screw plans, she thought, may as well just let my Gryffindor Courage lead me. Better come in use for something finally.
"What about me?" James looked interested. Much as he hated to admit, he was rather the egomaniac that Lily and Severus had accused him of many a time. He just didn't have as big an ego as Sirius.
"We-- that is, Severus and I-- have decided to share you," she stated calmly.
"Share me," he said calmly, not really understanding. "Like kids with a toy?"
"Precisely!" Lily cried excitedly. "I'm so excited you understand, honey!"
"I'm just a toy?" he looked like he was faking being hurt. He knew, of course, Lily didn't really mean it.
"Oh, I suppose we love you," Lily waved it off as inconsequential. "But honestly, James, what do you think?"
"Are you sure on this?" James asked. "Have you really thought it through? I don't want to hurt either of you."
"We're quite sure," Severus drawled, making eye-contact with James.
"Oh, all right. I suppose you can share me," he replied. "But right now, I'm going to take a shower because I smell like eggs and bacon grease."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "He was working the breakfast shift at a muggle restaurant. He likes that better than the dinner shifts because he doesn't like working with teenagers," she explained.
"I don't see why not," Severus muttered. "He acts like one."
"And he doesn't even need to work a job, especially one like that," Lily added. "But, much as he acts like a teenager, he knows he's different. He's seen battles, what with the war. He's lost friends. He has a wife and a son. He's not a teenager, far from it, and he knows that he can never think like a teenager again."
"Why does he work, if he doesn't have to?" Severus asked.
"Oh, he says that it's a valuable life experience, working a shitty job," Lily replied. "It makes him more normal, he says."
"James Potter will never be normal," Severus stated dryly.
"Well you know that, and I know that, but James doesn't know that. Let's let him have his illusions," Lily shot him a conspiratorial grin.
"The hell are they doing in my flat, Regulus?" Sirius asked one day, upon returning home. He'd just finished work and returned to find his despised cousins and other known Death Eaters in his living room.
"They invited themselves over," Regulus replied grimly. "I've only been trying to get them to leave for hours."
"They'd better get out now," Sirius ground out, shooting them his infamous cold glare. He'd perfected it in his second year and had used it to deal with Slytherins. Most of the recipients were well versed in it but only one (Severus) was immune.
"We won't leave just because you asked, little cousin," Bellatrix said snidely.
"You'll find that I'll be doing more than asking in a minute," Sirius replied simply. "And I know a few people in MLE who would happily let me use dangerous magic here, despite the proximity to muggles."
"We've obviously overstayed our welcome," Snape said calmly.
"You're just afraid he'll humiliate you like he did when we were in school," Bellatrix snapped.
"Bella," Narcissa said, faintly scared.
"You want to go too, Cissy? Afraid of little Sirius with his big morals? Hah! He won't kill you. He's much to nice to do such a thing." Bellatrix's mad eyes met Sirius' calmly cold ones in a challenging stare.
"I'm sure MLE would be happy to catch so many Death Eaters at once," Sirius said. "And I hear dementors are much, much worse than death."
"The Ministry?" Bellatrix laughed. "They're under our thumb."
"The muggle police aren't," Sirius replied simply. "And I know a division in this area made completely of wizards. Precautionary, as it were."
"There's no such thing," Bellatrix stated defiantly.
"How do you know? You know nothing about muggles," Sirius said airily.
"Oh, and what do you know?" one of the men asked.
"Enough." Sirius then walked into the kitchen and picked up the phone.
"You'd better go," Regulus told them all firmly. "I really think he's serious."
"Well of course I'm Sirius," he called out to them. "It's been my name as long as I can remember."
"Sirius," Remus' warning tone came from the doorway.
"Ooh! More things to threaten with!" Sirius squealed happily.
"What in the name of Salazar are you talking about?" the other unnamed man asked.
"Well, Moony and I could do naughty things in front of you." Sirius' impish grin graced his face.
"What are you talking about, Black?" Narcissa asked coldly.
"Remus is my boyfriend," he said simply. "And I know that you're all uncomfortable with that sort of thing," he explained. "You put the rest together. I'm sure your small brains can comprehend that much."
Regulus got up, grabbing a small box out of his pocket and left the flat. Everyone looked confused. "He just up and leaves? The insolent little brat!" Bellatrix raved.
"Come Bella, we'd best get home before our husbands make a fuss."
"They're at work, Cissy," Bellatrix snarled. "And I wanted to maim someone before noon!"
"GET THE FUCK OUT OF MY FLAT!" Sirius shouted terrifyingly. The Death Eaters filed out, afraid of this boy with such powerful lungs.
"The neighbors will definitely be talking about this," Remus muttered.
"Sniv didn't really have to leave," Sirius muttered. "I've gotten used to him around lately. And between him and Lily and Harry, it's nearly impossible to get a moment alone with Prongs."
"Yet somehow you two still manage to create mischief," Remus sighed.
"Well yeah. Besides, he got me a job at the restaurant with him. Those teenagers are going to find out about the awesomeness of the Marauders tonight." Sirius was starting his new job (at the restaurant with James) that night and he was excited.
"How many jobs have you gone through?" Remus sighed.
"Enough for the both of us," Sirius replied with a smile.
"Where were you?" Remus asked when Regulus came back in. He just shrugged. Severus followed him in.
"The Lilster watching the kids?" Sirius asked. Severus nodded.
"Did you two know Regulus smokes?" Severus looked stern. Regulus looked abashed. Sirius looked curious. Remus sighed.
"Like… a pipe?" Sirius asked. "Isn't that something old witches do?"
"No, like cigarettes," Severus scowled.
"Wait, wait, is that the same thing as what my last boss called his cancer sticks?" Sirius was growing more and more puzzled as the conversation progressed.
"Yes, Sirius, and they're very bad for the body," Remus explained quietly.
"Why would you do such a thing, Regulus?" Sirius tried to look like he was chiding his brother, even though he still wasn't quite certain of the problem.
"I started a couple years ago, when I first got the Mark. Some guy said it calmed him down and I was nervous, being a Death Eater and all that it entails, so I just started." He shrugged.
"Yes, and you're going to get lung cancer and any number of other horrific muggle diseases," Snape said with distasted.
"I know. I tried to stop, but I need them," Regulus whined.
"Yes, well you're probably addicted by now," Severus drawled. "Lucky you've not been addicted to anything before this."
"What are you talking about?" Sirius looked concerned all at once.
"He borrowed potions and used them recreationally," Severus replied with more than mild distaste.
"Like muggle drugs?" Remus asked.
"Precisely." Severus shot a cold look at Regulus who looked more sheepish.
"Muggle drugs are dangerous," Sirius informed them all.
"And you only ever experimented with pot," Remus gave Sirius a scolding look.
"Not quite," Sirius said, a little on edge. Remus' eyes grew harder. "Well, just before I left home, this boy named Robert moved in across the street. He introduced me to hallucinogenic mushrooms."
"I hope you only did them the once." Remus' arms were crossed and he looked more than angry.
"I did. There are circumstances that I refuse to talk about," Sirius stated firmly. "But a few days later I left home. I wasn't so fond of muggle drugs after that."
"You had nearly stopped using by the time I was speaking to you again," Remus agreed.
"Speaking to him?" It was Regulus' turn to look confused.
"The Incident of Which We Do Not Speak," Sirius stated dramatically. He was the one who'd suggested that the incident more than warranted capital letters.
"What?" Regulus was curious what this incident was.
"I'll tell you later," Severus said with a scowl, knowing full well what the two meant.
"I always feel so left out," Regulus pouted. "You all have funny stories that I don't know."
"Yes, well, this one's not funny in the least," Remus growled.
"If you say so," Regulus looked skeptical. He hadn't heard many stories that pertained to his brother that weren't funny. Of course, he usually heard the stories of Sirius' and James' various adventures at school.
"I should go work on those potions I started," Severus stated. "I wouldn't want to impose on Lily any longer than need be."
"Aren't you staying with them now?" Sirius asked. "I mean, it'd be kind of awkward to share James if you weren't."
"They're sharing James?" Remus looked shocked. Regulus was slightly surprised as well.
"Don't they tell you anything?" Sirius' eyebrows shot into his hair, which Remus had been complaining for weeks was growing far too long.
"Apparently not," Remus replied. "Of course, our sources aren't exactly as open as James."
"And you and James are like twins separated at birth," Regulus added.
"Twins of mayhem," Remus agreed.
"Ah mayhem, it's one of my favorites," Sirius said affectionately.
"I do hope you don't love mayhem more than you love me," Remus muttered.
"Moony, there is nothing in this world I love more than you," Sirius proclaimed. "Well, I suppose a good bone comes really, really close."
"Mangy mutt," Snape muttered and Regulus chuckled.
"You've never tasted a t-bone, my friends. I mean, the meat is good, when well cooked--"
"Sirius likes it rare," Remus interjected.
"--But the bone is delicious. It's truly the best part," Sirius finished like he hadn't been interrupted.
"You like rare meat?" Regulus scrunched up his nose.
"Moony does too," Sirius replied. "It's our canine tendencies, shining through."
"Which is probably why Sirius always smells like wet dog after his shower," Remus muttered.
"Well, I really oughtn't leave those potions alone much longer," Severus said firmly. "The stabilization charm will only last so long."
"I should go scouting for information," Regulus added. "It seems I keep getting caught up with people I know too well lately and we just chat. I don't get anything good anymore."
"D'you think they suspect you?" Sirius asked.
"It's more they don't trust me not to slip up around you. Even though they won't admit it, they're very afraid of you, Sirius."
"Pads, you really ought to get ready for working at the diner tonight." Remus' voice had a guiding tone to it.
"And what are you going to do, Moony?"
"If you'll recall, it's two days until the full moon," Remus replied simply. "I'm quite tired."
"And you're ravenously hungry, I'm sure," Sirius added with a grin.
Regulus went out and walked to the Leaky Caldron. Once there, he sat down at the bar and settled in to hear some stories. He ordered a drink and lit a cigarette just as the regulars started showing up. "Regulus," one man said as he sat down next to the boy. "Your mum tells me you're living with your blood traitor brother." It was one of his father's old work friends, he noticed as he took a drag of the cigarette.
"Yeah, information gather, you know," Regulus replied after exhaling the smoke. "It's the only thing I'm good at."
"Nonsense, boy!" the man two seats down said. Regulus knew him only as Mr. Fletcher (Mundungus Fletcher's uncle or something like that). "I'm sure you'd make an excellent salesman. You should join my business. Things are a little slow lately but I'm sure if you joined, they'd pick right up. Pretty girls are always willing to trust a handsome young man." He flashed a devilish grin, revealing a rather incomplete set of teeth.
"Yes, well, I don't think I'd like that work so much," Regulus admitted.
"Most of the Blacks haven't done an honest day's work in their lives!" Mr. Brown (the man who'd worked with Regulus' father) proclaimed loudly.
"That Sirius, the one they disowned, I've seen him wandering around Muggle London," Mr. Fletcher put in.
"Have you now. Wouldn't surprise me. His mother told me he's a little fairy now," Mr. Brown spat. "Unnatural, that."
"I don't know about that," the woman on Regulus' other side stated. "My nephew is queer. His boyfriend's rather nice, actually."
"It's just not right," the man muttered.
"Sirius says that's what they say when they really wish they could be with a man," Regulus piped up.
"And you listen to the little blood traitor?" Mr. Brown raised an eyebrow.
"Sometimes he says things worth hearing," Regulus replied evasively.
"Aye, even the most foolish sometimes say something clever by mistake," Mr. Fletcher said.
"You'd know, wouldn't you, Fletcher?" Tom, the barkeep, chuckled. The whole bar laughed after that.
"Oi! Tom!" a man called after just walking in. "How much for your cheapest room for one night?" Regulus faintly recognized him as someone his brother had pointed out as an Order member.
"Why do you ask?" Tom looked suspicious. Just then, the door burst open and two red-haired men walked in boisterously.
"THE PREWETTS ARE BACK IN TOWN!" they cried together, each with an arm slung over the other's shoulders.
"You ruin one of my rooms again and I'll kill the two of you myself, Gideon, Fabian," Tom muttered with a glare.
"Oh Tom, you worry too much!" the one on the left cried with a laugh.
"We're beat, as it is. Just returned from a little trip to America." The one on the right wore a roguish grin.
"Now Fab, we said we wouldn't talk about what happened to us in the States," the one on the left, Gideon, Regulus presumed.
"Right, right. Lindsey did say she'd hunt me down and murder me in my sleep if I so much as mentioned one tiny thing that happened while we were there," Fabian replied.
"5 galleons for the night," Tom told them, tossing a key. "And I expect you to pay this time!" he cried after them as they made their way loudly up the stairs.
"Who were they?" Regulus asked, intrigued.
"Gideon and Fabian Prewett," the woman next to Regulus replied. "Their older sister is married to Arthur Weasley. Those two are known to be obnoxious."
"But they tell one hell of a story," Mr. Fletcher added. "And you can't help but be drawn in by them. They're quite the characters."
"Like that brother of yours used to be." Mr. Brown looked like he didn't like admitting the elder Black brother had any good qualities.
Regulus nodded. He paid for his drink and went on his way, knowing he'd gotten more than enough information from the bar that night.
"Prongsie!" Sirius cried upon entering the kitchen at the diner that night.
"You're washing dishes, Padfoot," James replied, not even looking up from what he was frying.
"Dude, you know him?" One of the teenagers asked James.
"Prongsie's my best mate from school!" Sirius cried enthusiastically as he scrubbed a plate.
"No way!" the kid cried. "You married like Potter, here?"
"Hah, not a chance, kid," Sirius replied with a smirk.
"Got a girlfriend?" the quiet boy who made fries asked.
"Nope. Women are troublesome." Sirius grinned.
"He's dating one of our other friends from school," James said while sending a challenging look at Sirius.
"Wait, you're into blokes?" the first kid asked.
"Just one," Sirius stated serenely. "But that's all I need, really."
"Padfoot's over the moon for Moony!" James said in a sing-song voice.
"BOYS!" the manager barked and they all jumped. "This isn't playtime. Just because we've got a new member of the staff doesn't mean we can just chit-chat through the dinner rush!"
"YES SIR!" everyone but Sirius shouted.
"Black! I know you've never worked in a kitchen before but I run a tight ship. Don't misbehave or you'll be out of here faster than you can list an order!" The manager scowled at Sirius.
"Well, this will be good experience, sir. Maybe after this, Madame Rosemerta will let me waitress." Sirius wore a large grin.
"You'd better be serious about your job, do you understand, son?"
"I'm serious about everything," Sirius replied.
"Now's not the time for that damn pun, Padfoot," James informed his friend. "Just listen to him or I'll tell Moony you were goofing off at work again," James threatened.
"You wouldn't," Sirius gave him a frightened look.
"Lily too," James said with a malicious grin.
"You're terrible!" Sirius cried in terror. The manager took this as a sign that James had it under control.
"Maybe even Severus."
"They'll kill me. They'll kill me and I won't be around to bring glorious mayhem into Baby Harry's life. Is that what you really want, James?" Sirius tried to reason with him.
"Well if you're dead, we can name Remus as Harry's godfather," James replied.
"You wouldn't!" Sirius cried. "Remie would make him all stuffy and boring!"
"It hasn't worked on you, thus far."
"No one can repress the free spirit of the great and beautiful Sirius Black!" he proclaimed, raising a soapy fist in the air.
"You forgot humble," James teased.
"Humble? Are you making up words again, James? You know, that's highly immature."
"This coming from the man whose sense of humor hasn't matured since we were fourteen," James muttered.
"Potter, we didn't know you were cool," one guy said.
"Only around the right people," James corrected.
"Yeah, when he's around Lily, he's so whipped. And when he's around Harry he's ridiculous. But around me, he takes some of the extra cool I exude and pretends it's his own," Sirius explained.
"Padfoot, just wash the dishes." James shook his head. Maybe getting Sirius the job wasn't the best idea…
"Peter didn't come home again, last night," Annabel muttered. She saw the blinking answering machine saying they had a message so she played it.
"Sorry, Bell," it was Peter's voice ringing through the quiet apartment. "It's late so you probably won't get this until morning but I'm, um, staying at my mum's house tonight. I, um, should have told you earlier but it slipped my mind and, er, well, I'm telling you now." Annabel knew it was a lie. Peter always fumbled for his words when he lied. He probably stayed with some other woman last night. Somehow it didn't bother her very much.
Of course it doesn't bother you, she thought to herself. He's betraying his friends. He's joined the stupid Death Eaters. You knew he was cheating on you most of the time, anyways. She wondered, not for the first time, why she stuck around. Then, of course, images of his friends popped up. Lily was such a nice woman. James, Sirius, and Remus were always there for Peter (and anyone else who needed it), even though she had a feeling they knew he was up to something fishy. Severus was, despite his initial attitude, really a very caring (if detail-oriented) man. And Regulus. She could go on for hours about Regulus.
Somehow, Annabel found herself sitting on the kitchen floor, up against a cabinet, crying. She didn't know why exactly she was crying (Could it have something to do with the fact that her life wasn't going anywhere near the way she planned?) and she couldn't, for the life of her, stop.
"Annabel," her brother's soft voice called from the doorway. "Where are you, Little Bell?"
"I'm in here," she called meekly.
"Bell, why're you crying?" he said when he entered, sitting down next to her and placing a comforting arm around her.
"I'm not sure," she sniffled.
"Where's that boyfriend of yours? Isn't it a little early to be at work?" he looked concerned.
"Didn't come home last night," she said, wiping at her eyes with her arm. "Said he was staying at his mother's."
"He wasn't though, was he, Bell?" he looked concerned for her.
"Of course not, Lucas," she snapped. "He spent the night with some other woman."
"Why are you still with him, Bell, if he makes you so miserable?" Lucas gave her a sad look.
"His best friends have now become my best friends," she replied. "If I dumped him, I doubt they'd want to be anywhere near me, no matter how justified I am for doing so."
"They can't be that great," Lucas insisted.
"You've never met them," she replied. "They're so wonderful. Lily's the sweetest woman on the planet. James, Sirius and Remus will protect anyone who needs it. Severus would poison your enemies for you. And Regulus is a gorgeous, sweet man."
"Maybe you should date one of them," Lucas muttered.
"Lily is married to James and is sharing him with Severus; Sirius and Remus are madly in love, and Regulus is out of my league. Besides, I doubt he wants a relationship anyways." Annabel frowned.
"Well, they all sound mad to me," Lucas remarked.
"They are. That's why they're so great."