A/N: This chapter's got a lot more action than the previous few :)

Cheers for all the incredible reviews on the previous chapter, I really appreciate it! I've replied to all of them; PMs are working properly now :D

xoxo

4. The Warning

Henry's wife, Katie, was not the smartest woman. In Hogwarts, she had been a Hufflepuff, and though being a Hufflepuff didn't mean you were dumb, instead it just meant that for Katie especially, things like friendship and loyalty mattered most. In her OWLs, she hadn't received any Outstandings, barely managing to scrape an Exceeds Expectations in her Charms OWL. And in her NEWTs, Katie hadn't received any Outstandings or Exceeds Expectations.

Her job had been in a children's nursery for young witches and wizards. And when Katie had met her husband, she quit her job and opted to stay at home and be a good little submissive housewife; doing the chores, cleaning, making love to him...

But Henry, sitting there before his wife, was more than surprised. She was ferocious, she was bold and she was someone entirely different. If he was honest, in any other different situation, seeing this side of Katie would have been an enormous turn on.

But they weren't in a different situation. They were fighting for their lives; their lives or the lives of others? The lives of potentially dozens: Aurors, teachers, students, Order of the Phoenix members ... everyone who could do something and make a difference.

Henry didn't know what he could do, what he could even say. He remembered Sirius Black, James Potter, Remus Lupin and vaguely Peter Pettigrew back from his Hogwarts days. He had been in his final year when they themselves had been in their second. And more than once Henry had witnessed some spectacle or another caused by the impulsive, childish Gryffindors.

Strutting around in the enclosed room was none other than Sirius Black's cousin, but Henry didn't remember her name. He remembered her face though; of course he did. It had been plastered all over the Daily Prophet, the newspaper he worked for! Of course, Henry didn't remember much about her case from a year ago; he wrote for the Sports and Leisure section of the popular newspaper.

He gulped, watching his wife on the other side of the room; arms empty of children and face still streaming with tears.

'—every single thing you remember, Katie, or your husband dies. And we have your children to. Don't forget the fact that we have your children.'

Katie gulped and nodded. 'I just want you to let my husband go, nothing else.'

The radiant woman nodded. Then she smiled. 'You tell me where my dead cousin's friends are, and I'll make sure nothing harms you or your family for the rest of this war.'

Katie looked down, playing with her fingers and breathing deeply in and out. Then she looked up, and that ferocious, fiery expression flickered across her face.

That's my girl! Henry thought.

'W-we have lots of family in Wales ...' Katie said softly.

And so it began; she explained, in as much detail as she could, what she knew. And boy did she explain every single little thing.

Till not a detail lay hidden from Bellatrix.

xo

'REMUS!' Sirius bellowed, poking his head in the kitchen. He looked around the enormous space. But he couldn't see his friend. He did however, see Peter, who was holding a kicking and screaming Harry whilst Lily tried to dress him.

Apparently Harry thought it was appropriate to go streaking through the lounge. Sirius winked at his godson, who, in response, grinned. 'Any of you seen Moony?' the handsome man asked.

Lily huffed and turned to face her husband's best friend. She shook her head. 'No, why?'

'Medina's looking for him. It's time to drink the potion she made for tomorrow's full moon.' Although Remus would be able to keep his mind, James and Sirius still intended to accompany their friend and play with him. Moony loved them. And they loved Moony. Besides, how else were they going to take his mind off the pain of transforming into a raging beast?

'See if he's with Prongs. He's been spending a lot of time with him recently.' Peter said, looking back down at the now still child in his arms. Peter would never say it aloud, but he loved how accepted he was in the Marauder family. He had never felt so ... so free before. He felt like they now truly appreciated him and everything he stood for.

'Alright, thanks Wormtail,' Sirius said before ducking back out of the kitchen. He walked into his girlfriend and quickly avoided squashing her, pulling them both back off the ground and ruffling her hair.

'You could pass for a guy,' Sirius commented lightly, laughing when she stomped on his foot.

'You weren't saying that yesterday.' Rose retorted, sticking her tongue out and loftily looking away. Then she danced off in the other direction. Sirius shrugged and took back off to where he hoped Remus and James would be. They used the Reflection Room more than anyone else; even more than Sirius.

And he had so much to reflect on...

He opened the door, sticking his head in and smiling when he saw them. His two best friends. Remus saw him, but he shushed his friend and crept up, transforming mid-stride. With his long stretched pink tongue hanging out and his fur rustling in the light breeze, Padfoot padded across charmed grass until he was hovering right beside the bespectacled Marauder.

Sending Remus a wolfish grin, Padfoot started to pee.

It took a few seconds for the bespectacled man to even notice. But when he did... 'EW! EW EW! YOU STUPID FUCKING—' James cried, jumping up and looking down at the wet patch on his top. He shrugged the top off and started gagging, but not before sending a sharp kick to the dog Animagus.

Sirius transformed again, clutching his abdomen and laughing whilst tears of pain welled in his eyes. '—God, your face ...' he panted, 'like you'd seen a devil!'

He was silenced when James kicked him even harder. But this time, Sirius was ready for it. He grabbed a hold of his friend's foot and pulled as hard as he could. Remus laughed, watching the wrestling match and grinning. After a few minutes, both young men grew tired and satisfied themselves with conjuring drinks from the kitchen and enjoying the air.

The room was, after all, charmed to reflect outside's temperature and it was still a handsome summer. Sirius wished he could feel the air for real, he was sick of being locked underground in the old Auror base. He wasn't allowed out at all and it was taking a toll on him. But he knew he'd have his moment soon; his moment to fight.

He sat down, running a hand through his messy black locks and smiling at his friends. He frowned when Remus looked away all too quickly. 'So,' James started, 'why did you interrupt mine and Moony's date?'

Sirius grinned. 'I ... I ... I forgot. Oh no! I remember! Basically, Medina wants you Remus—'

'Of course she does, look at him—'

'Thanks Prongs,' Remus replied blandly, but not before letting a smile slip, 'I'm really reassured by your sexuality now. Does she wanna talk about the potion Padfoot? Hmm ... I thought so, okay, thanks.'

James laughed and fell back, smiling to himself. He yawned and watched as the tall werewolf left the room. The air spun the leaves, lifting them and catapulting them across the room. 'He seems different ... ever since your argument. Still not gonna tell me what it was about?'

Sirius closed his mouth and shook his head. 'It's none of your business. Anyway, you still on for supervising him tomorrow?'

'Of course. Since when do I ever give up a chance to play with Moony? And it's not like Remus is going to spend the night with the werewolves or something. He's spending it with us, just us Marauders. We'll have to sneak you out of course. You heard Dumbledore.'

Sirius nodded. They revelled in the laziness of just lying and relaxing. After about ten minutes, Sirius started speaking again. 'I hate how they're controlling my life ... every little thing I do...'

'What d'you expect? They think you can kill Voldemort. It sort of makes you our secret weapon; secret in every sense of the word.' Whilst James had been talking, his hand had fluttered to his pocket where the Time Turner was. He always carried it on himself, worried that someone might find it or take it just like he had done.

Shall I tell him? James thought. Shall I tell him and hope he doesn't get upset?

But what about if you need to use it? A different voice said. If they know about the Time Turner, then you won't ever be able to use it. You won't be able to make sure your family stay alive...

The mental argument taking place inside James's head was interrupted when Remus hurried back into the room, shivering. He gagged, sitting back down and taking James's drink. 'That potion tastes like shit.' He moaned, draining the glass. 'And don't worry, none of the werewolves suspect anything about you guys being Animagi or whatever. They just think I want to spend the night with you guys.'

Sirius fell back on the grass, stretching his lithe and elegant body out. Then he turned over on his stomach and grinned at them. 'I can't wait. I've been locked up here for months. I just ... I just want to get out.'

Remus looked at him properly for the first time in days, eyes a fierce and glowing gold; he had stunning eyes. 'You will get out. We will. Tomorrow.'

xo

Bellatrix apparated right outside the Malfoy Manor door. Her striking dark eyes were alive with excitement. She threw the door open with a quick incantation and strutted to the main lounge where a meeting was currently taking place.

'Sorry I'm late, my Lord,' she breathed, bowing down. When Bellatrix looked back up and brushed her long black hair from her face, she broke into a grin. 'I was with a witch and her Mudblood husband. They were telling me about some rumours, some very true rumours.'

Everyone was watching the mad witch, some eyed her cautiously whereas others watched her enviously; the Dark Lord however waited patiently. 'And what, Bella, was more important than this meeting?'

She broke into a radiant and rather gorgeous grin, throwing her head back and laughing. 'I know where the Order of the Phoenix is hiding. I know where we can get them.'

xo

It was full moon. The sky was beautiful; the gold slipping away to be replaced by a gentle blue. Moonrise was in over an hour, enough time for the werewolves and Marauders to get away from the old Aurors training base and find somewhere remote to play around in. The only problem was getting Sirius out.

Still, no one knew about James's cloak. And Dumbledore was off doing important work. The old Headmaster never elaborated as to what exactly he was doing, but it always seemed to be something. Sirius had heard one of Snape's patronuses leaving yesterday, at the beginning of a meeting between the handsome pureblood and the Headmaster. He suspected that whatever business Albus Dumbledore was getting up to, it included Snape.

'Every drop, Remus John Lupin!' Medina scolded him, holding the goblet. When Remus made a face, she grabbed him by the back of his head and brought the goblet up to his lips. Sirius smiled softly at his best friend; it seemed like he really cared for the slightly older and incredibly pretty female werewolf.

When the goblet was empty, Remus shivered and gagged, sticking his tongue out and making a horrified face. 'This better be worth it,' he told her, shaking his head.

'Trust me,' she said, 'it is.'

They smiled at each other, but then she stood straighter and frowned. 'I can feel it,' Medina explained, 'Moonrise isn't too far away. We should go. Are you spending the night with your friends?'

He nodded. 'I owe it to them. But next full moon...'

She smiled. 'Of course. You better leave soon then. Try to get as far away as you can. It shouldn't be too hard; the Apparation Licenses were given back in Wales.'

'It was on the WWN,' James interjected, can of beer in one hand and a sock in the other. 'Wales had a referendum or something. Voldemort'll sort it all out soon though.' He said plainly, shaking his head.

'Still,' Remus said. 'We can use it to our advantage. Come on, why don't you, me and Wormtail start to get ready now?'

Lily stood up, handing over a small pouch filled with Dittany and bandages. 'Just in case,' she whispered, leaning over to peck Remus's cheek. 'I've got your daughter and my son down for a nap. Don't worry, she's in safe hands.' Lily said to Medina, who broke into a smile.

'Thank you Lily.' She said before leaving the room, no doubt to steal a last kiss from her daughter before she left to transform.

'Come 'ere then,' James called, beckoning Lily over and pouting. She grudgingly glared at her husband, before leaning over to press her lips to his, drawing out a long sweet kiss. They split up, slightly more aroused than they would have liked to be, before parting ways.

'Where's Black?' Moody growled, coming into the room with Frank on one side and Dedalus on the other. He was frowning deeply when he couldn't see Sirius. 'You heard Dumbledore's patronus, he's staying behind!'

'Don't worry Moody! He and Rose are up in their room.' James mock-whispered, 'You know,' he said, 'having sex.'

Sirius and Rose weren't having sex at all, nothing like it in fact. Sirius was changing his son's nappy and trying to explain to Rose why she couldn't leave the room, not until he came back at least.

'What if I put on a Disillusionment Charm?' she asked.

'If you even can.' Sirius loftily told her, looking back down at his son. 'But really Rose, it'll just ruin everything. Remember to lock the room and if someone knocks on the door, just make out like we're having sex.'

'You owe me.' She said.

He smiled at her. It was strained and not at all real. But that didn't matter. He loved her. He wasn't sure if he loved her more or less than before, but he still loved her.

'I just haven't been out in ages Rose. I just want the chance to run around and play with the Marauders. I'll be back safe, I promise.'

Rose looked at her watch. 'Well, you better put the cloak on and get down to meet Moony and the others. Have fun. And stay safe Sirius!'

He kissed her forehead and nodded. 'Of course,' he replied, letting her comb a hand through his tousled black locks. With twinkling silver eyes, he kissed his son and threw James's Invisibility Cloak over his shoulders, covering his body from the rest of the world. 'I'll see you tomorrow.'

Sirius was as quiet as he could be, sneaking out of the room. He met James and Remus and Peter where they arranged, and then they were going through layers of charms and reinforcements and tests to determine whether they really were on the side of the Order. Even though Sirius was concealed, he was still in the Order. The charms accepted him.

Entering a room that was almost like a pathway to the outside world, James beckoned the other Marauders over and said in a hushed voice, 'Keep the cloak on Sirius, I think the others are coming right now.'

James whispered a spell Dumbledore himself had created, throwing open the backdoor and revealing some steps. The Marauders hurried up them, Sirius tripping on the cloak and swearing rather loudly.

'Sorry,' he whispered when Peter beside him started laughing. Wales was something else entirely; it was peaceful, but like all countries it had an ugly side. So far, the Marauders hadn't yet seen the ugly side. The Auror training base was in the middle of a very large and very spacious forest, with different types of trees and with very few visitors. The perfect place to run around and have fun.

'Let's apparate as far away from here as we can.' Remus said. He held out his hands, and when the cloak was safely stuffed into James's rucksack, they joined hands and disapparated with a resonating crack. It tore through the air like a gunshot, but no one was close enough to hear.

They smacked down, Sirius wobbling dangerously. But before any of them could even comprehend what was going on, he ripped his shoes off, tied his hair up and transformed. It was always fun watching Sirius transform. Sometimes his head was what changed first, whereas other times he grew incredibly hairy first.

Padfoot started bounding around, long pale tongue rolling out of his mouth and his gorgeous grey eyes twinkling.

James and Remus sat down, preparing for moonrise: they watched Sirius trot around, shooting off with incredible speed, showing off some doggy tricks and having fun. He bound around with an enormous doggy grin and leapt past them, but not before licking James's cheek thoroughly

'How can I stay mad at him when he acts like this?' Remus murmured to himself. He watched with a fond smile as Padfoot's foot got tangled up in a web of tangled branches, and he furiously fought to get himself out.

'Why're you mad at him?' James asked, watching as Wormtail hurried to the rescue, chewing the branches to help Sirius get out.

Remus rested his forehead on his knee and sighed heavily. The sky was dark blue now, and he knew he should start taking his clothes off and putting them in James's modified bag. Lily was really quite good at Undetectable Extension Charms.

As he untied his shoelaces, Remus turned to face James. 'It's not what I'm annoyed with him about; it's just how he approached the whole matter. Though now I think about it, I would've done the exact same thing as him. In the end, what's done is done, right?'

When he stood up to unbutton his shirt, James bit his lip. He suspected Remus was talking more to himself than to James. 'I can hardly understand what you mean. But like you said earlier, it's none of my business.'

Remus took his time with taking the clothes off, trying to draw out the process for as long as he could. He wasn't self-conscious around the Marauders, not in the slightest. He'd known them for over ten years; they had all seen each other's bits and bobs. Standing nude and proud, Remus closed his eyes and waited.

'This one's gonna hurt,' he breathed to himself.

After exactly a hundred and fifteen seconds a piercing shriek ripped through the air. It was heartbreaking to watch a naked Remus writhing on the floor: his eyes grew wider; blood was pouring out of his nose as it snapped and started to reshape; claws pierced their way from his elongated wolfish paws – every inch of him burned with pain as he started to transform into a wolf.

The stag, the dog and the rat waited patiently for Moony's last tremors to subside. They waited; anticipation thick and choking in the air. Then the werewolf rose; reincarnated for the night.

Or not.

They could immediately tell it was Remus in control of the wolf, and not Moony. The eyes were missing their usual anger and hatred and frustration, instead being replaced with a curiosity and a naked vulnerability.

It was a silent night, thick with tension. They played or watched patiently as Moony explored and investigated his own body and the forest around him. He howled as loud as he could, and shot off in different directions, luring Padfoot into playing a violent game of tag. Despite the fact that it was Remus in control, he was rough with the dog Animagus, though nowhere near as rough as Moony usually was.

James watched the wolf roughhousing Sirius, lifting him and pinning him to the forest ground. Moony was a very beautiful creature; he was thin and long, with golden fur and thick but lithe muscles.

Padfoot transformed back into his human form, wincing and limping over to the pouch where he got out the Dittany. 'This bastard,' he said to the stag waiting by his side, 'is rough today. I'm gonna have to show him who's boss.' Sirius dripped two drops of the clear liquid and watched as the very deep cut on his leg healed instantly. Then he smiled and flickered back into Padfoot.

The dog let out a loud bark and disappeared from the clearing they currently were in, to the bundle of trees and bushes. Moony howled and followed after him.

The animals played and lounged around for hours, the rest of the night passing in a similar state, until James was sure moonrise was due in an hour or two.

The stag snickered when he watched Padfoot sneak out from underneath Moony and charge at him, only to be tossed to the side like a doll. The black dog let out a whine, licking at his wounds and barking angrily at the werewolf.

But the fun was interrupted. Leaving an injured but amused dog on the floor, Moony's head shot up. He sniffed the air. And then he froze.

James didn't need to be told twice; he turned back to his human form and pulled out his wand, hurrying over to Moony. He swallowed. 'Moony, Moony what is it?' he whispered.

Moony howled; his great jaw opening to let out a long and angry growl. The bespectacled Marauder was more than intimidated, standing beside the enormous werewolf and cowering underneath his piercing glare. But James understood enough.

'Is someone coming?' he breathed, waving his wand. 'Homenum Revelio!' he hissed. A shimmer of soft light sifted from the tip of his brown wand and when it came back, James shook his head. 'No one's nearby Remus, not for a mile. Your senses are just picking up people from—'

He was interrupted when Moony started howling and bellowing, standing on his hind legs and towering over James.

'HOMENUM REVELIO!' the bespectacled Marauder cried, but then he roared in irritation when the spell came back negative. 'No one's here Moony, no one's—'

James was thrown to the side when his werewolf friend pushed him away, protecting his body from another creature, another beast trying ever so hard to get to James. This werewolf was different; it was shorter but thicker than Remus, and it had black fur instead of gold. His eyes were blazing like fire and his teeth were sharp and over an inch long.

James started trembling, his wand falling from his hands as he watched his best friend and the other werewolf fight, teeth and claws. The growls and howls they made turned James into a quivering mess. A dog started pushing him away from the scene, until they were twenty metres away. This werewolf wasn't one James recognised.

Sirius and Peter transformed simultaneously beside him. They winced at the noise resonating around them; of teeth clashing and blows landing. It was a fight fuelled by testosterone and anger and hatred. The foreign werewolf was trying as hard as he could to get to the humans, but Moony was protecting them as though his life depended on it.

'We need to go James; we need to get out of here!' Sirius breathed, grabbing his bespectacled friend by his lapels and dragging him to his feet. But James was frozen with shock, his eyes glued to the scene of two enormous wolves battling each other.

'W-w-w...' he could barely speak, his glasses fogging up with tears of fright. He'd never been so scared in his life, and James was partially surprised that he hadn't yet pissed his pants.

'Prongs,' Sirius hissed, 'Prongs, it's not someone from the pack. It's a foreign werewolf, Prongs! They haven't had the Wolfsbane potion, they're feral and rabid!' the handsome man was answered when the dark and furry werewolf howled in pain. 'I think it's Dolohov, it's got to be Dolohov!'

'H-h-how?' James breathed.

'When Moony bit him, in that fight back at Malfoy Manor, he got infected! I mean look at it! Look at the fur, look at the eyes!' Sirius shouted, pulling James as hard as he could. 'They know where we are! We need to get out of here! Dolohov could bite us, he could change us—'

The moon was sinking back down into the sky. And Dolohov was getting more and more ferocious. Whereas he had the raw animalistic brute strength that came with an unhinged and uncontrollable werewolf, Remus had his own mind; he had the power to control his strength.

Which meant that unfortunately, he didn't have the feral instinct Dolohov had. He was losing the fight.

But regardless, he tried as hard as he could to protect his friends. Remus loved them, and he'd be damned if he ever let Antonin Dolohov kill the people he loved.

As the moon sunk deeper and deeper into the horizon, the wolfish characteristics began to fade. But it wasn't like turning into a werewolf; turning back to your human form was just as agonising, if not more painful. And it took twice as long.

With teeth still an inch long and claws even longer, Dolohov, using some unknown technique he must have learnt from Greyback himself, managed to detach his body from Remus's and leap away.

Sirius, now in his dog form, was still trying to drag a frozen James away. Peter wasn't in a better state. But he seemed to snap back into reality when he saw Dolohov making his way towards them, his jaw shrinking and his teeth growing smaller, but the howl still chilling their bones.

Dolohov resembled more of a cheetah now, instead of a wolf; small and fast and sharp. He pounced.

Remus knew he was too late when Peter's scream ripped through the air. He threw Dolohov off, but his strength was waning. The last hour battling the new werewolf had been mentally and physically draining; he was injured and he was tired. But it didn't matter.

Peter could be dying.

The rat Animagus was crying and shouting, writhing on the floor. He had a gash on his neck, at least two inches long and very deep.

'A message,' a deep and lupine voice hissed, 'from the Dark Lord. No one is forgotten. No one can hide.' His eyes flickered over a black dog, James Potter and Remus Lupin.

'No one.' Dolohov whispered. And then he disapparated with a loud crack.

Remus fell to the floor beside an unconscious Peter. He wrapped a hand onto the cut on the smaller man's neck and signalled James over. 'Get the Dittany,' he gasped, 'and a bandage.'

'They know where we are.' James whispered, handing over the small pouch Lily had given them earlier. 'Moony, they know where we are.'

'I know James.' Remus breathed, pouring drops of Dittany into Peter's wound. 'Pass me my clothes. We need to get Peter back, he ... he's lost so much blood...'

'Is he...' James asked quietly, looking over at Sirius, who was now human and searching for his wand.

'I don't know.'

'Could he be...?'

'I don't know James. Did he see you Sirius?'

Sirius cleared his throat loudly. 'No, I was a dog when he became human. Guys, we need to warn the others.' He said. 'Come on.'

xo

~ Three Hours Later ~

It was chaos. Peter was still unconscious, with the Dittany stopping the bleeding but leaving a long and jagged scar. They didn't know if he would be a werewolf or not; Dolohov had been mostly human. Maybe the venom hadn't gotten into his system ... maybe there was still a chance.

Left, right and centre; witches and wizards were talking strategies, scheming and plotting how to get out safely. And planning where to go! It wasn't there time to leave. They had so much here in the Aurors' training camp.

'Remus,' Lily breathed, 'Remus, how does he know? How does he know where we are?' she whispered, stuffing vials and potions and ingredients all into the same pouch she had given the Marauders before moonrise.

'We weren't as secretive as we thought,' he told her huskily, 'someone must have recognised one of us Order members when we go out to get news and gossip. They must have told the Death Eaters that we're all hiding out in Wales.'

The cry of a baby rippled in the air, and Sirius hurried into the lounge, with his wand held tightly in one hand and the other cradling his son's head. Fastened across his chest and wailing as loud as he could was SJ. Lily would have found it endearing that Sirius was carrying his son in such an intimate way, but she found the whole situation rather worrying. He had to be really worried to wear a baby carrier; Sirius had always said they were for "fags". Prejudiced bastard.

He had a scratch on his cheek from play fighting with Moony, and his hair was pulled into a miniature ponytail. 'We need to hurry. They're coming.'

'Lily just needs to give Peter his potion,' Remus said as the redhead shot a spell at the injured young man to wake him up. He woke up with a whine.

'M-Moony,' he breathed, 'Moony, wh-what's—'

'Don't worry.' Lily said, tilting his head back for him. 'Drink up.'

'Am I ... am I ...'

'You need to transform Peter. You aren't strong enough to walk. We'll carry you.' The tallest Marauder explained, running a hand through his golden hair. 'Not right now, but when we leave.' He said sharply. He was so tired. He just wanted to sleep, after the rough night he'd had with Dolohov.

'They want us to split up,' James said as he practically ran into the room, Harry on his back. 'We're gonna communicate through patronuses in groups. We're splitting up!'

'What's Dumbledore gonna do?' Sirius asked furiously. Rose burst into the room, her hair like her boyfriend's; tied up in a miniscule ponytail. She wore a rucksack.

And behind her, Moody, Frank, Dedalus Diggle, Shacklebolt, Benjy Fenwick, Edgar Bones and many others hurried in. They surrounded the group of six.

'Dumbledore said you're the priority Sirius, he said we need to protect you.' Frank explained. 'You need to get out of here, they're coming. We're staying to fight—'

'I'm not going.' Remus growled. 'I'm staying to fight. Sorry Padfoot.'

Sirius gulped. 'Why can't I fight?'

'They think you're dead.' Lily said, her voice almost hysterical. 'I'm staying to fight too—'

'No you're not!' James snapped. 'You're coming with me and Sirius to track down the rest and destroy them!'

'You know you don't need me for that.' Lily's voice was pitying. She winced when James grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the room. As soon as they were outside the door, he pushed Lily against the wall and proceeded to kiss her as hard and as passionately as he could.

'Please,' he choked, 'please don't do this.' His usually mischievous and gorgeous hazel eyes were now tired, dull and a little red.

Lily ran a hand through her husband's hair, smiling when he leaned into her touch. 'Do you remember what you said to me when we got married? You said what you love about me most is how I'm not submissive; I'm not a good little wife who stays at home and does the cooking and cleaning. James,' Lily crooned, 'I'm as much apart of the Order as you are. I have a right to fight. I have more of a right than you do! As a Mudblood, as a Mudblood who married a pureblood, I'm hated—'

'Don't,' James breathed, nuzzling her neck and sighing. 'Don't say that word. Look Lily, we need to think about Harry. What if he loses both of us? He shouldn't have to lose the both of us.'

'Then he has his uncles there to take care of him, his uncles who, if possible, love him just as much as we do!' Lily said shortly. She straightened up. 'I don't need your permission to fight. I have more of a right than you do. And I'm going to do this with or without your support.'

He took her face in his hands and sighed. After a minute of thinking hard, his lip trembled and he nodded. 'I'll come then, I'll fight with you.'

'No!' Lily cried, shaking her head. 'You know Padfoot needs you, he can't defeat Voldemort without you. We'll only be apart for a little while, a few weeks at most. And when I fight the Death Eaters, I'm going to come and find you. But I need to do this.'

'You just want to kill Bellatrix.' James frowned.

His wife nodded. 'I do. But go and get the horcruxes. Go and find them. You focus on killing Voldemort and I'll focus on bringing down as many Death Eaters as I can.'

James bit his lip, running a hand through her hair and thinking furiously, trying to find a way to persuade her to stay with him. His whole body sagged when he realised that this was really going to happen. They were really going to split up. 'Y-you stay with Moony at all times if you can. And if you're in danger, jump behind him, he won't mind ... and please Lily, for Merlin's sake, don't—'

She silenced him with a sweet kiss. 'Yes, Father.' She joked. Then her face became sombre. 'You take care of Padfoot, okay? You don't let him do anything stupid. Got it?'

And when her husband nodded, she kissed him again.

Rose looked up before turning away as the married couple entered. Moody was explaining exactly what had just happened to Remus. 'So what's going to happen?' Rose whispered, taking her boyfriend's hand.

'You Rose,' Sirius told her, holding his son to his body as he tightened the baby carrier, 'are going back to my old home. You're taking Harry and SJ and you're getting out of here. And Moody'll battle the Death Eaters,' he touched her pendant before turning to face his old mentor. 'You'll fight the Death Eaters, right?'

Moody nodded gruffly. 'It's 'bout time someone finally showed them who's boss. I'm tired of their half-arsed bullshit, if I'm completely honest.' Then he smiled grimly.

Frank and Alice were arguing under their breaths, and his hands kept fluttering to her stomach and gesturing angrily. They looked so in love, Sirius felt guilty for watching them, like he was intruding on an intimate moment.

'I'm staying to fight as well,' Peter rasped from where he was laying down on the sofa. 'I ... I need to –'

'You don't need to do anything Peter, except rest.' Remus murmured. 'You've already redeemed yourself. Moody,' he said abruptly, turning to face the older man, 'any sign of them so far?'

'No.' Benjy interrupted. 'No, we haven't seen any of them yet. They're probably waiting until we get out of here before they attack us.'

Something didn't sound right to Sirius. It didn't sound like Voldemort to wait for them. He always wanted to pull the first move; it gave him the upper hand. 'I think you're reading Voldemort wrong, he wouldn't ...'

He drifted off when the room turned dark, as the most radiant creature graced through, stopping right in front of Moody. She was gorgeous; the most beautiful patronus Sirius had ever seen. 'Lily,' he asked curiously; this was Lily's patronus. What was Lily casting a patronus for?

But when the doe opened her mouth, it wasn't the redhead's voice that came out, but instead, it was Snape's. Severus Snape's. 'Dumbledore is with me. He told me to warn you all. They are coming right now. And they're coming inside. You'll have nowhere to hide when they attack you from underneath. Run, and make sure Sirius Black runs too.'

Then the doe sent Lily a look, ducking her graceful head before vanishing in wisps of radiant white light.

A/N: Please review!

I want to hear what you think, and this chapter is extra long and exciting for you all. It's also been updated super quick!