A/N: Hi again! Long time, no see, so to speak. I'd just like to apologise for the unbelievably long wait I've had between chapters. I had no idea that I would have so little free time. Anyways, I'll just get started on the chapter, shall I?

Disclaimer: Don't own it; it's as simple as that.

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Previously

During the meal, Sirius had regaled them all with tales of his adventures, causing everyone to burst into fits of laughter numerous times. Lily shared points about her job and James told everyone the highlights of his Auror training. Courtney spoke for three quarters of an hour about her latest boyfriend and said in one sentence that she had found a job in the ministry's Department of Magical Transportation. Gabby revealed that she'd been offered a teaching position at Beauxbatons Academy in France and Remus finally admitted, after much prodding, that he had been unable to find work in the wizarding world due to his 'problem'. He was currently employed by a muggle bookshop. This revelation caused Lily to begin ranting about the injustices and prejudices of the wizarding world. She didn't quieten until James physically performed a silencing charm on her. Now, the meal over, they were left to discuss the recent darker happenings in the wizarding world.

"There'll be lots of work for you once you've got your diploma, eh Prongs, what with Dark wizards popping up left, right and centre," Sirius commented as he sipped his coffee.

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A Mother's Love

Chapter Two: A Day in the Office

Lily and James apparated into the Atrium of the Ministry together, as they had from the day they married, or at least since returning from their honeymoon.

They walked in step to the crowd awaiting the lifts and waited for one to reach them in a comfortable silence. The pair always fascinated newcomers to the Ministry and the regulars loved watching them too. James would always make sure to shorten his stride so that Lily's shorter legs could keep up. Sometimes they arrived in the middle of a conversation about trivial domestic things or debating some topic or other. People especially loved it when James said something funny and they laughed together. Some days they never said anything at all. To everyone outside their little world, the Potters were perfect.

A lift arrived and Lily and James stepped in, oblivious to the attention they received every morning. They squeezed themselves into one of the back corners and watched, still in silence, as one tiny wizard attempted to enter the lift balancing a tottering pile of boxes without sending them falling on to anyone. Once the wizard had successfully entered the lift, the golden grilles crashed together and they began the steady ascension.

They came to a halt only a couple of seconds later when they reached the next level. A tinny, female voice sounded from some unknown source, saying "Level Seven, Department of Magical Games and Sports, incorporating the British and Irish Quidditch League Headquarters, Official Gobstones Club and Ludicrous Patents Office."

The grilles pulled themselves apart. The chains that did the job strained and screeched loudly making it sound as though the lift was dying a very painful death.

A couple of people got out, including the tiny wizard with his many boxes, and then they were off again. They stopped at each level to let off people. It was really too early in the morning for people to be found going down to the lower levels.

By the time they reached their floor, Lily and James were alone with one other witch, who seemed to be muttering to herself in a low voice and glancing around the cramped compartment suspiciously.

The voice came out of nowhere once again, this time saying, "Level Two, Department of Magical Law Enforcement, including the Improper Use of Magic Office, Auror Headquarters and Wizengamot Administration Services."

The grilles opened yet again and the Potters and the muttering witch stepped out. The witch walked up to the first door on the left side of the corridor that stretched out before them and, after giving a complex little knock, was let in by a younger wizard. Lily and James watched as the wizard shook his head in what seemed to be exasperation at hearing the witch's mutterings.

Lily and James shared a bemused look as the wizard shut the door behind the witch. They walked off down the hall and around the corner, through the large, wooden double doors. The space beyond was divided up into small cubicles. It was the Auror Headquarters.

Lily followed James to his tiny desk, not that he really needed one as he was only in training but it gave him somewhere to put all his belongings. It was a cluttered little space, with piles of paper and empty sweet wrappers. Lily was glad to see, as she always was at that time of morning, their wedding photo sitting in pride of place.

She smiled at the image herself in the beautiful white gown who was laughing in between kisses from James.

James put his bag on top of the papers before turning to his wife. "Have a nice day love. We still on for lunch?"

Lily grinned. "Of course. Choose somewhere nice."

"Don't I always?"

Lily laughed and leaned in for her husband's kiss, which he lovingly gave. She turned away and walked back through Auror HQ to get to the other side of the floor.

She made her way down the hall to the Improper Use of Magic Office and towards her desk.

Lily's desk was slightly larger than her husband's and a little tidier. Still, that didn't mean she had any less work to do.

Setting her bag down underneath her desk, Lily turned to the neatly stacked piles of paper and began skimming them. There were a few papers concerning overnight happenings that Lily would be expected to write reports for but not much more.

"Looks like just another boring day in the office," Lily said to herself, opening her inkbottle.

She paused for a moment, thinking about the encounter she and her DADA essay had had with a bottle of ink about a year ago. She smiled softly, remembering James' generous offer and her refusal. What would have happened if she had acted out of character and accepted? She wouldn't have ended up in detention for one thing, meaning that James never would have followed her to the trophy room to take her walking. They never would have found the mirror room. If James had taken detention in her place, the idea of going down to see him would never have even dared to cross her mind.

"That doesn't mean we wouldn't be together though. It just might have taken a little longer, is all."

"What might have taken a little longer?"

Lily turned around and saw one of the women who worked across the office from her. What was her name again? Martha? Yes, that was it, Martha, the woman who knew all the gossip in the office.

Lily smiled sweetly. "Good morning Martha. How are you today?"

"Fine thank you," Martha replied and took a bite out of the Danish she held. "What would have taken longer?"

"You never give up, do you?"

Martha smirked. "Of course not. The only way to get anywhere in this world is to persist."

"I am in total agreement; and I was only thinking about something that happened last year at Hogwarts, that's all. It wouldn't interest you, or anyone else for that matter."

Martha raised an eyebrow. "Actually, it probably would, but I'm going to let you off the hook today Lily, though only because I have too much work to do back at my desk."

"Of course. I understand Martha."

Martha nodded in reply and Lily watched her walk back to her desk. Lily believed that gossips only gossiped because their own lives were so dull; if she ever had to do a presentation on it, she could use Petunia to back up her theory.

Laughing at the sight of her sister with her binoculars in hand and the neighbours lounge room window in front of her, Lily dipped her quill in the ink and set about writing up the morning reports.

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Lily was filing a couple of last reports before leaving for her lunch date with James. She always looked forward to lunchtimes, as most people admittedly did, but she loved the way it broke up her day.

At lunch, if one of them didn't have to cancel suddenly, James and Lily would share everything that happened in their respective offices that morning, so when they returned home at the end of the day, they could talk about what had happened during the second half of the day and other things besides.

Lily capped her inkbottle hurriedly then picked up her bag. She had taken two steps away from her desk when someone abruptly stepped into her path.

Quickly stopping her forward motion, Lily looked into Courtney's tear streaked face. Her hair was straggly and escaping from the plait that confined it; her make-up was running in colourful streaks down her cheeks. Lily noted that her friend wore the same clothes that she had worn to dinner the night before.

"Courtney! What is it? What's happened?"

Courtney seemed unable to say anything, only gasping in tear-choked sobs.

Everyone was staring at them, so Lily took Courtney firmly by the elbow and propelled her out of the office. They had just reached the hall when James came barrelling down it towards them.

He skidded to a stop in front of them. "Lily, we didn't look at the Daily Prophet this morning!"

Lily raised an eyebrow in bewilderment. "No, we didn't. What's going on?"

"Courtney didn't show up for work this morning. We have to find her!"

"James," Lily said, watching as her husband muttered to himself about "the one day we didn't check the paper."

He showed no sign of having heard her. "James!"

"What?"

Lily jerked her head to the right and James' eyes followed her movement. "Courtney! Thank Merlin! I didn't even notice; I was so caught up in the news."

"News?" Lily was confused. What had happened? "What news?"

James stared at her in shock. "You don't know?"

"Don't know what!" Lily said, exasperated.

James pulled a folded copy of the Prophet from an inner pocket of his robes. He handed it to her quite solemnly and moved Courtney to a bench on the wall.

Lily slowly opened the paper, not sure what she would find.

Her eyes took in the photo of the Dark Mark in the centre of the page. She didn't want to read the article; she didn't know if she could. Instead, she turned towards her husband and friend. Courtney was hugging herself and swaying backwards and forwards, eyes tightly shut to block out the world. James had an arm around her shoulders, making soothing noises.

He looked up at Lily, knowing instantly that she couldn't bring herself to read it. Standing up, he walked towards her and took the hand that didn't limply hold the paper.

"James?" she asked in a soft, fearful voice.

He sighed and messed up his hair. It was a nervous habit now, instead a way of getting attention.

"I didn't even know until about ten minutes ago," he whispered. "Everyone must have been talking about it, but I was busy with training. I only noticed the paper on someone's desk when I got back.

"I spoke to my parents about it before I came to find you. They thought we knew."

He was silent for a moment, composing himself. "If we hadn't had everyone over for dinner last night, Courtney might be dead right now."

The hand that held the Prophet went slack and the paper dropped to the floor with a rustle. Lily's eyes widened. "Dead?"

He nodded. "I talked to some of the Aurors who showed up on the scene. Apparently, while we were sitting down to dessert, a couple of Death Eaters showed up at Courtney's boyfriends house. He must have had a run in with one of them. You know how Death Eaters bear grudges.

"An elderly neighbour raised the alarm when she opened her door to call in her cat and saw the Mark. The Aurors found him dead on the kitchen floor.

"Courtney showed up a couple of hours later, obviously after she left our house. She became distraught and must have disappeared because we're the first people to see her since."

With tears in her eyes, Lily looked over at Courtney, who hadn't moved from the bench. "Poor Courtney. I don't believe it. How could this happen?"

James shrugged, gathering his wife into his arms. "I don't know Lils."

"What are we going to do for her?"

"There's nothing we can do. All we can do is be supportive. It must be hard for her. Harder than hard."

Lily nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. James' arms, which were tight around her waist, and the heartbeat she could hear in his chest were comforting and constant. She could feel just how much he loved her in the way his fingers rubbed soothingly on the small of her back…

… And in a time like this, strength, consistency and love were everything.

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A/N: OK then, well, what did you think? This wasn't exactly supposed to happen, it came to me half way through, and as a result, some of my story line has been forced to change. Don't worry though, things are better this way.

Once again, sorry for the delay. Please leave a review on your way out. :D