A/N: So here's the next chapter. This is the last time I post before I'm in college. I don't know how often I'll be able to write and post once classes start, but I'll try my best to be somewhat punctual. As for last chapter's poll...a lot of you bite your nails. And there were a few smokers, bad eaters, and procrastionaters too. I procrastinate a lot...one of my bad habits is smoking clove cigarettes. The smell good, taste good, and kill you. As for this chapter's poll...What's your favorite joke? Yeah. so read, review, and answer the poll. Thanks!

Chapter Twenty-Five: Early November

Hog's Head was a place that was usually full of suspicious looking characters. The colder weather and damp air had come with November and the number of odd patrons to the dirty, dark bar seemed to have tripled. It was crowded and noisy—the perfect environment for the meeting about to start in the smoky corner.

Two figures sat side by side at one of the tables in the back. One of the cloaked figures was smoking. The other was checking his watch and sighing.

Two more cloaked figures approached the table.

"You're late." Said the man checking his watch.

The taller of the two men spoke. "Sorry, it proved a bit more difficult to leave the castle than we originally thought. Dumbledore was keeping an eye on us."

The man smoking put out his cigarette on the table. "Well sit, we don't have all night."

"What has been going on?" The shorter of the visitors said as he took a seat next to his companion.

"Nothing that concerns you, Malfoy." The time-watching man said.

"Oh sod off, Severus. You act like you're superior." Malfoy said snidely. "What are you two? The Dark Lord's messenger service? My brother Lucius is closer to Him than either of you could ever be. So don't talk down to me, got it?" He continued, venom leaking through his voice.

He smiled cheekily and then looked at the other man. "And MacNair, what are you doing here? Didn't you have a case against the Wizengmot coming up? I didn't think the Dark Lord would trust you after that last mistake under your watch…"

The man called MacNair glared at the boy in front of him.

"This business actually has very little to do with you, Marlon." Snape started, talking with his typical murderous tone. " The Dark Lord just thought it would be an advantageous move to have you come. He likes to check in on his young followers, make sure they're coming up to par…he'd hate to have a insufficient supporter and keeps a closer eye on the two of you—as well as others—than you'd care to know. Now, we have news for Black."

The taller of the two visitors nodded. "From the Dark Lord?"

"Of course." Snape answered, taking a sip from his glass. It looked like it had never been washed, and Marlon Malfoy looked more than a little disgusted. "He thinks you are ready."

"Regulus, but not me?" Marlon stated, appalled. "I'll have him know that my family and myself have shown more loya—"

"Enough!" MacNair growled, slamming his fist on the table.

"The Black family is just as pure as the Malfoy family, and if I do say so myself, they're interest in the Dark Arts greatly exceeds that of yours, Marlon. Despite that blood-traitor of a brother of yours, Regulus." Snape continued.

Regulus, who shared the same handsome aristocratic features as Sirius—although quite a bit paler, nodded. "It's all right—my mother disowned him long ago. Now, what is this of the Dark Lord?"

"He thinks you are ready to join him—that is, if you can leave Hogwarts…" Snape stated, looking into Regulus' gray eyes.

"I can leave. An education under Dumbledore is nothing when being taken under the Dark Lord's wing." Regulus replied, without much thought or emotion.

Snape sneered. "I assured Him of your willingness, but this news will delight him."

MacNair passed a slip of paper across the table to Regulus. "Don't let anyone—"he looked at Malfoy. "--see that paper. It's the address. Meet there tonight—11 o'clock. You can apparate?"

Regulus nodded.

"Good, burn that parchment as soon as you memorize the details." MacNair finished. "See you then."

"Lay low and you'll be getting your invitation soon, Malfoy." Snape said, getting up to leave and letting MacNair follow him, leaving the boys at the table as they exited that bar.

X

"Sirius, please, let's not go in there…it's so filthy." Charlotte said to her boyfriend as she held on to his hand.

Sirius smirked down at her with his usual rueful grin. His hair was starting to get a bit long and it fell into his gray eyes.

"All right, love, I'll do whatever you want, I'm at your disposal."

Just as Charlotte was about to reply, a passerby ran into her shoulder, sending a sharp pain throughout her side. "Ouch!"

"Hey, watch it there!" Sirius shouted at the assaulter, who was walking speedily away with his companion.

Sirius went to make sure Charlotte was all right, when the two men turned around.

"Black? Is that you?" one voice called out, trickling with dislike.

Sirius looked up and came face to face with his old enemy.

"Snivellus. I didn't know you went outdoors." He greeted stiffly, clutching Charlotte's arm protectively with his left arm while his right went to his wand.

"And I'm surprised you're not in Azkaban yet." Snape replied, sneering at him, and then moving his attention to Charlotte.

"Surprised I'm not in Azkaban? Why Snivelly, I could say the same for you!" Sirius retorted, glaring at Snape and his friend. "You two out on Death Eater duty or are you gay now, Snivellus? I can't say I didn't see it coming…oh don't look at me like that…there's nothing wrong with it…"

Snape ignored him and focused on Charlotte.

"Who are you?" He asked in a domineering voice.

Before Charlotte could reply Sirius cut in. "That's none of your business." Sirius put his arm around Charlotte and puffed out his chest proudly. "Now if you don't mind, we've got places to be."

Snape let out a dry laugh, but MacNair looked anything but amused.

"Sirius Black…protective over a girl? And here I was thinking the rumors were true…that you were actually a slightly more than mediocre Auror-in-Training. But you're just as weak as ever."

"Caring about someone doesn't make you weak. It makes you compassionate… a better, stronger person. Although I doubt you know anything about that."

Snape's face fell slightly as his eyes bore into Charlotte's hazel eyes that looked vaguely familiar. "And just who are you? Another one of Black's little flings? They always think they're worth more than they are…they never see that he never really sees anything in them."

Sirius Black was never one to let the ones he loved be insulted…especially by Severus Snape. That's why he suddenly found himself lunging towards Snape, grabbing the front of his robes and pressing his own wand sharply into the center of his pallid throat.

"Say anything else, Snivelly, and I'll hex you and your friend into the next life." Sirius whispered viciously through clenched teeth.

The said friend, however, had his wand out now as well. Snape surprised Sirius by waving it down and letting out another laugh.

"Black, you need to learn to watch your tongue, or better, your back. There are certain friends of mine that find blood traitors like you---and your girlfriend, I suspect---very bothersome. They wouldn't mind paying you a visit...or her a visit…if things got…out of hand." Snape said, gasping towards the end of his speech as Sirius withdrew his wand and released the front of his robes.

"Don't you…or the people you hide behind, Snape, touch her, because the rumors you have heard are true. I am a very powerful wizard, and unlike most people…I don't have limits."

With his words, Sirius grabbed Charlotte's hand and pushed his way through Snape and MacNair, just missing his brother and Malfoy exiting the bar and meeting their previous visitors.

"My dear brother causing problems again, Severus?" Regulus asked, looking pointedly at his retreating kin.

"Black is nothing to worry about. He'll get his soon enough." Snape said quietly. "You better get back to school and collect your things. The Dark Lord is awaiting you, and mind, he is not a patient man."

Regulus nodded and made his way back to the castle, Marlon Malfoy tailing him.

X

"How many of these things to go through?" James asked tiredly. He and Lily had been working on their wedding invitations for the past hour. Or rather, Lily was addressing them, and James was flicking his wand and putting them into their envelopes.

"Only seven more to go." Lily said patiently as she reached across James' dining room table for another invitation.

"I don't see why we can't send magical invitations to your Muggle relatives…it's so much faster…" James commented for the fifth time that evening.

Lily sighed. The magical ones were indeed quicker to prepare and mail out…a few flicks from her wand and a trip to the owlery and they were done. "They won't understand why an owl is delivering them a piece of parchment, James. They'd probably freak out…" she repeated for the fifth time.

"I know, I know." James said. "I just didn't think we were inviting this many people."

"Most of my family won't come…these are more like announcements, to be polite." Lily conversed. "We're not a very close-knit family." She grinned at James as he sighed again.

James caught her eye. "I'll try to look on the bright side of things."

"That's a good idea." Lily responded, going back to the invitations.

"At least I'm marrying you. Imagine if I was marrying someone else. This wouldn't be nearly as amusing."

"I sure hope you're not being sarcastic James Potter." Lily replied, not even looking up from her work.

"I'm not…imagine if I was with, say…Chloe Marble, from Hogwarts. This would be absolute torture."

"Was that the girl with the cleft foot and lisp? A year ahead of us? She had that weird obsession with prehistoric dragons…" Lily asked, looking mildly amused as she caught James' eye.

"Why yes. She was a bore to talk to…and spit would always get on your face if you got too close."

Lily let out a small laugh that lightened up the droll mood. "Well I'll look on the bright side too. I could be doing this with Gilderoy Lockheart."

James grinned happily at her and was about to speak when his eyes bulged slightly.

Lily was beginning to know that look, and she sighed as his hand moved down to his cloak pocket. He pulled out a small device that Lily still hadn't managed to figure out how it worked. It made sense to James however, and he looked at her with apologetic eyes.

"I'm sorry…but I've got to go…there's been a slew of Muggle attacks." James stood up from the table and brushed off his robes. He leaned in and kissed Lily quickly. "I'll be back later tonight…if you'll wait for me…"

Lily nodded. "I'll be here. Be careful, James."

"I really am sorry. I do want to help you with the rest of those…I was only joking." James continued as he made sure his wand was in place.

"I know. Just go do what you have to do, and mind, don't get yourself killed. I'm keen on having a wedding…and contrary to popular belief, I wouldn't rather marry Gilderoy."

James smiled and kissed her once more. "I'll be back sooner than you think. Love you."

And with that, he was out the door.

Lily sighed and looked down at the almost finished invitations. It had been almost three weeks since James had received his contactor. This was the third time this week James had been called out. Two days ago he had been called before the previous Order meeting. James had informed Dumbledore of his position, who was very encouraging…having James with the Aurors would be good for the Order. The first time that week they had been getting ready to go to Lily's parents for dinner. And although she resented having to be in Petunia and Vernon's company without someone to keep the atmosphere civil, she was more irked by the fact that when she had explained James' absence as being 'work-related' her parents had commended him on his willfulness and hard-working attitude. Sirius was till patting James on the back every chance he got. Even James' parents, though wary, were proud and encouraging. Everyone seemed to feel that James' new position was a good idea, but she had still to get used to that thought. She didn't see why the Aurors needed to take her James from her so early…and she knew she was being selfish. She let out another sigh and went to finish the invitations before deciding to tackle the mound of paper work she could do for work. It had been lucky she had brought her things for the next day.

X

Lily awoke the next morning to find James' strong arms wrapped around her. She turned around carefully to face him, to make sure he was really there and it wasn't some extension of a dream. James' face was peaceful; he inhaled softly and then exhaled. He always slept with his mouth closed, Lily had discovered. She, on the other hand, slept with hers open most of the time…and sometimes she drooled. She smiled at the sleeping figure, and looked to see what time it was. Five forty-four. The alarm was going to go off in a matter of seconds. Lily groaned, and she felt more than a little sorry for James. He was about to be woken up, and he still looked exhausted. What time had he gotten in last night? She hadn't heard him come to bed.

The shock of the alarm awoke James, and his arms immediately left Lily as he sat upright. He turned to look around the room, an anxious expression worn on his face. He caught sight of Lily and smiled.

"Oh. The clock." He said, yawning and rubbing his eyes before reaching for his glasses on his nightstand.

Lily studied him carefully. He looked rather frazzled. James rarely appeared anything but calm and confident. "Are you okay?"

James turned to Lily and nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. And nice pajamas, by the way. They look absolutely lovely on you."

Lily blushed slightly. She hadn't brought her own pajamas because she had assumed she wasn't going to be wearing any. With James' absence however, she had decided to pick out one of James' shirts and a pair of his old pajama bottoms.

"I hope you don't mind…I didn't have any…"

James shook his head and kissed her forehead. "Of course I don't mind." He gazed into Lily's eyes for a moment and Lily smiled at him. James grinned back and then surprised her by giving her a warm, loving embrace.

"Was it bad?" Lily questioned timidly as she caressed his back.

She felt James nod into her shoulder. "Yes, there were a group of Death Eaters going on a Muggle-killing spree…we had to chase them down…three houses completely demolished before we could catch up to them. Three families murdered by the time we caught them in Burnby Village. Even the children…"

Lily hugged him tighter and he did the same. When they broke apart Lily stroked his hair softly and let her hand rest on his cheek.

"Did you catch anyone?"

James sighed. "We got one, I'm sure it'll be in the papers today. Victor Crandall. Two got away, though…"

"Chances are I'll be doing his legal work today." Lily replied. "I better get ready…let me make you something for breakfast…do you have to go in today?"

James nodded. "Yes, but Mad-Eye said I could come in a little late if I needed to…"

"Well get some rest then. I'll make you something before I go…are you going to be up for meeting Allison and Jacob for dinner? If you're not it's fine…I think you'd be better off resting."

"I'll go…we haven't seen them in awhile…and Allison's been wanting to go on a double dinner date forever."

"Yes, but another day wouldn't hurt." Lily retorted as she hopped out of bed.

James stared at her and gave her a loving grin that showed all of his teeth. "It'll be fine, Lily."

"If you say so." Lily replied as she rummaged through her bag to get her toiletries. "Get some rest."

X

Lily had a busy day at work; the paperwork seemed to form skyscrapers around her every time she blinked, which she found slightly ridiculous seeing as it was almost impossible for the Ministry to actually convict anyone. It was getting frustrating. The time, the effort, the workload…two people had quit in the last month. Lily wasn't planning on quitting anytime soon, however. She still felt like she was making a difference and Madam Bones really appreciated her work. The fact that she had priceless resources to research some of the people Dumbledore would request information on didn't hurt either.

At seven thirty James knocked at her door. Lily let him in, and together they set off for The Three Broomsticks, where they were going to meet Jacob and Allison for dinner.

"James, are you sure you're feeling quite all right? You don't look---" Lily started as they walked into the pub.

"I'm fine." James replied, cutting her off. "Believe me, Lily."

He gave her a reassuring grin and let his hand move to the small of her back, guiding her to the table where an ecstatic Allison and a smiling Jacob greeted them. Allison immediately embraced Lily, after exclaiming just how excited she was to see her old friend.

Jacob and James exchanged a firm handshake and took their seats. Their girlfriends giggled and chatted amicably for a few minutes before Madam Rosmerta appeared, asking for their orders.

Once the familiar barmaid had disappeared with their requests, Allison felt it necessary to start a proper conversation.

"How many months till the wedding now?" she asked the couple sitting across from her in the booth, rather redundantly. It's not like she didn't know their wedding was on the ninth of January.

"About two." James said with a content glimmer in his eye. "Mailed off the invitations just today…"

Allison smiled. "Everything planned and in order? I know how anal Lily's organization skills are."

"We've taken care of just about everything." Lily replied easily. "The only thing we have to---"

"Is the house." James interrupted, smiling slightly and giving Lily a look. "Lily won't let me in though."

Jacob laughed for the first time that evening. Until that moment he had been shifting rather uncomfortably in his seat.

"Not even married yet and she's kicked you out!"

James shared an appreciative chuckle, to which Allison joined in on, Lily merely gave James a pointed look.

"I am working on the inside…you aren't allowed in until I'm finished." She had been for the last few months, collecting furniture for their new house and stowing it away inside the quaint house. To James' dismay, she had put just about every charm she could think of to keep him from investigating. She often wondered if James hadn't found a way around the enchantments…here she was, trying to keep the chief Marauder out of his own house. She let out a small sigh that didn't go unnoticed.

Her fiancé grinned at her and touched her shoulder lightly as their food appeared. "I can't wait to see it."

They passed the next few minutes with their attention focused primarily on their food, but finally Allison initiated conversation again.

"The next Hogsmeade trip is in a few weeks, Lily. I got a letter from Ellie…she would like us to meet up with her."

"That sounds great!" Lily said happily after she finished taking a sip of her water. "I haven't seen her in ages…I've written a few letters…but I'm so busy…"

"I know what you mean." Allison replied. "The stories never stop at the Prophet."

"Well the news is always changing." Jacob added with a slight edge in his voice. His dark features suddenly looked wary.

Allison chose to ignore his comment and continued eating. James exchanged a glance with Lily and made to change the subject when a friendly face appeared in front of them.

"Sirius!" Allison exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in forever!" She jumped out of her seat and enveloped him in a hug.

Sirius smug features looked amused when she released him. "Merlin, Prewitt, I never thought you enjoyed my company that much."

He grinned and took a sip from the mug of mead in his hand. "So what brings you all down here? I didn't know you had a date tonight, Jamesie."

"Sorry, didn't see you this morning. Reckon you and Charlotte could've come." James answered him easily.

"Yeah, next time, I suppose. Well I better be off, Dumbledore wanted to see me for something. Can't imagine what, unless he secretly thinks I'm responsible for the exploding toilets in Derbyshire." Sirius winked at Lily as he saw her lips start to move. "Only joking, Lily…I'll see you all later."

James nodded and took a sip of his drink and waved at his friend.

The rest of the evening passed unusually slow, and both James and Lily were eager to leave. Once they were at Lily's flat, she shared what was on her mind.

"Did Allison and Jacob seem rather…" she paused as she searched for the word.

James supplied one for her. "Strained?"

Lily nodded.

"Yeah, they did…a bit edgy. Maybe Jacob just had a rough day." He offered as he took off his cloak.

"I hope that was it." Lily said, her eyebrows knitted together with worry.

"I'm sure they'll be all right." James assured her, bringing her into a hug.

He kissed her forehead, and Lily smiled and kissed his lips lightly. "I'll make some tea for us."

"That sounds lovely." James responded, letting her go and watching her walk into the kitchen. He silently thanked Merlin that she was his, and that for the moment, they were safe and happy.

X

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