A/N: So here I am guys, updating. Thanks for the reviews for last chapter. It means more than you could know. Cool results from last chapter's poll, too. (What's your favorite summer time activity)…things like camps, romances, and playing outside took the cake. This week's poll is summer themed as well…What's Your Favorite Summertime Tune? All right. So read and review! Thanks!

Chapter Twenty-Nine: It's Just a Big Game of Quidditch, Right?

James Potter slipped off his sweaty robes and hopped into the shower. He had received Lily's invitation for dinner during his lunch break and was now getting ready to head over. Her invitation had said seven o'clock, and had gotten off work at six, and then gotten home twenty minutes later, and as a result, he was in a bit of a rush. He knew Lily wouldn't mind if he was late, but when it came to Lily, James liked to be punctual.

After his quick shower, he changed quickly into a set of suitable clothes, and then went to see if Sirius was still around.

James found him in the kitchen eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"Padfoot, we're going to eat at Lily and Charlotte's." James said as he did a drying spell on his wet hair. It dried and fell to its usual disorder within seconds.

"I know." Sirius replied with some difficulty as he crammed the rest of his sandwich into his mouth, chewed it slightly, and then swallowed a bite so large James could have sworn he saw it travel down Sirius' esophagus. "I was hungry." He added as an obvious explanation.

James smiled and shook his head. "You ready to go?"

Sirius nodded and eyed James' hand, which was holding a small duffel bag.

"Staying the night at Miss Evans'?" Sirius grinned cheekily as he opened his mouth to add another comment before James interrupted him.

"Yeah, I am." James replied, dismissing his friend's teasing, "Let's go."

"All right, I'm coming…"

"James!" greeted Lily as she opened the door; she kissed him softly, before smiling at him. "How was your day?"

"Long." He replied, before Sirius introduced himself.

"I see how you are Evans, acting like I'm not here." Sirius said boisterously.

Lily smiled and shook her head. "Sorry, Sirius, how was your day?"

"All right, I suppose. We would have been here earlier if James hadn't spent so long primping. He's like a bloody woman."

"We we're late because somebody had to have an appetizer." James protested indignantly.

"I was just waiting for you to get ready, Jamsie-poo." Sirius retorted, grinning at James before ruffling his hair playfully and going to greet his girlfriend.

"Ugh." James sighed as he put his hands through his hair, trying to undo whatever damage had been done.

Lily smiled again and hugged him, and stood softly against him for a moment. She then kissed his nose and put her hands through his hair.

"Remember when you hated that?" James asked her in a soft tone.

"I never hated it." Lily replied, still smiling. "Come on in, everyone else is here. Well, except Allison and Jacob, they couldn't make it, but Peter, Remus, and Grace are already here…and I'm sure Peter's ready for dinner…he's asked about if for about ten minutes now. He's an impatient fellow."

"Only when it comes to food," James replied as he followed her into the dining room where their friends were already seated, talking happily amongst each other.

"Prongs!" Peter greeted hastily. "We can eat now." He said to everyone else at the table.

James smiled as he sat down. "Hello, Wormtail. How have you been?... haven't seen you in awhile."

Peter faltered for a split second; he had a bowl of mashed potatoes in his hands and was now spooning a healthy portion onto his plate.

"Oh, you know, work. Those goblins aren't exactly friendly, I'm working all the time, and taking care of Mother. She hasn't been well, recently."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." James replied as Peter handed him the potatoes.

"Yeah, I hope your mother gets well soon." Remus added, and the others nodded in agreement.

"I'll tell her, um, what you guys said." Peter said quietly, looking down at his plate now. "Care to pass the roast, Padfoot?"

Sirius was currently forking mass amounts of roast beef onto his plate. He looked up at Peter. "Just a second."

Peter gave a disgruntled kind of noise that didn't go unnoticed by Sirius.

"Well it's not like you need it that much… and let me get some before you eat it all," Sirius mumbled. James chuckled softly, as well as the others. Only Lily, always the good-natured, conscientious friend, was able to contain her laughter

"Sod off, Sirius." Peter said quietly.

James looked up from his plate, and caught Sirius' eye, and then Remus'. The three exchanged a look and Sirius passed the roast to Peter.

"Sorry, mate. I was only joking." Sirius apologized. James had to hand it to him. Sirius was never great with apologizing to anyone. Peter didn't say anything. He just took the roast and began piling it next to his potatoes.

"Well, let's eat." Lily said, in an attempt to break any left over tension.

Dinner went by much better after that, but there was still a bit of unspoken hostility in the air until everyone but James, Lily, Charlotte, and Sirius were left.

Lily and James were finishing with the dishes when Charlotte came in to the kitchen.

"All right, well, Sirius and I will be off," She wore the mischievous smile that resembled her cousin's. "I won't be back, so you two have the house to yourselves." She winked at them.

"Do we even want to know what Sirius' idea was?" Lily asked.

"Oh, well," Charlotte continued to grin and then leaned towards Lily and away from James. She spoke with a tone she must have thought was quiet and secretive.

"He was reading one of my magazines…you know what I'm talking about, and there was this article, I think it was called something along the lines of 'Adventurous Things to Do with Your Tongue'---"

"Enough!" James cried, holding his hands over his ears.

Charlotte laughed, "Well James, you should have been covering your ears earlier, honestly…if you weren't so nosy…"

"You coming, Charlotte?" Sirius called from the other room.

"Hold on!" Charlotte replied loudly. She smiled again and said goodnight to Lily and James.

"We should never ask when it comes to Sirius and Charlotte." James said as soon as they had left.

Lily laughed as she dried the last dish with her wand. "Well, I have that article she was talking about…"

"Do you really?" James replied instantly, new energy taking over his body.

"Yes I do…somewhere…" Lily said, tapping her forefinger to her chin as she thought, smiling. "I think I may have misplaced it…"

James looked his teasing girlfriend over before reaching towards her and pulling her to him. He kissed her deeply and pressed his hips into hers.

"Wait, I think I left it…in my bedroom…" Lily said finally, grinning playfully.

Later that night, Lily rolled over next to James and watched him. He was currently lying on his back, looking at the ceiling. The playful mood had dissipated and was replaced with a quiet, content atmosphere.

"Dumbledore came and saw me earlier today." Lily said finally, moving her fingers slowly over James' arm in a soft caress.

"Oh, yeah?" James replied, turning over to see her. "I figured he'd want to talk to you."

"Yeah, he thinks Voldemort will be keeping an eye on us, to say the least." Lily continued, looking into James' hazel eyes. "He wanted to know if I wanted out of the Order."

James nodded to show he was listening, but said nothing.

"I said no, and that I want to keep helping the Order, of course." Lily finished.

James gave a small smile. "And I said I'd do whatever you chose. I want to continue to fight, too."

"I know you do, but James, are you scared?" Lily asked, timidly. It had plagued Lily's mind all day, and the truth was, she was rather frightened.

"Yeah, I am." James answered, with the endearing honesty he always seemed to save for her most desperate questions. "Just a little. But I mean, that's how it is, I suppose. I think it was only a matter of time before Voldemort noticed us, really. We've always been against him, so it's just a risk we're going to have to take, I suppose."

"I know." Lily replied as she cuddled closer to him. "I love you, James."

James smiled and kissed the top of her head as he embraced her. "I love you, too…and it's perfectly natural to be a bit fearful."

"And James, I've been wondering." Lily started. The things that had been occupying her mind for the past couple of days were finally surfacing, and Lily could do nothing to stop them from venturing out of her head and through her lips.

"Yes?"

"Well, don't get me wrong, I don't mind going after Sirius, he means a lot to me, and he means a lot to you, it's just, I've been wondering…how did Sirius get in that predicament to begin with?" She held her breath as she watched James, who seemed to be thinking before answering her question.

Finally, he spoke, using the same delicate tone that seemed to be occupying her bedroom.

"You know about Sirius' family." He started. "And about his brother, Regulus."

Lily nodded as she looked aptly at James, who continued to divulge.

"Sirius and Regulus actually used to be fairly close. They are so close in age, and they used to stick together against their mother's rants…you know? They were brothers. Sirius would always have Regulus' back, and Regulus would have his. But, you know, all that changed…well, not even when Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor…sure, his mother and father weren't pleased, practically disowned him when they heard that bit of news…anyways, Regulus still looked up to Sirius, they were still brothers and confidents. But then, Regulus was sorted into Slytherin…and hell broke loose, so to speak. Eventually, Regulus was sucked into his parent's world, they praised him, after all, and supported him…and well, we know how they feel about Sirius." James took a breath and looked at Lily, who was still deeply immersed in James' words.

"But at the end of the day, they are still brothers." James continued. "Or were, I think this was the last straw for Sirius. Dumbledore told Sirius what had become of Regulus…leaving school and joining Voldemort. Sirius wanted to stop him from making that mistake."

Lily nodded but raised an eyebrow. "But how did Sirius know where to find him? How did he know how to go after him?"

"Lord Voldemort was trying to recruit Sirius." James answered flatly. Lily gasped slightly. James looked at her again. "Well, he knows how Sirius is, believe me, but Sirius is still a Black---and the Blacks are notorious for their obsessive interest in the Dark Arts and their infamous blood purity. So, Sirius went to them, and well, we both know what happened after that. Things went terrible, and Regulus didn't even acknowledge Sirius as his brother."

"Wow." Was all Lily managed to say. It was always hard for her to imagine the intensity of sibling love where you would sacrifice yourself for your brother, or in her case, sister. She knew Petunia would never come looking for her if she happened to hear that she was in grave danger. And Petunia would probably be mad if Lily tried to save her.

James smiled and then kissed her on her nose.

A sudden thought struck Lily.

"James…has Voldemort tried to recruit you?"

James shook his head. "No, no, he hasn't…yet. The Potters are very wealthy and pureblood, but are nothing like the Blacks. It is pretty widely known that my parents and family have been against Dark Arts for ages."

"Oh, the noble Potters!" Lily said, sarcastic and smiling. James laughed lightly but became serious once more.

"I really think it's only a matter of time before he asks me to join him." James exhaled loudly. "I mean, I know he knows I'm an auror-in-training, but it would be stupid for him not to try, really. My blood is notoriously pure; it would be a great advantage for him to have me on his side. It's only a matter of time." James finally looked a little scared.

"What will you do when they approach you?" Lily asked, in a hoarse, nervous whisper.

"Say no, of course. That'd I rather die." James replied sternly, a defiant look in his eyes. "I would, rather die…than betray myself, my friends, or you, Lily."

Lily blushed slightly---she was surprised James still had the power to do that. James moved close to her and took her in his arms, holding her tightly as they both drifted off to sleep.

In a few days time, Lily, James, and Sirius found themselves at the Order meeting. They took seats next to a friendly looking Frank and Alice, who was waving them over. They were soon joined by Peter, Remus, Grace, and Dorcas Meadowes, James' partner.

"Nice to see you're well, Lily!" Alice greeted her, her round face smiling.

"I'm glad you're all right, too." Lily exchanged, looking equally as friendly.

Before they could immerse themselves into steady conversation, Albus Dumbledore stood up, automatically beckoning the room's attention.

He stood tall and imposing in his purple robes, and spoke, "It is excellent to see all of you here and all in good health." His blue eyes flickered gently in Lily's direction. "You all know that a few of our very own have now stood up to Voldemort, and have lived to tell the tale."

To Lily's surprise, the people in the room nodded as one, a few daring to steal glances at her, James', Sirius', and the Longbottom's directions.

Dumbledore continued. "Voldemort is now forced to acknowledge that the Order is a force to reckon with. As a result, we need to collectively double our efforts. We will need people within the Ministry keeping an eye on coworkers that could either be working for Voldemort, or under the Imperius curse. We also need people recruiting new members, as of now, Voldemort's supporters outnumber us two to one—but that is to be expected---he has been recruiting members gradually for the past fifteen years. We also need the members among us within the Ministry to be exceedingly careful about any information they disclose—any information could be a weapon if it landed in the hands of Lord Voldemort. We also must investigate certain people within the Wizarding community that may be supporting Voldemort—either by financial backing, passing information, or actively working for him. At the end of this meeting, everyone will receive a piece of parchment outlining their duty. It will burn as soon as you're done, so read carefully. Now, Benjy will read this week's updates…"

After about twenty minutes, the meeting was over, and James and Lily stood in the corner of the room with their pieces of parchment. Just before Lily opened hers to discover her task, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around quickly, her hand instinctively searching for her wand in her robes.

The man in front of her chuckled at her jumpiness. "And that's how you can tell someone is in the Order."

Lily laughed and loosened her grip on her wand and took the hand that was now outstretched to her.

"Caradoc Dearborn." The man offered.

"Lily Evans." She replied, taking in the man's appearance. He was fairly tall and imposing, but his face was round and kind. She turned around to find James, who she intended on introducing, but found that he was being confronted by several Order members as well.

"Sorry I didn't introduce myself earlier…usually I'm just in and out at these meetings. I just wanted to tell you that I'm really impressed with your standing up to Voldemort like that." He smiled again and then looked at his watch. "But I do have to go now, see you…and good luck."

He hadn't been gone five seconds when she was approached by two identical men with wild, flaming red hair.

"Hullo, Evans!" One of the men said, he too was smiling. "I'm Gideon Prewett."

"And I'm Fabian." Said his twin, taking a low bow as a way of greeting. "We heard you know our cousin, Allison. Sorry about her, she's a right prude."

Lily couldn't suppress a smile.

"Well anyways, we thought it would be best to meet you, seeing as now we'll probably be working a lot together…" Gideon started.

"And we thought we'd congratulate you on the whole defying Voldemort thing." Fabian finished.

Lily laughed lightly. "Thank you, I'll take that as a very big compliment—James and Sirius tell me you guys are some of the most impressive Aurors they've ever seen."

To her surprise, the twins smiled, but their ears turned red, as if they were embarrassed. Gideon spoke next. "Oh, that's just Black trying to brown nose. We're helping Longbottom teach the new Aurors, see."

"Well Sirius has always been a smooth talker, but he really did sound genuinely impressed when he talks about you both." Lily smiled and looked around the room. It was almost deserted except for the huddle of people around James, Lily, and Sirius. Alice and Frank stood back, smiling to themselves and talking. Lily was surprised to see that they too weren't surrounded by people. They had done just as much to defy Voldemort as she did—probably more, considering she blacked out.

"Well we better be off—early morning tomorrow—and we have these tasks to complete now!" Fabian finally said, tugging his brother out the door with him. "We'll be seeing you, Lily."

By the time everyone had made their excuses for leaving it was ten o'clock. James, Lily, and Sirius met up with Alice and Frank outside the old classroom.

"Well congratulations, you three." Alice said, her round face beaming at them.

"What do you mean?" James asked—evidently he had noticed the lack of praise surrounding Alice and Frank, too. "You did as much as we did, why was everyone so amazed by us?"

"It's simple." Frank replied. "Come on, James, you've played Quidditch. It's like when you're the new member on the team and you've just done something remarkable to save the game and win. You belong now."

"You've proved yourselves to the Order." Alice finished, still smiling.

"That was one hell of a game, then." James said, slapping Sirius on the back and then reaching for Lily's hand. "We'd better be going, I suppose. We'll see you two later."

Lily and Sirius offered their goodbyes and then they were off.

"Well if that's the kind of reception we get, I say we defy Voldemort more often." Said Sirius, smiling smugly to himself.

"Oh no—they've just fueled Sirius' already gigantic ego." Lily teased as the walked together out of the castle.

Poll: What's Your Favorite Summer Tune?

Don't forget to review!

Thanks to my reviewers: Lazy Lilies, Muse Dae, glowing-ice, fudge butter, white camellia, WutevaChica, elise bentwin, messyblackhair66, justcallmedollface, grannyHPfan, milbunny007, and Princess Eclpise.

Muse Dae: It was a very dark, little known about curse. The healers were uncertain about the side effects because they couldn't quite pinpoint what it was---think along the lines of the Death Eaters fighting the D.A. in OoTP

Messblackhair66: I read "The Slightly Botched Fairytale"…it's very refreshing, I think. Update soon, won't you?