I tried to take in the scenery as we made our way towards what I assumed would be the infamous portrait of the Fat Lady. Every picture, every hallway, every statue. It was all too good to be real. I knew that I should enjoy every minute of this journey while it lasts. I had no way of knowing if I would ever get home, and honestly, I wasn't sure if I actually wanted to take that road. I knew I was falling behind the group, but there was just too much to admire. Suddenly I was interrupted by a very unappealing sound. My stomach.

"Did anyone else hear that? Sounded like a troll!" I knew James was trying to brighten everyone's spirits a bit after the heavy conversation we had just endured, but I was still a bit embarrassed. I looked down at my stomach with an evil eye, wondering why it had betrayed me.

"James, stop it." Lily lightly smacked him in the shoulder with the arm that didn't contain Harry. "Lauren, when was the last time you ate something?" I closed my eyes, trying to remember.

"Well, I think it was… yesterday morning. I had some eggs and bacon." I did remember that part. Bacon and I, we have a tight-knit relationship.

"You haven't eaten anything in over a day?" There was the mom coming out in Lily. She was exactly the person I hoped she would be. "We have to get you something to eat. You're going to fall over. Let's go to the kitchens first." At this statement, James' shoulders immediately fell.

"But Lil, come on! Sirius is probably already there! I haven't seen him in ages and—"

"I'll take her to the kitchens." We all turned to face Remus. Well, not all of us. Harry was currently making faces at the portrait behind Lily's back and giggling. "Don't worry, I remember where it is. You all go meet Sirius. James is right, he's probably waiting for you all, if he hasn't already left and is hunting you down." Remus and James shared a knowing smile. "Besides, it might be best for you all to explain the situation before he meets Lauren."

"Well, I guess, but Remus, I'm trusting you to—" Lily's statement was cut short as James grabbed her by the hand and started off down the hall. She gave us an apologetic look and then turned to give her husband a swift kick. I looked at Remus and we both just shrugged and smiled. He then led me down the other side of the hall.

"It's not that he doesn't like you, you know. He just hasn't seen Sirius in a really long time." I simply shrugged.

"I know, I'm not offended. Besides, you made a good point. It would probably be easiest if James explained first instead of me barging in and telling him the whole sad story. He's probably a bit more inclined to believe his best friend."

Yeah, I've got to agree. Sirius isn't known for being rational. He'd probably hex you if you told him about… about Peter." I looked up at Remus' face. It had grown solemn. I knew that I had done this to him, to all of them, and that broke my heart. But it was the only way to make sure they were safe. I placed my hand on his shoulder in hopes that it would be interpreted as a comforting gesture.

"I'm truly sorry that this had to happen. I didn't want to hurt you, any of you. And I know it's going to be hard, but I want you to be able to live… all of you. Please understand." I had tears in my eyes now. He turned to look at my face, and I tried to blink back the tears. I had nothing to cry about. It wasn't my life being threatened by a former best friend, my son who was in danger, my friend's betrayal. I waited for him to scoff and throw each one of those facts in my face. I deserved it. That's when he did something that surprised me. He pulled me into a hug. I just sat there for a second, letting the tears fall against his brown tweed jacket. He began to rub circles against my back, a comforting act that the workers at my orphanage knew calmed me down. I slowly settled down, and he released me.

"I'm sorry. You must think I'm a complete mess. Why on earth am I crying? Ugh, it's so pathetic!"

"No, it's not. You exude compassion. That is never a pathetic trait." He smiled and offered his handkerchief, which I used to dry my eyes. I went to return it, but he refused. "You probably need it more than I do right now." I laughed and slid it into my pocket. My stomach called out even louder and I was suddenly reminded of why we were here. Remus must have remembered as well, because he took my hand and led me down another hallway. We practically ran into the tapestry that I knew concealed the door to the kitchens. Before Remus could say a word, I reached over to tickle the pear, laughing at how ridiculous a statement that truly was. A door appeared in front of us and was opened. A house elf greeted us and ushered us in.

"How can Stuey be helpings you today?" I giggled a bit. That was the most adorable name for an elf! Thankfully, Remus was able to keep his composure a bit more.

"Stuey, we need some dinner, if you don't mind. She hasn't eaten in almost two days." Remus gestured towards me and the elf's little eyes, if it was possible, got even bigger.

"Miss has not eaten in two days? Stuey will get something right away! Otherwise Miss might starve!" With a faint *pop* the elf was gone and I glared across the makeshift table at Remus.

"You probably could have left out that little part. He'll probably bring back enough food for the start of term feast!" Remus just smiled.

"That's what I'm counting on. You're not the only one who hasn't eaten in a while."

Stuey didn't disappoint. I'm pretty sure I'd never had that amount of food presented to me. It was all so delicious, just how I had imagined the feasts at Hogwarts were. Finally, we finished and, after thanking Stuey for the wonderful meal, we made our way to Gryffindor tower. The Fat Lady wasn't quite what I was expecting. The movies were a little harsh in terms of her portrayal. She wasn't nearly as fat as they made her seem, and her voice was actually quite pleasant. She let us in without any trouble. I entered the common room and just marveled for a moment. Unfortunately that moment was short-lived. Remus came in right behind me and looked around, a worried expression on his face. I tried to figure out what he was so worried about, when it hit me. The common room was empty.

"Where are they? Surely they arrived already. We've been eating for a while." Remus walked to a nearby table and picked up what looked like a scrap piece of parchment. His face turned white. "What is it?"

He handed me the piece of paper. I tried to make out the messy writing, which I assumed was James'.

Went to see Dumbledore. Come at once. Peter knows.

For a second, it didn't register with me. Then my face turned to match that of Remus'. Before I could utter the words 'We have to go,' Remus was already dragging me out of the door and sprinting back to the headmaster's office.

A/N: First, let me apologize to those of you that have given your support for this story. The end of term was a bit more stressful than I anticipated, but the good news is I'M DONE! Now five full weeks to do nothing but chill and write. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as I'm enjoying planning it. Hopefully you won't be disappointed. Thanks again for your support, and be looking out for the next chapter right after Christmas! Much love, CT