As we sprinted through various halls, I was again thankful that Remus was with me. I would have been hopelessly lost in this giant castle without him. We were both worried as we travelled, but he was much better at remaining calm than I was. My head began to race with the consequences of my actions. Sure, I had saved them from that awful future, but what future had I saddled them with? We were now in the unknown, and I feared that all the knowledge I had about their future was now useless, because it was no longer their future. Some help I was turning out to be.

Before I knew it, we were at the staircase again. There was no need for a password, as it was already open, waiting for us. We raced up the stairs and burst into the headmaster's office. I immediately looked around the room, making sure everyone was accounted for. Lily was seated in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk, Harry sitting patiently on her lap. James was standing behind her, one hand rested on her shoulder, the other rested on the man's sitting next to her. I already knew who it would be, of course, but the shock was still there. In front of me sat Sirius Black with his head in his hands, murmuring something I couldn't quite hear. He looked much healthier than I expected him to, but I had to remind myself that he hadn't been to Azkaban for twelve years. His hair was black and wavy, about shoulder length, and he looked to be a bit taller than James, although it was hard to tell with him sitting. I couldn't get a good look at his face, but something inside told me I really didn't want to see the look on it right about now. I turn to look at Remus, only to find Professor Dumbledore had taken his place. I let out a small yelp and put my hand over my heart, making sure it was still beating.

"Finally, you have arrived." He smiled down at me, but he couldn't hide the sadness in his eyes. "I'm afraid we've had a complication. Peter is now aware that we are on to Tom's plan, and he is no doubt relaying that information as we speak."

I shook my head in disbelief. "How could this have happened? I haven't spoken about this to a single soul apart from those in this room. How could he have known?" Another man's voice spoke up, one I had yet to hear.

"It's all my fault. If I had only known…" Sirius clenched his fist and slammed it onto the corner of Dumbledore's desk. "That traitor was right above us, right in my home!" I was still confused as to what had happened. I looked around and finally found Remus. When our eyes met, he seemed just as confused as I was, but then a look of understanding washed across his facial features.

"He was there, wasn't he Professor? He was there when you went to get Sirius." The headmaster slowly nodded.

"It was my own fault, not Sirius'. I entered and told Sirius that he needed to come with me. I told him your lives were in danger and I needed his help. He began to question, and I briefly told him of Tom's plan to attack your home tomorrow. He asked me how this was possible, and I told him that James and Lily had been betrayed by Peter."

"I didn't believe it at first. Peter was our friend, has been living with me for a couple months now. He couldn't be a Death Eater. I would have noticed it somehow. Then I heard hurried footsteps above us and the sound of him apparating. Then I knew…"

"I was not aware of the fact that Sirius had a roommate, and as soon as I heard that pop, I knew exactly who it was and what they had heard. He is gone and we have no way of tracking him." At this, Professor Dumbledore shook his head in disgust. "He is no doubt telling Voldemort right now."

I shook my head in disbelief. What had I gotten us into? It was exactly as I had feared: I had saved them from their original fate, but I had no way of saving them from this new peril. I racked my brain, trying to figure out what our next option could be. Remus stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Professor, did you mention how you knew?"

"No, thank goodness. Voldemort has not knowledge of Miss Hastings, and I would like to keep it that way for her own safety. But I have no idea what his next plan of action will be. All we know is that the Potters are, for the moment, safe. We have to clear our minds and prepare for his next action."

I didn't like this, and from the looks on everyone else's face, neither did they. No one likes operating on the defensive and with the unknown. Even Dumbledore had that clear distasteful look on his face. We were all worried, but none more than me. I was the only one who truly knew what Tom Riddle was capable of, and that made me all the more frightened.

"I think the best thing for us to do right now is to get some sleep. It is late and we could all use the rest, myself included. If you all wouldn't mind, I think the safest action is for you all to stay in Gryffindor. We will meet in the Great Hall for breakfast and discuss our next action. I will organize an emergency order meeting tomorrow afternoon and we will inform them of the situation. I will see you all in the morning."

With that, Dumbledore showed us all out of his office and we quietly made our way to Gryffindor Tower. No one spoke, and that made me uneasy. I couldn't help but feel that the feeling of despair was my fault. I just hung my head and followed the group. I wasn't tired, but I needed to be alone for a bit. We entered the common room and stood awkwardly. Thankfully, Lily took the initiative to organize sleeping arrangements.

"Well, James, Harry and I will take one room. Remus, you can share with Sirius and Lauren, I'll show you to one of the girl's dormitories." I smiled and nodded as I followed her up the staircase. She opened the door and led me into a beautiful room. It had five beds, all with canopies. Everything was the trademark red and gold, but in a more tasteful and less tacky manner than I had pictured. The beds were separated by a nightstand in-between each bed, except for where the door was. My eyes were drawn to one bed that was already turned down and had a pair of what looked like pajamas lying on top.

"Okay, Lauren. You should be set. Bathroom's the next door down from you. There should be things for you inside. If you need anything, we'll be down the other hall in the boy's side." She smiled at me and pulled me into a sudden hug. "I'm so glad you are here, Lauren, and I'm thankful for what you have done, no matter what happens." She released me and flashed me a kind smile. I knew that it didn't really make anything better, but for some unexplained reason the smile just put me at ease.

All I could do was smile back. "No problem Lily. I'm just glad I could help." I dropped her gaze and looked down at my feet, shuffling my right foot back and forth. "I just hope I haven't made things worse."

She put a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look her in the eyes again. "Don't worry, Lauren. We will face it together. I just know that you're the reason my family is safe. You've earned my trust." With that, she flashed me another smile and walked out the door. If this… whatever it is lasts, I think we could be great friends. I grabbed the pajamas and headed to the bathroom. I knew I wouldn't get a wink of good sleep tonight, but I might as well be a comfortable insomniac.

A/N: I'm going to be honest, I'm not exactly sure I'm in love with this chapter. I know I've got some supportive readers out there (You know who you are!) If you read through this and have any suggestions, I'd be completely up to hearing them. Shoot me a PM so, if I do decide to make changes, it won't give anything away. I guess this could be considered a Beta audition, if I could be so bold as to call it that. Thanks again for your support. I just hope you're going to like where this is heading.