AN/ I'm so sorry this took so long! Hopefully the wait was worth it. To my reviewers, thank you! To anyone else who reads my story, I thank you as well. Enjoy!

I sigh as I realize one thing. I'd used too much energy to get back to Lily and Regulus. Scowling slightly I sit at a table and watch as Remus sits there, staring at the cigarette box with an absentminded frown on.

The bookshelf where the dividing screen of this world and the eternal world is, shimmers and Regulus steps through.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

"Well, other than you coming over here when you should be resting? I'm stuck. I used a tad bit too much energy and can't get back at the moment," I explain with a frown.

Regulus blinks, "You what? James you idiot! Wait a minute and let me see if I can think of a way for you to get back."

"Well, how bout instead of worrying, you bring over one of those destiny things and I'll read through it, give you my ideas and we can work like that until I get the energy to travel back?" I suggest.

"You're going to make me into the owl here aren't you?"

"Yep."

"Damn."

I laugh at him and shake my head, turning back to Remus and watch as he paces the room, muttering to himself. Finally he just flings his arms up and falls onto his chair.

"James, I think I ought to tell you now. You're a damn task master, dictator and pushy friend. You always have been!" Remus sighs, "And why do I feel like such an idiot for talking to think air?"

I chuckle, "Ah, Moony, you aren't the idiot here."

Regulus comes back through the barrier with a roll of parchment, "Here you go. This is one of Harry's rolls."

"Thanks Regulus. Sorry for my stupidity."

"I kinda figured that you would have to learn through actual trial and error."

"Gee thanks."

"No problem."

Shaking my fist at him I shoo him away, "Get out of here! Go, shoo!"

Regulus leaves the room laughing.

Regulus Black's POV

I sigh as I read through yet another useless scroll. It pretty much says the same thing as all the others. They seem to say that Sirius either should have gone to Slytherin or I should have gone to Gryffindor. Pretty damn helpful now, not. I give a growl of annoyance before standing up and walking outside. I feel in my pocket for a moment and sigh in annoyance at myself. Looking up at the night sky I wonder if we'll ever be able to help them somehow. Some of the possibilities in the future are pretty grim and dark. With those Sirius dies, Harry either dies or is left on his own, and Remus is either sentenced to death by the ministry or killed by death eaters. Not exactly pleasant.

"Regulus! Regulus come here I think I've found it!" Lily shouts from inside.

I turn and enter the room as quickly as I can. She's holding open a really old scroll and it looks like it hasn't seen light in ages.

"Look! Read this!" Lily points out a passage.

In the tower lies a death omen, waiting for freedom. Under a cupboard lies the lightning child, waiting for help. Outside of society lies Rome's twin, waiting for the truth. Bring truth to Rome's twin, who will free the death omen, who will in turn help the lightning child. The ones who have left are not truly gone, just out of reach.

My eyebrows come together and I start muttering under my breath.

"Do you get it?" She asks enthusiastically.

I nod, "Of course. It's brilliant! Whoever wrote this used synonyms that, though to be honest are obvious, not many people would think of! Others probably placed this scroll to the side thinking that it was rubbish!"

"Can you go tell James?" Lily asks.

I nod, "Certainly."

Walking to the proper screen I enter Remus's living room.

James jumps, "Regulus, don't do that to me!"

I smirk, "So sorry. Anyway we thought that you might like to read this."

I hand him that parchment and he reads the paragraph before looking at me with confusion, "What does any of that have to do with anything? I mean, lighting child probably refers to Harry because of his scar, but what do Rome's Twin and a death omen have to do with anything?"

"I'm going to explain this once, so please try to keep up. According to legend there were two twins, Remus and Romulus, and they were raised by a she wolf. When they were adults the two twins began to build a city. Yet when Remus scoffed at Romulus due to the size of the walls he built, Romulus killed him. He named the city Rome," I explain, "And as far as the death omen bit goes didn't you pay attention during Divination?"

"Eh, it's all a bunch of rubbish, slept through half of it." James shrugs.

"Actually that class has some useful information. Not on actual divination, mind you, but on folklore." I sigh, "I was hoping that you'd make the connection on this one. What's Sirius's animagus form?"

"Bear sized black dog. Quiet as hell, I'd even venture to say that he's perfectly silent, and will scare the daylights out of you if you're creeping around the castle and he turns the corner coming at you. Blends in with the shadows well enough to seem as though he's invisible. Never malevolent to anyone who doesn't deserve it," James says.

"Exactly."

"Exactly what?"

I groan and smack my forehead, "How can someone so smart be so stupid? Sirius's animagus is of Padfoot! The death omen! The black dog! Old Shuck! Black Shuck! Any of these ring a bell to you?"

James blinks, "So that's why Sirius wanted to be called Padfoot."

"No duh."

"I feel like such an idiot. So we have to have Remus see the truth of what's been going on? Well what do you think we've been doing!" James groans, "We're going to be doing this forever!"

"No we're not. But now that we know that this should work then all of us should be able to help now. I'll be back, I heard some rumors on the street and I'm going to check them out."

"I never would have guessed that you would gain info from the streets."

"What can I say? I did more than watch my father play politics and I was a Slytherin for a reason," I remind him. I give a smirk before leaving. "Lily, I'll be back later. I have some things I need to check on."

"Alright, but take care of yourself ok?"

"Yes mother."

Lily frowns, "I mean it Regulus. I've come to care for you in the same way that I care about Sirius."

"I'll be fine Lily. Promise," I say, then exit the house. Striding down the sidewalk I head towards downtown. One of the seedier bars in town, Billy's Sling, also happens to be the best place to find out information. It doesn't matter how high and mighty you or your contacts are, nothing beats information from a good bartender. Kristi happens to be the best.

"Hey Regulus! Pint of the usual?" Kristi asks as I walk up.

"Yeah, thanks. I'd also like some of the best of your specialty," I say.

"Ah, well I thought that you'd be interested in that. Go to the booth in the back, we're kinda slow tonight so I can take a couple of minutes off." Kristi gives a wink before getting another patron a refill.

She's right. Usually this place is hopping, but tonight it's rather slow. Sliding into a seat at the booth I have full view of the room, and my back is to the wall. Kristi comes walking up and I once again have time to admire her…unique way of dressing. She has on a pair of jeans that has one leg torn off, black leather biker boots, a black t-shirt with the sleeves torn off and the neck cut into a V neck. On one arm she has a variety of leather bracelets, some with spikes, some without, and on the other is an array of tattoos. She has a dark brown leather dog collar on her neck, spike earrings and a single pewter ring on her right hand. Her hair is brown and her eyes are blue. Other than her name and eccentric dress, I don't know much about her, and she doesn't know much about me. We both would like to keep it that way.

"So what's the word?" I ask.

"So someone," She looks at me pointedly, "broke into the hall of records and successfully made off with several destiny rolls. Since the only person who was found at the scene was captured then the Aurors cannot question anyone. People are talking, and the Aurors aren't disclosing what rolls were taken, though they aren't looking so hard for them. Other news states that there's a way to increase energy while on Earth."

"Really? And who can one talk to for this…possibility?"

"Not sure, the guy who told me wouldn't say anymore on the matter, merely said that anyone who is interested should avoid going to the pier at eleven forty at night. There's also been word about a book. It's really old and really valuable, as in powerful valuable," Kristi says.

"Really, any more information on this book?" I ask, tilting my head.

Kristi sighs, "You're not going to like it. Turns out that it's also a dark book, and I'll give you three guesses as to who owns it."

"Father."

"Yep, Orion Black keeps that book under lock and key and some of the best monitoring spells that the Wizarding world knows of, probably some that they don't too. Anyone who attempts to go after it ends up regretting it deeply. Successfully getting the book means power, failing means being caught and dealt with. Orion's become a killer since Walburga showed up," Kristi mutters.

"I'd forgotten that she was here. Old hag hasn't bugged me yet," I say giving a slight scowl.

"You know, going after this book would mean trouble."

I chuckle, "When is anything that's worth it not?"

"Point. So anything else tickle your fancy at the moment?"

"There's nothing else that I can think of."

Kristi nods and gives a smile, "Well good luck to ya Mr. Regulus. Hope you don't end up caught again."

I shake my head, "Aurors aren't fast enough here, and on Earth their best two are retired and in jail. I'm good."

Flipping the collar of my coat up and trudging through the streets my mind races. Father has a book, a powerful and dark book. There's a…something that gives us energy to say on Earth longer. And dear old mum has passed on. Choices, choices….

Turning down a corner I grab a hat and scarf off of a drunk rich man, give the scarf to a poor man and shove the hat onto my head. Keeping my head down and weaving through the crowds is easy, especially since people tend to leave others alone, especially those who give off a darker aura. I round a corner and go down to the pier, according to the stars in the sky it's right around eleven thirty. The guy should be here either now or in ten minutes. It's a careful thing, the trade of allowing people to stay on Earth longer than their spirit body allows. Some spirits have been able to manage rites and rituals, but most of them involve blood, a very much black market sort of item around here. There are others who say that the moon and sun have to be lined up just right, but the chances of that happening are slim. Hopefully this guy will have something a bit better.

"Hey, choo lookin' for da potion ta increase ya energy on Earth?" a guy asks, stepping out of the shadows.

My eyes narrow, "Possibly."

He nods, "Oooooh, choo some big fella! Gots da proper enunciation of words, eh? Very useful."

"Yes, now can we get on with this? I don't have all night," I drawl.

"A'right! If ya in a hurry ya in a hurry! This ain't no fake, an' it ain't no big deal. Unlike 'em rituals and rubbish 'em other dealers got ya doin', choo just drink da potion ta have da energy tha' choo need on Earth," the man explain.

I resist the urge to rub my head, this guy's speech is causing my head to ache, "Alright, there's no funny business with this? Nothing that will get me injured and you possibly in pain?"

The man swallows audibly, "Naw, sir! Choo ain't gonna be injured! Tested me potion on meself! Works like a charm! Please sir, ya not in ta 'urtin' little ol' Cass are ya?"

"Suppose not, so long as this is in order. Any problems with the potion and I will find you though," I tell him, tone even, "You can count on that."

Grabbing the potion I flip him a coin before turning on my heel and disappearing into the dark. I can feel the temptation of going to get the book from Orion, but I know that there are more important things to do right now, so I hasten back to the house.

"You're back earlier than I expected," Lily says as I enter.

"What? Were you not expecting me before dawn?" I ask.

She nods, "That's what I'm used to people doing. Saying that they have to go out, will be back later and not coming until the sun's just peeking over the horizon."

"Well, what I needed was surprisingly easy to find, and even easier to pilfer." I hold up a case of the potions from the man at the pier.

"What are those?" Lily's eyes widen, "Please tell me it's not fire whiskey!"

"I promise, it's not," I chuckle, "They're supposed to be potions to increase the amount of time that a person can spend on Earth."

"Really? That's wonderful!"

"I don't know if there are any adverse side effects though, so let me try one and then I'll let you have one if they're safe."

"No! You're not going to do that. I'm sure there's a way to test it," Lily says.

"I know that you're fabulous at potions and everything, but this is the fastest way to tell," I explain.

"I don't care."

Sighing I hold up a hand, "Fine. Let's look at one. The smell and color should give some indication of if it's safe or not."

Lily nods.

I open the bottle and we both immediately get a waft of peppermint and ginger. Glancing at Lily, I shrug before tipping the bottle back and downing it in one swallow.

Lily shrieks, "I can't believe you did that you idiot! What if it's poisonous?"

I shrug, "I don't feel anything yet. That's good."

"This is bad! What if you're poisoned? I don't have anything to take care of it!" Lily paces up and down the floor.

"There's a bezoar in the cabinet in the bathroom," I suggest.

"Oh, a bezoar, and what if that doesn't help you?"

A shrug, "Then I'm in a great amount of pain until the poison is out of my system? There really isn't much that can kill a spirit you know."

"Still! What if this potion is one of the things that can?"

"Then I'll find out what it's like to die twice! Honestly Lily, I'm not all that worried about it."

Lily huffs, "You, James, Sirius and Remus are going to cause me to go grey prematurely!"

"You forgot about Harry."

"He doesn't have the attitude for it."

I smile, "Only cause he hasn't been in the atmosphere for it. Once Sirius is free and has had a chance to get out of his Azkaban stupor, you know that Harry's gonna be a marauder."

Lily groans, "That's what I'm afraid of."

James Potter's POV

I pace Remus's room and roll my eyes as Remus, who is buried under a mountain of his books, coughs again and ignores his cold.

"And you always asked why Sirius and I were constantly having to force you into bed rest," I mutter.

"He sounds like Snape. That guy would overwork himself until he had a cold or the flu." Regulus steps up next to me and shakes his head at Remus, "What's got him in a tizzy?"

"He's trying to figure out how Sirius could have been the secret keeper and not betrayed Lily and me." I sigh and wonder why Remus, the smartest one of our group, is being so dense.

"Well, you could always tell him yourself."

"What are you talking about? You know that I don't have enough energy."

"Try this, it's supposed to be an energy supplement."

I cautiously take the bottle, glance at Regulus, and take a swig. Almost instantly I feel my energy jump up way past what it had been when I'd entered Earth. I look at Regulus with curiosity and he shrugs to Remus.

"Want to help?" I ask.

"Why me? Remus probably thinks of me as Sirius's little death eater brother."

I shake my head, "Not if you're with me. If you're with me then he'll understand that your opinion is valuable and what you have to say should be listened to."

Regulus nods, still looking weary, "Fine, I'll help."

I nod, "Great."

Concentrating I start to feel a tickle spreading from my toes to the top of my head, and in a moment I can see myself in the mirror behind Remus, another moment and Regulus is visible as well. We're both floating about a half foot above the ground and so manage to move silently to Remus.

"You're gonna end up with a cold if you keep going on like this," I say.

Remus's head shoots up and his amber eyes widen, "How?"

"Hello to you too," Regulus mutters.

Remus and I look at him with raised eyebrows.

"Sorry, bad joke."

"You're not…you must be Regulus." Remus's eyes narrow slightly.

Regulus nods, "If you have any doubts about my alliance then take a look at the current facts. James is allowing me to work with him."

Remus frowns then slowly nods, "Alright, I'll trust you, but only because James does for some reason."

Regulus nods.

"Now that's all cleared up, we can get to the main point of this little visit. What are you doing Remus?" I ask.

"Reading."

I roll my eyes, "No shit. I mean why are you going so crazy? I thought that I told you to remember the Marauders as we were, not as what people have made us as."

"What do you mean!" Remus asks, raising his voice slightly, "I've thought about it and I can't think of anything that would make Sirius the traitor!"

"Exactly!"

"What?"

I sigh, "Remus, for someone so smart, you are an idiot! Sirius wasn't the traitor! He would have died before betraying his friends."

"So…what happened?"

"We switched. Peter seemed like he would be a perfect secret keeper, after all who would expect us to use him?" I shrug, "It seemed like the perfect bluff at the time, but by then Peter was already a death eater. It was nothing for him to go to Voldemort with the information."

"But….then that means…of course." Remus seems to sink into the chair and places his head in his hands.

"Listen," Regulus says, "you can't sit here moping and beating yourself up for not seeing this. You need to help Sirius. First thing to do is let him know that there's someone out there who believes his story. Get a pass to Azkaban, tell them that you want to figure out why he would do something you want closer. If they give you any problems tell them that you want visitation rights under article twenty two B, subsection thirteen."

"What's article twenty two B, subsection thirteen?" I ask.

"It states that if there is a person who has had a long term relationship of any kind with a prisoner then that person can visit the prisoner to talk with them. They will get a room that is away from dementors, other prisoners and guards. They will be allowed to speak without any surveillance on them and will be granted as much time as needed. These rights include any person who is a werewolf," Regulus explains, "Father was very interested in law."

Remus blinks, "Well, that's interesting."

"Yeah, and you'll be able to use that time to your advantage. Talk with Sirius and find out where he is mentally, I think he should be mostly fine, but those dementors have probably brought out a couple of his loose screws," I say.

"That's an understatement," Regulus mutters.

"Anyway, let him know that you're on his side, and then tell him that Harry is at Petunia's and needs help," James says.

"Harry needs help? And you know where he is?" Remus asks.

"Yeah, and it still pisses me off that Dumbledore never told you where Harry is."

Remus nods, "And something tells me that Sirius isn't going to be too happy when he finds out himself."

"Not one bit," Regulus says, "I hope you all realize that you really are his world. He considers you family, and he'll do anything for the family that he loves."

"I think we all have realized that at some point, I just forgot for some reason," Remus sighs, but then his face looks determined, "I'm going to talk with him. And it's lucky that no one but the Marauders knows where this cottage is. I can always live at my father's old place."

"Why don't you sell one of the houses to get some money? Then you'll have a bit for a while and will be able to eat," Regulus says.

Remus shakes his head, "You don't get it. This cottage is perfect because there are only two people who are alive and know that it exists."

"Three," I correct.

"Three? You mean that Peter's still alive? How?" Remus asks.

"That's a story for Sirius to tell."

"If you say so. Anyway I use the cottage's basement for the full moons and then tend to live at my father's place throughout the year when I have a job or during the winters. I can't sell the family house because there's actually a spell on it that no one can own it other than the current head of the house. It's something that was added onto the family home a couple of decades ago, but I don't mind. My parents sold most of the really expensive stuff so that they could try to find a cure or at least a way to help my lycanthrope," Remus explains.

"Ok, that makes some sense. Kind of like how no one but the head of the house of Black can go into Grimwauld place after it's been closed for a while. So if you ever need to use number twelve have Sirius open it," Regulus says.

A light bulb goes off in Remus's head, "Question, does number twelve have a lot of spells and what not that guard it?"

"Yeah."

"Does it have a sturdy basement?"

"We don't have a basement. We have catacombs."

"That's perfect!"

I interrupt Remus, realizing where he's taking this, "You do remember that Sirius said that he would never go back to that place? Right?"

"Yes, but this is just a backup plan for just in case," Remus waves a hand, "Don't worry, he'll be staying here for most of the time with Harry."

"Remember that Sirius will need someplace where he'll be able to get outside. He hates being locked inside," I say.

Regulus nods, "And I know that you're more tactful than that, but be careful when mentioning me. At least until I have a chance to talk to him myself."

"I remember James, and of course I'll be careful Regulus," Remus grins, "You two should take off before you end up being stuck here. I don't need two poltergeists, having one for a couple of months was bad enough."

"How did you know I was here?" I ask.

"Please. I remember what it was like living with Peeves. Now go! Shoo!" Remus waves us off and smiles.

I nod to Regulus and we both leave into the spirit world. First thing I do is walk up to Lily, pick her up and hold onto her.

"James! James you're back!" Lily shouts, laughing.

"Yep, and I don't think that I'm going to be leaving anytime soon."

The two of us sit on the couch and watch the screens. It becomes pretty clear that Remus is going to get his way. The people at the Ministry really don't have a choice in the matter.