Title: Glass Hearts

Rating: PG-13

Summary (of chapter): Sirius and James turn in their Auror Applications, and James and Lily get ready to go to Petunia's wedding.

Sirius drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair. It was the fourth time he had been in Dumbledore's office. It looked the same as ever; Sirius wondered if he ever rearranged. Books lined the walls and magical contraptions were spread out across the room. Sirius saw Phineas Nigellus Black in his portrait sleeping, but he and James were fairly sure that the former Headmasters and Headmistresses just pretended while they eavesdropped.

"This is the first time I've been in here," Alice Hodge said.

"Consider that a good thing," James told her. "The last two times we were here we got detentions for about a century."

"I got the detentions in fifth year," Sirius said.

"Oh, yeah," James said, pretending to realize he had been wrong. Sirius rolled his eyes; it was hard to forget that day.

The walk to the seventh floor seemed longer than ever. McGonagall asked rhetorical questions, but then silenced the boys when they answered. She muttered to herself as they passed portraits and walked up stairs. Sirius caught the words "expulsion" and "the poor boy."

They approached the gargoyle statue they had been to two years ago when Dumbledore talked to them about their responsibility to keeping Remus's secret. Now, the password had changed, but it was still candy-related. "Treacle tart."

The gargoyle sprung to life and stepped aside for them. They walked up the spiral staircase, and they heard voices yelling from the office. McGonagall knocked on the door.

The door opened, and Professor Slughorn looked at McGonagall with a worried look on his face. "Oh," he said, seeing the boys beyond McGonagall. "I don't know if you should come in just yet."

"Bring them in," Dumbledore called from behind the door.

Slughorn stepped back. James, Sirius, and Peter walked into the circular office after McGonagall. Snape stood on the other side of the office, a livid look on his pale face. He had dirt all over him, like James, and his greasy hair was messy. He pointed an accusing finger at Sirius. "He should be expelled!" he yelled.

"Severus, please stop yelling," Dumbledore said, a weary look on his face.

"Stop yelling?" Snape repeated. "They tried to kill me!"

"We are well aware of what could have happened on the other side of the tunnel," Dumbledore said. "But you didn't reach Remus in his wolf form, did you?"

"James saved him," Peter said.

Snape looked like Peter had just suggested he eat cooked house-elf. "He didn't save me," he said.

"You would have gone down the tunnel," Peter said. "You would have seen Remus, and he would have killed you – or bitten you."

"He – I would have had time to turn back," Snape spat. His face was growing red as he realized James had, indeed, saved his life.

"I had to pull you back into the tunnel before Remus could see you," James said indignantly. "He would have torn you apart."

"Would you like me to kiss your feet?" Snape asked. "Do you want a trophy, Potter? You were only saving your friends's necks!"

McGonagall cleared her throat. "Snape, you could be dead right now," she said.

"And it would be his fault!" Snape yelled, pointing at Sirius.

"I didn't tell you to go down the tunnel," Sirius finally spoke. His voice was low and terse. He wanted to be anywhere but here. Even 15 Grimmauld Place would be better than Dumbledore's office this night. "That was your idiot idea."

"Two years ago, you promised not to tell anyone about Remus's secret," Dumbledore said.

"I didn't tell him," Sirius said indignantly. "He knows already. He was threatening to tell everyone about Remus."

"No one is going to talk about Remus again," Dumbledore said in a loud, firm voice. All eyes in the office looked at him, even the ones of the portraits who had given up pretending to sleep. "Severus, you will not tell anyone about this encounter tonight or about Remus's condition as a werewolf. Sirius, if you happen to tell anyone about the secrets of the Whomping Willow or Remus again, you will be expelled. You will be serving two-hour detentions every Saturday night until the end of the year. I will send a note to your mother as well. If one student – if I hear even a whisper that there is a werewolf in our student body, all four of you will pay consequences. And Severus, I would be mindful of a life debt from one wizard to another when a life is saved."

Snape looked at James, his cheeks darkening to a purple color. James avoided his eyes, staring at Dumbledore.

"Professors, if you would escort the students back to their common rooms," Professor Dumbledore said.

McGonagall nodded curtly. "Yes," she said.

Slughorn emerged; Sirius had nearly forgotten he had been in the room. McGonagall opened the door and motioned for the boys to leave first. James walked out of the office in silence. Sirius followed him next. They walked down the spiral staircase and into the corridor. James began walking swiftly to the portrait of the fat lady.

At the entrance, McGonagall nodded goodnight to the boys, her look of worry not leaving her face.

As Sirius walked into the dormitory, James slammed the bathroom door shut. Sirius rolled his eyes. He got into his bed and pulled his curtains shut.

"I'm guessing we're not going tonight," Peter's voice said.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not getting detentions," Alice said.

The office door opened. Professor Dumbledore walked in, whistling. "Hello," he said. "How are you today?"

"Good," James said.

Professor Dumbledore pulled a stack of papers out of his desk. "How many of you are there?" he asked. "Only four this year. . ."

Kingsley Shacklebolt sat on the other side of Sirius. Sirius swore he could smell the grease on his bald head.

"Well, as I'm sure Professor McGonagall told you," Dumbledore said, "you're here to fill out your preliminary Auror applications. They'll process your applications over the next two months. If you're accepted, you'll take tests in July. If you pass the tests, Auror training starts September 3rd. Then if you survive three years of training, you'll be certified Aurors."

"Great," Sirius said. "Let's get started."

"You will need to receive five NEWTs as well," Dumbledore said. "According to the reports I have here, the four of you are doing quite well in your studies."

"Really?" James asked, raising his eyebrows.

"I would just like to remind you that becoming an Auror is extremely dangerous," Dumbledore said. "I'm sure you've heard rumors that the Aurors who entered training last summer have nearly skipped training. This is somewhat true. The Ministry is short on help, so they take advantage of it as much as they can. But they are still undergoing rigorous training, not unlike the Aurors before them."

He handed each of them a packet of paper. "They'll do a background check," he said. "With the exception of Mr. Black, you should be fine."

"Four pages, that's not that bad," Alice said.

They fell into silence as their quills scratched along the surface of their applications. The basics were first – name, age, parents. Sirius filled them out lazily as Dumbledore whistled, writing something as well. Sirius briefly wondered what Dumbledore did all day. No papers to grade, no classes to put together. How did the old man pass the time? Crossword puzzles? Flirting quizzes in Witch Weekly?

Sirius paused at the question 'Are you a registered Animagus?' He smiled, marking no. James caught his eye casually, and the two of them continued. Metamorphmagus, no. Werewolf, no. All human, yes.

"What do we put for NEWTs?" Alice asked.

"Write down which classes you're taking," Dumbledore replied.

After the simple questions, Sirius read these questions: What do you feel you can contribute to the Auror Branch of the Ministry? Why do you want to be an Auror? What will you do if you fail to become an Auror?

Sirius scratched the back of his neck. What could he contribute? He thought about him and James approaching an old cottage rumored to be a Death Eater hideout. The night would be dark, the full moon above them, Remus somewhere far away. His wand out, his nerves itching for the battle, his heart pounding. They would break through the wards and storm the unsuspecting Death Eaters inside. His mind went over the spells he would yell. One of the men would fall on his knees in front of Sirius, bleeding from the nose, vowing his allegiance to his Dark Lord before a flash of green light took his life.

He was stirred from his daydream as Shacklebolt cleared his throat. The Ravenclaw stood up with his preliminary application and walked to Dumbledore's desk. "Who should I see about the letters of reference?" he asked.

Sirius looked down at his paper and wrote down answers to all three questions, confident only the people who mattered would see his words.

Marlene looked around the common room excitedly as other sixth years rehashed the day's events. She walked over to Lily and Remus. "I passed!" she exclaimed. She showed them her Apparition license proudly. "I'm officially an adult."

"Congratulations," Lily said brightly. She moved her books from the seat next to her for Marlene to sit down.

"Thanks," Marlene said. "I got to see my dad, too."

"Cool," Lily said. "When I went last year, it was my first time at the Ministry."

"Really?" Marlene asked, grinning. "That's wicked."

Lily blushed a little bit. "Yeah," she said. She looked over at Remus. "Did you pass on the first try?"

"Yeah," Remus said. "I had to go in the summer with Peter."

"When's your birthday?" Marlene asked, although she knew.

"April 24th."

"Do you want any presents?" Lily asked.

"Oh, no, it's fine," Remus said, shaking his head. "Really. I don't want anything. No party."

Lily rolled her eyes at Marlene, smiling. Remus went back to his homework, satisfied that Lily wouldn't throw him a party. Obviously, Marlene wouldn't be doing anything like that. She could imagine people asking each other, 'Why is she throwing the party?' She missed his company –staying up in the common room, watching Quidditch games with him. She dreamed about him, too, and it wasn't always good. Although a week ago, they had embraced like lovers while she slept, last night, he was suddenly something dark and foreign and she woke up just before he attacked her.

The air was full of the scent of spring. Freshly bloomed flowers were sending their fragrance to the inhabitants of Hogwarts. The breeze fluttered the leaves of the trees, as well as Lily's hair, which brushed into her vision. She hastily tucked it behind her ear. She looked over at James, who had their two packs swung over his shoulders. His wild hair was also being blown in the breeze. His skin was getting warmer and darker as he got more sun. Whenever Lily was looking for him, she looked outside first. He spent his days flying around with Sirius or doing his homework on the grass or pretending to do his homework on the grass. It had been a bitterly cold winter, and Lily was grateful for the warmth as well.

A carriage was waiting for them by the gates. The thestrals stood there, a reminder of lost innocence. James opened the carriage door for her, smiling. "Thanks," she said.

James got in after her, sitting next to her and plopping their bags on the seat across from them. The carriage began to move towards Hogsmeade. Lily felt her stomach fluttering, her nervousness hoping to get the best of her. She started playing with her necklace; the one James had given her last Christmas. "You're always playing with that thing," James pointed out.

"I do it whenever I get nervous," Lily replied.

James grinned at her. "You're nervous?" he asked. "Why?"

"Why?" Lily repeated. How could he ask such a stupid question? "James, tomorrow is possibly the most important day of my life. Tomorrow determines whether Petunia will ever speak to me again."

He patted her knee, still grinning. The unsaid words hung in the air, making the butterflies in Lily's stomach worse. She didn't speak to her already. What would change it? Maybe that was the reason for her nervousness; it seemed like this wedding and all that was entailed - the rehearsal dinner, the preparation, James, the ceremony, the reception - was her last chance with Petunia, her last chance for forgiveness. Lily blinked back tears. Forgiveness for what? As though she had ever intentionally hurt Petunia. She sighed, knowing she was wrong.

"Cheer up," James said, nudging her in the side. "We got to skip all of our classes today."

Lily tried to smile, but it came out as a grimace. "But I know you love Potions," she said teasingly.

"Oh, right," James said. "Man, I wish I could go back and sit in that smelly dungeon instead of spend the whole weekend with you."

This time, Lily did smile. "You know, you're not always that bad."

"Are you just catching on to this?" James asked.

They arrived at Hogsmeade in no time. After they stepped off, the carriage turned and left without them. Lily wondered how the thestrals knew what to do - could Dumbledore communicate with them? Perhaps it was Filch? Lily shook her head, bringing herself back to the present task at hand: getting James something decent to wear to the wedding.

"So, where are you taking me first?" James asked.

"We'll need to Apparate to The Leaky Cauldron," Lily said. "Then we'll take the underground."

"Let's go, then," James said.

They Apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. The innkeeper Tom teased them about being out of school, and Lily felt guilty for turning down his offer for a drink. The pub was empty, business low as usual. Soon the two of them were outside, walking down the streets. It was only ten o'clock, so the area was fairly empty.

James looked around curiously at the shops. Lily looked at her watch. She had six hours before she needed to be at her house. Hopefully that was long enough to find James something decent to wear. He walked easily in jeans and a green t-shirt. She realized this was the first time she had been alone with James outside of the wizarding world. She had spent time at his house over break, of course, but they had never had the house to themselves. Sirius had never been far. She loved Sirius and was starting to consider him one of her very good friends, but there were still times when he was like an itch Lily could not rid herself of.

They approached the underground. James looked around furtively, then dropped his voice to Lily, "I've never rode an underground."

Lily looked at James, smiling. "Really?" she asked.

She took his hand. "Consider me your underground expert," she said.

James was silent as they walked down the stairs and Lily paid their fees. He looked at everything around him; the times, the newspaper stands, the Muggles, the police officer standing by the coke machine. Lily thought back to her amazement the first time she had been to the Ministry of Magic. She smiled as the train rolled in and the two of them stepped on. He started devouring a map, asking Lily where they were going, when they were getting off. She had never really figured she would see James standing in an underground; it was as though her two worlds were colliding. These Muggles had no idea of the things that lurked beyond their world, the power James and Lily had over the forces of the earth, or the present struggle over life and death.

"Are we getting off yet?" James asked as they stopped again.

Lily shook her head, laughing. The doors closed, and they started moving again.

Two stops later, James jumped up. "This is our stop, isn't it?" he asked.

Lily grinned as the two of them got off the train. They walked a few blocks. This area was busier, being one of the shopping districts of West End. James watched the advertisements, man and women frozen in time. "That's so odd," he said. "It's like they're dead."

"This is a nice store," Lily said as they crossed the street. "Don't embarrass me."

"What do you take me for?" James asked.

They walked into a pristine formal menswear store. James raised his eyebrows at Lily in an amused look. An attendant swept over quickly, looking both of them up and down. Lily was wearing a skirt and blouse while James sported sneakers and jeans with frayed bottoms. "May I help you?" the attendant asked.

"Yes," Lily said, giving him a charming smile. "We need to get a suit for a wedding."

"Ah," the attendant said. "The groom, I suppose?"

Lily let out a small laugh, blushing. "Oh, no, we're just attending," she said quickly.

"Oh, all right, then," the attendant said. He began to lead them towards one of the walls. James nudged Lily in the side. She caught his eyes, full of amusement and something else, something unnamed, something that referred to the topic that was on both of their minds, but not yet on their mouths.

Thirty minutes later, James stepped out of a dressing room. The look on his face was miserable. The pants and jacket were a pea-green color, which looked simply horrible. He had given up on the tie, the long black thing hanging loosely from his neck. Lily covered her mouth, trying not to giggle. James gave her an incredulous look. "You're laughing at me!" he exclaimed. "I'd like to see you try on one of these."

"What do you think?" the attendant asked.

"Perhaps a different color?" Lily suggested, stifling laughs.

"Yeah," James agreed. He sighed in a melodramatic air. "This is horrible for my complexion."

The second one looked a bit better, but it was too big for him. He was stepping on the pants. "I can always hem them," Lily offered.

James leaned over, glancing at the attendant. "These pants are giving me a huge wedgie," he said.

The third time was the charm. He tried on a dark brown suit that was a little long on the legs. She turned down the attendant's offer for the store to hem the pants; she could charm them later. They bought the suit, and the attendant put it into a plastic bag for them. "Will you need help to your car?" he asked.

"No, thank you," Lily said.

They left. As they walked down the street, James seemed very satisfied. "That was easy," he said.

"I'm very proud of you," Lily said approvingly.

James smiled at her and took his hand in hers. "Where to now?"

"Let's go to my house," Lily said. "We can drop this stuff off and eat lunch and then maybe I'll show you around London some more."

She was a fool to think such things.

A/N: Seems like an ominous cliffhanger, but it isn't, really :) Thanks for the reviews and new subscriptions! You guys rock!

Next chapter is mostly at Petunia's wedding, THAT should be fun!