Chapter 27

March brought in a furry of icy rain storms that never seemed to end. Lily stared out of a small window in her dormitory, looking out miserably. She had just come from another meeting; a group of students on Dumbledore's behalf had been forming to plan out how they would participate in the oncoming war. There had been so many deaths in the past three months, and everyone had been becoming increasingly more scared. Some had even been scared enough to leave the safety of Hogwarts to go into hiding with their families, those souls were usually the first to be lost. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and turned to hug her best friend.

Olivia smiled wearily and sat on her bed, looking at Lily cautiously.

"When are you going to tell him?" She asked quietly.

Lily looked over at Olivia curiously, shadows inched across her eyelids.

"Tell him what?" Lily asked.

Olivia smiled. "You can't possibly think I didn't notice you being sick every morning for the past few weeks." Olivia crossed her arms and watched the look form on Lily's face.

"I'm just stressed." Lily said slowly. "That's all."

Olivia nodded. "Sure Lily, and the fact that you're so incredibly tired you can't even stay awake in Potions, that's just stress."

Lily pursed her lips. She couldn't be pregnant, it was an impossibility!

A memory of heated flesh, and tangled bodies wafted through her senses and her body tightened. Lily looked over to Olivia again and her worried eyes were unveiled.

"Oh God Olivia, what if I am?" Lily plopped down on her bed, hiding her face in her hands.

Olivia reached across to her friend and grabbed her hands. "It'll be ok." She said reassuringly.

Lily looked stoic holding back her tears. "We're beginning a war, and I'm going to have a baby right in the middle of it!"

Olivia bit her lip and patted her friend's hands thoughtfully. "It's alright Lily, we'll think of something, but right now you have to make absolute sure that you are, and then you have to let James know. He has a right to know."

Lily nodded. "I wish I could be happy about this Olivia. I wish I could tell him without fear."

Olivia pulled at her friend into a comforting hug. Stroking her hair, Olivia whispered encouraging words to her as she thought of her friend's plight.

"It's been three months." Sirius said miserably. "Why won't she just say it?"

James looked over at his friend sheepishly. "Olivia isn't the kind of girl to just say something because it has to be said. It has to be said at the right moment for the right impact."

Sirius nodded. Things between them had been wonderful, though strained because of the politics outside Hogwarts. Abandoned by their families, they found it strengthening their bond together, two against the world.

"I told you so." James finally said to him, staring across the room with his arms folded against his chest.

Sirius made a face at him and threw a pillow at his head. Ducking, the pillow went straight over James's head and right into Peter's face as he walked into the room.

He stood there for a moment and laughed. "I must have missed something." He said looking between the two.

James looked as Remus followed behind. "It's nothing, Remus and I seem to have won the bet though."

Sirius looked over at James furiously. "I told you that I called that off."

James frowned. "I didn't know that meant Remus and I didn't get paid."

Sirius glared at him. "You know what this means to me James."

He threw up his hands and surrender and James nodded. "I do mate, I do."

"Look who has gone soft now." Remus said casually as he crossed the room.

Sirius simmered.

James interrupted before Sirius snapped. "Look, we're all going a little soft. Sirius and I just happen to be going soft over two beautiful women, so what? I think romance is just what this place needs in a time like this."

Peter nodded, agreeing with whatever James said. Remus only smiled. He was happy that his friends had found love, though he felt a sliver of jealously, it was just what the two needed to shape up into the adults they were all slowly becoming.

"How do you guys feel about the Order?" He finally asked the other three. "Do you think it's going to help?"

Sirius looked around the room and lowered his voice. "We aren't supposed to talk about it mate."

Remus nodded. The meeting had gone well; there were only a few members, a close circle of friends who meant to bring down the Death Eaters. It was dangerous, but they had to do something, anything to help.

James nervously looked around the room as Sirius had, but settled himself with a sigh. "Look I wanted to talk to you lot about something." He finally said, avoiding everyone's eyes. "Speaking of fluff and romance, I uh…I was planning on marrying Lily."

The three other boys all smiled and let out loud congratulatory noises for his friend, and James went on.

"I was going to wait, until after school to even ask her, but I think sooner rather than later," He took a deep breath. "After that meeting, I would ask her right now if I could get the balls to."

Sirius patted his best friend on the back and ruffled his hair playfully. James looked at him and smiled. "I want you to be my best man Sirius."

A proud swelling erupted in his chest and Sirius hugged his friend with all he had in him. "I'm honored mate, truly." The two men let go of each other and beamed from ear to ear.

James nodded to the other two. "Don't think you two are left out either."

The room erupted into more cheers and the celebration lasted well into the night. Someone had thought to pilfer some ale from the kitchens, and James wished the happiness in his heart could have last forever.

Unfortunately fate hadn't been kind that night. As James finished off another mug, there was a tapping on the rain drenched window pain, and he saw an owl fluttering impatiently. Rushing to it, he yanked open the latch and the wet bird flew in, dropping a letter on James's bed and then ruffling its feathers in protest of the weather.

James looked at the note pensively, knowing the bird was an official Ministry owl by the collar around its neck. It flew off, and James still stared at the letter.

"Who do you think it's from?" Peter asked in the silence.

James knew what it was. He'd been seeing birds like this all over the school. These were the birds that delivered the bad news. Shaking, he opened the letter.

He read the letter, word for word, at least three times before Remus touched his shoulder and jerked him out of his daze.

"James?" He asked quietly.

James crumpled the letter. "It's my parents." He said darkly. "They're dead."