Hey!

I am sooooo sorry for the lack of updates, I had this big trip and camps and was working on my other stories and it was chaos! School is starting soon, so hopefully I'll be able to fall into more of a routine with updates. I haven't given up on this story, don't worry, I just haven't had much time.

Once again, I don't own any of these characters. JKR does.

Thanks for sticking with me and reading!

The next day, James and Sirius awoke to the smell of Lily's cooking. After a delicious breakfast and a few visits with some of Sirius's old friends, James turned on the screen.

The image of Harry, angrily calling for his godfather in the two-way mirror greeted them.

"If only he had used it," Sirius said sadly. "We wouldn't have gotten into this whole mess."

When Harry started talking to Nearly Headless Nick about the possibilities of Sirius becoming a ghost, Lily looked on the verge of tears.

"Alright, this is too bloody depressing," Sirius interrupted, "let's see someone else. How about...uh...Remus Lupin."

The screen rippled to show Remus weeping, and Sirius yelped, immediately turning off the screen. "Good lord," he gasped, "too soon, I suppose."

"Poor Remus," Lily said sadly.

James tried to force his mind away from Moony, the last remaining Marauder (well, besides Wormtail, but he didn't really count). He tried to think of anything else.

He was surprised when a wicked grin twisted across Sirius's face. "Hey, I entirely forgot! Have you two been checking up on him much?"

James shook his head guiltily. "We've mostly been focusing on Harry."

Sirius's smile broadened. "Remember my little cousin, Nymphadora? The daughter of the only decent cousin I have, Andromeda?"

James paused to think. "You have so many cousins, Pads, I lose track sometimes."

"C'mon, the one that's a metamorphmagi?"

"Ohhhh that Nymphadora! Nyphadora Tonks!"

"Yes! Guess who she has a crush on?"

James furrowed his brow. "No... she's like, fifteen years younger than us."

"Thirteen. And he likes her back, he's just too busy being a self-hating git."

Lily straightened. "Remus? Oh my God this is fantastic!"

"Yeah, the two'll come around eventually," Sirius said happily. "We should check on them every so often. I mean, once we've waited long enough for everyone to stop mourning."

His smile faded, and James stared sullenly at the floor.

"He'll get over it," Lily said, "And so will Harry. We'll see them all again. Someday."

The next time James, Lily, and Sirius got up the courage to turn the screen back on was dozens of reunions, quidditch matches, and Exploding Snap games later. Harry was in Potions. The first thing that Lily noticed was the professor.

"It's Slughorn!" She cried, "Why on earth is he back?"

James shrugged. "Beats me. I wonder if he's still doing the Slug Club."

"If he is, Harry's definitely a VIP member," Sirius said.

Lily shushed them and pointed at the screen. "Was he always this good at potions?" Harry was making a perfect draught of the living dead, even topping Hermione Granger.

James studied the scene. "He's not doing what everyone else is doing, how does he know?"

Their questions were answered when Harry headed out the door, talking about his textbook.

"The Half-Blood Prince!" All three exclaimed at the same time.

"Severus's old nickname!" Lily added. "Of course! So that's why he was so good!" She was sad to remember her old friendship with Severus, and the way he treated Harry, but couldn't help smiling at the way he was still helping Harry, whether he knew it or not.

"That was his nickname?" James scoffed. "That's just stupid."

"Oh, like Prongs is any better?" Lily teased.

"Yes! It is so much better!"

"Mate," Sirius said, "your son is stalking Draco Malfoy."

"And rightly so," James replied angrily, "you saw what he's trying to do!"

"Still, this is starting to reach James-Potter-Stalking-Lily-Evans level!"

"Shut up, Black."

"I do wish we could see the memories," Lily said wistfully. "But I suppose we can mostly figure them out from what Harry and Dumbledore are saying."

"Who knew You-Know-Who had such a tragic life?" James said.

"He killed you," Sirius said flatly.

"Well I know that," James said crossly, "But I still feel kind of bad for him! Like, a tiny tiny bit!"

Sirius snorted. "I think you're rubbing off on him, Lils. His emotional range has grown!"

"I'm very proud," Lily drawled sarcastically.

"All right, this is very suspicious," said Sirius. "Who was the necklace supposed to go to?"

Lily twisted a corner of a pillow nervously. "I can't believe it might have gotten into the school!"

"It wouldn't have gotten in, what with Filch checking everyone," James reassured her. "Now if only Harry could catch the Malfoy boy-"

"Oh don't you start," said Lily. "Just because Harry thinks it's Draco doesn't mean it's true."

"Harry knows what he's talking about," said James stubbornly. "I'm trusting him."

Lily rolled her eyes.

"A bezoar! Brilliant, he is!" James crowed. "Just like his parents!"

Sirius scoffed. "His parents? That's pushing it. His mother, yes, but his father?"

Before the two could start attacking each other, Lily said, "I can't believe that girl, Romilda Vane, wanted Harry to fall in love with her so badly that she slip him that love potion! I mean, even you weren't that bad, James!"

James lunged at her.

"Anyways," she continued, "It's obvious that he has a crush on Ginny Weasley."

"Another redhead," Sirius said, grinning.

"Potter tradition," James said.

"Of course, the Felix Felicis!" Lily was proud of her son. Sirius and James were still rolling on the ground about Slughorn's singing.

Ignoring the two, she listened to Dumbledore and Harry's conversation, and a shiver crept down her spine. Six horcruxes? How would Harry every defeat Voldemort? He was still just a boy!

The house erupted in cheers, and Sirius began thumping James and Lily on the back. "He did it," he yelled, "he snogged her!"

Even Lily had to smile, as upset as she had been over Harry's use of Sectumsempra.

James pulled her in for a kiss, and Sirius pretended that his eyes were being burned out of his sockets.

"Get a room!" He exclaimed.

"Very mature," Lily said, then turned and kissed James again.

Sirius crossed his arms. "I'm going to leave and live at Marlene McKinnon's house," he threatened.

"Go ahead," James said.

Sighing dramatically, Sirius flopped on the couch and continued to watch Harry TV, hiding his smile behind his hand.

Sirius turned very pale. This was where Regulus had died.

Lily gripped James's hand so tightly that it turned white.

"Oh. My. God... He's not going to drink it, can he? He can't possibly- No, Dumbledore, no!"

She relaxed when the pair finally left the cave, but tensed once again when she saw the Dark Mark hanging over the astronomy tower.

"And of course, he's going up there." Sirius laughed shakily, in disbelief.

The three watched, speechless, as Snape pointed his wand at Dumbledore and spoke the killing curse, loud and clear.

Dumbledore was dead. How was this even possible? Dumbledore wasn't supposed to die! He was supposed to live forever!

How could Harry possibly defeat Voldemort without Dumbledore?

The next day, James was surprised to open the door to Albus Dumbledore himself.

"Dumble- er Professor Dumbledore! What are you doing here?"

Dumbledore smiled. "We have many things to discuss."

James peered over Dumbledore's shoulder, and noticed a small girl waving.

"That is my sister, Ariana," said Dumbledore.

"Oh, I didn't know you had a sister."

"Few did," Dumbledore replied, his eyes twinkling.

James invited Dumbledore in, and after Lily and Sirius had arrived, Dumbledore began explaining everything he knew about Voldemort's horcruxes.

"There is one more thing," he said. "The night you, Lily and James, died a piece of Voldemort's soul was dislodged. It attached itself to the only living thing it could find."

After a pause, Lily gasped in understanding.

"You're saying that Harry... is a horcrux?"

"Unfortunately, I believe so."

James stood up furiously. "So you're saying he's going to have to die before Voldemort?"

Dumbledore nodded sadly. "I am."

James sank back into his seat. This was a lot to process. A part of him, selfishly, almost wished that Harry could join them in the afterlife. But he knew it was wrong, that his son deserved a full life.

"He's going to do it," said Sirius. "Once he finds out. The kid's too brave for his own good."

Lily's eyes shimmered with tears. "And there's nothing we can do?"

"I'm afraid not," Dumbledore said. "I just thought you deserved to know. However..." His voice trailed off.

"However what?" Lily demanded.

James was surprised to see Dumbledore hesitate. "I don't wish to get your hopes up. But there is a small chance that if Voldemort attempts to kill Harry, he will instead kill the piece of his soul."

"But not Harry?" Lily asked.

"It is a possibility."

James was surprised to see Dumbledore so uncertain.

Breathing a sigh of relief, she sank back into her chair. "That's all I need," she said. "Harry has survived Voldemort before. He can do it again."

Dumbledore nodded at her. "I do hope you're right."