A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! I know most of you are sighing in relief that Lily and Jamse are finally moving in together and I'm excited too! It's been a long time coming if you ask me. And oddly enough I got mixed reviews on Sydny - some of you love her and some of you hate her. When I was writing her I actually have a love-hate relationship with her but I just think that's who she is. One minute, you're laughing with her. The next, you're scowling at her. She's a pretty important character in this story so you'll definitely see a lot of her! But enough about last chapter - let's talk about this chapter. I have to say, this might be one of my favorite chapters I've written. It actually came out pretty quickly and there wasn't much editing needed. So I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Disclaimer: I am not J.K. Rowling. However, I am now the proud owner of Casual Vacancy!

Goodbyes on the Balcony

Chapter 6: Of Second Cousins, Threats & Playgrounds

By ByeByeBirdie

++SIRIUS++

I was in Blarney's at least four times a week. I'm convinced that the bartenders think I'm an alcoholic. But I'm pretty sure I could care less what they think of me as long as they continue serving me.

"Oh, yeah, and you're going to have to get used to actually washing your sheets," Remus pointed out as he, James, and I meandered the streets towards Blarney's to apparently celebrate James' decision to move in with Lily. To be fair, we'll use any excuse to head to Blarney's so he could have come rushing through the door informing us he had contracted a deadly disease and he was dying in a week, and we'd still head off to Blarney's. "I hear bed bugs don't turn on the ladies."

"She is so going to make you learn how to cook," I joked. I grinned. "Remind me to remind her to take photos of you in an apron."

"I think not," James muttered, rolling his eyes.

"She's probably going to force you to watch those sappy chick flicks of hers, too," Remus added. "I'd start carrying a box of tissues around with you."

"Don't you two ever shut up?" James whined.

"Maybe two boxes," Remus continued.

"I'm going to kill you both."

I flashed Remus a grin. We had spent the entire walk to Blarney's discussing long list of reasons why our best friend living with a girl will be amusing to us and potentially damaging to him. James is probably thinking right about now that he wished we had apparated.

Remus and I were having a little too much fun teasing James, but in all honesty, I was happy for him. And for Lily. In fact, I was surprised that they hadn't moved in together before now. We'd all been waiting for James to make the next move in his relationship with Lily. This will be a good thing for the two of them. I just hoped James realized that. I had been convinced four years ago that he was going to ask her to marry him so moving in together was happening four years later than I expected in all honesty.

"The next time we see Prongsie, he'll be sipping tea with his pinky finger stuck in the air," I commented.

"Probably wearing a dress, too," Remus added.

"I'm officially done celebrating with you two," James murmured, shaking his head. He strolled into Blarney's, rushing over to the bar immediately. Without hesitation, he put a few galleons on to the bar and said, "Strongest drink you have."

Beefcakes (I have no idea what his real name is but he really should be a bouncer not a bartender) turned to glance at James with a curious look. "Bad day, hm?"

"It wouldn't be so bad, but these two have been on my case all evening," he murmured, jerking his thumb in our direction.

"Case about what?" he asked as he reached for the firewhiskey.

"He's moving in with the girlfriend," Remus replied.

"Lily?" Beefcakes said, clearly shocked. "Wow, it's about time. I was convinced she was going to dump your sorry ass any day now."

James rolled his eyes. "I'll take the drink without the insults, please."

He chortled, pouring the firewhiskey into a glass and pushing it towards James. He grabbed two beers and uncapped them, handing them to me and Remus. He certainly knew us well. Although, I wished it was Melinda manning the bar. She was one hell of a looker and if she was in a good mood, she'd slip me a free drink now and again. "Well, then, you might want to steer clear of your usual table in the back of the bar. I'm pretty sure they will have a whirlwind of insults for you." He winked, collecting James' money and moving on to the group of girls beside us waiting to be served.

The three of us simultaneously turned our heads towards the large booth we frequently occupied, none of us all too surprised to see Lily, Keegan, Kay, Lance, and Fabian already sitting there. We wandered over that way.

"Fancy running into you here," James drawled, kissing Lily's cheek.

"Hey!" she greeted, scooting over to make room for the three of us. "What are you doing here?"

"Commiserating the end of Potter's bachelorhood," I chimed in with a cheeky grin.

I wasn't surprised when Lily threw a pretzel at me from the complimentary bowl at our table. "Last I checked, Potter hasn't been a bachelor in nearly four years."

I shrugged. "That's what you think."

James glared at me. "Okay, you can shhh now!" he grumbled, making a face. The edges of his mouth were turned upward, however.

"When have I ever shhh'ed?"

"I don't know but you should really learn how to shhh."

"Why are we using shh has a verb?" Remus questioned.

"Because trying to come up with intelligent words is far too difficult of a task for these two," Keegan chimed in with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "I'd argue, but let's face it, that's quite true," I retorted. I've learned that sometimes it's better to just play along than argue back when it comes to Keegan.

"Speak for yourself!" James responded.

I slowly peaked an eyebrow, skepticism crossing my expression. "You're moving in with a girl. You call that intelligent?"

"Hey!" Lily cried.

I laughed, taking a long swig of my beer. "I'm kidding," I said with a grin. "We came to Blarney's to celebrate you two, did we not?"

"I thought you were commiserating the end of James' bachelorhood," Lily mocked.

I rolled my eyes. "Are we going to make a toast or not?"

She grinned, raising her gin and tonic into the air. "A toast it is," she said. "Cheers!"

"To James and Lily," Kay toasted, all of us clinking glasses.

"Yeah, it's about damn time," I chimed in, earning a not-so-surprising slap to the back of my head. "Ow."

Lily grinned. "Stop being snide."

"But I'm so good at it," I said, winking playfully. I finished off my beer and hopped off the bar stool. "Alright, time to find me a girl!"

"When is it not time to find you a girl?" Remus snorted.

I rolled my eyes. "Do you want to come flirt or what? I see a pair of twins in the corner."

Remus hesitated, then shrugged. "Eh, why the hell not."

Lily groaned. "I thought we were here to celebrate me and James moving in together!"

I picked up my empty bottle and tapped it to her gin and tonic glass. "Congratulations, cheers, here's to you, good luck, and all of that other sentimental crap. Can I go hit on a hot girl now?"

Lily couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I can really feel your blessings emanating from within."

"I would have more blessings for you if you granted me permission to hit on a hot girl."

She rolled her eyes, the edge of her mouth turning up. "Permission granted."

Remus and I sauntered off, our eyes focused heavily on the twins in the corner. We didn't strike out, but we might as well as we left them behind and trudged back to our table a few minutes later, me feeling slightly disgusted as Remus laughed at my expense.

"Back so soon?" Keegan snorted. "What, got rejected?"

"No," I argued. "They weren't up to my standards."

Keegan glanced over my shoulders in the direction of the twins. "They have boobs. What's not up to your standards?"

I shot her a look and reached for James' drink, taking a swig as he argued for me to get my own drink. "There are hotter girls in this bar. They weren't good enough."

"Yeah, that, and he found out that they're his second cousins," said Remus.

I blanched as the entire table burst into uncontrollable laughter. "I thought we had promised to keep that a secret," I groaned.

"Eh, I lied."

"You were hitting on your second cousins?" Lance said, his eyes widening in amusement.

"I didn't know I was related to them!" I argued, their laughter drowning out the end of my sentence.

"What, you've hit on every other girl in England that you have to resort to hitting on your own blood relatives?" Fabian chuckled.

"The Black family is huge!" I protested. "How was I supposed to know they were my second cousins?"

"Doesn't make it any less funny," Keegan smirked. "Who knows how many girls you've fucked over the years that could have been related to you?"

I shuddered, glaring at her. "Thank you for putting that mental image in my head, Rouge."

"Being crude is what I'm here for," she retaliated with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. I was not in the mood to deal with her tonight. I had been in a conference all day regarding the upcoming Quidditch World Cup, learned I had to find a new place to live, and was hitting on someone related to me. The last thing I wanted was to get into a stupid argument with someone I could care less about. "I'm going to get another drink. Anyone need anything?"

"Gin and tonic," Lily requested.

"Whiskey sour," said Kay.

"Another beer," James said.

Lance quickly nodded. "Me, too."

"So, nothing then?" I said with a cheeky grin. "I was more just being polite."

"That's a new emotion for you," Keegan drawled.

I rolled my eyes at her (I seem to do a lot of that in her presence) and headed to the bar. Beefcakes was busy serving three clearly underage teenagers at the end of the bar, so I perched beside two very good-looking girls as I waited patiently my turn.

"Hey," I eventually drawled at them, smiling cheekily. "You girls mind waving the bartender over here. I think he'd be more susceptible to serving two good-looking ladies like you than a bloke like myself."

The two girls turned to me with curious eyes. I noticed them try to discreetly give me a once-over. "Does that line ever work?" the petite blonde asked.

"Depends how drunk the girl is," I said, winking.

"Does that line ever work?" the blue-eyed brunette retaliated with a matching cheeky grin.

"No, not usually."

The brunette giggled, but the blonde remained skeptical.

"How about this?" I suggested. "You let me buy you girls a drink and we'll figure out just which lines actually work on you."

The blonde held up her half-full beer. "I'm not in need of a drink."

I shrugged, glancing over at the brunette's nearly-empty fruity drink. Don't think I didn't notice her hurriedly trying to finish it off just seconds earlier. "Looks like you could use a refill."

"Perhaps," she said casually.

I smiled, glancing down the bar towards Beefcakes. He was still busy chatting up the underage females. "Clearly, this is going to take a while," I murmured, amusement shining in my eyes. "Why don't we start with your names in the meantime?"

"I have a boyfriend," the blonde said.

I quirked an eyebrow. "Hello, I-have-a-boyfriend, do you have a last name?"

She rolled her eyes. "Cute." There was a slight tug at the ends of her mouth. I think she was finally warming up to me.

I glanced towards the brunette, praying that she didn't have a boyfriend. "What about you?"

She smiled coyly, holding up her drink. "How about just a Sex on the Beach?"

"Hm, interesting. Did your parents name you for how you were conceived?"

She couldn't help but laugh, and I swear even the blonde was suppressing the urge to smile. "I'm Molly."

Uh-oh. Her name ended in 'y.' This could potentially be bad. I pretended not to notice. "Ahh, that sounds a tad more sensible," I said with a warm smile. "I'm Sirius."

"Well, clearly your parents didn't name you after your personality trait," she responded, wiggling her eyebrows teasingly.

I shook my head, grinning. "No, they definitely did not," I chuckled.

"Player would have been a better name," I-have-a-boyfriend said with a smirk.

"I prefer the word 'charming,'" I argued.

"Womanizer," she responded, a smile growing on her face.

"Suave," I retorted.

"Chauvinist."

I quirked an eyebrow. "Wow, you don't think very highly of me, do you?"

"You're picking up girls in a bar on a Thursday night. I know guys like you," she responded, narrowing her eyes curiously.

"Oh, gee, I apologize for talking to a pair of very good-looking ladies while waiting for the bartender to notice me," I drawled sarcastically. I was finding this girl's snippy attitude somewhat alluring, not that I'd let her know that. "Next time, I'll try not to inconvenience you."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're quite sassy?" she asked. I could have sworn a smile was playing on her lips.

"Surprisingly, yes," I retaliated with a smile. "I get that at least once a day from my friends."

"And you still have friends?" Molly chimed in, irritation flickering in her eyes. I had a feeling she didn't appreciate the witty banter occurring between me and her friend. "That's impressive."

"Well, my charming, suave ways win them over in the end," I said with a cheeky grin.

They both laughed and I could tell that I had won them both over as well. I glanced down at I-have-a-boyfriend's now-empty beer. "Looks like you're now in need of that drink," I said, finally grabbing Beefcakes' attention. As he wandered over to me, I snuck a curious peek at the two females. "Before I buy you that beer and Sex on the Beach, do you mind if I ask a question?"

They nodded.

"Neither one of you are related to the Black family, are you?"

++FABIAN++

"My money's on the blonde," I said, glancing towards the bar where Sirius was sitting. It was one of our favorite games to play at Blarney's: Who Will Sirius Go Home With?

"No way," Lily argued. "That skeptical look is the same look Keegan gives him."

"Ah, that's why she looks familiar," Keegan chimed in.

"I'm putting my money on the brunette," Lily said, ignoring her roommate.

"But the blonde poises more of a challenge to Sirius. You know how much he loves a challenge," James reminded her.

"But the brunette is cuter," Lance argued.

Kay smacked him on the shoulder.

"Er…I meant…I meant…uh…you look pretty today?"

"Smooth," James teased.

Lance flashed Kay a sheepish grin. She simply rolled her eyes, the ends of her mouth tugging upwards.

After asking Keegan for a pen, I grabbed a cocktail napkin and wrote 'blonde' and 'brunette' at the top. "So we have two for the blonde and two for the brunette? Remus? Keegan? Place your bets now."

Remus glanced back over at the bar. "I'm going to have to go with James on this one. Blonde."

Keegan rolled her eyes. "Does it matter? They're both most likely going to give him an STD."

Our table erupted into laughter and I gave her a look. I had no idea why Keegan disliked Sirius so much, but I had a feeling that neither did she. "Oh, just pick one," I said with a smile.

She shrugged. "I guess I'll make it even and pick the brunette."

I nodded and scribbled our names on the sheet of paper under our respective choices as everyone else reached into their pockets for two galleons (our standard bet) to place on the table.

I kept an eye on Sirius while Kay changed the subject. "So, who's coming to the St. Mungo's charity event on Saturday?"

"We'll be there," James whined, nodding towards me. "As Aurors, we're expected to put in an appearance at all the wizarding events that Scrimgeour deems highly reputable. I guess this one is included."

"Yeah, who knew that raising money to fund the new children's ward at St. Mungo's would be considered respectable?" Lily drawled sarcastically, smiling up at her boyfriend.

"Oh, is that what the event is for?" James asked.

Lily smacked him.

He laughed. "What? We get so many bloody memos from Scrimgeour, I don't even read half of them!"

"I know," Lily said, her eyes displaying amusement. "You see the word 'event' in bold and you toss it in my direction so that I can buy our two tickets."

James grinned, kissing the side of her face. "Hey, you're the one who actually likes going to these events."

"Oh, please, Mr. Auror of the Year," Lance chimed in, giving one of his oldest friends a look. "I'm pretty sure schmoozing comes second nature to you."

"I blame my parents and all of those stupid New Year's Eve balls we held in our ballroom."

"I love how he says 'our ballroom' so casually," Keegan snorted. "As if everyone has a ballroom in their home."

James snickered, shrugging sheepishly. "Again, you can blame my parents for that one. Mum was the one who gave me the Manor when I was only eighteen."

"Oh, yes, and living there hasn't given you a big head at all," she said sarcastically. But there was a smile on her face. She glanced over at Lily. "Promise me your ego will remain in check when you move in."

Lily grinned. "I can't promise that. Remember, he not only has a ballroom, but he has a pool!"

We all laughed. "Okay, fine," Keegan sighed. "But I hope you don't mind me crashing by that pool every day this summer."

"Deal."

"Ahem, don't I get a say?" James whined.

Lily glanced at him, amused. "You're telling me that Sirius won't always be crashing at our place due to the big-screen TV, foosball table, and fully-stocked refrigerator?"

James hesitated, narrowing his eyes in scrutiny. "You're right, we'll never be able to get rid of him."

"And when was the last time that refrigerator was fully stocked?" Lance snorted.

"It will be when I'm there!" Lily said.

James grinned. "I'm really going to like this whole living-with-a-girl thing."

"Ah, it all makes sense now," I spoke, laughter rolling off my tongue. "You just asked Lily to move in with you for the benefits of real food."

"No," James argued, giving me a look. "That was only about two-thirds of the reason."

None of us were all too surprised when Lily smacked him. "The other third better be because you love me."

James smiled sheepishly. "We'll talk later."

"Don't make me smack you again."

James laughed and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "You know I love you," he whispered, reaching over to squeeze her hand. They shared a smile, and I couldn't help but smile myself. Sometimes their relationship amazed me. Nearly four years later, they still acted like lovesick teenagers. They were still very affectionate with each other, sharing kisses during stolen moments and holding hands under the table and giving each other looks of gratitude and adoration. They made loving someone look so easy. But glancing over at Remus, Sirius, and even Keegan, I was reminded how difficult it could really be. Not to say I didn't enjoy being with Keegan, but she had always been really good at keeping her heart at a distance. Not just from me. From all of us.

My thoughts were interrupted when Lance spoke. "Hey, the blonde's walking away!"

All of our heads swiveled to the bar where, sure enough, the blonde girl was disappearing into the crowd, leaving Sirius alone with the brunette.

"Alright!" Keegan cried out. "Black may be an idiot, but I certainly enjoy when I can make money off of him." She reached into the pot and grabbed four galleons, dispersing the other eight evenly to Lily and Lance.

"Agreed," Lance said with a grin. He hesitated. "On the money part. Not the idiot part."

Five pairs of amused, skeptical eyes stared back at him.

He chuckled. "You're right. I agree on both counts." He hopped out of the booth, holding up his empty beer. "Considering Sirius jipped us, it's time for another drink. Anyone want anything?"

"Gin and tonic," Lily requested.

"Whiskey sour," said Kay.

"Another beer," James said.

"Cosmopolitan," Keegan chimed in.

I grinned. "Rum and coke."

Lance stared at us blankly. "You guys do realize I don't have six arms, right? I'm coming back with my beer and a whiskey sour for Kay. Sorry, the rest of you are shit outta luck."

Kay grinned while Lily rolled her eyes. "We call that favoritism, Gilmore," she whined.

"No, we call that Lance-ain't-getting-any-tonight-if-he-doesn't-please-his-ladyism," James said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kay slowly raised an eyebrow. "Be glad my drink is empty, or you'd be getting a little bit of whiskey and a lot of sour on that crisp white shirt of yours."

James couldn't help but laugh as Kay slid out of the booth. "I'll come help, Lance. Although maybe we don't buy James a beer."

"Hey!" he whined.

"And that's what we call non-favoritism," Lance snickered as he grabbed a hold of Kay's hand and headed towards the bar. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw them join Sirius and the brunette, who looked like she may have had one too many drinks. Then again, that's how Sirius liked his women: full of alcohol.

My ears perked up when I heard Lily ask Remus about future living arrangements. "Do you and Sirius plan on living together still?"

Remus nodded. "As far as I know, yeah. Makes the most sense I think."

"Y'know," Lily started slowly. "The couple that lived across the hall from us just moved out a few weeks ago. You and-"

"Hell no!" Keegan interrupted, shooting Lily a glare. "First, you're moving out. Now, you're suggesting that Sirius Black becomes my neighbor. Did I do something to piss you off?"

Lily laughed. "Hey, it was merely a suggestion. The landlord and I are good friends. And since I've been living in that building for three years, I know that he could give them a good rate."

"Ooh, good rate?" Remus said, sitting upright. I knew that his job didn't pay well (and as a Quijudge, neither did Sirius'), so 'good rate' probably sounded pretty damn good to him.

"No, she's lying," Keegan said quickly, pouting. "The wizarding economy sucks. If anything, they'd inflate the rate."

"Wasn't it just yesterday morning that one of the headlines in the Daily Prophet was 'The Booming Wizarding Economy Continues to Grow?'" James asked.

Keegan glared at him. "Do you just read the Daily Prophet to throw headlines back in my face?"

"Sometimes, yes."

Keegan glanced down at her empty cosmopolitan. "I really wish I hadn't finished this already or you'd be dealing with a very nice pink stain on that white shirt of yours."

"Wow, two threats of drinks being thrown in your face in a matter of minutes," I teased. "Must be a record for you."

"This is James Potter we're talking about," Remus pointed out.

"Good point. Two threats are most likely barely a blip on his radar."

James shrugged. "It's true," he said with a cheeky grin. He gestured his thumb to Lily beside him. "This one alone claims she's going to throw a drink in my face at least twice a day."

Lily laughed. "It's going to be more now that I'll be living with you."

"Oh, great," he murmured.

"If I were you," Remus said, "I would try to remember to keep another shirt handy at all times."

"Or two," I added with a grin.

As another round of laughter filled the table, Remus nodded towards the bar. "Why is it that we can't go anywhere without Sirius snogging some girl in public?"

We all swiveled our heads to see, sure enough, Sirius and the brunette making out on the dance floor. "That is so wrong," Keegan murmured, making a face.

James shrugged, a cheeky grin spreading across his face. "No, it looks like he's doing it right."

Keegan shot him a look. "Okay, fine, that is so disturbing."

"Like you and Fabian here haven't had your own share of public snogs?" Lily snorted, giving her roommate a look. "And I'm pretty sure 'public snog' is actually under-exaggerating."

I grinned. "She makes a damn good point." I glanced over at Keegan who simply shrugged casually, not letting it faze her. That was what had really drawn me to her in the first place. Her relaxed attitude and her inability to feel embarrassed. She made everything look so easy and I had never seen even the slightest bit of temper flare from her. The only person that has ever even ruffled her feathers was Sirius. I had yet to determine why, but it didn't bother me. Nowadays, Sirius Black could be a difficult person to appreciate. I think the rest of us have just known him for so long that we're accustomed to his smug ways. "How about we practice one of those public snogs now?" I teased, giving Keegan a suggestive look.

She laughed and shrugged. "I do love this song," she teased. She grabbed my hand and with a dismissive wave to the others (who were all groaning), headed out to the dance floor with me right behind me. Seeing as it was a Tuesday, the bar wasn't too crowded, but there were still a number of people on the dance floor. The music was probably our favorite part parts of coming to Blarney's. It was one of the few wizarding bars in the area and thankfully we actually could sing along to the music and order our favorite drinks.

"So how do you feel about Lily moving out?" I asked.

A frown crease formed between her knitted brows. "I don't know."

"Oh, yes, please don't hold back," I teased.

She smirked as I twirled her around. "It'll be…" she trailed off.

I frowned slowly, sensing discouragement and disappointment in her expression. "It'll be what, babe?" I asked softly.

"Different."

"You're being vague again."

She cracked a smile. "I don't want anything to change."

"What would change?"

She didn't respond, humming under her breath to the Weird Sisters song that just came on. I could tell she was trying hard to act supportive of Lily and James, but she was definitely feeling down. It was clear she was trying to hide her disappointment. That's one thing that Keegan did rather well: hide her true emotions. "Nothing, never mind."

I instinctively brushed a strand of hair from Keegan's face, an intimate gesture that brought her eyes up to lock with mine. "Hey, what's wrong?" I said softly.

"Nothing."

I gave her a look. "Yes, there is."

She frowned. "Look, I'm used to people leaving by now," she murmured, stepping out of my grasp with a stony look. "I've become accustomed to big changes occurring. Change pretty much sums up my entire life."

"Whoa, no one is leaving," I argued, recognizing that by 'leaving' she really meant 'abandoning.' "Lily's just moving elsewhere."

She simply shrugged. "Same thing."

I stopped dancing, frowning. "Are you afraid that you're not going to be friends with her anymore? That by Lily moving in with James, you're-"

"No, I'm just…" she interrupted, turning her gaze away from mine. I could see frustration building up inside of her. I just wasn't sure if it was directed at me or directed at herself. "I just know that with moving comes change. That's all."

There was that vagueness again. I had a feeling she was referring to her last boyfriend who I knew she had lived with for quite some time before they broke up. Those are pretty much the only details I know, however. She doesn't talk about her past much. It bugged me at times, but I've learned to realize that it's a lot easier for Keegan to attempt to be optimistic when focusing solely on the future. I had no idea what her past included, but it was enough to make her never want to look back. A part of me understood it. The part that lost my brother by the hands of Death Eaters. The part that saw danger and violence in my everyday work. The part that has witnessed the rise of Voldemort and his followers. I recognized tragedy. And I saw it on Keegan's face every time I looked at her. "You're right," I murmured. "Change is inevitable. Like how you're going to be stuck with me a lot more now that you're roommate-less."

She couldn't help but laugh and I saw that flicker of fear and frustration immediately disappear from her eyes. "Hm, y'know, that might be change I can live with," she joked, grabbing my hand to get me to attempt to dance again.

"Might be?"

She laughed. "Hey, a girl needs some independence as well," she teased.

"Is that what you said to your last boyfriend?" The words were out of my mouth before I realized I was saying them and I regretted them instantly.

She narrowed her eyes, letting go of my hand immediately. "What is that supposed to mean?"

I cringed. "Nothing." I shook my head guiltily. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

"But you did," she argued. "So clearly it meant something."

"No, really, it doesn't," I said pleadingly. And honestly, it didn't. I knew how much it bothered here when I tried to pry past information about her, and for now, I was okay letting it go. We may have been dating for quite some time, but we were still learning a lot about each other. We were both private people and it took a lot for either one of us to open up. In the beginning, I liked that. I liked just having fun and not getting terribly personal too fast. But now, I wondered exactly where we were headed. I didn't ask her, however. Sometimes it was just easier being in the dark. "I was just thinking about your last roommate situation and he popped into my head. That's all."

"Oh, gee, I'm glad that my ex-boyfriend is popping into my current boyfriend's head." Sarcasm dripped from her every word.

I sighed testily. "I'm sorry I brought it up," I murmured.

"Oh, yeah, that sounded sincere."

"I am sorry," I protested, giving her a look. I shrugged curtly. "I shouldn't be, but I am."

"Okay, and what is that supposed to mean?"

I pursed my lips hesitantly. "It just means you seem to like to keep your past very private. Which is fine except-"

"There's a reason it's called the past," she interrupted coolly.

"I know," I retorted. "I know all about keeping the past in the past, Keegan. I get it. I just-"

"There isn't anything to get, Fabian," she interrupted, her eyes blazing with defensiveness.

I frowned. "Clearly there is."

A flicker of fear shone in her eyes. "I don't want to talk about my ex-boyfriend or the past, Fabian. I don't want-"

"You never do."

"So? You don't talk about your ex-girlfriends or your past. So why am I the one being interrogated?"

"I'm not trying to interrogate you," I muttered with a sigh. Although, she had a point. She wasn't the only one who kept the past in the past. The difference was, she never asked about mine. "I'm just trying to get to know you."

"You do know me, Fabian," she said pleadingly. "You know me in the present and you will know me in the future. Can't that be enough?"

I wanted it to be. I just wasn't so sure it could be. But I found myself nodding, not sure why I brought any of this up in the first place. She always grew so tense when I asked her any questions regarding the past and we inevitably ended up annoyed with each other. "I'm sorry I brought it up."

She didn't respond. She simply stepped back into my arms and I forced out a smile. I loved being with her. But I was afraid that at times, she didn't love being with me.

++KEEGAN++

I knew that I often became overly sensitive whenever Fabian (or anyone) tried to dredge up the past. But anyone with my past probably would. If I didn't focus on my future, I would get stuck living with the what-ifs and the what-could-have-beens. I had lived in a world of those questions three and a half years ago. I escaped those questions by escaping France and by escaping myself. And I try not to look back. I usually don't. But when the questions and concerns start being asked by the guys I'm dating, I start to panic. In part because it was too painful thinking about my past. But it was because I would start to ask the what-ifs and the what-could-have-beens again. Until I break up with the guy because I can't handle the prodding anymore. And then the cycle begins again.

Truth is, I've been with Fabian longer than a lot of guys from my past. Damien and Tristan excluded. But Fabian seemed to really understand how much I hated opening up about my past. He rarely questioned me about it and didn't expect much from me. I liked knowing that I could have my fun with Fabian without wondering when our expiration date was. It was easy being with him. Comfortable. And I liked comfortable. I didn't want to screw that up.

Actually, I didn't want to screw anything up. I've lost a number of friends over the years from break-ups. Not just the guys themselves, but their friends as well. With Lily moving out and Fabian starting to wonder more about me, I was afraid it might be time for me to just break up with Fabian and start anew. Starting anew was something I excelled in. I've moved more times than I could really count in the past four years. I was impressed that I was able to keep a steady job at the Daily Prophet for the past two and a half years, if we're being frank. Probably because I've learned not to hang out much with my coworkers outside the office. I don't mix business with personal if i can truly avoid it.

Then again, I could barely mix personal with personal. I've done such a damn good job at keeping the first nineteen years of my life a complete mystery to those around me now, I've even begun to wonder who I was anymore.

++KAY++

I know I'm one of the lucky ones. I know that my life has turned out so much better than I ever could have expected. I know that happiness was often hard to come by during a time of tumultuous war and yet I couldn't have been happier with my life. But while I knew all this, it was always great to be reminded.

As we trudged out of Blarney's around midnight, our joyous laughter led the way. Keegan's arm was snaked around Fabian's waist as his arm draped comfortably around her shoulders. Lily and James strolled hand-in-hand, stealing kisses every few seconds as they trailed behind the group. I somehow found myself riding piggyback on Lance's back as he occasionally twirled around with an impish smile as I groaned. Sirius meandered ahead of the group calling out over his shoulder to us to hurry our lazy coupley asses (his words, not mine) while Remus shook his head in disbelief at his tipsy best friend and roommate.

"Tonight was fun," Remus spoke up, ignoring Sirius' continual groaning rant. "I'm always in favor of an impromptu Blarney's run."

"You're starting to sound like Sirius," Lily giggled, resting her head on her boyfriend's shoulder as she gripped his hand even tighter if that was even possible. It was as if she were afraid if she let go, James might rescind his offer of her moving in with him.

"Oh, Merlin," Remus muttered with mock horror. "I am, aren't I? I take it back. I hate impromptu Blarney's runs."

"I can still hear you, y'know!" Sirius cried out, stopping in the middle of the sidewalk and whirling around to glare at him, hands on hips. "There are worse things to be besides me, my old friend Moony!"

"Really? I can't think of one," Keegan spoke up with a cheeky grin.

Sirius rolled his eyes at her. "Face it, Rouge. You had fun tonight. Even with my presence."

Before Keegan could come up with some sort of witty retort, Lily chimed in. "Of course we had fun," she spoke, a coy smile flaring. "It's always fun to watch you make a fool out of yourself, Sirius. Make sure to say hi to your second cousins for us the next time you flirt with them, okay?"

Sirius scowled. "Oh, you want to mess with me, hm?" he retaliated, throwing back his head and laughing as he immediately started rushing towards her with an impish look on his face.

Lily shrieked and let go of James' hand, hastily removing herself out of Sirius' way as she darted behind Lance and myself in order to use us as her shield. She attempted to flit one way while Sirius was darting the other way and I slid off Lance's back when we both lost momentum. Lily let out a cross between a squeal and a laugh as she suddenly took off through the empty streets, Sirius quickly behind her. "LEARN TO TAKE A JOKE!" I called out after them, the rest of us laughing at the scene unfolding in front of us.

"Merlin, such children we have to deal with," Lance sighed overdramatically, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Well, yeah, this is Sirius Black we're talking about," I pointed out with a laugh.

"Think we should go after them?" Fabian chimed in, the laughter still resting in his eyes.

"Looks like Sirius has got it handled pretty well," Lance chuckled as we watched Sirius finally catch up to Lily and teasingly tackle her to the grass surrounding a school playground. Even in the dark I could tell he was now attacking her with a tickling frenzy based off the cackles coming from him and the joyous shrieks escaping Lily's mouth.

When I glanced towards James, I was oddly moved by the smile on his face. He looked happy. And it had been a long time since I can remember seeing him truly happy.

"Tickling the girl into a coma won't make me change my mind about moving in with her!" James cried out, glancing at all of us in amusement before jogging over to his best friend and girlfriend.

"Save me!" Lily's voice rang out, peals of laughter quickly following.

"C'mon, that playground is calling our names," Remus chuckled, shrugging as he followed his best friend to the night-covered playground.

"I call the swings!" Lance shouted, hoisting me once again atop his back as he rushed after Remus.

"Ooh, a seesaw!" Keegan laughed, grabbing Fabian's hand and chasing after us.

I could blame the alcohol that coursed through all of our veins but I had a feeling it had more to do with the fact that we were all enjoying just living in the moment. We have all had those times where we lived in fear of the future or where we lived regretfully of the past. But that night, that late night where the half-moon was the only light on the playground to illuminate our way and all we had to think about was each other goofing off in a playground, I knew it was all about the present. And in the present, it felt good just being happy.

Once James was done wrestling Sirius playfully, the two of them and Lily found themselves playing on the monkey bars. I saw James gaze around at the group, just as I was doing from the swings, while he casually leaned up against the monkey bar ladder. He rolled his eyes but let out a laugh as Sirius and Lily competed vigorously against each other to get across the monkey bars. Which was amusing to watch seeing as the both of them could just as easily have walked across the cedar chips on the ground considering the monkey bars were only four feet off the ground.

"We're all going to be okay, aren't we?" I heard James say, his voice getting stuck in the vast air. If I hadn't been paying attention to him, I probably wouldn't have heard it either. But it was weird seeing him so happy. And I was thrilled.

"What was that!?" Keegan cried out from the seesaw.

James chuckled and cried out, "Things really are going to be okay, aren't they? We're going to survive this?"

He didn't have to explain what 'this' was. To us, we knew he just meant life. And there were plenty of times we questioned if we would ever be able to survive it. Survive ourselves, survive our fears, survive love and our relationships, and inevitably, survive the war.

Keegan and Fabian shared a meaningful look. Even I turned towards Lance who was grinning from ear to ear as he reached over from his swing to grab ahold of my hand. Remus smiled as he slid down the plastic winding slide, and Lily disqualified herself from the contest against Sirius and sauntered over to her boyfriend, kissing his cheek and grabbing his hand.

Sirius jumped down from the monkey bars as well, a suggestive smile on his face. Uh-oh. I knew that look. He was about to do something completely stupid and childish.

"'At first I was afraid,'" he sang, teasingly linking arms with Lily and James. "'I was petrified! Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side.'"

"You have a horrible singing voice, Padfoot!" Remus shouted from the bottom of the slide as he groaned while his friend attempted to sing "I Will Survive."

"'But then I spent so many nights,'" he continued, flipping Remus off, "'Just thinking how you did me wrong. And I grew strong. And I learned how to get along!' Well, Lily? Take it away!"

"You've heard me sing, Sirius," she said dryly. "The bluebirds sleeping in the trees right now would drop dead at the first note. And, may I add, you are so drunk right now." She grinned.

"Yes, I am!" he teased, grabbing her hand and forcing her to dance with him. She laughed as he started the song up again. "'And so you're back! From outerspace! I just walked in to find you here with that sad look upon your face!'"

"'I should have changed that stupid lock. I should have made you leave your key. If I'd known for just one second you'd be back to bother me!'" Lance cried out in between his laughs. I turned to him, shocked.

"Oh, no, not you, too," I groaned with an amused smile.

He merely grinned and grabbed my hand. "Come dance with me."

"You are drunk, too," I giggled, but I gladly obliged. I couldn't remember the last time any of us had this much fun.

"Nope, just happy," he whispered, leaning over to kiss me before twirling me around and continuing the song. "Go on now go! Walk out the door! Just turn around now, 'cause you're not welcome anymore!"

With a single look, Keegan and Fabian joined in, rushing off the seesaw and doing a fake tango as their laughs chorused together harmoniously. "'Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with goodbye. Did you think I'd crumble,'" they sang together. "Did you think I'd lay down and die!"

And suddenly, I couldn't help myself. None of us could. As the couples twirled each other around playfully, the guys dipping the girls and the girls giggling like school children (perfect setting for that, I guess), while Remus and Sirius sat atop the monkey bars with wide grins on their faces, all of our voices rang together (though some a tad more off-key than others), conviction and determination in every single one of our tones. "'Oh no not I! I will survive! Oh, as long as I know how to love, I know I'll stay alive! I've got all my life to live, I've got all my love to give, and I'll survive. I will survive! Hey, hey!"

Happy tears sprang to my eyes as I took a look around at my friends and realized how far we've all come. James and Lily were finally moving in together, Remus was slowly getting over his horrible break-up with Jillian, Sirius was wearing a real smile - a smile I hadn't seen from him in quite some time, Keegan and Fabian looked more adorable today than they did when they were first dating, Lance and I were booking our own honeymoon and getting one step closer to our happy ending, and for once, Riley was a mere distant memory. As Lance dipped me and kissed me with a sense of overwhelming adoration, I felt relief filling every crevice as my heart at the realization that all of us will survive. We had to.

Just like James had said, maybe, just maybe, things were going to be okay with all of us. And it was the first time in four years I really felt like that may be true.

A/N: Aww, bonding moment! A shorter chapter but I hope you enjoyed this fun-filled group Blarney's outing. At this point, I'm really just trying to set up every couple and and every friendship in a cohesive way before we dive into the dark stuff. Because let's face it - we all know the dark stuff has to come. They're in the middle of a war and James/Lily have to encounter Voldemort three times at some point before they die. On top of that, there are a lot of people in this story that don't exist in J.K. Rowling's world so...well, sadly, I'm sure you all know what that means. Please review!

Up next: Ministry events, more Sydny, and what is a frying pan being used for if not for cooking?