Goodbyes On The Balcony

by ByeByeBirdie

3 years after Hogwarts, James and Lily are back with old and new friends by their side. Their lives are motivated by fear, their world surrounded by immense danger. As they each fight for their lives and for their loved ones in a world centered around Voldemort, the struggle to survive the war against him is nothing compared to the struggle to survive the wars within themselves.

57. Of Love

A/N: I'M SORRRYYYYY! I kept going back and forth about some of the scenes in this chapter and I didn't want to publish it until I was happy with it. I had some major inspiration today at work and then raced home to write this exactly the way I envisioned it. And voila, here is that final product.

Disclaimer: Even so many years after the Harry Potter series has come to an end, I am thankful to J.K. Rowling for giving me these characters to work with.

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Goodbyes on the Balcony

Chapter 57: Of Love

By ByeByeBirdie

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++SIRIUS++

"Oh, please not another potion!" I whined as Harriet wandered through the door.

She chuckled as she placed it on the bedside table. "Do you want to get out of here or not?"

"And leave you behind?" I said with a mock gasp. "Never!"

"You British boys are far too flirtatious, y'know that?" she smirked as she filled the cup and handed it to me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, there are other British boys flirting with you? I demand to know who!"

"Don't you have a girlfriend?" she chuckled. "C'mon, drink up."

I made a face as I took a sip of the potion, immediately following it up with a look of revulsion. "Don't you have any potions that don't taste like tar?"

"Yeah, but it's more fun to watch you make that face."

"And I thought I liked you," I said with a dramatic sigh as I shrugged and downed the rest of the potion in one gulp.

"Only awake for a few hours and you're already flirting with other girls," a new voice chimed in from the door. "Does Keegan know about this?"

Glancing behind Harriet, I smiled at James. "She encourages it if it gets me out of here faster."

Harriet rolled her eyes. "It won't. I only administer the potions. I don't have a say on when you can be released."

"Then why the hell am I not flirting with Stonebridge?" I whined playfully.

That earned a laugh from both of them as Harriet gathered up the potion beaker and empty glass and left the room.

"What are you doing here?" I asked James curiously. "I thought visiting hours were over."

"They are, but I was able to convince Stonebridge to let me in for a few minutes. I, uh…I wanted to talk to you without anyone else around," he murmured.

I saw a nervous crease settle into his forehead as he took a seat in the chair beside my bed. "About what?" I said with intrigue.

He hesitated before saying, "Us."

I blinked. "Er…no offense, Prongs, but you're not really my type. I was just kidding when I said I should be flirting with Stonebridge."

James shot me a look. "Not what I meant."

I chuckled. "Alright, then what did you mean?"

"You know what I meant."

Meeting his wary gaze, I slowly nodded. Of course I knew what he meant. Prior to Sunday, he was pretty keen on hating my guts, expectedly so. I had been cast aside as a mere afterthought, someone simply not worth his time. I had betrayed his trust in the worst way possible and I paid the ultimate price of losing out on the best friendship I had ever had.

And four days later, he had been one of the first in my room when I had woken up from unconsciousness. I hadn't thought about it in that moment because I had had several other things on my mind, but after he left, it did suddenly hit me that he had been there. I hadn't known what it meant, but I also wasn't sure I wanted to question it. But here James was now, questioning it for me.

"Yeah," I murmured. "I do."

He frowned, running his fingers through his hair nervously. "Lily and I are back together," he blurted out.

My eyebrows shot up into my forehead. "Nothing like a near-death experience to realize what you really wanted, Mr. Cliché."

He scowled. "I could go back to hating you, y'know."

I let out a light chuckle. "Does that mean you don't hate me now?"

As he locked eyes with me, I saw regret staring back at me. Slowly, he shook his head. "You're my brother, Sirius. No matter what happens between us, that will never change."

My heart skipped a rather relieved beat as a nervous flutter filled my stomach. "You did not give me that impression the last time we spoke," I pointed out hesitantly.

He shrugged. "I…I said some things I didn't mean," he murmured. "I was angry and hurt and-"

"Justifiably so," I muttered, cringing as I thought back to the memory I had prayed I'd one day be able to suppress. "It's okay if what happened to me doesn't just give me an out, James. I don't really deserve to be forgiven. Merlin knows I'll never be able to forgive myself so I wouldn't expect you to."

James glanced at me with a cocked head, his eyes narrowing with a bit of curious anticipation. "You risked your life to save the love of mine, Sirius," he spoke softly. "It was stupid, but noble all the same. It's not just her that owes her life to you. I owe you mine, also, because my life means nothing without her."

I smiled feebly, not willing to admit that that was precisely why I risked so much to save her. I could have thanked him. I could have added sentiment to an already sentimental moment. I could have told him that I needed him in my life. But I went with my usual: a joke. "Nothing like a near-death experience to realize we can be brothers again, Mr. Cliché."

He rolled his eyes. "Have you always been this cheeky or is this the near-death experience talking?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Probably a little bit of both," I encouraged with a shrug.

He smiled, though it was strained with guilt. "I hope you know that if you had died, I would have found a way to heaven just to-"

"I'd try hell instead."

"-to kill you all over again for thinking you could handle that death trap of a house all by yourself."

"I wasn't all by myself. Alice was there."

"Oh, yes, so instead of one against twenty it was two against twenty. My mistake," he drawled.

I grinned sheepishly. "You're not getting any answers out of me."

He hesitated before shaking his head. "I…I don't think I need them anymore," he admitted with a small smile.

Interesting, considering just earlier that day he was practically begging for them. Smirking, I said, "Oh? Any chance that has something to do with Lily?"

He chuckled, offering another shrug. "I thought I needed answers, but…"

"Turns out you just needed her?"

The smile on his face said it all. He loved her and needed her and wanted her all wrapped up into one. I was so grateful that the two of them found their way back to each other. Neither were whole without the other. James deserved to live his life again and Lily deserved to realize how much she needed James. And that's what I had been thinking about the entire time I had been in that house.

"But Sirius?" he murmured, interrupting my reflections. "I hope you know that your life is worth living just as much as Lily's is. You never should have felt as if her life meant more than yours."

I glanced at him, my heart racing at the truth behind my actions. The truth I was planning on burying in the bottom pit my heart to be forgotten about one day.

I slowly shook my head, struggling for something to say that would satisfy James. "It wasn't that I felt as if her life was worth more than mine," I muttered, which was only half-true. "It was the fact that I couldn't believe any of our lives meaning anything without her in it. She's…she's Lily."

She was the girl who had always been there for all of us even when we weren't always there for her. She was the girl who loved each of us in her own way. She was the girl who struggled through her own set of challenges and came out a stronger person, making us all believe in the power of true adversity. So when I was going through that house and meeting Death Eater after Death Eater and having the house crumble underneath my feet, she gave me the strength to persevere. I couldn't have left that house without her. It was going to be both of us surviving or both of us dying for what we believed in. I'm just glad it was the former.

"Well," James muttered with a shrug. "I guess I can't argue with you there."

I glanced up at him, almost forgetting that he was even standing there. "So, she's, uh…she's not too pleased with me right now, is she."

James hesitated before meeting my gaze. "She almost lost you, Sirius."

"Almost."

He shrugged. "Think about how you felt in that house when you thought you were losing her. It's no different than how she felt the moment she woke up and was told you might not lie."

It was the first thing anyone said since I woke up that actually struck a true chord with me. "Oh" was all I could say.

"Look, after speaking to her, I think she's trying to deal with it all. Trying to move past it. But you're kinda that last piece of the puzzle."

"If she's trying to move past it, shouldn't she be here trying to talk to me?"

He shrugged hesitantly and I got the sense that there was more to her side of the story that he wasn't telling me. "She's struggling with what happened on Sunday," he muttered. "That includes almost losing you. Just…just talk to her."

"That's kinda difficult when I'm stuck here and she won't come talk to me."

James hesitated. "You've got a point there."

I cracked a smile. "Any chance you could convince her to come?"

James grimaced. "Er…"

"You already tried convincing her, didn't you."

"I tried and I failed," he said with a sigh. "She basically told me that if I wanted to be with her, I needed to stop bringing you up because she'll deal with it on her own time."

"Hm, do you really want to be with her that badly?"

It was meant as a joke but I found it rather alluring when a sincere smile crept on to his lips. "Yeah, I really do."

I rolled my eyes. "Well, now that you're completely useless to me, I think your visiting hours have officially come to an end."

He rolled his eyes. "Can I go back to hating you now?"

I couldn't help but smile as I shook my head. "I'd much rather you didn't."

He looked as if he was contemplating my comment before shrugging. "Alright," he said hesitantly. "Then in the spirit of our rekindled friendship, what do you say to helping me out with a little favor?"

---

++LILY++

Things were finally falling into place.

Almost.

Because there was still one thing that I couldn't seem to move on from no matter how hard I tried. No matter how hard I told myself that James had been the answer to my prayers on that fateful Sunday evening. No matter how hard I tried to forget about the events that occurred on that horrible day.

I had my reasons for practically begging for death on Sunday.

But what reasons did Sirius have?

---

++SIRIUS++

They released me and Alice from the hospital on the evening of the next day, and it seemed like the whole world came out to greet us in the lobby. Mrs. Potter was there next to Dezzy and Drew. Frank and his mother were beaming with Fabian right behind them. James, Remus, and Peter were starting rounds of "I will Survive" much to the dismay of the nearby Healers. Kay and Lance were attempting to start the wave, while Riley and Rhett merely laughed at them. And standing in front was Keegan with the largest smile I've ever seen.

The only noticeably absent one was Lily.

Who was the only one I had hoped would show up.

As I knocked on her bedroom door, I wondered what I could possibly say to her that might alleviate her frustrations with me. I knew a part of her would hate me for risking my life for hers, but I also knew that Alice had kept her promise and told Lily what I had said that night of the attack. So I had to dig down deeper and find out what was really bothering Lily because I had a feeling it was something I was missing.

When she opened the door, I saw the displeasure already displayed in her eyes. "Why am I not surprised that you're here?" she murmured, leaving the door open as she whirled around and headed back towards her bed.

"Because you know me."

She rolled her eyes.

I sighed, leaning up against the doorframe. "Lily-bean, please talk to me."

"Why should I?" she muttered. "You were so keen on killing yourself, I may as well pretend you succeeded."

Ouch. "Well, that's a tad harsh, don't you think," I murmured.

"You know what's a tad harsh? Losing a best friend because he's a thrill-seeking wannabe-martyr who was out to play a role of some pathetic hero."

Another ouch.

"But here's the thing, Sirius," she whispered, shaking her head, "Being a hero means nothing if you're dead."

Pulling myself away from her doorframe, I wandered over to the edge of her bed, grabbing on to the bedpost hesitantly. "But I'm not dead."

She frowned. "I know," she whispered. "And for the rest of my life, I will thank God and Merlin and Circe and anyone else out there for listening to my prayers to keep you alive. Because you deserve to be. Tell me, Sirius, why were you so convinced that you weren't?"

My brow furrowed. "What?"

"Why does your life have less meaning than mine?"

"It…it doesn't," I argued feebly.

"That's not the impression Alice got."

I frowned. "Then she was clearly relaying the wrong information to you."

Slowly, she shook her head. "Look, I…I get what it's like to be ready for death. I had six hours of practice in that house on Sunday. By the end of it, I was practically begging for it. Tell me that that thought never crossed your mind."

My heart began to race. "I told myself I would do anything to save you," I murmured.

"But why?" she begged. "Why did you feel that my life was worth dying over? Why was my life worth more to you than your own? Why were you so willing to give up your life for me? I know why I was ready to die, but why were you?"

I was taken aback by the desperation in her voice, and I opened my mouth to argue with her, but found myself unable to do so. Because while I had relayed to Alice the words I needed her to pass on to Lily and to Keegan, I had kept the words I had wanted to say to James in my heart only.

"Tell James I did it for him."

It wasn't just Lily's life I had been so desperate to save. It was James' life, too.

Lily was the one that James' heart belonged to. It always had since the moment he laid eyes on her as a prepubescent eleven-year-old. And it always would be. They were meant for each other. I believed in my heart that their love would conquer all one day, even if they hadn't been convinced. But I had betrayed their unconditional love for one another when I made the drunken mistake of sleeping with Lily in an extreme moment of weakness. Yes, other mistakes had been made, but ultimately, I was the one who caused a rift amongst all of us and James was right to hate me for it. And if giving back the one thing that I took away from him meant losing my own life over, it would have been worth it. They deserved a second chance at rekindling their unconditional love, but in order to do so, the two of them needed to be alive.

My bottom lip trembled as I dared to look up at her. "James needs you," I whispered as if that answered all of her questions.

She took a hesitant step back, staring into my eyes with bewilderment. "What are you…" she trailed off, not even sure what to ask.

I offered her a feeble smile. "These past few months have been awful for him. And we can stand here and say it's all his doing, but how can I blame the guy for wanting to do anything to protect someone he cared so deeply for when I did the same thing on Sunday?"

"So…" she trailed off, blinking curiously. "Yeah, I still have no idea what that means."

I ran my fingers through the back of my hair, falling on to the bed beside her. "He needs you," I whispered. "He needs this. He needs something to live for. He needs something to fight for. He needs you. And I needed to be the one to give it to him."

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter. I just had-"

"I think it doesmatter," she argued pleadingly. "Why did it have to be you?"

"It just did, alright? I owed him."

"Owed him for what?"

"For being the reason he ever believed you weren't worth fighting for!" I snapped.

Her mouth formed a shocked O shape as she jerked her head to stare at me. She said nothing at first, just staring at me as her expression changed from shock into realization. "You blame yourself for me leaving, don't you."

"No, that was James' doing," I was quick to argue.

"Up until the point where I told him about what happened between you and me. Then it became about you."

"Lily-"

"You were trying to make it up to him," she said in awe. "You were trying to save me for him. You didn't care about what happened to you as long as he got me in the end. You were willing to sacrifice your friendship for our relationship. Hell, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for our relationship!"

I cringed. It sounded so awkwardly gallant when she said it, which is not what I had ever intended. I just did what I thought needed to be done. "I…I just…I…" I trailed off, not even able to defend myself because she was right. The truth that I had been too afraid to admit came tumbling out and now I was afraid Lily was just going to hate me even more for having such a ridiculous reason to putting my life in jeopardy.

"You're an idiot, Sirius, y'know that?"

I sighed, hanging my head in shame. "Lily, I'm sor-"

Before I could finish my sentence, she reached out and embraced me. "But I love you, you idiot," she whispered.

I froze in shock. "Er…what are you doing?"

She pulled back, an affectionate smile resting on her face. "I'm hugging you because you may be the most wonderful, selfless human being on the planet," she spoke softly, her smile fading into concern. "And if you ever pull anything like that ever again, Voldemort won't need to kill you because I'll do it myself."

I blinked in surprise, realizing she wasn't angry at all. "You're not mad at me?"

She hesitated tersely before saying, "I'm mad that you almost died for me. I'm mad that you blamed yourself for me leaving when it had nothing to do with you. I'm mad that any of this had to happen. But I can't be mad at the guy who saved my life. Like I said, I love you, you stupid idiot."

"You didn't use the word 'stupid' before."

"I embellished."

I offered her a sad smile. "Look, I know I might not have gone about it the right way, but all any of us want to do is protect the people we love. Sorry to say this, Lily-bean, but you and James just happen to be two of those people. I did what I had to do."

She hesitated. "No, you didn't, but I appreciate it nonetheless."

I rolled my eyes. "I tell you I love you and you nag me? This is why I never tell people that."

"Except for apparently Keegan."

I grinned sheepishly. "She told you about that, eh?"

"It might have come up."

I could only chuckle, grateful for the change of subject. As I turned to her, I could see the joy in her eyes that had been absent since the day James told her he didn't love her. It was as if she ready to turn over a new leaf, and I couldn't help but want the same thing. Neither one of us spoke of my reasoning for saving her after that night. She never told James and neither did I. We let him believe I was just desperate to save a friend and while I certainly was, he didn't have to know that I had actually been desperate to save two friends – both Lily and James.

So instead of dwelling on that Sunday, Lily and I let ourselves move forward. We stopped thinking that that day had to define us. The past would always be there, but it didn't have to haunt us anymore. The future was ours to do with whatever we wanted. We could mold ourselves into the people we wanted to be with the people we wanted to be with. We could fight for our lives and fight for each other as that would always be worth fighting for. In a way, we had all needed Sunday's battle in order to give us meaning to our lives again. It was heartbreaking and even a bit cliché to think that a near-death experience drove us to strive for the things we wanted and needed, but whatever the reason was, we were all ready to live the lives we wanted to live and not the ones we felt forced into living due to the frightening truths that lurk in the midst of a dangerous war. It was time we all looked forward with hope and not in fear.

"Just for the record, Sirius," Lily said, interrupted my thoughts as she turned to smile at me. "I love you when you're not being an idiot, too."

I grinned. "Y'know, if you keep saying that to me, James may start to get suspicious," I teased.

She rolled her eyes, shoving me with her shoulder. "I take it back. You're nothing but a pain in the arse, Black."

I chuckled, shoving her right back.

She turned to me with a sad smile, slowly resting her head against my shoulder. "But you're my pain in the arse," she whispered.

My heart skipped a beat the slight vulnerability in her voice. "What do you say we try to avoid the whole dying thing for at least a few weeks? Months would be more ideal."

She chuckled, lifting her head off my shoulder to shoot me a look. "Even after all these years, I can't help but wonder what had gone through your parents' minds when they named you Sirius."

"Well, they were crazy."

She giggled. "Ah, well that explains it."

I grinned, curling my arm around her shoulder and drawing her close to me.

"Sirius?"

"Hm?"

"I'm glad you're okay," she whispered.

I smiled, glancing down at her. "Of course I'm okay. Because you're okay."

She nudged me with her shoulder and I felt that we weren't just okay in that moment, we would be okay in the future.

---

++KAY++

We all went out that night to celebrate. Celebrate what, I couldn't be entirely sure. Sirius being alive. James and Lily back together. Everything falling back into place. Maybe even happiness if that was even possible after everything we've gone through.

To give James and Lily some time to themselves, Lance and I told Remus the guest room was all his. It was nearing two o'clock in the morning when the three of us traipsed through the front door.

"I'm so happy those two are back together," I said for the thousandth time that night.

"It's about bloody time," Remus teased as he fell on to the couch with a stifled yawn.

Lance and I joined him. "After everything those two have been through, I never really thought they'd end up here," Lance said with a hesitant smile, wrapping his arm around me and drawing me towards him.

"After everything we all have been through, I never thought any of us would end up here," Remus murmured curiously.

Glancing at him, I offered him a reassuring smile because I couldn't help but know exactly what he meant. "Sometimes you have to go through the hard stuff to realize what truly matters."

The two of them glanced at me with slight amusement. "Well, someone is profound at two in the morning," Lance teased, ruffling my hair.

I laughed, smacking him away. "I'm being sentimental, thank you very much!"

He chuckled as Remus chimed in. "Merlin, sometimes I'm still surprised they got together in the first place the way they used to go at it in Hogwarts."

"Oh, the screaming matches!" I giggled, shaking my head. "Those two could row for hours."

"Well, yeah, they both refused to let the other get in the last word. So they had to go for hours because they couldn't walk away."

"I can't even count how many times those two had to go to the hospital wing because their fight ended up in a hex."

"I have to say," Lance chimed in, "Those two did provide much entertainment for the rest of us in the Gryffindor common room. My mates and I used to bet who would win what fight. I can't even recall how much money I lost over those two."

"Oh, yeah, I can't tell you how much money Sirius made from me off those two," Remus scowled.

"Maybe you two shouldn't bet on your friends," I snorted.

"Like you didn't do the same with Riley?" Remus smirked.

I hesitated. "Well, yeah, but I was smart enough to win."

I ducked as two separate pillows came flying towards me, a laugh on the ends of all our lips. After everything we have all been through, laughter really felt like the best kind of therapy. A single laugh put the past in the past. That day was about moving forward with our lives. We've been through a lot over the past few months, but it was as if none of it even mattered anymore.

That night as we all had gave ourselves reason to celebrate, it was as if we all made a silent pact to stop dwelling on the tragedies and heartbreak in our past and enjoy what our futures had to hold. We were all looking forward to love and marriage and all that came with it. We had all lost ourselves along the way – Riley disappeared because she couldn't face loving Sirius, I let Lance go because I was uncertain I could trust him, James pushed Lily away as a backwards attempt at protecting her, Sirius floundered for years unable to face closure with the girl who broke his heart, Remus became a broken shell of a human when Jillian stomped all over his heart. But ultimately, we all found solace in each other.

Because I knew in the bottom of my heart that none of us would have been able to survive the past few months without each other.

"Watching James and Lily find their way back together has made me realize just how far we have all come," Lance murmured as the two of us slipped into our own bedroom later that night.

I smiled in agreement. "Love really can be a miracle sometimes."

He grinned, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards him. "Yes, it's a miracle you've stayed with me after all the stupid things I've done."

I laughed, curling my around his shoulders. "I must be a saint," I teased, letting my lips dance lightly against his.

He smiled into the kiss, nibbling on my bottom lip. "I think I may love you more today than I did on the day I met you."

"Well, yeah. The day that you met me was in passing in the Hogwarts hallway when I was eleven," I chuckled at the reminder. "Riley pointed at you and said 'that's my idiot of a brother. It's best if we ignore him.'"

He laughed, tickling my sides as I burst into a fit of giggles. "Oh, who is she kidding? She loves me!"

I smirked, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and dragging him towards the bed. "She's not the only one," I whispered, tracing my tongue around his lips before pressing my mouth hungrily to his, an explosion of passion igniting between us.

We fell back against the bed, our lips exploring one another's, as Lance whispered, "In case you needed to hear me say it, I love you, too."

I was almost certain I wouldn't get tired of hearing that from him. We had strayed from one another for a mere second, but we found our way back to each other because that's the power of love. I had barely dated in Hogwarts until Lance came into my life and suddenly it was as if everything was falling into place. We have had our share of struggles, but we have come out stronger every time with the knowledge that we had each other to believe in. Lance and Lily and Riley and James and Sirius and Remus and Peter and all the new friends we have made since Hogwarts are the reason I am who I am today.

In a world where tragedy and heartbreak seemed to rule our lives, it was inspirational to know love and friendship was something that would ultimately keep us all together.

---

++SIRIUS++

"That's it!" I groaned, levitating another one of Remus' boxes into my flat. "No one is allowed to move ever again!"

"That's what you said the last time," Remus smirked, coming up behind me.

"It's not my fault James had to up and ask that girlfriend to move in with him!"

Remus laughed, levitating a handful of boxes into the apartment as a third voice chimed in from behind us. "Is Sirius complaining yet again?"

"Yeah, you might want to start getting used to it," Remus said to Keegan. "He does that a lot."

"So what you're saying is I should just break up with him now?"

"It's probably for the best."

"Nuh uh, she can't break up with me because she looooves me," I teased, dropping the box and grabbing her waist, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She swatted me away, but a laugh was on the edge of her lips. "For reasons that are unclear to me at the moment."

Remus let out a loud laugh as he disappeared into the apartment, leaving me and Keegan alone in the hallway surrounded by endless amounts of boxes. "Tell me you love me," I spoke slyly, pulling her into my arms with a smile.

She smiled, letting out an overdramatic sigh before wrapping her arms around my shoulders. "I love you, Sirius," she whispered, pressing her lips to mine.

"Oh, c'mon, in the goddamned hallway!?"

We broke apart, glancing over to where Lily stood. "This coming from the girl who had sex in the alley behind Blarney's," I smirked.

Lily's face turned bright red while Keegan's face grew with amused shock. "You did what?"

"Remind me to kill James later."

"Uh-oh, what about me?"

Lily whirled around to glare at him. "You told Sirius about the alley?"

James shot me a look before pursing his lips curiously, placing the lamp on to the floor. "What if I bought you a pretty diamond necklace and you forget this whole thing?"

She hesitated. "Good enough for me." She grabbed the lamp off the floor and headed into the apartment while the rest of us merely laughed, quickly following her.

I let out a stifled yawn and fell on to the chaise lounge I had helped levitate up the stairs with Remus. Keegan fell on to the couch beside me, burying herself in my arms.

"Oy, there are still things to be moved!" Remus argued, coming out of his bedroom. "No sleeping on the job!"

"Someone shut him up," I muttered, pulling a pillow over my eyes.

"Have you always been a Nazi?" Keegan sighed, glancing up at Remus.

"Heavy boxes coming through!" Kay cried out as she charged through the front door and off towards Remus' bedroom.

"Someone should help her," I muttered with a yawn. "James, be a peach and go see if our dear friend Kay needs a hand, will ya?"

"I am strongly considering slapping you right now."

"Allow me," Remus spoke, coming up behind me and smacking me with a pillow.

"OW! Dammit, this is what I get for helping you move?" I whined.

"Helping me move? Looks to me like the only help you're providing is to your lazy arse."

I laughed, shrugging. "Did you really expect anything more from me?"

"Alas, I did not," Remus laughed, waltzing back out the door into the hallway.

"What the hell are Keegan and Sirius doing sitting down?"

We all swiveled our heads towards the door where Lance stood holding a box.

"It's been a long day!" Keegan whined, grinning sheepishly at him as he put the box down on the floor.

Another voice spoke from the doorway. "I'm sweating my ass off from walking up the stairs with this box and you two are lying about while I do it?"

I rolled my eyes at Riley, whose eyebrow was arched impatiently.

"You're holding a box of pillows," Drew spoke, coming up behind her. "I highly doubt your ass is sweating and if it is, I'd be extremely worried."

"Feel free to smack Remus with one of those pillows," Sirius spoke.

"I HEARD THAT!" a muffled voice came from outside in the hallway.

Drew and his sister shared a confused look. "I have a feeling we missed something," Riley spoke.

"I have a feeling you're right."

"Nah, you just missed Sirius being smacked with a pillow by Remus for lazing about," Keegan said.

"Damn, I missed that? Maybe he should do it again so I can proceed to laugh at his expense," Drew teased.

I glared at him. "I know who else you can smack with a pillow, Riley."

Laughter filled the room and I was suddenly filled with such gratitude for the company I was surrounded by. These people had become more than my friends, they had become my family. I had given so many people a reason to run in the opposite direction but here they were offering their help. I'd like to think it was because of the pizza and beer we offered to buy them, but I also knew it was because that's what good friends did. It had been a long time since I let myself truly appreciate what good friends could really do.

"Where does this lamp go?"

We all turned to the sound of Dezzy's voice, an immediate groan falling from her husband. "What the hell are you doing carrying a lamp?" he whimpered, rushing over to her and grabbing it out of her hand. "Pregnant women get to opt out of the moving process."

"Oh, that's all you have to do to get out of helping these two move?" I mused, my expression turning contemplative. "Did I forget to tell you all I was pregnant?"

"I'm allowed to just throw the boxes of pillow at him, right?" Riley teased, shooting me a look.

"Yes," Lily said.

"Of course," Drew spoke.

"Absolutely," James agreed.

"Go for it," Kay insisted.

"I'm in favor!" Remus called out from the hallway.

"No complaints here," Peter urged.

"Please do," Lance declared.

"I'm surprised you haven't done it already," Keegan uttered.

When they all turned to face me, it was clear they couldn't help but laugh at the ostentatious pout I adorned. "I'm getting the feeling you're not exactly appreciative of me at the moment."

"No, no, that's not right," Keegan argued, sitting up on the couch to turn towards me. "We're not appreciative of you in any moment."

Laughter filled the apartment as I attempted to keep a straight face. I failed, laughter spilling out as I shook my head in disbelief. "That's what I get for helping Remus move?"

"You keep saying that, yet your arse is still planted on that chaise," Remus snickered, as he peeked his head into our apartment.

"It happens to be very comfortable."

"I know. That's why I bought it."

"Aren't I part owner now that I carried it up the stairs?" I whined.

"I don't think that would legally hold up in a court."

"Eh, it's worth a shot."

He laughed, rolling his eyes at me.

"How much more has to be moved in?" James asked, levitating a box of pots and pans towards the kitchen.

"There are only a few more boxes downstairs," Dezzy spoke. "I think all the furniture got moved already."

"How about the guys go get the rest of the boxes and the girls will make margaritas?" Keegan said with a sheepish grin. "Virgin margaritas for the pregnant women. Sirius apparently included."

I hesitated. "I knew being pregnant would backfire on me."

Riley opened her mouth to respond, but I cut her off. "And no, you can't attack me with the box of pillows!"

Another round of laughter filled the apartment as I finally climbed off the chaise lounge, letting my gaze linger on all of the guys in the room. "Alright, strong men. Let's go do some heavy lifting."

"You're going to have to find some strong men first," Kay smirked, shrieking as her fiancé grabbed her playfully and tossed him over his shoulder.

"Heavy lifting indeed," Drew teased as he watched Kay struggle against his brother.

Kay turned her head to glare at him. "Who you calling heavy?"

He hesitated. "I just shot myself in the foot there, didn't I."

"Little bit, yeah. Might I remind you that I will be helping make margaritas. If a laxative happens to spill into your drink, it wouldn't be the worst thing."

Raucous laughter filled the room as Lance reluctantly placed his fiancé back down on the ground, kissing her just to appease her. "Alright, men, let's get to work!"

As I jokingly jumped on to James' back, who groaned and swatted me off, it suddenly hit me how everything really was falling into place. For so long, things were led by fear and now it just seemed as if things were led by love. Love for ourselves. Love for our friends. Love for our significant others. I knew that a lot of my friends had questioned whether love could conquer all. We've certainly had plenty of reason to not believe that over the past few months, but looking around at my friends, I had a sudden thought that it wasn't just love that could conquer all but friendship also. We had all had our share of struggles, but we were all still there standing by each other's side. We weren't going anywhere. And after everything that has happened over the past few months, I think that was the true victory.

With Caleb and Wyatt and Mr. Potter's death, the attack on Potter Manor, James and Lily's break-up, Riley's unexpected return, Lance and Kay's break-up, the numerous attacks on our lives, Lily's torture, Sydny's death – it all was so tragic and heartbreaking. But we got through it. We got through it all. And we would continue to get through it all together.

"Y'know, mate," I said, clapping James on the back as we wound down the staircase. "I think we all may be alright."

---

++REMUS++

To match the array of boxes, the living room was sprawled with people. Sirius and Keegan were cuddled up on the chaise lounge while Dezzy and Drew were sharing the couch with Kay and Lance. Lily and James were sitting up against the edge of the couch and Riley was propping herself up by her elbows lying across the carpeted floor. Peter and I had grabbed chairs from the dining room.

"This batch is stronger, is it not?" Sirius mused, sipping the margarita slowly but purposely.

"No, that's just your drunkenness kicking in," Keegan teased, elbowing him playfully.

"And enjoy this batch because we are nearly out of tequila," I reminded.

Gasps filled the room. "How can this be! Tequila is our lifeline," James mocked.

"What else do you got around here?" Sirius asked, glancing down at his girlfriend seeing as we had gotten around to raiding her liquor cabinet as Sirius and I had run out a few hours prior.

"Rum. Firewhisky. Vodka. Gin. Wine. Beer," she responded with a laugh. "I'm pretty sure we're set in the alcohol department."

"Let's just throw them all together in a bucket!"

That earned Sirius ten stares of complete skepticism.

"Then again, that might be a terrible idea."

"Maybe I'll call in sick to work tomorrow," Drew joked, moving swiftly as Lance attempted to swat at him with his foot.

"Maybe I'll fire you," he retaliated.

"Then again, I'm suddenly feeling much better."

As laughter filled the room, I found myself filling with nostalgia as I thought back on the past few months. Everything had started to unravel, each of us losing hope in humanity. Once upon a time, everything had been so easy. We had been so happy. But as people started to die and others started to fall apart, we became a group of robotic zombies who started ignoring our feelings and just lived day to day because that's what was expected of us. We weren't ourselves. But glancing around at the people in that room, I knew we were all well on our way to getting back to the people we used to be.

"Remus," Lily said, tossing a pillow towards me.

I snapped out of my revelry. "Hm? What?

"Sirius just asked you a question."

"Oh…er, what did he ask?" I said sheepishly.

Sirius smirked and I suddenly had a thought that I didn't want to know what he asked. "I said, truth or dare?"

I blinked. "Oh, hell to the no. What are we, twelve years old?"

"No, we're drunk," he corrected with a chuckle.

"Don't you know all my secrets already?" I sighed.

"Yeah, so you should probably choose dare."

I shot him a look. "Truth it is."

Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes. "How many girls have you slept with?"

"Sirius," I groaned. "You already know the answer to that question."

"I have my suspicions, but seeing as you were keen on hiding Sydny from us, who knows how many other one-night stands you've had."

"Oh, gee, are we talking about me or you here?" I drawled. "I'm sure Keegan would love to know how many girls you've had the pleasure of defiling."

"Good thing it's your truth question and not mine."

"Whoaaaa, let's go back to Remus' question," Keegan said, poking Sirius in the ribs.

"Sorry, honey, but that's not the way the game works," he teased, kissing her cheek as he downed the rest of his margarita.

"Four," I muttered. "Now Sirius, truth or dare?"

Sirius hesitated. "Well, that totally backfired on me."

I grinned as I finished off my own margarita and help up my empty glass. "If we're diving into our deepest, darkest secrets, I'm going to need me another."

As I pulled myself off the chair and headed towards the kitchen, I heard Lily say, "I can't believe how far we've all come."

I smiled at the very thought as I poured myself another margarita, listening to her as she continued. "Seems like just yesterday, I was practicing new hexes on James after he annoyed me for the umpteenth time."

"So, like, yesterday?" Peter smirked.

"And now look where we are," she said as I re-entered the living room. "Somehow that guy who annoyed me pretty much every second of every day for six years is also the guy I'm living with."

Smile dawned both of their faces as James leaned over and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"Yeah, and who knew that Kay would fall in love with my idiot of a brother," Riley chimed in with a smirk.

"Hey!" Lance whined.

"Or that Drew and Dezzy would get together after years of being only friends," Peter spoke.

"I think the real miracle here is the fact that Sirius and Keegan got together. I'm pretty sure I heard both of them wish death on the other multiple times over the past year," I drawled.

"A lot has happened in our lives over the years," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at my comment. "But I gotta say, I don't hate where it's ended up."

"That's Sirius speak for 'I love you,'" Lily teased, poking Sirius' shin beside her.

This was the part where he would typically roll his eyes, but he merely smiled. "This might be the six margaritas talking, but I do love you guys. We've been through a lot but I couldn't imagine going through it with anyone else."

We all stared at him, half in awe and half in surprise, before Lily spoke up and said, "Someone cut him off before he starts crying and singing Dionne Warwick's 'That's What Friends Are For.'"

The room filled with laughter and I used that time to glance around, realizing just how perfect that moment truly was. Sirius had been right. We had all been through a lot. But we gotten through it with the help of each other. We had all lost a part of ourselves at one point or another, but as I looked at my friends now, I knew we'd be fine. Riley was marrying Rhett, Kay was marrying Lance, Lily was back with James, Sirius had been able to fall in love again, and I was just happy to know that none of us were letting the war dictate how we should live our lives. Love and friendship was all we needed to be happy and we had that with each other.

The truth was, a few months ago, I had been afraid that none of us would be able to be in the same room again with real smiles on our faces. We had all come a long way from Hogwarts and there was a time recently where all I wanted was to go back to those times when everything seemed easy and right. And maybe there were still days where I wanted that. But I no longer needed it. Jillian had crushed my heart in the worst way possible. I never thought I'd be able to get over that. I thought I needed her. But I didn't.

I had everything that I could ever need sitting right in front of me and I wouldn't change a thing.

---

++LILY++

Today marked the first day of the rest of my life. Something about it felt so right when for so long everything just felt wrong. The healing I had once struggled for was no longer choking me. I could breathe in my life again when for so long it felt incomplete. I had once felt trapped in a world that was crushing me with one blow after another. But I wasn't going to let this war define me anymore. It was time I just let myself be me, ready to live a life I had been desperately hiding from for so long. And the best part was, I got to do it with James by my side.

"LILY-BEAN, LILY-BEAN, LILY-BEAN!"

And apparently Sirius.

I strolled out of the kitchen to meet him in the foyer. "What are you doing here, Sirius?"

"James is caught up at work, but we're hitting up Blarney's."

"We were just there last night."

"What's your point?"

"And on Saturday."

"So?"

"And Thursday."

"Are you getting to your point anytime soon?"

I smirked. "Do you ever think you may be an alcoholic?" I teased.,

He waved his hand dismissively. "Or maybe I'm just severely into Melinda and can't go a day without flirting with her."

"Says the guy who supposedly loves Keegan."

He grinned sheepishly. "Oh, right. Do you mind not mentioning this conversation to her next time you see her?"

I laughed as I grabbed my purse off the coatrack and followed Sirius out. "I know it's been a while since you've been in a committed relationship, but here's some advice for you: if you want the relationship to last, you might not want to start it off with a lie."

"Hm, I'm going to have to remember that."

We both chuckled as we spilled out into the street, taking the walk towards Blarney's.

"So, you and James, hm? Back together and living with each other once again?" he contemplated.

I smiled, nodding. "I know. We're such a cliché, letting ourselves only love each other again after nearly dying last Sunday. I guess we can thank Voldemort for getting back together."

"Uh, or the guy who saved your life," he scoffed, elbowing me in the side.

I hesitated before shaking my head. "Nah, it's all thanks to Voldemort."

Sirius rolled his eyes, the ends of his mouth turned upward in slight amusement. "So can I ask, what does this mean for your Philadelphia job?"

I frowned. "I-I don't know," I murmured. "They gave me a week to recover, but I'm supposed to be reporting to them on Thursday."

I could see the disappointment in his eyes. "So…so you're leaving?"

"I-I don't know," I spoke softly, realizing that I had actively spent time not thinking about the inevitable as I wasn't sure what to do. "I-I don't want to, but…"

"No, no but," he pouted.

I chuckled nervously. "I don't really know what the 'but' is. I-I guess it's a little scary considering I don't exactly have a job lined up here so what would I stay for?"

"James," he blurted out.

I looked up at him in surprise. "That is a pretty good reason, hm," I commented with a chuckle.

I knew Sirius was right, but so much of me felt guilty for turning down the Philadelphia job after spending so much time going after it. It was still a great opportunity even if it was across the ocean, but I also didn't want to give James and me another reason to fall apart. I knew we were stronger now than we had been before, but we had never attempted to do long distance. Would that be just as hard to survive as the war has been for us?

I didn't respond, unsure what I even felt or thought, as we rounded the corner towards Blarney's. As my gaze fell on the bar's awning, something felt very off about it. I slowed my pace down as we grew closer.

Sirius glanced over at me, recognizing my sudden change. "What? What is it?"

"Why is it so dark?" I murmured, realizing that all of the outside lights were off.

Sirius looked up and shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe the lightbulbs are dead."

I shot him a look. "It's a wizarding pub. If the lightbulbs were dead, they'd use magic to fix it."

"Oh right," he said sheepishly. "I don't know. But there's only one way to find out."

I grabbed his arm before he could venture forward. "What if this is another trap?" I hissed. "What if there are Death Eaters inside waiting to murder us one by one?"

"Sunday's attack has really messed with your head, m'friend," he teased. "There are no Death Eaters inside, Lily-bean. You're overreacting."

"Are you willing to take that risk?" I hissed.

He hesitated before saying, "You go first. I'll back you up."

I shot him a look. "I guess your hero complex was pretty much limited to Sunday, hm?"

"I like to only play the hero once every few months. Otherwise, people expect it of me."

Laughter bubbled up in my throat as I attempted to glare at him. "This isn't funny! Isn't Moody the one always requesting that we have constant vigilance? This is one of those times!"

"Don't you think that the Death Eaters would have killed us by now as we stand out here debating the outcomes of our lives on the street right outside the bar?"

I hesitated. "I hadn't thought of that."

He laughed, nodding towards the entrance. "C'mon, I don't know about you, but I could really use a drink."

"Fine, but if I die in there, be warned that I'm coming back and haunting your soul for the rest of your life."

"I'll keep that in mind," he snickered, opening the door and gesturing me inside.

Rolling my eyes, I obliged and immediately froze. Instead of the usual track lighting and light sconces, candles lined the entire room – the bar, the tables, the windowsills – and overhead, strings of white lights hung from the ceiling raptors. Flower petals were scattered across the floor and the entire bar was empty save for one person standing in the middle of the room holding a single red rose.

"James?" I whispered.

He smiled at me, taking the few steps to greet me. "Hi," he whispered back.

"What…" I trailed off, looking around in pure confusion. "What's going on?"

His smiled wavered hesitantly as he met my curious gaze. "You told me to give you a reason to stay and I have given you two. The first one was a kiss. The second one was me. Well, even if that was enough for you, it wasn't enough for me."

My brow furrowed. "What are you-"

"We spent a lot of time apart because of my mistakes and today is the day I want to make up for every single one of them."

"James-"

"You mean everything to me. You always have. You've kept me going during times of turmoil. Just seeing your smile gave me the strength to move past the tragedies I've been forced to endure. Hearing your encouraging words gave me hope. And knowing that at the end of the day, you were there to love me was enough to give me a reason to live. I took that for granted. I took you for granted. I let this war get inside my head and I let you go because I had forgotten for just a brief second that it had always been you to get me through the tough times. Well, I'm here now to tell you that I will never take you for granted again. I love you, Lily, and I need you in my life."

My breath hitched at the sentiment behind his vulnerable words. "You have me," I whispered affectionately.

His eyes clouded with hesitation. "I don't want you to just be the girl I love or I need, Lily."

I felt my eyes narrow in pure confusion. "What…what are you talking about?"

His smile soared with admiration as he said, "I want you to be the wife that I love and I need."

I froze, my mouth dropping as I watched him kneel down in front of me and pull out a small black box. I felt myself gasp as he reached for my hand and opened the box to reveal a gorgeous diamond ring. "Marry me, Lily," he whispered.

I don't think I've ever been as shocked as I did in that moment. James and I just got back together and now he was down on one knee begging me to marry him. My mouth dropped open, astonishment filling every crevice of my mind as I attempted to wrap my mind around that moment. The rest of the room faded away – the lights died out and the flower petals became nonexistent as I stared at him with such hopeful anticipation.

"You…you want to marry me?" I sputtered out incredulously, my eyes torn between staring at his eager eyes or at the engagement ring in his hand.

He smiled. "Of course I do," he spoke softly.

I was finding it very hard to breathe, realizing that I had been waiting for this moment for months – years, really. And it was finally here, yet I was completely caught off-guard. I didn't know what to think or say or even do. That moment felt so surreal. For so long, I thought James and I were destined to be apart and here he was now begging me to spend the rest of our lives together. So yes, it felt surreal. But it also felt incredibly refreshing.

"You do realize we just got back together," I pointed out with a small smile. "One could argue you're moving quite fast."

He grinned at me, shaking his head. "Others could argue I didn't move fast enough," he whispered.

He had a point there.

"I should have done this a long time ago, Lily," he spoke softly. "You're it. You're the one for me. There's no one else out there I'd rather spend the rest of my life with."

"Not even Sirius?" I teased, though my brow furrowed at a sudden realization. Glancing behind me, Sirius was nowhere to be found. That sneaky bastard.

"He's a close second," James chuckled. "Now, should I be feeling nervous at your obvious attempts at stalling? Are you trying to find a way to let me down easily? Because personally, I was kinda banking on a yes here."

I felt my own smile fill up my face as I glanced down at the man who made my life have meaning. Before him, I was merely a girl hiding in the shadows just trying to get by in life desperately trying not to be noticed. But James Potter wouldn't let that happen. He noticed me from my first day at Hogwarts and never let up. We had certainly had our ups and downs – the first six years were a good example of the "downs." But then came one shocking Christmas Day where I had discovered that I didn't hate or resent James. I actually liked him. I really liked him. At some point between sixth and seventh year, he had drawn my attention in such a subtle way, even I had overlooked it. But we had just kept going back to one another, no matter how many arguments or bickering matches we shared. No matter how much we made each other angry. No matter how many times we stormed off from each other or tore each other down with hurtful insults. We just couldn't get enough of each other. Even when I tried so hard to push him away, he always pushed right back into my life. Even now when there was so many reasons to flee in the opposite direction, my heart was with him. It would always be with him.

He was it. He was the one for me. There was no one else out there I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.

"Yes, James," I whispered, my heart fluttering with overwhelming love. "I'll marry you."

The look on his face when I said yes said it all. He pulled himself off the ground with an excited whoop and closed the gap between us to press his lips feverishly to me. I giggled with delight as he curled his arms around me and lifted me off the ground, his lips never leaving mine.

When we did pull apart, he pressed his forehead to mine with five simple words that summed it all up for me. "I love you, Lily Evans."

I smiled, wrapping my arms tightly around his shoulders. "I love you, too, James Potter," I whispered. "Now let me see that ring."

He chuckled, placing me back down on the floor as he pulled the ring out of the box. Reaching for my hand, he slipped the ring on to my left hand, leaning down to kiss me as he did. "This ring should have been on your finger since our Anniversary," he murmured, admiring my hand dreamily. "I'm sorry I spent so much time being so afraid."

Smiling, I shook my head. "Fresh start, remember?" I whispered, staring at the ring glistening from the candlelight for a brief second before wrapping my arms around his shoulders once again and kissing him.

He smiled into the kiss, his lips dancing lightly against mine. "Fresh start it is," he agreed, giving me one more tender kiss before pulling away. Throwing his head back, he cried out, "SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!"

I chuckled, shooting him a curious look. "Why are you shout—Holy Hufflepuff!" I interrupted my own words as crowds of people fell from the kitchen. My mouth dropped as I realized all of our friends were there. Remus and Peter led the group with beaming grins, followed closely by Kay on Lance's back. Dezzy's fingers were in her mouth as she whistled loudly with Drew by her side, and Keegan was holding up her drink with a sly smile. Frank and Alice were there alongside Fabian. Next to them was Riley and Rhett, followed by Mrs. Potter who had tears in her eyes. And now standing behind the bar was Melinda, pulling out a bottle of champagne. Everyone looked genuinely happy for us, and I was genuinely happy that they could be there to witness this moment.

"What the hell would you have done had I said no?" I said to James, shocked.

He pretended to think about it. "I would have had my friends and family here to comfort me as I cried into my beer."

I laughed, grinning giddily. "Then I guess it's a good thing I never would have said no," I whispered, smiling as he pressed a kiss to my cheek.

Glancing around, I noticed Sirius was still absent. I was about to ask James where he ran off to when much to my surprise, I felt a rather large body hop on to my back with a loud cheer. "TOOK YOU TWO LONG ENOUGH!"

I stumbled forward with a yelp as James laughed, grabbing my arm before I could topple to the floor. "Do you mind not crushing my fiancé, Sirius? That would ruin the engagement just a tad, don't you think?"

He climbed off of me, ducking as I attempted to swat at him. "How ironic. You two finally get engaged and I kill the bride-to-be," he teased.

"Yes, and only a week after saving her life," Remus snorted, coming up behind us. He immediately clapped James on the back and drew me in for a hug. "Well, it's about time you crazy kids settled down together."

I smiled, stepping out of Remus' grasp just to be enveloped by another pair of arms. The hugging train continued until I spoke to all of them and they all congratulated us one by one.

"Is it time to pull out the champagne yet?" Sirius whined, standing behind the crowd with his arm dangling from Keegan's shoulders.

I grinned, glancing towards Melinda behind the bar, but it was James who spoke. "Crack out the champagne, Melinda. Tonight, I'm buying."

"Shouldn't you be putting your money to better use like, oh I don't know, planning a wedding?" Kay snorted.

"I'm thinking we should just elope. We're already planning to attend far too many weddings this year," he teased, winking playfully at her.

We all couldn't help but laugh at the thought of the three engaged couples in the room marrying within the year – Riley and Rhett, Kay and Lance, and Alice and Frank.

"Yes, but tonight is about you, not the rest of us," Riley urged, smiling at me and James, as Sirius began to hand out champagne flutes to everyone.

"Ah, a perfect segue into the toast portion of the evening," Sirius said, his eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh, Merlin, please don't embarrass us," James whimpered, his arm instinctively wrapping around my waist.

"Moi? Embarrass you? Never!" he argued haughtily.

That only earned him a round of laughter.

He rolled his eyes, though his lips were tugged upwards in amusement. "So how many people here have heard the chocolate sauce story?"

The room erupted in groans, though I could only laugh at the reminder.

"Well, let me tell it to you from a slightly different perspective," he urged. "I had just met dear James here about ten minutes beforehand by total chance. I-I had just spent the entire morning listening to my mother and father spout out prejudicial conjectures about how Slytherins are the only respectable students at Hogwarts and to make sure I get in with the right crowd on day one or face the shame of an entire house."

"Ah, yes, a totally normal conversation topic at the breakfast table," Remus teased.

Sirius cracked a smile as he continued. "When we arrived at Platform 9 ¾, they immediately sought out the Lestranges and it was expected of me to sit with them on the train. Imagine my surprise when I found Rodolphus being heckled by noneother than James Potter."

He grinned. "Yeah, that sounds like me."

"When James took a look at my parents, he scurried off clearly not willing to taunt a kid in the presence of adults, but boy do I remember my parents warning me to stay away from him."

"You probably should have listened. I'm nothing but a troublemaker," he teased.

He laughed. "Well, even at the time, I knew my parents' thoughts and beliefs were misguided though I didn't actually know the extent of it until I actually got to Hogwarts and saw the extreme divide between those who worshipped the Dark Arts and those who didn't," he murmured. "But either way, I spent all of ten minutes sitting with Rodolphus and his brother and my horrible cousin before I was desperate to find another compartment to hang out in."

"Y'know, this is sounding more and more like the time you and James met and fell in love instead of about his relationship with Lily," Keegan teased.

Sirius laughed. "I'm getting there!"

"Well, could you hurry it up? My champagne is losing patience in your long-winded anecdote," Kay argued.

He shot her a look. "Hey, it took James forever to propose to the girl! I'm using that as my inspiration."

He ducked as James attempted to swat at the back of his head. Grinning, Sirius continued. "I found James with Riley out by the food trolley and he asked me if I was friends with the Lestrange kid. I think I laughed and said something along the lines of 'hell no' and that was all it took for James to invite me to sit with him in his compartment. On our way back, James stopped outside another compartment that just so happened to house our dear Miss Lily-bean with Snape. And naturally, James felt it necessary to show off which ultimately backfired on him at the time. Oh boy did Lily-bean get angry! Then again, who wouldn't be with chocolate sauce all over your robes? Riley was trying to warn her not to yell at James as he belonged to a rather prominent family and in the wizarding world and she didn't want Lily to start Hogwarts on the wrong foot, but Lily wouldn't have it. She didn't care who he was. She continued screaming at him, calling him incompetent and arrogant, and anyone else probably would have fought back or apologized or done anything to alleviate the awkwardness. But not James. He said nothing, taking her screams and her shouts and her insults because he had clearly known he had deserved it. And to this day, I haven't forgotten the smitten look on his face as he did. He was hooked. Enamored. Mesmerized. And that was the moment James Potter fell in love with Lily Evans even if he hadn't realized it at the time."

Nostalgic smiles rested on all our faces as we recalled that day eleven years ago. It was amazing to think that at the time, I had believed James Potter was nothing but a scumbag who wasn't worth a second of my time and now here I was, engaged to the same guy.

"Of course it took a lot longer for Lily-bean to come around, but we are all so grateful she did. They really are the perfect couple. So I ask you all to raise your glass and toast to the happy couple," Sirius finished, holding his own glass in the air. "It took them a long time to get here, but they were destined to be together since the start."

"As were apparently you and James," I teased, but I smiled at him and took a sip of my champagne as a thanks to his toast.

"Yeah, but alas, he chose you over me," he sighed with a sigh of mock disappointment.

We all laughed as Kay spoke up with her own toast. "Well, imagine my surprise when Lily told me that a guy I had been convinced she fiercely despised had kissed her supposedly out of the blue. Actually, if I recall, the time she was referring to was the kiss they shared right after he had slapped her."

"You did what to her?" Keegan groaned, causing the rest of us to burst into laughter.

"Oh, have you not been privy to that story?" Kay said gleefully.

"It was an accident! Accident!" James argued, shaking his head in disbelief as our laughter drowned out his desperation.

"Well, once upon a time, James had a knack for punching Slytherins," Kay snickered. "Yes, he was quite inclined to use his fists instead of a wand. Great wizard he is, hm?"

"How about we not discuss my wand skills?" he muttered.

"What wand skills?" she argued. "You never used a wand! You much preferred to use your fists."

"That's because someone was always around to snatch my wand before I could go and hex them," he pointed out.

"Ah, yes, 'someone' often being Lily," she teased. "To which after you punched a guy, she would proceed to yell and scold you for being an idiot. Just like the time you slapped her."

"Accidentally slapped her!"

"Yeah, well apparently being slapped turns her on because moments later the two were getting hot and heavy with a nice snog session," Sirius chimed in with a smirk.

"Don't make me slap you," I said with a laugh, my cheeks burning slightly with embarrassment.

"Hey, some people are into S&M!"

"Sirius," I groaned at the same time that Mrs. Potter did. I shared a laugh with my pseudo-mother, who was shaking her head with a whimper.

"Too far?" he teased.

"Unless you want me to start listing all of your kinky past discretions, I'd advise keeping quiet," I pointed out.

"Duly noted."

"Ah, speaking of kinkiness," Remus chimed in, already laughing. "I do recall a rather entertaining list that you and Sirius devised at the end of our seventh year at Hogwarts, James."

"Reminder: my mother is present," James warned with a sheepish grin as those who were aware of what we ultimately dubbed the "Kinky List" all burst into knowing laughter.

"Please," she snorted, shooting her son a look. "Like I didn't know what you and Lily were up to when you two were home for Brite's funeral. I recall my daughter walking in on you two in the shower, hm?"

Roars of laughter filled the pub, but not from me and James. All they got out of us were faces of scarlet embarrassment.

"Well, this just got awkward," James murmured with a hint of a smile.

"So, what about this list, Remus?" Mrs. Potter asked with a playful smile.

"Someone please change the subject," James whimpered.

"Ah, yes," Remus said, ignoring James completely. "It all started out when either Sirius or James accused the other of being kinkier than them. And yes, that is a typical conversation these two used to have at Hogwarts."

"Oh, good, I'm glad I get to be part of the embarrassment train also," Sirius drawled sarcastically.

"And in order to prove the other wrong, the obvious answer was to write a list of all the various places that these two have had sex."

"This just keeps getting better and better," Keegan said, her eyes lighting up.

"And if you think that that was repulsive enough, then you clearly don't know these two. Because they spent the rest of the year trying to top that list by getting it on in every random nook and cranny in the castle they could come up with alongside their significant others."

"I'm glad to hear your time spent at Hogwarts was put to good use," Fabian teased, shaking his head in amusement. "Here I thought the last few weeks at Hogwarts were meant for studying for N.E.W.T.s!"

"Evidently not," Remus smirked.

"Okay, you're officially not allowed to say anything else," James whined.

He grinned, holding up his champagne glass. "Here's to many more years of kinkiness for you two."

Both James and I rolled our eyes as the rest of our friends held up their glass and repeated, "To kinkiness!"

"I'm beginning to think we should have kept our engagement between us," James whispered in my ear, pressing a kiss to my temple.

"I'm beginning to think we should find new friends," I giggled.

"Nonsense!" Lance barked, shaking his head profusely. "I'll never forget when I got a letter from Kay informing me that James and Lily were together. I replied telling her she should go to Madam Pomfrey for a psych evaluation."

More laughter as Fabian chimed in. "I remember when Gideon passed the rumor on to me. I ran off to find Sirius for confirmation because I didn't believe my brother in the slightest. Imagine my surprise when Sirius told me that yes, hell had frozen over."

"You guys hated each other that much?" Keegan asked with a curious smile.

"No, they're all totally exaggerating," James said, rolling his eyes.

That caused an uproar of incredulous snorts and knowing scoffs. "You two expressed your hatred for each other on numerous occasions," spoke Riley. "A day didn't go by without one of you wishing death upon the other."

"Another exaggeration!"

"You had a list of all the ways you could take Lily out and make it look like an accident."

James' expression turned sheepish as I turned to look at him. "That does kinda scream out hate," I accused.

"Like you didn't have the same list," he said with a teasing grin.

"No, I didn't care if my ways of killing you looked like an accident or not. Going to Azkaban would have been worth it."

"The romance between you two is overwhelming," Drew drawled, causing another rift of laughter.

"Hah!" Sirius snorted. "Romance was so not the driving factor for these two crazy kids getting together. James had to kiss the girl four times before she finally caved."

"Ah, yes, and three of those times he had a girlfriend, didn't he?" Frank chimed in with a smirk.

"And you thought he was boyfriend-material?" Keegan groaned, shooting me a pointed look.

"No, which is why it took four kisses until I finally agreed to go out with him," I laughed.

"Four kisses, an accidental slap, and a fist fight if I recall correctly," Alice spoke up, wiggling her eyebrows.

"A what now?" Keegan cried out in shock.

"Ah, another story I see they've neglected to tell you," laughed Alice, shaking her head. "The infamous fist fight on Christmas Day, only a week before they got together."

Keegan's jaw was on the floor by this point. "You two truly are more screwed up than I thought," she snorted, shooting both myself and James a look.

"What can I say?" I chuckled. "James finally struck my breaking point. Listening had not been his forte back then so instead of continuing to yell at him, I chose to clock him in the face."

He grimaced. "Yeah, I really don't need the reminder. I sported that black eye for a week."

"You deserved it."

He shrugged. "I thought that was it for us," he mused, staring down at me curiously. "That whole night went so terribly wrong, and…and I thought I had screwed it up for good. I thought I lost you."

I smiled nostalgically. "You didn't even have me at that time," I reminded him.

"No, but I had a chance, no matter how small or insignificant it was at the time," he said with a lopsided smile. "And I was convinced I completely lost whatever minute chance I had with you after the things I did and said that night."

"You've always had me," I whispered, leaning into his side with a smile.

"Please don't make us vomit up our champagne," Sirius drawled, causing me to shoot a glare his way.

"If I recall, you did everything within your power that week to push the two of us together. So our romantic tendencies could be blamed on you."

He made a face. "If I had known how truly nauseating you two would be, I would have ceased the Get James and Lily Together Operation altogether."

"Oh, you would not have," I chuckled. "You thought we were destined for each other."

Sirius could only smile. "And was I not right?"

My heart skipped a beat as I glanced up into the loving eyes of my now fiancé. "Yeah," I whispered. "You were right."

As my fiancé beamed down at me, I knew that everything about that moment was everything I had ever wanted.

I had Kay and Riley who had been the best friends a girl could have asked for and while there had been a rough couple of years, I was grateful that we could rekindle what had once fueled us.

I had Sirius who wouldn't just be the guy who saved my life in the literal sense but in the emotional sense as well, as he had always been there for me when I needed someone to remind me that life was worth living.

I had Remus who was my conscience and my soul when I, myself, had been too afraid to listen.

I had Mrs. Potter who would always be the mother I never thought I'd get the chance to have.

I had Dezzy who was the sister I lost and Drew who had always shown up with a smile on his face to prove that life moved on.

I had Alice and Frank who had fought for my life too many times to count.

And I had the love of my life in my arms who I was going to get to spend the rest of my life with.

Nothing else mattered anymore except this moment. The war was a distant memory, no longer ruling our lives with fear and panic. We were taking control of our futures instead of drowning in them. I had lost the will to love for a short period of time, but it suddenly occurred to me that love could conquer all if we allowed ourselves to be open to it. For so long so many of us believed that Happily Ever After truly belonged in fairytales, a mere farce of anticipative hope for a long and happy future that inevitably just caused unexpected heartbreak and letdowns. And we certainly had our share of both. James had shut down at one point, followed quickly by me, but we had reclaimed our lives and in doing so, we were reclaiming each other.

Eleven years ago, I thought I wanted nothing to do with the man standing in front of me. Eleven years later, I couldn't imagine my life without him.

"I love you, James," I whispered, solidifying the rest of our lives in just four simple words.

He smiled. "I love you, too, Lily."

I guess Happily Ever After can exist.

---

++JAMES++

It had been a long time since I was truly happy, but staring into the love in my fiancée's eyes, I've never felt such joy. She was beautiful in every sense of the word and I was the luckiest guy in the world to know her. I was a better person because of her. And I wanted to be better for her. My life had gone astray for so long but I only had to share one look at Lily to know that she was my life. Because it meant nothing without her.

We didn't get back to Potter Manor until nearly four in the morning. We cheered with our friends, rehashed old stories, laughed over the times we used to hate each other (Sirius enjoyed telling everyone the many ways Lily sent me to the hospital wing), recalled the night I broke up with Kristina for her, reminisced on past Anniversaries, and ultimately spent the night celebrating each other. When smiling seemed impossible for so long, it felt good to have something to truly smile about.

"Wait, wait, wait!" I urged, when she started to open the door.

She jumped, turning to me curiously. "What?"

I grinned goofily, reaching over and grabbing her, pulling her up into my arms and cradling her as she shrieked the whole way. "What are you doing?" she laughed, smacking my shoulder.

"Carrying my bride-to-be over the threshold, dear," I said with a teasing wink, struggling with the door handle underneath the weight of Lily and finally pushing open the wrought-iron door.

"Uh, you're a little early for that, dear," she smirked. "You're supposed to do that on our actual wedding night."

I blinked. "Oh," I said. "It's not bad luck to do it before we're married, is it?"

She laughed, reaching over and capturing my lips with hers. Pressing her forehead to mine, she slowly shook her head. "I think we've had enough bad luck as it is that carrying me over the threshold is barely a blip on the bad luck radar."

I chuckled, kissing her once again before placing her back on her feet. "I love you, y'know that?"

"I had my suspicions," she teased, wrapping her arms around my shoulders and drawing me close to her. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you more," I argued.

"I don't think that's possible."

"Try me."

"I cried over you for weeks."

"I cried over you for months."

"Every time I saw you, I felt as if my heart was exploding."

"Every time I saw you, my heart did explode."

"I wanted to grab you and kiss you every time I was around you."

"I wanted to grab you and kiss you even when you weren't around."

"Do you have to one-up me on everything?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

She let out an exasperated sigh. "I'd smack you, but you're too cute to hit."

"Ah, something we do agree on!"

She let out a laugh, her laughter ringing so beautifully in my ear. It had been a long time since I've heard that laugh. I actually tried to remember the last time I heard it and I actually came up blank. My heart ached at the realization that I had caused that. I hurt her so badly that unhappiness was something that came so natural to us both.

I vowed then and there that I would devote the rest of my life to making sure she never lost the will to laugh ever again.

I gripped her waist tighter, suddenly feeling as if I never wanted to let her go. I wanted to hold on to her for dear life and tell her all the things I neglected to over the past few months. I wanted to remind her every day that I loved her with all my heart. I wanted to be the one to make her laugh and smile. I wanted everything to feel okay if even just for a moment with the knowledge that we'd always be there for each other.

"Are you still going to Philadelphia?" I blurted out when I realized we had never broached the subject since that day in the hospital.

She blinked, stepping back slightly in surprise. She stared at me curiously before a shy smile broke out. "Now why would I go to Philadelphia when I have everything I could ever want right here with you?"

Out of all the words that Lily Evans has ever spoken to me, those could quite possibly mean the most.

I grinned, instinctively pulling her off the ground and swinging her around as I let out a short cheer. She laughed, her grasp tightening around my neck as her legs swung around my waist so I was holding her up. Her forehead touched mine once again, the love in the air speaking for itself.

"Hey, guess what?" she whispered, her green eyes fluttering with amusement. "We're engaged."

I nodded, chuckling lightly as I pressed a kiss to her nose. "Yes, I think I remember being the one doing the proposing," I teased, running my fingers through her red locks.

She grinned, her legs tightening around my waist as she pulled herself back slightly to look into my eyes. "So," she mused curiously, a suggestive glint twinkling in her eye. "What do engaged couples do?"

I smirked. "Oh, I think you know," I whispered, dipping my head towards her.

An impish grin spread across her face as our lips met, an explosion of love and desire filling every crevice of our hearts.

As I later watched her drift off to sleep, her naked body pressed up against mine, it hit me that I was going to be able to do this for the rest of my life. She was the girl I wanted to share all of my future kisses with. She was the girl I wanted to hold tight and never let go of. She was the girl my heart exploded for. She was the girl I wanted to love and cherish in any way I could. She was the girl.

I spent so much time pushing her away and trying to protect her that it only just hit me how much I really needed her. I couldn't survive this war without her. I couldn't survive myself without her. I had thought the best thing for her was to give her the freedom to live her life, but neither of our lives had much meaning without one another. It was easy pushing love away, it hurt a lot less holding on to the people you truly cared about. And I had so many people who had my back and who in return I'd be there for in every way.

When I looked back on my life, it wasn't the tragedies or the sad times I thought about. It was all the good memories we all had shared together for nearly eleven years.

I recalled when I met Sirius for the first time at Platform 9 ¾. Even as an eleven-year-old boy I could tell he was unhappy and I wanted to be the one to put a smile on his face. And we've been putting smiles on each other's faces ever since. The day Sirius showed up on the doorstep of Potter Manor with a look of helplessness on his face and shame in his eyes was the day he truly did become my brother in every sense of the word.

Remus had dealt with a lot of adversity but was stronger today than he ever was. I'll never forget the look on his face when Sirius, Peter, and I confronted him about being a lycanthrope. He had actually thought in that moment that we were about to rescind our friendship with him and instead we spent the next two years perfecting the art of becoming Animagi. While most people believed Sirius was the one behind all of our troublemaking, I think we actually had those full moons to truly thank. We wouldn't have been able to sneak around and learn the ins and outs of the castle without those monthly nighttime strolls.

Peter had always been the quiet boy and it took him a while for him to warm up to us, but we wouldn't be the Marauders without him. If Sirius was the jokes and Remus was the logic, Peter was the stealth. He had always been sly, always getting away with a lot more than the rest of us because he walked around with an air of innocence. Growing up, people always wondered where he fit in or why we included him in our group, but what they never understood was that we weren't a group without him. We each had our roles and considered ourselves equals. It wasn't our differences that made us the Marauders. It was our equality.

Kay had found her calling in life in Lance. She was meant to love him and he was meant to love her. They had had some struggles – one unfortunately break up in particular, but it came as no surprise that they found their way back to each other. They needed each other. Just like I needed them. The two of them have been constants in my life since our seventh year at Hogwarts. I could always count on them. And I knew that I'd always be able to count on them.

I had met Riley when I was just a baby. And I grew up with her over the next eighteen years. She was the girl who had once known everything about me. She knew what I was feeling before I even felt it. She showed up at those few moments I had needed her to be by my side. The four years I missed out on with her would always hurt. It was sad to know I lost out on that time with the one girl I had known for my entire life. But she came back. It took a while for all of us to trust her again, but she was still Riley. She was still the girl that knew everything about me. And I knew moving forward, she'd always be there. And that's all I could really ask for.

And then there was Lily. I think a part of me had fallen in love with her the moment I set eyes on her back as an unknowing first year just starting to make his way in the world. She had weirdly been there every step of the way, even if at some times it was because she was yelling at me. But even those moments I cherished because they were still memories I got to share with her. She was the only girl I ever wanted to share memories with. And I knew in my heart that I would.

I knew that Voldemort was still coming for us. But I finally just got Lily back and there was no way in hell I was going to lose her again. I had tried pushing her away in an attempt to save her, but we still made our way back to each other. Now, I was going to hold on to her tightly and never let her go.

It was about damned time I started fighting for love instead of running from it.

---

++LOVE++

Love isn't easy.

It's not perfect.

It's not some fairytale or romantic film or fantasy you've built up inside your head for years to come.

Love is overcoming any obstacles standing in your way.

It is protecting one another from harm.

Love is being with each other during the good times and the bad.

Love is holding on to one another and never letting go.

It is believing in each other more than believing in yourself.

It is a small word but it is difficult to define.

It's easy to say but not easy to live and it's impossible to live without.

Love is hard work and it's loving someone even when you hate them.

Love is friendship and both are timeless.

It is never giving up and fighting for each other every chance you get.

Love could conquer all if you let it.

But most of all, love is realizing that every hour, every minute, and every second of every day was worth it because you did it together.

---

A/N: I published the first chapter of TotB on December 24, 2005. I started writing it in June of 2004. Which means I have spent almost TWELVE YEARS with these characters. These plot lines. These stories. And I just wanted to use this time to thank every single person who ever read this story, especially those who reviewed it, and definitely to those who have loved it. I hope it gave you as much joy to read it as it did me to write it.

There is an Epilogue so you have that to look forward to. I hope to get that uploaded within the week to give all of us the closure with this story that we all deserve.