Disclaimer: I own nothing.

WARNING: Language, light alcohol use, and sexual references in this chapter.

….

When Sirius woke up on Christmas morning he was surprised to find that the place in the bed next to him was empty. He lifted his head and glanced around but didn't see Luna anywhere. That was when he noticed the note on her pillow.

Sirius,

I'm in the shower. Want me? Come and get me!

Instead of a signature at the bottom of her note there were lip prints. With a devilish smirk Sirius practically ran to the lavatory that was attached to his bedroom. The sight that met his eyes made his jaw drop open.

She was standing under the showerhead with her back turned toward him, and he could see her form quite clearly through the clear glass of the shower door. As quietly as he could he made his way over to the shower, opened the door, stepped inside, and closed the shower door behind him.

Luna shivered when she felt his large hands on her shoulders, sliding down her arms and back up, but she had been expecting him to show up. She leaned her body back into his and watched as his hands moved to her sides, up her stomach, caressing her breasts expertly. Sirius might have been a virgin before last night, but he was no novice when it came to pleasing women. He'd done plenty of other things with girls in the past.

"Cold, love?" his deep voice teased as he licked the shell of her ear, biting down gently. Apparently her shiver hadn't escaped his notice.

"No, I am actually quite the opposite," she was almost embarrassed at how easily he affected her; she was already panting.

"Hmm, perhaps I can help you with that."

…

After a longer than usual shower, they emerged once again into his bedroom where they had left a small pile of gifts waiting at the foot of the bed. Sirius no longer received gifts from his family. Except for his cousin, Andromeda, who, like him, had been blasted off of the family tree.

Aside from Andromeda's gift, he also received small presents from Peter, James, and Remus. Luna likewise only had a few gifts. Mary, Alice, and Lily each sent her something and she was glad that she'd sent them each a note saying that their presents were on their way. They were on her shopping list.

"Blimey," said Sirius, "I must have been way too distracted last night to really take in what you told me. I just almost asked why you didn't get anything from your family."

She gave him a timid smile. "Distracted?"

"Very much so, you sneaky little vixen. I wanted you so badly that you probably could have told me you were an alien from another planet and I still would have shagged you."

Luna's mouth twitched as she almost laughed, but her worry was greater than her amusement. "Sirius, we still need to talk about it. Doesn't it bother you, at all, to know who I am?"

He gave her a steady look, staring deeply into her eyes. "No, it doesn't. I'll admit that it's a little odd when I think about it, but I don't see you as James's granddaughter. I see you as my girlfriend. The most beautiful and bold witch I've ever met."

"Well, I'm Lily's granddaughter, too," she said with wicked smirk.

Sirius's eyes widened. He hadn't given a thought as to who her grandmother might be. "Blimey," he said, "I can still hardly believe they're finally dating and you're telling me that they're going to have a son someday?"

"That's right," she told him confidently. "Where did you think I got my name? Lily Luna Potter."

"I can't even begin to imagine how weird this all is for you," he told her with a laugh. "Let's not tell James or Lily about this, yeah? I rather like my balls where they are and they might try to hex them off if they found out that I shagged their granddaughter."

Luna laughed and ran her fingers through his wet locks. "Agreed."

…..

Luna rapped on the door twice and waited. It was pulled open almost immediately by a much younger version of her great-aunt Petunia. "Who are you?" she asked with a crinkle of her nose.

"Hullo, my name's Luna. I'm here to pick up Lily. Aren't you going to invite me in?" she asked cheerfully as she bounced on the balls of her feet. Petunia was purposefully blocking her entry into the house.

"Perhaps it would be best for you to wait for her on the porch," Petunia motioned toward the porch swing, which was covered by a light dusting of snow.

Knowing Petunia's aversion to all things magical, Luna said loudly, "Afraid I might burn the house down? No worries, I'm exceptionally prodigious with MAGIC. No accidental SPELL CASTING here. My WAND is safely tucked away-"

"Shut up!" Petunia grabbed her arm, glanced nervously around to see if any of the neighbors were listening, then yanked her into the house.

"Oh, you must Lily's friend!" Mrs. Evans was just coming down the stairs with a basket of laundry in her arms.

"Yes, I'm Luna," she said politely.

"It's so lovely to meet you. You can take a seat, Lily is almost ready. She told me that you two are going shopping today?"

"Yes, I know it's Christmas Day, but most wizarding shops are still open and several muggle ones as well. Then we're going to Potter Manor."

"And James will be bringing her back on New Year's Day?" Inquired Mrs. Evans as she tucked a stray blonde hair behind her ear.

"That's right. He's looking forward to meeting you all very much. His parents are looking forward to meeting her, too. They've never seen James so taken with a girl."

Mrs. Evans smiled fondly. "They're wizards?"

"Yes, his entire family are wizards and witches. He hasn't been around many muggles before so be patient with him," Luna advised.

Before they could talk anymore, Lily came down the stairs with a knapsack on her back and a small duffle bag in one hand. "Hey, Luna!" Lily said with a smile.

"Hey, Lils, let me take care of those for you," Luna brandished her wand and vanished Lily's luggage. "There, now Tilly and Tippy can deal with them."

"Who?"

"The Potter's house elves."

"Oh, thanks! Alright, Mum, Tuney, I'll see you both in a week!"

"Do you have your purse?"

"Yes, Mum."

"Can't you stay there for the rest of the holidays?"

"Tunia!"

"What? It doesn't hurt to ask."

"Since you're so eager to be away from me, why don't you go stay with Vernon's family?" Lily retorted scathingly. Petunia hissed like an angry cat.

"Come on, Lily, there's this great little dress shop in Diagon Alley that I'm just dying to check out," Luna gave her friend a meaningful look.

"Yeah, alright," Lily hugged her mum tightly, gave Petunia a dirty look, and left with Luna. "Are we going to Disapparate?" asked Lily.

"Yes, but there are some muggles watching us down the street, so let's keep walking just a bit further," Luna muttered.

Lily was excited as she linked her arm with Luna's and let her Apparate them to Diagon Alley. There were a lot of wizards and witches wandering about on Christmas Day in the bustling street.

As they entered the first shop, Lily gazed around and said with amusement, "Magic is amazing, isn't it?"

…

As it turned out, finding dresses was much easier and less time consuming than they thought it would be. Lily ended up with an emerald green dress that was floor length, tight fitting, with a slit up the side that reached mid-thigh, and had a halter top.

Luna chose a gown that was gold, sleeveless, and barely reached her knee. Both girls agreed that they looked smashing, purchased the dresses, and eagerly started toward the other shops. Lily Evans very rarely got to enter the magical world as her family was comprised completely of muggles.

Luna didn't have much money and absolutely refused to tell people this, as everyone (except for Sirius and Severus) believed that she had an aunt and brother. The money from Dumbledore had actually went a very long way and she made a mental note to pay him back if she ever could.

For Mary, she bought a bra that magically enhanced your boob size while you wore it. If you wore the bra for twelve hours, then removed it, for twelve hours after that your boobs would remain at the enhanced size.

"She'll love you!" Lily declared as she watched Luna purchase the undergarment.

Alice was a bit trickier to shop for but in the end she chose what she hoped would be a good gift for her friend. It was a jewelry box with an Undetectable Extension Charm on it so even though it was small, it could hold all of the jewelry Alice could ever own. It also played a nice melody when you opened the lid.

Since Lily was with Luna, she let her pick out her own present. It was a simple but elegant hair clip that matched the dress she just bought. The emerald jewels went beautifully with her red hair while bringing out her eyes.

Sirius's gift was, surprisingly, the easiest one for her to find. The moment she saw the objects she knew that Sirius had to have them. Ironically, if she split up the gift, it would be her present for James as well. Yes, this was perfect. After making her purchases, the girls were ready to leave.

"Are his parents nice?" Lily asked nervously.

"Very."

"Do you think they'll like me?"

"No, I think they'll love you." Luna gave her friend a reassuring nod before Apparting them to the front gates.

…..

James Potter hadn't left this position all day. He had no idea how long the girls would spend shopping, but he wasn't about to leave even for a moment. He had to see, with his own eyes, that it was in fact Luna getting through the protective enchantments and not Sirius.

"What are you doing, mate?" asked Sirius as he tried, yet again, to draw James away from the window and actually do something.

"I've already told you. I want to be right there as soon as Lily arrives. I can't wait to see her. Unlike you, I haven't been sharing a bed with my girlfriend for the past week."

Sirius chuckled. "I'm sure as soon as they get here you'll know. Now come on. At least drag your pathetic arse away from the window long enough for me to beat you one time at wizard's chess."

"They're here!" James leapt to his feet and pressed his face so closely to the window that his nose was touching the glass. Luna and Lily appeared just beyond the border, straightened their clothes; he grinned as he watched Lily nervously straighten the scarf around her throat. They stepped toward the gate and –

It was as if the gate wasn't even there. James's heart fell. It was Luna who was somehow circumventing the charms. Not Sirius. He had been hoping so badly that they wouldn't be able to get in without him going to let them in. But now they were almost to the front door. He hurried to ruffle his hair purposefully and sprint downstairs.

"Lily!"

"James!"

And then they were snogging as if they hadn't seen each other in months as opposed to days.

Luna rolled her eyes at Sirius, gesturing to their friends and Sirius gave her a shrug. "Alright, come on, plenty of time for that later!" Luna encouraged. She had the vague feeling that perhaps watching her grandparents snog like horny teenagers should be a bit disconcerting. But they didn't feel like her grandparents, and technically, they weren't yet. They were her friends.

"I have gifts!" Luna added happily as she held up a shopping bag.

"Aw, for me?" James teased. "You shouldn't have!"

"Actually, I do have a gift for you!" Luna extracted two identically wrapped parcels and handed one to James and one to Sirius. "This is Sirius's gift but I decided to give the other half to you."

They tore them open with excitement and stared at them blankly. "Erm – thanks?" Sirius said awkwardly.

"Are you trying to tell me something? Like maybe that I'm a bit conceited?" James held up the rectangular mirror in question.

"You two are such idiots. Do you not see the brilliance? They're two-way mirrors!"

Comprehension dawned on the boys and without saying a word in explanation, they each took off in an opposite direction. A few minutes later they reappeared. "These are amazing," James enthused as he hugged Luna. "They work perfectly!"

Luna had no idea what she'd done. She didn't know that at some point in the future her father would come in possession of the mirror currently in James's hand. She didn't know that Aberforth would eventually own Sirius's. She didn't know that she was the one who provided such significant aid to defeating Voldemort.

To her, it was just a thoughtful Christmas present. "Thank you," Sirius gently gripped her chin with his thumb and forefinger and tilted her face up so he could kiss her heatedly.

"Look at them," Lily clucked her tongue. "Looks like somebody lost his virginity recently," she waggled her eyebrows at Sirius. Sirius pulled his lips away from Luna's and glanced at Lily in confusion. "Oh come on! It's obvious. You two have that we-shag-now look in your eyes when you stare at each other."

Lily didn't know why this made her feel oddly uncomfortable but she knew that James felt it, too, when he shifted from foot to foot. What was it about this couple that made both of them not jealous, but feel like it was difficult to accept?

Trying to hide his true feelings, James smirked at his best mate, clapped him on the shoulder, and said genially, "It's about bloody time, Padfoot!"

…..

As it turned out, Mr. and Mrs. Potter loved Lily Evans. She fit in surprisingly well with his parents and they eagerly found much in common. After dinner, the four friends spent some time talking, discussing the upcoming party, and then went their separate ways for bed.

"Is it weird for you to see them like this? So young and immature? Or are they always so immature?" There was a playful smile on his lips. Luna's heart skipped a beat. He still didn't know about their fates. The only thing she had told him was that he was dead in her time. That he was killed by Death Eaters. But he didn't know about James and Lily. Nor could she tell him. It would change the future too much.

"Nah," she gave a tiny shrug, "I don't see them as my grandparents. They're my mates. James and Lily."

"I know that you can't tell me about the future much, but tell me about your real family and what you actually enjoy doing in your time," they were in bed together, facing each other and lying on their sides.

Lily twirled her long black hair in her hands and played with the ends as she began by reciting facts. "My dad is Harry James Potter. He is the Head Auror at the Auror Office-"

"What does he look like?"

"Exactly like James, but with Lily's eyes," Sirius smiled, encouraging her to continue. "He's the best dad in the whole world. He taught me how to ride a broomstick before I could even walk. Family is the most important thing to him. He was a Gryffindor, of course. He was the youngest player on a house team in a century – he played Seeker on the Gryffindor House Team every year he attended Hogwarts."

Luna stopped. She knew that she couldn't tell him much about her father. Sirius didn't seem to notice her hesitation. "And your mum?"

"My mum is Ginevra Molly Weasley. She was a Chaser on the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch Team after Hogwarts. When she and dad decided to start a family, she retired and began writing a sport's column in the paper. She's very pretty, but I guess I'm a bit biased as she is my mum."

"And you have a brother?"

"Two, actually," Luna grinned broadly. "You're going to like this; my oldest brother is James Sirius Potter. He's a lot like your-best-mate-James. Looks a lot like him, too, except he doesn't wear glasses. After he left Hogwarts, he played professional Quidditch for a while but now he's in training to be a Curse Breaker for Gringotts."

"And…Al?" Albus was the brother she had written the letter to that Sirius had read. She seemed to favor him over James; she talked about Al more and wrote a letter to him.

"I don't have a favorite," she said teasingly as if she could read his mind. "Honestly, I don't. James and Albus are both wonderful brothers but- "

"Albus?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, Albus. Dad was really close to Headmaster Dumbledore. Anyway, I love my brothers equally and I enjoy being around James just as much as Albus, but Albus is closer to me in age so we've always been just a bit closer. Al has Lily's eyes; those almond-shaped green ones that make me jealous because I wish I inherited them. But I have my mum's brown ones."

"What does Al do?"

"Albus is just like dad. He's in Auror training and I think that once he finishes his training and gets a few years of experience dad will retire and leave the Head Auror position to Albus."

"Mmm, sounds like a nice family," Sirius mumbled sleepily as he rolled onto his back and snaked an arm under her back, tugging her closer to him. "Any aunts and uncles?"

"Yes, but all on my mum's side. My dad is the only child that James and Lily had. Lots of cousins."

Sirius pulled her against him tightly and, half-asleep, he whispered, "I'm glad that when you leave me, you'll have a lot of other people to go home to who love you."

…

"Lily?" James and Lily were still catching their breath as they snuggled under the covers of his bed.

"Yes, love?" her voice was rough and she sounded sated. James's body tingled with pride at hearing it.

"Can I talk with you about something that has been bothering me? It's just…I don't want you to repeat it or think I'm crazy or…"

"James," she rolled so that she was sprawled on his chest and placed one finger over his lips. "You can tell me anything. I won't tell anyone and I already know you're crazy."

With a soft smile, James exhaled sharply. "Alright. Here goes. I think there is something off about Luna."

"Of course there is," said Lily quickly in agreement. "She knows more than she should, she appeared out of nowhere in the middle of Hogsmeade, unconscious, and Dumbledore claims that her parents just died and she was previously homeschooled? She certainly didn't appear to be grieving or having trouble with adjusting, that's for damn sure. But I don't think anyone except maybe Voldemort himself is capable of fooling Dumbledore. If he trusts her, then I trust her. She's been nothing but a friend to me."

"But what do we really know about her? She doesn't talk about her parents-"

"Maybe that part was truth. Maybe they really have recently died and they're a sensitive topic for her. What's brought this on anyway, James? Has she done something to make you suspicious?"

"Well, yes," glad that he could finally talk about this with someone he sat up, hauling Lily up with him and stroked her hair as he spoke. "There's a powerful enchantment on this place. Nobody except a Potter can enter the premise. Yet she struts over the border without a problem…"

"I don't understand," said Lily with a frown.

"We've studied all sorts of protective enchantments in Charms as well as DADA, right?"

"Right."

"Well, we have a lot placed on the mansion and grounds. Nobody should be able to come in unless they have the surname Potter or are escorted by a Potter."

"Oh," her eyes widened. "But when we arrived, Luna walked right through the gates…"

"Exactly."

"So, what is it then? You must have a theory."

"I have two, actually," he gave her a rueful grin. "My first guess is that she is some estranged love-child of my dad's brother. Perhaps she found out her true parentage and decided to attend Hogwarts. Maybe she Apparated to Hogsmeade, but misjudged the distance so she fainted in exhaustion upon arrival. Then, after explaining the situation to Dumbledore, maybe he agreed to let her go to school with us. It's possible."

"Yes, it is," agreed Lily, surprised and impressed that James had thought this through so carefully. "And your second guess?"

"My second guess is…blimey, this is hard to even say, but what if she's working for Voldemort? What if she is a Death Eater? What if she knows enough Dark Magic to get around the wards surrounding our property and that she has somehow fooled Dumbledore? After all, she was hanging around Severus Snape a lot – sorry, I know he's still a sore spot for you – and I am concerned for Sirius."

"That's quite a theory, James Potter," Lily mused, feeling suddenly unsafe and squirming in his arms to press herself against his chest.

"Unfortunately, it makes more sense though. Because even if she was my cousin, how would she have such knowledge of us? She must have been spying on us. If her intentions were innocent, why spy?"

"Maybe she's a strong Legillimens."

"No," James shook his head, not even bothering to consider this explanation. "I would know if she was."

"How?" Lily demanded.

"I'm a really power Occlumens. If she tried to penetrate my mind, I would have felt it."

Lily laughed. "For as smart as you are, James, you can be very thick sometimes. You are an exceptionally prodigious wizard. So you are an Occlumens. Maybe Sirius is, too, but I know Remus isn't. Nor Peter. What if she looked into one of their minds?"

"Oh," said James thoughtfully. "Hmm."

"Yes, hmm indeed," teased Lily with a chuckle.

"Still, even if you're right, why use Legillimancy against any of us? It would be an intrusive thing to do."

"Are there any other possible explanations?"

"Unfortunately, no. No, there's not."

….

Luna woke up on the morning of December 31st feeling cold and knew why before even opening her eyes. Sirius had actually woken up before her for once. Smirking she cracked her eyes open and found her lover on the other side of the room, obviously just having taken a shower. His back was to her, and still wet with little water droplets clinging to those rippling muscles. She bit her lower lip as she glanced him over in appreciation.

His black hair was dripping onto his shoulders and he swept it back out of his eyes with one hand as he used his other hand to button his trousers. "Oh, oh oh," he sang softly, unaware of his audience, "Witch you're under my skin like a spell, baby I'm so smitten, can't you tell? Don't leave me now, when we're so close, and I'm so lucky that I'm the wizard you chose…"

He picked his wand up and with a gentle wave his hair was dry. He shook his head back and forth rapidly and when he stopped his hair fell perfectly in place. Luna sat up, letting the blanket slip from her upper body and fall into her lap, exposing her red lace bra, which was the only clothing item she wore.

"Good morning," said Sirius with a smile as he turned toward her.

Luna yawned, "Mmm, morning, Black," she purposefully let her eyes glide down the solid planes of his chest down to his lean hips where the jeans he wore hung perfectly before sliding back up and giving him a flirty wink.

"Now, now, behave yourself, Potter. We don't have time for any of that this morning. You can't tell me you didn't get your fill last night."

"Oh, I got filled alright," she shifted so her breasts stuck out more prominently and tossed her long hair over her shoulder.

Sirius raised his eyebrows and with a thrill of victory she saw a bulge in his trousers that hadn't been there a moment ago. "Don't tease me, darling, we really don't have time, or I would already be on top of you."

"With the mood I'm in, it's more likely you'd be under me."

Sirius groaned. "Any minute now, James is going to-"

As if on cue there was a sharp knock on the door. "Oi! If you two are indecent, get your arses dressed and downstairs! Mum is going mad. She needs us to help Tilly and Tippy with the food for tonight!"

"We're coming!" called Sirius.

"Although not in the way I'd like to be," Luna mumbled.

Sirius shot her a wicked grin full of promise. "Later."

….

Luna was used to going to grand balls. With all of her family being so intricately involved in several branches of the Ministry and her father being – well – Harry bloody Potter, she went to many fancy gatherings. So this was perfectly normal to her.

Lily, however, was panicking. "Oh, damn, I think I put on too much eye shadow! What do you think?"

"Here, let me," Luna swept a cloth over Lily's eyelids, removing the extra bit of makeup and smoothing out the rest. "Perfect. You look gorgeous, Lily."

"Thanks. I'm so nervous. What if I do something wrong?"

"It's just a party," said Luna with a laugh as she swept some deep red lipstick across her lips and puckered her lips at the mirror.

"Yes, a party with a lot of prominent wizards. Most of which probably want me and anyone like me dead." Lily ran her hands over her dress fretfully.

Luna paused half-way through applying her mascara and turned to Lily with a frown. When she was younger and her family would tell her about how prejudiced wizards and witches used to be about muggle-borns she always thought they were exaggerating. But they weren't and Lily was right. Most of the wizards and witches in attendance were purebloods who would like nothing more than to eradicate the muggle-born population entirely.

"Listen to me," Luna took Lily's hands in hers and said very seriously. "James will be by your side the entire night. He loves you very much. You'll be just fine. I'm not going to lie. A lot of people probably will hate you on sight simply for who your parents are, but I doubt any of them would be dare raise a wand against you in such a formal and public setting. But if they do, Merlin help them, because I will do my best to tear them limb from fucking limb. Got it?"

Lily nodded, her green eyes wide, and the girls hugged. "Love you, Luna."

"Love you, too, Lily."

….

The party was just starting as the girls descended the staircase. A few of the faces were just a bit familiar to Luna while others she recognized without any trouble. "Alice!" she called.

Alice Fortescue spun around to embrace her friends. "Thanks so much for the musical jewelry box, Luna! And for the bracelet, Lily!" Lily Evans had given Alice, Mary, and Luna, each a friendship bracelet for Christmas. All three girls wore theirs now and it was strange that Mary was missing. They'd all become accustomed to being a quartet.

Mary MacDonald, however, had other plans to visit Remus's family to ring in the new year. "Ah, you must be Luna," A tall man with light brown hair held out his hand to her. Luna stared. He looked so much like her Uncle Neville. Then again, so did Alice. Their son, Luna knew, would have Alice's face but with Frank's height, build, and smile.

"Nice to meet you, you must be Frank."

"Yes," his height contrasted almost comically with how tiny Alice was, but before Luna could talk to him further, Sirius stepped into the conversation.

"First and foremost, let me say that it has been too long, Frank!" The two engaged in a quick half-hug. "I can't believe you didn't tell me that you shagged on McGonagall's desk!"

Frank flushed and looked at Alice in surprise but she just gave him a small shrug and sipped at her drink. "Er – it was just the once."

Sirius laughed. "Secondly…Merlin's pants, Lu-Lu, you look bloody smashing."

Luna gave him a broad smile and held out her hand with a formal curtsey. "You look dashing yourself, dear."

Sirius swiped his lips across her knuckles and used his grip on her hand to pull her to him and press a soft kiss to her neck. "Mmm, new perfume? Godric, I can't wait to pull this off of you later tonight."

Luna giggled quietly and put her hands on his chest. "Well you're going to have to admire it on me for a few more hours."

"Gladly. Honestly, you look ravishing."

"Thank you," she went up on the tips of her toes to press a kiss to his jaw. James came up to them then, with a small frown on his lips while he watched Sirius and Luna interact. Then he saw Lily and all else was forgotten.

"Bloody hell!"

Lily blushed and James blinked, removed his glasses to clean them on his dress robes, and put them back on his face. "See something you like?" she teased as she turned in a full circle, being sure to show off the slit in her dress that revealed so much of her leg.

"Lily, you know that I love everything about you all the time, but that dress shows off all of your finest assets and I have half a mind to ask you to change just so none of the other blokes in here think they can steal you away from me!"

Lily quirked an eyebrow at him. "I doubt they'd want me the moment they found out my heritage."

Alice squeaked in fright and motioned for Lily to be quiet, but James waved away Alice's concern. "I don't care if she announces it to everyone in the room. She's the most talented, beautiful, and intelligent witch I've had the pleasure of meeting. No offense to Alice or Luna of course. But it makes no difference to me who your parents are, and if anyone here says differently then they can clear out."

Lily beamed at him and without further conversation James swept her out onto the dance floor. Frank and Alice followed. "Want to dance?" Sirius asked.

"No," Luna sighed and picked up a glass of champagne that was floating magically on a tray by her elbow. "I don't enjoy dancing much."

"That's only because you've never done it with me! Are you rubbish at it?"

"No, I'm a really good dancer! I just don't like it."

"Too bad, we're dancing."

"Sirius!"

"Lu-Lu!" he tugged her by the hand out onto the floor. She held up her drink, as if to say 'how can I dance while holding this?' entirely unconcerned, Sirius snatched it from her and tossed it over his shoulder. It vanished magically before it hit the ground.

Within moments most of the eyes in the room were on the pair. The music that was playing was classical, formal, and sophisticated, but the way they danced wasn't. It was and odd mixture of a waltz and the type of dancing Luna did with her cousins when they went to that muggle club one time in London.

She found herself unconsciously running her hands up and down his back and hiking one leg up onto his hip as held her leg just below her knee and spun them around. He dipped her low, ran his hand down her calf, pulled her back up, spun them around again, then winked at her before pulling back, taking her hand and spinning her around several times before hauling her body against his and grinding his pelvis into hers deliciously.

"Erm – ahem," Dorea was beside them in an instant, her eyes barely hiding her suppressed amusement. "I believe you're making some of our guests uncomfortable, son," she chided.

"Sorry," he looked anything but sorry as he said it. "We'll dance appropriately."

"You'd better," she wagged a finger at him and then disappeared into the crowd.

"So who all is here?" asked Luna as she placed her hand on his shoulder and they began a simple two-step.

"Let's see. That's the Minister of Magic, Lorraine Ogden, and her husband, Mitchell. Alice's parents over there. Frank's parents and brother – watch out for his mum, she's a real firecracker for an old bird. Um, Head Auror Paul McLaggen, a few other prominent Ministry officials, a lot of Dorea's family, ah, I see my lovely cousins over there – Bellatrix and Narcissa. Unfortunately Andromeda wasn't invited because Dorea thought it might cause a fight. Narcissa's fiancé, Lucius, Bellatrix's husband, Rodolphus and his brother, Rabastan…"

"Okay, that's enough," Luna felt sick and when Sirius tore his gaze away from the fellow guests at Potter Manor he saw that she had a green tint to her face.

"Did I say something…?"

"They're Death Eaters," Luna hissed, her eyes glancing back and forth between Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Lily, as if prepared to jump between them if either of the former tried to attack.

"Are they?" commented Sirius conversationally. "I'm not surprised."

Luna barely bit back the words, 'and one of them kills you!' as she forced herself to continue dancing. Sirius's murderer was in this very room. Luna wondered just how badly she would mess up the future if she killed Bellatrix Lestrange tonight. If she went to Azkaban for murder to save Sirius.

The only thing that kept her from doing so was knowing that if she changed anything, one tiny little thing, it could result in her father's death. So many small tiny details had come into play to help him defeat Voldemort that she dared not meddle. Little did she know that she'd already been there. Nothing she did in the past altered the future because she'd already been there. Her every move just solidified it.

"I hope they're dead or in Azkaban in the future," he said as he brushed his lips over her ear.

Luna gave him a frown. "You know that I can neither confirm nor deny that hope, Sirius."

"But you still know. Whether you tell me or not, it's right up here," he brought his hand, which was twined with hers, up to tap her temple lightly.

With trembling lips, Luna leaned forward and whispered in one breath, "Bellatrix kills you."

When she leaned back to get a look at his face, he appeared to be surprised but then unconcerned. "And you're barely restraining yourself from walking over and plugging her in the heart with a knife right now, aren't you?"

"You know me too well."

"Yes, well, don't do it. You can't mess with the past."

"You sound like you don't mind."

"Honestly, I don't. I mean, better Bellatrix than someone else right? At least I can admit that she's a prodigious witch. It would have been bloody embarrassing to be taken out by someone like Nott or Avery," he screwed up his nose in disgust.

As she realized that he was actually being playful about this, Luna stepped back out of his arms and gazed at him. "You want to die, don't you?" she accused angrily, her hands balled into fists at her sides. "You damn reckless fool! How can you be so callous about this?" she hissed as she knew her words to be true. Sirius sincerely didn't mind dying. Luna reared back and slapped him across the face so loud that most guests stopped to watch the arguing lovers.

"Lu-Lu," he growled lightly.

"Don't," she warned, aware of all eyes on them. "Don't," she repeated while her entire body shook with anger and despair. With tears welling in her big brown eyes, she turned and sprinted out of the ballroom.

…..

"Full moon tonight," said James quietly to Sirius. Sirius was downing his fifth glass of firewhiskey.

"Did you talk to Moony?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, Mary is staying with his parents and Remus will go to his usual place. You know, the forest by the-"

"Yes, I know," Sirius snapped.

"Sorry, mate. Do you want to talk about what happened with-"

"No."

"Listen," said James as he sat next to his best mate at the bar his parents had provided for the party. The bartender behind the counter tactfully moved further away from them and began taking drink orders from other guests. "I've been meaning to talk to you about her for a while. Sirius, I really think that there is something she's hiding from us. I'm really concerned about you and if you look at it logically-"

"James, mate, I appreciate your concern, but please just sod off. She's my witch and I know what I'm doing."

James rolled his eyes. Perhaps approaching a pissed Sirius wasn't the best time to initiate this conversation. "There are protective wards around my house, Sirius," he admitted grudgingly, glancing around to make sure others weren't eavesdropping. "Luna should not be able to get onto these grounds at all unless her surname is Potter or she's using really Dark Magic."

"Is that right? Hmm, interesting," Sirius said this as if it weren't the least bit interesting to him at all.

Giving up, James growled, "We'll talk about this more when you're sober. If you want to run with us, meet Peter and I at the edge of the forest at midnight."

…

James saw his parents on the other side of the room and very slowly made his way over to them as he was stopped many times by many people talking with him, asking how school is going, what is he going to do after Hogwarts, who is the pretty witch who hasn't left his side all evening, and so on.

When he finally reached them, he realized they were talking with Gideon and Fabian Prewett. They had been in their seventh year when James entered Hogwarts as a first year, and he well remembered Gideon and Fabian Prewett pulling pranks around the Gryffindor common room.

"Hullo, James," said Gideon happily as they shook hands.

"Gideon. Fabian," James politely nodded at them and the conversation continued.

"I think we should," Dorea said imploringly to her husband. Charlus Potter stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"I agree. As long as Dumbledore has formed the Order of the Phoenix then I'm behind it. Consider Dorea and I official members. We might be getting on a bit but we're not entirely useless."

"Every witch or wizard who joins is a great help, Charlus," Fabian said sincerely.

"Your sister, Molly, is she in the Order?"

"No," answered Gideon. "You know she's married to Arthur Weasley and they have three children with twins on the way."

"Merlin! That poor woman!" said Dorea sympathetically. "I had a hard enough time dealing with one toddler!"

The twin Prewett brothers grinned before Fabian asked, "What about you James? Going to join up after Hogwarts? That's a pretty witch you have on your arm tonight, but 'Evans' isn't a wizarding surname, is it?"

James paled and said in his rarely-used serious voice, "Of course I'm joining. I've been planning on doing so for the past year. Even if I didn't love Lily the way I do, it's the right thing."

"Good man," said Gideon.

"Well, we won't keep you any longer, Charlus, Dorea, lovely party. James, take care," and they disappeared into the crowd.

….

Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs. They always ran together. Tonight was no different. Sirius, despite still being slightly inebriated, was more sober in his Animagus form and had to concentrate only slightly on not stumbling over tree roots as he kept pace with his friends.

Peter was fast, despite being so small, but sometimes he had to climb onto one of their backs so he didn't get left behind. It wasn't quite dawn yet. Remus probably had another two hours or so before returning to his human form. But Sirius was tired, starting to get a headache, and needed to make things right with Luna.

After letting his friends know that he was leaving, Sirius used the Floo network from Remus's parent's house to return to Potter Manor. The Floo network recognized him, that he had permission to be there, and he was deposited into the study. Still in the form of a big black dog he trotted up the stairs panting slightly, nudged open his bedroom door with his nose and sniffed.

Having canine sense could definitely come in handy. At once, the sweet scents that assaulted him the strongest came from the girl sleeping in his bed. It was a flowery scent like a mixture of jasmine, sweet pea, and lilies, which was just a touch ironic.

There was also the headier scent of her slight arousal. So she had gone to bed horny. That was a good sign, wasn't it? Perhaps she wasn't too mad at him. His own richer, manlier scent was all over the room as well, along with their combined scents.

He could tell she was sleeping from the pattern of her breathing and the relaxed atmosphere. The world around him was so different when he was a dog. Wanting to be able to enjoy these heightened scenes for a while longer, he padded quietly over to his side of the bed and jumped onto the mattress, which creaked under his weight, circled twice, and laid down beside her.

"Mmm, Sirius?" she mumbled quietly.

He gave a quiet whine and she chuckled. "You're adorable," she reached over to scratch the place between his ears and he leaned his head heavily in her hand. "Not that I've forgiven you, of course, you furry bastard, but just because I'm mad doesn't mean that I don't love you. You know that, right?" he made a strange noise that was half-growl and half-hum that she assumed meant he understood.

"I'd really like to talk with you tonight. I hate going to bed angry. Will you please – oh!"

He transformed into his human self before she even finished asking him to. "Let me explain, please, baby?" he murmured as he reached a hand up to cup her face. Luna said nothing and he continued. "You're right. I would rather be dead long before you're born," he placed a finger over her lips to keep her from interrupting. "Do you have any idea how hard that would be for me? Watching you grow up, having to change your nappies, babysit you, knowing that one day you're going to get thrown back in time and that I'm going to be shagging you? Just a bit disturbing, don't you think? Then, when you return to your own time, I'd be an old man. But that's just part of it. The other part is that if you're not here with me, I don't want to grow old. I'd rather die fighting, trying to create a better world for you to live in, than live to a ripe old wizard-age of two hundred or older without you by my side. Because there will never be another witch for me. So to answer your question, no, I do not have a death wish, but yes, I am glad that I will be gone in your future."

Luna tried to put herself in his position and hated herself because she knew she would feel the same way. How could she argue with him without being terribly hypocritical? "That makes more sense than what I was originally thinking," she finally decided on saying.

Sirius kissed her nose. "Darling, why are you still wearing the dress from the party?" he inquired as his hands met the silky golden material beneath the covers of his bed.

With a playful smile, Luna ran her fingers through his hair and whispered against his lips, "Didn't you say that you wanted to be the one to take it off of me?"

….

A/N: Things are picking up quickly! Next chapter they will be back at Hogwarts! Let me know what you think!

Also, a lot of different time travel stories have a lot of different theories on time travel and the repercussions of it. I'm using the bits of information gathered from the Prisoner of Azkaban to base my theories of time travel off of. When Harry and Hermione went back in time to save Sirius and Buckbeak, they'd already been there; that was how Harry knew to cast his Patronus to save himself, and it explained the sounds they'd heard from Hagrid's hut, etc. So Luna can't change anything that happened because in her future, she'd already been there.