Under the Nose of a Foe

The Snitch and the Foe Glass

"Would you like something to drink, Peter," Lily asked graciously. She was always courteous towards guests and was often admired by a multitude of housewives for her social skills. "Perhaps some pumpkin juice?" She was a little angry at Peter for breaking up the love scene she and James were in the middle of, but he had meant no harm. It was good to see one of her friends again anyway.

"Thank you, Lily. I'm suddenly feeling a bit parched. Pumpkin juice would be terrific," he replied. It was the truth. He was so nervous about executing his "assignment" that he was afraid he would pass out in the armchair in which he was now seated. Lily rose from her chair and smoothed out her skirt. She then proceeded to the kitchen to get Peter's drink. Once Lily was earshot, Peter started a conversation with James. "That is some nice music you have there, Prongs. Was I interrupting something of importance?"

"Want to play a game of Exploding Snap? Or Wizard Darts," James asked Wormtail, deliberately ignoring his suggestive remarks. He was so excited he could hardly contain himself. Wizard Darts had become one of James' favorite games. If you hit the bull's-eye, the face of your enemy would appear and he or she would be turned into an extraordinarily funny image. Once, James hit the bull's-eye and Snape's image appeared on the board. He was sucking his thumb and wearing a giant diaper. Now every time James saw Snape he would snicker to himself.

"Actually James, I thought we could just have a little chat. You know, friend to friend," he replied, hoping that he could get the interrogation over as quickly as possible.

"Oh, yes of course," James answered. He seemed dismayed at the thought of something as boring as holding a conversation. Something that only required the use of four muscles didn't interest him very much. James Potter always got what he wanted, even when he was subtle about it. He longed to play carelessly with his friends as they used to back at Hogwarts. He missed being so carefree and being admired by all of their peers. They had been the epitome of popularity. Why was Peter acting so nervous? Had things really changed so much between the four of them in the past two years?

"What did you want to talk about, Wormtail?"

"Just, you know, stuff," Peter said quickly. If James knew his true intentions, he wasn't sure he would be sitting in that chair anymore. He would probably be six feet under ground. "So, what are you and Lily doing tomorrow night? It is Halloween, the one night of the year where Witches and Wizards can be resurrected from the dead. Going to any séances?"

"You know as well as I do, Petey, that we can't leave the house under the Fidelius Charm until the eve of the third month. The spell could easily fade if it hasn't matured enough yet. So, we will spend Halloween here by the fire listening to Muggle ghost stories on the WWN. It is too risky otherwise."

"Oh yeah. It must have slipped my mind. I guess I'm not used to the idea of James Potter being confined to the indoors, especially on Halloween night" Peter said. He was secretly relieved. If they had any plans to leave, his master would've been extremely upset with him. He needed the Potters to be taken down. They had defied him thrice and Lord Voldemort found that sort of thing insulting, especially by wizards of such a young age, twenty to be exact. James had sent fourteen of Voldemrt's high ranking Death Eaters to Azkaban. It was also rumored that James protected the life works of Nicolas Flamel, the alchemist who discovered the Elixir of Life. Mr. James H. Potter and his wife Lily Potter worked for the "pathetic common good" of all wizards, including Muggles. "Is Sirius going to come over," Peter continued.

"No, I don't think so. I haven't seen him in a week or so. He's been busy with his new love, Emmeline Vance, from the Order," James answered solemnly. He missed playing practical jokes on Lily with him. Things really were changing. Sirius used to visit a minimum of three times a day. James was starting to feel the strange effects of Sirius withdrawal. He didn't like Sirius' new girlfriend. He had never met her, but in a way he was jealous of all the attention she was getting.

"Oh, good," Peter retorted.

James suddenly looked up and eyed him skeptically. Why would Peter think something like that was good? "What do you mean by that, Wormtail?"

"I just mean it is good that he finally has a steady girlfriend. You know our Padfoot. He's had a new girlfriend every week of his life. I didn't even know there were that many girls out there," Pete said jokingly. He had actually meant that Sirius not being there was good. Sirius was an exceptionally bright and perceptive wizard. He would surely spot anything out of the ordinary. Now James was very bright, in fact he was Head Boy and had accomplished many things that others can only dream of, but he was exceptionally trusting and trusted too many. Sirius was different. He was crafty and was quickly able to spot a flaw in any situation. This was one of the main reasons they were rarely caught while playing pranks. If Voldemort followed through with his plan, Sirius being at the Potter's would surely interfere somehow. "What about Moony? Is he planning on making an appearance soon?"

"I think tomorrow is a full moon," James responded. Tomorrow wasn't only a full moon, it was a harvest moon. Harvest moons had to be the worst moon stage for werewolves. During this one night a year, the need for human flesh became more vital than any other for werewolves, as Remus was usually contained the pain he endured was excruciating. He wished that he could be there with Remus, as he was every full moon. Surely Wormtail and Padfoot would be there to help him through it.

"Hmm. What a pity," Peter said indifferently. James apparently didn't notice the look of rapture that had appeared on Peter's face. Everything was turning out perfect. There weren't going to be any guests and he would soon be granted immortal powers by one of the greatest wizards in the world. Peter Pettigrew, the little "tag-along" would now be greater than any of his friends, any of his enemies, and he would rise through the ranks of the wizarding world being admired and feared by many. Sadly, Peter didn't realize that Voldemort would never let such a wizard go beyond him.

"What about you, Pete? Are you going to come over tomorrow," James inquired. He desperately hoped that Peter would decide to come over. Halloween wouldn't be Halloween if all of the Marauders were separated. He couldn't remember a Halloween when they weren't together. Each year they came up with some new adventure. In their first year together, they had resurrected the spirit of Godric Gryffindor. Curse Voldemort for destroying his friendships.

"Actually, Prongs, I had other plans, but I'm sure you won't be too lonely."

"True. Lily and I will have to make do. If we get too bored there is always the bedroom," James pondered and then tittered to himself while thinking of creative ways he could seduce Lily.

Lily finally made an appearance with the drinks. She floated the tray over to the coffee table. Peter reached over and took the glass of pumpkin juice. Lily had made herself some of her famous butter beer and James reached for his favorite drink of all time, Sir Thomas Daniel's Fire Whisky. Fire Whisky makes all of your insides feel numb and you start spouting harebrained jokes to whomever you're with at the time. It is a most popular drink at Nimbus and Shackle's House of Comedians, in Pigskin, London.

"Sorry it took me so long. I was-," she was about to apologize, but was cut off abruptly by one of James' sophomoric jokes.

"What does a vampire sing on New Year's Eve?" he queried with a colossal grin spreading across his thin face, as though he knew something that they didn't, which was probably true with all of James's ridiculous jokes.

"I give up," said Peter. He was always the first one to give up with everything. He almost gave up with becoming an animagi, but he continued with encouragement from his friends.

"I'm with him," Lily said and she patted Peter's arm affectionately.

"Awww. You guys are no fun. Okay, well, here is the answer. Are you ready for it?"

"Yes, James," the two chorused. James could be really quirky sometimes

"Auld Fang Syne! Get it? Auld FANG Syne instead of Auld Lang Syne," James shouted. He was the only one laughing at the incredibly ridiculous joke. The other two just looked at each other in amusement. How could anyone come up with something so dim-witted? "You two are getting too old for your own good," James said dejectedly.

"No, dear, I think your maturity just seems to diminish by the minute," Lily said.

"I'm offended by that, dear Lily Flower," James said mockingly."

"Well, I best be going. I'll leave you two love birds alone," Wormtail hinted.

"Okay Pete. I guess I'll see you on Sunday," James replied. He cast his eyes toward Lily and then winked at Peter. Little did he know that it would be the last time he and Wormtail would ever see each other again.

"Yes, James. I suppose I'll see you on Sunday." With that, Peter took a fistful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire. He desperately wanted to turn around and tell James and Lily to run and that he had betrayed their trust, but it wasn't that easy. He averted his eyes towards the window and saw the pair of eyes staring at him again. He nodded apprehensively towards them and yelled into the fire. "Lockard Crescent". The feeling of a trap door being opened up beneath him was not caused by Floo Powder, but by the undying spirits of the unshakable James Potter. Lockard Crescent was Peter's place of residence. It was small, but comfortable, and with a few expansion enchantments he was able to fit all of his possessions into it. Aside from the little money that Lord Voldemort paid him, he had paid for it all with the money he earned while working at Florean Fortescue's. It was quite a demeaning job, but it paid the bills nonetheless. When he stepped into his living room, he immediately caught a glimpse of the picture of all of the Marauders on his wall. Each Marauder had one, it had been a Christmas gift from Lily. He walked over to it and reached behind the frame to take it down. James and Sirius protested, but Remus only shook his head in mere disappointment. The Marauders would soon be no more because of him. If he could take it back he would, but Voldemort already knew the secret that James and Lily had confided in him. Little Harry would soon be gone too. No turning back now.

Just as he had set the picture in his seven-lock trunk, a flash of green light soared through the room and his furniture began to tremble. He knew what was coming. The light was so bright that he had to shield his eyes. When opened them he saw his master, Lord Voldemort, comfortably taking a seat on the couch that he had purchased at Sinnia's Second Hand Shop.

"Such a nice couch, Wormtail," Voldemort whispered. His voice possessed an authoritative tone that could daunt anyone. He stroked the arm of the couch in a sinister way. "Why don't you have a seat and tell me about your conversation with Mr. Potter. I must say, you do make quite a good bluff."

"Th-thank you, kind master," he stuttered. He followed his master's instructions and took a seat on the couch. "Well, you should be happy to know that James and Lily shall be at home tomorrow evening. They don't seem to be expecting any company either. I don't believe James suspects a thing or Lily for that matter."

"That is quite desirable, Wormtail. I believe the plan shall be executed tomorrow. Have you any reason to object?"

"N-no, not at all, master," Wormtail answered. He was trying desperately to not appear to be so intimidated by the great Lord, but his powers were so infinite and Peter was just a worthless wizard who worked at an ice cream store, a candle in the wind, if you may.

"Tsk, tsk, Wormtail. I feel you are hiding something from me, are you not? Yes, I do sense it. I believe that you want to withdraw with the plan. Seeing James in such high spirits and devotion to you really took its toll didn't it, Peter? Well, I will give you time to think about the position of your loyalties and sort out your conscious, but remember, I already know their secret. There isn't much you can do now. I could easily take your life with a simple breath, Wormtail. Remember that."

And with those words he stood up and a blaze of jade light enveloped the room. Peter threw himself on the couch and closed his eyes. He began to sob. He didn't care if anyone heard him. He had never been as brave as James or Sirius or Remus and, quite frankly, he didn't care anymore. He was always the follower. As he turned over on his side, he felt something hard press against his lower back. He dug through the couch pillows and pulled out a golden ball. It was James's snitch. This threw Peter into a state of emotional turmoil. Was this a sign? Before he even shed a tear, he threw the snitch as hard as he could at the wall. It didn't strike anything; however, it just buzzed around the room and broke various things. One of the things happened to be one of Peter's most prized possessions, his foe glass. As he heard the sound of the glass crashing to the floor he jumped up and ran to where the remnants now lay. The glass was shattered into bits, but he could still make out the final image produced by the mirror. It was an image that would haunt him for eternity. It was an image of James, Sirius, Harry, Remus, and Lily all staring at him with looks of severe revulsion, and he could see the whites of their eyes. He didn't even bother to pick it up. He left it where it was and took a walk in the nearest Muggle village.

A/N: I think this actually going to be a short story. Maybe 18,000 words. I'm trying to get in at least 2,000 words each chapter. I'm a beginner so that's about four pages for me. Once I get more into the story they should get quite lengthy. (6,000 words per chap.)

Upcoming features:

(their might be more... if you review or offer suggestions)

I know the order of everything may seem strange, but a lot is reminiscing and background detail. I'm sure you will understand later. Just keep reading.

I will also be putting songs in at the end to reflect the events happening in each chapter.

P.P.S---- I tried to make Peter and James somewhat close. It seems as though everyone portrays Peter as some outsider who only asks generic questions... basically a John Doe character... If Peter was like that I'm sure James and Lily wouldn't have picked him as secret-keeper, nor would they consider him one of their best friends. Just think about it, no one even suspected Peter so why make his personality like that? Okay well that's just my two cents on the issue.

Promises and Portuses

Lily and James were huddled on the sofa in their living room, gazing through photo albums and reminiscing about the "good ole days". Lily was an avid photographer. She found the fact that wizard pictures were mobile fascinating and it was not unlikely to see her with a camera permanently attached to her hand. The soothing noise of the fire soon lulled them both into a deep siesta.

**************************************

"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off" The sounds of someone stumbling from a room - a door bursting open- a cackle of high-pitched laughter-

*************************************

Lily awoke from her slumber in a fright. She was panting heavily and sweat was dripping from her forehead. She then remembered what she had seen in her dream. It was a dream, wasn't it? She looked around and felt a wave of fear being released from her shaking body as she saw James sleeping peacefully beside her. She wondered what his dreams were at that very moment. Hopefully they were nothing like hers. It was probable that he was dreaming of Quidditch or the sort. She raised herself from the couch and went to the wardrobe where she retrieved the blanket she had knitted for James for their anniversary. She gently placed it over him and leaned down to caress his lips. A muffled noise sounded through the room and Lily jumped the instant it reached her ears. Why was she so jumpy lately? When she came back to her senses she walked over to Harry's sleeping pen. She picked him out of it and gently rocked him with her side. He was just a little over a year old now and growing heavier by the day. She took a quick glance at the grandfather clock in the corner. It now read "Shame on you. Put the dear boy to bed." Lily hated that darn clock. It was very biased. If James had been rocking Harry it would've probably read "James, dear, put the child to bed before he develops sleep deprivation." Lily started to ascend the staircase to the third floor, trying to avoid any additional comments the clock would undoubtedly emit.

The creaking of steps caused James to stir in his sleep. He opened his eyes and caught a quick glimpse of Lily taking Harry to bed. He stretched his arms out above his head and swiftly rose to go spy on Lily. She was blissfully unaware that he listened to her sing lullabies to Harry every night. She had the voice of Matilda, the witch who granted singing powers to all worthy wizard children. If she knew that he listened in on her, she would undeniably be embarrassed. Few things irked Lily Potter, but she detested anyone who praised her for something she didn't recognize in herself, and singing was one of them. Her song ended abruptly and she quickly turned toward the door. She had a sneaking suspicion that someone was watching her. She shrugged it off when she saw nothing but the faint yellow glow coming from the corridor beyond the door. Realizing that Harry was sleeping serenely, she bent over the crib and kissed his forehead. Then she took out her wand and whispered a bewitching charm that made his ceiling appear to be the night sky. She strummed the harp in the corner of his room. It was a magical harp and would continue playing until someone strummed it a second time. James disapparated from the corridor and soon was standing in the middle of the master suite. It was a dark room that was decorated in majestic shades of mahogany and accent in gold features. The great Godric Gryffindor and his wife, Portia, had once slept in this very room. Lily soon entered. She had a smug look upon her face.

"James Harold Potter," she said in the snobbish tone that she knew James had always despised, "How daft do you think I am? You seem to forget that when you apparate from one place to another you make a certain popping noise. I have reason to believe that you were spying on me." She tried to put on a stern face, but that was always impossible when looking into his devilishly cute eyes.

"I uh, no, I was just taking a stroll and I suddenly felt very tired and I, uh, decided to disapparate. I think we should do something about that long walk from the parlor to our bedroom. Don't you think?" He felt a sense of pride wash over him. He was so clever, or at least he thought.

"Yes. I suppose we'll have to do something about that tomorrow won't we? Perhaps we could just move Harry's room right next to ours." She laughed at James' reaction. He knew Lily was much shrewder than he could give her credit for. He laughed and shrugged at being discovered.

James started muttering to himself on his way to the bathroom. How was Lily so darn perceptive about everything? It was seemingly annoying at times. He could never get away with anything without her knowing. He turned on the shower and put a sound charm on the room. Lily thought James' singing voice was something not to be heard by human ears.

Lily changed into her crimson sleeping robe while James was in the shower. The robe complemented her eyes and was very appealing with her long, cascading curls. She sprinkled a little bit of Eau de Luna on her neck and climbed into her oversized four poster bed. She could smell James' scent on the pillows. Oh how she cherished that smell. It was very comforting. When he was out for the day, she would come in here and lay just to feel closer to him. Before the Fidelius Charm had been cast, he would spend a lot of time at the Ministry of Magic. They had been testing him rigorously because he was training to become an auror. He had already surpassed these tests, however, with his work for the order. The best auror at the Ministry, Doug McDougall, had only sent eight Death Eaters to prison. James was supposedly going to his auror induction ceremony in two weeks, but the Fidelius Charm would most likely prevent that from happening. Unless Lord Voldemort Everyone was quite proud of him. They hadn't admitted anyone new in the past six years. It was quite a feat for a twenty year old.

James climbed out of the shower and changed into his favorite pair of boxers. They were yellow and had a giant smiley face on the back. When someone looked at them, the right eye winked. They were a Christmas present from Sirius and Lily seemed to find them thoroughly amusing. He put a whitening charm on his notorious grin and walked back into the Godric's Retreat, where Lily was propped up by a few pillows, grinning madly at him.

"Turn around, Jimmy. I want to see it wink," she teased.

James spun around like an obedient husband and then jumped on the bed and onto Lily. He bent her head back with his and kissed her as though he hadn't seen in her twenty years. She was admiringly beautiful. Some people found it hard to believe that she was only a muggle and there wasn't a drop of Veela in her blood. He looked deep into her eyes and soon realized that this was what his mother had meant by "ama sin falta", a love without faults. It was the kind of love only Merlin and a few others could posses, a love that was unconditional and euphoric. Lily's body shivered at his touch. They had been together for four years and she still had this reaction whenever she looked him in the eye or when they shared a passionate embrace. "This is what love is," she thought to herself.

James had found himself a spot behind her and had his nice, built arms wrapped amorously around her. She loved it when he did this. His muscles were fine tuned because of his countless Quidditch practices and workouts in the weight room. They were so secure. Lily ran her fingers up and down James' forearm and he felt his hair raise.

"Lily," he began.

"Yes, James?"

"Are you happy? I mean, I just feel like you deserve so much more than what we have right now. You shouldn't be confined to this house. This whole predicament is my fault. I hope you don't regret marrying me so soon. Please promise you'll tell me if there is something you need from me." This had been something he'd been fretting over for the past couple of days. Lily seemed to be acting differently lately and he was unsure of what was going on in her head.

"James, there isn't a minute I've ever regretted marrying you. You're a part of me. I'd be lost if I didn't have you. I look at you and Harry and I get the greatest feeling in the world. My two Potters. I could never be anything but happy without you. It's just that the world is full of qualms. We could die tomorrow for all we know. The only thing I need from you is to know that I'll never live a minute of my life without you standing right here next to me. You're my lifeguard. I don't know what I would do if we were ever apart, James. My whole life would just collapse like an old tree that's been around for too long without water. Just promise me that we will die together. Two old people warm in their beds and not a single iota of regret in their lives. Our children will be respectful and happy and we'll have dozens of grandchildren coming to visit us before we pass.

"Lily, you don't know what it means to me to hear you say that. I've been feeling so guilty and worried about you lately. I promise you that I will never leave you behind. I might as well kill myself. And in 100 years, when we're breathing our last breath, we'll know that it's only a matter of time until we're both home again. We'll be buried by that old oak tree in Godric's Garden. And if that's not possible, there is always the Whomping Willow," he joked, but then he cleared his throat and began again, ". You better believe it, babe. If I go down, you're going down with me."

"Well, I must say, that's quite reassuring," Lily joked. He had a way of making her smile under any circumstances. "I love you, Prongs."

"Ditto, Lily Bean."

"Ditto? What in the hell does that mean," hoping it wasn't what she thought it was. He always had these quirky expressions that suggested something she'd rather not care to think about.

"It's somewhere along the lines of 'And the same to you'," he replied.

"Oh, okay. Spoken from the heart, obviously," Lily joked. She lovingly slapped him on the chest and rested her head under his arm. A few minutes later she was right back to sleep.

***********************************

"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"

"Stand aside, you silly girl... stand aside, now..."

"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead. Please! Have mercy. Have mercy."

"Avada Kedarva."

**********************************

Lily woke up from a flash of green light. This had been the third nightmare she had had in a row that had involved the murder of her family. She didn't think she had the powers of a Seer, thus it was probably just the result of some intense thinking about it during her free time. That was all it was. There was nothing to worry about. She trusted Peter almost as much as she trusted James. Peter would never betray James anyway. He would rather die a thousand deaths than give into evil. This idea had been instilled in all of them since they could speak. All of the Marauders would do the same for one another. She opened her eyes and surveyed the room. It was morning because she listened momentarily to the song of the morning bird. It was probably around eight o'clock. Harry would most likely be getting up soon. She leaned back expecting to find James' comforting arms there to break her fall, but to her surprise he wasn't. Where was he? James hardly ever wakes up this early. She rubbed the sleep from her almond shaped eyes and peered at the clock on the bedside table and realized that it was far past eight o'clock. It was nearly noon! She had already wasted half of the day! She must have been sleeping very soundly if James hadn't awakened her yet. He always woke her up if he for some reason had awoken before her. He always said that he was terribly bored when he was without her. Lily rose from the bed, stretched her arms, twisted her back, and went to her powdering table. She put her hair up in a simple, yet elegant bun and used some of Burma Bagshaw's All Day Hair Spray. Guaranteed to make every last fiber of your hair stick to its original position! She dabbed a little bit of lipstick on her lips and put a miniscule amount of powder on her face. Everyone became terribly annoyed with her when they saw her putting on makeup. They said she had no use for it and was cheating herself of her true beauty. She left the room and gracefully descended down the many of the Grand Staircase to the kitchen, where she found James dancing wildly around the room with Harry to a new song on the WW. It was some new band called the Mangy Mandolins. They both seemed to be enjoying themselves, so Lily stepped back and observed James for a few minutes. James swung Harry around and tossed him up into the air. He then put him in his high chair and James danced solo. Lily had to laugh now. He looked up at her and smiled.

"Care to join me, dear," he said. His eyes were dancing along with him. How could she resist? She stepped into the kitchen and they both danced like crazy, allowing all of their inhibitions to flow carelessly away from them. After the song had ended, James stepped over to the radio and changed the frequency to a station that played songs with a little bit more romance. He grabbed Lily's waist and pulled it close to his. She put her arms around his neck and rested her head on his chest.

"No, Lily," he said. "I don't want to dance like that." Lily looked hurt by this notion and her dark green eyes searched his for an explanation.

"What?" she asked him. She was shocked that he had rejected her when they were sharing a romantic embrace. He just laughed at her.

"I want to dance like this," he answered. And with that he stepped back from her, held one of her arms out to their side, and grasped the other. He twirled her around and then pulled her back in and rocked her from side to side. Then he swiftly dipped her, forcing her leg to pop up. That was when he kissed her. Nobody in Merlin's magical world would've guessed that it would be the last dance they would ever share together. Nor that it would be their last morning together as a family. They were a prime example of living for the moment.

"Wow," she said when he brought her back up. "That reminded me of our first dance as a married couple." James had to be one of the best dancers she had ever danced with, and that was many considering how many had asked to step in at all of the formal balls she had attended in her lifetime. She assumed Rhea, his mother, had taught him. She was a woman of dignity and class, but she had passed away two days after James' sixteenth birthday.

"Yeah, well, I figured I would relive the moment," he said nonchalantly. He did everything with a certain ease and coolness. It was quite awing.

"Oh, well, that was nice of you," she teased.

"I was wondering when you were going to wake up. Harry and I were getting kind of lonely. Weren't we, kiddo?" He winked at Lily and looked over toward Harry, who was intently devouring his cereal, paying no particular attention to his parents. "My little sleeping beauty. I made you some breakfast, but you never woke up. Would you like me to make you some lunch?"

"No thanks, James. I've had what you consider a "lunch" before and I'd rather pass. I think I'll just make myself a sandwich."

"If you insist, Lily Bean." He patted the top of her head. "Come on Harry," he said, "Let's go see what Sirius is up to." James seemed to be suffering from separation anxiety. The only way he and Sirius could communicate effectively was via a method commonly known as "Quarrantinia". Traditionally, it's used for Healers to aid the contagious without actually coming in direct contact with them. James found it to be the perfect loophole. Sirius wouldn't know James' whereabouts and James didn't have to leave the house. The sender would conjure a golden box and place a key inside of it. Then, he would repeat the following incantation: "Quarrantinia Transportus - Sirius Black". An identical golden box would appear in front of the recipient with the name of the sender inscribed on the top. If the recipient accepted the box, he or she would take out the key and twist it in the keyhole. A makeshift window would then be suspended in the air and both parties could see and talk through both sides, as though they were in the same room with just a window between them.

"James! Wait," she cried out.

"What is it?" he asked, although he already knew what she was implying. This had been his plan all along. He knew that Sirius and Lily were very close. They were practically brother and sister. Lily would never miss an opportunity to see Sirius if she could help it. She would have to come along now. She shoved the contents of her half-made sandwich back into the cool box. The cool box is a magical refrigerator that adapts to the cooling needs of each individual item inside of it. There was a guarantee that no piece of food would ever spoil, which was good because the fridge was limitless to the amount of food it could hold and food was easily lost. She dashed right through the swinging doors of the kitchen and after James and Harry.

"I'll be right down," she hollered from half way up the steps. James figured she was going to go into her girly mode again. 'Girls can't go anywhere without looking like Aphrodite,' he thought.

Lily was rummaging through her closet for something decent to wear. What she had on now certainly wouldn't be considered decent and it was common knowledge that Sirius would have to make a tease about it. She finally settled for a black turtleneck sweater and a pair of gray pants that conformed to her delicate curves. It was quite a sophisticated outfit. She put on the locket that James had given to her on her eighteenth birthday, among many other things. He was always one to give presents that came from the heart. Inside it had a picture of the two of them and on the adjacent side it was engraved. It read "To Lily ~ Keeper of The Stars and of My Heart ~ Your One & Only, James." James and Lily had met when they were nine years old, at an astronomy convention. Lily didn't know that James was a wizard at the time. She had quite a shock when she saw him approach the sorting hat on the first day of school. The Astronomy convention was where she met Sirius Black as well. Sirius had always been a big fan of astronomy, hence his name, Sirius Black. The locket had magical protection on it. If it wasn't on Lily's neck or in the designated jewelry box, it automatically returned to its box within two hours. The picture of Lily and James moved around and they could be soon doing various things. Sometimes Lily would find them kissing. The James in the picture also spoke to Lily. It said various love phrases. Some of them were quite corny and she couldn't help but laugh at the idea of James saying such things. There was a tiny star near the top of the locket. If you pressed your thumb over it, it would show what James was doing at that exact moment. It was one of the best presents she had ever received. For her nineteenth birthday he proposed, and that one was easily the best present she would ever receive.

She hurried out of the room and quickly came down the steps where she met James. He was standing with his arms crossed and an annoyed look on his face. Apparently patience wasn't something he had great quantities of.

"Sor-ry," she muttered sarcastically.

"Girls. Hmmph."

"For your information, Mr. Potter, I'm a woman, not a girl. I do believe that is our child over there" she responded smugly and pointed towards Harry. She walked over toward the fireplace and took out the ornate golden box that was on top of the mantle. "Are you just going to stand there or are you going to do this with me?" she asked.

"Talk about problems with patience," he laughed. "Where are you this morning, Lily? You know very well that I can't do the incantation while holding Harry."

"Oh, that's right." How could she have forgotten? He pointed his wand at the box and said the necessary incantation. He gently touched it and the two of them waited patiently for Sirius' acceptance. A grin spread across the pair's faces as a hazy looking window divided the room. The haze in the window soon cleared and a clear view of Sirius' private study came into focus. It was the exact replica of a gothic style library and had that "old world" feel. Sirius had an insane amount of money. He had inherited it from his Uncle Alphard. Alphard had been wiped off the family tree, just like Sirius had. They were both too "golden" for the Black family. The grandeur of Sirius' house was enough to sit and marvel at all day, but it wasn't nearly as opulent as Godric's Hollow.

"James! I've been waiting for you!" Sirius could not be seen, but his voice echoed throughout the house. He appeared from behind one of the marble columns, holding a very old piece of parchment. His eyes looked tired, but the extensive smile on his face was enough to detract from the dark shadows that loomed over his pale eyes.

"Ditto," James said. It was so good to see Sirius again. They both pulled out their wands and tapped them on the window panes. Sirius and James had added something of their own to their Marauder greeting. They both acted as though they were smoking a cigarette and then reached over to extinguish it on the other person's shoulder. It was quite amusing to watch. Both of them acted as though they were reuniting after a year's hiatus. The depths of their friendship appeared to extended beyond the Realm of Light.

Sirius then focused his attention on Harry, who was standing next to his father, keeping his balance by clutching James' pants.

"How is my favorite godson doing?" Sirius said cheerfully. He tapped at Harry through the glass and contorted his face so Harry would laugh. Sirius was great with children, especially Harry. James always believed he would make an excellent father in the future. Harry giggled and tried his best to reach for Sirius, but the limits of the window prevented him from doing so. Sirius was very close to Harry. For his first birthday, he had bought Harry a model of his flying motorcycle. Harry loved it almost as much as Sirius loved his own; he even had a matching leather jacket and helmet.

Lily had been detained by one of the house-elves and was looking quite flustered when she popped her head over James' shoulder. Her face could've lit the night sky when she saw Sirius, whatever previous distractions she had been involved with seemed to fade away.

"Siri!" she exclaimed. "I've missed you. I've missed you. I've missed you!"

"Lily Bean," Sirius replied jubilantly, "my one and only. How are you? He then blew her a kiss and she politely returned it. One might think that James would be jealous, but he wasn't. Lily and Sirius had been friends since either of them had known James and their feelings for each other were strictly platonic because of events that had occurred in their fourth year at Hogwarts. "Looking stunning, as always." He motioned for her to spin around and smiled in approval. He nodded and rubbed his unshaven chin. "How did you get so lucky, Prongs?"

"What was that, Sirius? You're telling me you aren't satisfied." The voice that spoke wasn't James'. It was a woman's. All three of them looked up to see who was speaking. James and Lily immediately recognized her. She was a member of the Order of The Phoenix.

"James. Lily. Allow me to introduce to you my girlfriend, Emmeline Vance."

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