In All the Thunder

In All the Thunder

Lanni Weasley

Chapter One: The Beginning of Trouble

It was July 4th, 1978. It was another beautiful sunny day outside - a few white, fluffy clouds in the sky, and the temperature was just right. Many people were outside, fixing their yards; and the children were playing outside, riding their bikes or playing with water.

One house in particular seemed to be enjoying the nice day very much. It wasn't anything abnormal to hear laughter in the neighborhood, though this house appeared to be very abundant in it. But the laughter and squeals from the house was normal and no one gave it a second look. The house belonged to someone named Sirius Black.

Of course, this meant that it had to be full of laughter. At the moment, the owner was not alone, but had his friends over. Still fresh out of Hogwarts, James Potter, eighteen, was in the kitchen with Lily Evans, also eighteen. Although this was harder than it sounded, Lily was trying to teach James how to cook the Muggle way. James, who was never good at cooking with or without a wand, was not doing as well as Lily would have hoped.

"Er...what do I do with this?" James asked, confused, holding up a mixer. He raised his eyebrows. "Give the chicken a scratch?"

Lily rolled her eyes at him and shook her head.

"No, it's called a mixer," she told him with a sigh. Since Sirius was a pureblood and had no idea how to cook like a Muggle either, she had taken it upon herself to bring some Muggle cooking utensils over so that he would be able to use them too. "You're supposed to mix things like mashed potatoes and cake mix together. It's easier than just using a spoon."

"Really, but don't you just have to flick your wand?" James questioned, still very bemused, scratching his head with the mixer. She sighed lightly with disappointment; he was not getting it that quickly.

"Yes, but we're Muggle cooking, remember?" Lily reminded him calmly. "Muggles don't have magic to use and wands to flick." He nodded his head slowly.

"Oh, yeah," James sighed, still nodding his head. And then he stopped and looked at her oddly. "Remind me again why we're trying to Muggle cook."

Lily slapped her forehead with the palm of her hand. He was slowly getting there - real slowly. Sirius walked into the kitchen. He saw James peering at the mixer very closer and Lily looking up at the ceiling.

"So, how's Muggle cooking going?" Sirius asked curiously.

"Ugh, really slowly; James is confused a lot," Lily replied. He smirked and then shook his head, fighting back the chuckles. James looked down and saw that the chocolate cake batter was not mixed very well. He turned the mixer on. Lily turned around. "No, James, don't-"

James put the mixer into the cake mix and batter flew everywhere across the room. Sirius got a face full; some got in Lily's hair; and a little landed on their clothes. Lily took the mixer away from James and turned it off. James was completely covered. His glasses looked like they had been dipped into batter. He took them off.

"Did I do it correctly?" James asked hopefully.

"No, but you almost got it right," Lily groaned, handing him a paper towel so he could clean up. He began to clean them, and Lily felt her hair.

Sirius took his wand and said, "Scourgify!" All of the fusion disappeared and all three of them were immediately cleaned of any remains of the mixture.

"Thanks, Sirius," Lily said. He inclined his head a little, and she turned back to James. "Now we have to fill it back up again, and then I'll show you how to mix it properly." James nodded his head obediently. "I am so glad that I didn't bring the grill over like I wanted to or you would've probably burnt the house down."

Sirius snorted. At this rate, they were never going to eat. Luckily, he had eaten something before they came over and had invited them early. They were trying to make dinner. He walked out of the kitchen and into the backyard.

The backyard was occupied with Sirius's other friends. Because it was a hot, sunny day, they were outside playing around. Sara Whitfield was sitting on a chair in her bathing suit with sunglasses on, trying to get a small tan and reading a magazine. Krystyna Melanie, his wonderful girlfriend, was sitting at the edge of the pool, swishing her legs in the cool water and watching his two other friends. Remus Lupin was in the middle of the pool trying to coax his girlfriend, Lorena Fawcett, to come into the pool. Sirius sat down beside Krystyna.

"How's dinner coming inside?" Krystyna asked him coolly, grinning at him. He rolled his eyes and gave a prolong sigh. "Not too good then?"

"Well, Lily's teaching of Muggle cooking is a little complicated for James," Sirius noted resignedly. She chortled a little and then shook her head, a grin still on her face. He looked over at Remus in the pool and then Lorena standing at the edge of it. "What's up with that?"

"Oh, Lorena's just a little nervous," Krystyna explained calmly. "The last time she went swimming, she didn't have that good of a time, which is an understatement. Remus was successful into getting her changed into her swimsuit, but he's not doing a very good job in getting her into the water."

Sirius shook his head. "He looks desperate," he chuckled, grinning.

"He looks amused," Krystyna pointed out, looking over at Sirius again and slapping him on the arm. He nodded his head slowly. "It's funny to just watch them at it."

The two continued to look on.

"C'mon, Lorena, the water's not cold, and it's really fun," Remus proclaimed, splashing a little water at her feet. She jumped back a little and crossed her arms across her chest. She looked at him suspiciously.

"What may be fun for you might not be for me. And I can only wonder why it's not cold," Lorena replied smoothly, still looking at him suspiciously. Sirius burst out laughing, and Remus turned a little pink. "I'm not getting in. I'll just sit over there." She pointed to the seat next to Sara.

"But I want you to get in!" Remus pleaded, now sounding desperate. "Maybe if you get in, it'll be fun. The last time you went swimming shouldn't count."

"I don't want to get in!" Lorena exclaimed quickly. "It won't be fun, and the last time I went swimming definitely counts." He frowned at her and gave her a pouting look. "No, don't give me that look. I'm not going to fall for it this time."

"Please," Remus whimpered, still giving her the pouting look. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, shaking her head. "Please, Lorena..."

"Argh, no, Remus, I don't care how much you plead with me; I'm not getting in that water," Lorena told him flatly. He stopped giving her the pouting look and just frowned at her.

"Why not?" Remus demanded grumpily.

"You'll dunk me under the water or pull me under and I don't like that!" Lorena said sharply.

"I will not!" Remus shouted.

Lorena rolled her eyes at him.

"Well, if you won't, then Sirius sure as heck will," she pointed out, looking pointedly at Sirius. Remus looked back at him quickly.

"Hey, I resent that!" Sirius declared huffily, crossing his arms. "You weren't supposed to know that."

Lorena stuck her tongue out at him, and Sirius copied her.

"The last time I went swimming, I got dunked so many times it was not funny," she told Remus. She shook her head. "I don't want to get in and I'm not going to. Nothing you can do or say can get me into the pool, Remus."

"Who dunked you?" Remus asked evenly.

"Malfoy!" Sirius snorted, bursting out laughing. He was rolling with laughter and Krystyna was trying her best to keep a straight face. Remus looked back at him again.

Lorena glared at him. "It wasn't him!" She was red in the face.

"Of course, I believe you, Lorena," Sirius sniggered, not believing her one bit.

"I'm telling you; it wasn't him!" Lorena snapped. "He was never brave enough to do something like that. I'd hurt him."

"Then who was it then?" Sirius asked, grinning back at her cockily.

Lorena grumbled something undistinguishable, causing Sirius to laugh even harder. Krystyna snorted from behind her hand and tried containing herself very hard, but it was difficult. Remus shook his head.

"Where's Peter?" Sara asked calmly from behind her magazine.

Lorena stopped throwing Sirius "death glares" to look over at Sara. "I think he's locked himself in the bathroom because he believes that he doesn't look good in swimming trunks - aaaah!"

Sirius stopped laughing, and Sara dropped her magazine down just in time to see Remus pulling Lorena into the water by grabbing her wrist. Needless to say, Sirius, Krystyna, and Sara were laughing all together now; and Remus was grinning broadly. Lorena came to the surface, her now soaked bright blond hair in her face, and spewed some water out.

"Remus, I told you that I didn't want to get in!" Lorena cried out, trying to keep her head above the surface of the water. Sirius's pool was not normal; it was deeper than the average pool. She dipped under the water a little when she tried to pull her hair out of her face. When she was unsuccessful, she dipped under the water again and came back up with her hair looking slicked back.

"Ah, it's Malfoy!" Sirius yelped jokingly, falling back and laughing again. Lorena splashed some water on him moodily, but he continued to laugh.

"Remus, this isn't funny," Lorena said unhappily. "I'm not a very good swimmer; I'll drown."

"I won't let you drown, Lorena," Remus told her, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her close. She looked at him doubtfully and then grinned wickedly. She splashed water in his face, and he let go of her quickly. He splashed some water back at her, and they began a water fight.

Suddenly Sirius stood up and stretched. Then, a very mischievous idea formed in his head and he smirked impishly. "Cannonball!" he announced gleefully, leaping into mid-air. He came to a loud crash in the water and sunk under, spraying water everywhere into the air and out of the pool.

Sara squealed and put her magazine over her head to keep her hair and face wet from getting wet. Krystyna put her hands in front of herself when she was sprayed with water. The waves in the pool went right over Lorena's head and Remus got a mouth full of water. He spit it out when Sirius came to the surface, his black hair sticking on his head.

"SIRIUS!" everyone else shouted loudly. His impish smirk grew broader, and he continued to laugh in the water as he began to float. Lorena coughed and glowered at him before Krystyna kicked water into his face, giggling madly. Sirius shook his head and again, water went everywhere. "SIRIUS!"

"What?" Sirius replied way too innocently, knowing full well that he wasn't innocent at all. Sara rolled her magazine up and wringed it out. She unfolded it and took her wand, placing the Drying Charm on it. She opened it back up and searched for the page she had been on before Sirius's interruption.

A beach ball floated past Lorena. She picked it up and chucked it at Sirius; it bounced off the top of his head. She stuck her tongue out at him. Remus guffawed. Sirius gave her a simpering look before he swam over to Krystyna. He put his arm on the edge of the pool.

"Will you get in or do I have to pull you in like Remus did Lorena?" Sirius asked her coolly, grinning at her. "I'd enjoy pulling you in if you don't want to get in."

"No, thanks, Sirius; I think I'll get in myself," Krystyna replied. "I don't need your help for everything, you know."

She slowly got in herself and shivered. No matter what Remus and Sirius may come to believe, the water was not warm. She gave Lorena, who looked to be thinking along the same lines, a fleeting glance. Krystyna wrapped her arms around herself.

"It's cold," she pointed out, her teeth beginning to chatter noisily.

"I'll warm you up then," Sirius said softly, moving over towards her. She tried to get away, but he must have been determined. He wrapped his arms around her snugly.

"No, I know what you'll do," Krystyna replied, trying to get out of his grip. He smirked and she knew that her time was limited. "Sirius, don't you dare-"

Sirius dared and dragged her under the water quickly. When she popped back up, he was laughing his head off, and she was soaked, feeling colder than before. She narrowed her eyes at him and then shook her head. She rolled her eyes.

"I'm colder now!" Krystyna complained loudly, her teeth chattering worse than before. He wrapped his arms around her again, but was not going to pull her under this time.

"You have to get colder first to get warmer, love," Sirius pointed out softly, kissing her on the cheek. She rolled her eyes at him again, but didn't do anything about it. There was a loud shriek from inside the house, telling them all that James had done something wrong again.

"James, no, you aren't supposed to-" There was a small explosion, which made them all jump. Sara pulled her sunglasses off and sat them on top of her head. Someone was coughing from inside. "You aren't supposed to put pots in an oven!"

"How was I supposed to know?" James replied, coughing a little louder than Lily was. Smoke began to leak out of a small crack in the back door and rise into the air. Sirius raised his eyebrows. He swam over to the edge and pulled himself out of the water. Water dripping everywhere, he walked over to the door cautiously.

"Hey, is everything alright in-" Sirius opened the door and dark gray smoke poured out of the door. He began hacking and coughing, backing away from the door and waving his hand in the air in front of him. He stepped on the edge and wobbled back and forth. Finally, he caught his balance. "Lily? James, are you guys alright?"

Lily shoved James out of the house, and Lorena started to laugh. "What the bloody hell happened to you two in there?" she choked out between laughs.

They all started to snigger. James's usual unruly black hair was looking wilder than usual; it was sticking straight up. His glasses were black, and his face looked to be charcoaled. His once white shirt was gray now. Lily's red hair was a mess and had black tuffs in it. Her face was black, and her shirt was also gray.

"Oh, Sirius, nothing caught on fire or anything, but James stuck a pot in the oven, and you're not supposed to so it exploded when James opened the oven door!" Lily exclaimed exasperatedly, throwing her arms in the air and then trying to flatten her hair. "This is what happens when a pureblood doesn't take Muggle studies!"

"Cooking disasters?" Lorena raised an eyebrow.

"What was in the pot, James?" Sara asked nicely, trying to stop herself from snickering.

"Popcorn," James answered, shrugging his shoulders and trying to clean his glasses with the edge of his dirty shirt. Lily looked back at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Popcorn? I don't recall telling you to make popcorn," Lily replied in a confused voice. James put his now slightly cleaner glasses back on and pocketed his hands into his jeans.

"That's because you didn't tell me to make popcorn, Lil," James explained coolly. "I was hungry; and I figured that this was going to take a while so I tried to make popcorn." He sighed and shook his head, missing Lily's shocked expression. "And now it's burnt so I can't eat it."

Lily shook her head. "That's it, we're finishing the rest of dinner the Wizarding way so get your buttocks over here this instant, James Potter," she said sternly. He trudged over to her. She pulled her wand out and cleaned his face and then her own face. "We're going in there and cleaning up the place first."

Lily put the Bubble-Head Charm on them both and towed James into the house, shutting the door behind them. They slowly began clearing the smoke away from the inside and then headed into the kitchen to clean the rest of the place up. Dinner would be ready soon now that they were going to use magic. If they hadn't used magic, they probably wouldn't have had dinner and Sirius wouldn't have had a house any longer because of James.

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and jumped back into the water, once again spraying everyone with water.

~*~

Dinner could have possibly been better, but, as far as they were concerned, it was good. Lily had somehow managed to save most of the food, but she told them again and again that it could have been better, if not for James's inability to cook without magic.

"Honestly, James, what happens if something were to happen and you didn't have your wand?" Lily said indignantly while she glowered at James, who was stuffing his mouth with mashed potatoes. He thought about it for a second and then shrugged his shoulders. She frowned at him. "You could be out in the middle of nowhere with a pot and a can of beans and you have dropped your wand. What would you do?"

James, again, thought about it for a second and then swallowed his mashed potatoes. He figured that he didn't want Lily strangling him. "Call for help?" he inquired unsurely. Lily obviously didn't like his answer so he shrunk in his seat a little further.

"Call for help?! How could you do such a thing when you're out in the middle of nowhere!?" Lily shouted, clearly annoyed. All had come to wonder how such a peaceful evening had turned into yet another way for Lily to release her anger. For some unknown reason, she had been a little snappish with them all.

"Call for help?" Sirius sniggered, grinning from ear-to-ear. "More like call for mummy." He and Remus started to laugh uproariously while James shot them a glare, still sunk low in his seat.

"'Oh, Mummy, I'm lost out in the middle of nowhere with a pot and a can of beans! Can you come by and cook them for me? You know I'm totally dependant on you! Mummy, oh, I think those beans gave me gas!' Tbth!" Sirius mocked in a very high, childish voice. James punched Sirius in the arm, but it didn't stop him from laughing.

"Really, wizards like you are so dependant on magic that it's impossible for them to do anything without a wand," Lily huffed, perturbed. "They'd die without one. It's quite ridiculous."

"I'm ridiculous?" James asked incredulously.

"No way!" Lorena shrieked sarcastically. "No bloody way are you ridiculous in any way!"

"Shut up, Lorena," James mumbled. She smirked at him in the sweetest way possible. "Listen, Lily; I'm just not used to Muggle ways of living. Bear with me here; I'm a pureblood so I've only been brought up the wizarding way. You, on the other hand, were brought up the Muggle way, no offense. Lorena, here, was brought up the smirking, 'must be evil' way-"

"This is your last warning, James," Lorena pointed out coolly, giving him a strange simpering look. He glanced at her quickly. She was twirling her wand in her fingers. "I may not have approved or liked the way my real parents brought me up, but I'm not going to let you insult them because, in a strange way, you somehow insult me along the way."

"I didn't insult you; I just-"

"Were you not just insinuating that I am evil and have to be?" There was a tad bit of an awkward silence in which James blinked several times at her. Truth be told, he really did just say that.

"Okay, look; I'm sorry, Lorena, that I have, in some way, insulted you, and I'm sorry, Lil, that I'm incapable of making food the Muggle way," James apologized, now giving Lily an imploring, pouting "puppy dog" look. She suddenly smiled at him and kissed him on the cheek.

"Ah, you're so cute; how can I not forgive you for being an insufferable don't know-it-all?" Lily replied teasingly, smiling at him sweetly. Either way, even though it was a sort of insult, it was one good compliment to James as he grinned. "I know that deep down, you're a genius."

"Of course you do now!" James exclaimed cheerfully. Peter gave him a quizzical look that told them all that he was confused, which they seemed to be getting lately. They, however, were also a little bit befuddled as to what James had meant. Seeing their bemused expressions made James's grin grow. "I just got my N.E.W.T. results yesterday; and boy, were they great! I have got to be the smartest man alive!"

He didn't wait for them to ask what he had gotten; he immediately pulled a paper out of his jeans pocket. He unfolded the crumpled piece of paper and handed it to Remus, who re-read it after the first time. After he was finished with it, he handed it over to Sirius and shrugged his shoulders carelessly.

Remus mumbled to Lorena, "I got a better score in Defense Against the Dark Arts by two points." She muffled a giggle.

When finished reading it, Sirius handed it over to Krystyna, who began reading it. "We tied, James, again," he sighed heavily. "We got the exact same points on everything."

"Looks like you're sharing the title of the smartest man alive with Sirius, James," Krystyna added as she read the results, her eyes still on the paper.

At the moment, she was a little miffed with the paper. How in the world did he get a better score than me in Care of Magical Creatures? I paid attention, and he didn't give a lick about it.

Sulking just a bit, she thrust the paper into Peter's hands forcibly, hiding a feeling of irritation. She had studied her brains in and out for that test and he still had managed to get better grades than her. But after her last school year, she had figured out that life was not always fair-to her. She suppressed a snort and continued to eat some of Lily's delicious pork chops-that she had managed to save. Peter, though for sure knew that he had lower grades, was smiling.

"You're a genius, James!" he squealed as he handed Sara the paper, his eyes glittering admiringly at James, who was grinning. "Pure genius, you are!"

"Well, well, it takes a lot of work being this brilliant," James sighed wearily, tugging on his shirt. Lily rolled her eyes, but was grinning, nonetheless. He raised his eyebrows at her, and she shook her head. The two shared a laugh that none of the others got. They figured that it must be some inside joke. Sirius was wondering what it was; James and he shared everything and being left out of something was too strange.

"Well done, James," Sara merely commented after handing Lorena the paper.

James inclined his head a bit before stuffing his mouth with the last bit of his mashed potatoes and gravy. He did his very best to keep his mouth shut while chomping on them. After all, he didn't want to be rude; otherwise, Lily might get mad at him again, and that was very bad. Lorena tossed the paper into the middle of the table and looked at James.

"Do we have to grovel at your feet, James, or must we declare you king for your superior grades?" Lorena asked sardonically, smirking at him. It somehow came to be that after they had graduated from Hogwarts, she had taken up on being the cool and smirking one. James had usually commented that she was turning into Marcus or Lucius, which was always followed by James being socked.

"Actually, I was thinking-"

"By the way, I got a better grade than you in Potions," Lorena interrupted, now smirking at him very happily. James gaped at her in disbelief, as if her getting a better grade than him in something was utterly impossible. "I got a perfect score in Potions."

"No way, really?" Lily asked excitedly. Lorena nodded her head. "But, that hasn't happened in-"

"Thirty years or so, wasn't it?" Remus continued exuberantly, looking at a now grinning Lorena. "That hasn't happened in around thirty-five years!"

"Really, can you tell me who the other person was?" Sirius asked sarcastically. He didn't think one person could read Hogwarts High Scores more times than Remus could, but he didn't really want to know who this person was.

"Of course, I can, Sirius!" Remus declared quickly. "You, of all people, should know how many times I've read Hogwarts High Scores."

"Yes, painfully enough as it is, I do know," Sirius muttered under his breath regretfully. Krystyna giggled.

"Oh, that was a wonderful book!" Lily exclaimed cheerfully. Remus nodded his head. "Only two people in the history of Hogwarts--maybe even the Wizarding community as a whole--have gotten a perfect score in Potions. The first was a guy named Tom-"

"Enough, I really don't care about a guy, who was a genius in bloody Potions, that is probably already dead," Sirius interrupted grumpily. He finished his macaroni and cheese and started on his pork chop. He lit up considerably. "What I care about is how great you are in cooking, Lily!"

Lily beamed at him.

"Why thank you, Sirius," Lily said happily.

They continued to talk about other things while James took his N.E.W.T. results and stuffed them back into his pocket, all while still eating his food. Soon though, with the sun set and the sky dark, the tiki torches lit around the table and pool, and the food gone, the rest of them had to leave.

Peter was still looking a bit grumpy as he watched Sirius shove the last bit of his cupcake into his mouth. After James had messed with the cake batter, there had only been enough to make cupcakes. Peter hadn't gotten one in time and Sirius, who had gotten the last one, wouldn't share his.

"Well, we ought to be going now," Lily noted, looking at Krystyna, who had been trying to get Sirius to share his cupcake with Peter. She was frowning at him a bit and then looked back at Lily. "It is getting quite late." Krystyna looked around and just noticed that it was night.

"Mm, why can't you stay here with me and we can watch a movie or something?" Sirius murmured in her ear and then kissed her on the cheek. She rolled her eyes, but smiled at him gently.

"Because I can't, Sirius," Krystyna sighed tiredly, still smiling at him. He gave her a small pouting look and she patted him on the head lightly. "You know I have to get the house all set up with Lily."

Lily and Krystyna had put their money together and were now roommates in a small house. Lily had refused to use any of James's money after she told him that she wouldn't stay with him just yet. He was still a little sour about that fact. The two girls were still taking everything out of boxes; they would be busy all day doing that.

While Krystyna and Lily were roommates, Sara had gotten an flat in London that was near she worked. She had gotten a job as a secretary for a small Healers clinic. While St. Mungos was the large hospital for most injured wizards and witches, the clinic Sara worked for took in the people that were terminally ill. It paid good enough money to let her get a nice flat.

Lorena was about to move out of her parents. Amazingly, she was still living there. No one had really asked her why because they knew that it might be a rather touchy subject to her.

Everyone got up from their seats and began bringing the dirty dishes and glasses inside the house.

"Lorena, how come you haven't moved out yet?" Sirius suddenly asked. She glanced at him while setting the dishes inside the sink, standing in an awkward position. Everyone turned their heads to gape at him. He was still looking at Lorena curiously. She stood up straight and wiped her hands on her pants.

"Well, first of all, I need to find a suitable house and second of all, I want to spend all the time I can with my little brothers, Nathan and Brandon," Lorena explained quite calmly. They all gawked at her now. She shrugged her shoulders and grabbed a kitchen towel to wipe her hands off after washing them. "After all, I want to make sure that they learn at an early age what life is really about. I still care about them so much. They're not evil."

"That's so sweet, Lorena," Lily told her with a pained expression. The blond shrugged her shoulders.

"I just don't want them to have the life like I did," Lorena sighed calmly. She turned around and looked at her reflection in the window. "They deserve better than that; they honestly do."

There was silence in which everyone stood up straight and looked at each other for a second. It was almost awkward. Lorena combed her fingers through her blond hair and gave a huge yawn.

"Listen; I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to go now," Lorena told them tiredly, looking a little weary. Remus frowned a little. "I have work tomorrow, and it's going to be hell if I don't go to bed soon."

"Work? When did you start work?" Remus automatically questioned, taking a few steps towards her. She gave him an arduous smile. "Where do you work? What's your shift? Is it safe?"

"Dear Heavens, I didn't know I had to go through your screen test before I could start a job," Lorena exclaimed with a grin on her face. He blushed a bit, but kept a serious look on his face. "I just got this job, see. It's not going to be my life job, but I need the money so I can start up at London Wizarding Law Academy when the term comes around again."

"Oh, so you're really going to go for it?" Lily asked excitedly, smiling brightly at her. Lorena nodded her head; Lily beamed. "How wonderful! I know you'll do so well there!"

Remus was looking a little impatient so Lorena continued on with her explanation.

"Anyways, I started my new job as a waitress at The Three Broomsticks, but the only problem was is that I'm on third shift so I do late nights. Right now, that's okay, but later on, it's not going to happen. Safe? Well, I certainly hope so." Remus's eyes widened at that last part and she laughed at him. She walked over to him and hugged him, giving him a soft peck on the cheek. "You mustn't be so uptight about such things; but yes, I am telling the truth."

"Why couldn't you have taken a safer job?" Remus muttered under his breath grumpily. "Or how about a shift during the day? You know what kind of shady characters are there at that time of night."

"All the more for me to take that shift, hun," Lorena replied with a mischievous glint in her eyes and an impish grin on her face. He looked a little startled, but she gave another laugh. "Calm down; I was just kidding, so don't worry about it."

Remus didn't look too convinced, but he said nothing. Sirius was holding back a few snorts by now.

"Well, I ought to be going. Thanks for dinner, Lily, and inviting me over to your new house, Sirius. It is a nice house, honestly. Have a good night, Krystyna! Oh, and Peter, how about this for an idea? I'll make you ten cupcakes since Sirius duped you out of one. Have a good time moving, Lily, Krystyna; it sure sounds like fun. Sara, see you tomorrow and have a good night. Bye, James, don't destroy anything-I'm just kidding. Goodbye!"

They all said goodbye to her. Lorena started for the door; Remus ran to catch up with her when the others weren't looking. He leaped out of the front door after her and jumped over the stairs. He grabbed her from behind and turned her around to plant a kiss on her lips before she could do anything. He could feel her smile against his lips when he rubbed his thumbs on her cheeks. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they pulled apart slightly.

"Thought you could get away without saying goodbye to me, did you now?" Remus said quietly with a grin on his face. She was still smiling at him, even after they had parted from the kiss. She raised an eyebrow a little.

"Mm, guess I wasn't slippery enough to do that," Lorena murmured softly, smiling at him mischievously. He opened his mouth to say something, but she pressed her finger against his lips, and he was immediately hushed. They stared at each other in the silence. "Good night, Remus."

"Good night, Lorena," Remus sighed, slightly disappointed.

She stood on her tiptoes to give him another kiss on the lips before she took a step back. She waved, and he waved back. Suddenly, Lorena Disapparated; and Remus was left alone on the dark front lawn. Even after her doing that many times, he still didn't liked it how she would just vanish into thin air so rapidly. He sighed and walked back inside the house.