Disclaimer: Me no own HP. Else I'd have my own Quidditch pitch

Thanks to the following reviewers: messyblackhair66, grannyHPfan, Kates Master, loonymarauder, Danimister, Princess Eclpise, dOrkface, IHeartSnitchBoxers, Bubb1eTea, Angelbach, HeyLookTheSnitch, But3rcupbaby, Tai Greywing, Isis the Sphinx, hoobastanklover, x-nimz-x, CasSE4evends, .Sorrowful.Bookworm., jinxrox, SweetSummerx3, InsaneIgor, Hannahham and sonispucca.

A/N:

Tash:: waves white flag of surrender:: Okay does everyone want to know why I haven't updated in well over two months?

Fred: That would be nice to know

Tash: Okay here's the honest to gods truth. I'll sum it up in three words for everyone.

I'm getting bored.

Jack: You mean it took you two months to realise that you were bored? Are you dense or what?

Tash: Sorry guys. But I'm really getting to the stage where I just want this story to end. Let's be fair. I've been working on this for over two years now (and I'm very impressed with myself since that's probably the longest I've ever stuck any project out). I am very very proud of this story and Ra knows I've had so much fun writing it (which was the whole reason I started in the first place). But I've got to the stage now where I just want to round things off nicely and leave with a smile.

So here's what I'm going to do. I'm revising the last few chapters and I'm going to condense them down a little bit. I'll take out a few little details that aren't needed and I'll start tying up the loose ends. The next five months of the fic are going to go by very quickly.

Bakura: Isn't that kinda like cheating?

Tash: Well no not really. I'm just going to condense the plot down and squidge a few of the remaining chapters together.

Doc: Sounds like cheating to me.

Tash: It's not cheating!

Helen::shouts:: Tash is a big cheater!

Tash:: cough, splutter, choke…::

Jack: I believe what she's trying to say is, shut up.

Tash: …anyway. I know I said this story would be a three parter, but what I'm going to do is end here, and maybe once I've taken some time away, I'll write the last story (though it won't be anything as long as these two have been!)

But I'm not vanishing from fanfiction forever! I have a Yu Gi Oh story in the pipeline, which will most likely be posted provided I can get it finished. I won't post until it's complete. I'm also considering jumping on the HPYGO crossover bandwagon, but not for a while yet. It looks like fun! And of course, I'll still be around to read and review!

Thanks for reading this hideously long AN. Now here's the much awaited chapter.

"Assault and battering!" Jenny seethed. "Assault and battering! Did I mention assault and ba…"

"We know Jen," Lily assured her friend wearily. She, James and Remus were sitting in the reception of St Mungo's, waiting for Jenny to return. She had been to have her injuries (and despite her earlier reassurances, there had been injuries from a few minor curses, one which made her speak in nothing but Japanese for over four hours) taken care off. A few cuts on her arms remained, but they had been deemed too minor to be healed, and so Jenny was now plodding furiously over to her husband and her friends, poking her wand at the gashes and trying to heal them.

"Oh and of course notice how its only me who's being charged over this!" Jenny added huffily, sitting down next to Remus. "Everyone else gets off scot free but no! I'm charged with assault and flaming battering!"

"We get the point!" Lily snapped angrily. "You're in trouble with the Ministry, because you stood up for everyone! It sucks!"

"Too bloody right it sucks," Jenny said angrily

"So what are you guys going to do?" Lily asked. Remus shrugged.

"I really don't know," he said. Jenny stopped grumbling about the injustice of the situation and patted his arm reassuringly.

"Hey it's alright," she said soothingly. "We'll do fine on just my salary until you can find another job."

"What's going to happen if St Mungo's hears about your assault charge?" Lily asked suddenly, sounding fearful. The thought had only just occurred to her, but if Jenny was convicted then she would have to give up her job too. Healers had their criminal records inspected regularly, and with a charge like assault to her name, Jenny would either be fired or be shunted down to a lower level position.

Jenny scoffed.

"Lily do you really think my own mother is going to fire me?" she asked. "Besides, the attack was provoked and there were about fifty other people there, so not all the damage is attributed to me. Even if I get convicted, St Mungo's is technically an independent organisation, and the Ministry can't do jack about it."

"Yeah but Umbridge has a lot of power," Lily said. "I'm sure it wouldn't take much for her to put some pressure on your mother. Cutting the hospitals budget would be a simple task."

"Lily listen to yourself," Jenny said. "Oh Umbridge can threaten to cut the hospitals budget. Heck she can threaten to close the place down. But it's not going to happen. The magical community relies on that hospital, especially now, and though Umbridge has the power to put all 'half breeds' out of work, I don't think she has quite enough power to close down the hospital."

Remus gave his wife a side long look.

"You've thought this through remarkably well," he said. "Is beating up a senior member of staff at the Ministry something you've been planning to do for a long time?"

Jenny grinned.

"Oh you always have to be prepared to fight authority," she said. "Especially now. You can't trust anyone at the Ministry."

And sadly, everyone knew she was speaking the honest truth.

OOO

Lily awoke two weeks later to discover the sunlight streaming through the curtains of the bedroom. She groaned and buried her head under the covers again. There was a deep amused chuckle.

"Am I really that bad to look at?" James asked, tugging back the covers so that he could see his wife's face.

"You?" Lily asked. "James Potter, the man I once believe I referred to as 'Human God extraordinaire' bad to look at? Please!"

James grinned and sat down next to her, giving her a good morning kiss as he did.

"Happy Valentines Day," he said.

"Same to you," Lily said. "Do we have to go to work today? I don't want to spend Valentines day reporting on death and destruction, which you know is going to happen as Voldemort seems to like ruining public holidays."

"I don't want to either Lily," James said. "But we have a responsibility to protect the people so that they can enjoy Valentines day."

Lily wondered when he had started sounding mature and responsible. And then she remembered that she herself often sounded just like that.

"Don't give me the moral speech James," she said, rolling out of bed and into her slippers. "You want to stay home today just as much as I do."

James rolled his eyes.

"Okay, I James Potter wish nothing more than to spend Valentines day with my beautiful wife. I'm only human."

"Dear God, alert the media," Lily deadpanned, searching around in the drawers for clean socks. James chuckled and left Lily to pull out her clothes and change out of her pyjamas.

Everything was perfectly fine until she got to her jeans. Lily looked between herself in the mirror and herself in real life. She felt tears well up. She had no idea why she was getting so upset about this, but alas, every woman got a bit teary when they discovered something like this.

"Lily?" James asked, heading back into the room. Unbeknown to her, Lily had let out a sob. Concern was etched into her husbands face. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I can't get my jeans on!" Lily wailed.

She shouldn't have been surprised. Lily knew she was now almost four months into her pregnancy, it was no surprise that she was starting to show. But it was still depressing to any woman to have the first hint of weight gain appear, especially on Valentines Day.

"You knew this was going to happen," James said, pulling her into a comforting hug. "Why are you so shocked?"

"I'm not shocked," Lily shook her head, wiping her eyes, her mood swing disappearing as quickly as it had come. "I'm just…still getting used to it. This baby is going to change me so much…"

"You'll still be beautiful to me," James assured her. Lily gave him a look that just screamed disbelief.

"How can you think I'm still beautiful when I'm starting to get a big belly?"

"I like your big belly," James said, his hands slipping down to her stomach and tracing circles there. "And I also like what's in it."

Lily shot him a dry look. "That was a very poor attempt at cheering me up James."

"Did it work?" James asked hopefully.

"No," Lily said. She was taken by surprise as James spun her around and kissed her.

"Did that work?" James asked as he broke away. Slightly dazed, Lily shook her head.

"No because it doesn't change the fact that I'm still fat."

"Rats," James muttered, before leaning in again. "I'll have to try harder won't I…?"

A second longer and Lily and James may have decided not to go to work after all. However, a second was not what they got. The potential for a make out session vanished as soon as Sirius's croaky voice appeared through the bedroom door.

"Prongs! We're out of aspirin!"

Both Lily and James groaned at the interruption. Of course, Lily realised, Sirius just had to get drunk on a day that reminded him of just how lonely he was.

"I suppose it is too much to ask that we get Valentines day alone," Lily muttered. James nodded in agreement, at the same time Sirius hammered on the door.

"James! Sometime today please! I feel like Voldemort and Dumbledore are having a wizards duel in my head!"

"And whose fault is that?" Lily asked, fishing around in the wardrobe for another pair of jeans that may actually fit. James opened the door to reveal his very dishevelled looking friend.

"If I say mine will you please tell me what I can do about my head?" Sirius asked as his friend went to look for some form of painkiller.

"What you can do is stop drinking," Lily snapped, frustration reaching its point. She was angry at Sirius for letting himself fall deeper into depression. She was miffed that she and James could not get a peaceful moment, even on Valentines Day, and she was still miserable because of her inability to fit in her jeans. At the door, Sirius looked confused at her tone.

"What's up with you this morning?" he asked, as Lily strode past him towards the bathroom. She turned on her heel to glare at him.

"To be honest Sirius, you are what's up this morning!" she said. "Drinking yourself silly each time you feel lonely is not helping you or anyone else. I don't care if it makes you feel better, it's affecting those around you. Why don't you take a leaf out of Tash's book and just stay away from the alcohol!"

She slammed the bathroom door behind her, but the dark look on Sirius's face remained there. Sitting on the edge of the bath, Lily slammed her head into the palm of her hand.

"Idiot Lily," she muttered. "You idiot. You didn't have to lose your temper with him. Now Merlin only knows what he'll do."

Lily knew that Sirius was only doing it to numb the pain that Tash's death was still causing him. And her words were like taking a wire coat hanger and twisting it into his heart, and now that he was no longer numb, he could get worse.

Lily had thought for a brief moment a few days ago that Sirius might be getting better. He had spent two nights over at his flat, instead of with them. But as Valentines Day had approached and was advertised from every inch of the Magical and Muggle worlds, he had slipped back into depression.

Work was no better. Sirius still came in with James and Lily, but it was like half his mind was still at home. And in truth he could not have picked a worse time to start loosing focus. With Remus and Kiara's departure, the number of Aurors was dwindling dangerously. And with the last attack having been the McKinnon's on Christmas day, everyone was expecting another strike by the Death Eaters, and ultimately, the loss of more precious lives.

Lily came out of the bathroom twenty minutes later, intending to apologise to her husbands best friend. But when she entered the living room, she found only James there, munching on burned toast.

For the first time in his working life, Sirius had gone to work early.

OOO

James looked wearily around at the gathered Order members. Though only about half of them were present, it was painfully clear how fast their numbers were dropping. Lily headed to Jenny's house after work, to spend time with her friend. Both of them were now standing on the other side of the table, talking with Frank and Alice. Sirius had yet to arrive, having gone out straight after work for a walk.

Remus sat down next to his friend, smiling slightly. Peter sidled in silently next to his friends. James paid neither of them any heed. He was too lost in his own problems.

"Are you alright James?" Remus asked. James shook his head.

"I've just had a long day," he said.

"Care to talk?" Remus asked. James shook his head.

"It's nothing big," he said. "It just feels like Lily and I never get a moment alone together anymore."

"Sirius?" Remus guessed. James did not ask how he knew, he only hoped that whatever magical means Remus had for guessing the root of the problem, Sirius had not caught on either. The last thing he wanted his best friend to feel was that he was in the way.

"He went back to his flat a few days ago, but he came back all depressed as soon as someone reminded him that it was Valentines Day."

"It's been over six months," Peter said. "Shouldn't he have got over it by now?"

"Clearly," James said. "Six months isn't long enough. I wouldn't mind, but its just that he keeps coming back drunk and depressed. And it's affecting me and Lily too."

He ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

"Truth is Lily and I can't go on living with Sirius, especially with a baby on the way. He's got to go. But how do you kick your best mate out when he's still depressed?"

"Two's company," Remus summarised. "Three's a crowd. And four will be a complete disaster."

"I lived with a man and a woman once and we got on okay," Peter said. There was a very long silence following this statement, and then…

"…you're talking about your parents aren't you Peter?" Remus asked. Peter nodded helpfully and James and Remus rolled their eyes.

"Peter unless you slept with your mother while your father got drunk every night then you can't quite appreciate my situation," James said. Peter's shoulders slumped in a defeated manner, and Remus looked as though he were fighting down a laugh. Fortunately a distraction arrived in the form of Sirius. He slumped into the seat next to his friends without saying a word, and the others knew better than to ask him where he had been.

"Alright Padfoot?" Remus asked. The moody looking man just shrugged without saying a word. Lily, upon spotting Sirius's arrival, slipped away from Jenny and Alice and over to their side of the table. She started talking as soon as she was within earshot.

"Sirius, what I said earlier…"

"Its fine Lily," Sirius said immediately, holding up both his hands to stop her flow of apologies. "Just forget about it."

The redhead looked very unsatisfied at how Sirius had quickly dismissed her behaviour, but she did as she was told, dropping down instead next to her husband. The couple shared a quick greeting kiss.

"Aww!" came a happy coo from across the table. Jenny had taken to saying this upon sight of any public displays of affection between any of the expecting couples.

"Aww! I want to hug someone!" the healer whined, realising that all her potential victims had sat down upon hearing her words, each of them knowing that she was going to pounce. At this point Dumbledore strode in.

"If everyone is here…"

"You'll do nicely Professor!" Jenny said, hurrying to give the headmaster a hug instead.

"To what do I owe this bout of affection Jennifer?" Dumbledore asked as Jenny released him and sat down next to Remus.

"Just the simple reason that you're such a smashing person!" Jenny said simply. Her smile said it all. Jenny was in a random mood and everyone quickly accepted it.

"Well thank you for your kind words," Dumbledore smiled at her, but his expression turned serious, and everyone took this as the cue that the meeting had begun.

The sad fact of the matter, Lily observed through out the meeting, was that with fewer people there, there were fewer people to give reports on Death Eater activity. It was a sad mark of how easily the Death Eaters were picking them off. Thankfully, Lily did not have long to dwell on this dark thought.

"There is one more topic I must discuss with everyone," Dumbledore said, and Lily was shocked to see his eyes lose their twinkle. She leaned forwards intently. Whatever he had to say, it was clearly important.

"I have reason to believe that someone within the Order has been feeding information to Lord Voldemort. We have a spy among our ranks. I want everyone to be on your guard. We cannot hope to overcome the Death Eaters if we drift apart." His eyes narrowed as they cast about the room. "And though we may not know yet who this spy is, they can rest assured that the harm they bring upon us will be returned tenfold."

Everyone shivered. They had never heard the normally kind and slightly eccentric headmaster speak like that. Fortunatly Dumbledore's grave tone began to clear up as he carried on talking.

"If no one else has any other business, we will conclude for the evening. Good night everyone. Happy Valentines Day."

A few people returned the sentiment, but most were too shocked at the headmasters announcement. Dumbledore left the room, followed by Moody and then Snape. A few other people began to move around nervously, casting fearful looks around the room as they did.

"What do we think?" Jenny asked immediately.

"Huh?" Lily asked, thrown out of her musings. Jenny rolled her eyes.

"What do you think?" Jenny asked. "Who do you think it could be?"

"That's not fair Jenny," Lily said, her defensive nature coming into play immediately. "We can't go pointing fingers at people. Especially now. We need to stick together…"

"I wager ten galleons that it's Snape," Sirius said, apparently not paying the blindest bit of attention to Lily. The redhead groaned.

"What did I just say Sirius?" she asked. Sirius turned to face her.

"Oh come on Lily. Look me in the eye and tell me that you trust him," he dared. Lily merely rolled her own eyes in response.

"I'm not saying I trust him, I'm just saying that you can't go throwing accusations around..."

"Enough!" James raised a hand between his hormonal wife and his equally temperamental best friend.

"Lily is right Sirius," he admitted. "I hate Snape just as much as you do, but sadly we can't base our accusations on our animosity."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest further, but James cut him off firmly.

"If Dumbledore trusts Snape then that should be good enough for us," he said. "Dumbledore's normally right and he'd never trust Snape unless he had a good reason to believe that he was completely innocent."

"Dumbledore trusts all of us," Remus pointed out. "And yet he's just told us that someone in this room has turned traitor. Obviously his trust has been misplaced."

A horrible silence followed this proclamation. It was a scary thought that Albus Dumbledore, of all people, could possibly have been wrong about someone.

"I'm going home," Sirius said eventually. "Night everyone."

"Night…" James said faintly, as everyone watched Sirius stomp off.

"Did he…just say he was going home?" Jenny asked.

"Well that can only be good," Lily shrugged. "I mean it is Valentines day. I thought today is the last day he would want to face going home…"

"Just as long as he doesn't wind up tomorrow morning drunk in hospital," Jenny pointed out darkly as they all left the room.

All of them were so wrapped up in their own speculations that they failed to notice that Peter had left the house without so much as a goodbye.

OOO

Sirius was greeted by darkness, so oppressive that it seemed to smother all his sense, not just his sight. He fumbled a bit before finding the light switch. Everything seemed so quiet and lonely. It was like a stranger's house, and the young man felt depressed. How had he let his own house become so unfamiliar and unwelcoming?

He paused for a minute, wondering if he should go to get something to eat, but all the days activities were catching up to him and he decided it would be better for him to just crawl into bed.

The room was exactly as it had been the last time he had been there the week before. Still, as Tash had always named it, organised mess. Sirius did not even need to bother with the light. He knew where he was going, he had walked this path so many times.

He uttered a few curses as he tripped over the corner of the rug and landed painfully on one knee beside the bed. A small layer of dust imprinted itself on his hand as he used the bed side table to push himself up. A flash of white caught his attention and he stooped back down to look.

There, in amongst the boxes of junk that had been stored under the bed, sat an envelope addressed to him. Sirius frowned in confusion. He had no idea how a letter would come to be under the bed, especially one addressed to him. The handwriting jumped out at him from the darkness. It was a hand he recognised and in an instant everything pieced itself together.

It was the letter Tash had written for him before she had died, the one that had been handed out with her will along with the others she had written for everyone else. Sirius reached for it. He had forgotten all about it. He had never picked it up during the reading. Someone must have left it here for him. He had no idea how it came to be under the bed, but he had it now.

Slowly he opened the envelope. 'Did he really want to read it?' he asked himself. He had by no means forgotten about Tash, but he was afraid of what he might read. It had been over six months since she had died and he thought he was just starting to get over it. Would opening the letter make him feel better, or would it destroy the shaky state of equilibrium that he had managed to construct.

To open, or not to open?

OOO

"James what's wrong with you?" Lily asked, exasperatedly. "You've been fidgety ever since we left the meeting.

"I'm fine," James assured her calmly for the hundredth time that night. Somehow Lily did not believe him, and from the look in his eyes, he knew she wasn't buying the fib either. She just shrugged and fished around in her bag for her keys. As she grasped them however they slipped between her fingers and clattered to the ground. Lily cursed and stooped to pick them up. As she straightened up however, she paused and turned her head to look at James.

"You realise that when I get bigger I won't be able to bend over? You're going to have to pick things up for me."

"I'll wait on you hand and foot my lady," James promised solemnly, making Lily giggle slightly. She pushed the key in the lock and shoved the door open soundlessly. Behind her, James waved his wand, and Lily felt her jaw drop.

The room was suddenly illuminated by candles (thanks to a little spellwork on James's part), casting a soft glow around the room. The dining table was set for two people, complete with a bottle of wine in the centre.

"I can still be a gentleman can't I?" James asked, slyly. Lily turned and squealed in a very Jenny like manner, before hugging her husband.

"You're amazing James," she whispered against his shoulder.

"I'm afraid its only takeaway," James admitted sheepishly.

"That is not a problem," Lily assured him, a smile casting a glow over her face, that James was sure was not attributed to the candlelight. Grinning with success he kissed his wife.

"I'll get going with the order then," he said picking up the telephone from the table. "So glad you taught me how to use this thing…"

Lily laughed, heading into the bedroom intending to change out of her robes. James had made an effort for her, so now it was her turn to do the same for him. A thought struck her as she picked out a fresh shirt.

"How did you bank on getting rid of Sirius?" she asked curiously.

"I didn't," James admitted. "But whatever deity up there is running our lives, I figured they owed us at least one night undisturbed."

OOO

If one had entered the flat at one o clock that evening, they would have found Sirius Black sleeping peacefully on the bed, still fully clothed, but with a content smile on his face. Clutched in his left hand, was the letter.

"Dear Sirius – I saved writing this letter until last. It's so much harder to write to you than the others. You can't see it but it frightens me writing these letters for the fear that they will have to be opened. I'm scared out of my mind, but it has to be done.

I don't fear dying. But thinking about what I must be putting you through, hurts worse than any death can do to me. I don't want to be parted from you. It took us seven years of fighting at Hogwarts for me to realise that I never wanted to leave your side. And the thought of never seeing you or anyone again is the worst kind of pain in the world.

But all that aside, you have to do something for me. First, stop wallowing in misery (and don't deny it, I know you are!) Wasting your life crying over me is stupid. You're stronger than that and you know it. How else would you have survived growing up in your family? Incidentally, when you next see your parents, give them a big fat hex from me! Something creative!

I could spend this letter telling you how much I love you, but I think you already know that. But do one thing for me. When you think of me (and I really hope you will) don't think of me dying however I died. I want you to think of me at Hogwarts, singing happily in the common room, or flying around the Quidditch pitch, or even better, walking in the corridors at night with you. Because I can safely say, those were the happiest times of my life.

I'm always with you – Tash"

And finally after six months of misery, Sirius finally accepted the loss, and fate began the slow but sure process of healing.

Did anyone spot the little "Men Behaving Badly" dedication I put in there?

Next Chapter: Jenny stands trial for assault and battering. And the story says goodbye to another much loved character. Though thankfully this one does not die! (I'll give cookies to whoever can guess who's going…anybody?)

May Stardust fall in your dreams!