A.N—Well, this is the last chapter. I hope you all like it. The sequel should be up soon. I just need to plan it out first and come up with a name….any suggestions?
Now, you're all going to hate me for this chapter. Not because I kill someone off, not because Lily and James are dead, but for the massive cliffy I'm going to give you. He he he.
Disclaimer—I do not own Harry Potter. Is it me, or have I said this before?

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Chapter Seventy Two
Halloween, 1981

I snapped out of my memories, almost glad to sink into the past. Sirius had fallen asleep in my lap and Remus's head lolled against the couch. I glanced at the clock. It had only been two hours, but had relived my entire lifetime in such a short span. I stroked Sirius's hair and sighed.

Lily. James. Harry.

Three lives. Two had ended, one had been ripped apart. All in one night.

POP

I screamed and drew my wand, sending Sirius toppling onto the ground and causing Remus to jerk awake, looking around frantically. I aimed my wand at the figure and saw it was Frank Longbottom.

"What colour did I turn your hair when you threatened to kiss me in front of everyone in the Great Hall in our sixth year?" I asked firmly.

"A very bright pink with orange stripes. It took me a week to figure out the counter curse." He muttered. Sirius sat up, grumbling. Remus sighed and ran a hand through his blonde hair.

"I have some news." Frank went on. I ran to get him a butterbeer; he looked very worn and tired. "We caught Peter. He didn't go down without a fight though. He ended up killing thirteen muggles in the process. He's in a holding cell in the ministry. The only reason that he's getting a trial is because James would have wanted his friend to get a fair fight."

"He doesn't deserve it." Remus hissed. I blinked but said nothing.

"Yes but still. There's something you ought to know. This isn't going to be easy for you to hear, but Peter wasn't acting alone. Lauren Harris was helping him."

I dropped my butterbeer and it sloshed out onto the floor, soaking into the carpet. My heart began to pound and my breathing hitched. "Lauren?"

"Sorry. We've been finding bits and pieces of evidence everywhere. She's been a death eater for years. Since she was sixteen, in fact. She was trying to help Peter escape tonight when they were caught." Frank turned to me. "I'm sorry, Soph."

I nodded. "When's the trial?"

"In about an hour." He said, looking at the clock. "They want him and Lauren locked away."

"Can we come?" Remus asked. Frank hesitated before nodding. He left soon after to check on Alice and his son, Neville. I looked at Sirius, who was deathly pale and had a look of pain on his face. I sat down next to him.

"Paddy? You alright?"

"No." he murmured. "Are you alright?"

"No. What's bothering you?"

"Well, I just went to my brothers home and found him dead, along with his wife—who I regard as a little sister—and their son Harry had a slash across his forehead from defeating the darkest wizard of all time. Then I found out that another of my brother's was behind it, and my girlfriend was his accomplice." He replied dryly. I frowned.

"Sirius, I'm hurting too. So is Remus and everyone who ever knew Lily and James. It hurts more than I can explain, but it will fade. All we can do now is be there for Harry." I choked, tears streaming down my face. I turned to Remus. "Go with him, and pack his things. He can stay here for a while."

"I can?" Sirius asked.

"He can?" Remus repeated with a raised eyebrow. My lips twitched.

"Yes, he can. I don't think any of us want to be alone for a while yet. Now that You-Know-Who is gone, we'll have Death Eaters lurking about, trying to find him. it's going to be a very long time before any of us are safe again."

"Were we ever safe?" Sirius asked sarcastically. War had changed us, that was for sure.

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I dropped Lexi and Danny off at the Burrow while we went to the trial. They were only too happy to help and I was grateful. When Molly had opened the door, her eyes had been red, swollen and puffy from crying and Arthur had been sitting at the table, a brandy in his hand, his head in the other.

I had been to visit Alice and Frank as well. They were such nice people, and their son Neville was adorable. Big chubby cheeks and a toothless grin. He was a gorgeous baby, in fact he was three days older then Harry.

I sat in the filled rows of the court room, two straight-backed chairs with thick silver chains hanging off the legs and arms. I swallowed and looked up. Dementors. God, I hated Dementors. I took my wand out and thought about my wedding day, when Lily had pulled me aside and had told me we would always be sisters. A white snow dog erupted from the tip of my wand and joined the other Patronus's.

"Bring in the prisoners!" called the minister, Joe Calter. I felt Remus and Sirius wrap their arms round my waist and I grabbed their free hands, pulling them into my lap and squeezing. We looked to the door and saw Peter and Lauren come in, silver magical shackles around their ankles and wrists. They shuffled along in plain black robes, glaring at Calter. The guards chained them to the chairs and I bit my lip. I was determined not to cry.

"Disciplinary hearing of the first of November in offences committed including, indirect murder, use of the Cruciatus curse and being a spy for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Interrogators', Joseph Calter, minister for magic. Defendants, Peter Pettigrew and Lauren Rose Harris."

The trial was long and throughout it all, Peter sat there like a coward, whimpering and pleading his innocence. Lauren sat up straight in her chair, looking proud and unfazed. What had happened to her? She had always been a sweet girl, and Peter had always been so shy! How could they betray us like this?

"How do you plead?" the minister asked, glaring.

"Not guilty!" Peter cried.

"Guilty." Lauren replied in a cold voice. I shuddered and gripped Remus and Sirius's hands tighter.

"The Wizengamot, your verdict please?" the minister asked. I sucked in a breath.

"We find the defendants, Peter Pettigrew and Lauren Rose Harris to be guilty." I let out the breath.

"The Wizengamot hereby sentence's the defendants to life in Azkaban." The minister made a banging sound. "Case closed and may you all have a good day."

Everyone got up to leave, but Sirius, Remus and I stayed behind. We had been given time to talk with them and quite frankly only one word kept circling around in my head. Why? Why? Why? Why?

Never letting go of their hands, I approached with Sirius and Remus. We stood in front of them.

"How could you?" Sirius growled. He wasn't upset anymore. He was angry. And an angry Sirius Black is a really bad thing. "Why did you do it?"

"Because it was fun?" Lauren offered and I had to stop Sirius from hitting her. Sirius may be a lot of things, but he didn't hit a girl.

"You were supposed to protect her!" Peter cried. "You were supposed to protect Mary, but you didn't…it's your fault she died! You, all of you in the order! And the Dark Lord was taking over everywhere! What was the point in resisting?"

"What was the point?" Remus hissed. "Only innocent lives, Peter!"

"Do you really understand nothing?" I asked, turning to Lauren. "And you! How could you look me in the eye, knowing what the death eaters did to Jacob! He was your brother, Lauren!"

"I hated him!" she exclaimed. "He was the perfect little boy that went and married some British bimbo and had a kid that everyone just adored! I never got any attention! It was always, Jacob-this and Jacob-that! Then that little brat comes along and it starts all over again! I felt honoured to be the one to kill him. he looked me right in the eye and I killed him. it was the best feeling…the rush and knowing I would never be compared to him again. He's better off dead anyways."

I couldn't help it; I slapped her across the face, the sound of the smack echoing around the room. Her face turned to the right and a red hand print formed on her cheek. I was breathing heavily and my eyes had glazed over, turning red.

"You ungrateful, devious, manipulative, bitch." I growled. "Azkaban is too good for you."

I turned to Peter. "Mary died to protect us all. She died because she loved us and wanted us all to be safe, including Lily and James. You dishonour her memory by this betrayal. You failed her, Peter, and we all know it. Mary knows it."

"Couldn't have said it better myself." Sirius muttered. Remus's lips twitched but his face remained cold. As one we all turned to the doors and left, leaving as our friends were dragged away to Azkaban.

We walked down the clod corridors of the ministry, our arms wrapped around each other. everywhere we went, witches and wizards shook our hands and offered their condolences, their support and their outrage of what Peter and Lauren did. I appreciated it, all of it, but it didn't ease the pain.

"Sophia! Sophia, wait up!" I heard and I turned around to see Emmeline Vance, a fellow healer at St. Mungos. She jogged up to us and held her side, panting for breath. "Thank…God…I…caught…you."

"What's wrong?" Remus asked. Sirius had stiffened at my side and Remus had drawn his wand, ready for action.

"Come with me. It's Lily and James." She replied, straightening up and offering her hand. We didn't question her, we took her hands and she apparated us to the room. we saw Lily and James on a joined bed, wearing white robes and looking pale. I bit my lip to stop myself from sobbing like a lunatic. That was when I heard it. The steady heart beats in their chests and the rise and fall of their breathing.

"They're alive?" I breathed, walking around the bed to take Lily's hand. She stirred a little, but her eyes didn't open. Her bracelet was still dangling on her wrist and I smiled as the tears poured down my face. Remus was clutching the edge of the bed so hard his knuckles turned white and Sirius looked like he had been clubbed over the head, his face shocked and pale.

"Not quite. They were hit with the killing curse, but something happened. It didn't work properly." Emmeline explained. "They're in a coma and we don't know how long it will last, but odds are, they'll wake up someday." Her tone suggested they had an idea of when that someday was.

"Someday?" I asked.

"The day You-Know-Who falls." She whispered. I frowned.

"But, Voldemort's gone." Remus croaked. "He's gone, how can they still be asleep if he's gone?"

"That's the thing. We don't think he is gone. And by 'we' I mean Dumbledore. He thinks that You-Know-Who will be back. And until he does, they'll be stuck like this."

I had hope. It was small, but it was there. Lily and James were alive, not conscious, but they were alive.

"Precisely." A voice said. I looked out the door and saw Albus standing there, looking calm, yet the light in his eyes had vanished. "You have Mary to thank for this."

"Mary?" Sirius asked, dumbfounded.

"When Mary sacrificed herself for you, she cast a powerful countercharm against any harmful magic. Lily did the same thing last night for Harry, which is why he left that house with only a scar. When Voldemort came to Godric's Hollow and tried to kill the Potter's, Mary's charm countered it and sent them into a kind of limbo for a few hours before they reinhabited their bodies. Unfortunately, I have no idea how Voldemort survived, so I must settle for the fact that they could be in here for a long time." he said quietly, looking into their faces.

"So, you're saying until Voldemort is defeated, they're stuck like this?" Sirius asked

"Yes." He answered heavily.

"But, before that, Voldemort has to rise again." I stated.

"Yes."

I groaned. Fan-bloody-tastic. Not only did by godson face death when he was only a year old, but his parents were in a coma until the Dark Lord was defeated fully. Oh god.

My nerves won't be able to handle this.

"One thing bothers me though." Sirius began. I looked at him. "How is Voldemort going to rise?"

"Harry Potter," Albus murmured, "Is the key."

I exchanged a look with Remus and Sirius and I knew we were thinking the same thing.

Shit.

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A.N—That's it! That's the end! The sequel will be up soon, (hopefully) and it will be from a third person's POV, but it will still surround Remus/Sophia/Sirius/Danny/Lexi/Harry.

Leave a review and tell me what you think.

Just want to say thanks to Maggie, who is the reason I had the courage to post this in the first place and always gives me great constructive criticism and support. Love you girl. Also, thanks to Sarina, who will hopefully review now that the story is finished.

Thank you to all my lovely readers and reviewers. Your support means the world to me. Thanks to the people who added me to their alerts/favourites; it puts a smile on my face.

And lastly, thanks to J.K Rowling, who let me borrow a few of her characters for a while! =D

In the immortal words of the marauders, this is Maddaz a Hatter.

Mischief Managed.

xoxo