Life After Graduation

Lily collapsed onto the couch tired from the day’s work. They were officially moved into their apartment thanks to the help of Sirius, Remus, and Peter. She had painted their living room a very light blue, and the kitchen green. The bathroom was solid white, and their room was tan, she did not have the energy to work on the other bedroom, and as of right now it was the catch all room.

“Hey love,” James said walking in the front door. He had gone out to get some dinner, Chinese Lily’s favorite. Spreading it out on the coffee table James joined her on the couch. “Looks great.”

“It is officially all done, except for the spare bedroom,” Lily said as she summoned some glasses and soda from the kitchen without rising from her spot. She was extremely tired, and she knew James was as well. The marauders had agreed to come to dinner the next night, and Lily was grateful she did not have to cook that night.

“How was work?” Lily asked as she began to eat her egg roll.

“Dreadful,” James commented as he poured their drinks. “We actually went out for once,” he said. “Not as glamorous as they make it sound. Some wizard tortured a small muggle boy, and he is now in a mental ward, they don’t know if he is going to recover.” Sighing James sat back, his first time out in the field and he had to see that. The small boy was curled up in a ball under a playground modular, mumbling and crying to himself. When anyone tried to go near him to comfort him, he would scream bloody murder.

“I’m sorry love,” Lily said rubbing his arm. She knew their job would be tough, but she felt bad that James had to see that on his first time out.

“I thought Hestia was going to lose it, I brought her back to the office,” James said as he delved into his soup. Some people were just sick, the boy was only six years old, and a muggle at that, so he had no idea what magic was. They had not caught the person who did it, all they knew what he was a younger man in a dark billowing cloak as described by other muggles. They of course had to erase their memory of the sight of magic.

Trying to change the subject because she could tell it was obviously getting to James Lily made herself a plate of rice and beef, before adding “your father stopped by today.”

“What for?” James asked her raising an eyebrow.

“He wanted to talk to us about joining the Order,” she said quietly. Lily was apprehensive about it, it was for a good cause, but people in it were constantly being threatened, their family members hurt, or even killed for that matter.

“I thought he said he wanted us to be properly trained,” he said before taking a bit of his dinner and grabbing for his glass.

“Apparently they need more help now; a few people went missing last week.”

“Are you alright with it?”

“I am not happy about it,” Lily replied. “But I am not going to stop you, I want to help, I just don’t anything to happen to you or me, or our families.”

“They probably won’t send us out to fight just yet, it will probably be paper work, and research to find people,” James said quietly before yawning.

“Well he is stopping by tomorrow around four,” Lily said. “Then the Marauders are coming at seven for dinner.”

After dinner Lily was barely able to keep her eyes open so she wandered off to bed since James offered to clean up, and then he also retreated to bed about an hour later.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Lily was right, James father came by to ask for their help the following day, and they started to work for the Order, but just as researchers, while others went out into the field of battle. Over time Remus, Sirius, and Peter joined, slowly more and more of their old classmates joined as well. Frank and Alice Longbottom, recently married joined in September, as well as the Prewett brothers.

When October came around the Order decided to throw a Halloween party at a private location. Also they had planned to celebrate Lily and James’ one year anniversary.

“Are you ready?” Lily called from the kitchen. She had gotten ready a few hours before; all that was left was to put on her shoes. This year she had decided to go as the muggle queen Elizabeth, though the big dress was starting to get in the way as she tried to gather up the cookies she had baked for the party.

“Yeah,” James called adjusting his pants, he and Sirius decided to change it up a bit so this year James went as a grungy rock guy. He had added red streaks to his hair and messed it up, well more than it already was. Lily had literally pinned him down to put eyeliner on because he kept flinching when she tried to do it with magic and with the regular eyeliner he would blink until Lily had pried his eyes open. He removed his glasses using a spell to fix his eyesight, though he felt weird without his glasses, he would deal with it for a few hours. He had gone to a muggle store and bought a pair of big baggy pants making them look dirty ripping some holes in them, and a black t-shirt, as well as big bulky black bracelets. He had used a muggle magazine to figure out exactly how he should look, and his converse Lily had bought him a few weeks back fitted perfectly with his outfit.

“Wow,” Lily said looking around to face James. He looked completely different, especially without his glasses and eyeliner on. “You look good,” she commented before grabbing the pile of four plates into her hands, her dress swooshing behind her while she walked. Lily had opted to wear sneakers since you could not see her feet anyways.

“You do too,” James said with a smirk wrapping his arm around her lightly. Earlier they had exchanged gifts for their one year and had some intimate time together since he knew they were going to come exhausted and way too wasted later.

They apparated to an old muggle shop in Manchester, Dumbledore had cast protection spells on the place to prevent muggles from coming in and for people who were uninvited to get in. They landed in the upstairs part that was still falling apart and decrepit before going down the stairs to the basement.

“Hey Prongs!” Sirius called from the refreshment stand before walking over. He was dressed as a mummy with his hair sticking out a bit from under the wraps. “What do you think?”

“Not bad,” James said with a smirk. The whole room was black with the decorations glowing, pumpkins all over the place, creepy music playing in the background, and food that matched the occasion. “Your glowing…” he commented.

“Yeah…” Sirius said before batting away at a loose wrap that fell into his eyes. “Makes your teeth look good though,” he said before walking off when someone called him.

“I have to go put this stuff down,” Lily said before turning around her dress knocking over a skeleton. Picking it up Lily made her way over to the table setting the cookies down. Soon people were swarming the food and drink table grabbing at chips, cake, candy, and alcohol. Once everyone arrived the music changed to dance music and everyone was having a great time until there was a loud crash outside and people began screaming, James turned down the volume in order to hear a bit better, and they were quiet loud.

“I’ll go check it out,” Remus offered as he climbed up the steps. “Probably some kids causing trouble,” when he climbed up the steps though he saw something unexpected outside. There were death eaters all over the street and they were attacking and terrorizing muggles. “Guys get up here!” He called down the steps drawing his wand.

Lily looked at James from across the room a look of confusion on her face before reaching down the top of her dress pulling out her wand.

“Nice place for that,” Sirius commented with a laugh before looking over at James. “So much for a party eh?” He asked before dashing up the steps.

Soon everyone was filing up the steps before bursting out onto the street wands out spells flying. “We must look ridiculous!” Lily shouted to James who just laughed before ducking a spell. Looking around she could see other members of the Order dressed as mummies, pirates, vampires, ghosts, rockers, and a few queens from different lands.

“What is with you?” Lily snapped after being cornered by Dolohov, it seemed every time she was in battle with the Order he always made a beeline right for her. Being in this dress was making it exceptionally hard to move to doge spells but she managed.

“Someone needs to alert the ministry!” Emmeline Vance yelled as she walked precariously along a stone wall while dueling in her cat outfit.

“I’ll do it!” Sirius yelled before ducking into a building to produce his patronus sending a warning to the ministry before joining James in taking on Bellatrix and her brother in law. Shortly ministry officials were popping up all over the place to intervene but the Death Eaters were not giving up just yet.

“Get the muggles out of here,” Lily yelled at the ministry officials who were standing around a bit confused. Of course they did not send the Aurors like most logical people would, though most Aurors were part of the Order anyways.

Nodding they began to shuffle muggle children as well as their parents off the of the street and into buildings for safety, casting spells to prevent damage from stray spells, they were going to have a lot of clean up to do after this.

“SIRIUS!” James yelled as his watched his best mate fall to the ground by his feet after being hit. Angry flashing in his eyes James began to go at Bellatrix and Malfoy like he never had before. Lily watched James go before bending forward to avoid some falling debris, though a decent sized rock caught her in the back.

After a few more minutes, though it felt like hours, the Order and Ministry was getting the upper hand and the Death Eaters disbursed taking their wounded with them, but leaving the two that had been killed behind.

Lifting the skirt of her dress high Lily ran to Sirius’ side before dropping to her knees next to him to make sure he was still alive. He was breathing, and had a pulse. “Just stunned,” Lily said as she waved her wand watching him begin to stir. On the side Lily had begun studying to be a healer as well since it was a good thing to know especially with her job and her side job.

Once the ministry gave the all clear muggles minds were wiped and the Order retreated back to the building where they part was. “We must have been a funny sight,” Peter remarked from the side of the room. It had been the first time since he had talked all night really, he had started to become quiet and distant lately.

“Yeah, but what I don’t understand is how they found us,” Doge said as he pulled out a bench looking around the room. “They had to of known we were here.”

“Someone could have tipped them off,” Remus suggested with a shrug. “Though who is the question, and how? This was kept private between all of us…”

Silence fell over the room as people began to look at one another, and James knew what they were all thinking.

“No one here would betray us,” he said cheerfully trying to get everyone’s mind off of that strain of thought. “They would have done it a long time ago if that was true. Someone must of slipped, or one of us could have been followed is all.”

People shrugged and nodded and began to rise from where they were sitting or leaning when Dumbledore turned the music back on Lily could see people begin to relax again, but she knew even James was pondering the question of if someone had indeed gave away where they were.

At two in the morning people began to leave, stumbling up the stairs to apparated home. Dumbledore had offered to clean up since he had not drank that night along with Minerva. Lily grabbed James hand as they both supported one another going up the stairs. “Good thing they did not decide to show up now,” James said with his speech greatly slurred.

“Yeah,” Lily replied as they apparated back home to the flat before collapsing into bed not bothering to change.