Chapter 31

"Remus told us what happened," Lily frowned. She was leaning into James who had moved to intertwine their fingers, his head resting on hers. Mila was lying on Lily's stomach, completely sound asleep with James' other hand running through her curls to soothe her. He had been doing it for the full time she lay there, and as much as it soothed her - it was relaxing him, too.

Adria groaned, throwing her head back. Jude was sitting in her lap and she was waiting for her cup of tea that Sirius was making her, "I completely blew up on him. I feel terrible!"

"Well so does he," James snorted, "Merlin you two arguing is the worst."

"What makes you say that?" asked Adria, head tilted. Of course, she thought it was the absolute worst, she had debated more than once going to his flat, but she was too scared of what he'd say.

"Well," Lily trailed off, "you are completely guilty, and he is completely guilty - so I think you two need to talk but of course you're both too fucking stubborn for that."

"He was just trying to make me feel better for being annoyed because he knows me far too well and he knows that I'm sad and hurt and he wanted to make sure I knew that was okay and I just...exploded," she shook her head, "course Sirius said it was justified because of my hormones, but I can't blame it on that anymore because I'm not fucking pregnant!"

"Addy," James sighed, "I know that it's hard. Course I don't have a clue how you feel but I know you're going through too much shit that you don't deserve, but you need to talk to Remus. You can't be mad at the ones you love right now; this war is tearing people apart and the last thing you need is a strained relationship with your first friend."

"Excuse me," Lily piped in, "My relationship with Adria is not strained. You know what I'm actually very sick of Remus also getting the title of first friend - excuse me, I was your first friend, and technically, you were mine...so I'm just making that clear!"

Adria laughed softly. Jude had fallen asleep resting against her chest and she tried not to be too loud or move too much. She didn't know what was going on with the boy, but he was finding it very hard to fall asleep. The boy would wait until Mila was asleep before climbing out of his bed and try his best to make it downstairs to Adria every night...and would only sleep if he was between her and Sirius in bed.

"Of course, you're my first friend, Lils," Adria smiled, leaning her head on the back of the couch, "but Remus was my second friend and you're right, James...I can't lose him - not now, anyway."

"So, will you talk to him?" asked Lily, eyebrow raised and Adria finally sighed, slowly nodding.

"Okay good, because he'll be here in about five minutes," James grinned, watching from his place Adria's eyes widen.

"What?!"

"What is it?" Sirius asked as he entered the living room, soon handing Adria's tea to her who took it with a thank you and a pat on the seat beside her for him to sit.

"Our friends had a plan, it seems," Adria grumbled, "they invited Remus over later than they would arrive so that they could persuade me to talk to him."

"Oh, that wasn't them," Sirius shrugged, "I invited him."

"Sirius!"

"Sorry, baby, but you can't ignore him for the rest of your life." He leaned in to kiss her and her eyes narrowed, shuffling away from him with a frown and sitting her tea on the table beside the couch.

"I can't believe I've been betrayed by my friends," she huffed, patting Jude's head, "you know what we need to do...phone Peter. He's the only one I can trust!"

"Peter is on our side," Lily smirked, "he came up with the idea."

"He did not!" Adria grumbled, "I can't trust anyone."

"It's for your own good, Addy!" James sang, leaning down to kiss Lily when she looked at him with a laugh.

"Yeah, kicking you out of my house could be for my own good too," she muttered, sticking her tongue out at Sirius when he reached for her hand and soon pulled it away from him.

"Are you really mad at us, Adria?" asked James.

"No, of course not," she sighed, "I just wish I wouldn't have to apologise to Remus in the first place...I wish I didn't explode - I wish I could just talk about what happened and be sad but calm about it but I can't!

I'm so mad. I'm so angry - I'm furious and I can't fully comprehend what happened because I've felt numb since it happened since all of it happened and all I can think of is how?! How did it happen? No one knew about my wedding except friends and family, and I'm terrified of that because what if someone told the death eaters? Someone could have told Voldemort.

I don't fucking care about the dickhead's name or who is scared of it because I'm not, I'm just angry! I shouldn't have had to mourn my brother or my child at the hands of him - and I don't care how cruel it sounds but I'm fucking glad that my parents didn't die at the hands of him.

I'm glad they died muggle deaths, or close to muggle deaths - I'm glad that they died in a way any muggle could die, and I fucking wish they weren't dead at all but I'm fucking thrilled that the dick didn't get the satisfaction of killing him.

But he will be defeated because I don't care if everyone else gives up...I don't care if everyone kneels before him because they can't kill him," the fury in her eye mixed with sheer determination - sheer anger and hurt and pain, "but I'm never going to give up trying. He will not rule this world - he will not win this war."

"You're fucking right he won't," James agreed, "not if we have anything to do with it."

-

"You know, I didn't actually mean to explode," Adria whispered, head on Remus' chest as they lay on her couch. The others decided to give them some space to talk, and before Remus could even utter a word to her, she had fully thrown herself at him, clutching for dear life just because she couldn't believe she had blown up on one of the people who had been there through everything.

"I know you didn't, Addy," Remus whispered quietly, "and I ranted and raved about how I know you most - and I still think I do, so why didn't I realise that you needed to grieve in the way you always have? of course, you're numb, but even with your mum...and partly for your dad - you grieved by yourself.

Merlin, you're the most emotional person I know in this world!" she laughed softly, squeezing his hand, "but when it comes down to something that has truly pained you, you hate to show that side of you. I knew that - I know that, and you feel numb and when you're ready to fully grieve you will and whenever that may be, I'll be here, Addy."

"I love you, Remus."

"I love you too, Adria."

"Do you love him more than me?!" she rolled her eyes, realising that her friends had been listening through the door that Adria had closed when they left.

And to answer Sirius' question, she sat up and shouted back, "Yes! He doesn't push me into the black lake and make me covered in mud and water."

Sirius opened the door with a glare, but it soon turned into a smirk as he leaned against the wall and spoke, "well it's certainly not the only time I made you wet."

"Sirius!" Adria screeched, grabbing one of the couch cushions and throwing it at him.

"I'm truly disturbed," James announced, throwing his arm around Blair and asking, "so why wasn't I the first to know you were pregnant? I don't think that's very fair."

"Well," Blair trailed off, "Isaac was the first to know, and I think that was kind of inevitable."

"Well... why wasn't I the second?" James grumbled, "I'm your favourite."

"You're not even in her top ten favourites, James," Adria scoffed, pushing Sirius away when he tried to take her from Remus' grip, "I've accepted second because Isaac is of course first."

"No, I'm first," Remus said, "Isaac is second."

"I'm third!" Sirius piped in.

"No, that would make me third!" Adria argued.

"Then I'll be fourth!" James piped in, grinning with his place.

"You know what!" Blair shouted above their arguing, "I'll keep Isaac first because he's the first friend - and Lily can be second because she is the only one to value peace and quiet."

"Thank you!" Lily grinned, pulling the girl from James' grip.

"Well I'm Remus' favourite," Adria smirked, sticking her tongue out at Blair.

Remus followed Adria's lead, squeezing the girl tightly and spoke, "I can agree with that."

"I'm your fiancée!"

"Yes, well I'm not in your favourites," Remus tutted, "so I've got a new fiancée."

"...I'm married."

"Not anymore."

"Hey, no, you've crossed the line!" Sirius glared, pulling on Adria's arm, "she's my wife, Moony, you're not getting her!"

"I want to be someone's Fiancée!" Lily huffed.

"Then be mine," James said, pulling her into him.

She laughed softly, "I was just joking, James."

"I'm not," he whispered in her ear. The room had fallen silent and Blair moved to sit with Remus since Adria had plopped herself down in Sirius' lap, the two couples sharing wide-eyed looks at each other.

"James..."

"Course I'd want to do this in a...better setting," James trailed off with a laugh, holding Lily's face between his hands, "but think about it...there's a war going on and if I died - I'd want to die knowing that the goal I've been trying to accomplish since I was like what? Fifteen? Was done."

"That goal being married to me?" Lily whispered, stepping closer.

"That goal being officially having you for the rest of my life." Adria and Blair had shared a look before Adria dived behind the couch, grabbing the tissues she kept there whenever a sad film was on the TV and shared them with her best friend.

The four of them didn't exactly know how they got into the position of their best friends getting engaged, especially in the Hopkins-Black living room in front of their friends, but none of them thought to comment on it.

"I'll do this properly," James whispered, kissing her fully, "I'll plan something and tomorrow me and the boys will go out and I'll pick out a ring for you, but I want you to marry me, Lily. I've thought about asking you for a long time, but I didn't want to steal anyone else's thunder, but I can't wait any longer.

I don't want to go out on another order mission and risk my life, and for you to risk your life and to not have the opportunity to even ask you again."

"James." Lily had a hard time saying what she wanted to...she couldn't think of any words to describe how she felt but she realised as he stared at her with pure and total love in his eyes that she didn't need a fancy proposal - or a fancy ring, or anything big and expensive.

Because she had James, and she had the love in his eyes and she didn't exactly care about the setting or the fact that their friends watched, she just cared about him.

"So," he trailed off, letting go of her and making a big deal to kneel in front of her whilst she wiped furiously at her tears and he took her hand, "will you marry me, Lily Evans?"

She took a deep breath, unable to control her laughter and furiously nodded, "of course I'll marry you, James. Yes. A billion times yes!"

She kneeled with him, taking his face and her hands that time and kissed him passionately, arms around his neck and lips moving, "I love you."

"I love you, too, Lils."

"I'm not strong enough for this," Adria choked out, burying her head in the crook of Sirius' neck as she wept, and Blair nodded in agreement.