Lily did up the many buttons that lined the front of the Auror's uniform, right up to James's neck, in a slightly off-center line that slashed across his chest.

Her hands were shaking slightly.

The uniform was a bit snug across his shoulders, and Lily had needed to do a charm to adjust the length of the legs, but otherwise the uniform fit pretty well. It was a good thing that Frank and James were of somewhat similar size - James had not yet been issued his official uniform, but Frank luckily had two.

"There you are," Lily said as she finished the last button, "All done up."

James smiled and ducked to look at himself in the mirror. "Well blimey, I barely recognize myself." He had smoothed down his unruly hair with Sleekeazy and Remus had found a potion that temporarily improved eye sight, though it made James's eyes itch and he hated it. The hope was between the slicked back hair and the lack of spectacles, James would be only marginally recognizable, having removed two of his most memorable features.

Frank was presumably at home taking similar measures, hopefully without his mum's noticing, and Remus had second dose of the Silicet Videre for Frank to take as well.

"I barely recognize you either," Lily said sullenly.

James turned about and pulled her into a hug. Lily wrapped her arms around him, we though clinging to him would make him stay, or serve some purpose of protecting him.

"Oh I hate this plan so much. It's so bloody risky." Lily leaned back so her hands pressed on his chest and looked up at him.

"I don't like it either, love, but we haven't any other plans and I can't leave Regulus vulnerable any longer than we already have. I'm truly afraid of what they'd do to him if they found him out and honestly he's risked quite a lot doing as much as he's done already."

"I know," she sad, "I don't want Regulus to be anymore vulnerable than he is. He's been through too much already."

James nodded. "Especially with him and Sirius sort of getting along a bit." He tucked a finger under the neckline of the uniform and tried to stretch it out a bit by tugging on it. "I know these things are supposed to fit snug but bloody hell. I feel like it's cutting into my apple."

"You want me to enlarge it a bit?"

James tilted his head so she could get her wand in there and very carefully let out a bit of the stitching so it wasn't choking on him as bad. When she'd finished he stretched his neck a bit. He looked at the mirror again for a moment, then took a deep breath. "Alright, better get this over with."

Lily caught his hand before he could go out the door and he paused and turned back. She stood on her tiptoes and kissed him and he kissed her back, feeling stronger for every moment their mouths met. "Thanks Evans," he said when she pulled away.

She nodded, and he could tell she was feeling rather emotional because her green eyes were glistening. He had to swallow back his urge to cancel the whole thing, just to keep her from feeling as anxious as she was. But that would never do. He had to go - he had to get the werewolf venom back - to protect all of London, to protect Regulus Black.

In the living room, Frank was just arriving by floo. Sirius was having a muted argument with Remus in the corner about whether or not his big black boots were a smart option for footwear for the trip to Gringott's. Marlene and Emmaline were there, too, nervous expressions on their faces as they sat together in the overstuffed chair - Marlene balanced on the arm and Em in the seat itself.

"Alice sends her love," Frank told Lily as she hugged him hello. "I talked to her this morning." He turned to James, "Thanks for lending us those mirrors of yours. It's been so nice to be able to talk to her face-to-face like that."

"No problem," James smiled.

"I miss Ali so much," Lily said. "Have you lot settled on a date for getting married?"

Frank smiled. "We were thinking of June, once she's graduated Hogwarts."

"Ooh lovely!" Lily exclaimed.

Frank nodded, "Yeah. Alice is in charge of planning it for the most part. I've been mostly nodding and smiling." He reached over and punched James on the shoulder playfully. "I'm sure Potter understands, eh?"

"Actually, James has been quite involved," Lily answered.

James looked at her, "I have?"

"Yes, we decided on Christmas together, didn't we?" Lily said.

"Christmas!" Sirius dropped his boots and turned to face them as the heavy Doc Martens slammed the floor. "You didn't tell me you were ruining Christmas with your bleedin' wedding!"

James said, "RUIN? Ruin Christmas? With my love? With OUR love?" He waved at Lily. "You bleedin' arse."

Sirius said, "Howl will I ever live without our rondevous every other Tuesday and on Bank Holidays?"

James shook his head, "I have no idea, darling."

Remus said, "I don't know about Lily, but if you lot want to carry on with your rondevous, I'm not opposed to a having a day off child care now and then."

Lily snorted. "Just because yours is a literal child, doesn't mean --" she paused and looked at James as he leaped up into Sirius's arms like a bride being carried over the threshold of a newlywed's home. "-- mine... is...? You know what, never mind. I agree. Let us take a break now and then, and we'll have a proper evening of relaxation. Tea and sanity."

"Count me in."

"How do I get in on this?" Emma asked. "Mine is just as unruly as yours are."

Marlene turned to Emmaline, "You wouldn't know what to do without me."

Emmaline rolled her eyes.

"So Christmas, ey?" Frank asked, turning to Lily as Sirius and James clapped one another on the back for their triumph of having secured their date nights for the foreseeable future. "This Christmas?"

"I suppose," Lily replied. "We'll send out invitations and such once we're a bit more finalized than we are now." She smiled.

Emmaline asked, "Have you got a dress yet? I love wedding dresses. They're just so beautiful." She sighed dreamily. "Especially old fashioned ones with all that beautiful lace..."

"I'm actually going with my sister to look at them next week," Lily said, blushing.

"Hang on, you are? With the Giraffe?" James snapped to attention, looking over from where Sirius was still struggling to hold him up, his arms wrapped 'round Sirius's neck. He slid down from Sirius's grasp, running a hand through his hair and making a face when he came away with a palm full of sleekeazy. "You didn't tell me that," he said, and he turned and wiped his hand on Sirius's shirt.

"Heyyyy!" Sirius whined.

"I didn't tell you, no," Lily mused. She wasn't sure why she hadn't told James. She supposed it had all happened so fast and everything with the planning for the trip to Gringott's had gotten in the way, but ... One of the nights that she hadn't spent at the flat with the Marauders, she'd been at home. Petunia had been in a particularly good mood, having gotten home from a weekend away with Vernon only that very morning. They'd been to France and Petunia had brought home a bottle of fancy white wine and Lily had been reading wedding magazines that had been left laying about in the living room when Petunia came down stairs and popped the cork. The two sisters had then spent hours drooling over the glossy pages and pointing out frills and flowers that they liked, comparing ideas for their weddings. Petunia had looked up suddenly and asked if Lily remembered they were to go shopping for their dresses together and Lily had said she did remember, and the next thing she knew she and Petunia had plans to meet in London at a shop there that Tuney had read about which had hundreds of the finest wedding gowns in the country.

James stared at Lily, and was about to ask for details when Frank said, "I know we're all hesitant to go but I do rather think we ought to try to catch them around the time they change shifts for the afternoon... which is in about twenty minutes."

"Right, of course," James nodded. "Sirius, you ready?"

Sirius nodded and pulled the Invisibility Cloak from his leather jacket's pocket, shoving his feet into his boots. Remus shot a spell at them which tied the laces. "Bleeding hell, at least tie them if you're wearing those to Gringott's." Remus paused as Sirius shook the cloak out and then he sprang forward and wrapped his arms around Sirius. "Don't get caught, alright? And don't do anything stupid."

"When have I ever done anything stupid?" Sirius asked.

Remus raised an eyebrow.

James patted Sirius on the back. "C'mon mate, we don't have enough time to list all that now."

Sirius kissed Remus and tugged the invisibility cloak over his head, disappearing from sight, and James gave Lily another peck as Frank waved to Marlene and Emmaline and the three boys stepped to the floo.

"GRINGOTT'S!"