Time seemed to inch into forever after Sirius left the world. Lana had never felt such emptiness. It was as if he wasn't only gone from the world, but he was missing from her soul. It was an awful feeling and one that left her more alone than she'd ever been. Not even when she was a child had it been as bad as this.

Then she realized something that poured salt into the wound. Lana had spent more hours with Sirius in the afterlife than she'd spent with him while they were both alive.

And wasn't that a painful thought.

Her short life had been filled with loss in the end, but with comparatively little time to heal from the loss. She'd been dealt painful blows but allowed no time to grieve.

When they'd lost Fleamont and Euphemia, they'd just graduated and joined the Order of the Phoenix. Voldemort had just begun murdering people in public in the name of blood supremacy. In the time before her murder the Order had lost Fabian and Gideom Prewett, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadows.

Dorcas was found seven months before Lana was murdered. Dorcas had been a good friend and the perfect partner in their underground venture. She was a top Healer with a sharp sense of humor and bravery worthy of any Gryffindor, even though she was a Ravenclaw in school.

As close as they had gotten, Dorcas had died in the middle of war. There was no time to grieve in war.

But when you were dead and time went on like an endless maze, there was more than enough time to grieve. She knew that. She'd spent much of the afterlife mourning Dorcas, James, and Lily. She'd even, to a certain extent, mourned Peter. For although he'd been next to her, her best friend was gone as surely as if he'd died.

Still, non of that mourning had prepared her for missing Sirius. And, Lana knew, nothing really could have prepared her for that.

But, Lana took some heart. Soon, it would all come to an end. She looked down at her hand which glowed blue and she reached forward.

Then, with just the slightest scrape of a nail, she scratched a cut into the side of a fleshy cheek. The sight of blood brought a sick sort of satisfaction. Yes. She'd gotten much more powerful. It would all be over soon.

Lana looked down at the sleeping rat and smiled a wicked smile.

Soon.

A lot had happened since the battle at the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore had died. Harry had turned seventeen. Voldemort had taken over the Ministry of Magic and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hunting some Horcruxes.

But now, the trio of friends were hidden at Grimmauld Place again, plotting their way into the Ministry to steal a locket from everyone's least favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.

Harry Potter had missed Sirius. That's why, while he and his friends were waiting for the Polyjuice Potion to brew, he found himself sitting for hours in his godfather's room hoping to get comfort from him somehow.

That's when he found the letters. The first letter was from his mother, Lily, and had given him a glimpse into the life he once had and could have had in a world without Voldemort. But the second...was from Lana.

It was in the front cover of one of the scrapbooks.

The one that Sirius was always looking at.

The edges of the letter were worn and frayed in small circular indents, as if fingertips had stroked them time and again. The ink was smudged. And the paper had bits of waterstains.

Tears.

Sirius's tears.

Harry stared at the letter in a mix of dread and curiosity. A bit of yearning, wanting to know his Godparents, but some reluctance, not wanting to invade what he knew to have been an intimate relationship.

His hesitancy was broken however when Ron and Hermione came to find him and Hermione took the letter from his hands and immediately began to read it out loud.

My Star,

I know I told you that I wouldn't allow negative thoughts of the future to dictate my actions, but...some things are too important to be left to chance, so I leave them with you. Everything I am, I've given to you. Everything I've done, I've done to protect those who deserve to be protected. I know you understand that, even when you argue otherwise. You stubborn canine.

Well, actually, I take it back. There are two reasons I wrote this letter.

Do you remember when you finally admitted that you liked me as more than a friend?

The five of us had gotten detention for putting boil powder in Avery's and Mulcibar's beds. Those gits should have listened when we warned them off of those poor third year girls. Anyway, we were in detention and it was just a night like any other.

Moony was actually scrubbing the trophies like he was supposed to because he didn't want to be there all night. Wormtail kept dropping trophies on his feet and jumping around, cursing everything in sight, causing us all to giggle while helping him pick them up.

And Prongs...well he was just being himself. He was still laughing at the sight of the two Slytherins at breakfast that morning and plotting the next prank. I swear, if he ever learned to stop laughing we wouldn't have been caught so many times. But then again, he wouldn't be James Potter of he didn't laugh. And well, we both rather love that idiot don't we?

I was trying to help Moony with the work, make sure Worms didn't take off a foot with the sharp trophies, and laughing with Prongs.

You, who'd usually be plotting with Prongs, you were staring at me. Staring at me like I'd spent hours staring at you.

As if you finally found home. A home that you deserved and not the one you'd been given as a child.

And then you just blurted it out.

"We should go to Hogsmeade, Sunny."

You said it just like that, in front of all of the lads, in the middle of detention.

Of course, they figured it out before I did. I just nodded along.

"Yeah. It's been awhile since we all snuck out of here."

Prongs bloody laughed at me for not realizing what you meant. Or was he laughing at you? I'm not sure.

But you were quick to fix that though.

"No!" You stopped me. I remember that I was polishing a trophy with a rag but you'd reached out and stopped my hand. You placed your warm hand on mine and forced me to look up at you.

And it was like time had stopped. It was as if we were suspended and our entire future depended on what you'd say in that next moment.

And it did.

"You and me," you asserted. My Star, I'd never seen you so nervous. I think you even gulped for air. "We should go to Hogsmeade. Just us. On a date."

I was too transfixed to say anything. I barely nodded.

But leave it to James Potter to ruin the moment with a "Bout time! Hand over the galleons Moons! Wormy! I win!"

The tossers had bet on us!

Still, we love them.

I love them.

I love all of you. So much, which is the second reason I had to write this letter.

I hated my life growing up. If I could have just existed at Platform 9 3/4 at eleven years old, then my life would have been perfect because that's when I met you all.

First, it was Remus. My very first friend in the world was Remus Lupin. You'd do well to remember that Sirius Black! Especially when you start speaking crazy ideas. Then we met Peter Pettigrew on the train.

I hadn't ever imagined I'd find one friend, let alone get two so quickly. Two friends who I'd get to keep for the rest of my life. It was amazing.

But I got luckier than that, because then I met you. I sat down next to you right after the sorting, Black and Bowers, our last names which we hated had thrown us together.

It's possibly why I don't hate them as much as I should.

I sat next to you. Then we were joined by Remus, then Peter, and last, but never least, James Potter.

I went from no friends to four of the best friends in one evening. When we were lead to separate dorms, I'd convinced myself that you boys would go off on your own and forget me.

But you, Sirius, my Star, you sought me out at breakfast the next morning. Then James sat on my other side and asked what we should all do that day.

Remus and Peter sat across from us, each excited and nervous for classes, chatting to me about what their parents had told them about this professor or that class.

I was wanted and for the first time in my life I was home.

I was home with them.

I was home with you.

I needed to thank you. I needed to thank you all for that. I don't know if I ever did. Not properly anyway since Jaime always cuts me off when I get emotional because he doesn't like crying in front of us.

So, please, if I die Sirius, thank you.

Tell Our Brothers thank you. Tell them that I love them and I'll see you all soon. (But not too soon.)

I love you.

I love you so much.

Your Sun

P.S. Everything you cannot find, is found in memories of us.

"What do you think that means?" Hermione asked thoughtfully once she'd finished reading. Her voice cracked a bit with emotion. Lana Bowers had only been a few years older than herself when she died. Betrayed by one of her best friends. "Everything you cannot find, is found in memories of us? Sounds like a clue."

"It sounds like just a bunch of sappy words to me," Ron inserted, blinking the red away from his own eyes. "That story though...yeah. Sounds like Sirius was just as awkward with girls as we are. Asking her out in detention."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I don't know. It sounds to me like a last will. Like she's telling Sirius that she's leaving him something important. I mean, the letter says that they agreed not to think about the bad possibilities, so something made her write this letter and I just don't think it was to be sappy Ronald!"

"No," Harry shook his head to clear it of the emotions that threatened to overwhelm him. "The goodbyes were the second reason. The first one...was to leave her work. Whatever that would be. I mean, it's not like Sirius would be much help with helping women have babies."

"Wait... In memories of us." Hermione stuttered out, staring at the photographs in awe. Then she pointed her wand at the front page. "Homenem revelio!"

Gradually, the pictures began to fade and in their place words began to form.

Mistress Sunny kindly advises Miss Granger to think twice before assuming such a basic spell would reveal the contents of this book. Such assertions are incorrect and quite insulting for one who is supposed to be so clever.

"Whoah," Harry breathed out at the same time Ron exclaimed, "Wicked!"

"It's like the Maurader's Map," Harry realized and pointed his wand at the book, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

Mistress Sunny laments the fact, but is unsurprised that the spawn of Prongs is so obtuse as to think that she would use the same password twice. And make no mistake, despite Prongs and Padfoot stating otherwise, SHE is the one who came up with the password.

Harry smiled, "There's no one else's name on here, so whatever the password, it's unique to Lana."

"But we never met her," Hermione pointed out. "Also, we don't even know if whatever we are looking at will be helpful at all. We don't really have time to waste if it's not useful."

"We have to wait on the Polyjuice Potion for a month, Hermione. I think we can spare an hour," Harry retorted immediately. "Besides...if my Godmother hid something... I think I know what it is."

"Well what is it then?" Ron asked.

"Remember my lessons with Dumbledore last year? How I told you about visiting Lana's past?"

Hermione's eyes widened, "The records of the underground muggleborn clinic!"

"Exactly," Harry nodded. "Dumbledore said there were written locations of hundreds of people who evaded Voldemort's attacks. A hidden network of allies who worked against him."

"If we find those names..." Hermione thought.

"We could find help."

"We'd also find something that Voldemort and his followers could use for something very bad," Ron pointed out.

"Something we need to hide," Hermione nodded.

"Sirius Black," Harry tried.

As much as Sunny values her Star and as much as he'd wish to be solo in her affections, he was not. He wasn't even the first person she met at Hogwarts. That's important. Try again, Potter spawn.

"Messers. Moody, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs."

It was a long time before the page responded, but it still wasn't the list or anything else.

Close. The answer is much simpler, but be careful, Little deer. We like to keep things in order.

"Remus Lupin," Harry began, remembering the order from the letter, "Peter Pettigrew, Sirius Black, and James Potter."

The trio held their breaths as, ever so gradually, more words appeared on the page.

Thank you, Little Dreamer.

Harry was shocked to find that the list was nearly five hundred names long. In black ink, hundreds of names were listed in blocks as in ledger form. Next to each name was another block with an address. The teens were shocked to see that while some addresses remained the same, others shifted from location to location.

"Look!" Ron pointed as one of the names on the list turned red, the location next to it reading Courtroom Ten, Ministry of Magic, and then the entire row disappeared. "What do you think...?"

"Think that means that the person...died?" Harry clarified, a feeling of dread pooling his stomach. "The list must be like the Maurader's Map more than we thought. It grows and shrinks in real time."

"No wonder the Death Eaters wanted it!" Hermione exclaimed, eyes wide. "If this were to fall into the wrong hands...none of those muggleborns would be safe. It's a Death list! Why would they need to keep such detailed records?"

In answer to Hermione's question, a bright blue light shone behind them and they all turned, wands raised in panic, ready to attack....

But there she was.

Lana Bowers.

Just as she'd appeared the last time Harry had seen her, if not a bit more solid.

And a bit more sad.

"We needed the list," she explained, "To keep track of our patients. If someone had to run, they couldn't risk being delayed by notifying their Healer or Midwife. We needed to be able to find them wherever they were. The list was dangerous and necessary. Its why I was the one in charge of keeping it." She smiled grimly and let out a slight shrug. "I'm the best at keeping secrets."

"But the password was easy once we had the letter!" Hermione couldn't resist pointing out, not even registering that she was arguing with a ghost.

"Ah, but it's as your friend said," Lana smiled at Ron, "it's just a sappy letter. Only people who I'd trust with the information would care enough to read through a love letter to find war documents. Besides, you've had the Map. You knew what to do. What to look for."

"Right," Hermione nodded, slightly mollified at this logic before her face drained of color.

Ghost! She was looking at a ghost! One who wasn't in Hogwarts.

"Don't go quiet on me now," Lana laughed at the three startled teenagers. " I must say, you three and your bickering and ideas have been the highlight of my afterlife. Prongs would be so happy to know how much trouble you've all gotten into."

"Prongs," Harry repeated. His Godmother smiled widely at him, some of the sadness leaving her eyes.

"My you've grown. Looking more like James every single day, but you have Lily's-"

"Eyes," Harry finished.

"Well, her habit of romantic obliviousness actually, you two take your sweet time realizing people like you, but I'd still say you've got James's eyes too. After all, he's the one who needed glasses, but you've got her lovely eye color which is nothing to scoff about."

Harry opened his mouth, but shut it promptly, not knowing how to respond to all of the information that'd been dumped on him.

"I'm sorry for not visiting since...since the Ministry, Little Dreamer. It's been hard. For awhile I thought that I'd leave when Sirius left, but that's not the case. I have some...unfinished business. But that's not for you to concern yourself over now."

"But we could help-" Harry began, but his Godmother just waved him off with her hand.

"Sweet boy, you will help, but only by completing the quest that's been laid before you."

"You know about it then?" Hermione jumped on her last sentence. "You know about the Horcruxes? How we find them? Where they are?"

"I'm afraid not," Lana sighed. "It will surprise no one that Voldemort didn't trust Peter with that information." She spat her former friends name. "All I can say is that you are doing what you need to do. And when you need help, such as food or clothes, seek out one of the names from the book."

"You want us to just show up on a random doorstep?" Ron looked as if she were crazy. "We'll get killed that way."

Lana laughed, "You sound just like Sirius. No faith in me, I swear. No. Look at the book carefully. You see the empty column at the end of the row, don't you?"

"Yes," Harry looked at it and back to his Godmother. "What is it for?"

"Messages," Lana smiled. "You lot can't be seen in shops or the like. Write in the column next to the closest person to you, something like food for three days, and a hidden location. Wait a day for a confirmation and you'll have it."

"But you used this almost seventeen years ago," Hermione argued. "How do you know they have kept the items that you charmed to give them the message?"

"Trust me," Lana looked each in the eyes. "I know. Great charm isn't it though, Hermione?"

"Oh, uh, yeah, it is."

"Quite the coincidence that you happened to be reading a book with that very charm in it while planning the DA."

"Well actually," Hermione started, "that charm was three chapters beyond where I was. I dropped my pen and the wind blew the pages over to it-" and then she stopped, staring at the ghost in a shocked silence.

"You're welcome," Lana laughed. "I promise. Everything I've done is to help you. It's to stop Voldemort. I wish I could do more but..." and as if to emphasize her point, she began to fade.

"WAIT!" Harry yelled. "Lana!"

"Yes, Little Dreamer?"

"I-" he started but stopped. He had so many questions. Questions about his parents, about Sirius, about her.

"I know," she said softly. "When this is all over, Harry Potter, you should go through your entire vault at Gringotts. There are letters, memoires from Potters long gone, and the deed to your family home."

"Family home?!" Harry was startled, which caused Lana to scoff in annoyance. Not at him, but at the bureaucracy.

"Yes. You should have been given the papers on your Seventeenth birthday, but the Goblins were obviously hoping you'd forget. They love it when people forget their wealth with them."

"I have...a family home?"

Lana laughed, "You have a whole manor actually! After your grandparents died, poor James couldn't bring himself to go back. Too many happy memories which would have only made him upset. But that house, Harry Potter, that house was full of mischief and laughter and love. It's also full of memories and answers." Lana felt her energy flickering and she knew she'd run out of time.

Harry knew it too.

"Lana-"

"I'll see you soon, Harry."

Lana kept her word in the oncoming months. Whenever the trio, later duo, and eventual trio again grew low on food or needed medical supplies, they wrote someone in the ledger and they retrieved it.

Harry sent thank yous to Lana, somewhere in the universe.

He even left her flowers when they visited her. Well, not her per se.

Her body.

Because in a small cemetery in Godric's Hollow, next to the graves of James and Lily Potter were two more names. Sirius Black and Lana Bowers.

Remus had arranged to have them buried together and with the Ministry feeling guilty about discovering that Sirius was in fact innocent...well exceptions were made to the usual cemetery rule of couples needing to be married to be buried together.

Harry remembered Remus writing to him about the arrangements, anxious to ensure him that it was properly taken care of.

That had been one of his first thoughts when his mind cleared of grief. He knew that Sirius wanted to be with Lana. If not in life, then at least they'd be together in death. Grimly, Harry realized, if not spiritually in death, they were at least, somewhere, together.

That had to make a difference somehow. 

Those arrangements had been made a year and a half ago. Still, this was his first time visiting Sirius's grave. His first time visiting his parents or Lanas graves. Only when he was on the run, searching for a way to destroy Voldemort for good. Strange, Harry knew. But if he had to make a list of strange things in his life, this wouldn't even have made the top fifty.

Still, he left flowers for all of them and he had a nice moment.

At least until the snake. But that was just how his life went.

When his ending came, Peter Pettigrew hadn't slept in days. He jumped at every sudden movement. His eyes frantically moved from one side of the room to another in Malfoy Manor, anticipating an attack from a force that no one else could see.

Well, no one but the Chosen One anyway.

They were in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor. Harry and Ron had been locked down there with Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, and Ollivander. Dobby had taken the others but now they had to save Hermione. She was upstairs, being tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. They had to save her.

Unseen, Lana Bowers Stood at the end of the open hallway. She stared at Peter, consuming as much energy as she could. Knowing that even now, she seeped that energy from Peter himself. She'd been draining him.

Harry had thought that he'd never seen anyone look as revolting as Peter Pettigrew had when he shifted in the Shrieking Shack, but the Peter Pettigrew he saw now glancing through the small window of the door was the most pathetic kind of lifeform.

"Stand back!" Pettigrew yelled. "Stand away from the door! I'm coming in!"

Lana watched, face blank as Wormtail opened the door and found that, for a moment, it appeared to be empty.

Then Harry and Ron launched themselves through the door. They struggled. Ron got Wormtail's wand and Harry managed to cover his mouth.

But the silver hand, Peter's gift from Voldemort, had wrapped itself around Harry's throat. Choking him.

"What is it, Wormtail?" Lucius Malfoy yelled down. Not as if he was worried, but as if Peter wasn't smart enough to speak.

Ron, in a decent imitation, responded, "Nothing! All fine!"

Then he struggled, trying to pry the silver hand off of Harry's throat. Harry struggled similarly, both hands clawing desperately at the fake appendage.

"You're going to kill me? After I saved your life? You owe me, Wormtail!"

Peter's eyes momentarily widened as before him, he found himself staring at the ghost of a seventeen year old James Potter.

Peter had been a few Sickles short of being able to get everything he wanted from Honeydukes, but James, generous and spoiled James Potter had easily covered the difference.

"You owe me, Wormtail!" James had laughed. But Peter knew he didn't mean it. He'd never had to repay James Potter.

Until now.

The blue light came again, but this time, Lana wasn't angry. She was beyond such emotions. She would complete this final task and then she would finally be reunited with those she loved in the afterlife. This was it. 

Harry's eyes widened as he saw her again. He thought, for a moment, it was happening because he was dead, but then he realized that she wasn't just showing herself to him. It was like before, at Grimmauld Place. Peter Pettigrew saw Lana Bowers standing next to Harry, and he was terrified. Ron saw her, and he nearly dropped Pettigrew's wand in shock. The last time they'd seen her, she'd been gentle, kind, and humorous. Now...she really looked like a ghost.

She walked until she stood on the right side of Peter, eyes boring into the side of his face until the man was forced to look at her.

They all looked at her. Even Harry, although he was turning a bit purple.

"You more than owe Harry for saving your life Peter. You owe him the life he lost with your treachery. Then there are your friends Peter. You owe us and that debt will be repaid now with Harry.  You owe James and Lily, Harry's life after you took theirs by telling Voldemort where they hid. You owe Sirius Harry's life after you gave him up to Azkaban and destroyed him before leaving him to face Bellatrix. You owe Remus for the years of pain of wandering through this world without friends. And finally, you owe me Peter. You owe your first friend two lives. You owe me as the woman who once loved you as a brother after you watched me be beaten and tortured and murdered. You owe me, the future you took from me. I am calling your debt to me. Your debt to the Mauraders. Now. Let. Harry. Go."

He let go, and they all watched as the cursed hand of Voldemort, Peter's own hand, began to strangle him. 

Lana turned to Harry and Ron, moving her body to obstruct their view as Peter fell backwards into the other wall. Struggling. "Shield your eyes. Revenge and Justice are not sweet or pretty. You will see enough bloodshed in the future. Look away now, my loves." 

Lana's expression was emotionless as she turned to watch Peter kill himself, but when she glanced at Harry and Ron, she was the epitome of maternal concern and affection. The dichotomy was jarring. Looking upon the corpse who was once a friend and brother, her stoicism remained. Neither did her face change afterwards when, unseen by Harry and Ron, Peter's spirit was dragged into the shadows...screaming. 

"It is done," she said simply. "He who was once Peter Pettigrew is dead and died a good death for friends. He who was Wormtail was destroyed by the hand of his Master. Now, I can rest knowing that he, at least, will not hurt another person I love. My vow is complete." 

Harry stuttered out. "Your unfinished business."

"Yes."

"You saved me. You saved me in the Graveyard, and you were there my first year in the mirror of Erisid, and then at Grimmauld Place-" 

"I've tried, Little Dreamer," Lana smiled. "I'm sorry I couldn't keep James and Lily safe. For that, I am forever sorry to you." 

"You died for them," Harry said. "You died for me." 

"Harry Potter," Lana said softly. "I was like you and Our Star. I grew up without the love of parents. I found my family with James, Remus, and Lily and at one time with Peter. I found the other half of my soul in Our Star. I died protecting the people who loved me and who I loved, and I will never regret it. Nor, do I regret watching you make them proud. Now, I can finally go. As I said before, my vow is finished and he is waiting on me." 

"Lana," Harry started, "Will I ever see you again?"

"I'll see you again, My Little Dreamer when it is your time for rest," she gave him a smile. "Give Remus our love and don't forget to visit the past when this is over. Now go save your friend."

He turned to go when her face changed from that quiet determination to a glowing happiness. He could see, for the first time in this spirit, that girl from the picture with Sirius. The girl from the memories.

He saw the girl who was the fifth Marauder. The girl who must have had a loud laugh. The girl who pulled hundreds of pranks. The girl who lived and loved fiercely and who died for that love. Lana Bowers was once an extraordinary witch who would have made the world a better place if she had lived. Harry and Ron saw that, and for one moment, they were sorry for her loss as they hadn't entirely been before, having no memory of her other than at Grimmauld Place.

But their sorrow was fleeting as she began to glow golden. Lana Bowers smiled into some reality they could not perceive, but her eyes lighting with joy gave Harry a good idea of what, or who, she was looking at. In that moment, she became radiant.

"My Star is here for me."

Harry Potter watched her reach out her hand, and he thought he saw long masculine fingers grip Lana's just as she disappeared into golden light. He knew that somewhere, Sirius was being reunited with one half of his soul. He knew that his Godparents had done everything they could, both in this life and after, to keep him safe. For one single moment in that basement, Harry smiled. 

I'm not crying. You are crying.

Two chapters left.