James spent the first day back at the Auror Training Program worried about Lily, and how she was doing back at the flat with her broken wrist. She hadn't wanted to worry her mum, so she hadn't been home since it had been broken at Mungo's. She'd done okay the two days since the attacks, when James had insisted on being absent from his studies, but upon her insistance he'd gone in. Still - there was no telling if Lily was truly "perfectly alright" as she'd claimed without him being there. It made him antsy and short-tempered so that he blasted Frank Longbottom a bit too hard with a stunning spell during training, knocking the young auror clear off his feet and across the room.

But all had been well when he got home - Sirius had stayed home with Lily instead of going in to do his degnoming work, and the pair of them had enjoyed a lovely day together around the flat without James and Remus at home. They'd returned to the flat to find a delicious dinner prepared and a hyperactive Sirius, eager to share that he'd helped with the cooking.

"Great, we're being poisoned," James had joked. Remus had chuckled, but James saw him closely inspecting the food as he helped to set the table, too.

Since the fight in the square and the attack at Mungo's, the four of them had been largely quiet about the entire affair, depsite Peter Pettigrew's questions about what he had missed whenever he came 'round.

"Read the room, Wormtail," Sirius had grunted once when Peter had been persistantly asking question and after question, "None of us bloody want to talk about it, alright?"

It was as though they all wanted to forget about the war for a few days to recover their spirits. Not talking about the battle was the only way, it seemed, to shut it all out for just a little bit at least. It became an unspoken rule, it seemed, that upon crossing the threshold of the flat, all discussion of You Know Who and the Death Eaters became taboo. The flat was not a part of the world, they seemed to have decided collectively, and therefore the mess and pain that plagued the world should not be welcomed into it. The flat was a safe place.

"D'ya reckon that we can keep on like this forever?" James asked Remus one night as the pair of them walked down the street toward the lighted windows, having met up by chance on their ways home.

Remus shrugged. "Dunno," he replied. Then, "It feels a bit like the Shrieking Shack, doesn't it?"

"Yeah it does," James said, smiling.

Remus paused walking, staring up at the glow behind the curtains that hung in their living room windows. "I reckon it's the love we have for each other that keeps the rubbish out."

James nodded. "The place is teeming with the stuff, isn't it?"

It was then that James decided that above all else, the home that he built with Lily must be filled with love the same way that the Shrieking Shack had always been, the same way that the flat now always was. It was important, he realized. Having light and love within the four walls was the only way to keep out the darkness.

So it was with a whole new resolve that James worked on the house in Godric's Hollow a couple days a week. He used no magic still. It was important to him that every stroke of paint, every nail, every bit of restoration be done entirely and completely with nothing except his own two hands.

After that talk with Remus, he thought he might understand why it seemed so imperative to him. It was like weaving love into the very walls of the house, as though every nail he drove in was fortifying the little cottage more and more, making it stronger against the darkness with every stroke of paint. The work was worth it, every bit of it. He spent his time imagining how Lily would be surprised to learn of the house and the work he'd done, and he thought about how he'd tell her and when, wanting every detail to be perfect.

Of course, imagining leaving the flat in East London was quite hard to imagine. The place really was filled with love - whether it was the scent of a good meal cooking, or the sound of friends laughing and talking good naturedly, the place just felt like home, nearly as much as the dorm at Hogwarts had done. Except possibly more so. Nights when the living room was packed with their best mates - Ali and Frank, Marlene and Emmaline, Peter, the Prewett Twins, Dorcas Meadows... They would play muggle games and have great debates and long sessions of listening to music and simply enjoying food and the company of one another. Truly, the flat was more than just a place where they lived, it was a rallying point, a place of safety and goodness that felt impenetrable and apart.

It was at the East London flat that Dorcas and Gideon announced a secret elopement.

Lily had screamed upon Dorcas's revelation of the lovely vintage diamond that had belonged to Gideon's great Gran. They's squealed and chatted and left the lads to their own devices, squirreling away to the kitchen for tea - both of the herbal and verbal sense.

Through it all, Roger would sit upon his favorite perch, the top of a high bookcase, watching with a twitching tail and lamp-like eyes.

And then came the day when Regulus Black appeared at the front door.

James was at the Training Center (really the house in Godric's Hollow but none was the wiser to that at the time), and Remus was prepaing his overnight bag for the full moon night's arrival. It was the very end of August, nary more than a day or two before the Hogwarts Express was due to depart King's Cross, when there came a knock upon the flat door. Sirius, who'd been closest to it, pulled it opened to see his little brother there upon the stoop, a wide- eyed expression upon the younger Black's face.

"What are you doing here?" Sirius said, voice a tad bit sharper than he'd intended.

Regulus was twitchy with nerves. "M-may I come in?" his voice was scarcely above a whisper.

Sirius had stared at him, unmoving.

"I have something to tell James."

"He's out."

"Oh. Well. I can wait. Can I wait inside?"

"We don't know when he'll be back. Come another time." Sirius started to close the door.

"Wait!" Regulus shouted, shoving his foot through the narrow gap. The door crunched and Regulus let out a howl. Sirius threw the door back open as Regulus stumbled back against the railing. "You bloody broke my foot!"

"I didn't break your foot!"

"Well it didn't break itself!"

"No you put it in a slamming door, you idiot."

"Which you slammed!"

"Because we were finished talking!"

"As indicated by me telling wait?"

"It was already in motion."

"You blood broke my foot, just admit it, you arse!"

"Arse!? Me?!"

"Yes you, you --"

"What is going on out here?" Both brothers stopped their shouting, heads turning to look at Lily Evans, who had come to the door to investigate the yelling. "Honestly!"

"He broke my foot!" Regulus pointed at Sirius.

"SIRIUS!" Lily's voice was sharp.

"I didn't bloody --"

"Come on Reg, we'll fix you up. Em's here she'll be able to do it in a twitch. Sirius, help your brother to the couch."

Sirius took a deep breath and ducked out onto the platform at the top of the stairs outside the flat, collecting Regulus from the rail, where he'd fallen back, and helping him inside. Regulus winced with every step, but managed to suffer the short walk silently. Lily had propped up some pillows and helped him to situate himself on them, leg elevated. "Sirius go fetch Emma."

Sirius left the room grumbling about being made to do everything 'round the flat, and Lily rolled her eyes at his back.

She turned back to Regulus, "Em will heal you up in a jiffy," she said gently. She pushed the hair back from Regulus's forehead. "I'm surprised by your visit, but I'm sure we've made enough for dinner... You will join us, won't you?"

"I came to tell James something," Regulus said.

Lily was about to ask what it was that Regulus had to tell James, but Emmaline, Sirius, and Marlene came out into the living room at that moment and she didn't get a chance. Instead, she swiveled about, "Oh Em, could you take a look at his foot, we think it might be broken."

Emma pulled a locket out from beneath her blouse, snapping it open and quickly ruffling through a series of small glass discs container within, before selecting one that looked like a tiny black circle. She pulled this one out and brought it up to her eye, using the locket as a handle. She peered through the glass at Regulus's foot, leaning closer and very gently prodding at it.

"What is --" Sirius started to ask, and Marlene cut him off.

"Its an InnerSpec, so she can see his bones."

Sirius looked disturbed at the idea.

Emmaline stood upright then. "It isn't broken, only fractured."

"I told you I didn't bloody break your foot."

"No you fractured it," Regulus said, glowering at Sirius.

"Again, you stuck it into a closing door."

"Yeah? So I suppose it's my fault then, is it?"

"Now you're getting the idea!" Sirius replied, smirking.

Emmaline held up her wand, and cleared her throat to get Regulus's attention. "This may smart a bit, but it'll feel much better once the shock of it wears off."

"The shock of what?" Regulus asked, but Em had already flicked her wand.

"Defragmentum!"

There was a loud cracking sound and a yelp from Regulus as he felt the fractured bone snap back into place and a bout of dizziness spun him about.

Remus came down the hall, carrying his bag and an oversized jumper. "What's going on out here? I could hear Sirius clear across the apartment!"

"And you're only just now coming to check on me?" Sirius demanded, "Letting your husband suffer alone?"

"You're not the one suffering!" Regulus said through gritted teeth.

Remus put his bag down by the floo. "Regulus! I didn't know you were here."

"If you'd come to check on your husband more promptly you would have."

Remus ignored Sirius, seeing Regulus's leg propped up and Emmaline's IntroSpec hanging open about her neck, he asked, "What on earth is the matter?"

"Sirius fractured my foot," Regulus replied.

"Sirius!" Remus said, turning to him.

"I didn't!"

Lily interrupted, "But Em's taken care of it now." She nodded at the bag, "Are the two of you off, then?" She looked at the clock on the mantel - an interesting contraption which showed silver hands moving about a dial of a moon cycle. "Have you time for dinner?"

"I fear not," Remus replied, glancing at the window. "I don't wish to be late... for my - uh - appointment."

"At least let me pack you lot something," she said, and she hurried into the kitchen, followed by Marlene, who went to take it upon herself to help Lily prepare their take away.

Emmaline turned to Regulus, "Here, let's try you at walking and see how you do." She pulled Regulus up and though he winced in expectation of pain, there was none, and he was relieved to find he could easily stand up and walk about. "Good as new!" Emma proclaimed.

"Brilliant," Sirius said, "Now he can go on his way."

"I told you, I'm here to talk to James."

"Well you'll have to make an appointment," Sirius said.

Lily returned and handed Remus two bundles of food, "There you are." She turned to Regulus, "You'll stay for dinner, of course? James shall be here in just a mo'..."

As though summonsed, the floo lit up green and James came through, promptly tripping over Remus's overnight pack and nearly falling to the floor before catching himself against the arm of the couch. "Bloody hell, who's left that by the floo?"

"Sorry Prongs, it was me, I thought we were going quicker than we are," Remus spoke up. "Which we really ought to be going," he added, turning to Sirius, "I don't want to be late."

Sirius looked hesitant, but finally sighed and plucked the sack up from the floor. He pointed at Regulus, "You best not be up to anything funny little brother."

"Or what? You'll break my foot again?"

"I didn't --"

"C'mon!" Remus grabbed onto Sirius's sleeve and took the jar of floo powder down from the shelf. "Good night you lot."

"Night," James and Lily echoed, and with that Remus all but pulled Sirius off through the floo.

When the green smoke had settled, James turned to Regulus, "Reg! Were we expecting you?"

"No," Regulus replied, "I've come to talk to you."

"Dinner's ready and on the table!" Marlene announced, coming out from the kitchen, followed closely by Peter Pettigrew.

James smiled warmly at Regulus, "Can it wait 'til after dinner? I'm positively starved."

Regulus looked hesitant, then replied, "I suppose..."

"Excellent!" James exclaimed and he stepped over to Lily, pulling her into a hug and kissing her in greeting, before leading the way to the dining room.

Regulus hung back a moment, and Emmaline paused at the door. "You can do it - walking on the foot will do it some good." She smiled in a friendly manner.

So Regulus followed the lot of them into the dining room, glancing back at the door through which he'd come, hoping there'd been no one following him on his way there. With a quick flick of his wand, he locked the door magically - just in case - and then followed the others into the dining room.