It had been a few months since the whole gang graduated Hogwarts. James had convinced Lily to move in with him to the Potter household whilst Sirius and Barbara lived in the guest house erected for their own space. Both the Evans and the Potters discussed that things were moving a lot faster than they should be; but the young generation knew not to waste time when in the middle of a war.

Marlene had found her own small flat, which was shared by a Ravenclaw roommate named Elle. The young woman was friends with all of the people in the group and soon became closer because she always saw the group. They knew that she was half witch, her mother being a Muggle. But they didn't care, instead they helped protect her mother at all costs. She and Elle's father were in hiding in one of the small houses the Potter bought long ago in the countryside.

Barbara remembered the first time she saw the Ravenclaw back in Second Year. She had always seemed quiet, but off from the rest of Hogwarts. Elle was a nice enough woman and knew James through Quidditch. They always joked about their rivalry, both being Chasers and all.

When the entire gang was visiting the Potters' home for Christmas, Barbara was delighted to see that literally everyone was invited. All of her close friends were there, along with Dumbledore, Valerie, Angel, and Andrew. She also noticed that Lily's parents were there as well, bringing delight to the ginger's green eyes. She knew there was a mishap the night before with James meeting the Dursleys; but nobody mentioned it. It was in the past, that's all that mattered. Who would want to ruin a special evening?

Barbara knew something was brewing judging by her brother's face, which meant trouble. "James, what did you do?"

He looked up innocently at his sister, his white teeth shining. "Why don't you look behind you while Lily makes her way up to the front?"

Cautiously, Barbara turned around to see her boyfriend grinning at her, grey eyes twinkling brighter than ever. It was hard for her to imagine a time when she hated his guts; and a time when he returned that mutual feeling. The Royal had never felt so much love towards another like she had for Sirius. He was the light of her life, a true star that shone bright over their long future together– the one she was looking forward to.

But suddenly, he got down on one knee.

And Barbara didn't know how to react.

"Barbara, I'd rather save my speech for the vows," he said cheekily, "but I need your permission before I even start thinking about them. Will you marry me?"

The young woman was vaguely aware that people were watching her, but focused all of her attention on Sirius. He had a velvet box in his hand, opened to reveal a simple ring. With a tear running down her cheek, she nodded and fell to the floor to hug Sirius.

Cheering surrounded them as Sirius put the engagement ring on Barbara; but a sudden thought struck her mind as she turned to James. Her eyes were wide. "You're not planning-"

"-Yup." He responded simply. With a small smile, he, too, for down on one knee and faced Lily, whose face was as red as her hair.

"We may have only been together for a short while, Lily, but I've only had eyes for you for a long time. I don't know what'll happen in the future; but I just know I want to spend it with you. Will you marry me?"

Barbara leaned all of her weight on her boyfr– fiancé– as Lily nodded her head with the same amount of shock Barbara displayed before. She should've expected the brothers to want to be engaged with the sisters at the same time. In all the chaos of congratulating the new engaged couples, however, Sirius claimed he had to make another announcement.

"Alright, Marauders and Love, pay up!"

The Royal couldn't help but roll her eyes. Maybe that's the actual reason why James proposed to quickly, or maybe just because he really loves Lily....

No, definitely the bet.

After a nice Christmas dinner provided by the Potters that evening, all of the new Hogwarts alums were asked by Dumbledore to wait in a room so he could speak with them privately. They had no idea what to expect; but it didn't sound good due to the absence of the twinkle in his eye. Barbara just hoped he wouldn't ruin the night with announcing a death.

Death seemed to be a common theme throughout the Wizarding War. It was obviously expected, but the extent of which it came was beginning to be a lot more than Barbara could handle. She was lucky that she and her friend group had not been affected; but it was only a matter of time.

"Dumbledore, what's wrong?" Barbara said quickly. She didn't like how they were separated from the other adults. Why keep a secret if all were devoted to the same cause?

"It's nothing to worry about, Miss Potter," he chuckled, but his seriousness took over his expression, "I just had a query for you all."

"Well, what is it?"

"I am starting an organization, which will be hosted by the Potters until a further location is found. It will be called the Order of the Phoenix, a group of people dedicated to fighting the Dark Arts and Voldemort. Will you all like to be the first to join?"

Without thinking twice, everyone in the group agreed to it immediately. The danger was unavoidable even if they didn't join. The Death Eaters were everywhere and sitting idle wouldn't help anybody. If they could help, why not join?

After all, what's life without a little more risk?

I also have a book called Little Red which is NOT A CLICHE of Tom Riddle's time at Hogwarts. I think it's my favorite thing I've written so far (other than Sleeping Beauty) & I wouldn't promote it if I didn't like it.

Xoxo, SiriuslyxPadfoot