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Slam!

I sat upright in bed, completely on high alert despite how tight my face felt. The sudden sound flickered through my nerves and goosebumps arose. Swallowing, I snatched my wand from my nightstand.

"What was that?" I heard from behind me.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Sirius' voice. Living in this little room alone took a huge toll on me. Hearing his voice in the past meant I was hallucinating. Luckily, the illusions disappeared.

"What?" I blurt.

"What was that?" he repeated, less groggily.

"I don't know, stay here," I replied.

"Like hell I would."

He shuffled out from the sheets and toed into his strewn sock. I blinked and turned away, going to investigate what made the noise. Muffled raised voices grew louder the closer we approached. I peered into the kitchen where an oddly quiet gaggle of teenage boys ate toast.

Moony made eye contact with me with half lids and honey smeared on the corner of his mouth. The other two disregarded out presences and chewed. My eyes flit towards the front door and noticed it was still locked. This time, I glanced at the backyard screen door and saw the flipped handle.

Sirius slid over to the end of the house and squinted through the netting. I followed and narrowed my eyes into the distance. Lily's voice rang from the snowy backyard into the warmer midst of the home. I couldn't register what she was saying because Pandora interrupted her.

The two girls argued in their lounge wear in freezing degrees, simply fueled by their individual unbridled rage. Their hands went up in the air whenever their tone slightly rose higher than the already loud volume. Lily stopped walking in the snow and whirled around to continue her disagreement with the blonde.

"What are they on about now?" Padfoot wondered.

"Not sure. Brought up Cry, the biscuits, and I think their hair?" James responded huskily, just as newly awoken as we were.

I pursed my lips and stared at their increasingly ridiculous banter continue on. Pandora lightly stamped her foot like she does when her voice will boom any second. When that happens, conversation is done, period. However, with Lily's similar personality, one can never refuse a screaming match.

"Prongs, she brought up that Xenophilius lad. Then she brought up you. Then Cry... ought to be in love with Fawkes if they'll fight over her," Wormtail explained.

Keeping a laugh in, I shifted to share an amused look with Peter. He snickered softly and licked the jam off his thumb afterward.

"Oi, I think you forget I'm dating her!"

I turn around for one second and he's already gone off to pick a fight.

Huffing, I scrambled after him. The girls zeroed in on him in indescribable manner that would garner its own reward if they could. I slipped on the shoes on the cement and hurried until I was in the snow.

"Honestly, how dimwitted are you? I've stayed with her for years without you lot knowing she was alive!"

"At least we didn't stab her, smart-ass."

"She chose me— we even threw dung bombs together! Can't get much closer than that, lasses."

Digging my fingers into the fabric on Padfoot's back, I tugged with all my might and swirled him around. He grunted when the collar squeezed his throat. His feet skid and he faced the house once more. I shoved him back in that direction.

"Go back inside and we'll have a talk later. If you don't, I'll langlock all three of you morons," I scowled.

He let out a cry but dragged himself inside. I bet he's sporting a pout at this moment. As I finally focused on my girls, I scanned their sheepish expressions.

"Now what happened to women supporting women? What's going?" I asked.

"Nothing, Cry," Lily murmured.

Pandora shot a dirty look to the latter, her eyes went up and down over her face a couple times. She rolled her eyes and glared into the distance in silent fury. She's not one to act petty but when you meet someone so identical, you're bound to argue with them rather than just click. And when you argue with someone just like you, you never win. They are you.

"Alright, let me ask again. What's going?" I said once more, hardening my tone.

Lily's eyes flit to Dora and when she didn't make contact with her, she gave in. She confessed, "We don't know what to do. Just talking about plans and it didn't go well."

"And? Nothing gets this big if it was just a little spat over disagreeing strategies," I urged in slight annoyance.

This is no time to be working against each other.

We're all tired, scared shitless, and burnt out.

Not the time to get even lower.

"One thing led to another and we brought up the past. Obviously, I'm glad she protected you but we wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't gone through with the stabbing," Lily rambled, still heated from a few minutes ago.

Pandora gave in to her anger and held her hands into fists at her sides. Her icy blue eyes made fiery contact with Lily's burning green ones. I grit my teeth when I saw the fire hitting the fan again.

"None of you helped her when she needed it. She had a serial killer– still does– after her. She was scared and needed my help. It's not like I wanted to do it!" Pandora hottily retort.

"Shut up! The both of you! What's done is done. When all this Tom shit is over with, you lot can make peace with the past. Not right–fucking–now," I interjected in exasperation.

They stared at me with still flaming attitudes but they can't say anything now. They know I'm right and they can't change the facts.

"As much as I hate to yell at you both; it wouldn't have gotten into your thick skulls if I didn't. You two are smart, much smarter than I'll ever be. I know it hurts– I feel it, the boys feel it– but we have too much to bear than some feelings that we can deal with later.

"Now get inside, you'll catch a cold."

I drew closer in on myself and frowned deeply as I turned my back on them. Kicking my slippers off, I went straight for the fireplace upon entrance.

-lana

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