solemnly swear - closed.

[Yeah, bro, go for it He can succeed if you want him to, I'm down for whatevs]

"That you want me to love you?" Kaleigh clarified, raising her eyebrows. "That just makes you sound a little desperate for affection. Which I don't know why you would need me for that, I mean, Marlene is so clearly into you. I'm sure she'd get down on her knees if you asked nice enough." Kaleigh immediately put a hand over her mouth, her cheeks turning red. She hadn't really meant to say that out loud. Her mouth just started going and she couldn't stop it before she said it. She wasn't a blusher, but when she did things like that, her body had a way of defying itself. "I can't believe I said that."

---

If James' heart was beating fast before, he didn't even have a word to describe it's pace at that moment. He put his other hand through Lily's hair as they kissed, wanting to keep her as close to him as he could. He, James Potter, was finally kissing Lily Evans. The Lily Evans. It didn't take him long to get out of breath and had to break the kiss, probably a mix of his heart beating out of control and the fact that he was over the moon. He put his forehead on hers, his eyes closed. "Had to do it," he said quietly. "I'm not sorry either."

[i kinda want him to try. not sure if he should succeed. it'd be kinda funny, though. or somehow sirius could find out and slip it to remus instead? i dunno. ]

Remus had let out a low chuckle at first, giving a shrug of his shoulders. Honestly, he just wanted to see her act like a lovestruck fool. He didn't really care about who it was for. So that might have been a slight lie, but whatever. His chuckle, however, was soon growing into a roar of laughter when she said that, having to slap his hand over his mouth so he wouldn't draw even more attention to the two of them. "That was - Merlin, Kal. That was beautiful. That was amazing."

---

Lily had been kissed by other boys before. But none - not a single one - compared to James Potter. She wasn't sure if it was because of the probable lack of blood flow to her head, but she felt light and giddy, unlike anything she'd ever really felt before. Her breathing was a little ragged when he pulled away, but she stayed close. She let out a chuckle, shaking her head slightly before she leaned up to press her lips against his briefly. "Don't apologize for kissing me, Potter."

[ that'd be funny]

"Oh shut up, idiot," Kaleigh said, rolling her eyes at him. She opened her mouth to say something else, but there was a loud Crack! from the other room that got her attention pretty quick. She stood up, walking quickly into the living room. McGonagall and Dumbledore were standing there. Neither looked particularly pressed, so she figured they were just checking in. She kind of hoped they'd get to do something, even if it was just another stupid patrol. "How is everyone doing?" McGonagall asked, getting a mix of 'goods' from the room.

---

"I wasn't going to," James said, looking at her with a grin. "C'mon, lets get going." He stepped away from her, even though he didn't really want to, and took a step backwards toward the safe house. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and turned around to walk properly once he knew Lily was coming along too. "Sirius is going to flip," James muttered quietly, grinning at the pavement. He was pathetic for thinking about his friend, but he was excited. Sirius probably would be too.

[i really wanna do this now. that'd be hysterical ]

Remus went to reply, but then he heard the crack, and all traces of happiness were suddenly gone from his face. He jumped up and headed into the room, the familiar pit in his stomach coming back almost instantly. He leaned against the wall, watching as Dumbledore and McGonagall stood there. "Just fine," he murmured, not really bothering to make himself heard. He preferred to keep quiet around them unless they were talking strategy. Then he had plenty to offer.

---

Lily looked up at him matching his grin with one of her own. She started back towards the safe house, ducking her head so he wouldn't see the massive, embarrassing grin on her face. It was pretty pathetic, really. She let out a chuckle, shaking her head slowly. "He is? Do you really talk about me that much?" She teased, nudging her shoulder against his lightly.

[lets do it, yo]

"We've got a job for a few of you, if you'd like," McGonagall said, although she sounded a little reluctant to be handing out a task. "It's simple surveillance in muggle areas. There's a two shopping centers and a train station we need people to be stationed at for a while. Albus- Professor Dumbledore and I thought that this would be a good way to get you started in the order. Would anyone like to do the job?" Karleigh gave her hand a little wave and McGonagall nodded, Sirius did the same, and so did Marlene. Dorcas sat quiet, and Peter didn't move from the doorway across from where Kaleigh was standing. "You'll have to pair up. No solo jobs right now. It's all just to see if anything out of the ordinary is going on."

---

"I'm pathetic, Lily," James chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "Well and truly pathetic." Truth be told, he had three modes: Talk about Lily, talk about pranks, and talk about quidditch. Most of the time, Lily was on his mind. Next to her it was probably quidditch, then the pranks. Regardless of the order, he talked about her an embarrassing amount with the guys. "More than once they threatened to charm my mouth closed."

[awesome, okay. ]

Remus jerked his head up the second that she mentioned a job. He'd jump at anything if it meant getting out of the safe hour for awhile and doing something. "I'll go," Remus offered, watching as Kaleigh, Sirius, and Marlene agreed as well. He noticed that Marlene perked up just a bit when he said that he'd go, and he resisted rolling his eyes. "James and Lily would probably go too, when they get back," he added, figuring that they could be the final pair to go an area. "Has there been anything to suggest that something might happen?"

---

Lily let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head slowly. Hearing him talk about that so openly made her stomach flutter. "Are you sure it was just because you were talking about me? It may have been just in general," she teased, glancing over to him. She almost had a hard time believing that he was that pathetic, though. The way he said it made her rethink that. "I have a difficult time thinking of you as pathetic, to be honest."

"Nothing concrete, Mr. Lupin," Dumbledore said, looking to Remus. "Strange behavior has been reported in the area. We want to see if we can spot any." He gave Remus a smile, then looked around to the rest of the group. "You may pair up however you want to, then we will send you on your way. Don't use magic unless you absolutely have to, do not harm any muggles. You are just there to observe, remember." Kaleigh nodded to what Dumbledore said. So this was going to be even less eventful than when she went out with McGonagall. From the corner of her eye, Kaleigh saw Marlene eyeing Remus, then stand up and take a step in his direction. Kaleigh turned towards Remus with a smile on her face. "D'you want to go with me? If you say no you better get to Siruis fast, Marlene's coming to ask you," Kaleigh said quietly, glancing at Marlene, then back to Remus. At this point, it was either Remus, her, or Sirius who was going to get stuck with Marlene.

---

"Well at least I have that then," James said with a laugh as they reached the safe house. He opened up the door and held it for Lily before entering himself. Hearing Dumbledore's voice, a from moved across James' features. Had something happened? He walked into the living room, looking around expectantly. "Ah, Mr. Potter," McGonagall said, with a very small, tight lipped smile. "We've got a job for you and Miss Evans, if you would like to take it." James nodded immediately, looking at Lily to see her answer. He didn't know what he'd just got himself into, but he knew he wanted to help if he could.

Remus nodded his head, moving to stand up from leaning against the wall. He knew that it might not be much, but any little bit of something was worth it. He bristled a little at the thought of hurting muggles. They should know that they obviously shouldn't harm muggles. He would never do that. H glanced over when Kaleigh turned, nodding his head almost immediately. "Yeah, I'll go with you. James and Lily will pair up, so that'll leave Sirius with Marlene," he murmured, laughing softly at the mere thought. "Sirius'll kill me for this, but I'm sticking with you."

---

Lily grinned up at him, letting out a low laugh as she stepped into the house. She glanced towards the living room the second she heard Dumbledore's voice. She stepped into the room, giving McGonagall a curious look as she paused. She nodded her head without thinking about it. She didn't even care what it was that they would have to do. As long as it would help, then she was in. "What is it you need us to do?"

"You're just doing surveillance, Miss Evans," McGonagall said. "You and Mr. Potter, I assume you're a pair, will be going to the Townsend Street Mall, here is the address you're apparating to." McGonagall held out a piece of paper for Lily with a curt nod, then looked to Kaleigh and Remus. "You two can go to the train station in Manchester, here's your apparation destination," McGonagall gave Kaleigh a piece of paper with an address on it, before turning to Marlene and Sirius, who, much to Sirius' evident dismay, were partnered together, and told them where they were going. "Do you have anything you want to get?" Kaleigh asked Remus, reading the paper before holding it out for him to read. "I just need to get my jacket and I'm good to go."

---

James read the piece of paper over Lily's shoulder, nodding slowly once as he had the location memorized. "So we're just looking around?" James asked, looking at Professor Dumbledore. Dumbledore gave a small nod and a smile. "Keep watch for anything suspicious. If you see anything, you may do a small amount of investigating, but don't do anything to reveal what you are doing. We need everyone to stay safe. After a few hours, you can come back here and we will discuss what everyone saw."

Remus gave a nod of his head, his eyes flickering between Kaleigh and McGonagall. He stepped forward, taking the paper from her as he shook his head. "I should be good for now," he said. His sweater would be warm enough for him, since he really never got too cold. He snuck a glance towards Sirius and allowed the barest of smirks to ease onto his face. "Sirius is pissed," he murmured, growing quiet when he heard Dumbledore speak. He gave another nod, turning his attention back to Kaleigh. "I'm ready when you are."

---

Lily ducked her head slightly as McGonagall just assumed that they were going to pair up. She was right, of course, but it still struck her that it seemed as though everyone always assumed that. She nodded her head as she took the paper from her, reading over it slowly. She glanced to James, her gaze slipping over him for a second before she spoke. "Are you ready to head out now, or did you need to get anything?"

Kaleigh looked around Remus and towards where Sirius was standing beside Marlene, looking quite grumpy indeed. She smirked slightly before turning and walking to the hall closet and finding her jacket. She slipped it on and headed back to Remus, looking at the piece of paper with their destination on it. She held out her hand for him with a smile. That was one of the perks of the safe house - you could apparate from inside it. You couldn't apparate into it, but at least you could leave from it.

---

"I'm good," James said, smiling at Lily. He still had his jacket in his hand, and his wand was in his jeans pocket, so he was good to go. "Do you want to get anything before we get going to this... Townsend Street Mall?" James had to tilt his head to the side and bend a bit funny to read the paper that was in Lily's hand, so it came out slow. He'd never heard of the place, but then again, he never went to muggle shopping malls.

Remus glanced around the room, smirking faintly when he locked eyes with Sirius. Sirius shot him a glare as Marlene smiled, asking if he was ready. Remus held back a grin when Sirius muttered that he was, still snarling in his general direction. He looked to Kaleigh as she approached, his smile growing. Without a word he took her hand, his fingers interlocking with hers easily. Apparating from the safe house made his life so much easier, even though they couldn't do it going into the safe house.

---

Lily shook her head, ignoring the brief fluttering that started in her stomach when he smiled at her. She patted her pocket, making sure that her wand was still there before she shook her head. "I'm ready," she replied, letting out a soft laugh. "I know where this is. I've been there a couple of times before." She glanced down at the paper, wanting to avoid thinking about going to the mall with her family. She looked back up to him, holding out her hand with a small smile.

Once Kaleigh's hand was in Remus', and she totally one hundred percent didn't get a little excited by that, she quickly apparated them to their destination. It seemed to be the backyard of an abandoned house, presumably not far away from the train station they were meant to be going to. It took her a bit longer than it should have to let go of Remus' hand, and start walking towards the exit of the backyard. "Better get walking," she said with a small sigh, glancing over her shoulder at Remus.

---

James looked at Lily's hand before interlacing his fingers with hers. He glanced over towards Sirius, who looked angry, and James chuckled. "Have fun, Padfoot," James said loud enough for him to hear before apparating himself and Lily to their destination. Once they were there, an empty parking lot, James kept his hand in Lily's. "Okay, which way?" James asked, looking to Lily. Since she'd been there before, he figured she'd know where to head.

Remus glanced down to their intertwined fingers, allowing himself just the smallest of smiles before they apparated. He looked around, spotting the train station in the distance. He hesitated, not sure as to what she wanted to do before she let go of his hand. He ignored the pang of something in chest as she pulled away, instead starting to follow her. "You couldn't have gotten us closer?" He asked, a mild teasing tone to his voice.

---

Lily shook her head when she heard James speak, knowing full well that Sirius was beyond annoyed that Marlene was his partner. Marlene was... An interesting person, and one that Lily didn't necessarily enjoy being around for long periods of time. She glanced over to him, hesitating only a second before remembering. "It's this way," she said, making sure to keep a hold of his hand as she veered them towards the left.

"Hey, I'm just following orders," Kaleigh said, turning to walk backwards. She balled up the little note in her hand and threw it at Remus, hitting him in the forehead. She smirked when it hit him, turning back around to walk properly and giving a small shrug."But if you think my apparition skills are sub-par, you can do it next time."

---

"When's the last time you came here?" James asked, letting Lily tug him along in the direction that she wanted to. "What do muggle shopping centers even have? Books? Clothes? Is that it? They dont need potion ingredients or any of that... I didn't pay attention in muggle studies, they probably went over it..." He knew enough about muggles to know that they played a thing called football - that they called football soccer in America - and that their movie stars were treated like gods, basically. All stuff he learned from Sirius and his rebellion against the pureblood regime of his family.

"You don't necessarily have to follow them to the letter, Kal," Remus said, giving her a pointed look. He rolled his eyes when it smacked him in the forehead, pausing in his stride to pick up the paper and shove it into his pocket. "Fine, I will. I'll prove to you just how amazing my apparition skills are. They were so impressed at Hogwarts, I practically got an award for how brilliant I was at it."

---

Lily stiffened at his words. "My parents brought my sister and I here before I left to go to Hogwarts last year." Her sister was a sore subject for her, and it was one that she hated talking about. "Books and clothes and albums, mostly. There's some food places as well. It's mainly an indoor shopping area. It's not that special, really," she said, giving a shrug of her shoulders.

"I look forward to it," Kaleigh chuckled, rolling her eyes. He was so full of shit. Once they were out of the backyard, there was a sign down the road a ways pointing out the train station. "Well, that's the way we're headed I guess," Kaleigh said, glancing at Remus before heading that way down the road. "See, I didn't need to be any closer. The train's only... a kilometer away. That's nothing." The sign said '1km' on it, so she assumed that it was at least kind of accurate.

---

"Neither are wizarding shops, honestly," James shrugged. "But you know that, obviously." James knew that some people found enjoyment out of shopping, but unless he was in a quidditch goods store, he didn't think it was that great. Who needed to spend four hundred galleons on designer robes, or whatever the fuck girls spent their money on. Not him, thats for sure.

Remus looked over to her, shaking his head as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sure you'll do. You'l be so impressed with me that you won't be able to believe that you ever doubted me." He gave a nod of his head, stuffing his hands into his pockets as they walked. "We still could've apparated closer," he mumbled, nudging his side against hers lightly, smirking over at her.

---

"At least with wizarding shops, I got to go on my own," Lily murmured, leading them towards the main entrance. She much preferred shopping on her own Or rather, without her parents and her sister. She adored her family, but it was difficult when her sister despised her for what she was. And that made it hard to go anywhere as a family. "The mall isn't too big, so it won't be hard to keep an eye on things," she said, speaking louder in an attempt to stave off the memories.

"Oh shut up," Kaleigh replied with a laugh. She lifted her hand and gave his shoulder a good shove. She let her arms swing by her side as they continued down the road, looking down each of the side streets they went down as she looked for a train station. "This way I think," Kaleigh said, glancing either way down the street before jogging to the sidewalk on the opposite side. "There's a sign for it's parking. I hope this place is indoors, I'm chilly."

---

"At least we have that," James said with a small grin. Once they got to the main entrance, James held the door open for him and Lily, not wanting to let go of her hand if he could help it. "So what are we doing here, exactly?" James asked quietly, walking into the mall a ways. "Just... walking around? Do we sit and people watch? Whats the game plan, Evans?"

Remus quirked a brow at her, letting out a loud laugh. "Don't pick a fight with me. I'd take you down in an instant," he said, grinning as he spoke. He nodded, easily keeping pace with her as they headed to the opposite side of the street. "You need my sweater?" He asked, his fingers already going to the hem of it. It was rather warm and large, his frame not even filling it out. "I've got a shirt on under it, and I really don't get cold at all."

---

Lily looked over to him and smiled, mainly because that grin of his practically made her. She stepped in front of him, murmuring her thanks as she made sure to keep a hold of his hand. "I was just going to ask you that, Potter," she said softly, not wanting others to overhear her. "I suppose we just walk around and keep an eye on things."