𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐅𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐑 ~ (𝐣.𝐩)

xlii

FEBRUARY 10th, 1979

Three and a half months after Cat left to go undercover in Voldemort's ranks and three months after she was supposed to check in, James laid in bed a little longer than normal. He rolled over and stared at the box in the corner. It was supposed to be Cat's 19th birthday present, but she wasn't here for him to give it to her.

Normally, his day consisted of getting ready, checking in with Mcgonagall to see if she had heard from Cat, trying to find where she could be with the help of Remus, Sirius, and Marlene. Mcgonagall helped in her own way. She kept one ear open for news while going on as if nothing was wrong, at the request of Dumbledore. Really, they were all supposed to be acting as if nothing was wrong, as if Cat was never actually gone. James, Remus, Sirius, and Marlene wouldn't, never, they couldn't.

Finally, James got up and got ready as normal. He went to the kitchen and made tea with all he had left. There was a knock at the door. Whoever it was let themselves in. It was Marlene. "Hey Marls," James remarked with a smile on his face.

Marlene gave him a sad, knowing look and hugged him. "Are you okay?" Marlene asked. "It's a dumb question, but, how are you?"

"Same as every other day," he answered when Marlene let go of the hug.

"But it's not every other day, it's her birthday," Marlene told him. "It should be more than a normal day. Now, the truth please."

"I miss her," James said in a heartbeat.

"I do too. She'll come back. Soon. I can feel it." Marlene gave a sad yet encouraging smile. How she could do that, James didn't know. But, then again, it was Marlene, she could do anything and make it look easy. "Now come on." Marlene grabbed James' wrist and drug him out of the flat.

"Where are you taking me?" James asked a few times until they came up on a Muggle café. Dorcas was at one of the tables with three cups in front of her. Marlene and James walked up to the table and took a seat.

"How are you doing?" Dorcas asked. James wished people would stop asking him that.

"I'm fine," he put simply.

The rest of the morning was easy and untouched of hard subjects. That is until Remus and Sirius came running up to their table. "Where'd you guys come from?"

"Normally, I'd turn that into a joke, not now," Sirius said, out of breath.

"There's a lead on Cat," Remus said, less out of breath.

James, Marlene, and Dorcas shot out of the table so fast, it almost flipped. The group of wizards gained the attention of the people around them. Even more when they darted down the street to an alley.

"Did you take it to Dumbledore?" Dorcas asked.

"No," Remus told her, then turned to James. "We figured you wanted to hear it first."

"Thank you," was all James could get out. They were going to get her back.

"Should we go to Dumbledore now?" Dorcas asked.

"No," Marlene said. The group had grown more and more suspicious and untrusting of Dumbledore since Cat went missing. He failed to even attempt at getting her back, more order members were dying or missing, and he even asked Remus to join the werewolves. "We're doing this ourselves."