The walk was agonisingly slow, any attempt James made at a conversation I immediately shot down. It was better if I distanced myself now, especially considering how much closer we had gotten in the past few days.

We would never see each other again; it was hard enough leaving Marlene and Regulus let alone James as well. He didn't need to add missing me to his plate, especially considering the looming war.

Perhaps if he survived the war this time around I would see him again but by then he'd be as old as my father and I knew for sure then that he wouldn't be open to anything other than a strained friendship.

"Is this how you really want our last moments to be?" James halted in his steps, looking over at me furiously, fed up with the one-sided conversation.

I shrugged, acting as if I didn't care when in reality I did, perhaps too much. "It's better this way."

"No, it's not!" James bellowed so loudly that I swore some of the snow shifted. Silence followed his exclamation as we reached the house.

Old wooden boards peeled back from the house, the steps leading up to the veranda appearing unstable and worn from centuries of use. Boarded windows concealing the inside, a broken rusty swing chair hung from a singular metal chain that looked like it would snap with the smallest amount of pressure applied.

"Get behind me," James whispered, holding an arm in front of me protectively.

"You get behind me," I mocked, stepping in front of him, holding my wand out in front of us, "let the war veteran without the trace do the protection," I walked hesitantly, testing out each step carefully, take extra caution with my ankle, knowing that I had done nothing but injure it more on the walk up.

James followed behind me, wand out at the ready as well, a small frown marring his face that he wasn't the one going in first. I pushed the door open, flinching at its loud creak. Fucking hell, if they didn't know that we were here before then they definitely would now.

"Hello?" I called out into the seemingly empty house.

A hand slapped over my mouth, muffling the sound that was escaping. "What the hell are you doing? Have you ever seen a Muggle horror movie? The dumb ones who yell hello are always the first to die! Merlin," James whisper-shouted, no longer willing to follow my lead as he guided us further into the house, hand clamped tightly over my mouth.

If I had a blocked nose then he'd be blocking my only airway and I'd definitely die for sure from suffocation.

Regulus would avenge me.

Guilt swept over me as I thought of the dark-haired Slytherin, having kissed him only days previous and now here I was almost kissing my ex-boyfriend less than three hours ago. Is this what I'd become? A girl so dependent upon men that she can't even decide which one she wants whilst leading them both on, however unintentional it may be with James? It was disgusting.

I couldn't be this person, I wouldn't allow myself to become that person. Not anymore.

Not that it mattered; they'd both be middle-aged men when I got home. There wouldn't be a chance for me with either of them. They would've moved on within the twenty years, settled down with a beautiful woman who was the epitome of perfect, perhaps even having a child or two.

It didn't matter that James and I were supposed to have a child – the past had taken a different course. Would Harry even be there when I got home?

I guess not.

Who would defeat Voldemort now?

I shook the morbid thoughts from my mind, focusing on the task at hand.

"I have been expecting you, Lilah Lupin," a voice crooned from the darkness.

"How do you know my name?" I pushed the hand away from my mouth, stepping forward closer to the voice.

"I know all for I am the keeper of time," the voice stepped out of the shadows, an old woman dressed in dark robes, wrinkles crinkling as she smiled toothily. "I have been waiting for this day for many centuries."

"So then you know why we're here," James stated, having only heard tales of the timekeeper, believing her to be an old fable.

"Of course, step forward child." She crooked a finger at me, encouraging me to come closer. "If the future is your destination then the other must leave, the secrets of time must not be revealed to those ordinary."

I glanced back at James solemnly, meeting his worried eyes as I tried to smile. "So I guess this is it."

"Yeah, I guess so," he hummed in acknowledgement, walking forward, tugging me gently into his arms. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't give us that future," he apologised quietly, muscled arms tightening around me.

"I set out to change the past, Glasses," he chuckled at the old nickname, "even if it is at the expense of one of my best friends." I sniffed slightly, holding onto him just as tightly before relinquishing my hold.

"I'll see you soon," James smiled down at me tenderly, knowing that it was an obvious lie but not being able to think of a proper response to never seeing someone he cared about again.

"Yeah," I agreed, "see you soon."

And with those parting words, he walked out of the house, walked out of my life, just as I had those few days ago with Regulus.

I turned around to face the older witch, knowing that there was no going back.

I was going home.