Promise to the Past | 🐾 ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀs ✓

02 | Potter Cottage

-- POTTER COTTAGE
   GODRIC'S HOLLOW 1981

"I'm just saying, at least Potter Manor has blood wards in place! Besides we can always put the Fidelius charm on it too." Sirius argued as he nicked a piece of potatoes from where Lily was plating the food in the kitchen. 

"Mate, we've already talked about this," James said placatingly as he set the table. "My parents trusted the wrong people, and Voldemort was able to infiltrate Potter Manor when it came down to it." 

A loud crack shattered the peace as a windswept Remus apparated into their kitchen. 

"Remus!" Lily yelled excitedly as he went to her, pulling her into a hug as she juggled pots and pans in her hands. 

"Moony! I didn't think you'd make it tonight," James said with a happy twinkle in his eyes. 

"I didn't either to be honest," he replied sheepishly, running his fingers through his sandy brown hair. 

They all sat down to eat together, taking pleasure in something as simple as a shared meal, especially since the Potters had been in hiding in the midst of a war for months now. 

"Where's Peter?" Sirius asked clumsily with a mouthful of food.  

"Great meal by the way, Lily," Remus said dramatically, looking pointedly at Sirius. 

"I knew there's a reason you were always my favorite," Lily teased. "And Peter said he needed to check on his mother, make sure her wards were still okay and stuff." 

"Hey! What about your charming husband who spent literally all of Hogwarts pining after you?" James cried incredulously with mock outrage. Lily merely smiled serenely at her husband, dropping a kiss on his cheek lovingly.  

"I hope he's handling everything okay," Sirius said in concern. "He's been visiting his mother a lot lately." 

"How's it coming with the packs, mate?" James inquired. 

"Difficult," Remus replied, a dark exhaustion filling his eyes. "It's nearly impossible to convince them how bad Voldemort is when he's going around feeding them exactly what they want to hear. He's charismatic, and he just knows exactly the right thing to lure the masses to his side."

Sirius and James shared a concerned glance during Remus' rant. Sirius had been suspicious of Remus' dangerous work with the wolves for a while now, and had brought up the possibility of Remus being the mole in the Order to James before. James ardently refused his accusations before, thinking too much of Remus, but now he shared Sirius' gaze with rising concern.  

Settling into easy conversation eventually, they began to relax into their normal banter and age-old dynamics. Halfway through dinner, they were startled out of their peace by another loud crack, signaling someone else had apparated in, only to be followed by a loud thud in the living room. The seasoned Order members all immediately jumped to their feet, wands at the ready, before rushing to the living room. 

They were met with the bone chilling sight of what appeared to be a half-starved girl coated in blood collapsed on the soft rug in front of the fireplace. 

"Who is she?" Sirius immediately asked, wand trained on her unmoving form. 

Lily and James shared a glance, shaking their heads. "We've never seen her before." 

"Well neither have I," Sirius said with rising panic. "And if the Fidelius charm is still in place she shouldn't have been able to get in." 

Before they could decide whether they needed to evacuate or what to do next, the girl groaned painfully, her eyes fluttering open. Her eyes raced between the three Marauders and Lily in panic before settling on James as recognition flared in her gaze.