December 13th, 1980
I stared at the headstone in front of me. It was still clean. Fresh white roses where placed atop the grass where she rested. A solitary tear slid down my pale, cold cheek.
"Birdie and Harry are so big now. Birdie can say certain words and Harry is standing and crawling on his own. Sirius already bought him his first broomstick." I let out a dry laugh before sniffling.
"Remus is doing okay. He misses you like hell. But Birdie often keeps him occupied. Hell, James even gets jealous since she likes him more." I paused a moment, taking in a deep breath. "We miss you. Mar."
I felt two arms wrap around my waist, knowing instantly it was Sirius. I ran my hand along his forearm, breathing in his scent that always calmed me.
"Mummy!"
I turned, pulling from Sirius to see my daughter running towards us, a large grin on her face. I quickly mirrored her expression, careful not to let her see the tears. When I cry, she cries.
"Hello, my love! Are you ready to play with Harry?" I asked excitedly.
Birdie nodded vigorously and outstretched her tiny hands towards me, indicating that she wanted to be held, which I happily obliged.
I felt Sirius's hand touch the small of my back, "Let's go, my loves."
*
We arrived at the Potter home only to find my idiot twin chasing Remus while tiny Harry giggled atop his shoulders. Lily sat in the loveseat trying to contain her amusement while Peter sat silently in the far side of the kitchen.
"Moon!" Little Bird exclaimed excitedly at the sight of Remus. Remus instantly turned to her and swooped her into his arms, spinning her while she laughed gleefully. I swear, she loves him more than anyone else.
"We have the order meeting today." Peter reminded from the kitchen, his face twitching slightly. All the faces in the room became solemn as if the happiness was drained from a dementor. James nodded, pursing his lips.
"I'll stay with the kids. You lot go." Remus muttered while gesturing towards the front door.
I let out an audible sigh as I make my way towards Remus and Birdie. I plant a gentle kiss on her cheek. Sirius pinches her other cheek before sneaking a kiss onto her nose, causing her to erupt in a fit of giggles. My heart warmed at the sight of them.
"Go?" Birdie asked softly, a sad look in her large hazel eyes. I nodded, pursing my lips.
"We'll be home soon, Little Bird. But for now, you and Harry get to play with Mooney, yeah?"
Those few words caused my daughters smile to return. If there was anything in the world that could ever make her happy when all was lost, it was Remus.
The Order Of The Phoenix
As we finished discussing Voldemort's recent attack on a muggle family, I noticed Dumbledore pull Lily and James aside. My stomach churned. Something was wrong.
I didn't want to eavesdrop but I had to. My intuition begging me to get closer.
"-you must go into hiding now. Voldemort is already aware of the prophecy. Our best hope would be the Fidelius Charm." Dumbledore said gravely.
Lily's hands quickly flew over her mouth. Tears began to slide down her face as James's face slackened. He and Lily shared a look before excusing themselves from Dumbledore. Their eyes instantly catching mine.
"James, Lily, what is it? What's wrong?" I questioned as I rushed to them.
"Let's go upstairs. Get Sirius and Peter." James muttered. I nodded, quickly informing Sirius and Peter of the meeting to be held.
We followed Lily and James upstairs to a room I'd never been in before. It was decorated unlike any other room in the Grimmauld Place. It bore Gryffindor banners that didn't budge and was extremely messy.
"Sirius... was- was this your room?" I questioned as I took it in.
"Uh, yeah. It was. Until I moved in with you and James."
"Classy photos you have." I commented, pointing at the photo of a mostly nude muggle girl. Sirius face instantly turned crimson as he struggled for an excuse.
"I assume you haven't informed them yet?" A deep, calm voice asked suddenly. I turned to see Dumbledore in the doorway, his hands crossed in front of him.
"No, we have not." Lily muttered softly.
"A prophecy has been made mentioning a son. A child born in the seventh month to parents who defied Voldemort three times."
"What?" I questioned aloud, my voice barely above a whisper.
"This boy will be the end of Voldemort. His undoing." Dumbledore furthered.
"It is either Harry or the Longbottom's son, Neville. Both of us have been told to go into hiding." Lily informed. James squeezed her shoulder reassuringly.
"Bloody hell." Sirius murmured.
"I would advise the two of you to have a Secret Keeper. I would also advise that it be me." Dumbledore said.
James ran his fingers through his hair nervously before shaking his head.
"No, sir. Thank you but I would like Harry's Godfather to be the Secret Keeper." James said, looking to Sirius, a soft smile on his lips. "We trust him with our lives."
"You know I'd do anything for you, mate." Sirius said as he enveloped James into a hug. He then kissed Lily platonically on the forehead.
"So, it's settled. You must go, now. All of you. Head my warnings and be safe." Dumbledore warned. We all nodded, understanding the importance of the matters at hand.
A baby is the one to defeat the Dark Lord.
8:56 pm
Black Home
"Dumbledore believes somebody in the order to be a traitor." James informed as he paced the living room of our home. Remus was still at home alone with the kids.
"Who do you think?" Sirius asked.
"Could be anyone." Lily muttered as she chewed on her fingernails.
"I think it's Remus." Sirius said suddenly.
"What?" We asked in unison, appalled.
"Remus? Really, Sirius? He's with the kids right now. He'd never hurt Harry or Hope." I scoffed.
"Maybe he's gathering more information for the Dark Lord." Sirius suggested, running his hands through his hair.
"No, love. He's our friend. He's loyal to us." I said, wrapping my arms around his neck from behind.
"Maybe. But we don't know who to trust, Gen." He trailed, lost in thought. "James, mate, what if we use me as a decoy but make another in the order the secret keeper?"
"Sounds like it might work." James said while nodding his head, his fingers resting on his chin.
"I could do it." Peter squeaked.
"Yeah! Of course! Nobody would suspect him! It's perfect!" Sirius exclaimed.
James looked to Lily before smiling. "Alright, Peter. It's you."
"Thank you for your help." Lily whispered, her voice soft. I breathed softly before pulling her into a tight hug.
"We are family, Lil. We stick together."
Lily smiled softly as she pulled from the hug. She glanced at Sirius then back to me.
"If anything is to happen to us, take care of Harry. You and Sirius, please. You're his godparents." She plead earnestly, her gorgeous green eyes wide.
"Of course we will, Lily. He's my nephew. But nothing will happen to either of you. I swear it." I promised, my voice stern. Lily nodded, not totally convinced but hopeful.
Even though we were on the cusp of losing everything, we felt safe. After all, who can you trust better than your family?
Unbeknownst to us, the traitor was already among us.
A/N-
Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Things are a bit darker and things are nearing "the end" but I swear this story has not reached its conclusion.
Also, if you want to check out my original story "Chasing Shadows" on my profile, it's about a witch learning to control her powers and her strange past. Thank you! Love to you all.
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