A/N: This was for an assignment on a forum for the Ancient Runes classroom, assignment 9 in the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Challenges and Assignments) Forum. It is also a Lily Potter story, and since the assignment was about someone visiting someone, I decided she would visit some old friends. So here we go!
The feeling of being sucked up like she was in a tube was horrifying as well as relieving, as it had always been for Lily Potter. She knew she was apparating right to the spot where a disruption was not enjoyed at all, but at least she was going. Remus and Sirius were expecting her anyway, so she had to just go with it. They had been the ones to ask her in the first place.
After landing steadily on her feet, she took a look around. There wasn't much there, it was a broken down bar with little to no people in it. Almost like the Hog's Head back in- she thought, but then stopped herself, feeling tears in her eyes. She knew as well as any wizard or witch did that the area near Hogwarts was barely safe anymore.
It was drizzling, so she moved from where she stood in the driveway and walked into the bar. Her red hair was sticking up and frizzy, her green eyes sparkling, her mind on the reason she was here.
Someone ran into her at full speed, a man with dark curly hair and wild dark eyes, taller than she, wearing a large overcoat that looked quite old and shabby.
"Sirius, don't suffocate me." she said, as he squeezed her, in his familiar way of hugging. He backed off with a laughing look in his eyes.
"I won't, why would I?" was his immediate response. "James would kill me."
Remus appeared around the corner right at that moment, his eyes gleaming at the sight of her as well.
"I hardly expected you to come." he said, a smile appearing on his face.
"I had to. I haven't seen you guys in such a long time…" she trailed off, feeling tears at the edge of her eyes.
It had been about a year since she had seen either of them. The world had almost seemed upside down at the time, she had been rushing around while James tried to understand how to take care of Harry and various other things. It had been so stressful, and finally he had told her that Remus wanted to see her for a nice, calm little chat in the heart of London, along with Sirius. Lily had been desperate to go, she had become quite close to both of the other men and they thought of her as almost a sister, as she thought of them as the brothers she had never had.
"Come on, we got a table already." Sirius said, guiding her over to a table in the corner.
It was a small little café with wooden walls and lights in the form of lanterns. Known as "The Wooden Café" most people who went there were Muggles, but the occasional wizard or witch dropped in to have a private place to talk to each other without being heard, most of the time it took a few spells, but not really. Sirius held out the chair for her and then went and sat across from her. Remus took the chair on the end of the small table.
For a moment, Lily stared at the table's intricate design, a picture of the English countryside. It was quite beautiful, it was what her childhood home had looked like, in a way. Then Remus cleared his throat, rather awkwardly, and she looked up and smiled.
"You didn't tell me I was required to pay attention to all your little throat tones." she grinned wider, and Sirius smirked while Remus returned her warm smile.
"I just wanted to see how you were, Lily, that's all. We were wondering, though, how Harry was and all." he grinned.
"James surely wanted to name the boy after himself, in first name, didn't he? Being a pigheaded man like he can be, I was quite surprised." was Sirius's immediate reply.
"I don't think he would have. We had decided that naming the child after ourselves was probably the worst thing we could do. Maybe the middle name, but the first name is the worst thing." she said, looking at them both in the eyes.
"Anything is really good, as long as it's not after us." Sirius grinned.
"But Sirius James Potter would be a wonderful name." she replied.
"Right. And Bellatrix Lestrange isn't horrible or anything."
"You're only saying that because your life is spent trying to get revenge on her." Remus joked, but stopped when he saw Sirius go stone-faced.
"You two are always getting into these arguments, aren't you?" she laughed.
They both shrugged at the same time, like twins that answered to every question together. That's what she loved about them. They always acted together, but Remus kept Sirius in line, while Sirius could protect anyone he wanted. James was like the bridge between both of them, always either protecting, keeping in line, or showing off to someone, which was his one different trait between all of them. Then there was her, Lily, the girl of the group, the one who had once been a goal, now a friend and a part of the ragtag group of their "family" that was so strong.
"I missed you guys, I really did. It's just, everything got really complicated after the wedding, and then we decided to have a kid, so things really have been a mess." Lily said, her smile softening.
"We wouldn't have let you come without him if we had known you were already planning not to." Sirius said, grinning with that familiar crazed look in his eyes, the one that made him look like a young boy, his curly dark hair nearly touching his shoulders.
"I know you wouldn't. You tend to be that way. You always have been."
"And you also know that we aren't very good with kids. We weren't very good at being kids." Remus said, his face turning jokingly serious.
"That's why I'm not allowing either of you to come by at any point in time."
"Isn't leaving James with Harry for a short time dangerous enough? He could grow up knowing too many tricks, with the same blasted personality." Sirius said, but he didn't mean anything at by it all.
"I was pretty sure I could trust him, for just a short time, with the bottle and all. Attention and food, that's all Harry ever really needs." she replied, watching Sirius duck his head to laugh silently.
"So, you planning on coming out with the whole family anytime to little old London here?" asked Remus, ignoring Sirius for the moment.
"Yeah, probably later this summer."
"I love that the conversation comes back to Harry a lot around here." Sirius commented, then shook his head knowingly. "But at any rate, we do have room at the house for you guys if you plan on staying overnight on your trip or whatever."
"We'll just have to see what happens, I don't know what's really going to with that whole thing anyway."
"I wish you guys didn't live so far away. Makes it feel lonely at times."
Sirius shut his mouth after saying this and they sat there for a few minutes, each taking in the moment. Maybe it was her imagination, but Lily was sure she heard Remus mutter "Yeah, if you live in that horrifying old building" and she cracked up. Both of them stared at her, Sirius looking confused, Remus smirking, knowing what she was laughing at. When Sirius saw Remus's face, he cracked a mischievous grin.
"What are you smirking at? Saying things you shouldn't be?" he said, and the grin on his friend's face caused him to start laughing.
"All I said was "'Yeah, if you live in that horrifying old building.'", I fail to see how that's problem of yours." Remus said.
"It isn't horrifying. It's just a mess."
Lilly grinned down at the floor. Rain started pounding down on the window, thunder rumbling in the distance. She wondered if James was managing to keep Harry out of trouble, as she knew Harry always got into anything that he could find. He was just like his father, right down to his looks, aside from his eyes.
"Do you want anything to drink or anything?" asked Remus, but she shook her head.
"I have to get going soon, I don't want to leave them alone together for too long." She grinned, and they both had another fit of laughter.
"Alright then, come on." said Sirius, and led her to the door, Remus following. Lilly turned right at the door.
"I'm going to make sure you guys can come and visit sometime, I know we'll try to find time soon." she said, her grin reassuring to both of them. "Goodbye, Sirius, Remus."
"James will be thrilled, I'm sure. Goodbye, for now, Lily." Sirius hugged her, and Remus stepped up as the other man stepped back.
"Good luck trying to get the both of them to calm down. And please, be careful. We'll see you soon, Lily." he returned, and hugged her as well, and she smiled at the both of them.
Then she turned around and headed out the door, knowing that they would be sure to call again soon. Visits were enjoyable, and little did Lily Potter know that it was going to be one of the last she ever would go to them to talk to them privately, to feel like she had brothers. They didn't know it was the last time for them to feel like they had a sister.
A/N: Well, there you guys go! I hope you enjoyed it, and even though it's only a one-shot, I still appreciate reviews so more stories can keep coming!