*Third person's POV*
Remus was running and as he arrived at the end of an alley, a jet of red light flew past his ear.
"Stupefy!" He heard her voice.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!"
"KITTTTTYYYY! Noooo! STUPEFY!"
Remus woke up with a start. He looked around. The bed on his right was empty and the one his left had it's curtains drawn. The faint sun rays illuminated his green eyes. And little birds were chirping outside the window. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with his sleeve as his eyes swept over to the little table clock and it read,
1 Sep 1985
7:50 am
Sunday
He scrambled out of his bed, stretched his body and pulled on his dressing gown. After about fifteen minutes, he came out of the bathroom, with a towel around his waist. He dried his wet hair with a flick of his wand.
*Remus' POV*
"Wormtail, wake up! You don't want to be late to church," I said pulling off the curtains of the four poster bed.
"Five more minutes," he groaned.
"It's already 9:15! Get your lazy arse off the bed. I'll see you in the kitchen in ten minutes," I said and walked out of the room. I peeked into the room next to ours. It was empty. So made my way downstairs, to the kitchen.
Someone was already there. I could smell pancakes. Just as I was about to enter the kitchen, I was tackled onto the floor.
"Unca Moooony!" The attacker giggled with his happy little bright green eyes.
"Harry! You're up early," I chuckled, ruffling little Harry's messy hair.
"Yes and...and Unca Padfoot is making my..my favourite chocolate chip pancakes!" Harry beamed.
"Wow! Really?!"
Harry nodded, his eyes twinkling. "Yes! And...and he says I can eat many!"
"You're up?" Padfoot asked walking out of the kitchen, with Harry's breakfast in his hands.
"Morning," I smiled at my best mate.
"Mornin' Moonykins," he smiled. "Now that you're up, I'll go run the perimeter." He then turned to Harry, "And you, Prongslet... You should finish all these pancakes. You need to be strong to play," he ruffled Harry's hair.
"I love pancakes!" Harry grinned climbing onto the chair.
"Look after him," Padfoot told me and walked out of the back door.
"You'll go run the perimeter?" I raised my eyes and asked no one in particular. Because that's bad when he says that. He doesn't actually have to do it.
I sighed as I stood there looking at the small door he just walked out through. I walked into the kitchen to make more pancakes.
It had been almost three years we lost our loved ones to the wizarding war. Padfoot lost the love of his life and haven't yet overcome the pain and grief. He haven't been the same since. He always keeps himself busy most of the time. At first, he shut himself for months, blaming himself for her death. And then the grief grew into an obsession to find out who was behind her death. Unless she comes back and tells us, no one would ever know who the culprit is. He knows that too.
However, he is totally himself when he's with Harry. He laughs, he tells him stories, he does everything to make our little Harry laugh. Harry has always been a beacon of hope. Though we have to go through the shit life gives us, we always knew that our priority is to keep our family safe. Keep Harry safe. And that's what we've been doing for the past five years.
Moving to Kielder isn't really happy or comfortable. But this is the last place anyone would expect to find us. A two storeyed cottage, far away from people, in a forest, with a large lake nearby. This is where Voldemort captured and tormented us five years ago, on the other side of the Kielder forest. A mini battle ensued which resulted in a dangerous flooding. We escaped but with just little life left in our bodies. We made sure we're more careful and safer later. We could've lost more if it wasn't for Kitty. Thanks heavens, she came into our world in time to warn us about the future. We'd have lost more if it wasn't for her. She came out of the blue and was gone in the blink of an eye. We owe her a lot. I'd give...no... We'd give anything to get her back.
*Sirius' POV*
The moment I stepped into the backyard, I got on my fours as I turned into Padfoot and broke into a run... Into the forest.
Run the perimeter. I don't have to run the perimeter. There are large detailed maps of Kielder and the whole Northumberland covering the entire attic. But still, I'll run the perimeter. Run the perimeter. Run the perimeter. Run. Run. Run. Run...
Run away from the nightmares. Run away from the world. Run away from the pain. Run away from everything. Run. Run. Run.
I've always been a runaway. I mastered it. And I made sure I was happy every single time. But I couldn't in this case. Why is this so hard? Why is it hard to move on? How long should I keep running to escape the pain...the grief...the nightmares... Her?
They know. Because every time I say "I'll run the perimeter", it means I'm fighting a battle that I might never win. They know. They feel bad because they can't help me. No matter what they say, it was my fault I lost her.
Pryde, why did you come here to change things? Twelve years in Azkaban sounds like heaven compared to this heart break. If you hadn't come here, I wouldn't be like this. Do you really know what heart break is? Do you know how much it hurts? Do you know what it is like to lose someone you love? Do you know how hard it is to live without them? It's a never ending, downright brutal and torturous nightmare. You came here to get the love of your life. You came out of blue. And was gone in the blink of an eye. You changed the future. You should know, you probably made it terrible for me. Now I can't forget. Now I can't move on.
"Take me instead! Leave him alone!" Her cries echoed in my ears.
I shook my head to stop them. My bad. It never works. Her voice is always haunting.
"You have no idea how I'm crazily... and madly in love with you," her sweet smile and teary eyes flashed before my eyes.
"I SAID LEAVE!" Her thundering voice echoed.
My woman. My beautiful, sweet and fierce woman.
If you've loved me...you wouldn't have left me.
I shook my head again to push these thoughts away and ran faster into the woods.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
*Third person's POV*
"UNCA MOONY!" Harry yelled snapping Remus out of his thoughts.
"Yes, Harry?"
"Ca we feeese go fying today?" He asked with mouthful of pancakes.
"After church," he replied. "And no talking when you've got food in your mouth."
"Sorry," he said after gulping down his glass of milk.
"You boys are up already?"
"Mama!" Harry grinned running over to Lily.
"Harry," Lily chuckled hugging him and kissed him on his forehead.
"Morning, Lils."
"Morning, Moony," she smiled walking over to me. "I thought you weren't a morning person."
"I'm not," he smiled.
"How are you? The last full moon was worst. You should be resting."
"Yeah," I sighed. "Never ending bad dreams."
"I'm sorry," she rubbed my back.
"It's alright," he shrugged. He flicked his wand and a plate full of pancakes came floating over to Lily.
"Thanks," Lily grinned.
"Where is Prongs?"
"Oh, he's in the shower. Wait. Harry? You look all dressed up. Moony, did you—"
"Unca Padfoot dressed me up!" Harry grinned.
Lily raised her eyebrows and looked at Remus.
"He's out for a run," he shrugged and continued making more pancakes.
"I just hate this," Lily groaned.
"Hate what?" James asked as he entered the kitchen.
"Daaadaa!" Harry ran and jumped into his father's arms. He laughed as he ruffled his son's messy hair. Messy hair just like his, stuck up in all directions.
"Padfoot's out for a run again," Lily replied.
"Oh," he looked from Lily to Remus.
"Unca Padfoot made me pancakes!" Harry giggled.
"Really? Do you like them?" James asked his son.
Harry nodded, with a big grin on his face. "I love them."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I really don't understand why Harry should go to a muggle school," Sirius said impatiently.
They were all having their dinner and the others shared glances.
"Is school bad?" Harry asked innocently.
"No, sweetheart. It's not," Lily smiled at Harry. "Uncle Padfoot is trying to say that if you go to school, he will miss you."
"But...but I will come back home everyday, won't I?" Harry asked confused.
"Of course you will," James said. "Now, why don't you eat up and go to bed? You don't want to be late on the first day, do you?"
"No," Harry shook his head. "Late is bad."
James gave Sirius a 'Later' look.
"So, Harry... What are the rules about school?" Remus asked changing the topic.
"Make friends, do not get into fights, help everyone," Harry said counting his fingers.
"And?" Lily asked.
"That's all," Harry shrugged.
"Harry, honey, I told you never forget to share food with your friends or anyone who is hungry," Lily said.
"But mama," Harry looked at her with his innocent green eyes. "Unca Padfoot says 'Padfoot doesn't share food!' "
Sirius choked on his water. Lily glared at him. James, Remus and Peter burst out laughing.
"Harry," James said at last. "Uncle Padfoot was just joking. There is nothing wrong in sharing food. Uncle Padfoot shares food with you, doesn't he?"
Harry thought for a moment, frowning. Then he nodded.
"Exactly. Padfoot was just kidding. So, share food with your friends or anyone who is hungry," Remus said.
"Okay," Harry nodded.
After dinner, Lily tucked Harry in bed and kissed him goodnight. She then joined the Marauders in the attic, which is their study. The attic was filled with boxes and many funny looking things.
They all sat in silence for few minutes reading the maps.
"Alright, no one is going to speak first so I will," Sirius broke the silence.
The others shared quick glances.
"Why should Harry attend a muggle school?" He asked.
"Padfoot, we talked about this a million times," James replied. "There is nothing wrong in sending Harry to a Muggle school!"
"We never went, did we? We were homeschooled!" Sirius exclaimed.
"Yeah. Padfoot is right," Peter nodded.
"I went to a muggle school," Lily sighed.
"You were a muggleborn and you knew nothing about the wizarding world," Sirius pointed out.
"Padfoot, do you really think he should stay home with just a bunch of adults? Besides, he needs someone his age to play!" Remus said.
"He's got friends! Neville, the Weasley kids, the Prewett kids...and they're all wizards!"
"And Harry meets them what... everyday?" Remus raised his eyebrows. "He gets to meet them on birthdays. Just birthdays for an hour at most. He deserves something better. Something different. Something normal."
"Besides, Harry can keep a secret. He knows the Statue of Secrecy," James said. "Hell, he recites it everyday."
"Still, I don't think it's safe," Sirius said.
"Padfoot, Voldy is gone. The war ended. We are safe," Remus said.
Silence fell. They were all thinking about something they shouldn't be thinking. The night Voldemort fell.
"Anyway," Lily broke the silence. "We wouldn't leave him alone, would we?"
"We'll always be looking after him," Remus added.
Sirius knew he lost the argument. Again. He sighed. "But why here? Why this school in Kielder? We can send him to a better school!"
"This place is safe. No one would ever find us here. No one. And it's high time we need to get back to our 'normal lives'," James stressed on the last part.
Sirius raised his eyebrows. "We're all back to normal."
"Really? Are you?"
Sirius didn't answer. He waved his wand and conjured a bottle of firewhiskey.
"Drinking is not the answer, Padfoot," Lily said concerned.
"So isn't running the perimeter," Remus added.
"You need to move on, Padfoot," James said.
"I moved on," Sirius scoffed. "Long ago."
"Really?" Peter scoffed. "If I ask you whether a pie is better or sex, you'd say pie because you remember the last time you had a pie."
Sirius glared at him.
"Don't give me that look," Peter scowled.
"Wormtail's right," Lily said. "You —"
"After I lost her, I've dated several women," Sirius said. "Like about thirty six."
"Yeah, right. And how many second dates did you have?"
"Twenty one."
"Third dates?"
"Eighteen."
"Fourth dates?"
"Five. Okay. I know where you're getting at. But they're all boring!" Sirius waved his hands. "I didn't find them interesting!"
"You made all thirty six women lose their confidence," Peter said.
"Hey! That's not my fault."
"Padfoot," James said calmly. "She's gone," he swallowed hard. He hated to say these words. But he had to say. "She's gone, mate. And do you think she'd be happy to see you like this? She'd want you to move on. She'd want you to be happy."
Sirius' jaw was set and he was clutching his bottle hard. "I thought we weren't supposed to talk...no," he shook his head. "Forbidden to talk about her anymore?" He got to his feet and looked at everyone. "I need some air," he said and walked out.
"What do we do?" Lily groaned. "James, why don't you do something? Moony?"
"Remember the last time I had a bloody nose and Moony a bloody lip?" James asked.
"Yeah," Lily frowned. They didn't tell her how they ended up bloody.
"He gave us those when we tried to 'do something'," Remus sighed.
"I never thought he'd fall in love," Peter said looking at the map. He noticed Sirius' label moving towards the lake.
"I knew. But I never thought things would turn out ...this worse," Lily sighed. "Anyway, James, Moony I told you not to bring home anything from the joke shop!" She said sternly, clearly changing the painful topic.
"We did not!" Remus said bewildered.
"Really? Then how do you explain those stupid dungbombs in Harry's room?"
"Oh...he..he must've... must've nicked them from here," James stuttered looking around at boxes, books and many other things besides foe detecting devices.
"Really? He never set his foot here. Not on my watch," Lily glared at him.
"Alright, I was just showing him how they work," James said sheepishly.
"Oh, you better stop showing him how things work or I'd have to show him how his father looks with bat boogey wings," she said coolly.
"You won't," he said in disbelief.
"Try me," she smirked.
"Is this where I call you a fool for arguing with Lily?" Peter asked.
"Oh, shut up, Wormtail," James shot him a glare.
"Oh, Peter," Lily turned to him. "We ran out of Wolfsbane ingredients. Don't forget to get them tomorrow."
"I won't be able to get them tomorrow. I have a date," he replied.
"Oooooooohh," James and Remus said and started to tease him.
"Who is it?"
"The one you met at the bar?"
"What are you going to do tomorrow?"
"Boys," Lily shook her head. "Night, boys," she said as she made her way to her bedroom.
Few minutes later, everyone swore they heard a painful howl of a dog in a distance, but pretended to ignore it, like they always do. They knew who it was. They knew why.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next morning, everyone were busy getting ready. It's Harry's first day at school.
"Looking good, Potter," Lily said.
James raised his eyebrows. "We've been married for ages. Why are you calling me by my last name?"
Lily scoffed. "I was talking to myself," she said looking at herself in the mirror. She was wearing a white and yellow dress.
James shook his head, buttoning his shirt. "I'm going to check on Harry. You better come quick. We don't want to late on his first day, do we?"
"Give me two minutes," she said as he walked out of the room.
When he came down, Harry and Sirius were all dressed and seated at the dining table, having breakfast.
"Look at my son!" James beamed with pride looking at little Harry.
"Our son," Sirius huffed as the other two Marauders entered the room.
"Yeah, right. Our son," James chuckled.
"You're looking good."
"Looking good."
"You look good."
"Look at you."
All the four said at the same time looking at each other.
Harry laughed. He always did whenever they say something similar at the same time.
The marauders joined in.
The four men were neatly dressed. James and Remus in plain, white and navy blue shirts, Sirius in plaid and Peter in a blue pinstriped shirt.
"Woah! Look at my boys," Lily said in awe, walking over to them. "All dressed up... And neat... except for James."
"What?!" James looked at her bewildered and then at himself.
"Yeah, mate. Look at your messy stuck up hair," Remus chuckled.
"And look at ours," Lily smirked.
She was right. Peter's short hair, Remus' jaw length and Sirius' shoulder length hair were neatly combed.
James ran his fingers through his hair to make it neat. But, no use.
"Why did Harry get your hair!" Like said exasperated trying to comb Harry's messy hair as the little kid giggled. His hair was just like James, all messy and stuck up.
"He's daddy's boy," James grinned.
"Alright! Eat up! We'll be late," Peter sent two plates of breakfast flying towards James and Lily.
After breakfast, Sirius and James take Harry on his motorcycle to the school while Lily, Remus and Peter apparate.
Lily and James talk to the friendly headmaster, and Harry joins the other students in his class.
Like they planned earlier, Remus started his new job as the new music teacher at the school.
AN: I hope you liked the first chapter. I know. It's short.
Thank you for reading :) if you haven't read the prequel, please read it first to understand this story better.
Check out my first work, "The Marauders and the Time Travelling Potterhead"
Also, don't forget to share the story with other Potterheads :) xoxoxoxo