Twilight Frost
Lily found herself curling up between Sirius and Remus in the dead of night, seeking their cuddles of comfort and warmth when the nightmares plagued her with restlessness. Despite wedging her way in between them, Lily still found herself waking again before dawn on the very edge of the bed that faced the bedroom door, shivering for no reason. It gave her security knowing that she could see the door and its closeness in case she needed to get to her son quickly at even the slightest twinge of the wards being disturbed.
The truth was mornings always felt cold to her now, even during the hottest of summers, the twilight frost never fully melted away with the sunrays. Only a tender three years and nine months had passed, Lily knew she still had a long journey ahead to learn how to cope, but right now taking each day at a time was the best she could do for herself and for Harry. Just like seeing the flash of green light in her mindseye would always be there to remind her that she killed to protect her son, the chill was there to remind her of what she lost. They would always be apart of her.
Sirius shifted toward her and draped an arm around her, pulling her into a cuddle he somehow knew she needed in that moment. His warm breaths puffed against the nape of her neck as he nuzzled against it, burying his face in her fiery hair. It calmed her troubled thoughts enough to remind her that they had planned a very special outing for Harry's fifth birthday today. She was surprised that he hadn't dashed to the room yet to wake them and insist that the day get started. For now, she would focus on the comfort offered from Sirius and the soft, gravelly, but rhythmatic, snores from Remus behind them.
There was no doubt in Lily's mind that the two remaining Marauders would help take care of her and Harry. They all suffered a great loss and mourned for James together in the countless months since then, and during that time they all became closer as they slowly learned to move on and focus on raising Harry. Some days were easier than others, others were harder, especially when Harry started have more of his father shine through as he grew older. His smile, his chin, even the way he laughed echoed James' ghost to Lily at the worst of times. It made her heart ache, but she had to tell herself Harry was his own person and not his father, but he could still live on within their hearts.
"Cold morning," Sirius whispered, gently acknowledging her distress. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Lily hummed with reservation, talking helped ease her mind, but she didn't want to cloud this day with her troubles. "Maybe later."
"You know he's going to love Diagon Alley. You'll be broke before you leave the bookstore knowing the squirt." A little chuckle escaped him. "Definitely inherited your love for literature."
"It will be a difficult choice for him should you bribe him with yet another broom," she retorted, chuckling at the jab.
The pounding of feet on the creaky floorboards out in the hall distracted Lily from her now tranquil thoughts of Harry weaving through the bookshelves of Flourish and Blotts or pressing his nose against the glass of Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"Here comes the deerling now, Lils," Sirius whispered in her ear mere seconds before the door burst open in front of them.
Harry closed the distance from the door to the bed in a flash, bouncing onto it with far too much enthusiasm. The impact jostled the sleeping werewolf, causing him to snort before shifting away from the intruder. Harry broke into a fit of giggles. Sirius rolled over to address the boy who squirmed with endless energy beside him.
Lily shifted to her back, offering a warm smile as she watched Sirius pull Harry into a hug.
"Happy birthday, squirt! Gosh you must've grown like five inches overnight." Sirius ruffled his hair. "You're what? Fifteen now?"
Harry snickered at the question, holding up five fingers. "No, I'm five, silly."
Sirius slapped his forehead in mock-disbelief. Lily lightly giggled at the exchange.
"Good morning, my birthday boy. Did you sleep well?" she held out her arms as Harry successfully crawled over Sirius to get to her, kicking Remus in the arm as he did so.
The werewolf groaned in protest, scooting away from the ruckus to the other edge of the bed.
"It was hard to, but I managed!" Harry said with bubbling delight.
Remus muttered something incoherent as he absently rubbed the spot on his arm that Harry had kicked. Sirius was already cuddling back up to him, offering teasing comfort as Remus attempted to steal a few more minutes of rest. Lily brushed the fringe from Harry's eyes as she took in the sight of her child as the pair shared a quiet embrace.
"Are you ready for your first surprise, squirt?" Sirius broke the silence of the room, ruffling a hand through Harry's already unruly hair again.
"Yeah!" he shouted, pulling himself away from his mother's hug. "Is it brooms and books?"
Lily couldn't help but chuckle at Harry's inquiry. He definitely knew what he liked, and they knew how to make him happy.
"Possibly," Sirius hinted, "but first I think a breakfast fit for a five-year-old is in order. Don't you think?"
Harry's bright green eyes lit up with even more excitement. "Siri's Famous Waffles with peanut butter and whipped cream topped with caramel sauce?!"
"How'd you know?" He smiled as he rolled himself off the bed at Remus' expense, swooping up the boy in his arms to carry him to the kitchen.
Lily simply shook her head as she watched them leave, grateful to be able to have a moment to gather herself for the day. Remus finally found his voice after doing nothing but grumbling earlier.
"You're just going to let him load the kid up with sweets?"
"He'll need the extra energy when he finds out we're taking him to Diagon Alley," Lily reasoned.
Feeling that lonely chill touch her bones again, she went to snuggle up to the much warmer-bodied Remus who wrapped an arm around her to pull her closer. She rested her head on his shoulder as he gently rubbed her forearm in comfort. He and Sirius were the best to cuddle up with when she felt this way, especially on this day. Harry's birthday always brought a rollercoaster of emotions to the witch, and they were always the most difficult to handle first thing in the morning when they decided to bombard her when she was most vulnerable.
"Five already," Remus acknowledged. "Time sure flies. How are you managing?"
Lily let out a sigh, tonight marked a full moon, and that meant that her and Harry were going to be left alone. This didn't bother her, Lily knew that Remus needed Sirius' company during his transformation more than her, she was more than capable handling herself and Harry, it just had bad timing.
"I'll be alright," she assured. "How about you?"
He let out a heavy sigh as his response at the reminder of tonight's full moon. Lily left it at that and draped a loose arm over his torso, giving him a hug. The quiet soon settled over them. Lily felt herself almost drift back off to sleep until a squeal broke through the house. She could feel the soft chuckle from Remus, who gave her a gentle squeeze to rouse her.
"I think that is our queue to drag ourselves out of bed."
"Because Sirius can't keep a secret," Lily added in. She reached up and ran her fingers over his hair to get it out of his face. "I need to give you three haircuts. You all are getting scruffy."
A weak laugh escaped the tired werewolf.
"Are you going to be up to coming with us to Diagon Alley? Don't feel obligated to go, of course. We know the strain you endure beforehand."
Lily knew that she would have a sleepless night tonight, she always did when she was left alone with Harry once a month. At this point in all of their lives it became a normal routine, something that they all silently agreed upon without question or complaint. She was capable of handling things on her own, though the added security with Sirius and Remus being with them was never something she'd take for granted.
"I'll survive. I can't miss Harry experiencing his first ever trip to the Alley, after all."
Remus reluctantly uncurled his arm from the witch so she could sit upright, but he remained sprawled out on the bed. She stretched her arms and allowed a deep yawn to escape her before throwing her legs over the side.
"I'll leave you to it while I go get myself ready," she said, heading for the door back to her own room.
"Don't lie," Remus called after her, giving her pause. "You're going to nick some of Siri's Famous Waffles."
Lily gave the werewolf a coy smile, turning the knob of the door to crack it open. "You know me too well, Remmy."
"Wait up, then."
After a long, satisfying stretch, he went to stand up only to feel a pile of fur under his feet followed by a very offended growling hiss. He pulled his feet up onto the edge of the bed as he looked down at his attacker. Lily was in a fit of laughter behind him.
"Snickers, you oaf," Remus grumbled at Lily's cat, who had made himself comfortable on his slippers. "Those are mine."
Snickers just glared up at him, tail flicking as he re-adjusted his plump body on top of the comfortable footwear and laid his head back down on his paws.
"Looks like they are his now," Lily said between giggles.
Written for Sky's the Limit Challenge June 2018
Sky's the Limit Fill: 02
Representation(s): Bisexuality; Polyamory (Celestial Petals)
Bonus Challenge(s): Unicorn; Three's Company; Second Verse (Non-Traditional; Found Family)
Word Count: (Per Google Docs) 1,670
Dedication: This was written for a good friend of mine, Magi Silverwolf