Disclaimer: Still think I own Harry Potter, hmm? pats person on head Well, you are as sweet as candy, ya know, and here's some pretty paper for you cough cough, admission to mental institute, cough cough See ya, My Boy Lollipop! (Don't ask, I'm on a sugar high! WHOOHOO!)
Previously, Meghan and Sirius Black and Kate and Remus Lupin resign Matthew Black and Anne Lupin to their maternal uncles and aunts-by-marriage. Peter Pettigrew is appointed Secret Keeper. Meghan and Sirius wonder if this all is the appropriate course.
Chapter One: Birthday Cakes and Grocery Bags
"Hiya, Harry!" Meghan exclaimed upon seeing her young "nephew", who was one year old by now. She had just been out charitably doing the grocery shopping for the Potters. Matt, James, and Lily currently lived in a cottage that was owned by the Potter family (under Fidelius Charm). The tiny house was an outpost of the huge Potter mansion, usually reserved for Potter children's large birthday and other parties.
"Meg!" Lily exclaimed, coming out of the kitchen. "Thank you so much! James!" she called. "Your sister's here!"
"Right," James called back. "Just give me a minute, would you? I just stepped in the door five minutes ago! How does she manage to get off work so early?"
"He doesn't know that my partner doesn't tattle on me if I leave early," Meghan whispered confidentially to Lily, who laughed. "Frank never does anything that's 'dishonest'. Doesn't think it's right to keep secrets from the Department head." Frank Longbottom and James were partnering Aurors. James padded down the stairs. He had obviously just changed out of his sedate navy blue Auror robes, because he was wearing a simple T-shirt and jeans, like Meghan and Lily. Since they had befriended Lily, all Marauders and those who knew them had become increasingly comfortable in Muggle attire. He saw the groceries and looked at his wife, confused.
"Lily, I swear I never heard you and Harry leave! And you usually tell me when you leave the house before I get home, because you know I hate it when you go out of the house…"
"Meghan went and got them for us," Lily told her husband. He just gaped at his younger sister, who smiled devilishly.
"Let me guess. 'Meghan, how on earth do you get out of the Ministry so early?' I have a good partner, James, unlike you. Kathleen doesn't want me to die of overwork—herself either." Kathleen Williams was Meghan's Auror partner. "She understands that I have a life outside of work. Of course, she's trying to get me to meet a good guy. Says I should be married by now."
James whistled. "Bet Sirius loves that," he said in an undertone. Meghan nodded.
"You know, he might actually. Because that means our ruse is working. Anyway, how's my little Harry?" she crooned, picking up the raven-haired boy. "How's my little boy?"
"Oh, Meghan, I forgot to tell you!" Lily exclaimed. "He's started talking now!"
"Oh have you, Harry?" Meghan asked the baby, who giggled. She pointed to James. "Do you know who that is, Harry?" she asked.
"P'ongs!" he said, chortling in his adorable baby way. Meghan looked at the foster-parents, who shrugged.
"He won't call me Daddy," James explained. "We were trying to work it in, but he refuses to call me anything else."
"Who's that?" Meghan changed the subject, asking Matt gently as she pointed to Lily. Matt pointed at her as well.
"F'ower!" he squealed.
"Okay, you two," Meghan said seriously. "Don't you use any more pet names for each other around Harry. Call each other Mummy and Daddy around him. Promise me that. He can't understand it if he's supposed to call you something different than what you call each other."
"Got it, little sister," James said immediately. "Cut the pet names. Now, Harry, what else should we tell Auntie Meghan about?"
In a small cottage in the middle of nowhere...
"Kate." Jane had called over the telephone to talk to her sister-in-law. "Get yourself over here right now. It is your daughter's false birthday, and her 'aunt' should be there with her 'uncle' to celebrate. So get your husband off his chair and drag him over here. Tell him that it's not dangerous to see his daughter. I don't care what kind of language you have to use."
"Okay, okay, Jane," Kate laughed. "We'll be there in a few minutes."
"You'd better." The women said goodbye, and Kate hung up the phone Remus had installed in Moonlight Cottage when they moved in.
"Remus!" she called. "Put on something nice and get over here. We're going to see Anne. No arguments, please."
Remus did grumble—all the way to the door of the Grangers' Muggle London home. But he came, not reluctantly. As much as he argued, he wanted to see his daughter.
They—or, rather, the nervously excited Kate—rang the doorbell. Jane answered it in about half a second. Seeing her sister-in-law, Kate let out a laugh. Jane was wearing a pink apron over her sensible pale yellow T-shirt and jeans. If there was one color you never, never ever saw Jane Marie McKinnon Granger wear, it was pink. Remus bit back a smile and nodded at the brunette woman. "We're here to see a little girl named Hermione? Think you might have her around here somewhere?"
"Oh, Remus," Jane said, aggravated. "Get in here, you two. Do you know what my one-year-old daughter has managed to do?"
"Ah, no," Kate said, entering the house with an air of apprehension. "What exactly did my darling niece do?"
"Your niece—or daughter may I say," she muttered, closing the door swiftly, "has managed to overturn the bowl of flour I was using to make a cake—on David's head. While he now looks about eighty years old, she is crawling around in it like there is no tomorrow. And she did it without her hands."
"Ho-ly shit," Kate muttered. "You are so bleeding kidding me, Jane Marie."
"Love to tell you that I am," Jane said honestly, "but I have to disappoint you. I was standing right there. Somehow, she lifted that bowl up with her eyes and turned it upside down right over David."
Remus had hurried ahead of them, and they could hear his laughter in the kitchen from the hall. Jane led Kate right to the doorway, pointing at Kate's brother, who sat in a puff of flour, his hair and clothes covered in it. He didn't seem to notice that he looked like he had suddenly aged about fifty years. He was playing with his niece, pushing her lightly across the kitchen floor. She slid easily, giggling madly.
Kate doubled over in helpless laughter. "Come here, 'Mione," she laughed. To her surprise, the one-year-old girl crawled right over to her mother. Kate picked the girl up, sitting down with her daughter on her lap as she cuddled the brunette baby close.
"Were you messing with Mummy's baking?" Kate asked.
"No," the little girl said clearly. That just made Remus laugh harder.
"Oh, shut up, Remus," David said crossly.
"Make me," he chortled.
And now a note from LysPotter!
Sorry, I have no little break lines. Just wanted to say I enjoyed writing this story and this is a horribly short chapter of it...please enjoy!
Luv,
LysPotter
and MEGHAN!
LP: Sorry, Pearl...you can do the disclaimer next time, okay?
M: innocently Thanks. Please review...Lyssie would say it, only then she'd be an awful hypocrite since she never reviews...or rarely does, at least...
LP: sigh Sadly, it's the truth. Luv ya all again,
LysPotter and Meghan
