James was lying in a sea of parchment. Letters written during the first war were scattered all around him. He hadn't really thought about what his father would think if he could see him now, but he wouldn't be back anytime soon anyway, he was hardly even home anymore. James knew he shouldn't resent his father for his job, but he felt like he and his siblings were less important than the auror office. He knew this was an awful thing to think, as he was sure his father did love him really, he just didn't show it very well. One of the things that really got to James, though, was that they had never got to know his paternal grandparents. He knew that obviously it was a lot worse for his father, who had grown up an orphan, but he couldn't help but want to know more about his namesake. So he went on the hunt for some evidence sneaking into his father's office whilst his mother was in the garden, and rifling through some of the drawers before coming across a bundle of letters.

"Bingo!" James muttered to himself, trying to make the desk as tidy as how it had been before he had rummaged through it. Quickly making his way across the floor, he made a final sweep of the room to make sure he had not left any trace of his presence. Having an auror for a father was not the best thing for trying to be stealthy, and his mother was even worse. Stuffing the letters into his pocket, he made his way across the hall and up the stairs towards his bedroom. Once he'd flung himself inside, he flopped himself onto the bed and started to unfurl the parchment. Making himself comfortable by propping up cushions around him and half lying down, he started to read.

Lilypad,

I'm going mad here without you. The house feels so empty even though there are people here all the time. It's not like I know any of them though. Having the Order here is so frustrating, and they keep messing everything up. Every time I go into the living room, furniture has been moved around, and I just wish that they left everything how my parents had it. I know it sounds stupid. I hope you're still coming here for Christmas, I don't know if I can do it without you. The first Christmas without my parents. It still feels kind of surreal. Sirius misses you too, he's started to go a bit berserk with pranking, I think he's trying to keep himself busy, but if I have to be woken up by being hoisted up by the ankle one more time, I'm going to spellotape him to the ceiling! Let me know about your Christmas plans, merlin knows it'll be more cheerful here than with your awful sister, and that's saying something.

Love, James

James could feel his heart welling up at the thought of his grandfather, but vowed to look up the spell for hoisting people by the ankle; it could prove a useful prank.

James

It sounds like you're having a really rough time with Sirius, haha! My parents have invited you over for Christmas day, and of course Sirius is invited too! I thought maybe I could come to yours on Christmas Eve and then we could make our way to mine the next day. Petunia's having her fiancé over for lunch so my parents want it to be a big family occasion. I hope that's alright. I'd rather be alone with you. But I want to keep my parents happy too.

Love, Lily

James laid his head back against the pillow, letting his mind wander to thoughts of his grandparents.

"Felix, can you please sit still," Imogen urged, feeling her brother move around on the sofa trying to get comfy. Eventually, she became so frustrated she pushed his shoulders towards the armrest and conjured a pillow. He lay back, swinging his legs so that he was filling the length of the sofa. She lay down next to him, settling her head on his chest over his heart. Soon, the steady beat of his heart sent her into a light sleep. Felix wrapped his arms around his sister in a comforting embrace. He couldn't tell whether she had done this to mollify him or herself, either way he felt satisfyingly calm, Imogen's regular breathing relaxing him. This was the best either of them had slept in months.

A little over an hour later, a dark-haired bespectacled man stumbled from the fireplace. Having not noticed the siblings snoozing on the sofa, he proceeded to sink into a chair opposite and rest his head in his hands.

"Is that you, Harry?" Ginny called, making her way from the kitchen at the sound of someone exiting the fireplace. She stopped short when she noticed Imogen and Felix entwined on the sofa, and felt her heart pang at the thought of their loss. But the expression on Harry's face made her feel a shot of panic. He strode towards her, crushing his lips against hers in pure need. Ginny felt overwhelmed by the passion radiating off him and felt her knees weaken. Harry pushed her into the wall, every inch of their bodies pressed together. His lips moulded to hers as he tried to express his love for his wife in a simple kiss. She could feel him everywhere, his hands on her cheek and at her waist, her own lost in his tangled hair. She felt him pick her up by the hips to take them both through to the kitchen, placing her on the table. The lion in his chest roared in approval as she wrapped her legs around his waist to pull them closer together. She brought her hands up to his face and caressed his cheek trying to calm him, worried by how frantic his touch seemed to be. She pulled away breathing hard. He met her eyes and she suddenly found herself clutching his sobbing form to her body, his hands crawled around her waist, his face buried in her neck, their bodies impossibly closer than before.

"Oh Harry," Ginny couldn't help but say rubbing her hands over his back, placing sweet kisses on his neck. He pulled her lips to his once again, but this time, he was gentle and caring.

"I love you, so much," He whispered resting his forehead against hers, relaxing in a comforting embrace, kissing her once again.

"Mum, do you know where the camera… Oh god, what are you doing?" Albus screamed, covering his eyes, running from the kitchen into the living room, waking Felix and Imogen in the process.

Ginny plucked herself from Harry's embrace, placing a last sweet kiss on his lips before jumping after Albus.

"What's going on?" Imogen muttered sleepily, not moving from her comfortable position.

"Albus, stop overreacting," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"Overreacting? You two were practically doing it on the kitchen table! I think I have a right to overreact." Albus shouted, his eyes wild with embarrassment.

"Merlin, Albus, how do you think we created you?" Ginny smirked at her middle son as horror struck his face.

"Ahh, why do you do this to me?" Albus wailed, running upstairs away from the bad mental images. Ginny heard his door slam a few seconds later.

Harry entered a moment later, his cheeks tinged pink, eyes bloodshot.

"What did you say to him?"

"No worries, Harry, dinner in half an hour kids," she changed the subject for Felix and Imogen, now sitting upright, reflecting on the scene they had just witnessed. Harry made his way to his office quickly before he was asked to help with dinner. When he entered his hide-out, he couldn't help but feel something was different. The book-lined wall opposite seemed the same, his desk just as messy as he had left it, the large window in front giving the same marvellous views of rolling hills and patchwork fields. Often when he was supposed to be working, he would just stare out of the glass and forget about everything, just watching the wind whistle through the trees and the birds fly through the sky. But there was definitely something wrong that he couldn't put his finger on, eventually he reasoned that Ginny had been cleaning in here. He started to pull documents out of his satchel so he could work out what could possibly have gone wrong with his day. He became lost in his work, and it was only when Ginny's voice called them all for dinner that he left his desk and made his way out of his office. Ginny called again, and Harry stopped outside James' door to hurry him up. When his knock was met with silence, he concluded that his eldest must have fallen asleep. Harry opened the door to find James asleep in the midst of parchment. Harry moved closer, getting the feeling that he knew why someone had been in his office.

"James, wake up" Harry shook him awake, and James jerked up, unsettling the nest of letters he had made around himself. The look of guilt on James' face was nothing compared to the look of anger on Harry's. Harry stalked out of the room wordlessly, trying to keep his anger in check, not wishing to lash out at his son. James caught up with him at the bottom of the stairs.

"I'm sorry, dad." James admitted quietly.

"What have I told you about taking things that aren't yours?" Finally turning around to look his son in the eye. James could feel the accusation burning into his head, but refused take it lying down.

"Don't do it?" He asked daringly.

"Damn it, James, this isn't a joke. You're not a kid anymore, you're seventeen, I should be able to trust you. Why did you take them?" Harry interrogated clenching his fists at his side, trying to stay rational. He could feel the pain of reading those letters for the first time himself seeping through his resolve.

"I was interested in what your father was like." James admitted, looking sheepish.

"Why couldn't you just ask if you could see them?" Harry challenged, subconsciously knowing the answer already.

"Because you get so uptight whenever anyone mentions anything about them!" James exclaimed, starting to get angry.

Harry pressed his lips together, struggling to hold in the retorts he was ready to say, but he couldn't hold it in any longer.

"You have no idea what a good life you've had James," Harry seethed, restraining himself from lashing out. "We've given you everything you ever wanted, it's nothing like how we grew up. I let you have the Invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map, isn't that enough? This is one of the only things I have left of my father. I would have shown you if you'd asked."

"No you wouldn't." James said so quietly he wasn't even sure himself he had said it.

"Sit down, dinner's ready" Ginny ordered, grabbing James elbow and pushed him into a seat. Felix, Imogen and Lily were already seated, sharing worried looks.

Silence fell over the table, so that all that could be heard was the scraping of knives and forks.

"This is delicious," Imogen smiled, trying to alleviate some of the tension.

"Thank you," Ginny replied, giving Harry a stern look.

Silence once again encompassed everyone in the room, but was suddenly disrupted when James jumped out of his chair, leaving his half-eaten plate of food on the table. They all heard his door slam a few moments later.

"Lots of door slamming today," Felix joked, which caused a grimace to cross Albus' face before he too left the table, a strangled cry escaping his lips. "And then there were four," he smirked, Imogen smacked her brother on the arm before digging into seconds of roasted vegetables with renewed vigour, apparently trying to eat to through the absence of the two boys.

Harry raised his eyebrows and followed his two sons upstairs.

"Oh for God's sake!" Ginny muttered, obviously displeased with her family's actions. "Will you three help me clear up, please?" Ginny asked, motioning to the platefuls of food still on the table. Lily immediately grabbed the empty dishes and escaped into the kitchen.

"Of course" Imogen mumbled, her mouth still full of food, accidentally spitting chunks out onto the table. Her face turned pink and she felt her brother shaking with laughter next to her. She threw a potato at him in retaliation, hitting him full in the face. Felix looked thunderous as gravy dripped down his face.

"Guys please" Ginny begged, hoping there wouldn't be a food fight in the middle of her dining room. Felix stalked away to the bathroom to clean up and Imogen looked guiltily at Ginny, picking up several plates at once to get started on the washing up.

"Daddy" Lily reverted back to being a child, as she opened the door slightly.

"I'm sorry if I scared you Lilybug, I didn't mean to get angry" Harry said tenderly, beckoning her over to him, folding up the letter he was reading and putting it on his desk.

"You didn't daddy, I'm sorry you're sad" climbing on her dad's knees and hugging her arms around his neck.

"I love you so much, " Harry said, wrapping his arms around his daughter.

After a few moments of Harry holding his daughter, trying very hard to not break down in tears, Lily asked "Can you tell me about your mother?"

"She was a lot like your mother and you, fiery, intelligent, quick-tempered. You know she hated my dad for years, she claimed he was an arrogant toe-rag, which I suppose was partly true, but somehow they ended up together, and they really loved each other. My dad was obsessed with her for years before she finally agreed to go out with her" Harry chuckled to himself.

"Do you remember them?" Lily asked, in an effort to get her father's mind off James.

"No" Harry replied, cringing outwardly with the lie he just told his daughter. He wasn't about to tell her about their murder. "I do have photos of them though" Harry looked in the top drawer of his desk and took out the photo album Hagrid had given him over 25 years ago.

"How did you and mum get together?" Lily questioned unrelentingly.

"Well, in my sixth year, I was Quidditch captain. And there was a teacher who really didn't like me, and he decided to give me detention at the same time as the Quidditch final. So I had to find someone else to player seeker, luckily your mother was on the team and had already played seeker before. When I returned to the common room after my detention, I found that Gryffindor had thrashed Slytherin. I saw your mother running towards me to give me a hug, I kissed her. We were together a few weeks before the headmaster died and then I had to break up with her."

"Why did you have to break up with her, daddy?"

"I had to go on a mission, a very dangerous mission, and I couldn't take her with me, and I thought that I was protecting her by breaking up with her. She didn't think so though, and I suppose it didn't make much of a difference anyway, she was still persecuted for being with me. She forgave me though, and then we all lived happily ever after" Harry smiled sweetly.

"That's a nice story" Lily smiled. "Umm.. daddy, could I possibly see one of the letters from your dad? If you don't mind?" Lily asked quietly.

"I suppose so, thank you for asking" Harry grinned, taking out the letter he had been reading when she walked in.

My dearest Lilypad,

I miss you like the darkness of night misses the moon. It was only a matter of time really before you succumbed to my love for you.

On a different note, it's Sirius' birthday next week and we were going to have a bit of a party for him. I was hoping you'd be able to come to the summer house on Saturday, I can pick you up if you'd like, I suppose your house isn't connected to the floo network. I know how much he appreciates you, even if he has a funny way of showing it, and I would love it if you could be there. You can stay for as long as you'd like after as well if your parents will let you.

I love you,

James

"Here's a picture, see you look just like her. Apparently there's a curse which says all the Potter boys marry redheads." His thoughts drifting to Imogen, wondering whether she would end up with one of his sons.