This still counts as Saturday, right? My family was busy so here's the unedited chapter one, let me know what y'all think.
Lily was not happy.
Actually to say that Lily was not happy was quite an understatement if one could also say in that same strain that Voldemort had thrown a temper tantrum against his father because he was upset with his family.
Lily was here, in a ward at St. Mungo's forced to stay still and she knew James was just as restless. Her sons, her little Aster and Harry, were sent off to her sister of all people; a muggle with a mile long streak hatred against magic; Sirius was shipped away to Azkaban for murder and suspected double agent right hand man to the Dark Lord. Sirius. The same man who couldn't even tie his shoes without the help of magic, the overgrown puppy.
Not to mention these healers insisted that she stay, insisted that she must have some sort of compulsory charm placed on her, insisted that Lillian Marie Potter née Evans lay about in a bed when there were things to be done.
Yes, one could say in the lightest terms that Lily was not happy and it is with your best interests at heart that you not utter anything that may sound remotely close to the name Peter Pettigrew close to either Potter, may he kindly rot in whatever level of hell she was going to send him to. Quite frankly Lily was just about ready to hex the next person who came near her bed with the intention of scanning her for spells that weren't there.
Of course after this thought none other than Dumbledore would then enter their shared room.
"Lily, James, I must say that my heart is gladdened that you have escaped this incident with such luck." He sat in a chair that had remained vacant due to the overwhelming aura of displeasure about the couple.
"When will we get out of here?" James cut to the chase. Dumbledore seemed to expect this, the old geezer, and replied promptly that if he asked the questions and guaranteed that they were in fact not under any compulsion charms, they could check themselves out.
Her mood shifted quite dramatically when the old headmaster declared them clean and never had Lily felt so relieved to leave St. Mungo's, rather she was relieved to leave with most of her hair upon her head and a minimum of roughly six nurses and doctors brought to either tears or absolute terror at Lily Potter's ire.
Contacting Remus hadn't been as difficult or as awkward as they had expected it to be, James had apologized for suspecting – even a tiny bit – that Remus could have been the traitor.
"Where are you going to go now?" Remus asked over the rim of his mug, the idle chatter of the café serving to make lily a bit anxious, but results wouldn't come from rushed actions.
"There's a cottage, out of the way, that would be a perfect place for us all to go to get away." James supplied, biting into his pastry.
Remus seemed surprised at the inference and before he could ask Lily spoke up "We heard that you lost the flat. We're very sorry Remus, but we thought that we could definitely use some help with the twins and all. Sirius won't be in very good shape either I'm betting, Azkaban isn't a place for people like him." The mood immediately plummeted at the name of the prison, but it also seemed to harden in resolve.
Leaving the store they headed to an out of the way place before apparating Remus to their new home, where they could set up.
"You two head to the Ministry, I don't think it wise if I show up, my furry little problem you see." Remus denied, he did present a valid point, and Lily hated it. The Ministry was likely to be much trickier if they showed up with a werewolf those prejudiced pricks. "Listen, you two go get Sirius back, I'll get things ready for everyone here. The twins need a room and the house needs baby proofing." He smiled at them.
"Oh, thank you Remus," Lily pressed a kiss to his cheek "we'll be back soon, be ready to go when we are. We're going to get my other boys back afterwards."
James and Lily turned and flooed into the Ministry of Magic as Remus stood in the living room behind them, words of good luck in their ears and firmly stepping out into the grand foyer. They walked together down the halls, it seemed as though Dumbledore had already set to work on Sirius' appeal to the Wizengamot, as there was a substantial amount of murmurs about them as they made their way to the courtroom Dumbledore had briefly mentioned in his visit at the hospital, the sly fox.
It was with a rather short and frayed temper that Lily and an equally annoyed James made their way down the floors, some jumping from their paths. The slimy snake lord himself could have been blocking their path and still they would not change course, he could eat bollocks. Back straight, chest out, chin down, eyes dead forward, Lily was quite the sight with James pulling all of his pureblood training etiquette, his face stony and impassable.
The trial itself was laughable to Lily, a few well-placed words and statements – the officials wouldn't dare call them threats – made under veritaserum and the actual questioning of Sirius - she grit her teeth at their audacity to place him in prison without trial - they were released to go about their daily lives. Afterwards those that had attended the trial could have sworn that the grueling hadn't been towards the Potters but the officials themselves, Lily and James Potter were terrifying.
Carefully Lily and James guided an unsteady Sirius to the apparating area; James would take him in a side along apparate. Lily walked in front forcing people to look away from her intense green eyes that bore down any foolish enough to look their way. As carefully as one could they took Sirius to their new home, where true to his word, Remus stood ready to receive them, welcoming Sirius home with a hug.
"Sorry I ever suspected you Padfoot." Remus spoke into Sirius' shoulder.
The animagus gave a course bark before replying, "Only if you forgive me for thinking you were the traitor, Moony."
Making sure everyone was ready, and in Sirius' case changed, they rounded up around and boarded into the car that they had rented to retrieve Aster and Harry, the boys were still too young for magical travel. Lily was itching to l eave, her sons had been away at Petunia's far too long for her liking and she wanted her babies back now. The car ride seemed to soothe Sirius some, even pressed closer than was comfortable, but it was leagues better than Azkaban in terms of comfort away from chilled stone and the presence of the dementors.
Number 4 Privet Drive, Lily thought, unnervingly fit her sister well; the cookie cutter life was undoubtedly well suited to her elder sister's gossiping tendencies. Certainly this was the life she picked out for herself when she married Vernon Dursley. James, Sirius, and Remus trailed rather awkwardly behind Lily being rather out of touch with this muggle lifestyle after the war. They also were trying to stay out the crossfire, they desired to live.
At the sound of the bell they could make out a person shuffling about and vague crying before an extremely ruffled Petunia, still in her coat, came to the door. Her plastered smile fell quickly.
"Come in, quickly. Before the neighbors see. Goodness, does your kind not know how to dress properly?" she sniffed at Sirius' mismatched outfit while she herded them in without actually touching them. She was in the process of ushering them into the sitting room when a raucous cry emitted from the kitchen down the hall. "That'd be Dudley, he's got a strong appetite you see, he'll grow big, just like his father." She declared rather proudly.
James almost said some less than flattering comments in regards to Vernon Dursley, who he had met blessedly few times before. The guests all resided rather uncomfortably as Petunia meekly shuffled about, placing her son in a toddler chair with a bottle.
"You came just as I've returned from shopping, so I haven't had a chance to pick the boys up, they should be over at old Ms. Figg's." Lily raised an eyebrow at the "should". "We don't have all the money in the world, they've had to share with Dudley, I haven't enough car seats to take the lot of them with me. The only one who would take them was Ms. Figg's." Petunia explained shortly where exactly to find the old woman's house before hurriedly shooing them out the door.
"Well, thank you Petunia. You didn't have to take care of them, especially when you already have to take care of your own son," Lily was grateful, although disappointed but not surprised her sister had shucked the twins off onto someone else. "Just know that I would care for Dudley as though he were my own if anything were to happen to you."
They left a slightly flustered Petunia in her doorway heading down the street, where they all were truthfully, a little lost. Everything was too alike for their tastes.
"Well, I certainly didn't expect her to be here." Sirius commented ambling along behind Lily, she was a muggle-born, maybe she could find her way around.
Luckily Arabella's house was distinguished from the rest due to the cats that lived there, all watching lethargically as the entourage knocked only to be greeted by more cats and an elderly woman. They could faintly hear the cries of infants from within the house even at the door.
"Oh, good. It's about time. I might have been able to handle one of them. Two is a nightmare. Please, come in." she waved them almost forcefully inside and led Lily and James to their sons.
"Is it just me or does it smell like cabbage?"
Remus shushed Sirius, humor glinting in his eyes before the parents entered with Aster and Harry. Lily had her face buried in her son's hair, what amount there was, while Aster gripped tiny fistfuls of his mama's pretty red hair. Harry grinned up at his father and James became rather misty eyed. He could have lost them. He looked at his family, and realized that he could have lost everyone that night. Remus caught his eye and smiled rather tiredly at him, he knew where his friend's mind was. He knew all too well.
Another round of thanks and fussing later, the Potter family were finally able to head back home for the final time. The car ride almost entirely silent except for the twins' nonsense babbling, although that too was kept low.
"Look Lils. They're talking to each other." James joked to his wife observing the twins from his seat with a grin. Aster and Harry giggled happily back at him before Harry became enraptured with the finger Remus poked at him, determinedly attempting to stick the digit firmly into his mouth while his brother cheered him on. Lily could only grin at the sight of her family finally all back together.
Arriving home was like the exhale of one the largest sighs ever taken in. The tension built around her shoulders released and Lily could feel herself droop. All of them ended up in some sort of dog pile in one room with the twins in a makeshift nest while the adults all dropped around them. Lily gently trailed her finger down Aster then Harry's cheeks reveling in the baby soft touch of their skin; she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes gazing across to James. Vaguely she heard Sirius as Padfoot at their feet and Remus settling in nearby. Her family was here and they were all safe. Her gaze was drawn back to her babies as Aster and Harry cuddled into each other's warmth, yawning cutely before dropping off to sleep. As her own eyes grew heavy she could only be content, if even one thing was different her family might not be together like they were now. But she would not dwell on what-ifs. Not tonight. Tonight they were all together and safe, that's all she could ever ask for and more.