Chapter 1

July 31, 1982, Hogsmeade

"I hate you," Narcissa Malfoy hissed as she opened her eyes.

Lily laughed, her arms crossed in front her chest. "Come on!" she commanded, "Get up, it's past nine."

The blonde woman closed her eyes and crawled back beneath the covers of her bed. "No."

Lily shrugged. If that's the way you want it… She strode towards the window and sharply jerked the curtains open. The guest bedroom was suddenly filled with warm sunlight. Narcissa screeched as if she was a vampire. Oh, she really isn't a morning person, Lily thought then frowned. Wait, what is she doing with that pillow?

A moment later she found out.

Fifteen minutes later, Lily came down the stairs followed by the scowling Narcissa.

"Hey, we did agree last night," Lily reminded her, throwing a glance at the glaring blonde behind her. "And we promised to help each other for the birthdays. I helped you in June!"

"And I told you then, and I'm telling you now, I was going to have the house elves do the work. Not us," Narcissa retorted, "And also, I told you then and I'm telling you now, get a house elf and stop torturing me. Get two, if needed."

"I'm not torturing you, Cinderella," Lily rolled her green eyes. "I just need a bit of help with preparing the cake and the meals."

"But why does it have to be us?!" Narcissa wailed.

Lily sighed. This was going to be one of those long mornings…

Once they entered the kitchen, Lily's mind snapped to work. Today, Harry's birthday. Goals, make it perfect, be sure the guests are happy, and make yourself look good cause he's coming too. Simple. As long as she managed to put the blonde to work.

Anticipating Narcissa's next move a few hours earlier, she had already checked on the boys and could attest that both Harry and Draco were sound asleep and everything was fine. She grinned when Narcissa tried to get out of the cooking by claiming that it would be best to go check on the kids and shot her argument down. Now it was time to get to business.

They were going to start with the cake so it could cool off until lunch and in the mean time they were going to do the other meals. Lily began preparing the oven and the necessary dishes, bowls and pans while Narcissa went to the fridge to get the ingredients out. Lily noticed that she still was unsure around it. She could not deny that the blonde witch had managed to come a long way in accepting the muggle-born in the last half a year… but sometimes her pureblood sense of superiority still reared its head, most notably after Lily had moved in Hogsmeade and started filling her house with what Narcissa derisively called "those odd muggle contraptions".

She couldn't comprehend even the most basic everyday chore or task without the use of magic… or something magical, in the case of the scores of house elves who dwelt inside Malfoy Manor and took care of its masters. But Lily was born in a family of muggles down in Cokeworth and until her magic started to manifest itself and she met Sev, she was just an ordinary little girl who lived in an ordinary house. A part of her would always hold on to that.

And so after she had purchased the new home for her and Harry, she had been determined to get her hands on a lot of those everyday appliances that wizards were so confused by. Of course, that had come with its own set of challenges. Hogsmeade was a wizarding village, a place without any muggles… and as such it didn't even have running electricity. After all, who needs utility poles and power lines when they could just flicker a wand and start a fire or wash the dishes?

Surprisingly, Narcissa had been of help here. In those months after the events that the Daily Prophet now called 'The Battle for Hogwarts', Narcissa had come in contact with her sister Andromeda and the two had rekindled their relationship. Or, rather, they started building it from scratch. Lily had been shocked to learn that Narcissa had a sister other than the murderous and, thank Merlin, dead Bellatrix Lestrange. Andromeda was older and so Lily never met her in Hogwarts, and she couldn't recall Sirius ever mentioning a third cousin. The House of Black was one of the oldest, richest and most arrogant wizard families in all of Britain, maybe even the world, and so Lily found it strange that she had never heard about a member of their clan.

As it turned out, when Narcissa explained everything, it was because Andromeda was no longer a part of that family. She had married a muggle-born wizard and so she was banished from their ancestral home in London, all records of her were erased and her portrait in the family tree was destroyed. When Lily heard this, she wished could be surprised but all she had felt was a dim disgust. The Blacks had been among Voldemort's supporters during the war and what had happened with Narcissa's sister was to be expected from people like them. Lily had been enormously proud of her friend when she reached out to Andromeda and expressed a desire to mend fences.

And as it turned out, knowing a few muggle-born wizards had its advantages. Ted Tonks, Andromeda's husband, was similar to Lily in that he, too, remembered his muggle upbringing and didn't want to leave it behind. And so when Lily moved into her new house, Narcissa and Andromeda sent her Ted, with the stern instructions to help Lily settle in, even though she, in Narcissa's own exasperated words, was too obsessive with "those odd muggle contraptions". Ted, with a little assistance from Sev who came to help on his own and also knew this and that about muggle life, set up a generator in Lily's backyard shed and used it to power all her odd muggle contraptions.

Lily smiled at the memory as she was preparing the cake's batter. She liked both Ted and Andromeda a lot, and their daughter Nymphadora (who insisted to be called just Dora) was utterly adorable. The Tonks family was, of course, invited to Harry's birthday, but unlike Narcissa and Draco who came last night and slept here so the blonde could grudgingly help with the preparations, they were coming to lunch with the rest of the guests.

A few hours later the food was almost ready, the cake was sitting proudly in the fridge, the boys were awake and watching the Quidditch play set that Narcissa had bought for Harry – the gift was supposed to be given today, but there was no explaining this to her giddy son and so the wrapping paper was torn last night and the play set had been displayed in all its opulence ever since. And it was a magnificent thing, indeed. It represented a large, intricately wrought stadium under a dome of paper-thin, translucent crystal so nothing could fall out and get lost, or worse, considering the fact that it was made for small children… Miniatures of players on brooms zig-zagged across the stadium, somehow looking even better and more glittery and colorful than the real men and women who practiced this sport. They were evading small bludgers, they swung their bats left and right, and there were two seekers and a buzzing, tiny snitch made of enchanted gold that glowed like a firefly even during the day. The lucky child who owned this thing could start a match with a flicker of an ivory switch, and after the end of each game the players' attires magically changed colors so they could represent many different teams. The whole thing even had a cheering crowd inside of it. Harry and Draco were completely enraptured by the play set. Lily suspected that if James was alive, he would have been in love with it too.

She smiled as she passed by the living room and saw the boys sitting in front of the play set. Now it was time for the final part of her masterfully executed – so far – plan.

As Lily disrobed and stepped under the shower, she couldn't help but reflect on how her life had changed in just a little over a half year. Last July there was a war going on, she and James had already gone to hiding in Godric's Hollow… now everything was different. Sometimes she was caught by surprise in how easily life had moved on after the war ended. Being able to go out in the streets and see witches and wizards who were not cowed by fear anymore was strange at first but Lily had adjusted.

There was a great deal of adjusting, all right… she thought as she rinsed her thick red hair. Not only had the Wizarding World changed, but so had Lily's life. She had mourned James and all the friends who were gone, and she had moved on, no longer shackled by sorrow. Harry was growing every day, getting better at walking and talking, no longer a baby but a proper toddler. True to his word, Sev had remained in her life, though with his job he didn't have the time to visit as often as she would have wanted.

The thought of Sev's job made her frown. Not only because she was concerned for his safety – even though she was – but it also reminded her of her job that was about to begin in September. She actually was going to go to Hogwarts in a few days so Dumbledore could introduce her officially to the rest of the faculty and try and explain anything he might have missed back when he offered her the position. I still haven't found a babysitter for Harry, she thought sullenly. In truth James had left Lily with enough savings to last years without needing to find a job, but she preferred not to burn through her money in vain, especially since she was already getting too antsy sitting on her hands and doing nothing but taking care of Harry and going out with Narcissa. Not to mention that with Horace's retirement and McGonagall's tragic death back in November, Hogwarts was in need of help. Whether she was the person that could help was debatable at best to Lily, but somehow Dumbledore had convinced her.

That was the main reason why she chose Hogsmeade for her and Harry's new home after she sold the cottage in Godric's Hollow – this way she could always be close to her little boy. She realized that distance was not truly a factor for people like her, what with the Floo, apparation, portkeys and what-have-you, but she liked the thought of being in a close physical proximity to her son. That, and I didn't want to live in the place where he died.

Lily could hear the shrill childish voices of Harry and Draco downstairs, as well as Narcissa's, when she stepped out of the bathroom. She sighed and began to dry and dress herself.

When she climbed down and joined everyone in the living room, Narcissa looked her over and smirked.

"What?" Lily asked, feeling somewhat self-conscious. The blonde witch was a true queen when it came to primping and clothing… and make-up, and walking in ridiculous shoes that would make any muggle model green with envy… Did her smirk mean that Lily had done an abysmal job?

She looked down at herself. Was her light flowery dress appropriate? Were the shoes right? Did the colors match?

"Nothing," Narcissa said. "I like the dress."

Lily narrowed her eyes. "Then why did you smirk? Come on, you did it again! Is it something on my face? Tell me!"

"There's nothing wrong with your face," Narcissa sighed and slightly cocked her head. "I think there actually may be some hope for you since I see you've paid heed to my advice on make-up."

"Very funny," Lily deadpanned.

"It's just…" Narcissa hesitated. "You do realize why you've dolled yourself up, don't you?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Lily blushed. I haven't dolled myself up, I just want to look good.

"I mean that I'm sure that this," she gestured vaguely at Lily's outfit and make-up, "is not for my benefit, or my sister and her family's, what's left for Lupin or that sordid old Longbottom woman." The blonde smiled. "But I bet I could think of a guest that would appreciate it when he comes. Hmm… who could he be?" Then someone knocked on the door and she grinned evilly. "Could that be him?"

"It's not like that," Lily rolled her eyes as both women went to open. Although the thought of him coming was quite a pleasant one... It wasn't as if she didn't care about the other guests, but she and Sev had not seen each other in almost three weeks. He's probably overworking himself again.

As it turned out, it was not Sev but the Tonks family.

Ted bellowed out a greeting and hugged both Lily and Narcissa. Lily didn't know a lot of people who could be as hearty as him. Andromeda and Dora were not as boisterous but both looked equally cheery.

"But where's the birthday boy?" Ted laughed and in just a second he got his answer, as Harry and Draco rushed grinning from the living room on their small legs, crying, "Cousin Dora! Cousin Dora!" over and over again.

Lily couldn't help but laugh. Ever since Narcissa had told Harry that he and Draco were actually related through some great-aunt who had married a Potter decades ago, he and the young Malfoy heir were adamant that they were cousins – even if the blood relation itself was not actually that close. And that apparently made Andromeda's daughter a cousin too.

Though older – she was going to start studying in Hogwarts in just two years – Dora was a good sport about it. She giggled happily at the sight of her "little cousins", which made her hair change color from brown to an almost glowing yellow – much to the toddlers' shrill delight. Then she stepped forward, an oblong present in her hands, and said, "Happy birthday, Harry!"

To Harry's immense joy and Lily's slight exasperation, it turned out that the present from the Tonks family was a brand new toy broomstick, to replace the one Harry had both outgrown and broken. Ted and Dora took the boys to the yard to test it out, while Lily, Narcissa and Andromeda remained in the living room, enjoying a brief respite and a jug of cold peach juice.

"How you've been?" Lily asked Andromeda.

The older woman shrugged. She had the good looks of the House of Black, that much was certain, though her dark hair contrasted with Narcissa's fair coloring. Though the thing that set her apart from every other member of that family was the kindness in her brown eyes. Even Narcissa and Sirius, who were among Lily's best friends, had a bit of a vicious streak – it just manifested in different ways – and the rest of the Blacks were Death Eaters or supporters of theirs. But Andromeda carried herself with an air of innate goodness that appealed to people. "We're good," she smiled. "Ted is not that busy anymore, thank Merlin. I was beginning to forget how it felt to spend the summer with my whole family."

Lily knew what she meant. Ted was a healer in St. Mungo's and during the war the hospital had seen a heart-wrenching amount of injured and sick people.

"I'm just glad your husband was not on shift when he escaped," Narcissa chimed in and her sister nodded, then turned to Lily.

"Do you know if Severus is closer to catching him?" she asked. "If you could have seen Ted's face when he found out..." she shook her head, "I mean, who does that? What sort of a person attacks a healer who is trying to help them?"

Lily sighed. "I haven't seen Sev in a few weeks now," she admitted. "He's coming too, I'm sure he'll tell us if he's close."

Andromeda snorted, "Yeah, like those Ministry types love anything more than saying "it's confidential" when people ask them questions…"

Lily couldn't help but chuckle. "Sev is not a "Ministry type", Andromeda," she said, "He actually wasn't sure if he even wanted to accept the job."

"Well, someone's got to do it," Andromeda said mildly. "Once they've caught the last of the scum, it will all be truly over."

Lily couldn't really disagree with her. Still, the somber tone of the conversation silenced the three women and for a few moments they simply sat there, each unsure of what to say and vaguely aware of the three children having fun with Ted and the broom in the yard.

"I made the cake," Narcissa said abruptly, getting the attention of Lily and Andromeda.

"I'm sorry, Cissy, I must be hearing things," Andromeda smirked. "I thought you said you've made a cake?"

"Not a cake. The cake," Narcissa frowned at her sister.

"But you can't cook," Andromeda pointed out smilingly.

"What do you mean I can't? I just choose not to!"

"You didn't even know how to clean the strawberries," Lily interfered.

"Traitor," Narcissa grumbled and sipped her juice.

They continued on like that until the rest of the guests started to arrive. Remus came soon after the Tonks family, carrying a big cuddly toy, made of soft, brown plush and representing a stag. He looked a bit embarrassed with his gift, even though Harry liked it well enough.

"I was wondering what to get, then I saw it, and it reminded me of James," Remus said sheepishly to Lily after that, as she led him to the living room to have a glass of juice before the others came and they all sat down to lunch.

Lily was aware that Harry couldn't possibly understand the meaning behind the big toy, but she thought it was very sweet of Remus to still remember James' Patronus. She was also glad to see him looking much healthier than the last time the two of them met. He had spent a few months traveling across Europe after the war and the trip apparently had agreed with him. Now, if I can somehow also make him stop smoking…

Remus squinted his eyes in confusion when the both of them entered the living room and his gaze focused on Andromeda.

She raised a dark eyebrow, stood up and reached a hand towards him.

"Pleased to meet you," she said, "Andromeda Tonks, Narcissa's older sister."

"Narcissa's…?" Remus sounded confused for a heartbeat, then he recovered and apparently remembered his manners because he lightly took Andromeda's hand and shook it gently. "Remus Lupin. I'm sorry, I just… I was a friend of your cousin and you caught me off-guard."

"Oh, I know," Andromeda said as they both sat down. Lily and Narcissa exchanged confused glances over their shoulders. "You must be Moony, right?"

"How do you know about that name?" Remus sounded slightly startled and very curious.

"Sirius was my favorite relative, Mr. Lupin," Andromeda smiled sadly, then frowned and turned to Narcissa. "I'm sorry, Cissy, I know we're better these days, but back then…"

"I'm not offended," Narcissa shrugged. "Back then I was a snotty brat and you thought you were too good to stomach any of us. So," she gave Remus a crooked smile, "What were you going to say about Moony here?"

"Well…" Andromeda hesitated, "It's not like I know a lot, I just remember Sirius throwing a tantrum at Uncle Orion and Regulus once, saying that Prongs, Wormtail and Moony were, and I quote, "much cooler than you lot". The "lot" being us, of course, and later, after he was punished, he explained to me what "cool" meant and that "Prongs, Wormtail and Moony" were his best friends' nicknames. What was his? He told me, but I don't remember."

Remus laughed lightly at Andromeda's story. "Padfoot. He was Padfoot," he told her softly. "I knew he didn't get along with his relatives, but I didn't know you also had that problem."

"Well, with me, it was a bit different. My husband – I believe you can hear him outside with the other children," she rolled her eyes with an affectionate smile, "is a muggle-born, much like Lily, and my family was mortified when they learned that we had married in secret. Before they banished me," she wasn't even mildly fazed by Remus' raised eyebrows, "I actually considered taking Sirius with me and far away from Grimmauld Place, but… he was still a child, and me and Ted were going to have a difficult time just by ourselves."

"Not to mention that it would have been kidnapping," Narcissa said dryly. "Father and Uncle Orion would have had the whole Ministry after you and Ted."

"That's true too," Andromeda admitted and drank her juice.

To her shame, Lily had never even thought about what it would mean for Remus to meet another Black so abruptly. He and Narcissa were cordial these days, but she hadn't even considered Andromeda's presence today. Luckily, everything had turned out alright… but listening to Andromeda talking about Sirius and the turmoils they had had to face in their home, she was reminded once again of her own sister.

She had invited Petunia and her family to Harry's birthday, and that, in and of itself, had caused her some effort. Knowing that her big sister would probably have abhorred the very notion of receiving an invitation by the way of an owl or anything magical, Lily had to go and locate a phone booth in a small muggle town south of Hogsmeade and call Petunia... only to be told that her sister could not attend because her Dudders was suffering from a terrible flu. In August. Lily had pretended to buy the flimsy excuse... but next year she was going to think twice before bothering to invite her sister. If Petunia wanted to stay out of her life so badly, she was welcome to do so. Even so, a part of Lily was saddened that she had never even gotten to meet her own nephew.

The arrival of Augusta Longbottom and little Neville tore her out of her brooding thoughts. In truth, Frank and Alice's son was not what she had expected. Neville was of an age with Harry and Draco, but he couldn't walk or talk as confidently. Lily remembered that last year, before she and James had to go in hiding, she and Alice had exchanged a few letters, sharing stories about their children, and Lily couldn't recall her mentioning anything about him being so shy. Neville's grandmother compensated for his timid nature, however. Augusta Longbottom was an imposing, elderly woman, dressed in a dark green gown and wearing a heavy, overly-ornamented hat. She huffed when she saw the Black sisters and latched herself to Remus instead.

"I found a photo of theirs," she said to him, "Frank and Alice were there, and so were you, Mr. Lupin."

Lily knew of the photo Mrs. Longbottom spoke of. Last year Dumbledore had insisted that the Order was to take a common picture. Everyone was there. She and James, Sirius, Remus and Peter, Dumbledore himself, McGonagall, Hagrid, Aberforth, Emmeline Vance, Edgar Bones, Alastor Moody, the Prewett brothers, and Alice and Frank. After the war ended, Lily had destroyed her copy of the photo. The thought of all those who were gone had been hard, even months later, and she couldn't bear to look at their faces, smiling and still alive. It's not as if I need a picture to remember them.

"Frank always spoke highly of you, Mr. Lupin," Mrs. Longbottom said, "Said you would make a fine Auror. It's a pity you never considered it."

Remus looked uncomfortable by the woman's attention, so Lily said, "Well, I don't know if you've heard, Mrs. Longbottom, but Sev..."

"Oh, I read all about Severus Snape and his "special task force" in the Prophet," Augusta Longbottom snorted with obvious derision. "Sending a Death Eater to catch the Death Eaters. Ha! What would Fudge think of next?"

Lily's expression froze. Narcissa noticed it and opened her mouth to say something but thankfully the situation was salvaged by Ted and the children who chose that exact moment to get back into the house. Dora led Harry and Draco to meet Neville. The poor child looked rather startled by his peers to Lily. She hoped everything turned alright today.

Lily glanced at the grandfather clock then at the hallway that led to the door. Sev was still missing, but it wouldn't do to make the other guests wait. It was time for lunch anyway.

They all moved to the backyard. Ted and Remus conjured a table, chairs and a large cloth pavilion to keep them in the shade while they ate. Lily, Narcissa and Andromeda started bringing out the food from the kitchen. Augusta Longbottom didn't move or offer to help.

They had already finished with the salad and were well on their way through the roast with baked potatoes when Sev finally arrived.

She hurried through the house to open only to stop for a moment and make sure she was presentable. Fluffing her hair with her palms she took a deep breath and opened the door.

Well... that's... unexpected. Sev was dressed so unusually that she actually had to eye him head to toe to take it all in. His long black hair was tied in a tight ponytail. He had donned on a light blazer and underneath he wore a grey shirt. He was leaning slightly on his cane and when he gave her a small half-smile, Lily realized she had been staring at him for at least a few seconds. She felt a blush creeping towards her face and moved to act.

"Hey, Sev," she smiled at him and moved to hug him, careful not to knock the cane out of his hands. "Sorry for gawking at you," she added when they drew apart. "It's just... you look so different."

His face registered confusion for a split second before he eased into his classic disdainful half-smile. "Why, yes, Lily, I must be positively dashing," he sneered.

She felt a sudden pang of aggravation at his attempt of self-deprecation. "You are," she smiled at him. That shut him up and he frowned slightly. Lily grinned at her victory. Besides, he actually does look good like this, she noted. The ponytail, especially, was so drastically different than the way he usually let his hair hang around his face, but it actually accentuated his sharp features in a rather handsome manner. The blazer also looked well on his tall, lean frame.

Lily took him by the hand and led him into the house, towards the backyard.

"I missed you," she told him softly.

"I'm sorry," Sev admitted, looking sideways at her. "We are close to catching him and the past month was quite hectic." He looked around before he continued, "We were in London last night. A mission. Hence, the outfit," he gestured vaguely at himself, "I didn't have time to go home and change. I came straight from the Ministry."

"Poor Sev," she frowned. "Come, let's get you something cold to drink and something to eat then."

"What about Harry's gift?" Sev asked.

"You brought a gift?" Lily asked, perplexed. He didn't have anything but the cane with him.

"Of course," Sev huffed. "I simply shrunk it. It's right here, in my pocket. I didn't want the fine folk of Hogsmeade," he grunted with slight contempt that Lily didn't really find terribly amusing this time, "to stare at me with that big, bright, shiny box in my hands. They would have probaby thought..."

"That you're going to a toddler's birthday party?" Lily finished for him and smiled. "What did you get him?" she asked, praying it wasn't a second broomstick.

"A big set of alphabet blocks," Sev answered, sounding very pleased with himself.

He was determined to make Harry interested in at least something else besides quidditch and flying brooms. Lily was on his side, but knew her own son well enough to realize that Sev's quest was doomed. He never stopped trying, though.

"You can give to him after you've rested and had a bite," she said.

Once they got into the yard, Harry looked up from his high folding chair, his green eyes momentarily found Sev and he yelled, "Dada!" cheerily.

Lily could physically feel Sev's awkwardness, and she noticed it on the faces of the guests too. He doesn't remember James, she realized with a tinge of sadness. Not anymore. She decided that there was no point in correcting Harry that Sev was not his father in front of everyone and so she decided to simply move on. She seated Sev between Narcissa and herself, and as far away from Mrs. Longbottom as possible.

"So, Severus," Ted asked a bit later as they continued with the meal, "Is there any progress with your investigations? Any news about him?"

Sev leaned back on his chair and let his fork down to take a sip of white wine. "Well, Ted," he said slowly, "you know I'm not really supposed to discuss this..."

"Told you so!" Andromeda whispered loudly as she elbowed Narcissa and Lily had to force herself not to giggle.

Sev glared at the older Black sister and cleared his throat. "Well," he drawled. "If you're all so curious, I suppose I could let something slip away," and just like that he had everyone's attention, even Augusta's. "It's going to be all over the Prophet tomorrow anyway, so I see no point in hiding it." He eyed everyone and leaned forward. "We captured Igor Karkaroff last night. He was hiding in London. We have reasons to suspect he might have been in contact with Lestrange."

"Really?" Ted looked at him eagerly. "Well done, Severus! I hope you'll get that son of a bitch soon!"

"Ted!" Andromeda exclaimed in horror. "Language!"

"Oh!" Ted looked at Dora and his face reddened with embarrassment. His daughter, on the other hand, cackled with glee at her father's outburst, involuntary changing her hair color once more.

Lily wanted to hear everything Sev had to say (especially since he had been hunting Death Eaters just last night!), but just then she heard a rapid knocking on the front door. She frowned and went to see who it was.

Could it be Petunia? she wondered. But no, that was not possible – her sister had declined the invitation before Lily could even begin giving her directions to Hogsmeade. The knocking sounded again, urgent and impatient as she hurried down the hallway.

Lily opened the door and almost stumbled back in surprise. Before her stood Kendra Shacklebolt. The tall black-skinned woman was one of the members of Sev's Auror team and she looked the part. Her leather uniform and the brown overcoat above it made her stick out like a sore thumb in the rural, sunny Hogsmeade.

"Good day, Ma'am," Shacklebolt nodded at her. "Is the boss here? He told us he'd be at this address today."

"Sev? Oh. Yes, he's here." Lily moved aside and gestured for the Auror to come in. "It's my son's birthday," she said and looked at the other woman. If Sev and his team had captured Karkaroff last night, then Kendra Shacklebolt was probably also tired and hungry. "Would you like to join us for lunch?"

Shacklebolt shook her head. "Thank you, Ma'am but I'm here on business. Have to speak with the boss right away, if possible."

As they exited at the yard, Lily was amused to see that Sev had squatted in front of Harry's chair and was trying to coerce him into finishing his vegetables. Harry, on the other hand, was tyrannically insisting it was time for the cake. Sev looked up when he glimpsed them and his black eyes squinted at Shacklebolt. He got up with a barely audible groan and reached for the cane that was left propped at the back of his chair.

Sev nodded at the Auror to enter into the house and for the next minute or so, Lily could hear only muffled voices, being unable to discern anything in particular until Sev muttered an angry What?! followed by more hushed talking.

When he finally returned to the yard with Shacklebolt behind him, he looked at Lily, his face twisted into a grimace of regret.

"I'm sorry, Lily," he said, "but I have to leave. There's been a development."