-Lily-

I woke up to Violet singing loudly from the shower. I laughed to myself and pulled my hair into a ponytail.

After the incident with my sister, my mother made us stay for more cake and we didn't get home until late last night.

The door of Violet's bedroom opened, just as the shower turned off. Severus stepped in, his back turned as he shut the door quietly, probably thinking I was still asleep.

"I'm already awake, Sev." I said, stretching my arms over my head. "How was your night?"

Severus turned to face me, his head hung low so his long black hair covered his face.

"Sev?" He didn't need to say anything for me to know what had happened. I jumped up and made Severus look up at me. A bruise was already formed around his eye and a nasty cut rested on his nose.

When we were kids, Severus would come to my house at odd hours, with a bruise or a cut claiming he'd fallen or his mother's angry cat, Socrates, had scratched him. Even then, I knew he was lying.

"Again?" I asked. He nodded silently. I grabbed my wand and healed the cut as best I could. "What happened this time?"

"Mum was talking too loudly." He said with a sarcastic smile. "Wasn't going to let the bastard hit her again." I pulled Severus into a hug.

"Sev! You're back." Violet came back into the room, toweling off her dark hair. Severus turned to her and, seeing his black eye, her smile fell from her face. "I'll kill him," Violet said. "Severus, why didn't you come back here earlier?"

"It's alright," Severus said, sitting down. "He left for the pub after. I'd told my mother I would stay, anyways."

Violet and I looked to each other.

"Your poor mum," Violet said, shaking her head and patting Severus's arm. "And I always thought it was wizards who were barbarians."

Severus just shrugged, sitting on Violet's bed. I was looking for more words of comfort, but I found none and opted for the much simpler side hug.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a loud crack, like a tree snapping in half. Violet, who was much more accustom to apparition than I was, barely flinched.

"Now who could that be," Violet said, getting up to go to the door. She stopped short when a barely knee-high creature that looked like he was made of leather popped in front of her. He had ears like a bat, brown eyes that took up most of his face, a bulbous nose, and a large, ugly red sweater that dragged to his toes. I remembered that sweater; James wore it his first year at Hogwarts. I'd never seen a house elf before, but I assumed this was one of the Potters'.

"Conroy!" Violet exclaimed, picking the little creature up and hugging him. Conroy the house elf wrapped his spindly arms around Violet.

"I thought house elves wore pillow cases and tea towels?" I asked Severus.

"As if Violet would let that happen."

"But aren't they set free if they get clothes?" Severus just shrugged.

"Hello, Violet," Conroy said, in a squeaky voice. "Conroy's missed you, he has."

"I've missed you, too," Violet said. "Are Mum and Dad here? I didn't think they'd be home," Violet set the house elf down.

"Master and Mistress came to check in with you kiddies," Conroy said. "They'd like you downstairs, they would," Conroy turned to Severus and I. "Hello, Missy and Misty," He said, bowing very low. "Conroy, from the House of Potters, at your service."

I bowed in return, causing the old house elf to giggle. "Hello, Mr. Conroy, I'm Lily."

"Oh, Conroy's heard much of you, Missy Lily," Conroy said. "And of you, Misty Sev. Violet likes you two very, very much."

"We're pretty fond of her, too," I said. Conroy turned back to Violet.

"Master and Mistress would like you downstairs," He said, offering his hand to Violet to lead the way, as if she wouldn't know. Violet took his hand and Conroy offered his other hand to me. I took it, amused by the adorable little creature.

Coming down from his room, James, followed by the Marauders, had a house elf on his shoulders. She had stringy white hair, droopy, blue eyes, and a t-shirt worn as a dress, tied off in the middle with a Christmas ribbon.

"Ah, yes," James said, seeing us. "Bipsy, this is Lily and Snivellus." The little house elf smacked her small hand on James's head, making him smirk.

"James, Bipsy's taught you better than that," she said, then turned to Severus. "Bipsy apologizes for James' behavior, Misty Sev."

"That's alright, Miss Bipsy," I said. "We're used to it by now," James scowled at me.

"What a polite young lady you are, Missy Lily," Bipsy said.

"How long have you worked for the Potters, Mr. Conroy?" I asked as we descended the stairs.

"Conroy and Bipsy have worked for Master and Mistress for 37 years," Conroy said. "Taking care of Violet and James since they came into the world, Conroy and Bipsy has."

"You're older than dirt, aren't ya, Bips?" Sirius asked, looking up at the old house elf with a grin.

"You're lucky you're handsome, Misty Sirius. Bipsy wouldn't want to hurt a pretty face, she wouldn't."

"James Godric, how many times have I told you to keep your hair in line?" Mrs. Potter stood with her hands on her hips, looking at her son as we came down the stairs.

The Potters were quite old. I'd read that wizards and witches lived much longer, but the Potters looked nearly as old as Dumbledore. Mrs. Potter was a short, thin woman with long, silver hair that was braided down her back. Her hair had once been black, as Violet had shown me pictures. James and Violet had inherited her dark complexion. Mr. Potter was a tall man with white hair that stuck up all over, and hazel eyes that he'd passed to his children.

"It's not my fault, Mum," James said, even while mussing it up himself.

Mrs. Potter smiled at the rest of us warmly, "Hello, boys, Lily."

We all said our greetings and she approached Severus and I. "I don't think I formally introduced myself last time we met," she said, "I'm Alma Potter. That's my husband, Lamont."

"Have you kids been staying out of trouble?" Mr. Potter asked, smirking like he knew that the Marauders had not. I had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Potter had been a bit wild in his youth, something else he'd passed down to his son.

"'Course, Dad," Sirius said, waving him off, but returning his sly grin. He must be close with the Potters; he came to their house every holiday.

"Merlin, I hope no toilet seats are missing," Mrs. Potter said. "I hope you've been keeping an eye on your brother, Violet."

"I don't have enough eyes, Mum," Violet answer, making Bipsy nod in agreement.

Wizarding families always amused me. I always expected them to be so much different than muggle families, but they were nearly the same. The parents still argued, the kids still fought, and everyone still sat around one table for dinner.

Mr. and Mrs. Potter didn't stay long. They joined us for a breakfast of pancakes and eggs, but they had more business to attend to in America. Bipsy and Conroy decided their vacation had been long enough and set out cleaning the large house.

"Vi," I asked, gathering looking for my jeans. "How old are your parents, exactly?"

"Mum's ninety-one and Dad's ninety-three," Violet answered, like that was completely normal thing.

"That would've made them in their seventies when you and James were born," I said. They were definitely older than my grandparents.

"Wizards are different than muggles, Lily," Severus reminded me.

"They just didn't get around to having kids," Violet shrugged. "They're old, but still useful," She grinned. Her smirk was so much like James'.

I wondered why I had never noticed. Violet's jokes and her smile never bothered me; in fact, they were part of the reason she was my best friend, but they were also almost exactly the same as James', and he continued to dance on the last nerve I had. Though, James didn't bother me so much anymore.

James Potter had grown on me.