Time continued to pass in easy routine, Severus spent most nights brewing, out working with the potions master or in his room only occasionally venturing out of the basement outside mealtimes, to spend time in the sitting room with the others. He, James and Sirius teased each other but in a slightly friendlier way. They weren't friends though Remus and he got along better and the two men played chess together often.
Harry wouldn't play, ever, though he'd finger the pieces sometimes, twirling them as he thought. He and Alice split up when she cheated with Frank while on an overnight Auror training exercise. Frank came and apologized and told Harry he should hit him. Harry didn't, he was a little heartbroken but the friendship survived. Frank and Alice immediately got back together, eloping only a few weeks after getting back together.
Harry, single again, went to the pub with Sirius often and picked up a bird once or twice but since his talk with Remus, Sirius had brought home fewer women and Harry had never been the type. Sirius still drank a bit to much firewhiskey but he was back to sketching instead of trying to whore away his heartache. For once, Hermione was blissfully unaware, she knew something was up with him, knew he used to like her but wouldn't for the life of her have guessed he was in love with her and not heartbroken but completely shattered she was with someone else.
Finally, the wedding came, it was a muggle ceremony, for Lily's relatives, so no magic was present at all and all the men wore suits instead of robes. Hermione thought they looked especially gorgeous. James choked up on his vows and though her voice was clear and steady, tears ran down Lily's face. There was so much love between them even Petunia who hated James and still called her sister a freak, was dabbing at her eyes and hugged Lily extra tight.
They danced late into the night and then James and Lily left for their honeymoon, two weeks on a private wizarding island in Greece. It only lasted twenty hours.
Petunia showed up at the front stoop demanding to see Hermione, Vernon in tow and a dark expression. She came seeking to speak to Hermione, since in her words, Hermione was, the least freakish of Lily's freak show friends.
Remus led them into the sitting room and soon after Hermione arrived with a tray of tea. As soon as they were alone, Hermione smiled stiffly at Pentunia and the girl burst into tears.
Petunia was sobbing on the sofa and Hermione had trouble making out the words, Vernon wrapped an arm around her shoulder in comfort and spoke up, "The Evans were in a motor accident, they've died." Petunia sobbed harder into her husband.
Hermione nodded, tears in her eyes, "I'll contact them immediately." She got up and left the room, body shaking. Remus had left to give them a little space to talk as it seemed what Petunia wanted but Severus, coming in from the garden where he'd begun to grow some potions herbs saw her pale faced and immediately grabbed her into his arms.
Coming in only a moment after and seeing her pale and shivering in his arms Sirius raised a wand angrily, "Let her go." He growled.
Severus glared back at him but Hermione sniffed and pulled back glaring at Sirius, "Stop it."
"What happened?" He demanded, worry clear in his posture.
Hermione bit back tears, "We need to floo James and Lily, have them come home."
"They've just barely gone a day ago." He frowned at her in question looking to Severus for an answer but the man just shrugged.
"Lily's parents have died." At her words Sirius sighed, his eyes closing in momentary grief, both with empathy for Lily and in remembrance of similar news coming to him and James less than two years before. He nodded and opened his eyes meeting hers, "I'll do it. Can you get in touch with her family, get the details for the funeral or what needs to be done?"
"They're still here." She nodded. Sirius nodded back and gave her a weak smile. He gave Severus a sheepish smile and shrugged putting his wand away without apology. Severus didn't expect one.
"Should I come with you?" He asked turning his attention to her.
"Please." Hermione took his hand in hers and they went back to the sitting room.
"I thought you were with the other one at the wedding." Petunia mused.
"Remus, I am, this is mine and Lily's good friend…"
"Severus." Petunia rolled her eyes, "I grew up next to him too."
"Right." Hermione blushed.
"Freaks together." She huffed under her breath before shaking herself and looking back at Hermione, "Where did they go, will she be back soon? We'll have the funeral to do…" Tears seemed to choke her as she fought to remain poised and together, her spine straightening like a steal rod. "Arrangements to be made and such."
"I'm here." Lily exclaimed coming into the room in a rush, tears already flowing as she ran to her sister, "Tell me it's not real." Petunia shook her head and stood hugging her sister, unable not to cry again, Hermione and Severus backed out of the room while James hovered near his wife.
James helped Lily grieve, taking her to the funeral and supporting her as she and Petunia met with lawyers and sold the house, all the muggle procedures were a mystery to him but James just held Lily close and supported her through it all. Neither Potter was up to the idea of returning to their honeymoon after the funeral so life went on as it had before the wedding and another year seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.
Not long after the death of Lily's parents, James and Sirius had a small misadventure in London riding his motorbike, with some Death Eaters and immediately after become embroiled in the budding war joining the Order of the Phoenix and bringing with them all the members of their little family. Harry and Hermione still worked in secret on their little project though they were unable to reach the horcruxes, they knew where they were and with some knowledge of where Death Eaters might attack they proved very useful in the order. Mad Eye was impressed by their constant vigilance, still so engrained in them they knew exits and noticed everything slightly out of place with out trying, he demanded to know why they weren't in Auror Training and when Dumbledore revealed they'd both achieved an O in all the required classes he seemed to make it a personal mission to have them in the department.
Severus was given his mastery in two years instead of three and was already brewing for the Order in large quantities out of the basement lab, which was enlarged and outfitted with everything he could ever hope to have at his disposal in a lab. Most of which he was shocked to learn, when Alice let it slip one afternoon, was paid for by James himself and not the Order.
Hermione sighed as she and Harry met in secret, they did it at least once a month, disappearing for twin night, which was really secret-mission-to-save-the-world-from-what-they'd-known-it-to-be night.
"What are you doing?"
"Lily should be pregnant now, Alice looks like a small bludger is under her shirt, Lily should too."
"You know neither of us can be born again, we're already here."
"I know." She rolled her eyes at him, "It's just, I don't know, its him. He's a baby, three months today and it's strange thinking about it, about any of it and it all feels so surreal now. We won't be there on the train to meet him, he won't ever know I maybe loved him because he won't know me, there will never be a golden trio." She bit her lip, tears stinging her eyes, "It's like it was all a dream, a terrible dream, it feels so far away, so unreal and I should be happy but he's getting so foggy and far away and I hate it. I don't want to forget them Harry."
"We wont." Harry pulled her into his arms, "We'll never forget him, or any of them." He told her, eyes searching out the chess piece on the cuff she'd given him. He pulled back and met her eyes, "I promise that we'll never forget him Mione but this is the way it has to be, that life has to be a dream, a nightmare, this is our reality, our life."
"I know." She swiped at the tears, the old nickname stung so bittersweet. She nodded and sniffled, "I know." She repeated stronger. She wanted to tell him about what else was bothering her, what had made her think so much about Ron but couldn't find the words. Harry knew everything about her but for the first time, she couldn't talk to him, because she couldn't voice the words, didn't know how to or even what it was she was thinking or feeling. Instead she hugged him and they began to discuss their next missions with the Order.