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Guest (I know she was speaking a lot but I guess in the Wizarding World, magic children are mature and develop quicker!)
TooChey (Yeah I know I reckon about five chapters left ! AH ! Ok, so Lyra was born on 31st October 1979 and Harry and Neville were born on the 30th and 31st July 1980 so Lyra is at the beginning of a school year making her one of the oldest in her year whereas the boys are two of the youngest in their year! Oh and do prepare for more Barty!)
Slytherin Rose Weasley (I know babies! Hahah have fun living through me!)
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"Happy birthday, Lyra!"
The young girl smiled and clapped her hands as her parents wrapped their arms around her, planting kisses all over her forehead. They could see how excited she was from the sheer atmosphere but the damped look in her grey eyes reminded them of the situation at hand.
Nobody could visit Ember Cottage to celebrate Lyra's birthday. The Potters weren't coming, nor could the Longbottoms, Remus, Peter or Marlene drop by because of orders. It was always orders. It was driving Giselle insane at the lack of visits or day trips with her friends. What upset the pair of them the most was how little they saw of their godson. As wizard children were far more developed than muggle children, they were growing up too fast and becoming mature beyond their years. It was always a sign of magic, an early development, and despite the relief of their children's ability – it saddened them immensely.
The three sat together as Lyra opened her presents, throwing plum wrappings onto the floor and she examined her new gifts – her grandparents had bought Lyra her first set of dress robes whereas Remus and Peter added to Lyra's collection of plush toys and she now had four swish animals (the teddy bears strangely reminded Giselle of the Marauders). She was ecstatic at the toys but she grew bored of them as she stared at both the fireplace and the front door. Sirius looked at Giselle and tried to hide his frown but Giselle replicated it perfectly.
"She misses them, doesn't she?" Giselle murmured as Lyra unwrapped a long package from James, Lily and Harry. Sirius nodded and leant on his hand, watching Lyra with furrowed brows.
"We all do, we just don't want to admit it," He croaked and bent down to help Lyra unwrap the package that she seemed to have difficulty with. Giselle wiped all traces of her tears and joined her husband on the floor.
Lyra and Sirius ripped off the thick wrappings to reveal a sleek miniature broomstick sat in their hands. Giselle raised her eyebrows and smiled, watching her daughter gasp at the gift.
"Look, Lyra, you'll be just like Mummy," Sirius told her, picking the broom up and watching it calibrate and levitate to Lyra's height. Lyra stared at it in amazement and then glanced up to Giselle, her eyes shining.
"Quidditch!" She exclaimed and Giselle nodded, brushing Lyra's hair out of the way. The young girl grinned and asked her father to help her onto it. Giselle rushed to find the camera, hoping to capture the moment and create a copy for Lily and James. Sirius let go of Lyra as she held onto the broom with her chubby hands and she flew off around the room. Giselle clicked the camera and caught the moment as Lyra zoomed towards Sirius and crashed into him, knocking him onto the floor.
"Merlin, she's a natural!" Giselle exclaimed as Lyra managed to stay on the broom but she was too busy laughing to notice anything else. Sirius got to his feet and laughed, transforming into his animagus. Lyra's laugh grew louder as she chased Padfoot around the house. Giselle watched the pair and felt extremely proud of her daughter as she was still sitting on the broom without falling off. Taking the newly taken pictures, Giselle decided it was time to write to her friends.
The next time the Potters managed to sneak a visit was on Christmas Day. The snow resembled a blustering tundra but luckily nobody was tabbing the floo network connecting the two cottages so the Potters snuck in quietly.
Giselle was pouring Sirius and herself a glass of mulled wine when she heard the flustering inside the fireplace. It was music to her ears but it still gave her chills. She knew they were coming but the suddenness still scared her to death.
She ran out into the living room to make sure Sirius had Lyra and he did. He gave her to Giselle and grabbed his wand, pointing them lazily at the new arrivals and James grinned at the sight of them. Rolling his eyes, he stood out of the fireplace and held his hands up.
"Merlin, Padfoot, you could poke someone's eye out with that," He joked and Sirius smirked, stepping closer but he kept his wand trained on his best friend.
"What did James and I do in our fifth year to annoy you every single day, Lily?" Sirius asked as a security question and Lily frowned.
"Anything more specific?" She asked, cocking an eyebrow and Sirius grinned.
"We did it every single day, Lils, come on."
Lily scowled and huffed, "You and James high fived me every time I put my hand up to answer a question."
"And when we were unavailable?" Sirius continued. Lily huffed and narrowed her eyes.
"You got Remus to do it even though he apologised after each high-five."
"And what happened that time the three of us weren't there?"
Lily stared him directly in the eye and shook her head, "I think I've established the fact James, Harry and I are the real us." But Sirius shook his head.
"Not quite," He chimed and Lily pinched the bridge of her nose.
"He high-fived me in the face by accident and gave me a nose bleed," She finished and Giselle snorted loudly as it was the first time she had heard the story.
"Honestly, you guys are terrible," She murmured and Sirius slipped an arm around her waist.
"But you love us so jokes on you," He murmured, kissing her gently on the lips.
"Yeah, lucky us!" Lily called out from behind and Lyra seemed to perk up from the sofa as if noticing James and Lily for the first time.
"Uncle James! Aunt Lily!" She squealed, dropping the toys in her hands and shuffling off of the sofa to rush over to them. Sirius took Harry from Lily and smiled, watching as the green eyed boy stare up at him and Giselle. He mustered a smile and watched the pair as they wished him a Merry Christmas and gave him his Christmas present.
"Have you been riding your broom?" James asked Lyra as she refused to unwrap her arms from their necks and she nodded furiously, her grey eyes alight with excitement.
"Yeah! Daddy says I am better than you!" She said and Lily laughed, kissing Lyra's forehead as James exaggerated his gasp.
"Did he?" He asked, staring at Sirius who was making Harry giggle.
"Yeah but…" Lyra dropped her voice dramatically and beckoned them closer, "I think he's wrong because you and Mummy are good at Quidditch and Daddy is not!" The Potters laughed but Lyra heard Sirius fake a huff and shout, "I heard that!" Lyra squealed and stuck her tongue out at him.
The six spent a wonderful morning together, opening presents and entertaining each other but the best entertainment was Lyra's reaction to anything Harry did. It was like she had never witnessed another human being and everything one did, the other laughed at.
"Merlin, they're practically married already," James sighed as he watched Lyra give Harry her soft werewolf toy to play with and Sirius grinned.
"I reckon they will date eventually," He added and James looked at Sirius.
"Wanna turn that into a bet?" He asked and Sirius nodded, taking James' hand and shaking it, "You're on!" Lily groaned and poured Giselle some more wine before muttering, "Our children are still toddlers and they're already betting on their future."
"Oh, don't worry Lils," James smirked, "I'm gonna win, I mean, they're bound to date!" Sirius shrugged and sipped his whiskey.
"I don't care but if they do and Harry breaks Lyra's heart, I have the right to kill him." James' face dropped and patted his son's wisps of messy hair with a sigh.
"I pray he inherits Lily's common sense because if he doesn't, he's screwed."
Something rustled from inside the fireplace and the dying embers grew into a thick wall of green fire. The mothers grabbed their children and the husbands grabbed their wands, shielding their families from sight but the flushed faces of Frank and Alice arrived, their faces anxious.
"What form did Frank's boggart take in our third year?" James asked Frank who sighed, relaxing as he remembered that the wands were out for protection, not attack.
"My parents dead on the floor," He retaliated and both James and Sirius lowered their wands, looking guilty.
"Sorry mate, security reasons," James mumbled and Frank nodded but he leant forward and asked the men if they could speak to him in the kitchen.
"We're sorry for the unannounced arrival but Dumbledore wanted Frank to pass on a message," Alice said and both Lily and Giselle brushed off the apology with a warm hug and a smiling welcome for a napping Neville who sat in Alice's arms. The women congregated around the fire as they caught each other up on the latest news but when the men returned, they all noticed the irked looks.
"What's happened?" Lily asked and James shook his head.
"We've got to go," Sirius announced, gesturing to the three of them. Frank and James shared Sirius' irritated expression as they all would have preferred a relaxing Christmas with their families.
"Why?" Giselle asked, sitting on the edge of the sofa, staring at Sirius who seemed to be as uncomfortable as her.
"There's been a break-through on one of the missions concerning You-Know-Who's next move and we're needed. Dumbledore reckons there's someone on the inside feeding him information on us."
"So leaving us is what Dumbledore thinks is best?" Lily asked hotly and James shrugged.
"I guess so. We've got to trust him," He replied and the women huffed. Giselle looked up at Sirius who bent down and cupped her cheek, his lips brushing hers with a sensation that made it harder for Giselle to watch him leave.
"Be careful," She mumbled and he nodded, pressing his forehead to hers for a few seconds before leaning down to kiss Lyra's head.
"I'll be home before midnight, I promise," He mumbled and walked over to join the other two at the fireplace. Tightening his outerwear, he winked at his wife before stepping to the towering jade flames.
Alice sighed and stroked Neville's thin hair, turning to face her friends, "What a great way to ruin Christmas."
