A week passed quickly, and August 25th found the four residents of Number 12 Grimmauld Place languishing in the courtyard. Harry, Ginny, and James had attempted to play Quidditch that morning, but by ten o'clock, it was already boiling hot, and they knew when to accept defeat.
All four of them were feeling cooped up and stir crazy. Harry and Ginny already rarely went out, to try and avoid attention, but they had buckled down even further with the addition of Lily and James to their household. Harry knew the press would go absolutely mad when they discovered his parents were still alive. He kept coming back to something his father had said a couple weeks ago, that he should 'take control of his narrative.' Earlier that week, he'd owled Luna to ask if he might write an article for the Prophet. She'd already accepted, even though he didn't tell her what the topic would be. He got the feeling she was just happy to help a friend. He had written several drafts already, but hadn't settled on just the right way he wanted to reveal this special secret to the world just yet.
They finally gave up on enjoying the morning outside, and went in to get changed for lunch. All four of them were headed to the Burrow for the first time since Lily and James had joined them. Molly would've had them over sooner, but Ginny had put her foot down, adamant that Harry deserved at least a week alone with his parents. And it had, indeed, been a wonderful week. Ginny had never seen Harry happier, more full of life. The two of them wouldn't have traded that week for anything.
They met back up at the fireplace at five to noon, slightly more dressed up than normal. Harry had on a light blue button down with dark jeans, while Ginny opted for a strappy summer dress made of delicate white eyelet lace. Lily had dug up her favorite light yellow peasant dress, cinched at the waist with a leather belt. She'd taken to glamouring the gray from her hair, but for a small stripe at the front, which made her feel chic rather than ancient. James was content with his gray hair at this point, and left it. He looked rather distinguished in his borrowed slacks and dinner jacket.
"I just knew those would fit!" exclaimed Ginny, examining his outfit. "You're going to thank me when we get there. Mum and Dad feel that robes are a bit archaic."
"It's fine with me," replied a relieved James. "I had quite enough of that growing up. I've always liked Muggle clothes, I just never had anything this formal."
As Harry took a handful of Floo powder and stepped into the grate, Ginny turned to Lily and James. "Remember, it will probably be pretty chaotic. That's normal. And whatever you do -"
"Don't mention Fred," they intoned back to her.
"Everything's going to be fine, sweetheart," Lily tried to calm her down. "You've prepped us well. And remember, we were already friends with your parents. I don't know what you're so worried about." Ginny checked that Harry was gone before responding.
"I know, I suppose it's just different because we're engaged now, and now you're my fiancé's parents, and my Mum always thought of Harry as one of her own, but now you're back…I guess I'm worried that things will have changed."
Lily gave her a hug. "Everything will be fine, Ginny. Your parents are wonderful people, and I'm sure that hasn't changed. Come on, they'll be wondering what happened to us."
One by one, they stepped through the fireplace into the Weasley's parlor, where they were greeted with the sight of Molly Weasley hugging Harry ferociously.
James elbowed Ginny in the ribs. "What were you worried about, again?" She just laughed, and dove in to save her fiancé. She needn't have worried, though, as her mother let him go as soon as she caught sight of Lily and James.
"Oh my," she gasped, staring at them. "I almost didn't believe it, but…it is you, isn't it?"
"Molly," James said warmly. "I could kiss you for everything you've done for our boy." She swept him into a congenial hug, and squeezed Lily tightly as well before stepping back to examine her.
"Look at you, my dear! The last time I saw you…" She sighed shakily, and dabbed at her eyes. "It is a true miracle to have the two of you here again. Come through, Arthur's so excited to see you again."
She led them into the kitchen, never letting go of Lily's hand. Arthur greeted them there, forgoing his normal handshake for a pair of warm hugs for the guests of honor.
"I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have you two back. We lost so much of the Order, so many good people…" Arthur shook his head. "I'm just glad you can still live some of the life you fought for," he finished, gruffly.
"Can I get anyone tea?" Molly asked breathlessly.
"Let me do that, Mum, you sit and catch up," Ginny took the tea pot from her mother's hands. Harry joined her by the stove, watching their parents enthusiastically chat about old mutual friends.
"Now there's something I never thought I'd see. I think this is the first time I've realized just how bizarre this whole situation is," he muttered to her under his breath.
"In a good way?" she asked, as she deftly flicked one hand, causing the tea leaves to float into the pot.
Harry smiled. "Yeah. Definitely in a good way." She returned the smile as she added hot water to the pot.
Lunch itself was lovely. Molly had outdone herself, remembering several of Lily and James' favorite dishes from their days in the Order. No one talked much until the dessert and coffee was served.
"So, how's it been so far? Must be quite a shock," Arthur asked.
"Well, once you get over the shock of waking up to find that your baby is suddenly almost twenty years old, most other things seem pretty tame," Lily joked. Harry blushed as everyone turned to look at him.
James laughed. "And besides, we haven't been out much. We've only been to Harry's place, Hogsmeade, and here so far." Arthur looked at Harry with raised eyebrows.
"I'm still trying to figure out how much I want the public to know," Harry said bashfully. "I just don't want the press getting this one wrong."
"That's completely understandable, Harry dear. But…have you seen today's paper?" Molly asked cautiously.
Harry went pale, and shook his head. Arthur fetched the Prophet, and turned to page six. Sure enough, in the lower left corner, there was a small black and white moving photo of Lily and James talking with Neville in the Three Broomsticks. Neville was watching Lily with rapt attention while she smiled at him over and over. The caption read, "Neville Longbottom - Could this war hero be a potential homewrecker?"
Harry's mouth became a thin line. He stood abruptly, and said, "Excuse me, Mr and Mrs. Weasley, I need to talk to my parents for a minute." With a quick jerk of his head, he led his Lily and James out into the back garden.
"What on earth were you thinking?" He paced back and forth, thoughtfully waiting to explode until the kitchen door was closed. "Why were you even talking to Neville? How did this happen?"
"Harry, calm down," James replied, astonished. "We ran into him at the Three Broomsticks last week. Lily recognized him because he looks so much like his mum. We didn't tell him who we were -"
"No, but there are people who know what you look like who read the Prophet, and not all of them are friends. There's still a ton of Death Eaters on the run, who's to say that they won't come looking to finish what Voldemort started?"
"It's just a little picture in the newspaper, Harry! Most people probably didn't even see it. It was an accident," Lily argued.
"Yes, but little accidents get people killed! The war may be over, but that doesn't mean that these things don't happen anymore. I just…" his breathing hitched, and he struggled to keep talking, "I just got you back, I'm not letting anyone hurt you this time around. You have to be more careful." Harry stared hard at the orchard to his left, fighting back the swell of emotions.
Lily and James traded a look, and James put a hand on Harry's shoulder as if he was a bomb in need of defusing.
"Harry, we understand that, we really do. But you have to consider, your mother and I have been in hiding for over twenty years now, since before you were born. We've discussed it privately, and now that we're not in hiding anymore, we plan on not hiding anymore. We're trying to respect your wishes because you understand the currant climate better than we do, but this…this is our second lease on life. If we don't live now, we never will." James looked to Lily, and took her hand.
She continued on for him. "We had plans, Harry. We had a whole life we wanted to spend together. I've always wanted to be a healer at St. Mungo's, and James wanted to buy back his dad's company. He was going to run it with Sirius, and they were going to be inventors. We were going to give you siblings." She touched his face, caressing his cheek, flushed red with anger. "When you hide for as long as we have, you miss out on as many good moments as you do bad ones. We're going to live, Harry. And so should you."
They left him in the garden, and Harry sank to the ground, throat tight. Their apologies to the Weasleys, which Molly and Arthur laughed off with good grace, floated to him through the open kitchen window. His guilt settled in the pit of his stomach, shame embracing him like an old friend. It wasn't long before Ginny ventured outside, and took a seat next to him. They sat in comfortable silence for a while.
"You know, the most frustrating thing about parents is that they're usually right." Ginny stated quietly as she pulled a blade of grass from the ground, and began to shred it.
Harry let his head drop into in his hands. "I'm so stupid. I yelled at them for something they didn't even do."
"You're not stupid. You were worried. Besides, kids yell at parents. It's normal, Harry."
"But I didn't want to yell at my parents. I told myself that I would never treat them like that, after everything they've gone through. I'm so grateful to have them at all. I sounded like a spoiled brat. I've got my parents for one week and I'm suddenly Dudley Dursley." He sighed deeply, releasing his breath through pursed lips.
Ginny shrugged. "I think you sounded like a normal person who was scared. I get in fights with my parents all the time, but it doesn't mean I'm any less grateful for them. And they know that, Harry. They know that you still love them." She scooted a little closer to him, and he hesitantly took her hand and played with her fingers, focusing on their hands rather than looking at her face while he listened. "It's like when you and I fight. We fight because we love each other, because we want to learn to be better. If we didn't care, we wouldn't bother." Their parent's distant combined laughter punctuated the silence that followed.
"This is just all so new," he whispered confidentially. "I don't know how to treat them. Sometimes they feel like friends. Sometimes they feel like teachers. Sometimes they're just these strangers living in my house. And mostly, I feel so raw all the bloody time that I can't get my head straight enough to figure it out."
Ginny giggled, not unkindly. "They're all of that and more, Harry. You'll never have another relationship like the one you have with them. It's bloody weird. Most of the time you want to rip their heads off, but at the same time, you'd do anything for them. There's a certain look my mum gives me that makes me want to cry because I know how disappointed she is. I can tell my dad stuff I can't tell anyone else, because we just get each other. Mum too, but in a different way. I can't explain it. Just know that everything you're feeling is normal. It's confusing enough to grow up with parents, I can't imagine how it must feel to suddenly get them at nineteen."
He sat for a moment, head hanging. "Thanks Gin. 'Bloody weird' is absolutely right." He sighed, finally looking at her. "So what do I do now? How can I make it up to them?"
She smiled, and helped him to his feet. "An apology is usually a good place to start. Now say, 'Thank you, Ginny.'"
He grinned at her goofily. "Thank you, Ginny. I love you, Ginny."
"Good boy." She pulled him in for a quick kiss before dragging him back inside.
His parents forgave him, of course, and the rest of the afternoon was spent trading stories and baby pictures. To Ginny's embarrassment, her parents had dozens of adorable moving pictures of her as a baby. To Harry's delight, his parents had brought along the few they had from his first year of life, including the ones his mother had mentioned featuring the Weasley children. Ginny almost busted her gut laughing as their parents cooed over the picture of chubby baby Harry and Ron, both only in their birthday suits, squirming on a changing table. Harry was red enough to be a natural born Weasley.
"Oh Lily - please, PLEASE let me borrow that one for just a little while," Ginny finally managed to say, gasping for air. "I have to be the one to show Ron, it's my only purpose in life as a little sister. I'll do anything."
Lily glanced slyly at her, and was about to hand the photo over when Molly snatched it out of her hand.
"Ginevra Molly Weasley, you will do no such thing! This is a treasure, not an instrument of torture. I for one, think it's just too adorable for words." Ginny shot Harry a 'you see?' look.
Lily patted Ginny's leg and whispered, "I have copies." Ginny hid her wicked grin behind a sip of tea.
James pulled the next picture from the stack, and frowned at it. "Now which of your boys are these? Bill and Charlie, maybe?" He handed the photo to Arthur, who held it out so he could see it better.
"Oh…" Arthur faltered. The picture featured two identical redheaded boys, surrounding baby Harry as he slept on a blanket on the sofa. Their cheeky smiles matched the mischievous glint in their eyes. As they smiled large forced grins over and over, it was hard to deny that Fred and George had been adorable when they were almost three years old.
Ginny took it from her father gently, who seemed at a loss for words. "That's…that's Fred and George. I think this is the first picture I've ever seen of them sitting still," she chuckled lightly, and handed it to Molly.
"Take it," Lily said softly.
"Oh, I couldn't," Molly replied thickly.
"I have a copy at home," Lily insisted. "Take it."
Arthur took her hand and squeezed it hard. "Thank you, you darling girl."
Lily shook her head. "It's the very least I could do."
They returned to Number 12 Grimmauld Place that evening, absolutely exhausted. They'd ended up staying for dinner as well, as Ron and Hermione had showed up just as they were leaving. Harry went straight upstairs to take a bath, claiming a headache. Ginny went out to the courtyard, wanting to get in some time flying while it was cool. James decided to take a shower, and when he finished, he found Lily sitting on their bed with a mysterious grin on her face.
"What are we plotting now, dearest?" He pulled on a thin tee shirt and his old plaid pajama pants.
"Plotting? You wound me, Jimmy." Lily pouted.
He rolled his eyes at her use of his least favorite nickname. "Oh please, I know that look. Spill the Bertie Bott's."
He took a seat on his side of the bed as she replied. "Well, I was thinking…do you remember that one summer before sixth year when we met up at Diagon Alley after dark?"
James laughed. "Of course I remember. That was the best night of my life, at the time. I couldn't believe you were actually holding my hand in public, even though no one was there. Then you pulled me into an alley and kissed me for the first time…" He shook his head. "You're something else, Evans. I lived the rest of the summer on that one kiss."
"Let's do it again," Lily wrapped her arms around his neck. "No one will see us. Please, I need to get out of this house, James."
"I seem to recall you saying something along the same lines that night," James pulled her hips towards him as he replied. "And then we ended up getting caught by old Florean Fortescue."
Lily giggled, eyes going wide. "And he gave us free ice cream while we waited for your parents to come get us! I forgot all about that."
"I couldn't forget, my parents nearly skinned me alive after we dropped you off. But I didn't care. I had kissed Lily Evans." He shook his head, grinning wistfully.
After James changed back into his outfit from that night, they slipped downstairs, checked that Ginny was still flying, and hastily took the Floo to the Leaky Cauldron. The barman didn't even give them a second glance as they made their way towards the back door. The two of them spilled through the brick wall as it opened, giggling quietly with only the stars to hear them.
James offered Lily his arm and she took it, and they strolled down the darkened cobblestone street in silence. Once or twice, someone else came their way, and it was a good excuse to find a dark corner to snog in. The third time it happened, Lily fanned herself as they remerged to the empty street.
"Merlin, I feel like I'm sixteen again. Thank you for agreeing to do this, James."
James laughed quietly. "It's like I always say, 'You're too good to be a Marauder, but you're certainly bad enough to be one.' You know I love a harebrained scheme, Lil. Especially if it involves snogging you."
Just then, a light came on in the shop behind James, and before they had time to run, a gigantic figure in an enormous dressing gown burst from its door, wielding a pink umbrella.
"Who's there?" The figure called gruffly.
"Is that…Hagrid, is that you?" James called back.
"Harry? What're ye -" Hagrid stepped into the light from the streetlamp, and stopped abruptly. "Yer not Harry. If I din't know any better…No!" He raised the umbrella once again in defense. "Get back! Who are ye?"
"Please calm down, Hagrid," Lily hissed, as shop lights popped on all up and down the street.
"No I will not! Yer impersonatin' folks what're dead! I can't let ye get away with that!" Just then, a young woman with blinding white hair in a long braid down her back came out from the shop across the street, yawning, but not dressed for bed. "Luna, there ye are, tie these two up, tha's a good lass."
As a thick rope spewed from her wand and snaked around their torsos, binding them tightly, a few more heads popped out of doorways. Hagrid talked them back into their shops while Luna approached Lily and James.
"Hello, I'm Luna Lovegood. Who are you?" They were taken aback at her calm demeanor, but Lily finally answered for both of them.
"I'm Lily, and this is James. It's a long story, but we're Harry Potter's parents. We didn't mean to make any trouble, we just went for a stroll."
"I believe you," Luna said, smiling as she gazed at them with mist-colored eyes, "You look just like him. Hagrid will be a little harder to convince, though, so I think I will get Harry. We're friends, you know. How excited he'll be to finally meet you!"
She crossed back to the shop she had emerged from, which they now saw was labeled The Daily Prophet. James groaned, and Lily grasped for his hand.
"It's all my fault," whispered Lily. "I was being reckless, and now we're ruined everything Harry's been planning."
"I'm not so sure about that," James smirked, and replied under his breath, "But I think you may have just lost the privilege of being too good for the Marauders."