31 | MARAUDERS ASSEMBLE

Laying in bed the next morning, Hermione repeatedly went over the last conversation she'd had with Sirius. Everyone had been buzzing from Dumbledore's announcement yesterday, and most of them had broken into smaller groups to discuss their assignments. Hermione was looking for an excuse to escape the awkward conversation between Lily and James about each not wanting the other to return to work.

Luckily, Sirius had swept in, gently drawing her away for 'a word.'

"So this is it," he said hesitantly. "We're almost at the end of it."

"If I don't die and end up killing us both," she chirped.

"Not funny," Sirius frowned.

"It's a joke only I can make," she shrugged.

"Have you... have you considered what you want to do? After this is all over?"

Hermione looked at him curiously. "I've never considered it. I feel like I've been fighting this war since I was a little girl."

"No- I mean..." Sirius brushed his hair back, flustered. "There's another Hermione in this world, right?"

She froze. "I'd almost forgotten," she said fondly. "Well, I meant what I said when I first got here. I won't stand in the way of her future. I want her to grow up here. I want her to be able to experience Hogwarts without all the mayhem I did."

"You're not leaving, right?" Sirius asked urgently.

Hermione watched him, genuinely considering that question for a moment. When she first got here, that would have been the safest option to prevent the timelines from colliding. After the end of the war, she would've gone to the continent or maybe even America. Who knows? Maybe even Australia. Somewhere she could start anew- where no one would recognize her or question her. But that was before everything- before she was bound to Sirius Black, and before she became the godmother to the Potters' children.

"Look," Sirius said intensely. "I don't care what you do. I just hope you see me in your future. I'll go wherever you choose- I just- I can't see my future without you."

Hermione could only stare in dumbfounded surprise. The man before her was leagues different from the brash wizard she'd gotten to know her first few weeks here.

"Promise me you won't disappear. Not without me." He implored.

"I promise," she whispered.

~o~O~o~

"Hermione!"

"Yes, Lily?"

Hermione emerged from the library, hearing the Manor's mistress call for her. She made her way down the grand staircase of the warmly lit room and pearl marble flooring, finding the source of the voice in the tea room.

"Oh! Mary, hi!" Hermione greeted the newcomer.

"I was wondering whether I could bother you to watch Neville and Harry for a few hours? I need to get started on our potions stocks with Mary and Severus."

"Of course!" Hermione grinned. "Where's James?"

Lily's face darkened. "On a scouting mission with Sirius and Remus."

"I thought Remus only did diplomatic work- not Auror's work?"

"With everything speeding up, Moody agreed the Aurors could use an extra wand right now."

"He always was good with a wand," Hermione recalled fondly.

"Oh yes, your precious Professor Lupin," Lily teased mirthfully.

"Professor Lupin?" Mary interjected curiously.

Lily froze, realizing her slip too late. But Hermione laughed smoothly. "I'm always insisted Remus would make a great professor. He might not be an Auror, but he's very informed about defensive magic."

"Ah," Mary nodded acceptingly. "Makes sense, he was one of the best students back when we were at Hogwarts, right, Lily?"

"Right," Lily laughed in relief.

The two witches disapparated away, leaving Hermione to go hunt down the kids, who Lily had said she'd left in the care of their house-elf, Polly. Striding down the magnificent halls of the Potters' residence, she couldn't help but think how different she already was from the girl who fell through time a few months ago. When the Potters had first introduced Polly, her hackles had immediately risen. She didn't think the Potters of all families would own a house-elf. The judgment and condemnation were abruptly halted when the tiny creature took one look at James before beginning to whack him with the dishrag she carried.

"Bad Master Potter! How could you leaves us here all alone with no family?"

"Polly! Polly!" James cried, trying to dodge the small but fierce blows. "I'm sorry!"

"Hi Polly," Lily had interrupted with a small but amused smile.

"Miss Lily!" Polly had run towards the witch with her arms wide to embrace her when she froze at the sight of Neville and Harry clinging to her legs, curiously watching the animated elf. "Kids? I thoughts you only had one child?"

"Our family's a little bigger than we planned," James ran his fingers through his hair, bemused. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Polly sniffed in the most regal manner Hermione'd ever seen from house-elf. "I suppose I shalls forgive yous for leaving Polly all alone for so long. Now she has not one but two kids to look after!" Polly's eyes softened adoringly on Harry and Neville.

"I gave you clothes before we went into hiding Polly, you didn't have to stay," James argued.

"Polly will thank Master Potter not to insult her again like that," the elf glared. "The Potters are Polly's family! Where woulds I go?"

Hermione had already known from the scene before her to keep her mouth shut on her views on house-elves. It seemed Polly was already free, and yet still adored the family she'd served.

Approaching the kitchen, Hermione heard whispered shushing and the high pitched voice of an elf.

"Misters Potters and Longbottoms! You musts stop! Or Polly shall be very unhappy!"

Hermione peeked her head in the door to see Harry and Neville on the floor. Harry had his hands in a jar of chocolate chip cookies, and for every one he ate, he magically floated one over to Neville. Hermione's eyes gleamed in happiness. Accidental magic so early? From what she remembered, Harry had been so suppressed in her time that he didn't have any incidents of accidental magic until he was ten!

She cleared her throat, leaning against the doorway with what she hoped was a stern and aloof expression. "What do we have here?"

Both boys froze, turning to her slowly. Their faces were covered in cookie crumbs and chocolate chips.

They were caught, quite literally, with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Hi 'Mione!" They both smiled wildly, hiding their hands behind their backs.

~o~O~o~

Meanwhile, the marauders were off double-checking and re-securing the safe houses and properties under the Order's jurisdiction. Every. Single. One.

"Are they just giving us busy work?" Sirius grumbled as they finished updating wards for the sixth house that day.

"I think they just want all their ducks in a row before everything goes down," James shrugs, merely happy to be back out in the field. "You know- if we all need to go into hiding in case the battle doesn't go our way.

Sirius paused, looking at his friend as though he'd gone mad. "What the bloody hell do ducks have to do with it?"

Remus snorted as James grinned in amusement. "Muggle expression- Lily's always using it. It means they're just trying to prepare for everything."

"How is Lily?" Remus asked. "Everything all right with the baby?"

"She already has a little bump," James said gleefully. But his expression dropped almost immediately. "Though that's not enough to convince her to stay home."

"I'm not surprised," Sirius interjected. "Asking her to stay home while you're gallivanting off with the Aurors would drive her crazy!"

"But, she's pregnant!" James insisted stubbornly.

"She's only brewing healing potions, mate," Remus reminded him. "They're not even dangerous!"

"I guess," James grumbled.

"Boy or girl?" Sirius asked.

"We don't know," James shrugged. "Lily wants to wait. But I'm hoping for a girl!"

"Just so you know, I intend to spoil her silly," Remus said frankly.

The other two broke out laughing. "I'm glad Remus gets the girl," Sirius said. "I wouldn't know what to do with one."

"If they're a girl," James reminded.

"With Hermione and me as godparents, we might even get this kid into Ravenclaw," Remus laughed.

"Don't jinx the child!" James gasped in mock indignation. "Besides, Hermione is Harry's godmother too, and we already know Harry gets into Gryffindor!"

"I wouldn't underestimate her," Sirius laughed. "Hermione's more of a rule-breaker than she lets on. There's a reason she was in Gryffindor."

"Speaking of Hermione..." James turned to Sirius curiously.

Sirius groaned. "I knew this would come up eventually."

"I'm just surprised she didn't kill you," James raised his hands in surrender. "She was seething when she left Potter Manor."

"Oh, you know, me and my powers of persuasion," Sirius wiggled his eyebrows.

"So, you completed the bond?" Remus asked.

"No," Sirius said, suddenly serious. "I don't want her deciding that during the war."

"You'll be vulnerable until she completes it," James pointed out.

Sirius shrugged. "I knew what I was getting into."

~o~O~o~

It was an understatement to say the air was tense between the three potioneers.

"Severus!" Lily had greeted warmly upon their entrance to Spinner's End.

"Lily," he said, accepting her hug gratefully. "Mary," he looked at the other witch cautiously.

"Snape," she nodded in a polite, business-like manner.

Snape frowned. Usually, she was the one calling him by his given name, and he was the one who insisted on sticking to her last name. He knew she was still angry at him, but she'd never been this aloof with him- not even when he'd first came to the Order, and everyone distrusted him.

They immediately settled into their work. Mary kept busy preparing the ingredients Lily brought over- chopping, slicing, and peeling in silence. Snape rather preferred it that way- brewing had always been a quiet, reflective process for him. But Lily couldn't help but attempt to fill the silence, standing with him as she helped him time his stirs and mix in the ingredients Mary handed them. After so long of not seeing Lily, he found he didn't mind her soft voice chirping away.

Lily, on the other hand, was hyperaware of the tension so thick she could slice through it. She tried to talk to Snape, and to her relief, he seemed interested as she told him about her time while they'd been apart. Numerous times she'd tried to bring Mary into the conversation, and while Mary answered her with a small smile, she immediately returned to her work.

They brewed for hours until they'd prepared two cauldrons of pepper-up, a cauldron of skele-grow, and three cauldrons of enhanced dittany. Now the just needed to wait for them to finish brewing.

"I'm so glad I'm a healer," Lily admitted as they wrapped things up. "At least I can still help even though I'm pregnant."

"Oh, right! James mentioned that during the last meeting," Mary exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you," Lily gushed.

Severus watched his childhood friend, surprised when there was no lingering bitterness as she talked about having another child with Potter. He'd been in love with Lily for as long as he could remember. But somehow, the distance of not having her in his life on top of the scare of nearly losing her all together changed his perspective. He was merely grateful they were friends again. Besides, after everything he'd done and seen, he rather doubted they'd suit. He remembered the painful memory in which she refused to see or forgive him for his inexcusable slip of the tongue. Yet that incident didn't hold a candle to some of the things he'd done since. Being a Death Eater did not come without its fair share of dirty work.

"I need to go check on my kids," Lily said, looking between Snape and Mary, who were still obstinately ignoring each other. "Will you two be okay to wrap things up?"

"Of course," Mary said quickly. "Go, I'm sure Harry and Neville miss you."

Lily disapparated away with a crack, and Mary resumed wiping down the work table the muggle way, repeatedly running the cloth over the same already-clean surface.

"Mary," Severus began quietly.

She didn't even twitch, much less respond.

"Will you just look at me?" He burst out impatiently. "Merlin, I thought you were one of the mature ones."

Her spine stiffened, and she turned to him with a hard glare. "Did you have something to say, or are you just being a bitter man again?"

Snape sighed, looking away from her piercing gaze. Few people had managed to make him so flustered, Lily included. "I'm trying to apologize."

"For what?"

"For saying what I did back at Hogwarts. I never meant it- I barely even knew you back then."

Mary scoffed. "And that's supposed to make it okay?"

"No," Snape defended. "But you have to understand. I was a very different man back then- a very different boy. I was trying to get in with that crowd, so yes, I told Mucliber what he'd want to hear."

Mary's face fell, disappointment replacing her anger. For some reason, that felt even worse to him.

"I know," she admitted.

"You knew who I was when I first came here," Severus insisted. "You knew. Yet you were the one who approached me!"

"I know," she repeated quietly. "I'm beginning to think that was a mistake."

Snape's features hardened. "So that's it then?" Dear Merlin, she was just another Lily- unforgiving and unbending. "You're such a hypocrite," he sneered.

"I almost died that day! Don't expect me to apologize for not being able to see past that!"

Snape froze, his indignance immediately deflating. She had a point. It wasn't like Lily where he'd said something inexcusable in the heat of the moment. Mary had almost died.

"But I'm not the one who did that to you," Snape reminded her softly.

Mary sagged at his quiet reminder. "I know," she replied. "I'll get past it," she told him. "Just... not today."

"You're the one who told me goodness isn't inherent," Severus said, more emotion in his voice than he'd ever used since his school years with Lily. "You were the one who told me I could keep choosing to be someone different every day."

Mary met his eyes, her gaze softening. "You can, and I hope you will."

"Will it be enough?" He asked.

She hesitated.

"I have very few friends, Mary McDonald," Severus admitted, not without difficulty. "Don't make me lose another one for my foolish mistakes as a child. I already lost Lily for years."

Mary's eyes widened in surprise. Was Severus Snape actually likening her to Lily? The same Lily Evans with whom he'd been attached at the hip for the first four years of Hogwarts? The same Lily Evans he switched sides for? Surely he was exaggerating? As unbothered as she may seem, she'd thought he only tolerated her consistent presence at best. After all, he was always telling her to leave or scoffing at her commentary. Never had she imagined that he welcomed it.

"You won't lose another friend," Mary promised. "You're right. I knew about all this when I started talking to you. I just never imagined we'd be closer than casual acquaintances. I just need a little time. Give me that, at least?"

He nodded once, a small exhale of relief leaving him.