James wasn't aware that he had fallen asleep until two sharp cracks of apparition ripped through the quiet hollow and had him jerking to attention with wand in hand and hackles raised. Muffled curses and banging against their door had him cautiously edging over to the nursery's window with his heart in his mouth and his wife over his shoulder in much the same state. Awkwardly bending over the young witch, James cracked the squeaky window just enough for him to peer out into the dark with deer-like eyes.
Upon spotting the two assailants trying to bang down their door, James felt all of the tension release from his body, physically falling away with an exasperated sigh when his gaze roved over the two messy forms of his best mates. "What is it? What's going on?" Lily worried, shifting on her feet as she clutched Harry close.
"Just a couple of strays" James sassed.
"Huh?" Lily joined him at the window only to find the two familiar Gryffindors beating against their door and calling through the crystalline windows in their effort to see if they were okay. "Oh" She petted his shoulder as she passed, returning to her previous spot with the air of an exhausted mother who wanted nothing more than to sleep."Just— Just make sure they don't break the windows"
"Right" He sighed before trudging off down the stairs with a passing ruffle of fingers through the kneazles' fur.
James didn't even bother greeting his mates as he yanked the door open, still slightly apprehensive that they might not be who they said they were as his gaze met that of the two dishevelled canines. It was clear from their awkward state of dress that they hadn't really cared to take notice about what they were wearing or how they were wearing it. Where Sirius was clad in a backwards t-shirt, rumpled boxers and his trademark leather jacket; Remus wore only a long brown dress robe with a pair of pinstriped pyjama pants poking out from beneath and both of them wore bed hair like couture hats, clearly showing just how much of rush they had been in.
"If you could not break down my door again, that would be swell" The tired sarcasm was heavy in James' tone and it seemed to throw Remus and Sirius off-kilter as the wood was tugged out from beneath them. Remus barely even hooked his nails into the back of Sirius' jacket to stop him from falling face first onto the Potter's porch in time; although they both bore similar looks like they wanted nothing more than to lunge forward and pull him into a hug.
It would've been sweet gesture if not for the fact that Remus quickly threw the smaller canine aside in order to launch himself at the bespectacled man and pull him into a tight hug of his own. One that involved a lot of sniffing and scenting on his part. James held still, only returning the tight hug as he tilted his head to the side and allowed Remus to settle Moony. They'd been doing this sort of thing since they thirteen years old and still naive kids running around in the moonlight. Pack was important to canines in general—wolves in particular—and Remus had no qualms about stressing how important they were; even with all their odd little quirks and dynamics involved that he and Peter never really fully understood. But at this point it was more habit than anything.
For deer, herds were split in two with one led by an alpha doe (because let's be honest, you'd be dead if you crossed Lily—mother or not) whilst the other group contained the bucks. At least until mating season hit and then it was every buck for himself. James wasn't quite sure how it was for rats, mostly because he had tuned out when Peter had started rambling about mating rituals with increasing excitement. It was gross, he knew that much.
As James tightened his grip on Remus and let out a shaky sigh that seemed to rattle through his entire skeleton, he watched Sirius jump to his feet without much hassle (save for a put out pout sent in Remus' direction) before sliding past the pair and diving into the house behind them. James didn't need to look to know that the wizard had already shifted into his Animagus in order to better search the house for any lingering or hiding dark wizards
The sound of claws clicking against their hardwood floors was familiar and helped to ground him as he shakily pulled out of the hug. The corners of his lips twitched it up into a wobbly smile when he imagined the unbidden voice of his wife about the state of their (now) ruined floors and about how long it would take to get the scratches/muck out. Padfoot's low growls (soon joined by Moony) pulled James from his thoughts as he shut the door behind them and trudged back down the hall to find the object of their desire.
If the situation were any other, James might've laughed at the odd sight he found in his hallway. Padfoot stood a foot or two from the floating remains of You-Know-Who, darkest wizard of their age, with lips pulled back into a snarl with Elvendork perched precariously on his raised hackles and licking herself. Remus could be seen rooting around in the kitchen, checking out the back door and generally just checking the area where they had seen the first glimpses of You-Know-Who through the magical mirror shard only an hour or two previous.
"What would I do without you?" James muttered to himself as he shut the door behind them and double-checked that it was in fact, locked and charmed to the teeth.
"You'd be dead, ten times over" Remus replied nonchalantly, as he popped out from behind the kitchen counter, seemingly satisfied with what he had found—or not found. Once again, James was reminded of the wolf's incredible hearing. "You and Pads, both"
"Hey!" James whined like a child in chorus with Padfoot's bark. "We're not that bad!"
"Tell that to the Willow" Remus sassed.
"H—eh…" James wilted comically. "We're not that bad…anymore?"
"Sure…" Remus nodded sarcastically as he returned to James' side, his fingers running through Padfoot's and Elvendork's fur as he went. "So, where's this mysterious witch we've heard so much about?"
"Er, upstairs in the nursery" James nodded towards the stairs, still a little put-off by how they had been ignited on runes only hours before. The words had barely left his lips before Padfoot (& Elvendork) were racing up the stairs. Remus was not far behind them. He spared a glance towards the remnants of the Dark Lord in their hallway as if to check that he—it—was still there before he too, disappeared up the stairs and returned to the nursery. He just hoped that Lily wouldn't take their heads off for trampling her petunias.
Back inside the small room, James found himself blinking dumbfoundedly once more at yet another strange scene. Then again, this whole night had been full of those, so it's not like he could really complain. Lily had returned to the rocking chair where she rocked with Harry and his toy cradled in her arms; in turn Harry sat with his back to her chest, one dog ear gripped tightly in his gob and both hands making grabbing motions at his uncle Padfoot.
Next to them stood Remus who looked an exhausted kind of relieved and concerned as he talked with Lily about his concerns involving their absent secret-keeper. James couldn't quite hear the whole conversation as they were talking in low murmurs, but he could catch pieces of it—"Has anyone heard from Pete? Is his mum sick again? Should someone go check on him?"—and it made his heart prick slightly with worry. In all this commotion, James hadn't had time to stop and think how You-Know-Who had even known where to look for them—wasn't that the whole point of a secret-keeper? To keep secrets? So if He had known, did that mean something bad had happened to Wormtail? James just hoped he was wrong.
Further into the room, James spotted Elvendork—who had resumed her position snuggled up next to the unconscious witch—stuck in a staring contest with Padfoot who had stopped furiously sniffing at the girl's curls. The deerhound had shoved his nose into any nook and cranny that was exposed so that he could discern the girl's status. Having found what he was looking for, he was now standing to attention, tail aloft and black eyes unblinking. But despite this James knew that the canine meant no harm. Well, maybe not to the witch, Elvendork was another matter entirely. Padfoot sure did love to chase her around the house, but that's cats and dogs for you.
Which left the young witch who had rolled over onto her side with her back pressed against the wall beneath the window and curled up around their Kneazle. In turn, Elvendork had wedged herself into the crook of her stomach beneath the blankets, leaving only her amber eyes peering out from the darkness. Hidden beneath the blankets as she was, the cat looked more like a moray eel than a feline and James knew from personal experience that if you got too close, you'd soon regret it.
Sliding down the wall with a tired sigh, James plonked himself down next to the doorway and let his head fell back to rest against the wall. After so many months hidden away from the excitement and stress of the war, the last few hours had felt like a sudden onslaught that had left drained far more than any of his days training to be an Auror had. The brushing of coarse fur beneath his fingertips brought the bespectacled man out of his thoughts, instead bringing his attention to Padfoot who now lay curled up next to him. James smiled tiredly as Padfoot dropped his head into his lap allowing him better access for petting, which he happily indulged in. What an odd little family they made.