Chapter 60 The Birthday Party
July 31, 1981
Lily stepped into the kitchen and closed the door, shutting out the party sounds coming from the sitting room. She sighed in the newfound silence and went about the business of retrieving birthday cake and candle from their respective hiding places. The sight of the birthday candle, a red wax "1" with a wick that put most sticks of dynamite to shame, brought a smile to Lily's face; James had picked the candle out and it was genuinely huge. Too huge for the cake, really, but James had argued that since Harry would only get one candle on his cake this year, they'd best make that one candle count. The fact that said candle was easily twice as big as the one that had graced Neville Longbottom's cake yesterday was merely a coincidence. Or so James insisted -
"Lils?" James stuck his head in the room.
"Ack!" Lily exclaimed, startled. "Merlin's beard, don't DO that!"
"Sorry," James grinned unrepentantly. "Just thought I'd let you know that my parents are here."
Lily abandoned the cake preparations and followed her husband into the sitting room where Mr. and Mrs. Potter were greeting the rest of their guests.
It was a small party, only the very closest of friends and James' parents, and on a much smaller scale than she'd imagined her baby's first birthday, but to Lily it felt like one of the Marchbanks's famous balls of old. It had been a very long time since she, James, and their friends had had anything to celebrate.
The spring and summer of 1981 had been long and bloody for the wizarding world. Death Eater attacks, which had been dwindling, picked up again as Voldemort's followers seemed to grow in number and confidence. Muggle borns and anyone with known anti-Voldemort opinions stayed away from public places at night and episodes of Muggle baiting had become so frequent that even the notoriously oblivious Muggle population was aware that something was going on.
Lily and James, along with the rest of the Order of the Phoenix, had continued to do what they could, but recent events had crippled the Order badly. The spy they'd known about for so long seemed to be able to access new levels of information and often managed to put a stop to Order missions before they could even start. If not for Albus Dumbledore, Lily was convinced, the Order would have shut down entirely.
Dumbledore continued to receive information from his various sources and managed to do a considerable amount of good with it. He also persisted with his interest in Harry and Neville's safety, arranging even more guards and spells for both the Potters and the Longbottoms and popping by often to check up on them
"Excellent!" Mrs. Longbottom's strident tones rang out as she strode over to the professor with a serving dish and plates, the vulture atop her hat quivering in her haste. "You both must have some toad in the hole," she ordered. She dumped a large portion of it unceremoniously onto two plates and thrust them into the Potters' hands before marching off in search of her next victim.
"Maybe we ought to warn them," Alice whispered in Lily's ear. The pair of them watched with horror as Mr. and Mrs. Potter dug in. Mrs. Longbottom had arrived on Lily and James' doorstep bearing a large dish and declaring "One can't have a party without toad in the hole." This latest pronouncement, Lily was sure, had nothing to do with the fact that Mrs. Longbottom had served an identical dish of toad in the hole the previous day at Neville's birthday party, which hadn't been eaten then either because it was, as Sirius put it, "bloody disgusting."
Lily stifled a snicker, but a familiar owl hovering just outside the sitting room window distracted her before she could answer Alice. Quickly Lily opened the window and accepted the owl's message before anyone else could notice.
It was a tiny scrap of parchment bearing only four words: "Rear bedroom, two minutes." The handwriting was smudged and scrawled as though it had been written in a great hurry, but familiar nonetheless.
"Who's it from?" Dorcas asked casually. She and Alice had come to stand next to Lily and peer curiously at the message over her shoulder.
Lily crumpled the message in her fist before they could see. "Work thing," she explained. "I've been doing a few things for the Department of Mysteries, and – well, it's all very hush-hush," she rolled her eyes for good measure.
"All right," Dorcas replied mildly, though Lily could see she wasn't buying a bit of it. Lily merely smiled at her friends and moved casually back into the party, stopping to check on Harry before slipping down the corridor toward the rear guest bedroom.
Severus Snape squinted into the bright July day, keeping his gaze fixed on the window where he'd sent his owl. He'd taken a significant risk; if someone besides Evans or Dumbledore intercepted his message, matters would be complicated further. But it was a risk he'd had to take. His situation had just become even more precarious.
It had happened early this morning. Snape had been finishing up with an intricate experiment he'd spent another sleepless night perfecting when the door had burst unceremoniously open and Bellatrix Black Lestrange had strolled into the room.
Bellatrix hadn't lasted long in Eastern Europe after her visit to London in January. She and Rodolphus had returned to England in March and had resumed their places in the Dark Lord's inner circle. Whether the Lestranges had been summoned or had simply grown bored with the East Snape did not know.
With Bellatrix and Rodolphus once more dominating the London front, Death Eater activity had increased tenfold. The spring and summer had been rife with Mudblood attacks and Muggle baitings, a productive time by Death Eater standards and due in large part to the Lestranges' enthusiasm. Their reputation with the Dark Lord had never been better, and Snape had heard it said that they were privy to all of his secrets.
There was one secret that Snape knew the Lestranges were not aware of: the prophecy. Whether Voldemort didn't trust Bellatrix and Rodolphus as much as he implied or was merely channeling his paranoia in a new direction was anyone's guess, but the Dark Lord had told Snape and the others who were aware of it that the prophecy was to be kept secret, and the consequences would be dire for anyone who spread the tale.
Snape had been concerned at first; it seemed highly likely that Bellatrix would seek him out for information as she had done in January. But his path and Bellatrix's hadn't crossed at all since she'd returned to London. Whether she'd gathered new sources of information or was simply too busy plotting mayhem, Bellatrix seemed to have forgotten about Severus.
But apparently the months without contact had lulled Snape into a false sense of security, and Bellatrix had merely been biding her time. She'd stood before him this morning, smiling a chilling smile and studying Snape and his work with as much uncanny interest as she ever had.
"Bellatrix," Snape had managed.
"Severus," Bellatrix had returned mockingly. She'd come into the room and shut the door, just as she had in January. Uneasily Snape had wondered if she'd come to ask him for information again. But he soon learned that predicting Bellatrix's actions was as pointless as attempting to reason with her.
"It's been an age, pet," Bellatrix had helped herself to a chair and gestured for him to sit as well. "I hadn't seen you out and about since I returned to merry old England, so I've had to seek you out again. You really are too reclusive, Severus darling."
"Did you want something, Bellatrix?" Snape had never had any patience for small talk, but he consented to sit. No need to bait a tiger, after all.
"Charming as ever, I see," Bellatrix's smile had widened. "Lovely to know some things never change."
"So this is a social call?" Snape had raised an inquiring brow.
"You've caught me, pet," Bellatrix had seemed amused. "I've come to ask for your help."
"With what, exactly?" Snape had been distinctly nervous. The favours that Bellatrix asked tended to be tricky.
"Our master has asked for my help in a very sticky area," Bellatrix had explained. "I've been asked back to London to concentrate my talents on discovering which of our Death Eaters is Dumbledore's spy."
Snape had remained silent as a bolt of fear raced through his body and settled in his stomach. "Really," he had commented as soon as he trusted himself to speak again. "Does the Dark Lord have a new reason for concern?"
"That's for me to know and you to find out, Severus darling," Bellatrix had laughed, twisting more knots into Snape's stomach.
"Why are you telling me this, Bellatrix?" Snape had tried to remain calm, tried not to jump to any conclusions.
"Because I was counting on your help with this little problem," Bellatrix had replied. "Our master and I are depending upon it. You've always been so good at discovering people's dirty little secrets, Severus darling. All you have to do is continue to do that, and then report your findings back to me. It'll be fun, pet. Just like old times." Bellatrix's eyes had shone at the prospect.
"I do not have time to play ridiculous games with you, Bellatrix," Snape had swallowed his fear and attempted to sound irritated. "My work for the Dark Lord is at a crucial stage and requires –"
"Oh, this won't take up much of your so valuable time, pet," Bellatrix had reached over to pat his hand in a condescending show of sympathy. "You haven't been nearly social enough lately from what I've been told; think of this as your reason to participate."
Bellatrix had wandered over to the simmering cauldron, toying idly with a ladle. Snape had half turned in his seat to watch her; somehow he hadn't wanted to turn his back on Bellatrix. "I have no desire to take on this assignment," he had reiterated.
"But you're so good at it," Bellatrix had pouted. "It'll be ever so much fun. Unless, of course, there's a reason you don't want to participate."
Bellatrix's eyes had bored into his, cunning, gleaming eyes that were searching for his secrets. And Snape had known that he was in very real danger. So he'd agreed to help Bellatrix search out the Death Eater spy, his heart pounding in his ears all the while.
Snape had gotten rid of Bellatrix as quickly as possible, then used every ounce of his considerable willpower to prevent himself from running to Dumbledore posthaste. Instead, he'd Sealed his door and sat down to think what was best to do.
Going to Hogwarts had been out of the question; it would have immediately proclaimed him as Dumbledore's spy, and it was likely that he would be followed. Snape hadn't imagined the speculative suspicion in Bellatrix's eyes. Going into hiding would be equally telling. Still, Snape had doubts about his ability to misdirect this investigation. He'd managed it at Hogwarts, but if someone else was blamed this time, they'd likely end up dead.
Eventually, Snape had come to a decision. He'd go out to a pub or some such thing and determine whether or not he was in fact being followed. Once he was sure it was safe, he'd make his way to the Potters' flat. It was the most secure place Snape could think of as well as the last place anyone would think to look for a lone Death Eater. If the Order thought a Death Eater was lurking they'd relocate the Potters immediately, and the Dark Lord had made it clear that he would be severely displeased with anyone who caused this to happen. As a result the Death Eaters avoided the place like the plague unless specifically ordered to go there.
Once Snape was inside, he could get a message to Dumbledore through Evans. And talk to her as well; Lily Evans may have had reprehensible taste in men, but Snape respected her intelligence and her level head. It was just possible that she'd be of some use in this situation.
And so here he was, skulking, essentially, in the shadows underneath the Potters' flat engulfed in a cloaking spell, waiting for someone to notice his owl and praying it was the right person. Snape had had no idea they'd be having some sort of celebration today. But then James Potter would be just reckless and arrogant enough to host a party while his family was virtually in hiding. Snape's lip curled in contempt at the thought of his old nemesis. But before that train of though could progress much further, the window opened and Lily Evans Potter accepted the owl's message. Scarcely able to believe his luck, Severus Snape started to make his way round the building.
Peter Pettigrew toyed idly with a beer and watched as his friends talked and laughed together at Harry Potter's first birthday party. Lily, Dorcas and Alice were playing with Neville on the sofa, Remus, Morwenna, and Frank were having an animated discussion nearby, Mrs. Longbottom was delivering a monologue to Mr. Longbottom as they both ate plates of her toad in the hole, Mr. and Mrs. Potter were coaxing Harry to try saying new words, and Sirius and James, together as ever, were laughing over some private joke in a corner.
Peter took a sip of his drink to disguise his smirk. It was a matter of great personal satisfaction to him that Sirius and James weren't laughing with Remus too. Oh, nobody had ever done or said anything openly, and Sirius and Remus were still perfectly friendly on the surface, but the suspicions were there and the damage had been done. Peter knew because he was the one doing the damage.
The Marauders' full moon holiday had been the start of it. Peter had taken the opportunity to have a drink alone with Sirius in the Three Broomsticks, fully expecting to have to make up stories about catching Remus at suspicious things, maybe even bringing up Kathleen's missing notebooks.
But it had all been amazingly easy. In the end, Peter had done more listening than talking, and he'd only had to embellish a bit.
"So," Peter had begun nervously as they'd sat together in the Three Broomsticks, butterbeers in hand, "I've been wanting to talk to you about something."
"All right," Sirius had replied casually enough, but Peter had been able to tell that he was on his guard.
"It – it's about Remus," Peter had gone on. "Does he – does he seem a bit, well, OFF to you since…"
"Since what?" Sirius had continued to play it cool, but Peter wasn't as stupid as Sirius tended to believe.
"Well, since that whole – business – with Kathleen and since he – went away," Peter had trailed off uncertainly.
"What are you saying exactly?" Sirius had continued to sip butterbeer and Peter had experienced an overwhelming urge to wipe that cool expression off his face, to do something mad, like scream the truth to him loud enough for all the world to hear.
"Well?" Sirius had prompted him impatiently. Peter had drawn in a shaky breath and when he was sure his mad impulse had passed, went on.
"It's just – well, Kathleen lived with Remus, she was close to finding the spy inside the Order, but she was murdered in their flat before she could expose the spy, then her notebooks disappeared, and Remus went away and then came back just before Harry and Lily were attacked…." Peter trailed off again. "It all fits in a way, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," Sirius had sighed defeatedly. Peter had nearly fallen off his chair at this unequivocal agreement. "It all fits in a way, and it absolutely kills me that it does."
"Do you think –" Peter had scarcely dared to breathe, "do you think Remus might be the Order spy?"
"I'm afraid that he might be," Sirius had been clearly miserable. "And I hate thinking Remus might be capable of it. The old Remus we used to know wouldn't have been. But the fact is he's changed a good bit since we knew him at Hogwarts and he's changed even more since he disappeared for all those months."
"And he's close to Lily and James AND Frank and Alice," Peter had picked up the line of thought. "And Dumbledore trusts him, tells him things. He's in a perfect position to pick up on loads of the information we know is being passed to You Know Who."
Sirius had sent Peter a disgusted glance at the euphemism but for once refrained from commenting on it. "I hate thinking that it might be one of us," he'd said instead. "One of the Marauders."
"What do you think we should do?" Peter had asked. He hadn't wanted to show it, but Sirius' remarks had made him squirm a bit with the old guilt.
"I've tried talking to James, but he refuses to believe it," Sirius had replied. "And we don't have a shred of proof. All we can do is watch – and prevent Remus from having any sort of information or opportunity to hurt Harry."
Peter had started to argue that they had to do something more, but James and Remus had interrupted them when they came into the pub to meet them for an early dinner before another full moon. He'd had a few more furtive meetings with Sirius on the subject, but Sirius was adamant. He refused to rat out a fellow Marauder without some sort of proof.
Eventually Peter had turned to Remus in desperation, hoping to persuade Remus that Sirius was the spy and should be turned in. Removing either Remus or Sirius would make Peter's path to Harry that much more open and remove the cloud of suspicion that hung over the Order, making it that much easier to pick up information for the Dark Lord's cause without getting caught. And Peter needed that security.
So he'd arranged to meet Remus in the Leaky Cauldron one night in April. Peter was fairly certain that Remus had some private suspicions about Sirius; the two circled each other whenever they met with a wariness that reminded Peter of their animal counterparts. Still, Remus had always been the logical, cautious one, so Peter had been prepared to tread carefully.
Peter remembered how surprised and relieved he'd been to find out that Remus' suspicions were stronger than he'd thought, remembered huddling in a corner of the pub with Remus and discussing what was best to do in hushed voices.
"It fits," Remus had said, unaware that he was echoing Sirius. "It fits almost perfectly. He's got access to all sorts of information as both an Order member and as an Auror."
"And he's so close to Lily and James," Peter had put in. "He has their trust and knows their routine. No one would be able to lead the Death Eaters to Harry more easily. And don't forget about that time at Hogwarts when Sirius told Snape to go under the Whomping Willow."
"I'd thought of that," Remus had looked suddenly old. "I think about what Sirius almost did to Snape, and I wonder. But both James and Lily refuse to hear a word against Sirius."
But when Peter had suggested taking action, Remus, like Sirius, had backed away. "Sirius has done some stupid things in his time, but spying for Lord Voldemort? That goes way beyond practical jokes. I'm not sure Sirius is capable of that, and I refuse to turn in my old friend without solid proof," Remus had been definite. "But I'll be watching him."
Peter smirked again as he watched both of them now, each unobtrusively keeping an eye on the other. What would they say if they knew that it was him they should be watching, that it was slow, stupid little Peter who was the one not to be trusted? It was the greatest prank of all time, bigger and better than any the Marauders had ever pulled at Hogwarts.
Peter was so caught up in his triumph that he didn't even notice as Lily Evans Potter slipped out of the sitting room and down the corridor, her scrap of parchment clutched in her fist.
"He did not!" Sirius choked with laughter. "You're bamming me!"
"He really did!" James put a hand theatrically over his heart. "Marauder's honour!"
"My arse!" Sirius snorted. "We Marauders make it a point not to have any honour."
"It's still true," James insisted. "He pointed right at Mrs. Longbottom and said: 'Uh-oh!' You know how Harry loves to say that!"
"You're daft!" Sirius retorted. "Babies Harry's age can't do that!"
"But Harry's a genius!" James shot back.
He was regaling Sirius with tales of Neville's party, which Sirius had had to miss because he'd been part of the Order guard that had stood outside.
When Mrs. Longbottom had left the party yesterday to offer the Order members some of her toad in the hole, Lily and James, who had been carrying Harry, had taken the opportunity to comment on it.
"We have to make sure she doesn't feed any of it to Harry or Neville," James had said, shuddering. "I don't know what she did to that toad in the hole, but innocent children shouldn't be forced to eat it!"
"Maybe we can hide it in the plants," Lily had suggested, rifling round in her bag for one of Harry's toys."
"Yeah, if we want to kill the plant," James had cracked, and he and Lily had begun to snicker.
"Uh-oh!" Harry, who had been peering over James' shoulder at the party, pointed at something. "Uh-oh, uh-oh!"
"There's no 'uh-oh,' Harry, don't worry," James had patted the baby's back absently. "I know! Maybe Mrs. Longbottom makes the toad in the hole with vulture instead. Then she gets dinner and a hat decoration all in one!" James had laughed so hard over the idea, he hadn't even noticed when Lily stopped.
"Uh-oh!" Harry had repeated his favourite word more insistently. "UH-OH!"
"What's wrong with you, mate?" James had asked his son."Can you see what Harry's so worried about, Lils?" Then he'd caught sight of Lily's face. "Mrs. Longbottom is standing right behind me, isn't she?" James finally cottoned on.
"It seems your son has more tact than you do, James Potter." Even though he'd known she was there, James had still jumped at the sound of Mrs. Longbottom's voice, which had indeed been coming from directly behind him.
"Hi, Mrs. Longbottom," James, his face beet red, had finally turned around. "Lovely party."
"Perhaps you'd like some more toad in the hole then," Mrs. Longbottom had led the way to the refreshments, Lily, James, and Harry trailing behind her.
"Yeah, right," Sirius still didn't buy into James' story.
"I'm telling you, Harry was trying to warn me she was there!" James insisted yet again.
"Sure he was, mate," Sirius shook his head.
We've come a long way since our Hogwarts days, James thought as he surveyed his best friend with exasperation, and just a bit of amusement as well. Back then no one would've ever believed that Sirius Black and James Potter would ever be talking about babies, let alone arguing over a baby story.
And you're the truly pathetic one, James told himself. At least Sirius sort of has a life outside of Harry and this flat. You, on the other hand, really don't.
James and Lily had spent the long, terrible spring in their fortress of a flat, going out as little as possible. Though the flat occasionally felt a bit like a prison to James, mostly it felt like the one place the outside world hadn't touched. While the wizarding world fell apart, inside the walls of their flat it had been just James, Lily, and Harry, and the endless challenges, frustrations, and fascinations that went along with raising a baby.
Lily and James had dealt with teething and tantrums, head colds and solid foods. They'd spent what felt like most of April on all fours trying to teach Harry to crawl, and then all of May and June baby-proofing the flat. Lily and James had argued for days over whether Harry's first word would be "ma-ma" or "da-da," each of them convinced that Harry would say their name first, then had been crushed together when the first word turned out to be "uh-oh." They'd somehow made it through Harry's separation anxiety phase, when Harry would cling to his parents' legs and scream bloody murder on the rare occasions when one or both of them left the flat, and Harry's mimicking stage, when he insisted on imitating virtually every sound he encountered over and over again.
James took the occasional Auror assignment, Lily still worked with charms from home, and both of them felt too strongly about the Order to give it up, but the great majority of the time it was just the three of them in their flat, doing everything they could to keep Harry safe.
"Where's Lily? She can back me up on this," James said to Sirius as he scanned the room for his wife.
"Lily's your wife and Harry's mother; I'm sure she's a very impartial witness," Sirius drawled sarcastically.
James had located Lily standing next to the sofa with Alice and Dorcas and attempted to catch her eye. But before he could get her attention, Lily had slipped out of the sitting room and into the corridor, a grim expression on her face.
"Where'd your impartial witness go?" Sirius mocked.
"She looked upset," James frowned slightly. "Maybe I'd better go and see what's happened."
"Or maybe you ought to leave her alone," Sirius pointed out. "She might want to be alone."
"Who'd want to be alone when they could have me around?" James grinned facetiously at his best friend, then turned and followed Lily.
Lily glanced over her shoulder to confirm that no one else was in the corridor and slipped into the back bedroom. She withdrew her wand to secure the door…..
Knock, knock…THUNK.
"Gah!" Lily jumped and nearly dropped her wand; apparently today wasn't her day to shine with her unshakable nerves. She turned and spotted Severus Snape lurking just outside. Quickly Lily removed the sealing spell and opened the window "Severus, you scared me! How long have you been there? And how did you get up here without being seen?"
Snape swung one spindly leg over the sill and hauled himself into the room. "Does anyone know that you were meeting me?"
"Yes, I made an announcement before I came and invited them all to join us; wouldn't want to be rude or anything," Lily retorted. Snape's expression sharpened, a telling display of emotion from him, and Lily heaved a sigh. "Sarcasm is clearly wasted on you. Of course no one knows. I'm not exactly new to this."
"I need you to take a message to Dumbledore," Snape decided to ignore Evans' misplaced humour, though it was becoming obvious that Potter was starting to rub off on her. "It's too risky for me to go to him myself, or even to be seen with him."
"Risky?" Lily frowned. "What do you mean –"
"Lils?" James rapped once on the closed bedroom door before pushing it open. "You all right? You seemed a bit – Good Godric, it's Snape! Severus Snape is here!" James trained his wand on his old school foe. "I don't know how you got in here, but if you so much as blink in my wife's direction I'll blast you back to your master in tiny pieces."
"James, stop it!" Frantically Lily flicked a soundproofing charm round the walls and shut and Sealed the door. "Just calm down. Snape isn't here to hurt me or you or Harry or anyone else –"
"Lily," James' eyes darted toward his wife but remained on Snape, "Lily, he's Confunded you or something. I want you to leave this room and go and find my parents and Sirius –"
"James –"
"They'll get you and Harry out of here, and Sirius and I will take care of Snape –"
Lily stepped in front of her husband's wand. "James, Snape is the Death Eater spy!"
"Move out of the way, Lily," James tried to get a clear shot at Snape. "You're confused right now, he's Confunded you –"
"I am NOT Confunded!" the statement that Lily had intended to be firm and calm had come out as more of a shout. "Snape is the Order's spy inside Voldemort's inner circle; he came here because he needs my help."
James lowered his wand very, very slowly and finally rested his gaze on Lily. "What do you mean?" He gripped his wand tightly, his knuckles white with strain as he willed himself to process this information.
"Snape has been spying for the Order for over a year now," Lily explained cautiously. "He came to me in January of 1980 and he asked me to take him to Dumbledore. He's been helping us ever since."
James' eyes sought Snape's again. "How do I know you're telling the truth?" He glared at Snape with something close to hate in his expression.
"I am under no obligation to prove myself to you, Potter," Snape's old sneer, the one he reserved especially for James, filled his face and tone.
"Want to bet, Snivelus?" James smirked with every bit of the schoolyard bully that was left in him. "You're in my house, alone with my wife, and there's a room full of my friends just a shout away. Plus I'm an Auror and you're a suspected Death Eater. I'd say there's a bit of an obligation here."
"Oh, stop it, the pair of you," Lily had had enough. "Severus – "
"Severus?" James was incredulous.
"Severus," Lily began again with more volume, "I think you'd better tell us why you came."
"I refuse to discuss this while that strutting peacock is in the room," Snape practically quivered with fury.
"I'll show you a strutting peacock –" Wand be damned, James was ready to take Snape apart with his fists.
"Clapper it, both of you, or I'll fetch a spray bottle!" Lily stamped her foot. "The Order, and any information that you might have for it, are more important than some verbal pissing contest," she divided a pointed glare between Snape and James. "Let's hear it, Severus."
"Bellatrix came to see me this morning," Snape began
"Hold on, Bellatrix is in London?" Lily felt a stab of fear at the idea of that nut job joining in the hunt for Harry.
"Yes," Snape replied after he had counted to five under his breath. "She'd come to tell me that she'd been called back from Eastern Europe –"
"Bellatrix was in Eastern Europe?" James burst out before he could help himself.
Severus threw up his hands. "This is impossible," he hissed.
"Sorry, sorry, we won't interrupt you anymore," Lily did her own count to five. "Please continue."
Seething all the while, Snape recounted his tete a tete with Bellatrix and his reason for appearing at Lily's doorstep, so to speak. "I must speak with Dumbledore immediately," he finished.
"Right," Lily rose from where she'd been perched on the edge of the bed. "I'll go and send the message right now. Try not to kill each other while I'm gone." With that, Lily Unsealed the door and shut it behind her.
The sound of the door catching the latch echoed through the silent room. James abandoned his post by the exit and moved closer to Snape, invading his personal space.
"You might have Lily and even Dumbledore fooled," James kept his voice low and menacing, "but I see you for what you really are: an opportunistic, pathetic, sniveling little wanker who fancies a girl that's way out of his league and will do anything to get close to her. And I just want you to know that Lily is everything to me, and if you try to hurt her, or our son in any way, I will find you and I will end you. Understand, Snivelus?"
Snape shook with suppressed rage and humiliation. He felt as though Potter was spinning him upside down in front of their schoolmates all over again, and Snape hated him for that.
Lily re-entered the room. "I told Dumbledore to meet you at the Hog's Head in disguise," she reported. "He can usually be there quickly, and I did tell him it was an emergency, so –" Lily broke off as the oppressive atmosphere sunk in. "All right, what's happened now?" she demanded.
"I'll go and meet Dumbledore," Snape moved stiffly toward the window. It would have cost him more humiliation than he could bear to have Lily come to his defense again like she had all those years ago.
"Don't worry; we'll keep your secret. Be careful, Severus," Lily touched his shoulder for the barest instant.
"And you as well," Snape inclined his head awkwardly and was gone.
Lily turned back to James. "You have to swear that you won't tell anyone," she pleaded earnestly. "Not Sirius, not Peter, not Remus, not anyone."
"Swear that I won't tell anyone?" James ran an agitated hand through his hair. "Like you did, you mean? Why in hell didn't you tell me about any of this?"
"And I suppose you tell me everything there is to know about your life?" Lily shot back. She was suddenly very grateful that she'd had the foresight to cast that soundproofing charm. "I suppose Aurors have no secrets, and that you've never kept a secret for the Order. Secrets are a product of the times we live in and the work we choose to do."
"Don't give me that!" James began to pace because he didn't know what else to do, then stopped and gripped Lily by the shoulders. "You should've told me; Snape could have hurt you or taken you to Voldemort, or maybe even worse, and I didn't even know! We're supposed to be in this together."
"We are in it together, always," Lily cupped James' face between her hands. "But Snape's life depended on me keeping his secret. You know as well as I do that Voldemort wouldn't hesitate to kill Snape if he knew he was the spy. You may not like Snape, but even you couldn't stand aside and let that happen to him, especially not after all he's done for the Order, and even for us. Snape was the one who told me that Voldemort knew about the prophecy."
James gritted his teeth and took a step back to run both his hands through his hair in his frustration. He really, REALLY hated it and he'd never admit it, but Lily did have a point. "You still should have told me," he said it again. "You should know that you can always trust me, with your secrets or with anything else that comes along."
"I do know that," Lily smiled, even though she felt more like crying. "I'm sorry." James had a point too.
"Me too," James stepped back toward Lily so he could whisper it in his ear, as if apologising quietly somehow made it easier.
Lily turned her face so that her lips could meet James', and it was a good while longer before either of them remembered about the party.
"Happy Birthday dear Harry, Happy Birthday to you!" The assembled partygoers finished the last line of the song with relief and watched a bemused Harry regard his birthday cake.
"Make a wish, Harry!" Alice sang out, cuddling Neville to her.
"And do it fast before that enormous candle burns down the flat," Sirius added.
"Or makes a bigger hole in that cake," Dorcas put in.
It was true, Harry's huge birthday candle had already put a sizable crater in the cake and was sinking fast.
"C'mon, Harry, blow," James puffed out his cheeks to show him how.
"Uh-oh." Harry, who was sitting in Lily's lap, peered over his shoulder at his mother with a concerned expression.
"Don't worry; Daddy's face isn't stuck like that," Lily reassured her baby. "C'mon, Mummy and Daddy will blow with you."
The three of them bent towards the dented cake and inhaled big breaths of air.
"Ready?" Sirius asked, grinning widely. "One, two, three!"
James, Lily, and Harry blew the candle out to thunderous applause.