A/N: This is a happy chapter, I promise! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Happy birthday, RaysOfHope!

Bosco19: No, Remus and Lily aren't going to have an affair. If I was living my dream of writing for a soap opera, they would, but . . . James and Lily barely had any time to be together. I can't bring myself to ruin it with any problems in their marriage.

Sweetness0984: Yeah, Peter fully realizes at this point that he's definitely not helping his friends. He just wants to save himself, and he's pretty sure that by playing both sides, there's no way he could lose.

I don't own Harry Potter.

Finding Healing

It was almost an hour before James and Sirius came back up to the hotel. Lily had already given Harry a bath and laid him down for a nap when the two men entered their room. Lily, still covered in sand and dressed in her bathing suit, jumped up from the chair she had been sitting in.

"Thank God you're all right!" she exclaimed, running to hug James.

James held her close for a moment while Sirius crossed to check on Harry. Relief flooded his face as he watched the baby sleep.

"What happened?" Lily asked as she pulled back from James, who crossed to kiss the baby. "How did they know we were here? How did they find us? How did you find us, Sirius?"

Sirius grinned. "How many times did you two tell us where you'd be? I mentioned to Moody and Frank that you were going away, and they told Dumbledore. He pretty much issued orders for me to follow you here."

"Is Olivia here, too?" Lily asked.

"No, she's at home, dealing with all our normal obligations. Believe me, she was rather jealous when I told her that I was coming to Greece!"

Lily smiled briefly. "But how did the Death Eaters find us? We only told you, Liv, Remus and Peter where we'd be."

Sirius frowned. "That's the part that I'm not sure about. I only told Frank and Moody, and they took the news straight to Dumbledore. Where could there be an information leak in that web of people?"

"Could someone have overheard you discussing it at work?" James asked.

"Anything's possible," Sirius conceded. "I hate the idea that one of the Aurors could be a Death Eater or a spy for Voldemort, but you never really know, do you?"

"We'll just have to be more careful about what we say in public in the future," James said, rubbing his eyes. "I know I talked about this trip at work . . . I'm sure anyone could have overheard me."

"You're thinking about Snape," Sirius said. It wasn't a question; he knew how James felt about their childhood rival.

"Well, yeah."

"Dumbledore must trust him, or he would never have hired him to teach his students," Lily said.

"Yes, I'm sure that Dumbledore trusts him," James said slowly, "but I don't."

"I'm not entirely convinced of his trustworthiness, either," Sirius agreed.

"You're both still bitter over the way he acted when we were in school," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "We're not little kids anymore, guys. He may have changed since becoming an adult. We don't have any proof that he's done anything wrong."

"Come on, Lil, look at his friends," Sirius said. "Practically all of them are known Death Eaters! I'm sure he is, too."

"The point is, we have to consider everyone a suspect," James said, ending the argument that would have begun between Lily and Sirius. "It's the same thing as the spy that's feeding information about the Order to the Death Eaters – we have to suspect everyone."

Lily shuddered. "I hate the idea that we have to be so suspicious."

"We don't really have much choice at this point."

"They are gone, though, right? The Death Eaters?" Lily asked, glancing at the deserted balcony.

"They're gone," James affirmed. He sighed, and ran his hands over his face. "You know why they were here, Lil. They wanted Harry."

Lily nodded, biting her lower lip. "He's still not safe, is he?"

"Not here," James said. "We need to get home."

"Will he be safe there?" Lily asked. "If they found us in Greece, what are the chances that they don't know where we live?"

"Pretty slim," Sirius sighed. "I'd suggest finding a new house."

James nodded. "I agree. We can't stay in Hogsmeade. Even with the protective charms, everyone knows where we live."

"So we have to move again," Lily said quietly. "My baby will live in three houses before his first birthday."

"I think the important thing is that he lives till his first birthday, not where he lives," Sirius commented. "This is about keeping him safe, Little Flower."

"What about keeping him secure?" she snapped. "Don't you think that moving around so much is going to make him feel like some sort of nomad? Don't you think that he deserves the security of always coming home to the same place? Of going to sleep in the same room every night?"

"Of course I think he deserves it," Sirius replied. "But I think that he deserves to be safe even more. I think he deserves to live through each day so that he has the chance to go to sleep in that room."

"We have to do whatever it takes to keep him out of danger, Lil," James said softly. "If that means moving again, then that's what we have to do."

She sighed, blinking back tears. "There's no other way?"

"Not that I can think of," James replied. "Not unless you want to go into hiding."

"No," Lily replied without hesitation. "He needs some sense of normalcy. Better to live in the open in a new house than in hiding."

"Good," James said. "I feel the same way. So, let's get cleaned up, pack our things and go home."

That evening, they returned home. Sirius came with them to ensure their safety. He was taking Dumbledore's orders quite literally; Lily wondered if she would have to tell him to drop the bodyguard act in the future.

When they arrived at the house, Lily took her sleeping baby upstairs while James and Sirius settled themselves in the kitchen. Lily took her time changing Harry into his pajamas and putting him to bed. She read him two books and sang him lullabies before he finally drifted off to sleep. Even after he was asleep, she held him close, gently swaying back and forth in the rocking chair in the nursery. She felt a horrible sorrow and guilt as she looked around his bedroom.

"I thought this would always be home for you, Harry," she whispered to the sleeping baby. "I'm sorry it can't be."

She finally stood, and carried the baby to his crib. She kissed his forehead before laying him in his bed.

"We'll find you an even better home," she promised. "You'll love it even more than this one. And it'll be home to all of us because we'll all be together."

She covered him with a light blanket, and waved her wand to cast a soft, glowing yellow light in the room. With one last look at her sleeping son, she left the room, closing the door behind her.

When she reached the kitchen, James and Sirius were seated at the table with maps spread before them. Two cups of coffee floated next to them; the maps had taken up every available inch on the table. The two men looked up as Lily entered.

"Lil," James smiled. "Do you want some coffee?"

"I think I'm jumpy enough already, thanks," she said, sitting down. "What are you working on?"

"We're trying to decide the best place for us to look for a house," James replied. "We've ruled out Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade because we've already lived there, but pretty much anywhere else is fine."

"Well, that certainly narrows it down," Lily said with a shake of her head. "Are we going to stay here until we've found a place?"

"Yeah, I don't see any reason why we can't," James replied. "The Death Eaters haven't found us yet."

"That we know of," Lily clarified.

"We'll put your house under Auror surveillance until you move," Sirius promised. "Now, let's work on finding you somewhere else to live."

"Yes, since we only have a few options," Lily smiled.

"Is there anywhere you've always wanted to live, Lil?" James asked.

"Always?" Lily repeated. "I don't think I should get to decide that. Don't forget, I didn't even know that this world existed until I was eleven. I mean, anywhere I've always wanted to live would be a Muggle neighborhood."

"We can live in a Muggle neighborhood," James said.

"Really?"

"Sure. I don't see why not." He turned to Sirius. "Would the security stuff be an issue?"

"No, I don't think so. We'd use the same charms, right, Lils?"

"Password protection?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "That might make the neighbors a little suspicious."

Sirius grinned. "Just don't make friends with your neighbors."

"If you want to live in a Muggle neighborhood, we can make it work," James assured her. "Where were you thinking of?"

Lily smiled slightly. "When I was a little girl, I always wanted to live in London."

"Mum would love that," James grinned. "She'll want us to live next door to her!"

"You don't want to do that," Sirius said quickly. "That would put your mum in way too much danger."

"You're right," James said, his face falling slightly.

"Well, there are plenty of other neighborhoods in London," Lily said. "I can get in touch with a real estate agent . . . if you're sure that's what you want to do, James. Do you really want to move to Muggle London?"

"If it's what you want, then I want it, too," James assured her. "Let's start looking at houses, and we'll see what we can find."

Lily smiled widely. "Oh, this is going to be fun. We'll find a new house, and then we can start decorating it!"

"Sirius, are you sure there's no way we can just stay here?" James asked in mock horror.

Sirius laughed. "Looks like you're in for it, Prongs. You're going to have to buy more new things for this house than you want to think about. I hope Hogwarts pays well!"

It took two months for Lily and James to agree on a house – a startling change from their previous house-hunting experiences. They enlisted Connie Stewart, a Muggle realtor, who spent quite a bit of time getting to know them and their expectations for a house and neighborhood. She then began ferrying them around London, showing them more houses than James ever knew existed.

"Where do they all come from?" he asked as they looked at the tenth house in one day.

"People are selling them, James," Lily said quietly. "They need to move, so we get the chance to buy their houses."

"Not this one," James declared, looking at the ridiculously small kitchen and living room. "I think the flat I shared with the guys had a bigger kitchen than this."

"We'll look at the next one, then," Connie said brightly. "I'm sure we'll find just the one for you."

Lily and James looked at one another uncertainly. Maybe falling in love with two houses was all they'd be allowed in their lifetime. They were beginning to wonder if they'd ever find the perfect house again.

They found the house by accident.

They had decided to go for a drive one evening, just to see what the neighborhoods they had seen during the day looked like as darkness was falling. With Harry strapped securely into his car seat, they set off around London in the car that their friends had given them as an engagement gift.

They began by going around the neighborhoods they had already seen with Connie. Lily was pleased to see that children were still outside playing, although their games were reluctantly breaking up as parents called their little ones home for the night.

"It looks as though Harry will have plenty of neighborhood friends if we decide to live around here," she commented.

James nodded, thinking of his own childhood best friend from his neighborhood. "It might be tough on him to leave them for Hogwarts, though."

"Oh," Lily said softly. "It was difficult to leave Danny, wasn't it?"

"Yes," James replied. "At the time, I was sure I was going to be upset about it forever. But then I actually got to Hogwarts, and met Sirius, Remus and Peter, and . . . I never exactly forgot Danny, but I didn't think about him as much as time went on. We're still friends, of course, but things aren't like they were when we were little."

"That's true of any relationship," Lily said. "Look at how things ended up between Petunia and I. We used to be close when we were little, but you'd never know it now. Do you realize that I've never even met my own sister's child? I have a nephew out there somewhere who most likely doesn't even know that I exist."

James looked sideways at her. "Well, we could always start looking for houses around her. Wouldn't she just love that?"

Lily laughed out loud at the thought. "I think she might find a way to have us run out of the neighborhood if we even tried!"

James laughed with her, then glanced around. "Um, Lil? Do you know where we are?"

Lily slowed the car until it was barely moving. While they had been talking, she had stopped paying attention to where she was driving. "Er . . . no, I don't."

"So we're lost?"

"Yeah, that would pretty much be it."

"Oh, boy."

"Okay, we can't panic," Lily said slowly. "We just have to try to retrace our path to find our way back to something we remember."

"Okay," James agreed. "Let's do that, then."

Lily continued down the street they were on, which ended in a cul-de-sac. As she swung the car around the circle to begin retracing their route, James jumped in his seat.

"Stop!" he yelled.

"What?" Lily cried as she slammed on the brakes, fearing she was about to run over someone's beloved pet. "What's wrong?"

"Do you see that?"

"See what?" she exclaimed, scanning the street and surrounding yards for a small animal.

"That house!"

Lily looked at where James was pointing, and her breath caught in her throat. The most gorgeous house she had ever seen was right in front of them with a "for sale" sign in its front yard.

"James, it's perfect," she breathed, taking in the huge bay windows and sweeping front porch.

"Okay, let's not go too far," he said calmly. "It's great from the outside, but we need to see the inside before we get too excited."

"Write down the address," she said. "We have to make Connie show us this house!"

Two weeks later, they were signing the papers that granted them ownership of the house. Once it was all over, and the house was theirs, Lily began jumping up and down.

"I can't believe we found it!" she cried. "Oh, James, this place is wonderful! Let's never leave it!"

"We'll do our best," he smiled, carrying Harry around the first floor. "Which room do you want for his? I'm going to go show it to him."

"Let's go look together," she replied.

As they walked through the house, Lily began talking quickly, outlining her plans for each room. James remained silent as he listened to her, his eyes growing bigger and bigger with each sentence she spoke.

"Those are some serious projects you're talking about," he said. "Are you sure you're going to be able to get it all done?"

She rolled her eyes. "James, all I do with my days is to take care of Harry. How will I not be able to get it all done?"

"Fair point," he grinned. He leaned over to kiss her. "And I know that you can do anything you set your mind to – including convincing me that this huge decorating project is a good idea."

"Good," she said with a mischievous grin, "then you won't be surprised when I tell you that you're going to have Harry's room painted before we move in the furniture."

With Sirius's help, James had all of Lily's painting projects done before they moved into their new house. Harry's room, the first one they had completed, was done in rich reds and golds. Lily had wanted it done in pastel blues and greens, but James and Sirius had both refused.

"He needs to get used to living in Gryffindor colors now," Sirius said as he dipped his roller into the paint. "Besides, it's going to make his room nicer."

"You both seem pretty sure that we have a little Gryffindor here," Lily grinned.

"He'll be a Gryffindor," James nodded with a grin of his own. "With us for parents and the constant influence of our friends, how does he have a choice? It's his destiny."

"Could we try for a little less melodrama, please?" Lily laughed. "I'm just concerned that these aren't the best colors for a nursery."

Sirius held his roller up threateningly. "Little Flower, you are making me paint this room without magic because you're afraid of what your Muggle neighbors might see. If you're going to criticize our color choices, you're going to be wearing them."

"Point taken," Lily laughed as she left the room.

Without Lily to distract them, James and Sirius were easily done with the painting before moving day. Both Sirius and Olivia came to help them move in, eager to assist their friends with their adjustment to their new living quarters.

"You're not going to make us move this furniture using actual muscle power again, are you?" Sirius asked as he entered the house carrying a floor lamp.

"Sirius, we live in a Muggle neighborhood!" Lily exclaimed.

"Yeah – that's why I actually carried this in," Sirius grinned. "Where do you want it?"

"Living room," she replied, pointing him in the right direction. "And I don't want to see that floating!"

"Yes, ma'am," Sirius laughed as he disappeared into the house.

James came into the house carrying a large box marked "kitchen." "Where's Sirius?" he asked.

"He just took a lamp into the living room," Lily replied, putting Harry into his play pen.

"Okay. I need him to help me bring the couch in."

Lily grinned, thankful that James hadn't suggested levitating the couch into the house. "I'm going to go grab some boxes." She glanced back at the baby. "If you see the boxes of Harry's toys, grab his lion for him. I don't know how long he's going to handle sitting in there without someone to play with."

James grinned, and blew the baby a kiss. "Hang in there, champ. We'll have your stuff all sorted out in no time." He shifted the box in his arms, and walked back into the house. "Sirius! We have a couch to move!"

Lily stepped outside, where Olivia was taking a lamp out of their moving truck. She looked up with a smile as Lily appeared.

"You know, I'm starting to wonder about those guys. They went inside and I haven't seen them again!"

Lily laughed. "James was going to find Sirius so they could bring the couch in."

Olivia made a face. "That sounds like a project." She glanced around the street. "This was much easier last time, wasn't it?"

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're as bad as Sirius."

Olivia looked at her in mock shock. "That was harsh, Lils. There was no need to go that far."

Lily giggled. "I think you'll survive the pain."

"I'll need time and therapy to get over it," Olivia conceded.

James and Sirius came out of the house, laughing over something. They crossed the yard quickly, pushing up their sleeves as they came.

"I thought you two were lost," Olivia said as she lifted the lamp into her arms.

"We were just mentally preparing for lifting this couch," Sirius replied, giving her a wink. "Ready, Prongs?"

"Let's go," James said.

They jumped into the truck. Olivia watched for a moment, then took the lamp up to the house.

"Hey, Liv!" Sirius called from inside the moving truck.

"She went inside," Lily offered.

"Lils, you're still here," Sirius said with his back to her. "Good – give me some direction here."

"Well, start walking back," Lily began.

With Lily directing, the two men managed to get the couch out of the moving truck and up to the front door. The door was their first obstacle; the couch had to be turned awkwardly to get it into the house. Sirius looked at Lily, then reached down for his wand.

"No," Lily said firmly. "You can do it without any extra . . . help."

"I hate you, Little Flower."

"No, you don't," she grinned. "You love me, and you know it."

Once the couch was arranged the way that Lily wanted, they all made their way back outside to bring in more things. Sirius grabbed Harry's crib, which had been collapsed for the journey, James took two kitchen chairs, and the girls picked up more boxes.

"Harry's room," Olivia muttered, reading the side of the box as she entered the house.

"First bedroom on the right at the top of the stairs," Lily directed.

"Got it," Olivia replied, starting up the steps.

Lily took the box that she had grabbed into the living room, then returned outside to grab something else. James came with her, taking the last two kitchen chairs from the truck. They took those items inside and came out again, still without Sirius and Olivia.

"What happened to our unpaid laborers?" James asked with a grin.

"They didn't get lost, did they?" Lily asked. "I told Olivia which room was Harry's."

"They're probably trying to set up the crib," James replied. "You know how hard that is."

"I'll go help them," Lily said. "I'll be back with our assistants in tow."

"Good," James said as he looked at the kitchen table. "I know I'm going to need Sirius's help for this one."

Lily grinned, and went back inside with another of Harry's boxes in her arms. She went up the steps, and turned to go into Harry's room.

The sight that met her eyes made her stop short; she nearly dropped the box. Sirius and Olivia were still in the nursery, kissing very enthusiastically. Sirius's hands were on Olivia's waist; as Lily watched, he pulled her even closer to him. Olivia's fingers were tangled in his hair.

Lily cleared her throat, and set the box down. Sirius and Olivia jumped apart, and looked at her with the guilty expressions of schoolchildren.

"Caught in the act," Lily grinned. "My God, you guys! When did you get back together?"

"A few months ago," Sirius admitted with a sheepish grin.

"And you didn't tell me?" Lily cried. "Oh, that's just mean!"

"We didn't want anyone to know," Olivia said quickly. "We got together right after Laura . . . We thought it would be a bit much for Remus to have to know that we were back together right after he . . ."

"I understand," Lily said, holding up her hand to stop them. "But you could have told me! Guys! I'm so happy for you!"

She bounded across the room, and pulled them both into tight embraces. When she released them, she couldn't stop grinning.

"Are you going to stay together this time?"

They glanced at one another with silly smiles.

"I think so," Olivia said.

"I'm in it for the long haul," Sirius agreed.

Lily gave a shriek of excitement, and hugged them again.

"I think we need to have a housewarming party," Lily said as she stood at the stove, making fried eggs for breakfast.

"That sounds like fun," James agreed. "Do you think everyone will come?"

"They'd better," Lily grinned. "I want to show off this house!"

An owl swooped through the open kitchen window, and landed on the table. Harry giggled at the sight, and began babbling, pointing at the owl.

"He's bringing the mail," James informed the baby as he took the letter from the bird. "See? Mummy and Daddy have a letter from . . ." He turned it over in his hands. "Looks like Aunt Dana's writing. What do you think she has to say?"

The owl took off again, and Harry gave a shriek, pointing at it. He was clearly more interested in the bird than his father's commentary about the mail.

"Did you say that's from Dana?" Lily asked as she took the eggs from the pan to a plate.

"Yes," James replied as he opened the letter.

Lily gasped. "Did she have the baby?"

James grinned as a letter and a picture fell into his hands. "Unless she's taken to sending us pictures of random newborns, I'd say so!"

"Look at you!" Lily exclaimed, picking up the picture. As she watched, the baby stretched and yawned. "You are the sweetest thing! Harry, look at Aunt Dana's little baby!"

"That's your future wife, Harry," James grinned, looking up from the letter. "Do you think she's pretty?"

Harry tried to grab the picture from Lily's hands. She giggled.

"I think he does." She leaned over James's shoulder to read the letter. "What did she name her?"

James swallowed. "Laura Kathleen," he said.

Lily felt tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Laura Kathleen?" she repeated.

"Yes."

"That's beautiful," Lily whispered hoarsely. "Beautiful."

Dear Remus,

I'm writing to tell you that I'm a mother! My daughter was born last night! She's absolutely beautiful – well, you can see for yourself in the pictures.

I've chosen to name her for two of the sweetest, most genuine people I've ever known – two people who, through no fault of their own, were only given a short time to live their lives. She's Laura Kathleen, Remus, and I hope that she can live up to the legacies that those two wonderful women left behind. I hope that by giving her their names, I can help her to become as good of a person as they both were.

I know that I should have asked you before I just gave her that name, but I sort of wanted it to be a surprise. I had been thinking about naming her Kathleen ever since I found out that I was pregnant, but I actually decided on Laura Kathleen the day that Olivia wrote to tell me that our Laura had died. I know that I should have told you when we discussed baby names that day, but I just couldn't. Aside from the surprise, I was a bit afraid that you'd say no. Please don't be upset, Remus. I did this to honor Laura's memory, and so that a little bit of her could live on forever.

If you'd like, I can send you more pictures. She really is a sweet little girl. I know you'll love her. I can't wait for you to meet her.

Take care of yourself. You're always in my thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Dana

Remus sighed, and put the letter aside. He held the picture in both hands, watching as the small baby sucked on her fist. He smiled in spite of himself. She really was cute.

"Hello? Remus?"

Remus put the picture down on the table with the letter. "I'm in the kitchen, Lily!"

Lily came in from the living room with a smile. "Hi," she said.

"Hi," he replied. "No Harry today?"

"Harry's with Grandma for the afternoon," Lily smiled. "I wanted to come and see you before I have to go pick him up." She sat down across from him at the table. "Have you heard Dana's news?"

Remus lifted the letter and picture off the table. "Just read it."

Lily looked at him, unable to form her thoughts into coherent sentences. Remus seemed to understand the questions in her eyes.

"It's sort of tough," he said. "But she's right – it's a beautiful name. With ladies like Laura and Kathleen as her namesakes, I'm sure this baby will be a wonderful person."

"And you're okay with it?"

Remus sighed, and stood up, pacing away from Lily. He paused to look out the window.

"I think it's exactly what I needed."

Lily frowned, slightly puzzled. "What you needed?"

"Yes." He sighed again, and turned back to face her. "Ever since Laura died, I've forgotten to live. I've just been in this house, accepting visitors but never talking to them, watching others but never joining them . . . I've been doing exactly what Laura was afraid I would. That's why she made me promise to go on with my life – she knew I wouldn't on my own." He paused, and drew a deep breath. "But this baby – this little Laura – is a symbol of the future. She's a sign that life will go on, and that Laura can live on through her family and all of us. She'll only truly be gone if we all forget her. Dana has found a way to make sure that that never happens."

Lily swallowed hard. "We'll never forget her."

"No," Remus said, "and now we never can." He ran his hands over his face. "I do need to get on with my life, though."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't keep living in the past like this. I need to . . . change some things. I need to find my own place in the world."

"What are you saying?" Lily asked with concern.

"I'm going to find a new place to live," Remus declared. "I'll stay in the UK," he added, seeing the fear in Lily's eyes. "I just can't stay here in this house anymore. I can't be surrounded by all these memories of her all the time. I can't move on if I'm constantly reminded of the past."

"Just don't try to go to far too fast, Remus," Lily said softly.

Remus smiled, and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry, Lily. I'm not going to run away from all of you. I'll always be your friend."