A/N: This chapter is from Sirius's POV.
...
14 February 1980
Remus stared at the picture enclosed in Dora's letter. Sirius stood on the other side of the bars, murmuring healing and diagnostic charms on his best-friend-turned-inmate. He reminded himself to bring healing potions with him at the next visit, as Remus's multiple broken ribs would heal best with Skele-Gro. Remus's head was bent over as he read through Dora's letter, taking several pauses to inhale the scent of the parchment in between reading its contents. When Remus's head was upright again, Sirius would cast a Shaving Charm, and if he had time, a few hygienic charms.
"Well? What does it say?" Sirius said, arching a brow at Remus.
"It's a boy and a girl," Remus said hoarsely. "I'll have a son and a daughter."
"Congrats."
Sirius tried not to sound so curt, but he found little to be happy about lately. He had been happy to hear that James and Lily were expecting, until Dora and Dumbledore mentioned something about a prophecy and the Potters' child being doomed to be Voldemort's mortal enemy. He had been happy that Dora and Remus had finally worked things out, until Remus got her pregnant and she married Rabastan Lestrange instead. Rather than be joyful of the prospect of two nephews and a niece that summer, he worried how long the Potters' child would live, or whether Remus would make it out alive from Azkaban.
"She's going to call them Leo and Lyra," Remus said softly, pointing to the names in the letter.
"Classic names for Black offspring."
"I like them."
"You do?" Sirius's brow went up into his forehead.
"Tell her I like them. I don't care what she calls them."
"Why not? They're your kids as much as they are hers."
"I'm never going to meet them," Remus whispered, pained. "It doesn't matter what I think."
"Don't say that." Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and scrunched his eyes closed. "Do you actually like those names or can I tell her something else?"
"Leo and Lyra are perfect."
"If that's what you want." Sirius sighed and looked through the bars of the cell. "Come closer so I can give you a shave and maybe wash your hair." Remus stepped forward, limping and holding the side of the cell for support. Sirius tried not to wince. Remus still wasn't fully healed from the last full moon. Repeated transformations without regular healing might be his undoing.
"How is she?" asked Remus, once Sirius had shaved off the last of the scraggly, matted beard.
"Fine, last I checked. Don't know if she was telling me the truth – you know how it is with her. She's getting bigger."
Remus nodded faintly. He took a few shallow breaths – Sirius worried over the broken ribs that weren't properly healing – and he asked, "Lily and James and Peter?"
"The Potters are expecting a kid at the end of July too. Pete's still taking care of his sick mum."
"That's…good." Remus held the bars tightly with his scarred hand; his other kept Dora's letter clutched to his chest while his legs shook slightly from the effort of standing. His brows knit together and he shivered in the cold cell.
Sirius felt a surge of heartbreaking pity. Dumbledore promised that he'd do everything in his power to get Remus out of Azkaban when the war was over. However, given Remus's lycanthropy, Sirius knew there was a slim chance he would even live to see the end of the war.
"Err…how are you?"
"How do you think? I'm a month into a life sentence."
"I'll try to bring you some things for next month," Sirius mumbled. "Healing potions, maybe."
"Anything helps."
"Right." Sirius didn't know what to say. He didn't want to give Remus any false hope, even if it would be sucked out by the dementors' mere presence around the prison.
Mad-Eye came clunking towards them, indicating it was time to go.
"I'll be back in a month, Moony."
"Hmm."
"Take care, okay?"
Remus shuffled back into a corner of the cell and sank down to the cold, wet stone floor. He held Dora's letter and picture over his heart, breathing erratically.
Mad-Eye took Sirius away, and as they crossed the North Sea in a rickety boat, he wondered if it was the last time he'd see his friend alive.
…..
28 February 1980
"I'm not calling our son Godric," Lily said irritably. "I know we're Gryffindors, but that's too much too put on him!"
"C'mon, Lily. Gryffindor parents? Going to be born in Godric's Hollow? How could we not?" James protested. Sirius chuckled at them; they'd just announced they were expecting a boy, which meant they were investing more time in choosing their son's name.
"I'm going with Lily on this one, mate," Sirius said. "Even Dora's kids will have better names."
The temperature in the room dropped instantly. Sirius knew he had made a mistake as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth. Only a handful of people – Sirius, Andromeda, Mad-Eye, and Dumbledore – knew that Dora's children were Remus's. Everyone else believed the cover story – Dora had a one night stand with Rabastan Lestrange and was now carrying his twins. They had a hasty marriage, and in a jealous fit of rage, Remus killed Rabastan at January's full moon.
Everyone blamed Dora for the tragedies, assuming it had been her choice to betray Remus and marry Rabastan. James, Lily, and Peter loathed Dora for all she'd done to Remus.
An awkward, tense silence filled the room. James cleared his throat and asked, "How do you know that?"
"I assume as much," Sirius lied. "Black witches usually name their kids after constellations. I'd think she'd want to follow the tradition."
"I still can't believe what she did to Remus," James said, his hazel eyes shining with fury. "She gets together with him after a bloody one night stand and instead of getting rid of the mistake she made, she digs her heels in, and breaks his heart."
"It's not as if she needed to marry that brute," Lily said, disgusted. "We knew she was a double agent but there was no need for her to do that."
"Never mind. Doesn't matter," Sirius muttered. "Shouldn't have brought it up."
Sirius was spared from the awkwardness when there was a knock at the door. James opened the door, clapping Peter on his back in a hug, and welcomed him inside the home.
"Peter! I've got some potions for your mum," Lily said warmly. "I was brewing potions earlier for Remus and made extra for her." Lily put a basket full of potions near the door for Peter, next to the basket for Sirius to take to Azkaban in March.
They all settled in the living room. James popped a biscuit into his mouth and Lily rolled her eyes at him, and Sirius gazed upon them both, wondering if either of them would live much longer either.
"What's that look on your face, Padfoot?" asked James, smiling crookedly at him. "Looking awfully serious there." Peter chortled next to him and Lily shook her head exasperatedly.
"Nothing," Sirius said quickly. "I've got loads to tell you."
"Well, go on." Lily settled next to James on the sofa and Sirius now had three sets of eyes on him.
"Dumbledore's got a special task for us – only the three of us. No one else in the Order knows about this." No one had reacted poorly yet, so Sirius ploughed on.
"There's no easy way to say this…but we've got to kill the Lestranges but make it look like an accident."
"You're joking." James's jaw had fallen open. Lily gaped at Sirius, and even Peter had squeaked, surprised by the announcement.
"I'm not. They've got to die but Voldemort can't know we're after them. He can't know it's us who killed him. He can't think it was planned, either."
"Why?" asked Lily, her piercing, emerald green eyes steady on Sirius. "Also…how? That bloke Rodolphus is a giant oaf but Bellatrix? Pandora?"
"Wait – we're not doing anything to Dora," Sirius said suddenly.
"But she's a Lestrange now," Peter said, confused.
"She doesn't count – she's barely a Lestrange. It's Rodolphus and Bellatrix we're after." Lily, James, and Peter all glanced at each other warily. "And I forgot to add – we should be keeping an eye on Dumbledore while we're at it."
"That seems easier – but why?" James said, adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Why all the secrecy?"
"The Lestranges don't have a plot against Dumbledore, do they?" Lily chimed in.
"Are you sure Dumbledore didn't want to include Pandora?" Peter added.
"Dora is off-limits. I know we're pissed at her but that's coming from Dumbledore himself." Sirius ran a hand through his hair and continued. "I don't know all the details, but this is what he's asked of us. Are you in or out?"
"Let me get this straight," James said slowly. "We need to kill Rodolphus and Bellatrix Lestrange but make it look like an accident. We're also to tail Dumbledore?"
"That's about the size of it, yeah," Sirius confirmed.
"Why us?" asked Lily. "Why only the four of us?"
"Lily's pregnant! She can't be going on these dangerous missions anymore!" James said abruptly, smacking his palm to his forehead. "Dumbledore's barmy if he thinks he can risk my kid's life!"
"No one said I had to be the one to kill them," Lily said coolly. "I'm perfectly capable of planning a murder from this couch."
"That's the spirit," Sirius said, cracking a smile. "I think he means to have Lily do more of the planning and note-taking. Prongs, Wormtail, and I will do the rest."
"B-but how are we going to kill them?" Peter said shakily. "No offense, but your cousin's a lunatic!"
"No offense taken. I've got no idea how we'll kill them. I don't think we've got to kill them together, either. It's probably better if we space their murders out – better to look accidental that way."
"We could try Muggle methods," Lily said hopefully, as Sirius, James, and Peter all eyed her strangely. "What? Have you never heard of antifreeze?"
"It's a charm," James said blankly, and Lily shook her head, muttering about the inadequacy of Muggle Studies at Hogwarts.
"Never mind," Lily muttered. "I'll help you plan with accidental magical methods."
"So you agree?" Sirius said, meeting the others' gazes. "We'll keep an eye on Dumbledore and kill my cousin and her husband?"
"Is it going to help us beat Voldemort?" James asked, in an unusually somber tone. "And get Moony back?"
"That's what I'm told."
"Count me in."
"Me too," Lily added.
"M-me three," Peter said nervously.
Sirius let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Let's get to work, then."
…..
14 March 1980
Crack.
Sirius broke another one of Remus's bones with a spell. Remus howled in agony, and Sirius handed him a bottle of Pain Relief Potion, chased by a vial of Skele-Gro, and finally, a conjured glass of water to wash out the taste.
Remus almost choked on the water, coughed violently for several minutes, and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He slid against the wall and uttered a strangled cry from the back of his throat once he fell to the floor.
"I'm sorry, mate," Sirius said, holding his fist to his mouth to keep from retching.
Remus had been barely holding himself together since the last full moon. His bones had broken so that many of them were protruding from his flesh and Sirius had to rebreak five bones to reset them so they'd heal properly. It was excruciating for Remus and agonizing for Sirius to inflict any further pain on his friend, even if it was for his own good.
"Take this." Sirius handed another vial of Pain Relief Potion through the bars of the cell and Remus swallowed it promptly. "Is it any better?"
"A little," Remus croaked, holding his palm to his ribcage. Sirius hoped that the Skele-Gro would work to fix the cracked ribs he'd detected with a diagnostic charm, but it would take at least a night or two to determine if it was successful. By then, Sirius would be gone and Remus would be alone again.
"This will take your mind off of things." Sirius handed a letter to Remus from Dora. Remus barely managed to open it with his shaky hands, but he got it out of the envelope and read.
Sirius murmured a charm to trim Remus's beard. It was pointless to shave it off completely, Sirius decided, as it provided an extra layer of warmth. He trimmed the beard and Remus's shaggy hair until they looked halfway decent. He was about to cast a simple cleaning charm on Remus's clothes when he saw a tear roll down his friend's cheek.
"What's wrong?" Sirius asked immediately.
"Nothing…I miss her. I miss them. I don't even know them but I miss them." Remus held up another image from Dora's latest visit to St. Mungo's. Two vague, human-shaped blobs labeled "A" and "B" shifted in the picture.
"That'll be the pack bond? Why you miss them?"
"Maybe," Remus said, staring down at the picture. "It's like something's missing from my body…or my soul. I can't describe it."
"You don't need to." Sirius eyed Remus carefully. While physically weaker – he was gaunt and haunted-looking – Remus's eyes were flecked with gold. They were bright and alert, which prompted Sirius to add, "You're peaky but your mind's still there, I see."
"They can't take this away from me," Remus said softly. "They're keeping me alive."
"Err…all right."
"It's hard to explain. They can take every happy memory away from me but they can't take away the knowledge."
"The knowledge that you've got kids?"
Remus nodded. "I know they'll probably never meet me but as long as they're all right…I can die with a clean conscience. I don't have to survive. They do." He traced his finger around the two shifting blobs in the picture as another tear fell down his cheek.
"You all do," Sirius said, his voice cracking. "You'll all see this through."
"Take care of them for me," Remus whispered. "Leo and Lyra. Please take care of them when I can't, Sirius."
"I'll take care of them with you." Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat and added, "I promise I'll be there until you're out of here."
"Thank you." Remus didn't take his eyes off of the picture in his hand, even when he made his goodbye to Sirius and Mad-Eye. Sirius wasn't sure how it kept Remus sane, but he promised himself he'd give everything he had to ensure Remus and Dora's children made it into the world safely.
…..
2 April 1980
"Snape isn't in on this, is he?" James whispered under the Invisibility Cloak, eyeing their former classmate from the other side of the Hog's Head.
"I've no idea," Sirius replied truthfully, drawing the hood of his cloak over his head. "I'd ask Dumbledore but he's upstairs with that batty woman."
James kept a wary eye on the spot where Severus Snape and Rodolphus Lestrange were sitting. He frowned, nursing a glass of firewhisky, and wondered what was going on. He swirled the amber liquid in its glass, taking stock of the night's mission. Dumbledore was finally away from the castle; thus, Sirius, James, and Peter had followed him wherever he went.
It was almost Easter, and with the time off from his usual duties at the school, Albus Dumbledore was interviewing candidates for an open post. Sirius assumed it was Defense Against the Dark Arts – those teachers never lasted more than a year – though the eccentric witch who went upstairs to interview with Dumbledore looked less like a professor and more like a colorful insect.
"Wormtail is up there, yeah?"
Sirius nodded. "I convinced Dumbledore to let Wormy sit in one of his pockets. He'll tell us if he hears anything out of the ordinary."
"What about us?"
"We keep an eye on those two." Sirius cocked his head to one side, gesturing in the direction where Snape and Lestrange were sitting. "But we should split up. You stay under the Cloak and I'll become Padfoot."
"Where will we go?" asked James.
Sirius glanced at Snape and Lestrange, who were bent over their drinks and speaking in hushed tones. He replied, "You try to get closer to them to hear what they have to say. I'll go upstairs and sit outside the room Dumbledore's in and keep an eye out from there."
They maneuvered themselves out of their seats, careful not to let the hem of the Invisibility Cloak ride up to reveal their feet, and went outside to regroup. Sirius transformed into Padfoot and slipped back inside the Hog's Head. He ran upstairs, sniffing quickly until he found the familiar scents of Wormtail and Dumbledore emerging from the bottom of a drafty door.
From where he lay, Sirius could hear Dumbledore's side of the conversation quite well, but the witch's voice was harder to hear. He trotted to the next room over, which was fortunately empty, and pressed his furry ear against the wall. He was thrilled when he found a hole in the wall that made hearing the conversation easy and kept his floppy ear against it, thankful for his elevated canine sense of hearing.
"Now that we've discussed your qualifications, Sybill," Sirius heard Dumbledore say tiredly, "why don't you tell me about your teaching philosophy?"
"The Inner Eye cannot be taught," the woman called Sybill replied in a mystic, ethereal tone. "The Inner Eye is a gift…it is bestowed upon only the rarest souls…my family was blessed with my great-great-grandmother Cassandra Trelawney's gift of Sight…and now my own…but it is never taught."
"I see. How would you suggest teaching Divination if only the 'rarest soul' is granted the gift of the 'Inner Eye'?" Dumbledore asked, his voice clearly betraying his impatience. Sirius stifled the urge to bark. The Sybill witch was apparently the great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer, Cassandra Trelawney, but it was obvious that the 'gift' of Sight came with a bizarre personality.
"I shan't expect my students to learn how to See…but they can come to appreciate the art of Divination…their appreciation shall be enough."
Dumbledore sighed quietly. Following the sigh, Sirius thought he smelled new people coming upstairs, but dismissed them as passers-by on their way to their rooms at the inn; they didn't quite smell like what he'd associated with Snape and Lestrange's scents. Besides, thought Sirius, Wormtail was inside the room with Dumbledore and James kept an eye on Snape and Lestrange downstairs. Sirius leaned his ear against the hole in the wall to listen closely.
"If I may, Sybill," Dumbledore said politely, "I believe I will be going in a different direction with the post. Though your qualifications are…impressive…I am looking for a candidate with more teaching experience."
Sybill Trelawney muttered something under her breath that sounded an awful lot like, "No one appreciates my Gifts!" and Sirius heard the shifting of feet on the floorboards.
Suddenly, a harsh, hoarse voice rang out in the room.
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…"
A scuffle broke out in the corridor outside the room. Sirius padded out of the room and transformed back to a human instantly upon seeing James, Snape, and Lestrange engaged in a fistfight. Sirius wasn't sure who was attacking who, but the barkeep from the Hog's Head, Aberforth, had come upstairs to see the commotion. With two heavy hands, he pushed James and Sirius back and then grabbed Snape and Lestrange by the collar, throwing them down the stairs. Aberforth grunted in James and Sirius's directions, and the two hurried downstairs to see Snape and Lestrange rushing out of the Hog's Head.
"Did you hear that?" shouted James. "It's about—"
"Shut up!" Sirius yelled. "Not here!"
Peter appeared behind them, panic-stricken, red-faced, and panting. "We've got to get out of here!" he squeaked, as beads of sweat ran down his face. "Dumbledore said it's about—"
"SHUT UP, WORMTAIL! NOT NOW!" Sirius screeched, knowing full well that what he'd heard referred to the prophecy Dora and Dumbledore mentioned before. History was apparently repeating itself and the Potters and their child were now at risk.
Sirius, James, and Peter came out to the cobblestone street outside the Hog's Head. They were immediately accosted by several flashes of light. Somehow, Snape and Lestrange managed to alert others to join them.
"Oh shit," Sirius breathed, realizing there were at least a half dozen Death Eaters surrounding them. One of them sent a sizzling purple curse his way; he dodged it and shouted "Stupefy!"
"Avada Ked—" Bellatrix Lestrange's unmistakable voice called, and Sirius ducked in the nick of time, watching as the Killing Curse set the roof of one of Hogsmeade's shops on fire.
"Protego!" James cast the charm in front of Sirius, before turning toward the Death Eater going after Peter. "Impedimenta!"
"Cruc—" Bellatrix began, pointing her wand at James, and Sirius intervened, casting "Obscuro!" on her. A blindfold appeared over her eyes and she stumbled backwards into a barrel that had rolled out of the Hog's Head.
The two Dumbledores came sprinting out of the pub, wands at the ready.
"Confundo!" Aberforth cast, confusing Snape into dizziness. He ran into a brick wall headfirst and was knocked over by the blow.
Rodolphus was turning on the spot ahead; Sirius knew he'd heard part of the prophecy, and he screamed "Tarantallegra!" at Rodolphus, causing his legs to dance uncontrollably. Voldemort couldn't hear the prophecy, no matter what happened, and the longer he kept Rodolphus and Snape away, the better.
"Petrificus totalus!" The Body-Binding Curse came flying at Peter, knocking him back against the street, but Sirius couldn't do anything about it. He heard Snape's "Sectusempra" from behind him, and he jumped away, watching as Rodolphus bent over, screaming, as a wound in his midsection began bleeding profusely.
"Protego!" Sirius cast in front of him, concerned Snape might try to curse him again, and then he shouted "Expelliarmus!" but was unable to get Snape's wand from him.
"Get the runt!" Rodolphus screamed. "He heard it all!" Snape was bent over Rodolphus, muttering quickly, and the blood began seeping back into his body. From the corner of his eye, Sirius saw Aberforth knock a different Death Eater unconscious, sending him flying into the Hog's Head bound and gagged.
"Langlock!" yelled Sirius, hoping to stop Snape from healing Rodolphus – it would've been perfect if he died from the injury – but Snape sent a "Stupefy!" at Sirius. He sidestepped around the red flash of light, missing it narrowly, and watched in horror as Rodolphus was back on his feet with his wand in hand.
"Avada Kedavra!" Rodolphus called, pointing his wand at Sirius. Just as the Killing Curse hit the spot where Sirius just barely avoided being killed, James screamed "Diffindo!" at Rodolphus.
Sirius gaped, momentarily stunned, upon seeing that Rodolphus's wand arm had been cut off cleanly with James's curse. The blood gushed from the wound and Rodolphus bellowed, falling face-down into a puddle of his own blood.
"Crucio!" Bellatrix's Torture Curse came from nowhere, hitting James squarely in the chest. James's bloodcurdling screams were too much to bear, but Sirius had another Killing Curse coming his way.
"GET THE RUNT!" Rodolphus howled. Bellatrix lifted the Torture Curse on James and snatched Peter's petrified body by his robes.
"My son," James gasped loudly. "Petey! My son!"
"For fuck's sake, James," Sirius hissed. He pointed his wand at Bellatrix, knocking her back, and cast a hasty "Rennervate" on Peter.
"Pete," Sirius panted. "I'm sorry – if anything happens…don't tell them anything. Do you promise?"
"I prom—"
A flash of green light came their way. Bellatrix stood, laughing maniacally, watching the green sizzle approach. Sirius ducked, but Peter was a moment too slow.
The Killing Curse hit him square in the chest and he fell over, glassy-eyed and lifeless, onto the cobblestone street.
Bellatrix screamed, realizing she'd hit the wrong target. Before she could send another Killing Curse in Sirius's direction, Snape had grabbed her by the wrist. He held Rodolphus's unconscious, one-armed body in his hand, and with a resoundingcrack, Snape disappeared on the spot with the Lestranges before either of them could be killed in the skirmish.
"FUCK!" Sirius screamed, falling to his knees next to Peter's corpse. James limped over, tears running down his face, as Aurors began Apparating into the street.
"Petey," James said tearfully, as a loud sob tore through his chest. "He's gone…gone!"
"I'm sorry for your loss." Dumbledore appeared next to Sirius and James. His robes were singed and dirtied; his beard was spotted with dried blood, but he was otherwise well after the battle.
"What are we going to do?" Sirius said, heartbroken. "Snape escaped! After all this time – he betrayed—"
"We will discuss this later," Dumbledore said quietly, nodding towards the Aurors, who were currently kept busy by Aberforth and the arrests of three Death Eaters. "We've other matters to attend to."
"He's coming for my son," James choked. "You all heard what that witch said – my son!"
"Precisely, James. Go home to your wife. She and your unborn child are at risk," Dumbledore said solemnly. "Place the Fidelius Charm on your home immediately and do not go anywhere else. Lily will be your Secret Keeper."
"Not me…?" Sirius said, confused.
"Now, James." Dumbledore's tone was harsh and imposing. James, startled and grief-stricken, took one last glance at Peter's body, nodded at Sirius, and turned on the spot.
"What was that about?" Sirius demanded. "What are we going to do about Sn—"
"Sirius, please inform Mrs. Pettigrew of her son's untimely demise. I will arrange the funeral and burial with her. We will discuss the other matters once I speak with a mutual acquaintance."
Sirius huffed angrily. He peered down at Peter's body, already graying in the earliest stages after death. He swallowed the lump in his throat and turned on the spot, trying his best not to Splinch on his way to inform Mrs. Pettigrew that her only child was now deceased.
…..
6 April 1980
"Happy Easter," Sirius said half-heartedly, walking into the Potters' home alone. "Thanks for having me."
"You're practically family," Lily said tearily, hugging him. "How was it yesterday?"
"Depressing." Sirius thought of no better word to describe Peter Pettigrew's funeral. It was small, attended by family and a few Order members. Sirius had gone alone; the Potters were now in hiding, thanks to Sybill Trelawney's prophecy. With Remus in prison and Peter dead, Sirius felt the loneliness acutely.
James shuffled into the room and sank into an armchair. He was unshaved, his patchy facial hair unseemly, but Sirius could hardly talk. The last time he showered was right before Peter's funeral; before that, it had been when Peter was last alive.
"What did Dumbledore have to say?" James said, rubbing his temples in small circles. Lily joined them in the living room, holding a cup of steaming tea in her hands.
"A lot, actually," replied Sirius. "There's a bit of good news…Rodolphus is dead. That Cutting Curse must've hit an artery. He bled out and died about a day after Pete did."
"Good," James said firmly. "One down."
"Yeah…one down, one to go." Sirius cleared his throat, trying not to think that there was one less Marauder alive. "Anyway…Voldemort's convinced it's your kid destined to bring him down. You're to stay in hiding until he's gone."
"That could be years," Lily said, shocked. She turned to James, and he turned his face the other way. "We'll do it, obviously, but how long are we expected to be stuck here?"
"Dora and Dumbledore are planning something. I wasn't given any details, of course," Sirius said bitterly, "but I was told it would be after she gives birth."
"She's due around the same time I am?" Lily asked, lifting a brow at him.
"End of July or early August. You're not the only ones expecting a kid then, either. Frank and Alice have a kid on the way too."
"Dumbledore told you that?" James perked up with a curious look in his eyes. "Why?"
"He told me that prophecy could refer to any one of these kids, except Dora's daughter," Sirius replied, exhaling heavily. "The prophecy doesn't specify whose kid it is but it does refer to them as a 'he.' It could be any boy born at the end of July. The Longbottoms are having a son, Dora's having a son, and so are you."
"I thought you told me that the prophecy said he'd be born to parents who've thrice defied him? Surely Rabastan Lestrange didn't defy—" Lily said, but Sirius shook his head.
"Any time Rabastan failed Voldemort could be considered defiance. We know Dora's defied him, and every time any of us have fought against his Death Eaters count against him. You two have defied him at least three times by now." Sirius bit one of his nails, thinking hard. "But unfortunately for you two, James has a big mouth."
James sunk into his seat and avoided Lily's glare.
"Is it because he announced it was our son who would defeat Voldemort?" Lily said icily.
"More or less. Snape confirmed it."
Lily clapped her hand to her mouth and James sat up, his hazel eyes shining with unhinged fury.
Sirius put his hands up. "Before either of you go after him, it's a good thing. He heard more of the prophecy than he let on. He managed to convince Voldemort that he and Rodolphus heard only about the 'thrice defied' and 'as the seventh month dies' bits. James's little slip-up means the Longbottoms and Dora won't have their sons slaughtered."
"Just ours," James spat. "How generous of him."
"As long as you two stay put, you should be all right," Sirius assured them. "The Longbottoms are putting their house under the Fidelius Charm anyway and Alice is taking the next few months off of work to stay at home. Dora's continuing as a spy."
"Dumbledore told you all of this?" Lily asked dubiously.
"Dora was there when I talked to him," Sirius admitted, as James and Lily's faces contorted into scowls. "Give her a break, okay? She's not enjoying this any more than you are. It's not her kids' fault they're in this mess and they're half hers. She wants them alive as much as you want yours."
Lily exhaled forcefully. "Whatever – where does this leave us?"
"How do you mean?"
"We're just supposed to sit here and wait it out?" James asked. "I can't go on missions? Can't I do what Frank's doing?"
"I dunno…ask Dumbledore. All I know is that you're in hiding now till Dora and Dumbledore kill Voldemort. You'll have to wait." Neither James nor Lily appeared satisfied with this answer, as they exchanged sideways glances with each other.
"And you?" Lily said flatly. "What will you do?"
"Same old, I suppose. Go on missions…visit Moony in prison…survive."
James's brows knit together; the worry lines in his forehead became pronounced. "Don't you still have to kill Bellatrix? If Lily and I can't do anything…and Pete's gone…it's up to you?"
"Yeah…or die trying." James's jaw fell open once Sirius replied. Lily frowned and her green eyes betrayed pity.
"I'll be fine," Sirius said flatly. "You'll see."
Not knowing what else to say, Sirius took a bite of one of Lily's Easter chocolates. It tasted like ash in his mouth, but he expected all food would lose its taste for the foreseeable future.
