DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER

December 5th, 1981

The war was officially over. Many Death Eaters had now been turned in and sent to Azkaban. Although some like Nott, Avery, Crabbe and Goyle had escaped by claiming to be under the Imperius curse, things had become relatively safe now. Sure, it would take time for things to get back to normal, but now, it was safe enough for the Potters as well as Amelia and Susan to come out of hiding.

Peter Pettigrew's mother had been heartbroken upon hearing that her son had joined the Dark Lord and had betrayed and endangered an innocent child and his parents. Just the day after Karakaroff's trial, she had died of a broken heart. Her funeral had been held the very next day. The Marauders had been there in attendance out of respect. They had known her to be a sweet lady, and while no one at the funeral had felt sorry for Peter, everyone had felt sorry for the poor old mother.

Just the previous day, the Minister of Magic, Millicent Bagnold, had awarded the Marauders for their efforts in the war. Unfortunately, Remus had ended up revealing to her that he was a werewolf, and she had been inclined to not give him anything. However, James, Sirius and Severus had declared that Remus was a good man despite being a werewolf, that he had done as much as they themselves had done in the war, and that if Remus was not recognized for his efforts, then they would not accept any award. Finally, the minister had awarded all of them with the Order of Merlin, First Class, mainly for capturing the Lestranges. She had even promised to keep Remus' werewolf identity a secret out of respect. He was no Fenrir Greyback. That was for sure. The incident had left her wondering if werewolves were really as bad as they were believed to be, leading her to decide to seek Dumbledore's advice.

Currently, a silver van was driving down a highway near the city of London, carrying a group of witches and wizards. In the driver's seat sat Severus, who as well as Sirius, Remus and James had obtained their driving licenses shortly after graduating from Hogwarts upon Lily's insistence. Sitting in the front row next to Severus were James and Remus, the former occupying the window seat. In the middle row, Sirius was sitting in between Amelia and Marlene, and in the back row, Lily was sitting in between Harry and Susan who were strapped in booster seats.

It was currently 1 pm and they had not been able to find a suitable house so far.

Sirius whined, "How long does it take to find a house? Why does every one turn out to either be too small or sold?"

Severus growled, "Quit whining Sirius Black, can't you see I'm driving?! And don't even think about Potter Manor! Even it was still standing, it would not do."

Lily smiled in agreement. She certainly did not want Harry to develop a big head like his father had in the past.

Amelia looked at Sirius with a mischievous look in her eyes and said, "Do you want me to marry you or not, Serious?"

Sirius went white in the face, causing Marlene to giggle.

A few minutes later, Sirius grumbled, "I'm hungry. It's already past 1 pm! Can't we stop somewhere to eat now?"

Marlene spoke up, "You know, he's actually right there. We really should eat something now, and the babies shouldn't eat too late."

Severus pulled off the highway at the closest exit and moved down the street. A few minutes later, he caught sight of a particular restaurant that Lily and James had once taken him to for his birthday and moved into the parking lot.

Once Severus had parked the van, the entire group, all dressed in jackets, got out and moved towards the building. Amelia and Lily who were wearing caps carried Harry and Susan who were also wrapped up in warm clothes.

They entered the building and sat in the waiting area for their turn as the restaurant was a bit crowded that day. Luckily, there just happened to be a few people waiting, so they had no problem finding seats. The adults all sat on a bench while the toddlers played with a couple of plush dragons.

Just then, Lily noticed a small bushy brown haired girl looking up at a vase containing flowers placed on a nearby window ledge, which was quite high for her. Suddenly, a yellow flower emerged from the vase and came floating towards the girl, who took it and let out a cry of delight.

Harry and Susan noticed her and went closer to her. The girl proceeded to touch Harry's plush dragon with the flower before putting it in Susan's hair and smiling widely.

And then she looked at Harry and said in a cute baby voice, "Hi, my name is Hermione. Do you want to play?"

Harry cried out, "Pway!"

Susan hugged the girl and cried out, "Pway pwease!"

Hermione hugged Harry and Susan and squealed in delight.

Lily smiled at the scene and turned around to Severus who was sitting next to her on her right side saying, "Sev, did you see that?"

Severus who had observed the scene whispered, "I saw it all. I think she is magical. Neither Harry nor Susan were looking at her or the vase when that flower flew out towards her."

Lily went back to looking at the scene and observed a couple nearby, which she assumed must be the girl's parents. They were looking quite happy, yet seemed to be a little worried.

She went up to them and said, "Hello, is that little girl your daughter? She's quite sweet."

The woman smiled and said, "Yes. That's our daughter Hermione. She's two years old. Are those children yours? They're so sweet!"

Lily smiled and said, "That's my son Harry his friend Susan. It was just so cute when your girl put that yellow flower in Susan's hair."

Suddenly, she went a little pale in the face and stuttered, "About the flower, how it came out, I, I can explain…"

Lily sat down next to her and said, "Oh no, don't worry! There's no need to explain how it came out the vase. I understand."

The man turned to her and asked, surprised by her response, "Wait, you do?"

Lily smiled and said, "It's something that's not easy to explain, but for sure, I can definitely tell you right now, that your daughter has a unique talent, a special gift."

The couple smiled upon hearing that it was something positive. The man spoke, "Could you please tell us about that special gift? Do you have it too? I'm just worried people may not look at it in the right way."

Just then, James who was standing nearby spoke up, "Of course we can, but it's not going to be easy for you to believe it."

The man looked at him smilingly as James sat down next to him and said, "That would be really great. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Daniel Granger, simply, Dan Granger, and this is my wife, Emma Granger. The small girl you noticed is my daughter Hermione Granger."

Lily replied, "It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Granger. I'm Lily Potter and this is my husband James Potter. The people over there nearby are my brother Severus and our friends Sirius, Amelia, and Marlene."

Dan replied, "Nice to meet you too. And by the way, please, just call us Dan and Emma."

Just then, a waiter came up to them and announced, "Mrs. Potter, we have a few tables ready for your group now. Mr. Granger, your reservation is now free as well."

Lily scooped up Harry and Susan and said, "Look's like we've got to find a table now. You're welcome to join us for lunch."

Dan and Emma looked surprised at that. Emma replied, "Thank you so much Mrs. Potter."

Lily said, "Please, just call me Lily."

A few minutes later, the group plus the Grangers were sitting at large table near a window. Harry was seated in between Lily and James, right opposite Susan who was seated in between Sirius and Amelia. Hermione was sitting right next to Harry in Lily's lap as they all sat waiting for their food.

Finally, the food arrived and everyone started to eat. Lily, James and Severus together explained to the Grangers that Hermione's 'special gift' was not something that could be given, but was inborn. Dan and Emma were quite happy that their daughter was 'gifted', and that she would be able to learn how to use her 'special talent' when she was older. Although this was rather new and unbelievable for them, their minds were open, something which Severus observed and felt happy about. He thought, "They are nothing like those horrible Dursleys! Hermione will surely be a good influence on Harry and Susan. She is a sweet girl."

It turned out that Dan and Emma were dentists. Severus appreciated that they didn't brag about themselves the same way Vernon had done four years ago. They were nice people, and no one seemed to be uncomfortable with them.

Finally, they all finished their meal and paid their bill. As they all stepped outside the restaurant, Hermione suddenly cried out, "Want to play with Hawwy and Susie!" Emma held her and said, "Sweetie, we have to go and do our shopping now. Besides, you'll need a nap. But soon, how about we schedule a play date and then you all play? Good idea, right?"

Hermione went silent and smiled immediately and Emma kissed her saying, "That's a good girl." She then turned to the magical group and said, "It would be nice if we could get our kids together more often. Your kids are just so sweet! Where do you live?"

James was surprised to hear that and he replied, "Actually, we're in the process of looking for a house that's big enough for all of us. We still haven't found one yet."

Suddenly, Dan's eyes widened with surprise and he immediately pulled out a card and handed it to James saying, "If you're looking for a house that's big enough, you're in luck. There's one right next to ours that's for sale, and it's quite big. I think you will like it. Hurry up before someone else gets it! And here's my card if you want to contact me."

James looked at the card, Dan's office card containing his office phone number and home phone number. Dan continued, "One more thing. My address is No. 8, Woodland Drive, Wimbledon."

Lily's eyes widened and she replied, "Thank you, thank you so much."

Without wasting any time, the magical group got into their van and drove towards the prescribed address. When they reached Woodland Drive, they were greeted by the sight of a pretty looking neighborhood.

They drove up to No. 8 and stopped right outside. Just right next to No. 8 was No. 9. It was a pretty big house and was painted white. Just outside, there stood a middle aged man with a grey beard, wearing a blue jacket and a red cap.

As the group stepped out, the man cheerfully waved and shouted, "Well hello everyone. You look like you're looking for a nice place. Well, you're in luck."

James walked towards him and spoke, "Hello Sir. Yes, we are looking for a good place to live. We were informed that the house next to No. 8 is for sale."

The man smiled and responded, "And rightly informed, you have been. This place is indeed for sale. Now if you're looking for a place for all of you to live in, I think this one will suit you. And by the way, my name is Mr. Jones."

James shook his hand saying, "I'm James Potter, nice to meet you."

Mr. Jones replied, "Pleasure to meet you too Mr. Potter. Now come on inside please."

With Amelia carrying Susan and Marlene carrying Harry, the group followed Mr. Jones into the house.

It was quite a big house. Upon entering, they saw a living room on their left side and a staircase leading upstairs on the right. The front room itself was quite huge, and separated by a low wall, so it was essentially a two-in-one room. The second part could be used both as a conference room and as a dining room. A little further, there was a kitchen big enough to be used as a dining room for all of them as well, once they got a table big enough. Connected to the kitchen, was a second living room, and a sliding glass door led to the backyard.

The backyard itself was quite large, and there were a few trees, some of which were close together. There was so much space to run about.

As the group wandered through the backyard, they found themselves admiring the beauty and size of the place. This was definitely a nice place. Severus and James were discussing what they could do in the backyard. Everyone shared several ideas; a swimming pool in one corner with waterslides, a tree house when the Harry and Susan were a little older, maybe three of four.

Going up the staircase, they found themselves in a corridor where they found six rooms that could be used as bedrooms and another big room that could serve as a playroom. One bedroom would be for James and Lily, one for Sirius and Amelia, one for Severus and Marlene, one for Remus, and the last two for Harry and Susan. There happened to be a small room beyond the second living room, next to a bathroom. That could serve as a guestroom. There was a bathroom just before the room which James and Lily would share with white and green tiles, and a comfortable looking bathtub.

For now, Sirius and Amelia as well as Severus and Marlene would be sleeping in separate rooms, the boys in one room and the girls in the other until Sirius and Amelia got married. Lily already had a feeling that Severus and Marlene would soon be together in marriage.

After around thirty minutes of exploring, the entire group decided that they liked the house and that it was the best choice. And soon, after signing a contract and handing over a cheque for the amount prescribed, to be charged from Gringotts directly but under the name of a muggle bank (a wizarding agent would handle the transfer in order to avoid breaching the Statue of Secrecy), No. 9 now belonged to the family.

It had now been two days since the family had bought the house which was now suitably furnished. While the furniture was being arranged, Dan and Emma who had been home at that time had watched Harry and Susan. Luckily, all of Harry's toys had been salvaged from the ruined cottage on Godric's Hollow, as had Susan's from Bones Manor, which was in quite a terrible condition. Most of Lily and James' things had been spared in the explosion that had occurred that Halloween night. Some shopping had had to be done, but everything had gone smoothly.

That night, the family had just had dinner and the kids were playing in their new playroom being watched by Remus. Severus and Marlene were standing in the front living room by themselves while everyone else was upstairs.

"So Severus, how do you feel about all this?" Marlene asked.

Severus replied, "This is the best place we could have found. It's in the Muggle world and Harry and Susan now have a new friend that just happens to be Muggleborn."

Marlene smiled and commented, "And this neighborhood is so much more interesting than Privet Drive. So utterly boring! What do you think?"

Severus sighed. He and Marlene had both seen Privet Drive before at some point during the war while tracking down a few Death Eaters and it was indeed very boring. Plus, Petunia and Vernon had seen them that night and had demanded that they leave at once. Living in Privet Drive would have been very unpleasant.

He turned his thoughts towards Marlene and said, "You know, now that we've all settled here, there's something between us that I'd like to discuss."

Marlene had a twinkle in her eye as she asked, "And just what is that something?"

Severus bent down to one knee, pulled out a blue box, and opened it to reveal a gold ring with a green gemstone that he had recently gotten in Diagon Alley. Holding it out to her, he asked, "Marlene McKinnon, will you marry me?"

Marlene looked at him in awe before slipping her left ring finger through the ring, pulling him up and declaring, "Oh yes! I will marry you Severus Snape!"

She pulled him towards her in an embrace and fiercely kissed him.