Hello my lovelies!

I know I said I was going to post this on the weekend, but some RL responsibilities came up, so it had to be delayed until today!

I've had massive chunks of this chapter written for years, HAHA, but Thor son of Zues left a review wondering if we would be able to see what happened in the two weeks after H & D left, so I fleshed out the beginning bits of this chapter to add more details to that time period from the other Marauder's POV.

Also, buckle up for the next chapter...there may be some unforeseen twists and turns coming your way! ;)

Please leave a review and let me know what you think x

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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.

Flashback

Friday, September 7th, 1979

Potter Manor

"Never wears shoes in the house."

James Potter was standing in the middle of the Foyer, the front door still ajar, the cruel wind from the outside world blowing furiously into the space. Tears marched down his cheeks, and he had been muttering nonsensical things for almost twenty minutes.

"James?" Lily's voice was huskier and deeper than usual as it travelled down the corridor, around the corner, and down the stairs. Moments later, the crimson haired witch appeared, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Lily halted abruptly, her hands dropped from her face. "James?" Lily whispered under her breath, but no sensible response came.

"Was wrong…the bond…never wears shoes in the house."

Panic flew into Lily's veins and she bolted for the stairs, she scrambled down them; she almost tripped and fell as she skipped over stairs, her feet barely gripping each step's surface before she leapt onto the next one.

In moments, Lily's hands were on James's face, wiping away his tears. She made shushing sounds and urged him to tell her what had happened. The blood in her veins went ice cold when he finally collected himself enough to explain.

James had caught glimpses of their empty rooms as he'd chased after them. Hermione and Draco had taken all their belongings, and apparated away without a word of explanation or a proper goodbye.

They were gone, and he didn't know if they were coming back.

Lily had been staring at the toucan for five minutes. She'd been staring at the large orange beak with the swipe of black painted on the tip. The bird's black body with a pure white chest—the white feathers took up most of its neck as well—seemed smaller than it was due to the size of its beak. A ring of azure skin surrounded the bird's beady dark eye and looked like an iris.

The toucan's eye had been locked on her since it arrived, as if studying her intently. Lily was resolutely resolved to remain as still as physically possible. She refused to squirm under its scrutiny; it was unnerving.

Lily fingered the tiny scroll that had been attached to the toucan's left leg, and heaved out a sigh. "Are you waiting for a response?"

The toucan opened its beak and a scratchy, croaking sound filled the room. Then its wings flapped, and off it went. It soared out the window and Lily watched it fly—badly, as toucans are not particularly strong flyers—off until it was a speck in the sky. (In her limited knowledge pertaining to toucans, Lily knew they preferred hopping as opposed to flying, but this one seemed determined.)

It had been three weeks since Hermione and Draco disappeared without a hint of communication. It was dreadful. Foolish hope bubbled up in Lily's chest.

Lily removed the tiny piece of black string holding the parchment closed, and she unrolled it. Disappointment punched her in the gut at how short, how curt it was. There wasn't even an ounce of emotional attachment in the words.

We are safe, don't worry, and don't look for us. Love you all, Draco.

Despite its size, she'd hoped for more than that. For some sort of explanation, some hint at why they'd left. Lily read the words once more before she crumpled the parchment in her hand.

"A bloody toucan," Lily growled. She hurled the balled-up note across the room. She didn't know how she was going to break the news to the boys.

Later, Sirius and James came home to find Lily and Remus sitting at the large dining room table in the room adjacent to the kitchen. The pair were plunged in darkness, and Lily had crawled into Remus's lap. He was stroking her hair, and she was on the brink of tears. Remus's molten gold eyes glowed in the dark.

"What happened?" James asked. Sirius and James lingered in the room's doorway, as if they were barred from entering by some intangible force.

"Draco wrote," Lily croaked with a bitter laugh. "I tossed the note in the corner if you want to see for yourself. Though I can tell you exactly what it says."

"And?" James asked, arms folded over his chest. He pressed his back into the doorframe for support, his head tipped backwards. He closed his eyes and drank in a steadying breath.

"We are safe, don't worry, and don't look for us. Love you all, Draco," Lily quoted the note that had soured her mood since it arrived this afternoon in the middle of her meal. She'd poked at her food after that, her appetite gone. Draco's letter said not to worry, but it was all she could do.

"And?" Sirius pressed.

"Nothing," Remus snarled, his fingers stilling in Lily's hair. "That's all. That's ALL we got. It's been weeks and that's it, Sirius."

Remus had been in a dark place since Hermione and Draco disappeared. He'd woken up, exhausted; with the effects of the Full Moon lingering in his limbs, and his life was forever changed by what he found in the Foyer.

Remus thought this was divine punishment somehow, that he was getting a taste of his own medicine. He finally understood what they must have felt like when he went off and joined the werewolf packs.

James insisted this was different, and they had at least known why he left. This was colder, crueller. They were left completely in the dark.

James and Sirius had already been to visit Dumbledore twice to see if he had any information. The older wizard smiled at them serenely, his eyes twinkling and regretfully informed them that no, he did not have any information.

Remus didn't believe that for a second, and he'd gone to see the man in person after Sirius and James's first visit. He'd caused quite the commotion, but Dumbledore wasn't fazed in the slightest. He screamed, and broke furniture and lost his temper. He'd growled at Dumbledore, his canines bared and his eyes ablaze. "You three always had a strange relationship, and they despised you. Now you are telling me they are gone and you have NO IDEA WHERE THEY ARE? That's bloody likely!"

Since that incident, Albus Dumbledore's name was taboo at Potter Manor. No one uttered it aloud, even though James and Sirius still intended to visit him and see if he possessed any leads on their missing pack members. They weren't fond of the man either, but they needed him.

"They didn't write anything else?" Sirius asked quietly, taking two small steps into the space. The light from the corridor illuminated him from behind.

"It was delivered by a fucking toucan," Lily hissed, burrowing into Remus. Her face was red and blotchy from crying.

"Where did Draco get a toucan?" Sirius wondered aloud. His tone was deceivingly nonchalant.

"Maybe they are somewhere tropical," James said under his breath.

Sirius cowed his head, and his shoulders shook. Remus frowned, and the edge faded from his eyes until they were amber with flecks of gold. A bark of a laugh erupted from Sirius and he fell to his knees. His hands wove into his hair.

"Sirius?" James asked, he'd pried his eyes open and he was staring at his best mate in thick concern.

Sirius's head fell back, and the tears streaming down his cheeks were visible to everyone aside from James. "Why won't they come home?"

The first few days were riddled with shock, which sparked into anger, then the depth of the situation hit them. They had been wallowing since.

For the first week, Mipsy habitually made enough food for six, and laid out six table settings when she was overseeing the meals. Fat tears had sprung from the House Elf's eyes whenever she noticed her mistake. She only needed a few moments to gather herself, and she would swipe away her tears and soldier on as if nothing had happened.

Riley's calm presence was the only thing keeping Sirius sane. He'd wanted to storm across the land, kicking down doors in search of his family. Riley had talked with him at length, helping him come down from his metaphorical ledge. She insisted that they must have a good reason for leaving, and she was sure they were okay.

(Riley never voiced her thoughts on where she suspected they were hiding out. The words were oft on the tip of her tongue, but it felt like a betrayal of Hermione and Draco's trust, so she remained silent on the matter.)

This letter had unravelled weeks of Riley's handiwork. In Sirius's mind, it now appeared that the pair were in fact splendid and they were willingly staying away.

James knelt on the floor beside his friend, enveloping him in his protective embrace, humming a soothing melody and rocking the pair back and forth.

"Why won't they come home?" Sirius repeated, his voice frail and crumbling.

James choked back his own sobs. "I don't know, Padfoot. I don't know."

"Belby recently 'invented' the Wolfsbane potion right? Do you think we could somehow get some from him?" James asked.

"You know, I never really talked to him in school," Lily sighed. "Maybe Dumbledore could acquire some from him?"

Lily tapped her finger against the surface of their shared desk in their room. One leg was folded under her, the other was hanging down, her toes brushing the floor. James was pacing behind her. Something he rarely did, but he was stressed.

The Full Moon was in two days, and Remus was on edge. He'd been so frustrated and angry about the Hermione and Draco predicament, that he'd smashed several phials of the Wolfsbane Potion Draco had left in the icebox. There was enough for a year. And Remus had just smashed three month's worth.

Funnily enough, it was almost three months since Hermione and Draco vanished from their lives, and as time wore on, things only got worse. Not better.

Lily groaned, annoyed that she hadn't paid more attention when Hermione had brewed the potion in front of her during their numerous brewing sessions after they graduated. Hermione and Draco had their own flair, and Remus had commented on the taste being different based on who brewed that month's batch. She remembered some steps, but nowhere near enough to replicate the concoction.

"Maybe we can talk Dumbledore into asking Belby for the recipe?" James suggested.

"I doubt it. That potion is currently a highly desired commodity. I doubt Belby is going to just share it around."

"Even if it's Dumbledore asking?"

"Belby is an intelligent, ambitious wizard. That much was evident from Potions class. Hermione, Draco, Damocles…Severus and I were always at the top of the class. Belby may not have been too outspoken, but brewing came naturally to him," Lily explained wistfully. Lily's mouth fumbled over Severus's name, and a tiny frown puckered her brow before it melted away.

Lily pressed on, turning to look at her husband. "If Dumbledore asked, he would simply up the price and say something like, 'even Albus Dumbledore wants to get his hands on my potion'."

"I'm sure Belby would say the same about you—that brewing comes as naturally to you as breathing does," James replied.

Lily's cheeks pinked. "Rubbish."

"You honestly don't think he'd give some to Dumbledore?" James asked.

"No. I wouldn't if I was him. Besides the old git has been incredibly useless as of late" Lily responded. James grunted in agreement, that was an incontestable fact.

The man was even more vague about details and his plans than ever before, and it was driving the Marauders and company mad. His favourite response was, "all will become clear in time."

Lily continued tapping her finger against her desk, her lips pursed, and her forehead creased as she frowned deeply. "I could reverse engineer Draco's…but since Remus destroyed so much of it, I'm hesitant to experiment with what we have."

"At this point, we may not have a choice."

Unspoken words passed between them. Lily had never worried about recreating the Wolfsbane Potion before because she was confident that Draco and Hermione would always be around. Now they were floundering and trying to figure out what to do in their absence, in a multitude of ways.

The couple stared at each other, and worry creased their features. James strode over to his wife, and crouched down in front of her. James took her hands in his. "I have complete faith that you will figure it out."

"Thank you," Lily said softly, and James placed a kiss to the tops of both of her hands.

James stood, pulling her to her feet with him, and he wrapped her in his arms. Lily buried her face in the soft fabric of his black, form-fitting jumper, and she drank in the woodsy, earthy scent that always calmed her; it grounded her. James was her safe place.

That night, Lily watched her husband as he slumbered. All the tension from the day had melted away, and he looked so innocent and boyish. She brushed the hair off of his forehead, and snuggled into his warmth.

In the darkness, Lily's mind drifted to a conversation they'd had the night they received the letter from Draco. They were in a similar position to the one they were now, the only difference was both parties were awake.

"Do you think they ran away somewhere nice and warm? Like Brazil. There are toucans in Brazil aren't there?"

"Perhaps. I'd personally run away to Barbados."

"James! Maybe they ran away to Barbados and eloped!"

James snorted at the suggestion. "No, I highly doubt that, love."

Quietly, her voice trembling in the dark, Lily spoke, "but the alternative—"

"They are fine. Draco's letter may have been painfully short, but it was clear. They are fine. Besides, I can still feel them through our bonds. It's faint, but it's there, Lily." James did not mention that his bond with Hermione was razor thin, its presence so slight that sometimes he can't feel it. Whereas the intensity of Draco's fades in and out like an undulating wave.

"How about this? Whenever it feels like too much, we can just write down our feelings. We can have a place to vent, so we don't bottle everything up and bloody explode." Lily said, nudging James's cheek with her nose.

The wizard was silent for an extended moment before he nodded once.

"We should keep a journal of sorts."

"I can't guarantee that I'll use it that often."

"Potter."

Lily's hands slid from around her husband and sought out the tiny baby bump she had. It was barely noticeable, and to most others her stomach appeared relatively flat. Lily pressed her lips together and with a sad smile thought, please come home in time to meet them.

An absurd amount of hope remained in her chest, but in spite of it an unshakeable feeling persisted in her gut. Despite James's protestations, she didn't think she would ever see Draco or Hermione again. Lily curled into herself, holding her stomach and fighting off tears. She hoped she was wrong, Merlin, she hoped she was wrong.

Lily and James Potter's Journal

Mione,

It's been a month since you disappeared. I swore I saw Dray two days ago, but perhaps it was wishful thinking.

He was in his animagus form, and he was sitting out in the Orchards. When I spotted him, he hastily bounded off and I haven't seen him since.

From the 'letter' Draco sent us via a toucan, coupled with his likeness appearing before me, I am going to assume that you're both safe somewhere. Also, that there's a perfectly good reason why you've left us. I didn't tell James about seeing Draco…he hasn't been taking your absence well. Truthfully, none of us are. McGonagall was teary-eyed at an Order meeting right after you left, but everyone pretended not to see.

The week after you left, Sirius snuck James out of bed in the middle of the night as if we were students again. I found them on the floor in the drawing room—sharing a bottle of Odgen's Finest—drunk out of their minds.

James started talking to me, I could barely understand any of it since his speech was so slurred. It wasn't a pretty sight. Even though he wasn't speaking eloquently—a lot of it was mangled and garbled nonsense—I got the general gist.

You both came into his life so suddenly when we were eleven, and you've disappeared in puffs of smoke. Remus said you were acting a bit strangely in the days before you left, but the Full Moon was impeding his judgement, so he dismissed it as farcical thoughts.

You had so many secrets Mione, and I wish you would have shared more of them with me. Don't worry, I completely get it. You wouldn't have kept them from me unless there was a good reason.

I can hear James calling for me from the other room. I'm going to get him to start writing here. I'll have to figure out a charm to keep him from peeking at my entries. Or perhaps I'll just have to trust that he respects my privacy.

I'll write soon,

Love,

Your sister, Lily.

Paws,

I was going to write to Mione, but I don't think I can just yet. It's been a month since, well, you know.

I actually don't know how I am writing this. It's hard. It's bloody difficult penning my thoughts. It's bloody difficult writing to you, my own brother. Which is not something I saw coming. Dray, you're my partner in crime right beside Sirius. The one who always kept me grounded and kept my ego in check.

Fuck.

I'm not angry that you left anymore, I'm just hurt.

I don't know what else to say really. Lily told me to start writing entries in my own journal. When I told her I didn't want to, she told me she was going to hex me silly if I didn't. Which is when I told her it wouldn't be anything new. Then she told me no sex...and here I am. I've been roped into sharing a journal with the Missus. Compromise, isn't it a thing of beauty?

I miss you both. You aren't here and something feels like it's just gone. A chunk of me that used to be there is just...gone.

I know you aren't dead. I would feel it if you were. Our familial bond is still there, just faint and oceans away. In Hermione's case it feels like it's being held on by a thread.

I don't know why you left...but I should have seen it coming. You were acting strangely that week. And alarm bells should have gone off as soon as Hermione came into our room with that broken expression. I should have sensed something was wrong.

I hope one day I'll be able to see you again. First, I'll hex you for disappearing like that and worrying the shite out of everyone. Then I won't ever let you go again. I'll put handcuffs on both of you if I must.

It will make intimacy absurdly strange, and Lily will protest, but I'm willing to suffer through it if it means I get to keep you. Merlin, why couldn't I keep you?

The two of you waltzed into my life, forever changing it...and then you sprinted out of it with nary an explanation. I understand that there are some secrets you can't tell me, but why couldn't you stay?

Why couldn't you stay?

Till next time,

Jamie,

Prongs,

James.

Dray,

No one calls me Lilypad anymore. I know that sounds absolutely silly as there is a war going on. People are still disappearing, more people show up dead every day...yet...I can't help but feel hollow when I think about that nickname.

The boys and everyone else avoid saying it. Sirius is the one who is having the most trouble. Almost once a day he catches himself before actually saying the nickname.

I miss you. Besides Remus you're the only reasonable one around here, not including Mione of course. You're both Slytherins at heart I can tell, dressed in Lion's clothing. I wouldn't have it any other way.

James almost got hit with a nasty hex from Dolohov—the missions he's been on have been more dangerous and I am worried. I know if you were here you would know what to do.

Sirius has been volunteering for every Order mission he can in order to distract himself, and Remus is…well Remus hasn't been himself.

Remus may be taking your absence the hardest. He sees it as punishment, as if him leaving for the packs without warning those times caused this. He is inconsolable. Most days he is irritable, more so than I have ever seen him. Moony is restless, and he runs around all night during Full Moons.

Unlike James and Sirius, he doesn't have an outlet for all his emotions. I am trying to keep him preoccupied as we spend most of our time together.

I am barely holding this household together, but I am trying.

All my love,

Lilypad

Draco Potter,

I'm scared. I don't know what to do. I'm not quite sure...but I think I may be pregnant. I'm telling you first because it makes it less scary. Considering you aren't here, and at this point I am almost positive you aren't coming back. I haven't told anyone that, not even James.

If I'm right, then I'm not that far along yet, but I'm pretty sure I'm pregnant, gosh, now I can't stop saying it.

I wish you were both here with us. James—I'm sure he's going to be ecstatic when he hears the news, or at least I'm hoping he will be.

Godric, we are in the MIDDLE of a war, and I'm pregnant. I have impeccable timing. I think I'm going to wait and tell James in a few days. I may book an appointment with a Gynecologist—a Muggle doctor who specialises in women's health, in this kind of stuff—and get them to confirm my suspicions. Then, I'll tell him.

Farewell for now,

All my love,

Lily

MIONE,

GODRIC. FUCK. MERLIN. I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER. Me!

I'm so excited. This is surreal. Somehow I feel like this news isn't going to come as a surprise to you.

Back when I used to be a simpering idiot and talk about having children with Evans—Lily (sometimes I still slip up, okay?). You would give me a knowing look and tell me perhaps we'd have a son that looked awfully like me, but with her eyes. Godric I hope you're right. She has the loveliest eyes.

Shite...I'm going to be a Father. I don't know the first thing about being a Dad! Think. If you were here, you would tell me we had the most amazing Father and to just follow his example...and you would be right, as you almost always are.

It's funny how no matter how much time passes, the pain never really goes away. It transforms. It's not as sharp a pain as it used to be, now it's more an ache that moves through my entire body.

If you guys do end up coming back before he or she is born, then I've decided to make Dray their Godfather and you their Godmother. If not then Sirius will be their Godfather, and Remus their Godmother.

Do hurry back Mione, because honestly, in all siriusness, I can't think of anyone else I would want to have as their Godmother.

Dray—Paws, don't get upset if I do choose Sirius. He's my best mate too.

Lily's a hollering so I'll go see what she needs, a happy witch is a happy wizard after all.

Love,

Prongs

P.S. I fully expect to be made Godfather of all of those little runts you'll one day have running about.

Draco,

My wonderful, beautiful, fearsome wife has had a breakthrough. Remus unfortunately destroyed some of the Wolfsbane potion you left him, and even though Belby has 'invented' it recently, we probably won't be able to get our hands on it easily. So she is recreating yours.

I don't think Belby is even producing it for the public market yet. He is still navigating his way through getting it approved by all the necessary authorities. Something that could take years apparently. Godric knows when we would be able to get our hands on it.

We thought about asking Dumbledore, but the man hasn't been particularly helpful as of late. In fact, it's almost like he's working against us in minute ways. I can't explain it, it's just a feeling I have in my gut.

Lily has been bursting with excitement all morning, she is so pleased with herself. She's positive she'll be able to figure how to recreate your potion over the next few weeks. It makes me happy seeing her glow with her accomplishment. She broke it down to its base components and worked from there.

Just a little update,

James

Mione,

Today wasn't a good day. A few Order members died during a mission. Edgar Bones and his wife were amongst the casualties. Moody lost his eye.

I don't really have anything else to say…it just wasn't a good day and I wish you were here.

James

Mione,

It's horrible. I may be dreaming, or perhaps I am in heavy denial. A couple weeks ago we found out that Alice and Frank are also expecting, and I made a joke about us being belly buddies. That all changed today. Dumbledore gathered the four of us at Headquarters, sat us down, and revealed that there's some stupid prophecy that—I don't want to go into the details…

[The ink was slightly smudged there, and there were dried stains where tears had fallen on the parchment.]

Maybe writing about it will help me wrap my head around everything we learned earlier.

Our baby, or theirs could be the one the prophecy refers to. A baby born in July. Then...then...the gist is that they could be the child to defeat Voldemort. Which means that he will most likely try to murder our child. Mione. My child.

Dumbledore is almost positive that Voldemort knows. Today has not been a good day.

Onto brighter topics, as I need to talk about anything else. I've started to show quite a bit. We're calling them 'Little Fawn' for now. James has a list of ridiculous names that I refuse to entertain.

Another happy thing is James has developed a habit of laying his head on my stomach and singing old, wizarding folk songs. I don't recognise any of them, but there is something hauntingly beautiful about them.

Dumbledore insists that we leave Potter Manor and go to a safe house in Godric's Hollow that will have a Fidelus charm on it. I told him until I'm about to give birth I'm staying right here. Potter Manor has become my home, and I'm not ready to leave it just yet.

All my love,

Lilypad.

[When Hermione would read these words in the future, she would clutch the journal desperately, tears flowing freely. She would want to reach through space and time to when Lily was writing this entry and beg her not to go, to never leave Potter Manor.]

Paws,

Fawn here. Just a quick update. I had the strangest craving to have pickles dipped in yoghurt. Mipsy watched in horror as I took them out of the icebox and proceeded to eat them together. It was delicious. Normally, I would also be disgusted, but it was so good.

I tried pickles and peanut butter last week, and hear me out, whilst the concept is horrid, it tasted wonderful. Although, I admit it didn't taste quite as nice on the way back up.

I would also like to inform you that my feet hurt. Perhaps I can convince James to give me a massage later.

Prongs doesn't judge me for my odd cravings, and he even tried some. It was hilarious watching him go from pretending to enjoy it, to utter disgust in seconds. I am willing to part with the memories so they can be played back in a pensieve. My only condition? YOU COME BACK HOME BEFORE I GIVE BIRTH YOU FUCKING WANKER.

Right, I do hope you are having a lovely day wherever the fuck you are.

All my love,

Lilypad

Dear Draco,

I miss you. As time goes by, it feels more and more like one of my limbs is missing, and I really wish you were here to tell me what to do.

This propehcy is really mucking everything up. Everytime I think things are getting better, or we've been given a break, something else comes along and fucks with any sliver of happiness we can find nowadays. Happy moments are so few and far in between.

Dumbledore keeps pushing for us to go to Godric's Hollow sooner rather than later, but everything in me wants to stay here. Plus, Lily has made up her mind that she is going to stay at Potter Manor as long as she can.

It's kind of hitting me all at once. I'm going to be a Father. Fuck. A Father. Now that concept is even scarier than before, because I'm not just going to have to look after this new, precious life, but we're in the middle of a war, and that in itself is terrifying.

I'll have to raise my child in the middle of a hellish war, and Voldemort himself wanting to murder my unborn child is just fucking splendid. Parenting on its own is going to be tough, but hey, why not sprinkle in some murderous dark lords into the mix?

I fucking hate that prophecy, especially since we all know what tricky business true prophecies can be. If discerned incorrectly, terrible things happen. Although, terrible things are already happening.

The only bright side to any of this, is that I had literally world-saving sex with Evans. That's a horrible joke, but I am trying to find any bit of happiness or humour that I can, all things considered.

Riley and Sirius have been a constant presence through all of this, and Riley constantly brings levity into our lives. The war nor your absence have dulled her shine. She chooses to see the good all around us, and I am trying to follow her example.

If I wasn't already madly in love with Lily, I would have fallen for her all over again. She's such an extraordinary, strong person. She's endlessly worried, but she doesn't let it show. She still jokes around, and she pulled a prank on me the other day. I promise to tell you about it sometime.

I should also mention that she transformed into a deer last week because she wanted to see what she looked like as a pregnant doe, she made me take pictures.

I just, I can't do this without you, and I need my siblings.

Sirius is off...doing something, he may be spending as much time with Riley as he can. I was going to leave it to him to share the good news, but you aren't exactly available, and you may never read this, so here goes. Sirius proposed to Riley the other day.

The pair of them showed up at the Manor, showing off her ring and it gave us something to celebrate in the face of all the fuckery we've had to endure as of late.

Peter has been here and there recently. I'm not sure, he drops a word here and there. He's been distant, but he comes over for supper sometimes and it feels like everything is almost normal.

Remus...Remus is gone again. He went back to the packs.

Sirius isn't happy that Remus broke his promise, but after you left…Remus needed to get away, he needed to feel useful in some way. He tried looking for you, but…well you know how that turned out.

Dumbledore visited a few days before Remus left, they had tea and a private conversation in the Sun Room. His meddling and the way he treated you only makes me more wary of accepting his offer to go to Godric's Hollow.

The only reason Sirius and I went to visit him so often in those months after you left is because we were convinced that he must know something. He probably does and the git just doesn't want to tell us. It's harder and harder to trust what he says these days.

Are you both hiding out on that bluff? The one you purchased. Where we did the blood wards ceremony with Riley. Something inside of me is screaming to go and check, but another more rational part tells me that if you wanted me to find you, you would have told me where you are.

Why did you leave? What secrets are you hiding? What couldn't you tell us because of your stupid Unbreakable Vow?

Just. Fuck. I can't keep doing this, falling asleep in one of your rooms just so I can feel closer to you. Lily often comes and finds me in the middle of the night. I wake up to her sleeping right beside me. Your smell and your magical residue linger in your rooms, and I find that they help battle away the nightmares.

I miss you,

Jamie

P.S. Hermione, you really should get your arse back home. Remus may be gone at the moment, but that does not mean I won't pick him over you as Godmother. Trust me, I'll do it.

Deer Hermione Potter,

The baby is kicking! I've gotten so big now that I can't see my toes when I stand up! Thankfully, my morning sickness has subsided, but in its place I've begun eating pickles with lemon crackle ice-cream. The pickle combination journey continues. Don't judge me. Mipsy still buys both of your favourites from Florean's.

Diagon Alley is a ghost town most days, more than half the shops are boarded up and vacant; gathering dust. Not that I would know firsthand, I haven't been in months. Mipsy regales terrible tales of what she sees when she is there.

I was filled with such awe and wonder when I visited it for the first time, everything magical was so new and exciting. There's no happiness left, it's been drained and bled out by the war. Surprisingly, Florean's is still flourishing. I suppose even Death Eaters like ice-cream.

Hermione, please come home soon. I need my sister with me. I don't know how I am meant to raise my son without you by my side. James will be a wonderful Father, but I want my son to know his Aunt and Uncle. To be surrounded by as much love as possible. Oh, I'm having a boy by the way.

The prophecy spoilt that for us a bit, but, I have been having regular checkups with Alfred to ensure that everything is running smoothly. He confirmed the baby's sex a few days ago. I kept insisting it be a surprise, ha, a surprise, but I finally gave in and asked him to tell us!

You're going to have a Nephew, Mione. Please come home so you can be a part of bringing him into this world.

All my love,

Your sister with swollen feet, Lily

P.S. Remus came home. He's even worse this time around even though he wasn't gone for as long. We called Alfred immediately. Remus has been unconscious for almost a week, but Alfred has been visiting daily to check up on him, and insists that Remus is fine. He says Remus should wake up any day now. Sirius is trying to stay angry at him, but is finding it hard considering Remus's current state.

Draco and Hermione Potter,

I've had enough. I've been worried for fucking months. I no longer care if you want me to find you or not. The baby is meant to come at the end of July. My son is on his way. Your Nephew! Lily cried herself to sleep last night, and all I could do was hold her and stroke her hair. She's scared out of her mind because of prophecies and dark lords and a fucking war that we are too young to be fighting in. Merlin, it's only now hitting me how young we are.

I'm more aware of my mortality because of our baby, he's helping me put things in perspective. Helping me see what's truly important.

It's June first, he'll be here before we know it, and I refuse to let him come into this world without me having tried my best to find you.

Give me a few days. I am coming to find you prats, and you better have a bloody good explanation if I succeed.

Love you, you wankers,

Your beloved brother,

Prongs