Saturday 21st June 1971

Severus' Flat, 11:00

Hospital potions. They were using hospital potions. When there were two perfectly good brewers in their weird little family. Well, technically only one who could do any actually brewing, much to Lily's disgust. And technically James was a good brewer as well but he had little to no experience with more complicated potions like some of the ones Dora and Teddy needed so Severus really couldn't count him.

Which left him. He was a good brewer and he knew it. Far better than the idiots in St Mungo's that were probably making them. Which is why he was going to make them for his friends. Because they deserved quality potions. And he was going to give them that. Because he could. And Teddy and Dora deserved the best. Which definitely wasn't St Mungo's potions. Hmpf.

It would also have the added bonus of him being able to show his Potions Master that he could also do somewhat complex medical potions. Which could only help him in his apprenticeship. Maybe he would be allowed to brew even more complex potions...

But first, Dora and Teddy. He could help them. That's what he was going to do first.

"You do know that you're muttering to yourself, right?" Chryssie asked in amusement, yawning and stretching, making her pyjama top rode up just a little. "And that it's seven in the morning."

"I do not mutter to myself."

"You do. And you left me cold in the bed."

Severus tried not to blush. For all that Chryssie was saying, nothing had happened last night between the two of them. Nothing of note anyway. She had simply come to his flat last night because they were having dinner together and they had just spent all night talking to each other. They had done so much talking that they completely lost track of time and Severus insisted that she didn't apparate anywhere when she was tired. That was just asking for a splinching. So, she stayed.

Of course, he insisted that she take his bed and he was going to take the sofa, like the perfect gentleman. Then they started talking again before he left his bedroom and then before he knew it, he was sitting on his bed next to her, still talking and the next thing he knew that he was waking up, lying across the bed while Chryssie was curled up in a ball next to him, neither of them under the covers.

It was... weird waking up like that. Good but weird. That wasn't how he expected waking up with a girl in his bed would be. Kt was definitely not like anything Sirius had described and he described way too much in Severus' opinion.

He wasn't sure how he even wanted waking up to someone else next to him to feel like. It was all very confusing to him. Severus didn't really do emotions very well. Especially not his own.

And his own emotions had been confusing for him as of late. He liked Chryssie. Really liked her. Was fond of her even. Found her attractive. She was his girlfriend, of course he found her attractive. And he wanted to spend time with. Even more time than they already had been doing. He looked forward to seeing her. He missed her when she was gone.

Which confused him. How could he feel so much about one person?

Wednesday 25th June 1978

Longbottom Manor, 13:30

Alice clenched and unclenched her hands in an effort to stop herself saying something she would regret. Even though she was starting to believe that she wouldn't regret saying something the longer today went on.

Because, you see, her mother had decided to pay her a visit. Well, her and Frank a visit but Frank couldn't make it because he was at work. Alice was jealous. One, because she actually missed worked and two it meant that he didn't have to deal with her mother. Which was just unfair.

Of course, this was the first thing her mother commented on as soon as she had exchanged pleasantries with Alice. Pleasantries that were more polite than actually pleasant. Well, they were the most pleasant things she managed to say all day which Alice supposed counted for something.

"I mean, really, Alice. This whole 'career' of his is really quite ridiculous," Celia had said when Alice had explained that Frank couldn't join them.

"Mother, being an Auror isn't ridiculous."

"Yes," she sniffed. "For other people. Not people if our class."

"I'm an Auror too," Alice pointed out, already feeling tired.

The look that she got from Celia almost made her shrivel up inside. Right. Reminding her mother that she had a job of all things was a bad idea. Celia Smith liked to pretend that Alice was the perfect little society wife and society wives definitely didn't have jobs, never mind one as an Auror. Which was too bad for her because Alice liked being an Auror. No, make that loved. She loved being an Auror; the action, the thrill, the helping people. None of which she could do at the minute bow that she was on desk duty but was eager to get back to. Because that meant she would actually be doing something.

"Which I still completely disapprove of, I hope you know."

"I am well aware of that, mother."

Alice didn't even bother hoping anymore that her mother would change her mind on her career. It wasn't even the career she had gone into (though, of course, she thoroughly disapproved of that as well) it was the fact that she had a career. Well bred, young ladies didn't do careers. Eurgh. Alice didn't know how she put up with that sort of nonsense when she was younger.

Of course, her mother's visit just went downhill from there. There didn't seem to be a single nice thing she could say. Not without adding some sort of critical remark onto it as well.

Alice didn't manage her house the way a Lady should. She was too hands on. She wasn't involved enough. She didn't give certain things the importance she should. Why was Fra k involved in this? Did she not remember her upbringing? Was she deliberately being obtuse?

It didn't matter if the opinions given were unwarranted or conflicting or quite simply didn't make sense - Celia Smith gave them anyway. And Alice hated it. Hated it. Hated it. Hated it.

Alice thought that she could make this whole day turn around by showing her mother the nursery. It was all done and decorated and everything. Everything was exactly how Frank and Alice wanted kt. It was perfect, though, Alice might be biased.

But no, Celia Smith even managed to find fault with a baby's nursery of all things. It was too close to hers and Frank's room. There was too much light being let in the window. The crib was at the wrong angle. Negative after negative after negative. She had nothing good to say at all.

And, of course, the baby's nursery didn't stop her from turning back onto Alice, unfortunately. Alice didn't know why she even hoped that it would. She tried to distract her mother, by saying what she had done while she wasn't working, which had been a lot of shopping - surely something her mother would approve of. But no.

"And anyway, you shouldn't be going out anymore," she was told. "Not with the condition you're in. It is unbecoming."

"Unbecoming?" Alice spluttered.

"Exactly," Celia said with a nod and gestured at her body. "It is not appropriate for people to see you like that."

"I'm pregnant, mother. It's not like I have a deformity or something."

She couldn't believe her mother. Did she really expect her to not see her friends just because she was pregnant? That was just ridiculous. Especially since nearly all of them were pregnant or had just given birth! Chryssie was the odd one out there but Alice, if she was a betting sort of person, would put money on that changing in the next year if the way Chryssie and Severus kept looking at each other was anything to go by.

"Of course, you don't," Celia said in what she probably thought was a soothing tone. It wasn't. "But it is quite inappropriate for you to impose your presence on people when you are with child."

"How is it inappropriate?" Alice demanded. "It's perfectly natural!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you should be broadcasting your state," Celia sniffed.

"Were inviting our best friends over for dinner, mother," Alice said through gritted teeth. "Our best friends. Who are all very aware that I'm pregnant and three of them are even pregnant themselves."

"Which is even more inappropriate. Really, Alice."

"How is that inappropriate?"

Celia just gave her an affronted look that, for once, Alice had no clue what it was supposed to mean. What exactly was so inappropriate about three heavily pregnant women sitting around and talking? That was literally all they could do these days. And it wasn't like they were hurting anyone.

It just is, Alice, and you shouldn't be partaking in such behaviour."

"I'm having my friends over," she said stubbornly.

Why did she always feel like such a child when her mother came over? It was frustrating but she couldn't help it.

At least she hadn't started shouting at her. Yet.

Friday 27th June 1980

Tonks' Home, 17:30

"Huh, I thought his hair was getting lighter," Remus commented as he looked at his peacefully sleeping son.

His peacefully sleeping son whose chest was rising and falling just as it was supposed to. Was he paranoid? Yes? But that still didn't stop him checking.

"He hardly has any hair," Dora said with a laugh.

"Sure, he does," he replied, indignant for his son and held him out as proof. "See?"

"That's just baby fuzz," Dora dismissed.

"It's still hair."

"It really isn't."

"Don't you listen to her, Teddy," Remus leaned down to say to his son and kissed the top of his head. "She's just jealous."

"Of baby fuzz?" She asked in amusement.

He didn't even deign that with a response. Mainly because he couldn't think of one.

"But, seriously," Remus said, coming back to his original statement. "Am I starting to go crazy or something? His hair was lighter yesterday, wasn't it? Or am I really that sleep deprived?"

"We're both sleep-deprived," Dora said, rubbing at her eyes. "We have a newborn."

Well, he's, that was true but that didn't mean that they imagined up different coloured hair for their son, did it? And it was definitely way lighter than this dark shade of brown today. It was!

Then suddenly kt wasn't brown and instead it was the shade of pink Dora was currently sporting to "cheer herself up". Remus almost dropped Teddy in shock while Dora shouted and covered her mouth.

"He's a Metamorphmagus," she gasped. "Like me!"

"Like you," Remus echoed, unable to think of anything else.

Teddy could change his appearance. They weren't crazy after all.

"How have we not noticed this before?" Dora asked in amazement.

"Well, you were pretty busy recovering and we've both been sleep deprived," Remus felt like he had to explain.

That was a good enough reason for not realising that their baby's hair literally changed colour. And not just lightened or darkened like babies' hair allegedly did all the time. No, literally changed from brown to green. Green was not a natural hair colour.

Then Teddy started crying loudly, snapping both of them out of their thoughts. Metamorphmagus or not, Teddy definitely didn't like being wet.

Tuesday 1st July 1980

Unknown Location, 21:30

Peter kept his head down. He didn't want to be noticed. Not really. Not by these people. It was never good to have their attention drawn to you, even he knew that.

The people being Avery and Rosier and one of the Lestrange brothers. A Lestrange. Who was definitely a Death Eater. How did he end up in the company of Death Eaters? That didn't matter right now. What mattered was that they didn't pay any attention to him and that he was ready to back away when he had to. Which meant that he was straining himself to listen to their hushed conversation.

"We need to know about people who are going to be born in July," he heard Rosier say.

"I could try and access St Mungo's records," Avery suggested.

"But not everyone goes to St Mungo's."

"And it has to be at the end," Lestrange reminded him. "We must not waste his time with meaningless information."

"I know people who are due the end of July," Peter blurted out and immediately regretted it but he had got so absorbed in their conversation that he had forgot that he wasn't even supposed to be listening.

Everyone's heads turned to him and he suddenly wished he hadn't said anything.

"Oh, really?" Lestrange asked, making Peter take a step back - the man still scared him.

Actually, this whole situation scared him Lestrange wasn't a very good man, after all. Actually, he was a wanted man. He wasn't supposed to be around wanted men! He didn't think like them! He wasn't them! Even if he suddenly seemed to be spending a lot of time around those sorts of people. It was an accident! A line had blurred and he hadn't realised it. One minute he was with people who just wanted thing to stay the way they were and the next minute Avery was thrown in the bunch.

He had been shocked that Avery was wanted by the Aurors. That's what James and Sirius had said. And then the official release had followed. Peter hadn't known what to do when he'd met up with the group the next time so he had said nothing. Peter was very good at saying nothing. Mainly because he didn't know what to do and nor did he want attention drawn to himself.

He would do something once he figured out what he should do. There was no point in even saying something until he figured that out, right?

Lestrange looked over to Avery and then back to him. Peter couldn't help but gulp. Who wouldn't gulp with those two looking at you like that? It was like they wanted something from him and they'd do anything to get it.

He didn't like where this was going.

Thursday 3rd July 1980

Godric's Hollow, 14:00

"This is amazing," Lily said happily, standing in the middle of the room and slowly turning around so that she could take everything in.

James beamed at her, glad that she was so happy. He was also happy. Very happy, in fact.

You see, they were standing in the middle of the living room of the house in Godric's Hollow. Their house in Godric's Hollow, to be exact. Because this was their house now. Their house.

They had a house together. A house of their own. Not a house that was his. Or the Potter family's. No, this was his and Lily's house.

"Isn't it?" James said happily.

Sure, they hadn't brought everything they needed over yet and furniture wasn't quite where they wanted it to be but still. They were here. In their house. Their very own house that was theirs.

"This feels like a new start," Lily said.

"A new start," James repeated quietly.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" She asked nervously.

James smiled at her and gave her a kiss.

"The best thing," James reassured her.

Monday 7th July 1980

The Leaky Cauldron, 12:30

"Reginald?" Peter asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Peter?"

Peter didn't continue, suddenly not sure he should be even asking the question he wanted answered. He hadn't seen Reginald in ever so long, did he want to possibly spoil it by asking him possibly awkward questions?

But was this really an awkward question? Maybe Peter was just making it awkward. He tended to do that when he overthought something and he was pretty sure he was overthinking this.

"Um, well, uh..."

Oh, why did his words fail him now? It was frustrating. To him and to Reginald if the impatient look he sent him was anything to go by.

"What are you trying to say, Peter?"

"Avery," Peter managed to get out.

Reginald raised an eyebrow at him. "What about him?"

"Uh, well, what do you know about him?"

Silence was all he got from his friend. Oh, he knew that this had been a bad idea.

"He is incredibly... enthusiastic about the cause," Reginald said carefully. "But from what I understand, he is a great asset."

"From what you understand?" Peter pressed only to get an irritated look from his friend.

"You know I don't get involved uncertain sides of this, Peter."

"I know, I know," he said quickly, not wanting to alienate him or push him away. "Sorry."

But he needed to know about Avery and what he did. And if what Peter had unwittingly said would have any consequences he wouldn't like. It was just a date. A date that a baby would be born on. Not even an exact date. That couldn't mean anything bad, right? Maybe Avery had been telling the truth when he had said that whole spiel about his wife or something wanting to know how others were coping with a summer pregnancy. That was pretty normal, right? Peter knew Lily, Marlene and Alice all leaned on each other for support and empathy. That was important, wasn't it?

Reginald sniffed. "Indeed. He is a but rough around the edges but he is good."

"Good?"

What did that mean? Good at what? And dis that mean he was actually bad?

"Good at doing what needs doing."

Peter's heart sank at that. That didn't sound good. Doing things was never good, especially when the things that were getting done were possibly bad. Very bad. Was Avery bad? James, Sirius and the Ministry seemed to think so. But the Ministry thought a lot of things were bad that weren't actually bad. Didn't they?

"Oh."

That... well, that didn't sound good at all. Not even a little bit. Peter tugged at his collar nervously.

"Did that answer your question?"

Reginald looked like he really didn't want to be having this conversation anymore. And, quite frankly, neither did Peter. He didn't know what to think.

"What? Oh, uh, yes. Yes, it did."

No. It definitely did not.