Disclaimer: See Prologue

A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me throughout these sporadic updates.

Harry was silent for quite some time.

"Are you all right?"

Lupin nodded slowly. "I think I should probably have taken that one out."

Sirius smirked. "But it's my favourite. Didn't it win a prize in that magazine?"

Finally Harry looked up. "What?"

Lupin was evidently choosing his words carefully. "I sent it in to a highly questionable German magazine and it won first prize in a um…a photography competition. You don't really need to know much about that. It was the sort of thing Sirius still buys, so I won't go into too much detail."

Sirius smiled sarcastically. "At least I don't send things into them."

"Well, you encouraged me."

"Yeah, but at least I didn't take the damn thing."

Lupin, beaten, returned to his photographs.

1979

"What have you been feeding this damn cat?"

Sirius wrinkled his nose. "Visitors mostly." He shooed the enormous black cat off the sofa. "Go on. We've got people coming and they don't like you."

From the kitchen, Lupin called, "Stop bullying my cat!"

James laughed and took the vacated seat. "All right, Remus?"

"I'd be a lot better if Rowntree wasn't persecuted in every room. Make yourself useful and come and taste the Punch."

Sirius raised his eyebrows and winced. "I wouldn't, mate. It's lethal. In fact, half of it came from the bloke who used to own this place's cabinet."

James paled. "You can't be serious."

Sirius smirked. "Off you go. Have fun. I'd love to join you, obviously, but I have to pick up the kid."

"What?"

"My baby cousin. I'm supposed to be babysitting tonight."

"And you still will be!" Lupin assured him, adding more absurd substances to the bowl.

Sirius made a face and slung on the leather jacket that only Nymphadora thought was cool. He tapped his pocket, ensuring the keys were still buried within it, winked at James, and gave Rowntree the finger.

"So…what's in this Punch then?"

Lupin threw himself into winding the gramophone. "One day, sometime soon, I'm going to buy myself something that actually works."

Sirius poured himself a third glass of Lupin's cocktail - named The Dolores, because it made ones lips curl back in disgust - and said, "That'll teach you to buy everything from men who ask for payment in magic beans then, won't it?" He handed Dora a glass of what Lupin hoped was the requested lemonade. "Remus is a tramp, Dora."

Lupin smiled sarcastically. "I'm not a tramp. I'm just-"

"-cheap?" Dora offered. She beamed at Lupin. "What music are you trying to listen to?"

"One Way Or Another."

Dora immediately perked up. "Oh! I know that one. My Dad listens to it all the time."

"Ted's a Blondie fan?" James helped himself to another Dolores and collapsed onto the battered sofa, wincing as the springs whined beneath him.

"No, but he likes her a lot."

Sirius smirked. "So does Remus."

"Shut up." Music began to play lightly and Lupin immediately stopped the record. "Gentleman, we have power."

James sighed. "Every time you say that, Moony, I think that we have taken control of the Soviet Union."

Lupin rolled his eyes. "Why are we friends?" He glanced at his watch. "It's quarter to eight."

"Wow."

Lupin refused to look at a barely sober James, but humoured him none the less. "What do you mean 'wow'?"

"When did you learn to tell the time?"

"I don't know why I bother. Dora, do you think maybe it's bedtime?"

Dora was horrified. "It's only quarter to eight!"

Lupin smirked down at her. "Not for you; for him."

Dora laughed and beamed at him. "What time is your party?"

"Eight. Do you want to help me replenish some stock?" Lupin grinned as James' eyes lit up. "Are you good at making Punch?" Dora shrugged. "Well it's never too late to learn. Follow me."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Are you going to give a six year old alcohol?"

Lupin's mouth dropped open. "Of course not!"

"Well why not? It's a bloody party for God's sake."

Lupin stared at him for a moment; really took him in. "Only you. No, really. Only you." He beckoned for Dora to follow him and said, "Do you want to know why I call it a Dolores?" They disappeared into the kitchen and the sound of their laughter soon filled the little flat.

James checked his watch. "Well, where's Lily-petal?"

Sirius shrugged. "It's not even eight o'clock yet, mate. Give her chance."

Dora bounded into the room, her eyes glinting with excitement, and her hair a glorious crimson. "When I grow up, I'm going to marry Remus."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Somehow, I don't see it."

James laughed. "What do you want to marry Moony for anyway? He's a miserable git."

"Because he's good at everything and he's nice."

Sirius smiled sadly. "I remember when I thought that, but because he's good at everything, he becomes a smug bastard within two weeks."

James nodded and sighed.

"Well, I like him." Dora beamed. "I think he's funny."

"Yes, but when he starts to be a bitch to you, his sense of humour becomes irritating. Trust me, I've been there."

Lupin leant on the doorframe. "You know, Padfoot, when Nymphadora goes home and starts repeating this to her mother, you will be in serious trouble; trouble like you have never known."

Sirius smirked. "Since the only person she can talk about is you, Moony, I'd be preparing to flee the country if I were you."

"Sirius says you won't marry me."

Lupin's eyes widened. "And he's right. You're only six."

"Well, I'll be seven in a few months."

Lupin grinned at her. "You're still too young, sweetheart. I tell you what, if you get to sixteen and you still want to marry me, let's do it."

Dora's face fell. "But sixteen is ages away and I need help with fractions now!"

"I'm not terrific at fractions, truth be told."

"But Mummy said you taught them."

Lupin laughed. "Yes, but it's the blind leading the blind to be perfectly honest. I know less than the majority of my class. I'll take a look at them though tomorrow." He smiled at Dora. "And you can stay for an hour, and then I think you'd better go to bed."

Two hours later, Nymphadora was still listening to The Best of the Sex Pistols and sipping a highly questionable drink handed to her by her cousin.

"What does he look like?"

Lily grinned. "He's such a lovely man."

"Yeah, but he looks like an idiot," said Peter, nudging a comatose James back onto his side of the sofa. "What has James been drinking?"

Lily shrugged. "God knows. He's probably better off asleep anyway. You know what he's like."

CLICK!

Lupin looked up from the fractions sheet he poured over whilst twirling Marlene McKinnon around the coffee table, and beamed at his friends. He reached for a pencil and began to steadily write in his workings out, leaning on the back of the sofa.

"Well, I think tonight's been a success."

"Yes," agreed Sirius, "we've got a six year old plastered, poisoned our best friend, and made dicks of ourselves in front of Minnie and Dumbledore. All in all, a good night all round, I'd say."

Lupin ignored him, finished the last question, and threw the sheet onto the coffee table with a flourish.

"Come on, Remus. Come and dance with me." Marlene laughed and stretched out her arms. "I want to learn to tango. Teach me?"

"Here? Now?"

"When the hell else?"

Lupin grinned and waited for the sound of the camera as he entwined Marlene's fingers with his own.

CLICK!

"Remus, I think I broke it."

"You'd better bloody not have!"