"I'll go down and order supper then," James grinned, content with the children's reactions. He placed his hands in his slack pockets, his chuckle still heard as he descended the stairs. Harry's mum smiled at them before motioning towards the door, following James to the kitchen.

"Want to play some exploding snaps?" Harry suggested to Ron and Hermione when he turned around. The other two both nodded eagerly, Hermione's willingness surprising Ron slightly. The two got up off the bed, walking briskly across the room discussing something or another as they went. Harry turned, grinning at both his godfather and his uncle before making to follow his friends.

"Harry," Remus and Sirius called out to him at once.

The boy turned, his hand lingering on the doorframe. "Yeah?"

"Do you really believe what you said?" Remus asked hesitantly, nervous about the answer he could get in return. But Harry's face broke out into a grin as he nodded his head eagerly.

"You'll always be Uncle Moo-y," he added, surprising both Sirius and Remus. "Dad told me awhile ago that I used to call you that when I was a baby. You really are going to be the best Defense teacher we've ever had, Ron's right."

"Do you think you three could help me figure out where to start your classes?" Remus asked, strolling towards the door to walk with Harry down the stairs.

"That's easy," Harry said, "We learned absolutely nothing from Lockhart."

Remus chuckled at this.

Sirius closed Lily and James' bedroom door behind him, walking a few paces behind his godson and friend, listening intently to the conversation and the way in which Harry was so easily able to put Remus at ease. Remus wandered over to Ron and Hermione once Harry had announced to them that Remus wanted to know where to start with classes when term's resumed.

"Well we were supposed to learn…" Hermione began promptly, immediately engaging Remus in a discussion that was completely disinteresting to all other parties.

"Thanks, Harry," Sirius whispered into his godson's ears, clapping him on the shoulder. "You don't know how much what you said means to him, to all of us really. Moony has never felt accepted because of his…condition, despite our best attempts."

Harry looked at Remus again, the scars on his face more noticeable in the dim lights of the second floor living room. "We're going to have to change that then," he said quietly to Sirius making his godfather grin once again.

"-My brothers can probably help with their years, and Ginny, though I'm not sure she will remember much," they heard Ron say.

"That's brilliant!" Hermione agreed, "Harry do you think your mum and dad will let us go to the Weasley's tomorrow? All of us?"

"Yes, especially if I tell dad there is Quidditch involved," Harry beamed just as James called up that their food was on its way.

"That kid of yours has you pegged," Sirius told James, laughing as he reached into their fridge for a bottle of butterbeer.

"What makes you say that?" Lily asked him, looking at him from near the sink where she was getting the dishes ready for dinner. There was a knowing gleam in her eye, glancing at her husband who seemed both proud and nervous at his mate's statement.

"The kids want to go to the Weasley's tomorrow so Remus can ask Ron's brother's and Ginny about what they learned in Defense this year and Harry said that you would both agree to that," he began to exclaim.

"Of course we would," Lily cut in, turning around to face Sirius, her arms across her chest, her look questioning and slightly confused.

"Yes," Sirius agreed with her, "They know that, but Prong's Jr up there said that even if you wouldn't all they would have to do is mention the possibility of a Quidditch match and Prongs here would be all in, no matter what Lily said," he continued on, knowingly stirring the pot between his favourite family of three.

"He said that, huh?" Lily asked, her voice full of trouble. "Harry!" she hollered at the top of her lungs, winking at Sirius as she departed the room.

"It's true," James chuckled, before taking off after her. "Harry, run while you have the chance!" he hollered at his son as well as both parents jogged up the stairs, Lily quite a few paces ahead of James.

Sirius could hear the playful shrieking of Harry, and the pounding footsteps moving this way and that on the floor above. He took a swig of his butterbeer before deciding it might be a good idea to help his godson, or at least see for himself what was occurring because of his twisting of words.

Upstairs, both Lily and James had taken to holding their son captive, embarrassing him utterly in front of his two friends who appeared delighted at the scene, Ron especially, knowing he wasn't the only one picked on by his family. Harry was struggling in his parent's grasps, laughing uncontrollably as his mother's hands tickled his sides and his dad jumped back and forth between assisting his wife and trying to tackle them both to the ground. Lily placed an abundance of kisses on her son's head, asking him over and over if he regretted saying what he said, making the situation all that more laughable to the observing parties. His godson responded repeatedly that he had said nothing about her to Sirius, a comment Lily chose to ignore despite realizing it to be true the tenth time he said it in between fits of laughter.

"I swear it wasn't me!" Harry yelled, trying to wriggle his way down to the floor in hopes of crawling to his escape.

"I can't believe my own son would say something so, so-"

"True?" Lily offered.

"Scratch that," James said, grabbing a hold of his wife now allowing Harry the chance he had been waiting for to slip away, "I can't believe my own son and wife," he said, breathing in her ear and making her squirm against him, "Would think so little of me."

Lily's laugh filled the house. It was light and full of joy, something that made both Potter men smile uncontrollably. James because it reminded him time and time again about how far they had come since their first meeting on the Hogwarts Express and Harry because it reminded him once again how lucky he was to have parents like his, parents who were so content and in love and always there for him.

"He's better at reassuring Moony than we are," Sirius told James in a low voice when they were up getting another plate of food from the counter. "I mean it," he said again, "Harry, said something we must have said to him a thousand times over but it actually got through."

"He was concerned about Harry being scared of him," Lily explained, coming up to them and placing a kiss on James' cheek as she reached to grab some of the extra sauce off of the counter. "Our acceptance of him is one thing, but it's another for a kid…"

"She has a point," James sided, once she had left them alone once more.

"Doesn't matter," Sirius grumbled, "I'm just saying that Harry was golden. I mean you should have heard him when he finally spoke up."

"We did."

"No, you left," Sirius pointed out, "I distinctly remembering you say you were going to go order food and then I watched you proceed to walk out the door. Lils followed you!"

"We were on the stairs. The house is old, you can hear everything going on above from a floor below."

"How is it that Harry isn't emotionally scarred yet from you two?"

James glared at him, before smirking. "There's this little thing called a silencing charm, not sure if you've heard of it. In fact I'm quite sure you haven't considering the number of times-"

"James!"

The two men turned to see Lily glaring at them fiercely, her eyes motioning towards where Harry, Ron and Hermione were starring at them, mouths agape and on the edge of intense laughter, well Ron and Harry anyways.

"Sorry," James muttered, grabbing the rest of his food and slapping Sirius over the head as he made to take his seat again.

"Well if he wasn't scarred before, he is now," Sirius grinned, taking his seat across from his godson again. "How does it feel?" he asked bluntly, confusing the twelve-year-old.

"How does what feel?"

"You know," Sirius said suggestively. "I mean if I knew that my batty old parents- OW! Who did that?" he screeched, reaching for his shin when many pairs of feet slammed into it at once.

"Padfoot!" Remus groaned, shaking his head profusely. "Not the time!" he reprimanded.

"Nor will it ever be a good time," Lily sighed, holding her head in her hands.

"Hey, if you didn't want this to happen you should have named Moony godfather," Sirius said, grinning, "But you didn't, so this kid is stuck with me to explain to him about all of life's joys and how to be a man-"

"This conversation is officially awkward," Harry groaned, grabbing his plate along with Ron and Hermione's, moving quickly to dump them in the sink. "Can we go?"

"Yes, of course darling," Lily sighed thankfully, "Go outside and ride the bikes around or something, maybe rent a movie from the shop around the corner? Anything, just preferably outside and far away from your Sirius…" she suggested, following them into the front hall. She leaned against the wall watching them get ready, doing up their jackets and pulling on their shoes. Harry smiled at her as he grabbed the money off of the table and mouthed 'thanks' before heading out the door.

"Padfoot! He's twelve!" she could hear James hollering from the kitchen, the dark haired man getting a thorough talking to from her husband and friend.

"You said I could give him the talk!"

"That was a possibility," she reminded him, joining them once again. "And if we agreed it was only going to be once we decided he needed to hear it and we don't feel he needs to yet," she argued.

"He may be your godson but he's still their son," Remus exclaimed.

"I was only messing around with the kid," Sirius tried to explain. "He knows that!"

"All he knows is that Prongs and Lils are up to more than he cared to know," Remus grumbled, instantly making his two friends faces go extremely red.

"Who knew the twelve-year olds were more mature than the lot of you," Lily mused, shaking her head as she and James began clearing the table from the mess, Remus and Sirius continuing on with the argument as the headed down the stairs to the basement.

"Everything packed?"

Remus glanced up from the trunk he was just latching up to see one of his best mates leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom at Grimmauld Place. Sirius walked into the room, picking up a forgotten book along his way and tossing it towards Remus. "Thanks," he said, opening the trunk once more to place it in. "I think that's all of it…"

"Need some help getting it all to Hogwarts?" Sirius offered, pulling out his wand to help levitate the luggage down the stairs to where the rest of it was waiting.

"Yes, thanks. I just need to stop at Prong's place before we head out," he said shrinking the luggage in the front hall before apparating away.

"When did you get here?"

Remus and Sirius turned around from the pictures they had been looking at, having noticed the newest additions to the second-floor living space. The slightly confused expression that spread across the auburn-haired woman's face as she came down from the third floor to see them standing there changed into the welcoming smile they were accustomed to whenever they came over.

"What's with the shoes?" Sirius asked, amused at the sight of the small boys dress shoes in her arms. "I didn't think those were your size. Did your feet shrink?"

"Lils? Have you seen Harry's shoes?" James' voice carried from the first floor, the sound of his feet on the stairs accompanying the muttering they could hear from where they were standing, his threats of 'permanently sticking the shoes to the bottom of his son's feet' sounding quite threatening as he ducked into the office to check there.

"I swear to Merlin this happens every- hey! When did you get here?" James exclaimed, his frustrated tone disappearing the moment he spotted his friend's and wife. Lily tossed the shoes to her husband, who caught them expertly with his chaser skills.

"Moony wanted to stop by before heading up to Hogsmeade," Sirius informed both of their friends who turned to the sandy haired new professor waiting for the reason why.

"I was actually hoping to borrow a couple of your books," Remus asked Lily in particular who knew all the books in their library better than anyone in the home.

She smiled widely, nodding. "James, can you help him find the right ones? I think they're towards the back on the left," she said, walking towards her husband. "I'm going to go make sure Harry and Ron are ready to go," she explained, "Before I find that my son is unable to remove his school shoes because of his father's haste reactions," she smirked, removing the shoes from James' grasp.

"He has a bad habit of losing them when we are trying to pack," James exclaimed, trying to get his mates onto his side of the debate.

"Where's Hermione?" Sirius asked, taking a seat on one of the nearby chairs.

James shook his head. "Her parents got back from their trip on Thursday, they came and picked her up so they could spend some time with her," he explained as he and Remus as they entered the library. He stood at the door watching as Remus spotted and pulled down five volumes of varying sizes off the dark wood shelves.

"Those it?"

"For now at least," Remus shrugged.

"Do you want some help setting everything up at Hogwarts? Lils and I-"

"Dad!"

"James!"

"Help would be great," Sirius cut in, dreading the prospect of having to do half the work alone. "We can wait here until you get back," he added just as James was about to speak.

"We shouldn't be too long," he assured them before taking off down the stairs, hurriedly grabbing the keys and rushing out the door.

"How many more trunks do you have?" Sirius groaned, tossing a smaller one of Remus' trunks onto the already growing pile, settling himself on top of one immediately after to catch his breath from heaving them up the stairs.

"Did you ever think to charm the suitcases?" James asked, coming into the room with his wand outstretched in front of him as he levitated one of the larger ones into the corner of Remus' living quarters.

"And to think we haven't even unpacked Remus' office," Lily teased, turning around after she placed more books onto the shelves.

Sirius pointed angrily at the both of them, furthering their laughter. "You are both incredibly cruel. I'm officially taking Harry out of your care come summer. I don't trust that my god-son is being well-cared for enough in that home of yours," he said before stomping out of the room.

"I have to say I'm glad that the students here are going to be more mature than that," Remus chuckled, placing his clothes into the wardrobe at the corner of the room.

"Do you think that maybe you'll be able to knick the map back from Filch while you're here?" James asked, passing Remus his box of Lycanthropy potions that he and Lily had prepared beforehand in the lab.

"Do you think it's still here?"

Remus and James looked at Lily curiously, who immediately flung up her hands up in defense, throwing her head back in laughter.

"All I'm saying is that if I was Filch I would have burned anything I confiscated from you four when you were here," she giggled, when James began tickling her sides in retort.

"That was just horribly rude, Evans," James exclaimed in her ear.

"I don't think that Filch would have risked trying to set any of our things on fire," Remus remarked, grinning proudly at James and Sirius who came in the door at the tail end of James' attack on Lily.

"It wouldn't be safe," Sirius chuckled.

"Besides," James shrugged, "I don't think that he would have wanted to get rid of anything that he hadn't figured out. He would have wanted to make certain that he figured out the brilliance behind all things Marauder's so he could properly punish all future Hogwarts rule-breaking prankster masterminds that have yet to walk through these hallowed halls."

"And to think that I thought that all your years away from this place would have made you humble… seems I was wrong," Lily sighed, slapping her husband over the head with the nearest volume before resuming placing Remus' things on the shelves.

"Prongs, humble?" Sirius mocked, clapping his mate on the back as he levitated more of Remus' possessions into their places.

"When did this turn into gang up on James Potter day?"

"Oh that's everyday, sweetheart," Lily said in passing as she Remus and Sirius continued to unpack the new Professor's belongings while James sat pouting by the door. "We should probably move to your office soon so we have time to put everything away there before the students arrive."

"Probably a good idea," Remus agreed, stopping at the door. "Are you coming, Prongs or are you going to sit here and mope? Because if you are, at least make yourself useful and unpack some more here," he chuckled mockingly, leading the brigade out of Remus' quarters towards the Defense corridor where his new office was located.

"You're going to be eating at the head table with McGonagall," Sirius remarked, kind of shocked by the revelation when the four of them, with James trailing behind grudgingly, passed by the great hall whose doors were opened, welcoming.

"It'll be strange sitting up there, won't it?" James breathed, finally rejoining the group.

"I wondered how long it would be until I found you wandering the halls," Dumbledore said, sending all of the adults, spinning around on their heels to face the man who stood in the center of the entrance hall, his long purple robes sweeping the stone floor, his eyes matching the twinkle the fabric appeared to give off in the mid-afternoon light.

"It's nice to see you again, Albus," Lily gleamed, stepping forward to give the man a hug, which he graciously accepted.

"You as well, Miss. Ev- Mrs. Potter," he corrected himself, "I apologize, it's hard to let go of old habits," he chuckled to himself.

"The rest of them still keep the habit as well," she informed him, as the other three stepped forward to shake the Professor's hand.

"Sorry, Evans," Sirius winked, slinging an arm around her shoulders after stepping away from the Headmaster. "I just happen to prefer your maiden name. Besides I'm still getting over the whole, 'Evans actually married Prongs' shock."

"It's been fourteen years, Padfoot!" James exclaimed.

"It's wonderful to know that some things never change, even with people who have been through so much in their thirty-three years of life," Dumbledore commented, smiling. "Are you headed towards your new office, Professor Lupin?" he asked with a twinkle in his eye at he looked at the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff.

"That's going to take a while to get used to," Remus sighed.

"I'm sure it will, but know that I do not believe anyone to be more qualified than you and that I have full confidence that you can help our students get the well-deserved Defense education they deserve," he said proudly.

"Thank-you, Professor," Remus said with a curt nod of his head, "Albus," he said after the headmaster send him a curious glance, as though he wasn't entirely sure who this 'Professor' the young man in front of him was referring to.

"We should get going, Remus," Lily reminded, walking with Sirius towards the stairs.

"Yes, I shall let you go," Dumbledore agreed, smiling suspiciously, "Enjoy your redecorating," he called as he left, his robes flowing out behind him as he headed into the courtyard.

"Redecorating?" Sirius asked, "I thought that we were just unpacking all your Professor-y things."

"Come on, Sirius, I'll make you desert after," Lily bribed him, pulling him up the stairs behind her as he winked at the other two boys, clearly excited about the desert he will be receiving later that evening.

"He completely tricked her into that," James exclaimed.

"He's better at doing that than you are, and you're her husband," Remus teased, elbowing James in the ribs.

"Well the period of rest between pick on James day was nice while it lasted," he grumbled, stomping up the last of the stairs before starting on down the Defense corridor.

"It was never bound to last for long," Remus told him truthfully, laughing al the while.

"I think I just found out why Dumbledore said 'redecorating'!" they heard Sirius exclaim from the very end of the corridor, far in the Defense classroom.

"That is incredible!" James exclaimed the moment he got his hand on the incredibly awkward and embarrassing photo of Harry being embraced in a side-hug by Gilderoy Lockhart who was smiling far too widely for the framed-photo, his teeth eerily sparkling as it moved. He had grabbed it from Sirius' parading hands who was entirely unable to speak by the time James and Remus had reached the classroom after having sprinted the rest of the way down the corridor after hearing his exclamation.

"He looks kind of frightened…" Lily remarked, observing the photo once James finally relinquished it. "It's perfect, James," she beamed after a few more moments, sending her off into a fit of giggles.

"Perfect for what?" Remus asked when he finally caught his breath.

"Blackmail, Black. Blackmail," James grinned, both Lily and himself wearing the same mischievous and quite frightening smiles.

"You all heard it, she instigated this!" Sirius called out, "But I am in! Let's plan a battle on Gryffindor tower. Replicating spells anyone?"

"Got it," Remus said, pulling his wand out of his back-pocket, setting to work replicating the photo many times over with the widest grin on his face.

"Severus, I was hoping to run into you before the feast tonight."

"Yes, Professor?" Severus drawled, turning briskly on his heel, his long black robes billowing out behind them before settling against the dusty stone floor of the landing leading towards the dungeon Potions corridor.

"I trust your time away from the castle was pleasant," Dumbledore said, stepping down the last of the steps until he was standing in front of his once pupil.

Severus pursued his lips. "It was…"

"Excellent, excellent," the headmaster nodded, "I-"

"I'm beginning to think that this castle was our inspiration all along!"

"Whatever you say, Paddy. I do hope that you both realize that Harry is going to kill you both for this."

"We are well prepared," that familiar beautiful voice full of joy that had addressed him almost every day for nearly seven years sang out from down the corridor, causing Severus to turn his head sharply into Dumbledore's direction once more.

Dumbledore chuckled at the sight of the four as they stumbled down the stair, faces red from intense laughter. "I must have forgotten the whereabouts of the Defense corridor in my old age," he chuckled when they finally caught sight of him standing with Snape. "For some reason I thought the Gryffindor dormitories were in that direction. Ah, well, it's impossible to remember where everything is in this great castle. I trust that you're unpacking was successful?" he inquired, a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he eyed the four adults down, the final two unable to hold in their laughter.

"I'm kind of shocked you didn't take a copy of that piece of gold for yourself, Professor," Remus howled.

"But don't worry, we have you covered," Sirius assured him proudly; digging in his robe pockets for the very thing he was looking for. "For your desk," he said, passing the Professor the priceless possession.

"I have places to be," Severus grumbled, doing his best to try to slip into the shadows of the stairwell and disappear before the Headmaster took much notice. Not that he was sure that the clown show he was currently witnessing would provide distraction for nearly long enough.

"Severus," Dumbledore said to him warningly.

"Weren't you going to say hi, Snape?" Sirius asked, feigning hurt at Severus' act. "And to think I- nope I can't even pretend that I've ever missed you…"

"Sirius," Dumbledore warned again, though his tone appeared a little lighter.

"Hello Severus," Lily spoke, trying to cut the tension.

"Lily," he said shortly, his voice with an air of longing and regret that only she, James and Dumbledore picked up on.

"Were we interrupting something, Professor?" Lily asked the headmaster sweetly, averting her gaze past Sirius towards where the older man stood.

"Yes," Snape muttered under his breath, earning him yet another glare from the Headmaster.

"Nothing in particular," Dumbledore assured her. "You've found everything to your liking Professor Lupin?"

"Yes, thank-you Sir," Remus responded graciously. "We should be going though," he quickly added, taking notice of Severus' impatience, "Lily and James have to be getting back to London and they are taking this stray with them," he informed the Professor, pointing to Sirius.

"Unnecessary," Sirius pouted.

"Necessary," the other three snickered, making the Headmaster chuckle once more.

"I trust we will be seeing you at the Gryffindor-Hufflepuff Quidditch match taking place a week from Saturday?" Dumbledore asked quickly just as they were about to head on their way.

James smiled proudly, squeezing Lily's hand. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"I'll keep an eye out for you then," Dumbledore grinned, "Perhaps you could join our newest Professor in one of the staff stands. Enjoy your journey home," he said, smiling at the three Londoners, "See you at the Feast, Professor," he added with a wink to Remus who nodded as he passed on by.

"I'll be with you in a moment," Lily said softly to James, giving him a reassuring smile before releasing her hand from his grip. "Severus, could I talk with you a moment?" she asked, staring him straight in the eyes.

He stepped aside, letting her pass and lead the way down the stairs.

"Let them be," Dumbledore ordered softly when he noticed James' defensive stance as he watched his wife slip away with his worst nightmare.

"What can I help you with, Lily?" Severus asked once the two of them reached the bottom of the staircase.

She shrugged. "I don't know, is there something you think you can assist me with?" she asked him, her voice neutral.

"I don't have time-"

"He's twelve-years old Severus," she scolded him in a low whispered tone. "My son is twelve years old and you treat him and all of the students that aren't in your own house like they are no better than the underside of your shoe!"

"How I teach my students-"

"That's my point Severus," Lily sighed angrily, "You aren't teaching them."

"I do believe that that girl your son gets into trouble with still manages to complete the work I assign," he retorted.

"Hermione," Lily informed him, "Like many students, not that you would recognize it, is extraordinarily bright-"

"Not unlike yourself," he muttered under his breath fondly.

"-And Harry and Ron and the rest of the students deserve the same recognition," Lily scolded. "Harry may potentially have James' aptitude in Potions-"

"Certainly has his arrogance."

"Have you ever stopped and taken notice that the rest of the first-year class that you were in in 1971 isn't here anymore? That they all graduated and grew up, Severus? Because right now I don't think you have," she said sharply.

"I see his almighty attitude has worn off on you."

"James'-"

"Don't!"

"James Potter is the only person you have a problem with here, Severus!" she yelled. "Harry is just as much my son as he is James and the only reason that you treat him and the rest of the students the way you do is because you are still so bitter about a fight we had in fifth year. Harry is not James. James is not the 'Potter' you still seem to think he is. Get that through your incredibly thick skull already. Have you ever thought that maybe our friendship couldn't work out because you are incapable of learning that people change?" she exclaimed, stopping for breath. She looked up at him, trying to search for that same boy that introduced her to this world so many years ago. "Sev," she said softly, intentionally, "He may be James' younger identical twin, but Harry is so much more than either James or I ever were. All I am asking you to consider is that the kid you met last year isn't your worst enemy reincarnated. He's my son. My twelve year-old son and I expect more from you, the person who once made me feel invincible even when everyone else was tearing me down."

Their eyes latched onto one another, emerald and black once more, but her eyes darted away to the top of the stairs, the sight of her husband still there, waiting patiently causing a smile to appear on her face whilst a gut wrenching pull ached in the depth of his stomach.

"People change," she shrugged, before quickly taking off up the stairs and placing a soft kiss on James Potter's cheek after having whispered something in his ear. Dumbledore watched Snape's gaze remain steadily on Lily Potter's retreating form, her hand tangled once more into that of her husband's, their two friends on either of their sides.

"I trust you remember a conversation we had in my office the night of a full moon years ago, Severus…" Dumbledore asked, standing on the last step.

Snape nodded his head once.

"I know that whatever has gone on between you and Lily, James, Remus and Sirius is not something I could ever mend, nor anyone else for that matter-"

"She could."

"I believe she just made the first move, Severus. Don't forget that," Dumbledore informed him, a knowing glance in his eyes. "While Professor Lupin is here though I expect you to treat each other with the Professional respect that I expect from all members of the Hogwarts staff towards each other, most especially in the presence of students."

"What is to be done during his time of the month?" Snape sneered.

"Everything has been arranged, Severus. He has some friends who have offered to assist in teaching the class during the days where he is ill-"

"You're letting Potter and Black teach students?" he asked, appalled by the mere thought of it all.

"I don't believe I said who in particular would be teaching. Professor Lupin has more friends than the Potters and Mr. Black who would be more than willing to assist. Back to what I was saying though, Severus; all other times, Remus will be conducting the class. The staff is well aware of Mr. Lupin's condition, most having been here during your school days and they have all agreed to keep tight-lipped about it."

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape sighed.

"Very good then, Severus, I shall see you in a couple of hours at the feast. And Severus," he called just as the Potions master was about to slip away, "I will know if word slips."

"Yes, Headmaster."

"Are the curtains around the beds always shut like that when we come back?" Dean asked, stalling in the doorframe causing Ron to bump into the back of Harry's trunk, his own trunk thudding down the steps a little ways until he was able to reach out and tug it back up.

"Would you just go in already?" Ron moaned grudgingly, "Before I have to go all the way back to the common room and pick all my stuff up off the ground…"

"The house-elves probably cleaned them while we were away," Neville suggested, stepping around Dean so he could drag his luggage back to its rightful place at the foot of his bed, pulling back the curtains just as soon as he had set it all down. "See, everything's normal," he announced before turning to unpack his belongings.

Dean and Seamus shrugged, following Neville's lead and pulling the curtains back to reveal absolute normalcy before kicking their trunks under their beds and immediately delve into a discussion about Quidditch matches they had listened to while away on break.

Ron rolled his eyes at Dean's suspicion, immediately flopping onto his bed without bothering to unpack any of his things. "I think the best part about being back is that we actually finished all of our work without Hermione nagging us, and she can't nag us now because we did it," he explained to Harry, a blissful smirk tugging at the corner of his lips as he began reorganizing his chocolate frog card collection for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day.

"She is right sometimes," Harry smirked, reaching to pull back the curtains around his bed.

"Harry! Look!" Ron exclaimed suddenly, shaking Harry from his thoughts that had sprung to his head from the sight of the Quidditch pitch out their window.

"What is-"

"Where did all these come from?" Neville asked, both he and Ron scrambling from their own corners to take a look at the thousands of the same wretched photo that was plastered across every inch of his bed, including the underside of the canopy where the seemingly largest of them all was placed directly above his pillow. "This is the photo Lockhart made you take with him after the second class, isn't it?"

Harry nodded his head slowly. Lockhart. This photo would have been in his office. Remus was in that office.

Ron exploded in laughter, standing nearest to Harry's pillow. "I-I th-ink th-is is f-or yo-u," he gasped in between fits of laughter, passing off the folded piece of parchment that he had located just under the edge of the barely visible pillow case.

'Why didn't you ever tell us you two were such good friends? We would have invited him to spend Christmas if we had known!' the note read in a script that Harry automatically recognized as his father's.

"I'm going to kill them," Harry said firmly, rolling his eyes as he crumpled the note up and sent it flying towards the trash.

"Your parents did this?" Neville asked after Harry's reaction, smirking a little as he asked, though there was a hint of sorrow in his eyes as they scanned the crime site.

"I've got to go," Harry grumbled, grabbing a piece of parchment from his bag and a quill and stomping out of the room.

Ron shrugged when Neville looked at him for an answer, still in a full fit of laughter as he stashed a copy of the photo into his own trunk for safekeeping. "You never know when it might come in handy," he said to Neville, which prompted the plump boy to grab a copy of his own.

"Hey Harry," the singular voice of Fred and George called out to him the exact moment he reached the bottom of the stairs and began striding with purpose across the common room. They slung their arms around him, leading him towards one of the lesser-occupied corners.

"Did you enjoy your surprise?" George asked with a wicked grin.

Harry glanced curiously between the twins. "I thought-"

"Oh, it wasn't us," Fred said quickly.

"Wish it had been though," George added.

"That's for sure," Fred confirmed. "Absolutely brilliant."

"I believe that we have some discussions with Harry's parents and uncles when we return this summer," George said.

"Though we could always just ask Remus."

"He is a Professor now, after all."

"Is there a point to this?" Harry groaned.

The twins smirked. "We," Fred began.

"Just wanted you to know that we have copies," George informed Harry.

"So I'd be careful if we were you," Fred said, laughing as he flashed Harry a quick look of the stack of pictures that were stored on the insides of the twin's cardigans before they took off to join their friend Lee Jordan who was waiting for them on the other side of the room.

"So dead," Harry muttered, stomping towards the portrait hole.

"You had something to do with it too, didn't you?" Harry accused Remus, sending the door to the Defense office slamming into the stonewall behind it.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to get here," he responded without looking up from the papers on his desk.

"Are they all still here?" Harry asked quickly.

Remus looked up. "No, they went back to London, it's just me."

"Did you instigate this?" he asked, holding up one of the many copies of the dreadful photo.

Remus shook his head.

"Then could you pass this along?" Harry asked, slamming the piece of now red parchment that was folded neatly into an envelope onto the new Professor's desk.

"Is that-"

"A howler?" Harry suggested smugly, his arms crossed across his chest in such a Lily-like fashion that it frightened Remus ever so slightly. "Professor Flitwick showed me how to after I ran into him in the halls on the way here," he explained to Remus who appeared on the verge of asking that very question.

"I see," he said, picking up the howler and holding it carefully. "I'll make sure to deliver this, very soon," he said, adding the last bit after remembering a particularly nasty one Peter had gotten in third-year.

"Thank-you. Goodnight," Harry bid him goodbye, before departing the office, closing the door behind him on the way.

He wandered, inspecting the volumes lining the shelves beneath the large windows over-looking the Forbidden Forest, just beyond it the roof of the Shrieking Shack and the rest of Hogsmeade just barely visible with the oncoming storm clouds. The sound produced by the scratching of the quills across the parchments and the occasional tapping of the students fingers against the old wooden desks as a memory tactic set him oddly at ease, though it never used to. His eyes scanned the back of the students heads, trying in earnest to memorize their faces in accordance to the names they had told him at the beginning of class. He spotted the familiar raven-black mop of hair accompanied by the scarlet red of Gryffindor, lining his robes.

'You have no reason to be worried, Remus. You're still you; no matter what creature you might turn into once a month…'

Those words had been playing through his mind like a never-ending record since the moment they were uttered to him on the top floor of the Potter's home. Harry's voice had sounded like a perfect mix of his parent's reassuring tones that he had grown familiar with over his many years spent within these castle's walls. There was something different about it at the same time though, and as he walked up and down the rows of desks and his eyes lingered on Harry's for a moment when he looked up for the briefest of moments. The acceptance of the young boy that he had met that first night in the hospital so many years ago for some reason he couldn't place meant more to him than any other person he had ever known. Without even uttering the words, the way Harry had looked at him with that same smile he had used to greet Remus with as a baby had, for a while relieved him of any hesitancy he had had about accepting the position.

Ron, one of the many nervous tappers he had taken notice of on his rounds of the classroom reminded him so much of Sirius, the way he was fiercely loyal to his two friends despite everything yet also managed to be the comic relief Harry and the rest of them so needed in their lives. Despite the trio's arguments over break, he could tell by the amount written down on Ron's parchment in accordance to the various questions showed his potential, one that as a Professor he was determined to expose as a gesture of thanks for the young boy's initial remarks following his revelation.

'Wicked,' Ron had breathed, his face splitting into a large grin at the prospect, sending all the adults in the room into fits of laughter at the young boy's reaction.

In that moment he had been transported back to his own second-year at Hogwarts, when his friends had finally gotten him to admit the truth and Sirius' reaction had been almost identical to Harry's best friend.

"Professor?" her hand shot up the moment her quill left her paper, her head pivoting until her eyes fell on Remus who was coming towards her from the back of the class.

'I'm terribly sorry,' she had apologized to him with sympathy written across her face. 'I can't even imagine how awful that must have been for you.'

The bushy brown haired Gryffindor smiled eagerly at him as he collected her paper, he too smiling at her extraordinarily detailed responses. She, he had determined, knew the most about his condition of the three and her response, similar to Lily's own reaction at the time of him telling her made him truly realize that he had the support of the students standing in front of him. It was the most encouraging and indescribable feeling in the world.

"Potter! Get up, get dressed and get down to the pitch in ten! Get there late and you'll stay late!" Wood's voice called through the second-year boy's dormitory, waking up all of the boys despite only one of them actually being on the team.

"Wood's gone mental," Ron croaked, rolling over on his side to face Harry who rolled his eyes in response, tugging on his Quidditch gear as quickly as possible in the dark as to avoid disturbing his roommates any further.

"Gone?" Harry mused, "I don't think he's ever not been mental. See you at breakfast…maybe."

"I won't count on it," Ron called back just as the dormitory closed behind Harry's retreating figure, tiredly stumbling down the stairs.

"Did he yell into your room too?" Fred and George asked Harry, simultaneously when they came out of their room at the exact moment Harry was passing on his way to the common room.

Harry nodded, yawning. "Very loudly. Why could he not have just told us last night?" he groaned.

"Probably had some bright idea in his dream," Fred mused.

"Better yet, he probably thought that if we weren't expecting a practice we would be more willing to put up with his nonsense," George suggested.

"Either way it's completely mental," Fred concluded.

"Agreed," Harry and George said at once.

"Can you lot send a bludger his way?" Angelina asked as she, Alicia and Katie came running down the hallway behind the boys.

"Maybe just hard enough to knock him out for a couple of days so we can get a moment's rest?" Katie suggested. "It's not like we didn't practice during our week off."

"We already regret sending him that owl," George groaned, shaking his head.

"Two minutes!" Oliver yelled at them from just outside the pitch earning him a collective groan from the rest of the team who began sprinting down the hill, disliking the idea of staying longer at practice more than just being there in the first place.

"One bludger to the head, coming up," George muttered under his breath, just loud enough for the girls to be able to here as the team ran into the Quidditch shed before hastily mounting their brooms and taking to the air only to endure the longest practice of their lives at a whole four and a half hours.

"Saved you some breakfast," Ron said, pushing towards a napkin filled to the brim with still hot food when Harry collapsed onto the common room couch much later that morning.

Ron had been sitting in front of the fire with Hermione in an adjacent chair, going over his chocolate frog card collection whilst she was already hard at work on the new Defense work set out just the previous afternoon.

Harry shot a thankful look towards his best mate the moment he took a bite of the saved food. The waffles tasted like heaven in his mouth, though he couldn't eat more than a couple of bites before the harsh Quidditch practice caught up to him and he felt as though he couldn't hold down the food any longer. "Thanks, really, I just can't even think of food at the moment," he explained, pushing the food away and slumping gladly back into the comforting pillows. "I think I just might take a nap," he sighed, his eyes slowly closing.

"Harry!" Hermione asked suddenly, just as he was ready to go back to the blissful dream he had been having before Wood had so rudely awoken him before the crack of dawn. "Do you know what Remus meant by this?" she asked, scooting next to him on the couch, textbook open on her lap as she pointed to the extensive notes she had taken during Remus' first lecture class.

Harry took off his glasses to rub his eyes before peering over her shoulder at the notes she was pointing at in particular. "Uh, I think he was just trying to say…er, Hermione I'm dead tired I'm not even sure if what I am reading is what I am actually supposed to be reading," Harry said quickly.

"That's alright," Hermione said, "Maybe you should go back to bed, Harry."

"Oh, I almost forgot," Ron said suddenly, reaching in between the couch cushions to pull out an envelope, which he passed off to Harry.

He ripped open the letter, pulling a small piece of parchment out of it.

'You have reached the home of James and Lily Potter. We are not available at the moment so if you could please leave your name, number, and owl we can get back to you as soon as possible. Beep.'

"Did your parents finally respond?" Hermione asked eagerly, jumping up to sit over on the couch with the boys.

Harry muttered something incomprehensible, passing the letter to Hermione for her and Ron to look over.

"Well they won't be able to avoid you at the game on Saturday," Ron remarked positively.

"No," Harry grinned, "They can't."

"I'm home!"

"Hello, Sirius," Lily said, once she had backtracked to the kitchen entranceway to see the tall, broad-shouldered dark haired man shutting the front door behind him as he stepped into the foyer. "Bored at home by yourself already?" she teased, grabbing his coat from him and tossing it over the bannister before sneezing multiple times over.

"There's nothing to do there without Moony," he grumbled. "Where's Prongs?"

"I thought maybe you would be able to answer that question. Do you want some dinner?" she asked, motioning to the kitchen where a heavenly aroma was coming from.

Sirius nodded, following his practically sister into the warm, yellow kitchen that stood like a welcoming beacon in the wake of the wind storm raging outside the London home, rattling its French doors and all of the plants potted out on the back porch. She moved about, gathering bits and pieces of the dinner she prepared, stopping every few seconds to stop herself from falling over from the constant pounding in her head and the lightheadedness that was occurring because of it.

"Want a coffee or some firewhiskey?" she asked, throwing an old knitted sweater on that closely resembled one he had seen her father wear once upon a time. "Or coffee with some firewhiskey?"

"That's a new one," he observed, "I'll try that. Anything to get the chill of that wind out of my bones."

"You didn't walk here, did you?" she asked, shocked as she placed a plate of dinner and the hot cup in front of him, before taking her own seat at the table, sitting crisscross on the chair, her long auburn-hair draped over her shoulder.

"No," he said, assuring her, for the briefest of moments. "I rode my bike."

"You truly are as mental as ever," she laughed, shaking her head as she took a bite of the warm chicken. "When you say rode-"

"The view up there wasn't nearly as good as usual," he grinned, taking a bite of the mashed potatoes, swallowing them with a little help from the coffee and firewhiskey.

"I'm going to need another word besides mental to describe you," she remarked, taking a sip of the hot tea she had poured just before he had come in the door. "I see you didn't think to put a warming charm on yourself before taking off."

"Smart-arse," he muttered, rolling his eyes in a Lily like fashion.

"I'm sorry, was it just me or were we both in the same Charms class all throughout Hogwarts learning the exact same things?" she retorted, smirking widely as she gazed at him questioningly, testing his non-existent patience.

"I'm sorry, was it just me or were you not Flitwick's most prized possession? Not to mention Slughorn's, probably McGonagall's, oh and let's not forget Dumbledore's to boot!" he shot back.

"I was not McGonagall's favourite! That was you…and James! Constantly, ever since first-year she loved you two despite the obscene amount of detentions she had to give out because of your rule-breaking shenanigans!"

"Oh really? Because I recall a handful of times when she personally congratulated you on your accomplishments, and if I do recall correctly she had tears in her eyes when you graduated!"

"Those tears were still from when you walked across the stage and you know it!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Children!"

"Do too!"

"Lily! Sirius!"

"She did not cry! She rejoiced when I left!"

"Oh sure, Mr. Modest, she didn't shed a single tear. Not like she didn't secretly love it every time you flirted with her, or was beaming every time you came back to headquarters safely! Yes, I'm completely wrong. She didn't care about you a single bit-"

"Exactly! But she did that for everyone!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Er, hi, how was your day? My day was great. Long day at work but really glad to be home with my wife and best-friend. Oh, you don't think I'm happy? Apologies, normally I'm thrilled to come downstairs and hear these two bickering. It really is my favourite thing-"

"Mate, what are you going on about?" Sirius asked suddenly, the bickering having subsided midway through James' rant who was now looking at Lily and Sirius exasperated as the two of them seemed completely content.

"You two are exhausting. Lils, are you sure you really turned thirty-three in January?" James teased, ruffling her hair like they often did with Harry's.

"I resent that statement," she huffed, coughing, poking him harshly in the chest as she scooted her chair back from the table and stomped across the kitchen to get James' dinner off of the stove, shoving it into his hand before taking her seat once more.

"What on earth were you two going on about?" James asked, sitting at the far end of the table for his own safety, well out of Lily's reach.

"Do you know what he's talking about?" Sirius asked, taking another bite of food and shrugging.

"Not a clue," Lily smirked, shaking her head. "I think he's gone round the bend."

"Nice change up. I approve," Sirius remarked.

"Why, thank-you."

"Mental… the lot of you," James sighed, listening once again to their back and forth without a clue as to what was going on.

Sirius wandered down the stairs, jumping down the last couple of steps and practically skipping into his shoes, grabbing his leather jacket hastily off of the banister and throwing it on. Lily took a seat on the bottom of the stairs, watching him as he collected his things, running into the kitchen to grab his wallet off of the kitchen counter.

"Got everything?" she asked a midst a coughing fit.

"Sure you don't need anything for that, you sound awful?" he asked, taking a step and placing the back of his hand against her clammy forehead.

She shook her head with a small grin as she removed his hand. "I'm not sick," she told him, doing her best to hold back a sneeze.

"Well if that's the case, are you sure that you don't want to come out to the pub with me? It's karaoke night," he teased, good-naturedly.

"I didn't know that The Leaky had karaoke…"

"Evans, go take some medicine, curl up on that couch," he ordered, pointing towards the large one in the living room to his left, "With your favourite cup of tea, turn on the tv and fall asleep. And put some socks on for Merlin's sake. Then get that husband of yours to come down and wait on you."

Lily rolled her eyes, standing up and immediately regretting it when the room began to spin and appeared blurry as she stumbled down to the flat floor at the bottom of the stairs. She found Sirius eventually, placing her hands on his shoulders and spinning him around, walking him towards the door. "Go hit on some woman at the bar, bother Tom, anything, just get out of my house."

"Because you're sick and you don't want me to catch your germs?" he teased, asking somewhat sympathetically as he reached for the door.

"I. Am. Not. Sick," she growled before launching into another coughing fit, her head pounding more with each one.

"You've always been a terrible liar," he mocked.

"Have-"

"You're in trouble now," Sirius sang the moment that they both froze at the sound of James' footsteps on the floor above.

"Don't you dare say a word, or else," she threatened, tightening the grip on his arm, far too strong for someone so small in Sirius' opinion.

"Ooo, I'm so scared- Prongs!" he exclaimed, the moment he could see his best mate's feet at the top of the stairs.

"Taking off so soon?" James asked. "What's going on?" he questioned, glancing quizzically between Lily and Sirius, the latter who was miming things to him behind her.

"Sirius was just going to go to the Three Broomsticks if you wanted to go with him. I can't because I have an early day tomorrow at Chelsea, but he wants company," she said, elbowing Sirius in the ribs when it appeared as though he was going to say something more. "I'm," she said, that small smile still on her lips, "Going to go take a bath or something. This cold weather has made me want one all day," she explained. "See you tomorrow, probably," she said to Sirius, giving him the lightest of pecks on the cheek before taking off up the stairs.

"She is a terrible liar," James chuckled once they had judged that Lily was long gone up the stairs.

"You knew!" Sirius exclaimed.

James chuckled. "I've been married to her for fourteen years and I knew her long before that. Of course I know when she's sick and trying to pretend otherwise.

"So you want to come?"

James looked at Sirius causing the leather jacket clad man to shake his head, chuckling as he did.

"Should have known. See you at the Ministry tomorrow!"

James sighed, shuffling into the kitchen to warm up some dessert and to boil a pot of tea.

"Can I get another one Tom?" he asked, sliding his glass down the heavily caked bar top, his glass getting barely more than a couple of centimeters away from his hand.

"Just a moment," the barman called. "Here you are, Miss. Jones. Hopefully this can hold you over until your room is ready."

"Thanks, Tom. It really isn't a problem."

His head turned, trying to look past the heads of the other wizards and witches who were sitting at the bar thoroughly enjoying the one time only Tom agreed to let a version of Karaoke to go on in the bar. He grabbed his new drink off of the counter, slipping off of the edge of the stool before he slowly made his way towards where he had heard that all too familiar voice conversing with Tom. Her light laughter sounded through the bar, over everything else that was going on. He caught sight of her dark brown hair, still in its tell tale curls bouncing ever so slightly as she laughed at whatever the older man next to her had just said. Her luggage sat next to her chair, the multiple suitcases and trunks piled high against the wall.

"So I see the infamous Hestia Jones has finally returned to the British Isles," he called out, freezing her mid-sentence.

The Hogwarts beauty who he had sat next to for many years, laughing at Slughorn's poor jokes that no one but Lily had ever understood. The girl who had cheered the loudest out of all the girls at the Quidditch games yet was as quiet as a bee when in one of her studying moods, hiding in her place in the library and abandoned corridors. She turned on her stool, following his voice until she spotted him leaning against one of the many columns holding up the old place.

"Sirius," she breathed, a large smile tugging at her lips as she scrambled off the chair and pulled him into one of her signature hugs. "Sirius!" she sighed happily, before placing a welcoming kiss on his lips.

AN: I AM SO SO SO SO SO SO SO INCREDIBLY SORRY to all of you. I said I was going to update this story well over a month ago and I meant to, I really did but I had less than nothing to give to you at that point. What I had written was rubbish and it has taken me a month to get what I updated today and even then I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. I am going to make a pact that this long of a wait for an update will never happen again. I swear. Solemnly.

Anyways, I hope you can forgive me. And a huge thank-you to all those who have started following, I was truly amazed by the number of people who have followed this story in the past month and well since the beginning. It's incredible and I love all of you!

If you have time, please, please, please review and feel free to nag me about my tardiness on this chapter!