The fireplace crackled, accompanying the soft static of television, which for the most part was the only thing lighting the darkened living room. Her soft, quiet breaths ruffled his shirt each time she exhaled, the peculiar smell of the pepper-up potion he had practically forced down her throat still wafting about the room. He could feel his own eyes beginning to droop as he watched Lily's chest rise and fall as she slept, the movement lulling him into slumber just to be woken up by the sound of a loud motor on their usually quiet street.
"Are you sure this is it?"
"Of course I'm sure. I am over almost every hour, just ask Lily when we get inside."
James moved quickly, yet quietly, lifting his slumbering wife's head out of his lap and onto the comfiest cushion he could reach without causing her to wake. He tiptoed out of the living room, aiming to reach the front door before his drunken friend slammed it against the wall.
"Sirius, I don't think they're- Prongs!" Sirius said loudly, his voice rising increasingly the moment James opened the front door, standing in the doorframe, completely shocked at the sight, not that Sirius took any notice.
The dark-haired man sauntered into the home he visited frequently, falling back onto the stairs, kicking his shoes off into James' direction. "Tom told me that it had been far too long since I had visited and I must say that I agree! So I made up for it," he grinned widely, telling his story proudly, not caring or really knowing just how loud his voice was. "And you will never guess who I found there!"
"Hestia?"
"How'd you guess?" Sirius exclaimed, standing up just to sling a heavy arm around James' shoulder, using his mate to help him remained balanced.
Hestia sighed, walking up the last few steps into the foyer of the three-story row house. She reached forward pulling James into a hug. "It's been a long time," she said to him, holding him at arms length before pulling him back in, this time, his arms encircling her tightly like they used to thirteen years ago.
"Evans! I did just what you said," Sirius yelled the moment she shuffled into the front hall, draped heavily in the multiple blankets that James had laid over her much earlier in the evening, her hair slightly ruffled on the one side where her head had been laying.
Vision blurred, she tried to figure out which of the darker shapes was the man speaking, eventually giving up with a sigh and leaning against the wall. "What did I say exactly?" she yawned, tightening the blankets around her shoulder.
"When you were kicking me out you told me to go pick up a woman and I did!" he exclaimed proudly, pointing towards the door where Hestia was still standing next to James, waiting for the moment that everything with Lily clicked.
"That's nice."
"It was a total shock," he told her, walking across the small space towards her. "But there I was and there she was and I heard her voice when she was talking to Tom and then I went down and I found her and she kissed me!"
"Wait, what?" Lily asked, suddenly much more aware than she had been previously. "Some random person just kissed you out of nowhere?"
"Not random, exactly."
"Perhaps just more, unexpected."
She turned slowly, facing towards the door, finally able to see the person who had been standing in her home for minutes, completely unnoticed by her best friend. The blankets dropped from her shoulders as she strode across the hall, grasping onto Hestia for dear life and Hestia hugging her back just the same. "What in the world are you doing here?" Lily breathed into the brunette's long curly locks, still in complete disbelief that this girl was standing in her foyer.
Hestia, with tears streaming down her face, identical to Lily's own, shrugged a little the moment they stepped apart. "The wind just sort of started blowing me in this direction a little less than a week ago."
"Mary Poppins," Lily giggled through the tears, gripping onto Hestia again. "You're back," she cried, refusing to let Hestia go.
The brunette nodded profusely. "For good," she breathed, the thought of being back in Britain, yet alone London, yet alone the home of her best-friend still processing in her head- everything was incredibly surreal after having been away for so long.
"Your mum?" Lily asked suddenly, taking a small step back, concern spreading across her face as her brow furrowed as it often did when she feared the worst.
She shook her head, glancing down at her feet sadly, shrugging and trying her best not to let more tears fall down her rosy cheeks. "Last September," she managed to speak.
"No," Lily's hands shot to her mouth, her head shaking incessantly, disbelief written all over her face, an exact mirror of Hestia's who was gripping onto her friend more tightly than ever before. "You- I- Hestia," she cried, petting her hair down as she repeatedly ran her fingers through the dark brown locks, "Why didn't you- You should have never had to- I am so sorry Hestia! Your mum."
"It was a long time coming," she explained, "She was only given so long to live last July, and she was ok with that, we both were. She wanted to be with dad again, I knew that. But we travelled, a lot in those two months and spent more time together than we ever had before so it was-"
"Better than it could have been," Lily finished her thought with a tone of sadness in her voice that anyone else would have recognized as pure sympathy besides the others in the room.
"You're officially part of the parent-less club," James stepped forward, taking over the hugging from Lily who had stepped aside amidst a fit of sneezes. "Not that any of us, except maybe Sirius here, would have it wished on anyone," he added comfortingly, placing a friendly kiss on the top of her head.
"I know," Hestia gasped as she tried to slow her tears. "Thanks, James. And you too, Sirius," she added, noting the dark-haired man's sympathetic glances that he was sending her way from where he was lingering near the newel post.
He took his chance, the moment that James' arms slipped off of Hestia's shoulder, taking the two steps to envelope her in a hug. "How about we get you something to drink?" he suggested, leading her back towards the kitchen, just as if it was his own home.
"Lily," James pleaded when she made to follow the two into the kitchen, her nose red and the fever evident in her face. He grabbed a hold of her wrist, his action not escaping the notice of Sirius and Hestia who turned in the hall to watch the married couple plead silently with one another.
"Is everything alright?" Hestia asked, slightly amused, having noticed the signs of Lily's still evident illness. "Have you sprouted some claws in recent years that I missed when I came in?" she teased, grabbing Lily's other hand and flipping it over, checking.
"I'm just a little sick, that's all," she sighed, groaning slightly as she faced James, who was proudly wearing the smuggest of expressions, her hand still tightly in his grasp.
Hestia glanced between the two, then back to Sirius who shook his head, informing her that it was more than just a little. "How long did that take to admit?" turning to James and Sirius who both grinned knowingly at her remark, sending Lily into an intense pout as James wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Approximately an hour and a half after Padfoot here left," James said, placing a kiss on the back of Lily's head. "You need sleep," he whispered in her ear, trying not to embarrass her any further in front of their friends.
Hestia rolled her eyes, patting Lily teasingly on the head. "Come on," she said, grabbing Lily's hand, "Kitchen?" she asked, pointing towards the back of the house, to which James, Sirius and a reluctant Lily all nodded. "Ok, let's get some tea then, and then we can catch up for a little while before you get tucked into bed with that husband of yours, and Sirius I'm referring to James," she called behind her, Lily laughing loudly at her joke.
"So she kissed you, mate?" James asked after having finally gotten the opportunity to shut the front door against the still raging winds, sprinkles of rain pelting him in the face as he did. He looked to his best mate who seemed to be fixated on the kitchen entry way, his figure stiffening when he caught sight of the brunette's long locks and still petite frame that in many ways freakishly resembled Lily's.
"She did," he exhaled once the women had passed by on their way upstairs, Hestia carrying the tray with their tea and fixings as Lily trailed behind, picking up the blankets as she went, re-draping them over her shoulders.
"I take it you enjoyed it, then?"
Sirius shrugged, finally turning around to face James who stood, ready for the inevitable conversation that was looming overhead, quite literally with Lily and Hestia standing above them, a floor overhead. "She's been gone for thirteen years, but tonight it felt like she hadn't been gone for more than a day."
"At the same time she has though…"
"She just left and not once did she ever come back, or write. She never wrote to you and Lily did she?"
He shook his head. "Not that I've ever heard."
"What is she doing here?" Sirius practically growled, pacing the entry hall, stopping suddenly, "She kissed me," he said, in the midst of a revelation.
"She did," James confirmed.
"She came back."
The two sat settled into Lily and James' bed, an abundance of blankets coverings their laps and their tea propped up between them, the rain pelting against the two windows providing the back drop to their ongoing conversation.
"I still can't believe that you are a mum to a twelve-year old," she sighed, tracing her fingers over the picture of James and Harry that had been sitting on Lily's bedside table when they had entered the bedroom.
Lily laughed, sneezing. "James and I have a hard time believing it sometimes as well," she said, though the pride she had for her son shone through her voice, even despite the sickness that was evident as well. "He's incredible as ever, though he has given us more than enough scares in the past couple of years. I think I have a gray hair."
"I can't believe they fought a troll and figured out the biggest mystery to hit Hogwarts since Salazar Slytherin left," Hestia giggled, re-reading yet again the letters Lily had dug out of her bedside drawer when she had first mentioned one of the many adventures Harry, Ron and Hermione had been on in their first two years at the school. "And the youngest seeker in a century? I only wish I had been there to see James' face when that letter arrived."
Lily smiled. "It was just as you would imagine it would be."
"And Sirius was-?"
Her smile faltered as she started braiding the ends of the blanket. "Neither James nor I will ever forgive ourselves for forgetting about Sirius or Remus when we got away. If we had even thought for just a moment that something had happened we would have done anything-"
"Sirius would rather have stayed in Azkaban for life rather than let either you or James risk Harry's safety at a time like that," Hestia remarked truthfully.
"She's right."
"What is that?" Lily asked disgusted, repulsed by the sight of Sirius leaning against the doorframe, bottles of potions in the small basket in his one hand.
He smirked, striding into the room and bringing the basket towards Lily's side of the bed. "Prongs sent the big guns in," he smirked, passing her the Grand Pepper-Up potion that was doubly effective in comparison to the pepper-up potion she had taken much earlier in the evening.
"He's standing on the stairs just out of sight, isn't he?" Lily smirked, crossing her arms across her chest in protest of the potions.
"Awe, come on Lils," Sirius pleaded, plopping himself on the side of the bed right next to her, waiting to see how long it would take for either her to relent or James to come in and do his best to force her to take more potions than she deemed necessary. "It's just one- five potions at most."
"I've seen what goes into those, so no," she huffed. "Is all of your stuff still in Paris?" she asked, redirecting the conversation as quickly as possible to Hestia who giggled, sipping her tea.
But she shook her head. "It's at the Leaky Cauldron, Tom's watching it for me for now," she explained, reaching for some of the cookies Lily had insisted they put on the tray. "My room wasn't ready yet by the time this man here dragged me away-"
"With good purpose," Sirius winked, causing her to blush.
"Extraordinarily good purpose," Hestia confirmed, rubbing the back of Lily's hand. "I should be going back there in a bit, before Tom thinks I've gone missing and starts selling my possession's for profit."
"Stay here," Lily begged, pouting a little in the hopes of pushing Hestia over the edge in her favour.
"Lily, I can't impose on you and James. It would be like an ambush for me to just show up here like I did and expect you to not only feed me but let me board here as well," she tried to reason.
"Since when has it been considered an ambush to stay over night at your best-friend and her husband's house?" James asked, finally deciding that that was the time to go in. He sent a very parental glare in Lily's direction, making her sink further into the pillows out of shame as he settled himself at the bottom of the bed, placing his hand on Lily's foot. "Potions now."
"No," she huffed, rolling her eyes at him.
"Take them or I won't stay," Hestia threatened, smirking at Lily, whose eyes went wide at the thought, a debate raging in her head.
She turned reluctantly towards Sirius who already had the potions in hand, caps off and ready to go. Taking one after another she downed them in under thirty-seconds, not even pausing to realize that James had slipped a dreamless sleep potion into the mix, hoping that she might actually receive a full nights rest.
"She just took a sleeping potion didn't she?" Hestia whispered into James' ear, the latter nodding, smiling delightedly. "She's going to kill you for that."
"I know," he said, watching as Lily's eyelids fluttered, her mouth opening wide as she yawned, quietly discussing something or another with Sirius, who, without her knowing was beginning to tuck her into the bed, she herself adjusting the pillows to her liking without really thinking about it. "But she'll be healthy again when she does."
The two watched Lily and Sirius until the moment that they knew she was truly on the verge of sleep, her eyes searching tiredly for James who she rarely went to bed without.
"Why don't you go to sleep too?" Hestia suggested, gathering the tea tray and all of its contents off of the bed as quietly as possible. "You look as tired as she does," she whispered to him, making her way to the door.
"We should help you get your luggage though," James said, the moment the three of them were out of the bedroom, standing in the crowded upper hall. "I'm sure there's a lot and-"
"Prongs," Sirius sighed, chuckling, "There are shrinking charms to help us, and we didn't come here to drag you away from Lily just to help us with Hestia's luggage."
"Are you-"
"Go get in bed with my best-friend," Hestia said adamantly, grabbing a hold of Sirius' wrist and dragging him away down the stairs.
"James?"
He smiled softly, shutting the door behind him and shutting the light off on his way. Undoing his pants and tugging off his shirt and socks before throwing the duvet over his body and sliding Lily's body across the bed until it was resting against him and her head was resting against his arm, her breaths once again lulling him into his own slumber.
"The shampoo got in my eye! It's in my eye! And there is no warm water! Why is there no warm water? Prongs!" Sirius screeched, stomping down the stairs to the second floor.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I use it all up?" Hestia teased, chucking more of her laundry into one of the many hampers that Lily had brought out.
"You're here for a day and already you're ruining my shower time," Sirius grumbled, flopping into one of the chairs as he watched the brunette shuffle around the room where all of her belongings seem to be sprawled out.
"Last I checked your shower was about twenty minutes that way," James said, pointing to the north-east of their house where Grimmauld Place was approximately located from the Potter's home.
"Her presence didn't seem to affect your singing," Lily mocked, coming out of the laundry room to grab some more laundry.
"Just admit that you love my singing and I will-"
"You'll do what exactly, Padfoot?" James smirked.
"I hadn't thought that far yet…" Sirius admitted reluctantly.
"Some things never change," Hestia laughed, "Lils, you don't have to do that," she said when she saw Lily grabbing more laundry. "I can do my own laundry, I figured out to use an actual machine in France!"
"What are you doing with all of this stuff?" James asked, picking up one of the many paintings that were leaning against the railing.
"Trying to sort it out before I move," she responded distractedly, sorting through another box of files that was sat on top of the couch. "Have you seen a box labeled family files? I can't find it anywhere," she said, picking up and moving around boxes. "Lils!"
"Where are you moving?" James asked, passing her the correct box.
"Thanks. I haven't quite figured that out yet, but I am not imposing on you two for longer than necessary, James," she said, smiling softly at the man who appeared a little confused at her thinking. "So Lily agreed to go flat hunting with me."
"Prongs," Sirius exclaimed, "Does this mean I can move in here? It can be just like after we left Hogwarts… minus the traitor," he spat, "And the professor," he grinned, thinking of Remus who would be returning once summer came along.
"Sirius…Lily's just helping me find one, she's not divorcing James or anything-"
"Hestia, Hestia, Hestia, of course Lils isn't divorcing Prongs," he chuckled, "She's just moving out. I know that that doesn't mean they're breaking up forever."
Hestia and James both slapped their foreheads with their hands, shaking their heads in exasperation.
"There is absolutely no point," James muttered to her, to which she nodded and resumed her organization.
"Ready to go?" Lily asked, coming down the stairs, tugging her curls out of the back of her sweater that she had just thrown on. "What did I just walk into?" she asked warily, walking awkwardly towards James and Hestia, the latter who snaked his arm around her waist, narrowly avoiding being elbowed in the face as Lily reached to fix the strands around her face, twisting them back and securing them with a pin.
"You don't need to know," James sighed.
Hestia shook her head, grabbing her satchel before grabbing a hold of Lily's arm and spinning her away from James, giving them just the slightest of seconds to place a kiss on each other's lips before the auburn-haired woman was dragged down the stairs.
"I swear-"
"I know-"
"But doesn't it-"
"Exactly the same," Lily breathed, her jacket draped over her arm as she wandered further down the hall, away from the sun-lit kitchen.
Hestia laughed, "I wouldn't believe that it wasn't the same one if it wasn't for the fact that out of our kitchen window there was always that incessant man who stared at us each time we washed our dishes."
"Until Sirius and James threatened his life if he did so again," Lily remembered, walking back into the room.
"I'd almost forgotten," she sighed, leaning against the counter as she looked out the window to the busy street below.
"Should we move on?" Lily asked, grabbing Hestia's bag off of the back of the couch and passing it off to her on her way to the door.
"So, St. Mungo's?" Hestia remarked as the two of them set out into the street, arm in arm.
"I've only been working there for a little over a year, and Remus has been with me up until Dumbledore offered him the position a couple of weeks ago," she explained as they crossed the street. "I worked at the Chelsea and Westminster before then, referring unknown magical cases to St. Mungo's and then as a nurse the rest of the time. I still work there every now and then, but the work that Remus and I are working on is incredible as well. You wouldn't happen to know anyone who has a knack for herbology and potions and is looking for a position, would you?"
"I just might," Hestia grinned. "Do you mean it, truly?"
"Hest, I would have never said anything if I didn't."
"Why don't you move in with me?"
Hestia stopped her glass mid-way to her lips, her thirst for wine suddenly quenched and her smile faltering for the slightest of movements. "I'm sorry?" she stuttered, setting the wine glass back down on the table.
"Move in with me," he said again.
"I couldn't- I- Are you sure?"
Sirius smiled brightly, taking her a back a little bit. "I have the room, and the house is lonely without anyone else in it to keep me company. Not that I am asking because I expect you to keep me company. I just thought it would be nice to have someone else in the house, and well who better to ask than my old friend who has just happened to move back and is currently looking for a place to live and-"
"Sirius, you're babbling," she said softly, reaching her hand out, placing it on his arm. "And you just happen to be right."
"Can you say that again?" he teased, earning him a shove in the arm.
"That flat in Chelsea is looking awfully tempting now…"
"Oh, come on!" he protested, slamming his beer down on the table jokingly.
"I'm only teasing you," she told him quickly, laughing at how distraught he seemed. "If you really mean it, I'd like that, a lot," she smiled, before raising her glass to toast.
"To a new housemate!" she declared.
"To an old friend coming home," he chimed, before clinking his glass with hers.
She laughed. "It's still strange to be back," she said, looking around the bar. "But a good strange," she added quickly, "I kind of missed the rain. And you," she said softly, trailing off at the end.
"Oh, so you missed me?" he teased, bumping shoulders with her.
Hestia rolled her eyes, reaching her vacant hand up to mess up the man's hair, irritating him immensely. "Look at them," she sighed happily, almost giddily when the two of them eventually stopped their play fighting.
Sirius glanced up from his drink towards the space in front of the jukebox on the far side of the pub, where, in the dim light that this basement room provided at this late hour Lily and James were singing loudly and for the most part completely off tune, spinning each other around in between sips of their drinks. James leaned in to kiss her, missing her cheek though when she pulled back, her head thrown back as she sang the chorus and jumped up and down, much like she had at the many parties Gryffindor house had thrown after Quidditch matches.
"Now it really feels like you never left," he chuckled.
"It- what are you doing?" she shrieked, laughing, just managing to place her glass on the counter before he dragged her towards the beyond happy Lily and James, him spinning her multiple times along the way.
"We're celebrating!" he told her, loudly, in to her ear, trying to raise his voice over the music as he began moving her around. "Besides, we have to show them up! They can't be the only ones having a good time!"
"Are you insinuating that we were having a poor time before now?" she asked, winking at him.
"Never!" he shouted, before dipping her back, taking her completely off guard, both of them laughing all the way, even when Lily and James interrupted and stole them away.
"This is so surreal!" the dark-haired brunette exclaimed as the four of them jogged up the creaky wooden steps to one of the many staff stands where Remus would reportedly be waiting for them when they got to the top. The roar of the chants rising from the stands below was already deafening and the two teams hadn't even yet emerged. Lily had Hestia's hand gripped in her own, the auburn-haired woman's old red and gold Gryffindor scarf flailed behind her, the wind still managing to snake it's way through the cracks of the old stadium. Once again, clad in their old jersey's, James and Sirius ran immediately towards the front of the box, leaning over the edge just in time to cheer on the Gryffindor team as they took to the pitch, Harry taking up the rear as they flew once, twice, three times around the stadium before circling in the center. "Remus!" she exclaimed the moment she spotted the back of the sandy-haired professor's head, standing next to his two best mates.
He didn't even have time to process her voice, or turn around for that matter before her petite body slammed into his, her arms tightening around him. He looked up at James and Sirius questioningly, the latter who mouthed the name of the mysterious female, allowing him finally to return her embrace. "Hestia Jones," he grinned when she finally stepped away from him, the brightest of smiles on her face, "Returned to Hogwarts at last."
She shrugged, giggling. "The castle tried, it really did, to keep me away," she explained, "But you know me, once I set my mind to something no one, not even an ancient building can stand in my way."
"Still as terrible a joker as ever," he chuckled, giving her another hug.
"I am not," she protested, giving him a little shove. "Am I?" she asked, once she noticed the expressions on everyone's faces.
"Miss. Jones, welcome back."
"Professor," Hestia smiled, giving Professor McGonagall the briefest of hugs, shocking the men a little who had never had that kind of contact with their former head of house, never having seen her give a hug to anyone in all their years at the school. "How are you?" she asked who she believed was one of the most respectable women she had ever known.
"Trying to keep up with their son and his friends," McGonagall responded with the smallest of smiles as she glanced in Lily and James' direction. They both blushed awkwardly, averting their gazes. "Here for a visit?"
"Just moved back, actually."
McGonagall smiled again. "I am glad to hear," she said, before quickly saying, "I must take my seat for the game, I suggest you all do the same. And it is nice to see you two together again," she said to Lily and Hestia, "I'm afraid Mrs. Potter here has been around these three by herself for long enough."
"Here, here!" Lily exclaimed, before pulling Hestia down to their seats in front of the boys, Lily pointing out Harry as he and the rest of the team continued to fly around the Gryffindor end, waiting until Madame Hooch took to the center of the pitch.
"He honestly looks exactly like a mini-you," she breathed turning slightly towards James, watching Harry speed off towards the sky the moment the whistle blew. "Oh, this is so exciting," she said, giddy as she tapped her feet against the wooden floorboards excitedly just as though she was a little girl again.
"Gryffindor is in possession! Johnson has the quaffle and makes a beeline for the goals, dodging a bludger sent by Hufflepuff's O'Flaherty. Johnson passes to Bell who flies around Macavoy but can't get past Fleet as she sends the quaffle flying to the left post. Fleet throws the quaffle to Applebee who takes off towards the Gryffindor end as the chasers reform for the defense.
Applebee passes to Preece who flies past Macavoy, fakes a pass then sends the quaffle back to Applebee only to have Spinnet of Gryffindor intercept the pass and take off towards the Hufflepuff end. Spinnet makes a beeline for the posts, Bell and Johnson trailing behind, Spinnet drops the quaffle to Bell who flies underneath in an unexpected twist, Johnson blocking the Hufflepuff's keeper's view just long enough for Bell to put one past! 10 points for Gryffindor!
There's a little movement by Seeker's Diggory and Potter and it looks like they've spotted- false alarm! Hufflepuff misses thanks to the dynamic duo of Weasley and Weasley who sent a last minute bludger attack on the Hufflepuff chaser, effectively knocking him off of the broom and towards the ground. Maybe he'll be back up by the end of the game, not that it would matter much-"
"Mr. Jordan!"
"So many memories," Hestia laughed, the adults watching their former head of house lecturing the commentator who appeared to be ignoring her protests, as he continued on.
"Hufflepuff has regained possession, circling the Gryffindor goals which are being well defended by chasers, Johnson, Spinnet and Bell alongside Wood who stops the attempted goal by Applebee and quickly redirects the quaffle towards Johnson who ducks around Preece who punches the quaffle out of Johnson's arm, leading the Hufflepuff chasers back towards the Gryffindor goals and scores! 10 points to Hufflepuff! And the score is tied!
The Gryffindor team comes back and scores two goals in less than two minutes, Hufflepuff keeper taken completely off guard, not by the Gryffindor team though but by the bludger sent his way by his own beaters. Ouch that one is going to hurt in the morning!"
"Harry's going for it!" Remus exclaimed, pointing towards where the twelve-year old boy was shooting past them, following an object that not a single one of them could make out in the early April sunshine.
The five of them and the rest of the faculty scurried down towards the front of the box, watching as Harry, with Diggory hot on his tail wound his way around the stadium before shooting up towards the sky, the slightest hint of flickering gold appearing as he passed the horizon line, his hand outstretched, appearing not more than a few inches away from the speedy snitch.
"This will be one of the quickest matches we've seen to date," Sirius said, only to be hit in the arm by all those surrounding him. "Why-"
"You're going to jinx it!" Hestia screeched. "Come on, Harry!" she and Lily screamed simultaneously, their shouts met by the increasingly loud and excited chants from the Gryffindor cheering section.
"Diggory is closing in on Potter, they're arm in arm…they're flying towards the stands at a incredible pace… Potter pulls back just in time, unfortunately the same can't be said for Diggory who fly's head first into the stand. Potter is on the chase once again, flying straight towards the ground, he's closing in on it, he's closing in- almost got it… Come on Potter! HE'S GOT IT! POTTER'S GOT IT! Gryffindor takes the match 170 to 20!"
"Just as we practiced!" Oliver exclaimed, jumping off his broom just a few feet away from where the team was celebrating their win in the middle of the pitch, for a few moments by themselves before the entire house came flooding out onto the field.
"They won!" Hestia shrieked, jumping up and down with Lily like they were seventeen all over again, cheering James, Sirius, Marlene and the rest of the Gryffindor team on at all of their games.
"Come on," Lily smiled softly, squeezing her best-friend's hand as she walked quickly towards the stair door that would lead them down to the pitch where they could hopefully intercept Harry on his way to the change room, and hopefully before Ron and Hermione stole his attention away.
It was complete chaos, the last five or six flights with students going this way and that, a few stopping every now and then to greet 'Professor Lupin', making James and Sirius chuckle as they tried to push through the crowds, Hestia and Lily filing in behind them, neither one of them having wanted to split the crowd for their own purpose. Gryffindor house chants were rising up from the field once again, on top of the excited roars coming from the center of the circle where the team was screaming practically at the top of their lungs. Hestia and Lily stayed towards the back of the group, waiting at the outskirts of the pitch while the men approached the crowd, James jumping up as he shouted in hopes of his voice being loud enough to carry on towards the center of all the Gryffindor's.
"Harry!" James called out above the eager crowd of students, circling the team. "Hey champ!" he called again, finally getting Harry to turn his head towards the caller. "Potter!" he called again, before turning towards Remus and Sirius, "That felt extremely weird," he remarked.
"Sounded weird too," Remus said.
Sirius looked into the crowd, before rolling up his sleeves. "Alright that's it. Let's move Professor. Stay here, Potter," he said before taking off into the thick of it.
"Why does Harry look so furious?" Hestia whispered to Lily and James who had come to their sides when Remus and Sirius left.
Lily began to shrug, but stopped after a moment, turning to James who met her grin, both of them bursting out laughing simultaneously. "I almost completely forgot," she cried, tears actually emerging. "He sent us a howler," she explained to Hestia who was looking at the pair of them as though they had actually gone mad in the course of a couple of minutes.
"Wait, what?" she stuttered, trying to understand that statement.
"Long story," James said quickly, a squirming Harry, suspended between them, shouting incomprehensible things at the two of them as onlookers looked on questioning. "Anyway, it ended up with him being so mad at us that he got Flitwick to explain to him how to send a howler-"
"So Remus told us. He had to deliver it to us because Harry figured out that he was a part of it too," Lily continued. "And we may or may not have sent him a letter back with a modified answering machine message."
Hestia looked at them blankly. "They've turned you!" she exclaimed to Lily, reaching forward to hug her. "I can't wait to see this," she added, laughing when she saw a freed Harry walking angrily towards his parents who appeared to be almost shrinking at the sight of him.
"There he is," Ron exclaimed, both he and Hermione having been scanning the crowds since the moment their friend had mysteriously disappeared from the team's celebration at center pitch. "This ought to be good," he laughed, pulling the brown bushy-haired girl towards Harry and his parents.
"Why. Was. That. Necessary?" Harry practically screamed at them. "You gave a pile of them to Fred and George! Are you kidding me?"
"Yes, actually," James muttered, his remark not escaping Harry's ears.
Lily elbowed James quickly in the side. "Harry, it was only a- did you just say Fred and George have copies?" she asked, Harry's actual words only just getting through to her.
He nodded furiously, eying all the adults down.
"Sirius!" Lily shrieked on behalf of Harry. "You said you were going to get rid of them!"
"And I did," Sirius smirked back at her, his arms crossed smugly across his chest.
"You had something to do with this too, didn't you?" Harry growled, closing in on his father. James stumbled backwards, a little frightened by the new facial expression Harry was wearing, his brow furrowing.
"I-I don't really know what you're talking about…" he tried to play off but his smirk came out at the end, the one he wore often as a student of the school when one of the Marauders many pranks went off flawlessly.
"You gave him the idea!" Harry growled, tackling James to the ground.
"You have no proof!"
"Dad! You're existence is proof enough!" Harry yelled into his father's ear.
"He's got that right," Hestia snickered, thoroughly enjoying the scene in front of them, both her and Lily doubled over in laughter whilst Sirius and Remus debated between helping their friend or cheering their godson on.
"Get him, Harry, get him," Sirius cheered.
Harry turned sharply, jumping up without thought, doing a three-sixty taking to tackling Sirius to the ground in return.
"Hey, Mohammad Ali," Lily said, stepping forward and gripping Harry by the shoulders, pulling him off of Sirius and holding him tightly until she felt him relax in her arms. "You can punish them more later… all of us later," she added when he gave her a look. "I have someone I want you to meet before your team comes and takes you away to your victory party. Incredible game by the way sweetheart," she whispered in his ear, earning a large grin from her son.
"You're the woman from the photo, aren't you?"
She looked between Lily, James and Harry, a little shocked by the words the young boy had just muttered.
"How did you-" Lily started to ask.
Harry smiled, shaking her hands off of his shoulders. "The picture in your room. You still look the same," he answered, looking at Hestia with the last remark.
"He's my new favourite Potter," Hestia grinned, pulling him in for a quick hug.
"Sweetheart, this is my best-friend Hestia Jones," Lily introduced her to Harry, who reached out to shake her hand.
"You're an amazing seeker by the way, Harry. Your team is incredible, but then again Gryffindor always has been," she smirked, shrugging a little as she winked at James and Sirius who were both sporting large grins at her comment.
"Great catch at the end there, champ," James congratulated Harry, grabbing him suddenly from behind before reaching to ruffle his hair.
"Get off," Harry grumbled, shaking off his father's grip, sticking his tongue out in the process. "Just wait till its summer, then I'll get my revenge on you," Harry threatened.
"Harry! Party in the common room in twenty!" Fred and George called as the crowds began to thin out, the victorious team slowly making their way back to the change rooms before heading back up towards the castle.
"See you at the next match?" Harry asked quickly, spinning around towards Hestia, who smiled and nodded in return. "For the cup?"
"Wouldn't miss it," she promised, giving him a quick hug while she had the chance, a hug which he quickly returned before giving a brief one to his mum then running off with his two friends.
"Ron and Hermione?" Hestia asked after watching the way the young boy greeted the two other Gryffindor's, the red-headed boy with a large smile on his face as he animatedly discussed the more exciting moments of the game while the three of them meandered their way to the pitch entrance, Harry running to grab his broom from where he had left it towards the center of the pitch before they had gone too far.
"That's them," Lily smiled fondly, thinking, and looking back on the friendship that her once shy son had formed with Ron, a funny and lively boy who had managed to completely take Harry out of the shell he had been living in until he was eleven, despite their best efforts. And Hermione who was brilliant and kind and the mastermind behind many of their plans, she had no doubt, and who kept them in line but who they also managed to remind that they were only twelve-years old despite the things they had faced so early on in their lives because of their friendship with her son. "Harry!" Lily called suddenly, taking off towards the stands.
"Where's-"
"Not a clue," Hestia shrugged, falling in to line with James, Sirius and Remus who were laughing at Remus' teaching tales to date and James' sorrow at Harry not bothering to say goodbye to him, even though he had reason to.
"I'll ask."
"Still no goodbye?" James called, when Harry had taken off again after a brief conversation with Lily, who he noticed got another hug before their son decided to not be any later for the celebration in the common room.
"I wouldn't count on it, darling," Lily said sympathetically, letting James slide a hand around her shoulders, guiding the lot of them towards the pitch entrance on their way out towards the school gates.
"So what was that all about?"
Lily smiled softly, nuzzling herself into his side as they strolled along. "I just thought that maybe he should ask Ron and Hermione to come with us to the coast when we go towards the end of the summer," she informed him.
"Ahh," he nodded, squeezing her shoulder, "Well that's a good plan. You told him it wouldn't be until mid-August this year, right?"
"I did."
"You still have the cottage?" Hestia jumped in, an eager smile on her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, it's just. The memories."
James chuckled. "It wasn't a truly eavesdropping worthy conversation- unnecessary!" he grumbled, removing his arm from around his wife's shoulder to rub the now sore section of ribs she had just so nicely elbowed.
"Oh, I'm sorry," she teased, rubbing his back soothingly, before moving her head forward as to see past James. "And we do," she smiled at Hestia, "Petunia didn't want the hassle of it and apparently we scared Vernon for life that summer we spent there with them. We're going up- oh never mind you heard when, but Sirius and Remus come when we go now, so you'll just have to join along."
"Oh, well if I must," she agreed dramatically. "Ooo, let's go this way," she said quickly, suddenly tugging on Lily's arm and dragging her away, up the rolling hill past Hagrid's hut along the edge of the Forbidden Forrest.
"Why- oh I want chocolate!" Lily exclaimed, taking over the tugging when she deducted where Hestia was headed, running as fast as her legs could carry her around the edge of the castle till they slipped into a side entrance of the courtyard, then onto the bridge that would lead them exactly to where they wanted to go.
"I'd almost forgotten how often those two used to just take off after they had one of their three-word conversations," Remus chuckled, coming up on one side of James as Sirius went up on the other.
"Any idea where they are headed?" Sirius asked as the three of them started off after the girls at a much more leisurely pace.
"I'm guessing Hogsmeade," James chuckled, "I heard Lily shout something about chocolate-"
"Sure she's not just going after Remus' secret stash in his office?" Sirius asked, punching Remus in the arm jokingly.
"Nope, definitely Hogsmeade," Remus confirmed. "Those two may have chocolate on the brain but at the very least they know that the quickest way to the Defense corridor is definitely back the other way," he said, pointing to the far side of the castle, far behind them.
"Zonko's then, anyone?" James grinned, slapping both of them on the back before taking off after the girls at a run that brought back feelings of their sixth year at this school, one of the first years he and Lily actually learned to get on and the Marauders had four new friends in Lily, Hestia, Alice and Marlene: Gryffindor's four inseparables.
"Who's covering for him tomorrow, after it all?" she asked, coming into the room to see him stashing away in his old rucksack, potion bottle after potion bottle that she remembered seeing under the Marauders bed's for nights like this.
"I- uh," he paused, "We haven't gotten that far yet. Well, I mean we've thought about it but Remus agrees with Sirius and I that it would be hard for Harry to have either of us, or even you come in an teach the class-"
"It would be awkward and embarrassing and all the other things that soon to be teenage boys feel when their parents are around their classmates," she finished his thought for him, laughing a little sadly as she leaned against the door.
"We are officially entering that stage, aren't we," James sighed, chuckling.
"We're old," she whined, letting her head fall against his chest as she moped at the thought of their little boy growing up so quickly and out of their sight at the same time.
"There, there, I think I only see a small patch of gray hair on your scalp," he teased, rubbing circles on her back, placing his lips on the spot he was indicating.
"You're dreadful!" she laughed, slapping his arm away from her. "At least when the gray hair really does come, mine won't show as soon as yours will," she smirked.
"He really is growing up though," James sighed, pausing outside of the bathroom door, peering into the blue room whose door stood ajar. Reminiscent of his own room in his family's home, James looked into his son's room with the Quidditch posters on the walls and the Gryffindor memorabilia that he had hung in place of the old football posters that had been on the walls for nine years of his life.
Lily nodded in agreement, running her hand over the slightly dusty bookshelf that was just inside the door. "I should clean this before he comes home," she sighed, "So Remus still needs someone to cover his class then?"
"That he does…."
"Did Sirius ask Hestia?"
James paused on the stairs going down to the second floor, glancing back at his wife with a brilliant grin, shaking his head at the thought. "I knew there was a reason I fell in love with you in fourth year," he grinned, racing back up the stairs, his hands on either side of her face as he pulled her in for a long, deep kiss, one that was so full of love that to both participants it felt like the first time. "You're absolutely brilliant, did you know that?" he grinned, his forehead leaning against her own.
"I've heard it maybe once or twice before," she shrugged. "I'll ask Hestia when I go over there tonight."
"Thank-you," he said, pecking her lips once more. "I should be going."
"Wouldn't want to leave the big bad wolf waiting," she sighed teasingly, hugging him incredibly tightly. "Be safe, and come back to me in one piece."
"I would say 'always' but we both know that isn't true. I'll be back late tomorrow morning, and I will do my best to keep all my limbs in tact," he promised before spinning on the spot and apparating away and out of sight.
"This is a terrible idea, I can't do this," Hestia fretted, pacing inside Remus' sealed shut office, stopping every now and then to listen as the students filed noisily into the classroom—the telltale scrapping of chairs along the floors and incessant chatter about the past-weekend's Quidditch match.
"Hestia!" Lily sighed, slipping off of the edge of the desk where she had been sitting watching the nervousness overcome her friend. "For Merlin's sake, breathe," she sighed, stopping Hestia in her tracks. "Remus wrote everything you need down for you. You've read it over a hundred times. You can do this."
"But I'm not you!" she groaned, flapping the paper's in Remus' direction.
The tired man, with his drooping eyes and propped up injured leg sighed. "No, you're not. That's why you're here," he tried to joke but changed his direction when he saw it wasn't getting through. "You were in the top five percent of our class in Defense, even in N.E.W.T's, and you are brilliant when it comes to explaining things-"
"It's true," Sirius agreed, hugging her shoulders, "Without you and Evans here I would have never made it through potions or herbology with the grades I did."
"Lily," she whined, trying to pass the paper's off, "Just do it. Who cares what Harry thinks!"
Both Lily and James' hands shot up.
"We most definitely care," James chuckled nervously. "As fun as it is to prank him, he has enough problems with kid's in his class without us furthering it."
"It's time," Remus indicated, pointing at his watch.
"You can do this, Hestia," Lily assured her for the umpteenth time, slowly pushing her towards the door.
"Yes, you're right. I can do this…I can do this…I can't-"
"You just locked her out of the office," Sirius gaped, the moment Lily slid down against the firmly shut door, completely exhausted.
"It's the only way."
Hestia turned around on the landing to see a sea of expectant eyes looking up at her as she stood dumbfounded on the perch outside of the office door. Harry offered her a smile as she scanned the classroom, taking the deepest of breaths before beginning her descent.
"Sorry about that," she apologized the moment she was behind the front desk, peering out at the class. "My name is Hestia Jones, but I think if you're willing to help me be increasingly less nervous about teaching today's class you can just call me Hestia," she smiled softly, leaning against the desk, papers disregarded behind her. "Professor Lupin is away today so he asked me as a favor to take over the lesson. I've heard that you had a less than pleasant first encounter with these nasty buggers," she said, tapping her wand on the edge of the cage, the drapes whisking away to reveal the Cornish Pixies. She laughed a little to herself as she took in the expressions of fear on the second-years faces, especially the face of a plump dark haired boy whom she had recognized upon first-glance as the son of her old friend. "But today we're going to ensure that such an encounter never occurs again," she assured them, "Now that tosser of a Professor you had for a majority of this year was, well to put it nicely, completely unqualified. I'm not even sure how he actually managed to graduate from this place," she joked, "But none the less, we must finish what he started…"
AN: (I'm pretty sure) that this is the first update in ages that didn't take a month! Thank-you all for your patience with the last chapter. And 250 followers is amazing as well, thank-you to those who have been here since the beginning and to those who have just come on board. It means more than you will ever know! I apologize for the major focus on the adults as of late but I promise that come 'summer' between second and third-year there will be more Harry, Ron and Hermione.
Please, please, please review if you have time!