A/N: Hello! I'm back. I hope you all had a good Easter and if you don't celebrate Easter, then I hope you had a good week and a bit. You're probably used to how pathetic I am with updating so I'll stop stating the obvious.

Thank you for the support, I know I say it all the time but seriously... thank you for reading this and leaving reviews and following and favourite-ing and stuff. It is greatly appreciated.

I do not own the Harry Potter franchise and no copyright infringement is intended and all credit goes to J K Rowling.

Oh and I went a bit crazy with Harry Potter Wiki... there's quite a lot of facts in this chapter especially about the Weasley family.

Enjoy!

JULY 27th 1978 – 1 PM

(THEY SLEPT FROM ABOUT 2 AM TO 12 AM – 10 HOURS SLEEP… IN THE MIDDLE OF A WAR. HOW I ENVY THEM. JUST JOKING.)

JAMES' P.O.V

"Come on guys! Dumbledore said the Portkey he set up would arrive just over there…" Marlene calls, walking up ahead and almost into the horizon at the top of the hill.

Lily is at the back of the party; I stop and wait for her. As she walks up to me, I see that her hair is in tangles - the way it usually it is but with a certain roughness which is alien to Lily Evans Potter. Her eyes are tired and have dark rings underneath and her green eyes that are normally beautifully clear and bright are dull and clouded. I notice that her clothes are ripped and covered in blood and slime. Looking at how I've described her, I suppose you wouldn't expect me to say how incontestably beautiful I find her, even now. Especially now. Despite my being obviously bigoted, Lily is quite the most unprecedented person in the world and she's my wife. I still can't come to terms with that.

"Hey," she says, breathless.

"How was your sleepover?" I smile at her, knowing it will piss her off.

She scowls at me, "Fine, how was yours?"

"Marauders don't have sleepovers," I say, matter-of-factly.

"Don't they? That's weird because we swore we heard giggling and you guys playing truth or dare."

"Marauders don't giggle, either."

"But Padfoot –"

"Believe me, Padfoot is and always will be – an exception to all rules."

She grabs my hand and holds it tightly. I look at her quizzically.

"What? Marauders don't hold hands?" she asks, mockingly.

"We do, actually."

"I do beg your pardon."

"You are forgiven."

"Forgiven for what?" she demands, staring me down, the light in her green eyes back and blazing. I hold back a gulp.

"Nothing, nothing."

She puts our entwined hands in my pocket.

"What's this?" she asks, pulling out the paper from my pocket her hand must have brushed against. Oh shit.

"Erm…"

"This isn't what I think it is, is it?"

"That depends on what you think it is."

"Is this the mistletoe I Transfigured into a reindeer for you in fourth year when you tried to kiss me?"

"Yes?" I brace myself for whatever crazy reaction I may receive from this.

"But why did you keep it?" she examines the paper reindeer carefully, her voice soft and gentle.

"Because it reminded me of you and our almost kiss and how we kind of were friends in fourth year and it gave me this kind of crazy hope that maybe you'd kiss me for real someday," I say very, very fast and I'm surprised that she can follow what I'm saying.

"James…" she says, looking up at me, "that's so sweet."

"Is it?"

"Yeah, kind of. Some part of me finds it incredibly pathetic and lame but mostly it's sweet."

"Just so you know, Marauders aren't pathetic or lame, or sweet for that matter."

"Then you're not very good at being a Marauder then," she says, faking seriousness.

"I am wounded."

"How do you think I feel? I married you for heaven's sake."

"I would hope you married me for your own sake," I say, resting my arm around her shoulder.

"You think you're really witty, don't you?"

"You think so too."

"Hm…"

We walk in silence for a while before Lily pulls out a box wrapped in shiny silver paper.

"For you," she says, holding it out to me.

"What's this?"

"Your wedding present, from me."

I open it – it's a watch. Not an ordinary watch, though, I'll bet. Aside from looking very smart and having that posh-but-not-so-much-that-it-looks-like-it's-worth-much look, I know there's something more. Lily isn't in the business of giving people what she deems 'narcissistic, consumerist crap'.

She watches me, with that look of hers that she gets when she's really very excited and proud of what she's done and she wants me to understand her genius with this watch. Try as I might, I simply can't quite latch on to what she wants me to see.

"I'm lost, what exactly is it?"

She suspires with slight agitation and exasperation.

"I suppose it's a good thing you don't know what it does; it means no one else will either. I charmed and transfigured it, see? Minerva gave me the idea."

"Minerva?" I splutter, recognising Professor McGonagall's first name.

"Yeah, Minerva McGonagall? Our old Transfiguration teacher?"

"I know who she is! Why did you call her Minerva?"

"Well… we're friends."

"You're friends with McGonagall?" I look at her, incredulous.

"Yes, I am. And Albus is a good friend of mine as well."

"Professor Dumbledore?"

"He made me call him Albus, we were talking via Patronus and he insisted on being addressed as Albus."

"What in the name of Merlin… You know it's weird to befriend teachers, right?"

"Did you know that it's a dumbass move to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with?"

"Sorry, it's just… do you have any other new friends I should know about?"

"Molly and Arthur Weasley, but they're your friends too. I think so, anyhow. Their first child, William or Bill as we all call him, was born in 1970, you know. I went to the Christening. He'll be turning eight this year… I really must get a present sorted –"

"Lily, it's July, his birthday is in November."

"Yes, I know, November 29th. I'm surprised you remembered. Anyway, he'll be going to school in '82. Wow, time goes by fast, doesn't it? Charlie, you know, Charles, born in '72? On the 12th of December?"

"Yes, I know who all the Weasley children are."

"He's adorable, incredibly sweet. But you should see Percy! He was born only almost two years ago – August 22nd. He is quite possibly the most charming one-year-old I've ever met. I really must take you to visit the Weasley's - it's been ages since I last visited them. Oh! And the twins, born this April! We really need to visit our friends more often. Molly is so hospitable and kind –"

"You mean we need to visit your friends."

"Well who are you friends with?"

"Moony, Padfoot and Wormy."

"Exactly, we're with them now. We need to make an effort to stay in touch with our old friends, too. We need –"

"Lily, sweetheart, you're rambling off nonsense now. We were talking about the watch?"

"Right," she flushes slightly, "sorry. Yes, the watch. It shrinks objects and allows you to conceal them inside the watch. I thought it would be good for times like this, you never know when you might need something which is too big to carry around normally."

"Wow, thank you, Lily. This is amazing. How did you do it?"

"My own genius, of course," she jokes.

"Of course."

"I love you, James."

"I love you too."

We stop walking. She leans in and we kiss for what seems like no time at all.

"HEY! Lovebirds! Snog in your own time, we've got a war on! Death Eaters to hex? Innocent lives to save? Ring a bell?" Alice yells from where the Portkey is situated, a few metres ahead.

"Sorry!" Lily shouts back, running toward Alice.

"Now we need to wait until Dumbledore gives the all-clear…"

Everybody sits down gradually, waiting but not quite relaxing. We're all still tense. I run up to Lily, where she's sitting on grass, bathed in the summer sunlight. The warm light makes her hair and general figure look a lot more warm and soft and bright. I sit down next to her.

"This is my wedding gift to you," I say, holding out a small box.

She opens it and a key falls into her lap. She looks up at me, confused.

"What's this James?" she asks.

"A house key."

"A house key?" she repeats, looking at the key, then her eyes widen and she turns to look at me instead. "James, no…"

"Well, cottage key might be more accurate but –"

She flings her arms around me.

"Thank you so much!" she exclaims.

"You don't even know where yet."

"I don't have to; I know it will be somewhere amazing."

"Your faith in me is astounding. It's Potters' Cottage in Godric's Hollow, it's been in my family for Merlin knows how long."

"And we're going to live there?"

"Yeah, it's a lovely village and I thought that you'd really like it –"

"James, I already love it. But it's way too much, I can't accept this –"

"All you're accepting, my darling Lily-flower, is the key. The cottage will be ours and it looks like a good place to live and have the guests around that you adore so much…"

"I'd like that," Lily says, smiling radiantly.

"Me too."

"You know I'm going to half live in there too, right?" Padfoot says, just as Lily and I are about to kiss.

"I wouldn't dream of kicking you out, Sirius," Lily says, good-heartedly.

"Yeah, it wouldn't be the same without my good old brother," I slap him on the back, I do mean what I'm saying but his timing is awful.

"I should hope so! Marauders do not kick other Marauders out of their houses," Padfoot says.

"Very true."

Lily looks at the two of us critically.

"You two and your rules of Maraudership."

"Is Maraudership a word?" I ask her.

She chucks some grass in my face, "It is now."

"Marauders do not make up words when it suits them," Padfoot says.

"Well I do," Lily says.

"Okay then, Marauders do make up words when it suits them," Padfoot corrects himself.

"I wasn't aware I was a Marauder," Lily says, frowning.

"You all are," Padfoot says, "there's you, me, Prongs, Moony, Wormtail, Marlene and Alice. Hell, even old Dumbledore's a Marauder."

"Marauders also have the ability to make up rules and abolish and break rules when it pleases them to do so," Moony says, laughing.

"Now you need to take the solemn oath," Padfoot says, with a great tone of earnestness.

"I'll go first," Lily says, "I solemnly swear to always point out when Padfoot is being stupid."

"These oaths are sacred, Lily," Moony says.

"In that case, I solemnly swear to cause mischief and live to the best of my ability."

"Here, here," Padfoot says, approvingly.

It goes on like this until everyone's taken the solemn oath.

I sit with Lily on the grass, waiting for the Portkey to be ready and for the first time in what seems like ages, I feel contended with my life. I have a courageous, intelligent and strong-willed wife, Marauders for friends and now – a home. If only the bloody war would end, then everything… Oh well, there's no use in dwelling on what could have been.

SEVERUS' P.O.V

Dumbledore is still 'considering' my offer. He would like to have me be a Professor of Potions but he says that it is unlikely I will be able to teach for at least two years. When I asked him why, he went on about training and Professorship by which point I had quite had enough of his lengthy letters full of illegible script detailing matters which I simply do not care about.

On a different note, this warm weather is greatly unpleasant. I really do hate the summer. Lily always loved it, though. I wonder how… no. I don't care how Lily is or what she's doing. No doubt she has the Potter boy to protect her – or rather she'll be protecting him. Not that it matters, of course.

Lucius has become friendly toward me, which is rather disconcerting. I suspect Narcissa had something to do with that. Rosier, Mulciber, Avery and Dolohov have also acted more warmly toward me. The only vaguely consistent attitude I'm receiving is from that of the Black sisters (now Malfoy and Lestrange). Narcissa is my friend, or at least an ally and Bellatrix still treats me like vermin. Not that the feeling isn't mutual, because it is. Despite Bellatrix Lestrange's marital status, it has become somewhat of an inside joke between Death Eaters that she fantasises about the Dark Lord instead of her husband.

I have no time for petty jokes. It's surprising how easily amused my fellow Death Eaters are. Most of them have the attention spans of a flea and the maturity of a child. If they do not, then they are most likely psychopathic and sadistic – like Bellatrix, for example.

I have no doubt that I've become a great deal more outspoken, but there is a certain way a Death Eater should talk when asserting his presence – rude, hostile and disparaging. Lily would not approve, but, as Narcissa has said, I do not exist simply to please Lily. Which is both true and not true.