"Mrs. Weasley?" Elizabeth cautiously poked her head through the door. The Burrow seemed quiet. She slipped into the entryway and closed the door behind her. The kitchen was empty, but when she went into the living room, she saw a Pensieve sitting on the living room table. Without giving her actions much thought, she leaned over the basin, and felt her body pulled into the liquid memories.

*S*S*

It was Christmas. Six little red-headed boys were climbing and running around the living room of the burrow. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were sitting on the sofa, an infant, maybe six months old, swaddled in a pink blanket resting between them.

"Mummy, what'd Ginny get?" One of the smaller boys climbed up onto his mother's lap.

"Santa got her this bear," a younger Molly Weasley said, wrapping her arms around the little boy.

"Boring," the child said, struggling out of her hold and gracelessly plopping to the ground. "Fred and George!"

Elizabeth looked over to the Christmas tree, where an identical boy was waving a fake wand, knocking the ornaments off the branches.

"That was my fault." Elizabeth turned to see the current Molly Weasley standing beside her. "I called them together so often… they went through a phase where they didn't understand that they had different names."

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Weasley—

Molly shook her head. "It's okay. I could use the company." She looked at the boys, who were now both undecorating the tree. "And when are you going to call me Molly? Or Mum?"

Elizabeth put her arm around her future mother-in-law. "They were adorable. Which one…?"

Molly smiled. "The one who started the ornament destruction is Fred."

"Ginny got a bear," George was telling his brother. "She's such a baby."

"You have toys," said the redhead Elizabeth assumed was Bill. "And you're a baby."

"I'm not a baby," Fred said, as if the comment had been directed at him. "You're stupid."

"No fighting on Christmas," Arthur said, replacing the ornaments and using sticking charms to keep them in place. "Every one of you has a stuffed animal."

"I don't," Bill said assuredly.

"Yes, you do," Charlie accused. "You have Corn."

"His unicorn," Molly whispered, as if the memory family could hear her.

"I don't sleep with him," Bill said, rolling his eyes. "And he's not coming to Hogwarts with me."

"I'm not sleeping with Fred anymore," George said suddenly.

Elizabeth looked at Molly, who was smiling, even though her eyes were decidedly wet. "They had matching Hippogriff stuffed animals, and they named them… after themselves."

Elizabeth laughed. "Oh, I'm going to have fun with that information."

"They all took their animals to Hogwarts," Molly said, her voice shaking a little. "Bill's unicorn, Charlie's dragon, Percy's Phoenix, Fred and… George's… Hippogriffs…"

Elizabeth hugged her.

George and Bill were still bickering, but Fred , having realized that he couldn't knock off anymore of the low ornaments, was balling up wrapping paper, preparing to pelt the upper ornaments.

"We're not babies," George asserted one more time. "Right?" He looked at his twin for confirmation.

Fred shrugged. "I like George."

*S*S*

"She's okay," Elizabeth said, handing Fred a binder. "And these are apparently the flower arrangements that we need to pick from."

"So she was just ignoring my messages?" Fred looked at the binder. "I have no idea what is a good flower arrangement."

"Me either, but I'd stay away from the ones that are meant for funerals." Elizabeth held up a piece of parchment. "Final guest list?"

Fred nodded. "I think that's it. Your side of this list is a bit more… regal than mine."

"Well," Elizabeth said. "We could always add… this," she pulled a ratty Hippogriff out of her bag.

Fred tilted his head to the side a moment, then burst out laughing. "George," he reached out and took the stuffed animal from her. "This is what I get for sending you to talk to my mother."

"I learned all kinds of things about you today," Elizabeth said, moving to curl up against him.

"Oh yeah?" Fred asked, raising an eyebrow. "This is not a stuffed animal, by the way. George an action figure."

"George is a stuffed Hippogriff that you two named after yourselves," Elizabeth said, poking him in the side.

"Okay," Fred held up his hand is surrender. "What else did you learn, Sherlock?"

"Well," Elizabeth said, nudging her foot against his on the ottoman. "I learned that you were a very cute three-year-old."

"Well, that stands to reason, because I am an incredibly handsome adult."

Elizabeth laughed. "Yes, you are." She kissed him. "I also learned that you were trouble, even as a toddler."

"That shouldn't be surprising either," Fred said, laying backward on the sofa and pulling her on top of him. He reached over and put the stuffed Hippogriff on the table. "He doesn't have to come to the wedding. But maybe we'll keep him. Maybe we'll have a trouble toddler of our own some day."

"Or maybe two," Elizabeth said, stretching to reach into her bag, pulling out an identical toy. She walked the animal across his chest.

"I can't believe Mum let you have that," Fred said, taking the toy with even more care than he'd held his own. "Fred."

"She thought they should stay together," Elizabeth said, brushing the hair off his forehead. She smiled and put her head on his shoulder.

*S*S*

"We're going to need a day care," Remus said, raising an eyebrow at Severus, who was calmly stirring his tea.

"We certainly will not," Severus said firmly. "Mr. Malfoy will be caring for his own progeny. I've offered him a place here after the baby is born only because it is safest for Miss Greengrass to remain here."

"Lucius Malfoy will chase his son until one of them is dead," Remus said, shaking his head. "Draco may be a liability—

"Hogwarts has always been a safe haven," Severus interrupted.

"Which he's violated in the past, is all I'm saying," Remus countered.

Severus waved a hand dismissively.

Remus sighed. "Sev… you did everything you could for him. You know that, right?"

"Well, clearly that isn't true," Severus said quietly. "Otherwise, he wouldn't be in this damn situation."

"Are you talking about the baby? Or about the fact that it took a few years too long for him to realize that he needed to run like hell from the Malfoy name?"

"Seventeen years, Remus. Seventeen years, I spent pushing him away from everything Lucius stands for. And I failed." Severus stood, starting to pace. "I don't care about the baby, I mean that she's having the baby, except for the fact that it is causing a bit of a disruption. They are adults."

"Want a drink?" Remus raised an eyebrow.

Severus shook his head impatiently. "I quit."

"You can't quit, I took this job because I had to save your sorry—

Severus snorted. "Drinking, you idiot, I quit drinking. Saving me, indeed." He rolled his eyes. "Saved your hairy—

"You quit drinking?"

Severus nodded. "I decided I should probably take my own advice." He leaned one hand against the bookshelf. "And in doing so, I found that I relied on it perhaps more than I thought. I may have to take up smoking."

Remus laughed. "You're all over the board tonight, Snape. We need to find you a woman to ramble to."

Severus scowled. "I have a child still in school. And you're a woman."

Remus shook his head. "You really are messed up. Rambling and lame insults."

"Well," Severus drawled. "Seeing as this evening has devolved into a fraternity meeting, maybe I'd be better off determining how to hide their heir to the Malfoy fortune on my own."

"It's not my fault you wandered off topic," Remus shrugged. "Of course, I'd rather talk about why you don't think you can get laid while your kid is still in school."

Severus glared. "I don't know why I talk to you."

Remus grinned, unconcerned. "I'm the only one who puts up with your Snape-brain. Listen, there's this girl—

"I'll start dating when you start dating," Severus interrupted. "Honestly, Lupin, I thought you of all people would understand."

Remus's teasing exuberance deflated. "It's not really the same, Sev…"

Severus shook his head, sitting back down. "Listen, I just need to get Elizabeth out of school, and married, and then, maybe, I'll have the time and energy."

"Speaking of Mini-Snape," Remus said, peering into the play pen where Teddy was smacking his blocks together. "She definitely knows that there's something up with Draco. And you know she's staying weekends with Fred, right?"

Severus grimaced. "I've chosen not to fight battles I have no hope of winning. At least not anymore. And I'd like as few people as possible to know about the Malfoy situation."

"Okay, but haven't we learned about withholding information from her? She's dangerous when uniformed."

"This doesn't have anything to do with her," Severus shook his head. "And anyway, I think she's finally moving on with her life. She's been working on something in the lab, and spending more time at the store. She's stopped sitting on that sofa," he gestured across the apartment, "and staring at me as a form of recreation."

"That's good, right? That's what we've been hoping would happen. She's finding out what her life is about now."

Severus nodded. "It is. I just sometimes think that I'd enjoy deaging her."

Remus shrugged. "Or you could just relax, and enjoy a relationship with your daughter that doesn't involve curfews and permission slips."

*S*S*

"Miss Evans."

Elizabeth snapped her head in the direction of the voice. Diagon Alley was quiet, just a few people still in the streets, heading toward the shops that offered floo access.

Lucius Malfoy stood, closer than Elizabeth would like, near the building beside Fred's shop.

"Mr. Malfoy," she acknowledged curtly, every molecule of her being attempting to act like her father when faced with a particularly irksome person. She wanted to sprint to the Apothecary, where she needed to pick up an order for Severus, but she had enough self-preservation instinct not to turn her back on Malfoy.

"I'd like a word," Lucius said, purposefully stepping to the center of the sidewalk.

"I've got an errand," Elizabeth said, moving to go around him, but the severe-faced wizard stepped into her path.

"This will just take a moment," Lucius said calmly. "I've come with an invitation."

"My social calendar is a bit full at the moment," Elizabeth said dryly.

"I'm sure you can spare some time," Malfoy said firmly. "You defeated the Dark Lord. The Wizarding world believes that you are the most powerful witch in Britain. But I think we both know differently."

Elizabeth forced herself to meet the man's eyes, hoping that she looked more confident than she felt. Apparently, her stare wasn't enough to deter Lucius, because he continued.

"You defeated the Dark Lord because he was weak, and you were lucky. You propped yourself up on more powerful witches and wizards. You would never have been successful in another time and another place. You are, perhaps, the luckiest witch in the world." His lips curled into a cruel smile. "However, your popularity is not useless in this new endeavor I find myself heading."

"I can't believe that you would imagine a scenario in which I'd want to be anywhere near your endeavor." Elizabeth said, her eyes narrowing. "And while we're on the subject, stay away from my father."

"Severus is a big boy," Lucius sneered. "But I don't actually want him. In fact, I'd rather, as you say, "stay away" from him. However, that depends on your... cooperation."

Elizabeth felt the hair on the back of her next rise. "I wouldn't cooperate with you if you were claiming to solve world hunger."

"I thought you might say that. But, as I said before, your popularity is useful in our goals. Your public support of the supremacy of the Wizarding world will help speed up our process. You see," he stepped closer to her, "our stumbling block under the Dark Lord was that you were so... lovable. In a Muggle-loving, baby sort-of-way."

"I think we're finished here," Elizabeth attempted to side step him, but was blocked again.

Lucius looked unconcerned. "Let me make myself clear, Miss Evans. You were much loved by the Wizarding world. Should you choose to defy us during our resurgence, that will not be the case. You forget that I have witnessed every supposed "heinous" act your father has ever committed, aside from killing your precious Dumbledore. A crime he was never punished for, if I remember correctly." He leaned closer, so his lips nearly brushed her ear. "Join us. Or every secret, every rumor, every damning act about you and your family will come to light. I will make your lives a living hell. And then I will start to rid the world of every person you care about. One by one."

He pulled away and then, as if it were an afterthought, "Perhaps I'll start with Mr. Weasley. Although it might be more fun to surprise you." He tapped his cane casually on the sidewalk. "I'll be in touch, Miss Evans. Remember, I am not a half-dead wizard with a fractured soul. I think you'll find me difficult to resist with... luck."