Lily Potter stood beside her son’s crib, smiling down at him. It had been the first Halloween that she had been able to share with her whole family, and it would be one to remember. The evening had started at four when Sirius Black arrived and dropped off Harry, who was extremely happy showing off his chocolate cover face. After cleaning him up, Lily dressed Harry in his Superman costume, and they hit the streets. James followed after them, pushing the pram where little Harvey Potter slept under James’ careful eye. Trick or treating had gone exceptionally well, and Harry was so exhausted that he fell asleep in Lily’s arms as they walked home.
The rest of the evening had been peaceful and relaxed as Lily watched Harry play with his younger brother. It made her heart swell to see how excited Harry seemed to be about being a big brother, and it was utterly adorable to watch Harry cover Harvey’s face with kisses. She hoped that their bond would remain strong as they grew up.
After an early dinner, Harry followed Lily upstairs as she carried Harvey to his room, singing the same lullaby she had sung to Harry when he was a babe. “Hush, little baby, don’t say a word. Mama’s gonna buy you a mockingbird. And if that mockingbird won’t sing, Mama’s gonna buy you a diamond ring.” Lily placed Harvey down in the crib and pulled the blanket that James’ mum had sewn for him up, and tucked him in. “And if that diamond ring turns brass, Mama’s gonna buy you a looking glass. And if that looking glass gets broke, Mama’s gonna buy you a Billy goat.” She glanced down at Harry, who stood at her side. His small hands wrapped around the bars, his eyes drooping as a big yawn escaped him. Without stopping the lullaby, she bent down and picked him up. “And if that Billy goat won’t pull, Mama’s gonna buy you a cart and bull. And if that cart and bull turn over, Mama’s gonna buy you a dog named Rover.”
Harry nuzzled his face into Lily’s shoulder and tangled his fingers into her long red hair.
She stepped out of Harvey’s room and made it down the hall to Harry’s bedroom. “And if that dog named Rover won’t bark, Mama’s gonna buy you a horse and cart. And if that horse and cart fall down, you’ll still be the sweetest little baby in town.” As she sang the final word, she knelt down onto Harry’s bed and laid him down.
He looked up at her with sleepy eyes and said, “Mummy?”
Lily pushed his hair from his eyes. “Yes, baby?”
“Is Harvey going to live with me and Dad?” asked Harry.
Lily tried to keep the smile on her face. Her heart ached at the clear attachment that Harry had developed for his brother. It had only been the second time that Harry had spent any time around Harvey, but he seemed to love him. In the three months since Harvey had been born, Harry had only stayed twice. His regular sleepover schedule had been disrupted first when Harvey had been born. Sirius had insisted that she spend a few weeks with James and Harvey and get settled, and then Harvey had his first cold. It had meant that his weekly weekend stays hadn’t been as weekly. She had missed her son greatly and seeing how instead of rejecting the idea of a brother, he had latched onto him and didn’t seem to want to let him go.
Stroking Harry’s forehead, Lily said, “No, baby. Harvey is going to live with James and me.”
Harry frowned. “But he is my brother.”
Lily nodded. “Yes, but he is also James’ son. Imagine how much James would miss Harvey if he wasn’t here.”
Harry’s small frown seemed to deepen. “But you are my mum, and you don’t live with me.”
The words cut deep. Harry’s whole life, he had bounced back and forth between his parents, and his existence had created a divide. To James, Harry was a constant reminder that Lily had cheated on James with his best friend.
It was their final year of Hogwarts; Lily and James got into a rather nasty argument regarding a certain few Quidditch fans who liked to act like James wasn’t in a relationship. The argument was witnessed by most of the school as Lily threw stinging hexes at him as he chased her through the halls. It had ended with Lily smacking him across the face and taking off. Of all the people to find her, it was Sirius. He found her hidden in the deepest rows of the library, a place she was certain he had even visited before.
Lily had always considered Sirius an immature child, but after he comforted her and opened up to her about his own family drama, she saw that his immaturity and humour was a defence mechanism.
A week after Lily’s fight with James, Sirius and Lily found themselves in the Room of Requirement sharing a bottle of fire whiskey as Sirius read her the letter he received from his parents. It was different than anything he had ever received before, an apology and a request for him to return home. The two talked and cried, and after consuming the whole bottle of fire whiskey, they both wanted to forget—the morning after, they both agreed to never tell anyone. The two of them sleeping together was not something either of them wanted to repeat or have a reminder of.
On their final day at Hogwarts, Lily sat in the infirmary crying as Madam Pomphrey confirmed her worst fear; she was pregnant. Two weeks later, James beat the crap out of Sirius, and only Remus had been able to pry James off and separate the two. Lily, at the time, thought she had lost James forever. Their whole fight had started over infidelity, and she had turned around and thrown the very thing she was scared he would do at him. Three months it took before James and her found a way around it. And when Harry was born, she agreed that Harry would live with Sirius full time and that on weekends she would take him.
It had been the most challenging thing she had ever done, and she had hated missing out on all of his firsts. Lily was stuck keeping the peace between James and Sirius; the two’s friendship had never recovered. Not for the lack of trying on Sirius’ end, but James refused to let his anger go.
Lily hated how things had turned out. She had always pictured her raising three kids with James, Sirius being the annoying and troublesome uncle. But she had ruined all of that. Lily didn’t regret keeping Harry; she admitted to Sirius after he was born that she had considered getting an abortion, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She loved Harry, and even now that she had Harvey, she would never give him up for anything.
Lily laid down next to Harry on his bed and pulled his blankets up and over him, tucking them under his chin. “I live here because James is my husband, you know that.”
Harry nodded. “But aren’t mummy’s and daddies supposed to live together. You and daddy should live together with me.”
Lily sighed. “Normally, yes, they do. But your dad and I aren’t normal.” She tapped him on the nose. “You should get some rest.”
Harry huffed. “Okay. I love you, mummy.”
Lily smiled. “I love you too, pumpkin.” With Harry tucked in, Lily checked on Harvey before going back downstairs.
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James sat in the living room with his feet propped up on a footrest, a cup of tea in his hand and the Daily Prophet in the other. He frowned as he read over the day’s stories about the recent deaths of muggles and wizards. Voldemort was becoming bolder with every passing day, and the lack of action taken by the Ministry was concerning.
He looked up from the paper as he heard Lily’s feet touch the last step. He asked, “Did Harvey go down okay?”
Lily nodded. “Yep, out cold.”
James smiled and looked down at the paper again.
“And you should have seen Harry with him. He loves his brother so much.” Lily walked past James and sat down on the love seat across from him.
James’ frowned at the mention of Harry. His discomfort about his existence had never really settled. “I did see him; he was too rough.”
Lily’s smile dropped, and a huff of annoyance fell from her mouth.
James dropped the paper and looked at her. “Don’t huff at me,” he snipped.
“Then stop acting like a child. The only reason you think he was too rough is because it is Harry. Grow up.” Lily stood and marched towards the kitchen. She was in no mood to deal with his attitude. With a flick of her wand, the kettle on the stove filled with water and the flames of the stove flickered to life. She leant against the island counter and waited for the water to get hot.
Lily loved James, the two of them had gone through a tough journey, but they had made it through, and Lily had always seen in her mind that she would grow old with him. But every time he mentioned Harry, it was still in a negative way, and it was chipping away at her. When she had discovered that she was pregnant with Harvey, she had this idea that James might grow up a bit more and manage to let go of his anger. But so far, it only seemed to make James want to push Harry away more.
The kettle whistled, and Lily let out a sigh. Another wave of her wand and a teacup and saucer gracefully flew from the cupboard and landed on the counter. A teabag popped into the cup, and the kettle hovered over the cup and poured in the boiling water. Blowing on the steam, Lily took a gentle sip and allowed the calming effect to wash over her. Time was all she needed; time would make it all better.
“Uncle James, do you know where Mummy is?” Harry’s voice floated from the sitting room into the kitchen.
Lily walked to the archway and saw Harry standing at the bottom of the stairs, peering around the bannister at James. She went to open her mouth to call out to Harry, but she stopped as she watched James. He put down his paper and stood up. “She is in the kitchen. Are you okay?”
Harry shook his head. Lily noticed how one of his hands was on his stomach, and his face was clenched. “My tummy hurts,” he said.
James knelt down in front of him and touched the back of his hand to his forehead. “You don’t feel warm. Does anything else feel wrong?”
Harry shook his head. “Just my tummy. It aches.”
Lily felt tears prick at her eyes as James reached forward and picked up Harry. He hugged the boy to his chest. “I think Mum has a potion to help it; let’s see if we can find it.” James headed up the stairs with Harry in his arms.
Lily smiled at the sight. Maybe James was already starting to let it go.
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The crackling fire in the sitting room of Grimald place warmed the room for the two men sitting across from one another, a set of wizard chess in between the two of them. Sirius Black frowned at the pieces in front of him and eyed the white pieces that had been slowly destroying his own move after move. He never understood why he always ended up agreeing to play the damn game, especially against Moony.
“Knight to E4.” Sirius watched his knight move and then glanced up at Remus. He cringed as Remus smirked.
“Castle to G7, and checkmate.” Remus chuckled as Sirius huffed and stood up.
“Why do I let you talk me into playing against you? I always lose.” Sirius stretched out his arm and lent against the fireplace.
“If I let you win,” said Remus, “you would never learn.”
Sirius just rolled his eyes. “You let Harry win.”
Remus raised his eyebrow. “Your son is four; it would be mean if I didn’t give him some sort of shot.” Remus waved his wand, and the chess pieces fixed themselves then packed themselves up into their case. “How was today? Was he excited to see Harvey?” Remus asked.
Sirius nodded. “Yeah. He was going on about Harvey all week.”
“And James?”
Sirius groaned and rubbed his face. His best friend hated him. Refused to talk to him or even look at him. James always found a way to avoid Sirius, and if they were somehow forced together, normally by Dumbledore when they were sent out to try and stop Voldemort, it would be painfully awkward. Sirius had hoped that after so long, the anger would fade and that he may have had a chance to rebuild their friendship. It had never happened, though.
“You know James,” said Sirius. “He won’t even give me a chance.”
Remus nodded. “If it helps, I think he is trying.”
Sirius scoffed. “If he calls acting like I don’t exist trying, then sure. Okay.” He dropped back onto the couch and crossed his arms.
“Sirius, you had sex with Lily, the love of his life, and that action produced a child. One that we all love, but you have to remember that the betrayal that he suffered from the both of you is shoved in his face on the daily,” said Remus.
Sirius nodded. “I know that. But he managed to forgive Lily.”
Remus hummed. “I think what he has done is instead of forgiving you both, he has put all the blame solely on you. As long as he can believe that it all happened because of you, he won’t ever have to face the fact that Lily slept with you.”
“You really should have become a mind person.” Sirius nudged Remus in the shoulder.
Remus looked at him, confused. “Do you mean a psychiatrist?”
Sirius nodded. “Yeah, that.”
Remus shook his head and stood up. “You still amaze me sometimes.”
Sirius smirked.
“I better head home; I still hurt from the last full moon, and a bath is calling my name,” said Remus.
Sirius stood up to walk him to do the door when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. He gasped and fell back onto the couch, clutching his chest.
“Sirius?!” Remus shouted. He moved over to his friend and grabbed him. “Are you okay?”
Sirius gasped and shook his head. “My chest, it’s burning.” He cringed as the pain rippled through him. “I don’t know what is happening.”
The floo flared to life, and Arthur Weasley slid out before them. “Sirius!”
“Arthur, what is it?” said Remus.
Arthur dusted himself off. “Dumbledore has sent out an alert. The wards at the Potter’s were tripped. He thinks it’s You-Know-Who.”
Sirius tried to stand, and Remus helped him up. “Remus, apparate me there.”
Remus shook his head. “Sirius, you can barely stand.”
“My son is there!” He shouted. “Now!”
Remus frowned by held him firmly. “Okay.”
The two of them were swallowed and, with a pop, landed outside of Potter’s residence. Sirius stumbled and fell to his knees as they landed and wanted to cry when he saw the house in front of them. The door was blown off its hinges and windows were shattered, glass was thrown everywhere.
Remus helped Sirius back up, and the two moved into the house. On the floor before them was an unconscious James. Remus let go of Sirius and climbed over the broken door to get to his friend.
He shook his shoulder and said, “James? James?”
The man stirred and blinked. He let out a groan and said, “Moony?”
“Yeah, mate.” Remus helped him sit up. “What happened?”
James rubbed his head and blinked. His face was blank for a moment as he thought back on what had happened. When it all came back, dread coated his features, and he gripped Remus’ arms. “Lily! Harvey! Harry! Where are they?” He pushed himself up.
“We just got here, James; what happened?” asked Remus.
“We are okay, James.” Lily’s voice floated from upstairs.
All three men rushed upstairs and found Lily standing outside the nursery with a sleeping Harvey in her arms.
“Are you okay?” Both James and Sirius asked.
Lily nodded. “Everyone is fine. I woke up to both boys crying and rushed up here. I don’t know what happened.” Lily rocked Harvey.
“Where is Harry?” asked Sirius.
“I have him.”
The adults turned to Albus Dumbledore. He held a sleeping Harry in his arms. Sirius walked over and pulled Harry into his embrace and squeezed him. The sharp pain he felt in his chest had subsided once they had made it to the Potters, and he thought that it had to do with whatever happened.
“Will someone, please, tell me what happened?” asked Sirius.
“It appears Voldemort found us,” said Lily. “The boys were asleep up here, I was in the kitchen, and James was coming back downstairs when he broke down the door. He tried to convince James to join him, and when James refused attacked him.”
James frowned. “I tried to hold him off, but he is too strong. One of his spells hit my shield, and the impact threw me into the wall, knocked me out cold.”
“I tried to stop him, but he knocked me out,” said Lily.
“Why didn’t he kill you both?” asked Remus.
Lily shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Albus cleared his throat. “I do believe that his sole focus was on Harvey. You both were simply obstacles; with you both unconscious, he could get at your son.”
“Do you think that he thought Harvey is the child from the prophecy?” asked James.
Albus nodded. “I do. What is unclear, however, is what happened once he entered this nursery. When I arrived, I found only scorch marks, Harry unconscious beside the cribs, and Harvey was still inside the crib, crying.” He moved towards Lily and reached for Harvey. He pushed the hair on his forehead back and revealed a scar. “This mark, I think, is the result of Voldemort firing the killing curse at young Harvey; somehow, he was able to deflect it back at Voldemort and kill him instead.”
The adults all stared at the sleeping babe and frowned.
Harry stirred in Sirius’ arms. His grip tightened on Sirius’ shirt, and he cried out.
“Hush, pup. It’s me, dad.” Sirius cupped the back of Harry’s head and kissed his forehead.
“Daddy, there was a bad man,” said Harry.
“I know. He’s gone.”
Harry pulled his face away from Sirius’ neck. “He made my tummy hurt, and he threw a green light at me and Harvey. Then he disappeared.”
Sirius frowned and looked at Lily, who seemed just as concerned.
“Let’s not dwell on this tonight. Voldemort might not be gone for good. Sirius take Harry home, Lily and James; Hogwarts is available for you to spend the night,” said Albus.
“You are welcome to stay with me,” said Sirius.
James frowned but nodded. “Thank you.”
If such a drastic event hadn’t occurred, Sirius would be leaping for joy at James’ response. But they all needed to find somewhere safe for the night, and Grimald Place had such ancient and powerful wards.
“Albus, will the boys be okay?” asked Lily.
Albus sighed. “I am unsure. Give me some time to do some research. Just keep a close eye on them, okay.”
Lily nodded.
Whatever had occurred between the two boys and Voldemort, she was thankful that her children had survived. Even if Harvey did have a mark that would leave him scarred.
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