A/N: Sweet nothings and harmless banter? Agreed, about time we stopped for a breath. With the exception of a very nice surprise...
Chapter XL: Loved, Lost and Gained
The next day found our heroes strangely unwilling to engage in the typically dangerous activities that occupied their lives, but instead, were interested in little more than sleep and breakfast. However, it was essential that the new ruling three, as the press had begun to call them as of today, to be present at the Ministry and set the affairs of government in Order.
On Harry's insistence to help out, they declined, and secretly Harry was happy to have the day to himself. For once, he could lounge around the house, along with Hermione, his parents and the rest of the fine company that made up the Order, and hopefully talk about something other than `official businesses'.
Of course, he would still keep a vigil on any moves Lestrange might make. Grimmauld Place was safe from detection, and thus harm, so as long as nobody ventured out, the risk was minimal. Yet, Harry was still not entirely at ease. The prospect of Luna, Draco and Ginny coming under harm was in itself very real...what then?
Hermione found Harry deep in thought, and thought she would cheer him up by doing something she had not done to him in a long time - an embrace from behind. He didn't notice her creep up, and jumped a little when he felt her hands, but then immediately relaxed.
"Hey, you," he said, turning around to face her. For the first time in a while a smile lit up his face, and he lowered his head to kiss her. "How are you this morning?"
She smiled coyly on her own turn. "Well, very good, now that you mention it, Mr. Potter."
"Good to know," he rejoined. "I love you."
Echoing the sentiment of many readers, Hermione could not remember the last time she heard this from Harry, and realized just how much she missed him saying it. "I love you too."
He laid another kiss on her. "Speaking of last times, when did we just sit and not to anything related to death, destruction, and saving wizard-kind?"
"I don't know," Hermione furrowed her brow, "but today seems a mighty nice day not to engage in that business."
"I'm just worried about Ginny, Draco and Luna," he betrayed his earlier apprehensions.
"They will be fine, Harry. They survived the final battle, have been with us through thick and thin, so they know how to take care of themselves and one another," she allayed these apprehensions of his.
"I suppose," he said thoughtfully. "Maybe I should learn to trust them more."
"That would be a good start," Hermione nodded. "But today, it will be just you and me...no distractions in any way, shape or form."
Did he hear something suggestive in her voice? If that was so, then it was also made him enthusiastic to take her up on the unspoken offer...
"Well then," he conceded. "What do you want to do today?"
She took a moment to consider the options. "Have a sexual marathon with you?"
Her suggestion caught Harry off-guard. "Say what?"
That alone showed how much his mind had been preoccupied with Order business.
Hermione giggled. "Shocked?"
By now, he had managed to recover his coolness. "And aroused. Where and when?"
The smile on Hermione's face widened. "I'll tell you after."
Only she could do this to him. Harry mentally cursed Hermione for being the woman he loved...
Maybe it was lucky foresight, but Harry did not have the time to consider that, as they were interrupted by Harry's parents, who came through the door, stumbling over one another...were they kissing? In front of him?
Harry found the image quite disconcerting, and was no less surprised at the feeling. "Mom! Dad!"
James and Lily came apart, and turned to face their son. "Oh, hey Harry," James waved, somewhat awkwardly if that was even possible. "What's going on?"
"I could ask you the same," his son replied.
"What, I can't kiss your mother?" James smiled. "No rules against it, last time I checked."
"Love, we know your history with rules as it is," Lily told him. "And not in front of Harry. You know, we still haven't talked to him properly since we arrived back!"
"What do you mean?" James objected. "We've had plenty of chances to talk!"
Lily looked at Harry in a way, which he could only interpret as her wanting his support. "I think Mom's right, Dad." Lily gave him a dazzling smile as Harry said this. "We've yet to sit down and talk about something other than the Order."
From the memories he had seen of his father, and even talking to him before Ginny brought him back for the first time, Harry knew that beneath James' outward cool and dismissive attitude lay a very determined persona - sometimes even more so than Lily.
"But there is a job to be done, son," his father said. "Had I been given the chance, I would have taught you that first, but you seem to have learned it without me."
"You have no idea, Dad," Harry shook his head. "To be honest, I have had enough of jobs to do."
"Don't say that, son," James shook his head wisely, "the real jobs in your life are only beginning."
For the exceptional experiences that had shaped Harry much more differently than his contemporaries, his father still thought the real trials were yet to come. He probably was referring to a life with Hermione, and truth be told, he viewed that as anything, but a chore...
"Well, then, let us talk," Hermione broke the silence that followed. "About life. No Lestrange-related matters."
Harry still found this rather odd. What would he say? Any tangible topics of conversation that did not relate to threatening his life, he could not fathom. Maybe Hermione would take his helplessness in consideration and lead the effort...
"About life?" Lily echoed Hermione. "I'd love to."
Harry's nervousness only increased. "Tell me about your wedding," his mother opened the conversation.
He realized with a shock of embarrassment that he had not even talked to his parents about this. Before he could utter a word, however, Hermione took charge.
"It was amazing," she reminisced. "it was at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was a bit fanatical about the preparations, but however she did it, it was worth it. There were no unpleasant surprises even if the risk existed...it was perfect."
"The decorations," Harry chimed in, as he had recovered his confidence. "I helped with them, but Ginny was the mastermind. She was really good."
"It was the Weasleys that also organized our wedding all those years ago, remember love?" Lily turned to James, as she looked on fondly at the couple in front of her.
"Of course I remember!" James exclaimed. "They had their wedding only a month before ours."
"That was when you proposed," Lily drifted further into her memories.
"I know," he smiled, "best decision I ever made."
"What about you?" James turned to Harry. "Where'd you pop the question?"
Harry had the sudden urge to draw himself up. "Hogwarts," he said importantly.
"Well," his father was not the least bit phased. "You couldn't be any less creative?"
Harry had never quite been very good with the comeback responses. "Actually, I could have. It was symbolic."
"Way to be smooth, love," Lily jabbed at her husband harmlessly. "Symbolic, just as it was for us."
Out of the corner of his eye, James caught Remus moving through the house.
"Hey Moony!" he hailed him. "Come out here for a minute!"
Remus jumped slightly at the sudden shout, but turned, and made his way to James. "What's got your knickers in a twist this time?"
"Not, Lily, I promise," James dismissed him, while the werewolf smiled knowingly. "I have a question for you."
"And while you're here, why don't you sit down?" Lily chimed in.
"Alright, what's on your mind?" Remus took a seat next to Harry.
"Did you go to my son's wedding?"
Remus almost looked appalled. "What sort of question is this! Of course I was there!"
"Relax," James said. "It was a rhetorical question. You just have a knack for answering them."
"You think you're funny," Remus smiled. "For your information, it was a brilliant wedding. The Burrow was where we did it. Molly was so restless the entire time."
"So we've heard," Lily said, and then she turned to Hermione. "Are you happy with Harry?"
For a moment, Hermione looked appalled at the mere suggestion that she was not happy. "Of course I am!"
"I'm sorry," Lily seemed to have realized Hermione's shock, and backtracked. "I just have never talked to you for longer than ten minutes since James and I came back, and Harry told us so much about you..."
Hermione could not help, but be amazed at Lily's perception of others. "It's - it's fine. You don't have to worry about it."
"See, love," Harry placed an arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Even my parents love you, and that says something."
"Indeed," Hermone beamed.
Expectedly, James and Lily had no objections either. "Hey, mate," James turned to Lupin to fill the void in the conversation, "can you drag Padfoot in here? I have a question for him too."
Remus nodded, and turned around in his chair. "Oy, Sirius! Drag your tail over here!"
One choice colourful response from somewhere within the house was directed towards Remus, and moments later, Sirius emerged. "What?"
"Prongs here wants to talk to you about something," Lupin said. "Something tell me you're in deep trouble."
"Oh?" Sirius was a little taken aback. "Should I wait until he's though with you and all?"
"Excuse the butt of all our jokes today," James intervened with a smile, winking at the annoyed Remus. "Wanted to ask you something."
"Sure, what?" Srius prodded him. "I'm really not in trouble, am I?"
"That's debatable," James told him, but the smile did not disappear. "Why were you not at Harry's wedding?"
"I was there in spirit," Sirius caught on to where James was going with this.
"Being dead is no excuse, mate," his friend said.
"You should talk," Sirius pointed out. "You were dead too. Not to mention Lily, and she, of all people had to attend."
"You're right," James conceded the objection. "I should think more before I walk into my own traps. You're off the hook!"
"And what are you, the Weddings Law Enforcement?" Lupin chimed in.
The smile disappeared from James' face quite suddenly, and he looked pointedly at Remus. "You sure you want to see my badge?"
It only took a second for everyone to erupt in voracious laughter.
"This is what we were back in Hogwarts," Sirius told Harry when he had managed to recover. "It was one ongoing joke, and some of the best times of my life."
Harry was still chuckling. "I can see that. Did you ever fight?"
Sirius narrowed his eyes in the effort to remember. "Oy, Prongs, d'you remember if we ever fought at Hogwarts?"
James heard him, and considered the question. "Of course!"
"Yes, we did fight on occasion," Remus confirmed. "Most of it was over what Wormtail did. Don't know why we stayed friends with that traitor."
"Well, because he was a loner, and we were too noble to keep ourselves safe," James explained matter-of-factly. "I thought you were the brains, Moody."
"And still am," Remus said. "Never would have received your Transfiguration Newt level without me, now would you?"
"What do you mean? That was Lily!"
"No, love, it was him," Lily said with a smile of her own. "Right then I was more mad at you than I had ever been, right before I realized I was actually in love with you."
James scrunched his nose. "What were you mad at me for?"
"You didn't show up for our date at the Three Broomsticks," she recollected. "I had sworn to curse your cockiness right out of you."
"Oh, right," he smacked his forehead. "That was the day Remus had to attach me to a chair and study. I told him seeing you was far more important than some Newt exam..."
"Point proven," Lupin looked pleased with himself.
"And there were all the times you stole my shepherd's pie," Sirius recalled another fault of James'. "I know you think I didn't notice, but you were wrong, my friend. I loved them as much as you!"
"Oh," James said. "But I thought we settled that. I owed you three hundred shepherd's pies, but then I was killed right before I managed to repay that debt."
"Well, you have the rest of your days," Sirius told him. "I expect it as soon as possible!"
"But on a second thought, you never said anything!"
Now, Sirius looked a little bit contrite. "Well, that's because I stole Wormtail's, and he really remained clueless about the whole scheme..."
"That would explain why I gained weight my last year," Remus explained humorously. "Because of these two idiots, I had two pies all to myself every day."
"Laugh all you want, Moody," James said. "You put the idea in my head to begin with."
"That's true," Remus conceded. "No wonder I was the brains of the group."
"That's true, you were," Sirius agreed. "Then Lily took over."
"Low blow there, mate," Lupin told him. "Why don't you go scout out your territory or something."
"Dogs over werewolves any day," Sirius nodded. "You coming, or what?"
"That's wrong, Sirius," Lupin nodded in dejection. "Just wrong."
"One more word, and I'll be pronging you two in the backyard for good," James said. "There you can work out who will be marking who's territory."
Lily glanced at her husband. "I don't think he's kidding."
Harry followed the exchange with interest. "How does it feel to be an Animagus?"
"Quite amazing, actually," his father said. "At first it's a bit awkward and painful to transform, but soon enough it becomes a second nature."
"That's fascinating," Hermione's attention was captured, and Harry knew she would not let go until the mechanics of animal transformations were explained to her in the smallest detail. "Lily, what is your animagus form?"
Lily looked a bit uneasy at the question. "I tried to learn, but never quite finished my training. I was supposed to be a doe, but Voldemort killed me before I could manage a complete transformation. James was teaching me after I became pregnant with you, Harry, but it takes years to master it."
"Harry, we never learned how to transform either," Hermione said.
"Well, with everything we have to do," he answered. "We never found the time."
"That's true," she agreed, and then the next logical idea struck her. "Will you teach us?" she looked at James.
"I could," Prongs replied. "It will take a lot of time and commitment, however. The only reason it took us two years alone, was because we needed to do it in secret. Although, I suspect with you it will take a lot less time."
"Do you really think so?" Hermione could not hide her excitement.
"Well, yes," Prongs ascertained. "No need to do it in secret, and we'll have much more time at our disposal."
Harry could almost picture Hermione squealing from delight to learn such magic, and part of him was glad she retained her dignity, even if by her expression she threatened to do it.
"Hey, Moody, I never asked you," Sirius took another tack in the conversation, "what is the story with you and Tonks?"
"Nymph and I?" Remus evidently stalled for time. "What about us?"
"Well, you didn't become a couple for nothing," Sirius cornered him. "Tell us about it."
"Oh, well," Lupin found he could not run away from the interrogation. "Right after you died, we gravitated together."
"Really?" the expression on Sirius' face was unreadable. "What happened?"
"Well," he said, "turns out, she loved me. How and why, I couldn't imagine. I led a marginal existence, I'm a dangerous werewolf without the Wolsbane potion, and overall offered very little security for her."
"Smart girl, that one," James quipped.
"She is, better believe it. Fought alongside all of us in the Order, and I respect her for everything she is."
James quickly saw how much she meant to Remus. "There a chance we could meet her for more than the customary hello we've shared up to now?"
"I don't see why not," Remus said. "Let me go find her."
He quickly stood up and disappeared into the house to retrieve his beautiful significant other.
"Harry, I wanted to ask you," Lily suddenly remembered, but paused right before uttering her next words.
"Yes?"
"Well, on second thought it would be a question for Hermione, even if you play a part," she clarified herself.
He could still not see where the exchange was going.
"So you want to ask me the question," Hermione stated. "What is it?"
Lily looked a tad nervous. "Are you going to have children any time soon?"
Harry involuntarily choked on his breath, while Hermione immediately turned a shade of brilliant magenta. "Say again?"
"Are you two going to make us a grandchild?" Lily's voice was much braver this time.
"Yes, before we reach the ripe old age of thirty," James' forward sense of humour surfaced again.
"Our children will have grandparents who are the age of their parents," Harry could not wrap his head around the concept.
"That's just too odd," Hermione agreed.
"It's a side effect of resurrection magic," Lily explained. "I've read all about it. If someone is brought back, they will enter their second life at the peak of vitality."
"Well then," Harry said. "I suppose we'll have to become used to the fact."
"Still doesn't answer the question," Lily returned to her original. "What are your plans about kids?"
"We don't know yet, with this whole Lestrange affair going on," Hermione was quick to justify herself. "I mean, that, and coupled with the uncertainty we face in the Ministry, having children right now is taking a bit of unnecessary risk."
"That's not true," Lily said. "James and I had Harry when Voldemort was at the height of his power. That didn't stop us."
"Be that as it may," Harry told his mother, "but we're not you."
"You still don't have an excuse, son," Lily did not back down, and Harry inferred in his mind that her stubbornness was something she complimented even further under James' influence.
"Dad!"
"I'm sorry, Harry. Arguing with your mother is the equivalent of a suicide mission," his father smiled.
"See? He knows," the smug smile on Lily's face told Harry he was done for even before attempting a defence. At least Hermione went somewhere with her reasoning...
Before any further details could be discussed, Remus returned with Tonks in tow. He wore a sheepish grin that immediately caught the attention of the others.
"What took you so long, mate?" Sirius was the first to jibe. "We've already been through the future of Harry's children."
Lupin was lost for words, but thankfully, Tonks was there to take over for him. "We connected between the sheets for a bit. Figured you wouldn't notice if we came back a little later."
Being so direct with the people around her made Tonks a difficult target to embarrass - not so much Remus, however.
"Way to go, mate," Sirius whispered purposefully. "A girl finally agreed to let you in!"
"Shut it you," Remus whacked him in the back of the head. "Still further than you ever went."
"What do you mean! I was a legend in Hogwarts!"
"Not one steady relationship on your record, mate," Remus pointed out. "Just conveniently used by a lot of girls for your high esteem. I tell you, women are smarter than they look."
"Are you saying I look stupid?" Tonks was suddenly affronted. "Explain yourself, or you'll be high and dry for the next month!"
"And that's why," Sirius exclaimed, looking at Remus, to the general amusement.
"Not you, love, I'm just saying I've learned not to judge women."
One trait of Lupin's that Harry admired was how good his honorary uncle was at thinking on his feet. This time it worked again- Tonks was appeased.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you more," Remus rejoined.
"Either stop that, or get a room," Sirius pretended to be disgusted by the exchange, but the smile betrayed his amusement at the situation.
Lupin looked at him, then at James. "Well then, a room it is!"
Sirius' mouth dropped in amazement. "I was only joking!"
"You're not the only one with skills, mate," Lupin said as he arose. "I'll see you chaps later...a lot later."
With that, he departed behind Tonks, whispering something in her ear, and it was that something which caused her to giggle loudly, much to Padfoot's annoyance. "Can you believe those two?"
"Isn't there a dead girlfriend you could bring back?" Harry tried a far-flung joke to match wits with the Marauders, but this time -
Sirius' expression turned to stone at Harry's attempt at humour. Unknowingly, he had struck a sensitive nerve with Sirius, and while he was willing to laugh about most aspects of life, this one had a seemingly tragic personal connection to him...
"I'm sorry," he was quick to apologize, "I wasn't intending to - "
"It's alright, Harry," Sirius cut across him. "I know. Only, there is a story behind that...James, maybe you should..."
He couldn't continue, and proceeded to divert his eyes towards the trees.
"Do you really think you should?" Lily asked James silently.
"Eventually, he will know," James told her. "Now is a good a time as any, and I think it presents us with the opportunity to give Padfoot a nice surprise..."
"I don't know how he's going to feel about it," Lily pointed out. "If we bring Andrea back..."
"I know him. First he'll be angry we took his feelings for granted, and then he'll realize we know him best and always look out for his happiness, and warm up to us again."
All of this was exchanged between them in the quietest of undertones. Neither Sirius, nor Harry or Hermione heard what was being said between James and Lily.
"Dad, you don't have to tell us if you don't want to," Harry tried to appease some of the emotional damage his flippant statement had caused. On the other side, it reminded him how much he still did not know about the lives of the people closest to him.
"No, Harry," James opposed him. "I think you should hear this story. It is sad, it caused Sirius much pain, and still troubles him, but the point within it is that aside from the banter we go through, teasing Sirius about his ways in Hogwarts, he really did find love, and managed to keep it, until Bellatrix Lestrange killed the girl he loved...this was one reason why she enjoyed killing Sirius too almost ten years ago."
Harry was dumbfounded - why had Sirius never mentioned her?
"Anyway, it started in our fifth year. At that time, I was in love with your mother more than ever, and she hated me with about the same intensity. More importantly, though, Sirius here comes to me in the evening one day, and declares to me in the most serious of tones that he had found the girl f his dreams."
"Did you believe him?"
"At first, no. I knew he had a new girlfriend every week, but the way he said it did leave a lingering doubt in my mind. So I let it slide for a couple of days, and I watched him how he behaved...and it was this beautiful black haired girl, with green eyes and a milky face - Andrea Morrison. She was a bit different than the other girls too. Kept to herself, had a few close friends, and an army of guys who pined after her."
"So how did she choose Sirius?" Hermione asked.
"Wait, I'm eventually going to tell you," James stymied her eagerness to know. "So anyway, Sirius became almost obsessed with her. For about two months, he was withdrawn, and ironically, people started to notice when he wouldn't go after a new girl every other day."
"How did she respond to him?"
"Well, I'm still not certain what she thought, because he could not gather up the courage to talk to her. I tried to convince him to ask her for a date, but he wouldn't budge. After he refused to talk to her, I knew she had impressed him deeper than anyone before. And the curious part was, none of us was really friends with this girl, so we didn't know her that well either, and he was against us making a move."
"So two months down the road, he finally manages to ask her out in one of the Potions lessons. Great choice too - Slughorn have him a week's detention for flirting in class. That didn't matter though, because he was ecstatic she said yes. With that his depression spell ended, and they connected from the first - Moody and I went along with my invisibility cloak to see how it turned out for him..."
"Imagine my surprise, when I found out," Sirius suddenly said sarcastically.
"Moving right along," James ignored him, "they were together for the next six months, and I literally had to pry him off her if I wanted to talk to him about something. Not to mention me he was constantly teasing me about how much of a failure I was with trying to attract Lily."
Sirius was lost in reminiscing. Judging by his expression, the good memories replayed over and over in his mind.
"So then, one day, and if I remember it was a Sunday," James found it a bit difficult to recall the details, "Lily was to go with me to Hogesmeade for the day, since she lost a bet she foolishly entered into, and reluctantly agreed to a double date with Sirius and Andrea. I found it funny, she wasn't too enthusiastic and Sirius was content either way."
"What happened then?"
"That was the day the village was attacked by the Death Eaters," James said solemnly. "Nobody saw it coming. In the mayhem Lily and I managed to fend off some of them, but Sirius was caught up in a fight by the Three Broomsticks. We saw him, but couldn't reach him or Andrea without being killed. It was then that Andrea tried to reach us. I don't know what she thought, but she made a break for us, but immediately, two Avada Kedavra curses hit her. She had no chance."
"I still cry sometimes when I think about it," Lily admitted.
"Indeed sad," James nodded, but when Harry looked him, his father shared a wink. He knew at once what that was intended to mean...
"I think I need some time to myself," Sirius said and rose to his feet.
"Still a deep wound," Lily said. "Just give him time."
Sirius left without looking back.
**
Later that night, Harry and Hermione were finally alone in their bedroom. His parents had gone off to discuss something between them, and a different matter entirely was on Hermione's mind.
"Harry?"
"Mhm?" he showed he was listening without looking up from his book.
"What can we really do about kids? Do you think we can do it soon? Maybe now? You know we both want children!"
She said all this very fast, and it did cause Harry to look up with alarm.
"Now?"
"Well, why not!" There is nothing to lose, is there?" Hermione tried to convince him in her fervour.
"Yeah, but what about Lestrange? Everything else that needs to be done before we're even secure enough to start a family?"
Hermione would not have it. By some strange coincidence, her mind was set and her resolution unshakeable. She walked over to Harry, sat on his lap, facing him, and removed the book forcefully from his hands.
"Shut up and kiss me!"
A/N: This may be the longest chapter in the story. The full palette of emotions revealed, hopefully shows the characters aren't crime fighting robots. :D
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