lux, remus lupin¹ ✔

XCVI. FAMILY

FAMILY!

JULY 1981

• • • •

"The kids just have all the boys wrapped around their tiny little fingers." Lily chuckled, as she, Holland, Alice, Margaret, Bronwyn, Marlene and Maxine were sat on the deck in the garden of Hollyhock Cottage, watching the boys play with the children.

"You're not wrong," Marlene chuckled, her arm wrapped around Bronwyn's shoulders as she took a sip of her lemonade, "For the past week, all I've heard from Sirius is him bragging that he got Harry his first broomstick."

"I mean, technically a plastic toy doesn't really count as his first broomstick." Lily said.

"You're just jealous that it was him and not you and James." Alice smirked.

Lily stared at her, "You're point?"

The girls just laughed, but Holland wasn't listening, her eyes watching the boys, confused.

"You okay, Holly?" Maxine asked her.

"Where's Peter?" The Irish girl wondered, "I thought he said he'd be here."

"Yeah, he called James last minute and said that he couldn't make it." Lily explained.

Holland's eyebrows drew together in confusion, "Has anyone else noticed that he's been cancelling a lot of plans with us last minute."

"Yeah," Bronwyn nodded in agreement, "The way he's been acting lately is quite odd. More so than usual."

"I'm sure he's fine," Margaret shrugged, "Probably just scared and nervous. With everything that's going on."

Maxine let out a sigh, "Aren't we all."

***

It was getting late and all of children were upstairs, asleep, and the adults were scattered around the living room, the wine having been cracked open a while ago.

"Remember when you shoved Sirius into the Black Lake." Frank laughed, making Holland grin at the memory.

"Yeah, that was a great day."

"For you maybe." Sirius scoffed, making his friends laugh.

"To be fair you deserved it." Holland told him.

"What did he even do?" Marlene asked.

"I honestly can't remember." Holland shook her head, chuckling as she snuggled into Remus' side.

"Oh yeah, guys, I need to remind you about the Order meeting on Friday." Lily said.

Bronwyn let out a groan, leaning her head back on the sofa, "Can we not talk about Order business now?"

"Yeah, let us be either drunk or tipsy in peace." Maxine agreed with a pout.

"Sorry." Lily chuckled.

"And I don't think any of us are drunk." Alice added with a slight chuckle.

"Are you sure about that?" Remus laughed, poking James and Sirius - who were lying on the floor - with his feet.

"They are such lightweights." Holland giggled, shaking her head.

James looked up at her, sending her a goofy, drunken grin, "And you're not."

"Never said I wasn't." The Slytherin grinned back at the boy, nudging his head with her foot.

"Noooo!" James cried, "Get your stinky feet away from my face!"

Holland let out a gasp, "My feet are not stinky!"

"Yeah," Margaret nodded in agreement, "Everything about Holly smells of sunshine, happiness and vanilla."

"That is true." Lily nodded.

"How do you always smell like a milkshake?" Sirius asked Holland.

"Because she's amazing," Margaret told him, "And vanilla is amazing. So of course, she smells like vanilla."

Holland looked over at the Hufflepuff with a grin, "Awww." She said, leaping off of the sofa to encase her friend in a hug.

"I want in on this!" Maxine exclaimed, hugging the pair.

"Me too!" Bronwyn decided, standing from the floor and joining the hug.

"Family hug!" Margaret drunkenly grinned, making James and Sirius leap up and squash the girls in a hug. Meanwhile, the more sober ones of the group just laughed, shaking their heads, before participating in the family hug.

Because that's what they were. A family. '

One chaotic, drunken mess of a family.

a/n: only four more chapters and an epilogue left! 😭 but then we get a sequel, so...