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It was a rainy autumn day.
Though 12, Grimmauld Place was well hidden behind many walls, the sound of rain pouring on the ground and children running into large puddles could still reach the Drawing Room. The sounds blended with Marina's silky voice and notes from the piano as she pressed its tiles.
The faces of her ancestors were painted around her. She found it hard to enter or leave the room without looking at the portraits of her mother and father now. The Swans had finally joined the Blacks on her family tree after she had painted them on the wall herself. Under Darya and Regulus' faces, were Marina and Harry, and under them, their two sons.
Kreacher was rubbing dust and dirt off her wand. After all these years, he still considered Grimmauld Place to be his home. Even after she had freed him, he had returned to her family's headquarters. He placed the wand beside her when he was done. It had been a while since she had used it. The Elder Wand was the most powerful in the world. It still felt weird to hold it in her hand, but it was hers.
The melody she had created slowly faded away when she turned her back to the piano. She heard a door close in the hallway, and just by the sound of it, she understood that it came from Regulus' old bedroom, which was now occupied by Teddy. Her attention turned to him as he stumbled over the doorstep and fell into the room.
Teddy Lupin was like his mother; clumsy, bubbly, and enthusiastic. He was a Metamorphmagi, just like her, and his hair changed colors too often than Marina managed to keep track of. Right now, it was bubblegum pink. His years at Hogwarts had passed, but he was a Hufflepuff through and through, and would never let anyone forget that he had been a Head Boy.
He gained his balance in front of his own portrait on the wall. "When were you leaving, again?"
Marina smiled wide when her husband walked into the room. "In a few seconds," Harry said, "so we've got to hurry."
Her steady hands reached to adjust his tie. Humming, he leaned in to kiss her.
"Great." Teddy snickered behind them. "I'll try not to destroy the house while you're gone."
