Hidden Moments (WITT extra scenes)

July 5th, 1981

It was quiet, this wasn't how she had pictured her daughter's first birthday would be. When she was younger, her parents would always throw the biggest parties, that stopped once she went to Hogwarts, but they would always send howlers singing 'Happy Birthday' and she would always die of embarrassment. Now she would give anything to receive one again.

'This is not about me', she quickly corrects. 'Today all that matters is that we're together.

Emily was nervous though, James and Lily were supposed to remain hidden but they had found a way to convince Dumbledore to help them get to Matt and Em's house so they could celebrate both, Mel and Harry's first birthday together.

Harry's birthday was actually way after Mel's, but is not like they could really be moving places all the time, not when they knew there was so much at stake.

So there she was, nervously waiting for Lily and James to arrive with their son, Matthew and Sirius escorting the family to give extra security.

"Em, if you keep messing with Mel's ribbon she'll bite your hand," Remus warned her calmly. "They'll be here soon, don't worry."

"I don't worry about them being late," She said, putting her daughter back in the playpen. "I worry about... you know, the journey."

"They'll be fine," Remus shook his head. "Didn't Matthew just got promoted to Head Auror?"

"Yes, and if you ask me that's the biggest nonsense I've heard."

"Is it?" The man raised a brow. "Thought you'd be happy."

"I am," Emily brushed it off, "you know this didn't make Matt happier, every day he talks about murders, accidents... Now I understand why my mother hated so much when my dad would talk about that in front of me."

"Listen," Remus stood up and put a hand on her shoulder to stop her rambling. "There's someone at the back door..."

Emily ran to the kitchen then, she walked in the exact moment James and Lily were taking off the cloak, little Harry clinging to her Mother's neck.

"Where's Matt?" Emily asked a bit too frantically.

James let out a short, sarcastic laugh.

"We're happy to see you too, Mily."

"Don't be mean, you'd be asking the same thing if it were me the one who left hours ago to pick up some friends," Lily scolded him, then she turned back to Emily. "He's with Sirius making sure no one followed us, they'll be here in a moment."

"Okay," Emily nodded, though she still looked nervous.

"Hey!" Remus walked in, he was holding Mel and the little girl was playing quietly with the hem of his sweater. "Thought you might want to say hello to the birthday girl..."

"Hey there, little Em!" James was the first to stir into action, he quickly made his way over to the baby and stole her from Remus grip. "Blimey, I saw you last week, but I could swear you weren't this big!"

"She looks so much like you, Em", Lily smiled, walking over to her husband and holding Harry a bit more closer to his father so the babies could see each other.

"Only on the outside," Emily shook her head, "She's all her father, that one. Trust me, she's so quiet I barely register when she's around."

"Give her time, once she learns how to speak you'll have her giving out orders like the bossy girl she's destined to be, just like her mother– aren't you, love?" James smirked, tickling the girl's belly.

The little girl laughed, Harry's attention was immediately drawn to the sound and he reached out to touch the girl's face. Lily pulled him back with a laugh.