War is Over

14.

Harry ran around in the garden with mum while I painted the sun room with Lily. She was awfully quiet while she painted the trim. I pulled my eyes from the window to her 

"What's wrong?" I quizzed. She glanced up at me.

"Me?" I narrowed my eyes.

"No, the can of yellow paint." I retorted. She stuck her tongue out but quickly went back to her sullen demeanor.

"Oh, I don't want to talk about it." She shook her head. I sat down on my stool and watched her. "You're staring." It hit me.

"You're pregnant."

"Did James tell you? I told him not to!"

"No this is the same way you were when you were pregnant with Harry."

"I didn't want to steal your spotlight." I flicked paint off my fingers at her. She laughed softly.

"Oh shut up. I'm happy Lily pad!" She smiled up at me.

"You are?"

"One could even say thrilled." She laughed.

"Our babies can be friends." She said through a smile. I climbed down to hug her.

"Good, my baby is going to need friends. It's genes suck." She hugged me tighter while we laughed.

"Don't tell your mum and dad. I want you to have your moment without James overshadowing it. We've both stolen enough of your moments." I teared up.

"Thank you, Lily pad."

"Anytime Supernova."

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I walked into the bedroom while Sirius and Regulus painted the walls. Sirius' hair was pulled into a bun, Regulus stood on a ladder with a tee shirt that was two sizes too big and baggy shorts. I leaned against the doorframe to watch.

"If you are going to be here, help." Sirius commented. Reg leaned down and swiped paint on his face. I held back a laugh.

"She's pregnant, you git." Reg murmured.

"I can still paint." I told him.

"Prove it. My knees hurt." Sirius said as he stood up. I rolled my eyes as I took his brush.

"Three words you've never said before." I poked. He stuck his tongue out, I did the same. I pushed him before he walked out and I took his place painting the trim. Regulus sat on the ladder and watched me

"Have you thought about what room you want to be the nursery?" He asked, I nodded.

"The one across from this one." He hummed in response.

"Are you going to figure out the gender so we know how to paint it?"

"Sage green is a perfectly neutral color, I wanted to paint it that." I replied. He let out a little laugh.

"Not Gryffindor red?" I glared up at him.

"Well it surely won't be Slytherin green."

"Green nonetheless." I rolled my eyes and turned back to the trim. "We could do it now. I mean, everyone is here."

"Not Evan and Marlene."

"They will be in a bit." I bit my cheek. He climbed down and sat on the floor next to me.

"We don't have to find out at all, if you don't want to." I grinned.

"I want to."

"Don't be nervous about what Pandora said back then."

"I just want it to be the right time."

"What's it Meadows always said? No time like the present?"

"That was Marls thing first." I corrected.

"Cas picked up a lot of things from her."

"From who?" Marlene asked as she popped her head in. I beamed up at her. She ran over to hug me. Evan walked in and smiled.

"From you." Regulus told her. She smiled.

"Who else was she going to learn from? You idiots?"

"We did just fine before you came along." Evan told her as he ruffled her hair.

"No you didn't." I told them.

"No we didn't." Reg replied.

"What did Cas pick up from me?" The way Marlene said her name, you could tell she held too much pain there. Reg offered her a sad smile.

"No time like the present." She smiled and winked at me.

"You liked that one, didn't you, Potter?" I rolled my eyes.

"That one got me in a lot of trouble."

"That one got you married!" I shoved her shoulder while she laughed.

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"You're acting like mum." Sirius muttered to Regulus while he scolded him for getting pain on the floor even though there was a tarp. I smacked Sirius' arm. Regulus stopped mid-rant.

"Mum would have cursed you, not lectured."

"Mum was insufferable."

"Oh, so I'm insufferable?"

"There's mum!"

"Boys!" Mum scolded. Their heads shot up. "Sit down, let me tell you something." Mum summoned Sirius and Reggie. They sat on either side of her on the day bed. "You know that day at Hogwarts, your mother paid a visit and I told her I wasn't scared of her in school and I surely wasn't now?"

"Yeah." They replied together. I stood up and walked over to James.

"That wasn't the last time she poked around, nor was it the first." The brothers looked at each other.

"Effie, what do you mean?" Sirius asked. She turned to him.

"When you first came 'round your mother showed up on our doorstep asking what I'd done with you. I told her she couldn't have you, that she didn't deserve you," She turned to Regulus. "And when you came, I believe it was the night before Evan Rosier showed up, she came. Told me she would kill me, I stole her heir. I told her to do it, even if she killed me she'd have to kill every person residing in the Potter house that evening to get to you. I told her I wouldn't go down without a fight for you two boys." Mum took a deep breath. She grabbed both boys' hands.

"Your mother was a lot of things, most of them vile, but she was also once one of my dearest friends. Minerva, myself and your mother were thick as thieves as children. Then school happened and we were... civil for a while. Once she learned of dark magic I knew there was no going back to how we were. She picked on muggle borns. She caused a scene when she saw fit. She was paired off with your father." Mum looked up at the ceiling. She shook her head and took a shaky breath. "All this to say, in the two of you, I only see the goodness your mother once held. She always had a darkness," She looked to Reg again. "But she never had the strength to fight it. She could have never done what you did during the war." She patted both their legs. "You two are not your mother and you are certainly not your father. You are good boys. My boys."

"Now stop comparing each other to that woman. I hate that woman. I love you two." She kissed them both on the head and pushed them lightly to stand up. They apologized to each other quietly. James leaned down.

"I'm so glad our chats never went like that."