"you feel like home more than anywhere i've ever been"

*

The alarm clock blared on the nightstand, impossible to ignore. Sirius blindly reached to shut it off while Eva rolled over and retreated under the covers, groaning.

"I don't want to get out of bed."

"Eve, it's the Quidditch World Cup. We have to get up!"

"But I feel gross and the sun isn't even up yet," she whined, still half-asleep. "Why do we have to get up so early?"

"Just because I got tickets doesn't mean they're good tickets," Sirius grumbled through a yawn. "We've got to stake out our spot."

"Fine." Emerging from her mountain of blankets, Eva begrudgingly sat up, only to sink back into the pillows faster than an anchor in the ocean. "Ugh. Nope. Not today. Maybe in ten years or so. Possibly not ever."

Sirius had already gotten out of bed, but he glanced back at her, concern etched across his face. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

"Mhm. Head rush."

"Well, I am sorry to do this, then." With a mischievous grin, he gathered all of the blankets and yanked them off of her in a swooping flourish.

"Sirius!" Eva groaned, pulling her arms into the sleeves of her sweatshirt. She stared at him with no humor in her eyes. "I hate you."

"I love you too."

The house by the sea felt emptier without Harry, who had left for the Burrow a few days before the Cup. Eva realized that soon, it would only become emptier with her return to Hogwarts. Remus also would likely flit in and out, but she knew that he didn't like the idea of living on charity, even though she loved having her best friend as close as possible. For the first time in years, it didn't really feel like she was going home.

Home was wherever Sirius was.

Once she walked downstairs, she flicked her wand a few times. The simple motions switched on the Let It Be record, levitated a kettle of water over to the stovetop to boil for tea, and cracked open the kitchen window. It was difficult to understand why so many people downplayed her subject. Charms made life much easier and much cooler.

Ringo flew in through the open window, overshot, and promptly crashed into the refrigerator. Giggling, Eva bent to scoop up the little owl. He only seemed to grow loopier with age, but there was no stopping him. A fond smile twitched across her face as she set him on a tall stack of art books near the couch.

"What did you bring?" After untying the small parcel from Ringo's leg, she fed him a few owl treats and wandered back into the kitchen as she unwrapped the brown paper. Inside, it contained a short note, a harmonica, and a plastic fork.

Have fun, my dearest one-that-got-away.

-Rem

Grinning, she poured herself a cup of peppermint tea and stuck her wand behind her ear, letting her imagination run free. Truth be told, she had been looking forward to this day for many reasons, not just Quidditch, and of course, Remus knew this. He always knew.

Eva laughed under her breath and placed a gentle hand on her stomach. "You have the best uncle in the universe," she whispered giddily. Her smile soon faded, however, when she realized that Remus would be her child's only uncle.

It wasn't supposed to be that way.

"Moony, you okay?" James, lounging lazily on his favorite armchair in Gryffindor Tower, glanced over at Remus. His eyebrows drew together in concern.

"No, but I never am," Remus mumbled through a yawn. He'd always had that same self-deprecating humor, finding it easier to laugh off his troubles than mope about them. "By the way, I don't know what you did with Francis, but Sirius is two minutes away from a panic attack."

Grinning, James ruffled his hair and kicked back in the chair. "Rather bold of you to assume it was me."

"I've shared a room with you for six years now," Remus pointed out. He rested his head on Eva's shoulder, his eyes fluttering shut. "Plus, you took the Map this morning on purpose. I know it was you."

"Drat." Eva laughed as James snapped his fingers, a plan foiled. "Well, I plan on holding Francis hostage until he agrees to name his firstborn child after me."

Eva began to doodle flowers around the packing list on her hand. Those boys could be so stupid, and yet she loved them all. "His firstborn, huh?"

"Yep. Prepare to have a child with the best name in the world. Male or female."

The ink streaked across her hand as she momentarily lost control of the pen, her eyes widening at James' triumphant laughter. He had the warmest laugh, like a hug after a bad day or a mug of steaming butterbeer after coming in from the snow. "Excuse me?"

"I mean when you and Padfoot get hitched, your firstborn will be named after me." He casually rested his chin on his hand, but there was a deeper meaning in his hazel eyes. James had always been the passionate kind. Lily was the perfect example of it. "Guaranteed."

"Woah, woah, woah. Slow down. Since when are Sirius and I getting married?" The idea, while wonderful and safe, sounded preposterous.

They were all too young for any of this. War and weddings weren't meant for schoolchildren.

"If you guys can spend six-plus years planning a wedding for Lily and me," he reasoned, "then I think it's more than fair for me to reverse it."

"I guess that's fair." Eva rested her head on Remus' and felt a smile spreading across her face as she thought of the future. "You guys talk about that?"

"Mostly jokes. That kind of stuff comes up when we get into weird future talks at three in the morning. You know, the only acceptable time to talk about fairytale endings and sentimental crap like that. Those futures where we all get married and have jobs we love and never have to worry about anything again."

"Blondie?"

Eva lifted her face from her trembling hands to see Sirius standing in the doorway of the kitchen. He was at her side within seconds, gray eyes wide with worry, and pulled her into the warmest embrace, waiting patiently until her sobbing subsided enough for her to get the words out. She focused on the real, the feeling of his hand stroking her curls and the sound of his heart beating in his chest, and slowly regained control.

"I'm sorry," she whispered into his shirt. "I just... there's so much going on right now, and I'm just feeling so overwhelmed."

"Hey. Hey, look at me. It's okay." Sirius lifted her chin and brushed away her tears with his thumb before resting his forehead against hers. "I completely get it, and you've got even more happening in your life than I do. Moments like these are one hundred percent justified, and if I hear you apologizing for them again, I might have to have a word with you."

Eva laughed through her tears and kissed him on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too." Once he was sure that she no longer needed the hug, he stepped back and spread out his arms in surrender. "We've got a tent to claim and I'm an escaped convict. Do your worst, wife."

Eva twirled the plastic fork between her fingers and raised her eyebrows.

*

"I can't believe you two kept this joke running for so many years. I mean, how did people even believe it?"

"I'm not completely sure that they did. Our story sort of got more grandiose and outlandish each time we told it. Besides, nearly everyone we met thought we were together, so it was hard to change minds."

"Ah, yes. I just love that rumor."

"That rumor is exactly why we're doing this, so man up and own the disguise."

Eva and Sirius walked hand-in-hand through the tent-covered field meant to host ticket-holders for the 442nd Quidditch World Cup. Excitement buzzed around the air, as did various bees and insects. It was the hottest summer Britain had experienced for many years, but no one seemed to mind.

Every time Eva glanced over at Sirius, she nearly burst out laughing.

Her years of studying Charms had certainly paid off. His hair was now a deep auburn, the cut reminiscent of James' moppy curls. Freckles dotted his pale face, and a bit of reddish stubble covered his chin. His beautiful gray eyes were now a clear sky-blue.

Eva had wanted to give him a handlebar mustache, but that was where Sirius drew the line.

"I think you look cute," she quipped, squeezing his hand as he glared at her. "Not as cute as usual, but it's like a really funny Halloween costume."

"I hate Halloween."

"Yeah, so do I."

Sirius held up a harmonica and looked at it skeptically before stuffing it back in his pocket. "I'm going to have several words with Moony the next time I see him."

"Say it to the camera, honey." Eva held up a Polaroid camera and snapped a photo just before he tried to cover his face with his hands. She fake-pouted, and he relented, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as they both burst into laughter. Tucking the camera back into her bag, she smiled as he pecked her on the lips. "You're my favorite person."

"Likewise."

There was something so freeing and special about being with Sirius in public. Even though he didn't look like her husband, it didn't change the fact that he was, and she was wearing her wedding ring on her finger where it belonged.

"Eva! Oh, erm, I meant Professor."

If it was possible, Eva's face lit up even more. Sirius laughed as she practically dragged him over to a group consisting of Harry, Hermione, and most of the Weasleys, all huddled around a campfire. She swept her godson into a tight hug as everyone crowded around to say hello.

"Long time, no see," she whispered jokingly before stepping away, only to be swept into an embrace by Arthur Weasley. "Hi, Arthur. It's so wonderful to see you again! How's Molly?"

"You as well. It's good to see you back on your feet. Molly is the same as ever. The kids all speak highly of your classes, you know. Especially that one. He hardly ever stops talking about Charms." Arthur smiled and winked ever-so-conspiratorially at George, who immediately threw his hands into the air in his typical dramatic fashion.

"Dad!"

Eva laughed. "Hello, Mr. Weasley. Have a nice holiday?"

"Until about five seconds ago," he grumbled, but the gruffness soon wore off as his attention shifted to the stranger standing near Eva. "Who's the bloke, Professor?"

"Come on, George, keep your nose out of places it doesn't belong." Another redhead young man stepped out of the tent, this one older than the rest, with long hair and an earring. It took Eva a moment to draw his name out of her memory. Bill. Sweet ten-year-old Bill Weasley. He smiled softly at her, though his eyes were clouded with confusion as soon as he noticed the man at her side. Perhaps the only one who could truly remember. "Nice to see you."

"You too, Bill." Eva cleared her throat, then grabbed Sirius' hand to yank him over. "Everyone, this is, um, this is Bert."

Harry was clearly trying to hold back a snort, and he failed miserably. Hermione whacked the back of his head, sending Ron into peals of laughter that the rest of his family couldn't possibly understand.

"Hi," Sirius said, reaching into his pocket for something. While his eyes might have been a different shade, they held the same beautiful mischief. He snuck a gleeful look at Eva and held it up. "Anybody need a fork?"

*

By the time the Cup came to a close, Eva and Sirius were practically ready to pass out from exhaustion. Neither of them had been to such a big event since the last Quidditch World Cup, back in 1977. Eva didn't consider herself to be old, but she felt those extra seventeen years in her bones.

They camped out in a little tent borrowed from Newt. It wasn't as magnificent or large as the one they had all stayed in the first time, but it was enough for the two of them. Inside the tent, Eva's charms faded away, and Sirius was returned to his normal self. It was a neat bit of magic, really, one that Professor Flitwick had shown her one night in the staff room because they were both tired of grading papers.

Eva sat cross-legged near the fireplace, her hands resting on her stomach as she replayed the events of the Cup in her memory. "Can you believe the sheer brilliance of Viktor Krum? The Irish were good, but he was absolutely effortless tonight. No wonder they call him the best in the league."

"He's definitely good," Sirius agreed. He sat down on the floor next to her, setting two lemonades down in front of them. "And he's only seventeen, so I'd say he's got a career ahead of him. An act to watch, you could say."

"Oliver's going to be playing in the same league as him," Eva said, having just learned that her ex-student had successfully joined Puddlemere United. "He deserves it. I'm proud of him."

"And I'm proud of you." He smiled as she leaned on him and rested her head on his shoulder. "Tired, my dear?"

"No, I'm-" A yawn cut her off, and they both chuckled. "Exhausted."

Sirius drew her closer. "We can go to bed."

"No, I want to stay awake with you," she protested, yawning again. She could feel herself slipping and fought it desperately. "I go back to Hogwarts in a few days. I want to spend every possible moment with you."

"Hey, at least you won't be alone. You get to take family with you. I'll be at the beach house all by myself," Sirius joked, bringing a smile to her face. "We'll make it work. We always do. When do ya reckon you'll tell Dumbledore and the others?"

Eva shrugged. It wasn't the first time that question had crossed her mind. Sooner or later, their secret would be impossible to hide. The pregnancy would last the full year, with the baby due in May. Already she felt bloated and exhausted.

"I'll probably tell McGonagall first, and then Madam Pomfrey and Dumbledore. After that, I'm not sure." She shifted in Sirius' embrace. "Dumbledore's bringing Moody in to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts this year."

He stiffened. "Moody?"

"Yeah," she whispered. Memories of the war flashed across her mind, and she knew that many more flashed across his. "Are you okay?"

"Mhm. It's just strange. I mean, he was my mentor at the Ministry. He knew us."

"There's going to be so much going on at Hogwarts this year. The Triwizard Tournament's really going to eat up a lot of Dumbledore's time. There's no Quidditch, either."

"At least you'll be off the hook this year, though. Maybe you and Harry can just have a peaceful year, and I'll pop in whenever possible. It'll be good for you. You don't know how to slow down, and this year, you'll need to." Sirius brushed a few curls out of her face. "Don't fret, Blondie. We'll face everything together, just like we always have."

Eva drifted off on Sirius' shoulder, feeling safer than ever. He smiled and scooped her up, his smile widening when she didn't even stir. There was something so wonderful about holding his entire family in his arms. Sometimes, he still couldn't believe that this wasn't a dream.

"I love you, Eva Brandi," he whispered as he laid her gently on the bed in the corner, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and another to her stomach. "And I love you as well. I know genetics are against us, but try not to cause any mischief for a while. Deal?"

He yawned and stretched out before sitting down on the edge of the bed, intending to lie down next to Eva, but a distant chilling sound stopped him in his tracks. After glancing back at his wife, he retrieved his wand and crept forward to the entrance of the tent, slightly paranoid. As he poked his head out, the charms reapplied themselves, and his freckled face paled.

Death Eaters.

Long chapter! What did you guys think? What do you think is going to happen/what do you want to happen?