"thought we built a dynasty forever couldn't break up, and all i gave you is gone."

*

All was quiet at the Potter house. Leaves tumbled across the decaying grass in the backyard due to a chilling wind. This was typical weather for autumn in their area, but something about that day seemed colder. The sun sank low in the sky, streaking it in red and gold.

Eva sat cross-legged in the grass, watching her godson zoom around the backyard on the toy broom she and Sirius had gifted him with for his first birthday. It only rose a foot or two off the ground, but by the way Harry giggled, he could have been flying over the Appalachian Mountains. She loved the sound of his little laugh, and the cat liked to chase around him, always making sure the boy didn't fall.

"Hey." James sat down next to her, stretching out his long legs in front of her. He rumpled his hair and peered at her sketchbook. "What're you drawing?"

"Just decoration ideas for Sirius' birthday," she replied. "You guys are still fine with hosting, right?"

"I mean, if we don't host, we don't attend at all, so yeah." His voice took on a gloomier tone. "Kind of feels wrong, doesn't it? Celebrating at a time like this, I mean."

Eva sighed. She picked up a leaf, colored a brilliant red, and tucked it in her journal. "We can't live our lives in fear. We've got to live in spite of times like this."

"I s'pose you're right. Bloody hell, Blondie, what would I do without you?" James wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she leaned her head on his. He pointed to his son, a smile growing on his face. "How bad can life be when that little rascal's in it, anyway?"

"He's going to be a great Quidditch player, James," Eva said wistfully. "Someday we'll all be able to go to his games and cheer him on."

"We won't be able to take Moony, though," James replied, playing along with this future fantasy. Both of them needed a break from reality, anyway. "Minnie'll kick him out for improper language around the kiddos."

Eva laughed out loud, her voice carried away with the wind. Here, at least she knew she was safe. They all were. If given the choice, Sirius would sacrifice himself to save his friends without a thought. While that wasn't the route she wanted him to take, it was comforting nonetheless.

James glanced down. Because she'd forgotten a coat, he could faintly see the word mudblood carved jaggedly through her pale skin. A lump formed in his throat when he thought about how much his friends had sacrificed for his family. That was supposed to be his job. He was supposed to be the protector, not hiding in his house while everyone did the fighting for him.

"Thank you, Blondie," he murmured. "For everything."

She looked up at him, her eyes happy, but also sad. "You don't need to thank me. We're family. We look out for each other."

They sat there for a while longer, her head on his shoulder, watching Harry fly across the backyard. Eventually, the back door opened, and two more figures tromped out onto the lawn.

"I clearly won, Sirius!"

"Yep. Keep telling yourself that, Red. Keep telling yourself that." Sirius bent to kiss Eva on the head and grinned at Harry. "Looks like you've got yourself a star athlete, Jamesie."

"Yeah, I reckon," James said, grinning as he stood. "Who won?"

"I did," Lily said emphatically, shooting Sirius a dirty look. She wore James' oversized Quidditch hoodie from school. "Your dear best friend cheated."

"My deer best friend?"

"Oh, shut up."

"I did no such thing," Sirius protested, but he smirked. He leaned against the big oak tree and crossed his arms. For a moment, Eva saw the sixteen-year-old boy from Gryffindor with a haughty smile and carefree nature. "Oi, Prongslet! Come say goodbye to your favorite uncle!"

Harry zoomed over to the group, crashing right into Eva, who tripped and fell on her back, laughter tumbling from her lips. Sirius' gray eyes shone with love as he helped her off of the ground and scooped up his godson.

"You lot have plans for tonight?" James asked. He wrapped an arm around Lily's waist and kissed her on the top of her head.

Sirius shrugged, swatting Harry's hands away as he tried to pull on his long hair. "Dunno. Maybe we'll watch TV and stuff ourselves with candy."

"Oooh, that sounds perfect!" Eva pulled a twig out of her blonde braid. "Maybe next year, we can have a real Halloween party."

"Let's plan on it. Hopefully next year, this will all be over," Lily said, smiling as she embraced Eva. The two held on for a few seconds longer than usual because they both needed it. They were the only two girls in their group left. "We'll see you soon."

"Take care, guys," James added, his voice sincere. He looked back and forth from Eva to Sirius. "Say hi to Moony and Wormtail for us."

Eva nodded and hugged him tightly. Just to hear her laugh again, he lifted her off of the ground and spun her around, setting her back down once both of them were properly dizzy.

Sirius transferred Harry to Lily, then bent down so he was at eye-level with the baby. "Take care of your folks, you hear me? We're all doing this for you, so behave. Not too much, though. A little mischief's okay by me. Got it?"

"Don't be stupid, Snuffles," Eva said playfully, pushing her husband aside to kiss Harry's head. She still couldn't get over his eyes. "We'll be back soon, okay? Love you to the moon and back, Harry James."

He laughed, bringing a smile to the four adults' faces. "Love Padfoo and Eve."

"Love you too, honey." She ruffled his hair and turned to Sirius. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's shove off." Sirius wrapped his arms around James and let go, but he grasped his shoulder for a minute. "It's not forever, James."

James pushed his glasses up his nose and nodded, his hazel eyes suddenly glazing over with tears. "I know."

"Then keep the faith. It'll all be over soon. You'll see."

Sirius and Eva joined hands, then started to walk around the house. Harry waved, bringing a smile to both of their faces.

Instead of disapparating, the couple chose to walk for a little while, strolling down the sidewalk. Muggle children in costumes scurried past them with pumpkin bags, hoping to receive candy soon. Eva shivered as the wind blew. Sirius noticed this and draped his leather jacket around her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said with a shy smile.

"Anything for you, my dear." He winked and warmed both of her hands between his. "Why don't we go home?"

"Okay." The two apparated, leaving Godric's Hollow behind them.

*

"What color should I do next?"

James grinned at his son. They were sitting across from each other on the couch, and he'd spent the last twenty minutes making different colors of smoke come out of his wand. It was a simple charm, but he'd do anything to see that adorable smile. He'd have to thank Professor Flitwick for teaching it in their second year the next time he saw him.

"What about red? A nice, Gryffindor red?"

"No," Harry said stoutly, crossing his arms. "Lellow."

"Yellow it is, buddy." With a flick and a silent incantation, yellow smoke puffed out of his wands. Harry giggled, trying to grab the smoke in his chubby fists.

Lily poked her head into the living room, her red hair falling into her face like a waterfall. Even now, years into their marriage, her beauty still took his breath away. He loved seeing her in his old Quidditch hoodie and no makeup. It reminded him of simpler times.

"Jamie, it's bedtime."

"Fantastic, I'm exhausted. Night." He leaned back and closed his eyes, a grin still on his face.

"You idiot. I meant Harry's bedtime." She walked into the room and sat down on the coffee table, pulling her knees to her chest. "Can we have another one?"

"Sure. Hey, can we have ten?"

Lily giggled, biting her smiling lip in a way that made James' heart explode all over again. "Let's start with two."

"That sounds like a plan to me. I'm getting bored of all these home improvement projects, anyway.'

"You never got rid of this wallpaper," Lily pointed out, gesturing to the rather ugly yellow and blue striped wallpaper that surrounded them.

"Yeah, but I fixed the leak, the creaky stairs, the window, the basement, the master bedroom and bathroom, Harry's room, the cabinets in the kitchen, and the hedges out back." James shook his head ruefully. "I guess you could say I've got a lot of free time, Lils."

"I love you for it," she whispered, leaning closer to him. He also leaned in and their lips met in the middle for a short but meaningful kiss. "I'll take Harry up. Maybe we can watch a movie after he falls asleep."

"Righto. C'mere, you." James cuddled Harry close to his chest for a moment, still holding Lily's hand. "Your mum drives me mad, kiddo, but in the best way possible. You two make me happier than I ever thought I could be."

Lily scooped up Harry and ruffled James' hair before kissing him on the forehead. "Your hair's getting too long, Jamie."

"So cut it tomorrow," he replied easily. "Then we can work on Project Potter Quidditch Team."

He'd never seen a brighter smile on her face. "I love you, Potter."

"I love you too, Evans."

Lily took Harry upstairs, leaving James alone in the living room. He tossed his wand onto a nearby cushion and stretched out, letting his legs take up the entire couch. Once Lily came back down, she was small enough to hold close. He'd just picked up the remote to turn on the television when he heard a faint creak. It sounded like the garden gate. That was one thing he hadn't gotten around to fixing yet.

Warily, James stood and strained his ears, wondering if he was hearing things. It wouldn't have been the first time. Most nights, the smallest noises startled him awake, and some nights, those noises weren't even real.

But the door opened, and everything in his world came crashing down. He didn't fear for himself, not at all, but his family was upstairs. They, at least, had to escape. Never mind him.

He didn't know how the Dark Lord found them. Did they kill Peter? He almost hoped that his mate was dead, because any other option was unthinkable...

"Lily!" He yelled, his voice cracking in desperation. "Take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off!"

James heard a faint scream from upstairs and prayed that Lily would keep her wits about her. He hoped that she heard everything he didn't have time to say in his voice. That he loved her. That he didn't want to say goodbye, but he had no wand and no options. That he cared about his wife and son more than anything else in the entire world. That his death could buy their lives.

He saw Lord Voldemort's lips move and saw a flash of green light, but the last thing he heard was Lily's muffled sobbing. James Potter hit the floor with a thud and he moved no more.

*

Eva sat curled up under a fluffy Gryffindor blanket, leaning on Sirius as they watched Scooby-Doo in celebration of Halloween. Neither was really paying attention. They just liked having the quiet time together.

All of the lights were off in their apartment except for the roaring fire. A massive half-eaten bowl of candy sat on the coffee table, and Ringo hooted faintly in his sleep.

"This is nice," she murmured, nuzzling closer to him. "I wish we had time to do this more often."

Sirius gave her a thin smile and kissed the side of her head. "Maybe someday."

"Are you okay?"

He ran a hand through his hair anxiously and shook his head. "Not really. I'm just... I'm worried about everything."

"Don't be," she whispered. Closing her eyes, she began to sing "Let it Be" in a soft voice.

Sirius let her sing the entire song, then smiled adoringly. "I love you so much," he breathed, his voice barely audible. He drew her into a gentle, lingering kiss that sent goosebumps up and down her body. They stayed like that for a minute until the clock chimed ten, and the moment was broken. "I'm supposed to check on Wormtail and Moony for Dumbledore. Want to come? We can take the bike. Might be fun."

"Sure. Just let me grab my jacket." She retrieved her own leather one from the coat rack and pulled on shoes.

The ride from their apartment to Peter's flat only took about ten minutes, but Eva was a bundle of nerves the entire time. Why, she didn't know.

They arrived right on schedule and walked across the front lawn to the door. Sirius glanced up at the sky, wondering if it was going to rain, and knocked.

No one answered.

Worriedly, Eva also knocked. "Peter?" She called quietly, knocking again, just in case. None of the lights were on inside. "You in there?"

She turned to Sirius, whose face had paled to a ghastly paperwhite color in a matter of seconds. His reaction confused her.

"No, no, no," he muttered, jiggling the door handle. "Pete? Peter. Wormtail, open up, damn it. Please just open up, come on, Pete."

"Here," she said, mainly because Sirius looked ready to pass out. She pointed her wand at the doorknob. "Alohamora."

The door swung open, and Sirius didn't hesitate to run inside. He ran through all of the rooms and shouted Peter's name over and over, but no one responded. Eva was doing the same, but he barely heard her over the hammering of his own heart. Everything was perfectly in its place. No signs of struggle were evident.

"No," he whispered raggedly, gripping his hair as he realized what must have happened.

It's my fault.

Not Peter... not his best friend...

James.

"Eva!" He yelled, fighting the tears pricking at the corner of his eyes. As soon as he found her in the kitchen, he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. "We've got to go to James and Lily's. Now."

"But Sirius, we've got to find Peter! James and Lily are fine, we saw them hours ago! What if the Death Eaters got him?"

"Later," he muttered, already swinging a leg over the motorcycle. The wind whipped around him, blowing his hair into his face. "Are you coming?"

Eva stared at him for a moment, fear building inside of her. Finally, she found her voice. "Yeah."

She wrapped her arms around Sirius' waist as he took off into the night, burying her head in his back. It's okay, it's okay, it's okay. The repetition didn't help. She'd never been more afraid in her life.

Sirius slowed to a stop in front of the Potters' house. The couple jumped off, letting the precious motorcycle crash to the ground carelessly. The gate was swinging open and close in the night, reminding Eva of the night she found her mother dead.

Oh no.

They ran up the cobblestone path as quickly as they could. Eva pushed open the front door and kept running, but nearly tripped over something, only avoiding the fall because Sirius held her back. She looked down and nearly threw up.

It was James.

"No," she whispered, her breath catching in her throat. She knelt down next to him, her hand shaking as she reached out to straighten his glasses, before looking back up at Sirius, who hadn't moved. "No, Sirius, he can't be-"

The rest of her sentence was cut off as he embraced her, contact he needed as badly as she did. They trembled in each others' arms, not saying anything, too afraid to move.

"He was here," Eva managed to get out. "Voldemort was here. What if-?"

"Don't say that," Sirius replied in a choked-up voice. "I d-don't want to see it. Don't want to think about it..."

Eva didn't want to, either. She didn't want to search the house and find Lily dead, too, or worse, Harry dead.

A cry reached their ears, startling them both.

"Sirius," Eva mumbled, not wanting to get her hopes up.

Wordlessly, Sirius made his way through the cramped hallway and ran up the stairs. She followed right on his heels and made it to the nursery, where Lily's body lay still on the carpet, her green eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

But Harry was alive, sitting up in his crib. His sobbing broke her heart, and she immediately picked him up and held him close.

"Harry, thank goodness," Eva sobbed, holding him close as she stared at the corpse of her best friend. "Sirius, he's bleeding. He's bleeding!"

Sirius brushed some of Lily's red curls out of her eyes before responding. "What?"

"From here, on his forehead. There's some sort of cut." She used one of his blankets to staunch the bleeding, and once she wiped it off, a lightning-shaped cut was visible. "W-what do you think happened?"

"I... I don't know." He sounded so deadened, so hopeless. He stood up, walking back into the hallway, away from Lily. She followed, not wanting Harry to see that. "Listen, I want you to take Harry to our place. Make sure he's okay, and then maybe contact Minnie. She'll know what to do. I'm going to find Remus and Peter, and we'll all figure this out."

"Sirius..."

A horrible, horrible thought had begun to dawn on her.

Sirius gripped her shoulders tightly. "I swear, it wasn't me. I don't have time to explain, I need to go, but I need you to believe me first. I'd never betray them, I promise you."

Even though her world was collapsing around her, Eva still loved Sirius. She knew him inside and out, so she nodded.

"I believe you."

A loud crash from downstairs startled them both. They drew their wands and crept down the stairs, Sirius moving protectively in front of Eva and Harry.

"'Ello? Is anyone in 'ere?"

More tears streamed down Eva's cheeks. "Hagrid!"

The large, hairy man stood in the doorway, his pink umbrella dripping water all over the foyer. He looked ready to cry, too.

"Oh, Sirius an' Eva! I didn't reckon anyone'd be 'ere yet," Hagrid said, sighing heavily. "Professor Dumbledore sent me, 'e did. 'E wants me to take little Harry to 'im."

"No," Eva said automatically, her protective instincts kicking in even though she trusted Hagrid. "He's staying with us."

Hagrid shook his head sorrowfully. "I'm mighty sorry, but I've got orders."

"We're his godparents, Hagrid," Sirius implored, looking more desperate by the minute. Somehow, he was even paler than before. "James and Lily would have wanted us to t-take him. Please don't do this."

"I've got to. Take it up with Professor Dumbledore, son."

Sirius and Eva exchanged glances. Reluctantly, Eva kissed Harry on the cheek and passed him to Hagrid. The baby immediately grabbed for the large man's beard.

"All righ'. I'd better be off."

"Hagrid!" Sirius called. He seemed to be making a split-second decision. "Take the motorcycle. I'm not going to need it anymore."

Hagrid nodded and raised a hand in farewell before putting up his pink umbrella and stepping out into the rain. When he started walking, though, Harry began to cry and reached out a little hand.

"Padfoo!" He cried shrilly. "Eve!"

Eva started to cry harder then, and Sirius wrapped his arms around her, tears streaming down his own face. They watched as the motorcycle rose into the sky and took Lily and James' son away from them.

"B-Blondie," Sirius whispered hoarsely. "We've got to go. You go to Remus' and tell him. I'll go find Peter, okay? Okay?"

She nodded, her entire body shaking. They ran back out into the yard. Eva slipped in the wet leaves but got back up quickly.

"Wait!" Eva yelled seconds before Sirius was about to apparate. "I l-love you!"

With wide, terrified eyes, Sirius strode up to her and pulled her into a rough kiss. It only lasted a few seconds, and their tears mixed on each others' cheeks as the rain poured down on them.

"Go," he said, releasing her. "I love you, too."

*

As soon as her feet touched the ground again, Eva ran up the steps to Remus' flat and hastily knocked on the door.

"Remus!" She yelled, her voice cracking. "Remus, please open up!"

The door swung open seconds later to reveal a clearly tired Remus. He was two days away from a full moon and looked absolutely terrible, but all of his exhaustion faded at the sight of her.

"What's happened?" He asked urgently, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into the dark living room. The radio droned on in the background, but they both ignored it. "What's wrong?"

"J-James and Lily are d-d-dead!" She cried.

Remus paled, unable to believe her words. "What?"

"Sirius and I were just there, we f-found the bodies. And Hagrid took Harry, and-"

"Wait. Where's Sirius? You're not hurt, are you?" He looked her up and down for injuries.

Eva took a deep breath and shook her head. "I'm not h-hurt, and Sirius went to find Peter."

"That bastard!" Remus muttered, kicking a lamp over in anguish. "I knew it was him! He ruined us all! He killed them!"

"No, he didn't," Eva insisted, shaking her head rapidly. "He said it wasn't him. H-he said he'd explain later."

"Yes, he did, Eva. It was him! How else would Voldemort know their location! He was their Secret Keeper, Eva! It was him! Damn it, we all trusted him!"

Eva sank into a chair because her legs were trembling so much. "No. You know him, Remus. He w-would never do that."

Silence fell for a moment, but something on the radio caught both of their attentions'. A fight had broken out in Muggle London between two young wizards. She knew.

"Sirius," Eva whispered hopelessly, standing as she made up her mind.

Remus started for her, a panicked look on his face. "Eva, wait!"

He was too late. She disapparated, reappearing on the same street with a searing pain in her left arm. The splinching didn't bother her, though. The sight before her was far worse.

Bodies were strewn across the sidewalk and paved Muggle street. Screaming had filled the square, but she could hear a single crazed laugh rising above the cacophony.

"Sirius!" She screamed, running as fast as she could through the crowd, desperately trying to reach him. "Sirius!"

Multiple Aurors she didn't recognize were restraining him. The moment he heard her agonized voice, his laughter died away and his head snapped up.

"Eva!" He began to wrestle against his captors, but he didn't stand a chance. "Eva!"

She had almost made it past everyone when someone grabbed her non-injured arm and held her back.

"Let... me... go!" She sobbed, trying to break free, but the grip was strong. "SIRIUS!"

Mad-Eye Moody only looked at her with pity. He couldn't believe that his newest protege, one of his best, would be in Azkaban by the end of the night, and he wondered how his wife would be able to handle all of this new trauma.

The war was over, but she hadn't won.

Sirius still hadn't given up, either. "Eva!" He yelled hoarsely, ignoring the soreness in his throat. "I need to see her! Just let me see her! Eva! EVA!"

"SIRIUS!"

He caught a glimpse of her then, and he never forgot that terrible image. Her blonde hair was soaking wet, hanging around her deathly-pale face. Blood oozed from her shoulder and her eyes were wilder than he'd ever seen them. He hated that it was all his fault, that he was the one to cause her pain like this.

The Aurors grew tired of his resistance. One of them used a spell to render him unconscious, and he slumped over limply. They fastened handcuffed chains around his ankles and wrists, then hauled him off.

Moody wouldn't let go of Eva, who kept screaming his name even after he was gone. She only stopped when a new set of arms wrapped around her. Thunder clapped as Eva and Remus sat on the sidewalk and sobbed for hours.

IT'S TOO LATE AT NIGHT FOR ME TO BE THIS EMOTIONAL!

I AM SO SORRY GUYS!

ALL OF MY CHILDREN DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!