"Harry, what is your father up to?"

Harry glanced up from his colouring as he sat on the serving bar in the restaurant one afternoon, a day after Valentine's Day to be exact. He had two wax pastels in hand that he had been using to create a swirling effect on the parchment paper that Renata had given to him when he heard his mother call his name. The problem was, he didn't have an answer to her question, leaving unsure of how to respond to it. He looked terribly confused, but not as confused as Renata as she tried to figure out what James was doing with the day.

She distinctly remembered him cuddling her extra tight that morning, her bare back pressed against his chest invited her to stay asleep all day and she had definitely contemplated the idea. He whispered "good morning" in her ear, told she was beautiful among other mutterings that left her face flushed with redness. She wouldn't have called it overly affectionate, but her body still felt incredibly tingly from that morning and it was well into the afternoon by that point.

Indeed she had fallen back asleep during their spooning session, unable to help herself as they reached such a level of comfort that it was nearly impossible to remain awake. Not to mention, the events of the day and night before had left her quite tired, enough that she wasn't up to her usual bouncing around in the early morning hours with Harry. It had been Valentine's Day, the day before, and while it was really a day no different than most, James had made it quite the special occasion.

He presented Renata with breakfast in bed, a meal that he and Harry had cooked together. And while it was freezing out during the month of February, James brought the family to the beach to spend the day. They had bundled Harry up to the point where the toddler had difficulty walking on his own. But they were lucky to say that they had the entire beach to themselves as they walked along the line of water, not daring to go in though. It made the hot chocolate afterwards so much more rewarding for all of them.

With their hot chocolate, the three had cosied themselves up in the hammock of the home with the fireplace roaring to keep things toasty. During which Harry had decorated two cards, one for his mother and one for his father. One Renata's card, it appeared he had tried to create an octopus holding a heart, while for his father, he had made his attempts at a stag with a heart hanging off one of the antlers.

They praised Harry for his beautiful artwork and from that moment, it seemed an artistic bug had bitten Harry as all he wanted to do in his free time since then was draw and colour. Which was great as he had something to keep himself occupied that afternoon when Renata had to bring him to the restaurant with her.

She hadn't anticipated waking up again that morning and finding herself alone in bed. In fact, she woke up to Harry poking her in the face, claiming that he was hungry. When she turned over in bed and found that James was no longer beside her, all she found was a note that claimed that he would see her later on that night. There was no further explanation, just a simple drawing of a smiling face at the end, leaving her positively perplexed.

Yet, she couldn't dwell on it for very long because the sound of Harry's tiny tummy rumbling had kicked her into gear.

Sitting around the cottage wasn't an option either, all she did was pace around the kitchen as Harry ate and she decided that she needed to occupy her time wisely or she would end up driving herself mad. It was best to put all her energy toward something productive and since she had been neglecting her restaurant, she decided to start there first.

With plans to open up in the spring when the weather was nicer and people would be more prone to walking around Diagon Alley, there was still plenty of work to be done with renovations. With her wand in hand, Renata could take care of the basics, but she was still going to need a full-fledged team to clear away a lot of doxy dust and other magical pests that seemed to linger about.

"Well, you would tell me if you knew something, wouldn't you, Harry?" she asked him as Harry continued to watch her.

"No!" he said with a laugh before returning to his colouring, leaving Renata to make a face and shake her head in amusement.

"At least you're honest about it."

Fixing her attention of the wallpaper that was changing through multiple patterns until she came upon one to her liking, Renata kept up at her attempts to remain busy. But she still really wanted to know where James had gone off to.

When the door opened to the restaurant a little while later, she had practically given herself whiplash, thinking it was James and that she was finally going to get some answers, but instead, it turned out to be Adelmo, entering the restaurant after getting off of his shift.

"Oh Al, it's just you," she said instead of a greeting, leaving Adelmo to make a somewhat of an offended expression. Quite the sign that he had been spending a great deal of time in Sirius' company.

"Well, that's no way to greet your brother, Renata," Adelmo said as he walked over to greet Harry with a small high-five. "I'm happy to see you, you know."

"I'm sorry!" she quickly apologised. "I didn't mean it as a disappointment, I just thought you were James. I've been expecting him to show up all day, even though I guess I shouldn't. His note said that he would see me later on tonight but...do you know where he is?"

"I'm afraid I don't," Adelmo said adjusting his robes, " I've been at work all day. I haven't even seen Sirius all day, he was gone before I woke up this morning."

Suddenly, Renata had it in her mind that the two were definitely up to something, especially if they had both disappeared in the morning and had not been seen since. Adelmo seemed to read her thoughts, a smile brewing on his face before he walked over and placed his hand on her shoulder to get her to relax. There was no sense in her getting worked up or worried over something.

"If you haven't figured out what it is by now, Renata, it's best to just wait and see," he said, " to take your mind off of it, why don't I treat you and Harry to some food? I was heading over to the Leaky Cauldron anyways, come join me."

It had been quite some time since the two Abate siblings shared some quality alone time without either of their partners around. It usually gave them time to vent or just discuss things that they felt would be considered irritating to James or Sirius, not that either man would ever say such a thing to them. But when it came to discussing their recovery, any memories they wanted to discuss from their childhood, it was best that it was just them...and Harry, of course.

Settling into a booth, Renata had Harry sit beside her as he marvelled at the scene of all the unfamiliar scenery of the Leaky Cauldron. It was an odd place, small, somewhat dingy on the inside, but every aspect about it was still inviting in many ways. The pub air welcomed many to enjoy a drink or two while being served a delicious meal. And while Renata was going to be somewhat of a competitor when it came to the restaurant industry, she was sure that the Leaky Cauldron would remain tall and strong with loyal customers.

Settled with basic fish and chips, Renata allowed Harry to pick off her plate while she and Adelmo sat together to talk and catch up for a bit. Apparently, things were going well for her brother and she couldn't have been happier for him at the moment. Adelmo only deserved happiness especially after all the struggles he had faced. There were still some nights where the past came to haunt him in the form of nightmares and night terrors, but he claimed that having Sirius there when he woke up definitely helped.

"I still have a few dreams myself," Renata admitted to him, " I don't talk about them much, mainly because as soon as I wake up I know that they aren't real. And I guess I can't complain too much, can I? At least I'm not fainting at the sight of blood anymore."

"Clearing the blood phobia out of the way doesn't mean you don't have the right to complain, Renata," Adelmo reminded her, " I know you wish to remain strong and carry everyone else's weight on your shoulders, but you should allow yourself to complain. It's healthier for you to express what bothers you too. Are you still going to attempt a couple of sessions with Dr Mullins?"

"I thought about it," she said, " but at the same time, I know what she's going to tell me. And I feel like it's going to be cheating because I'll know truthfully what she's feeling during our sessions. It's not like I can turn this ability off. But I think I'm alright, any nightmares I've had are really spaced out and I don't really get them unless I'm under high amounts of stress, which hasn't been prominent as of late. Everything is going great...couldn't be better than what it is now. Well, with the exception of the restaurant, I'm still nervous about all of that."

"Renata, you're not going to fail," Adelmo reassured her, " I know you had it in your mind because of previous experiences with other jobs. But those weren't your true callings. Deep down, you didn't want to do those things and it resulted in you failing. This...this dream of yours is something you want to do, it's something you love. Not to mention, you have everyone's support behind you, no one is going to let you fail. Isn't that right, Harry? Are you going to let your mother fail?"

Once again, Harry didn't understand the question, he didn't know what the word "fail" meant as the adults were both looking at him. Seeing as his "no" answer from previously wasn't what Renata had wanted to hear judging by her expression, he decided to go with the opposite that time.

"Yes," he nodded, bringing Adelmo's face to pale while Renata started laughing, pulling him into a hug.

"Thank you for your honesty yet again, Harry."

There was no denying that people in the Leaky Cauldron had caught sight of little Harry Potter as they enjoyed their meals and drinks. Many of them continued to look over their shoulders, whispering to each other in excitement to get a glimpse of the Boy-Who-Lived, who hadn't exactly been around in the most recent of weeks in the public eye. Where the Potter family had vanished off to, no one was aware, but they were only seen in Diagon Alley briefly during visits.  But there was one particular person who had entered the pub after a day of shopping for much-needed ground supplies and at the mention of Harry Potter sitting off in the far corner, he couldn't help but approach.

"'Scuse meh, miss?"

The deep voice was almost thunderous despite the fact that it was whispering, bringing Renata, Adelmo, and Harry to jump simultaneously just as they were all preparing to leave. They turned to look over to see a towering man, who was nearly as wide as he stood tall, leaving the three of them opened mouth in response. Renata had never seen a man of such stature and while it was intimidating, the way the man held himself, his hands linked in front of him with a nervous expression, she couldn't help but sense how gentle he was.

"Didn't mean ter disturb your meal or nothin'," he said, smoothing back his hair with an apologetic look," I was jus' wonderin' if I could come say hello ter the little fella."

"I'm sorry," Renata apologised for her gawking nature as she gave a slight shake of her head, " but who are you, Sir?"

"The name is Rubeus Hagrid," he informed her, " I worked alongside James during the war-"

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up as soon as he gave her name and she scolded herself, how could she forget who Hagrid was, solely by the description that James had given her. "Of course, of course! Please, take a chair and join us!"

Adelmo gave his sister a look because while she had heard of Hagrid, he certainly hadn't and it looked as though she was inviting a stranger to sit with them, just as they were planning on heading back to the restaurant.

"THANK YOU!" Hagrid's voice boomed, instantly causing Aldemo and Renata to cringe, but Harry giggled in pure delight. As Hagrid sat down with them, taking his large pint with him, he greeted Harry in the smallest voice he could muster, practically cooing over him.

"Harry was no bigger than my thumb when I first met 'im," Hagrid said, at one point, " now look! Someone has been eatin' good, hasn' he?"

He poked one large finger at Harry's stomach and Harry had been won over instantly, raising his arms out for Hagrid to lift him up. As he was hoisted out of the booth, Harry looked around the Leaky Cauldron as if he was on top of the world. He peered down at Renata and Adelmo as he was placed on Hagrid's shoulders and started to wave at them with an excited grin.

"Mummy, look at me! Look at me, Mummy!"

For a second, Hagrid took a quick glance around the pub, waiting to see the image of Lily Evans appear as Harry called out "Mummy," but it only took him a few quick seconds before he realised that he was actually calling to Renata.

"I see you, Harry," she called back to him, " look how tall you are!"

Suddenly, feeling quite teary-eyed again, Hagrid swallowed the large lump that developed in his throat. To him, it was nice to see people that he had seen suffer in the war go on to live happier lives. The war had taken too much from so many, yet, while it had broken many spirits, they did not remain broken.

"Well," Hagrid said as he sniffled and stood up, removing Harry from his shoulders, holding Harry as if he was just a mere paperweight, " I should be gettin' off right now, needed back at the school. And you should be headin' back ter yer restaurant."

Renata was about to agree but was confused as to how the man knew that they were on their way back to the restaurant when they had made no mention of it.

"James is waitin' on you."

Her lips parted as Hagrid bid them all farewell, ruffling Harry's hair with a wink before he left the Leaky Cauldron.

"BYE, RUBY HAGGIS!" Harry called after him, not quite picking up on the name just yet.

It had all been a setup? In one way or another, James had planned the interaction, meaning he knew that she was going to be at the Leaky Cauldron. Glancing over in the direction of her brother, Renata could see that Adelmo was attempting to avoid eye contact with her.

He was messing with a loose button on his robes that was easily fixable with a quick wavy of his wand. Reaching for her wand, she fixed it, the button fastening itself between his fingers, bringing him to meet her gaze.

"Tell me what you know, Al. You're in on this, aren't you?"

Suddenly, she could sense Adelmo's nerves increase drastically, meaning he couldn't lie his way out and he seemed to understand that right away.

"Uh, James might have told me to bring you here to waste some time, I might have run into him at the hospital. I might be in on the plan. And you might want to head back to the restaurant as Hagrid said. Ciao!"

He darted off out of the booth and out of the Leaky Cauldron completely and as soon as he was outside, Adelmo disapparated from the scene, leaving Renata baffled by her brother's behaviour. She knew James had been up to something, and that only confirmed it completely. But what was it? Why had he wanted her out of the restaurant? Why was everyone in on except her?

Was he planning something for the restaurant, a surprise perhaps?

"Mummy, let's go!" Harry said, giving a tug of her sleeve impatiently. Maybe Harry was in on it too, he was just better at concealing his involvement, unlike Adelmo who spilt like a glass of milk.

She let out a sigh before standing up, she just hoped that no one was going to jump out at her this time when it came to any surprises.

Leaving the Leaky Cauldron after being stuck with the bill ( so much for being treated to a meal) Renata walked along with Harry, who continued to gaze up at her with a grin. She knew he knew something, but the problem was, he wasn't going to tell her or he didn't know how to tell her. When they eventually reached the restaurant, she was extremely confused because it looked just as they had left it, the door was locked, it was dark inside.

"What is going on?" she muttered to herself as she walked in. She expected to walk in and find James, waiting for him to jump or something along the lines. But that didn't happen, instead, as she walked around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, except for an envelope on the counter where Harry had been colouring earlier meaning someone had been there while they were gone.

Her name was written on it and she could recognise James' handwriting right away, leaving her to grab it and tear the top open.

Out fell a small piece of parchment and the game began.