His little eyes glistened as Maria rocked him in her arms. He was so tiny, so fragile, like the ceramic doll she had as a child. Yet, he was perfect. Cradling in her arms, Maria cooed at the baby, smiling brightly when his small fingers clung onto her own.

"You are a beautiful little boy, yes you are, the most beautiful boy in the whole wide world," she told him, showing him outside the window and pointing at the buildings," That's Big Ben, and over there's Westminster. That's where the muggle minister works."

The baby gurgled at the word muggle, making the fairy's heart melt.

"And up there in the clouds, that's where your god sister and brother are, they're a lot older than you thought," A sombre frown covered her face, a single tear running down her face.

Though she quickly snapped out of it when he began to cry again," Don't cry dear, I'm alright, don't cry," she shushed him, walking around the room in attempts to calm him down.

Once he'd fallen back asleep, Maria carefully sat down in the vacant armchair, making sure to support his head when she sat down, "I promised I would look after you, Harry Potter, just like your mother and father."

A few weeks earlier, Maria was down in the Great Hall at the crack of dawn for breakfast. The smile that graced her lips was contagious and nearly everyone was convinced Maria was back to her old self. Nearly being the keyword here.

Sitting down in her chair, the fairy was in a world of her own until a voice startled her, "You're looking chipper today, Maria."

Putting down her butter knife, she gleefully replied, " Oh Minnie, Lily's due is creeping in, so Euphemia keeps reminding me!"

"That's wonderful, dear. They must be on top of their heads."

"I know, me, James and Fleamont have spent weeks getting the baby's room ready, all we have to do is paint but we'll have to see if it's a girl or a boy first, though I haven't heard anything from them for a while now," the fairy disclosed, turning back to her scone.

"Well," Minerva began," Don't take on too much work, returning to teaching is hard enough.

A few months after the marauders had graduated, Maria decided she would need to get back working if she was to afford to move back home, though she wouldn't tell Minerva. As far as she knew, Maria had had a change of heart.

But something still wasn't right, and Minerva knew the fairy was hiding something.

" I'm perfectly capable of multitasking, Minnie, besides I have you, Fi and Montie if I need help."

"Well, don't be afraid or too stubborn to ask for help," Minerva assured her, pouring out a cup of tea.

"Me stubborn? You don't know me at all Minnie," the fairy mocked, busing herself with breakfast.

"Honestly, he never learns, " Handing the paper to Maria, Minerva complained.

"Who?, " Maria asked until she saw the headline, Gildorey Lockart's stuns the nation with his tales of heroism, "Oh look! He has a book coming out. I didn't know he could write,"

When she realised what she'd said aloud, both women both burst into uncontrollable laughter, flashbacks of the infamous yule ball replaying in their heads. Breakfast was pleasant as the hall slowly filled up, and owls arrived with the post.

A beige barn owl swooped down in front of Maria, waiting for her to take the letter. Surprised to see the Potter owl in front of her, Maria enthusiastically it opened up, hoping it was news about the pregnancy. Oh, how wrong was she.

The teacup in her hand fell, smashing against the stone floor as the contents covered the table. Maria was unable to move, frozen in shock. A million thoughts dashed around her head until it clicked. Dropping the letter, Minerva's pleas fell on deaf ears as the fairy scrambled out of the hall.

Maria ran, and ran, and ran the grounds, lifting the hem of her dress when it caught under her heels as she etched further and further to the schools' boundaries. Her calves burned and her heart pounded so hard against her chest, one would think it would burst. But she pushed on, kicking off her heels and running on barefoot through the forest.

She could hear Minerva behind her, no doubt knowing what had happened but she couldn't waste time stopping as tears burned her eyes. Upon seeing the edge of the castle's protective wards, Maria transformed mid-sprint into her fairy form, and with a flutter of her wings, began to fly towards the barrier. With a flick of the fairy's wrist, a tear in the forcefield appeared like a portal and within the blink of an eye, she was gone.

Maria appeared right outside the Potter Manor, wasting no time to change back as she recklessly pushed open the wrought iron gate separating her from the townhouse. Bursting through the door, Maria was met by a draughted James, sitting at the end of the stairs.

When he noticed her, the wizard hopped up and brought her into a tight hug, letting the tears fall freely, "Thanks for coming Mar,"

"How are they?" she asked, not wanting the answer that was awaiting her.

"Not good, the doctors say they won't make it through the night."

Leaving James in the company of Sirius, Maria ventured upstairs, following the corridor until she reached the master bedroom. Hesitating, Maria took a deep breath and gently opened the door.

Taking a few steps in, Maria choked a tear when she saw the frail and translucent image of Euphemia and Fleamont lying in bed, motionless. When they heard her enter, Euphemia plucked up her head, motioning to the side of her bed as Fleamont went into a coughing fit.

"Oh Fi, why didn't you tell me you were sick?" she whispered, wiping away stray tears.

Looking over at her husband, Fi smiled lightly as she spoke with a rough voice, " You would have worried and fussed about when there was nothing you could do, "

"Did you try getting treatment? St Mungo's should be able to give you something?" Maria argued as she sobbed, clutching onto her best friend's boney hands.

"They've tried everything they could, but this year, dragon pox is harder to cure. It's time for us to go, Maria, we're no spring chickens," Her sentence was cut off by another flurry of coughing.

Shooting up, Maria quickly conjured up a glass of water for the witch, understanding the severity of their illness when she caught sight of the bloody handkerchief on the dresser.

"But before we go, Montie and I need you to promise us something,"

Leaning in, Maria quickly replied," Anything in the world, I'll do it,"

"Promise us you'll look after James and Sirius. I don't want them to think we're leaving them all alone. Tell them it wasn't their fault and that we'll always be looking down on them and the baby,"

Maria couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her face as Montie's chest began to stop rising. All the family had joined them now to say their final goodbyes.

"Promise me Mar,"

"I promise," Silence fell on them as James and Sirius hopped in between their parents, all holding hands as death lingered over the house.

Euphemia and Fleamont passed away in the early hours of the fourth of June, suddenly but peacefully, surrounded by friends and family.

The funeral was held a few days later, and their will was released a month after that. Since James and Lily had already built their house, Fi and Montie left the manor to Sirius. What surprised Maria most was that they had included her in the will also. A few weeks after the funeral, Maria had a visit from their solicitor, leaving her the deeds to Sleekeazy's Hair Potion Company and a small note, Hope this helps you to get home xx Captain Mont and Lady Mia.

Looking back out the window, Maria spoke to Harry again, " And guess who else lives in the clouds? Grandma and Grandpa. They're looking after you too."

"Yes they are," James added, wrapping an arm around Maria as he, her and baby Harry stared into the clouds.

It was time.

~~~~~~~

3

I shed so many tears writing this chapter just because it was so sad! Though we're almost finished to stay tuned to see what Maria will do!

*The_lost_flower*