1 February 1980

Each time they reentered Diagon Alley it looked increasingly rundown. Every time they went they all swore that it couldn't lose more business than it already had, but every time they're proved wrong.

As it had been a few months since Remus had been there, he was shocked by all of the boarded up windows on stores. He and Leilani came across the occasional passerby, yet by the time they had reached Ollivander's they had grown used to the cold, war drawn area around them.

They had ventured into Diagon Alley because Dumbledore had finally cleared Leilani's name with the Ministry. Remus actually was anticipating it taking a longer time, although in hindsight the Ministry was backlogged with war work, so they didn't pay attention to the details. All that mattered was Leilani Prewett would finally be getting a wand to practice magic with.

She had been awaiting this moment since she was little, it had been all that she dreamed of. Hogwarts looked like it was her way out of the clutches of Audriana, which is another thing that Leilani had dreamed about constantly. However, one of those dreams was subdued until now —technically she never made it to Hogwarts, so it was only half of her dream— and she was bouncing around from her excitement.

Remus took notice in this and grinned for he hadn't seen Leilani that happy since they had danced to the "YMCA." She had had spurts of happiness and excitement since then obviously, but nothing could beat the pure elation that he was seeing right now.

Ollivander welcomed them in kindly and started to sort through the wands for Leilani. It felt to her as if they had tried every wand in the store before the man handed her a fir wood, nine-inch wand containing a unicorn hair core.

Leilani waved it once and sent a stack of papers flying into Remus. He fell over from the impact, and Leilani immediately dropped her wand at the spot, rushing over to where he was. Yet, it didn't seem to hurt him much since he had started to laugh.

"You've got your wand!" Remus exclaimed as he got up from the ground, still laughing as he went.

"I've got my wand!" Leilani hugged him in thanks.

After all, without Remus Lupin, Leilani Prewett would still be only dreaming about performing magic.

...

12 February 1980

Potter Manor had once been a place filled to the brim with laughter, with four young teenage boys running around the halls, each one planning a more devastatingly mischievous prank than the last. The sun needn't shine in through the windows because the interior had all the warmth it needed with only the people.

Now, it seemed that not even the sunshine could ever clear the clouds filling the halls of Potter Manor. Nothing could drown out the noise of the Order meetings, speaking about death after death, not even the most obnoxious pranks.

The warmth of Potter Manor had grown cold.

Dumbledore called the entire Order —with a few exceptions because some people had to look after Hogwarts— to Potter Manor once again. He discussed the action plan going forward, mentioning some raids that would take place in the near future.

Lily sat at the table with James's sullen face constantly in the corner of her eye. They had gotten into a row about telling Dumbledore she couldn't go on missions anymore because of her pregnancy. Lily felt that she could handle it, her only symptoms now were that she still had swollen ankles and she had started to show. James, on the other hand, had opposed the idea completely.

When Dumbledore finished speaking, Alice made her way over to Lily with Frank. She was showing a little more than Lily was, but they were due only a day apart. James and Frank claimed their children were bound to be best friends.

"I'm going to take a leave of absence from the Order, Lily," Alice informed her as people still mingled in the manor.

James's eyes shot over to Lily's face from where they had been looking at the ceiling. She chewed her lip before replying.

"What about being an auror?" Lily deflected the obvious response, and James sighed disappointedly.

He knew that she knew that he was right, but Lily had always been stubborn. It was one of the main reasons she had disliked James so much, she refused to believe he had changed. Yet, everyone saw where that had gotten her.

"I've already talked with Moody, he gave me a desk job for the time being," Alice said with Frank nodding in approval.

"Well, I guess that's the smartest option," Lily looked at James even if she was talking to Alice. "We should talk to Dumbledore then."

James and Lily pulled away from Alice and Frank just as Dumbledore had found himself without a conversation to continue. It was quite good timing on their part.

"I have to stop going on missions for the time being," Lily gestured to her growing belly, "but is there a way I can be involved without being on the frontlines?"

Dumbledore seemed to ponder this a moment before responding. It was like he knew just what to say, yet he wanted to keep them waiting his answer.

"You wanted to be a healer after Hogwarts originally, right, Mrs Potter?" He asked, in reply she nodded. "If you would like, then you can join the healing team."

"Who else is on it?" Lily's eyes lit up at the prospect.

"Madam Pomfrey leads it with Mr Geyer, Andromeda Tonks, Molly Weasley, and Dorcas McKinnon," he said quickly this time.

Before responding, Lily scanned James's face for an ounce of discomfort at the idea of her helping the healing team. When she saw him smiling again, she knew just what her response would be.

"That sounds like a great idea!"

...

The Sun Doesn't Always Shine
Poem #5: What Once Was

Will I ever find a love like that again?
One where all the pain melts away,
and I know that he'll never stray.
One where he makes my heart pound,
and the world go round and round.

I think not,
if the world was so cruel to take him away,
what should make me think that it'll quit it's game with my poor heart?

Yes, my heart shall grow cold and empty,
the opposite of what it once was.
Thoughts of him shall fill my head,
every time I visit places other than my bed.

He wouldn't like what I've become,
but he's not here to see it.
So, what's it matter?

...

20 February 1980

One thing that Marlene was enjoying about having two pregnant friends was double the shopping. Looking at the different baby outfits became one of her favorite activities, so whenever Lily or Alice said they needed to go shopping for more baby supplies she came with them.

Marlene had managed to drag Sirius along with them, but it wasn't as if he was complaining. He had been a little bored at the flat, although he would never admit it, Sirius liked shopping with Lily and Marlene. They were an entertaining pair.

"So, have you decided on how you're going to discipline them?" Marlene asked as she grabbed a pack of binkies.

"I think we're going to figure it out as we go to be honest. James works better when a plan isn't set in stone," Lily replied, missing Marlene's eyes widening.

"I worry for your children," Marlene whistled in surprise.

In complete honesty, Marlene wasn't that worried. She was sure that Lily and James were going to be amazing parents, but there was always room for a little anxiety.

"Well, when there's little Marlene and Sirius running around-"

"That's not happening anytime soon," Sirius interjected as he scrunched his nose.

"Why, worried I won't make a good mother?" Marlene teased with a smile on her face.

"No, I just meant-"

"She knows what you meant, now go and grab those bottles."

...

26 February 1980

Weather was one of the weirdest things to Mary Macdonald. She could never understand how it just rained some days and was sunny the next. It surprised her how the weather's mood swings could be more drastic than even Julia's, which was saying something in her opinion.

On that late February day, Alice had wanted to reconnect with Mary since they hadn't seen much of each other recently. Alice's leave of absence from the Order was one of the many factors that kept them from seeing each other. Yet, they persisted and found a day that they weren't too busy and went out to a local donut shop.

"It feels like we just graduated," Mary said, biting into her third donut. She blamed her hunger on stress and said that she deserved those donuts, which, she, in fact, did deserve.

"I was just thinking about this the other day! I saw Minnie and it hit me how a few years ago, I probably had a transfiguration essay due today," Alice replied, using a napkin to wipe the crumbs from her face.

Mary was about to respond when she saw Reginald Cattermole come from the back room of the shop. Hadn't he told her that he worked at the Ministry?

Apparently, Mary hadn't been subtle with her staring and Reginald noticed her. He set down the boxes he had been carrying, directed by a woman that shared some of the same features he had.

"Hey, Mary! Funny seeing you here!" Reginald walked over to them to greet Mary. Alice could hardly contain her giggles at the blush that had taken over Mary's face.

"Small world, isn't it? I thought you worked at the Ministry," Mary furrowed her eyebrows.

"Oh! This is my sister's shop actually, which reminds me, I need to go grab more boxes," Reginald shot her some finger guns before returning to the back room.

"Who's that, Mary?" Alice asked with a grin tugging on her face.

"Shove it, Alice."

...

Author's Note:

This was a bit of a filler chapter, which is why the update was quicker than they have been. It was easier to write and it was shorter (both things that also factored into the quicker update!)

Since this is chapter sixteen, this marks around the half way point! It's crazy how quickly this trilogy has passed by and I want to thank you for reading!

I hope you all are doing well! Remember to stay safe, and try to stay healthy!

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy🧸

(I thought it was incredibly funny for me to put a teddy bear next to teddy because it was like double the teddy, but sometimes my sense of humor is odd, so it may just amuse me...)