James had only expected to spend however much time they needed to in lockdown with Lily and Harry, but it seemed others had different plans.

Checking the door, James opened it to find Regulus Black with an exhausted expression upon his face. Peter had told him the address, and immediately after that, Regulus had apparated to the Potter household.

"What's Sirius's worst fear?" James asked the security question with his wand pointed at Regulus.

"Losing us," Regulus answered quickly.

James then welcomed him into the home, telling him to sit in the parlour room while he brought his bags upstairs. Regulus tentatively walked into the room and found Lily sitting with Harry.

"Hullo Regulus," Lily greeted him with a small smile. "How're you?"

"Feeling a bit guilty at the moment, Lily," Regulus sighed and sat next to her, cooing quietly at Harry.

"Why's that?" She frowned.

"Well, Doodledorf told Sirius and Craig that I'm dead, so there's that," Regulus frowned too.

"He what!?!" Lily said, Regulus shushing her so she didn't wake Harry.

"Craig and Sirius think I'm dead," Regulus swallowed. "They're mourning a death that didn't occur."

"Well, I'm sure they'll be too relieved to see you're okay to be mad," Lily mused.

"Hopefully."

...

Just as soon as the new year greeted them, May of 1981 brought another month of hiding away from the world. It was fair to say that they were all getting stir crazy.

"I didn't even really know your parents that well six months ago and now I'm living in their house!" Regulus said with Harry in his lap.

Regulus knew that Harry didn't understand what he was saying, and that the child would have no recollection of it, but that didn't stop him from having a full blown conversation with him.

"Isn't that weird? Like, I'm they're third wheel twenty-four seven and now I'm talking to a baby," Regulus sighed as Lily walked into the nursery.

"I talk to him quite often too," Lily offered with a shrug.

"You're supposed to do that, you're his mother," Regulus replied as Harry laughed at the two.

"True, but technically, since Sirius is his godfather, you're sort of related somehow," Lily said, sitting down in a chair across from Regulus.

"Sirius is godfather?" He asked surprised.

"Merlin, did no one tell you that?" Lily raised her eyebrows.

"I think I would remember if someone told me Sirius was godfather."

...

Not too far away, the Longbottom's experienced their own month of lockdown. They spent most of their time attempting new recipes and improving their home, but there was time for more than a few conversations with Neville, especially with his first birthday nearing.

"You're so old! Soon enough, you'll be off at Hogwarts with your brand new wand and a hopefully not half dead owl," Frank spoke, bouncing Neville on his knee.

"Now, why would we send him to school with a half dead owl?" Alice raised an eyebrow.

"Ask my parents, they were oh-so generous to fix me up with one," Frank replied sarcastically.

...

Yet another family were forced to stay in their house, and they too were talking to there son. Dorcas sat in the grass with Asher in between her legs, smiling as Myles worked on the garden. It was definitely a work in progress, as neither of them are particularly good at taking care of plants, but the present is a good time as any to learn something new.

"And just like that, you popped right out of my-"

"Does he really need to hear that right now, Dork?" Myles asked as he potted another plant.

"He won't ever remember it! I'm just telling him how he made his way into the world," Dorcas defended.

...

Lily never planned on having two kids by the time she had turned twenty-two. Yet, here she was, at the age of twenty-one, pregnant for the second time and about to tell her husband.

She smiled as she entered the room and saw James putting Harry down for nap time. Just six years ago, Lily would've never imagined the scene in front of her, but the two of them were completely different people now.

"Hey, James?" Lily said, grabbing his attention.

What had never failed to surprise her was how James looked at her with his warm, hazel eyes. It was the same look that he gave her in sixth year and in seventh, the same look he gave her at their wedding, and she marveled at the fact that it hadn't changed a bit. It seemed that she fell in love all over again with that one look.

"Yes?"

"C'mere," Lily ushered him outside of the nursery so that they didn't wake Harry. "I've got some happy news."

"Happy news? You're sure?" James quirked his eyebrows.

"I'm positive," Lily smiled fully now.

"Alright then, go for it," James prompted her.

"I'm pregnant!"

"Really? Wow!" James said, just a little too loud.

"Oi! Some people are trying to sleep here," Regulus's voice came from the guest room.

"I'm gonna be a father, Reg!"

"You're already a father, genius."

...

June seemed to pass faster than the months before it, and rather quickly, Harry's first birthday arrived. Sirius had wanted to come to the small party, but it looked as if that was off the table when the Order called an emergency meeting.

Lily told Regukus to fill in for his brother, knowing full well that Sirius was much more extroverted than he was. Although, considering this, Regulus did a pretty good job of filling in the gaping whole that was left by Sirius's absence. (James still noticed the absence as if he had been stabbed in the heart though unfortunately.)

"Smile for the camera!" Lily pointed the polaroid at Regulus and Harry.

They both wore party hats on their heads—Regulus reluctantly—and stupid expressions on their faces.

A year had already passed by in Harry's life. With many more to come, it seemed like celebrating his first birthday was insignificant, especially since Harry wouldn't remember, but it provided a distraction. And, distractions were needed desperately, they were what would take their minds off of the war.

Love was strong enough to get them out of this war. They just so happened to have a lot of it.

...

Author's Note:

Not really proud of this chapter, however, I just know all of you will love next chapter. It's also already halfway written, so maybe I'll get to update earlier!

Hopefully, everybody is having a great day/night! And if you're not, my messages are open to rants!

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy🦛