9 YEARS LATER

I anxiously paced the length of the front room, looking at the clock every time I passed it. Weren't they supposed to be done by now? Of course, it was early in the morning but the sun had risen and the full moon had set long ago. Surely they were supposed to have returned by now? A hand settled on my shoulder and I jumped at the contact.

"Here," Lily said as she handed me a mug of hot tea, "You need to relax, the boys have done this for a long time."

"I know that," I replied, taking a sip and feeling the warmth from the tea settle in my stomach. It didn't help to ease my worry. "Believe me I know that, but I can't help but worry about them and about Remus. What if something happened?"

"He hasn't hurt anyone in a long time," she reminded me gently as she led me to the table. Taking a seat, I watched as she settled down into the seat across from me, willing to lend me her ear.

"There's something I need to tell you," I said quietly, looking over at Teddy and Harry as they played quietly in the corner of the room. They remained blissfully unaware of the situation. "I brewed some wolfsbane for him. It was at his request and you know how complex of a potion it is – I don't think I have the skill to do it successfully. But I did brew it and he drank it but Merlin, Lily, you know how disastrous a wrongly brewed wolfsbane potion can be. What if something happened to him because of the potion?"

She listened silently to my words before reaching out to put her hand on top of mine. "Of course, I know that, but I also know that you have a habit of underestimating your abilities. We went to school together, in case you forgot, and I got to witness your potion brewing ability first hand and you are extremely skilled at it, more so than you believe. Let's wait for the three of them to return and believe me, everything will be fine."

"I'm not too sure about that," I murmured, watching as my son rose onto his unsteady feet and slowly approached us.

6 year old Harry followed my 1 year old son, watching him like a hawk in case he showed any signs of falling. Teddy walked closer to the table, holding his arms out for me to hold him. When he was close enough, I took him in my arms and Harry climbed into the chair beside his mother. Lily continued to engage me in conversation and I pretended that I didn't know that she was doing it to distract me.

Teddy started to squirm in my arms and I tried to calm him. "What's the matter sweetheart?"

He made grabby motions towards something behind me. "Dada."

The word had me out of my chair. I faced the doorway and watched the three men who walked into the room. Remus reached out to take Teddy from me and I found my eyes scanning his form for any new visible scars. From what I could see, there weren't any. But there was always the possibility that his clothing was shielding the scar from my eyes.

"I'm alright," Remus said quietly to me when he realised what I was doing, "I'm fine, love."

I looked up into his eyes, unable to hide my concern, "The potion –"

"Worked like a charm – like I knew it would." He smiled down at Teddy who was speaking his usual gibberish to his father. Remus nodded as if he understood what our son was saying, before turning back to me, "I told you that you could do it. You need to stop underestimating yourself."

"What would have happened if I brewed it wrong?" I reached out to smooth some of Teddy's hair back.

Remus shifted to hold Teddy in one arm and with the other, he ran his thumb along my jaw. "I trust you."

"Maybe a little bit too much," I couldn't help but mutter, making him roll his eyes.

"My favourite sister-in-law," Sirius chimed, appearing beside me to throw an arm over my shoulder, "Aren't you being a bit too bias with your concern? Evans' is too busy showing her concern only towards James," Lily rolled her eyes at Sirius' insistence of using her maiden name, "And you're only looking at your husband. It's a bit unfair."

"Then hurry up and settle down, Pads," Remus responded, handing Teddy over to his favourite godfather.

Sirius instantly started making faces at Teddy who giggled and raised a spit covered hand to touch Sirius' face. "If I settled down Moony, then what would happen to all the women who still crave a marauder."

"I should set you up with Pari," I muttered under my breath, "She'd set you straight."

Sirius said nothing in return as I headed into the kitchen. Not that the three of them would ever complain about being hungry, but the night of the full moon always made them ravenous the next morning. Thankfully, by this point, Lily and I were used to the sudden change in their appetite and had already made breakfast and placed a warming charm over it.

Taking the food to the table, I watched as the three grown men instantly settled down at the table. Helping themselves to food, they continued to laugh and joke. Harry was sat with the three men, acting as if he was an adult too, and Teddy was sitting beside him, in his highchair, following the behaviour of his role model.

Lily walked to my side and asked quietly, "Are you going to brew the potion next time, too?"

"I will," I responded, sharing a smile with her, "Especially if it makes him act like this after the full moon. I could never make him revert back to the self-deprecating person he used to be after each transformation."