The kitchen was bustling with movement when the floo erupted that morning. Teddy's giggles could be heard as Harry looked into the living room to see Remus Lupin holding the blue haired boy, with Andromeda and Ed flooing in close behind.

"We're in here," Harry called as the group made their way across the carpet and into the kitchen. James and Lily were both sitting down, ready to eat when Remus walked through the door.

Remus shifted his weight so that Teddy was holding onto one side of him more than the other. He looked quite good considering the transformation of the previous night.

"James," He began, "There's someone I'd like you to meet." Teddy giggled again and then coughed aggressively into his dad's shoulder. The worry that lit up on Remus's face must've given him away, because Lily and James both gasped.

"He's not yours is he Remus?" James stood up and moved towards the pair.

"I am!" Teddy squealed, "He's my daddy and he's here! He's not dead anymore! He's Here!"

"Remus!" Lily ran forward to hug him, "That's amazing! Why didn't you tell us at the ministry?"

"It is Tonk's right?" James asked. The anger in his dad's face concerned Harry, but it quickly dissipated when Remus confirmed that Teddy was his and Tonks son.

"And you're Harry's Parents!" Teddy's yells caused another coughing fit, this time producing phlegm to worry James and Lily.

"Are you okay?" Lily asked. She looked worriedly at Remus.

"I have cystic fibrosis." the boy responded confidently. "It means that I have way too much gunk in my lungs."

Harry and Ginny smiled at the definition that they had taught Teddy. His words seemed to please James and Lily for the moment, which was good, as Nymphadora Tonks chose that moment to floo into the house.

"Hello" She called.

"MOM!" Teddy screamed, wiggling free from his father's hands, stumbling onto the floor and running into his mother's open arms.

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh! You're here and you're alive, and I can touch you, and I can hug you, and I can talk to you, and I can see you and…" Teddy's breath caught up to him and he fell into his mother's embrace.

"Woah!" She exclaimed, sitting on the floor with Teddy in her arms. He opened his eyes and weakly curled into her. Tonks looked up at Remus who was standing next to her.

"It's okay," Andromeda assured, "He's just overexcited, and who can blame him. Come sit on the couch with me so that your husband and I don't have to make our way onto the floor."

Remus gave Andromeda a thankful look as they all sat down on the couch.

"Let's give them some space," Ginny whispered, ushering everyone back into the kitchen.

"He has a kid," Lily whispered, "I never thought I'd see him that happy again."

"Me neither," James agreed.

The room was quiet again, Harry staring at a moment that his parents were sharing. James gave Lily a kiss and they sat down to eat the breakfast that had been made before most had woken up.

"Thanks for breakfast Ginny!" Lily said before taking another bite.

"I can't cook to save my life! Thank Harry." Ginny responded

Lily looked to Harry, "You must not get everything from your father then," She winked "Because this is delicious."

James laughed with the rest of the room, and conversation began around the table.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Lily asked Harry. "My sister didn't teach you, did she?"

A small silence ensued as Harry tried to figure out how to answer. "Why don't we talk about that later, when we're alone and I can explain it better."

His parents shot each other worried looks but allowed the topic to move on.

"Do you cook mom?" Harry asked.

"Not quite this good, but my mom taught 'Tuney and I when I was younger."

Harry forced himself not to react to his aunt's nickname. He had only ever heard it in Snape's memories five years ago.

"We had a house-elf that cooked for us, so I didn't even know how to make a grilled cheese until your mom taught me" James added.

"Don't tell Hermione that." Harry's eyes went wide. "She's huge for house elf rights."

"House-elf rights? Pinsey loved what she did! We even let her wear clothes to because it made her feel pretty, but she didn't want to leave."

"Hermione won't care." Harry told him, "And times have changed, a lot of house elves are liking freedom now that they know what it is."

"She'll fight you over it too," Ginny said, "It doesn't matter what Pinsey did or said or how well you treated her, or how awkward of a time it is, Hermione Weasley will fight you over the rights of every being on this earth."

"I like her already," Lily smiled. Harry beamed back at her.

Breakfast continued normally, with the Lupins and Tonks joining in after several minutes alone in the living room. Teddy's face was pale, and Remus looked exhausted, but both had excitement vivid in their smiles. Teddy was still in blue pajamas with penguins on them, and he was being held tightly by his mother who was whispering answers to questions that Teddy was breathing to her.

Remus was laughing with James and Lily as they talked with Harry and occasionally Ginny. Ron and Hermione came over to join, claiming that Ron couldn't sit still at home and didn't want to run to his mom's an hour before his brother was scheduled to be home. He wasn't eating and was taking every chance he had to stand up and do something.

Ginny was just as anxious, but her belly prohibited her from moving around as frequently. She settled on a non-stop smile and occasionally squeezing her husband's hand.

After breakfast, Ron and Ginny excused themselves to the burrow, saying that the family would send an owl when they were ready for guests. Hermione excused herself to her own house so that she could work on paperwork in peace for a few moments. Though Harry suspected that she just didn't want to interrupt.

The Lupin-Tonks family had gone back to the living room to talk in private leaving Harry with his parents. Harry had been telling them about George and Fred when the conversation fell into a quiet lull.

"Where did you learn to cook?" Lily asked tentatively.

Harry could tell that his parents were hoping he'd say that he picked it up in adulthood. He also knew that they didn't expect that.

"I figured it out at the Dursleys," he looked at the table and took a deep breath. "I know that what you're about to hear is going to be angering, and that's fine, it pisses me off too. Just," he paused. "Please don't yell or slam your fists or anything like that," another pause, "Ginny and I have learned that I don't handle anger well when the Dursleys come up. I'll shut down, and nothing good will come from that."

"Could you sleep last night?" James asked. Harry didn't look up, but he could hear the worry in his father's voice.

"No, but that wasn't your fault. It was a long confusing day and I have a hard time getting to sleep on my good nights."

"Are you okay Harry?" his mother asked.

Harry sighed. "I'm a lot better now." he looked up at her with a smile. "We can get into it later, but my school years were hellish. I was the picture of the war until it was over, and I didn't really have the chance to be a kid. So, I've got enough PTSD for several people. But I'm doing a lot better."

The lull returned as Harry realized it was time to tell them about Number 4 Privet Drive. He studied the grains of the wood and began with the cupboard under the stairs. He told them how he cooked for the house and did the chores Petunia didn't want to do. He talked about meeting Hagrid, and Dobby's cake. He let them laugh as he recounted the ten-tongued-toffee that Fred and George had snuck Dudley, and the wine glasses that Dumbledore had allowed to float into their heads. He told his mom about Petunias words when he left, and how he had yet to contact them since he was ensured they were still alive after the war.

When he was done, they all sat quietly. Harry heard his dad breathing heavily and his mom was sniffling beside him.

"Why weren't you sent to Sirius?" James asked. His voice was low, but not noticeably angry. Harry appreciated that.

"That's a really complicated question. The short answer is Dumbledore."

"And Sirius didn't throw a fit?" James was whispering now, but the annoyance was apparent in his voice.

"He was framed for Peter's death and thrown into Azkaban without a trial."

"WHAT!" James must not have noticed how hard Harry flinched. The man jumped to his feet so quickly that Harry felt as though he was suddenly towering him. Lily put her hand on her son's shoulder as James yelled at the world.

"Without a trial! I'm sure he was blamed for our deaths too! No one thought look into-" he stared shocked at the wall. "Peter's dead?"

"That's almost as complicated of a question as to why I lived with the Dursleys."

"Shouldn't that be a yes or no?" Now James seemed to direct his anger at Harry.

"Please calm down." Harry resisted the burning urge to answer his father's question. If he just explained it this would all be over. If he just complied, then maybe his dad wouldn't be mad at him. If he asked his dad why he hadn't thought of that, then the situation would escalate but he'd be in control. He could have taken control for sure. He could've taken all attention towards him and cracked a wise one. But he needed the anger to stop now. He cared about his dad too much to escalate this. He needed to breath. His dad wasn't doing this on purpose.

The room was very quiet as Harry's last threads of self-control tested themselves. James was still staring now shocked at his own behavior. Lily had her hand on Harry's shoulder and was only looking at him.

"Sorry," James whispered.

Harry let out a deep breath. He placed his head into his hands and allowed his mother to lean him into her. James moved back into his seat as the door to the kitchen opened. It was Remus.

"We all thought Peter was dead James," Remus walked over to the table. "We all thought that Sirius had killed him, the evidence was damning."

Harry felt a slight ping of jealousy as James responded to Remus's words better than his own. Lily pulled Harry closer as both adults shed a few tears.

The two men talked briefly about Sirius and the muggles that Peter had killed. They talked about the finger that he left behind, and Remus was kind enough to skip over the part where Pettigrew was Ron's pet.

"So, he's dead now?" Lily asked when Remus had finished.

The room stared at Harry.

"He was dead." Harry was suddenly more lost in thought than before.

"How in earth could he have come back Harry?" Remus asked. "Surely you're not counting the little good that he did before he helped Voldemort rise from the grave."

"No, he saved my life. Right before he died, he saved my life."

The others stared at each other. Harry kept staring at a smudge he had found on the table.

"So, Sirius and I might finally get to off him?" Remus asked.

"What?!" James all but yelled.

"That act of mercy is why Wormtail saved my life." Harry muttered back. "He felt indebted to me, and Riddle's silver hand didn't appreciate that. So, it offed him."

"Riddle?" Lily asked.

"Voldemort." Harry answered, not caring to explain. He stood up to move towards an owl and parchment.

The floo erupted and Harry jumped, wand gripped tightly.

"You guys can come over!" Ginny yelled from the fireplace. "He's home and George is pretending that he's not crying, and they're showing off new products and its fantastic, and everyone's invited and we're gonna have lunch. Oh, it's amazing!"

"You sound like Teddy," Harry heard Andromeda say from the living room.

Ginny worked her way into the kitchen where she saw the four adults saddened and worrisome. She looked at her husband and saw the look on his face.

"What's wrong?" She asked, walking towards him. The worry was evident in her eyes.

"Peter might be alive again," He accepted her hug and helped modify it around the baby bump.

"I assumed he was," Ginny answered, "I figure after a good trial he'll go to Azkaban for a bit."

"Yeah," Harry answered. Ginny squeezed him again.

"Are you okay?" She made sure only he could hear.

"Not really," He whispered back. He then raised his voice to speak to the room. "Go on over, I need to change out of my pajamas and will be over in a bit."

"I need to change into comfier clothes. I thought I could do jeans today, but there's too much movement, and not enough circulation in my feet. I'll wait with Harry."

They didn't seem to believe that both Potters needed to change, but quickly left them alone just the same.

"I asked them not to yell." Harry sat down as the last person flooed to the burrow. "I told them not to yell at me, at least not while we were talking about the Dursleys. I told them that I wouldn't be able to handle it." His hands were over his face as he leaned forward.

"Did they?" Ginny frowned.

"My dad didn't like that Sirius was imprisoned." Harry explained.

"Oh," Ginny put her arms around him.

"I haven't gone back there in years Ginny. Even yesterday it was fast enough that nothing really happened. Today was bad. It was awful. It still is."

"You don't want to go to the burrow, do you?" She asked.

"I honestly haven't even gotten that far ahead yet."

Ginny sat quietly for a bit, obviously worried about him.

"I'll stay here with you for a bit, why don't you call Sammy and make an appointment." She was Harry's therapist, a woman who he hadn't seen in three weeks because he had been doing better. They had appointments every five weeks, a situation which worked well for him. She was very good with privacy and specialized in post-traumatic stress.

Harry stared at his wife. "You're a genius."

"I know."

"How did I not think of that days ago."

"You've been a bit busy Harry," Ginny rubbed his back. "Don't beat yourself up."

They sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Do you think my parents blame themselves?"

"That's not your fault." Ginny answered firmly. "You gave them fair warning. If they feel bad about it then they'll do better in the future."

"They didn't do anything wrong though Ginny, anyone would've been angry."

"I wouldn't have yelled. Mom wouldn't have yelled. Ron and Hermione wouldn't have yelled. We know you better and know how much it can hurt you when we get angry at your aunt and uncle. They will learn just like we did. I felt awful the first time I yelled at you about them. Awful. It wasn't your fault, and it made me a better person. They will learn."

Harry nodded and they sat quietly again.

"Will you be okay if I go back to the burrow?" she asked quietly. "Somehow Fred still hasn't fully understood that the baby bump implies sex and I want to be there when he does."

Harry let out a short laugh. "Take off your ring, that'll really freak him out."

"George might kill me."

"Shit, I forgot!" Harry laughed for real this time, "Which do you think will be worse, your being pregnant, or proof that George knocked up Fred's ex-girlfriend."

"Well I think I know what George's guess is. Angelina wasn't there this morning."

"You're kidding!"

"When I asked George, he gave me a guilty look and didn't answer. He's worried about life not being perfect."

"Percy and I talked about that over lunch on Thursday."

"Life not being perfect?"

"Yeah, everyone is gonna want this to make them eternally happy. Now I'm sitting in the kitchen, all our family is at the burrow, and I'm trying to stop my brain from comparing my dad to uncle Vernon. This whole thing might make a few more problems than it solves."

"Your dad is better than Vernon." Ginny asserted, all other conversation being ignored.

"I know," he sighed. "That's why I need to see Sammy."

Ginny nodded and ran her hand along his back.

"You should go to the burrow. I'm gonna call her and will probably make my way over. If people will believe you, tell them that I had a nightmare last night. If not, then tell them I just needed a nap. Last night was long."

"What do you want me to tell your parents?" Ginny stood up slowly.

"Tell them that I just need a second. I'm not mad at them." Harry helped her stand up and they moved towards the fireplace.

"They wouldn't blame you if you were," Ginny hugged him as tight as she could. "But it wouldn't be you if you weren't."

She smiled at him one last time before flooing to the Burrow.

An hour later, Harry flooed into the Weasleys living room. Tonks and Fleur were both in the living room holding a sleeping Teddy and Dominique respectively.

"Everyone's outside on brooms," Tonks smiled, "Your dad's really good."

Harry's smile grew. "Thanks!" he whispered heading back into the floo.

He returned a minute later with his firebolt, running towards the backyard. A broom ride is exactly what he needed.

He came outside to yells and whoops and he saw Fred and George in the air batting a bludger back and forth, trying to knock James and Ron off their brooms. If the two had lost any rhythm since playing last, they'd picked it backup since this morning. They were a beauty to watch.

Without thinking, Harry mounted his broom and kicked off into the air. More cheers responded, and several people called out to say hello. He waved at them on his way up, and soon joined his father and friend.

"How are you doing Harry, Ginny said you were napping," Ron asked.

"I wasn't." he answered flipping around an incoming bludger. Harry could tell his dad was listening as best he could. "It was a rough morning, and I ended up calling Sammy."

"Hermione was telling me last night that we'd all probably have to go back to therapy for this."

James flew closer to join them now. "You're going to therapy?"

"Don't blame yourself," Harry's thought was cut off as the three easy targets scattered from an incoming bludger. James was almost hit.

The game continued for almost half an hour, when James, Ron, and George were out of breath, and Fred and Harry were done watching them suffer.

"You need to work out more!" Harry jeered at Ron as they landed.

"You need to stop giving me shit for leaving the aurors." Ron joked back. "We can't all save the world until we're ninety, and my time ran out a few years ago."

"Would it kill you to do a sit up?" Harry smirked as James touched down next to him.

"I haven't flown in months!" He said with a stretch. Then he looked at Harry, "You're amazing!"

"Thanks," Harry blushed, and Ron slapped him on the back before walking over to Hermione.

"Seriously, that was beautiful!" James complimented Harry.

"You should see my wife, she played professionally for a few years."

"Which team?" There was a friendly edge to James's voice.

"Which team would you prefer?"

"Chudley cannons." James puffed up his chest.

"We're gonna have some problems," Harry laughed, "Ginny played for the Harpies."

"She did not!" James stared at Harry. "Ignoring how stupid the team is, did she really make it on?"

"Yeah!" Harry smiled brightly.

"Damn!" James said. "Where is she?"

With a laugh, Harry and his dad walked over to where Ginny and Lily were talking.

"You played for the Hollyhead Harpies?" James asked, sitting down next to his wife.

"I did. Star chaser for the last year." Ginny sat up proudly.

"That's amazing!" Lily and James said in unison. Now it was Harry's turn to be proud of his wife.

"How was it to play against the amazing Chudley Cannons?" James asked enthusiastically.

Ginny sat up straight and stiff. She looked from James, to Harry, and back to James.

"The who?" She asked.

"The AMAZING Chudley Cannons."

"If you keep talking like that, we might not let you live in our house anymore," Ginny joked.

The two went on for some time before the conversation moved into one of current quidditch facts. Ginny was telling James about the Quidditch world cup in the most recent season, and Lily was rolling her eyes as her husband ate it up.

"How are you doing?" Lily asked Harry as their spouses continued talking.

"I'm okay now," He answered truthfully. "I called my therapist, she helped me figure a few things out."

"You really didn't like yelling, did you?"

"No, and I'm not normally like that. Any other time and I can take it, Ginny and I have yelled at each other plenty of times. The problems start when we're talking about the Dursleys. Vernon used to get so mad at me, and when people talk about them, or get angry at them, I start to feel scared. I'm not really scared of anything, but suddenly I feel like a ten-year-old who's hiding behind the porch because I slightly burnt the toast."

"I'm so sorry Harry," Lily looked sad and slightly mortified.

"It's not your fault, you did everything you could."

"I could have ended it on better terms with her."

"I don't think she would've cared. She didn't like that I was a reminder of you, and so she didn't care when Vernon wasn't great." Harry shrugged.

"You say this like it's nothing, but they hurt you Harry! My sister hurt you!" Lily's voice raised slightly.

"Mom, I know." Harry spoke softly. "I've dealt with my anger at them as best I can. I don't want to think about it anymore."

"Sorry," She whispered, tears forming.

"HE DID NOT!" James's roar grabbed their attention again. "Harry did you hear about this?!" He turned to his wife and son and noticed the quiet, sad looks on their faces.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Harry answered quickly as his mom hugged his dad. "What do you want to know?"

"You sure Harry?" James asked

Lily dropped the hug and forced a smile, "We're sure James, now go on, what did Harry need to hear about?"

"Bulgaria caught the snitch, but Ireland won?"

"I was there," Harry laughed.

"YOU WERE THERE!?" HE bellowed. "What was it like? How great was the uproar?"

"I'd ask Hermione," Ginny giggled. "She went on to date the seeker who did it."

James's shocked face sent Ginny into a giggling fit.

"Oh shit, I'm wetting myself, I'll be back in a second." She excused herself.

After she'd left for the bathroom Harry looked back to his parents.

"You okay?" James asked them both.

Lily nodded, "She's really nice." She spoke to Harry.

"Thanks, I think so too." Harry smiled in response as James calmed down.

"Did she really have to play for the Harpies though?"

"Her brothers ask her that all the time," Harry laughed. "It was a bit of a running gag, see who could find a way to insult her for it first. Molly put an end to it after Arthur started to join in.

"I remember our little contests like that," Lily smiled. "We had one where you were supposed to fit as many deer or dog related puns as you could into one sentence."

"That sounds great!" Harry laughed. "I think I heard that one time between Remus and Sirius."

"I'm sure you did," James smiled, "That one started in fifth year and never really died."

"I think Remus ended up winning because he would work on it for hours." Lily said. "One time I asked if he wanted to work on charms with me and he said he was trying to win longest dog related insult. Apparently, Sirius had told him that if he could fit 5 dog puns into a single insult, he would give him two galleons."

James stood still for an instant, his brain whirling behind his eyes. He then burst out laughing uncontrollably. Harry looked to his mother to explain, but she seemed just as clueless as he was.

"The bet!" He laughed, "Get Remus now!"

Remus having heard the eccentric laughter was making his way over to the trio.

"Hello?" He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"The bet!" James laughed. "The bet about the hair!"

"What on earth are you talking about?" Remus asked.

James swallowed his giggles for a few seconds. "In seventh year, you died Sirius's hair blue." Dawning spread across Remus's face. "Sirius joked that if you weren't careful you would end up marrying someone with pink hair. Your sorry ass bet Sirius twenty galleons that you wouldn't marry someone with pink hair. And Sirius was dumb enough to accept."

James started laughing again, and Remus joined in this time.

"You were so adamant that you'd never marry anyone, that Sirius was out of his mind, and pissed that the spell was so easy to reverse. You were certain that if Sirius had put any thought into it, he would've realized that you were just as likely to marry a brunette as a pink haired girl."

"I remember dying his hair too," Remus chuckled. "I remember how pissed he was." He turned to Harry now, a wide grin across his face. "I told him that the charm was irreversible but could wear off in three days. Five days later he came to me fuming. It hadn't changed a bit." Remus stopped briefly to compose himself again, laughter getting the best of him. "So, I flicked my wand and reversed the charm. Could've done it on day one, but this was better. He. Was. Furious." Now Lily, Remus, and James were all laughing together. Harry had joined in, and the whole group was getting odd looks.

Tonks walked over, Teddy in her arms, and suddenly the whole group was relaying the story again. Teddy was a giggling mess, his hair a brighter pink than his mothers. Tonks's joined in the fun and pitched in how her marriage must've been a ploy by Sirius to win some cheap money.

The afternoon continued to into stories of marauder shenanigans. Lily had joined in and told two stories in which James tried to exaggerate all the details. James told one story which Remus insisted was entirely fabricated, and Lily lovingly told Harry the story of how she finally started dating his father. This last story was finished as the group made their way to dinner.

A/N: Wow! Really long chapter this time! I didn't know where to stop it, and the next chapter starts in a very distinct spot. Thanks everyone for reading! Please review!

-Polkadot 4946