Outside: Lily Evans

Trapped

When the warm spring sun streamed through the windows of their tiny cottage in Godric's Hollow, Lily would dance around the house, opening windows. As baby Harry rolled into the sunbeams, and the breeze blew through, scented with lilacs, she would pack a picnic lunch, singing as he gurgled along with her. When the sandwiches were ready, she would grab the pram, the brightly colored diaper bag, and Harry. Kissing James on the forehead, they would head out into the sun.

The Muggle park was nearby, filled with people of all ages: dogs on leashes, babies in prams, elderly couples enjoying the mild spring weather. Harry would bounce in his pram, kicking his toes, trying to engage everyone who walked by. He especially liked the shaggy dogs who would lick his face and try and take his teething biscuit.

Often Alice would come, bringing chubby little Neville, who sat placidly in his pram, peering warningly out from under his little sun hat. When the mothers took their babies out to dip their toes in the little babbling stream, Harry would shriek in delight as he tried to dive out of his mother's arms. Neville would cling to Alice, whimpering.

This boy, I swear! Alice would laugh. You'd never know he is the son of an Auror. He'll be in Hufflepuff for sure!

Yes, and you know you and Frank will don yellow scarves and cheer for Hufflepuff at Quidditch games! teased Lily. Poor James and I will be on our lonesome on the Gyrffindor side. I hope they never play each other for the Cup! Imagine what James would do to Frank if Hufflepuff won! And the mothers would laugh, imagining their happy babies as young men, out in the world.

When the babies grew fussy, Alice and Lily would spread blankets at the play park and watch the older children play as they fed their sons. Neville would tuck in anything Alice offered, obediently opening his mouth like a little birdy, neatly swallowing any manner of food. Harry was more energetic, lunging for the spoon, grabbing it from Lily's hand, swinging it over his head, shoving it in his mouth, rubbing pureed pumpkin in his hair. Alice would laugh and Lily would threaten to dump Harry in the stream to wash him off.

As the babies napped in the shade, Alice and Lily would chat with the other mums, pretending for a moment that they weren't keeping an eye on the bushes, that they didn't have wands strapped to their legs, under their slacks. They pretended that Frank wasn't home sleeping, tired after a shift with the Aurors and the Order. The pretended James wasn't with Sirius and Remus and Peter, looking over maps for the mission that night. They pretended that the news of a mass killing was the work of a crazed Muggle mass-murderer, not the Death Eaters.

The pretended to simply be mums, planning for their babies future.

We should do a double birthday party, suggested Alice and Lily's eyes lit up.

Yes, we should! At the spray park! I bet the boys would love to splash in the fountains!

We could invite the Order, too!

Lily laughed. Can you see Dumbledore in swim trunks?

Ugh, Lily, now I have that image in my mind! Thanks a lot! said Alice with a grimace.

And Siruis! At a kiddie spray park! Lily began to laugh uncontrollably. Remus wouldn't set one toe in the water, Peter won't know what to do and James and Siruis would act like it's for them! The mothers laughed so loud their babies stirred and they quickly stifled their giggles.

Ah, if only Gideon and Fabien Prewitt were still with us, said Alice soberly. They would have such fun with our boys. They loved those nephews of theirs.

That they did, agreed Lily and both were quiet, remembering.

I can't wait for the fall, said Alice, quickly changing the subject. Frank and I were going to take Neville apple picking. You and James and Harry will have to join us.

We'd love to, yes, said Lily. Fall is my favorite time of year. I just love the smell of pumpkins, apples and leaves!

But there was to be no spray park, no apples, no leaves for Harry. One late night, Dumbledore Floo'd to their little cottage with grave news. From that evening on, Lily never opened the windows, no matter how inviting the spring air was. When the house grew warm from the summer sun, she adjusted the fans with her wand. When Harry rolled over to the windows, she pulled him away, lest someone see him. His birthday wasn't at the spray park but a small tea with his parents and elderly neighbor.

It was too dangerous to go to the park with Alice; too dangerous to even see Alice. Yet she managed, and in the fall she sent apple and leaves to Lily, through Siruis. Lily buried her face in the gift from her friend, trying to smell them but really to hide her tears. She couldn't let happy little Harry see her cry, Harry, who was handling being in the house so much better than his parents.

James was edgy. Cabin fever, Dumbledore called it. He skulked around, failing to smile at even the happiest of Harry's antics. He grumbled about losing his Cloak, about Siruis being busy with the Order, about Remus being on a mission, about Peter who rarely came around.

I'm trapped, he complained. It's not fair to be locked up like this. I should be DOING something.

We are doing something, Lily soothed. We're keeping our son alive. But the days dragged on, turning into nights. James grew sullen, then quiet and then … happy. As if he had accepted being trapped, being holed up, away from his friends.

When the threat grew worse, deeper, it was James who suggested a Secret Keeper and Siruis who insisted on using Peter. Lily preformed the Charm in front of her husband and friends as little Harry slept nearby. It was Lily who sealed their fate, trapping their secret inside of Peter.

Trapping them in forever, away from the park, the dogs, the fish and the bright sunshine that danced over her son. Trapping them away from friends and the spray park, apples and fall leaves… trapping it inside Peter, so that one day, they would be free.