A new home for a new family
It was the early hours of the morning when Harry acted. He donned his invisibility cloak and crept into Longbottom Manor. It was hard to get past the wards of the house but he managed...after a few hours. He was infinitely glad he had a career as an auror; it wasn't an easy job but he learned a lot of valuable skills that helped in situations like this. He went from the outside and scaled the wall, eventually finding Neville's bedroom. He unlocked the window and crawled inside.
Harry was greeted with the sight (more like the sound) of a baby crying. He looked like he had been crying for hours, desperate for something. He wondered why no one was coming for the baby until he noticed the charms that had been cast around the room to make it silent to the rest of the house. His heart hurt for poor Neville. He picked up the baby and rocked him in his arms, slowly shushing him. Neville stopped crying after a few minutes of being held. When he did, he looked up at Harry with big, round, watery eyes. It was adorable.
He used the blanket from Neville's cot as a sling to secure Neville on his front. He then decided what to grab.
This situation wasn't like baby Harry's. He couldn't just take anything and everything that he wanted because someone would notice. Despite that though, Harry wanted to take some things for Neville. Surely Augusta would have his baby pictures and Frank and Alice's things. Neville needed something from his parents. The room was filled with cardboard boxes that he quickly looked through. He grabbed a few things that seemed important but not important enough to be missed.
He took essential items first before moving on to other things such as his toys, including a frog plush were put in his charmed bag. Honestly, there wasn't that much that he could take. He took a wooden mobile that was definitely hand-crafted and a few baby grows. When he had almost given up hope of finding anything, he skimmed through the contents of the last box and was elated by what he found. There was an entire box filled with pictures of the family. There were pictures of Frank and Alice when they were younger, them when they were in Hogwarts, them with their son, etc.. He shrunk the box and put it in his bag as well.
Neville and Harry left the house at approximately half four that morning, both happier now that they had each other.
Harry spent the night tucked up between two babies. They were all sleeping on the bed that Harry had transfigured from the couch. Remus only had one bedroom, which he and Sirius were sharing. They all fell asleep relatively quickly as all of them were exhausted after a long day.
The sleeping didn't last nearly long enough before Harry was awoken by multiple screams. He quickly opened his eyes and grabbed his wand, pointing it at the noise, before he realised who was screaming. He rolled his eyes before curling back up and trying to go to sleep.
"Why have you got two babies now?! As far as I'm aware, there was only one when we went to sleep," Remus asked as calmly as he could (which wasn't actually that calm).
"I don't think babies are supposed to multiply," Sirius joked sarcastically but was still on guard.
"Have you seen the papers about Bellatrix?" he asked tiredly.
"...Papers?" Remus questioned at the same time as Sirius spoke.
"Oh Merlin, please don't tell me this is her offspring," Sirius said horrified.
"What? No! Sirius, don't be stupid," he sighed again. "I'm guessing you haven't heard the news then. Bellatrix used the cruciatus curse on Frank and Alice Longbottom. They went insane from it and can't remember much. This is their son, Neville Longbottom." Harry then pointed to the surprisingly sleeping baby. Lucky, Harry thought.
It took the other men a few minutes to process that information. Harry felt sorry for them, he truly did. The last week had been a lot to handle for them. More of their friends were dead.
"That still doesn't explain why you have Neville," Remus pointed out.
"Hm? Oh. I took him because Augusta is a shit grandmother."
"You can't just steal babies Harry. Who are you going to take next? The Malfoy kid? The Weasley Kids? Some Death Eaters kid? You might be a better man than Dumbledore, but it still isn't up to you, it's up to the ministry."
"Don't compare me to that old bastard, Sirius. As I have said multiple times before, that man is a bastard. He is responsible for your brother's death, He is responsible for my parents' deaths. He was responsible for your imprisonment. He could have proved your innocence but he didn't. He knew you were innocent but he did nothing. He could have used all his power to help out Remus and other werewolves, but did he? He knew I was in an abusive home. I told him every summer. I begged him every summer. He sent me back every summer. He knew so many others were being abused and he didn't help. It's his responsibility to help. As headmaster, he is supposed to watch out for and report signs of abuse. He used me as some kind of child soldier for his stupid games.At one point, he asked me to let a teacher collect me. He manipulated and used Snape but abandoned him when Snape needed him. He enforces the school rivalry. It's no secret that he hates Slytherins and favours Griffyndors. Slytherins aren't evil. They are bullied relentlessly by other houses. When they are shown a chance for revenge or someone who can give them justice, no wonder they jump at the chance. Why do you think so many Slytherins are Death Eaters? I am trying to help people. Harry would have been used and hurt if I had left him there. Neville would have been neglected and forced to be someone he isn't. I don't want that for them. They deserve to be happy. If I can do that for them I will and I am."
Remus and Sirius just stared at him blankly, trying to process what they'd just been told. Harry let them have a few minutes and took the babies with him to get them all ready for the day. When they walked out again, all clean and dressed, they had sat down on the sofa, staring into space. After Harry put sat the two in transfigured high chairs, he started on breakfast. They were finally joined by the other two adults when he had finished and set the table,
"So, what did you think about the properties yesterday?" he asked, trying to make conversation.
"We have picked which one we are going to live in. There is a cottage in the Scottish countryside that is perfect. It has a large forest that is part of the property and two large gardens. The locals are friendly and a mix of muggles and wixen. The cottage itself is enchanted to be bigger than it looks on the outside. The only real downside is that we are already in Scotland so Harry... and Neville won't need to go on the Hogwarts Express. There are more rooms than we need but they can be used for when the kids' friends come over." Sirius told him.
"That sounds nice, doesn't it boys?" Harry asked them and got happy babbles in response.
"From what I've seen the past few days, you seem awfully good with children and I couldn't help but wonder..." Remus subtly interrogated him.
Harry chuckled, "Yeah, I've got kids. My eldest son is called James Sirius Remus Potter-Weasley." Sirius and Remus teared up slightly at the name. "My middle child and my youngest son is called Arthur Neville Rubeus Potter-Weasley. We named him after two great friends and my father in law. My wife's family practically took me in when I first started Hogwarts because her older brother was my best friend. Arthur was the first father-figure that I can remember. He always made sure to include me in family events and made sure that I was okay. It seems pretty stupid now but I was originally thinking about naming him Albus Severus Potter-Weasley, though Ginny and I eventually decided against it."
"...What?" Remus asked, puzzled. "Why would you name your son after a man you hate? That makes no sense."
"Severus? Why Severus? Why not literally anyone else!"
Harry was making a habit of sighing today. "I was thinking of Albus before I realised what a shit person he was. The middle name Severus was because Severus Snape is a good man. He didn't deserve the life he got and I owe a lot to him," Harry told them sadly.
"What do you mean?"
"It probably isn't my place to say this but Professor Snape has had a hard life. I don't know much about his childhood but I was given my mother's journal a few years after I graduated from Hogwarts. He wasn't treated the best by his father, his mother died when he was young, and then when he finally got away from all of that for most of the year, he was bullied by the Marauders and Pettigrew. He lost his best and only true friend Lily after saying something hurtful which probably wouldn't have happened in the first place if you lot hadn't been idiots. There was that bloody prank. He was treated badly for being a Slytherin. He lost his best friend a few nights ago, which really hurt him because he did care about her. Did you know that my parents were going to let him be part of mine and the new baby's life? Because my mother was pregnant with her second child." Sad gasps interrupted him. "He didn't know that of course. Did you know that he was who alerted Dumbledore about Voldemort wanting to attack the Potters? He was a Death Eater but as soon as he found out his best friend and her family were going to be targeted, he was prepared to give up everything he had to keep us safe. Dumbledore forced him to do what he wanted. He made Snape work as a spy and eventually kill him." They interrupted again but Harry ignored them, "He had to go against his friends and be seen as a monster by the Wixen world. I tried to explain the good he did but there were a lot of people who didn't believe it. Severus was a man who never truly got to live his life and was killed at the end of the war. Professor Snape was attacked by Voldemort's snake at Voldemort's orders and then left to bleed out. Even though he didn't have much time left, he was still thinking about his duty to protect. He gave me his memories which gave me the information I needed. If he hadn't, I might not have been able to defeat Voldemort. He was the bravest man I have ever met and he will always have my respect."
Remus and Sirius sat in silence, trying to digest the countless surprises in Harry's rant. Harry thought Snape was the bravest man he had ever met. Harry defeated Voldemort a second time? Dumbledore really did that to Snape? Lily was pregnant and she and James wanted him to be a part of their life.
They knew they had messed up but they didn't realize how badly.
"I hadn't gotten round to telling you about it earlier but you need to apologize to him and you need to mean it. The man deserves it."
The men numbly nodded their agreement. This new Harry had given them so many surprises in so few days.
"My wife Ginny was also pregnant with a little girl. We hadn't decided on her name yet. Ginny only told me the day that I came back to the past. I was thinking of calling her Lily after my mother and Luna after Moony and my good friend Luna." Remus gave him a bemused but warm smile.
"Thanks for considering naming your first daughter after me as well as your son. I'm honoured," Remus spoke just as warmly.
"You were my friend, my dad's friend, Sirius' friend, my godson Teddy's dad, and the last Marauder standing. I had to name my kids after every Marauder didn't I? Just because you weren't technically related to me Remus, doesn't mean that you didn't mean much to me. You did." Remus' eyes started to water.
"Come on, Harry. Tell us about your family and Remus' family."
Harry told them many stories as they packed everything into boxes. They were done after an hour but it was more than enough time to discuss the future. He talked about Teddy, James, Arhur, Ginny, and Tonks mainly but he also talked about The Weasleys, the order, and The Dursley-Alistairs. Both Remus and Sirius were shocked to hear that Remus had married Tonks. He wondered why. Maybe it was because she was Sirius' cousin. Remus loved hearing about his son and said he was happy that he made Harry the godfather.
They shrunk the boxes and piled them into Harry's bag. Remus picked up Harry, Sirius picked up Neville, and Harry picked up the owlets as they all apparated to their new home. Remus wasn't upset to leave his apartment; he hated it anyway.
They were both right about the cottage. It was perfect. At first glance, it was an unassuming little cottage in the middle of the countryside but if you looked closer, you could tell that it was special. Magical.
The outside of the cottage was covered in small, light brown stones of different shades. There was a stone path leading up to the wooden front door. On either side of the path, there were flower beds full of fake flowers.
As they walked inside, they were greeted by a long deep red hallway with multiple dark wooden doors. They looked through each one.
They were surprised by what they found.
The first door lead to the living room and was quite large. There was a television against one wall and a VCR. Next to it, there was a fireplace surrounded by a light grey loveseat, a green armchair, a red armchair, and an orange armchair. They found the colour schemes odd but they didn't clash too badly. The walls were made of dark wooden panels and the floor was covered in dark grey carpet.
The next door led to the kitchen. It seemed adequately suited to them all. The cabinets and appliances were bright blues in colour. The walls were also a bright blue. One two of the walls, there were wooden doors. Only Harry could really cook for them all. Remus didn't know how to cook more than the basics because he couldn't afford to buy other foods. Sirius lived with house elves all his life so he couldn't learn to cook even if he wanted to.
Adjoining the kitchen was the dining room. The colour scheme was similar to the kitchen. It had a large dark oak dining table with multiple chairs and two blue high chairs. There was blue and white wallpaper on the walls and wooden flooring.
The door at the end led to a beautiful Spiral staircase made of a metal banister and wooden steps.
The first bedroom they looked in definitely belonged to a Gryffindor. The room was painted in a deep red with golden yellow stripes painted over it. Against the wall opposite the door, there was a large king-sized poster bed made of dark wood. It had deep red curtains and a deep red duvet and pillow set. On the bedside table, there were many pictures, most of Regulus Black and The Marauders but there were a few others in the pictures who Harry didn't recognize. When Harry looked closer, he realized that there was even a picture of Minerva. There were two gold armchairs near the wooden windowsill and a little wooden coffee table. On the other side of the room, there was a small wooden bookcase filled with an assortment of books. To finish the look off, there was a large Gryffindor rug in the middle of the room. To anyone who knew the man, it was obvious that this was supposed to be Sirius' room despite the fact that he claimed to have never lived in the cottage before. It was strange because the rooms had been empty when Remus and Sirius went to look at them.
Remus' bedroom was also clearly his. It was all very neatly organized in a way that screamed Remus. He had a double bed, that sat against the wall adjacent to the wall with the door, made of brown wood. He had grey and blue sheets and pillow covers on the bed, with grey and blue pillows sitting on top. There was a fireplace across the room from the bed, where there was a giant blue armchair, big enough for two people. There was a blue rug under the armchair and on top of the light grey floorboards in his room. The wall opposite the door was covered in bookshelves. Books filled most of the shelves except for one, where the corner was obviously designed to suit an owl. There weren't any photos up in the room but there was a big, thick book on one of the shelves that looked suspiciously like an empty photo album. Sirius only noticed it when he tripped, but there was a trap door on the floor under the bed. They moved the bed aside and found a basement made of stone on every side. There were stone cuffs on one side of the wall as well. Remus numbly realized that this room was probably supposed to keep them safe from him. Harry didn't know how to respond to that but Remus seemed to be fine after Sirius something whispered in his ear.
Harry didn't know what to expect when it came to his room but he was nearly brought to tears by it. His room was a lovely shade of light blue with white lilies painted along the bottom apart from one wall.
On the wall opposite his bed, he had an enchanted picture of a family tree. You didn't have to look at it for more than a few seconds to realize it was an unconventional family tree. There was a trunk at the bottom that split into several branches as it climbed into the sky. The lowest branch had a picture of James and a picture of Lily with a tiny twig near the end with a flower blossoming. Harry liked to believe that this was his unborn younger sibling. The next branch had a picture of Sirius and Remus with the other owlet at the end of a twig. He was already planning to give them the owlet but this just confirmed his choice. The next branch had a picture of Hedwig on the end. The branches continued listing people that he met. Hagrid, Minerva, Horace, Luna, Neville. He had several friends on individual branches. The Dursley-Alistairs were on another branch but it was just Dudley, Evie and their kids. Petunia and Vernon weren't infecting the tree. The biggest branch was The Weasley branch. Branches stemmed from the main branch to represent each of their children and their spouses (if they had one). They then had more twigs coming from that branch if they had children. At the end of Ginny's branch, there were four little branches. James, Arthur and Lily had one. He wasn't sure if Ginny had chosen that name or whether he just wanted that to be her name but he loved the fact she was named after three people that were close to his heart- his mother, their Head of House and a girl that they both saw as a sister. The only thing that would make it more perfect is if she had been named after her other Grandma. The last branch was Teddy's. He wasn't sure how to feel about that. He loved Teddy as his own son. In his heart, Teddy would always be his eldest son but why wasn't he with Remus or Tonks? They were both on his family tree but they weren't together. What could this mean?
He had a double bed that had a pull-out bed on either side of it. He had a thick, white pillow and duvet set on his bed with a long blue blanket at the end of his bed. He had a light grey couch, blue armchairs, and a large coffee table facing a fireplace on one wall. There were large bookshelves on either side of it, filled with all the books he had ever read or wanted to read. There were a few more things decorating the room, such as a set of drawers where he would put his clothes once he bought some new ones, a large, fluffy grey rug on his wooden flooring, and a corner of the room filled with perches and other things Hedwig might want.
Baby Harry and Neville had their own bedrooms. There were enough rooms in the Potter Cottage so there was no point in making them share. They would probably want their own rooms when they were older anyway. Some parents thought it was better to make kids share a bedroom but James and Ruby were still quite close even though they had their own rooms growing up.
Baby Harry's room apparently looked very similar to his nursery at Potter Manor- the house where James and Lily were raising him before he went into hiding. Remus told him that James and Sirius had wanted to decorate it Gryffindor-themed but Lily had refused as Harry might not have been a Gryffindor. She hadn't been able to stop them from decorating it quidditch-themed though. He had a lovely yellow and white wallpaper with black drawings of different quidditch items. For example, there were three quidditch hoops, bludgers, quaffles, snitches, and brooms. He had a little wardrobe full of his clothes. He had a small children's broom in the corner of the room that Sirius and James bought for Harry for when he got older. There were some other items in the room like pictures of his family but Harry didn't have enough time to take it all in before they moved to the next room.
Neville's room was decorated with wallpaper covered in many plants, both magical and non-magical. It looked very jungle-like and every so often, you could spot a magical creature or a non-magical animal hiding. His cot had the hand-made mobile he had taken from Longbottom Manor attached to it. He had a few shelves at the top of the room lined with his stuffed toys and pictures of his family. He had a set of drawers filled with his baby clothes. There was a soft rug in the corner of the room so that Neville could play with his toys but there wasn't much else. None of the adults were pleased that Neville didn't have much. They knew that babies didn't need much but compared to Harry, he had barely anything. As he got older, they would get him more things. They could get him a bookshelf and fill it with children's books or storage boxes to fill with colours and colouring books.
The first day at the Potter-Lupin-Black Home was spent with love and happiness.