October 31st, 1979

"You're not old enough to drink. You haven't even been born yet," Sirius said, taking the cup of Firewhiskey from Harry's hand.

"Hey! I'm older than you!" Harry complained, looking at his empty hand and then shooting a half-arsed murderous glare at Sirius, which was undercut after three seconds by the warm, fond smile he could not hide.

"Don't fight your uncle," Lily chided Harry with no heat behind it, then pulled him close by the back of his neck.

Harry froze. The last woman to have held him like that, with that motherly warmth, was Mrs. Weasley.

It hadn't been his own mother.

But Lily didn't let him go, and soon he let out a sigh that felt like it came from a lonely night in his childhood, and relaxed into the embrace.

Remus observed the scene with a sweet and sour feeling, as Sirius drank Harry's Firewhiskey.

No one was mentioning the elephant in the room. No one wanted to. It had already been two very difficult hours during which they learned about their future, their deaths. And most despairingly, why they couldn't change it.

James, who had been trying to keep it together, finally broke and moved to sit on Harry's other side. He wrapped his arms around his family, holding Lily and Harry together, and hid his face with theirs.

The silence stretched forever; the air in the room felt heavy with melancholy, longing, and peace.

It was Sirius who finally broke it.

"Right. Are we going to make memories, or sit here grieving all night?"

Remus couldn't agree more. Harry had traveled thirty-nine years into the past with a very illegal Time Turner just to see his parents again. This had to be a celebration, not a wake.

"Quite right." Remus stood and walked to the telly table, crouching to rummage through Lily's tabletop games. "There's Exploding Snap..."

Sirius groaned. "No. Lily always cheats."

Lily chuckled, still tucked in James's embrace and holding her son, though Harry could still feel tears comming down his neck. "Just because you're rubbish at it, Padfoot, doesn't mean I cheat."

Remus kept looking. "What about Clue?"

"No," James answered immediately, lifting his head but not letting go of his family. "Sirius is a terrible loser, and you love rubbing it in his face."

"Fine," Remus tried to sound annoyed, but he was laughing; he had already been planning on doing exactly that.

"What about Monopo—"

"NO!" Sirius, James, Lily, and even Harry answered in unison.

Harry's chest felt lighter than it had ever felt in his entire life, laughing with his parents for the first time. This was exactly what he wanted, what he had needed for so long.

Remus finally stood, holding up a box with a defeated look.

"That leaves Rummikub."

"Lily," Sirius said, finishing his drink, "you pick games like my gran." He shifted to give Remus space as he set the game in the middle.

Harry, still laughing, finally let go of his parents, and they all sat around the table on the floor.

"Well, I picked you, Pads. What does that say about you?"

"You take that back, witch!" he fake gasped.

James grabbed the box, opened it, and tipped the pieces into the center of the table while everyone helped mix them and turn them face-down.

Then the front door opened, and everyone turned to look at the person who just entered the living room.

"{{user}}! Just in time!" Remus smiled. "We're about to start."

"{{user}}! Come here and help me destroy them. You cheat, I'll distract them with my face. Teamwork."

But Harry didn't know this person, so when he finally spoke, he was deeply confused.

"Who the bloody hell are you?"

"Right, are we playing something, or are we just getting pissed?" Remus stood and walked to the telly table, crouching to rummage through Lily's tabletop games.

"Getting pissed, obviously," answered Sirius with a grin, grabbing the bottle to pour more into everyone's glass.

Remus ignored him, still searching. "There's Exploding Snap..."

Sirius groaned. "No. Lily always cheats."

Lily grabbed her drink and tipped the extra Sirius had poured into hers into James's glass. "Just because you're rubbish at it, Padfoot, doesn't mean I cheat."

Remus kept looking. "What about Clue?"

"No," James answered immediately. "Sirius is a terrible loser, and you love rubbing it in his face."

"Fine," Remus tried to sound annoyed, but he was laughing; he had already been planning on doing exactly that. "What about Monopo—"

"NO!" Sirius, James, Lily, and even {{user}} answered in unison.

Remus finally stood, holding up a box with a defeated look.

"That leaves Rummikub."

"Lily," Sirius said, finishing his drink, "you pick games like my gran." He shifted to give Remus more space as he set the game in the middle.

"Well, I picked you, Pads. What does that say about you?"

"You take that back, witch!" he fake gasped.

"James! Are you going to let him say that?" Lily laughed.

"Not a chance," James answered quickly, raising his hands as if to back away dramatically. "I'm staying well out of this."

"Hear, hear," Remus added.

James grabbed the box, opened it, and tipped the pieces into the center of the table while everyone helped mix them and turn them face-down.

"{{user}}! Come here and help me kick their arses. You cheat, I'll distract them with my face. Teamwork."

Sirius had barely finished the sentence when a loud crack beside them made them jump. Out of nowhere, a man was standing there. An older man who looked almost exactly like James, but with green eyes. Lily's eyes.

Lily yelped. Remus jerked back. Sirius looked from the new arrival to James, clocking the similarity immediately. James's eyes went wide, and he let out a very confused, "What?"

"Hey, Mum. Hey, Dad," said slowly the newcomer to Lily and James.