Daphne J. Potter
September 21st, 1979

The day went as usual. Sirius, being our neighbor, burst into our bedroom at seven in the morning solely because he could. I went to lunch and did some shopping with Jolie, before she and Regulus left for a patrol, and before I went to St. Mungo's.

All of the repetitive days had started to get boring, but it was near impossible to get a job now.

Euphemia and Fleamont fell ill with Dragon Pox last week, and they weren't doing well.

Both of them had been hospitalized at St. Mungo's, and the Healers couldn't do much anymore except make them comfortable. James spent most of the day by his parents bedside, Sirius and Regulus typically beside him. Remus, Jolie, and I were there as well, but the boys practically had to be dragged from the hospital room to eat and drink water.

I held James' hand as I sat with him beside Euphemia and Fleamont's bedside, but sometimes he needed space so I would go home to change and eat food.

James was the most reluctant to ever leave his parents alone, but Fleamont insisted that everyone should go home and rest. Euphemia agreed and told all of her sons to go take a hot shower and eat before they came back.

I sat beside my mother-in-laws bedside as Fleamont slept in his small hospital bed a few feet away. Remus and Jolie had gotten the boys to go home to take care of themselves, but I decided to stay.

"I'm sorry that I'll never get to meet my grandchildren," Euphemia croaked.

I looked at her alarmingly, "What? You don't know that-"

"Yes, I do, dear."

I clasped my hand over hers, which seemed frail in my grasp.

"Regardless of whether or not I get to meet them," Euphemia added, "I love them with my entire being."

I blinked the tears from my eyes, "And they will love you."

Euphemia smiled weakly at me. Her heath had diminished at rapid speed since see fell ill, but she still managed to smile.

"I'm glad that you and James found each other young. Some people don't find 'the one' until much later in their lives."

"Me too," I replied, "And I'm so grateful that you took me into your family even before James and I were dating."

Euphemia brushed my hair out of my face. "You've always been my daughter Daphne, even before you fell in love with my son."

I smiled sadly at the woman who had become my mother after my own mother didn't want me. Euphemia always treated me like a daughter from the first time we met, even though she had no reason to. She took me in for all of the holidays and summers. She welcomed me into the family.

"And you've been more of a mother to me than my own mother, and for that I am forever grateful," I replied, my voice soft.

My mother-in-law held my hand as we awaited her son's returns.

• • • • •

Meanwhile...
The Cave, Great Britain

"This place gives me the creeps," Regulus muttered as he looked around the cave.

"Kreacher agrees, Master Regulus, Kreacher doesn't like the Inferi." The house-elf stated as he stood his masters side.

Jolie tightened her grip on Regulus's hand. "Can we please get the Horcrux and get out of here?"

"Kreacher fears it will not be that easy."

Regulus gulped as he looked down at the Inferi infested water. "That's why there are three of us. Kreacher, if anything goes wrong, you need to take the Horcrux and hide it. Leave us here if it comes to it."

Kreacher nodded as Jolie stepped up to the basin which contained the Horcrux.

The Horcrux was surrounded by a potion. A potion that had almost killed Kreacher.

Jolie stared at the basin, "I'll drink it-"

"No, you won't." Regulus cut her off, stepping in front of his girlfriend. "I'll drink it, and if anything goes wrong then you will leave with Kreacher."

Jolie furrowed her eyebrows, "That's not how this works, you can't do this alone."

"I'm not alone, but I'm not letting you drink this potion."

Before Jolie could protest, Regulus cut her off with a kiss. Their lips were pressed together, all of their unspoken words passing through.

Regulus pulled away from the kiss and smiled sadly, "I love you, Jolie."

Jolie tightened her grip on Regulus's hand, shooting a  look at Kreacher, who was staring down at the Inferi with a look of disgust on his face.

"Don't say that," Jolie pleaded, "Don't say it like you're preparing to die."

Regulus pressed his forehead against Jolie's after brushing the hair out of her face. "Please just say it back, Jo."

"I love you Regulus," Jolie whispered, "But you're not allowed to die on me."

The youngest of the Black brothers smiled softly. "I'll do my best, love."

Jolie's hand dropped to her side as Regulus reached forward and grabbed the basin. He drank the potion quickly, it disappearing as he drank, revealing the locker of Salazar Slytherin.

Regulus sat the basin down, holding the locket by its chain. The moment of success was cut short as he fell to his knees. He cried out in pain, his scream echoing throughout the cave.

Jolie rushed to his side, holding his face as screamed out in pain.

Kreacher grabbed the locket from where it fell among the rocks. "Miss Chance, Kreacher thinks you should step back. He will start seeing things."

Jolie stared at Regulus helplessly. He was screaming out in pain and there was nothing she could do.

"I'm not leaving him."

Regulus's screams stopped and he croaked out, "Water-, I need-"

He screamed out in pain again, this time his screams sounded as if something was trying to crawl its way out of his throat.

Jolie glanced between Kreacher and Regulus, "We can't-"

Regulus broke out of her grasp, crawling towards the Inferi infested water. He was being burned from the inside out, and the dehydration would kill him.

Jolie grabbed his hand, pulling him back from the shore.

He screamed out, but Jolie kept her grip on Regulus.

Kreacher grabbed Jolie by the arm, the Horcrux around his neck. The house elf snapped his fingers and the three apparated away from the cave.

• • • • •

Daphne J. Potter
September 25th, 1979

Fleamont passed away in his sleep later that night. James and Sirius were by their fathers side while Euphemia held her husbands hand from her own bed. Remus and I sat beside James and Sirius, both of whom were looking helplessly at their sick parents.

Regulus and Jolie returned from their patrol just after Fleamont passed. To everyone's surprise, Regulus had been hit with some sort of mysterious spell which had hospitalized him.

When I went to see him, Jolie was slumped in the chair beside his bed, her under eyes dark from lack of sleep and crying.

Regulus was stable, and healing, but the 'spell' was unknown by any of the Healer's.

By the look on Jolie's face, that wasn't the full story.

Within forty eight hours after Fleamont was pronounced dead, Euphemia took her final breath.

James held onto his mother's hand for as long as possible before they had to remove her body from the room.

He had stared at the empty beds where his parents had laid, where they had died. James's eyes were blank as we were escorted out of the hospital.

Today's the funeral.

When we got home from the hospital, James left almost immediately to go to the Potter Manor. He searched through his fathers desk drawers until he found their wills.

James barely talked to me, barely smiled. He threw himself into the funeral planning and ignored everyone around him.

Sirius hasn't eaten for three days and spends his days curled up in bed, his eyes wet with tears. He wasn't talking much, but Remus said that it was almost as if he didn't need to talk. Sirius just needed someone.

"James, darling," I said softly, "It's time to go."

James looked up at me from his seat on the edge of our bed.

He was dressed in a black suit and dress shoes, his tie hanging around his neck.

"May I?" I asked, pointing towards his tie.

James nodded in response.

I tied my husbands tie and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles of his blazer before extending my hand to him to help him up.

"How did you do it?"

"What?"

James stared at me, "How did you cope with losing your father?"

"Well," I took a breath, "I had you. You stood by me no matter what, and I intend to do the same. If you don't want to talk, we won't talk. If you want to cry, you can cry with your head on my shoulder. If you want to scream about how the world is unfair, then I'll scream with you."

James smiled sadly, but it was something.

"I love you, Daphne."

"I love you too," I replied as I clasped my hands around James's, "Let's go."

• • • • •

A lot of people showed up for the funeral. Most members of the Order, all of our friends, all of Fleamont and Euphemia's friends, and even Dumbledore.

People spoke kindly of the Potter's when offering their condolences, and looked sincerely sorry for our loss.

Regulus was released from the hospital the day before the funeral, and was ordered to lay low for the next week.

During that week that Regulus was stuck at home, a couple of people every day would stop by our house and drop off food or flowers.

It was a kind gesture, but it didn't help with the grief.

Sirius had started eating again, and James had returned to his normal self, at least somewhat.

I could tell that he was trying to put on a brave face for everyone, but when it was just the two of us alone at night he would occasionally cry into my shoulder until he fell asleep.

Then there was the matter of the estate.

James was the sole inheritor to the Potter's inheritance, including the manor.

"Should we move?" James asked.

I looked up from my book at my husband, who was laying on the couch with me, his head resting in my lap.

"I'm not sure," I replied as I marked my page and set my book aside. "We definitely have options, but we haven't even been living here for two years."

"I don't want to move to the house in Paris, because we'd have to leave everyone here."

I ran my hands through James' messy hair. "I like it as more of a vacation home," I replied, "I like London."

"Me too," James added, "But I don't know if I want to move into my parents house-, I don't want to sell it, but it doesn't feel right to move in this soon."

"Well," I said quietly, "We can live here for as long as we want. We have a guest bedroom that we could turn into a nursery if we need to."

James intertwined his fingers through mine, rubbing my thumb absentmindedly as he spoke.

"I like that idea," James mumbled.

We fell into a comfortable silence, listening to low sound of a vinyl as it spun in the record player.

I reached for my book again when James spoke up.

"What if we had a baby?"

I set my book back down on the table, "Now?"

"Well, not right now-, unless you want to."

I rolled my eyes at my husband.

"What I meant was, what if we think about having a baby?"

I smiled, "I'm not opposed to it, but are you sure that now is a good time? My dad died, your parents just died, the war is getting bad-"

"Life is too short for a bunch of what if's," James stated.

I smirked, "Did Alice tell you that?"

"Yup," James replied with a grin.