October 30, 1981

My deer brother,

Laura Potter sits back and stares at the parchment, willing the letter to write itself. She's rewritten the first sentence several times already, never quite sure how to start. No matter what she says, it doesn't seem good enough, and a nagging sensation at the back of her head keeps insisting that this letter has to be perfect.

Normally, the words flow easily between the twins, each eager to share every detail of their days in hiding with one another. More often than not, their significant others have to prevent them from sending the owls off with entire novels.

She wants to brush her paranoia off as a mere sadness about tomorrow being the first holiday they've ever had to spend apart, though she knows that's not the case. While it is upsetting to miss Harry's second Halloween and the adorable costume Lily picked out for him, Laura understands it's far too dangerous for any of them to venture out of hiding - especially for her family, since her fiance is the Secret Keeper for her brother's whereabouts.

After receiving the news of the prophecy, the Marauders turned their lives upside down to accommodate the extreme task of keeping James' and Lily's child safe. With a secret that differentiates between life and death bestowed upon one of them, the group went their seperate ways. Had they known that it would be the last time they were all together in this life, they would have made their goodbyes count for something.

A gust of cold air blows open the window in front of Laura's desk, distracting her just as she lifts her quill to write. She sighs and goes to shut it without a second thought, but movement in the quaint backyard catches her attention.

Laying on a blanket and bundled under several more, Sirius Black is pointing out the different constellations in the night sky to their three-year-old daughter. The little girl listens intently, her wide eyes wandering as he explains the story behind the cluster of stars named Regulus.

Carina asks a question, only half of it understandable in her babbling speech and Sirius launches into a rant about telescopes as though he's understood her perfectly.

Laura wonders if it's possible to fall even more in love with someone as she watches the scene unfold. Her smile turns giddy as her gaze drifts down to the plastic ring on her finger and she recalls how their engagement came to be.

It was only a couple of months ago, on the day before they officially went into hiding. James and Lily were babysitting Carina for one final play date with Harry, leaving the couple alone as they shopped for essentials.

With no idea as to when they would safely be able to see their friends and family again, Sirius wanted to do something to cheer the love of his life up and threw all thoughts of a grand proposal out the window in order to make it happen.

With the promise to love her forever - and to eventually replace the cheap toy with a jewel fit for royalty - Sirius knelt to the ground in the middle of a muggle grocery store and pulled out a container he had just won from a claw machine game, asking her to be his wife.

"And there you are, Carina," Sirius says, the wind carrying his voice back to Laura and pulling her out of her thoughts. "Your stars are the hull of the ship called Argo Navis, which the Greeks claim was used to search for golden fleece."

The toddler sticks her tongue out and smacks her father's chest with her chubby fist, clearly not pleased with the simple story.

"I know," he agrees through a laugh. "Your mother was a little out of it when she named you."

"Hey!" Laura shouts, causing the duo to jump and look back guiltily as she stands up and leans out the window. "You have no room to talk. You fainted during her birth!"

"I did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

Laura rolls her eyes and shuts the window before the next breeze can give her pneumonia, but he knows she isn't truly mad. Abandoning her blank parchment, she finds her warmest coat and heads for the door to join them.

After all, there will be plenty of time tomorrow for James to read her letter.