Chapter 64

Having three new lives at once was indeed something worth celebrating during such perilous times. This year's Halloween at the headquarters included a banquet, which was also a celebration.

The first floor seemed to have been magically expanded to accommodate so many people. Decorated with large pumpkin lanterns and small bat-like decorations reminiscent of Hogwarts' Halloween style, it made those of us who had left school feel nostalgic.

Many people came, far more than the usual meetings of the Order of the Phoenix, where only a few members with tasks attended.

In the center of the room was a square carpet, enchanted with protective spells, where two pairs of toddlers were playing with magical toys.

I sat with a few other mothers, holding little Evan, chatting while keeping an eye on the situation on the carpet.

I saw the big guy Hagrid approaching us. He was the gamekeeper at Hogwarts, coming from the school's banquet. Back in school, James and the others were quite familiar with him, while Severus and I usually avoided him when sneaking into the Forbidden Forest. We hadn't seen much of him since graduation.

"Such lovely little ones, so tiny, not even as big as my palm! Oh, look, little Harry is smiling at me! He's not afraid of me at all! What a brave little guy!"

Unlike Neville, who cried at the sight of Hagrid, Harry seemed happy, showing great interest in Hagrid's large, furry face, always reaching out to grab Hagrid's big beard. I thought he treated Hagrid as his new toy.

Evan didn't seem to like the noisy environment, surrounded by laughing and talking people, disturbing his sleep. However, he was very well-behaved and didn't cry, though his little face clearly showed, "I'm not happy, I'm very unhappy," and no one could coax him.

Nearby, Sirius and James were chatting, "He's truly Snape's kid, just as unlikable as his father. My godson is still the most adorable!"

"Ahem, I heard that," I glared at them, warning them not to talk badly about Severus and Evan.

Sirius apologized with a laugh, without any sincerity.

At this moment, the fireplace lit up with green flames, and Dumbledore stepped out, wearing his strangely aesthetic robes, having just come from the school.

"Let me see the children, our future hope," Dumbledore smiled, looking at the babies. Neville giggled at him, Harry joyfully tugged at his white beard, while Evan rudely kicked him in the face.

Children are unpredictable, and this kick was quite impolite. Severus and I apologized profusely, while the old man just laughed.

"Such a lively little one," was his final comment on Evan.

Severus thoughtfully handed me a glass of juice and took Evan from my arms.

"I really hope this ends soon, so we can have a quiet night at home. That would be much more comfortable," I whispered to Severus, leaning my head on his shoulder, "Evan thinks so too, right?"

Evan responded with a bubble of saliva.

"Oh, it seems Evan has found a new game," I announced happily.

Severus raised an eyebrow, "A very skillful game."

As if to prove this, Evan blew an even bigger bubble at his dad, which popped with a sound. Severus's face showed a mix of wanting to laugh, annoyance, pride, and fondness, making me laugh uncontrollably.

An old wizard with a bow-tied beard interrupted our moment.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you. Severus, may I have a word with you in private?" Dumbledore asked with his signature smile. Severus mumbled, "As if I could refuse."

The weight of little Evan returned to my arms as I watched them go upstairs, their figures disappearing around the corner. I wondered what Dumbledore wanted with Severus.

"Sawyer, um, can I hold little Evan?" a hesitant voice said.

I snapped back to reality. It was Peter, looking at me with his watery eyes, occasionally glancing at the baby in my arms. Knowing his Animagus form was a rat, I felt his appearance was becoming more rodent-like.

This timid Gryffindor was often overshadowed by James and the others, often overlooked. His expression showed he wanted to get close to the child but was too afraid.

"Of course, but be very careful, he's only three months old and very fragile," I gently encouraged him, teaching him the correct way to hold a baby, letting Evan lie in his arms. Peter was very nervous, his arms stiff.

"Oh...he's so soft, so light—" Peter stammered, overly excited.

I saw Evan's face wrinkle, and predictably, he started crying the next second. Evan waved his arms and legs in protest in Peter's arms, not liking it. I quickly took the child back and comforted him, smiling apologetically at Peter, "It's okay, Evan probably isn't used to being held by others. Peter, it seems it's your first time holding a baby. Haven't you held little Harry?"

"Oh, James doesn't let me. He thinks I'm too clumsy..." Peter lowered his head, looking a bit dejected. I wondered if I should comfort him, but awkwardly realized I didn't know much about him due to his weak presence.

"Well, maybe James is just too protective of his child. He might become the typical doting parent," I said, as Evan's soft humming brought my attention back to him. I smiled apologetically at Peter and focused on soothing my baby.

When Severus and I took the children home, the twins were asleep on Severus's shoulders, and Evan was also sound asleep. We settled them in their comfortable cribs, setting spells that would detect any movements.

As the spell covered Roy, Joanna, and then Evan, Severus's expression became serious, his brow furrowed, and he cast another detection spell on Evan.

"Evan has a tracking spell on him," Severus said coldly, immediately casting a spell to remove it.

My heart sank. The traitor in the Order of the Phoenix must have approached Evan today. Thinking quickly, I realized I had held Evan almost all the time today, making it unlikely for anyone to leave a spell unnoticed. Except for the ten seconds Peter held him, but he didn't even take out his wand or act suspiciously. Then there was the photo session with the three babies on the sofa, surrounded by many people, possibly including the traitor.

To be safe, I checked the other two children, Severus, and myself, in case anyone else had tracking spells.

"Someone might have already tracked us and is monitoring the house. But the alarm spells haven't been triggered, so they don't plan to alarm us yet. The tracking spell on Evan was weak and would disappear in a few hours even if I hadn't removed it. I don't know if it was a weak caster or intentional," Severus said in a low voice. His black eyes, often guarded or vacant, were now filled with worry.

"If we didn't find the spell within these hours, we wouldn't even know we were being tracked. If attacked unprepared..." My eyes fell on the sleeping children, "Only Albus and Poppy know our address, making it hard to seek help. Severus, what do we do now? Should we leave immediately?"

"No, running around is more dangerous. This house's defenses are much stronger than Spinner's End. Unless it's the Dark Lord himself, there's no need to fear. Finding a new place takes time, moving is troublesome, and someone might take advantage of the chaos. We'll adapt as needed and stay alert."

Although we didn't plan to move, we needed to be ready to escape.

I took out the space bags I had made recently, based on my seventh-year study notes while pregnant at home. A small backpack could hold as much as a standing wardrobe without weighing more than a regular backpack. Initially for passing the time, these now served a significant purpose.

Packing several sets of clothes, essentials, Evan's temperature-controlled bottles, and auto-clean diapers, the twins' toy brooms, and dolls, everything shrank and went into the bag.

Telling Tito to guard the children, I went downstairs to find Severus, eventually locating him in the potions room, organizing potions.

"Pack these potions carefully, two types of poison and antidotes, corrosive water, be careful not to hurt yourself," Severus handed me several sealed vials with instructions.

Silently, I packed the potions into the small space bag on my left arm, originally holding some medical potions, non-harmful. It seemed these would be essential from now on.

Watching Severus pick out usable potions, it was a small portion of his collection. We packed as much as we could into our space bags, the rest into a potion chest, filling it to the brim.

Adding another chest of Severus's precious potion ingredients, these two treasures couldn't be shrunk without affecting their properties. Fortunately, the space backpack's opening, designed with a spell, could automatically adjust to the size of the items placed inside. The two potion chests fit easily.

With all important belongings packed, we could leave anytime and return after shaking off any trackers.

After all preparations, we finally went to bed around 2 a.m.

"Severus, what did Albus want to discuss with you today?" I almost forgot due to the tracking spell issue.

"He wants me to be the Potions Master at Hogwarts," Severus said flatly.

"Did you agree?"

"Not yet, he asked me to think it over, I have time until September."

"...Hogwarts is probably the safest place now. Severus, accept it," I propped myself up, searching for his eyes in the dark.

Severus patted my head, "Sleep now, we'll discuss it tomorrow."

"...Alright, goodnight."