For Harry's Sake
I disclaim all recognized as written by JK Rowling. It isn't mine…
So, there was some interest expressed in seeing Lily and Molly's argument from Chapter 4 of Lies of Truth, but I couldn't fit it into the original story…so here it is, told from Sirius' POV!
As soon as the door shut behind my fiancée, I lifted my wand and cast a silencing spell. It seemed like it was just in time, too.
"JUST WHO THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" Lily shouted, standing up at once. The men collectively winced, though Molly only bristled at the challenge, but Lily cut her off when she opened her mouth. "WHY IN MERLIN'S NAME WOULD YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT IN FRONT OF MY SON?"
"BECAUSE HE DESERVED TO HEAR THAT SOMEBODY IN THIS HOUSE REALIZED THAT HIS NEEDS COME FIRST!" she burst back, hands flying to her hips.
"DO YOU HONESTLY THINK THAT I WASN'T CONCERNED ABOUT HIS NEEDS? WHY ELSE WOULD I HAVE ACTED THE WAY THAT I DID?" Lily screeched. I watched nervously as her hand twitched as though she wanted to go for her wand. James noticed it too.
"Lily, love, maybe you should—?" but James' suggestion was drowned out by Molly's next scream and I was sorely tempted to plug my ears.
"OUT OF COWARDICE! AND NOW YOUR EFFORTS AT SECRECY DON'T EVEN MATTER! YOU'VE PLACED YOUR SON IN EVEN MORE DANGER JUST BECAUSE HE KNOWS YOU ARE ALIVE!" her rage was tangible and I felt a bit of pity for Arthur who would have the task of calming her down. I was also incredibly grateful that Keena was a brunette.
"AT LEAST I WOULD NEVER KEEP MY SON FROM KNOWING WHAT HE NEEDS TO KNOW! AND HE IS NOT IN MORE DANGER BECAUSE OF MY EXISTENCE! OR ARE YOU SUGGESTING HE WOULD BE BETTER OFF IF JAMES AND I WERE DEAD?"
"I HAVE RAISED SEVEN CHILDREN, LILY POTTER, AND NOT ONCE HAVE I WALKED AWAY FROM THEM, NO MATTER HOW DIFFICULT THINGS WERE!"
"Molly, dearest, please—"
"BUT AT THE FIRST SIGN OF TROUBLE THE BOTH OF YOU JUST APPARATE AWAY AND LEAVE YOUR BABY TO MUGGLES! AND YOU THINK THAT WAS BETTER FOR HIM?"
"NO, IT WAS NOT BETTER!" Lily's voice cracked for a moment, but her next shout was even stronger. "BUT HE WAS SAFER THERE! DON'T YOU TRY AND COMPARE MONETARY STRUGGLES WITH WHAT JAMES AND I WENT THROUGH!" she warned, pointing a finger at Molly, who looked hurt that Lily had come out and acknowledged their financial situation.
"LILY!" James' shout caught both women off guard. Actually, it caught me off guard as well, and I almost jumped. Thank Merlin I didn't…Moony'd never let me live it down… After giving his wife a significant look, James turned to face Molly's reddened face. "Both of you; sit down!"
They slowly obeyed, lowering themselves on complete opposite sides of the table.
"Molly, I realize that you're angry with us about what we've done, but it wasn't an easy choice. Think about what it would do to you if you had to leave one of your sons or risk his safety. Wouldn't you leave? And I know that means that we haven't been there in person for a lot of big things in Harry's life," he began, repeating a mantra that he had said to me when I showed up on their doorstep two years ago. "But can't you see that we are doing the best we can?"
"The best you can do, James, is not enough." She said through her teeth with forced patience. "That fifteen year old boy has gone to hell and back again and neither of you have changed a single thing for him since."
"Well what do you suggest we do about it?" Lily asked sarcastically, carefully watching her volume.
"Come out of hiding!" Molly burst back.
"Molly, that would not be helpful at the moment," I inserted, being careful not to wince at her glare. "Fudge isn't being rational; he'd send them both to Azkaban if the Department of Mysteries didn't sink their teeth into the two of them first."
"Neither of which," Remus added when Molly opened her mouth. "Would help Harry at all."
Lily took a deep breath before resting her vivid green eyes on Molly.
"I understand that you are concerned for him and I know you have experience with raising children. But just as you had to learn with Bill, I need to learn with Harry. He is my son when all is said and done, Molly, not yours," her tone was final and Molly gave a great sniff.
"He's as good as mine," she said through watery eyes. "But I was not his only mother-figure, Lily," she added with a shake of her head. "I don't think you realize just how big of an impact Keena had on him. Did you know that all summer long before his second year she was all he would talk about? 'Keena says this' and 'Keena did that' the whole time. It's amazing he never called her 'mum' on accident."
Lily seemed frozen in her seat as she stared uncomprehendingly at my cousin. It felt like minutes before anyone said anything.
"Well we had just taken him out for a day before he went to you," Remus mentioned as though it explained everything, but Lily gulped unsteadily.
"She's his godmother; they're meant to be close. She promised to watch over him for us and I'm glad that she did," her last statement came out a little more forceful than Molly seemed prepared for, but the look on her face now contained pity more than anything.
"You're not," Molly muttered, shaking her head. "You're jealous; it was bad enough that she's closer to Harry than she is to you but then she learns she's expecting and before that child is even born she adopted another. You feel like she has three children while you have none."
"You're wrong!" Lily shouted, standing up and glaring at Molly with such ferocity that I exchanged a worried glance with Remus while Arthur and James gave one another tired looks. "Harry is mine; I love him and he loves me. Maybe we're not as close as I want to be, but that's going to change, you wait and see!"
Molly glared at her. "I am waiting, but so far I've seen nothing,"
"Molly," Arthur barked sharply. "I think that's enough,"
She looked at her husband for a moment. "Fine,"
Without a word to any of us, she left the kitchen, brushing past Keena who was standing just on the other side of the door. She looked after Molly's retreating back with a furrowed brow before looking back to us, the question written all over her face.
"I'll talk to her," Arthur said uncomfortably nodding his head to James who nodded in return. "I'm sorry about that, Lily," he added, pausing at the door. She nodded without looking at any of us and he left.
"What took you so long?" I asked as Keena came over to sit down next to me, hoping to change the conversation.
But she surprised me when she sighed. "Harry looked like he needed to get something off of his chest," she shrugged one shoulder.
"And?" Lily asked sharply.
Keena raised an eyebrow at her tone. "And so I talked to him about it…?" the expression Lily was giving her turned the statement into a question.
"Why did he need to talk to you? Why didn't he come to me or James?" she snapped in agitation.
Keena frowned at her. "Merlin, I dunno, Lily, he didn't exactly ask to talk to me,"
"So why were you pushing him? Maybe he didn't want to talk,"
Keena's expression was slowly turning into a glare. "Maybe not, but he certainly needed to. Lily, what is wrong with you?"
"Nothing," she snapped before standing up suddenly. "I'm going to bed. Goodnight,"
Keena shook her head after her while James muttered something about going to calm her down. "Merlin's beard, what did I say?" she asked in frustrated confusion, looking from me to Remus.
The two of us exchanged a look, but Remus shook his head, standing up. "She's your fiancée," he said, exiting the kitchen without another word.
"Aw, no fair, Moony!" I called after him, but he kept walking, sparing me a smirk as he turned to shut the door behind him.
"Sirius," she stated and I gulped as I turned to face her. "What did I say to make her so upset?"
I bit my lip, fumbling over how to best explain it without incurring her wrath; just because she didn't have red hair didn't mean she couldn't get just as bad as the other two, after all. Just then a wail sounded from the baby monitor on the counter.
"Oh, what d'you know? Our little girl is crying. Why don't I go and see what she needs?" I said brightly, standing to head for the door.
To my slight dismay, she followed. "Good idea, love, and you can tell me all about their little conversation so that I'm not accosted for doing something for Harry's sake again," she said, matching my cheery sarcasm perfectly.
Aradia, I hope you're ready for a long night, because mummy is going to be in a foul mood for a little while…
So there's their argument. And I know that Sirius and Molly aren't first cousins in the canon story, but they are in mine (mentioned it way back in Blind Secrets). In fact, Orion Dale is Molly's little brother, but he was a Ravenclaw…Okay, that's enough rambling. See you next time!
:-D