Millstone: n. A heavy and inescapable responsibility.
Hey guys! Another AU fic from me!
This one is very different from Professor—I'm thinking there'll be a little more drama in this one. It's not as straightforward as Professor, either. James has actual baggage in this story!
Never fear. It's still JPLE.
This is another story that I've had in my mind for a while. If you read Professor, you'll be familiar with Amelia, who is only mentioned in this fic. I haven't decided if she'll actually make a physical appearance in this one (I don't think so, though). You'll also know Charlie Potter, from my 'vision' chapter. I generally got a good response from him, so he's gained a place in this story. :D
I'm still working on the Halloween update for Professor.
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. All rights to Harry Potter and affiliated products belong to Ms J.K. Rowling and the other proper entities.
Summary: Several years after graduating Hogwarts, Lily once again meets James Potter, who is in a very different kind of trouble than the one that he used to produce in school. Slowly, she finds herself falling in love with him... and his young son.
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Drama
Warnings: None.
Millstone
Chapter One
Lily Evans made a disgusted noise, slapping The Daily Prophet to her kitchen table in disgust. Ever since Dumbledore defeated Voldemort a year previously, there had been accusations flying around as to his remaining Death Eaters. And, while a lot of them were based on legitimate concerns, the case currently all over the newspaper appeared to be a case of 'guilty by association'.
"Did you see this?" She called out to her flatmate.
Marlene McKinnon came into the living area of their small, two-bedroom London flat, running her wand over her wild, curly blonde hair to settle it into long, straight tresses. "Who are they accusing this time?" She asked with a sigh, summoning a bowl, the milk, and a box of cereal.
Lily cast her eye back to the newspaper before thrusting it to her friend. Tiredly, Marlene picked it up and scanned the front-page story for a few moments, her mouth getting thinner and thinner as her eyebrows travelled higher and higher. Finally, she slapped the paper down in much the same manner as Lily had, causing a protest from several of the photographs that had hit the table.
"The people they'll accuse." She snarled in contempt. "Honestly, James Potter is the last person I'd ever have thought to be a Death Eater. His friend, now that's a different story, but just because his wife and one of his mates were spies doesn't mean that he is."
Lily nodded along with her friend. "I hope they drop the charges. Last time I saw Potter he looked absolutely devastated."
Marlene fixed her with a shrewd eye. "When did you see Potter?"
Lily shrugged, standing and putting her dishes in the sink. "I was at the Ministry the day that his wife's verdict was announced. You remember that job interview I had last year?" Her tone made it clear what she thought of said interview.
"It says here that the hearing today is open to the public." Marlene looked down at the paper. "I'd like to go, but I have work…"
"I might." Lily said offhandedly, heading into her room to dress. She left the door open so as the conversation could continue. "I'm off today."
"Not fair!" Marlene whined. "I want your hours!"
"I want your pay." Lily called back from her bedroom, struggling into a pair of dark trousers while trying to keep her balance. She shrugged on a soft, light blue polo neck jumper to guard against the cold outside the heated flat and came back out, pulling her hair into a shining ponytail. "How do I look?" She asked, giving a turn. "Do I fit Ministry dress codes?"
"Very nice." Marlene grinned. "Where'd you get that jumper?"
"A muggle shop, last week." Lily had been proud of herself for the find. The tag had said that it was a cotton blend, but Lily (whose mother had been a seamstress, and had taught Lily a great deal of the textiles industry between terms at Hogwarts) was convinced that it was flannel. It was lovely and warm, the pretty shade of blue making up for the lack of decoration.
"You really have to teach me to dress like a muggle." Marlene complained as Lily threw on a set of dark robes and grabbed her purse. "Where are you off to?"
"First, to scare the hell out of my sister's husband and kid, then to the Ministry for Potter's hearing this afternoon, I think. I'll be stopping at Diagon Alley on the way home, too. We need more Floo Powder." Lily was reaching behind her neck to fix on her necklace, having already put her small golden hoops in her ears. "Will you be home for supper tonight?"
"Probably." Marlene shrugged. "I think I'll leave early and come to the trial."
"Alright," Lily grabbed her handbag, "I'll see you there, then."
"Bye." Marlene said as Lily turned on her heel and disappeared with a loud crack!
Lily arrived at the Ministry in a bad mood, seething. Her sister had screeched herself hoarse at her for absentmindedly sending her teacup to the sink to wash itself in front of her son. Lily had been so fed up with Petunia that she had declared, only living family or not, she would not be contacting her again, and they could go back to pretending that the other didn't exist, like they had when they were children. Their parents would be disappointed (they had always hoped that Lily and Petunia would reconcile when they got older), but Lily couldn't stand another moment in that cow's presence.
She headed into the lobby of the Ministry, looking up the list of trials on the bulletin board and listening to the announcements.
"…For the Department of Experimental Charms, please take Elevator Three to the second floor. For the Wizengamot hearings, please take Elevator Four to Dungeon Level one two, three, or four. For the Department of the Improper use of Magic, please take Elevator Five to the sixth floor…"
There he was—James Potter: Dungeon Level 4, 3pm.
Lily brusquely made her way to the elevator at the other end of the Lobby with a big golden 4 on it and crammed in with about a dozen other wizards and witches, most of them older than even her parents had been. As the gates closed, she heard the witch doing the announcements say "Thank you for visiting the Ministry of Magic, and have a nice day!"
About half the elevator was empty by the time the grate slid shut on level three. Now that there was room to breathe, a pair of old witches and a wizard were conversing in hushed tones to Lily's right.
"They'll convict him for sure. There's no way that he's not a Death Eater with a wife like that one." One of the old crones was saying. "And he was friends with one, too! I mean, come on, the Wizengamot aren't daft. Who's going to believe he's innocent? James Potter will be in Azkaban tonight, you mark my words."
Lily seethed. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was unfair accusations. Before she could stop herself, she said loudly, "James Potter is the last person on the face of the earth who would be a Death Eater.", glaring at them. They were looking at her in shock, as if they'd never seen anything quite like her before.
"Forgive me, dear," one of the old women said, not unkindly, "but just because the young man looks good on a broomstick doesn't mean that he's not an evil wizard."
"Funny," Lily snapped acerbically, "I was under the impression that I was speaking from the fact that I've known the man since he was eleven years old, not from his career as a Quidditch player, and that I've seen how much he hates the Dark Arts." She left out the fact that she hadn't had much contact with him since he'd married when they were twenty (his wife had put a lot of demands on his time and he hadn't been able to write to her as often as he had while they were working for the Order). Before the woman could respond, the elevator dinged, and Lily stepped off.
She strode down the hallway, her temper calming down again. There were doors on either side of the hallway, presumably leading into different courtrooms. She didn't stop until she found the one that had 'POTTER, J.' scrawled across it in big, purple letters, and pushed the door open.
She skirted around the side of the room, climbing the stairs into the public seating area along the back wall—it was half filled already. She recognised a few faces from Hogwarts or the Order of the Phoenix sitting on one side—the old bats from the elevator came in behind her and sat on the other, casting dark looks at Lily as she made her way across the seats.
Alice Longbottom, who Lily hadn't seen since graduation, spotted Lily making her way across to them, and waved her over anxiously. Managing a strangled smile, Lily took the seat next to her, leaning over to greet Dorcas Meadows and Mary Macdonald on Alice's other side.
"It's awful, isn't it?" Alice was whispering over the sounds of the Wizengamot entering from the other side of the room. "Frank has to give evidence. He's one of the Aurors on the case."
"He doesn't think it's true, does he?" Lily murmured back.
Alice shook her head. "He's giving evidence on James's behalf. The Minister isn't happy, look."
She wasn't. As James Potter was lead into the room by a pair of Aurors (one of which was Frank, she noted, and the other one could only have been Alastor Moody), Millicent Bagnold, the Minister for Magic, scowled deeply. Lily's hands were clenched tightly in her lap—even if they hadn't spoken much in the last few years, James was her friend. During their sojourn as Head Boy and Girl in their seventh year, they'd gotten quite close. She'd attended his wedding, and had sent her congratulations when she'd heard of the birth of his son three years ago.
"Where's his little boy?" She leant towards Alice as the chains in the throne-like chair slithered up James's arms. He looked white and ashen beneath his messy black hair. By the look of him, she'd hazard a guess that they'd held him in Azkaban.
"With Amelia's parents." Alice muttered back. "I think they're hoping he gets convicted, so they get control of the Potter fortune. I'll bet my wand that's what this is all about. It's an underhanded attempt to get their hands on his son and his money."
"That's awful." Dorcas was shaking her head.
"That's what the Yaxleys do." Mary muttered bitterly. "Amelia's Mum's not a Yaxley by name, but she's just as much one as her mother was."
The door down the front opened again, admitting Marlene, who cast her glance around the room. Lily leant out and waved at her to get her attention, beckoning her toward them. She hurried up the stairs and settled on Lily's other side. "Goodness, it's like a reunion, isn't it? I just saw Sirius and Remus outside."
"Half the House is here." Mary nodded. "The only one from our year not here is Pettigrew, and that's because he's already in prison."
"Everyone knows this is a cock-and-bull story." Dorcas said viciously. "I mean, for Merlin's sake, Moody and Dumbledore are testifying on James's behalf. No one can think he's a Death Eater with both of them on his side—" she cut off when the he Minister stood from her seat. The trial had begun.
"James Potter," the Minister's voice, though distinctly feminine, was quite forbidding, "you have been brought before this Council of Magical Law to answer to charges of consorting with Dark Wizards and passing information to various members of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's supporters." She was breathing heavily through her nose, nostrils flaring.
Lily looked behind her—there were various important members of the Ministry in the benches. Bartemius Crouch (the only one Lily knew by name) was scowling down at James with an expression of utmost contempt on his face.
"Why isn't Dumbledore up there?" Mary asked.
"He's too close to James." Alice shook her head. "Bagnold asked him to step aside for this one. Dumbledore doesn't mind—it means he can speak on James's behalf."
"Interrogators;" the Minister continued, "Millicent Prudence Bagnold, Minister for Magic. Bartemius Crouch Senior, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Amelia Bones, Court Scribe."
There was a bit of a commotion at the front of the room again, as the door swung open to admit another group of people, all of whom stood in a line behind James's chair. Some of them, like Sirius, were glaring viciously up at the Minister behind her podium—but others, like Dumbledore, looked mildly interested in the proceedings. Remus wasn't necessarily looking angry, but he wasn't calm either—he was casting nervous glances around the room. He let a small grin form on his face when he spotted the five Gryffindor girls, tapping Sirius on the shoulder and pointing them out to him.
"Witnesses for the Defence;" she continued in a tight voice, as though she'd wished he hadn't any, "Alastor Moody. Frank Longbottom. Sirius Orion Black. Remus John Lupin. Emmaline Vance. Rubeus Hagrid. Minerva McGonagall. Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."
The trial was vicious. Lily had never seen anything like it; the Ministry members (some more rabid than others) threw accusation after accusation at James, who was progressively becoming more and more flustered as time wore on.
"She was my wife!" He'd protested when they accused him of passing information to Voldemort's supporters. "Of course I talked to her! And Peter was my friend since we were eleven years old! We were both members of the Order! I swear, I didn't know they were Death Eaters!"
After the Ministry was done, the Defence took turns speaking. Moody gave a long and compelling speech as to James's innocence, stating that the Dark Artefacts that had been found in various strange places throughout his house had all been traced back to his wife. His friends, and his teachers, swore that he was a good man who happened to be hoodwinked by some particularly tricky Dark Wizards. By the time Dumbledore stepped forward to give his evidence, some of the members of the jury were looking down at James in various mixtures of horror and pity.
"James Potter is, and always has been, an ardent opposer of Dark Magic." Dumbledore began to pace around the courtroom, his strong voice echoing in the deathly silence. "I have known the young man since he was a small boy and, though always a mischievous child, he never meant any ill will to anyone who did not practice the Dark Arts. He has also always been particularly fond of Muggle-born witches and wizards." There were a few witches in the jury who were nodding along, thoroughly convinced by this point that the charges were false. Lily could have sworn Dumbledore's eyes had flashed up to her for a moment. "He has worked tirelessly with myself and the Order of the Phoenix to bring about Lord Voldemort's—" he ignored the winces around the room, "—fall from power. These charges against him are no more than a fabrication of his wife's relatives, in an attempt to assume control of his estate. It is a lowly trick, by his in-laws—who are furious that he had caught his wife engaging in Death Eater activities and gave evidence that landed her in Azkaban—to slander his good name and take what is rightfully his; his son, and his family's inheritance."
"Here, here!" A wizard called out from the jury, amid some general muttering of agreement. Lily let out a sigh of relief; Alice and Marlene, who had grabbed her hands during the trial (the five women had formed something of a chain throughout the course of the hearing), relaxed their grip and slumped back in their seats.
"There's no way they'll convict him after that." Alice said decisively. "They completely trashed their case. They can't convict him."
Even the Minister was looking slightly unsure. Crouch, however, was looking unmoved—for all they knew, he could simply think that James had bewitched everyone in the courtroom to believe him. From what Lily had heard of him, she wouldn't put it past him to think like that.
"Very well." The Minister stepped back up to the podium. "Members of the Wizengamot, we have heard the evidence for and against Mister Potter. It is time to come to a decision." There was a slight pause. "All those in favour of conviction?"
Crouch raised his hand. He was the only one.
"All those in favour of clearing the accused of all charges?"
Every other person on the jury, including the Minister herself, raised their hands.
"Very well." The Minister looked down at her notes and shuffled her papers. "Mister Potter is hereby cleared of all charges. You are free to return to your son and your home; you may retrieve your wand from the lobby on your way out, with our sincerest apologies."
There was a collective sigh of relief throughout the courtroom. Lily chanced a glance at the old crones from the elevator—they looked mutinous. No doubt, she thought, they were made in the same mould as Crouch.
She and the other Gryffindors in the box swept past them and out the door, hurrying up catch up to James and his witnesses.
I hope you enjoyed Chapter One! Please drop me a review and let me know what you thought!
