Hello everyone. This story was again written for September Event: Sewing 101, and September Writing Club's Sophie's Shelf on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Sewing 101 I used the prompt set of (dialogues) "I'm so sorry.", (AUs) Voldemort wins, and (characters) Marlene McKinnon for Step Three. For Sophie's Shelf I used the Marauder Era Het pairing of 26. James/Marlene. Warnings for mentions of character deaths and pregnancy. If you are uncomfortable with these contents please turn back now. If you are comfortable reading these I hope you enjoy The One Where Voldemort Wins.
Marlene watches James sleep because she knows the truth will usually come out when he sleeps. She never tells him that he talks in his sleep because she thinks it would embarrass him. But she takes everything he says in his dream world to heart because she knows it's not her James sees when he closes his eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Lily," she can hear him say the tears evident in his voice.
Her heart breaks for him because he wasn't the only person who lost someone they cared about that night. She lost her best friend. She lost her godson too because Lord Voldemort had killed poor little Harry too.
"Harry," he hears James' voice cry out for the son who would never be able to answer him.
She tries to stopper up her ears with her pillow, her fingers, anything that will block out the sound of his voice calling for them. She loves him but she doesn't think that he will ever love her as much as them.
He's grieving she knows that. She knows what it is to grieve to after they struck the Potters, killing Lily and Harry, they went to the apartment Marlene was sharing with Sirius. They killed the man she was set to marry so she knows what it's like to live with horror of seeing a loved dead like that. She sometimes sees the mess that Bellatrix Lestrange made out of her cousin Sirius.
Choking back a sob she sits up in bed no longer able to take hearing James call out for Lily. Throwing her feet over the side of the bed she rushes towards the bathroom feeling the bile rise in her throat. She makes it just in time for the contents of her stomach to go sloshing into the bowl.
"Marlene," James' groggy voice calls out and she knows he's awake now. "Marlene. Where are you?"
"In here," she calls resting her head against her arms that are resting on the toilet rim. She still feels like she might be sick and doesn't know what brought it on. Was it James thinking of Lily, her thinking of Sirius, or something she ate earlier. She really doesn't know. She hugs her knees as a sob racks through her body.
James is by her side in no time. His arms tightly around her trying his best to comfort her. But how can you comfort someone when they don't even know what is wrong?
"What's wrong, baby?" he asks pulling her into his chest rubbing his hand up and down her back.
"I don't know," she whispers knowing it's only a half truth. "I just felt sick all of a sudden."
"You don't think you're pregnant? Do you?"
She hadn't thought about that as being a reason for her sudden rush of illness. But as she did the math about when their relationship turned from just friendship to sex she can admit that it adds up. She feels herself go pale because she's not sure that James would be able to handle this. Let alone if she can handle it herself.
"I don't know," she tells him yet.
But the hopeful smile he shines down on her makes her hope she is. She knows it's selfish of her to want this for them both but does she want it for them or just for her. She knows it would make James so happy to have another child. She aches to feel the love he had for Lily after she had Harry.
"I'll get you a test tomorrow on my way home from work," he tells her excitedly as he picks her up from the floor and carries her back to their bed. "I love you, Marlene." He kisses as pulls her gently into his chest chin on top of her head.
"I love you too, James," she whispers as he goes back to his dreams of his other life. The one he could have had if Voldemort hadn't won.
I hope you all enjoyed The One Where Voldemort Wins.