Hi.
Sooooooo...
I'm not dead.
I feel terrible that I haven't updated this in so long! Basically, here's the deal- right now, I've been focusing on my other story, and on schoolwork, and on other projects in my life. There is no telling how long it may be between updates. HOWEVER I will not rest until this story is complete. It may take a while. But it will happen.
Alright so now that that's out of the way, let's hop back into the story! Remember: I (obviously) don't own any of these characters. Thanks for sticking with me!
Lily sank down into the couch, a tear rolling down her face.
"Oh, James." She sighed, "First Dumbledore, now Mad-Eye. I never thought that either of them would ever die."
"Everyone dies, Ev- er, Potter," said Sirius.
Lily was so distraught that she didn't even lash back with a snarky remark.
James scooted next to his wife and twisted her dark red ponytail gently. "Everyone dies," he repeated."
"That's what I said!" cried Sirius indignantly.
"Can it Padfoot." James grabbed one of Lily's small hands. He understood what Lily meant, why she was so upset. After all, both Dumbledore, their wise professor, and Mad-Eye, their tough Order of the Pheonix friend, had seemed invincible. If they were gone, how soon would it be before it was Harry's turn?
"Lils," he said. "I'm not saying Harry won't ever die, because that would be a lie, and the last time I lied to you it took months for that hair-loss hex to wear off. But we have a pretty awesome son, and I have a feeling he's going to stick it through and finally finish that creepy, bald, noseless idiot off." James brushed the tear off of Lily's face. "Besides, if he does die, he's already lived pretty much the most heroic life possible. And he'd get to see us, right?"
Lily looked doubtful.
"Right?" James repeated, poking Lily in the stomach. A giggle bubbled from Lily's lips. It was a well-guarded secret of hers that she was extremely ticklish. "Right?" James began to tickle Lily, who begged him to stop and threatened another hair-loss hex.
The two finally collapsed in a heap, James's arm wrapped around Lily's waist.
"Thanks," she whispered. "I needed that."
Even Sirius didn't say a thing.
James, Lily, and Sirius were chowing down on some cereal the next morning when the door flew open with a bang. This caused James to simultaneously spit out a mouthful of Cheerios and upturn his bowl, which dominoed into the other bowls. All three landed on the floor with a bang, milk splashing onto Sirius's feet.
Taking out his wand to clean the mess before both his wife and his best mate murdered for the second time, James took a better look at the man who had so forcefully entered the house.
The main had hair that reached his chin, and two piercing dark eyes.
"Who are you and what are you doing in our house?" Lily demanded, pointing her wand at the stranger.
The stranger laughed gruffly, and something about the laugh was very familiar. "You already know who I am."
Something about is voice was very familiar too. And his face.
"Alastor!" James realized. It was the face of the old auror, minus the a few scars and wrinkles, and of course, the trademark magical eye. He remembered Lily saying something about people here appearing as the age in their life when they were the happiest. It was hard to imagine a pre-mad-eye Mad-Eye Moody, yet here he was.
"Merlin, Moody!" Sirius cleared away the cereal with a swoop of his wand. "You couldn't have given us a warning before you barged in here?"
Moody shrugged. "Constant vigilence."
Lily went up and hugged him, and Sirius and James shook his hand curtly. The three remembered Moody from their Order of the Phoenix days, but none of them had gotten to know him vey well.
"Well," Moody said, slumping into a chair, "I just wanted to tell you that your boy's a fine wizard. No doubt in my mind that he can defeat Voldemort. In fact, I am confident in saying that he'll be the one to do it."
James's heart surged with confidence. Moody spoke nothing but the truth- if he said it was so, it was so.
Mad-Eye stood back up, and again shook everyone's hands. He gave a brisk salute, and as quickly as he was there, he was gone. Briefly, James wondered where he was going. To his family, probably. Did Mad-Eye even have a family? James knew absolutly nothing about Moody's life.
The fact that Lily didn't yell at James for spilling the cereal was a reflection of just how happy she was. Moody had given her the reassurance she needed. Harry would be all right. They could relax and just watch the show.
James threw a pillow at the screen in exasperation, and Lily quickly caught it with her wand.
"He couldn't even leave a a better explanation?" He grumbled.
"Well of course," Lily said. "The ministry folks would've noticed right away."
"Well he didn't have to be so vague," James said. "I mean, really? A snitch?"
Sirius gasped. "Sweet Merlin, the world must be ending. James Potter just insulted a snitch!" He then proceeded to fall to the ground, dramatically clutching his throat and gasping for breath. James kicked another pillow onto his friend's face.
Lily just rolled her eyes. Ever since Moody had dropped by, she had seemed more confident than ever in Harry. "He'll figure it out eventually. Dumbledore's smart, he'll have left him some way to figure it out. Or at least that Granger girl will figure it out, with that old book she has."
This time, both James joined Sirius in gasping. "That old book? You haven't heard of the Tales of Beedle the Bard?"
Lily frowned. "I don't think so."
"Come on," Sirius urged, "Babbity Rabbitty? The Three Brothers? The Warlock's Hairy Heart?"
Lily wrinkled her nose. "First of all, ew. A hairy heart? Second of all, you keep forgetting I'm muggle-born. So if this is some great work of classic wizard literature-"
James clapped a hand over her mouth and raised his wand, summoning a dusty book off of the bookshelf. He patted it fondly. "Just like the old one I grew up with," he said. Then he opened to the first page and cleared his throat. "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot..."
All were silent as Harry, Ron, and Hermione clutched hands and apparated away from the wedding. Lily's confidence was wavering. That was really close. Too close.
After a moment, Sirius cracked a tentative smile. "Guess that even beats when Moony started a cake fight at your wedding, eh Prongs? Ultimate wedding crashers."
"That was you, Padfoot," said James, chuckling softly.
Lily's hand slowly lowered from her mouth. "Hermione is always prepared, isn't she," she said softly.
"Just like a mini version of you," James said.
They watched in wonder as Hermione pulled things out of her little bag. "Just like Mary Poppins," Lily remarked.
When the boys expressed their confusion, she yanked out a television set she had insisted on getting for the house, and popped in a tape. It was her turn.
Sorry that ended so awkardly. I'll continue with the rest of TDH next update, I just wanted to get this out. Again, thanks for reading, see you next time :)
