-These are JKR's characters, not mine. And thank you Monty Python for such amazing jokes. I am a mere player, an' this, my hour on the stage.-
Old Friend
Inn Comfort
*
She arrived shortly thereafter at the Leaky Cauldron. Tom greeted Lily warmly when she entered. "Tom going to need a room, nothing fancy. And privacy." She added as an afterthought. "I'll be checking in as Nuna Witchington."
Tom was surprised, he only asked in reply. "Dear, how long will you be staying?"
Exhaustion showed in every line in her face. "Don't know Tom. I'll have to be back with you on that."
Without hesitation, Tom walked her to a room. Opening the door she was greeted with a more than comfortable room. "Tom, no, I couldn't."
He patted her hand and gave her the key. "No, my dear. I wont here of it." She touched his hand and blessed the gnarled man with a sweet smile.
Lily didn't have items to unpack, so she relaxed onto the ancient bed, and snuggled under the covers.
Panicked, Lily woke dripping with sweat. "Nightmare." The dream seemed to be lingering in the night air. Severus and James in a boxing ring pounding the life out of each other. "Too much excitement." She tried to roll over and sleep. Sleep wouldn't come. She couldn't get it out of her head the violence she had witnessed earlier. She hadn't realized Severus had been so readily capable of beating the tar out of James like that. But instantly she knew that wasn't right. Lily had seen Severus with blackened eyes and deep bruises from scraps he had gotten into over their summers. Though he never said how he gotten them.
She thought she knew how he had gotten some of them. Some the black eyes and bruises surely came from Tobias. Before she allowed her mind to get too involved with that line of thinking, she once again tried to go back to sleep.
The scent of buttered toast, coffee, and fruit filled her nostrils, pulling her from sleep. She wrestled out of her blankets, and slowly chugged to life when she saw this was no olfactory dream. Chomping her toast and sipping her hot coffee gingerly, she remembered her dream last night. At the time the dream seemed terribly disturbing but now in the light of day she found she could laugh about it. James had been wearing maroon boxer shorts with gold lightning bolts up each side. Snape had silver snake print shorts with garnet green stripes. Her recollection produced such a fit of snickering that she snorted coffee up her nose. The unwanted result wouldn't have been so bad had the coffee not burned her nasal passages. Smiling wryly, she would have thought last night was amusing if they hadn't been about to kill one another.
Just then, there was knock at her chamber door. Feeling distinctly at uneasy, she said. "Come in." It was the maid of the Leaky Cauldron.
"Sorry, Miss. I didn't want to disturb you, but you see, your owl has arrived." The beautiful barn owl flew into the room, great wings flapping.
"Thank you dear," Lily was happy to see Ben. The maid bobbed a curtsy, and closed the door. "Ben, beautiful Ben. I'm am very glad to see you. What's this you have, a letter? Can't imagine who might want to apologize." Lily imitated dizzy confusion. She took the letter from the owl's leg, and stroked his head. Looking earnestly at Ben. "I was prepared to have a perfectly fun night, but between, James, Frank, and Sev it was impossible. Wish Alice would have dragged me to the girly party."
Lily looked at the letter for a long minute before opening it. 'No markings on the outside.' Unfolding the parchment, it was a serious blow to see who sent it. "Albus?" Before reading it she cast protective charms over the door, walls, ceiling, and window. Whispering to Ben, who by now had finished the last of the toast. "Must be Order business."
The letter was pinched tightly in Lily's hands.
Dearest Lily,
I wanted to first send my congratulations of the impending birth. News does travel so fast. It is always so delightful to hear excellent news amidst all of the current turmoil. As you know I never had children of my own, but they give us the greatest joy. Those small special people challenge us to be more creative, compassionate and responsible, than (sometimes) we know we can be. I look forward to celebrating the new arrival and eventually welcoming your child to Hogwarts. Congratulations again, I know you will make an excellent mother.
Secondly, I must tell you in light of your expectant state, I shall have to hold you back from the upcoming assignment. It is not that I find you are not capable, I feel however, honour bound to keep you from undue harm. I'm currently working on something special you might consent to assist me with. I will contact you again as soon as the intelligence is confirmed. Looking forward to seeing you again.
Your Servant,
Albus
P.S. While Ben was in my office he took an appreciative interest in the cockroach clusters in my dish, I let him have a couple. I hope you don't mind my taking liberties.
"News does travel fast." Dubiously eyeing Ben, "Judging by the look of you, you've had more than a couple." The owl flapped his wings. "I'm afraid you will resemble a feathered Thestral if people keep feeding you."
*
After several more days spent relaxing in comfort, Lily returned to her home. When she did arrive there was visitor on her stoop. A man clearly, but she wasn't close enough to see how it was. Once she was within hailing distance she hollered to the man. "Oy! Who are you, and what are you doing here?"
The man turned around to face her. "Bloody hell Frank, scared the mess out of me." Stepping inside the garden gate. "What's up? Nothing wrong, is there?" He didn't look too intent. "How long have you been here?"
"Oh not long. Just wanted to bring you up to date, after everything." She chuckled mildly at that. Lily let Frank in, she gestured to the sofa. "Also, I wanted to check on you." The smile lit up his face, which gave way to laughing. "You should have seen their faces! Both of them lying on the ground mad as hell. If their wands had been in their hands, I'm sure they'd have spelled each other into oblivion."
Lily covered mouth wanting to hide her inappropriate laughter. "Then what?" She perched on the end of her seat.
"Well, as you might have guessed I couldn't just release them in their current state. So I magicked warm blankets over them and waited." Lily nodded vigorously wanting Frank to continue. "Ok so after a few moments I looked down on them, and I says to them. 'You two, going to behave like good gents and walk away? No harms been done and I think you've gotten it out of your systems. I could have told you that birds don't like that particular revealing spell being used on them.' I laughed of course. 'But you wouldn't have listened." Frank and Lily both enjoyed the tears of laughter at the account. "So, I released them and prevented further attack., warning them both, if there was further mayhem that I'd call Magical Law Enforcement down on them both."
"That's brilliant. I bet they fumed like there was no tomorrow." Frank nodded. "Well, neither of them has tried to contact me." She said a little wistfully. "Oh, well. So how was the party?"
Frank gave her a disappointed look. "Disbanded. When you left, there was really no reason to have a party, can't have a Gryffindor party without the head girl. And anyway, James wasn't a lot of fun afterward. But we did play some Quidditch. That was alright."
"I'm sorry, didn't mean to spoil the fun." Lily prowled around the kitchen for refreshments. "Tea or coffee?"
"Coffee, got a long day ahead of me." The expression of concern covered Frank's face so thoroughly that Lily had to say something.
Deliberating before speaking, "something bothering you?" She felt like she was prying but Frank was normally so happy.
He stood and walked in to the kitchen, taking a chair at the table. He steepled his fingers and gazed eloquently at his hands. 'Something was the matter,' Lily thought.
"I didn't want to ask, and by all means don't answer if you do want to, but I feel like I have to ask. Are you pregnant with James' baby? I mean I know it's none of my business, but I feel like I've got to ask."
Lily over poured the coffee and hastily mopped it up, which bought her some time before answering. Not looking at Frank, "no, the baby isn't James' and it's a terribly long story."
Frank took two slow deep breaths. "I thought not."
Looking at Frank a little suspiciously, "what would make you ask?" She handed Frank his coffee as a nice distraction from thinking where the conversation was headed.
"It's just that," Frank smoothly continued. "Snape showing up like that seemed very strange, and 'needing to speak to you of all things? Well, in my training I've seen some very strange things, but that is something I wouldn't have expected." Draining his coffee, he held it out for more. "It's Snape's then?"
"Yes, Frank." She felt worn out. "I suppose that it was you who owled Albus? After all, he only congratulated me, a father wasn't mentioned."
He held up a hand. "Guilty as charged. With you being in the Order, I thought he should know. Don't want him sending you wands blazing into a dangerous situation. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you or the baby, whatever his father's politics might be."
"Very kind of you." Frank didn't miss the tone that told him clearly she was feeling 'put out.'
"Lily, tell me what happened, I mean with Snape and all." He raised his open palms next to his head. "I know, it's none of my business, but for your safety I ask. And Lily I hope you know you can trust me."
Lily gave Frank a comical look, "I didn't expect a Spanish Inquisition."
Cottoning on, "nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition." They both laughed at the Monty Python joke, but Frank returned to his 'bobby face.' "If you can give me the short version, I don't know if I can bear the macabre details."
"Oh, alright. Here goes. I woke up from a bad dream, couldn't get back to sleep, so I poured over my old friend." Frank looked confused. "My diary, Frank. Anyway I ended getting liquored up. Then I sent Sev a great filthy letter, must have been three rolls of parchment (actually it had been five but she hadn't want to say that) about what a stupid git had been at Hogwarts. So, I passed out on the sofa and when I woke he had sent a reply. It said, say it to my face."
"Three rolls of parchment? Must have been a ripping like no other." Frank said with a trace of amusement.
"You have no idea." Lily smiled.
"Can't believe you fell for that, "say it to my face stuff"." Frank's amused look tickled Lily.
"Well, I took the necessary precautions." Frank gave her a despairing look. "Ok, well, I at least let my sister know where I was and had her phone me in the evening to make sure I had gotten home." She held up a hand to keep Frank from interrupting. "To make a long story short, I got a bit tipsy. Don't laugh, it's not funny." She shot him a whithering look. "I was feeling very strange."
Frank gave her his worried look. "He didn't slip anything into your drink did he?"
She gave him a dismissive hand. "No, more like nostalgia. You knew I loved Sev, we were best friends after all. I wanted so much for Severus to embrace me and all that I had to offer. As you know that went awry." She sunk down in her chair. "We went back to his home, I hit him a bunch and well, did it, end of story."
Frank's face dropped. To combat his obvious disappointment. Lily said defensively. "I don't regret it Frank, not one bit. Sev gave me something of himself that I cherish very dearly. And you should know too that it was then, I had decided not to marry James. I know that you will not believe me when I say, that Sev has made up ten-fold for any past insults." Lily's face was dreamy bliss.
Frank stood, walked over to Lily, moving her hair around and turning her head side to side. "Frank, whatever are you doing?"
"Checking for sign of injury." He replied frankly.
She swatted his hands away, he returned to his seat. "Stop it. I am worried about something though." Frank arched his eyebrow. "I'm worried about James. He didn't take my condition well at first, must have been a blow. He well, he was very angry."
"Has James hurt you?" Frank inquired.
She burst into tears. "Well, it was just that one time, it's like I said during the fight at the Potter place, he knocked me down, and called me a cunt. He didn't threaten me or anything, but it struck a chord." Frank put a sympathetic hand on Lily's. "Sometime later I went into Diagon Alley, James finds me in the Leaky Cauldron, chats me up, and things were pretty much as they had been, except the relationship part I mean."
"I can see James being upset, you running off with Snape, and all, but he never had a right to lay his hands on you. Engaged or not." Frank reinforced.
"And the way Sev went after James, I have to say that it shocked me. I just don't know, I'm so confused." She said weakly. Frank leaned back in his chair, downed his coffee and held his mug out for more. Which Lily graciously poured. She had barely touched her own. They sat in silence for some time. When Frank had finished his third cup he stood.
"Guess, I had better be getting back." Frank said a little mournfully.
"Ministry?" She figured.
"No, Madam What's-her-feet's. Alice will be expecting me."
Lily jumped up, looking very excited. "You two are expecting?" Frank smiled proudly. "That's such wonderful news, our babies will be born around the same time then." She hugged Frank. "Oh Frank that's great. Uhm? Do you mind if I come along? I want to congratulate Alice, and I guess some browsing wouldn't go amiss."
"Do come Lily, I know Alice will be thrilled." He held up a covert hand to his mouth. "And it might allow me to escape early, if you know what I mean."
She gave him a friendly punch in the arm. "Men!"
