Chapter 9
Coming in from work late the husband out his arms round his wife.
"Sorry I'm late," he said to her.
"Your home now, it doesn't matter" she said to him and kissed him. She had been looking forward to this all day.
"Oh crap," she said as she heard her son begin to cry.
She couldn't just leave him.
"Oh come on Mark, mummy wants some time with your daddy before she goes to sleep tonight," she said to her son whispering but he screamed louder, eventually waking his sister.
"Oh Summer come to your daddy," said James ass he picked up his daughter.
Half an a hour later the Potter's found themselves on the sofa.
James had one arm supporting his four month old girl and the other was wrapped tightly round his wife and son who had gone to sleep eventually.
"I love you Lily," he said to her as she followed the kids and went in to dreams.
James knew if only his eldest two were there he would have been able to stay in that moment for ever.
For once he felt peace. Just utter peaceā¦
"That looks really sore," said Elle to her brother the next night as he got back from his first detention with Umbridge.
"It is," he said to her.
"I'm not even lying." he said to her.
"I know your not, she's just bitter that she's wrong," said Ellouise.
"Well I still have another week to do." He said.
"Why don't you just not go," said Beth.
"I'd get in more trouble." he shrugged.
"You don't think there all going to be like this do you," Elle said to him.
"Yes, Elle," he said to her. "I think there all going to be just like this."
"Why don't you write to dad, he might be able to - well I don't know, but if he knew all this was going on he would want to help you, put a stop to it if he could?"
"And what can he really do," he asked her raising an eye brow. "No I don't want to worry him, he has a lot on his plate." he shrugged what she had said off.
"And so do you. We all do Harry, every one in the maraudering family. But we pride our selves on being together. Don't shut me out, nor mum and dad." she said.
"You sounded just like dad then. It was something he would say to me, while mum just would ask me were my sense has gone.." he said.
"You never did have a lot to start with," she said as she held his hand.
It was only a little thing, but it really got to her to see him hurt.
"I guess not," he said as he moved forward and kissed her head. "You get off to bed soon ok, you have to get to class with the rest of us in the morning." he reminded her.
"I know," she said as he left the common room so it was just her and Beth.
"That's where him and Dudley are different," she said to Beth with a heavy sigh. "If Dudley gets upset then he will talk. Not Harry though. He doesn't have to be alone all the time I wish he would see that." she said.
"He has been through a lot that we haven't Ellouise, you have to remember that," Beth reminded her. "More than any of us have."
"I wish he hadn't Beth" she said.
"We all do." she said as they headed up to the dorm room.
As Beth laid in bed that night she knew she was going to be the last one off.
Around her she could hear the other girls breathing deeply, indicating they were deep in sleep, she wished she was.
She did worry about Elle. They hadn't always got on as well as perhaps they should have but after summer and everything, well they were sisters, just as there mothers had been before them.
Against the odds she knew if she had one friendship that was going to last through the ages it was her one with Elle and that was a comforting thought.
Smiling as she thought of how far they had both come since they had meat she rolled over and tried to go to sleep. As Harry had said she had class in the morning.
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Once the classes were done with the next day Elle went to the lake just as she always had.
She had to get a reading book she thought to her self. She had none at the moment. She'd write to lily when she got up to the castle. Her mum would have some thing for her she was sure of it.
Looking over to the Quidditch pitch, she saw a familiar looking red head up there trying to charm the quaffle by the looks of things.
"Ron," she called up to him as she got to the pitch. He looked at her as if she had just busted his bubble or something.
With a smooth landing he was back on the ground with her and looked sheepish.
"What where you doing up there?" she asked him inquisitively.
" Well you know with the try outs coming up and stuff - I just thought - I'd like to, you know try out perhaps." he said to her the top of his ears going red.
"That would rock, having you on the team!" she said to him encouragingly.
"You think?" he asked with a coy smile.
"Well you're a Weasley aren't you," Elle asked him with a grin of her own.
"Yeah I am," he said proudly to her. "I can do this." he nodded.
"Yeah you can mates, but not the way you were. You're going to give your self a black eye if you keep trying to charm them to hit you. Come on, let a friend help you out,." she said to him.
"If I must," he said to her grateful.
"Yup I am going to make you," she said to him as she got a broom out of the shed and went up.
It was a bit of a laugh to be honest.
She never got a lot of time with Ron by him self, despite them being pretty good friends, they had hang out for the past three years after all. He was a brother to her, in many ways.
"Are you ok," said Ron as he saw her looking at something longingly. Going up next to her he saw what she had been looking at had been Hagrid's hut,
"I miss him so much when he isn't around for us."
"Me to Ellouise." He said as he put his hand on her shoulder. "Its like Harry said when we were in our second year: there is no Hogwarts with out Hagrid," he told her. Whether or not that had been meant to be a comfort, she wasn't sure.
"Its getting cold. Why don't we go up to the common room," she said to him.
Entering the two found Harry and Hermione were already there but Hermione was not impressed with the twins.
"You can not use the firsts years to test out what ever you are doing next I don't care what you say!" she yelled. "Ron will you back me up!" she asked him
But it soon became clear to her that Ron was not going to stick up to his brothers for her.
"You know it wont kill you to back me up once in a while,." she said to him.
However Elle doubted that statement especially when it involved the twins, she wouldn't if it was her. She wouldn't like to be on the receiving end of one of there pranks, though may be it would be a bit of fun if they did,.
"A prank war," she said to her self. She had to do some thing to lighten the mood in the common room.
."What was that about pranks dear Ellouise," said George sarcastically.
"Watch your back Weasley," she said to him.
"That my dear friend sounds like a challenge." he said to her.
"Perhaps it is." she said more to her self than to him. All she knew was she was an heir of the marauders and there hadn't been enough maraudering around of late.
Time for some fun.
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"It is so quite round here," Ruby said to Remus as he came in to the living room where she had been sitting.
"I know it is." he said to her sympathetically, slightly. "I remember the first time after the kids had gone back. We all miss them." he told her.
"I know," she nodded. "Still they we'll get a Hogsmeade trop soon won't they?" s he asked.
"Yes and then we can go and see them both." he said to her smiling.
"What now, I know this sounds stupid, but I'm bored."
"So am I," he said to her nodding knowing the feeling. "Come on, if we're going to find something, it won't be in here." he said to her.
It seemed that since they had had a chat he was beginning to open up to her more and accept she was a part of his life again. She had ever made him smile a view times.
I'm not going to give this up ever again, she said to her self as they walked off together.
She had made that mistake once, she wouldn't be again.
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Reading Ellouise's letter that she had just written home, lily smiled.
"Dud what do you think about going on a trip to Hogsmeade in a view days with me to see Ellouise and Harry would you be up for it?" she asked but really, she knew the answer.
"Yeah that would be wicked Lily." he said to her excited.
Since every one had gone back to there own reality's they had got so close. She was his best friend now.
Classes were a lot of fun and they both had giggling fits a lot.
How he had ever got along with out an aunt like Lily he never knew.
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As Elle got back to the common room after she had had her dinner she saw a lot of the group had got back before her.
"Is Harry at his detention," she asked.
"Yup," said Hermione from where she was sitting reading about some thing or another.
Sighing Elle felt dissatisfied. He shouldn't have to be doing this.
Ginny looked worried. She and Harry had been closer than ever lately, and she must have been told about what he had to do.
"I hope that cow doesn't make him do what she did yesterday," she said worried by what was going on to her beloved as were the rest of them.
Ginny had been waiting do long to be with Harry, it was just a shame in her eyes that when they did finally get to be together they did have to be in the middle of a war,
"Me to Ginny," Ellouise nodded as she caught sight of Neville.
Smiling at him she nodded to Ginny in good bye and walked over.
"Hello honey" she said to him as she sat by him on the sofa.
"He'll be ok," he said to her reassuringly,. He had hared what the girls had been talking about.
"yeah, I know, " she said grateful for the comfort he offered her
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As the order meeting let out every one got involved in there own conversations, or dashed off to do we what they had to.
James sat at the table with a coffee talking to Lily, he wanted to be with her more but he had to work. He hated working for the ministry that called is son a liar though/. He knew his boy and he knew he wouldn't tell a lie.
"It'll ease up soon," his wife said to him.
"Will it babe?" he asked her, "I want to be with you and the kids." he said to her.
"I know you do, and you will be. But you know you have to do this." she said to him "We, the order have to have people inn the ministry" she said to him.
"I know we do, of course I know!" he said to her nodding. "Can we go up to bed now." he asked her.
Nodding with a slight chuckle, she smiled. Kissing his fore head she took his hand. "Yeah come on sweet heart," she said to him. "We're going to go up guys, well see you in the morning," she said to the others.
"Ok, night Lily," said Mel. "I might go up in a bit too," she said to the girl she had been talking to before heading off to snugly up to her husband.
The girl she had been speaking with had been talking too had been Tonks.
She had in return made small talk but she hadn't come her to see Mel.
Well she had come here to be at the meeting but another key attraction for her had been Remus.
How ever she wasn't sure she was going to have a lot of luck now that his old flame was back.
But maybe then again she might be wrong.
He was coming to talk to her.
This was why the were wolf was confused. As much fun he had been having with his Ruby that day he was still deeply attracted to the young auror.
He was going to have to talk to James and Sirius. There was nothing else for it.
He had no idea who he wanted to be with any more.
Things had been simpler with is god daughter had been the only women in his life.
