Chapter 10: A Parents Concern

It was the middle of the week and Lily was sitting alone in the Head Common Room. The others had gone to bed, but neither she nor James could sleep. James was in his room for the moment, but she was planning on talking with him when he came out.

"Hey, you," he said from behind her, and she could tell he had a smile on his face.

"Hey, James," Lily replied as he came around the couch and sat next to her.

He kissed her on the cheek and threw an arm around her shoulders. "What's on your mind?"

"Harry and Ginny," she answered simply.

"Harry I can understand," James replied softly, "but why Ginny?"

"It's just strange...well, not strange, but there are so many things I'm not sure of, so many things I still have to figure out, but with them, there's always one constant-each other."

"What are you guys talking about?" Ginny's voice came from the end of the couch. Her hair was in a messed up bun and she was wearing shorts and a tank top.

"You and Harry, actually." Lily said softly.

Ginny smiled, sitting down in the armchair across from them. "He's amazing, isn't he?"

"More than amazing." Lily responded with a smile in return.

"More like a miracle."

"A miracle..." Ginny pondered James' statement. "That's a good way to describe him."

"How much has he gone through?" Lily asked suddenly, after a short silence. "He always looks so old, so beyond his years. I'm a little worried."

"Me too," James agreed. "Today he was talking to Ron about you, and he mentioned that he died for you."

"What?" Lily gasped. "How is that possible?"

"Miracle." Ginny said with a wry grin. "He did. It took a rare piece of magic to make it possible, but it happened."

"That's what Harry said when I asked him," James agreed.

"To answer your first question, Harry has been through a lot. He's been through more hardships than anyone I know, but he's-somehow-come out whole at the end. My family has helped with that a lot."

"It sounds like you've helped with that a lot," James stated.

"Your family?" Lily asked, her face pale. "What about us? Where are we?"

Ginny's face went pale, and she stuttered, trying to think of an explanation for her words. "You-you...were away."

"We're dead, aren't we?" James asked in a whisper. "We died when he was young. He looked like he had seen a ghost when he first saw us. And...well, he doesn't seem to know anything about us, and anything he does know, seems to have come from someone else."

Lily and James both stared at Ginny, searching her face for an answer. They seemed to find it fairly quickly-Ginny was having a hard time masking her emotions.

"Where did he go?" Lily asked desperately. "How long were we even around?"

Ginny opened her mouth to tell them she couldn't say anything more, when they heard a sudden yell.

"GINNY!"

Not hesitating, Ginny raced down the hall and burst into James' room, rushing to Harry's side. He was tossing and turning, the sheets bunched around him.

"NOOO!"

"HARRY!" Ginny yelled and his eyes shot open, meeting hers immediately. "I'm right here, Harry, I'm alright."

Ginny heard Lily and James gasp behind her, but she ignored them. "Ron, go get him some water or something."

"Gin...Come here," Harry murmured hoarsely, and she pulled him up and wrapped her arms around him. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in deeply. "You're mine," he whispered.

"All yours," Ginny replied in an equally low voice. "And I'm perfectly fine. Which one was it?"

"Bellatrix," his voice came out rough, "I've said it once, I'll say it again," Harry pulled slightly away so he could look her in the eyes. "If she got you, she would have been sorry. It would have been the last thing she'd done."

"Harry...are you alright?" Lily's voice came from behind Ginny.

"Yeah," Harry pulled Ginny to him and looked over her head at his parents. "I'm alright. I'm sorry if I woke you...the nightmares aren't so common anymore, I don't know why I had one tonight."

"Probably because of seeing us so much lately," James said softly.

Harry gave him a sharp look. "What are you talking about?" When Ron handed him a glass of water he gulped it down and gave James a questioning look.

"Well...we're dead, aren't we? In the future?"

Harry looked at Ron immediately, "What do I have to do to get you to keep your mouth shut?" He snapped.

"Harry," Ginny said softly. "It wasn't him. I didn't mean to tell them...I kind of...said something, and they figured it out."

"Like Remus did." Harry sighed. "Then, yes. You aren't around in the future."

"How old were you?" Lily asked.

Harry met her eyes, and she noticed how haunted they looked in that moment. "You don't need to know that," he said firmly.

"I want to know," James said resolutely.

"Well, I'm not going to tell you," Harry replied with his eyes narrowed, "and neither are any of them." Harry gave a pointed look to all of his fellow time-travelers, who nodded. "That means you too, Ron. I don't want them to know when or how."

"Okay," Kacey said simply. "We won't say anything," she looked around at them all again and gave a more pointed look to Ron.

"Why does everyone always look at me?" Ron said, with a disgruntled look at Hermione.

"Because you're usually the one to give important things away," she said with a sigh, "and even you can't deny that."

"Is there some potion we could give him that keeps his mouth shut about anything crucial to the future?" Sarah asked amusedly.

"Not that I know of," Draco answered from behind her, "And I used to be one of the best Potions students around."

"Lils is pretty good at Potions, too. I don't really like the reason for you asking," James said, "but Lily, can you think of anything?"

"No," Lily shook her head. "If anyone would know, Severus would."

"I'm not taking anything from anyone," Ron said firmly. "No stupid potions. I won't say anything. No one needs to know how badly Harry's childhood was under the Dursley-!"

"Shut up, Ron!" Harry snapped, jumping to his feet, "Just shut up! I don't think you understand how important it is to keep the secrets of the future!"

"Alright, stop. Both of you be quiet. Harry, half of the time he barely knows what he's doing, so lay off a little, and Ron, think before you speak, please. You could give something crucial away and cause the future to be changed-which could potentially cancel our existence."

"Ron...did you just say Dursley?" Lily asked hesitantly.

Ron looked startled. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said, his voice an octave higher than usual.

"You did...you said Harry's life was horrible with the Dursleys. But...Petunia is dating a Vernon Dursley and my mother wrote me and said she thought they would end up married..." Lily went silent for a moment, and then looked up, horrified. "Harry, did you stay with Petunia after we died?"

Harry stared at her for a moment, and then nodded resignedly. "Yes, I did."

"And they...treated you badly?" Lily asked, a hurt note creeping into her voice.

Harry stared at each person in the room and then looked at the floor. "Yes...they treated me badly."

Lily's cheeks slowly grew redder. "Tell me you're joking. Tell me my sister didn't treat you horribly. God dammit, you're serious! They treated you terribly, didn't they?"

Harry clenched his fists on his knees, so the words 'I must not tell lies' shone white on the back of his hand. "I may not want you to know the truth on some things, but I'm not going to lie to you."

"Harry, Ginny, Sarah and Kacey, I want to talk with you and Lily," James said quietly.

The group left the room, going into the Common area and sitting down.

"What are we here for?" Sarah asked hesitantly.

James looked at she and Kacey. "I want to know some things and I need you two to be mediators. The way I see it, you weren't around when any of this actually happened, so you're neutral."

"I have some questions as well," Lily said softly. "How about we start with an easy one. What was your nightmare about?"

Harry winced. "You call that easy?" Then he sighed. "During the Final Battle, Bellatrix Lestrange almost hit Ginny with a Killing Curse. It missed-obviously, but in my dreams, I see it hit her...and thats one of my worst nightmares."

"What are some of your other nightmares?" James asked curiously.

"I see what happened when you died. And...I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you that Sirius is dead in the future as well. I saw that happen, and it's another of my nightmares. Also...in the future...Dumbledore was killed. I saw that happen...and because of a freezing spell by Dumbledore, I wasn't able to do anything to stop it. That haunts me, even after I learned it was planned. And then...in my fourth year, the Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts. I was a champion, but at the end, the cup was a Portkey and took me and Cedric, another champion, to a graveyard in Little Hangleton. I had suggested to take the Portkey together...and Cedric was killed. I was brought there so Voldemort could kill me after he rose again and I managed to get away." he laughed dryly, "with your help, actually."

"You faced Voldemort at fourteen?" James asked incredulously.

"He faced a form of him at eleven as well." Ginny said, "Not to mention saving me in the Chamber of Secrets."

James and Lily sat in silence for a moment and then Lily spoke again. "I want to know what happened when you were staying with Petunia."

Harry stared at Lily with a pained look on his face. "I don't want to tell you that."

"It doesn't have any way of changing the future," Sarah said gently.

"She's right," Kacey added. "Nothing in that story can be used to change anything."

"Alright," Harry said. "They made me cook for them. I made breakfast on multiple occasions. Dudley, Aunt Petunia's son, used to beat me up-we're on better terms now, since I saved his life...or soul..or whatever. Basically, they tried to squeeze the magic out of me. I didn't even know I was a wizard until my letter came."

James nodded solemnly and Lily gasped. "That means...that means we died when you were really young. There's no way we would have kept something like that from you!" she exclaimed. "How old were you?!"

"Young," Harry replied, jutting his chin out, stubbornly refusing to tell them his exact age.

"Are Remus and Peter still alive?" James asked curiously, almost as if he didn't want to know the answer.

Harry hesitated, and then shook his head. "No, you're all dead."

"What about Severus?" Lily asked timidly. James whipped his head around to look at her but said nothing as she stared at Harry.

"Dead as well," Harry said quietly.

"What about Frank and Alice?" Lily asked, timid again. At this, James' head swivelled back to Harry.

Harry stared at the couple in front of him, and thought of Neville. "They...are in St. Mungo's permanently."

"Why?" Lily asked, shocked.

Harry narrowed his eyes at the ground. "Bellatrix Lestrange tortured them into insanity," he said bitterly.

"I hope Sirius took her with him when he died," James snarled.

Lily was the only one who noticed Harry's wince.

"Did she get away?" She asked astonishedly, misinterpreting his reaction.

"She's dead," Harry said harshly in reply. "Ginny's Mum took care of her, and if she hadn't...I would've."

"Because of when she almost hit Ginny with the Killing Curse?" Lily asked.

"That," Harry conceded, "and more."

"You are good friends with Frank and Alice's son," Sarah said quietly, trying to prevent them from figuring out what happened to Sirius.

"Not to mention she killed Sirius," Kacey said with a growl.

"WHAT?" James exclaimed. "That BITCH! She did not kill Sirius!"

Harry turned to glare at Kacey. "I was trying to avoid that coming out," he said angrily. He turned back to James. "Dad...look at me...this doesn't mean you go after Bellatrix more fiercely...let things play out the way they do."

"So how do Remus and Peter die?" James asked.

"Remus died during the Final Battle," Ginny said quietly, "and Peter died fulfilling a life debt to Harry."

It was lucky James and Lily were looking at Ginny at the moment, otherwise they would have seen the dark look that crossed Harry's face at the mention of Peter.

"Made it sound really noble, didn't you?" Harry muttered under his breath.

"Harry..." Ginny said warningly.

"Sorry," he murmured in reply.

James narrowed his eyes. "What did you just say?"

"Nothing." Harry replied shortly.

"Are you still staying with my sister?" Lily asked hastily, sensing the tension.

"No." Harry said. "I left on my seventeenth birthday and the last time I saw them was when I went to tell them it was over...at least Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Dudley and I go out for a drink occasionally. I entertain him with stories of my years at Hogwarts."

"How are your parents, Ginny?" Lily asked, looking at her with a smile.

"Alive." Ginny replied. "My whole family except for one of my brothers, made it through."

"What about you, Kacey and Sarah? How did you make it through the war?"

"We made it through with our whole family. Mum and Dad moved us to France during the war. They go to school here now, I think. Joe Coelho and Kathy Montani."

"Oh, yeah..." Lily smiled. "They're very nice, they're a sweet couple."

Sarah and Kacey grinned. "I bet they're even more sickening now than they are in the present," Kacey said with a wrinkled nose.

Sarah laughed, "You know you absolutely adore the fact that our parents are still so in love. She's a romantic to the core," Sarah added to Lily and James. "And she loves babies." she mused. "When she and Jose get married, they're going to have twenty kids running around their house," the group laughed and Kacey blushed.

"Not that many!" she protested, then giggled, "Though I do love children," the group laughed again.

"We should probably go to bed, now," Lily said suddenly. "We have class tomorrow."

Everyone nodded and headed back to their rooms.