Chapter 12

"The legality of the thing cannot be argued. That each and every prisoner should have a trial at the hands of the ministry is inarguable." Frank read from the manuscript he had been working on. He had to admit it had turned into a more legal document than he had intended it to start with. "So what do you think my dear?"He had felt he had had to put what he had been thinking down on paper. There was something so beautiful about the way words were formed on a piece of paper when they came together.

"I think it is time for you to come and enjoy the Christmas festivities." She said with a smile on her face. Alice sighed. She smiled again indulgently at her husband. She knew that Sirius was still weighing heavily on her mind.

"I will but can you just read it for me and say what you think of it."

"I have done and darling I think it is good and you are right." She shook her head. "My husband the reformer."

"I think it is needed. I know at the time he was put in jail things were up in the air for unsaid reasons but." he shook, his head. "How much do you think I should trust my intuition?"

She shook her head and noted he was coming up with some very hard question to answer that night. She was damned if she knew what to say to him. Whether she should say what he wanted to hear. She did not know what the truth was and so she was unable to tell him that.

"How much do you think you should?"

He shrugged.

The thing was part of him felt bad. All the time he was deliberating a man who he though could potentially be innocent was suffering in what he thought had to be the worse placed in the world.

And all the time he and Alice were raising his godson.

He had to say it just felt wrong and he knew when normality returned he was going to have to do something about it. But for now. Alice was right. They had to enjoy Christmas.

As a family.

And prepare for the next day he mused which was not going to be a fun day.

But a necessary one.

As the holiday had approached Alice had got a letter from Lily's mother, written in her neat feminine little hand. She had to say she had been waiting for it but it still saddened her when she got it.

She did not know why. She supposed it was because it was written as if she was asking permission to see Harry. And she shouldn't have to. She should be able to see him whenever she wanted to.

Her daughter and her son in law should be alive.

But then at the same time Alice was not sure if she could image what life not raising Harry would be like now. She had taken the lad into her heart when he had come to her and that was where he was going to stay as far as she was concerned.

For always.

So on the Saturday before Christmas the four of them put on the best clothes and headed over to the Evans which what Frank and Alice had no doubt was going to be an emotional meeting.

"I wish there was a way I could make them feel better." She said as they walked up to house that she had no doubt was still very much in mourning for the daughter it had lost.

"I know but it is going to be hard. The occasion when a mother has to bury her child should not come to pass. Ever." Said Frank. He knew as well as she did they were going to be hurting still and he doubted very much that they were going to be able to help them. It was not the sort of thing you could do anything for.

That was one thing they were able to agree on.

He knocked on the door and looked at the lad in his wife's arms who he was not sure if he was going to recognise his grandma and his grandma.

The door opened to reveal the face of Lily Evan's mother and she looked much as Alice had expected her too. She was pale but had obviously lost weight but she was delighted to see her small grandson, who she had missed very much.

"Alice, my dear, how good it is to see you!" said Rose to her, but already her eyes were on her grandson. It was only too obvious to Alice who it was good to see.

"Not at all, thank you for asking us." She said with a smile as she carried Harry in. "I think someone has been missing you."

She gave an indulgent smile at the boy who was now looking as if he was trying to place her in his mind.

"All of you come in," she nodded to Frank. "Please, it is getting cold out there."

As soon as she shut the door her eyes were once again on Harry. It was only too clear how much she had missed him.

"Yes, they say it is going to be a harsh winter, don't they?" agreed Frank.

"Come through my dears." She nodded shaking with anticipation. "Let me see my little man. Oh, Alice I am so glad you have to see us; I have missed him so much."

"Now you just let the children get their coats off, Rosie." said Mr Evans as he came down the stairs.

The woman gave her husband a sheepish smile.

Mr Evans looked less shell shocked than he had when he had been at the funeral but there was no denying he was still suffering over the death of his daughter. It was written all over him.

He too had lost weight compared the man Alice had met when she had come home on holiday with Lily. It looked as if his face would not burst in to laughter as easily as it once had.

"Alice, my dear, it is so good to see you," he said as he greeted her with a smile on his face.

Unlike his wife thought it seemed he could not bear to look at the child in her arms.

She had to say she was not surprised - after all, Harry had his mothers eyes.

Exactly his mother's eyes.

It had it be hard to see him wear them when his mother could not she thought to herself.

"As it is to see you Mr Evans," she said as he kissed her cheek. He was forced to look at his grandson as he did so.

"And this is our boy come home is it. He looks well." Said Mr. Evans as he put his hand on top of his grandson head.

"He is. He is very well, aren't you? But he has missed the two of you." Alice said.

"Let me get the two of you some tea." Said Rose as she walked through to the living room and her husband showed the Longbottom's into the living room.

"So, this is your boy Neville, is it? Lily told me all bout him. He was born on the same day as out Harry, was he not?"

"Yes he was," Frank nodded as they were lead through.

The living room in the home of the Evans had to blush purple sofa that matched well with the beige carpet.

Lily had come from a family with some money, as had James so Harry was heir to quite a big fortune of his own.

The large windows brought light into the room which made the family home seemed bright and open despite the fact that death was still lingering in the air about them.

There were pictures of Lily and James on the wall.

Pictures that Harry could see. And he had the same look on his face he had when he had seen Rose for the first time.

He knew what the pictures showed.

it was then that Frank really begun to appreciate that no matter how much he and his wife were able to love the boy they were never going to be the same for his as having his mother and his father there for him all of the time. They were not Lily and James.

"It is ok sweetie," he said as he stroked his head tenderly to try and comfort the boy who was still very clearly grieving for what he had missed.

"Mama and dad," he muttered sadly.

He had not forgotten and as long as they kept there memories green in his mind then it was not going to fade.

Frank was not going to let the memory of his friends fade.

It would only happen over his dead body.

"Miss." He said as he learned into his uncle.

Then what happened had to be top be one of the most heart warming moment Rose had seen in a while.

Neville, in seeing that the boy who he had adopted as a brother for himself was sad, toddled over and put his arms about him. It was as if he knew what he was going through even at his young age and he was trying to comfort the other lad in any way that he could.

"No need to ask if the two of them get on." Rose muttered as she looked at Alice with a smile. She was glad her grandson had a brother who he was going to grow up with. That was what Harry needed, she thought to herself. Someone who he was going to be able to depend upon no matter what came or happened.

"They have taken to one another as brothers but I think they did that before Harry came to our home. Even if things had turned out differently to the way they did, they would have always been brothers." She could not imagine a world when they would not have been.

Rose nodded. She had known they had been friends even before her daughter had died.

"And he has been a good boy since he had been with you?" she asked.

"Oh yes he has been wonderful to be about. He is such a sweet little boy."

"I know he is. He is not a thing like his cousin." She muttered. She had to say she was not pleased with the way her other grandson was turning out. But then she had always liked Alice and she had faith she was going to raise her grandson in to a good young man of who her and her husband were going to be very proud.

"How are you Mrs Evans?" said Alice in a gentle voice.

Rosie nodded. She had been expected the question. It was layered with meaning.

At least she had not skirted about the question as so many others had since she had lost her child. That was another reason why she respected Alice. She was not afraid to say what she was thinking in a straight way.

"It has been a very hard few weeks and, if I am being honest with you, Alice then I can't say I can see it getting much better any time soon." She said to her. She had tears in her eyes and it was clear she was still having a hard time coming to terms with the fact her daughter had been taken from her when she was so young. She had been twenty one which they all knew was no age to die. And Lily had been such a wonderful person, Rose was sure it was not just her mother's bias. She had had so much to give to the world, and to see and to do. She could not bear to think she had left so much unfinished.

It just wasn't fair and she did not think she was ever going to get used to it. Not as long as she lived.

But this was the women who she had held when she had been young and had proudly watched as she had turned into a fine young witch. Alice had always known much joy Lily had brought to her parents and to think that was gone for them forever now was awful. She had no idea how she was going to comfort her. Or if there was ever going to be any comfort for them. Frank was right...

Alice reached out and took her hand. When she was in the house where she had had so many good summers with Lily she felt that her own grief was raw.

The best friend she had was gone forever and she was never going to be back. And it did hurt there was no getting away from that. It hurt her so much.

"I fear time is the only thing that is going to be able to help any of us," sighed Alice and Rose nodded. Rose could not help but think how wise Alice was for her age. She had been through so much in the past few years, just as her daughter had when she had been alive. And they had been through it together. It was no wonder that she felt such a connection to the young girl now her Lily was gone she thought to herself.

Alice had to say that was the feeling she had too. It was as if the two of them had been united by their grief.

"I hope you are right my dear but am not sure if time is going to heal me. You have to understand that she was my child, dear. She was the child of my heart and I miss her every day more." It was a dull ache in her heart that she did not think was ever going to fade. And it throbbed every so often to remind her it was there and it was never going to leave her.

Selfishly, as she heard those words, the only thing Alice could think was that she hoped she was never going to be doomed to go through that. She did not ever want to know what she was going through in the trustiest sense of the word, but then what mother would?

For all that she loved Harry she knew what Rosie had meant what she had called Lily the child of her heart for that was what her son was to her. She knew if it were not for Neville she would not have got through the war as she had.

And the thought of life without the boy who she thought of as her heart made her choke back a sob she had been longing to cry for some time now.

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