Wallflower
Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Boy Who Lived
Adelaide did not like this situation. She didn't like it one bit.
"Sirius, we trust you," James said, "You have no reason to betray us."
"You're being ridiculous!" Adelaide interjected angrily, tossing her hands up in the air, "You would never give in to anyone looking for them!"
"But they would suspect me!" Sirius protested for the fifth time, "Look, I hate suggesting it, but maybe Peter would be a better choice. No one would ever think that he's the secret keeper! He's always been below average and he's always been very cowardly. No one would think that you made him the secret keeper!" James sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, while Lily watched him with worry and held the half-way asleep Harry tightly to her chest.
"What about Remus?" Adelaide said quickly. Sirius groaned and leaned back in his seat.
"You know we can't be sure-."
"He loves you all like brothers!" she hissed, "Despite his Lycanthrope, he would never sell you all out! Never! If he wasn't trustworthy, I wouldn't have left Aludra with him tonight!"
"We need to be as cautious as possible!" Sirius said, raising his voice before he got out of his seat and paced to the window, where he glanced up at the small sliver that hung in the sky. It would be a New Moon soon.
"They're managed to find our locations five times already," Lily whispered, "It's either Remus or Peter telling anyone, and honestly I don't want to think it's Remus, but…"
"I can't let you make Peter the Secret Keeper!" Adelaide screamed, shocking them all. She tugged harshly on her hair and felt tears building up in her eyes from anger, "I don't trust him!!"
"I know that you don't like him-." Sirius tried to interject.
"This isn't because of that!" Adelaide groaned, "It's because of all about him! He's lost his credibility! That, and I've been thinking over this for a while, ever since I fought with Annalisa and she left that note-."
"What note?" James asked. Adelaide pulled the sliver of paper from her pocket and placed it on the kitchen table. Lily pulled it closer to her and glanced at Adelaide's markings, circling the hidden messages.
"Annalisa left this for me," Adelaide whispered, "I know that she's a death eater, and that makes her evil, but it's better then nothing. This is why I don't trust him. Please don't do this. Please." Her tears overflowed and she whipped her face clear, only for her cheeks to get soaked again. The others looked at the note, and Sirius clenched his jaw.
"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked, "We could have known earlier, we could have-."
"Because he was your friend, and you guys trusted him. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt. I wanted to see if his actions gave anything away, and everything adds up! His disappearances after dating Annalisa in seventh year, they occur so often, and he's always so awkward…I don't trust him. This makes it worse." James banged his fist onto the table and cursed angrily.
"God dammit!"
Lily stood and cradled Harry closer, "I'm taking him up stairs. I'll be right back."
"Adelaide, go with her," Sirius said. Adelaide raised an eyebrow at the command, and he relaxed slightly, "Please?" She nodded and followed Lily who went up the stairs and into Harry's new bedroom. She placed him in the crib and watched him tenderly, brushing his hair from his face.
"I don't want him to die," Lily whispered brokenly, "I don't want to loose him when I only just got him." Adelaide carefully gave Lily a one-armed hug before leading her back downstairs.
"We won't let him die," she whispered, "I swear to you."
As soon as their feet hit the bottom step, there was a large crash and a string of curses. Adelaide and Lily froze, and they heard laughter, and yelling.
"SUMMON THE ORDER!!"
"Oh no," Lily whispered, "They're here."
They acted quickly, Adelaide and Lily both sending out patronus' that left quickly, one a graceful doe and the other a large dog. Adelaide took a shaky breath, before steeling herself and barging into the kitchen, quickly scanning the room and sending multiple spells at the death eaters. She sneered at Peter, who was helping a masked Death Eater battle against Sirius. She hissed out in anger as she saw his sleeve on his left arm rolled up, revealing a pulsing dark mark. She pieced it together and knew that he had been listening in, and summoned back up.
"Peter!!" She screamed, sending hex after hex at the swarming Death Eaters. They all wore masks, making them un-namable.
Then there were flashes of white light as Order Members apparated in, and Adelaide felt a small sense of relief at their appearance. The battle commenced, and she spotted Sirius taking on three Death Eaters, and easily holding his own. She smiled with pride before sending a curse towards another death eater, causing him to collapse.
"We fight to kill!" an order member called to their comrades, and Adelaide nodded slightly. No one was holding back anymore.
The order had been gaining the upper hand, when Adelaide heard Lily scream out in terror.
"HARRY!"
Adelaide turned and saw the end of a black cloak swooping around the corner, and Lily darting across the crowded room and following qith panic. Adelaide moved to help, when she was intercepted by Peter.
"You aren't getting up those stairs until the Dark Lord is back down, and Harry and Lily are dead," he sneered, "Expelliarmus!"
Lily's heart was thudding in her chest, jumping into her throat and causing her to choke as she stumbled on the last stair. She head his laughter, cold and chilling, before she burst into Harry's room where Voldemort stood, pointing his wand at the now-awake baby, who was standing in his crib and watching him with a confused expression. Lily cried out in horror and fear, but Voldemort paid her no mind.
Lily acted quickly and pointed her wand at his back, and the two simultaneously screamed,
"Avada Kadavra!"
There were screams downstairs and the ceiling lurched and rocked, causing James' face to pale.
"Harry!" He cried, but was forced to fight with the pushy Death Eater. Almost half of the Death Eaters were incapacitated of killed, and the Order was standing strong with minimal casualties. Everyone could feel powerful magic surge from upstairs, dousing them all with the weird sensation that accompanied the magical blast.
"Lily!" Adelaide screamed, before she took her opening and charged upstairs. She felt her heart constrict with fear as she spotted the unhinged door, before hurrying into the room. It was a complete disaster, with the wall completely destroyed. She heard screams of outrage from downstairs, but her eyes were glued to the scene before her.
Lily was standing on wobbly knees, her wand outstretched, and looked amazed at her Toddler that stood in his crib, a scar on his head in the shape of a lightening bolt scar. Adelaide saw the body on the floor, and grimaced at the twisted snake-like features before she turned and used her magic to reset the door and placed multiple wards along the room, including the exposed wall, before turning and taking Lily into her arms.
"What the hell happened?" Adelaide whispered. Lily was shaking, and her eyes were glued to her baby.
"I-I sent the k-killing curse at h-him, a-and he sent it at Harry, but s-something happened…it backfired…Voldemort's dead." Adelaide let out a shaky breath, and held Lily tighter.
"We're staying here until it's safe," Adelaide explained, "We aren't giving anyone any more chances to harm him."
-
The kitchen was tense and relaxed at the same time as the remaining order members stood and stared in amazement at Lily, or specifically, the child in her arms. Lily was still shaking, and James had his arms wrapped around her and showed no signs of letting her go any time soon. Sirius stood beside Adelaide and Remus, and Adelaide was holding Aludra tightly to her chest. Dumbledore stood in the kitchen with a wary expression, but his blue eyes were calculating.
"They can stay with me," Adelaide offered quickly, "Until we come up with a plan."
"Our house isn't big enough," Sirius said with a frown. Adelaide smiled grimly.
"But my house is," she said, "Fay/Vicknair Mansion is still standing, and there is more then enough room to house them. You already know this." She smiled slightly as she remembered the good memories, "I can get Nobby to do a quick clean up, and we can get your things and be out of here as soon as you need."
"We can't ask you," Lily began. Adelaide interrupted her with a wave of her hand.
"You aren't asking, I'm offering," Adelaide corrected, "You have all been there for me, and it's time that I return the favor." Lily was about to interject, but was cut off by one of the less patient order members.
"How did this happen?" Emmeline Vance asked, "How did Harry survive?" Lily and Adelaide pursed her lips, but otherwise they stopped their conversation to hear the answer to satisfy their curiosity.
"I have come up with one solution," Dumbledore said, but he did not elaborate.
"Well?" Vance snapped. Dumbledore smiled lightly.
"Love." Vance raised her eyebrows, before snorting, but she otherwise didn't question his answer. Aludra stirred in Adeladie's arms, and blinked in confusion as she realized that she wasn't in her house. She spotted Harry, and frowned.
"Why he here?" she asked angrily. The rest of the orders looked horrified that someone had dare insult the wondrous 'boy who lived', while Adelaide, Sirius, James, and Lily all shared exasperated looks.
"Well, I guess one good things comes from her disliking him," Sirius said, shrugging his shoulders. The others looked at him, and he grinned cheekily, "It means that's one person who doesn't worship him." Adelaide snorted lightly.
"He'll have enough rabid fangirls to make up for it anyway," she joked. Lily frowned, while James held back a smile.
"I don't want him to grow up in the limelight," she protested, "I don't want him to turn into one of those spoiled stars!" Dumbledore crossed his fingers in front of him, and hummed slightly.
"Then, I suggest that you remain in hiding," he explained, "Aside from having him live as your every day child, he will be protected from the remaining Death Eaters that will seek revenge on Voldemort's behalf." Everyone began to agree then, and Lily and James seemed to realize that he would have many enemies, all because of some odd twist of fate. Lily hugged Harry closer to her, while James wrapped his arms around her middle and squeezed her softly.
"It'll be okay," he whispered.
"Do you know where you will stay?" Sirius asked, eyebrows furrowed in worry, "You can't stay here, the second floor is too damaged."
"We were planning on buying a house we saw briefly in Godrics Hallow," James explained, "That was going to be our next house, where we would have used the Fidelius Charm."
"How about this," Adelaide said quickly, "You stay with us at Vicknair Mansion until we can buy the house without anyone suspecting anything. We'll have to place it under some serious charms-"
"You want me to charm a house?"
"-I'm completely ignoring that statement. Anyway, after placing it under some strong wards and charms, you can move in and live under the sensory charms until almost all remaining Death Eaters are either dead or in Azkaban. That way, Harry will live a normal life for a large portion of his life and when he is revealed to the public then there will be a very slim possibility of Death Eaters coming after him to avenge their masters death." She smiled as she finished, and Sirius gave her a sideways hug.
"I always knew you were smart," he said playfully, and she gently elbowed him. Dumbledore smiled.
"I don't see why this plan wouldn't work," he said, gently nodding his head after a second, "I believe that will be the best course of action." Adelaide smiled slightly, her cheeks dusting a light pink, and Lily smiled in relief.
"Hey, if we're lucky, Ally will get used to Harry," Lily joked lightly. Aludra wrinkled her nose, before blowing a raspberry at Harry.
"Ally!" Harry giggled, holding out his hand and waving. Aludra grimaced before turning her head and glaring at the wall. Harry remained oblivious before giggling and looking at Lily with a large smile. Lily sighed, but returned the smile.
"Don't you think it's odd that the first person he can name out loud is the only person that continues to dislike him?" she asked. Adelaide shrugged and gently rubbed Aludra's back, who relaxed and rested her jaw on her shoulder.
"She'll warm up to him," Adelaide assured, "It'll be like a brother-sister relationship: they continue to dislike each other, and annoy each other, but secretly like each other." Sirius and James gave her amused glances, and she thought over her sentence quickly, before blushing and slapping Sirius' chest.
"Not like that, you idiots!!" Sirius laughed and rubbed where her hand connected with his chest.
"You know we're kidding," he said, before leaning down and giving her a soft kiss, "I love you." She smiled and entwined her free hand with his.
"I love you too."
-
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all things concerning belong to J.K. Rowling. I own Adelaide Vicknair, Vanessa Wolfe, Caryn Gree, Elise Barnes, Madeline Vicknair, Annalisa Bertucci, Professor Sicily and Jean Vicknair.
A/N: So, forget the epilogue, it doesn't exist any more, and this is…the end of Wallflower. I iz so happiez!!!! :DDDD Next is Edelweiss, but don't expect it too soon. I have school going on and I am DETERMINED to raise my grades, to get NO C's, to get a minimum amount of B's, and to get a 3.0 or higher GPA (right now it's a 2.95 because I slacked off in math. :( Stupid math!)
ANYWAY: Thank you so much for reviewing and sticking with me till the end and all your help!! I LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!! :DDDDDDD ::sniff:: now I'm all emotional. :"(
Yours truly,
B.E.N.
P.S: Get it? Under the sensory charms? Under the Radar? LOL wow I'm lame. XP
