Chapter 53

"We'll give you Potters a choice-" The Death Eater that was restraining Mrs. Potter boomed, "you're purebloods... We don't really want to hurt you. Join us. The Dark Lord has uses for you."

James knew his father wouldn't agree without even looking at the elderly man. James' father was shaking in fury from even being asked to side with the people that had killed his best friend. Mrs. Potter was no different. The tears in her eyes had become tears of anger and spite. The deaths of the Prewetts had sent both of James' parents into a spiral of depression for a long while. They had still been upset when Gail had stayed with them, even though they had been very cautious not to display their grief. They thought James didn't understand.

But James' best friend was just upstairs.

"Stuff it," James retorted bitterly, jutting his chin out in defiance. That was a poor choice to make, James though later. The Death Eater that was holding his mum released his grip on her and targeted James with his wand. James' stomach jumped, realizing that he had the wands of three murderers pointed at him. For whatever reason, the fourth was still pointed at his father.

"Boy... Maybe you should rethink your answer..." James fumed at that. They were looking down on him because he was young. At least, the lead Death Eater was.

"I don't think so," James snarled. Before he could even blink, the speaker whipped his wand, hitting James with the powerful torturing curse. Again, the pain ripped through James but he was ready for it. With his teeth clenched, he remained standing this time. All of the nerves in his body were going on. Under the excruciating pain, James continued to glare at the Death Eater. They were laughing at him, at his pain, but he wouldn't give in. Eventually, the pain ebbed away.

Mr. Potter moved furiously when the four intruders were distracted. He hauled himself up and snatched his wand off the group. With a flash of his wand, the fourth Death Eater was disarmed. Mr. Potter spun on the leader and launched the man across the room. With a sickening crunch, the man didn't move again. James recovered in the time that his father had dealt with the two Death Eaters.

"Stupefy," James launched his signature spell at one of the Death Eaters. The red beam hit and dropped the Death Eater. The problem was with the last Death Eater. The man spun and cast his most wicked spell.

"Avada Kedavra," the last Death Eater hissed. He wasn't aiming at James, not even at Mr. Potter. The treacherous cad had targeted the one Potter who was completely defenceless. The Death Eater laughed.

"No!" James cried out, but he was too late. Time crawled as Emilie Potter's body dropped to the ground. Sound evaporated from the room; James didn't hear his father knock the last Death Eater out and he certainly didn't hear Sirius come into the room. The pain in his chest burst more strongly than any spell could.

"Mum?" James was on the ground when he crawled over to her body. She looked like she had fallen asleep peacefully and could wake up at any moment. There wasn't a mark on her body.

"Come on, son. We have to get out of here for a while," Mr. Potter dropped to his knee next to James, who turned to see tears pouring down his father's face.

"Dad?" James froze. He knew it wasn't the time to stew in their loss.

"Come on, Prongs," Sirius said quietly, "these guys probably have allies waiting..."

There was a loud bang over their house. Green light seeped through the kitchen windows. Undoubtedly, Sirius was right and they had placed the Dark Mark over the house. There were Death Eaters out there. James pulled himself up, fury burning in his eyes. Before he could make for the door, Mr. Potter grabbed his arms.

"James, leave them to me. You two are too young-" Mr. Potter commanded. The strictness of his voice made James stop. Mr. Potter meant business when he used that tone, and James wasn't about to get in the way.

"But Dad..."

"You two get to a safe place," Mr. Potter commanded, "and stay there."

"What about-"

"Son, listen to me... Don't do anything that your mother wouldn't approve of," Mr. Potter gave a glacial look to his son, "in your mother's name, get going already."

Sorely, James allowed Sirius to take him by the arm. They both knew where they had to go. The safest place for them to go would be Gail's house, which the Death Eaters thought had burned to the ground. Unfortunately, it was three in the morning. Padfoot apparated right in front of Gail's ridiculously small cottage and pulled James up the steps and onto the little porch. With a heavy hand to match the mood, Sirius pounded on the door. Within seconds, Gail swung the door open and stared at them with her large brown eyes.


"James? Sirius?" Gail questioned groggily. There was a scent of fear on the two boys who promptly swept into the room without a word. All she could do was close the door behind them.

"Moony asleep?" Sirius asked. Gail could only nod, causing the dark haired teen to wander into the bedroom. Within seconds, Remus and Sirius came out of the room. The mood was so sombre that it was making Gail feel uncomfortable in her own kitchen.

"We don't have time to talk," Sirius said quickly, "Moony and I will be going to his parents house to tell them what happened and wait for the Ministry officials. Watch over Prongs for us, okay? No one should know that he's here."

With that, Sirius and Remus left. Oddly enough, they were both still wearing their Pyjamas. Gail was now fully awake and able to examine James, who remained standing. With the disappearance of his friends, he seemed to slump into the dark, depressed corners of his mind. He refused to look at her and kept his eyes on the floor. He didn't make a move for a chair, even though he looked exhausted.

"I should be with my dad," James finally burst out, snapping his head up to look frantically around the room. His eyes hit the door and he made a move towards it.

Gail caught him around the stomach to prevent him from leaving, noticing him tense up again. He seemed to take notice of Gail for the first time since he had arrived. It just showed how large the presence of his mates were in his subconscious mind.

"Let me go," James half-whimpered. For a moment, Gail thought he would cry. There were no tears in his eyes, though. There was only anger and perhaps some self pity.

"Let me go," he pleaded again, a little more forcefully, "I couldn't save her, but I can help Dad... I can help him. WHY AREN'T YOU LETTING GO?"

"James," Gail couldn't say anything, "don't leave, okay? Stay here."

"I have to go. I have to-" James was looking around frantically and trying to pry Gail's arms off of him. He was at a disadvantage, though. Gail spent hours moving creatures that didn't want to be moved; holding creatures that didn't want to be held.

"James Potter!" Gail finally snapped tiredly at him. That called his attention back to her. He seemed to calm down for a moment, before his hand went for his wand.

"James, tell me what's happening," Gail asked in the most soothing voice she could muster, "if there's anything we can do, I'll go with you... But not until you tell me what's happened."

"They attacked," James said frantically, trying to get it all out so that he could go; so that the short girl would release him, "the Death Eaters. They... Killed her."

"Killed who?" Gail questioned, eyes expanding in horror.

"M-mum," with that, James seemed to tense for a moment as if to prevent the onslaught of emotions. He seemed to gain some composure after a moment after he noticed Gail sympathetic tears.

"Not again," Gail sobbed, finally releasing James' waist and taking a step back. Flashes of Mr. Prewett's crumpled corpse filled her mind and were joined by images of Mrs. Prewett and now Mrs. Potter. The tears rose in Gail for their deaths and flowed freely for James' loss. She couldn't find words for him.


James seemed to waver for a moment, incapable of deciding whether or not to stay with his friend or go help his father. She started crying, bloody hell. Women always resort to tears when they want something.

"Gail-" James grabbed the short, lumpy girl and pulled her into a hug. He did his best to soothe her tears away, but it only made the girl cry harder.

"First Mr. Prewett," Gail croaked loudly into his shoulder, effectively rubbing some boogeys onto his shoulder, "and now your mum- I'm sorry, James."

"It's not your fault, Gail," James forced a smile onto his cold face, "now see here. My shoulder is not a tissue. If anything, I should be crying on your shoulder."

Gail sniffed loudly before chuckling at his weak excuse for a joke. James didn't push her away. Instead, he acted as only he could. He continued to tell her one weak joke after another, pretending that his ego hadn't been shredded the moment his mother's light had been doused. He was quite glad that Gail couldn't see the tears stinging his face.

Gail's little house elf was awake, and graciously turned her attention away from the pair of them and prepared a pot of tea. The little kitchen table was set with a kettle releasing a nice fragrance within minutes. A small tray of cookies reminded James that he hadn't eaten in hours. Gail seemed to notice this and gestured at the seat. She then poured two cups of tea and sat down across from James. The tea calmed him down quite a bit and made his stomach happier. With his brain in order, he explained to Gail what had happened more coherently.

"I'm sure your mum would want you to pass your NEWTs before heading out to kill all of the Dark Wizards in the world, James," Gail commented quietly, "I think you're dad's right. You should lay low in case they're looking for you and your dad-"

"-and he can operate more effectively without having to worry about me. I know." James finished off her sentence. It was the exact same argument Gail had used the last time Mr. Potter had been in danger.

Gail sighed and ran a finger across her eyes. She had red splotches on her face from crying. It reminded James of Lily, who always became blotchy and red whenever she was upset. It felt like he hadn't seen her in years, when it had only been a week and a little bit. The thought struck him like lightning.

"Can we go visit Evans?" James asked as casually as he could, "you know where she lives, right?"

"Er, well-" Gail started to deny him, but one look in the eyes and she was done for, "fine, but you have to be on your best behaviour, James. No arguing and you have to act like a nice boy. She lives with her parents, after all."

"That's fine," James nodded in agreement, "I just feel- y'know. If I see Evans for a bit, it'll be enough to take my mind off of things. The least I can do is, well, apologize for being a git and tormenting her in school. Life is too short to waste on things like that."

Even in his circumstances, James was able to feel slightly happy. It wasn't the same feeling as before. A week ago, he would have jumped on the idea of visiting Lily, but now there was a damper on his feelings. His happiness was weak, and he could only seek solace from his friends. Gail patted his back.

"Alright, let me get changed... erm, maybe you should transfigure your clothes, or something. Aren't you trying to impress Lily?"

While Gail wandered off into her bedroom, James was left alone in the kitchen to try and figure out how best to transfigure his clothes. He settled on a pair of slacks and a long sleeved shirt- things he had seen muggles wearing. He ran a hand through his hair, wondering if it was worthwhile trying to get it to flatten. Gail interrupted his thoughts when she entered looking far more put together than five minutes prior.

"Are you sure you want to go?" Gail asked finally, "Lily might be a little upset with us if we show up for breakfast."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you," James laughed sourly, with no real feeling behind it.

"Fine, come stand on the porch and take my arm. I'll try to get us close to her house. Flink, would you be a dear and head to the nursery today? Tell Henry that an emergency came up and I won't be able to make it in today. Ah, tell him I'll come in on my day off, instead," Gail sighed after witnessing the little half elf bob her head in agreement. Gail lead James out of the house by his arm.

James latched his arm onto Gail's firmly. She apparated with him in tow. In transit, everything was muggy and the feeling of being squeezed through a straw met him in full force. By the time his feet touched down, he was feeling worse than the time he rode his broom backwards and upside down on a dare. He could have apparated himself there with all of his guts still in place.

"Sorry," Gail muttered anxiously, doing her best to make him feel better by rubbing his back, "I forgot to tell you that people get very sick after side-along apparating with me. You'll be alright in a minute, I'm sure."

And so he was. James straightened up and looked around the cheerful muggle neighbourhood they had landed in. Luckily, it was still quite early in the morning and no muggles were outside yet, or they would have found it odd that two, young adults appeared out of no where.

"This is where she grew up?" James asked curiously, trying to take it all in at once. For a moment, his mother was far from his mind, but remembering her brought a level of sombre anxiety back to him.

"Yes, I suppose this is where she grew up... That's her house over there," Gail pointed at a lovely white house. The garden in the front was well maintained, but James didn't really have any interest in that. He had noticed that there was a light on upstairs. Gail lead the way to the front door and used the muggle bell button. Instinctively, James reached a finger forward to mimic what Gail had done and was promptly swatted for it. The door swung open before he could protest his treatment. Standing in the doorway was James' golden goddess, a messy red haired woman, half asleep.

"Gail?" Lily yawned, "what are you doing here? Why'd you bring him?"

"We've had a rough night," Gail complained sweetly enough, "invite us in for breakfast, okay?"

Lily rested her emerald eyes on James as if he was a plague. All he could do was hang his head. What was he thinking coming here? A welcoming party. The next thing that escaped from Lily's mouth shocked him.

"Something happened, didn't it? Come in- both of you. Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes," Lily ushered them in before James could even think about saying a word.

"James' parents were attacked," Gail explained smoothly to Lily as they entered the sitting room, "his mum didn't make it. When he arrived at my house, he was a mess and everything. After he calmed down, we decided to come here. I don't think my cottage is very safe at the moment. I hope that's alright?"

"It's fine," Lily's almond shaped eyes were wide with fear, "I'm just glad you're both okay."

With that, Lily turned her scrutinizing gaze to James, who merely bowed his head, "Potter, I'm sorry for your loss, but I don't think you could have done anything about it. You're lucky to be alive."

"I suppose I am," James finally found his voice. Along with his voice, there was some trace of courage left in him that prompted him to look Lily in the eyes, "and I'd like you to know that I'm sorry about acting like a git at school, Ev- Lily."

Lily smiled faintly as if what James was saying was ringing true in her ears, "I know you mean well, Potter, and you like to have fun, but you shouldn't laugh at the expense of others."

"Yeah- not going to do that anymore," James agreed, "the Death Eater was laughing when he killed my Mum. I get it now. It's not funny at all."

Lily blinked a few times, turning to Gail with a sad look. There was little that either girl could do for James, who had sunk into a grandfather chair.

"Ah, is it alright if I use your loo, Lily?" Gail asked suddenly. James looked at her in horror, he couldn't help it. Gail could have gone at her house! Why did girls have to be so troublesome.

"Yes, it's the little blue door down that hallway," Lily pointed in the general direction of the bathroom. Gail smiled at him as she left and James couldn't help thinking it was a cruel smile. Soon, he found himself sitting next to Lily with nothing to say. The redhead didn't look interested in starting a conversation, either.

"How has your summer been?" James finally asked, wanting to break the silence more than anything else.

"Dull," Lily responded stonily, "from what I've heard, yours was much more interesting."

James sighed. He deserved her insults, but he wasn't going to lay down and let her step all over him, "you might think it's interesting, but being attacked by Death Eaters twice in two weeks has, well, put me on edge."

Lily looked slightly shaken for a moment. Nothing came out of her open mouth for a moment, until she finally shook her head, "I didn't mean-"

"I know you didn't," James sighed heavily, placing his forehead in his hand and resting his elbow on his knee. Pain welled up in his throat and ripped at his chest. Within seconds, Lily was kneeling beside the chair and staring up at him with soft green eyes.

"Sorry," James muttered softly, offering the beautiful woman a painful smile.

"Don't be. It's not your fault- it's those Death Eaters..." Lily trailed off, her eyes growing slightly unfocused and hazy.

"Those bloody, murdering Death Eaters," James agreed, fixing his own hazel eyes on Lily's sweet face, "can't believe that they'd attack a pair of nice folks like my parents- never hurt anyone..."

That choked James up slightly, causing him to struggle against the tears. He was feeling like he wanted to open up to Lily. Before, he had always tried to impress her. It was different now. She was a pair of arms to seek comfort in. Lily embraced his sitting form in a kindness he'd never seen in her before. Something in his chest told him that this was fine- was right, even. Everything in Lily's arms was perfect, the sun would rise again.


Author Note:

Oh my, you have no idea how teary I got writing this chapter, and when I was uploading it. I think most of us can't imagine the death of our mothers. It's an abstract concept, but I hope I was able to display some of James' pain and change.

I need to go blow my nose and wipe my eyes. Excuse me.

-Rue



Apocolips: Thank you! Ah... I'm feeling rather bad about this update. Aw, so you didn't go get any candy? Well, at least your evening sounds pleasant. I spent Halloween evening doing two papers and an art assignment. My mum likes to have Christmas lists early, too. She likes shopping early because she refuses to drive when there's snow on the roads. Hopefully, she'll buy me a tablet for Christmas.

LaurenB16: How could I forget you guys! Hopefully, you don't hate me after this chapter. And yes, Remushy is very adorable. Bwahaha~ I can't wait to show his temper off. Oh-la-la~.

XxGrimmy: YES JIMMY! DO IT!

Erm, yeah. In my mind, Gail tries to ignore anything "unnatural" about herself. There's a reason why she hasn't gone into the forest on her own, again.

Was the main character Mary Sue? I suppose she was, in some ways. But after a while, it's easy to see that the author is trying to pop holes in that sueyness. Helen (The Good Morrow) and Neville were huge influences on Gail, who's never perfect at anything except for her inherent traits and things she practices frequently. I think I still have the original background from her... somewhere on my hard drive.

Ah yes, Sirius Black: such a complicated guy. I will preserve his mysteriousness as best as I can. He's the genius rebel with no real cause for a majority of his life. One thing is for sure, he's not easy. Indeed, his whole life is very tragic.

Musik Drache: Thanks for the review. I'm very glad to see that you're still alive and reading!

Krazykook: Oh! I love museums. I could spend all day examining artifacts... but I think the Quidditch museum is a really cool place for kids and teenagers to hang out. Remember how popular "Quidditch through the ages" was, even though it was a history book? It's supposedly one of the more popular books in the library at Hogwarts because it's been well "loved" and vandalized over the years. I'm sure the same out apply for the museum... But I would love to eat the toffee brooms. Mmm.