Hickory was sleeping in the bed upstairs on Lily's pillow. He'd been doing this very frequently, though his usual place was up on the mantel above the fireplace. He liked being where everyone
was and keeping an eye on Click, but lately the warmth above the fireplace had not been worth it for all the noise which he much prefered to avoid. He didn't even enjoy the infants company, the
child was always making some form of disturbance and Hickory was only ever in his company when the bundle was garnering special attention or the cat had a want to play with his toys. He'd
been sleeping peacefully in the seldom quite then, until his dark brown fur went on end, and he let out a soft hiss.
Harry was yet even three months old. Things to recognize were far and few between, but he took comfort in the familiar ones. Soft, warm support next to what he'd later learn was called a
heartbeat. Soothing voices he should know all his life. Blurry outlines of faces he knew he could smile and laugh at and always find a return. Yet in the comfort of his crib, in the total silence and separate from his own future, he twitched uneasily now, and made an unheard whimper at his family's distress.
It was a maddening noise, or one very close to a man losing his. James didn't even seem to realize he was making it as it tore out of him. This was too much, he'd finally heard all he could! Sirius just could not be slated to die, not after all he'd been through!
Sirius was hyper aware of his surroundings. He felt the tornado going on around him, their anger at him, at Voldemort, at this very future. The fear; after everything that had happened to James and Lily, how Peter already felt dead in their memories, to hear of this happening again would be too much. He felt it all himself tripled, he didn't want to die! Of that thought he was very clear on, because he'd already felt that once. During those first few days, of hearing everything Harry was going through in his life without someone around to care, he'd bitterly regretted whatever his downfall had been because it never would have felt worthy unless he'd gone out with James.
More than anything though, Lily's tears of resignation, Remus' fury, and James' fear, he was looking at his godson.
This was their future. They had to change it, clearly or die trying. Harry though had already lived through this, and he wasn't going to watch it happen again.
He snapped the book shut with such a loud, sharp snap it resonated through the hole house as he stated, "Oops, did I say something? I meant, and then Harry had an actual nice end to his school year and the end!"
James hit him so hard he may well have a concussion for that one. Glory, the last time Prongs had hit him that hard he'd almost killed Snape, and he didn't like this developing pattern of being the cause of so many deaths, even his own.
He'd been shaking so hard Sirius wasn't even sure how he'd landed the blow. Still, he tried with all his might, just like he always did, "look, we don't have to hear about this! It's not necessary, because it's not going to happen this time!"
Remus could hear what he was so desperately trying to keep out of his voice, what his eyes couldn't hide. Sirius was just as afraid as them, but he was still being their Padfoot as he looked
again at Harry. He wanted more than anything to take this away from his friends, his real family. Remus still couldn't believe the words he'd said, even as his innards solidified inside confirming their worst fear was most definitely their future. It was hurting just to breath he was so scared for his best friend, and he tried for that composure again, that promise this wasn't happening to him yet, but all he could think was, 'not him. He'd suffered too much already. Just let it be me instead!'
"How could this have happened!" Lily only managed the words if she didn't let herself think
about the exact words. "Sirius, you were, how could you-"
"I'm sure I made a very calculated decision!" Sirius insisted, before hesitating and admitting, "turns out I'm just bad at math." He was still trying the hardest he ever had in his life to keep talking, keep making words come out despite the fact he couldn't feel anything but numb shock, all the while trying to reach for his wand while he had their attention and subtly banish this one from sight for good.
Harry had been watching him in a sort of detached horror, his mind couldn't cope with what he was hearing and make it through, or he may well end up like his dad who still wasn't at any
recognizable human level of emotion from all this. Instead, more as if a demon was possessing him, he reached forward and took it out of Sirius' grasp before a spell could be done to it.
Sirius fought back though, keeping it firmly in his grasp and starring Harry down. "It doesn't matter Harry," he stated clearly now that his front had been ruined over their tug of war. "I'm not going to watch you live through that!"
"I have to," Harry said simply.
It certainly was no want. He'd love nothing more than to skip right to his sixth year, to hear of Sirius dropping him off at the train again and there was some simple explanation and everyone made it out alive; or just to pretend altogether none of this had ever happened, this was someone else's horrific life where everyone he ever cared about seemed to die.
Instead, he'd meant that with every part of him, he had to. That drive that had pushed him through his loveless childhood, the same determination that helped him not to murder Sirius when he had doubts the man had killed his parents, the strength that kept him alive while facing a powerful Voldemort for the first time in his life. The fifteen year old from his past was still shaking with fright and screaming to just let Sirius do this, he didn't need to know the details! Maybe it was some left over hope his godfather would make it out of this, or more likely it was that his head was likely to come free of his body if the warning pain was any indication he couldn't live through not knowing. He didn't think Sirius really could either no matter what he said.
So Harry won, he got the book away from him, and the worst consolation prize in his life began.
It was abundantly clear no one was taking in an actual word of what Harry was saying, he could have been reading to that Mirror of Erised from so long ago, though he liked to think his deepest
desire would never be seeing them looking at him like he was the one putting a wand on Sirius. He understood why of course, it probably felt like a genuine betrayal that he was forcing them to
sit here and listen to this, but he just couldn't do this one alone. Even if they hated him for it, the words kept tumbling out, past the guilt, the fear, everything, he had to know! Surely they must understand that...
It was actually impossible for Lily to go backwards, think what had started all this and put together what Harry was saying! She kept seeing it in her mind, Sirius had been making trips from that place and she couldn't even blame him, but now one too many times had finally been his last...
A splutter of life tried to appear in Remus for a second, as he clung to one tiny ray of life that McGonagall no matter what state she was in would make this right, somehow...
"Stop!" James found his voice again and it was just as wretched as the noise he'd been making. "Stop, stop it, I don't know how to handle this!" He pleaded. James Potter actually pleaded as he
stormed out of the room.
He wasn't naive, the possibility of this had been alive since Sirius had been forced into Grimmauld place. He just couldn't stand imagining it! His lungs seemed to have vanished, he had no clue where he was seeking out, blind detachment the only thing getting his feet moving until he collapsed in a chair that moved rhythmically beneath him and he realized he'd moved from pure
memory to collect his infant and sit in the rocking chair in his room.
There was a soft knock on the door behind him, but he ignored it, and whomever it was blessedly went away. He didn't want comfort right now, and no one could actually offer any. So he simply
rocked his precious life for a moment, crooning to him through a few sobs, and just let himself breathe without forcing anything out, trying to cover anything, he let his mind wander wherever it
had to.
James had thought he'd been handling himself quite well. His son the same age as him had crashed into their kitchen without memory but they were all abruptly informed he and Lily had a year left to live, okay, they could fix that! One of his best friends in the world, his brother in all the ways that mattered, was the cause of that death! He could cope, he still had his real friends, they still had time to purge this problem! Voldemort was only going to be gone from his son's life for thirteen years before his only child was forced into helping that resurrection! He'd find a way to live through that just like Harry had!
This time though, this one was beyond him to understand. He'd been forced to come to the early realization everyone he loved died except his son and he'd managed that because they'd started the Order with the understanding they may not all have come out. Then he'd realized that hadn't been true, and now he didn't know how to reach back and grasp that this was all going to be okay again with Harry watching this time.
That was the real kicker, that any moment he went back down, Harry was going to slip back into Voldemort's consciousness or whatever was going on and his son was going to have to watch.
That Sirius was slated to die defying Voldemort was probably the most likely outcome he'd have expected, it filled his mind with ice he couldn't think past and made his ribs feel as if they were
crushing him from the inside, but that he could at least handle just as he had with the information of his own death, that was the only way to go as far as he was concerned. No, it was his own son having to watch it, to all but feel the pleasure it would cause the Dark Lord.
He kept brushing his son's hair back, the scar not yet present on him, his eyes open and looking curiously with his wife's eyes mirror imaged into his face. He didn't know how to handle looking
at Harry now, didn't know how to help him with this.
He'd been there for Sirius for everything, he'd been the one to first offer Animagus to help Remus, he'd been Peter's comfort when he'd broken up with his girlfriend of three years because Prongs knew how to handle everything. He'd been there for Lily's pregnancy even when she hadn't wanted him around, but now he had nothing for his only child.
James didn't want to come out of here until he had an answer for that, he felt like a failure all he was capable of doing was sitting there and listening. He knew he was only going to get through it himself by keeping his brother under his arm, know he was breathing right beside him until they could find a way to stop this and make sure it never happened this way if they could help it. For Harry though, it had already happened, and he didn't know how to help.
Harry trudged uneasily back down the stairs, honestly a bit relieved his dad had ignored the door as he still didn't know what he'd been planning on saying, but he'd still felt like he owed him something, some way to apologize for putting him through all this, through his own life. He stopped halfway down the stairs though, and just sat there, gazing into the living room through the bars of the banister, pressing his forehead to them as he watched Sirius still trying to chat enthusiastically towards Remus and Lily like this was nothing. He was perched on the table right in front of them, using his hands to vividly describe something, but the words were a blur to Harry, he was just watching his godfather. So full of life, far more than he'd ever known in his own time.
Remus sat and watched Sirius talking at them as if from a great distance. Whatever Padfoot was trying to convey wasn't getting through, and he wanted to honestly knock him on his head even if
he did admire how blase he was forcing himself to be about all this, he knew he'd be a hysterical mess if he'd just heard the same. Harry had just realized McGonagall couldn't help, no one could, if Sirius wasn't already doomed than he would be long before anyone from the Order made a check on him, like his own useless arse. He couldn't believe he'd let this happen to him, and if he wasn't dead from having tried to stop all this, than his life really was an utter waste.
Lily wasn't listening either, though Sirius seemed blissfully unaware of his inattentive audience. She kept watching Harry on the stairs, eyes only on his godfather, the only person who'd ever been there for his life. The pain of losing him once would have been the worst of his life, which was really saying something after all he'd been through, now he was being forced to do so again. Her mind felt like a broken puzzle with all the pieces missing but the very edges, she tried to force herself to put something together that would make this all okay and kept coming up with nothing.
Sirius was well aware his enthusiastically chatting about what even he wasn't sure was not helping anyone, even himself. He was just talking, because if he stopped he'd be forced to come back and realize he'd have to keep listening, and glory he still didn't understand why Harry was doing this to himself. Remus was beside himself with anger for all this so he was no help, so when he finally followed Lily's gaze and saw him again, he cut himself off mid sentence and went over to Harry, flouncing down next to him and stating, "fancy seeing you here!"
Harry met his solid gray eyes and forceful smile, and just shook his head in exasperation. "How do you do that?"
"Do what?" Sirius batted his eyes innocently, honestly he was just pleased to have gotten a response.
"You act like, and don't kid yourself Sirius I know it's an act, but you're really trying to convince me you're okay with this?"
Sirius released a huffy breath, tipping his face up to the ceiling so Harry couldn't find the lie, "what can I say, I'm going out doing the exact opposite of what my parents always wanted, it's like a dream come true!"
"You use that alot," Harry accused, "but I know you better. Why can't you just say you're proud of yourself not letting Voldemort win?"
Sirius' smile remained flippant even as he looked back to Harry, his eyes softened with agreement. "Wasn't quite sure you'd get that Harry, thought you'd just be mad at me for my excursion from
Grimmauld place like we all know I've been doing." He watched Harry closely, and was surprised at the look flitting across his face, his hand jumping to his temple now trembling all over again. There was something of what Sirius said that wasn't quite in line with this-
"But even that's not really it. It's still, more like a dream to me. A nightmare I'll give you, but if I let myself panic that's how my future ends than that also means I'd have to accept I spent twelve years in Azkaban and that's not something I'm going to let happen, especially now that I can get myself out of there just as fast. You're here now Harry, sharing all this with us, and we've learned the worst of it. So now, we can stop, and we can fix it!"
Harry wished he could agree with him, that he could just so easily let this go, but there was something bothering him now more greatly than ever. 'A dream, a nightmare really...'
"I'm sorry Sirius, I just can't! I have to know what happened to you! You understand that, right?"
Sirius met his eyes steadily. He saw guilt heavy in Harry, like somehow even now he was blaming this all on himself when it had been Sirius' decision to leave that place. Harry wanted
details of that blame, to further pin himself with, and Sirius wasn't happy giving that to him, but then he realized what he'd already known the moment he looked into that kid's face, it was nigh impossible to deny him anything. It was going to kill him faster than any spell Voldemort could use on him, but the larger part of him only caved because he wanted to be there for Harry. Like he couldn't have been back when he was fifteen, because he'd been selfish and taken off out of that house and gotten caught like an idiot. Harry had every right to hate him, this was more his fault than anyone's for putting Harry through this, so he'd give Harry the chance to tell him just that when he realized it.
He gave in with a long suffering sigh, telling him, "alright, let's go fetch Prongs then, convince him the weight of the world isn't all on him, I really wish that was one trait you hadn't inherited."
Harry hesitated to follow Sirius back up the stairs, but Sirius was still waving his hand with a heavy exaggerating motion for Harry to come along. If he couldn't convince Harry to drop this,
than he at least was trying to convince himself being there for Harry now while he had to hear about this would somehow make it bearable, while he still had the chance.
Sirius did no such thing as knock, once he'd gotten Harry to his feet and they'd gone back to the stairs. He walked right in, and grabbed his brother by the scruff of his shirt and tried to pull him to his feet as much as he could while still minding that was his nephew in his lap. "Come on Prongs," he clapped his hands and used his 'we're fixing to go down for a day long Quidditch
practice voice.' "I know you've contemplated killing me a thousand and one times, so this is a grave disappointment to you with someone else doing it, but I know you'll find a way to live with it."
James eyes were bloodshot as he glared up at Sirius and said flatly, "you're an arse."
"I'm your arse," Sirius agreed. "Why else would Evans' have fallen for you? Certainly not that face."
Harry continued watching Sirius like he'd lost his mind, but the joke won out as James let himself be dragged to his feet just so he could give a halfhearted nudge at Sirius' ribs as he passed. He hesitated at the threshold, but then Padfoot prodded him in the back, and Harry was trying to go ahead while glancing back at them like he hoped Sirius would change his mind about this any
second.
Fine then, James decided, he'd find a new way to be there for Harry, deflecting Sirius for Harry. That's what he was best at, nobody could take that away from him.
Lily had been trying to force herself to go up the stairs, but she was trembling so hard Remus was watching her in concern when she couldn't get past the first step. She was afraid to look Sirius in the face again, or she'd start ticking down the seconds he had left. She was terrified of looking at Harry and see his world being so utterly broken. She couldn't even begin how to comfort her husband as basically his worst thought kept coming to live in this print, but that wasn't going to stop her from trying!
The moment she did catch sight of them though, she tried to dart up to meet them, all action pumping back through her now that they were back in front of her, but Sirius waved her off.
"Nope, no more running up the stairs, especially you Evans."
"Potter," James corrected automatically, and Sirius grinned where he couldn't see that he'd gotten his response lacking from before.
James was ignored anyways.
"You wouldn't let me skip the dragon chapter! This is my revenge."
"Oh, we get to hear Harry see you die instead, that's so much more pleasant!" Remus snarled, forcing himself not to shout that in his face as Sirius waltzed over to him hands on his hips.
"It wouldn't be revenge if it was pleasant," Sirius said with chipper as he met his hard eyes. "Now Moony, be a dear and move," he gestured back to where he'd been sitting.
"You're so bossy, telling me and Prongs to move at the same time," he huffed as he finally forced himself to get up as well but crossed his arms and now glowered down at Sirius, being taller than him rarely had an advantage and this was one that never worked.
Sirius turned away without concern as he pushed the table out of the way, and then magicked the two sofas so the cushions were facing each other and it was all one giant seat, then he threw
himself over the edge and splayed out inside leisurely. It was reminiscent of their old dorm room, and Sirius would frequently push all the beds together then as well. He claimed to do it so he had more space to stretch out and kick Peter and Remus when they snored, but this always tended to happen on the nights his parents had sent him yet another letter full of something nasty, so they'd rarely argued the point. "I remember you lot panicking back in Harry's third year thinking I was going to kick the bucket then to, might make you all less jumpy if there wasn't a huge space, nah I'll make it easy on you and I'll sit in the middle."
"Now we all get to smack him at once, I like this idea," Lily huffed, reaching down to do just that. He'd threatened to rearrange her living room weekly because of some reason or another, and now he'd finally gotten his way and she couldn't even argue the point, damn this man.
The others didn't argue anymore either, as they all piled in with no real order anymore, they were all just kind of bunched around. James jumped in last with the least enthusiasm, still clutching his son tightly to him and giving Lily an apologetic look for this. "Sorry, I'm sure you don't want him down here, I just couldn't-" he broke off, but Lily understood. She saw the frantic look in his eyes, he was only holding himself together because of his innocent child.
Lily only reached over and took his hand in a silent promise this was all going to work out as Harry pulled the book away from Sirius, he still wasn't going to let anyone do this but him, though that argument would probably come up again at the end when this was over.
James muttered anxiously a bit more. They'd all felt the harsh weight of what had happened to McGonagall, and now somehow it all felt even worse when they needed her now more than ever.
Sirius wished he could offer some word of comfort, but at this point he knew how hollow it would feel, and he worried it would only make it worse.
Even as Harry read it he could feel that tightening of his breath, he'd never wanted to imagine the school without her and what would become of it, and now he was living in a nightmare in his mind.
"I'm sure everyone else feels that way." Lily said bitterly.
"We're lucky the school hasn't emptied out from people in protest and only the Inquisitorial Squad was left." Remus huffed.
Both found it immensely hard to claim at normal words rather than continuing to scream in fear, but somehow, so long as they just kept talking, this just had to feel better.
"Harry, you're going to make yourself sick," Sirius tried to pleadingly cut him off again. No matter how much he insisted he had to do this, Sirius couldn't stand watching him spew out the words in pain.
Harry could not ignore Sirius even if he'd wanted to, he'd never wanted his godfather around more in his life and now he was being given the gift of being right next to him, but that didn't stop him pushing past his discomfort, he just hoped he wasn't going to vomit on them all at once in the process to keep going.
Darting back through faster than he ever had in his life, he was back in front of the Entrance Hall where Ron and Hermione were searching anxiously for him, and he dragged them to the nearest available vacant room before telling them Voldemort had Sirius.
Hearing it said like that, put so bluntly for his own ears, Sirius sat deep into his seat and run his hand down his face. It was fear, anger, desperation that had his knees dragging up to his chest, making several tight throat noises. He hated seeing what this was doing to his family, he couldn't stand watching Harry go through this when likely the only thing keeping him going face to face with Voldemort was the knowledge Harry was far away from this and safe.
The truth hit them all, like a blow ready to topple the whole house. They looked from Harry, to Sirius, and they knew.
"No, no, Harry," Lily couldn't help pleading against the universe. "You can't go! That's-"
"I don't care," Harry said, his voice steadier than it had been since the vision. "I don't regret this," the truth of that at least put some center back in his life. "I had to help him," that though nearly broke something inside him permanently, and he had to use every ounce of self control to stop himself. The guilt was instantly coming back, and he feared his mind was only trying to hide the knowledge that he would be too late.
Lily's panic stilled, and she understood. She couldn't have sat idly by either, none of them would have, no matter what.
James had to make sure Harry knew this as he told him, "I know Harry. You've done the same I would do over and over again."
"We've certainly had enough practice at it," Remus muttered, he hadn't stopped shaking this whole time, but his voice swore nothing but a steady hand.
Sirius couldn't find it in himself to be angry at Harry like he should have been, he couldn't fault him for doing exactly what he'd have done as well in roles reverse. He looked up and shook
himself off, his only regret being he probably hadn't a chance in his own time to tell Harry how proud he was, so he corrected that in here.
Without wanting it allowed for a single second, they all began to almost hope again. Harry would get there, he'd figure this out and he'd confront Voldemort and Sirius would get out of this!
Harry didn't know what to say, he most certainly had no sense of the same thing they were all trying to hide from him. He certainly didn't feel like he deserved it. In his panic hued mind, he just knew their comfort for him wouldn't last, though at this point it was impossible for this to get worse.
"Yes, because facing Voldemort at eleven over a Stone was fun, but now it's a little more overwhelming," Remus snapped.
Sirius gave him a hard nudge, he wouldn't begrudge anyone not wanting to go on this suicide mission for him, and he wouldn't let anyone else either no matter how much it hurt him if he'd
really lost Ron and Hermione's loyalty somewhere along the way, he never thought he'd gotten that bad...
Lily shivered hatefully as well as she tried to concoct scenarios for that, of Death Eaters and disguises and powerfully deep magic of a compliant Sirius up until the point it was no longer
needed. She did not blame Hermione wanting to understand, but hopefully her priority would be as it had always been, helping those who needed it; though she instantly regretted the thought.
Harry was safe and alive, but was she? Ron? If Harry managed to save Sirius' life but got his friends killed in the process, somehow she knew how much worse that would feel, and her heart
burned already at just the thought.
"Yes he has," James ground out, forcing himself not to start shouting at someone who wasn't here. "Once I'll give, but-"
"Stop James," Lily whispered quietly, putting her shaking hand over his. Clearly he hadn't been doing a very good job of that not shouting thing, as he realized his infant was squirming in
discomfort in his grasp. He cradled his son, murmuring to him gently for a moment and only when he'd been soothed did Lily continue. "She's only trying to help, in her own way. She dosen't want this to be true anymore than us."
"Dosen't make this anymore helpful," James seethed, his vision still flashing red, but he couldn't seem to keep going anyways.
"Has she really believed that, because I was almost happier not," Remus said deadpan. It had been the only way he'd been coping with Sirius trapped back in that place at all hours, the thought of him getting out now and again, probably when he'd come over for a chance. He couldn't imagine how miserable his last friends life would have been in that past year, and the idea of him ending now, after all that, it wasn't bearable!
"We know he's already tried to use one Order member and someone who works in the department, it does seem the criteria is a bit off," Lily agreed. Though she in no way begrudged Hermione questioning this like the boys so clearly did, she wished Hermione would do this on the way or something. She hated how Harry continued to look more sickly by the second, how he
was likely to pass out or start crying, screaming, anything, but instead he kept pressing more words out as his only way to cope, and that was going to run out, they wouldn't let him say the
words.
"But I haven't spoken to Regulus since he was sixteen," Sirius shook his head for that, "and he's certainly never mentioned anything like this. Last I heard our parents were only wanting him to join up as well, he hadn't even gotten in quite yet, though he'd hardly said he didn't want to," he finished bitterly, wishing he had a chance to understand that more. What had changed about Regulus he'd gone from severing his brother from his life for not wanting this, to trying to leave himself? While dead depressing to consider, somehow questioning this was helping him be a little more okay with his own, he certainly loved that the both of them would go out defying Voldemort in some way.
"I think Ron's made some good point though," James whispered. They'd thought all this had been for Sirius' own good, but was there some other reason going on there? Maybe not exactly as Ron
had offered...
"Is his word not proof enough?" Remus demanded, looking very near murderous himself now.
"Moony," Sirius tried again.
"No!" Remus barked. "I am sick and tired of her demanding every answer! If you died because she was sitting around-"
"Remus," Harry cut in. He was not saying all this with the same anger had had in his youth at Hermione, and they just thought that was because he had Sirius with him now. That didn't mean
he was going to let them berate his friends who weren't here.
Remus bit his tongue hard to stop himself going, admitting this wasn't helping either. Honestly he may have just been delaying, as he didn't want to hear the final blow when it would come no
matter who had done what.
"Oh, that was entirely the wrong thing to say," Lily rubbed at her temple. She knew she could see Hermione's point here, she was trying to protect Harry and stop him from going, but that had been entirely the wrong way to do it.
James and Remus only stopped themselves ripping Hermione's head off for Harry's sake, that was not a trait they'd ever accuse him of when they found it one of his most admiring qualities
considering his past, now it was being put to use to save their brother!
"Clearly not enough, as she's still talking," James said through gritted teeth.
"Then she'd better get to her point bloody fast," Sirius shook his head at her for this. If Hermione didn't want to help, then fine, but goading Harry like this was only going to make things worse.
"Does she really think you'd care?" Remus said aghast. How well did Hermione even know Harry, to really think that would stop him at a time like this?!
Harry wasn't shouting now, his voice kept getting quieter with repression of all he was feeling, and nearly died right then and there. There was something there he was missing, something it was
impossible to concentrate on, and it helped nothing the panic and anger around him could offer nothing but fueling his own. Normally he found comfort they all cared so much to be feeling the same, but Harry suddenly wished he could claim some distance from this, just some time to think or he was really going to regret this...
"I don't understand how she can think that!" James snarled with frustration. "Either she thinks he should have been learning Occlumency to stop seeing this, or she thinks he's losing his mind! She just said this could all be one plan, but now she's going to back saying it isn't even happening with nothing to back that up! Now is not the time for her to be flipping to one or the other at her choosing!"
Harry's shaking was increasing with every fiery word James spat. James wanted to keep shouting, to vent and rage at someone for putting Sirius into this situation, for Harry having to live through it twice now because of all this, but he probably couldn't have even if he'd wanted to, he was long since living off of reserve air since it didn't feel like there was any in here. since living off of reserve air since it didn't feel like there was any in here.
"Yeah, don't turn on the one who's actually trying to be of help there," Remus spat, though Harry flinching made him instantly regret the harsh words pouring out.
"Now who's creating facts, twisting up her own opinion," James seethed while Lily's hands tightened around his, both were trembling so much James lowered their baby into his lap so he
wouldn't feel it as much. Now cushioned in his father's lap, it gave Lily the opportunity to brush at James' jaw, and sooth him for just a moment so he wouldn't keep making this worse for Harry
arguing with someone who wasn't here.
"I don't know if you'd win that actually," Sirius sighed as he watched Harry, who looked up at him wild eyed. "Well I'm certainly not going to tell you off for what I'd have done in a heartbeat, but I won't say either I wanted you to see this! To know you-" he broke off, with a desperate look Harry understood. If Sirius' worst nightmare was going back to Azkaban, than it was his waking torment having to see Harry watch this happen.
For just a moment, Harry agreed, he wished he had never seen this, and it was breaking something inside him to keep going with this knowledge.
"Oh, I wonder why that is," Lily rolled her eyes, the movement feeling very forced in her tense face. No one wanted anymore distractions, which was exactly what this felt like. Now it was more of a curse of delaying the inevitable, whatever that was, and this wasn't helping.
"It's a waste of time," Remus hissed. "Harry's word should be good enough!"
"I'd just go without her and screw her non help," James agreed furiously. "When's she ever been there when Harry really needed her! He's always done this on his own-"
"Stop," Harry snapped, some of that anger from Hermione being pushed at them now. "It's not their fault I've always had to do this alone, I'm grateful for once in my life they are around! If this is what it takes to get Hermione to help than I'll do whatever she bloody asks, I need her."
James cursed several times in agitation, both in language and spells, though since he wasn't holding his wand now at least nothing was happening. He was beyond angry, frustrated, and a
million other things at having to hear about this and he had no patience to put up with Harry's friend right now, but clearly he wasn't getting a say in the matter.
Lily was growing worried Harry wasn't acting the same way now as he had at fifteen. She wasn't sure she wanted to understand why, why was he still stuck on that resigned fear he was struggling
so much more to shake off into anger like he had then?
"I love this girl," Remus sighed. There was the proper response, why was Hermione missing it.
"Let's go with yes," Sirius said slowly, as that's all he needed, some kid freaking out and calling the Aurors on top of everything...actually that could make something interesting if they saw Voldemort to, he liked to think they'd prioritize on the bigger threat.
"Why not just Floo there?" James offered with a mockery of his twisted grin. "Go along with Hermione's useless attempts to pretend like everything's okay, then get to the channel and go
straight to the Ministry."
Harry moaned, he couldn't look at any of them as his head continued to beat furiously worse than ever. He had no answer, he'd had one simple goal in mind and that was get Hermione's help and go. Anything after that would be worked on the way, and this solution somehow had not worked its way in the process.
James had regretted asking Harry this at once, reaching out as soon as he realized what he'd done and holding his shoulder; slowly killing himself as he told Harry to just go on. If it killed him first at least he wouldn't have to hear the rest, but Harry would be okay because he'd have his answer and none of their stupid interruptions anymore.
Harry shivered harder than ever, the book nearly slipping from his grasp. It was a stupid lie, why would something like that make him feel as if this could still somehow get worse!
"Thank you so much Harry, but I'm sure we were all aware this situation is all about me," Sirius worked hard to get a smirk in place, to put his old teasing tone back in play.
Harry felt tears stinging at his vision for a moment, he couldn't even look at him for fear he'd burst. He'd never heard Sirius do that in his own time, his carefree and joking godfather had died in Azkaban, and now Harry couldn't ride himself of the idea no matter what plan was offered he was going to lose him in a much more permanent way.
Sirius looked pleadingly to James or Remus, like he almost wished one of them would smack him upside the head like they always did for that stupid joke, but neither could muster up the energy,
both also fearing for this future of never hearing any such thing again and scolding him for doing it now would be like punishing themselves.
"What's that?" Sirius asked quickly, still it seemed trying to keep up some kind of conversation that no one wanted.
Lily took pity on him, even if he did know and was delaying she answered anyways. "It's actually quite dangerous, colorless and odorless, it wraps around your throat but of course no one can see what's happening, it'll take your head right off if it's in contact long enough. I hope Ginny's kidding about that being released in the school."
"I'm sure she was," Sirius opted to sooth some concern. "The twins prank more likely involved a severed head and claiming the cause."
Harry had never been more torn in his life about wanting to interrupt them and keep going before this pain in his skull was the death of him, or let them keep talking and help distract. The answer came to him easily enough, as his eyes seemed dragged back to the words, for an answer none of them could give.
"Can we just skip to the part where you're visiting the twins on the opening day of their shop?" Sirius huffed, clearly still wanting more than any of them not to be hearing about this.
Remus gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze, and Sirius actually felt worse. He was supposed to be offering comfort for them, not the other way around, but it was getting harder by the moment
to manage that as Harry's desperation kept growing with every word.
Harry paused for just a moment to glare at Remus and James like he was hoping for an apology. Neither would back down, they still felt Hermione was wasting time, but both let their shoulders
drop just a bit in recognition for Hermione trying...in her own way, even if it wasn't helpful now.
"Did she really think just because she offered some idea he'd put this idea off till summer," Remus couldn't help but keep furiously muttering.
Sirius ran his hand furiously through his hair again. He kept wishing for that to be Harry's life, and it never seemed to happen!
"Who are they going to test to make sure it's not more Doxie droppings?" Sirius asked, his eyes shining too bright, and huffing in frustration when he was ignored. He wished now more than ever this was all Harry's greatest concern, but if Harry found out later he'd been partying while this had been happening to him, somehow that would be even worse on his pup, there was just no winning.
"Oh yes, he's absolutely spiffing," Lily hissed. Hermione insisting to keep trying and sooth this was helping no one.
James made a pitiful whimpering noise, if Lily's hands hadn't been keeping his together tightly he'd have covered his ears again to stop that one getting through too late. He could never picture that, Sirius suffering like some wretched Death Eater!
"Well I can't say they're not good at this at least," Remus huffed, they'd covered their bases anyway.
"Who says she didn't, Garroting Gas isn't the only thing that's undetectable sometimes," James sighed, but he couldn't be bothered with that now, whatever got them out of there faster, and being on a time limit was doing that just fine.
"You're only using your head again?" Sirius was curious about this one. "If you're trying to prove Hermione's point, then dashing around the whole place would have been much more helpful, I wouldn't necessarily hear you shouting from the kitchen if I'm up in Buckbeak's room again."
Harry couldn't stop it this time, as he doubled over and a wrenching pain shot through him like his own brain was fighting to get out.
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," Sirius pleaded at once, trying to wrap an arm around Harry. "No more stupid questions, promise!"
Harry pulled away though, he wouldn't accept comfort for this right now! It hurt too much to look at any of them, to know what his future was doing to their life, so he snatched the book back to him and kept going with more force than ever, he wouldn't let his mind do this to him if he had to curse it again to make it stop.
'What did he do to deserve that?' Sirius huffed with only the flicker of a thought. He did not speak this one aloud though, he'd already learned that lesson and they all feared if they interrupted Harry again with another question the sweat pouring down his face would somehow really find a way to take his whole head off. He'd come too close in the past to pushing himself too far, and if a moment had come where he might really do that to himself, this was it. They had to be more careful than ever not to push him, or let him do that to himself; finding out the answer to this too soon could mean Harry's death as surely as Sirius'.
'Now who's wasting time,' James bounced uneasily in place, his knee jittering so much his son nearly slipped right out of his lap. He forced himself to remain still, this was not Harry's fault, whatever happened...
"He wouldn't know that sweetheart," Lily almost managed to calmly tell him, but the reminder meant nothing to him.
'So do you,' Remus was biting his tongue until he tasted blood to stop himself snapping that at Harry. He couldn't understand why he was doing this Hermione's way at all, now he was sitting
around arguing with an elf?! If Sirius wasn't right beside him right now he knew he'd have knocked down anyone in his way to get to him.
None of them had been in doubt about this, but somehow hearing Kreacher actually laugh about this made it real to Sirius like nothing yet had. He was going to die, never to come back to that
house just like he swore when he was sixteen and Kreacher had laughed then too when the door had slammed shut behind him, except now this time, he wouldn't be getting a choice in that...
Lily said something quite unintelligible in an angry shriek that had their infant crying up a storm. She couldn't take it anymore, the last thing they needed was Umbridge interfering in this!
It took all of his concentration to convince his infant to stop, and finally James realized he was being selfish. He wanted his son down here for that comfort, the warmth seeing his child always managed to give him, but now they were hurting him and nothing was worth that. He had to wrestle his way back to his feet to go and put him back in his crib, and Lily followed him
studiously.
Sirius watched them go with a critical eye, but Harry made a desperate noise when he'd made to follow, and Sirius acknowledged he couldn't leave Harry right now, but those two had better
come back- they were within the next moment. They were protecting their infant as well as putting themselves in any way they could to be helping Harry through this as well as Sirius.
Harry was quite glad he had the book now, finally something he could focus on. He could feel the tense disgust of those around him, even in their panic of Sirius' fate they could never condone
anything that was being done to Harry like this, and any of them would have likely ripped the book to shreds again for that woman putting her hands back on Harry like this. Harry though didn't want the break of having to deal with repairing the book again, because this wasn't important right now. He didn't have a care for this, it was only helping him to finally redirect his
thoughts into something manageable other than utter panic, and dealing with Umbridge was just that.
James felt it somewhere in him, surprise for something, but it was quickly overrode by his thudding heart that refused to let anything else flash across his mind but Sirius writhing at
Voldemort's feet. He couldn't picture this in his head like he normally could, was hardly following along with what Harry was telling him unless it put him one step closer to being back near Sirius.
"Name calling, that's what we've been resorted to?" Sirius said flatly, he couldn't believe he was still one of the only ones trying to mock this, but he didn't know what else to do with himself being sandwiched as he was.
Lily's hands tightened into fists around James, her nails digging in painfully to his and he really couldn't even concentrate on that. It was yet another injustice in their sons life he couldn't seem to go one moment, for anything to have gone right!
Malfoy laughed along with the rest of his squad.
Remus made a disgusted noise, his anger beating through him so much he felt as if for the first time in his life he understood Moony, that anger and power surging through a body he had no
control over, merely wanting to strike out at something when there was nothing there. If it wasn't for Padfoot and Prongs being right here he may well have snapped and tried to take someone's throat out for laughing at a time like this!
Harry withered on the spot, feeling woozy and sick as one of his earlier problems flushed back to him in understanding. He'd forgotten about an Order member, he'd forgotten about Snape!
"That, that-" Remus stuttered as he tried to cling to his anger, trying to force some justification how this had occurred to none of them, but suddenly they felt like arrogant, fool headed idiots! Snape was the largest prick of their life, but surely he was the one person left who had some means to contact the Order! He'd insult Harry and belittle him and do everything to make them
want him dead while doing it, but all of this was actually for nothing!
Lily sobbed, hot bitter tears actually tracing down her cheeks. If Snape hadn't spent the past five years treating her son like scum, maybe he would have crossed their mind in time in time for help, her mind, as once someone she'd trusted completely. Now suddenly he hadn't even been considered as a last resort because of all the horrible things he'd done, now he was just the one
leaving them all clinging to some desperate last attempt that someone other than Harry could know what was being done to their brother.
James pulled her tight to him, brushing at her cheeks and refusing to let her feel this alone, but James only felt the blame for this all the more. It always circled back to him and Snape, if he'd just ignored Snape rather than everything he'd done to him Harry would have someone to turn to, Sirius might have already been out of this mess, but no, because of James bloody Potter Snape hadn't crossed Harry's mind until it was almost too late, maybe it already was.
Sirius shook his head furiously, he'd had enough. He couldn't just sit here and keep watching the lot of them like this, and he reached for the book again. For now he'd only been intending to read it, like he was hoping himself pushing through this would put this back into perspective for them he was still here now to read about old Snivellus once again ruining their life, but this time Harry ignored him intentionally, he wouldn't be coddled for another of his mistakes!
"You weren't the only one," Remus bitterly reminded, his eyes still distant and hardly hearing a thing.
"Hermione forgot to," Sirius reminded loudly in hopes to keep their attention, and that did work for just a moment. Hermione, who'd been trying everything to keep Harry from doing this, had no more remembered the last standing member at the school than any of them. It didn't make them feel better, but it was just a touch less miserable to realize.
"Honestly, that could be the most terrifying and useful thing of all," Sirius managed with forced chipper. "Surprise attack, act limp until they're least expecting it."
"Something you'd never master if you lived to a hundred," Lily tried to snip back, her reflex of picking on him never seemed to die off at least, and Sirius smirked at her.
"And here I thought I'd finally found something to make that walking grease trap smile, children in pain," Sirius said in vain, there was always one good fall back and that was insulting Snape. He didn't even get a reaction from Lily that time though.
"Another?" James demanded in surprise. He'd thought nothing could distract him from his vivid mental image, but that certainly had, and though a part of him wanted to die at misplacing his fear
for Sirius for even a moment, it truly did turn out his son could keep his attention over anything.
"But when did she-" Remus began in genuine confusion before it snapped together in their mind. Umbridge offering Harry a drink, and how she'd kept questioning him after he'd supposedly done
it...
"Merlin's wand that woman!" Lily yelped, her blotchy face far more menacing than Umbridge's could ever hope to be. "She, she actually-"
"I can't say I'm surprised," Sirius said in disgust as he watched Harry, "but glory am I more proud than ever you didn't take a drop of that!"
"Could, could she really have, could I really have told her-" Harry gasped in fear.
"No," James comforted even if this had long since happened. "Sirius is under protection from that house in a ton of magical ways, at least one of which is the Fidelius Charm, and you can't be magically forced to say anything about someone under that. It has to be willing. You just couldn't have answered."
Harry nodded slowly, his hand clenched painfully along the book as the scar on his right hand burned more than it ever had from those detentions. He couldn't believe what Umbridge had almost made him do, like it would be his fault if Sirius- Harry shook again, rasping in pain and nearly reduced to tears himself from it all. He had to keep going, that would make this better,
whatever his thoughts were trying to kill him with would be ignored if he just kept going!
"She could have killed you!" Lily said faintly as she still hadn't gotten over this realization, even if the implications weren't pertaining to Sirius anymore. "That much, from that vial! You'd have told every secret you'd ever had and then dropped dead from such an amount!"
"Lets just be grateful for Moody and that blue eyed kitten then," James soothed, stroking her hair as they kept watching Harry more gratefully than ever, something he could not understand in his
current mind set.
"That'll work though," Sirius hissed in triumph, even if the idea of being rescued by Snivellus made him contemplate if being around Voldemort wasn't just a touch better- he cut that thought
off, even he knew when something wasn't funny.
"He's, lying, to her," Lily said slowly as her brain worked sluggishly to realize this. That was a flat out lie, there were several poisions Snape more than likely had on stock that could leave a person in horrid amounts of pain for days, concocted purely for the act of interrogations. There were even other levels of truth serum Snape likely had on hand, yet he was denying any knowledge of all that...the warmth that suddenly flushed through her made her want to leap up and hug him for the first time since he'd appeared in these. He was a hateful, bitter arse to her son and everyone he seemingly came in contact with, but her old friend Sev did still exist! He was trying to help Harry!
The others watched this revelation flood over Lily with only minimal care, even as they realized the same thing. Though if Snape was the cause of Sirius getting out of this, the Marauders all grudgingly vowed they wouldn't speak a mean word of him again...okay, maybe at least not wish him dead anymore.
"This only goes to show how piss he was at teaching Occlumency though," for the first time in his life, there wasn't a touch of anything remotely cruel when speaking of Snape in James' tone. "He would have grasped that with the image you showed him, he's not that stupid." Even the insult at the end held nothing but polite information.
"Now she knows our grief," Remus agreed.
"Well that's what she gets taking the word of a Death Eater," Sirius sniffed.
"Lesson likely not learned," James said grimly.
"That was, brilliant Harry!" James breathed, his eyes finally flitting with pure, real hope. "He'd know our nicknames, even if he hadn't realized where in the Department of Mysteries before, he would now!"
Harry struggled to look up at them like he'd been previously refusing to, he couldn't at all grasp what they were feeling about this because he knew it was all for nothing. His panic wasn't slowing, his urge to run away or never let Sirius go again still at war. This was only a distraction, a problem in his way, but they were all acting like this was going to make it better. He wished he could believe them, and it crushed him to take that away from them when he kept going without a hint of agreeing.
"Far more than you could ever understand," Sirius hissed. He refused to allow Harry to keep torturing himself as he tightened his hold on him, Snape had to do one useful thing in his life,
right?
"Oh, well that's nice. At least he doesn't contend murder on students, we've finally found where he draws the line," Remus mock celebrated.
"Lets see how far that extends," James whispered, fear still gripping him from saying more as he looked from Harry to Sirius, he couldn't shake off as easily his son was showing no signs of relief at this taking place.
"What makes you think he didn't understand?" Lily pleaded. "What did you want him to do, wink at you? If he'd given a clue he did know what you meant, Umbridge would have done something preventing him from telling even longer!"
"I, I don't know," Harry said miserably, he couldn't look at any of them for fear he'd start seeing that hate any moment he was so sure would come eventually. He kept going loudly to prevent
anyone saying more, he had no defence for himself now more than ever for what came next.
"I don't like this, and I thought I was already at that limit," Sirius muttered uneasily, he didn't like to think what Umbridge would do to Harry when she was pushed to her breaking point, which they seemed to have reached.
James jaw flopped open, he was sure he hadn't heard that right! There was just no way the universe would do this to him, having Harry and Sirius being tortured at the same time! James would absolutely lose his mind, he would snap in half, there was no doubt of this!
"Much of what she's done has been illegal, this is-" Lily couldn't keep going, in anger or fear or anything, her head was throbbing as hard as Harry's must be, her vision was double. This could not be happening to her son again!
Sirius could not breath. Even being under Voldemort's foot right now would never hurt as bad as this! That madman wasn't poking and prodding trying to decide how to do the most pain, he just
inflicted! The Cruciatus Curse came from intent, of how much pain you wanted to cause, now it was being decided what was worse than that!
The worst part to all of them was still Harry's lack of, of anything! He kept going with the same flighty panic as when he'd started because all he could think about was this happening to Sirius, clearly the same being bestowed upon him was not crossing his mind!
There was something deeply wrong going on here when that just didn't feel as important as everything going on right now. Oh no, it hadn't been a freak accident at all, this was even better!
Another reason to kill Umbridge when they had an overwhelming amount of those!
"Gold star! I'm sure Fudge would have somehow given you another promotion if he'd found out-" Sirius rasped out, but it was getting harder every second to say any single thing...
Remus was convinced right then he'd lost his mind. There was just no way Hermione would ever cave to this! Of everything she was, coward had never been one at the top of the list. Then he
really considered the situation...and he almost pitied her in understanding. If, if she really couldn't bare to see Harry being tortured, would she really give up everything? Sirius, the Order, all to stop that happening to Harry? Would any of them really do differently?
Lily was damn near close to sobbing again as well. She couldn't stand it, listening to Harry go through that again, the first time had been the worst moment of her life and now she couldn't even look back on that with the knowledge she'd swoop in and save her son again. Hermione had though, and she'd never wanted to hug someone more in her life for being there for her son.
"You can dry sob of course. It's really an emotion that just pours out, tears aren't always a factor-" James was babbling, more out of shame than anything for everything he'd called her. Of course Hermione cared, even if it wasn't for Sirius like she had no right to. She was putting herself in terrible danger and trouble and all sorts of things just to defend Harry though, and he wanted to apologize endlessly for everything he'd called her these past days for always really being there when they needed her most for Harry.
Lily had patted his cheek in sympathy to get him to stop, and though one very tiny knot inside of Harry felt the first wriggle of relief his family didn't seem to despise the closest thing he had to a sister anymore, it still wasn't enough to distract him from the guilt tearing up the rest of him from the inside.
Lily moved so fast Harry didn't even realize the book was gone until he was just looking at his hands, and he glared furiously at her in protest.
"Harry, forcing yourself to read all this so fast is making you sick, now breath for a minute," she told him before turning to her wide eyed husband and confirming, "I heard that right, right?"
"Hermione lied," Remus agreed, his tongue felt swollen to twice its normal size in his mouth from having bitten it so hard before.
"This is a ruse," James whispered, burning through so many emotions lately he felt light headed from such a new, abrupt one that he still managed to lace back to Sirius. In all their panic of
Sirius burst out laughing. It was chaotic, maybe had one too many hiccups with stops and stuttering starts, but oh boy was he trying for that carefree tone to finally put light back into this
again.
Harry watched him for a long time, as long as he was willing to try, because he never wanted this to end. To see Sirius grinning when the only thing filling his mind was that pain etched into his face from what Voldemort was doing to him. That must be why he was feeling so guilty, because Sirius was only there because of him, of that he was sure. It wasn't quite connecting though, and apparently he couldn't stay distracted no matter what Sirius did. He kindly reached back to his mother and took the book back, not to be delayed in anything, even the man himself, to understand what he'd done so wrong to loose this from his life.
"Now there's really saying something, considering she wasn't even following along with the real problem in the first place," Remus said mildly only to appease Sirius, as he'd been watching Harry
worriedly he couldn't do anything to keep his pup from sinking lower into himself any moment. Sirius did give Moony a real smile, so it had been worth it as they all kept watching Harry berate himself with every word.
"I mean, I think they still would have written them off as indignation Hermione was telling the truth," Sirius said with the first real breath of lively conversation he'd felt since Harry's vision.
"Lets just be happy they have no attention span, something I'm sure you can understand," Lily muttered without a touch of heat in her barb considering this was no more distracting to them than
if Hickory had just come back in the room. This was just a parting fact, a side portion going on when they wouldn't deny they wanted to get right back to hearing of Sirius' rescue no matter how that happened.
"Why do I now feel like that's exactly what he'd be doing?" James said in exasperation.
"Certainly the Hogs Head, anybody could blend in there, and he wouldn't even be far from the school," Remus said with almost a touch of hope. Like a robbed man with a masked face would
walk in any minute and reveal himself to be Dumbledore with the perfect solution to get Sirius out
of this.
"I hope she tried poking herself in the eye, that'll manage something," Lily murmured in an honest attempt at helpful advice while all the boys paused to look at her for such a thing on her part and attempt at helpful advice while all the boys paused to look at her for such a thing on her part and she only just managed an old sly grin and a remorseless shrug. "Yes, I've had to fake crying in my past a few times, that's not the point now."
James disagreed, he always wanted to know everything about her and he'd never heard this one, but the pressing matter of Sirius still weighed the most on him, and he took just the smallest
amount of comfort he could ask her later and listen to Sirius laugh when she told the story, after...but right now it felt impossible to even think that far ahead.
"Letting them answer themselves rather than making up your own excuses tends to work like a charm, how is Hermione such a pro at this?" Sirius said weakly, his still the most honest and
genuine smile for this happening.
Remus still couldn't get over the fact, "is she making this up on the spot? Where could Hermione even lead her?"
"Room of Requirements?" Sirius offered as he thought wildly, though no place in the castle could have a trap set up quick enough to get them out of their hair.
"She already knows about that place, but she might not understand it's full capabilities, it could work," James agreed honestly just to shut them up. He didn't care if they just pushed Umbridge
out the window to get rid of her, Harry needed to be back on his way. He'd get retribution later on Azkaban's newest cellmate for what she tried to do to Harry later.
"Nice," Sirius drew the word out for dramatic fashion, holding it as long as he could but not as long as he was capable as Remus smacked him to get him to stop, not denying his hand was still
shaking hard the whole time.
"Ha!" Sirius let out a bark of laughter that had even worked! He'd been congratulating Hermione on the attempt, he couldn't believe Umbridge had fallen for it!
Harry paused then, actually taking a shaking breath as he glanced to Sirius, his eyes still wild with panic he may never hear that again if ever this ended...but surely the world he'd come from wasn't so cruel as that. He'd find a way to save Sirius...right?
"I know she can't," Lily said at once without a trace of fear. Harry and Hermione individually would be a formidable force to that doily dolt, but the two together, even Harry not knowing
Hermione's plan if even there was one, Umbridge wouldn't know what hit her anymore than them.
Harry tried to turn the page quickly, to not let anyone see his chapter was over. He still couldn't put the bare of this onto anyone else, he had to know this for himself and just hope he could handle whatever the answer was without losing everyone he cared about, then and now.
HPHPHPHP
Gah, sorry I know the first half was probably cheesy as hell, it really dragged on me, but I really didn't want that giant space inbetween them all for the parts to come, and they weren't all going to fit on one couch. The worst part is, this isn't even the worst to come yet, so I hope you guys can bare with me through what is probably my worst mode, I always think my comfort comes off more cheesy than anything.
*Not something I really had a moment to think about in fic, but who was teaching Transfiguration during this time? Were classes just canceled, being the end of the year and all, and it was like
previous DADA teachers gone so they just had those periods free? That's what I'm going with.
