Hello lovelies!
I'm really glad everyone seemed to like the last chapter so much. I was trying to stay within the realms of what they would be able to do that wouldn't end with them getting officially in trouble because of it. I did a quick edit through this chapter for the umpteenth time and decided to post it today instead of tomorrow!
Please leave a review and let me know what you think x
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Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling, and only the story line and any OC's belong to me.
Sunday, May 9th, 1999
Potter Manor
"You ready?" Draco asked, tugging on one of Hermione's curls.
"No," Hermione replied. She held the leather bound journal with reverence. She stroked the front with quivering fingers. They had informed her of the phials of memories and the journal James and Lily left a few days ago, and Hermione decided that morning that it was time to face them.
"We can do this another time."
"No, it's okay. I'm okay," Hermione said, dragging in a shuddering breath. And thus, she opened the journal to the first entry.
Mione,
It's been a month since you disappeared. I swore I saw Dray two days ago, but perhaps it was wishful thinking…
Hermione and Draco carefully read the words left for them by James and Lily. After they finished the final entry, the tears burned as they flew down Hermione's cheeks, carving steady streams of sorrow. "We have to keep going, we have to. I can't do this again."
Draco didn't bother to wipe away his own solemn tears. "I'll go get the others."
Harry, Hermione, Draco, Remus and Sirius stood equidistantly spaced around the shallow, dark stone bowl. It had been enlarged so they could all fit comfortably around the circumference.
(Draco had popped in and out of Hogwarts to grab Harry.)
The dark water was polished glass; no ripples. When they looked inside, it seemed to be neverending blue-black depths.
Harry held both unstoppered phials that he had delicately removed from the plum, satin-lined box. Those gathered shared resolute, firm nods and determined glances. With a shaky exhale, Harry tipped them into the pensieve one after the other.
The silvery blue wisps of memory swirled in a lazy whirlpool around the bowl. It was hypnotic.
Each member of the group gripped the edge of the bowl, their fingers dipping into the frigid water. With deep breaths, they plunged forward and submerged their heads in the pensieve.
Draco was falling and falling and falling. Then, he was floating inches off the ground, and a confining, dense fog engulfed him. He couldn't see the others.
Warbled voices echoed around him, clawing at his inner ear. Draco slammed his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut.
The distinct scent of summer. Warmth spread over his skin. Another scent mixed in, and Draco choked out a sob. The woodsy earthy smell was sprinkled with floral undertones.
Draco hesitantly pried open his eyes. He sucked in a sharp breath. He was standing, he hadn't felt his feet touch the ground, but he was standing and he was staring directly at his brother.
James was pacing back and forth in front of a full-length mirror, muttering to himself. He anxiously rubbed his hands through his hair until it stuck up in the back.
"Fuck. This is harder than I thought it would be," James mumbled.
Draco barely noticed the other's presence. They were as still as statues, holding their breath.
Black, fitted trousers, fine, black, Italian leather shoes, a pastel pink button-down that was tucked into his trousers. James rolled the sleeves up as he paced, exposing his forearms.
James paused, glanced down at his attire and pursed his lips. He unbuttoned the top two buttons.
"Should I put on cologne?" James muttered, but hurriedly made a dismissive grunt and resumed his pacing.
James's bedroom. It was spotless. Draco was hard-pressed to remember a time when it had been so neat and tidy. James wasn't that messy, but he had a tendency to drop his belongings in random places around his room. As did Lily. Even their desk was ordered.
Periwinkle curtains undulated with the summer breeze. James's bed sheets were black with white pinstripes. A slender, cylindrical, crystal vase with a tapered rim held a trio of white calla lilies; it rested on the wide windowsill.
James dragged the chair from his desk in the far-right corner over to the mirror, and sat down. He stared meaningfully into the mirror.
A bright grin overtook his features. He was fiddling with his ear, a nervous tic.
"Harry! I'm not sure exactly when you're watching this…but hi, it's me, James Potter. Your Father." James grimaced at the last part of his sentence.
"This is after you went to see him," Hermione gasped. Her knees knocked together before her legs gave out. She collapsed, but her gaze remained fixed to her brother.
"But, you know that. Ah fuck…"
James paused, grinning sheepishly. "Sorry for saying fuck."
"I want to start off by saying sorry we missed almost all of your birthdays. According to Draco, we only get to celebrate your first one, and knowing Lily she will make it a brilliant one."
"Draco wouldn't tell me much, but I fully give you permission to hex the Dursleys, please give Vermont a pig tail or Walrus tusks, something, anything. That man was highly unpleasant the one time I met him, and I can't imagine what growing up with him must have been like. Petunia is no bed of roses either."
"Walrus tusks," Draco snorted. Draco regained control of his limbs, and he took measured, shaky steps toward his brother. He halted in front of him. He crouched, and his hands hovered over James's.
Draco couldn't bring himself to touch his brother, he knew his hands would go straight through him, and he didn't want to interfere with the memory. "You always did have the best ideas."
James sighed, ruffling his hair anxiously. "Draco refused to tell me why Sirius and Remus couldn't take care of you…and something tells me I wouldn't like the answer."
James heaved out a sigh. His right hand was resting on his thigh, his index finger tapped absently against it. James snuck a glance at the mirror, "Draco. If you ever see this, thank you for giving me this. I know I look like a knobhead, and the words aren't coming out right, but thank you."
James pursed his lips, and tacked on. "Hermione." James's jaw was taut and he tilted his head up as tears glistened in his eyes. "I love you, big sister. Don't—don't be upset that you didn't say goodbye…because, I'm always going to be with you. I told Draco this already, I plan on haunting you. With love of course."
Hermione let out a watery laugh, it blubbed out of her. She scrambled to her feet and jogged over to Draco and her brother. She dropped to her knees at James's feet beside her fiancé. "I'm sorry, Jamie. I am so, so sorry."
James closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "You don't have to be sorry for anything, Mione." No one moved or breathed, the timing of his words was eerily unsettling.
James cleared his throat, and his eyes sprang open. He pushed his glasses further up onto the bridge of his nose.
"Sirius, brother. You are the other half to my madness, and I'm sorry I won't be around to keep you out of trouble. You are not broken, you don't need fixing. There are too many things I want to say, and I can't find the words, but I need you to know that I'm sorry. Most importantly, I love you."
Sirius moved, his limbs obeyed him and he moved. Soundlessly he joined the others, but he stood beside James. Sirius's hand gingerly hovering over his head, and he made a stroking motion; not quite touching the memory. The two of them would stroke each other's hair when they were distressed.
"I love you too, Prongs. Always."
"I don't know if you brought Riles with you. Riley, you keep Sirius from giving into the Black madness as he calls it, and I am eternally grateful that my best mate has someone as lovely as you. Not to mention you're always covered in paint, and that makes me smile whenever I see it. You barely batted an eye when you found out about Remus, and you stuck by our side no matter what. Thank you, and I'm sorry about your eye. I'll forever be sorry about it, but on the bright side, it makes you look fucking awesome. Look after them for me, won't you?"
James grinned. "And last but not least, Remus. Harry's Godmother. Sorry, Mione. You were gone for too long. You aren't your condition, Moony. You aren't a monster, or a pawn for Dumbledore to push around. You are the Alpha to our pack. I love you, even if you hide chocolate around the house and refuse to share."
Remus strode over to James's side. He grasped Sirius's hand tightly. Sirius squeezed back. Their knuckles turned white. There wasn't a dry eye in the room. Harry was the only one not gathered by James. He was rooted to the spot. Greedily drinking in every word and moment. Memorising the way he sounded, his scent, and his mannerisms via his reflection that was still visible despite the crowd of Marauders around him.
"I always shared my chocolate with you, Prongs, and you know it."
James was misty-eyed, but he straightened out, and clapped his hands together. "Harry, my boy, hope you didn't think I was done with you!"
"You became Seeker in your first year! My son, the youngest Seeker in a century!" A triumphant grin spread across his face. "I wish I could have seen it. How bloody brilliant."
A wistful, faraway quality overtook James's gaze. He blinked harshly thrice, shook his head and continued speaking.
"I'm sorry you didn't have us growing up. I'll try to be the best Dad I can, but Godric, I know your Mum would have been the best. Lily…" James trailed off.
"Lily deserves the world. That woman is remarkable and she deserves more time. She helps me make sense of this world we are living in, despite its cruelty and unfairness. She makes it beautiful and worth experiencing."
Hermione turned to Draco, clutching at his shirt desperately. She was openly weeping as she listened to her brother. "Don't go, Jamie. Don't go."
"According to Draco you do end up having Sirius and Remus in your life, and I am glad. If you can't have us, then I am glad they could be there to look after you in whatever capacity they can."
Sirius glanced at Harry over his shoulder and beckoned for the boy to join them. Harry swallowed thickly and uncertain footsteps carried him to the remaining space, right behind James. Harry gazed at his Father's reflection and smiled softly. He only saw James.
"I won't be there, but the other Marauders will be. Our pack and our family will be there for you."
James beamed at his reflection, and snapped his fingers. "Right! Moony! Draco told me that you have a son! Teddy! And that you're married to Little Tonks. That is fucking brilliant. In a way, count yourself lucky that I won't be there to tease you about it in the future."
"I would have taken all the teasing in the world if it meant I got to keep you," Remus smiled morosely.
James scratched at his temple, and he sighed again. "I wish I had more time to sit and chat, but I have a lot to do over the next couple days. However, I compiled some memories of us growing up—I convinced Lily to give me a few as well—that I thought you might like. Hopefully it helps you get to know us a bit better. I wish it was more."
James's expression crumpled, and he fell forward, his forearms braced on his thighs. A single tear rolled down his cheek as he looked past his siblings into the mirror.
"I wish I could give you more, Harry. The entire bloody world if I was able, but we'll just have to settle for this. I hope it's enough. Never—never forget that I love you."
The scene faded and their surroundings became translucent, a second later the same setting bloomed into view again. James was gone. Another Potter had taken his place.
"From the future," Lily muttered. She was sitting in the chair James had recently vacated. Her cornflower blue sundress was neatly arranged around her, tiny sunflowers were embroidered along the hem. Lily's waist-length crimson hair was hanging over the back of the chair. Her hands were resting on her round stomach.
"What did she just say?" Hermione sniffed.
Lily crossed her ankles together and stared at her reflection. She appeared disgruntled, perplexed. "If this works, then I am going to be talking to my son, Harry. That's the name Draco suggested, and James also now seems set on it."
Lily's brow smoothed, and she blew a raspberry. She shifted backwards until the base of her spine was pressed against the chair's back.
"After I woke up, and discovered Draco was gone, again, and my husband gave me a rubbish excuse…" Lily's mouth was pressed into a thin, irritated line. Lily cleared her throat twice. "James refused to tell me why we are doing this, but I have an idea."
Lily rubbed at her clothed stomach, and she peered down at it. She spoke directly to her unborn son. "It's because we die."
Lily snorted exasperatedly. "I don't know what I was thinking, but I decided to go searching in Hermione and Draco's rooms. And I found something. A letter. I've put it back already, but it answered some of my questions."
Lily let her head fall back and she stared listlessly at the ceiling. "It was peeking out from under Hermione's bed. I don't know how I managed to get down there, or back up on my own, but it involved a lot of rolling and colourful language. It was only after I got back up that I realised I could use magic."
"James said Draco is coming back in a week…but that isn't true, is it?" Lily sniffled, her eyes squeezing shut. She pressed the heels of her palms against her eyelids.
"The letter was addressed to me, but I know I was never meant to see it. I'm glad I did. I've been so fucking worried, constantly, but my baby lives." Lily lowered her face and removed her hands, she stared at her reflection with bloodshot eyes.
The pack members hadn't moved from the last memory, and they couldn't have even if they wished to. None of them knew Lily had uncovered the truth, although it had only been for a few days. Then the memory spell wiped the temporary knowledge clean.
Lily swiped at her eyes, a smile wobbled onto her face. It looked like a squiggly line drawn on by a toddler. "My son lives. Oh, I do hope you see this one day, Harry. I don't know when we will die, but no matter how much time we have left, I am grateful for all of it."
Lily's hands fell to her stomach again. "I wish we got to see you grow up, but especially, I wish you knew James. I wasn't his biggest fan when we were younger, but your Father…"
"She loved him," Harry whispered. It was a sentiment that the Marauders had drilled into his head countless times. Seeing his Mother's eyes light up with joy and crinkle around the edges as she spoke about James was magical. It was plain to see, she loved him.
Harry listened to his Mother's monologue about James, the ups and downs that they had endured, about how she'd shifted into a doe mid-proposal, about what it was like growing up with the brilliant yet chaotic Marauders.
Lily's bright green eyes were sparkling by the time she finished.
Lily swallowed, and clapped her hands together. "If you do see this one day, it probably means Hermione and Draco are with you. If so…I wish I had gotten to keep you both for longer. It seems selfish, but I am jealous that Harry will get you for the rest of your lives, and I'll never see you again… but I also want you to know that I love you so much."
"I'm grateful that you'll be there for him, and that our family will live on," Lily added with a loud sniff.
Lily braced her hands on her stomach as she stood up slowly. She hissed as the weight distributed and pressure built in her lower spine. She waddled over to the mirror, stopping when her nose was inches away.
The pack faced the petite, pregnant witch.
"From the future," Lily repeated, and her eyes widened. "Wait! That's how Mione always won all those bets!"
Lily folded her arms over her chest. "That's ruddy unfair. Little fox swindled us out of good money."
Hermione snorted. "I made some educated guesses with a bit of extra knowledge. I hardly call that swindling."
"Not sure about that love, my money pouch was lightened more than once with your educated guesses," Remus said with a wry smile. Hermione peeked at him, a tiny smile etched on her face. She shrugged.
"Remus, I heard you left your wife when she was pregnant because you were scared,'' Lily leaned back. She rubbed at the base of her neck as she turned and headed for the open window. She pushed the curtains aside, letting the full force of the fauna and summery breeze blow into the room.
Lily brushed her fingers over one of the calla lilies. "I forget you're a werewolf sometimes. I know that might be hard to believe, but it's never the first thing I think of when I see you. For someone so kind, you never afford yourself the same understanding you do for others."
Their entire group had swivelled to face her. Remus rounded the chair and rested a hand on Harry's shoulder. Harry reached up and squeezed it. "She's right, you know."
"I know," Remus said hoarsely.
Lily's hair whipped out behind her as a gust of wind burst into the room, the flowers twirled in the vase. "Sirius and Remus. The letter mentioned older versions of you, so I know you both survive. I—"
Lily made a frustrated noise and hit her right fist on the windowsill. "I never say the right thing when I am supposed to. I don't know what to say. I am supposed to be telling my son how much I love him, how much I love all of you."
Hermione reached for Draco, and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders. As if by holding her, he would keep all her pieces together. Hermione was weeping softly.
Remus and Sirius took a step towards Lily but they faltered.
"We know, Mum," Harry murmured.
"It's unfair. Why does the Dark Lord want to hurt my baby? Why does my stupidly wonderful husband have to die? Why couldn't I keep them?" Lily whispered to herself. She sucked in a trembling breath before letting it whistle out of her. She squared her shoulders and whirled around with surprising grace considering her condition.
"I'm not going to complain anymore. I'm not going to worry either," Lily gestured errantly around the room. "I don't know how all this memory stuff works, or if you'll be seeing what I see, or if you'll be seeing me, but, if anyone is listening, and I'm not just a pregnant lady nattering on to herself, then listen closely!"
Lily rubbed at the undersides of her eyes, collecting the fresh set of tears that had fallen when her back was turned to them. "I love you guys, thank you for being my family!"
"Draco, figuring you out has been the best puzzle a curious girl like me could ask for. It was a small gift whenever I saw a new side to you, or I earned a smile. I'm glad that you chose me as one of the people you are open and vulnerable with. Thank you for being my first crush. Thank you for loving Hermione, and making her almost as happy as James makes me!"
"Remus Lupin! You need to have more children! Being an only child can be lonely. I hope you've figured out that your wolfy traits are not hereditary. I hope you love yourself as much as I love you, and see that you deserve all the love in the world, my sweet Moon."
Lily paused, chewing on her bottom lip bashfully before she continued. "I also want to let you know that it was me that ate those chocolate frogs you had stashed in the bottom cupboard in the kitchen…not Sirius. It went really well with my jar of peanut butter."
"I knew it!" Sirius exclaimed, poking Remus's shoulder. "And you gave me shite for weeks."
"She's nicer than you," Remus deadpanned.
"Take that back, Moony. Take it back right now!"
Lily dragged in a breath, and continued swiftly. "Padfoot! I disapprove of the hare-brained schemes you drag my husband into, but I am also so grateful for you. Your silliness helps keep me sane in this fucked up war. You don't talk about your childhood much, but whatever lies your Mother told you? They are just that, lies. You are brilliant, and far too attractive for your own good. Make sure to treat Riley right!"
"I forgot how fun it is to hear Lilypad swear," Draco mumbled. He ducked his head and pressed a chaste kiss to Hermione's forehead.
"Oh, Riley! Alice has always been my best mate…goodness I hope she's doing well in the future. I know this prophecy is weighing heavily on her and Frank." Lily muttered the last part, her brow furrowed.
A moment later, Lily's eyes widened and she pressed onward. "Anyway! You, me, and Hermione. We're like sisters, and I know my biological one doesn't want anything to do with me, but thank you for being my sister in her place. You are the warmest person I know, and it's frightening when you get angry, but it's only when you think someone has been mistreated."
"Hermione," Lily's voice softened. "I understand why you kept things from me, and what your Unbreakable Vow entailed, or at least I can hazard a guess. It feels like yesterday that you helped my parents and I onto the platform. You are my sister, you will always be. Don't blame yourself that you couldn't save me, it's not your fault, my love."
Lily shifted her weight from foot-to-foot, a small grimace on her face as she pressed her hands into her lower spine. "Harry, you don't have to kick so hard."
"Speaking of. Harry, I haven't met you yet, but I love you. You are the hope we have for the future. I hope you are handsome like your Father, but you inherit my temperament. Although, I can be a bit hot-headed at times. It led to me hexing your Father on a few occasions when I really should have waited to hear the whole story." Lily let out an amused snort.
"Sometimes he really deserved it. Asking me out with a pitch full of lilies? How obnoxious. I don't regret setting them on fire."
"A pitch full of lilies?" Harry asked.
"Not his best idea, nor his finest moment," Remus said.
"It was brilliant, a bit over-the-top, but brilliant," Sirius insisted defensively. Remus rolled his eyes.
A golden glow encompassed Lily, her magic emitting from her, and filling the space. It swallowed them, sending sparks crackling across their skin. The sensations were so visceral it was as if it was happening in real time. "I love you all, and thank you for loving me."
Lily's bright green eyes partially closed as she beamed. "Harry, thank you for making me a Mother. I don't know how much time we'll have together, but I promise to love you and cherish you until my dying breath."
Lily was moving away, her voice getting fainter, the ground was being tugged from under them. The walls splintered, the scene froze, preserving the glowing witch. It sped away, until Lily was a speck, and they were surrounded by grey.
"Fuck!" Hermione screamed, she curved in on herself, and wrenched herself from Draco's grasp. Hermione's hands were clawing at the misty ground in front of her; her fingers failed to connect to anything solid. She attempted to pound her fists down, but she felt no pain and she never made contact.
"Love. We can leave, we don't have to stay—"
"No," Hermione said, she dragged herself up. Her body slack as she sat upright, some strands of hair were sticking to her tear-streaked cheeks. She haphazardly pushed her hair back, her slender fingers diving into her curls. "No."
The option was taken from them, another scene started. James tried dill pickles dipped in yoghurt, his face hastily contorted with disgust as he gagged. Then it blended into another scene, the first time James and Lily had a proper conversation. One after another, over and over again. They were immersed in memories.
Moments from their adolescents, snippets and longer memories that caused Hermione to bawl her eyes out. There wasn't a dry eye amongst their company, but they had shared their fair share of laughs as well. Buoyant highs and tragic lows.
Lily and James bumped into each other on the train on September first in Seventh Year. Dorea had passed away during the summer.
Nights spent together in the Head dorms studying. Lily admitted to herself that she was falling hopelessly in love with James.
The late evening when the pair of them confessed their feelings to one another. Quiet moments where they slow danced around the Head Dorms. Afternoons where they sat on benches in the Viaduct Courtyard between classes, James's head in Lily's lap as she massaged his scalp and dragged her hands through his hair.
Lily freaking out when she found out the truth about Hermione and Draco. Harry watched from the foot of the bed, smiling at Lily's antics. He was both surprised and elated as Lily sprinted out into the snow and tackled Draco into the pool.
They watched Lily and James grow up. The memories flowed seamlessly from one to the next. Countless, brilliantly shining moments played one-by-one. They watched James and Lily grow up, and then they watched them fall in love.
Hermione pulled herself from the pensieve with a great heave, gasping desperately for fresh air. She slipped to the ground. One hand was on her chest, the other on her forehead, her eyes were blown wide. She couldn't catch her breath. No air was entering her lungs.
"Hermione, love. Breathe, please, breathe," Draco pleaded, he was kneeling beside her, hands on her cheeks, gently trying to turn her face to his.
"They're gone. They—gone," Hermione rasped. She weakly batted him away, her vision was blurred. The others spoke to her, but their voices were incessant buzzing that prickled and snapped at her eardrums. "Gone." Hermione choked out. She had to get away. She couldn't breathe.
Hermione's magic exploded out of her. She couldn't breathe. She needed to get out.
The air tore apart as she apparated herself away. She needed to escape. She needed to breathe. She tore the fabric of the world around her to shreds as she unintentionally dragged Draco hurtling through space alongside her.
The pair landed gruffly on the hard earth. Hermione was thrown onto her back, and the shock of the impact forced the remainder of the air out of her lungs.
Hermione gasped and air slipstreamed into her system, speeding down her airway and expanding her diaphragm. She panted in and out as she caught her breath. As she relearned how to inhale and exhale. She was intently focused on the action, overtly aware of the passage of breath in and out of her.
"Feel better now?" Draco asked.
Hermione covered her eyes with her forearm. The tears came without permission, stinging her eyes. A dull ache pounded against her temples and in between her eyebrows. "They're really gone."
"You heard them, they aren't, not really. They're always with us." Draco's large hand shifted until it was resting in between her breasts. He tapped his index finger against her chest plate.
"I can't touch that. I can't talk to that," Hermione snapped. She roughly sat up, and brushed his hand to the side. Draco pushed himself into an upright position, one leg bent, the other extended in front of him. He half-heartedly dusted the dirt from his pants.
"Don't push me away because you're hurting, Hermione," Draco said under his breath. She heard him but chose not to acknowledge his words.
Hermione hadn't been thinking clearly when she apparated them from Potter Manor. She was surprised neither of them had been splinched. Her eyes widened exponentially as she realised where they were.
"Where are we?" Draco asked her, twisting his body as he examined their surroundings.
Hermione didn't reply. She scrambled to her feet, and sprinted down the dirt path to the left.
"Bloody witch will be the end of me," Draco heaved out as he leveraged himself into a standing position. He trailed after her. He didn't have it in him to run. His arse was still sore from when they landed.
Hermione's blood thrummed in her ears, her tears blurred her vision, she could taste her heartbeat and her lungs clenched painfully.
Hermione made a sharp right turn and entered the small graveyard. She slowed at the entrance, greedily gasping in gulps of air as she moved.
A short, dark green, wrought-iron picket fence surrounded the small graveyard. The green paint was peeling off some of the pickets and the tops of the posts.
That feels like a safety hazard, Hermione thought. The fence was just below waist-height. The probability of someone tripping and impaling themselves on the pickets was far too likely for comfort.
The headstones were placed in ordered rows. A couple had vases filled with dead flowers, others the names were rubbed away and half-legible. Ivy climbed along the bases and sides of a pair of gravestones she passed by on her way to the second row from the back.
The people who had been laid to rest here had been abandoned.
When Hermione came here with Harry on Christmas Eve during the war, it had been covered in a thick blanket of snow, and it had brightened the area. Now it was dark and desolate.
Hermione found the matching headstones she was looking for. They were buried side-by-side. Buried in the wrong place.
Hermione jerked to a halt, her muscles spasming and twitching from the sudden exertion. Her shoulders rose and fell. She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
Hermione waved her fist around, she needed to hit something, but she couldn't bring herself to smash her fist into the headstone. Instead, her hands went slack and she rested them palm down onto Lily's headstone. It stung; her nails had broken the soft flesh and left her with small cuts. Beads of blood came out of her wounds.
Hermione stiffened when she heard footsteps behind her, but relaxed when Draco's minty smell enveloped her. Draco's hands slid onto her hips, and he rested his forehead against the back of her head.
"They shouldn't be here. So far away from home," Hermione murmured. Her eyes fluttered shut.
"We can fix that," Draco said into her curls.
Intangible hands slipped onto her face, and a floral tornado of scent blew against her face. It was mixed with earthy, woodsy notes. Hermione breathed it in greedily. "Hi Lilypad."
Hermione's magic was sizzling through the air, and her hands warmed as the magic poured from her into the headstone.
"We're going to bring you home," Hermione swore. "I promise."
"About time you showed up." The voice was deep, cheerful, and familiar.
"Jamie?" Draco asked, his head snapping up as he peered around the empty graveyard.
"Who else would it be? Lily's here too, but you can't hear her. She's trying to braid Hermione's hair. Isn't really working since she's not solid."
Hermione's eyes flew open, and she turned in Draco's arms. She peered up at him. Utter shock was present on his features. "You can hear him too, right?"
"Of course he can, I'm talking aren't I?"
"You're dead…Jamie, you're gone." Hermione said, the words tasted of ash.
"I can't explain it either, but if I had to guess, it has to do with the magic you just emitted. Blood magic might I add."
"But I wasn't—"
"Doesn't mean it didn't work. We don't have long."
Hermione was rendered speechless, as was Draco. "I would have thought that you would have passed on."
"I have, mostly, but I can also come and check up on my family can't I? Speaking of, you both look like hell. Did you go for a roll in the dirt before you came to visit?"
Hermione glanced down at her white t-shirt and faded, blue jean shorts. There were a few dirt smudges on her shirt. She caught sight of a couple leaves in her hair, and absently picked them out. "Sorry I didn't wear my pearls or fancy footwear." She toed the ground with her black socks.
"You should be, but it's okay. I forgive you."
"Is this real?" Hermione asked. Draco shrugged, looking around, bewildered.
Draco frowned deeply, he pulled his wand out, held up his hand and made a precise motion to slice open his palm.
"What are you doing?"
"Blood magic," Draco said. He walked around his witch and let the blood drip onto both headstones. A burst of silver light came from Draco and Hermione couldn't see anything for a moment. She blinked rapidly, spots dancing in front of her eyes as the light from Draco subsided.
"Hermione!"
Hermione choked on a sob as Lily materialised in front of her. She was translucent, and she flickered in and out of existence, but it was her. She was trying to tug on one of Hermione's curls but her fingers kept passing through her.
"Well done, big brother!" James exclaimed. Hermione whirled around. James was sitting atop his headstone, kicking his feet back and forth. A broad grin was on his face.
They were the same, they looked the exact same, except they weren't really there. They weren't the bluish hue that the Hogwarts ghosts were, there was some muted colour to their flesh.
"This can't be real. This doesn't make any sense," Hermione said.
Lily skipped around her, and over to James. She jumped into the air, as light as a feather and landed sideways in James's lap. The man let out a grunt as if she was heavy, and she swatted him playfully.
"This has to be happening in my head," Draco mumbled, stumbling backwards. Hermione stepped into him, a hand in the middle of his back as she gazed at Lily and James.
"Maybe, but does that make it any less real?" Lily asked. She turned to James and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek.
"You're dead," Hermione said.
"You're alive," James retorted. He was sulking. He wrapped his arms around Lily's waist. "I forgave you a long time ago, but I want you to know that I am still upset that you never said goodbye."
"I—I couldn't," Hermione said. She bowed her head, ashamed.
"Hermione Potter, your punishment, as decreed by the leader of the Marauders—"
Hermione snorted crudely, head snapping up to look at her brother. "The leader?"
"Not important. Focus. Your punishment is to live."
"What?"
"Live, Mione. We're dead. We've been dead for twenty years. Let us go, you need to live a full life so we have plenty to talk about one day in the distant future," James smiled gently.
Hermione moved past Draco, and she halted right before the headstone. She tried to place her hand on James's cheek, but her fingers slipped past it, into his non-corporeal being. It was cold. "I can never let you go. You're my brother," Hermione sniffled. A fresh set of tears slipstreamed down her cheeks.
"Let us go, Hermione," Lily pleaded, bright green eyes dulled slightly in death. "Letting go doesn't mean forgetting."
"You should have had more time," Draco said. James shook his head fondly. He leapt off the headstone, Lily firmly held in his arms. He stood in the middle of his siblings.
"Maybe, but we didn't get it," James said. "And that's okay." James swung Lily smoothly around his body so she was settled neatly on his back, her arms around his neck, his hands holding the undersides of her thighs.
"It isn't," Hermione wept. "It isn't fair and it isn't okay."
"Perhaps, but it's what happened," James replied. "I love you, Hermione Potter. Thank you for loving an idiot like me as much as you do. I don't know what I did to deserve you both."
James turned to Draco. "We got to say goodbye once, and it's time for us to say goodbye again. Promise me you'll take care of everyone and give them my love."
Draco nodded curtly.
"Goodbye, big sister," James's face splintered into a blinding smile. "Glad you finally said yes," James gestured to her ring finger.
"It was the right time."
"Exactly, Mione. It's your time, don't waste it living in the memories of ghosts."
James faded and left Lily behind. She extended her right leg out, and floated in mid air.
Lily soared through the air until she was nose-to-nose with Hermione. "Thank you, Hermione, but when you think of us, think of the happy things. It pains me to see you so sad."
"How am I going to live in a world without you in it?" Hermione cried, she tried to touch Lily, but she couldn't.
"You said you were taking us home, didn't you? You won't be able to see us, or hear us, but we'll always be with you. No matter what, right?" Lily bumped her nose against Hermione's. A cool sensation spread from the point of contact and spread like tendrils across her skin and burrowed into her cheeks.
"Thank you for being my sister, Lily Potter." Hermione said.
"It was my pleasure," Lily smirked. She dove backwards in the air, twisting onto her front as she sailed over to Draco.
Lily skidded to a halt a few inches away, her ankles lapped, her arms folded over her chest. "Dray, I'm glad you cut your hair. You look much better like this. Also, I would like to be made an honorary Godmother of all your children. Alice, Riley, or Tonks can have the official title."
A crooked grin tugged at Draco's lips, he shoved his hands into his pockets. "Is that so?"
"Unless you want me to haunt you."
"That wouldn't be so bad."
"It would disrupt the natural order, possibly alter the fabric of reality," Lily pointed out. She attempted to ruffle Draco's hair, but her hand ghosted through his cropped raven hair.
"Just to check, how do you want us to get you home? We could dig you up, but that's not exactly ideal—"
"I don't care. Get us the fuck out of here," Lily growled. "We never should have been buried here in the first place. Dumbledore should have found a way to bury us in the Orchards. I specifically told him that if anything happened to us, that's where he should bury us. Wanker."
None of them verbalised that he wouldn't have had access to Potter Manor. Although, with a bit of extra effort, he could have contacted Mipsy to take care of the arrangements.
"There are a few summoning rituals that come to mind," Draco thought aloud.
Lily perked up at the suggestion. She thoughtfully tapped her chin. "Moonlight, I don't know anything else, but you need moonlight," Lily said.
"Lily," Hermione started, disbelieving that this was real. Perhaps she had been concussed or splinched when they arrived.
"It's time to say goodbye," Lily said suddenly. She flickered twice, vanishing entirely for several seconds before she reappeared. "Remember, the happy things," Lily said, she waved exuberantly, and a moment later, she was gone. A twirl of dust kicked up, and fell to the ground just as quickly.
The graveyard was eerily quiet. Hermione's head spun, she felt lightheaded, and her vision sharply skewed. The world was off-kilter. Hermione stumbled to her left, but it felt like her right. Everything went black and she collapsed.
Dawn broke, the tranquil morning was ushered in with birdsong. Hermione's entire body throbbed and ached dully. Her cheek was pressed into the hard, cool earth.
"Wake up," Draco's voice tickled her ear, and his hand was on her shoulders gently shaking her.
"What the fuck happened?" Hermione asked, as she wrestled herself into an upright position. Draco knelt beside her, his hair stuck up at odd angles. Hermione dropped her forehead onto his shoulder.
"Did you have a dream where we spoke to Lily and James?"
"Yes," Hermione groaned. The vein by her temple was pounding. She couldn't recall the conversation, or anything specific about the dream. However, a knot had unfurled in her gut, and her heart wasn't as heavy.
"Do you remember anything about it?"
"Not really," Hermione admitted. Draco held the back of her head as he cradled her to his front. He let out a laboured sigh.
"Me either…but I feel lighter now." Draco confessed, he rested his cheek against her head. "We should go home."
"We should," Hermione agreed. She mustered enough energy to pull back and meet his gaze. His grey eyes were searching hers with earnest concern. "And then we should figure out how to bring them home as well."
Hermione turned to the gravestones of her deceased brother and sister. They were spotless, as if someone had scrubbed them clean until they sparkled. Hermione's brow furrowed at the sight, she swore they had been weathered with a thin layer of dust covering them.
"We're going to bring you home." The air seemed to hum with approval at the statement. The metallic taste of blood mixed with fragrant citrus was in the air.
"We're going to bring you home," Hermione repeated to herself, a solemn promise. She would bring them home where they belonged.
Was it real? Was it a dream? Who knows :)
Also, chapter 213 is fighting me a bit, so I was working on chapter 7 of the rewritten version for the past two days. Hopefully the muse co-operates shortly. Either way, I've written up to chapter 212 in full. Also final chapter count is 244 including two epilogues! It's all planned out!
And there will be more in depth memories in the chapter when the pack takes Harry through their memories, it will be more like chapter 167. I really wanted to focus on Lily and James's little monologues in this one.
Regardless, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! See you in a few days lovelies!