(Disclaimer: I own nothing.)
(Author's Note: Hey, I won't be able to finish this by 40 chaps, but it'll be one or two over…probably 41. Please keep reviewing! I'm trying to get 200 reviews by the end of the story, but that's really unlikely, anyways, not a prob, thanks for the reviews, I really, really appreciate them! Thanks to Kim, ~*Taylor*~, Watkin's Angel, Caitlin2880, Ghost Dancer, Fyre Eye, Elham, Siriusly in Love, Harry's Hunny, Jelli Bean, SunshineRayz356, Kat, and Nats for your reviews!)
Chapter Thirty Nine
"Look at this one, James, isn't it adorable?" asked Lily. His chin was rested on his fist as he gazed out the window with a troubled expression, a letter tightly grasped in his free hand. "James? Don't you like this one?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's great, wonderful," he mumbled.
She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "I made up my mind," she said.
"That's great, Lil," muttered James.
"I'm going to run away with Sirius, your best friend, to a castle in France."
James jumped up to look at her with wide eyes. "What?" he yelled.
She smiled. "Thank you for your attention." He blinked at her. "Now," she said calmly, "Do you like these?"
With a big smile, he ran over and picked her up. After swinging her around numerous times he said, "Love you."
She smiled at him. "Love you too." After a short while she said, "Now, names?"
Just then, the doorbell rang. A head popped in the doorway. "Hello?" Sirius called, stretching the word out. "Anyone home?"
James laughed. "Come on in, Sirius."
The boy did as was told and turned to close the door. "Sirius!" yelled Hallie.
He gave her a look. "Sorry, Hal, James said I could come in. Remember? He said, 'come in, Sirius.' He didn't say you could. So sorry." The boy shut the door in her face and grinned at James. "Three…two…one…" he counted down.
*BANG*
The door slammed open and there stood Hallie looking at Sirius with a raised brow and her hands on hips. "Sirius…" She looked ready to explode.
He grinned bashfully and waved. "Hello."
She took out her wand and advanced towards him. He backed away and shot a look at James and Lily. "Help?"
They shook their heads. "This is your problem," said James with a broad grin.
"Now, what spell should I use?" Hallie asked herself, giving Sirius a mischievous grin.
He gave her a charming smile. "You're not going to, er, do anything drastic, are you?"
"Hey, Lily, James, remember in our fifth year? When Sirius took my periwinkle notebook?"
At this, James broke into a fit of laughter and doubled over to clutch his sides.
"I didn't think it was all that funny," said Sirius with a pout.
Hallie pointed her wand at him. "Well, I did." His eyes widened and she said, "Peridone Shaminkle!" She bent over and picked up the periwinkle pillow. After hugging it many times, she looked to Lily. "He's so soft as a pillow!" she exclaimed with a bright smile.
"Hallie, turn him back right now!"
There was a bright flash of light and Remus and Peter popped in via floo powder. Remus brushed his robes off. "I seriously don't know why I bother with Floo Powder," he murmured to himself. He looked up and saw Hallie with her periwinkle pillow and James who was gasping for breath from laughing so hard. "What did I miss?" he asked.
Peter's eyes widened. "You-you didn't," he started, but Hallie laughed and nodded. His eyes widened and he laughed. "Okay then."
Remus looked at the others. "What?"
"This," said Hallie holding up the pillow, "is Sirius Black!"
He stared for one second before exploding into laughter.
"Hallie…" said Lily.
The other girl sighed. "He deserved it," she muttered before performing the counter curse.
Sirius sat on the couch and stared at Hallie. "I cannot believe you just turned me into a periwinkle pillow!" He glared at her. "I'm not forgiving you for this."
She walked over to him amid the wild peals of laughter from Remus and James. After giving him an extra special smile, she said, "Forgive me?" He folded his arms across his chest and looked away with mock hurt. "You were very soft," she told him.
He abruptly looked at her and raised and lowered his eyebrows. "You should know," he said.
"Ugh!" she yelled and swatted at him. He laughed and slugged her with a pillow. "Hey, I'll turn you into a pink pillow next time," she said in warning.
Sirius immediately let the pillow go but made sure it hit James who was still laughing. He picked up another one and threw it towards Remus who just laughed all the more.
After a while, Lily looked at James seriously. "Names?"
He pondered this for a short moment. "For a girl…I rather like the name Lily," he said with a smile.
"Suck up," coughed Remus. James shot a glare his way.
"What about for a boy?" asked Lily.
Sirius came over. "Well, personally, I like the name Sirius…"
~*~
That night, Lily turned over and looked at James who was gazing at the ceiling with a worried expression. "James, are you all right?" He nodded, but obviously, his mind was on something else. She turned onto her side and gave him a look. "Tell me what's wrong."
James sighed and swallowed deeply. He took his hand from under the covers and still, he held the letter. "Lily, Dumbledore sent – he sent me a letter," he said quietly.
"And?" she asked, holding his hand in hers.
"He got news from someone that Voldemort is after us," he whispered.
She gasped in horror. "What? Why? Why would he be after us?"
James shook his head. "I don't know." But something was lingering under the surface in his mind. It was that unique part of him that told him he knew, but he didn't want to face it. He would have to, however, soon, so very soon.
~*~
James took her by the shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "It's the only way. Even Dumbledore offered to do it, but I can't let him. It has to be Sirius, Lily. It's the only way. The headmaster said it would be best and you know we can trust him if anyone in this world. He's the sanity in the darkness and I agree with him. We have to do this. Dumbledore said someone close to us has been passing information to Voldemort's side. I don't know who it is." She closed her eyes, letting the tears run down her cheeks.
He looked at the pain and the strain written across her face and sighed as he pulled her close to him. "I'm sorry, Lil, but – but I don't see an escape for this one." He pulled away again and looked at her steadily. "Just tell me you don't trust him and I swear that we won't do this. It's a decision for us both. If you don't trust him with your life like I do, then we can't go through with this."
"Oh stop it, James!" she cried. "He's Sirius for goodness sakes! What's there not to trust except when it comes to dung bombs and filibuster fireworks?" She forced a smile but it ended shaky and tearful. "Of course I trust him, he's like my brother!" He nodded. "But who's passing the information?"
James shook his head with a sorrowful sigh. "It could be anyone."
"You-you don't think it could be-it could be someone like-like our friends, could it?
He nodded. "I don't know. But should – should I go and – and ask him now?"
She gave him a look. "It's 1:43 in the morning, James."
He nodded, but got up anyway and got dressed. "He'll understand." With that, he gave her a quick kiss before apparating away.
James arrived at the Forester Mansion doorway. He rang the doorbell and waited. After a minute of waiting, he rang it again. Ten minutes later, a light came on in an upstairs room. The trail of lights came on until the one in the entrance room turned on. Sirius groggily opened the door. "Oh, hi, James. It would be wonderful to see you, except IT'S BLOODY TWO O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING!" he bellowed.
"Er – yeah, about that, sorry it's so early. I-I just had to talk to you," said James looking a bit guilty. "I could always come back – er – tonight…or – I mean, later today."
Sirius sighed and looked at his friend's serious expression. "Nah, come on in. But really, James, what the heck are you doing here this early in the morning?"
They went inside and sat in the living room. Sirius conjured two cups of tea. He gulped his down and conjured up another one after adding practically another cup of sugar to it. "I got a letter from Dumbledore about a week ago. He-he got some information and – and someone's close to us has been passing information to the Dark side. Voldemort's after Lily and me."
Sirius' eyes widened and he nearly spat out his tea. He started coughing from trying to swallow it down. James patted him on the back and soon, the other boy had regained his composure. "What?" he croaked.
"I don't know why, but, well, I have an idea why, but…I just don't know."
"Did you just want to talk?" asked Sirius. "I could help you find out why Voldemort's after you and Lily."
James shook his head. "I came here for something more serious than that."
The other young man's eyes widened. "What could be more serious?"
"Sirius, Dumbledore recommended the Fidelius Charm." He looked at James curiously. "It keeps secret those who are meant to be protected. Even if Voldemort is in front of Lily and I, he won't be able to see us because we'll be protected under this spell. It needs one person to be the Secret-Keeper. This person is very important because as long as they don't say a word, the people being kept as secrets cannot be harmed." James looked at him. "Dumbledore offered to be this person, but Sirius, Lily and I want you to be our Secret-Keeper. Will you?"
Sirius sat there, staring at him for a long moment. His heart pounded in his chest. It flattered him greatly that out of everyone in the world James and Lily chose him. The thought that scared him most was that his world was crumbling down around him and his friends were now in danger.
James, noticing the long silence, said, "You don't have to be, I don't want it to seem as if you have to. But Lily and I trust you with our lives. We know you'd die for us and we'd do the same for you. You're my best friend, Sirius, but you're more like a brother to me. I don't know anyone I would trust more than you to be our Secret-Keeper."
Tears came Sirius' eyes. "I'll be your Secret-Keeper, James. I won't let you down. I'll die before giving you and Lily away," he whispered.
He and his best friend embraced. "Thanks, Sirius, I'll never forget this. I owe you big time."
The other man shook his head. "We're friends, James. Friends do things for friends that no ordinary people would do." There was a short silence.
"Er – thanks a lot, Sirius. I-I think I should go now," said James standing up.
Sirius nodded and yawned. "See you tomorrow?"
James nodded and apparated home. Lily was sitting on the couch waiting for her husband to come home. When he appeared, she rushed to him. He hugged her tightly. "He said he'd do it, Lily, he said he'd be our Secret-Keeper."
She looked at him. "James, I've been thinking about this. You do know we're putting him in danger while he keeps us safe, don't you?"
James leaned his head on hers and closed his eyes tightly, his breaths coming out short and haggardly. Tears fell from under his lids and down his cheeks. "Yes, I know," he whispered.
~*~
Albus looked at Severus Snape who stood pacing in the headmaster's office. The poor man's eyes were pain filled and stress lines were upon his face. "He's angry, he wants the Potters," Snape said.
Albus nodded. "I know."
"And he's going to do anything possible to get at them, do you know that too?" asked Snape, who stopped pacing to look at the headmaster with a tense expression.
"Yes, the Dark Lord will go to drastic measures if he doesn't have them soon."
"Well, how are they going to be kept safe? There are so many people we cannot trust during these times. You and I both know that someone close to the Potters is passing information on their whereabouts to You-Know-Who." His voice had an ever so slight tremor and was low with exhaustion.
"They will be protected, you have my word, Severus," said Albus, a slight twinkle in his eyes.
"I don't care about that, Professor," he said gruffly. "It's that they're on my side now that I'm worrying myself gray…" His voice trailed off and he ran a hand through his black hair. "And they're having a child?"
The older man nodded. "Yes, it has been confirmed that it will be a boy."
"Wonderful," said Snape with distaste. "Another James Potter…" He sighed and took a seat. "When will it be over?"
Albus shook his head. "I don't know. But we must keep faith, hope and love shall see us through."
~*~
Sirius went back up to bed and but found that he couldn't sleep. With a sigh, he stood back up and walked to Hallie's room. She was sleeping peacefully, but there was a slight look of anxiety upon her face. He touched her cheek gently and she stirred. Sirius knelt down and looked at her for a moment.
What would life be like if he had to be on the run forever? Never seeing the people he loved…
He was going to have two people's lives in his hands soon. No, not two lives, but three, Lily and James were going to have a son.
He shook his head. Their lives were all drastically changing and the world seemed to be in a Dark Age. He buried his head in his hands and sat on the floor. The moonlight streamed in through the panes of the window and he thought about Remus.
James had told him someone close to them was passing information to Voldemort. Could it be Remus? He nearly laughed out loud at the thought. No, not Remus who would never harm a fly. Not the Remus who felt all alone in the world and out of place. Not the Remus Lupin who was always by his side and the level headed one of the group.
But just below the surface in his mind, there was a shred of doubt. "Stop it, Sirius," he muttered to himself. "You're going against one of your best friends, just stop it."
"Sirius?" he heard a voice say into the night. He looked up and Hallie was slowly sitting up. "Is that you?" Her voice was tired yes curious.
Sirius sat up and forced a smile. Hallie looked at him and his tears reflecting in the serene moonlight's glow. "Yeah, it's me," he said. She took her wand from the bedside table and turned on a light. He looked away.
She crawled over to the side of the bed and took his hand. "Sirius, tell me what's wrong."
"Hallie, I can't," he whispered. This phrase jogged his memory to a long time ago and he immediately looked up. He was relieved yet surprised to see she was smiling at him. She patted the space beside her. He stood up and lied down next to her. "Why aren't you pursuing the matter?" he asked after a short while.
"Well, I was thinking about that last time this happened and I was feeling guilty." He looked at her but she laughed. "And…well, I was thinking that you don't have to tell me anything unless you want to. I mean, I should trust you, right? And-and I do." She sighed and lied down next to him.
He smiled and ran his fingers through her hair. "Thanks, Hallie," he whispered. She smiled and closed her eyes. He held her near and soon she fell asleep.
He smiled at the aspect that she trusted him so much and wanted things to work out, but still, his heart wrenched. He knew he couldn't tell her the secret, it wasn't his to give… But I wish I could tell you, how I wish I could.
~*~
Snape swallowed and sighed deeply as he closed his eyes. He then disapparated. "Took you quite a while, didn't it, Severus?" said Voldemort.
Snape bowed. "I didn't mean to dishonor you, master."
"Stand." The younger man did as was told. He noticed the angry fire in the Dark Lord's eyes. "You shall be late no longer to my calling. Understood?"
Snape bowed again. "Never again," he muttered.
Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "And I must teach you," he said. He pointed his wand at his servant and yelled, "Crucio!"
~*~
Sirius opened his eyes at the sound of the doorbell. He looked around. He wasn't in his room. And then the events of the previous night fluttered into his mind. A clock was hanging on the wall opposite the bed and read 7:03. He sighed. The doorbell rang once more.
He looked beside him at Hallie. Her arm was draped lightly over his chest and his over her waist. He smiled. Slowly, he got up as to not wake her and crept down the steps.
Hallie saw Sirius get up and sighed, lying back down. She looked up at the ceiling drowsily.
Sirius opened the door and his eyes widened when he saw who it was. "Snape?" he asked in incredulity.
The other man said, "I-I couldn't-couldn't make it to-to," but he swallowed and his eyes seemed to become less focused. He steadied himself by leaning against the doorway. "Couldn't make it to Dumbledore," he whispered. And then his eyes rolled back and he collapsed.
Sirius stared at him in horror. He nudged the unconscious Snape with his toe. "Snape? Snape, wake up," he said.
"Sirius…" said a voice from the steps. He turned around and saw Hallie coming down. "Who is it?"
He looked at the man on the floor of the doorway. "It's Snape." She hurried down and saw him there. Hurriedly, she started to take her wand from her robe but Sirius held her back. "He turned, remember?"
Hallie glared at him. "I don't care. He's on our side now, Dumbledore said so." She levitated the fallen figure to the couch and rushed to the kitchen to get a wet cloth to put on Snape's head.
Sirius watched her with his arms folded across his chest. "I don't trust him, Hallie," he said.
She stopped in her tracks to look at him squarely. "But you trust me, don't you?"
His eyes widened slightly. "Well, of course I do, but-," she cut him off.
"Then there's nothing more to say, I trust him and you trust me so somehow, you trust him too," she said.
Sirius' eyebrows knit together in confusion. "I don't get it," he said.
She laughed and walked over. After giving him a big hug, she kissed his cheek. "Never mind. Just watch after him for a while so I can cook up breakfast."
He gave her a look. "The heated kind? Or the cooked kind?" he asked.
She laughed again. "Don't worry, it's the heated kind."
Sirius sat in the armchair looking at Snape. The hateful expression was off the other man's face, but was replaced with lines of pain and stress. Sirius sighed and leaned back in his chair. Snape's clothes were in rags and torn. Where they were torn, deep scratches and bruises could be seen. He was sporting a black eye and a cut lip with a scratch just above his eyebrow.
And then Snape stirred and let out a soft groan of pain. "Hallie!" Sirius called. "He's moving! What do I do!"
There was a laugh from the kitchen. "Don't say a word and hide."
Sirius laughed, but then shut himself up. "You're kidding right?"
Hallie walked out. "No," she said with a smile. "He might think you're on a mission to kill him or something."
The young man looked at her with a raised brow. "What would give you that idea?" She gave him a look and he grinned sheepishly. "Er – right, um…I'm going to be upstairs getting dressed. Try not to miss me too much," he said, flashing her a charming grin. She laughed. He came over and hugged her tightly, giving her kiss. She smiled as she watched him go up the steps. She then looked to Snape on the couch.
"Er – you awake?" she asked softly.
"Maybe," he grumbled.
She laughed inwardly and set down a bowl of hot soup on the table next to the couch. "What're you doing here, Severus?"
He opened his eyes and looked at her. "I didn't want to come here," he said. "But I couldn't reach Dumbledore's quick enough. I-well, this was the place nearest that I felt I could reach before collapsing."
Now she did laugh. "And you were right." He sighed and closed his eyes. "What happened to you?"
"I can't tell you," he said.
Sounds familiar, Hallie thought to herself.
"If you say so."
He suddenly sat up. "Oh, god, I have to get to Dumbledore. Do you have floo powder?" he asked quickly. She nodded and pointed to the fireplace in puzzlement. He stood but fell back onto the couch. She helped him to the fireplace and he left.
She sat on the armchair looking at the fire. "That was strange."
~*~
"Dumbledore," gasped Snape, steadying himself by putting a hand on the desk.
Albus immediately got up and helped him to a chair. "Severus, what is it? What has happened?"
"You-Know-Who...he's-he's on a rage. He's going to start a mass killing of muggles and half bloods," he croaked.
Dumbledore's eyes widened and he immediately said the spell to see the Minister of Magic. "We've got news," he said.
~*~
Sirius came back down and saw Hallie asleep on the armchair. He grinned and walked down. It was then that he saw the hot bowl of noodle soup. His stomach growled and he almost laughed at himself.
Halfway through his meal when Hallie said, "I made that for Severus."
Sirius nearly choked and he spat out the mouthful of soup he had spooned into his mouth. "Oh my god, did I just-did I just eat soup that SNAPE ate?" His eyes were wide and soup dripped down his chin.
She laughed. "No, he didn't touch it."
He blinked at her for a moment before shrugging. "Okay then." And he began to eat once more. She laughed and rested her head on the back of the armchair.
James, Lily, Remus, and Peter came in a while later for lunch. It was a Saturday and they still wished to go on with their traditional picnic lunches.
Off they went to the park under the shady tree. Hallie helped Peter get everything ready while Remus and Lily flew around on brooms, passing a quaffle back and fourth.
James and Sirius walked around. "Sirius, about - about the um - the," but Sirius cut him off.
"Yeah, I know."
"You don't have to. I was thinking about everything that I'm getting you into…Sirius, you're going to be in danger. Voldemort will be going after you," said James quietly.
"I know," said Sirius in the same quiet voice. James looked at him. "I was thinking about it too, as you told me about it. I thought everything through before I said yes, James. I wouldn't say yes to back out at the last minute, it isn't me." He forced a grin. His friend smiled.
"Thanks, Sirius, this means a lot to me." Sirius nodded and looked back at his other friends. Hallie laughed when Peter accidentally used a wrong spell and the picnic basket flew ten feet into the air. Lily swooped down and caught it before it fell again and passed it to Remus who just barely caught it. He grinned and said something that made the others laugh.
"So…how's Lily coming along?" Sirius asked after a short while.
James grinned. "She's been tired lately. The baby's definitely going to be a boy though!"
Sirius smiled. "That's great!" James nodded. "Have you thought of a name?"
The other man laughed. "As much as we like the name Sirius, we decided on the name Harry."
"Okay. But why Harry?"
James closed his eyes tightly. The tears of dread and fright came once again as his breaths came out slowly and ruggedly. "Premonition," he whispered.
