DEATH, PART II
In the Gryffindor Common Room, the owl post had arrived. Several students had subscriptions, including Remus. He, Sirus, Peter, April, and Lily pored over it, disbelieving. Sirius collapsed in a chair, Remus was trying to hold back tears, April looked angry, Peter looked scared.
Lily was frantic, lost, crying, her heart already breaking for him -- "Oh God, oh God -- we have to *find* him --"
~*
Clutching his Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders, James wandered through the snow outsise on the castle grounds. The sun was high in the sky, the day had begun . . . but an era of his life had ended. James didn't know where he was going, but he sure as hell wasn't going back
He looked around at the castle, preparing goodbye; he could picture his friends in the Common Room, sitting around the fire, laughing, talking . . . or did they know?
Did they know of the looming darkness over their futures?"
They'd know soon eough, in any case, once a copy of the Daily Prophe began to circulate.
Would it change everyone else's lives, too? Is this the last day of peace they will ever have? James thought.
Or maybe his parents were the only victims. Maybe he was the only one affected by it. He didn't know why, he couldn't understand why the Dark Lord, the one called Voldemort, went for his parents first . . . Before anyone else. Why not Dumbledore, why not the Ministry?
James looked up suddenly. Something in his mind clicked, and he changed his mind -- he had to go back -- turned around and began sprinting towards the castle.
~*
Lily rushed to Sinistra's classroom and burst into her office to find it empty. She'd gone to Dumbledore's office -- he wasn't around. Being a prefect, she should have known the password, but couldn't remember it to save her life. Professor McGonagall was also nowhere to be seen.
She stayed in her dormitory on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. April was pacing the room, checking the hallways every now and then to ask people if they'd seen James Potter. They all said no. Many of the older students offered their condolences, and the younger ones asked who had been the murderer, and why, and whether their own parents were in danger. April tried not to be cruel to them, but it was hard, as she was just as confused and anxious as they were about the situation and they expected her to know -- She wanted to find a teacher and ask them, but . . . she didn't want to leave Lily.
April had tried to comfort her, tried to talk to her, but Lily had shaken her head: "Please. Please, don't talk right now . . ." Lily wanted no comfort. She wanted to find James -- her husband, soon -- and comfort him, take care of him
~*
"I need to ask you something," James said, entering Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster immediately looked up.
"About your heritage."
James inclined his head slightly.
Dumbledore sat down and peered at james over his half-moon spectacles.
"Do you know who you are, James?"
". . . The descendant of Godric Gryffindor."
"Yes. The very last, now."
"And this . . . this Voldemort. He wants the Gryffindors dead?"
"It would make his reign to power clearer. I've known this plan of his only for about a month. I admit now that it was a great mistake on my part not to tell you sooner. Yes, James -- he wants your life very much."
"He wants to stop the Gryffindor line. So he would also kill those who look as though the might someday continue it."
Dumbledore's steel grey eyes agreed silently. James was bright -- he was figuring it out.
James remembered red eyes in the bushes, watching . . .
Watching as he and Lily kissed.
His heart sank into his stomach. "Lily's father . . . Voldemort killed him, didn't he?"
"Yes. After failing to kill you during the summer, Voldemort went after Lily and encountered her father instead."
James sank into a chair. "It's irrational to place the blame at this point," he recalled saying.
The blame was his.
"I'm going to let her go," James said softly, deciding then and there.
Dumbledore looked pensive -- he had not expected this from James. He had expected they would be married as planned. Love was more important now than ever. "It's a war, James. She'll be involved whether she's with you or not."
"She's in less danger without me, though, isn't she?" James said, his voice trembling.
Dumbledore relented. "Considerably less," he admitted.
"Then it's over. We're done." James got up and left.
"It's over," he said to himself as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower.
His heart collapsed, cried out: "Lily . . ."
He wanted to find her. He wanted to find and her and tell her about his parents, wanted to take comfort in her . . .
But he pushed his feelings back, ignored them. What he *needed* to do was find her . . . and tell her to let him go. This was not a time for emotion.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: FYI I don't mind flames! I think I've said that before, I wanna hear anything anyone thinks. Please review! Even if you've reviewed earlier chapters, you can tell me what you think now!!!! I'm kind of pushy and demanding, aren't I? ^^ All right, I'll stop. Next chapter is called "Heartbreak". Be up tomorrow.]
In the Gryffindor Common Room, the owl post had arrived. Several students had subscriptions, including Remus. He, Sirus, Peter, April, and Lily pored over it, disbelieving. Sirius collapsed in a chair, Remus was trying to hold back tears, April looked angry, Peter looked scared.
Lily was frantic, lost, crying, her heart already breaking for him -- "Oh God, oh God -- we have to *find* him --"
~*
Clutching his Invisibility Cloak around his shoulders, James wandered through the snow outsise on the castle grounds. The sun was high in the sky, the day had begun . . . but an era of his life had ended. James didn't know where he was going, but he sure as hell wasn't going back
He looked around at the castle, preparing goodbye; he could picture his friends in the Common Room, sitting around the fire, laughing, talking . . . or did they know?
Did they know of the looming darkness over their futures?"
They'd know soon eough, in any case, once a copy of the Daily Prophe began to circulate.
Would it change everyone else's lives, too? Is this the last day of peace they will ever have? James thought.
Or maybe his parents were the only victims. Maybe he was the only one affected by it. He didn't know why, he couldn't understand why the Dark Lord, the one called Voldemort, went for his parents first . . . Before anyone else. Why not Dumbledore, why not the Ministry?
James looked up suddenly. Something in his mind clicked, and he changed his mind -- he had to go back -- turned around and began sprinting towards the castle.
~*
Lily rushed to Sinistra's classroom and burst into her office to find it empty. She'd gone to Dumbledore's office -- he wasn't around. Being a prefect, she should have known the password, but couldn't remember it to save her life. Professor McGonagall was also nowhere to be seen.
She stayed in her dormitory on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest. April was pacing the room, checking the hallways every now and then to ask people if they'd seen James Potter. They all said no. Many of the older students offered their condolences, and the younger ones asked who had been the murderer, and why, and whether their own parents were in danger. April tried not to be cruel to them, but it was hard, as she was just as confused and anxious as they were about the situation and they expected her to know -- She wanted to find a teacher and ask them, but . . . she didn't want to leave Lily.
April had tried to comfort her, tried to talk to her, but Lily had shaken her head: "Please. Please, don't talk right now . . ." Lily wanted no comfort. She wanted to find James -- her husband, soon -- and comfort him, take care of him
~*
"I need to ask you something," James said, entering Dumbledore's office. The Headmaster immediately looked up.
"About your heritage."
James inclined his head slightly.
Dumbledore sat down and peered at james over his half-moon spectacles.
"Do you know who you are, James?"
". . . The descendant of Godric Gryffindor."
"Yes. The very last, now."
"And this . . . this Voldemort. He wants the Gryffindors dead?"
"It would make his reign to power clearer. I've known this plan of his only for about a month. I admit now that it was a great mistake on my part not to tell you sooner. Yes, James -- he wants your life very much."
"He wants to stop the Gryffindor line. So he would also kill those who look as though the might someday continue it."
Dumbledore's steel grey eyes agreed silently. James was bright -- he was figuring it out.
James remembered red eyes in the bushes, watching . . .
Watching as he and Lily kissed.
His heart sank into his stomach. "Lily's father . . . Voldemort killed him, didn't he?"
"Yes. After failing to kill you during the summer, Voldemort went after Lily and encountered her father instead."
James sank into a chair. "It's irrational to place the blame at this point," he recalled saying.
The blame was his.
"I'm going to let her go," James said softly, deciding then and there.
Dumbledore looked pensive -- he had not expected this from James. He had expected they would be married as planned. Love was more important now than ever. "It's a war, James. She'll be involved whether she's with you or not."
"She's in less danger without me, though, isn't she?" James said, his voice trembling.
Dumbledore relented. "Considerably less," he admitted.
"Then it's over. We're done." James got up and left.
"It's over," he said to himself as he made his way to Gryffindor Tower.
His heart collapsed, cried out: "Lily . . ."
He wanted to find her. He wanted to find and her and tell her about his parents, wanted to take comfort in her . . .
But he pushed his feelings back, ignored them. What he *needed* to do was find her . . . and tell her to let him go. This was not a time for emotion.
[AUTHOR'S NOTE: FYI I don't mind flames! I think I've said that before, I wanna hear anything anyone thinks. Please review! Even if you've reviewed earlier chapters, you can tell me what you think now!!!! I'm kind of pushy and demanding, aren't I? ^^ All right, I'll stop. Next chapter is called "Heartbreak". Be up tomorrow.]
