Disclaimer: All people and places belong to J. K. Rowling

Life Had Just Begun

By Terra

Chapter Fifteen: Bells

I stayed in hospital for another three days in which anyone and everyone I had ever met came to visit. And everyone forgot to bring me a book. Once St. Mungo's had declared me fit to return home, the Ministry sent me work to my home so I could continue to work until I was no longer declared bed-ridden.

I found out who had been sending me sandwiches. Doctor Harvey had asked Lily about them but she said she had never once ordered me sandwiches. They guessed that Percy himself may have delivered them to me.

Once I had settled in, Sirius remembered that he had been collecting the past newspapers so I could catch up when I woke up again. I spent the first two days looking them over.

To my surprise, my condition was reported along with the other nine people (one of them a young Muggle girl aged eight who had been under the care of a Death Eater posing as a friendly baby-sitter.) No names were given, only descriptions of who they were and their chances of survival. My recovery (although my name was not given) was also reported. For your information, six others survived. Three died, one of them the little Muggle girl.

However, the suicide of Virginia Lenore Weatherby dominated the press. Many reporters declared it one of the greatest tragedies of the Dark Times. The articles went into detail of her life. It related how Virginia had been brought up with her siblings in a well-established pureblood family, going back many generations. As far as anyone could remember, she was an excellent storyteller and had an excellent talent at guessing ahead. She was in Hufflepuff, along with Jenna Harding who spoke at her funeral and the famous author Gilderoy Lockhart. She was considered a compassionate person who had devoted time and energy to the less-fortunate, especially for children in Quesera based on her friendship with such a child, Jenna. The articles even stated that her will would be divided evenly between her natural family, the Weasleys, and the various charities that she was a part of. The profits of future sales of her books would also go to charity.

One article detailed an estimate on the last days of her life based on evidence from witnesses and from the place where she demised. It explained the circumstances of her husband's arrest and behavior, and her reaction. The reporter believed that Virginia spent the next month in despair and rage at the betrayal. Witnesses told how she had numerous fits where she would talk to herself, back and forth, playing both sides. She seemed to waste away and she constantly wondered what to do about her unborn child (Jenna confirmed that she had been pregnant). Finally, she made her decision to kill herself. She invited over the Weasley sons for one last visit and gave them numerous treasured items. Close family and friends say that she seemed so happy that they thought the crisis had passed but psychologists, the reporter added, often say that sudden happiness is the worst sign. Three days later, Virginia called her agent and told him to visit the next day at precisely ten o'clock "and not a minute before". She wrote her suicide note and her last requests, leaving them alongside the latest short story and the two poems. She dressed in her finest dress robe (she was buried in the very robe she died in), tied the noose, stepped on to the chair, and kicked it away. She was found at precisely ten o'clock. Doctors said that the possible time of death was most likely 9:30 to 9:50.

A few days later, the papers were given permission to record what was contained in the papers left behind. The will was already explained so no paper really mentioned that again.

The short story was written two days before Percy Weatherby's arrest. It was called "Disease". It was the story of a world dying of a grave epidemic. No one knows how the disease was started but they know it's wizard-made. A young woman, Ginny, seeks solace from the disease-ridden world in the company and home of a young doctor, a Doctor Tom Riddle. She is not only hiding from disease but also personal sorrow. She is ignored by her family, teased by her brothers, and her one true love, a man named Henry, barely knows she exists. She pours her soul out of to him and he is a sympathetic listener and seems to care deeply about her problems. The young woman then hears about disappearances and she is beginning to feel ill herself along with having nightmares. The doctor continues to do "blood tests" but he reports that nothing is wrong with her. Finally, he leaves at note at her desk, telling her to meet in a secret room that she was never allowed to enter. When she gets there, she sees all the people that went "missing", including her one true love, Henry, laying dead on tables in heaps. The doctor comes in to explain that it was he who was killing all the people. Something in the blood of some people when mixed with a special snake venom can cause death. He's been taking these special people in to take their blood, mix it with venom and contaminate the water supply to kill everyone. However, after awhile, the chemical seems to run out and the person is useless. So, they must die to avoid having his secret leak out.

Ginny has become useless and must die. She begs for her life but he's taken so much blood that she's too weak to fight. As the story closes, she is strapped to a table and snakes slither around her body as she screams. The snakes bite and the world goes black.

One of the poems was written at the beginning of the month of April, two weeks before she died. The poem was also called "Disease". The reporter stated that perhaps Virginia realized that she had been tricked like Ginny in the short story of the same name and thus called the poem that as well. The poem lamented how the supposed subject Percy had contaminated her and she couldn't live on like that. The other poem was titled "Eulogy" dedicated to her unborn child who had to die along with her. In the poem, she regrets having consorted with the little baby's father because if the baby was born, she would hate it with all her soul and no child deserved that.

The letter that she had left was most frightening of all. Her last requests even said to make sure that this letter was made public because everyone had to know what she had to say. It began like this:

"Dear Reader,

By the time you read this, I will be dead. And you will ask yourself, 'Why did she do this? She wasn't a Death Eater. She did nothing wrong.' Don't make me laugh. What did I do? I am as guilty as my husband. No, I never physically killed anyone. I've never sworn my allegiance to [You-Know-Who] but I am guilty. What am I guilty of?

Ignorance. By being ignorant, I let it continue. There are many, and until recently I was part of the many, that tell themselves, 'Ah, there is evil but not near me. Not me, not my husband nor my wife, neither my mother nor my father, neither my sister nor my brother, neither my son nor my daughter, neither my friend nor my lover.' That is blindness. That is what finally kills you. By averting your eyes away, clamping your hands over your ears and just refusing to even consider the slightest possibility, then you are more guilty than the men and women actually doing the crimes.

I AM GUILTY.

Every time I stopped to think fondly about Percy, I controlled someone against their will. Every time I told him I loved him more everyday, I tortured. Every time I kissed him good-bye as he walked out the door, I killed. I controlled, I tortured and I killed because I refuse to even consider that perhaps he could. I let this continue and you all let this continue!

Ignorance is not bliss. You give them a tool to use: your complacency. Or worse, you think if you keep quiet, neither help nor hinder, then you will be spared. You won't be spared; they will kill your soul if not your body. Do you think my complacency will spare me or the spawn growing inside me? It won't and now I know that.

Why must I die? Very simple really. My husband used me. He used me to further his own ends. And he won. He won and for awhile, I had won too because I thought my victory was his victory. But he had corrupted that. He turned a beautiful, holy creation in a demonic spawn of himself. But he doesn't know. I never got a chance to inform him of his luck. So, for a month now, I've been pacing and thinking and it grew and grew. It reminded me of him. I know it would grow and be born and look like him. I would despise it. How cruel of him to make me feel this way towards a supposedly wonderful thing. He ruined it. And he doesn't care. He never cared... about anything really.

I did his little dirty work. I'll admit it, I told him to lie. Even if he was guilty, I told him, lie, say that he didn't do it. But he wouldn't and I was sad. How shameful for me not to even care about who he killed just for my benefit. When I realized that, I realized that he had finally won. The darkness had finally taken over and there was no escape. I was one more point in his little game.

So, now it's time to call his foul. You've won, congratulations, Percy. You won't be reading this but I'll write it anyway, just in case. But, you lose too. I'm tired of playing this game. That's life. I don't care. I'd rather kill myself then be faced with anything associated with you. I hope you're happy.

Now, since there is time left, I'll leave some parting advice. My friends, don't be sad. This wasn't your fault. This is an issue between me and my husband alone. I'll watch over you all when I'm gone. You have my word.

My readers, young and old, there are many people in my head that will never be. It's sad really but I think you'll understand someday. I'm not dying because I hate life. I'm dying because I value life too much to remain. Darkness is nearly upon me completely and this is the only weapon I have.

My family, my parents and my siblings, please don't cry. I love you dearly and I know this will be painful. You shouldn't blame yourselves. There was nothing you could do for me. I'll never leave your sides and I will wait for you until you grow very old and join me.

To the Weasleys, I hold no bitterness to you, for this is the hardest time. The betrayal was as sharp to you as it was to me, perhaps more so. To Arthur and Molly, raise your children. Don't abandon them even when they want you to. Cling tight and never let go. You are wonderful parents and you have wonderful children, don't throw that away.

To Bill, the oldest, you are the leader. Your brothers and your sister [the reporter would like to note that the Weasleys have no daughter. No one is quite sure who she is referring to] will look up to you for support and guidance. Be a good example. Love them and cherish them even when they don't cherish themselves. Be good to them when they need it the most.

To Charlie, don't lose that love of life that you have. Embrace everyday like it's your last and you will have a wonderful collection of full yesterdays and promising tomorrows. Take into consideration of your mother's advice but in the end, follow your passions. Support your little siblings when Bill is too busy. Always hold out your hand because someday, they'll need to grasp it tight. And when they do, don't let go.

To Little Percy, don't blame yourself for your namesake. He was once like you and he went terribly astray. Keep straight and you will get there. Taking shortcuts doesn't end the journey any more quickly. I know that you are the different brother but that doesn't make you any less worthy of respect or love. Your family loves you and they will always love you even at your worst. Don't forget that because they might not always show it. You will be faced with a terrible decision. You will have to choose between your head and your heart. Your days and your nights will wrestle with it and you may think you'll never get back on the right course. I know that you will make the right choice in the end. I trust you.

To Fred and George or George and Fred, keep laughing. Laughter will keep you alive. When you laugh, the world will laugh with you. You will make the sun rise at midnight and the stars twinkle in the noon day sun. Don't let people fool you worse than you fool them into thinking that your humor is unimportant. Even you will not believe the power that you two possess. Stay together and the laughter and courage with be doubled as well.

To my little Ron [as of April 21st, the youngest son, Robert Weasley, had his name legally changed to Ronald after Ms. Lenore's famous character. 'We felt it was her last request,' explained the father, Arthur Weasley], who will live for a time under the chilly shadow of your brothers, you will be mightiest of all. You will doubt this for a long time even when you've obtained your noble status, but trust me, I know. You will be the most important figure in a hero's life and through him and your own soul, you will be a hero as well. Your life, sad to say, will be difficult. Being a hero isn't all it's cracked up to be but you'll rise to it and not even realize you're doing it. It will be difficult but it will also be oh-so-rewarding. There will be times when you will be filled to the brim with fury, you will undervalue yourself, and think yourself small. But you will have the strength to realize that your fury is unjustified and use it to your advantage. I see great things happening under your hand. There will be a great evil and a great good to fight it. You will power that great good. I fear I may have betrayed you with a kiss [many speculate that she was actually a Seer. Some wonder whether she is referring to the infamous 'Seer's Kiss', which passes on the Gift should the original Seer die. There is doubt whether the boy will gain the Sight because only ten percent of Kisses are successful] but I hope that it will serve you and your cause. My little godson [Ms. Lenore was named the boy's godmother shortly before he was born], don't lose your spirit when others lose theirs. I believe in you and others will too.

To you who is yet to be born [again, no one has any idea who she could be referring to. The Weasleys claim that Mrs. Weasley is not expecting another child and doesn't plan to have any more children], be wary of the darkness in your soul, the darkness present in all human souls. You will be faced with a dark evil that will try to destroy you. Fight it! Fight it and become stronger through your struggle. Don't lose heart. Remember and never, ever forget: Don't trust anything that can think for itself if you can't see where it keeps its brain, don't pour out your heart to something if you can't hear its own heart beating. Never forget that.

For the rest of you, there is no Ron Seannings... yet. But there will be. There is a great dam, filling with blood. For years, the level has been rising and rising and now the dam has cracks in it, barely seen but they're there. Tiny, minute cracks. The tide is turning towards the dam and the level rises and rises. The dam is connected to a road which leads to yew tree, gnarled and decayed, feeding off the energy of anything around it. Finally, one day, there will be two drops too much for the dam to hold and it will burst. On the red waves, a child of no prior importance to the general public will ride the crashing waves, rushing towards the single yew tree. The force of the baby will knock the tree's roots out of the ground and it will fall with a shudder.

The world will rejoice and praise the young boy. The young boy will know nothing. He will be blindfolded for ten years, forced to endure the pricking of thorns of loneliness and the lashing of grief for those two drops too much won't come back. He will have a face that the whole world will recognize except him. Once the ten years are up, he will return, bewildered but pleased at his acceptance in his original birthplace.

But the world will rejoice overmuch, as it often does. The tree is not dead, just knocked over. Thirteen years will pass and the boy will end up heading down that blood stained road and, against his will and hopes, prop the tree back up. The world will turn on the boy and the boy will have to kill the tree again. This time, completely.

The boy will begin unarmed. However, he will have two allies. One, the Head. The Head will clear his thoughts and formulate a plan for a wondrous sword. The other, the Heart. The Heart will fan the fires of the forge and feed the boy when he is hungry, quench him when he is thirsty, nurse him when he is sick. Through the Heart, the sword will be fashioned and sharpened. Together, the Head and the Heart will train the boy, the Head increasing his skill while the Heart increases his power until the boy is the Sword. These three elements will be inseparable and if two is without one, all will die.

That is what is coming. Be prepared. Choose your sides wisely.

The dawn is breaking, and I can see it outside my window. It is beautiful. It will be the last I will ever see on Earth and I am glad that it is so beautiful. I am happy now. There is little left to do. The darkness will not take me. I will make the dam burst sooner than expected.

My child and I love this world and we are sad to leave it but we are glad it treated us so well.

Stay strong, little children. Ron Seannings won't be a little story for much longer.

With love,

Virginia Lenore".

No, I don't have excellent memory. I have a copy in front of me. Don't be silly.

I was forced to remain in bed at all hours, except for the occasional toilet break. At first, I felt the need for constant bed rest a little unnecessary so I decided to get up and stretch my legs a bit. For the time required to walk back and forth from bed to toilet, I was fine. However, once that allotted time passed, I began to feel light-headed and weak-kneed. Before I could fall over, Sirius walked in to check if I needed anything. Finding out what I was doing, he practically threw me back into bed, reminding me sternly that I was to stay in bed. I had to agree.

I spent most of my day in isolation because the pair of them couldn't be at my beck and call at all times. Crookshanks, to my utter surprise, made it his solemn duty to keep me company. That, or he had gotten used to sleeping on the bed for those two weeks. However, with Crookshanks' companionship, Sirius and Lily's check-ups, and my pile of work that I had neglected since the day I went into the coma, I wasn't bored.

A month after I first went into the coma, in mid-May, I was coming out of an afternoon doze when I heard a door slam and shouting.

"I can not believe you did that!" Lily's voice hollered while Sirius' laughter floated up to me. "It's not funny!"

"Your face!" Sirius gasped. I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs.

"You are such an immature..."

"Immature what?"

"I don't know what but you're immature!"

"Why is Sirius immature?" I asked the pair when they walked into the doorway. Lily turned around to face me and her face immediately softened. There is a magical element in a woman's body that enables them to be furiously screaming mad at someone and then turn around and smile and be all sweet in under a second.

"Oh, James, did we wake you?"

"No, I was waking up anyway. Why is Sirius immature?" Sirius snorted again as Lily glared at him.

"It's not funny!" Lily hissed.

"It was your face!"

"You're lucky that Marguerite wasn't there! You'd be in big trouble!"

Sirius sobered up. "She doesn't visit that store."

"What if she did? What if I had been talking to her, hm?"

"Is anyone ever going to tell me what he did?" I demanded.

Lily growled at Sirius before saying, "Your friend here decided that my company was too boring at the market. So, while I went into another aisle, he stayed in the same aisle. Along with a pretty young woman. And then... and then..."

"Violin music began to play, the lights turned down low, and they went into a waltz!" I added. Sirius fell over laughing.

"No!" Lily answered, "He did that stupid 'help me pretty lady, I'm blind' gag that is so childish!"

Sirius' eyes are a very unusual shade of blue. People sometimes think he's blind. Occasionally, when he's bored and a good-looking woman is nearby, he pretends he's blind in order to feel up the poor girl. Once in awhile, the girl figures it out but usually the girl never catches wise. The rest of us always thought it was extremely entertaining but any girl we've explained it to disagreed.

"Hey," Sirius defended, "pretending to be blind is hard work!"

"What happened, Sirius?" I requested.

"Well, I did the whole reaching my arms out and softly calling out for Lily. Finally, I ask if anyone is in the aisle with me and the woman answers, wondering why I'm asking. Of course, I explain that I'm blind and it appears I've lost my friend."

"And of course, being the kind gentlewoman that she is, she offers to help you find her," I reasoned.

"Of course. She was very nice about it, very considerate of my situation."

"What situation?" Lily screamed, "You aren't blind! You used that poor woman's good nature against her! You practically had your hand on her butt!"

"I did not! I had my hand on her back. I remained faithful and true."

"What are you? The Sorting Hat song? So, anyway, when I finally realize that Sirius is missing, he comes around the corner with his arm around her shoulders as she asks me if I'm Lily Potter because I left my 'poor blind friend' in the other aisle!"

Sirius began cracking up again. "Oh, you should have seen her face. She was gritting her teeth in order not to say anything too harsh. I mean, we don't exactly want her to turn against blind people because of me."

"I could've just died from embarrassment."

"It was just a bit of fun. She never caught on, no one knew the difference. Admit it, it was funny."

"It was not funny in the slightest."

"I just wanted to see if I could still do it and I can. Kind of nice, I haven't done it for... two years now?"

Lily just rolled her eyes and went over to sit on the bed. "How was your afternoon, James?"

"I finished that report," I explained, pointing to a folder, "so if you would send that along with the owl, that would be great. And I took a slight doze. That's it. I'm feeling better. Can I get out now?"

"James, the doctors all said not to push yourself. But I'll call to see if they think you can get out of bed, okay?"

I threw my arms into the air and cheered. Lily laughed. Sirius finally decided to enter the room to sit on a chair. He appeared to be in deep concentration. "What's wrong?" I asked.

"Hm?"

"You look thoughtful."

"I guess I am thoughtful." After a minute of silence, Lily said, "About...?"

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize you wanted to know what," Sirius answered, rolling the chair back and forth on its wheels. "Well, I've been thinking about something for awhile now and I want to know what you two think."

Lily and I looked at each other in surprise. It was rare when he cared what others thought of his decisions if he even bothered to inform people of what they were. "Go on," Lily suggested.

"Um... I want... I guess I'm planning to... ask Marguerite to marry me."

Lily clapped her hands together. "Oh, Sirius! That's wonderful! I'm happy for you!"

"You really think it's a good idea?"

"Well, if you really love her, then I say it's alright."

I had my doubts. I clearly remembered Sirius' objection to an early marriage. Lily and I had known each other much longer than Sirius and Marguerite had. Biting my tongue against calling my best friend a hypocrite, I asked, "Are you sure?"

"What do you mean?" Sirius responded.

"I mean, you were always against early marriages, weren't you?"

Sirius waved his hand as if to cast the idea away. "Oh no, this is completely different."

"It is?"

"There's a big difference between a seventeen year old and a twenty-five year old. I'm a mature adult, not some kid just out of Hogwarts. I can make better decisions."

That was all a matter of opinion. "But marriage is a huge commitment. Your parents should have at least showed you that." I had committed the absolute sin by bringing up Sirius' parents, all of us have topics that no one brings up unless the person with the issue in question brings it up, but I had to make sure he had thought of this.

"I know. I realized what a big step this is. I'm not going into this lightly. It's just..." Sirius stopped sliding the chair back and forth and looked me in the eye, explaining, "I've never felt this way before. Never. It's like I was missing something all my life and she's it. She makes me feel like I'm truly alive; the rest of my life was just existing. Do you understand?" Both Lily and I nodded. I think that Lily and I feel the same way about each other. "It's just a feeling I can't explain. I just know that what I'm feeling is real. I just know that this is what I want to do. I just want to stay with her forever."

"A bit corny but heartfelt," Lily commented.

"Yeah, but I can't explain myself any better," Sirius admitted.

"If you truly love her and you are ready for the commitment involved," I replied, "then I think you should do it."

"As soon as James gets better, we'll go help you pick out a ring, won't we, James?" Lily suggested. I nodded and she laughed, "I'm so happy for you, Sirius!" She made to rise in order to hug but she was stuck on the bed. The bulge on her stomach made it difficult for her to easily rise up to a standing position. "Help me!"

Sirius just started laughing.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes: Look at your clock. What time is it? Is it very late? How long have you been reading this? Since we are halfway through, take this time to get up and stretch or go to bed and sleep and come back tomorrow. On to my comments. See? I made him become Ron! That is why Ron is called Ron! Yes, I support the theory that Ron is a Seer, so hex me. The letter was very hard to write actually, which is odd because angst is usually my thing. Well, I had to be meaningful so I guess that's where the difficulty comes in. Oh, the poem called "Disease" is really the song "Disease" by Matchbox 20. The song explains Virginia's situation so well. Go download it if you can! This chapter was really short! I'm surprised at myself. Please review my fic! I like to know who's reading! Hit the review button or e-mail me at destinyplot@lycos.com. Please, please, please include your e-mail address so I can write back! See ya later!