***The Marauder Chronicles is a fan fiction. Events in this story are not to be taken as true to the events leading up to the Harry Potter series. This chapter does not contain spoilers for book five. Main characters, Godric's Hollow, Hogwarts, and some other locations belong to J.K. Rowling. Original characters and the IWBI concept belong to me. No copyright infringement is intended. Again, I did this without my editor. This is the final chapter of the story. But an Epilogue follows this chapter.***
Ten: The End. The Beginning.
~~~Ring around the rosy~~~
It started with a dream. He was walking down a narrow hallway lit with lanterns of burning orange flame. The walls were made of oak planks, decorated with portraits of blank faces. The floor made no sound as he marched onward. There was a door ajar to his left. He stepped into the room only to fall into utter blackness. He screamed, only no sound escaped his throat.
He hit the cold floor with a painful thud. He was sure his glasses would be broken, but when he looked at the floor below him he saw no cracks in his lenses. What he did see were thousands of skeletons littered all over the stone ground. He leapt up and staggered backwards, the brittle bones crunching under his feet. He went to smooth his robes with his hands. His chest felt strangely rough. As he looked down at what should have been his hands, he shrieked.
The flesh and muscle on his fingers were disintegrating, leaving the white bone exposed. But it didn't stop at his fingers. The atrophy of his skin worked its way up his hand, to his wrists, and began to crawl up his arms.
A walking skeleton, wearing spectacles, approached him. "It's nice to see you again, son," it said in what was certainly his father's voice. "It'll be over soon."
"LILY!" James yelled. He sat up quickly in his bed and looked around. The sun was pouring into his room and spilling over the sheets of his bed. James grabbed his shirt with his hand, making sure his skin was still there. He collapsed back onto the pillow and calmed his breathing.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked as she entered their bedroom.
"I had a nightmare," he said. "A horrible nightmare. I...I was dead."
Lily crawled on the bed and sat beside him. "Dead?"
He nodded. "It was..." He looked at his hands again then broke off. Lily hugged him. "It was only a dream," she whispered in his ear.
"Yeah," he said, listening to his heart return to its normal beating, "just a dream."
But James couldn't help thinking that there was some kind of symbolism involved in that dream. He thought about it all morning, all afternoon, and into the evening. He was sure it would have haunted him as he slept, but the dream was completely pushed out of his mind by another event.
They had just eaten dinner and were sitting on the floor talking. Lily was telling James about an interesting switching charm and he was listening. Harry sat between the two of them playing with blocks. A cone shaped block rolled over to James; that was the one Harry wanted. James picked it up and started handing him the block when Harry stood up, took a few steps, and reached out for the block in James's hand. His legs teetered for a second then he fell down with a soft 'flump.' James and Lily stared at each other with gaping mouths before jumping up and hollering.
They owled everyone they knew about the news. Soon everyone who had received the owl was at the house waiting to see the next step in Harry's life, first hand. Harry didn't really enjoy all of the attention; he kept himself stationary on the carpet, looking at all of the guests as they encouraged him to walk. He didn't. The next time he walked was when no one was looking. He took his mother's watch from her bed side table and took it into his nursery. She spent all day looking for it.
Around the second week of August, after James had turned 21, Sirius and Jade joined Lily and James for dinner. It certainly wasn't anything fancy. They had sandwiches and milk while Harry had formula with a little of James's salami. He managed to get about half of it into his mouth, while the other half stuck to his face, probably due to the mayonnaise. Sirius laughed at Harry as Lily wiped it off his face.
"You want some more of that?" James asked, handing Harry another slab of salami. "It's good stuff isn't it?"
Harry reached for it with a grin.
"James, make it smaller so he doesn't choke on it," Lily said. "I hope he doesn't have digestive problems with that."
"Harry's not going to have digestive problems, are you?" he asked, putting the torn up meat on Harry's highchair tray.
"Da-da," Harry said, nodding his head. The entire table went silent. Sirius's sandwich was halfway to his mouth, Lily had been dishing out more potato salad which was now pouring all down onto her sandwich, and Jade stopped chewing.
"He said my name," James said breathlessly. "Did you hear that?" he asked excitedly to the table. "My son said my name! Harry, who am I?"
Harry smiled without opening his mouth. His green eyes went into a squint as he chewed. "Say dada, Harry, say my name."
"Dada," he said in his mutchkin voice.
"Did you hear that?" he asked all of them again. "He said my name! He said my name, did you hear?"
"Yes," Lily said, hardly believing it herself. "He's talking now," she said, looking at her baby with the deepest love. "He's talking!" she said, grabbing James for a hug. "Our son is talking!" Lily jumped into James's arms, latched her legs behind his back, and let him spin her around as they kissed.
Jade politely looked away from them and rest her moist eyes on Sirius, who was also being polite. "He talked," Jade said with a grin.
"I heard," he said, taking her hand.
"It's special for them," she said, signaling to James and Lily who's lips were glued together.
"Yeah," Sirius said, still staring into her eyes. "It is special."
"Makes you think about stuff, doesn't it?"
"Yeah. I'm thinking about all kinds of...stuff." He could feel his face going red and his heart increased speed. He knew exactly what she was talking about.
Jade had casually been dropping hints on it for months now. One time Sirius walked into her apartment to find a bridal magazine tucked under the couch in an obvious sort of way. Then there was the time when he'd accidently seen her measuring her ring finger. One day she mentioned something about living in another place. When Sirius asked her to elaborate she grinned without looking into his eyes and said "a house." She had also engaged him in conversation about commitment and 'the next step.' Sirius would always shrug and say "What's wrong with our current step?" which she wouldn't directly answer. But the one that capped all the rest happened last Tuesday.
She had been writing as Sirius came into her apartment to say hello. She shifted the parchment under another piece, as if she was going on to the second page. They talked about nothing, really, but had the best time doing it, then she went to get him a drink. In that time Sirius went over to the covered parchment to find it full of Jade's signature. She had written: Jade Black, Jade Yang-Black, Mrs. Jade Black, Mrs. Jade Yang-Black, Mrs. Sirius Black, Mrs. Black, Sirius and Jade Black, Jade and Sirius Black, the Blacks, "The Blacks Welcome you their home," and The Blacks: Sirius and Jade. He could tell that she had written each name with great care. After staring at the parchment he didn't necessarily feel uncomfortable, but that his last name sounded really stupid if you said it over and over again.
Sirius would have liked to deny thinking about marrying Jade, but the truth was he had. He would be lying to himself if he didn't face up to the fact that a wedding had crossed his mind a few times. What scared him most was that he started thinking about it much more frequently as each day passed. And as he watched Lily and James enjoy their moment of parental bliss, it spurred him on even further.
He consulted James on the matter. Not to Sirius's surprise, James, who had married just out of school, encouraged the idea. He even told Sirius where he bought Lily's ring and not to be nervous when proposing. "If she's dropping all of these hints for you, it's not like you'll be rejected," he would say. No, Sirius thought, she certainly won't reject me. When he'd think about marrying her, his age would popup. Twenty one. Wasn't that too young? But if you wait a year or a little over a year, you could be twenty-two. And if you plan better than James and Lily, you won't have to have a baby right away.
"Is everything all right?" Jade asked Sirius. He snapped out of his musings and looked back at her.
"Fine. Maybe we should get going," he said, looking at James and Lily who were now waltzing about the room. "They won't mind."
They didn't mind. Soon they were dancing with Harry in between them. Sirius mumbled "nutters" under his breath then took Jade home.
* * * * *
Remus walked up the main street of Diagon Alley, his head buried in the newspaper which did not tell happy stories. Sonja had told him that a grave danger was coming, one that would cost the world very much. She said she'd consulted an orb over this. "I saw it like a veletision," she said in a mystical voice.
"Television," Remus corrected her.
"Whatever," she continued. "It was as clear as ever. Men were running around in panic. A woman is dead. And dark eyes are open."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I'm still interpreting it," she informed him. "I see the visions, but there is always more than meets the Eye. So, are we on for tomorrow night?"
"Yeah," he said. "I'll pick you up around seven, as usual."
He didn't know where to take her, but thought someplace different would be good. They usually ate in the same place every other night and he was growing tired of it. He was just thinking about it when he tripped into someone.
"Sorry," he mumbled, but then he realized it was Sirius.
"Hello," Sirius said, stuffing something into his pocket. "It's nice to see you," he said in what he hoped to be a polite way.
"And you," Remus returned.
"Where are you headed?" he asked.
"Home. You?"
"Home."
They stared at each other for a while, people bumping into them as they passed. "Lovely weather we're having," Remus said. "What's in your pocket?"
"Can't tell you that," Sirius said with a smile. "It's a secret."
Remus nodded in understanding. "How's Jade?"
"She's good. Sonja?"
"Never better. Just left her place."
"Why didn't you tell us she was in Slytherin?" Sirius asked with an abrupt air. He knew he could have approached the subject a little more lightly, but he didn't feel like it.
Remus smiled. "So that's why you're acting like this," he said as if it suddenly clear to him. "I didn't tell you because I was afraid you would react just as you are. So what, she was in Slytherin? She's a good person and she's told me she wasn't a popular one. Of all the Slytherins we bashed in school, she was never one. Don't you think that means something?"
"Not really. People don't change, Remus. They are who they are from the go."
"What are you saying? Are you saying that she's a selfish person concerned only with her own ambitions? You don't know her, Sirius!"
"I know what kind of people they are!"
"So going on 'people don't change' I should assume that you could use anyone to commit murder?" he said through his clenched teeth. "Will you always be a cold blooded killer, Sirius?"
Sirius raised his finger at Remus while his other hand was clutched on his wand inside his robes. "Don't drag that back up. You know the circumstances of that. It was stupid of me, all right."
"But people don't change. So I guess you'll always be a murderer deep down. Sure, you think you can justify it because of what Snape was planning on doing."
"I said don't drag this back up," he repeated, moving closer to Remus's face.
"Don't make assumptions about Sonja. People change. You've seen the metamorphosis in you and in James. Now get out of my way," he said. He side stepped Sirius and continued on his path out of Diagon Alley. Sirius bored holes in Remus's back as he watched his friend go.
****September****
"Hello everyone," James said as he walked into the War Room. "How are you?" All of the women rushed him cooing and sighing.
"Is this your baby?" one of them asked, touching Harry's hair.
"Of course," he said, continuing to his office.
"He's so cute," a short woman said.
"He looks just like you," said another.
"What beautiful green eyes."
"And those cheeks!"
Harry wasn't smiling. He frowned at all of the women and kept his hands clutched tightly to James's robes. When these women kept touching him, he tried moving into his father's shoulder.
"How old is he?"
"Fourteen months next week," James told her. "Right Harry?"
"Yeah," Harry said in a small, squeaky baby voice. The women almost died from fawning.
"He talks too!"
"Of course he talks. Well, he only knows three words. 'Yeah' is our most recent achievement. Right Harry?"
"Yeah," he said again.
"He says that to most anything. Ready to go to work, Harry?" James asked as he continued to his office.
"Yeah," Harry answered. Leaving the women who were tapping their hands over their hearts, James stepped into the office hallway, then into his own office. He set Harry on the floor then gave him thick crayons and paper. When Harry tried putting the crayon in his mouth it grew so large it wouldn't fit.
"Can't eat those," James said as he sat at his desk and began work. Harry took his crayon and paper over to James then jumped a little. That meant he wanted to be picked up. James drew up a chair with his wand and scooted it over to the desk so Harry could draw.
"Is this 'Bring your Brat to Work' day?" Ashika asked as she entered without knocking.
"No, it's 'Mother's out Shopping' day. Taking a baby to department stores is hard work. Besides, I remember the rules of this place and there is nothing that says I can't bring my son into work. Now, what can I do for you?"
"I wanted to ask you about your situation?" James should have seen this one coming. For the past few months she had been checking up on his 'spy situation,' as she worded it. She was constantly reminding him that it could be anyone he knew, even the gardener who lived next door. He acted like he was taking it in stride, but the more she bothered him about it, the more he worried.
Ashika was a lot of things. She was nosy, cynical, nosy, rough, and intelligent. But one thing she wasn't was careless. If she was putting so much time into James and his family, it wasn't good. She thrived on intelligence information. She lived for the moment when someone was caught. She starved for information and had to be involved in everything.
"We've been careful," James answered, looking sideways at Harry.
"Good," she said. "As long as you stay in that house, you'll be fine. I've got you on constant surveillance and if anyone pulls something on you, I'll know about it."
"Thank you," he said.
"You know not to rule anyone out, right? You should suspect everyone."
"I know," he said. "I remember my training, thanks."
"You should suspect me even, or Sirius."
James wasn't suspecting Sirius, but she had a point. "I know that."
"Good," she said. She started to leave, but stopped at the door. "I suppose he is a cute kid," she said, drawing up her nose as if Harry smelled. "Make sure he doesn't doodle on the walls." She slammed the door behind her then made her way back to her office.
Her secretary had her sign a few things, analysts dropped by to share their theories, and she had a meeting with representatives from France. After her dull meeting, she said goodbye to the Frenchmen and headed up to her room above her office.
She called for music, as always, poured herself a cup of earl grey tea, and started for her desk. The only problem was she never made it there.
A tall man came out from behind one of her book shelves and punched her face. Out of surprise, she fell to the floor, her teacup shattered. She tried whipping her wand out of her robes, but the masked man beat her to it.
"Expelliarmus!" he croaked and Ashika's wand flew into his hand. He laughed softly as he snapped it in half. "You won't be needing this," he said.
Ashika recognized his voice, or at least she thought she did, but she couldn't place it.
"Get the hell out!" she growled.
"I don't think so." He reached down to pick her up, but she scratched at his face with her long nails. He threw her down hard. "Crucio!" he said, pointing his wand at her head.
She let out a terrible scream, arched her back like a bow, and flailed her arms about. The man raised his wand and she relaxed. "I think it would be best if you listened to me," he whispered. He lifted her up by the hair and drug her to the desk. He tossed her into one chair and he sat in the other. "Now let's find out what's in that head of yours."
He tapped his wand on the desk top and the three screens popped up, awaiting instruction. "This is a nice arrangement, Ashika. Really nice. I wonder how long it took for you to set it up. I suspected you'd been living in the Bureau for years, but I just never knew where."
Suddenly it hit her. His British accent, his frame, that voice... "Kim," she whispered.
He chucked softly and pulled off his mask. He was clearly in his mid to upper fifties. His hair was brown and matted but not bushy enough to cover his big ears. His weak chin was shaped into a grin as he stared at her.
"You were always the more clever of the two of us," he said.
"Kim Philby," she said again. She put her bony hands up to her open mouth. "Right under my nose."
"Oh you were close. Very close to finding me out," he said, laughing again. "When Burgess was sent off to Azkaban I thought for sure he would let it slip that he had recruited me. Lucky for me he didn't. But let's get down to business, boss," he said, pointing at the three screens. "You have the best surveillance known to wizard kind. I want access to it."
Ashika was only half listening. "You're 'Russ' aren't you?"
"Kim Russell Philby, Vice Director of the Counterintelligence Sector of the International Wizard Bureau of Investigation. They shouldn't have promoted you if you didn't even suspect the second in command. Of course it won't matter."
"What do you mean?" she asked, in a bit of a haze.
"I'll be promoted to Director once you are dead. But first I want access to your system."
Everything was working in fast motion inside her head. The raid in Albania going so wrong, her spies being executed in the circle of Death Eaters, information about the Order of the Phoenix leaking out... She had kept a record of it all and Kim got into it. And now he came for more.
"How long have you been working for Voldemort?" she asked.
Kim's grin faded away. "You dare speak his name? I have despised you saying his name since he came into power."
Ashika laughed this time. "How so, Kimmy?" she asked.
He struck the side of her face. She hit the wall beside her then shook her head.
"Manners, Narayan."
But when he hit her this time, something was different. She felt something cold touch her face, something smooth, like a ring. Slowly, so he wouldn't notice, she glanced down at his hands, rubbing her face.
There, where a wedding bad would reside, was a large silver ring, embedded with a shiny black stone. The engraved dragon on the ring's sides were moving as if it were alive. She looked back into his eyes.
"How long?" she asked again.
"Years. But I really don't have the time for a chat. Tell me how to access this system."
"Why?"
"Because I want to use it. I want access to your cameras, your audio, your historical records and analysis beacons. I want them all in my control. If you don't give them to me, I'll make you do it."
Her head started working again. She knew she wouldn't be able to fight the Imperius curse if he put it on her. If she worked how he wanted, she might be able to inflict some damage.
Without saying a word, she nodded to her screens and they went into ready mode. Philby allowed himself a grin and took a deep breath. "Very good. Now, why don't you show me where all of our employees are living."
She shut her eyes tight and clenched her fists. "Show me all Bureau employee's residences," she spoke; each word came out painfully.
Three maps appeared, each with yellow dots with the corresponding names. Kim got closer to them. "We really are international, aren't we?"
"Why do you think they picked that name?" she said snidely. He ignored her.
"Take me into England," he said.
"Show me England," Ashika mumbled. Each screen showed the identical map of the country, labeled with yellow dots.
"Well, well, well. I do believe all of this is illegal, Ashika. You must have cameras hidden in the atmosphere. We both know that's against our laws. Pity you're a stickler for the wrong side. Now, the last time I broke into your office you left some of these screens in such a way that I could see a reflection of what had been on. A red haired woman was playing with her baby boy."
Ashika felt the blood leave her face. He had seen Lily with Harry. How could she have been so stupid! Lily her spy, whom she promised she'd protect, and Harry... Harry was someone important, someone very important. But Philby didn't seem to know who the people were. She hoped James had taken Harry back home.
"That's interesting," she said in a would be calm sort of voice.
"Fascinating. You can see inside homes. You are far too nosy for your own good. I'm so glad," he said. "Well, you have the Potters marked here. Let's see what they're up to." He looked back to Ashika.
He knows something, she thought. He knows they're in the Order, he knows about Harry's lineage, he knows about everything. She inched forward in her chair, her heart beating fast, her breath barely there. He kept looking at her, waiting for her screen commands. She would have to do it later.
"Potters," she said. Records of both Lily and James popped up on one screen. The center screen showed their home, and the screen on the far right showed Harry's extensive records. Ashika held onto her desk, bracing herself.
"Amazing," he said breathlessly. He went to examine Lily and James's records, muttering "fascinating" under his breath. Ashika inched her hand underneath her desk and pushed a small button. "Well, members of the Order of the Phoenix," he said triumphantly. "The Dark Lord appreciates your attention to detail," he told her.
"Does he?" she asked, now smiling. "I hope he appreciated your service."
"What are you talking about?" he asked. But he didn't need to. Just at that moment the screens went blank and the lights in the room extinguished; the music stopped playing.
"What did you do!" he commanded.
"Well, well, well," she said. "Is Russ nervous? You see Kimmy, I set up this room to self destruct for situations just like this one. In ten seconds you and I will die together. Good old Tom Riddle won't benefit from your deeds."
Kim Philby looked around wildly, as if the walls were going to cave in. Then he jumped up, ran the length of the room and vanished through the wall like a ghost. Ashika stared at the spot. It was impossible to do that inside the Bureau or anywhere else, for that matter! She stood up and started for her door at a run, but it was too late.
As soon as she opened the door a great blast shook the entire room and a huge fireball raced around destroying everything. Books were set ablaze, the carpet was gone in a poof of smoke, and the desk turned to ash. The explosion sent Ashika into the air and caused her to hit her head on the ceiling. The fireball grazed the back of her body as she started her descent down to the stairs, where she bounced and rolled down into her office. The secret passageway sealed itself back up, leaving no trace of a secret room.
Ashika lay unconscious, the back of her robes were burned off and her skin was starting to blacken. Blood was oozing from her head.
~~~A pocket full of posy...~~~
The next morning Sirius drove up to Jade's building and took her to a park. It was probably one of the last days the weather would hold up. The sun was exceptionally bright; few clouds dared to cross it. The grass was a deep green, waving in the wind as it rolled over the small hills. The lagoon rippled in the breeze and lapped up to the shore.
Sirius took Jade's hand and walked with her along the bank. They really didn't say much, but they didn't need to. Knowing each other for years left them with a certain comfort. Neither one of them needed to fill the silence with words or with sighs. Jade and Sirius were perfectly content with silence.
There was another couple there, a teenage couple. They too were silent, save the smacking noises made by their avarice kissing. Sirius doubted very much that either of those kids knew the sun had just risen. When Jade saw them, she smiled and rolled her eyes.
"To be sixteen again," she said.
"You wouldn't do it again?"
"No way. Don't you remember how I was?" she said laughing. "I was an emotional nutcase. I would never do sixteen, or any teen year, again. What about you?"
Sirius cast his mind out and thought about it. His years at Hogwarts had been the best of his life. Sure, he and James were trouble makers, he'd gotten plenty of detentions to get on with, and the teachers didn't really respect him. But then he thought of all the good times. The full moons when the four of them would scurry about the grounds. Then there was the one time when he had to yank an arrow out of James... He shivered at the thought. Learning to become an Animagi had been difficult, but still had been enjoyable. He remembered how James was the fist to transform. He was very excited, grinning for days afterward. He remembered how he had done it; a simple thought and three years of research paid off. Peter struggled with it, but with James's help he made it.
And Quidditch. That feeling of freedom every time he mounted his broom... The wind breathing in his face, the competition, the looks on his opponent's faces as he pelted a bludger at them... Those were the days. The Gryffindor team had been undefeated ever since James joined.
He joined to impress Lily, Sirius thought. Those two were always overboard. Sirius thought of how James would stare at her from across the room, how he would talk to her, how he smiled whenever she was around.... It was all so revolting. It took years to finally get them together. They became so much more nauseating after that. Of course they did break up for a little while over a huge misunderstanding. As Sirius thought about it, it was terribly silly. A simple miss communication. Lily could have talked to James to sort it out. She could have been rational.
"Yeah," he said with a smile, "teenagers are a little too emotional." He had grown up since then. He had changed into a better person, or at least a more mature one. Five years ago he would never have dreamed of walking in a park with a woman he had been dating for almost a year; more time before this one. Yet here he, was walking in a park with the woman he loved.
"You want to sit down?" Jade asked, pointing to a bench.
"Sure," he said. The bench creaked as they sat. Sirius put his arm around Jade; she wrapped her arms around his chest and rest her head on his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head and smiled.
A toy sailboat floated towards them from across the pond. Jade watched as it drifted nearer. Then she looked around for the owner of this small craft.
"Crew must've abandoned ship," Sirius said as the boat stuck its self in the mud.
Jade looked closer at it. A small velvet box sat on the boat's deck. Jade sat up.
"Are you going to look for the captain?" Sirius asked, frowning at her. She stared back at him, telling herself it couldn't possibly be what she thought...
"Uh huh," she said, getting up and inching her way towards the boat. She squat down in front of it and lift it out of the mud and water. True Love, was written in script on the side of the boat, but the velvet box got most of her attention. She opened the box. It was empty.
Her shoulders dropped in disappointment. Sirius bent down beside her and looked into the boat.
"The True Love," he said, putting the boat back into the water. "What's in the box?" he asked.
"Nothing," she said, trying to keep the sadness out of her voice.
"Huh," he said, opening the box for himself. "That's strange."
"Why?" she asked.
"Well," he said, examining the box further, "it's a ring box, isn't it?"
"I think so," she said. "But it's empty."
"Yeah, well it's a funny thing really," he said now grinning. "I found a ring," he told her, pulling a three diamond gold ring from his pocket, "on the bench. It was just sitting there like it was waiting for me."
Jade's mouth fell slightly open.
"Why don't you try it on. Maybe it's your size," he said, taking her left hand and slipping it on her ring finger. "Look at that," he mumbled, staring into her eyes. "Perfect fit."
Jade put a hand to her mouth.
"I hope this is the one you wanted," said Sirius, still bent down on one knee.
She nodded.
"Tradition dictates that I ask you a question. So I probably should get on with it. Jade," he said in a very serious voice, "will you marry me?"
Fighting the impulse to cry happy tears, Jade grinned. "Of course I will, Sirius."
He pulled her towards him and kissed her, conveying his happiness the best he could. After five minutes, they pulled back and stared at each other.
"I thought you would never ask," Jade said, lacing her fingers through his.
"I'm a mystery. Even to myself sometimes," he said. "What should we do first as betrothed people?"
Jade was planning her wedding inside her mind. She was thinking of her flowers, where to take the pictures, the gown, the dresses for the bridesmaids...
"What should we do?" she asked, bringing herself back to the present. She kept thinking of Sirius down at the end of the isle waiting for her, wearing dress robes and his electrifying grin. "Anything would be fine," she said. "What would you like to do?"
"Certainly not stay here kneeling in the mud," he said. He pulled both of them up, noting that he and Jade had muddy jeans. She pulled her wand out and muttered under her breath, pointing at his knees then hers. The mud vanished. Jade beamed, though not because the spell worked. "We're getting married!" she said, dancing on the spot.
"Maybe we should announce it first?" he suggested. The look on James's face would be priceless...
"Okay!" she yelled. This way she could discuss plans with Lily...
"Let's go!" he yelled back. And taking her hand, they ran to Sirius's parked motorcycle like school children.
Once they arrived at the Potter's house, news of the engagement was driven off the main highway of Sirius's mind. Sirius knocked on the door and was surprised to see James open it in such a rush.
"You've heard?" he asked with a panic stricken face.
"Heard what?" Sirius asked.
"Get in," James said, pulling Sirius inside, who in turn drug in Jade. "Ashika Narayan has been attacked."
Sirius dropped Jade's hand. "What?" he asked breathlessly.
James nodded and walked backwards into his living room. "I have to go in today. Her secretary found her in her office unconscious and bleeding from the head. They took her to St. Mungo's last I heard."
"She's your boss," Jade asked Sirius. He nodded in reply.
"Who-- ?"
"I have no idea. The security has been very tight all day, so I've been told. But then how did they attack her? It's suspicious."
"I don't want you going," Lily said, her eyes reddened after crying. "If they could get her they can get you. Please don't go!" she said, yanking at his arm. "Please, James, don't."
He sighed and took up both of her hands. "I have to go. We've been through this once already. I have to go, they need me there."
"Why can't it be someone else," she said through clenched teeth. She began to cry again. "Why you? Why do you have to go in? James, you have to stay here with us! I don't want you going into that place."
"I have to go, Lily! People need my help and I have to go."
"No you don't."
"I do and I will. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise I'll be okay. I'll be okay," he repeated. "I'll be home soon; you won't even miss me," he said with a small smile. "Now kiss me goodbye and I'll be on my way."
Lily frowned at him and did not go on her toes to kiss him. Instead she put all of her weight on one leg, causing her hip to move to the left. She took her hands from his and crossed them, finishing off her angry appearance.
"Lily I don't have time to argue who's in charge of our marriage right now. Please send me off with love instead of anger."
She didn't move.
A falcon slipstreamed into the room. This one had an amber colored jewel on her chest and was much larger than Artemis. She flew to Sirius. He slipped out the tiny message card which resided in the falcon's jewel.
"What does it say?" James asked him.
Sirius glanced at him, then to Jade. "They want me in there, too." Jade's head spun around to look at him. "They want me there now. You too," he said pointing to James.
"That's settled then," James said, turning back to look at Lily. "I have to go. Either you wish me good luck or you stand there with that look on your face."
More tears flowed from her eyes, but she hugged him, kissed him, and said goodbye.
"I promise," he said again, "I'll come back home. Wait up for me if I have to stay over night. I love you, Lily."
"I know," she whispered. "I love you, too. Be safe."
"I will. You ready, Sirius?" he asked.
Sirius wasn't ready. His robes were still at home, his fiancee was looking at him funny, and the whole idea of Ashika being attacked was still new. "I have to Apparate back home," he said. "I'll meet you there." He turned to Jade and grabbed her shoulders. "I'll see you tonight. I love you."
And before she could say her goodbyes, Sirius Disapparated.
~~~Ashes...~~~
He reappeared in the IWBI's Apparation chamber, only to find James pacing inside it, not unlike the first time they were in this room.
"What's the matter?" Sirius asked. "Why haven't you gone through the portal?"
He shook his head and leaned against the shiny black wall. "Maybe I shouldn't be doing this after all. Ashika was untouchable. No one could get to her except one of the higher ups. Doesn't that... creep you out?"
"Sure," Sirius said.
"I had Harry here yesterday. I mean he was here when she could've been attacked. If anything happened to him..."
"Nothing did and nothing will. They need you in there. I don't know why they need me, but I have to go too. Duty, James, duty."
James turned over to the wall and put his head on it, squishing his nose against the obsidian stone. Moisture fogged up his reflection. "Duty," he said to himself. "What about responsibility to my family? Maybe Lily was right. I hated leaving her today."
"You'll be at home in a matter of hours. Let's go through," Sirius said, pulling James by the arm to the portal. They went through as they had for three years now, blue and black lights flashing before their eyes for seconds, then landing in the entry room. Everything appeared fine but tension poisoned the air. Five security wizards stood guard and looked alert. There had always been one there, but he would stare at women as they walked by. But these five men were not to be reckoned with. After looking around for a brief second, James and Sirius continued on.
When James reported to the Director's office, he found Kim Philby in charge. He certainly didn't seem happy with the new accommodations. His hair was disheveled, his eyes red with stress, and his hand shook uncontrollably. James had only seen him once or twice, including his first day at the Bureau, but James could tell that Philby was not well.
"Good morning, sir," James said, sitting down in front of the acting Director.
He grunted in response. He started pulling Ashika's files from the cabinets, only it seemed most of them were missing. The cabinets were only a quarter full, while the rest was empty. Philby muttered to himself and shook occasionally.
"Um," James said. "I came in because I was told, sir. What is it that I'm supposed to do?"
He looked up and squinted at James. He tapped his fingers on the desk, held his tongue in between his teeth, and made some annoying clicking sounds. "What do you know," he started, now staring at a piece of parchment which was only filled halfway with writing, "about the mission to recruit spies from the Death Eater's circle?"
"Uh," James said. He started to play with his hands. "Well, I'm really not supposed to discuss that with you, sir. Only Director Narayan is to know that."
"Director Narayan is in a coma right now and in no means able to dictate orders. As Vice Director I am in charge of the Counterintelligence Sector while she is out. Therefore what you have discussed with her is now my problem. Is that clear, Mr. Potter?"
"Yes, sir," he said. "The process is slow but we are having some. Morris Burg has re-established some Quidditch ties since the start of the season. He's not able to give me their names at the moment, but with more funds I'm sure he'll loosen his tongue. At the moment we know there is one spy on our side. He's passing most of the information to an outside source, who in turn reported to the Director. Burg has also told us that a few more are looking to board our bandwagon, but their names or code names have not been released."
"And this spy that you do know about," Philby said, leaning across the desk, "what is his code name?"
James opened his mouth to tell him, but stopped. If he was the Vice Director, wouldn't he know about this? Wouldn't Ashika have told Philby details such as these? James cast his mind out for another name. "Queen," he said, remembering the parchment he'd seen months ago with the code names written upon them. "It's Queen."
A very strange expression came over the Vice Director's face. James couldn't describe what emotion it was depicting, but he knew it wasn't a happy one.
"Queen, did you say?" he asked.
"Yes, sir," James answered. The true name was Dour. James knew that Dumbledore was using him. Queen was a random name he'd picked just to be safe.
"You're sure about this?"
"Quite sure," he lied.
"Very well," he mumbled under his breath. He waved in a dismissive manner at James. "You may go."
James didn't get out of his seat. "Sir, why did you call me in today? Surely it wasn't about the spy network? You could have found that in Ashika's files. Why did you call me in?"
"You call her by her first name, do you? You must talk with her often."
"I do. Please answer my question."
Philby stood up. James stood up, too. "I want you to patrol the area."
"Patrol the area? That's what security is for. I should be organizing a strike against whoever attacked the Director. It has to be someone close to her, don't you think? She was found in her office and it's such a coincidence that she can't talk. We don't know who attacked her, but we know it had to be someone who works in her office. Don't you think, sir, that my time could be better served if I planned an operation?"
Philby glared at James with loathing in his bloodshot eyes. "I'll decide how your time is best spent, Potter. Why don't you patrol the entry way. You did very well in your training. Give the security boys a hand."
James smirked, saluted the Vice Director informally, and walked out of the office. James looked left and right into the hallway before jogging to the Analysis unit. It was one of the units, other than his own, which he was allowed entrance. "Where's Sirius Black's office?" he asked. The woman, without looking up from her magazine, pointed to the back. "Thanks."
Sirius was staring at pictures of Ashika as she lay on the floor. He had about ten of them sprawled out over his desk, each taken from a different angle.
"It's Philby," James said quietly as he entered Sirius's cubicle.
Sirius whipped around. "The Vice Director? Are you sure?"
"Positive... I think. Listen, he asked me all about the spy for the Order. He didn't ask me to do anything other than cover the entry way. It has to be him, it has to be someone close."
"But the Vice Director? James, do you have any idea what you're saying?"
James hit the wall and clenched his teeth. "I know when something funny's going on. I'm not an idiot. You should see the way he looks, Sirius. It's not good. Go and talk to him, you'll see!"
"I'm not questioning your judgement, but you have to understand that if we accuse the Vice Director we're in serious trouble. From what I can tell from this picture something strange happened. It might have been anyone. Look," he said, enlarging a photo. "She hit her head so hard she was knocked out, but there is not a single trace of blood or hair on anything in that room. And her back. She's going to have scars for life there because she was burned. The thing is we don't know what burned her. There are no traces of fire or a Pyro spell in that office. It's as if she was injured then placed there. It might not have been Philby."
"It's Philby," James said again. "I know it, Sirius. You have to believe me. He acted all weird when I told him it was Queen who was Ashika's spy, like he knew who Queen was-- what's wrong?"
"You said it was Queen who was doubling? You actually were dumb enough to say it was Queen?" said Sirius, anger now rising in his voice.
James didn't understand. A spy was a spy, plain and simple. He knew Queen was rotten to the core because Morris hadn't said anything about a 'Queen.' "Yes, I told him that. What's the big deal, she's a spy."
"He," Sirius corrected him. "He's a spy. Look, it's a secret job were in here, so I cannot tell you what I do. But searching for moles is what I do best. We think that Wilhelm Canaris is Queen. The bloody Vice Director of the IWBI, James."
"W-what?" he said.
"Queen refers to his station, the second in command. We've been watching him for months now and the evidence suggests that it's him! But he wasn't the one who attacked Ashika, he has an alibi."
"Wait a second," James said. He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "This is all very confusing. Wilhelm Canaris is the Vice Director of the Bureau, yes? He's Voldemort's lap dog, right? So why would anyone attack our Director if Canaris is so far up?"
Sirius shrugged. A short man came into his office and spoke to James. "Director Philby said you're to be patrolling the entry way, not chatting."
"I'm going," James said. He gave a fleeting glance to Sirius then began his way out. Sirius followed behind him. "So this is bad, right? I mean, if I'm correct in thinking that Philby is a spy, and you're correct in thinking that Canaris is a spy, then were both screwed."
"Well, if you're correct in thinking Philby is spying and you told him that Canaris is betraying Voldemort, then maybe they'll kill Canaris."
"Have you ever seen that guy?" James asked trying to remember if he'd ever encountered the man.
"Nope. He's supposed to be in a whole different sector with the Director. The CI unit is on the first floor, the Intelligence Sector is on the second floor, but the Director and Vice aren't on either. There aren't even stairs in this place, so one can't get to the other floor. It was designed that way."
They reached the entry way and stood by. "This is crazy," James said. "I am a highly trained Operations wizard. I shouldn't be babysitting these security guards. I should be out planning missions against the Death Eaters, not standing here and looking stupid."
Sirius smiled. "I don't think you look stupid," he said in a casual tone. "Not that all of this dangerous intelligence stuff is boring, cause it's not, but I have something to tell you."
James looked at him. "What's that?"
Sirius sighed. "Granted, you didn't share this information with me."
"What is it, Sirius?"
"I proposed this morning."
"You didn't!" James said, socking Sirius's shoulder.
"I did and she said yes. You're looking at Sirius the engaged, not Sirius the single. Yeah, asked her this morning and it went perfectly. I was so romantic," he said, sweeping his hair out of his eyes.
"You're getting married," James said, grinning at Sirius. "I bet Lily it wouldn't happen for years."
"You bet against me?" Sirius asked.
"No. From what I can remember of Great Sirius the Single, you didn't want to settle down with one woman and wake up to her every single day. So I was actually betting with you."
"You bet against my happiness, didn't you?" Sirius asked with a smirk.
"No, I was betting so I could boss Lily around for a while. Now I have to serve her breakfast in bed for a month. That is unless you didn't have the wedding for two years..."
"I proposed this morning, Sherlock, we haven't set a date yet. Bad luck with Lily though. Bossing her around must be a fantasy you have. Well, looks like you're in for a fascinating day, Prongs. Pity I have work to do."
"Yeah it is a pity. Hey, check to see if Philby's on our side. Look for falcons in and out of his room and the information carried. There has to be a record if he's Vice Director."
Sirius paused. "Philby doesn't get falcons. He's afraid of them."
"Afraid?" James said.
"Yeah, you know that emotion people have when they're scared."
"I know that you prat. Falcons don't deliver mail to dark wizards, that's why we use them. Burgess didn't send mail by falcon either, he used owl post."
"A lot of wizards are genuinely scared of falcons. Half the Bureau is on owl post, so the other half must transmit messages for them. Don't read too much into it. I'll be seeing you around."
"Sirius," James said, this time seriously. "Congratulations."
Sirius smiled and tried to look casual. "Thanks." He winked at James then started on his way back down the hall. The funny thing was he never saw his office again.
In what seemed like mere seconds, a plethora of events occurred. It all began with a shrill scream which nearly cracked the spines of everyone in the room. The scream was silenced before James or Sirius had completed their revolution. But when they did turn around, what they saw left a permanent impression on their minds.
Hooded figures, adorned in the blackest of robes, were emerging through the entrance portal. There had to be fifteen at the very least and more were emerging. Seven of them were already casting spells of red light at defenseless men and women. James took cover behind a table which he overturned.
"Stupefy!" he cried, pointing his wand at the apparent leader of the group. But the spell bounced right off of him. Now the hooded man was angry. He turned his masked face in James's direction and sent a silver beam of light at him. James ducked which was well, for there was a plate size crater on the wall behind him; it was smoking.
Sirius crouched low and ran over to James. "You all right?" he asked.
"Do I look all right!" James yelled. He clutched his chest and took a deep breath. "That was almost my head, dammit!"
"Why haven't the security alarms gone off?" Sirius asked.
"Does it look like I have all of the answers right now!" James yelled again. He pulled his head above the table and fired another spell, this time knocking one of the men off their feet. "We've got to save those people," James said, pointing with his free hand to a group of unconscious men and women. One of the hooded figures was searching through their pockets. "They're looking for IDs," James mumbled. "The alarms haven't gone off," he said in a daze.
Sirius shook his head. "Someone needs to alert your unit. Maybe it should be you!"
"Yeah," James said. He teetered on his feet as if preparing to pounce. "You sure you can handle them?"
"No, that's why you're going to get help. Run, James. RUN!"
James leapt from behind the table and sprinted down the hall. He could feel the walls being blown apart behind him, as if spells had missed him by centimeters. But he didn't stop running. He thrust his wand behind him and yelled, "Impedimenta!" He didn't know if it worked and didn't look behind him to find out.
He ran into the Operations portal yelling, "We're under attack! About fifteen Death Eaters have penetrated our security. I want all units to fight them now!"
And just like the drills, people got down to business. In seconds, Operations wizards were flying to the main portal to fight. After he saw them out, James issued a five minute shut down. He also pulled the emergency alarm.
Then he ran back out. The Death Eaters had left a trail of bodies behind them, James could not tell who was alive and who was dead. He didn't have the time to check pulses. Three Death Eaters were running toward him, as if to ram him. James dashed back into the Operations War Room and stood guard. They came through.
"Stupefy!" he yelled, hitting the first one. He fell to the ground. James pointed his wand at the other. "STUPI-- "
"Silencio," he drawled, pointing his wand fortuitously at James. James tired thinking the counter curse, but nothing happened. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you," he continued, advancing on James. "Let's make this simple, shall we? Why don't you tell me who you are and what your position is, and then you can assist me."
James couldn't answer.
The Death Eater mumbled the counter curse. James kept taking steps back, while the two Death Eaters advanced. The War Room became silent and still.
"Who are you?" the leader asked.
"James Black," James said. Telling his real name could be catastrophic. "And you are?"
The two Death Eaters snickered to themselves.
"It's polite to share information in introductions," James continued. He flashed a glance towards one of his workers and signaled to the far wall.
"The enemy," the Death Eaters answered. "What is your job here?"
"Comic relief," James snapped. This time the Death Eaters did not laugh.
"I will ask you once more. What is you're position here?"
James pointed to the far wall so that only the employees could see. His eyes flickered to the wall, then back to his guests. "Administrative Assistant," James answered.
"You think you can fool me?" the man drawled.
"Maybe," James answered, now taking a step down into the room. He held his wand at the ready. "Tell my something. Why do you all hide under those cloaks? Is it to cover your hideousness? Or is it the new fashion trend? Perhaps I should pick one up for myself. Do you have an order form?"
The Death Eater was about to answer snidely when James thrust his wand toward the ceiling and cried, "OBLITERATE!"
The War Room burst into flame from the ceiling, to the great map on the wall, and down to the floor. "Run!" James yelled, ushering the employees to the opposite wall. He ran right behind them and pushed them through the wall where an emergency Apparation chamber awaited. "Everyone go home!" James commanded. In three seconds they were all gone. James started to disappear when the two Death Eaters came into the room.
He reappeared in the main Apparation chamber of the Bureau then jogged back into the entry way.
Where there had once been harmonious gatherings of people from around the world meeting to talk about intelligence, magical cooperation, or the latest Quidditch match, there was now chaos and death.
James put his hand to his mouth to keep from retching. At least five people were dead, blood was oozing from their ears and their eyes; wands still in their hands. Others were badly injured. James saw one lady without legs; a man who'd lost both of his hands; and another man who was crawling along the floor with half his backside gone. Then there were the wizards who were bleeding from the stomach and chest, moaning in great pain. The rest lay on the ground in a heap. James started walking towards some of them when something caught his eye.
A man with shiny black hair lay still on his stomach. James's heart nearly exploded with fear. He ran over to Sirius, hoping and praying he was okay. He knelt down beside him and rolled him over. His eyes were shut.
"Enervate," James mumbled, pointing his wand at Sirius's head.
Sirius took a great gasp of air and sat up so fast James had to hold him back.
"Where are those (he swore badly) Death Eating cowards? They think they can stun Sirius Black and not get away with it? Ha! Those mother f-- "
"We have to help everyone," James said, unable to keep from smiling now that he knew Sirius was all right. "I don't know how their doing it, but the Death Eaters have access to everything. They went into my unit and I'm positive they're in yours."
Sirius looked grim. "This is bad," he said. "They'll find out where everyone lives, all of our intelligence on them, everything. Nothing went into automatic shut down because they didn't break in, they came in."
"I know. We have to help these people before-- is that water?" he asked, feeling the top of his head. James and Sirius stared at each other, then strained their necks to look at the ceiling.
There was a crack, growing larger by the second, from which water was dripping. James put out his hand to catch some of it, then tasted it. "It's salty."
Sirius's eyes popped open. "We're in the ocean?"
"Seems that way," James said. "If there is a crack in the ceiling then that means the protective charms have also been busted. The Bureau is going to flood in a second. Help me to revive the people who've been stunned, then we need to get everyone out."
"Wait, isn't the Intelligence sector right above us?"
James froze. "Yes."
"We need to get out of here now," Sirius said. James and Sirius leapt up from the floor and pulled everyone they could into the Apparation chamber, even the dead. Using a charm that forced Apparation on people, everyone was relocated to a safe destination. James and Sirius ran back into the Bureau to find the ceiling dripping freely now.
"Sorry, what exactly are we doing in here again?" Sirius asked as they rushed inside.
"We have to put it into automatic lock down. The Death Eaters are still in here, accessing our secrets. We have to destroy it!"
"The ocean's going to do that," Sirius said.
"No, we are. Ashika established a whole system for this building to self destruct. It's in her office."
"Wait one second," Sirius said. "If we set this thing to blow, just how are we supposed to get out of here?"
"It's on a timer. We're going to have to run there and back. Ready?"
Sirius took three deep breaths. "Ready."
"Don't slip on the water. GO!" James yelled then sprint down the hall of the Bureau, Sirius right behind him. The portals seemed like wavy blurs as they passed them; the water on the shiny grey floor was rising; they were soaking wet. Once they arrived at the Director's office, they stopped.
"What if the Death Eaters are in there?" Sirius said, wiping his wet hair out of his face.
"We have to destroy the building," James said mechanically.
"That wasn't the answer to my question," Sirius said.
James cocked his head from side to side and entered through the glass-like portal.
"Damn his nobility. Damn my loyalty. Damn my stubbornness," and closing his eyes he entered to stand beside James. "Oh look, hoodlums," Sirius said as two Death Eaters stood before them. "Can we help you find your way out?"
They had been raiding files and attempting to summon the communications tetrahedrons. When James and Sirius entered, however, they ceased all their activities.
"James Black," one of them drawled. "Perhaps you can tell me where your security files are hidden."
"Maybe you can go screw yourself," James responded.
"Your humor is lacking in creativity," the Death Eater responded.
"I think it's fine. Great humor always encompasses truth," Sirius said.
"A sidekick, how charming. And who are you?"
"Sirius Evans," Sirius said with a grin. "How retching it is to meet your unpleasantness. Why don't you get out of our place of employment before it floods."
James started scanning the room for the emergency destruct button. He knew Ashika had installed it in this room... but where...?
"Tell us how to access your place of employment and we'll be sure to spare your lives," he said.
"Um, no. Why don't you ask Canaris to do that for you," Sirius said.
"Or Kim Philby. I'm sure he'll be happy to access files for you," said James.
"So you know about our clan do you? Since we're all about to be drowned, perhaps you should know that Canaris is dead. Philby turned him in as a spy against the Dark Lord and saved his own neck for his failure to kill Director Narayan. Yes, that's right," he said to James.
James started pacing around the room, acting as though in disbelief. The button was behind the chair in the corner...
"One of us will finish her off. But for now, tell us how to access these files."
"No. I still don't understand while Philby can't tell you." James was very close to the button now... "Besides, you'll just kill us after we do what you want." It was right below his hand...
"Philby doesn't know how to access the residential files."
"Well, neither do I. Tell me," James said, pushing the button behind the chair, "do you like fire? I only ask because you'll be char-broiled in about a second. See you later boys," and James ran out as fast as he could, spells being blasted behind him. Sirius ran along side of him as they trudged through the water which was now knee high. "I can't run!" Sirius said.
"Nor I," James replied. He took off his cloak and kept on going when he heard a faintpop behind him. A large black dog bounding ahead of him. "Good thinking!" James said. With the snap of his fingers he transformed into a tall stag with thin legs; he bound after Padfoot.
Dead bodies were floating all over the hallways; great holes in the ceiling had torrential water falls flowing down into Counterintelligence; boulder sized fire balls were whizzing around and scorching the stone walls to ash. A great shudder shook the entire building leaving massive waves forming in the corridors and halls of the IWBI. Padfoot and Prongs reached the Apparation Portal just in time.
James transformed back and stared. The once great institution which had employed him for three years was being destroyed. Sirius pulled him through the Apparation chamber.
"Go home," Sirius said to him.
"We'll have to move again," James said, now shivering from the cold ocean water.
"I know," Sirius said.
The obsidian walls of the chamber were disintegrating. They had to leave now. With two loud pops, James and Sirius were gone.
***October***
The weather was cooling down again. It wasn't cold, but it wasn't warm. Some would argue that fall was the best time of the year. But a few people didn't have the energy to notice.
James and Lily had moved out of their house on Willow lane. The house Harry had taken his first steps in, the house he declared who his father and mother were, the house they were planing on living in for the rest of their lives.
Lily had been in hysterics about the move for an entire week, but even more upset when James came home drenched in ocean water. It took him nearly an hour to explain, even though the story lasted fifteen minutes. Lily burst into tears of panic every five minutes. James pat her back and told her it would be fine, but he didn't believe himself.
Moving to a different house was the least of their problems. The move was relatively easy. They found a house in secret and transported all their furniture by magic. Harry romped around the new house like a wild animal and was particularly interested in the stairwell.
"Godric's Hollow is a good place," James told Lily for the umpteenth time. "There are more wizard families here than in any other community. I grew up here. We'll be fine." But that explanation didn't satisfy her.
At night, wearing the invisibility cloak, Lily went outside and put as many concealment charms on her house that she could think of. She came back into her house shaking with nerves.
"Mama," Harry said, walking towards her with his arms up and wide. She gave him a feeble smile then lift him up into her arms.
"Give mama a kiss," she told him.
He smiled then planted his lips on her cheek, hugging her neck with his small arms. She walked through her kitchen, through the swinging door, across living room, and up the stairs to her bedroom.
James was sitting on the bed, pointing his wand at the laundry and folding socks and t-shirts. "Hey," he said.
"Hey," Lily said back. She set Harry on the bed, who did a great belly flop into the laundry, giggling as the socks piled over him. "I put some more charms on the house."
"Good," he said, nodding his head.
"I don't want anyone coming over here."
"Except Sirius...and Jade, right?" he asked. He made a pair of folded socks spin right above Harry.
"Sure," she said slowly. "If you think that's okay."
"They're not the ones. Lily we can't live like this. We have to make contact with other people or we'll go insane. We'll get cabin fever and kill each other if we can't talk to anyone but ourselves."
"I suppose. Should we send Harry to preschool?" she asked, pulling him out of the laundry. "He'll learn to play with other kids his age and share with them. He hasn't really seen anyone his age. Wizards have preschool, right?"
"Yes. But he won't start until he's at least three. That's fifteen months down the road."
"He looks so much like you," she said.
"Thank goodness. I would hate having a kid who looks as ugly as you are," he said with a grin. "Oh, where did you put my cloak?"
"In the trunk in the attic. You're not thinking about giving to Harry are you?" she asked, sneaking a glance at him.
"No," he said a little too quickly, not meeting her eye. "I caused too much trouble with that thing. I wouldn't dream of giving to him," he said half laughing.
"Good, because I don't want him to have it."
"Nor I," he said. "Should we put him to you know where? It's nearly nine." Harry was crawling all over the bed, occasionally resting his head on James or Lily's leg. "Harry are you tired?"
"No," he said, yawning and laying down across Lily's lap.
"That's word four, isn't it? 'Dada,' 'mama,' 'yeah,' and 'no.' He's got the basics."
"He needs a B-A-T-H before he goes to B-E-D. You want to help me?"
"He doesn't smell, are you sure we have to... you know what? Can't we do it in the morning when we're rested and fresh? He'll throw a tantrum like he always does. I'm not in the mood to deal with that."
"He has to. He's been running around getting dust all over him. He needs to be washed. It doesn't take long; he's little."
"He's cranky. I dare you to say the word. He'll flip out."
Lily smiled, picked Harry up so that he faced her, then she spoke, "Let's have a bath." The reaction was amazing. Harry started by shaking his head then his spine seemed to give out, and soon he was crying with no tears. Lily continued. "Yeah, Harry, Daddy and I are going to give you a bath. Doesn't that sound fun?"
He was wailing now, still no tears. James jumped off the bed and went into the bathroom down the hall, where he drew the bath. Lily and Harry came in just after. She set Harry on the floor but he wouldn't stand. Instead he collapsed down on his back, screaming loudly and kicking. Lily tried taking off his shirt, but Harry hit her. James started laughing.
"He acts like we're torturing him. This fear of the bath phase only lasts a little while, right?"
Lily peeled the shirt off then pulled of Harry's pants, even though he was kicking like mad. "Yes," she answered. She lift Harry up so James could take off the diaper, then they plopped him in the tub where he continued to protest. Lily held onto him while James did all the scrubbing.
After using No Tears baby shampoo and conditioner and rinsing his body and hair, they pulled him out of the tub and dried him in a soft towel. He stopped crying but he was not smiling.
"There, all clean," Lily said kissing him. "Now you can go night-night. Let's take you to you're crib," she said, walking just a little down the hall into his room. She put on his pajamas and lay him down in his crib.
"Mama," he said, pulling her hair.
"You want me to sing to you?" she asked, tucking him in. He nodded. "Okay. Close your eyes," she said, demonstrating. Harry closed his eyes. "That's my good boy," she whispered. And very softly she sang to him, as she had done for over a year.
"Don't lose your way,
With each passing day.
You've come so far,
Don't throw it away.
Live believing
Dreams are for winning,
Wonders are waiting to start.
Live your story;
Faith, hope, and glory.
Hold to the truth in your heart.
If we hold on, together
I know our dreams will never die.
Dreams see us through to forever
Where clouds roll by
For you and I."
Harry was breathing deeply now. Lily knew he was asleep. She kissed him on the forehead and turned off the light so he could sleep in peace.
Most of October was spent indoors, as Lily feared any intruders into what she considered a perfect life. She told her husband she was afraid that it would all crumble away. She had a great man, a beautiful baby boy, and the health of her family. What more could anyone ask with current events?
With such news as the International Wizard Bureau of Investigation going under, literally, and the death of their Vice Director, James thought the Daily Prophetwould have carried it. But when compared with other stories, the IWBI's was second rate. It was as if Voldemort was enraged at the failures of his Death Eaters to obtain information from the Bureau.
The attacks made by his Death Eaters increased two fold. Each attack made The Daily Prophet, accompanied by pictures of the victims with short blurbs about their lives.
Lily stopped reading the paper for good.
James read every issue twice trying to find out how the Death Eaters broke into the Bureau, but to no avail. The story was given half a page and the cause was still unknown.
"They didn't break in!" James told Sirius, Lily, and Jade for the seventh time. "They waltzed in like they'd done it every day. That's impossible! Geez I wish that woman would wake up!" 'That woman' would be Director Narayan who was still deep in a coma. For her safety, only specified hospital staff were allowed to see her. She had been in a coma for four weeks now, which was by no means a long amount of time. Some people, Muggles even, could be in a coma for years.
"We can't rouse people with magic from their sleep!" a nurse told James when he asked about her. "It's dangerous to her body and mind. Now leave us alone!" The hospital staff told him they would inform James when she woke.
When James wasn't pacing around the house trying to solve the break in mystery, Sirius throwing in possibilities, he spent time with Harry. James was technically unemployed. He was glad, therefore, that he invested his inheritance and earnings wisely. The Potters worried about a great many things, but money was never a problem.
Lily's inheritance was also quite vast. She had decided to sell quite a bit, but she kept her father's Ferrari and the manor where she grew up. The rest was liquidated, converted into galleons, and added to James's inheritance to form a rather large sum of money. Lily liked to spend time not thinking about anything outside of number six Calvary Way, Godric's Hollow. She insisted that Jade bring bridal magazines, floral arrangements, cake magazines, and the like to the house, to discuss her wedding.
While Lily was busy critiquing gowns and bridesmaids dresses, James took Harry into his bedroom and wrestled with him. He would get down on hands and knees and charge Harry's stomach with his head. Harry would laugh so cutely that James's growls and roars were often interrupted with laughter.
James would advance on Harry, making a scary noise, while Harry would charge his father's head, holding onto James's ears with his tiny hands. James would then throw Harry to the ground (yes, gently) and give him a loud raspberry. Sometimes the two were so loud, Lily would come up to make sure everything was okay.
"Fine," James would say as he threw Harry onto the bed. Harry would get up, grinning, and run back at James, who would pick him up again and toss him back.
"Be careful with him," Lily would say, holding her hands to her eyes as if trying to block the scene from view. "You're too rough with him. He's only fifteen months!"
"I am not too rough with him," James said, taking hold of Harry's ankles and holding him upside down. "We're just playing. I've only had to put his eyes back in twice. Right, Harry?"
"Yeah," he giggled, hanging upside down. His black hair looked long as it hung inches from the bed.
On October 17, 1981 James walked down the stairs as he slipped on a traveling cloak. Sirius had stopped by for a short chat about best man duties for James, but was leaving in a few minutes to see Jade. James was sliding a package inside his cloak pocket when he heard Lily holler down to him from the second floor.
"What?" James hollered back. Harry was starting to crawl up the stairs as James stood bellow them.
"Where is your invisibility cloak?" She didn't sound happy.
"It's not up in the attic?" he asked.
"NO! Do you have it, James?"
James pulled a wrapped package from his cloak and threw it to Sirius, who deftly caught it. "No, dear," he answered truthfully.
"You promised me yesterday you wouldn't give that cloak to my son!" she yelled.
"I won't!" James yelled back. "Look sweetie, you keep looking for it while I go out, okay? I'm going to see Dumbledore about some business and I'm taking Harry with me. I love you, Lily," he said with a grin. "See you in a bit. Smoochie, smoochie!"
"Be careful! I love you!"
"I love you more!" He walked away from the stairwell and pulled Harry off the third step. "Let's go see the Professor." He took Harry in one arm and the wrapped cloak from Sirius in the other.
"You do realize," Sirius said, "that in ten years when Lily finds out that Harry has the cloak, she'll slice you open and sell your intestines for research."
"Harry won't tell her he has it. This is my son we're talking about. He'd never rat me out. Besides, Lily doesn't understand how important this is. The cloak is a family heirloom and needs to be passed onto each Potter. Harry is the next in the generation so he should have it."
Sirius raised one eyebrow.
"You look just like Lily when you do that. Go see your fiancé and leave me alone. Harry needs the cloak. We needed it; he'll need it. Have a nice day." With Harry sitting comfortably on James's hip, James left.
Just like always, James was flooded with memories when he entered Hogwarts. He could tell by the atmosphere that Quidditch season was rapidly approaching . The animosity between Slytherin and Gryffindor must surely be reaching a boiling point.
"Look, Harry," James whispered as he pointed into the empty Great Hall. "That's your table and up there, you see, that's where the teachers sit. The students must be in class right now, don't you think?"
Harry's eyes were wide as he examined this huge castle. His head twitched as his eyes darted all around him. As James continued onto the Headmaster's office, Harry pointed to most everything and said "Dada."
"That's a painting," James explained. "And that over there is a statue. And that woman," James said as Professor McGonagall emerged from her office, "she'll be the head of your house and your transfiguration teacher."
Professor McGonagall, who was hardly ever seen smiling, stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Harry, her eyes bright. James approached her with half a smile. The Professor took small steps toward him, her hands quivering.
Harry stared; his hands clutched onto James even tighter as the stranger approached.
"This is your son?" she asked.
"No," James said. "No, I just found him wandering around outside and I thought I'd take him." He grinned.
Professor McGonagall smirked. "Nothing changes, I see."
"Thank goodness it doesn't. So this is Harry, your future student. Harry can you say 'hi'?" he asked, looking back at Harry's wide eyed face.
He kept staring at McGonagall who was beginning to smile at him. But his mouth stayed tightly sealed.
"He looks just like you," she said.
"Yeah. Do me a favor; don't tell him that. I have a feeling he'll be reminded quite often. Is the Headmaster in?" he asked as he began walking again.
"Yes. I'm sure you remember where his office is located," she said with a hint of a smirk on her lips. "Let us hope the younger Potter won't see the office as often as you have." And with a quick nod to Harry, she continued on her way.
James walked briskly to the stone gargoyle then remembered he didn't know the password. He was just about to start spewing different sweet brands, when the gargoyle moved aside and the revolving staircase appeared. Harry tensed up; James mounted the stairs.
The door opened a little so Harry could walk through. His father was a step behind him, but still close by, which Harry checked twice a second. Harry walked into the office a bit awkwardly; his feet hit the floor hard and he wasn't paying attention to where he was going. Just then a bird, reddish gold in color, swooped down to the floor and landed feet from Harry. The bird hopped closer to him. Harry smiled and reached out to touch the magnificent bird.
"That's Fawkes the Phoenix, Harry," James informed him. "You'll learn all about them when you get older."
"That and other fascinating subjects in which I'm sure he will excel," said Dumbledore as he walked towards James, "if he's anything like his parents." He beamed at James then bent down to see Harry. "I daresay you remember me?"
Harry backed into James's leg and held on tight, hiding behind it and peering around the right side to look at Dumbledore.
"He's a little shy," James said.
"He sure has grown," Dumbledore commented. "I hoped he would have Lily's eyes."
"So did Lily. Speaking of which," he said as he extracted the squishy package from his pocket, "I want you to give this to Harry when he comes here."
Dumbledore took it with a questioning smile. "And may I ask what it is I will be giving?"
James cleared his throat and glanced away from his former Headmaster. "It's an invisibility cloak."
Dumbledore laughed; Harry buried his face in James's robes. "This explains a bit. I had wondered how you and Sirius had broken into the Slytherin common room without anyone seeing you."
James allowed himself a grin. "My secret's out. The cloak was given to me by my father and his father before him. Lily, however, has made me swear that I wouldn't give it to Harry. That limits my options, you see."
"So you'll have me deliver it to him for you?" Dumbledore asked.
James nodded. "If you wouldn't mind. Not a word to Lily or she'll skin me alive."
"Ah. Knowing Lily I would venture that she already suspects you. But that is not my business. Now," he began as he lay the cloak on one of his many shelves, "your situation is becoming precarious. While I trust Lily's charm work I also know that Lord Voldemort has a wide knowledge of magic."
"What are you implying?" James asked.
"Nothing at the moment. For now you are safe. From what my source has told me, however, you might want to be more careful and leave your home only when necessary. The Death Eaters who invaded your Bureau made it out without a scratch. It was very wise of you to move your family when you did. Other employees were not so lucky."
James swallowed hard; it hurt when the saliva traveled down his throat. "Why didn't you mention this at the meeting?" he asked silently, as though afraid they might be over heard.
"I wasn't aware of these facts on October the first. Use caution, James."
"I am cautious," he insisted. Dumbledore turned the other way and began walking.
"There is a spy. Someone you know. Whoever it is, he's been watching you."
"Who could it be?" James said in an accusatory sort of way. "I trust my friends."
"You're friends do not trust your friends. Sirius came to me last month and expressed his concern that Remus was a spy. He said Remus was dating a mysterious woman who can't be trusted. He also told me, recently, that Remus has been acting strangely."
"You think it's him?" James asked. "You think it's Remus?"
"I do not know. Remus came to me after Sirius did and expressed concern that Sirius could be working for Voldemort."
"What! That's crazy. Sirius is my best friend, he couldn't be working for Voldemort."
"According to Remus," Dumbledore continued as if James had not interrupted him, "Sirius has been acting strangely whenever he was around him. Recently Remus said that Sirius has been acting secretive, keeping things hidden, and asking too many questions. He also mentioned the prank Sirius pulled in your sixth year that put Severus Snape's and your life at a great risk."
"It's not Sirius," James insisted. "We've known each other since we were kids, Dumbledore! He's my best friend! I've entrusted him with Harry and would my life if I'd needed to."
Harry tugged at his father's robes then lift his arms and hopped. James reached down and hoist him up. Harry's face screwed up like he was preparing a tantrum. James blew air in his face and Harry grinned. His tuft of black hair fluffed up as he laughed. "I need to take him back home," James said. "Lily's probably worked herself into a right state by now. She'll want him back."
Dumbledore sighed and folded his hands. "Just be careful with what you say to people. And watch your step."
James didn't know how to respond. It was the kind of advice everyone gave but few meant. It was generalized advice, but Dumbledore said it with such conviction it worried him.
"I have to go," James said. Dumbledore shut his eyes and nodded.
"I understand," he replied.
"I'll see you November first, then?"
"Yes," Dumbledore replied, his open eyes twinkled. "November first. Tell Lily I said hello."
"I will. Goodbye." James backed out of the office and headed home.
***October 24, 1981***
"I thought only Muggles did blood tests," Sirius said as Jade dragged him into a medical office. She released his hand and walked to the receptionist. "Blood tests," he mumbled to himself as he sat on a couch. "What kind of disease could I possibly have?" He looked through some magazines: Witch Weekly, Home and Cavern, Wizards Health, Quidditch: Today. He tookQuidditch: Today and threw the rest down.
"They'll have us in soon," Jade said as she sat beside Sirius. She picked up Home and Cavern and began sifting through the pages. "We need to look at houses," she said. "I was thinking some place in the country. It's quite there."
"Yeah," Sirius said. He was reading an article about Quidditch training and seemed enthralled by it.
"I think we should look for homes in a few weeks, don't you think?" she asked him, now closing her magazine.
"Whatever you say, love," he answered. He kept reading.
"I was thinking I'd sleep with the realtor so we could get a better deal," she said casually, watching Sirius's face.
"Whatever you think, Jade," he said.
Jade smirked and continued on. "Maybe afterwards I'll flash whoever comes to look at our apartments. We'll have to sell them to afford a new place. Flashing will raise the price."
Sirius looked up this time. "What are you talking about?"
"Lights," Jade said firmly. "Light fixtures. Chandeliers, floating candles..."
"That's what I thought," he replied. He went back to his article. Jade shook her head and laughed, mumbling 'men,' under her breath.
"Jade and Sirius?" a plump woman said. Jade got up and grabbed Sirius by his upper arm and yanked him into the office.
"What are you reading?" Jade asked as they entered their private testing room.
"A magazine," he said.
"Oh really?" she said sarcastically. She snatched it out of his hands and read the title. "'Imprinting: Teaching your Child the Basics of Quidditch.' Right up your ally. You think our children are going to be Quidditch players?"
"Without a doubt," he said then kissed her. "You're good with that, right?"
"Yes. I want a little Chaser in the family."
The nurse came back into the room holding two syringes. Sirius tensed up and scooted back in his chair. "Wh-what are th-those?" he asked.
"Needles to draw the blood," the nurse said. She started scribbling on a clipboard.
"N-Needles? Sharp n-needles?"
"That's right," the nurse replied.
The color in Sirius's face started to fade. He braced himself on his chair and endured Jade's laughter. "You can't just wave a wand and know if we're healthy?" Sirius said.
"I have to have samples so we can add a potion to it. The potion tells us if you have any diseases. You're not afraid of needles are you, Mr. Black?"
Sirius let out a chuckle which sounded forced. "Me? I'm not afraid of anything, especially needles."
"Then let's take your blood first," she said, needle at the ready. Sirius backed up further into the wall but found he could not go through it.
"You stick me with that thing and I'll bite you," Sirius snapped.
The nurse seemed unaffected. "You either let me take a sample of your blood or you don't get married," she said simply.
Sirius looked at Jade. Her eyebrows were raised but she wore a smile. He knew she was thinking he was a wimp. He didn't care. He knew he was a wimp when it came to anything that had to do with his blood or anyone else's blood. It was his one weakness.
"Should I go first, honey?" Jade asked, rubbing the side of his arm.
"Okay," Sirius said with a sigh of relief.
Jade laughed again then kissed him. "I love you, Sirius."
"I'm glad," he answered.
The Wizarding Wireless Network was calling it the last sunny day of the year. Still, clouds crossed the dull yellow sun and cast shadow patches along the ground. James looked outside longingly. His backyard was calling to be played in.
"We're nearly out of food," Lily said as she rummaged through the cupboards. "I'll have to go to the store to get us sustenance. You'll stay here and watch Harry?"
He turned away from the window to face her. "Which store?"
"The one in Diagon Alley."
"How are you getting there and how will you disguise yourself?"
"Floo powder, brown hair and heavy set. Can I go now, Dad?" she asked. There was a burst of green flames in their fireplace. Sirius and Jade fell out of it, coughing.
"Don't you think whoever's watching you is also monitoring the Floo network?" Sirius asked. He swept the ashes from his clothes and helped Jade.
"Yes, but more people travel by Floo than by Apparation. The Ministry has more eyes on people who Apparate than those using the Floo network. Why are you here?" James asked.
"No reason," Sirius answered.
"I was just about to go to the store. Jade, do you want to come with me?" Lily asked.
"Yes, Jade, please go with her for extra protection," James said. Lily rolled her eyes as she head upstairs to her bedroom. Jade followed her after agreeing to go. She ran to catch up with Lily and began the blood test story.
"The real reason I came over," Sirius said in a low voice as he pulled a crumpled paper out of his pocket, "is this." He handed James the magazine article he had read earlier that day. James unfolded it, flattened it out on the kitchen counter, and read. When he was finished his eyes lit up. "Good idea isn't it? You know Harry's going to be a Seeker, right? You should start training him now."
James shoved the article into his pocket as he heard Lily and Jade come down the stairs, laughing. Lily had preformed the weight charm perfectly. She looked about thirty pounds heavier, her hair was mousy brown and curled, and her lips were a different shade of pink. Jade too looked different. She elongated her nose, made her hair shorter, and chest bigger. Sirius raised his eyebrows.
"You two be good while I'm gone," Lily said. She gave James a squishy hug and kiss then walked to the fireplace. Jade did the same with Sirius, though he hugged her for much longer. "Be good," Lily repeated, shaking her finger at James.
"I will. Be careful. I love you."
"I love you more." She tossed a pinch of Floo powder into the fireplace, stepped in, and vanished.
"I'll see you later Sirius. I love you," and she too disappeared within the flames. James and Sirius then hovered over the article.
"It says here that teaching them how to fly early helps them in the future," James said. "We should take Harry out for a go. Lily has that harness she puts him in when she goes places, right? Well I'll strap it to myself and stick him inside it and take to the skies. I wish I could find out where she put it."
"Summon it," Sirius suggested.
"Right. Accio Harness!" he said. A black nylon harness flew into his hands moments later. James strapped it to himself as he jogged up the stairs and hung a left into Harry's room.
"Dada!" Harry said from his crib. He got up and reached toward his father.
"Hey buddy," James said. "You want to learn to fly? Do you? Let's put you in the Quidditch robes I got for you, when you lived inside your mother." He went to the closet and pulled out the scarlet and gold robes and laid them out. Harry raised his arms so James could lift him out of the crib for changing.
Harry knew the drill. He lay down flat and allowed his father to clean his bottom and slap on a new diaper. Then he practically dressed himself as James guided his hands and feet in the right direction.
Harry picked up the comb from the window sill and gave it to James.
"This won't help in the future, you know," he said, taking it from a grinning Harry and combing his hair then Harry's. "It works now because your hair is soft baby hair. In about three years don't even bother, no matter what your mother tells you. Now let's go learn how to fly a broom."
Harry was strapped in the harness so his back was on James's chest. He looked up and kept touching his father's face. Then James got his broom and headed back down stairs to Sirius.
"Oh my goodness," Sirius said, holding his hand to his gaping mouth. "I never use this word, but this calls for the word. You two look so cute. There's just no other word. I wish there was another word, because I don't think me saying 'cute' is a good thing. But that's what this is."
"Thanks. You ready?"
"You sure you want to go outside? Flying around will get you a lot of attention."
James hesitated but then headed for the back door. Sirius jumped a little then followed. "It's like Hogwarts all over again except now there's an extra Potter. Where are you going to start?"
James dropped the broom on the grass and stood to the left of it. "The basics," he answered. "All right Harry, listen up. The first thing you need to do is stick your right hand over the broomstick and command 'up!' You got that?" Harry was looking up at him as if hanging on every word. "Here we go." James put his right hand over his Nimbus and firmly stated, "UP!" It flew into his hands. Harry laughed and pulled at his robes. "Now I'm going to mount it," James said as he swung a leg over and straddled the broom. "Now when I first did this I thought for sure I'd been in pain, but they've got this cushioning charm to prevent that. So don't be afraid to mount the broom. Now we're going to hover a little..." And they rose in the air. "What's his face like, Sirius?" he asked.
"He's grinning like a fool," he answered.
"I knew he would. He loves the wind in his face. We're going higher," he sang and the broom rose into the air. "To steer it you lean. It's like a bicycle in a way. So we lean left and we go left. If you want to go faster you lean forward and slowing down you lean back. Simple physics. You got all that, Harry?"
He looked up at James again, beaming.
"We should do some loops and turns," James said to himself. "You should get acquainted with maneuverability. Yeah, let's do that." James sped up considerably and performed tight turns, deep dives, and long loops. Harry never once protested. Instead he laughed the entire time and tried reaching for towards the broom. James thought he wanted to steer.
The October wind was cool but pleasant. The birds were singing lovely tunes... some of them not so lovely... As a matter of fact it sounded as though they were singing 'James.' He turned the broom around to face his house when he saw a dark red haired woman looking up at him. He thought he stopped breathing.
Racking his brain for a good excuse for his behavior, James descended to the ground, covering Harry with his cloak as if he could hide him.
"Lily my love," he said. "Back so soon?"
"Don't you 'my love' me you jack ass." She was back to normal size but somehow she looked much taller. Here eyes seemed to glow not with love, but with danger. James was sure that laser beams were about to shoot out of her eyes and burn his stomach to ash. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
His brain failed him. He had to go with the truth. "Flying," he said with a brave smile.
"Flying?" Lily asked. "Flying!"
"Yes, dear," he said. He looked over a little to see Sirius burying his face in his hands. Jade was beside him. It was hard to read her emotion.
"Where is my baby?" Lily asked.
"Baby?" James asked stupidly. "What baby?"
"Don't even try to worm your way out of this one. My baby! Your son! Harry!"
And from the depths of James's robes a little hand emerged, accompanied by a small, muffled voice which said, "Mama!"
James went scarlet. Lily marched over, her eyes still burning with lividness, and opened James's cloak. "Mama!" Harry said, smiling. He reached for her, kicking his legs in excitement.
While boring holes into James's eyes, Lily unlatched all of the harness straps and pulled Harry from it, holding him close to her. Then she turned around and walked into the house. "Follow me," she said. James was reminded of the Grim Reaper saying 'it is time.' He followed her into the house. Sirius was right behind him. "You two," she said pointing to James and Sirius, "sit."
They sat on the sofa. Lily handed Harry to Jade to take out of the living room. Lily was silent for a good minute as she paced in front of the sofa. Then she returned to glaring at James. "What," she started in a strangely low and ominous voice, "were you doing?" She put stress on each syllable of each word.
James started fiddling with his hands. "Well," he began in a high pitch voice, "it's kinda funny, really. You see Sirius had the idea that we could teach Harry how to fly-- "
"Stop," Lily said. "You were trying to teach my baby to fly?"
"That's it exactly Lily, sweetums. You hit it right on the head."
"And why were you doing that?" she continued.
James glanced sideways at Sirius.
"Today," Sirius said, "I was looking through this Quidditch magazine and I found an article that talked about imprinting. You know what that is don't-- of course you do. Anyways, so I found the article and I thought it would be great to show James. The younger you teach a child to fly, the better they fly later on in life. That's why James was instructing Harry." Lily's grave expression did not change. "For the record," Sirius stated, "I never told James to do this."
James whipped his head around. "What? It was your bloody idea! Lily, it was his idea. I wouldn't have ever dreamt of taking our baby up into the sky like that. You know me."
"Yes," she said, "I know you. You've been obsessed with that sport since I met you. I thought after graduation you would calm down about the sport. But I come home today after, I told you to behave yourself, and I find you outside in the air with my fifteen month old baby!"
"But it was Sirius's idea," James said feebly.
"Who is Harry's father?" Lily asked.
"Good point," Sirius added hastily. Lily shot him a fiery stare. He shut his mouth.
"I am," James said.
"And who, then, decides what is right for Harry? His father or his father's best friend?"
"His father," James answered.
"How old are you?" Lily asked.
"Twenty-one."
"Don't you think that by twenty-one, having been married for three years and a father since July of 1980, that you should have some kind of idea about responsibility? Don't you think a twenty-one year old husband and father should at least act mature? Don't you think you should do what is best for your son?"
"Yes," James said.
"Do you think a responsible father would take his baby out for a joy ride?"
He shook his head and looked at his feet. "I just wanted him to have a good time," James said. "He really liked it and it was safe. I wouldn't ever put Harry in harms way."
"What you did was reckless and dangerous," Lily said.
"I had him in a safety harness," James insisted. "He was fine. He's not hurt!"
"He could have been!"
"But he's not!" James yelled back. "I would never put him in danger! You know how much I love our son. You know damn well! You're not the only parent around here, Lily!"
"I'm the only safe one!" she hollered. "Fifteen months old is too young to be learning how to fly a damn broomstick! He only knows four words, for crying out loud!"
"Harry was safe," he said softly. "I can't believe you would think I'd put him in a bad situation."
"I can't believe you were sneaky enough to wait until I left so you could perform your stupid stunt. I hope you have a pillow downstairs because you are not staying with us."
"You can't take him," James said, pointing at her as she moved to the stairs. "He's just as much mine as he is yours. Don't you dare stop me from seeing him, Lily. He's my baby, too. Don't you dare walk up those stairs," he said as he followed her up. She kept her back to him as she turned right for their bedroom. She opened the door and slammed it in his face. He went for the nob but she'd locked it. "Open the door, Lily," he said. "Open the damn door!"
"No," he heard her reply.
"Open this door, dammit!" he screamed, slamming his entire body against it. He could hear Harry crying inside. "Open the door before I bust it open!"
"You will not bust open that door," Lily replied.
"You let me in, then!"
"I don't want you around my baby when you're this angry."
"Your baby? He's mine too. Let me in or so help me God, Lily."
"Or else what?" she said. "You put him in danger by taking him outside where you both could have been attacked. Didn't you think about that?"
"I've been cooped up in this house for a week. Nothing happened, we're both fine."
"You're not," she said.
James slammed against the door again; Harry cried louder. "Stop it!" she yelled. "You're scaring Harry!"
James stepped back and whipped out his wand. "Alohomora!" he cried. The door flung open and he stepped inside. Lily pushed him back. "Get out," she said, her face drenched in tears and anger. "Stay away from him!"
"I am not going to hurt him!"
"I won't let you near him this angry," she said pulling out her wand. "You get out!"
"No, you can't keep me away from my child."
Lily pointed the wand at him in a threatening manner. "I don't want to but I will if you don't get out right now," she said, pointing the wand at his chest. James put his hands out towards her.
"Just calm down, okay?" he said to her but more to himself. "Calm down," he said again.
"Please just go out for a little while, okay?" she said. "Just for a little while."
James looked at Harry. He was seated on the bed crying, with Jade holding on to him. She looked nearly as scared as he did. James glanced back at Lily, nodded, then backed out of the room and closed the door. He sauntered down the stairs and rubbed his eyes. Sirius stood at the bottom with a questioning look on his face.
"Are you all right?" he asked. "That was really scary."
"She thinks I'm irresponsible? My memory's telling me that I was the one, not her, who wanted Harry to have a full time parent around at all times, wasn't I? She was the one who needed convincing," James said angrily.
"I think the both of you are under a lot of stress. You've kept yourself in this house for so long. You're unemployed because the Bureau is gone, so you can't go any where. She doesn't have any place to get away to either. It's cabin fever."
The bedroom door opened and Jade emerged. She walked timidly down the stairs and stared at the two of them. "She's just stressed out right now," she said. "She needs some time alone. You both need time alone and away from each other."
"It's so nice to get marriage advice from two people who have never been married," James commented. He walked back into the living room and threw himself on the couch where he lay motionless.
"We're only trying to help," Jade said.
"Well it's not working right now. Please go away and leave us alone. That will be enough help. The less people in this house the better." He couldn't see Jade's or Sirius's facial expressions. He was staring at the ceiling, but didn't see it. His vision was clouded by anger and frustration. He heard Jade shuffle toward the fireplace; he felt Sirius stare at him; he heard the fire ignite; he could smell the smoke die. He was alone again.
James lay there for hours. Watching the ceiling he could see the light fade away as the clouds accumulated in the sky. The soothing sound of tapping on the roof told him it was raining. The fresh scent of wet grass and mud wafted through the windows and somehow calmed him. Then it became dark. The crickets seemed to be auditioning for a great symphony; tuning their instruments for a performance. Lights from the few passing cars left strange patterns on the walls. James sighed.
They say time heals everything. He thought about the expression and smiled. By the time he moved to glance at the clock on the ceiling, it read four a.m. He sat up slowly, pulled off his robes, then made his way up the stairs.
His bedroom door was unlocked so he opened it. Lily was curled up on top of the bed above the covers, fully dressed. Harry was asleep in his play pen with several blankets piled on top of him. He was clutching a stuffed animal.
James eased his way to the bed and crawled over to Lily, the bed creaked with his weight. Her hair fell all around her face especially on her cheeks. He lay down beside her, his chest to her back. He pulled the hair off her face and bent his head down to kiss her. She stirred but did not wake. Her hair was thick and soft; he felt it in his hands and against his lips while he relocated it so her neck was exposed. One of his arms found her waist and wrapped around it. She was still warm. He began to kiss the nape of her neck, then moved down toward her shoulder.
She moved her legs back and forth then raised her chin as if to turn around to see James. He felt her hand cover his; she didn't move it from her waist. He continued to lightly kiss her neck and cheek even as she started to roll over to face him. Lily rest her left hand on the side of his face and let her fingers travel through his hair. Then she slipped off his glasses. He moved closer to her and kissed every inch of her face; he could feel her smiling. He came away so he could look upon her.
"Lily, I'm-- "
"Shhh," she whispered, touching his lips with her finger. "Let's not talk about it now." She nudged his right shoulder as to push him flat. He went with the movement and lay on his back, then she took the next move and rest herself on top of him. He went to kiss her, but as he raised his head up to meet her, she started to pull off his shirt.
"Harry's in here," he whispered as she threw his shirt to the floor. She sat up and took off her sweater.
"Then we'll keep it down," she said. James grinned but shook his head.
"That'll be hard," he said with a chuckle. He had his hands under her shirt and his lips on hers when he swore he heard something. He pulled away to listen. Lily didn't seem to hear it for now she was all over his neck. He closed his eyes and rest his head against hers when he definitely heard something.
"Do you hear that?" he asked her. She looked into his eyes and flipped her hair away from their faces.
"Hear what?" They both listened. There was a knocking coming from down stairs. "Someone's at the door," she said. They both bolted off the bed, threw on their robes, and ran downstairs, wands at the ready. James put on his glasses, checked the peep hole, then looked at Lily with bewilderment.
"It's Dumbledore," he said.
"It's four in the morning," she said. "Well, open the door," she said. James did so and Dumbledore nearly fell inside. He didn't appear calm or collected like usual.
"I have bad news," he said gravely. "I came as soon as I found out."
"Found out what?" James asked, reaching for Lily's hand.
Dumbledore walked towards a chair and sat down. "Please, sit," he said. They sat close together on the sofa and watched Dumbledore with bated breath. "As you know I have a very trustworthy spy on the inside of Voldemort's circle. He has informed me just minutes ago that Voldemort is going to come after you."
His words seemed to reverberate off the walls. Lily gripped James tighter and looked to him. James swallowed hard and tried to ignore his thumping heart. He suddenly felt light headed.
"What?" he asked.
Dumbledore nodded and folded his hands. "Voldemort will come for you, personally, as I understand."
"Why?" Lily asked, her voice shaking. "Why us?"
But James could think of a few good reasons. Dumbledore answered for him. "He knows you are members of the Order of the Phoenix. He knows that it was James who stopped his Death Eaters from accessing confidential files at the Bureau. He is aware of your hindrance to his efforts. And..." he stopped suddenly then continued on, "...and he want's to kill Harry."
Lily almost shrieked and began to cry. James thought he felt his insides melting. "Why? Why does he want to kill Harry? He's only a baby, Dumbledore. Why could he possibly want to kill my baby?" James asked. His eyes started to burn.
"I'm not quite sure," Dumbledore said. Lily leapt from the couch and ran up the stairs, presumably to check on Harry. Dumbledore lowered his head.
"What are we supposed to do?" James asked.
"I have a plan that should protect the three of you from Voldemort or any of his followers. Minerva is to bring the spell book. She should be here shortly. I came as soon as I got word of his plans. Maybe you remember the Fidelius charm? It's a highly complex charm which will effectively hide you. Your location will be kept within a Secret-Keeper; a single person who will hold your secret. He is the only person who can reveal your location."
"Sirius," James said immediately. "It should be Sirius."
Dumbledore was just going to respond when there was another knock at his door. Dumbledore got up and let Minerva McGonagall in, who was carrying a heavy leather bound book. She nodded to James and set the book on the coffee table.
"Good morning, James," she said.
"I have brought him up on the details," Dumbledore told her.
"I should contact Sirius," James said. Lily came down the stairs with a very tired Harry in her arms.
"What's going on?" she asked.
"We're going to use the Fidelius charm to hide us. I was going to get a hold of Sirius so he could be the Secret-Keeper."
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "I'm not sure that would be the best decision."
"What do you mean?" Lily asked.
"Someone close to you is spying on you, Lily. I don't know that I would put this responsibility on any of your friends. I would be more than happy to be your Secret-Keeper. Voldemort could never get to me," he said. McGonagall cringed to hear him speak the Dark Lord's name. "Please play this safe."
James and Lily exchanged glances. Harry was beginning to wake up. He stood up on the couch and made to play with James like they usually did in the mornings since the Bureau went under. James gathered him up and sat him down in his lap.
"Sirius would rather die than give us up," he said. "I've known him since forever. I trust him." He turned to Lily. "What do you think?"
Lily was staring at Harry, her eyes were strangely fixated. The corners of her mouth sagged under the weight of her thoughts and concerns. A single tear dripped down her ashen face. "I'm not sure," she said.
"I know Sirius isn't the spy! You know he's not the spy. We've had him and Jade over here since we moved. No one else."
"And yet Voldemort is still gathering information on you," Dumbledore said. "I'm not saying it is Sirius but I wouldn't put it past anyone. Voldemort is very persuasive and dangerous. Sirius is a powerful wizard, yes, but that has yet to matter when it comes to resisting Voldemort."
James shook his head. "No. Sirius wouldn't ever work for that scum. He's not like that. I told you I trust him more than anyone. Except you, Lily. I want Sirius to be our Secret-Keeper. He's kept all my other secrets."
Lily sighed and leaned up against James, clutching his arm with her shaking hands. James put his free arm around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. "What do you think?" he asked her.
Lily swept a few strands of black hair out of Harry's eyes. "Sirius would never want Harry hurt or dead. He loves Harry. He loves us." She looked to James then Dumbledore. "I want Sirius, too."
Now it was Dumbledore who sighed. He got up from his chair and opened the book which lay on the table. "Summon him then," he whispered.
Sirius was up, dressed, on his motorcycle, and in the Potter's driveway in a matter of minutes. He rushed into the house without remembering doing any of it. Lily pulled him in the house before he could knock on the door or let himself in.
"What's up?" he asked.
"Trouble," James said. "Voldemort's out for us." He informed Sirius of what Dumbledore had said. Sirius's face went from wonder to horror by the time James finished. He looked at Lily holding Harry and nearly lost control.
"We want you to do it, Sirius," she said. "We trust you."
"I'll do it," he said. He nodded his head fervently at them. "What's next?"
What was next was extensive. Dumbledore instructed Lily exactly what she needed to do and Sirius would have to do it with her. They went to each room, where Lily twirled her wand muttering, "Fidelius Patronum," which caused each room to glow. Once each room had been treated, Dumbledore, McGonagall, James, Lily, Sirius, and Harry went outside.
"Now," Dumbledore told Lily, "Sirius will have to hold your left hand as you perform the final charm on the outside of your house. James, you'll need to stand on her right side with Harry closest to her. It is imperative that all of you concentrate on this spell. I want James and Sirius to think about the incantation while Lily performs it. Is that all clear?"
"Yes," James and Sirius answered at once.
"All right, Lily," Dumbledore said. "Repeat it three times. Point your wand at your front door. You can do this."
Lily closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt Sirius clasp onto her hand with both of his. Harry was trying to reach for her, she could feel it. She raised her wand so her arm was parallel to the ground. She opened her eyes so she could aim.
"Fidelius Patronum," she whispered once. "Fidelius Patronum. Fidelius Patronum!" she yelled. An enormous silvery white ball erupted from the tip of her wand. The blast sent her back a few inches. The sphere hit the front door and burst into a thousand wisps of silver, like tinsel, and wrapped around the house like a web. The reflection of the magic made the entire house look like it was being wired by powerful electrical currents. Then suddenly they were gone.
Everyone looked to Dumbledore, who turned to McGonagall. "Well, Minerva?" he asked.
"The house is gone," she said with a tone of relief. "It worked."
"But I can still see it," Sirius said. "What did you see?"
"You can see it because only you can reveal it, for you alone know where it is. The house is gone. The only way Minerva or I could see it, would be if you chose to tell us where it is," Dumbledore explained.
"But you do know where it is," Sirius said.
"Yes. But you must tell us the address so we can see it. Trust me, Sirius. The house is gone. The Potters are safe so long as you keep their location secret."
Sirius, still holding on to Lily's hand, turned to face the family which was now relying on him for their lives. "Go on in, then," he said to them. The four of them walked to the front door and entered. The rooms were no longer glowing with magic. Lily set Harry down so he could play. Sirius stayed by the door. "I'll have to go into hiding," he said.
James turned to him and nodded. "That might be best. Where will you go?"
"I'm not sure," he said quietly. "You probably shouldn't talk to anyone else. You won't kill each other, will you?"
Lily hitched up one corner of her mouth and shook her head. "No. Thank you. Thanks for everything, Sirius."
Sirius returned the smile. "Hey," he said, forcibly casual, "what are friends for?"
James and Lily still looked pale. Though they smiled at Sirius, James with his arm around Lily, they continued to shoot nervous glances at Harry. He alone seemed unconcerned; he was playing with blocks on the floor, humming.
"Thanks, Padfoot old friend," James said, putting out his hand. Sirius seized it, pulled James towards him, and embraced him.
"I'd do anything for you guys," Sirius said. He grasped James's shoulders and smiled. "Anything."
"I know you would," James said. "I'm really glad," he continued, "that you're my friend."
Sirius laughed. "Aw. Let's not get too mushy, now. We'll sound like women again."
"Yeah," James said with a laugh. "Like the time we were trapped in the Apparation chamber three years ago. Those were the days..."
"So," Sirius said as he clapped his hands together and backed away from them, "I'm on my way out. You'll be all right now. I know you will. But I don't want to say goodbye."
Lily walked toward him, crying, and wrapped her arms around his middle. "You're very brave," she said. She got on her tip toes and kissed his cheek.
"I'm sorry about yesterday," he blurted. "I didn't really think about how you would react."
Lily smiled. "No, it's all right. I over reacted. The stress, you know..." She let go of him and backed away towards James. "See you later," she said.
Sirius nodded at the both of them, pushed down the nob on the door, opened it, and walked out. Dumbledore and McGonagall had both gone. Walking to his motorcycle felt not quite normal. His feet seemed to hit the pavement harder than before. The engine didn't sound as throaty or loud as it usually did. Across the street four children were playing freeze tag; their parents were watching them from the porch, enjoying their coffee.
He kicked up his kick stand and sped off, though his destination was questionable.
James sat at his desk one morning. He didn't know what brought him here. He didn't have any work to do; he couldn't send out owls; he didn't have any bills to pay. He dropped his quill on his blank parchment and opened the drawer on his right. He had kept some of his correspondence in this drawer. He pulled out the stack of envelopes and filtered through them.
He paused when he came to a yellowish envelope. "James," was written in a very tidy handwriting upon it. James turned the envelope over, lift the flap, and pulled out the parchment.
It was the letter his father had written him. James had read it nearly five years ago just after he'd died. James unfolded the letter and read it. He had only read the letter that day and never again. After he finished it for the third time, he put it back in the envelope and into the drawer.
Then he bent down over his parchment, dipped his quill in the ink, and began writing. He wrote everything that he wanted to tell Harry now, but couldn't because Harry wouldn't understand seven eighths of it. He quill never stopped curving letters on the page. He grabbed another piece of parchment and kept on writing.
He wiped his eyes from time to time, laughed, but mostly hoped that this letter wouldn't need to be read at all. By the time he'd finished it, night had fallen. He folded the letter three times then put it in an envelope, which he addressed: Harry. Because he couldn't really leave the house to put the letter in a safe place, he attached it to Artemis, who was perched on his desk. "Take it to our Gringotts vault. The Goblins will understand." He attached the letter to her leg and she flew out of the house. James got up and walked down stairs.
"What were you doing up there?" Lily asked as she spread grape jam on some bread.
"Writing a letter to Harry," he said as if it was normal to write a letter like that.
"Oh," she said nonplused. "I wrote mine yesterday."
James picked up a piece of bread and started to make his own sandwich. "You wrote one, too?"
"Yeah, I was planning on doing it months ago, but I never wanted to bring myself to doing it. Writing those letters assume a lot of things."
"Yes," he said, "they sure do. Where is the little rascal anyway?"
"He's sleeping. It's eight o'clock, honey. It's bed time."
"Right," he said through a mouthful of bread and jelly. "I'm going to go see him." Lily didn't protest one bit as James went up the stairs and into Harry's room. James opened the door a few inches so he could see if Harry was sleeping. James heard singing. It made him smile. Harry was lying on his back, holding onto his stuffed snitch, and singing nonsense words to his owl mobile. James walked inside. "You're supposed to be asleep," he said as he leaned on Harry's crib.
"Dada," Harry said with a smile.
"Harry," James said back in the same tone. Harry rolled over on his front, pushed himself up, staggered a little, then walked to his father. He grabbed James's nose. "Dada," he said again.
"Harry," he said back.
"Dada," Harry said, this time loudly.
"Harry," James answered.
Harry laughed a deep belly laugh, but it sounded very light.
"You're silly," James said, but he too was laughing. "Give me a kiss, Harry." Harry put his hands on the crib's railing, pulled himself closer to James, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you," James said right before kissing Harry.
"Mama," he said.
"I'm not your mama. She's a beautiful woman and I'm just a handsome man," he muttered. He pat Harry's head, smoothing out his hair.
"Mama," he said again, this time pointing to the door. James turned around. Lily was leaning against the doorway, her arms crossed, her lips up, her eyes sparkling.
"How long have you been standing there?" James asked.
She pushed off the wall and started walking toward him. "I followed you up here. I only wanted to watch you with him," she said. "Hello my darling," she said to Harry.
"Mama," he said.
"Harry," Lily replied.
"Mama!" he repeated as he shook the crib while laughing.
"Harry!"
"Mama!" he said and giggled.
"He likes that game," James said. "But it is getting late, right mother dearest?" He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her on the lips. "You think we should leave him to sleep?"
"Dada!" he said, hopping up and down now.
"He doesn't seem very tired," Lily said. She inched closer to James; her hands went up his back. "Dance with me." She twirled her finger and the radio on the window sill began to play. James held out one hand and rest the other on her waist. Lily's fingers intertwined with his. The music sounded like hard rock, but they swayed like it was very slow.
James tilt his head on hers and shut his eyes. He could feel Lily exhale on the skin of his neck. Her fingers tightened around his. "I love you," she whispered.
James pulled back his head to look at her. She had her eyes cast down so that her lids folded over them. James let go of her hand and raised her chin. Lily's green eyes were moist and puffy.
"I love you, too," he said. "Are you going to cry?" he asked. She shook her head just as a tear rolled down her red face. "What's wrong?" he asked.
Her lip began to quiver. "I'm scared," she whimpered. "James, I'm so scared." She grabbed him around the middle and ducked her head under his chin, where she wept freely.
~~~...ashes...~~~
His apartment was clean. In over three years he had lived here the only time it had been clean was when someone else would clean it. But the laundry was put away, the counters were spotless, the floor had only one color; no stains; there was no dust on any of the furniture. Yet Sirius thought it was still dirty. He tried ignoring it by walking into his bedroom. He pulled a duffle bag from under his bed. He pointed his wand at his clothes; they flew out of his closet, folded in midair, then slid into the duffle bag.
Then he took off his robes and changed into blue jeans, a green long sleeve shirt, and his leather jacket. He laced up his black boots, slung the duffle bag over his shoulder, and walked out of his apartment.
His motorcycle was parked under a tree; no droppings spotted it's new paint job. He placed his bag on the back of the bike, sat down, and turned the key in the ignition. The problem was, and he knew it, he just didn't know where to go. He supposed he should stay in a Muggle residence, but he would be very suspicious. A tall man on a motorcycle pulled up to a house with only one bag and no job! They'd find him in a second. He certainly was not going to go anywhere near Godric's Hollow, out of fear of giving the Potters away. Staying with Jade would put her at risk; he couldn't live with that. Where was he to go?
He kicked up the kick stand, pushed off the pavement, and zoomed off in a direction, hoping some higher power might lead him. As he drove past a large house on his right, Jade came into his mind again. He kept thinking about her. She would worry about him, he knew that. She would want to know where he was and if he was safe. She would want to know everything...
When he arrived at her apartment door, he hesitated. Should he tell her? Yes, you should, he thought. After all, she is your fiancé! Tell her you love her and you'll see her soon. She has the right to know. Besides, you don't know how long you'll be gone. Sirius knocked on her door. Sirius heard Jade's Sheltie barking and saw the shadows of her feet at the bottom of the door. Then he heard Jade shuffle out.
"Sirius, hi," she said, allowing him entrance. The dog greeted him as if they were long lost friends. "I haven't seen you in a while. I've tried owling you but you haven't answered. What's going on?"
"That's why I'm here," he said. He shut the door. "Jade, James and Lily are in hiding and I'm their Secret-Keeper. We haven't told a soul that anything has been performed, or that they are even hiding. They haven't talked to me in five days nor anyone else. And because I'm Keeping for them, it's imperative that I go into hiding right now. The Bureau can't help me protect my residence any more. If I stay with you I'll put you in danger and I can't do that. So you see my dilemma," he said quickly.
Jade's face was pale. Sirius kept waiting for her to say something, anything, but she didn't. She paced the room biting her thumbnail, continually looking back at him but not saying anything.
"I wanted to say goodbye," Sirius finally said. "I don't know how long I'll be gone. But I will come back. I want you to know that you are the best then that ever happened to me. It's because of you that I grew up a little. Not much," he said with a wave, "but enough. I love you and I want to marry you. Five years ago I never thought I would hear myself say that. You know I love you, don't you?"
Jade nodded.
"I'm going to miss you," he said. He walked to her and picked up her hands. "Tell me you love me," he said, shaking her hands. "Tell me. Tell me before I go away."
Jade bit her lip and Sirius saw her eyes turn shiny. "I feel," she said, her voice shaking, "like I'm not going to see you again."
Sirius shook his head and grabbed her shoulders. "No, no, no. You will see me again, I promise. I'm just going away for a little while. Stay here and plan our wedding! It's not like you were going to involve me in the plans anyway. Planning a wedding is a woman's thing. Do it, Jade."
But she wasn't convinced and neither was he. "You know why I have to go," he said. Jade nodded. "And you can't stop me from going." She shook her head. "Please believe me when I say I'll come back."
Now no longer trying to hold back her tears, Jade said, "I believe you. I love you, Sirius, more than I love anyone. And I will marry you. Lily will be my maid of honor, James will be your best man. We'll go to Sydney for our honeymoon but never see it because we'll be indoors the entire time."
Sirius smiled. "That's right. We will, Jade. And will have babies in a few years and send them to school with Harry and his brothers and sisters. We will," he said firmly. "We will have that life. We just have to postpone it for a little while. Okay?"
"Okay," she said. She threw her arms around him and cried into his shoulder. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you, too." He set her down, kissed her with all his love, and broke away. "I love you, Jade," he said just as he shut the door. He ran down the hall, pounded down the stairs, and sped off on his motorcycle so fast he didn't realize he had done any of it.
He pulled into a hotel parking lot, got a room with the Muggle money he carried out of habit from working with the Bureau, and bought a sandwich that he didn't touch.
There was a television in this room. He had seen them before but never really watched one. He grabbed the remote on this bedside table and pressed the power button. He flicked to different channels with the 'channel' button, but didn't see anything good. There was a home shopping channel, a cooking show, a fishing show, an interior decorating show, and the news. The newscasters were talking about the dangers of peanuts based on a new study.
"Don't know why Muggles boast about the television," Sirius said as he turned it off, "there's nothing on." Sirius threw the remote across the room and stared at the ceiling. He didn't really know when he drifted to sleep, or that he had slept at all. He was awake the next morning without even remembering that he'd closed his eyes the night before. He turned on the radio.
"Good morning London," a disk jockey said in an overly bright way. "Watch out for ghouls and goblins on your way to work, as today is Halloween. If you haven't bought your kid his costume yet, check out Freddie's Costumes on E street. Mention this radio station and get a thirty percent discount. And now a look at the traffic.." Sirius turned it off. He still had to figure out where to go; this room certainly wouldn't do.
"I should leave the country," he said. But leaving the country would require Apparation and James said they could trace people Apparating. He could drive to another country, but he would still be in Europe. His best bet was across the Atlantic.
Stopped at a red light on his Harley, Sirius thought of Daytona Florida, where his model of motorcycle had debuted. It was warm there and far away. He remembered that the Defense against the Dark Arts teacher, Celeste Gellar, had lived in Florida. He took a deep breath and made his decision. He drove through the intersection and pulled off into a square where a travel agency was located. But having finally come to a decision which he was happy with, he decided he'd have some breakfast first.
The bakery smelled of rising bread, fresh pastries, and high in saturated fats, which lured him inside. Little round tables lined the walls. The display near the front counter showed muffins, cinnamon rolls, doughnuts, croissants, and many other delicious selections.
"No, you don't understand, ma'am," he heard a familiar voice say. "I wanted grape filling, not strawberry. I'm allergic to strawberry. If I eat strawberry I'll break out into hives and itch all day long. I can't itch all day long. I have to go to work, not itching."
"Look," the attendant said, "I have here that you wanted a strawberry filled doughnut. I'm sure you said strawberry because I'm not deaf. Now if you want the grape you'll have to pay for it."
"But," he said, "but I ordered grape. Can't you get me grape? I haven't touched this." He offered it up to her but she pushed it away. Sirius grinned and stole the doughnut right from his hands. He turned around saying, "Hey!-- Sirius?"
"Peter! How have you been, buddy?" he asked. "I haven't seen you in months. You're really important here in London, then?"
Peter nodded and smiled so his light blue eyes crinkled up. "Yes," he said.
"Hey," the attendant said, "are you going to order or what?"
Sirius pulled out a pound and threw it at her. "Grape filled this time. Make it snappy. I'll eat the strawberry. Come on let's talk." He led Peter over to a table by a window. "So where have you been all this time?"
"Well, you remember that I have a simple processing job at the Ministry, right? It's not an important job, you understand, but it's sort of important because everything has to be done."
"The point, Pete," Sirius said.
"Anyways, I have a filing sort of job, because I was never as smart as you or the others. But it's still an important job. Lately things have been kinda weird," Peter said. He scratched his blonde head. "You-know-who has been very active lately which means lots of paperwork. I've been really busy. Besides, you guys are more up north and I don't really like to travel. Makes me nervous," he said. He started folding his napkin like an envelope. Someone brought him his doughnut. "Oh no," he said as he looked at it.
"What's the problem now?" Sirius asked. He finished his in two bites.
"There's a tiny piece of strawberry on it," he whined. He picked it off with his fingers then wiped them on his napkin. "I'm gonna break out in hives, I just know it!"
"So it's busy at the Ministry, is it?" Sirius asked. "I suppose it is with all that's been happening. It's still hard for me to believe that it's all real, you know?"
"Yeah," he responded. "Scary actually. What are you doing here anyway? Oh, I heard about the Bureau. Someone in my office was talking about it. That's horrible."
"I know," Sirius said. "I'm unemployed... sort of. I was thinking about going to America today. I've never been there, you know. They say it's nice."
"Professor Gellar was from America. Remember how you drooled over her when she first came in!" he said with a giggle. "You were so funny."
"I was an idiot. You know, you really haven't changed much, but there is something different about you..." Sirius said. Peter dropped his smile and looked down at himself.
"I did lose ten pounds. Could that be it?"
"That's it," Sirius said. "You look great, Peter, really great. Have you found any lady friends?"
Peter shifted in his chair. "There is this one girl. She picks up the owl post from the slip files and takes them to the owls in the owlry. I haven't really talked to her though. I can't work up the nerve. So what about you and Jade...? Are you guys still going together?"
"Yeah. We're engaged, actually."
"Really?" he asked excitedly. "You told James already, did you? And Remus, too?"
"James knows," he said slowly... James and Lily...
"Remus doesn't?" Peter continued. "Are you fighting again?"
"Maybe," Sirius said, but distantly. "James is going to be my best man, of course. We've talked about it a little. Remus has been absent lately, with a girl. She's a bit strange. You remember meeting her, right?"
Peter nodded. "How come James hasn't replied to any of my letters? I wrote him a week ago and he still hasn't responded. He's not mad at me, is he?"
Sirius considered telling him the truth. "He's not mad. He's.... well.... James is a powerful wizard, you know. He has been, not working because we're unemployed, but he's been busy with Harry. Harry walks and talks now, did you know?"
"James said so in his letters. I wish I could have seen it... He spends a lot of time with Harry?"
"Yeah," Sirius said. "They're a beautiful family. A beautiful family..." he said. He looked at Peter for a while without saying anything. Peter picked at his doughnut until there was no more, then glanced at his watch. "You have to be somewhere?" he asked.
"In ten minutes. It was really nice seeing you, Sirius." He started to get up; Sirius pulled him back down. "What's wrong?" he asked, looking startled.
"Hold on a second," Sirius said. Peter hadn't been around for months... they'd corresponded through letters... Sirius and James saw each other nearly every day, but Peter hadn't even seen Harry talk. Everyone knew James and Sirius were inseparable, but Peter lived in London, away from them. Peter had a meaningless job, no attachments to girlfriends whose fathers were assassinated by the Director of Counterintelligence's men. Peter was just a wizard and not even very good at that... Sirius was a give away, but Peter...
"Have you told anyone about us being Animagi?" Sirius asked, now focused on Peter's reaction.
"No," he said as he stared Sirius straight in the eye. "Have you?"
Sirius shook his head. "No. What time is your lunch, Pete?"
"Twelve. Why?"
Sirius grinned. "I have a brilliant idea."
Sirius let himself into number six, Calvary drive at ten that morning. James, Lily and Harry were all sitting on the floor playing with blocks. They looked surprised to see him.
"Is something wrong?" James asked.
"No, everything is fine. I have a great idea, okay? I ran into Peter today in London. I was thinking about going to Florida to hide, but then I found Peter."
Lily and James stared. "And...?" Lily said.
"Peter," Sirius said. "You should use Peter instead of me. Think about it, okay? Everyone knows I'm close to you. I was best man at your wedding and you named me godfather. Only an idiot wouldn't guess that I'm your Secret-Keeper."
"But you wouldn't tell anyone, so why should we switch?" James asked. Lily looked distressed. "What would be the point?"
"It's the perfect bluff, James. You're right, I would never tell a soul where you live. Never. But they could capture me. There is still Vertiaserum and the Imperius curse out there. I can't fight either one. If those Death Eaters know you and I are close, James, they'll know I'm the one to find. I would never in a thousand years give you away, but if I can't control myself then what can I do?"
"But you're going into hiding," Lily said. "You'll be safe in hiding."
"Lily don't you understand? They'll be able to find me eventually because they'll be looking. Who knows how much information they gained when they broke into the IWBI. What if they found out a way to trace me? It doesn't matter how hard I try to hide if they know I'm the one to look for. But if it's Peter who's Secret-Keeper, and they still chase me, then you're in the clear. No one will go for Peter. He's hardly been around. And it shouldn't put any pressure on him because it will still be on me. So if they did capture me and put me under the Imperius curse or Veritaserum, I can't give you away!"
James and Lily stared at each other.
"But so far," Lily said, "everything has been fine. You're safe, we're safe. Why change if it's working fine?"
"Because they'll eventually find me. Voldemort has spies everywhere. I won't be able to hide for long. Just think about it, Lily. Who would suspect Peter? He's a less than ordinary wizard with no sign of great powers. Why would you use someone like that? I, however, am not weak and I'm your best friend. Don't you see?"
"Peter's an Animagi just like you," Lily said. "So he is a good wizard to a degree."
Sirius shook his head. "Peter hasn't told a soul about that. No one knows he's an Animagi. Him and I are probably the only ones who haven't blabbed about that. You made James tell you," he said. "He can keep a good secret."
"But where has Peter been all this time? I hardly see him anymore," Lily continued.
"He's been working his butt off in London. I only ran into him today. He's been busy at the Ministry because of the busy times. And I don't think he's one for kids, no offense, Harry," he added. Harry smiled and walked to Lily. "So, what do you think?"
Lily kissed Harry while staring at James. "What do you think, James?" Lily asked him.
James starting thinking about everything Sirius had said. It all made perfect sense. Sirius was the obvious choice, Peter was not. James had always been very close to Sirius, but Peter was like the odd man out. Sirius worked with James, he was at the house a lot; the Death Eaters would know James and Sirius had destroyed the IWBI by now.
SJames sighed."I trust Sirius," he told her. "And I understand where he's coming from. It makes sense. Do you want to switch?" he asked her.
Lily closed her eyes and sighed. "I trust Sirius, too, but I'm not sure about all this."
"I really wish this wasn't happening to us," James mumbled. "I wish that scum had never been born."
"You think they might use Veritaserum, or the curse?" Lily asked. Her eyebrows were scrunched close together showing her concern.
"Yes," James said, "I do. Sirius is right; he is the obvious choice. Peter would be the perfect bluff. But I'll only give the okay if you're comfortable with it."
Lily smoothed out Harry's black hair and kissed his cheeks. Bitting her lip, she nodded to Sirius.
"All right," he said. "I'll bring him by around twelve o'clock."
Peter looked slightly green and shaken when he arrived. He had to crouch down with his head between his knees for a few minutes after he got off Sirius's motorcycle. Once he had recuperated, he said his hellos. The only one not happy to see him was Harry, who frowned and hid behind Lily.
"He doesn't really like strangers," James said. "Try not to take it personally."
"He looks just like you," Peter said. "Has he shown any signs of magic yet?"
James laughed. "Unfortunately. He can get his hands on most anything just by wanting it. It's the same thing Lily can do. So, should we get started?"
Lily and Peter went around to each room to perform the spell, just as she had done with Sirius. The process was a lot shorter this time around, as Lily knew what to do. In ten minutes, the final touch had been put on the house, this time on the side door; to keep to the change. Lily requested that Peter tell Sirius the address so he could see it, which Peter did. Sirius watched their house grow between number five and seven with astonishment.
"I have to get back to work," Peter said timidly as he gazed at his watch.
"Do you want me to take you?" Sirius asked.
Peter waved him off. "I am not getting on the back of that thing again in my life," he said. "I'll take the Knight Bus instead, thank you."
"Thanks for doing this, Peter," Lily said. She kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks so much."
"Yeah," James said with a grin. "We appreciate it, Wormtail old friend. Keep yourself safe, you hear me?"
Peter smiled. "Yeah," he said, "I will. Sirius has booked me a room at a hotel, to keep me safe. So I'll see you later?" he said.
James nodded and shook his hand. "Bye, Pete. Keep us safe, all right?"
"'Course I will. Bye Lily, Sirius, James... Harry. You should go inside before the bus comes, don't you think?"
"Yes," Lily said. She herded the rest of them up to the house and through the door. They watched Peter summon the Knight Bus, load on, then leave. Lily set Harry down then ran upstairs without a word to anyone. Harry tugged on James's sleeve.
"Is she all right?" Sirius asked. James shook his head and picked up Harry.
"No. She's terrified. She has been since this whole ordeal. She doesn't even want to talk about it. I'll be glad when all of this is over."
Sirius watched James. He wasn't smiling anymore like he was outside. He was eying Harry with great care, fiddling with his clothes and hands. Harry smiled at James, placed his small hands around his father's neck, pulled forward, and kissed his cheek. James took a deep breath and kissed Harry back. He made a motion like he was rubbing his eyes, but when he pulled back his fingers, Sirius saw moisture.
"You know," James began in a choked sort of way, "I always thought Lily would be the top."
Sirius braced himself on the wall. "What's wrong?" he asked, for James did not look well. He suddenly appeared weaker; thinner, like a giant anvil had rested on his shoulders. He faced Sirius.
"I have been experiencing some very strange dreams. I've seen my father as a skeleton. Then I'm the skeleton. Just the other night I dreamt I was walking behind Harry, only he didn't know I was there; he couldn't see me when I talked to him... I have a feeling that something might just happen, like it's supposed to happen. I feel like there is nothing I can do to stop it because it's meant to be... Sirius," he said now looking intently into his eyes, "you have to promise me something, okay? You have to promise."
Sirius could hear himself breathing. "Okay," Sirius said. "What is it?"
"You have to promise me that if something happens, if something happens to me-- "
Sirius shook his head violently. "Nothing is going to happen to you," Sirius said firmly. "You'll be fine. It'll be over soon, I know that!"
"-- if I die-- "
"Stop talking like that!" Sirius demanded. "Stop it or I'll leave right now, do you hear me? I will not listen to this nonsense, James. You're not going to die, okay? You promised me long ago that we'd be friends forever, don't you remember when we were just kids? You said forever and I took that to heart. Don't you dare say it's not going to happen!"
"Hear me out, will you?" James said. "You think I want to go now? I'm thinking about them, Sirius. If, and I say if, something happens and I am killed-- listen to me-- I want you to make sure they are happy and safe, okay? You have to promise me that Lily and Harry will be happy and safe. You do whatever necessary to make sure that happens, okay? Take care of my family for me. Take my place!"
Sirius was getting angry now. Why was James saying all of this? Why was he talking nonsense. They were always okay, they were always safe, they always made it out of a jam. They were smooth in anything. They would make it out of this just like everything else.
"You are not going to die," Sirius said, pounding his fist into the palm of his hand. "I won't let that happen. You can't die, James, you can't."
"Sirius promise me," James said, now sounding desperate. "You have to promise you'll take care of them. Promise me that you'll take my place if I'm gone. Promise me that, Sirius. Promise me!"
"If I did it wouldn't mean anything because I'll never have to!"
"Do it," James urged. "Do it. Say you'll take my place. Say it. Tell me they'll be okay if I'm gone. You have to understand how important this is to me. We're talking about my family, Sirius. They are my life. Don't you get that? Don't you understand how important they are to me? Damn, Sirius! I used to think I couldn't love anyone as much as I loved Lily. But I was wrong, don't you see that? Promise me you'll take care of my family. Please, Sirius," he said, his eyes watery, "I'm begging you. I love them so much, you can't possibly know how much. I love them so much... Please tell me you'll take care of them. Tell me you'll take care of the people I love more than anything, okay? Sirius, please. You're the only one I trust with them, please say yes. Please..." he pleaded. His eyes were red and on the verge of tears. He sniffled loudly as he awaited Sirius's answer.
Fighting back tears of his own, hands on his hips, Sirius said just above a whisper, "I promise. I'll take care of them; I'll take your place."
James gave a great sigh of relief and nodded. He took in deep breaths of air and began walking around the room, Harry still in his arms. Sirius turned away from him when he heard Lily coming back down the stairs with a stone face.
"Harry needs to go down for his nap," she said mechanically. She went to the fridge and pulled out a Tommy tipper cup filled with apple juice. She walked over to James and took Harry back upstairs.
"So I guess I should get going," Sirius said.
"Wait until Lily comes back down?" he said.
"Sure," Sirius said. He sat down on the couch and folded his hands on his knees. He heard feet on the stairs. Lily came into the room. "I'm leaving now," Sirius said. He stood up and looked down into her lovely eyes. "I'll see you later," he forced himself to smile. "Everything is going to be fine. We were all this worried when I was the Keeper, remember? In a few days we will all be calm and cool like usual. Yes?"
Lily nodded. "Yes," she said. James nodded. "Thanks, Sirius. We'll see you later," she said. She hugged him tightly and kissed him once on each cheek. "Come by tomorrow."
"I will," he told her. He walked toward the door; James was in his way. "I promise," he said.
"Thank you," James replied. He stared into Sirius's brown eyes. "Maybe we should to that hugging thing again," he said.
Sirius grinned. "But only a short one. Real men don't hug twice in one week."
James laughed and pulled Sirius in for a tight, but short, embrace. "It's our secret," he said once he had let go. "We'll see you later, Sirius." He clapped Sirius on the shoulder and opened the door.
"That's right you will," Sirius said as he left the house. He saw James wave to him as he backed down the steps. The door didn't close until Sirius was on his motorcycle. The moment he started it up, he looked back. The house had shrunk. He couldn't see them anymore. Taking a deep breath, he drove off.
~~~...We all fall down~~~
James watched Sirius disappear around the bend. He let the curtain fall and turned around to see Lily. She was standing quite still, her face was stiff and stern. James walked over to her, his feet making little noise on the carpet. He stopped when he could hear Lily breathing. James shut his eyes, kissed her forehead, and placed his hands gently around her face.
"Let us pretend," he said breathlessly, "that we are not afraid; that there is no danger outside; that we are simple people who are uninvolved in the world."
He wiped a few tears from Lily's eyes with his thumbs. "Play with me," he urged her, smiling placidly. "Nothing can get us, because no one is trying."
Lily put her hands on his. "All right," she simpered, tears still rolling and being caught by him. "It sounds like a great game."
He didn't respond. He kissed her so passionately he was afraid he might break her. But she came back with the same voracity; she could feel his body heat against hers, his heart beating in tune with her own. She jumped up and wrapped her legs around his waist. He held onto her tight. She sent her head back when she felt his lips on her neck, his hands on her back. Not knowing where he was taking them, James began walking and bumped into the sofa. Lily laughed, took off his glasses, moved in such a way that James lost balance and fell back onto the sofa, hitting his head on the arm of it.
"Are you okay?" she asked, though she was giggling.
"Could be," he replied. "Doesn't matter though, does it?"
"Nope," she said. "No more talking."
"Fine by me," he said quickly. They returned to their game. It didn't take long before the floor was littered with clothes...
Sirius drove back to London and stopped by the travel agency like he had planned to do this morning. He found out that the next flight to Florida was tomorrow morning.
"But this is London," he said, "that is America. Shouldn't there be more flights?" he asked.
The lady at the desk shook her head. "You must not understand airlines very well, sir. It's best to book flights in advance. Many of them are booked. Heathrow has a flight to Miami International tomorrow morning. That's the soonest we can get you there. If you would like to fly into LAX or La Guardia, it'll be the same time. Tomorrow morning is the soonest flight to the States. Period."
"Fine, then. Book me for a flight to Miami."
"First class or coach?" she asked.
Sirius squinted at her. "Coach? I thought it was on a plane. You fly coaches?"
The lady clicked her teeth. "Stop playing dumb, sir. First class or coach?"
Still confused, Sirius asked another question. "Which costs more?"
"First class," she said.
"I'll take coach," he said, not really knowing what it was. He paid entirely in cash, took the ticket, and went back to his hotel room where he had stayed the
night before. This time he ate a rotisserie chicken and downed a liter of water. Nothing was on the television, surprise, so he read from the books in the hotel
room. He nodded off into sleep as he was halfway through The Awakening.
"That was a great game," Lily said. She pulled herself up a little and kissed him. He rest his head in the crook of her neck and shut his eyes. She could still feel his heart pounding against her chest. "What time is it?" she asked.
"I can't see the time," he said. "Where did you put my glasses?"
"Um," she said. She tried looking over the sofa to see them. She held her hand up and they flew into her palm. "Here you go." She put them on for him.
"It's one forty-five. He's probably awake and hungry, just like me. Should I go get him?" he asked. He sat up, took his t-shirt from the floor, and pulled it over his head.
"Sure," she said. He finished getting dressed then ran up the stairs. Harry was wide awake and walking in his crib. James checked and changed his diaper then carried him down stairs where Lily was preparing lunch. They ate in sparse silence, each thinking of what lay ahead. Harry wasn't really concerned with events, though. He was having much more fun playing with the marmalade and toast.
When evening came, they heard children outside playing. Lily wanted to open the door and offer them sweets for Halloween, but she knew she couldn't. They sounded like they were having a great time, though. All the curtains were down, so they couldn't see the children. Lily felt safer if she couldn't watch what was going on outside.
The voices died down as the time ticked by. By eleven o'clock there were no children to be heard. James, Lily, and Harry all stayed up late as it was a holiday of sorts. Lily ignited a small fire and they roasted some marshmallows, which Harry enjoyed a little too much. His fingers were very sticky and his lips were covered with melted mallow.
Lily cleaned him up and sent him back into the living room to sit with James. She started to walk out herself, but suddenly stopped. Her heart began to hammer. The hairs on the back of her neck stood up. Her hands began to shake.
James looked up at her. "Lily?" he said. He noticed that his voice didn't sound like it should. "Lily, what's wrong?"
But then he heard it. There was a small clanking outside the house. Someone had come into the yard through the gate. James stood up and picked up Harry. He backed up to be with Lily who grabbed him around the waist.
"Someone's here," he whispered to her. "I hope it's Sirius playing a joke on us."
"It's not," Lily said. They waited in silence to hear more...
There was a very muffled tapping coming from the entry way wall, like the presence was still outside-- it stopped. James didn't remember when he stopped breathing. His wand was on the coffee table. Lily grabbed his hand and kept watching the room. James started breathing again when no more noise came. "Maybe it was just a cat," he breathed. But Lily didn't look away or even blink.
BANG!
The floor shook a little. James ran to the coffee table and grabbed his wand. Someone had broken through the door and he had a horrible feeling he knew exactly who it was.
"James!" Lily cried, reaching out for him.
James turned around and ran back to her. He looked shaken but determined. His lip was quivering but he looked into her eyes and shouted, "Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off-- "
James turned on his heal and ran from the room, stumbling over one of Harry's toys. Then the door to the living room burst open and a cackle of high pitched laughter filled the air. James turned around to make sure Lily was leaving. James saw her run up the stairs, Harry looking at him before disappearing. James backed up a little, wand clasped firmly in his right hand.
A tall hooded figure stood in the room with him, dust clouds behind him. The dim light wasn't enough to illuminate inside his hood. James couldn't see his face. And as if he could read minds, he pulled his hood off very slowly to reveal a skeletal face with blood red eyes, a snake like nose, sunken cheeks, and a cruel smile pulled over shiny white teeth.
"James Potter," he said in a cold voice. "How nice to meet your acquaintance."
James's throat was tight. He hoped Lily and Harry had gotten out through the window upstairs. "I'm afraid there is no pleasure from where I stand," James said. He could feel his eyes burning. The saliva in his mouth was drying up.
Voldemort laughed again. "Like father like son, I see. Morbid jokes is all you have to offer? That is just as well. You stand between a goal of mine. Nothing stands in Voldemort's way."
James stood taller. "I won't let you hurt them," he said.
"How noble of you. Daddy comes to save the day. It's a funny thing with the Fidelius charm... It protects so well that it is impossible to break out. The only way out is through the side door, the door the spell is performed on. But I have blocked the way out, I'm afraid. Your little wife and child cannot escape. So you see, James, they will die. Not even the best wizards can Disapparate out of this house. But don't you worry," he said as if trying to be kind. "I'll make sure you won't miss any special moments; your son will die."
James pulled his wand up. He started to grind his teeth as he bowed. Voldemort smirked and bowed as well, then raised his wand.
Lily kept kicking at the windows to shatter the glass but they didn't even vibrate. "NOOOOO!!!" she screamed. She closed her bedroom door, set Harry down
and punched the window, threw herself against it, and tried shattering it by using her powers. It wouldn't crack.
"Stupefy!" James yelled, pointing his wand at Voldemort, but he evaded it. James wiped sweat off his face and ducked a jet of light from Voldemort.
"You'll never beat me," Voldemort said. James kept sidestepping; remaining a moving target. "You're only delaying the inevitable."
"Expelliarmus!" James yelled, but Voldemort evaded that as well. He laughed coldly at James and continued to move forward. "Leave them alone you sick son of a bitch," he said. "Leave them alone, they can't hurt you! You think your so tough? You want to kill a mother with her baby! How powerful you must be. A defenseless woman and a baby. What a powerful wizard you are," James said.
Voldemort kept on smiling, but James kept trying. Voldemort advanced but James stood his ground. He tried to remember what Fletcher had taught him months ago... He had one chance; it might work. James wound his wand arm around and brought it down quickly to point at Voldemort's chest, channeling all of his hate at him through his wand. "AVADA KE--"
"Crucio! Voldemort said. James fell backwards and arched his back. He could hear himself screaming; the pain was so intense, like he was being electrocuted. He screamed louder; he could hear Voldemort laughing.
He raised his wand; James relaxed. Voldemort laughed softly. "Trying to kill me, Potter? You'll pay for that."
James pushed himself off the floor a little so he could see those red eyes. He heard Voldemort say it again. He felt like his entire body was on fire and at the same time being stabbed all over. It stopped suddenly.
"Alas, James," he said with a fake sigh. "I am growing tired of our duel. I do hate ripping apart families, but if you believe in the afterlife, then you won't be separated long."
James held his wand and positioned himself for a final strike. As soon as he heard Voldemort utter the first two letters, he leapt up, thrust his wand at Voldemort and cried his spell once more. He saw the green light shoot out of his wand and sail just over Voldemort's head.
But he had missed. He had lost. Slowly, James looked down at his chest. He saw the green light coming toward him, but it was spliced by pictures which flashed across his mind and covered his eyes. He saw his mother and father smiling at him as he got off the train after his first year-- Lily was grinning at him before she gave him his first kiss-- he was holding the Quidditch cup-- Lily was walking toward him, wearing her wedding gown-- the nurse handed him Harry-- Harry was saying "Dada" and smiling-- he was walking towards James with outstretched arms and a huge grin... James smiled just before he saw the light hit his chest. The images moved faster now, but the air outside was cold.... He saw Sirius with Jade-- Harry was running to see him-- Lily was laughing with him-- Harry gave him a kiss and said "I love you."
James flew back through the air and landed with an empty thud on the ground. His wand clattered to the floor a second later. His eyes stared skyward but they did not see. They did not see Voldemort laugh mirthlessly and walk over him and head up the stairs.
He walked on as if he hadn't been stopped at all. He took the first step, then the second, the third, the fourth...
Lily burst out of her bedroom door with Harry tucked safely in her arms. She saw Voldemort and began crying, but kept on running. She opened Harry's bedroom door, slammed it close behind her, and braced it shut with a chair. If only I had her wand, she thought... She picked up Harry again and kicked at his windows, but the same was here as in her room; they wouldn't budge.
Harry began to cry and Lily joined him. If Voldemort was walking up the stairs then James was... "No," she cried, her voice shaking. "Please, God, no," she sobbed. Great tears rolled down her face as she kicked at the window. She heard the door nob behind her turn.
"Shhhh," she said to Harry. "It's okay," she whimpered in his ear, "I'll take care of you, Harry. I'll always be with you. I will always be with you. I love you so much, Harry. Mama loves you so much." She crossed her arms as she held him and closed her eyes. "I love you," she repeated. "I love you. I love you."
The door blast open and Harry cried louder. Lily kissed him and put him on the ground. "Stay here," she said to him. Harry didn't move. Lily stood up and faced Voldemort.
Through her blurry eyes she saw Voldemort smile at her.
"Stand aside, Lily and I will spare your life," he said, his wand pointed directly at her.
"No way!" she yelled, her fists clenched.
"You want to join your dearly beloved in death?" he asked. Lily's lips quivered and her entire body seemed to follow along.
"I won't let you kill my baby," she cried. "I won't let you kill my baby!"
Now Voldemort began to laugh. "Oh, come now," he said in mock sympathy. "We all suffer losses. We all get over them eventually. Time heals everything, Lily. Now be a good girl and stand aside."
Lily put her hands to her face and cried harder.
"Not Harry," she choked. "Not Harry, please not Harry."
Voldemort raised his wand and shifted it to the side, showing her the motion he wanted her to make. "Stand aside, you silly girl.... stand aside, now..." he was almost laughing. He thought this was funny.
"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead," she continued. She put her hands together and bowed down to him, her hands still shaking madly. "Not Harry! Please... have mercy... have mercy."
"I'm growing tired of this, Lily. Do what I say and stand aside!"
"NO! Not Harry! Not Harry! Please-- I'll do anything--"
Voldemort dropped his smile and replaced it with a tired frown. "Stand aside. Stand aside, girl! Get out of the way!"
"I'll do anything if you let him live, please! He's just a baby, he can't hurt you. Please, no," she sobbed. Her face was now full of painful tears. Voldemort didn't care.
"Stand aside," he said firmly. "Stand aside, now!"
And Lily, who could feel Harry touching her leg with his small, soft hand, shook her head violently, her face drenched in misery and sadness.
"As you wish," Voldemort said. He wound up his wand arm and thrust it towards her. She kept her eyes open the entire time and stared into his eyes. The blinding green light erupted from his wand and hit her squarely in the chest. She screamed shrilly in shock; a reel of images flashed before her eyes. Harry was purple and wet in her arms, the nurse said he was a healthy boy-- James was rocking Harry to sleep-- Harry was crying but stopped when James blew in his face-- Harry was laughing as James kissed him over and over-- Harry was crawling to her-- he was walking toward her-- James was spinning Harry in the air-- James told her he loved her-- Harry was on James's back and ruffling his hair-- "Mama," he said, jumping with happiness in his crib.
Lily hit the floor, her brilliant green eyes were now dull with death. Voldemort laughed cruelly as he stepped over her and made his way for Harry.
"Mama," Harry said. He rubbed his eyes and crawled toward her. He lay his head on her chest and hugged her. "Mama," he said again.
"She's dead, Harry. See what a silly thing love is?"
Harry shook Lily's arm but she didn't even look at him. He crawled off of her but sat next to her head and kissed her. "Mama," he said again, this time in anger. She wasn't paying attention to him.
Harry looked up at Voldemort and frowned at him. Voldemort lowered his wand so that it pointed directly at Harry's head.
"And they say you can defeat me," he whispered. And with a grin of long lost pleasure, Voldemort uttered, "Avada Kedavra!" The green light was so bright that Harry shut his eyes. The powerful jet of light hit Harry on the forehead and sent him back a little from the pressure. Harry opened his mouth to cry for his mother to help him, but sound wouldn't come out. He felt a searing pain and a warm wetness.
Voldemort's eyes widened as he lowed his wand and the live Harry Potter sat before him.
A gleaming white sphere, no bigger than a grapefruit, spun in front of Harry's closed eyes. But as Voldemort watched, the sphere grew larger and spun faster.
Harry opened his eyes.
The white sphere rushed toward Voldemort with the power of lightning. It caught him in the chest and drove him out of the room, down the stairs and out of
the house, ripping the walls apart, exploding the house's foundation beams, shattering all the windows, and tearing a screaming Voldemort from his body. The
entire house shook before giving a mighty lurch. With an ear splitting BOOM the outside walls flew apart, waking up even the most tired neighbors.
Sirius frowned in his sleep. There was an eerily uncomfortable pain in his stomach. He shifted a little and opened his eyes so they were slits.
Someone was standing in his room. Sirius sat up a little and opened his eyes, waiting for them to focus. It was James. But his head was bent low, his black hair was swept into his bloodshot eyes... he was weeping silently. Then he raised his hands and looked down on them, his tears falling to the floor. His hands were covered in blood... but it was his blood. Blood was oozing out of his stomach and dripping onto the floor.
Sirius sat up completely and made to stand up and go after James-- to help James. But then he looked down at his right hand. There, covered in blood, was a knife. Sirius started to hyperventilate. He looked up at James, whose skin was now turning white, then back at the knife. It wriggled inside his hand, it felt alive. The tip of the blade became sharp teeth, then the head of a rat.
"Sirius," James whispered, clutching his stomach and falling to the ground.
"NOOOOOO!" Sirius yelled as he opened his eyes and fell out of bed. "James!" But James was not here. It had been a nightmare... it was only a dream. But the feeling in his stomach was still there. He got up from the floor, ran out of his room, and drove to Peter's hiding place. He knocked on the door.
"Peter," he said, trying to remain calm. "Peter, open up, it's me." He pressed his ear to the door; there was no sound. He took out his wand, pointed it at the nob and said, "Alohomora!" and the door opened. Sirius walked in and looked around. The bed's sheets were clean and unused. Peter's bag was on the floor by the bed. A half eaten sandwich was on the table. Peter was not here, but everything else was. "Peter!" Sirius called. "This isn't funny!"
James and Lily, his inside voice said. His stomach lurched. Sirius turned on his heal and ran down to his motorcycle. He revved the engine and kicked in the flying spell and soared into the sky. "Faster," he commanded it, "faster!" The speedometer on his bike broke as he flew to Godric's Hollow.
He pointed it toward the ground as he got closer. He could smell something weird up ahead. He touched down on the street but didn't slow down. Their house was just around the bend, he told himself. He leaned to the left and caused the motorcycle to turn.
He pulled on his break; his bike fish-tailed and didn't even come to a stop before Sirius got off of it.
In between houses five and seven was a enormous pile or debris. Only parts of the house stood, but the rest looked like bits of wood and stone. Not even the brick fireplace or chimney were still erect.
Sirius put his hand over his mouth and walked toward it. Dust clouds were still rising from it. He felt like he wasn't even there-- like this was some kind of dream. He had been here today. It was a complete house with a kitchen. A family lived inside of this house; his family lived here. Sirius walked towards the front door, which was no longer there.
"Sirius!" a familiar voice called. Sirius whirled around to see Hagrid coming from the other side of the house's remains. Sirius hadn't seen Hagrid in so long... he didn't look good. He was frowning and his eyes were bloodshot and puffy.
"Hagrid?" Sirius said. He jogged over to him. "Why are you here?" he asked. He heard his voice start to crack. "What's happened? Where are they? Did they go to the hospital? Are they hurt?" he asked.
A tear trickled down Hagrid's face and disappeared in the mass of beard. "Oh, Sirius," he said painfully, resting his plate sized hand on Sirius's shoulders. "Lily and James are dead."
But Sirius shook his head and pushed Hagrid's hand off of him. "No they're not. They can't be dead."
"You-know-who killed 'em jus' minutes ago."
"NO!" Sirius shouted, unaware that he was starting to cry. "No they're not! They are not dead!" How could Hagrid say such lies! "They're not dead!"
But then Hagrid pointed to a spot which was four meters from where they stood. A black blanket, waving in the wind, was covering something. Sirius shuffled his heavy legs over to it. He fell down on his knees and lift the blanket, but only a little.
"No," he said, shaking his head and sobbing. "No," he said again. It was James. His eyes were lifeless and looking to the stars. His mouth was open slightly but exhaled no breath, no laughter. Sirius couldn't help himself latching onto James. He picked him up; he was heavy and cold. His arms were limp and flimsy. His head flopped backwards. "James," Sirius whined. "James," he said again, shaking him a little. But James didn't wake up. "James, no," Sirius cried. He felt his tears roll down his cheeks and neck. "You promised," he said as he set James down. "You promised..." he howled. He had never felt more pain in his life. It was like someone was tearing at his heart with a dull knife; hacking away slowly.
James was looking up. His eyes weren't moving, only his lashes fluttered in the breeze. Sirius passed his hand over James's face and closed the eyes. Then he shut the mouth so it looked like he was sleeping. He pulled the blanket back over his head.
Someone else was crying, too. Sirius looked at Hagrid and saw, to his surprise, a moving bundle in his arms. Sirius walked over to Hagrid again, stumbling on rubble. "Harry," he said breathlessly.
Harry was snuggled within a fluffy blanket. His skin was dusty and his clothes were dirty, but he was alive. Hagrid held a cloth to Harry's head and rocked him. Harry looked like he had been crying off and on for a short period of time, for dried tear streaks left paths on his dusty face.
"He's okay," Sirius said, crying more. "Harry's safe and healthy." He grabbed Harry's hand. "Hagrid, what happened?"
"You-know-who turned up. He killed James firs' I think. I found Harry with Lily's body, up in that room," he said, pointing to the most secure part of the house. "Look," Hagird said, pulling back the cloth on Harry's forehead. "You-know-who tried to kill Harry, too. Tha's what this is, I reckon. Here's where You-know-who touched him." There, just a little above Harry's right eyebrow, was a gleaming cut, shaped like a bolt of lightning. "It's still bleedin," Hagrid said and replaced the cloth.
"H-How?" Sirius asked.
Hagrid shrugged. "I don' know. But he's gone. You-know-who is gone. He's powerless and alone. He couldn' kill Harry."
But Sirius somehow didn't really care about Voldemort. Still crying, he reached for Harry, as if to take him, but Hagrid pulled him away.
"Hagrid," Sirius said, "give him to me."
"I can't," he said, shaking his head violently.
"But they appointed me as his godfather! If anything happened to them they wanted me to take Harry. Please, give him to me."
"No. Dumbledore gave me orders ter take Harry ter his aunt an' uncle's house. I can't give him ter yeh, Sirius."
"But I promised James," Sirius said, anger rising in his throat. "I promised him that I would take care of his family. I gave him my word that I would take good care of Harry and make sure he was happy! I promised him, Hagrid. Give Harry to me, please!"
But Hagrid stood firm against him. He even tightened his grip on Harry as if fearing Sirius would grab him and run for it. "Sirius you hafta understand. Dumbledore told me ter take Harry. I can't give him ter yeh."
"Lily hasn't talked to her sister in years. She hates her sister and that husband of hers. They appointed me! They want me to take care of Harry! I'll take good care of him. I love him so much, Hagrid please let me have him. I promised my best friend that I would raise him good; like he's mine. Hagrid I'm begging you to give him to me!"
"No," Hagrid said again, this time more firmly. "I hafta go now. I hafta take him."
"But Hagrid-- "
"No, Sirius. I'm sorry, but I can' give him ter yeh. I have me orders. Talk ter Dumbledore about it. I'm sure yeh can work it out with him. Now please, Sirius, we hafta go."
Sirius couldn't think of anything else to say to sway the argument. Harry was still crying, reaching out for someone. Sirius wanted to take him. He wanted to hold him and keep him. But Dumbledore's orders... Dumbledore thinks you did this, his mind told him. A huge weight dropped in his stomach. You have done it, of course. You made them replace you with Peter. Peter was the spy, you fool. Why didn't you see it before? It was so obvious. You killed them, Sirius, you killed them. James is dead because of you. Lily is dead because of you. Harry is an orphan and alone because of you. But he brought his mind back to the present problem.
"Take my motorcycle," Sirius choked. "You'll be able to get Harry there quickly and safely."
"Yer motorbike?" Hagrid asked.
"Yes. Take Harry on it and get him to the house safely. Take it, Hagrid. The keys are still in the ignition. Just turn them and the engine kicks in. It's very simple to drive."
"I heard that yeh loved that motorbike."
"I don't need it any longer. Hagrid please take it and get Harry there safely."
Hagrid eventually agreed. Sirius walked Harry and Hagrid to it and gave him a brief overview on its operations. Hagrid sat down on it, revved the engine, and looked back at Sirius and the ruin that lay behind him. "He's gone," he said.
Sirius didn't listen. He bent down and looked at Harry, who was still crying. Holding back his own tears, Sirius blew into Harry's face, like James would do. Harry chuckled a little.
"I'll come for you," Sirius whispered to him. "I'll find you. I love you, Harry. I promise I'll find you."
"Bye, Sirius. Take care o' yerself." And Hagrid engaged the clutch and drove off. Sirius watched as they ascended into the starry sky. He watched until he couldn't see them anymore or hear the roar of the engine.
The Wizard Crime unit would be here in seconds... He had to run for it. Dumbledore thought it was him, and Jade... Jade thought it was him. Sirius jogged over to the black blanket, took a deep breath, and pulled it up. James was just as Sirius had left him, but Lily was not. Biting his lip to keep from sobbing again, Sirius bent down and shut her eyes and mouth.
"I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry," he cried. "It's all my fault and I'm sorry. I ripped you away from him and for that I must be punished. Please forgive me," he said. "Please, if you can hear me, wherever you are, forgive me. I don't even deserve your forgiveness," he said, shaking his head. "I killed my best friends," he cried. He took Lily's cold hand and kissed it. "Lily, I'm sorry. I'll take care of him for you. I won't do as good as you would have, but I'll try. I'm so sorry!" he wailed. "I'm so sorry!" He covered their bodies back up with the black blanket and began to run towards London. With each step he ran, blinded by tears, his anger grew.
Sirius transformed. He always traveled faster in his Animagius form, but his emotions were less human this way. He didn't want to feel like this. He didn't want to see their lifeless faces burned against his eyes. He ran as fast as his four legs could carry him.
When the sun rose, only one thought filtered through his mind. "Peter."
But when the sun rose, something happened that he did not intend. Sirius was roaming the streets of London as a human. He had run all night long as a dog. Peter was here somewhere and he was going to find him. But that task would be made very difficult by the hundreds of witches and wizards who were filling the Muggle streets. Sirius passed big groups of them and caught words of their conversations. "Yes," they said, "You-know-who is gone! Harry Potter has saved us all!"
Owls zoomed over head in broad daylight. The Muggles were pointing to the sky at them. Wizards and witches kept hugging strangers and exclaimed the good news. "He-who-must-not-be-named has gone! Celebrate, for Harry Potter has saved the day!"
All of these happy people kept jostling Sirius as he walked down the streets, wand in his hand. He had to keep wiping his eyes with his free hand every minute or so, otherwise he wouldn't be able to see. He really wished these wizards would get out of his way. He turned a corner and pushed his way against more people.
A woman ran past him and bumped him pretty good.
"Sorry," she said as she passed. Sirius turned back to look at her-- Peter was walking behind her. His eyes widened in shock and he froze.
"Peter," Sirius said through clenched teeth.
Peter backed away from Sirius, his eyes darting all around him.
"You vermin," Sirius growled.
"Sirius Black!" Peter yelled, getting the attention of several people on the street. "H-How could you?" he yelled, pointing his finger at Sirius. "They trusted you, Sirius!"
Sirius frowned at him.
"Lily and James trusted you with their lives and look what you did!" he yelled, lifting theDaily Prophet up into the air. The headline read: 'You-know-who: Gone. Harry Potter is the Boy who Lived!' "James and Lily Potter trusted you!"
The wizards across the street stopped and looked when they heard that. Muggles were watching too, as the little man accused the other. "You killed them, Sirius! You killed them!"
Gasps from the crowd reached Sirius's ears. He was so enraged he could explode. Peter was still pointing at him and accusing him of crimes he had committed. Sirius stopped hearing them and instead focused on what he had set out to do. He pulled his wand out and pointed it at Peter. What happened then was so fast, Sirius hardly knew what transpired.
A huge flash of light consumed Peter. Sirius covered his eyes it was so bright. Then he felt the earth shake; several people screamed; then even more screamed and yelled in terror. Sirius opened his eyes.
A dozen Muggles, by his guess, lay motionless and bloody on the street. Blood was pooling on the sidewalk, women were screaming, as some of the blood was on them. Body parts were completely missing from the corpses. But Sirius tore his eyes from that horror and looked to another. With his mouth slightly open, Sirius walked to a huge crater in the street. It was positioned exactly where Peter had been standing; in front of the dead bodies. Bloody robes and bits of skin and blood were all that remained. A long finger, without its hand, was pointing at the hole. Sirius looked down in it.
It was so deep that it had cracked the sewer line. A few black rats were making their way down and out of the daylight which was piercing their home. Sirius fell to his knees; his wand rolled down the sidewalk. He stared down into that hole, watching the rats.
Sirius smiled and shook his head. He felt a maniacal fire ignite inside of him. The rats! he thought. Sirius chuffed once, his eyes crinkled with laughter. He couldn't help himself; he had to laugh. He had been framed and fooled, or fooled and framed. The order didn't matter. Sirius felt the laugh down in his belly and he let it come out. He sounded crazy; he sounded deranged. The witnesses to this murder gasped at him, pointing the fingers. Sirius didn't care.
He felt two sets of hands grab his arms and pull him back. He didn't struggle; he kept right on laughing. The owners of the hands threw him face down on the pavement and shackled his hands behind his back. Then they lift him up and carried him to a large van which had appeared out of nowhere.
No less than twelve wizards in uniformed robes were looking at him cautiously. Around eight or nine more were talking to the Muggle witnesses. A short man with a green bowler hat came up to Sirius with a clip board.
"Are you Sirius Black?" he asked firmly.
Sirius laughed some more. "Yes," he said nodding his head. The man nodded to his Hit Wizards. They pushed Sirius roughly into the back of the van and closed the doors. The man smacked the back of the van and it drove off. He walked into a nearby business and asked to use a fireplace. They were so occupied with watching the happenings outside, that they didn't think about the strangeness of the request.
He threw some powder into the fire and called for Albus Dumbledore.
"Cornelius," Dumbledore said gravely.
"Dumbledore," Fudge said with a nod. "You'll be happy to know that Sirius Black has been apprehended. Unfortunately, though, he has killed 12 Muggles and a wizard. From what we have so far, it's Peter Pettigrew. The only parts left of him are small fragments and his robes. I shall write a full report of the issue as we get out information in. But you said you wanted to know when we got him. You say Black was the Potter's Secret-Keeper?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said. "He was. I was there when the Fidelius charm was performed."
"Well," Fudge said, "we'll be sure to include that on the incarceration records. He'll spend life in Azkaban for this one. You can expect my full report shortly."
Dumbledore nodded sadly. "Thank you."
Fudge nodded then disappeared. Dumbledore folded his hands and sauntered to his desk. He sighed and laid his heavy hands on his desktop. A great package lay to his right. He started to unwrap it when his office door burst open and Severus Snape glided in, positively fuming.
"You said," Snape started as he threw a copy of The Daily Prophet on his desk, "that everything would be fine!" He pointed at the headline and the pictures of Lily and James underneath. The photos were from the wedding; James and Lily were smiling. "This," Snape continued, pointing at the sub heading of James and Lily Potter dead; son Harry survives death, "is not what we planned. I risked my life telling you the Dark Lord was after them. And now they are dead! This is your fault!"
Dumbledore raised his hand. "Please calm down."
"Calm down?" he said. He whipped his greasy black hair out of his face. "Calm down?"
"Yes, Severus. Voldemort is gone."
"You don't know that for certain. It's a rumor. You don't know-- "
"Oh but I do, Severus. I do know that he is gone. The Fortress of Shadows has been found because he is gone. The Ministry Hit Wizards raided it this morning. We could never have found it before because it remained hidden by sustaining its secrecy from Voldemort's powers. Now that they have gone, his lair has been exposed. So," he said, trying to sound cheerful, "you should celebrate like so many others."
"How come they died?" he pressed on.
"Sirius Black, their Secret-Keeper. The Junior Minister of the Magical Catastrophes Department has just informed me that he has been caught. He is being taken to Azkaban as we speak."
"Black?" Snape said in disbelief. "Sirius Black?"
"Yes," Dumbledore said grievously. "They insisted on using Sirius instead of me. He will be punished."
Snape collapsed in a chair. "He never told us why he went after them. Was it because they were in the Order, the IWBI? Why did he want to kill the boy?"
Dumbledore started unwrapping the large package again. He tore off the brown paper and cast it into the fire. What lay before him was a large, scarlet book. It was bound in a velveteen material. "This," Dumbledore said, "was found in the Fortress of Shadows, in Voldemort's private office. It was stolen from the Bones's five years ago, when you were in your sixth year here. At the time we didn't know what it was or why Voldemort would want it. But it certainly explains some things. I have not personally seen it, but the Hit Wizards say it's very impressive."
Snape frowned. "So what is it?"
"A record of lineage. Geneology."
Snape shrugged and raised an eyebrow.
Dumbledore explained as he opened the book. "There was a prophecy around a thousand years ago. It told of the heir of Gryffindor slaying the heir of Slytherin. Slytherin, who had a son, feared that if Gryffindor were to reproduce, his child would kill his own. Slytherin killed Gryffindor before he could reproduce. Now here is the mystery of it all. Voldemort is the heir of Slytherin. Undoubtably he found out about the prophecy. When we learned, and I mean myself and other wizards who need to know such things, that Voldemort was Slytherin's heir, the search for Gryffindor's began. But Gryffindor never married. No offspring were ever found.
"Even stranger still, James Potter received a prophecy from our own Sybil Trelawny telling him that Voldemort would find him. She said that only the heir of Gryffindor could stop Voldemort. I told James what I have just told you; that Gryffindor had no children."
Dumbledore swerved the book around so that Snape could read it. "But what none of us considered," he continued, "was that while Gryffindor had never married, it was possible that he had children." He then tapped the blank book page with his wand and a picture of a bearded man appeared. The name "Godric Gryffindor" was underneath the picture. Then the photo shrank a little and allowed a second picture to appear, this one of a woman who's name was "Eva Rochelle." Then the page turned and repeated the process. This time it was a girl who appeared first. "Rita Rochelle."
"Wait," Snape said.
"That's correct," Dumbledore affirmed. "Gryffindor had a mistress by the name of Eva Rochelle. She was six weeks pregnant when her secret lover was murdered. Out of fear for her unborn child, Eva removed all of her records and placed them in this book. She also made sure to name her child after her own surname, not that of her father's. So, Severus, watch and learn."
Dumbledore sped the page turning process. With each page the new child would pair with someone of the opposite sex. The last name changed several times, and branched off as well. Snape was getting bored until "Potter" came into play.
A picture of Byron Potter appeared. It linked with a Samantha White. The page turned. James Potter appeared; he linked with Lily Evans. Then the page turned for the last time and showed a photo of Harry as he appeared at that very moment; scar and all. Only with this page, a lion walked across and rest under the label "Harry Potter; Gryffindor's Heir."
Snape looked at Dumbledore quickly. "He's the heir of Gryffindor?"
"Yes," he replied. "Yes I'm afraid he is. He will be the one. The one we've been waiting for," Dumbledore muttered under his breath.
"Where is he?" Snape asked.
"With Hagrid at the moment. I will be taking him to his aunt and uncle's home tonight. I have a very busy day ahead of me, as well as a busy night. It's hard to believe that Voldemort is gone. Still, I suggest we enjoy it. I have to thank you, Snape. Without your spy work most of this wouldn't have happened. Who knows what would be different if you had kept it to yourself. Harry might have been dead if it wasn't for you."
Snape didn't respond. He curled his lips in a sneer and nodded to the Headmaster as he left. Dumbledore pulled out a piece of parchment and addressed it to the Dursleys. Before he started his long explanation, he cast a look to one of his shelves where James's wrapped invisibility cloak waited. He smiled sadly and continued to write.
****
Run off from the main stream washed up a brown rat that afternoon. He crawled out onto a rock, wet and tired, and began a short journey. A sign post read: Ottery St. Catchpole, 2 kilometers. The rat noticed that it was the closest civilization possible. He trotted down the road, drying as he ran.
****
Remus spent that day in the park, sitting on a bench. Fireworks and owls ignited all around him, but he didn't share in the joy. Of all the times he had been right, now was the worst. Sirius was the spy; he knew it now. But Remus couldn't figure out why he had done it. James and Sirius were brothers; two peas in a pod; inseparable. But Sirius had killed his brother. Sirius had killed Lily. Sirius wanted to have had Harry killed.
Remus shook his head and groaned. He wanted to talk to Sonja about it, but she was gone. Her shop was completely cleared out, her apartment was empty. She didn't even leave him a note. He was half expecting her to turn up and join in with the celebrations, but she didn't.
Remus spent a good part of that day weeping, for he was alone. Every friend he had was dead or gone. Sirius had killed them and now he was going to prison for life.
"Damn you, Sirius," Remus said to himself, watching the dark sky fill with shooting stars. "Damn you."
****
"Sirius Black, you are hereby charged with the murder of Peter Pettigrew, Alice Sanchez, Debbie Karlile, Alex Croft, Donald Webster, Rebecca Winter, Cassandra Harrison, Michael Parker, Robert McGovern, William O'neil, Patrick Ferguson, Nicole Smith, and Katherine Spelling. You are also charged with conspiracy to murder on two counts for James Potter and Lily Potter. You have also been charged with attempted murder on Harry Potter. For these crimes you have been sentenced to life in the Azkaban wizard prison. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore has provided evidence showing that you were the Potter's Secret-Keeper. You will have no chance at parole. May God have mercy on your soul," the gavel pounded and Sirius was led away.
Two towering dementors flanked him as they led him to the high security dungeons. He was shivering; their rattling breath caused him to wince.
The prisoners were yelling at him, clanking their cups against the doors at him. He passed other new prisoners who were being thrown in. They looked just as composed as he did, though not innocent. The dementors stopped in front of a small, empty cell and opened the door. One of them shoved Sirius inside. The door clanked with locks behind him.
Sirius stood there for an hour, staring at nothing but the hay on the floor. It was loud in here. The prisoners were loud and cruel. He looked down at his grey robes, patched and frayed. They smelled of mold and dust.
He shuffled over to the corner of his cell, hardly believing that he was here at all. This time last week he was happy and free; engaged; accompanied by great friends; loved. Now...
He suspected that a dementor was right outside his cell. He kept seeing those lifeless eyes staring up at him. James's eyes. Lily's magical eyes...
Sirius sniffed and curled up into a ball. "Promise me you'll take care of them..." he thought. "Take my place. Make sure they're happy..." He kept thinking of the last time he had seen them alive. He should have told them how much they meant to him. Why didn't he tell James he was like a brother to him? Why didn't he tell Lily that she had come to be his best friend? Why didn't he knock Hagrid out and take Harry and run for it? Why did he have to go to London and run into Peter? Why didn't he see how obvious it was that Peter was the spy? Why couldn't he kill Peter? How did Peter get away? Where was Peter now? Why didn't he tell Jade he loved her so much? Why didn't he tell her that he had switched with Peter, or that they were Animagi?
Thinking of the answers brought him to more grief. He thought of Jade and what she must be going through. She probably thought he was a murderer. He thought he was. He wondered about Harry. Would his aunt accept him? Surely she would. It was impossible not to love Harry. They would love him, wouldn't they? His mother sure loved him. She loved everyone, but Harry most of all. He thought of how happy she was when she was around James. She was such a talented witch, a kind woman, a protective mother, a good friend.
But James was the one who kept floating across his mind. His brother, James. They did everything together, even if it was against the rules. Sirius remembered a time when they were kids and they nearly caught fire... or tricking out the toilets in the Slytherin dungeons to back fire... James making his first goal, striking the air with his fist... making team captain... finally getting Lily... marrying her... Harry.
Just as he thought he was about to fall into a shallow sleep, a stray memory surfaced. Voices inside his head began to speak. He recognized one voice as his own. He had to be around five years old. The other voice belonged to James.
"...we'll be best friends forever, won't we James?" he had asked, some seventeen years ago.
"Yeah," James answered back, sounding as if he was grinning. "Best friends forever..."
Please continue on to the epilogue.
