Disclaimer: I've already clearly stated that Harry Potter does not belong to me. This plot is mine, but no one in some form of right mind would want to steal it. Oprah is not mine to own as well. I wish she was. Together, we could rule the world. I love you.
A/N: Behold. You are the first living witnesses. Many of you have been complaining about my spacing problem.
Murr: Cry a river, build a bridge, get over it.
* Everyone leaves *
Murr: Wait!!! Come back!!! I'm SORRY!
But you see, it's not my spacing problem; it's ff.net's. Every time it downloads wrong and now I think it fixed it. So I think it worked…I think…
Eye_Changling…you make me laugh. Rusty spoons.
Someone Reading…you got me on that one. Yes, I do make fun of everyone. And yes, I heed your groveling. There will be something coming soon just like Memories We Missed.
I should shut up, but…: I am no sociopath. I am a stick-happy sadist.
* locks ktb in a cage and pokes her repeatedly with a twig *
*looks around nervously, * Gee, I hope there are no Dumbledore lovers here… * orders plane ticket to Never-Never Land * (first class, mind you,)
I am Spartigus
Chapter VII---Day Three (Final) Has, Is, Will, Be
James pranced around Godric Hollow with his newfound toy, the camera.
'Lily will love a picture of me. Now, how to go about---'
'No. No, she won't'
'You again, just wait. I'm her husband. Yes she will.'
'No. Seeing your face everyday is enough. What makes you think she wants to carry it around with her?'
'Erm…because I'm her husband?'
'Arggh…your incompetent boobery makes me wretch.'
'Whaa…? I am you!!!!'
"Focus, Prongs." James muttered to himself. He had been drifting lately, not quite sure about his idea. Lily? Lily had tons of photo albums, mostly ones that she pressed flowers in. But there was a whole stack hidden somewhere.
It was just then, that a voice called to him from the kitchen hearth. A very familiar voice…
Pushing aside all his woes for the time being; James scrambled to the kitchen and kneeled before the fireplace, where two twinkling blue eyes looked up at him from behind…well, nothing. Dumbledore ditched the half-moon glasses when out of sight of the public eye.
His long silver-white hair was a rat's nest, and tangled within it, James distinctly picked out strawberry ice cream stains (A/N: again with the strawberry ice cream, what's with this woman? Erm.) To add to the monstrosity, traces of shed tears on his wrinkly skin.
"Um…Sir, have you been watching muggle daytime television again?" James felt squeamish, wishing that he made Sirius handle this one.
Dumbledore took time to wipe his eyes and blow his nose on robe, "Yes dear lad, I have. The Oprah woman, I tell you, she can really make one blubber."
"You are really sad, sir. Respectively, sir. " James stood up and tried to find something on the kitchen wall he could find to focus his vision on.
That truly is a lovely glass garden gnome Wormtail made for us. What an unusual hobby. Eh…who am I kidding? It's the most hideous looking thing I've seen in my life. Well, Pete is unusual. I think he's gay…
"James!"
"Gah! What?" Snapping his head back to attention, James was surprised at Dumbledore's quick transformation from old fruit to military. The headmaster and Order of Phoenix Commander that most people knew and respected. A rare few, on the other hand, believed the aging madman suffered from hysteria and multiple personality disorder.
"James I need you to choose…well, who do you trust James?" Dumbledore's head cocked quizzically in the flames.
"Umm…you sir?" James stated blandly, dumbfounded.
"Pick someone else." Dumbledore demanded, though secretly flattered.
They love me! They love me! They all love me! (A/N: Er..right)
"Lily."
"No, someone else, James."
"Lupin."
"No."
"Okay, Sirius."
"He's…well, how do I put this? I know. No!!!" Dumbledore shouted, slightly frustrated.
"WELL DAMN!! WHY DON'T YOU CUT THE TWINKLY EYE MYSTICISM CRAP AND TELL EVERYONE SOMETHING STRAIGHT FOR ONCE!!! Maybe then you'll get the answer you want!" James yelled, his voice rising with every syllable.
"Fine!! I never wanted to seem like the tyrant, but now you've upset me." His voice had dropped the mysterious aura now, his blue eyes flat and annoyed, "James, your family's secret keeper is Peter Pettigrew, understand? Understood. You people…all I do for you—bug my a—" Then he was gone.
Well, that was…odd.
James scratched his head of black uneven waves as he walked out of the kitchen to go wake up Sirius.
"Padfoot, get up you lazy…prick? Ehh?" James stood a safe distance off, awed. It was quite an adorable scene, with sunlight pouring in on the two sleeping figures on the couch with impossibly peaceful smiles plastered on their faces.
He took two pictures: One for the photo album, the other for blackmail.
The snapping and flashing of the MM67 Wizard Cam seemed to be louder than he had first surmised, as Harry stirred and Padfoot blinked open his eyes.
"Wha…? What are you doing mate?" Sirius gently set Harry aside on the couch and rubbed his heavy lids in a rather childish manner.
"Project Lily. "
"What? What are you blabbing about?" 'Oh that's right,' Sirius let it set in, the girls were coming home tonight.
"I'll help. Wait…project Lily?" The tall young man smiled wolfishly from the couch and shook his head, "You've got it wrong James. Let me guess, you're making another photo album for Lily?! Hell, what makes you think that she likes those things----she probably only keeps them to make you happy. Clueless."
Alright, James decided he would allow the remark about keeping his presents only to make him happy, slide. But the one about him being utterly clueless, well that was just pure apathetic feelings from no where.
"I am not clueless. Besides, this photo album wasn't for Lily----er, it was for…ah…Harry." James finished, triumphantly smirking.
"Whatever you----" Sirius shifted his eyes towards the camera in his friend's hand, "Oh! Is that a MM67?!! The photogenic memory saving camera?"
Unnerved, James checked the bottom of the camera for a logo, "Yeah, it is. So what of it?"
Hysterical and excited, "What of it!? It's the top of the line wizarding camera----almost exactly like a pensive. You can go back in your memories, though not as directly and vividly, and put them in the camera. Then, the camera freezes and image you want, and there you have your picture!" Sirius ranted off, beaming.
James stared, blinking dumbly, "Wow Padfoot, I didn't think that you knew…anything."
"More than you, prat."
"Shut up."
"You shut up!"
"Can we just start this thing!?" James threw up his arms in defeat.
"What thing? Again with the blabbing and the blubbing---honestly!" Sirius picked up Harry, who was wide-awake by now, and placed him back in the neon green playpen.
"Well, you got me thinking, maybe I should make a photo album for Harry instead. About this whole experience we had with him, just in case." James fiddled with the camera nervously, since he had brought up the inevitable topic of Voldemort after him and Lily. Maybe that's why Lily wanted to visit her parents all of a sudden---as a maybe goodbye.
"Yeah. Just in case." Sirius muttered, awkward. It was silent for some time before Prongs picked up the photo album and the camera, a little too overzealous for Padfoot's liking, but nonetheless normal James.
"Let's give it go, shall we?"
"Onward, my friend, onward." Sirius said with flare, which caused Harry to giggle from the depth of his playpen.
Lily tried to flatten her fiery locks after the wild portkey ride.
Damn wizarding's stupid intolerable forms of transportation. Fireplaces? Inanimate objects that fly? Brooms? From a muggle's point, and Lily's, the utmost ridiculous ideas ever. Whatever happened to good old-fashioned walking?
Some in which they were going to use right now. Currently, Lily and Cimorene were four blocks from Godric Hollow. Four blocks from imprisonment; grounds upon which they would trod slowly.
Tossing the cursed shoe away, the two women walked through the 'old-money' neighborhood in taciturn. It was a cool summer day, the kind that one would associate lemonade and quidditch games with.
As they approached the large, breathtaking, Godric Hollow, both ladies could notice quite quickly that something was rather…different.
Number One: The house was still there.
Number Two: There were no abnormalities as far as one could see. No ministry of magic hovering around the house, no large funguses growing anywhere, and no other inane unimaginable thing that may appear when the two men where on a ego-high.
Number Three: It was just too frickin' quiet for anyone's liking.
Eyeing each other warily, the two walked at a pace that would scorn a turtle towards the front door. Vacation had been so fun. Why couldn't they just hold onto that a teensy bit longer?
Then, out of no where, Cimorene shrieked happily and broke into a full out run. She was inside before Lily could ask anything, but the redhead noticed it soon enough as well.
The motorcycle is gone…
Lily, too, managed a jog, following her frizzy blonde friend's echoing footsteps.
As she ran through the parlor, the dining room, and the lounge, she took in the fact that the house was so…clean.
When she burst into the living room, Cim and Sirius where murmuring in the corner, and James was grinning broadly, Harry in his arms.
She ran up and hugged him, both of them, which caused James to smirk.
"Missed me?"
"Maybe." She steered him out of the room as the reunited couple began to commit immoral acts on her floor.
They are so…ugh. I give up! I just give up!
Lily smiled and took Harry from his father's arms cooing about never betraying him again to the dark side.
"Because of you, are son might turn out gay or worse." James muttered sarcastically, picking up the finished photo album that he and Padfoot had labored over for many monotonous hours.
"What's this?" Lily shifted Harry to her hip so she could see what was inside. Cute images; The two men and Harry at Rosemerta's, Remus, James, and Sirius in animagus form pushing Harry's stroller around the park, Sirius and Harry sleeping on the couch, Sirius flipping a startled James over the couch…er, okay then.
"When are these photos from?" She eyed her husband with awe.
"From the last three days. The photo album is for Harry---everyone. That box over there, " James pointed towards a plain muggle shoe box on the bed, "We'll save it in there. The camera's in there too."
Lily gently placed the flowered album in the box. Her boy, her beautiful baby, might have to hold onto these someday as his only childhood memories.
"The camera too? What for?"
"For the memories we'll have. And for the memories we'll miss."
Lily was struck slightly by the bitter sweetness of his tone, but she regained herself.
"James, where's Sirius's baby?"
* Blink *
Then James smiled, nonchallantly waving his hands.
"In the back shed. Don't tell Cim. Don't be mad."
"I won't. And I'm not mad. I'm never mad at you." Lily hugged James, Harry in between the two of them.
"Does this mean you want to do it with me? Right now?"
Lily rolled her eyes and pulled away, "No. And don't talk like that in front of my baby."
"Please?"
"NO!"
~~~Fin~~~The Memories We Missed~~~
A/N: Didn't expect it to have romance, didja? Sorry for the long delay in update---and please remember!! This story is not over yet. Expect an epilogue soon. It'll take place post-OotP, summer before sixth year. (Yeah, it'll be Harry, and I promise it'll be more hilarity. I had to be somewhat serious for the last chappie ^^;;;) Chiao---I love you all!!!!
Murr: I love you!! I love you all!
SB: Yeah, but they all love me. Honestly, who would read this if it was about you.
Murr: …I created you.
SB: Ummm…..no. No you didn't. Rowling did. Oh yeah! Another point for Sirius!!
Murr: Great, I created a monster, and now my monster has come back to bite me in the ass.
SB: Whoa!! Who said anything about ass-biting. That's an extra charge. I only do insults and flirting for free.
Murr:…you make me ill…