Chapter Twenty
"Please, have a seat, boys." said Professor Dumbledore as James and Sirius walked in. They sat down nervously, pictures of old wizards whispering to each other and pointing in their direction. After a few more moments of looking out a window, Dumbledore sighed and sat down in his chair, a solemn look on his face. When he finally did speak, it was in a deep, regretful voice.
"Well, Mr. Potter, Mr. Black, the reason I have called you here is because I have some very distressing news about your parents, Mr. Potter, and your cousin, Mr. Black, Miss Bellatrix."
James heart plummeted and he only sank further into his chair, though Sirius bolted out of his chair, knocking it over backwards. "What has she done now?" he demanded.
"Mr. Black, please take a seat and I will explain." Dumbledore said in his ever-calm voice.
"I'll stand, thanks." he said bitterly, wandering over to the wall.
"Very well." Then he turned to look at James. "Mr. Potter, I'm not going to beat around the bush, I shall merely tell you straight out. Your parents were trailing Lord Voldemort on the outskirts of England. When they discovered him and Miss Bellatrix in an old uninhabited castle, at the demand of her master, Bellatrix murdered both of your parents, using one Unforgivable Curse known as Avada Kedavra."
"What?" James said, not daring to believe. His breathing became unsteady and he buried his face in his hands, muttering, "No, no, no . . ."
"Damnet!" Sirius yelled, punching the wall and leaving a hole. Though Dumbledore said nothing, the picture beside the hole was shocked. "Well, I say!" said the old wizard.
After many long moments, in a shaky voice, James said, "My parents are dead?" He looked up at Dumbledore for some sort of hope, but the look on his face was heartbreaking. "I'm afraid they are."
As James began shaking his head emphatically, he stood from his chair. "No!"
He ran for the door, but Sirius stopped him, catching him in a hug. "Let me go, Sirius! I have to go see my parents!" James said, trying to pull away from him, but Sirius was stronger.
"They're gone, James. You won't see them anymore." Sirius said in a wavering voice.
"No! I was going to see them for Christmas!" James said, wrestling with Sirius and the emotions in his throat.
"No, James. They're gone."
"No!" James suddenly couldn't help the painful sobs that escaped his mouth as he was clinging to his best friend for dear life. "No, no, no!"
"I'm so sorry." Sirius mumbled, tears streaming down his face. Soon, both boys had dissolved into tears, both throats aching, both shoulders shaking, though neither knew how to fight the pain. So they just held each other, hoping it would soon pass.
---
It was late in the night when Sirius and James finally came back to the common room. After talking more with Dumbledore and regaining some sense of composure, they slowly and painfully made their way back to bed, knowing that Professor McGonagall had announced the death of James' parents to the Gryffindors. But they didn't know, despite the late hours of the night, that there were still people waiting up for them.
As they walked through the porthole of the Fat Lady, Remus and Peter were there to greet them with sympathetic hugs, all the Marauders grieving at such a loss - Never was there a finer man or woman than Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Though his friends concern was touching, it didn't ease his pain any. Until he saw the other person who had waited up for him
Lily.
She stood from the couch with red eyes and a tear-stained face. James' heart wrenched at the sight, all his emotions surfacing again. He instantly pulled Lily into his arms.
"James, I am so sorry." she said choking on a sob. He only nodded, fighting the tears in his own eyes, though he was surprised he had any left. He relished the comfort she gave and hugged her tighter, as if he couldn't hold her any closer. He simply held her, for it did help ease his pain somewhat.
Here were two friends, locked in an embrace that not even death itself could have broken.
---
The very next morning, they were once again on the Hogwart's Express. Sirius was reading over James' shoulder as he too read over the parchment once more before stuffing it into an envelope and sealing it. He tied it to his owl's leg then opened the train window.
"Annabelle, take this to Lily, then meet me back home, okay?" he said, petting her softly. The owl hooted affectionately, then flew away.
"I'm offended, Prongs." Sirius said with a mock smile. "If Lily's your new best friend, then what am I?"
James shook his head, a smile appearing on his face for the first time in weeks. "But you're not my best friend, Padfoot." he said, taking Sirius aback. "You're my brother. That is a bond that no best friend could ever compare to."
Sirius smiled broadly and patted him on the back. "Yes, James. You are my brother. And a much better brother than Regulus ever was."
"And you should know that my parents considered you as a son. Always." James said softly. Sirius only nodded, lost in his own thoughts.
"They were the nicest people I ever met." Sirius muttered. "I couldn't believe my luck when they let me stay with you last summer. I mean, now I'm staying at my Uncle Alphard's old place - left me a bit of gold when mother kicked me out. I was extremely grateful to your parents for taking me in when they did."
"Well, we couldn't let you stay in that hell hole. Besides, you practically lived at our house anyway. You just brought your clothes and bed with you that time." James said.
"Yeah, we always did have the best times at your house. Your poor parents always putting up with the four of us . . ." Sirius laughed while reminiscing. "Always making a mess of your house with those stupid games and experiments." James and Sirius both laughed, wiping the tears of amusement that had formed in their eyes.
"You remember when, oh, we must have been twelve or thirteen at the time. When your dad tried to help us turn that big barrel of seeds into candies?"
"Oh, yes." James laughed. "And then instead, it exploded all over the yard. Mum was furious. Made us clean it all up, even dad!"
"Yeah, but then she made us all cookies afterwards." Sirius said. "Mate, your parents did so much for all of us. Your dad, always taking us to Zonko's and to Quidditch games . . . and your mum showering us with baked goods."
"Yup," James smiled, fond of the memories they were sharing. "They were good parents." he said solemnly. After a few quiet moments, Sirius threw an arm over his shoulder.
"And they raised a good son."
"Thank you, Pad." James said gratefully.
"Hey, what are brothers for?"
---
Lily tried to open her eyes, though they were swollen from crying. There was a tapping on the window. It was early morning, the sun barely rising over the lake. But an owl with a letter was pecking at the dorm window, so Lily ripped herself from the warm confines of her bed to retrieve the letter. After taking the letter and closing the window, she was surprised to find that it was addressed to her. Ripping open the letter, she read:
My dearest Lily flower,
Sirius and I are now on the train headed back home for Christmas holiday. He's coming with me as I will need some sort of emotional support. And because he is the brother I never had and the second son that my parents always wanted.
The funeral will be in a few days, then I'll be signing papers, going through belongings, boring stuff like that. Try to have a good holiday, despite me bringing you down to my depressing state.
Thank you, Lily, for being so good to me. I count you as one of my very best friends and I love you as such. You were there for me when I needed you the most and I thank you for it.
I hope to be back soon. It seems your lovely face is the only thing that can bring me any sense of hope or happiness right now.
Happy Christmas.
Love, James.
Lily wiped her teary eyes as she read over the note again. She was never good to him, but he always treated her like a princess. With the note still in her hand, she turned over and tried to go back to sleep.
---
A/N: Just wait - it gets better.
