Chapter 18

That afternoon, everyone was sitting in the living room, reading or watching the television, when there was a sharp knocking on the door. James looked up and around the room before standing and walking to the door.
From her seat in the living room, Lily could hear the voice of their visitor introducing himself.
''Mr. Potter?" he inquired and then a pause where James said simply, 'yes'. "I'm Officer Jennings, may I step inside and speak to you a moment?" Lily put down her newspaper and stood to join James in the hall. When she got there, the door was closing behind the police officer and she managed a glimpse at the back of his car, parked outside the house and with a very huffy, very familiar-looking face in the back window. Lily turned to James to speak, but he stopped her first.
"I can deal with this, Lily," he said. "But can you please go get Remus?" he asked, confirming her thought of who it might have been in the back of the cop car.
She gave him a worried look, "Sure, I'll get him." She turned and went back into the living room, where everyone was sitting up, listening to the conversation. Remus was already standing; he nodded at Lily and then walked from the room.
"We should probably, uhh, go upstairs. You know, give them some privacy..." Lily said, trailing off. The rest nodded, though some got up grudgingly and as slowly as possible. Lily led the group out of the room and up the stairs, with Peter at the end of the line.
Lily didn't see him follow the others down the hall as she opened the door to her room.

James sat, stupefied in his seat in the kitchen. Remus was saying things to him, comforting things, but it was just a murmur in the back of his head being drowned out by what the officer had just told him.
My Mum is dead...He thought, staring off into space...My Mum is dead. She's dead and it's all because of him...she's dead because of HIM! It was like a looped song going around in his head, getting angrier and louder with every revolution. MY MUM IS DEAD, AND IT'S BECAUSE OF HIM! James stood quickly and looked around. Remus was watching him carefully, the police officer was silent, his eyes dead and vacant as he watched James suffer.
"I'm going for a walk," he announced.
"Son, you need to calm down for a little while; I need you to come with me to the station and answer some questions for us. Can you do that?" the officer had finally moved from the corner of the room where he had been waiting for James to react to his heartbreaking news.
James didn't seem to hear what the officer had said. "I'm taking a walk..." he wandered to the stairs, the officer and Remus following behind him. "Lily!" he screamed up the stairs.
"Mr. Potter, I need to bring you to the station for some questioning," he looked over at Remus. "You can bring your friend if you like."
James paid him no attention, and simply shouted up the stairs for Lily again.

Upstairs in the other girls' room, Lily lay on Carmen's bed, hugging the pillow to her. She wondered in her head what could have happened for about the millionth time when she heard James calling her name from downstairs. She lifted her head and looked around. The other girls didn't say anything.
"Lily!" she heard him scream again, and she slid off the bed, letting go of the pillow. "I better go see what's up..." she trailed off as she smoothed her hair. Carmen smiled at her, and she walked from the room.

Downstairs, Lily reached James, who had her shoes for her as she wlaked down to him.
"What's happening?" she asked him. "What's wrong?" She saw the pained look in Remus' eyes and the slightly annoyed-looking police officer still standing in the hallway.
He handed Lily her shoes. "We're going for a walk." His voice was firm, but not cruel. She knew he wasn't mad at her, but he needed to get out of the house, because of whatever had happened. She quickly sat down and began to tie up her trainers.
"Miss, please talk to him. The boy needs to come with me to the station, so we can ask him some routine questions about the murder-" Lily's eyes shot open and stared up at the group standing in the hallway. James pursed his lips and Remus sighed loudly. But Lily knew not to bring it up again; James would tell her if he wanted to. She quickly finished lacing her shoes and stood up.
Walking over to the policeman, she asked, "Sir, if I could have just a little time with him, I promise we will drive him down in an hour or two for you to talk with him. Would that be ok?" She put on her best pity eyes and watched him carefully.
After a minute he finally consented to their little bit of time. "Thank you, sir. He'll be just a little bit, I promise," Lily said, smiling slightly.
"Yeah, yeah, if he's not come down by tea time, I'll be coming here again, missy," he replied grudgingly. Then he put his hat back on and nodded to them, before pushing past and leaving the house. Lily walked to James and took his hand.
"We'll be just a little while, Remus," she said, and he nodded back at her and watched them leave through the back porch.

Lily and James walked in silence on the footpath that had been created in the woods behind James' house, James occasionally sniffing, but not actually crying. Lily squeezed his hand, but he did not look up at her. When the woods ended, they cut across a small field and Lily saw a black fence appearing in the distance. Just behind, she strained her eyes to see the gravestones that loomed ahead of them. And then she understood: James was taking her to meet his Dad.

sorry for the short chappie..just a wraning, the next chapter is the last...it's ending! ahhh! im def thinking about a sequel tho, so look out for it!

Jes xo