A Legacy of Love

Chapter 9: The Accident

It was a very long week for the two ringleaders of the Marauders. The death of their parents hit them hard. For the first few days, they were extremely down to the point where Lily and Remus had to coax and force them to take Madam Pomfrey's anti-depressant potion and dreamless sleep potion. Eventually they slowly revived from the endless pit of pain and sorrow they fell into. But that cheerful, happy-go-lucky behaviour was gone. Instead, the new James and Sirius were more responsible, more grim-looking, and more serious in life. This might be viewed as a boon by some people, especially the teachers who were tired of the endless pranks the Marauders used to play. Yet, for their friends, they felt that this turning point in James and Sirius's lives were dearly bought. In one day, they had lost their childhood innocence, tossed ruthlessly into the world as orphans, and that innocence can never be brought back.

Thankfully, a hint of the old Marauders were becoming stronger with each passing day. On Thursday, Lily swore she actually saw James having the shadow of his old smile back. They were recovering, but some scars will never disappear completely, even if it was healed, and the death of your beloved parents was just one such scar.

Just as Lily was hopeful that everything might return to the way it was, she was about to discover brutally that disasters often happen just as the storm seemingly calmed down and out of the blue, catching the persons in question off guard. And it was unlucky that she had to learn that the hard way, that she would be the one destined next for a calamity.

A flash of white caught her eye that morning, an odd sign and colour in the midst of the yellowish parchment generally used in the magical world for letter writing. She was even more astonished that she was the recipient of the letter. The words on the envelope were written in a sloppy, feminine hand with a blue colour ball-pen. It wasn't her mother's handwriting, though, and her mother was her only Muggle correspondent. She opened the letter. It was from a very old family friend of the Evanses, dated yesterday at late evening. It ran thus:

Dear Lily,

I hope I find you well when this letter reaches you. I am sorry to say that we over here cannot say the same.

I was returning home this evening from my grocery shopping when two cars collided in the middle of the street. The accident attracted a lot of attention and, naturally, mine. In one of the cars lay your parents, bloodied, near unconsciousness, and close to death. We called the ambulance, which whisked them away to the nearest hospital at once. I contacted your sister immediately, who only told me that you were attending boarding school "somewhere up north", and cannot be contacted. At this point, your mother, undoubtedly attracted by the sound of your name, told me to write to you and address the envelope with your name and the word "Hogwarts", then to tie it to the leg of the owl in your room. She said it would reach you in that way. I thought she must be delirious, for how could an owl simply know how to fly its way to find you with the letter? But she was obstinate. She made me promise to do this, right before she slipped back into unconsciousness. And since you sister refused to bear the task, muttering, at the same time, something that sounded suspiciously like "freak", I am afraid that it is my unhappy duty to bear such sad tidings to you.

The doctors are unhelpful and pessimistic. They say your parents would not survive. But, really, Lily, one cannot help but agree when you see the machine's recordings smoothing out slowly but surely. Even as I write, their heartbeats grow steadily weaker. They're sinking, and is not likely to survive any longer. Please come soon, as soon as this letter reaches you, if this letter reaches you at all. We are counting the seconds before you will join us.

Yours,
Holly McEwan

P.S. All is too late. They passed away a few minutes ago. I'm sorry.

Lily was overwhelmed with emotions she hadn't noticed she had bottled up. She broke down and cried there and then without shame, right in the middle of the Gryffindor table with many students stopping in their conversations or jokes or partaking of their breakfasts to stare at her. Tentatively, James asked in a gentle voice, "Lily, what happened? Do you have anything I can do for you?"

Lily shook her head. Her loud sobs had subsided considerably, but tears were still pouring relentlessly down her cheeks like a waterfall. James pulled Lily closer in an attempt to comfort her. She sniffed as she snuggled closed, needing his warmth, his security, his comfort. She couldn't take this alone. Her parents were dead and she didn't even get the chance to say goodbye. She pictured their last moment together, that day at King's Cross Station, where she had made her final run into the magical barrier that separates the magical world from the non-magical one, on her last journey to Hogwarts. She read the letter a second time, which wasn't a good idea, as her freshly cut wound was opened anew and began to bleed worse than ever as she clung to James desperately, crying louder than ever. Curious now, James eased the letter out of her hands and read. He started crying silently too, as it only reminded him of his own parents' death a week ago. He rocked his girlfriend back and forth, easing her pain, while trying to control his sorrows. Sirius and Remus, who received the letter after James read it, grew silent and grave.

The few teachers who were still at the staff's table looked at the sobbing couple with concern. Professor Slughorn, who regarded Lily as his favourite student, descended from the staff table and approached Lily. "Is everything all right, Lily?" he asked in a fatherly fashion. Lily tried, but failed, to smile at her Potions Master. "No Professor. I just… I need to… to see Professor Dumbledore. Please excuse us, sir. Come with me, James?" James nodded his assent, and the couple rose to leave.

Professor Slughorn would very much liked to be filled in on the going-ons, but thought it wise to let Lily and James see Dumbledore immediately. The urgency and sadness in their eyes were too apparent to be overlooked. Slughorn allowed them to pass with a smile and a nod. He then turned to the next best intelligence: the remaining Marauders, and questioned them.

"Well? What happened to Lily? Do any of you know?" he asked, not in a demanding tone, but rather, a tone which suggested gentleness and betrayed the soft spot he nurtured for his favourite. Sirius looked at him straight in the eye and replied, "She received a letter bearing ill tidings of her family, sir. You see, her parents were killed in a car accident, and she never got to say goodbye."

A look of comprehension dawned on Slughorn's face, and he gazed with pity at the direction the Head Boy and Girl just took. I really feel sorry for them. So young, yet so tried. I just hope they will come through it fine… Luckily they had always been strong and resourceful… I'm sure Lily would make it. A pity she had to go through this so soon… he found himself thinking sadly.

Beside them, Peter asked, untactfully loud, "Whose parents were killed? Was it Lily's?" He received two large thumps on his back for that, courtesy of Sirius and Remus, and fell silent again.

Lily sat down at the balcony that opened off her old bedroom at the Evanses'. She, as well as James, who had decided on the spot that he'd be here for her, had obtained permission to Apparate from Hogsmeade to her old house for the funeral, since her house, being a Muggle residence, wasn't hooked up to the Floo Network, and Portkeys were absolutely banned unless it had been Ministry-approved. In order not to alarm the neighbours, she had instructed James to Apparate into her bedroom, so that no one could see. The only upshot of it was Petunia screaming at her, again, not to show her freakish abnormality in front of her, at the sound of the two loud 'pop's that echoed through the quiet house when she and James Apparated in.

She had been lamenting all this while about the fact that she was too late to see her parents for one last time. She just couldn't get over it. She felt tears singing her eyes every time she remembered that. Why was fate so cruel to her? All she wanted was a chance to say goodbye. Was that too much to ask for? The house feels so eerie. It was so quiet. So quiet. Her parents would never come back. Never. They would never be here again, her mother cooking meals while singing a happy tune, nor her father, busy pouring over paperwork, but still managing to smile at Lily and exchanging conversations with her.

She felt someone sitting next to her and knew it was James. He was now the only person in this house who wanted to see her, to be with her, to know that she was all right. The other two occupants of the house, who happened to be her pain-in-the-arse sister, Petunia Evans, and her even more obnoxious fiancée, Vernon Dursley, didn't care a hoot even if she simply disappeared off the face of earth. In fact, they would probably be rejoicing if she did. She couldn't believe she was related to such people, such normal people, whose purpose in life was to become the same goddamn clones that dominated the world. Merlin, can't they be a bit more unique? A bit more… themselves?

She felt James's arm wind around her waist and leant her head on his shoulder, needing the comfort he offered so badly. James kissed her temple, and with the other hand, wiped off the tears on her cheek that Lily hadn't noticed she had let fall. "Don't worry, Lily. It's going to be all right," he murmured against her hair, as he rested his head on hers.

She lifted her face to look at him with her emeralds. "Do you honestly think so, James? After all I've been through… Nay, after all we've been through… Do you think everything will be able to right itself again?" she asked, innocent as a child. "I just hope there won't be a situation where we have to suffer like this again…"

"Well, so long as no Dementors cross our path, I think we should be fine," he answered, trying to sound joking for her sake. Lily's lost expression pained him exceedingly. He wanted so much to make her laugh, to see those lovely green eyes shine in happiness like they did before. Now, they were devoid of any expression except for sorrow and lost.

Lily let out a strangled noise that may have been a cross between a laugh and a cry. "Dementors? Aren't they those nutters who once…"

"Guard Azkaban? Yep. The one and only."

"Azkaban? Is that the name of the wizard prison? What a strange name…" she whispered half-laughingly into the evening air. He was happy to see her smiling again, though the smile was painfully strained. "But what do they have to do with suffering?"

"Well, they suck the happiness out of us. Living beings. Even Muggles will feel the effect of this leeching, though they can't see them Dementors. They are soulless and evil, and they feed on happiness and hope. When they were guarding Azkaban it was an almost fail-safe plan, as the prisoners, driven mad by being closed in their own minds, with their worst memories or experiences replaying in their heads, will go mad within weeks, and die within months, even the strongest will fall within the twenty years at most. Imagine remembering those memories you most want to forget, and again, and again, and again… It's enough to drive anyone up the wall."

They sat there silently for a moment, then Lily asked, "And now? They've joined forces with Voldemort, haven't they? Being the Dark creatures that they always were…"

James nodded. "Voldemort offers them much more than we'll ever offer them in our entire lifetime. It is only natural for them to side with whichever faction promises them the most prey. The worst thing they can do to you is to turn you into one of them. They suck out your soul, see? They call it the Dementor's Kiss. I wonder why," he said dryly. "I… I guess there must be some kind of mouth on their foul face. The only people who know what is under the Dementor's hood would be those who have been Kissed, and are therefore in no condition to tell us. You'll just… lose yourself. Your memory, your soul… everything gone. Except your life. Which is even worse than death. In fact, in my opinion, death would be preferable to existing like an empty shell."

Lily agreed silently. James, understanding her without the need of speech, remained by her side faithfully, stroking her hair. The couple held each other, arms entwined, as they watched the blood-red sunset, which seemed to taunt them and remind them of the bloodshed that had occurred.

Out at the door, Petunia had to clasp her mouth to prevent herself from screaming. How vile is the wizarding world! Her freaking sister and her freaking boyfriend and their freaking world! She knew they would one day harm them, turn them into God-knows-what, or even send the Dementors from Azkaban after them to suck out their souls! Shuddering visibly, she retreated back to her own room, wishing now that she had never been the busybody that she was and eavesdrop on her sister and her so-called boyfriend, only to find out more information than she bargained for. And the information wasn't pleasant. Seems like one more person would endure sleepless nights in the Evanses' household, but not for the same reason Lily had been. One daughter would suffer for the memory of her deceased parents, while the other would be too busy trying to digest this new piece of information and selfishly caring about her own well-being rather than her sister's feelings.

The service passed in a blur, and was, thankfully, nearly over. It was going to be the last time Lily was going to see her parents ever again before the caskets were shut and lowered to the ground. When the minister motioned for her to take the last look, she stood, but nearly fell for want of support. James caught her before she fell, and guided her with his strong arms towards the mahogany caskets that held the last remains of Mr. and Mrs. Evans. Silent tears were coursing down Lily's cheeks as she saw how badly her parents were scarred and wounded as a result of the accident. She held on to James as if for dear life while she whispered her own prayer for the departed souls of her parents. After she finished, she laid a single white lily flower each into her parents' folded hands. She looked at them for the last time, with unmistakable longing in her eyes, wiling them to come back to life and hug her, like they always did. But the wish was in vain. She knew it. She just couldn't give in without a fight.

"Come on, Lily. It's your sister's turn," James whispered gently into her ears. She nodded vaguely, but still unmoving. In the end, James had to steer her away from her parents' dead bodies, which she did so very unwillingly. Petunia stepped up, and performed her part without much emotion. The caskets were shut. They were lowered gently into the freshly dug hole in the graveyard where the Evanses had always been laid to rest. On the tombstone, beneath Lily's parents' names was the inscription: "Rest In Peace".

Yes, dad, mum, may you rest in peace. Lily tried to stop her tears from flowing for a moment, but they won't obey her. By her hazy vision, she saw a handkerchief coming out of nowhere and wiped away her tears. She smiled at him in spite of herself. James was so sweet. She was so lucky to have him beside her. She turned back, once the service was over, to prepare for the reading of the will, which she felt she had no strength to go through. How she survived these past few days she didn't know. If it weren't for James Potter, who had been her anchor and her courage, she couldn't possibly have stayed sane.

It was all in a blur, everything that day. She vaguely remembered the doorbell that announced the arrival of her parents' lawyer. Petunia was more than enthusiastic at his arrival than she had been sad at her parents' funeral. Lily was disgusted, so was James, but they let that past, knowing better than to pick a fight right in front of the lawyer who was most assuredly a Muggle.

In the will it was stated that the house was to be inherited by Petunia and Mrs. Evans's jewels by Lily. Petunia, originally overjoyed that she, as the eldest daughter, should be inheriting close to everything, was mortified at the idea of Lily inheriting their mother's jewels. She had always been jealous of Lily's beauty, and this was just a confirmation that her mother thought of Lily more than her. Her vindictive nature took over, and she was seething with fire as the lawyer proceeded to announce that all other household items, including the china and the furniture, was to be divided into two equal portions, one each for Petunia and Lily. He concluded the statement by telling them that Mr. and Mrs. Evans hoped the arrangement would not spark arguments between the two daughters and they hoped that they would be able to let bygones be bygones.

About five seconds after the lawyer quitted the house, Petunia let her rage take over and started shouting at Lily, "YOU! GET MUM'S JEWELS! THIS ISN'T FAIR! I'M ALSO HER DAUGHTER! WHY SHOULDN'T I GET AN EQUAL SHARE OF HER JEWELS? I AM HER ELDEST DAUGHTER AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN CARE THAT I NEED TO LOOK PRETTY ON MY WEDDING DAY! HOW DARE YOU! I SWEAR THAT YOU ARE THE BIGGEST FREAK ON EARTH, THAT YOU HOODWINKED MUM AND DAD RIGHT AT THE MOMENT YOUR LETTER FROM THAT FREAK SCHOOL CAME! PERFECT LILY, PERFECT DAUGHTER, PERFECT HEAD GIRL! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FREAKISH PYSCHO!"

She emitted a terrified squeak as James, having more than enough of her stupid nonsense and ranting and insulting, drew out his wand and pointed it at her chest.

"If you ever dare to insult Lily again, I swear to Merlin that I'll hex your ass off and no one, not even your fiancée, will be able to save you when I'm through with you, got it?" he threatened in a low, menacing voice. Petunia looked shaken, and so did Vernon, who tried to look brave as he stood in front of Petunia, shielding her bony figure. In an attempt to look in charge of the situation, she glared at Lily, who looked extremely shaken on the sofa, then at James, looking purely outraged at the insults his beloved Lily had to go through with her sister. She wasn't joking when she said Petunia hated her back on their first day. He hated her like he hated Snivellus already.

"Fine," Petunia's voice was small now that James was training his wand on her. "Put that thing away. I only have a few more things to add to my dear sister," her last words dripped with a sarcasm no one could miss. James considered, and finally stowed his wand back into his pocket. The sooner she's done with them, the sooner he can bring Lily back to Hogwarts and escape from her loathsome sister once and for all.

Petunia faced Lily, every sign of dislike evident on her face. "I'm going to sell the house after Vernon and my marriage. If you want any personal items or memorials from here, take them now before I find a buyer. Even if I changed my mind and decided not to sell the house, you know very well that you wouldn't be welcome here, so get packing. I don't want to see you ever again," she spat out. "And, by the way, you're not invited. I don't want any funny business at my wedding."

"Fine with me," Lily replied faintly. "You know, I always dreamt of someday where you would accept me as I am, like what mum's been trying to get you to do all these years. But I guess our wishes were futile. Good-bye, sister. It is the last time I shall ever call you that. We have come to a parting of ways. You shall step into your world, as I shall step into mine." With that, she turned on her heels and marched back into her bedroom. James followed her, but not before he gave the couple standing in front of him a look that clearly says "Don't you ever dare mess with my woman again. You mess with her, you mess with me, and I can assure you that the results of my wrath won't be pleasant".

He entered her room he had been sharing with her to find Lily staring out at the afternoon sky. He came up to her and hugged her from behind, and could almost feel her smile. He chanced a glance at her face and was relieved to see it relatively dry.

"I'm glad," she voiced out. "Glad that we've finally reached a clean ending. I hate sticky endings, to be stuck with each other forever while hating one another. This way, I can finally live my life in peace, away from her and her insults."

James turned her towards him and tipped her chin up with his palm so that she was looking straight at him. "Lily," he began gently. "Don't let her words sting you. Don't let anyone get to you. You're better than that. I know it. They just want to provoke you because they're jealous. Don't pay any attention to them. Never change because of their empty insults. You're so perfect to me, and so beautiful, not just on the outside."

Lily smiled at him, her first true smile since her parents' death. "This coming from a person who'd curse Snape for calling me a Mudblood? I'm surprised, James Potter," she teased. James laughed. Then, while raising her hand to touch his cheek, she said softly, "Thank you, James, for being with me when I needed you, and for standing up for me so many times now. I really do appreciate it."

James leaned down and kissed her. She wove her hand in his hair as she pulled him closer, deepening the kiss. She was so full of surprises and mysteries, was Lily. So fragile, yet so strong. So vulnerable, yet so independent. So strict, yet so gentle. So hesitant, yet so determined. Perhaps that was why he liked her so much. But was it still? He could feel something stronger in his feelings for Lily with each passing day he spent with her. He felt heat and passion when he kissed her, and a spark between them that he could not understand fully yet. He wanted to be with her forever. He wanted her so.

If only he knew that she was feeling the same way too.

They finally parted reluctantly, but still locked in a tight embrace, unwilling to let go, with Lily burying her head in James's strong chest. At last, James felt the need to go.

"Lily…" James murmured lovingly into her auburn hair. "It's getting late. We'd better Apparate back to Hogsmeade soon."

Lily broke the embrace ever so slightly and said quietly, "Yes, we'd better make a move. I'll just pack my stuff and we'll leave." She paused and then whispered, "Forever…"

– To Be Continued –