"Alice," her mother whispered, forcing her awake. "Alice sweetheart." Alice was not happy about this, being forced awake her first morning off in a week.
"What?" She grumbled, not opening her eyes.
"I'm off to work. Your father will be home late tonight so I need you to start dinner for me."
"You could've left this in a note," Alice complained, burying her face in her pillow.
"Where's the fun in that?" Her mother kissed her forehead before stepping away. "You should tidy this room up if you plan on having Frank over today."
"Get out," Alice had never been a morning person.
"I love you."
Alice didn't reply, rolling over and falling asleep once more.
X
Later that day Alice found herself roaming the aisles of Flourish and Blotts with Mary. Lily had needed to attend a lunch with her future in-laws and everyone was doing their best not to leave Mary on her own, terrified of her feeling abandoned. Alice was surprised by the ease with which Mary had handled being kicked out. She hadn't brought it up once and, if anything, appeared lighter than she had previously.
"I can't believe you consider buying books a shopping excursion," Mary complained.
"I love books." Alice already had two in her arms. She had decided to pick a few books out for some summer pleasure reading.
"The only thing bookstores are good for is finding nerdy boys among the stacks."
"That's ridiculous," Alice laughed, pulling a biography off the shelf to look at.
"Not for us singletons! We don't all get to find the man of our dreams at age eleven."
Alice rolled her eyes. she hated when her friends behaved as though she was destined to spend the rest of her life with Frank. It wasn't as though she didn't hope to but it seemed ridiculous to seal her fate now, at only seventeen, how could she possibly know who she wanted to be with forever?
"Do you think I should get this?" Alice asked, holding the book she had up for Mary to look at.
"No, but when has my opinion ever changed your mind?"
"True." The girls wandered across the shop towards the queue, three people ahead of them. The girls had agreed to head to the muggle shops after this. Alice detested London's high streets but she knew Mary loved them.
"I want roasted chestnuts," Mary complained, tapping her foot impatiently as they waited to reach the front of the line.
"I'll buy you some roasted chestnuts once I've got my books," Alice promised, rummaging in her purse for change.
"Don't look!" Mary suddenly insisted, grabbing onto Alice's arm, "but there is one fit bloke staring right at you."
Alice completely ignored Mary's orders and looked up. Her stomach sank. There was a boy staring at her, almost hungrily, a boy she had already made the acquaintance of. Alice blushed, facing forward once more.
"What?" Mary demanded. "Not good enough for you?"
"He's fine," she shrugged.
"Fine? Christ Al, I know you and Frank are happily committed but that guy is hot."
Alice agreed, of course, she did, he was an objectively very attractive guy with his chiselled jaw and big head of hair, but she knew he was in trouble. The very fact that she'd run into him again, coincidence or not, was bad news.
"Seriously, he won't stop looking at you!" While Mary found the whole thing exciting Alice couldn't wait to get out of the shop. She rushed forward, practically throwing her change at the woman behind the counter, and sped out of the shop as fast as her feet could carry her without running. She dragged Mary along with her, her friend complaining the whole time about their speedy exit.
"What the hell?" Mary asked as they stumbled out into the street.
"I thought you wanted roasted chestnuts?" Alice's heart was pounding in her chest, her palms all sweaty. That had been close, too close.
"Yeah, but I never said I wanted to run for them!"
The chestnut vendor was at the end of the street, Alice leading the way as Mary walked a few paces behind, still grumbling about having to run in her wedged shoes. Alice couldn't even remember the guy's name, she'd wiped it clean from her brain and vowed – after their encounter in the ice cream shop – to never think of him again. Yet here she was, running down the streets of Diagon Alley just to avoid him. Who did that?
"Are you avoiding me?" Alice was leaning against the wall, resting, as Mary got her chestnuts. She jumped when she heard that husky voice come from behind her.
"I don't even know you…" Alice replied, the colour rising in her cheeks.
"No?" He smirked. "Boy from the ice cream shop? I saved you from tripping over your own feet and falling flat on your face?"
Alice looked over her shoulder only to find Mary eating her bag of roasted chestnuts watching the scene unfold with great interest.
"So what?" Alice demanded, crossing her arms. "Are you following me now?"
"Following you?" he laughed. "Is it not possible I simply enjoy shopping for books and eating chestnuts as much as the next person?"
Now Alice just felt like an idiot. Why was this guy so obsessed with her anyway? It was creepy and that smug look on his face wasn't going to get him his way, not with her at least.
"Well then," Alice did her best to gather whatever dignity she had left, "I suppose this is goodbye…" she paused, struggling to remember his name, at least that would prove how little she cared.
"Everett," she filled in for her, still smirking like the cocky bastard he was. "It was nice to see you again, Alice."
She turned around and grabbed Mary by the arm, dragging her off once more. This time her friend didn't complain.
"You knew him?" She inquired in a scandalized tone. "You did not mention that you knew him!"
"I don't know him!" Alice knew she was being too defensive. "We met, once, briefly."
"Oh my god you think he's cute."
"Do not."
"Do too!"
Alice simply glared at her friend wanting desperately to get as far away from Everett as possible. She hoped that would be the last of their insufferable interactions, the last time she lost track of her thoughts staring into those eyes of his…
"Don't worry," Mary whispered in Alice's ear, "I won't tell Frank." Part of Alice wished she would, if only to put an end to the whole charade.
Marlene sat up slowly, her head spinning. Her memory of the previous night was spotty at best but the fact that she had woken up in a bed that was not her own, with a man she had known for less than twenty-four hours, was indication enough that it had been wild. She tiptoed around, picking up her discarded clothing.
She might have felt guilty leaving her conquest of the night without so much as a goodbye but she knew that he would've done just the same in a heartbeat. She scrawled out a one-line note thanking him for a wonderful evening and scurried from the flat before she risked waking him up.
She couldn't be certain of the exact location of the man's flat but she knew it had been walking distance from the bar where they'd met. Emmeline Vance had returned home after a month of travelling with her parents, her father was a member of the Bulgarian Quidditch team, and they had made plans to go out together almost immediately. She got on the best with Emmeline out of the group; they were the only two who really knew how to party.
They'd figured out that they could charm muggle IDs to make them appear of age the summer before fifth year. Ever since then they'd been sneaking out, gaining access to all the best bars and clubs London had to offer. Marlene typically told her parents she'd be spending the night at Emmeline's, who had total reign of the London flat her parents paid for but rarely lived in, but things had gotten a little more wild last night…
Rather than heading home together, Marlene had formed a rather special connection with their bartender, who slipped the girls more than a few free shots. With enough tequila in Marlene's system, she became an entirely different girl and it didn't take long before she was whispering in her new friend's ear that she was desperate to get him alone…
Emmeline had understood of course. She'd had her eye on a few handsome men of her own and the two ladies had happily parted at closing time when Marlene had strutted hand in hand back to the bartender's flat. Now, doing the walk of shame the morning after, Marlene half wished she'd crashed in Emmeline's guest room, it would have afforded her much more dignity at least.
She found the nearest alleyway and slipped down it, apparating home before she could be spotted. She stood at the end of the dirt road that led up to her house for a moment, waiting for her stomach to settle. It didn't of course and, thanks to the nauseating experience of apparition, she fled into the bushes and puked, hoping her parents might not notice.
Tequila, a girl's best friend and worst enemy, Marlene thought bitterly to herself as she tied her hair up into a bun and began the slow trek towards her home. She knew her appearance would earn a few questionable looks from her parents but at this point she hardly cared, feeling as though something had died in her mouth.
Beyond the front door, Marlene could smell bacon sizzling and the radio's soft mummer carrying from the dining room. Inside she found her mother and father, sucked into their own worlds as they sat across the table from each other, reading their respective sections of the morning's Daily Prophet.
"Morning mistress!" Raffi, the McKinnon's house elf, beamed as she emerged from the kitchen. "What can I get for you this morning?"
"Coffee please," Marlene grumbled, seating herself at the table. Her father eyed her over the top of his paper, glasses perched on the edge of his nose.
"You look like a mess," he observed, Marlene, glaring at him in response. "What kind of mischief did you get up to last night?"
"The kind of mischief I'm sure you haven't been up to since the fifties."
Her mother snorted, "the forties more likely."
Marlene's parents had never been particularly overbearing. Marlene had always joked that her older sister Amy had been around more often in her childhood than her own mother had, who had never put family before work. Marlene had never lacked love from either parent but she learnt at a young age that she would have to turn elsewhere for comfort. She had found it of course, in Caroline Potter, or even Raffi when she needed it. She'd been lucky to be surrounded by a network of kindhearted women.
Raffi emerged from the kitchen with a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of toast, she knew what Marlene needed better than she did herself.
"You're a godsend," Marlene thanked her as she set the dishes on the table. Like many who had grown up in old Wizarding families, Marlene's parents were useless at cooking. They had been raised with a home full of house elves that managed all of their cooking and cleaning, rendering them useless in either art. Marlene had done her best to try and pick up a few skills here and there but she wasn't much better than her mother, or any of her siblings for that matter.
"Well, I'm glad you're here," her mother said, placing her paper down on the table, "I have an idea I wanted to run past you, something Caroline and I were discussing the other day." An idea from the minds of her mother and Caroline Potter? That was never a good sign.
"Are you going to suggest I slip James a love potion and force him to fall in love with me so I can inherit the Potter fortune?"
"If only," her mother rolled her eyes. "Alastor has given us both the next weekend off, we were thinking it might be a good time to go to the cottage." Marlene's heart soared.
"Godric's Hollow?" she asked excitedly.
"No, our place, the one in Northumberland." That had Marlene interested. She loved that place and she remembered that she'd stashed a bottle of Firewhiskey in the back of her closet the last summer they'd visited, just waiting to drank…
"Can I bring my friends?"
"It's not a hotel," her mother reminded her pointedly.
"Okay, what about just Lily?" Marlene knew how much her parents loved Lily. "Please," she begged with a mouthful of toast.
"Don't speak when you're chewing, Marlene," her mother scolded her from across the table.
"Only if you say yes." Marlene knew how to get her way.
"Fine, bring Lily, but only Lily! Caroline is already bringing James and Sirius." Now that would be an interesting weekend…
"Deal." Marlene finished off the rest of her toast in a few quick bites and downed her cup of coffee, all as her parents watched in amusement. She knew she'd be grateful for the food in her stomach in a few hours. For now, all she could think about was sleep, and a nice cold shower when she was feeling more herself.
"Well," she said, rising to her feet, "it has been a pleasure."
"Always is," her father smirked as she went striding towards the stairs.
Marlene slept blissfully after that, buried beneath her covers, dreaming of the cottage from her youth and the tree that she and Amy had carved their initials into as children. It felt like she'd only just drifted into a nice, dreamless sleep when she was shaken awake, forced back into reality.
"Five more minutes," she grumbled, thinking for a minute that she was back in the dormitory at Hogwarts being forced awake by Mary for class.
"Mar…" it was James' voice. "You have to get up." She rolled over and found him leaning over her, his face etched with concern.
"What is it?" she asked, her stomach dropping. She didn't need any warning to know that something terrible had happened.
Remus came to, coughing profusely. His eyes stung when he tried to open them and it felt like he had swallowed a mouthful of glass every time he tried to swallow. One minute he'd been sitting in a café in Diagon Alley, enjoying a coffee with Leila, and then suddenly, there had been an explosion of sorts and Remus had lost consciousness.
His ears were ringing, the sound of crying and screams muffled in the background. He wanted to open his eyes, to help those around him, but he barely had enough strength to peel himself off the floor. The place was filled with smoke, making it difficult to breathe let alone open his eyes. Eventually, after a few moments of struggling, he squinted his eyes open. There were orange flames dancing along the windowsill, the whole window having been blown in. Remus began crawling, barely able to see, and searched desperately for Leila.
She had been sitting across from him, only three feet away at most, she couldn't be far. He scanned the area, calling out her name despite his difficulty hearing, but she was nowhere. What if she'd been taken? What if the explosion had hit her worse and she'd gone flying even farther than Remus had? His stomach sank as the next question came to mind: what if she was dead?
He didn't know what had caused the explosion but his first guess was Death Eaters. Who else would attack a group of innocent civilians? He looked up and there was a woman, struggling to her feet, brushing soot from her clothing.
"Excuse me?" he croaked. His voice was barely audible and he had to repeat himself twice before she noticed him, sitting there in front of her. "What's happened?"
"Death Eater attack," she informed him. "They took hostages, at least that's what it looked like to me, I was hiding behind the counter," she pointed towards where she'd been, coughing. They couldn't stay inside the smoking building any longer and Remus knew, despite not wanting to admit it, that he would never be able to find Leila in his current state.
"Come on." The woman covered her mouth with her sleeve, stepping forward to help Remus up, "we have to get out of here…"
"My girlfriend…" Girlfriend. It was the first time he'd used that word.
"You won't be able to find her in this…" the woman replied, breaking into a coughing fit again. "I can barely see for Merlin's sake—"
"LEILA!" Remus called out as loud as he could once more. "LEILA!"
"Are you coming or not?" The woman demanded hand outstretched. Remus took her help, getting to his feet, and stared around himself once more.
"LEILA!" He repeated, growing hopeless.
"Remus!" A distant voice was heard. It was coming from somewhere outside the shop and suddenly Remus was moving as fast as he could in the direction of it. "Remus!" He and his companion, who was helping support some of his weight, emerged from the smoke and ashes of the building, stumbling onto the street.
There she was, standing with an Auror, a blanket wrapped around her trembling shoulders. She rushed into his arms, nearly knocking the wind right out of him.
"Are you okay?" He asked, taking her face into his hands to get a better look at it. She was covered in soot just like the rest of them but, besides a small scratch on her cheek, she was untouched.
"I am now," she said, kissing him. It had been a long time since Remus had had something in his life he was afraid of losing…
"I'm so sorry," she said as they pulled apart, tears in her round brown eyes. "There was this little boy crying and I…I was going to come back for you once I helped him out but they wouldn't let me…" Remus stared around at the team of Aurors over her shoulder. They had begun to enter the Café and help remove victims.
"It doesn't matter," he promised, stroking her hair. "We're safe, that's all that counts."
One of the Healers on the scene rushed over, checking Remus to make sure he was okay. She forced him to drink a vile tasting potion to help clear up any of the damage the smoke inhalation had caused to his lungs and placed a bandage over a wound on his arm. Remus barely had any time to catch his breath before he had a blanket thrown over his shoulders and he was ushered off to the side to give a statement to one of the Aurors on the scene.
There was a crowd gathering along the street, desperate to get a view of the site. An invisible barrier, cast by the Aurors, held them back. He could see, on the other end, the group of kids pushing to the front, arguing with two of the Aurors on the other side.
"Give me a second, okay?" Remus said, leaning into Leila.
"Of course."
Remus kissed her cheek before making a beeline towards the group, watching as Caroline and Alec tried desperately to explain to them why they could not be allowed to pass through to the other side.
"We are not children!" Marlene was arguing, not noticing who strode towards her. "We're old enough to understand the gravity of the situation—"
"Remus!" Peter cried out, catching everyone's attention as he pointed in Remus' direction.
Caroline Potter spun around, her face falling into disbelief. "Merlin's beard!" she rushed forward, throwing her arms around Remus. "What were you doing in there?"
"I was on a date—"
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She pulled away, holding Remus by the shoulders, as she looked him over.
"I'm fine, just a little sore. One of the Healers already checked me out." His friends were all pushed right up against the barrier, desperate to reach him.
"Bloody hell," Alec muttered under his breath. He pulled his wand from his pocket and performed the charm that allowed the four of them to rush through, gathering around Remus. Marlene assumed Caroline's previous position, pulling Remus into a bear hug.
"I'm so glad you're okay," she sighed with relief.
"What the hell happened?" Sirius demanded. His eyes were glued to the smoking building.
"I don't know. One minute we were sitting there and the next thing I knew I was lying on the floor…"
"There was a raid," Alec explained. This marked the first time that The Potters had been open with them, treated previously as only a group of kids, about the activity of Voldemort and his followers. "There are a number of important figures killed or missing. A similar attack took place on a high street in London, just outside the entrance to the Ministry of Magic."
"When you say important figures," Marlene began hesitantly, "you mean…?"
"It's likely your father would've been targeted had he been at work today."
"Alec!" Caroline scolded her husband.
"Anyone they believe might have held valuable information or posed a threat to their power."
"Who?" James asked. Alec turned to his wife, as though looking for approval. When she gave a slight nod of the head he turned back towards the group.
"Many of them haven't been named yet. I only know for certain those who were involved in the attack outside of the ministry, Drew Edgecomb, Lorena Belby, Debra Griffth…" Remus missed the rest of the names Alec listed. Griffith, could it be who he thought was?
"How do you know?" Marlene demanded. Remus saw the panic in her eyes and knew, his stomach sinking, his suspicions were confirmed.
Alec sighed, clearly not wanting to say any more than he already had, but they were in too deep. "There were a number of eyewitnesses not to mention, the three of them were meant to be out for lunch and never returned." Remus closed his eyes, picturing the devastating effect this news would have on Alice's life.
"But they're…" Marlene had to clear her throat to stop her voice from cracking. "They're still alive?"
"Alive," Alec shrugged, as though the fact were insignificant, "but for how long?"
Frank was in the office common room when he heard the news. He was on office duty for the day, meant to be shadowing Benjy Fenwick. Frank had been grabbing them both a cup of coffee when Alastor Moody came stomping out of his office, demanding the room's attention.
"There have been a string of attacks," he announced, the room falling silent. "Multiple witches and wizards have been taken. Potter!" Moody barked, both Alec and Caroline looking up from their desks.
"Yes?" they replied in unison.
"Rally your team and get to the scene immediately." Suddenly there was a crowd of Aurors gathered around Moody, receiving their directions before they departed. Frank's position in the office allowed him to do nothing more than watch, desperately wishing to be in on the action.
The brief pause allowed Frank enough time to get back across the office to Benjy, who was watching the gathering team closely from his desk.
"Thanks mate," he said, not bothering to look up at Frank as the mug of coffee was passed into his hands.
"Where was the attack?" Frank asked curiously.
"Henstridge!" Benjy stopped a wizard about to walk past his desk. "Do you know what's happened?"
"There was some explosion near the visitor's entrance. Apparently, some group from the department of mysteries had been walking nearby, they're all missing now—"
"The department of mysteries?" Frank nearly spat out the coffee in his mouth. Benjy and his friend, Henstridge, eyed Frank questionably. "Did they say who it was that went missing?"
"I don't know," Henstridge shrugged, not much help at all. The two men returned to their discussion, Frank pulling away. Caroline and Alec Potter were rushing out the office doors with their team, shouting orders as they went. Frank watched them go, waiting behind a group of Aurors that had circled Alastor Moody and begun piling him with questions.
"Enough," Moody grumbled, trying to silence them. "You all have work to do. We need to start identifying victims—"
"Sir!" Frank raised his voice so as the get his boss' attention. Suddenly all eyes were on the new kid, the one who was meant to keep his head down and his mouth shut, to figure out why the hell he was speaking. "Did they say who it was?" his heart was in his throat. "Did they name the missing people from the department of mysteries?"
Frank had never had so much as a one-on-one conversation with Alastor Moody, let alone addressed in a room full of his superiors. He wouldn't have been so bold if he weren't scared, petrified, that something terrible had happened to Alice's mother. He watched Moody's face closely, wishing desperately he was skilled in the art of mind reading.
"Is Alice Griffith here?" Moody asked, ignoring Frank's question.
"No Sir, she has the day off." Alastor Moody knew who Alice was, thanks to her mother's high position in the ministry. While Frank had always believed his boss paid no mind to him, it appeared he had not been unaware of his close relationship with Alice.
"You should take the rest of the day off then," Moody announced, no one quite looking Frank in the eye after that. "She'll need you."
Frank knew the Floo network at Alice's house would be closed if her parents were both at work. He chose instead to apparate from the ministry, landing in the field across from her house. There was no answer at the front door and Frank didn't fancy the idea of spending hours sitting on Alice's front step so he made use of the spare key he knew stayed under the welcome mat.
Inside the house was silent, perfectly still. Debra hadn't known the last time she'd left might've been the last time she ever set foot in her house…what a beautiful home it was. Frank had always loved visiting the Griffith's. Alice's parents always made room for him at their table and, with only his mother at home, Frank had always liked the family dinners they shared.
He tried to remember the last one he'd attended…had it been the last there ever would be? Would he ever again hear Debra in the kitchen, cursing as she burnt her hand on a hot pan? Alice always joked her mother was too stubborn to admit her failure and hire a house elf.
Frank heard a small click come from the front door. He froze, seated on the couch, his heart pounding in his chest as someone stepped inside. Alice was humming as she dropped her keys and kicked off her shoes.
"Don't freak out," Frank warned coming around the corner only to frighten her anyway.
"Merlin's beard!" she gasped, hand pressed against her chest. "Did you break into my house?" She was smiling as she said it. Perhaps she thought he'd come by to surprise her and spend some quality alone time together…if only.
"Where were you?" Frank asked, trying to kill the time before he had to cut to the chase.
"I spent the afternoon shopping with Mary," she explained travelling into the living room with two shopping bags. "I bought you something, do you want to see?" Frank hadn't moved from the doorway. "Don't act too excited!" Alice scoffed when he didn't react. She was rummaging around in her shopping bag, searching for whatever it was she'd bought him, as tears began to fill Frank's eyes.
"Al…" the tone of his voice made her head jerk up. She looked over, her face ashen with shock, and Frank knew he had no choice but to tell her the truth.
"Something terrible has happened," he confessed, choking back the tears. "Alice it…" Christ he didn't want to say it, "it's your mum." She sat there for a minute, staring at him as though he'd just made a very bad, terribly confusing, joke.
"What?" she finally managed, shaking her head. "No, no I saw her this morning. She's just at work—"
"There was an attack outside the ministry, she and two of her co-workers were taken—"
"Stop it," Alice snapped, shutting Frank up. "It's not funny."
"I'm not joking."
She turned away so that he couldn't see her face. Part of him wished she'd stay in denial; perhaps it could postpone the devastating weight of what had really happened.
Slowly, Frank stepped towards the couch, coming around to find the girl he loved shaking with fear. Tears rolled silently down her rosy cheeks, her lips trembling.
"Come here," Frank said, gathering her tiny frame in his arms. He wanted to take away all the pain, to wipe that horrorstruck expression right off her face. He'd never in a million years imagined himself being forced to deliver such heartbreaking news, not now at least. Not while they were still so young…
Mary and Lily had been sat down for tea when Frank's owl arrived. Lily had just been complaining to Mary about her awful afternoon in which Marge had passive aggressively insulted her at least sixteen times, Lily counted. All of that seemed unimportant once the content of Frank's letter became known.
They'd been on Alice's front step within fifteen minutes, neither girl quite prepared for what waited for them beyond the front door.
"Ready?" Mary asked. She reached for Lily's hand, squeezing it reassuringly. They hadn't yet rung the doorbell, taking a moment before everything changed. From this day forward time for Alice would be split into two: before and after her mother had disappeared.
"No," Lily answered honestly, stepping forward to ring the bell. It was Frank who answered. Lily had never seen someone look so relieved to have back up.
"How is she?" Mary asked before a simple 'hello' could even be exchanged.
"She's locked herself in the bathroom and she won't come out." Frank looked hopeless, motioning for both girls to step into the house. "I've tried everything I…I don't know what else to do."
"Take a break," Mary suggested, giving his arm a reassuring squeeze. "We've got it for now." Frank took a back seat as Mary and Lily made their way to the bathroom, giving the door a knock. Lily could only imagine what it must've been like for Frank to deliver the devastating news to his girlfriend. No one wanted to be that person…
After five minutes of relentless knocking and pleas for Alice to open the door, Lily gave up. Rather, she left Mary and Frank to continue the job and instead, distracted herself in the kitchen where she began to stress clean (a trait she'd no doubt picked up from her mother). It was what she'd done when her father had died as well after the ambulance had picked him up; she had done a frantic clean of the whole house, scrubbing away any trace of death.
She was elbow deep in dishwater when someone else finally entered the room and put her cleaning to a stop.
"Lily." She turned around to find Remus Lupin watching her from the doorway.
"What're you doing here?" She couldn't say she wasn't grateful for the extra hands on deck.
"We were at the site of the attack in Diagon Alley."
"There was an attack in Diagon Alley as well?"
Remus nodded. "Once we realized Alice's mother had been one of the people taken we figured we should stop by…" Lily studied him for a moment, her eyes grazing over Remus' wet hair and the bandage on his arm.
"Remus were you…"
"I'm fine," he assured her, stepping forward. "Really, especially now that I've showered."
Lily rushed to him, wrapping her arms around one of her oldest friends. She didn't bother removing the wet dish gloves that she wore, not caring about soaking Remus' shirt in soapy water. She was just happy to have him safe, and all in one piece gathered in her arms. Remus had always been Lily's favourite of the four Marauders, the only one that hadn't taken part in James' endless tormenting. She had always had a soft spot for him.
"I'm okay Lily," he assured her, laughing the slightest. "Really, I've faced worse." Lily couldn't imagine how much worse it could get.
Unsurprisingly, Sirius chose that moment – the side of Lily's face squished against Remus' chest – to enter the kitchen.
"Whoa," he chided, covering his eyes. "Am I interrupting something?"
"Shut up," Lily grumbled, not yet ready to let Remus go, "we're having a moment." She waved Sirius forward, encouraging him to join the embrace. He hesitated at first before stepping forth, arms gathering around both Remus and Lily. Sirius had taken more time but Lily had come to adore him too, like an annoying younger brother…
"Where have the others wandered off to?" Remus asked Sirius once they had all pulled apart.
"James is with Frank, last I saw Marlene and Peter had joined Mary in her hopeless attempt to get Alice out of that bathroom." Lily hadn't seen or heard from James since their spat at his house and she didn't feel like enduring an awkward encounter now.
"I'll go see if I can't help aid those efforts," she said, tearing off her rubber gloves. She knew that running into James would mean an apology, on her part, for overreacting, but how could she even begin to explain herself to him? How could she look him in the eye and not admit that her little outburst had been the consequence of weeks in which she had thought of nothing but him?
Sirius stepped out the back door to find Marlene, sitting on the edge of a picnic bench, smoking a cigarette.
"Hiding?" Sirius inquired. He sat beside her, pulling out his own pack.
"No," she snapped defensively, taking a drag. "Okay…A little bit." It only took a few seconds for her to admit it.
"Fair enough." Sirius lit his cigarette with the end of his wand; he did not miss the days he'd been forced to use matches while off Hogwarts grounds.
"Have you talked to her yet?" Sirius asked.
"She won't talk, won't even move."
"Well, why don't we just unlock the bloody door? We have magic for a reason—"
"If she wanted us to go in there she'd open the door herself."
"This can't go on forever," Sirius reminded her, "when her father gets home—"
"We're not going to blast open the door on her when she's grieving." Sirius knew Marlene was right, even if he didn't want to admit it. Despite the fact that it annoyed the hell out of him, Marlene was right most of the time, especially when it came to taking care of her friends.
"Is it twisted that I would be relieved if roles were reversed?" Sirius asked, averting his gaze.
"No," Marlene answered, catching him by surprise. "It'd be more twisted if you weren't."
Sirius had always been jealous of the families James and Marlene had come from, families in which they were cherished, with parents who cared only about their happiness. The concept was foreign to Sirius.
"Those aren't your real parents you know," she told him, tossing her cigarette into the grass, "the Potters are." There she went again, always having the right words. "You know that by now don't you?"
"I guess," Sirius shrugged. The Potters were the only family he'd ever known, the only safety net he'd ever had.
"This is just the beginning, isn't it?" Sirius knew exactly what she meant.
"Yeah," he nodded, "I think so."
"I'm not good at this," Marlene confessed, "I can't fix this." Sirius couldn't imagine a problem existed that Marlene couldn't solve. "I can't bring her mother home…" Marlene stopped herself short, as though afraid of what came next, "it's almost better at this point if she's…dead." It was the truth that no one wanted to admit.
"She's lucky to have you guys," Sirius reminded her as Marlene's face slipped into despair, "besides, for all we know her mother will turn up in a day or two, no harm done." Marlene looked at him, as though Sirius had just told her Santa Claus was real, they both knew it was unlikely.
"Can you do me a favour?"
Sirius' eyebrows rose, "what kind of favour are we talking?"
Marlene met his gaze and no more words were required. Sirius knew what she needed, the comfort that he so rarely offered when they were in public. His eyes darted towards the back door; far too aware that someone (James in particular) could stumble upon them at any moment.
"Come here." Marlene slid across the bench, Sirius' arm coming to wrap around her. Sirius finished his cigarette, tossing it to the ground, and tried to ignore the pressing fear of getting caught. He knew what it would mean if the others discovered their secret affair. Sirius ignored the thought as he buried his face in Marlene's hair, smelling of the coconut shampoo she always used.
"Will she ever be the same?" Marlene asked, interrupting their moment.
"Probably not." Sirius knew it was true even if no one wanted to say it out loud. "How could she be?"
Marlene's head rose slowly, staring up at Sirius with her sparkling blue eyes. Merlin, he hated how beautiful she looked, no matter the circumstance. She looked over her shoulder quickly, making sure no one was watching, and then pressed her lips to his, kissing him.
"We should go back," Marlene said as they pulled apart, Sirius still lost in the kiss they'd shared, craving more. "They'll start to wonder where we are." She pulled away from their embrace, rising to her feet. She was always so much better at ending things than Sirius was…
"Thanks," she said, standing in front of him, "for the cuddle and the chat."
"What're friends for?" He shrugged. Marlene scoffed; they had never been friends.
James had taken his turn sitting outside the bathroom, pleading with Alice to open the door. They'd been trying for hours and soon they would need to open the door whether Alice liked it or not.
"You can't hide forever Alice," James told her, knees drawn up to his chest, "because the longer you stay in there the worse it gets when you finally come out." James was talking out of his ass, trying desperately to be the one that finally convinced Alice to open the door. "Let us help you."
James knew he couldn't begin to understand what Alice was going through. The fear, not knowing where her mother was or what was happening to her. It would drive James mad were roles reversed.
"You don't have to do anything right now except let us help," he continued. "Just open that door and let us work from there." James knew there was only one person that could convince Alice to step out of that bathroom: her mother. The one person who couldn't be there to comfort her now, or, possibly, ever again.
"I'll tell you what we're going to do, I'm going to put on the kettle and we're going to have a nice cup of tea, all of us, and we'll work from there. We'll stay with you as long as you need, all of us. We'll do whatever you want but you need to talk to us Alice, you have to." There was no answer, no sound beyond the bathroom door; James was beginning to wonder if Alice was even still in there.
"Come on," he encouraged her. "You have to come out Alice, there are people who need you to come out; Frank, your father…your mother. She needs you to be strong, now more than ever, she needs you to fight for her."
He tried to imagine what his mother would say right now. She always had the right words; she knew what to say no matter what the problem was. Could even she fix this though? Could anyone? James sighed heavily, pulling himself up to his feet. His stomach was grumbling and he was beginning to wonder whether their efforts were useless, how did they know if Alice was even listening in there? Of course, it was only then, just as he was ready to give up, that he heard the lock click.
"Alice?" He turned the knob and there she was, standing in front of the door, her eyes puffy and bloodshot from all the crying.
"Okay," she agreed, her voice hoarse. "I'm ready."
James couldn't stop himself, he stepped forward, drawing her into a tight hug, shocked and grateful all at once that he'd managed to get that door open. Frank came around the corner, his mouth falling open with surprise.
"Oh thank Merlin," he sighed, Alice transferring into his arms. James watched as Frank held his girlfriend close, showering her with kisses and terms of endearment.
"I love you," he said over and over, more relieved than anyone to see that bathroom door open. James stepped aside, giving the two some privacy. Lily was standing around the corner, her own eyes glistening. It was a softer look than she'd worn the last time he saw her. He wanted to say something, to make some kind of smart-ass comment that might break the tension, but nothing felt right. They stood a few feet apart, watching each other, waiting to see who broke first.
"James I—"
"Water under the bridge," he assured her. It seemed foolish now, to hold onto a silly argument that had taken place a week ago. She smiled, James' heart beating a little faster in his chest, and he knew he needed to get away before he said too much, the emotion of the day wearing on him. He walked past her, their arms brushing, and James did his best to pretend it wasn't the best five seconds of his day.
