Sitting On The Baby By HPOD sufferer
Date: Thursday, 14th June, 9:00PM
Rating: K+ (Scary and Supernatural themes may scare young children, includes character death), sexual implications (very minor)
Summary: Sirius bounded into the compartment, making to sink into the seat next to Lily. The seat in which a sleeping baby...well, slept. Eyes popping, James grabbed his friend's wrists, stopping him from sitting. Sirius Black was frozen in a strange, half-sitting, half-standing position. Lily grabbed the baby quickly, and James released his friend. "You know," said Lily " Baby sitting doesn't usually consist of actually sitting on the baby."
A baby has appeared. Where from? Why? Who does the baby belong to? Harry travels to Marauder Era. AS A BABY! Something went seriously wrong on that Halloween night.
Chapter 15: The Child in the Doorway
You trick me and curse me, you lead me astray,
But when I need you, you show me the way.
All I want is to be close and safe in your arms,
'Coz I know you'll save me from all harms.
But soon we'll have to realise it's not about us anymore,
It's about that child in the future door.
"Err..." said Lily. "That's um, nice."
James's face fell.
"Why don't we um...go and look at...err, the Shrieking Shack?" Lily suggested, trying vainly to hide her embarrassment; she did not notice James hiding himself behind a napkin, the top of his head that peaked over the top the colour of red wine. He squeaked in response and the two stood up, both ignoring each other. Harry giggled insanely at their mortification, and Lily put a hand over his mouth. He licked her palm.
"Yuck!" she cried, pulling her hand away as they exited the pub.
James struck out for the Shrieking Shack, back to Lily and she fought to keep up. It did not take long for them to get there.
If Lily was to be honest with herself, she'd say she was terrified of the haunted building. But as a Gryffindor, all her fears would be immediately smothered in chocolate and eaten for desert upon being discovered. "It's quiet," she noted. James grinned. "What ever is so funny?" Lily demanded.
James looked away. "Tell me," Lily said impatiently. He didn't say a word, gazing at the Shack, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "Please?" She sounded hopeful. He shook his head. "Fine," Lily growled, stomping her foot. "If you don't tell me, you have to...go into the Shrieking Shack." She was very pleased at the ingenuity of this plan of hers. Nobody would go into the Shrieking Shack except...
James started to laugh out loud. "Ok, but you have to come as well."
"Oh," Lily said quickly, "no, it doesn't really...I mean if it going to be..."
"Are you scared?" asked James slyly.
Lily drew herself up to her full hight. "I am not scared," she said. "You offend me!"
"What are we waiting for then?" James asked, grinning still.
Lily couldn't stand to look at those white, sparkling teeth anymore. She stomped towards the building, passing the DANGER, DO NOT PASS notices without batting an eyelid, Harry squirming in her arms. Lily might be a stupid Gryffindor, but Harry had enough brains to know he did not want to go in that building. And when young 'uns like Harry don't want something they...
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
"Not again!" Lily groaned, hoisting Harry up to eye level as she neared the building, James in his rightful place (at her heels). "What could it be now?"
Lily sniffed. "Not that, thank goodness," she sighed gratefully. Harry was lowered, still kicking. "And I'm not feeding you," she said to his reproachful look, "You're getting...round."
Harry gave her a look that said 'of course I'm round, I am sixteen months old, plus I've been with you.'
Lily left Harry to his business, looking up at the building in front of her. She shivered. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea. James hopped past her, mouth still stretched impossibly wide. He didn't look the least bit apprehensive...in fact, he had a look that a person often wears when a joke is being played. Lily glanced around her, expecting, even hoping that one of James's freinds was nearby, ready to play a trick on her...but nobody was there. James snorted one last time, and slipped around the back of the building.
He gestured to the planks blocking entry (and exit, Lily reminded herself) with a knowing smile, pulling out his wand. He pointed the tip towards the planks covering a window. A light, ghostly and thin seemed to struggle from his wand, reluctantly creeping through the air and resting on the planks. The planks melted away, and James crawled inside, his arms sticking out again for Harry. Lily passed the boy into the hands, and stuck a leg inside, her heart thumping, her stomach churning and her brain shouting at her to stay away. She went in.
Immediately she was plunged into darkness. Lily turned to the window, sure that some sunlight would be coming through. The planks remained in their place, as if they'd never strayed. Lily gasped.
"It's ok, there are other ways out," said James's voice. "Lumos," a small ball of light surrounded the pair. "That's better."
"But...but-the planks where'd they...?"
"It's an old charm," James explained. "It only works one way...we could get in, but nothing can get out. A precaution, if you like." Lily could see his grin in the shine of his wand. The sight only made her more scared.
"You've been here before," she stated.
James turned. "Yeah...come on, let's explore."
"What!" Lily shouted. "You said I only have to come in, and we've done that, so let's-"
"-are you scared?"
"Never!" Lily forced a laugh. "Me, scared? In your dreams, Potter!" But she still let him lead the way, and found herself clutching his back.
Lily looked around her. It looked as if they were in the dining room, if the overturned table and the ripped up chairs were anything to go by. "Hang on," Lily whispered. "Ghosts can't move things...is it a poltergeist that haunts here?"
James was silent. "James?" Lily whispered fearfully as they left the room and ended up in the hallway. "Can you speak to me? James?"
He continued to say nothing. "James!" Lily whispered, panic lacing her words.
"Will you stop harking on?" James said, not whispering. "Ah...the stairs!"
Lily got the feeling that he had said these words for her benefit. "Up then?" James asked, finally glancing her way. Harry was still sitting in his arms, looking rather put out by the whole affair. Lily cringed. "Great!"
Lily made a small noise in her throat and followed him up the stairs, grimacing at every squeak and groan. Finally they reached the top and crept along the corridor, peering through the doorways (all the doors were either hanging off by their hinges or missing) into the rooms beyond, all of which seemed to be affected by a small hurricane. James seemed to be heading for the door at the end of the corridor however. This seemed to be the only room with a door, and he pushed it open.
Lily was sure even Dumbledore in his office up at the castle could have heard it creak, it was so loud. Their feet patted across the floorboards, and then they were in.
"It's a bedroom," Lily said with slight disappointment. "Just a bedroom." James nodded once, stuffed Harry into her arms and leapt onto the bed, bouncing three times before lying down, cheek resting on his cupped hand, looking like a model.
"Care to join me?" he said in a suggestive tone.
"No," Lily said grumpily. "Now you will tell me what was so funny!"
His mouth opened, and Lily felt herself preparing, muscles stiffening and taunt for the answer.
"Mummy?"
Lily turned, her head swinging to the door. No one was there. But she had heard.
"Mummy, is that you?"
James slid off the bed and stood at Lily's shoulder, frowning and eyes wide.
Lily could hear footsteps out in the corridor, getting closer.
Thump. Creak. Thud, thud thud.
Whoever it was stopped on the other side of the door. Lily could see her breath billowing into steam in front of her, despite it still being September. She shivered in the sudden cold, and moved closer to James, holding Harry close to herself.
From the other side of the door came a child's whisper, half frightened, half curious. "Are you my mummy?"
Lily couldn't explain it, but those words chilled her to the bone. They were so...lonely.
The door swung open with a bang. A little boy, who could be no older than six years old stood in the doorway. His face was a mess- he had a black eye, a cut across one cheek and a bleeding nose, the red shining as it trickled down past his mouth.
And despite being in full colour, he was transparent.
"Is he...a ghost? A poltergeist?" Lily whispered feverishly to James.
"I can hear you," said the boy. "I'm not a ghost! I'm real. You're the ghost-you're see-fru!"
"No-" Lily began, but James put a hand on her arm.
"Who are you?" James said, crouching down to the boy's level. "You're hurt, do you need help?"
Lily was about to say how stupid it was to ask a ghost if they need help when the boy answered.
"No, I'm fine, my auntie will help me when I get home. She doesn't like mess."
"Where is your auntie?" James asked kindly.
"I don't know," said the boy regretfully. "And I fink I might be dreaming, coz last thing I remember was running home from school."
"Running?" repeated Lily warily.
The boy bit his lip, which Lily realised was also bleeding. "From my cousin, he doesn't like me. Nobody likes me."
"I'm sure somebody likes you-"Lily said, crouching next to James.
"-no, but I don't mind. You know, I fought I saw my mummy just then, but it was only you. My mummy's dead."
Lily put a hand to her mouth. James didn't show any sign of sympathy. "Have a seat. Now, can I ask you a very special question? Are you a wizard?"
The boy gently sat down, wincing. "Me, a lizard? There's no such fing!"
"No such thing!" James exclaimed, sitting cross-legged also. "But then how do you explain this: I'm a wizard!"
The boy looked at James as it James was a bomb that might go off any second. "My uncle would be angry if he heard you say that. But if you can prove it, I'll believe you."
Lily lowered herself to the floor, still holding Harry close. The baby tugged himself from her grasp and crawled over to the little boy, grinning a toothless smile.
"Is that your baby?" the boy asked, holding a hand out to Harry.
"No," Lily said. "We're...baby sitting, sort of."
"Oh, said the boy. "Can I...hold him?" Lily shook her head but stopped when James nodded, and Harry was pulled into the boy's lap. He peered through his puffed up eyes at the baby, who gazed back. "Cool!" the boy cried, pointing at Harry's scar, "we got the same scar!" He pulled up his fringe to reveal an identical jagged, lightening bolt shaped scar; James and Lily screamed. The boy dropped his hand in alarm and shifted back. "Sorry," he whispered. "Auntie doesn't like it either."
"It's ok," James assured him. "You're Harry, right?"
"How'd you know my name?" The boy asked, his normal eye wide.
"Because..." James gulped, and glanced at Lily. She gave him a helpless look. James reached out and held the boy's see-through hand. "That baby is you...as a baby."
The boy pulled his hand away as if burned. "ME?" he gasped. "But I'm me, I'm here-how can I be holding myself?"
James shrugged. "You're a wizard."
The boy leaned forward. "Did I...travel frew time? Like in Dr Who?Am I going back? Where am I?"
Lily shrugged. "You might have, but you look like a ghost to us. You're not really here, just a bit of you- I think. Unless you usually walk around transparent. It's nineteen-seventy-eight."
The boy looked gob smacked. "Then this can't be me...I was born nineteen-eighty."
"What?" the pair said, staring at the older Harry. "That's...that's..."
The boy grinned. "Magic! I can do magic!"
The little Harry dribbled in joy.
James and Lily stood up, and snatched the little Harry from the ghostly image's grasp. "I think you should...go," Lily said in a voice that shook. "Now."
The little boy stood up, wiping his nose on his sleeve. "How? Can you help me?"
Lily did not know why the next words came from her mouth. "I don't know whether I want to."
"Lily!" James cried, gazing at her in disbelief.
"Don't 'Lily' me James," Lily said. She turned to the mirage in front of her very own eyes. "This is beyond us now."
The little boy sniffed, gazing up at her. His eye grew in size. And he began to scream. "What now?" James yelled at the top of his lungs; the boy Harry pointed at Lily, hand shaking.
"There..." he whispered.
James looked at Lily, and gasped at the same time as she did. The two teens stumbled back, and the bigger Harry stayed in the doorway, clutching his baby self to his chest. Another mirage had appeared.
A/n: This took me two weeks to write (actually, two days. The rest I spent staring at the screen with three lines written and hoping it would write itself). So I left Skye and went to Spain in that time (yes, Spain. South coast in a lovely- cough-place called Alcalali) and then came back again to Harry's Homeland (staying near the New Forest). Now people, most of you know I'm Aussie and all that, but listen to this: I have the worst sunburn in my whole life, and I got in on Boscombe Beach. How's that for weird?
I've been enjoying Dr Who whilst in this country (actually, I enjoyed it in Australia too, but the second series hasn't aired yet in the land down under), so I apologise for anybody who hasn't heard of it, because there are some references in this chapter, but it IS NOT important to the story line. I managed to get half an hour of internet today (sad, but I could not update) and I was overjoyed to see that I had 14570 hits. (I screamed, and all the people in the place stared at me, and I was still giggling and crying and gasping when I went into the fish & chip shop down the road, and let me tell you I got a lot of weird looks. The only thing I hate about Britain is: the chips. Yerch, I'd rather have Macca's, despite how unhealthy it is). Other than that...must stop rambling.
Ok, I'll be a good little sunburnt Aussie with a camera full of pics of Stonehenge and write...so much for saying I'll have ten chapters done.