QLFC Round 1: What Is There To Believe In?

Chudley Cannons

Seeker

Prompt: Amulets - Write about a protective spell or ritual.

Lily sighed and closed the weighty tome in her lap. She'd found nothing useful so far, and it was starting to get more and more frustrating. She let her head fall back against the sofa cushions and stared out the front window as if the Muggles going about their business would have any answers.

"What's wrong?"

Lily turned. James stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking at her worriedly.

"That's the tenth time I've heard you sigh today."

"I'm sure it hasn't been ten times."

"Well, alright, maybe it was only nine." James smiled and joined her on the sofa. "Come on, what's wrong?"

Lily supposed she might as well tell him. There wasn't anything else to do, anyway.

"I'm researching protective spells and rituals."

"Sounds interesting." James looked at her steadily. "Anything good?"

"Not really."

"That whole big book and not a single thing in it?"

"I haven't finished it yet, but it's mostly been Dark stuff and blood rituals so far," Lily explained. "Nothing that I'd want cast on my son."

"Hey," James slid an arm around her shoulders and tugged her into his chest, "we're going to be okay. Harry's going to be okay. We're under the Fidelius Charm here."

"Yeah, I know, but I just want to do something else, too. I can't shake the feeling that the Fidelius isn't enough." Lily felt tears prick her eyes, and quickly blinked them away. "Does that make sense?"

"Absolutely," James said quietly. "I'd love to swaddle that tyke in every protection spell known to the magical world."

Lily laughed. "He'd never so much as scrape his knee ever again."

"Or fall on his bum!"

"That would be terrible!"

Harry had recently decided that the most efficient way for him to go from standing to sitting was to simply plop down to the floor and land directly on his bum. The first time he'd done it Lily was certain it was accidental, because he'd had the most adorable look of surprise on his face. She hadn't been sure if he was going to start crying or not, but after a moment he smiled and giggled, apparently enjoying it. Now, his favorite thing was to toddle around the house and randomly fall on his bum. It didn't make sense at all, but it was the cutest thing Lily and James had ever seen.

"I'm sorry, Lils, but I don't think I could live with myself if I made Harry stop falling on his bum."

"I don't think I could, either," Lily agreed with a sigh. "I'll keep looking, I guess."

"There's ten sighs," James pointed out, and Lily rolled her eyes at him.

They fell silent. The house was quiet; Harry had gone for his nap willingly, for once, after a long morning playing in the garden. Lily thought a nap sounded nice, too, and she was just beginning to drift into a comfortable doze on James' chest when there was a soft knock at the door.

James craned his head back, trying to get a look at who was out on the porch, and turned back to her with a grin.

"It's Pads!"

He leapt up to get the door as Lily blinked and tried to shake off the lingering ghost of sleep.

"How's it going, Evans?" Sirius greeted her.

Lily smiled at him. "Harry's been asking after you."

"Oh?" Sirius looked delighted. "Me, or Padfoot?"

"Both."

It was true. Harry had asked several times for Sirius and Padfoot over the last week, which was no surprise, because Sirius used to drop by almost every other day, and now it had been an entire five days since Harry had seen him.

"How is everyone doing, out there?" James asked as he flopped back down on the sofa next to Lily.

Sirius' face suddenly became somber. "Peter's mum died."

"Oh, no," Lily gasped. "What happened?"

Sirius shrugged. "She'd been going downhill for a while, so it was only a matter of time, but it sounds like it was a magical flu that finally got her. She died the day we did the Fidelius."

"Did Peter…" James trailed off, not finishing his sentence. Lily wasn't sure what he'd been intending to say, but she wanted to know the answer.

"He found her after."

Lily felt immensely guilty. Peter had visited his mother frequently — perhaps if they had waited a day to go into hiding he would have found his mother in time to get her a potion, or to St. Mungo's.

"Have you talked to him?" Lily asked.

Sirius shook his head. "No, I only heard about it from Dorcas yesterday. Peter was trying to find someone to take in his mum's cats, apparently. I owled him, and then went by his apartment before I came here, but he wasn't home."

Lily frowned. Peter had a bad habit of withdrawing and isolating himself when he was upset, and she was concerned that none of his friends had gotten in touch with him yet.

"When is Remus supposed to be back?"

"Dunno," Sirius said, sinking down into a chair with a glum expression. "He's still on whatever mission Dumbledore sent him off on."

That was disappointing, Lily thought. Remus was usually the best at talking to Peter.

"I'll charm up some flowers, and we'll owl Peter, too," Lily offered.

"Thanks, Evans," Sirius said, smiling at her in a way that didn't quite seem to reach his eyes.

"You didn't talk to Remus," James said suddenly. He had narrowed his eyes at Sirius accusingly, and Lily watched with amusement and some confusion.

"No, because he was about to leave on important Order business," Sirius said defensively.

Lily honestly had no idea what they were talking about, but Sirius and James were staring at each other now, communicating in that silent way they used to do all the time across the classroom, or at the table in the Great Hall, or from opposite sides of the Gryffindor common room… pretty much everywhere all over Hogwarts, really. She'd been a bit jealous of how close James and Sirius were when she first agreed to date James, but she had eventually grown used to it.

She settled back, prepared to wait until they were done, but Harry's baby monitor charm chimed gently.

"No, no, I'll get him," Lily said, waving at James before he could fully stand up. She didn't want to interrupt their 'conversation'.

Harry was clinging halfway up the bars of his crib trying to get out when she entered his room, and gave her a big, three-toothed grin when he saw her.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Lily said, trying to keep a stern face.

Harry let go of the bars and dropped down, landing on his bum on the mattress of his crib with a giggle and appearing not at all repentant for his escape attempt.

"Up!" he demanded, raising his arms to her and opening and closing his tiny fists.

Lily couldn't help smiling. "You're too cute for your own good, Harry," she said as she picked him up and settled him on her hip. "What are we going to do with you when you grow up, hm? You'll charm everyone's socks off."

Harry didn't respond, too busy wrapping his chubby little fingers in her hair and making nonsense noises. Lily watched him for a few moments, the smile slowly fading from her lips.

"You'll be safe, Harry," she said quietly, kissing the top of his head. There had to be something else out there she could use to protect her son, and whatever it was, Lily promised herself, she'd find it.

"No matter what, Harry, we'll protect you."