Chapter two: No one said love was easy
James woke up the next morning with Sirius jumping on his bed, saying "James, James wake up, wake up! I don't know about you, but today I want to learn all about my godson!"
Then the night before hit him. Oh, that's right, last night I met my son. WHAT!
At that moment Lily came in. Again.
"Hey, get up! I can't believe that I'm about to say this, but I agree with Sirius, I want to talk to my son today! He said that he knows of a place where we can go today and just spend the day talking."
"But I don't want to-" James began muttering before being cut off by a load of water in his face.
Lily had pulled out her wand and said Augamenti causing a large stream of water to hit James full in the face.
"Hey you can't do that Evans!" James whined while jumping out of bed.
"One, speaking as your wife to be, yes, I can. And two, don't get used to calling me Evans much longer, it'll be Potter soon enough!"
As Lily left the room she was thinking 'Did I really just say that. Ok Lily. Do you like James Potter? Ummm… If I'm being honest, then yes. Do you love James Potter? NO! I mean no… not really… I'm not sure yet. Then why did you just say that! Because it's the truth! Now shut up conscience!
Lily walked out of the room leaving a dumbstruck James and a Sirius who was now laughing and prodding Remus and Peter awake.
Once everyone was awake, The Marauders and The Golden Trio went to grab a quick breakfast from the kitchens and to head to The Room of Requirement.
"This is incredible." said Sirius, not knowing what else to say, when they entered the room.
The Room had become a cozy little hang out area. There were at least 6 bean bag chairs several armchairs, several hammocks and a few footstools gathered around a warm fire that looked as though it had been going for hours. The floor had a nice thick carpet and the walls were the warm and inviting Gryffindor colors. There were shelves full of games and other self entertaining things throughout the room. One could probably come in and never be bored.
Everyone took a seat around the fire.
"Well, now that we are here I do believe that you five had a rather long list of questions to ask us. Mainly me." Harry added after a prod from Hermione.
Lily immediately began asking questions.
"When were you born?"
"July 31st 1980"
"Where are we now?"
"… Umm, right now… you are… dead." Harry whispered.
"Oh… no don't cry. I'm here, even if I am young enough to be your girlfriend, not mother. Now, how did we die?"
"Well, you were hiding, from Voldemort, and he found you. Dad tried to hold him off, but he couldn't, so Voldemort killed him. You had me upstairs, I was one year old, trying to protect me, but he came upstairs. He wanted me, not you or dad, he told you to stand aside, but you refused. He killed you. Then he went for me. I was in my crib, not crying, and he said the words, but I survived. The curse rebounded and hurt him. I was left with nothing but a scar." At mention of his scar Harry pulled up his bangs to reveal the scar on his forehead. "He lost his body that night, became nothing but a mere bit of soul, but it was enough. He lived on. Last year he was resurrected. I saw him come back, but no one believes me except for my friends. He is waiting out there now for a chance to kill me, and its my job to destroy him. He is going to start another war, but thanks to our idiot of a minister, Fudge, no one is prepared.
The rest of the day was spent trying to console Harry as he told them about all of the things that he had done whilst at Hogwarts and, much to Lily and James anger, the Dursley's.
"I'm gonna go give that old man a piece of my mind, sending you there to live with those horrid muggles." muttered James, his anger now no longer even attempting to be controlled.
They had already been forced to gently knock Lily out, just to stop her rampage.
"Ennervate." said Hermione softly. "Are you alright Lily?"
"ALRIGHT! YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED TO HARRY AND ASK IF I'M ALRIGHT! I'M GONNA KILL DUMBLEDORE! KILL HIM WITH HIS OWN WAND!" Lily rampaged on.
It was a good thing that the room was sound proofed.
"Mum! If you keep going on like this then I will have to knock you out again!" said Harry forcefully.
"Right then. Sorry dear. But I am still going to give him a piece of my mind."
"You mean we. He's my son too." said James.
"As long as something bad happens to that old tater tot, I don't care who does it!"
"Tater tot?" asked Hermione giggling in a very un-Hermioneish way
"Yep. Tater tot, chicken roast, white asparagus, bloody broil… Can you tell that I'm hungry?"
"Excellent point, lunch do you think?" asked Ron, who was always hungry.
"Alright lunch time, but then Dumbledore's office." Said James, glaring evilly, almost daring someone to contradict him.
"Lunch, and then Dumbledore's office. Sounds good to me." said Hermione, who fully supported the anti-Dursley side.
"I'm all out shocked about Sirius." Harry said grunting.
"I know, you would think he would have had a bit more control." said James.
Harry and James were lifting Sirius off of the floor planning to carry him to lunch, and wake him up where he couldn't yell. After finding out that he was alive and at Grimmauld Place, but Harry still lived with that muggle scum, Sirius screamed and yelled himself hoarse. Hermione had stunned him after the first 2 minutes when he had refused to stop.
They reached the Great Hall, where they woke Sirius who had ceased yelling when he realized that the whole school was watching.
True to his word, after lunch Harry led them all to Dumbledore's office and knocked very loudly.
"Ah, Harry and company, come in won't you." Said Dumbledore, politely as ever guesturing inside.
Lily was the first in, followed closely by Sirius and James.
"Well, you certainly look like a cheerful bunch." Dumbledore said after taking a look at each Lily, Sirius and James faces.
"CHEERFUL BUNCH! ALBUS DUMBLEDORE YOU WILL DIE TODAY! HOW COULD YOU! YOU SAY YOU LOVE HARRY! YOU DO NOT SIR!" began Lily.
"I AGREE WITH YOU… MOSTLY, BUT I AM ALIVE AND HARRY ISN'T WITH ME! YOU OLD NUT! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING! Sirius added.
"NOW LISTEN HERE DUMBLEDORE! IF YIOU DON'T SEND HARRY TO LIVE WITH SIRIUS OR REMUS OR PETER OR REALLY ANYONE OTHER THAN THE DURSLEY'S I'LL TAKE HIM BACK TO MY TIME WITH ME! AND I'LL KILL YOU IF YOU TRY TO STOP ME!" finished James.
This whole time Harry, Hermione, Ron, Remus, Peter and Dumbledore had been quiet.
"So this is about the Dursley's is it?" Dumbledore asked looking over his half moon spectacles at them.
"YES IT BLOODY WELL IS ABOUT THE DURSLEY'S! HOW COULD YOU!" James said quite heatedly.
"Yes well Harry is with the Dursley's because Petunia gives him your blood protection that you gave him when you died." Dumbledore said while looking at Lily.
"What protection?" Lily asked.
"When you died, you died for Harry. James died for you. By sacrificing yourself, by refusing to stand aside when Voldemort wanted Harry you gave Harry a protection with you love for him. Petunia is your sister, so the protection runs in her blood. Therefore, Harry must stay with Petunia to ensure that the protection stays in place."
"Well I still don't like it." James imputed.
"I don't much either, but it is necessary to keep Harry safe."
"Fine, but I am going to warn those idiots to be nice to Harry or I'll have Sirius drop by for a visit…" James trailed off, now daydreaming.
"Ok guys you've made your point, lets go." Harry said speaking for the first time.
"Fine." said Lily, James and Sirius.
They 8 of them left Dumbledore's office in defeat.
Lily couldn't sleep that night. She tossed and turned until she finally gave up and went downstairs to the common room. She was quite surprised to see another person there.
"James?" she said looking at the back of his head.
"Hi there Lily. Couldn't sleep?"
"Not a chance there was way too much on my mind. You?"
"Me too. Blood protection or not, I can't believe that Dumbledore left Harry with those poor excuses for people. No offense."
Lily snorted and then said "None taken James. I hate those people as much as you do, if not more."
"How could you hate them more than I?"
"You didn't spend 24 hours in labor with him, did you? From what I've heard, it's not fun."
"No, that's true I suppose. Erm… do you want to go to the kitchens to get some hot cocoa?" James asked hopefully.
"Sure."
"Lets go then."
They two of them left the common room through the portrait hole and headed to the kitchens. James tickled the pear on the picture and opened the door behind it. They both got some hot cocoa from the house elves and sat down to enjoy it.
"This is almost kinda fun." Lily said laughing softly.
James listened to Lily's laughter. It rang like bells. Not the loud obnoxious ones, the small soft ones that rang the sweetest sound.
"Yeah it is. I just can't believe I have a son." replied James.
"We" Lily corrected, regretting it just as it came out of her mouth.
James was staring at her, astounded.
"We" he said.
They both stared at the ground for a while they finished their hot cocoa.
"Shall we go then" James asked, for it was almost 4:00 in the morning.
"Mmhhmm."
The two walked back in silence, though not an awkward silence, just comfortable.
"Goodnight James." Lily said, heading for the girl's dormitories.
"Goodnight Lily." He replied.
"I love you" James added under his breath.
"Did you say something?" Lily said looking concerned.
"Nothing" James said.
After Lily left James started thinking 'Ok… so… you like her. Obviously. You love her? Maybe. You certainly enjoy her company. Yes. Could you live without her? No. So you love her? No. Yes… I mean,' "I don't know" he said sighing. 'Be honest. Yes. Good boy, now off to bed.'
James then left not planning on being up before 10:00.
"WHAT THE HELL SIRIUS!" James yelled.
"What! I just told Harry, Ron and Hermione that you love Lily."
"I can't believe you! I can't believe you!"
"What is this all about" snapped a bleary eyed Lily who had just entered the common room.
"I can't tell you, now let me hex Sirius!"
"No way James" said Lily. "No way"
Just as James was about to hex Sirius anyway, Lily yelled "Protego!" creating an invisible wall between James and Sirius.
"What was that for!"
"You don't have to hex him, just talk it out."
"I don't know or care if talking works for you Evans, but I am going to hex him!" James yelled walking towards Sirius.
"NO!" yelled Lily stepping in front of James.
"Move Evans! I don't need your help!" James said angrily.
"Fine then." Lily replied icily, stepping out of James way.
Lily turned and left tears now streaming down her face just as Sirius got bat bogey hexed.
'Why does his opinion of me matter so much?' she thought 'Why? Because you're in love' her conscience told her.
Lily wasn't sure of anything but the fact that she cried herself to sleep.