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Lira reached the house a few minutes later, still trying to stop herself from crying, and when she entered the house, Lily came rushing into the hallway.
"You've been ages! We were starting to worry! Oh…are you okay?"
"I'm fine. Sorry to have worried you." Lira said shortly, pulled her coat off and shoes off, and walked up the stairs. She could actually feel the grief, like a lead weight in the pit of her stomach, and she curled up on her bed, trying to squash it. She knew that she should cry, but the tears wouldn't come, and her old tears had dried on her face. Her hair was hanging in her face, like the tendrils of a weeping willow, and she pulled it up into a ponytail to get it out of the way.
A few minutes later, the stairs creaked, and Lily peeked her head around the door.
"Lira? Can I come in?"
When there was no response, the redhead slipped silently in, and sat down on the bed next to the blonde. Neither of them spoke for a moment, and then Lira started, her voice hoarse and breaking.
"I went to the graveyard, and I saw a grave…it was a girl, and her mother. The mother had died when the girl was fourteen, and I just couldn't stop thinking…I know how she felt…but I haven't just lost my mother, I've lost all of them…everyone…"
The tears came then, and Lily put her arms around the crying girl, rubbing her back soothingly. She didn't say anything, which Lira was grateful for, because there was nothing that Lily could say to make this alright.
"I miss them…I miss them so much, Lily…"
"I know you do, I know, honey. But it'll be okay, it'll be alright."
Lira didn't contradict her, even though she doubted it. Unknown to both of them, as they hugged, James peered around the door, holding Harry. His face was creased with worry, but he relaxed slightly as he saw his wife speaking in a low voice, trying to calm her.
"I know we can't replace your parents, honey, but if we can help you, please let us know. I know that it's horrible, to have someone wiped out of your life."
Her voice was bitter, and Lira looked up, wiping her eyes.
"Did that happen to you?"
"My sister. She…she didn't approve of me being a witch, a 'freak', she called me. To her, I was abnormal, I was strange, and I didn't fit in with her idea of normality, so she shut me out, until I stopped writing to her, stopped trying."
"That was stupid of her." Lira said, suddenly impassioned. "That was stupid. She's lucky to have a family. Really lucky. So what's she doing, shutting a wonderful person like you out?"
"Her husband doesn't approve of me, and doesn't want me near his son."
"Does he control her?"
"I do hope not."
"She is lucky, and she should know that. She has a family, and an amazing sister, and she should be happy. She shouldn't be shutting you out!"
"I know that, but I don't think she does."
"Can I write to her?"
"I'm sorry?"
"Can I write to her? Your sister?" Seeing Lily's apprehensive look, she carried on hurriedly. "I won't be rude, I just want her to see the situation through another perspective. You can read it before I send it!" She added, hoping that it would help, and it did.
"Okay then. If it'll make you feel better. Here, let me get some parchment."
Lily flicked her wand, and a quill, bottle of ink and a roll of parchment appeared.
"What's her name?"
"Petunia. Petunia Dursley."
Lira took a deep breath, grabbed a book to lean on, and started to write.
Dear Petunia,
You don't know me, but you do know the person that I am writing to you about, so I suppose that counts for something. Now, before you tear up this letter, thinking that it's rubbish, I want you to think what you would have done if you had received this letter about your sister ten years ago. You wouldn't have thrown it away. You would have stopped to read it, and you will now, because you still love your sister, Petunia. And you should.
Lily Potter is an amazing woman, and I cannot say that enough. Her and her husband took me in when I had lost everything, and not only that, stopped to listen. I'm sure you don't want to listen to me moaning about my life, but, unfortunately for you, you're going to have to, because what I have to say is very important.
I am fourteen years old. My name is Lira Munns, and I am from Staffordshire, England. A few days ago, there was accident, and something happened. That something sent me back in time, to this year. Now, I'm not going to go into the details, because they are not important, but what is important is that I lost everyone. I can never return to my time. I will never see my parents again. I don't have a sister, Petunia, but if I did, I bet that I'd miss her, even if she wasn't a witch like me. But you? You have shut your sister out, again and again, until she has stopped trying to reach out to you.
I am not writing this letter because Lily has asked me to. I am writing this letter because, Petunia Dursley, you do not know how lucky you are, to have a family, and a sister that loves you. But what do I know? I don't have a sister who's a 'freak'. That's what you'd say, isn't it, Petunia?
No, I don't have a sister who is a 'freak'.
I don't have a sister at all. I don't have a family, apart from your sister, her husband, and their friends. I am happy with them, but I still miss my family. You may be happy with your husband and your son and your new family, but I'm sure you miss your sister, Petunia.
She has a son, you know, a son called Harry, and he is the most adorable little baby I've ever seen. His birthday was back in July, and I know that you have a son too. Doesn't he deserve to know his Aunt Lily? Doesn't Harry deserve to know his Aunt Petunia?
I'm not going to write much more, because I am running out of parchment, but I want you to do one thing. Yes, I know, why should you do anything that I ask you to do?
Because it is the right thing to do.
Write to your sister, Petunia. You have her address.
Tell her something about yourself. It could be anything.
What you had for dinner last night. What you read in a magazine that you found interesting. What your favourite colour is and why. What your son did yesterday that made you laugh.
And she will write back with something similar.
You're lucky to have a family.
Don't let her drift away, Petunia.
Thank you.
Yours faithfully,
Lira Munns
Lira finished off the letter and handed it to Lily, who shook her head and handed it back.
"Its fine, I trust you." The redhead flicked her wand and an envelope appeared.
"How about we post it?"
"What, like in a post-box? Lily asked, and Lira nodded.
"OK, I'll ask Sirius to take it later."
"Why not you? Sorry, but why won't you go? Or James? I know that it is none of my business, but I was just wondering…"
"Okay." Lily seemed to be considering something, running it over and over in her mind, ruminating, and then she decided on whatever it was she needed to be decided on.
As if by magic, which is quite possibly was, James appeared in the doorway, clutching a squirming Harry. He walked in slowly, and looked at Lily.
"Should we tell her?"
"I think so."
They looked at each other, and it was like they had an entire conversation through their eyes. James sat down on the bed, and placed Harry down, where he curled up in his mother's lap, playing with her hair. James took a deep breath, and ran his hand through his already messy hair.
He then proceeded to explain everything. He told Lira about Voldemort, and the prophecy, and Dumbledore and the Fidelius Charm. He told her about the Order of the Phoenix and the spy and the disappearances and the fact that they were going to change their Secret Keeper, to try to fool Voldemort, because Sirius Black looked like a bigger target than Peter Pettigrew to him.
"And you can't tell anyone that we're changing our Secret Keeper, especially not Remus, okay?"
"Why not? I mean, why can't Remus know?"
"We think…we think that Remus might be…might be the spy."
"No! Remus? He wouldn't…"
"Well, he's a good liar, Lira…"
There was a mere second of silence, and then Lira spoke, her voice low and urgent.
"Is it because he's a werewolf?"
"How do you know about that?"
"He told me."
"He told you?"
"Yeah. I asked him how he got his scars, and he told me."
"It took us nearly a year to admit that he was a werewolf. Why would he just tell you?"
James asked, almost accusingly, and Lira narrowed her eyes.
"I don't know why he told me so willingly. But he did. You might think he's the spy, but I don't." Seeing their panicked expressions, she added, "I won't tell about the swap, of course I won't." Breathing quickly, she looked at them incredulously, desperately.
"But Remus? Remus? Really?"
"There aren't many other possibilities."
James looked sad, and Lily disentangled her hand from around Harry to rub her husband's arm consolingly.
"Are you sure? Because I've met some mysterious people."
"If you suggesting that it's Sirius, it is not."
"Oh, I know. Sirius is great. Really great. He would never betray you like that."
Lira was talking about Peter, but after his reaction, she decided not to mention it. They knew him better than she did, after all, and he must have done something to earn their trust. Then her mind began to wander, as it often did, and she thought of something that Remus had told her, she remembered the bitter edge to his voice as he had said it.
"You became Animagi for him, didn't you?"
Lira said suddenly, her eyes glazed over as they often did when she was thinking.
"Did he tell you about that too?" James laughed bitterly, a harsh sound, but behind that harshness Lira could see an inch of regret, and a whole load of sadness.
"No. But it makes sense…" Blood flushed in Lira's face for the first time since she had returned from the graveyard as she thought, eyes slightly wild, staring at the duvet. This was Lira using her brain, and you could practically see the cogs in there working.
"Werewolves are only a danger to humans. So you became Animagi to make his transformation less painful. And now you think that he has betrayed you. Oh, James…"
Lira looked up, her eyes full of sympathy, and she squeezed his hand, which was lying on the bed, motionless. James gazed at her for a minute, like he was thinking, and then let go of her hand.
"Let's do something. Lira, do you know how to do the Protean Charm?"
"Isn't that NEWT level?"
"Maybe, but you're smart enough to handle it. "
He grinned, and when Lira stood up, grabbing her wand, you could see the approval in this eyes.
Fifteen minutes later, Lira was practising on some coins.
"That's it, now make sure that you tap it very sharply, or the numbers will appear distorted when they appear."
Lira scrunched up her face, concentrating, and she tapped the Galleon with the tip of her wand, muttering the incantation as clearly as she could. The coin in James' hand heated up, and the numbers around the rim turned so that they were all zeroes.
"Excellent! Really well done, Lira!"
"Thank you," said Lira, blushing, suddenly shy.
Lily called up the stairs, making them both jump.
"Sirius is here!"
Lira and James both put down the things they were holding, turned and ran down the stairs, pushing and shoving each other in their haste. They spilled out at the bottom of the stairs, laughing, and Harry toddled into view, pointing at the living room.
"Dada, Lee-ra! Pad-foo!"
Lira swooped down and picked Harry up, swinging him up onto her hip, and then they both hurried into the living room. In there, Sirius sat, throwing a Quaffle into the air and then catching it again, grinning.
"Hello Padfoot!"
"Prongsie! Lira! Hello! How are you? What have you been doing?"
"I just taught Lira here how to do the Protean Charm."
"And you did it? And you're what, fourteen?"
"Yep. It wasn't that hard, really. You just have to get the wand movement right."
Their dinner was delicious, a roast chicken with roast potatoes, just the way that Lira's mother had made it, but this time there were Yorkshire puddings this time too, and they were amazing dipped in gravy. Lira, Sirius and James all had seconds, and even Lily cleared her plate. When they had cleared up, they all gathered in the living room and sat in front of the television, Sirius juggling Harry and the Quaffle that he'd bought, Lily sitting in James' lap in the armchair, his face buried in her hair, and Lira curled up next to the armrest, plaiting her hair to one side, humming.
It was another game show on TV, not Three Letters, but another one, one with two families and a one thousand pound cash prize. Sirius pointed at the presenter, who was a smartly dressed man with a blinding smile.
"If he doesn't tone down that smile, I'm going to need sunglasses."
"Now, Michael, what film, featuring a young deer and his friends, was released in 1942, in the United States of America?"
"Bambi!" The man cried excitedly, and the presenter nodded encouragingly.
"That's correct!"
Lira looked down at the floor, trying not to laugh, and Lily bit her lip. However when they caught each other's eyes, it was all over.
They both shrieked with laughter, leaning against the armrests, giggling and chuckling and laughing.
"Bambi!" Lily screamed, holding her side, and Lira giggled.
"A young deer and his friends!"
"Bambi!"
"Oh Merlin…"
"So that's what Bambi is? A movie about a deer?"
James looked at them in surprise, and looked at Sirius, who was laughing quietly, trying to hide behind Harry. Soon, the rest of them were all laughing, watching the television and trying not look at James.
Three game shows, one Animagus transformation and two hours later, Sirius had just left, they had seen him out, and now Lira was tired.
"I think I'll…g-g-go up to bed." She yawned, stretching, and Lily smiled.
"Ok then, honey. Sleep well!"
Lira dropped a kiss in Harry's messy hair, winked at a surprised James and hugged a surprised Lily, waved and went up to bed.
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