A/N: I am so sorry that I haven't posted in a while, but my computer got screwed up, so I couldn't get on the doc manager. :-( Plus, with me starting a new school, my life is kind of crazy, but I promise that I will try as hard as I can to update regularly! Thanks for sticking with me!
The next morning, I woke up in a daze. For a second, I panicked, wondering where the bloody hell I was. Then, I remembered where I was and what was happening.
I got out of bed quickly and rushed to the kitchen. I figured that James and Sirius would need some extra love (Salazar, did I just say that?) today, more than any other. Hopefully, I would beat the house elves to breakfast.
As luck would have it, I walked in on the elves preparing to start breakfast. "Excuse me," I said tentatively. "Would you mind if I brought the boys their breakfasts this morning? And maybe, could I help make it?"
An elf walked up to me, beaming. He had a bright red tea cosy on, and his bright purple eyes shone with gratitude. "Thank you, miss!" he cried. "With all that is being done for Master Harold's funeral today, Feliz and his friends are very busy! Feliz will help you prepare Master Sirius and Master James' food, and the rest of Feliz's friends can get started on the preparations!" Feliz snapped his fingers, and the house elves all ran to the other side of the kitchen.
The short, skinny house elf walked me to the stove. "Master James enjoys chamomile tea, two slices of banana bread, and a bowl of cereal. Master Sirius likes pumpkin juice, three pancakes, and a slice of French toast. Mistress Lily can please start with the tea, cereal, and French toast, while Feliz makes the rest."
"Oh, that's great, Feliz, and it's just Lily." I replied. I summoned the cereal, French toast materials, and tea leaves, and Feliz left me alone.
After about fifteen minutes, I had finished my tasks, so I went to talk to the elves. Feliz in particular enjoyed talking to me about the family he served. "Feliz quite likes serving the Potters. This job is much more fun than the others Feliz has had. Masters James and Sirius come down and visit us all the time!" he cried cheerfully.
"James visits you a lot?" I asked.
Feliz replied breezily, "All the time, Miss! Just to keep Feliz company! Oh, Master James is a wonderful man! He speaks of you regularly, miss!" I blushed, and discontinued the conversation.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Feliz chimed, "Feliz is finished, miss! Miss can take Master James his food now! Thank you very much, Miss!"
I took the trays from Feliz and started up the steps. When I reached the boys' bedroom, I knocked, then barged in. I heard a moan of displeasure.
"Mum, don't make me get up today, please." James muttered at me. Sirius just turned in his bed and went back to sleep.
I whispered, "James, Sirius, I have your food!"
James started to get up, but slumped over before he got the whole way up. "I don't want food. I want to sleep all day, and all day tomorrow, and all next week. I never want to get up again."
I put the platter down on a desk, and sat on the edge of James' bed. Stroking his hair, I soothed, "Sweetheart, I know that today is a horrid day. But you need to get up and eat something." I reached over, and the cup of tea flew into my hand, barely spilling. "Drink some tea."
James finally sat up, and reached for the drink. He poured some into his mouth, not noticing the fact that it had spilled all over his pajamas. Quietly, I said, "Scorgeo," and the tea stains vanished before they could settle.
"Lily… What am I going to do?" he asked me pleadingly.
I wanted badly to tell him that he could go back to bed and never wake up, but I knew that wasn't going to cut it. "Look, Potter," I said, a bit harshly. I hadn't called him Potter since I got here, so I knew it would shock him into listening. "You need to get up, get dressed, and get to the funeral. You need to continue with your life- not like this never happened, but like you became a better and stronger person because of it. Most of you, you do NOT need to pretend to be strong for your father and sister, because you know that they don't have anyone to come home to." I had tears in my eyes, but I blinked them away angrily.
James stared at me in shock. "Lily-flower, what are you talking about?" He held me in his arms, but for once, I didn't complain.
"My mother was killed last month. On July 24, she was in a car crash caused by the other driver. She was the one who didn't walk away," I whispered. James froze, then continued to hug me.
Sometime during this, Sirius had woken up. He walked over and sat on my other side, wrapping his arm around me. "Lils, why didn't you say anything on the train? You were crying, too…" he trailed off.
"You have enough bull going through your lives right now, I didn't want to trouble you. I've accepted Mum's death, and I just have to deal." I was right, I thought. The boys were obviously not as convinced.
James said softly, "You should have said. This is as important, no matter when it happened or why."
I told them, "Alice and Marlene don't even know. I was going to tell them on the train, but Remus pulled me away and told me about you, and…" I sobbed quietly, and James pulled me back against his chest. "I di-di-didn't want t-t-t-to trouble anybody!"
I stopped trying to talk after that. It wasn't worth it to let the tears fall. I just let James and Sirius hold me, and the three of us all mourned our losses, and the others'.
When our eyes were left empty, I got up and stretched. "We should get ready," I proclaimed, not meeting their eyes. "The ceremony starts in an hour."
At the gravestone, I held onto James tightly, letting him cry into my shoulder. I just stared at Harold's tombstone, feeling a strong sense of Déjà vu.
Harold A. Potter
Born 07 April 1937
Died 26 August 1977
I know them now, my ancient enemies…
Remembering my mother's burial, tears pooled in my eyes, but I fought them. I needed to be strong for James and Sirius.
Mrs. Potter walked over to the two of us, and James reached over to hug his mother. At that point, Sirius came and cried on my shoulder. With a shock, I realized that everyone else had left. James grabbed onto my hand and the four of us disapparated back to Potter Mansion.
James still had a python's grip on my arm, and he pulled my into a spare room and enveloped me in his arms. We both cried his time- him for his father, and me for my mother.
Choking back tears, I asked, "What was that quote from?"
James stopped crying. He sniffled a bit, then replied, "It's from Cyrano de Bergerac. The full quote is 'I know them now, my ancient enemies- Falsehood! There! There! Prejudice- Compromise- Cowardice!' He loved that play, and the quote just fit him, you know? He wasn't any of those things, but other men were, and now he's dead." He said this almost matter-of-factly.
I nodded in sadness. Harold Potter was a man who's legacy preceeded him, but James just knew him as Dad.
James pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket. "Do you want to see the last thing he ever wrote to me?"
I was startled. "No, that's private, you don't need to show me that."
James shoved it into my hand. "I want you to."
I quickly read it over. "Oh James," I sighed. This must have meant the world to him now. I put my head on his shoulder, and we sat for a moment. I don't know what he was thinking, but I was thinking what would happen if I had lost my dad.
James nudged me. "So, Evans," he began.
"What, Potter?" I asked.
James had a cocky grin on his face, which made me believe he had returned to normal. "Does this mean I have a chance with you?"
I answered, "No, you're still an arrogant, bullying toe-rag, just one who I can relate to."
James smiled. "I'll get you, Lily-flower, don't worry. You won't have to keep up this pretense for long." I shot him a look. "What?" he asked defensively. "I saw how you were taking care of me yesterday and today. You wouldn't have been so nice to me if you didn't care at all."
"Oh, sod off," I muttered. James smile grew even larger, but it sad this time.
"You know, maybe I should just give up."
"What?" James Potter, give up? There's no way.
James smirked. "Hearing OK, Evans? I said, I might give up."
Whew,. I could maybe finish off my final year without him badgering me.
"I heard that girls like the martyr type."