Title: Glass Hearts
Rating: PG-13
Summary (of chapter): We check in on our friends for the summer - James and Sirius hanging out at the river, Remus vacationing in Greece, Lily and her friends going to Quidditch games. Then their peaceful summer is disrupted by Voldemort and his stupid plans.
--
"This is great," James said. They were one week into summer holidays, and Sirius and James were at the river. The sun was baking down on the two of them as they slept in the sun on the rocks.
"Hell yeah," Sirius mumbled next to him.
The river's current and the shade of the oak tree next to them made the perfect nap setting. They had been here for hours, since at least ten that morning. Despite their teenager tendencies to sleep as much as possible, James's mother had forced them out of bed. They had lounged around the house, bored out of their minds, then James had gotten the brilliant idea to go to the river. It was now almost two o'clock. The only way the day could get better was if Remus and Peter joined them. And maybe Lily Evans, too, in a cute little bathing suit . . .
"Prongs – Prongs, wake up," someone was shaking James and talking in his ear.
James woke up, nearly falling off of his rock. "What, Sirius?" he asked. "What time is it?"
"Nearly three," Sirius said. "Come on, I'm famished. Let's get home."
"I was sleeping – you woke me up because you're hungry?" James asked. His stomach growled. Sirius kicked him in the shin. "Ow!" James made at face at him, then got to his feet. He groaned in pain. "Oi – oh, hell." He looked down at his chest and shoulders. His shoulders were burnt to a bright pink, and part of his chest was burnt at well.
Sirius laughed. James looked at him. Sirius had pink cheeks and the back of his neck was fairly pink as well. "You burned, too," he said.
"It's bloody hot," Sirius said, shrugging. He threw James's clothes at him. "Come on, maybe your mum made chicken sandwiches."
James had trouble walking very quickly, so Sirius complained most of the way. "You're such a whiner, you know that?" James asked, rolling his eyes. "I'm in pain – you could try to cast a burn-relief spell on it or something, but not, you just complain."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Race you there," he yelled.
"Hey, that's not fair!" James called after him, trying to jog a bit.
"Oh, boys, could you put on some clothes?" Mrs. Potter asked, walking into the kitchen that James and Sirius were extensively searching for food.
"Mum, didn't you make any food for lunch?" James asked. He was on the counter, looking in the cupboard above the refrigerator.
"James Thomas Potter, how many times have I told you not to get on the counter?" Mrs. Potter asked. "We're all civilized human beings here, use a chair!" She tugged on his shorts.
"Mum!" James said, pulling them back up to his waist.
"Ouch, that sunburn looks pretty bad," Mrs. Potter observed. "Get down from there, I can put some lotion on it."
James jumped off of the counter and Mrs. Potter put some of Madam Teresa's sunburn lotion. James laid over the kitchen table in misery. "It'll stop in a few minutes," she said.
He groaned. "It's been at least five, and it still hurts."
"Are you going to eat that?" Sirius asked, motioning to James's chicken sandwich.
"Yes," James said, glaring at him across the table.
--
Remus loved Greece. His mum had family here, so they visited as often as they could. It was hot in the summer, so hot that Remus was forced to wear shorts and sandals, and his mum would wear her hair up, and his dad would get sunburnt. But it was beautiful.
His uncle had a house on the beach. The crystal blue water constantly moved, and one got used to the ebb and flow of the waves, especially at night when trying to fall asleep. His dad and him had gone along with his uncle on a fishing trip. By the end of it, Remus's hands, clothes, and hair smelled like fish.
His dad insisted on taking pictures when they went anywhere, but he had trouble with the Muggle camera his wife had had for so long. "John, how many times have I taught you how to use it?" Nancy asked. She dropped her voice. "All that's different is the purple puff of smoke."
Remus's dad put his hands on his hips. "That's not true!" he exclaimed. "You have to zoom and everything."
"Ah, you remembered what it was called!" his mum said excitedly.
They went out to a nice Greece restaurant one night, and Remus had overeaten on lamb. He had spent the rest of the night sitting around while his parents and relatives danced. The next night, the adults had insisted he went out with his cousin. Remus's cousin Stephen was a bit like Sirius, so Remus didn't mind all that much. Stephen took them to a bar and introduced Remus to a group of his friends. Remus did what he could to have fun, drinking in moderation and dancing with a cute girl only after Stephen nagged him for half an hour. He started talking to another girl about Muggle music, though, and he found out she was into football. He reminded her of Marlene, and Remus was surprised to realize that he wished Marlene was there. She had always been easy to hang out with, like Lily.
A few days later, after swimming and getting horribly sun burnt, Remus had to explain to his relatives why an exhausted owl flew in during dinner and collapsed on his dinner plate. He pulled the owl into his room after a feeble attempt, and read the letter from Sirius and James.
MOONY!
I have no idea where you are. Greece, was it? I hope you're having a grand time. Don't impregenate (did I spell that right?) any girls while you're there. Are you coming over for summer hols? I know how much fun you had during Christmas. I think Peter's coming over for his birthday. You think we should hire a stripper? Haha, poor Wormtail would piss his pants!
The handwriting switched now from James's scrawl to Sirius's slightly more readable handwriting.
HEY. GUESS WHAT I GOT? A MOTORBIKE. Yeah, that's right. It's hideously ugly. All I need, though, are some rebuffing spells (don't you love that we can do magic now??) and leather. I'm going to charm it to fly. You will adore it. It will adore you.
The handwriting now switched back.
All right, tell mum and dad we said hi! My mum does, of course. Tell me when you're coming over!
James and Sirius
Remus shook his head, smiling. He had left the owl with some water and gave him some lamb from his dinner, then watched James's owl fly out of his window after writing a response.
He walked back out to the dining area. "That was the oddest thing, wasn't it?" he said lightly.
--
The Holyhead Harpies were winning against Ballycastle Bats, 60-20. The Quidditch stands were full of green and black, indicating opposing fans. It was the beginning of July, and Mary had gotten tickets from her dad. In the box, she stood by Lily and Marlene, watching the brooms whiz by. Hogwarts games were fun, of course, but professional beat them any day. And she didn't have to yell the entire time.
"Man, they must hate losing against girls," Mary said.
"Marlene, you should join the Harpies!" Lily exclaimed.
Marlene let out a laugh. "Yeah, right," she said.
"She's becoming an Auror!" Mary said as though this were obvious.
"I know," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "She'd be great at it, though."
Marlene gave her a grateful smile. The three of them had met at Mary's house and gotten dolled up because her dad would take them to the victory party if the Harpies won. Mary turned back to look at the game, watching the Bats' Chasers pass the Quaffle back and forth. A Bludger whizzed past Cariba Rhodes, causing her to drop the Quaffle. She dove for it, but an opposing Chaser sped past her, grabbing the ball. The Bats fans cheered as the Chaser sped down the field towards the goalposts.
Mary looked at the Seekers; they were flying around, looking around for the Snitch. Suddenly, the Bats Seeker pointed his broom towards the ground and started speeding away. The Harpies Seeker caught on quickly and raced after him. "Look, they've seen the Snitch!" Mary exclaimed.
The attention of the crowds turned to the flight of the Seekers and the small golden ball trying to escape them. It slowly started to curve up. The Harpies Seeker turned her broom up, easing forward on her Nimbus 1000.
"Gods, I want a broom like that," Marlene said admiringly.
Someone shot a Bludger over at the two of them. It hit the Bats Seeker, knocking him into the blonde Seeker. The two of them went spiraling in the air, and the crowd gasped and groaned as the Snitch flew off again. There was a momentary time-out while the Bats Seeker got his arm repaired.
"That was close," Lily said. "Who hit that Bludger?"
"Probably the Bats," Mary said.
Thirty minutes later, the score was 70-40. "The Bats are catching up," the commentator said approvingly. "They have had a rough time with goals this season. . ."
He continued as the crowd watched the Harpies as they had possession of the Quaffle. "It looks like Ramsey has seen the Snitch!" the commentator yelled.
Heads turned; sure enough, the blonde Harpies Seeker was racing across the field. The Bats Seeker took off after her. One of the Beaters pelted a Bludger towards her, but a Harpies Beater hit the Bludger back at him. Ramsey pushed her Nimbus broom further forward as the opposing Seeker gained on her. There was a hint of gold in front of her. Ramsey extended her arm. For a moment, they were flying after the Snitch. Ramsey lurched forward. She nearly slipped off of her broom, but her hand closed tightly. . .was it just air? She stopped her broom and held her fist up triumphantly, and through her binoculars, Mary could see the Snitch's golden wings.
She let out a cheer, throwing her hands up. "Yes!" she said.
"The Holyhead Harpies have won the game!" the commentator yelled over the eruption of cheers.
Afterwards, Mary, Marlene, and Lily went to the victory party. The room was decorated with dark green ribbons, posters, and banners of the winning team. It was full of people celebrating. There was a table overflowing with drinks, and another with foods. "Thanks for inviting us, Mary," Lily said, raising her butterbeer.
"No problem," Mary said. She took a drink of her mead. "Hey, let's go see if we can meet the players."
The three girls met who they could, which ended up being the Seeker, Kaitlin Ramsey, and one of the Beaters, Janis Greenley. Kaitlin was shorter than all three of them and had a huge smile on her face. Mary had met Janis once before, and she remembered her green hair. "I think I remember you!" Janis said. "Your dad's Dent-head!"
"Yep," Mary said. Sometimes her dad's fame came in handy. "Nice game."
"Thanks," Janis said. She smiled at Lily and Marlene. "Hi, I'm Janis Greenley."
"Lily Evans," Lily said, shaking her hand.
"Marlene McKinnon," Marlene said.
"Is your dad Christopher McKinnon?" Janis asked.
"Yeah!" Marlene exclaimed.
"He is so cool," Janis said. "He helped us out last week. It was crazy, me and my friends were just hanging out at The Leaky Cauldron, right? Out of nowhere, this psycho comes in, and he's hexing people. It was obvious he wasn't very serious, but your dad had him Stunned before he could do much. It was wicked!"
"Thanks," Marlene said, grinning. "I think he told me about that."
Janis looked at Lily. "What's your claim to fame?" she asked.
Lily let out a small laugh. "I'm afraid I'm the most normal one here," she said.
"She's going to be a Healer," Mary announced. "The best bloody Healer in the wizarding world."
Janis grinned. "You out of Hogwarts?" she asked.
"We're going into our seventh year," Mary said. She motioned to Marlene. "She's an ickle sixth
year."
"And let me guess, Gryffindors?" Janis asked.
Mary cheered, throwing her fist in the air. "The best there is!" she exclaimed.
The party progressed. They saw Paul Brendell and Katie Stockton. Marlene pointed them out sitting in the corner alone. "Oh gods," Mary said, rolling her eyes. "I can't believe they're still together!"
"No kidding," Lily said.
"Remember Sirius's birthday party?" Marlene asked Mary.
"You mean when James molested me?" Mary asked.
"No, when Sirius was giving Katie a striptease," Marlene replied.
"Oh, gods," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "I'm having a good time, do we have to ruin it?"
When they went to Mary's house two hours later, Mary was tipsy from too much bead, and all three of them were exhausted from dancing. "My feet are killing me," Lily said, collapsing on Mary's bed.
"I love the summer!" Marlene said, yawning.
--
There was a faint ringing sound. Lily moaned, turning over in her bed. She rubbed her eyes. Who was calling in the middle of the night? She looked at her clock. It was nearly seven in the morning. Okay, maybe not the middle of the night. . .but early enough. . .
"Lily!" her mother came in. "Lily, someone's on the phone for you. Mungo – saint – I don't know, someone – she says it's an emergency."
"What?" Lily asked. She threw off her covers and walked into her parents' room, her mum behind her. "Hello?"
"Lily Evans?"
"Yes. . ." Lily trailed off. The voice sounded slightly familiar.
"Lily, this is Louise Montgomery," the voice on the other end said in an urgent tone. "There's been an attack in Liverpool – there are bodies everywhere, countless injuries, the Ministry is taking them all in this morning. We – could you come to St. Mungo's? Oh, gods, we could use your help."
"Oh, my gosh," Lily said, gasping. She brought her hand to her mouth, breathing hard.
"What is it, honey?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"Lily, can you come?" Louise asked. "Oh, please, they say there could be hundreds, Muggles and wizards alike –"
"Yes, yes, I'll be there," Lily said. "I'll come as soon as I can."
"Thank you, oh, my gosh," Louise said, her breath raspy. "I'll see you soon."
Lily hung up, various thoughts flying through her mind. "Who was it, Lily?" Mrs. Evans questioned, looking worried.
"St. Mungo's," Lily said. "There's been an attack in Liverpool – can I go to London, mum?"
"London?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"I need to go to St. Mungo's, the hospital I work at," Lily said. She started walking back to her room.
"It's Saturday!" Mrs. Evans exclaimed, following her. Lily started searching her wardrobe for shoes and a jumper. "You don't have to work today."
"There's been an attack –" Lily said.
"What do you mean an attack?" Mrs. Evans asked.
"I mean," Lily said, her hands shaking as she put on her shoes, "I mean, people are dead and people are dying and I have to help them." She grabbed her wand and a jumper.
"Lily Aegina Evans, you are not going anywhere without discussing this with me and your father!" Mrs. Evans said loudly. She followed Lily out of the room and down the steps. She grabbed Lily's arm. "Don't ignore me! As long as you live in this house –"
"I'm of age, mum!" Lily said, snatching her hand away from her mother.
"You're only seventeen!" Mrs. Evans said.
"I'm of age, mum," Lily repeated. "I'm a witch. They need my help at the hospital; I have to go. I will be fine. I'm not going to fight anything - I'll phone you."
"Lily," Mrs. Evans said, sounding hysterical.
Lily walked unto the back porch and closed her eyes, thinking of the deserted alley she had Apparated to before to get to St. Mungo's. Her father came out of the kitchen with his coffee mug.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"I'm going to work," Lily said.
"Why –" her father began.
"I love you guys," Lily said. She Apparated with a pop! to London.
She jogged down the empty streets in her pajama shorts and favorite jumper to Purge and Dowse, Ltd. She talked to the dummy and walked through the window, as she had been doing for three weeks this holiday.
"Lily!" Louise Montgomery yelled. She was the Head Healer of St. Mungo's, and Lily had only talked to her a few times before. She had jumped from department to department during the last few weeks, trying to get a rounded experience of the hospital. "Thank goodness. All right, they're going to be here soon – Alastor Moody says there are at least forty. They're bringing in mediwizards, but the job is only so popular these days. The floors will be the measure of the seriousness of the injury. That section over there is the most serious up to fifth; normal, trivial injuries."
"How do you determine –"
"I need you to tell people which floor to go to," Louise said. "For now, at least. I don't know what we're expecting. Moody said there are all sorts of things – post-Cruciatus symptoms, arrows, burns, snake bites, werewolf bites, vampire bites, witches and wizards stuck in between banshee-induced death and consciousness, petrification, lots of blood – I don't know. If more people don't show up, I'll need you with the rest of the Healers and mediwizards doing magic. Are you going to be all right, Evans?"
Lily just nodded, swallowing. "Yeah," she said. "First to fourth floor, I can do that."
"Fifth. My daughter Kathy will be helping," Louise said. Kathy walked in from the bathroom. "Kathy, this is Lily."
"Hi," Lily said. She wouldn't mind paying a visit to the bathroom, and bending over a toilet . . .
"All mind-related symptoms send to that section over there," Louise said, motioning to two gray-haired witches. "Memory Charmed, delirium, shock, anything in the mind."
Just then, Ministry officials and uninjured witches and wizards started pouring in with various injured people; Muggles, witches, wizards, young, old, male, female.
--
A/N: Thanks for the reviews! You guys rock. I've decided to leave the summer between sixth and seventh year in this story. When I start a new one for the seventh year, I'll be sure to let you guys know! Enjoy, R&R! :)