Chapter 44: If Only I Could Have Saved Him
As the exams came to a close the weather got even better. Classes had finished and the Gryffindors decided to go and sit by the lake together. Sirius was particularly quiet following his encounter with Regulus. He sat underneath the marauders favourite tree with his arm around Marlene. Remus and Kate were both laying on the grass reading. Peter was kicking stones into the lake and James and Lily were sat dangling their feet into the lake splashing each other. "I still can't believe we'll be seventh years in a few months," Lily laughed.
"I know…" James grinned, "Soon you'll be head girl… and we'll all have to be on our best behaviour."
"I might not be, you know," Lily blushed.
"Yeah right," Remus chuckled.
"Emmeline Vance might get the badge," Lily told him.
"As if," James grinned.
The next day at breakfast James received a letter from home.
Dear James,
Your mum has been asking after you. She's not doing very well, she's getting worse. The healers don't know how long she will last. They keep trying to heal her but nothing seems to work.
James, I didn't want to tell you this in a letter but the truth is it would be worse for you to come home unawares.
Your mother loves you very much, as do I.
Dad.
James sighed.
"Ah James," Dumbledore spotted James in the corridor.
"Hi Sir," James grinned. "Sir, can I ask you something?"
"Of course you can," Dumbledore grinned.
"Do you think Crouch and Uglinton are right, that we need to be brutal with Voldemort?" James asked.
"Hum… James there will come a day when someone will have to kill Voldemort," Dumbledore sighed, "I only hope that the one who does will be kind enough, good enough that he will not be tempted by the power and fame that he will gain. Crouch is not that man and Uglinton for all his good wishes and great intentions, he is not that man…"
"But who is?" James asked.
"I'm not sure… I've a feeling, I've yet to meet him."
"Then what do we do?"
"We fight… we fight for the right to love, for the right to be kind… we fight for humanity… we prepare the way for the one who will bring this war to an end."
"But what if we fail?"
"We cannot fail… James, love never fails… we will not fail. Love is perhaps the oldest, most powerful type of magic… and Voldemort, he lacks it so completely… it is our love for each other that will be our victory."
The final day arrived and the entire school was gathered together in the Great Hall. The new minister had come to give an announcement. He stood at Dumbledore's podium and smiled at all the bewildered students before him. "This year has not been easy for any of you," Berlus Uglinton told them, "you've lost family, friends…"
"I'm not going to pretend that the next year will be any easier," he continued, "but I can promise you that we at the ministry are doing everything we can to bring this war to an end."
"When this war is over our world will be a place where muggleborns and pureblooded wizards can live in peace together… We will not tolerate prejudice… We will not tolerate death eaters… I will not stop until every death eater is in Azkaban."
The minister continued for several minutes more. When he finally finished, the students made their way to the carriages
The sixth year Gryffindors took a compartment to themselves on the train. They sat and discussed the war and what they expected to happen in the next year. The last few months had been hard on them. Each day they had heard of someone new that had died and often they recognised the names. Each of the students couldn't wait to see their parents once more. It had been a long year. The journey seemed to drag on. They all agreed to keep in touch over the summer. James promised to write to Lily. Lily had arranged to stay with Marlene for two weeks at the end of the summer and so she was sure she'd see James before returning to Hogwarts. She didn't understand what had changed or why she suddenly cared about him but she did. When he kissed her goodbye, she didn't even think about questioning it. She was going to miss him more than she cared to admit.
Charlus Potter met James and Sirius on the platform. Not too far away Walburga and Orion were waiting for Regulus. Walburga kissed her youngest son excitably, "we're so proud of you!"
"Why?" Regulus asked bitterly.
"You know why," his mother grinned evilly. "I can't wait to see it."
"Walburga, that's enough," Orion complained.
Walburga turned and noticed Sirius looking their way, "what do you want boy?"
"Absolutely nothing," Sirius replied before following James and Charlus out of the station. Sirius sighed, if only I could have saved him.
There will be an epilogue before I start number seven!