Chapter Forty-Nine: The Truth

I coughed for what felt like forever. Man, I really hated the Floo Network. When I finally calm down, I open my eyes to see a group of people consisting of Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, James, and Sirius.

My heart dropped when I saw my brother. Does he know what happened to our mother? And Sirius is here too. That makes sense since Mum thought of him as another child and he lived with us. Will I have to tell them what happened? I don't want to, but I have to.

"Ah, Miss Potter, just the person we were waiting on. You are all free to go back to your dormitories. I have informed your brother and Mr. Black of the unfortunate circumstances that have taken place tonight. Although, if you would like, you may return to the Gryffindor dorms with your brother, Miss Potter. I, for one, also know what it feels like to lose a member of the family," said Dumbledore quietly.

I looked over to my brother, who was staring right back at me. Even if he was told what happened, he still needed to know how it happened. My eyes returned to the Headmaster, "Thank you, Professor, that would be just fine. Now, have a nice night."

He nodded with a grave smile with his usually twinkling blue eyes extinguished. "Minerva, could you escort them to the Gryffindor Common Room?"

"Of course, Albus," McGonagall replied in a whisper and gestured to us to follow her out of the office.

I walked silently behind my brother and his friend. The grim walk seemed like it took forever, especially since no one dared to speak, but when we finally arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, the quietness was broken by McGonagall uttering the password. The three of us entered the common room as the teacher bid us a good night before the painting closed behind us. We were met with strange looks from the Gryffindors that were still up since it was the weekend.

To say that it wasn't awkward when we entered would be an understatement. I managed to ignore the heavy glares sent my way and stalked up the staircase labeled Boy's Dormitories. I even made point not to shoot everyone in distance a death glare also, which was a huge accomplishment for me.

"Sophie, you didn't have to come with us. I'm sure you would have felt more comfortable at your own dorm than you would here," James muttered darkly as we entered his room.

I looked around the red and gold room. It hadn't changed much since I was here last time to yell at my brother. I noticed Peter was sound asleep and Remus was sitting worriedly in the corner on his bed.

"That's okay, James. I thought that you would want to know what happened, so I volunteered to follow you back here," I said in almost a whisper.

"What happened?" Lupin asked with a layer of dismay in his voice.

I opened my mouth to speak, but was too late.

"My mother is dead. Murdered by Death Eaters," my brother hissed as he and Sirius headed to their own beds, leaving me standing awkwardly in the middle of the room.

The werewolf's expression had immediately turned sad. He also knew my mother because of the weeks he stayed over during the summer breaks. "That is awful, and I'm so sorry about your mother. Mrs. Potter was a wonderful person, so why would they go after you mum?"

James and Sirius refused to speak, so I, of course, was sent his questioning look. I sighed and leaned against the post of Frank's bed, which was currently empty. "To make some shitty point. This dark wizard wanted to show everyone that he was serious about his plans, so he wanted to show that by slaughtering my family. A family of blood traitors. That is why my grandmother was killed along with Mum and Dad too."

My brother sat up in his bed to stare at me. I could tell that he was trying not to cry because his eyes were red and filled with emotion.

"They did this to make a fucking point? This is exactly why I left my family. Blood purity is the biggest bunch of bullshit that I have ever heard! Muggleborns are some of the best witches and wizards out there. Hell, look at Lily for example. She is top of our class!" Black shouted as he flopped around on his bed. It seemed that he was as upset as the rest of us. Even more so, I think, because his family supports their actions.

"What even happened out there, Sophie? I mean, Dumbledore only told us that Mum and you fought off the Death Eaters. Said she didn't make it because of an injury... What really happened?" my brother asked me. He still never stopped looking at me since he sat up.

My fists clenched into a fist harder than they were before and I looked away from my brother's eyes as I begun retelling the story, "I went to see Mum after going to Gringotts. She was happy that I came to visit, so she made us tea and we were in the living room talking. I figured that I would apologize for being such a bitch, you know? And then she said it was okay and everything. Even told me how much Aunt Vera was prick and that she was sorry too. Then she hugged me and almost started to cry. That was when they came."

BANG! The door had been blasted open by a group of Death Eaters.

I stared straight forward as I thought about what happened. My voice began to get a little shaky as the memories flew across my eyes, but I hid it well. None of them noticed, except for Remus maybe. He was too smart to fool sometimes. Especially when I was emotionally weakened.

"It was terrible. The wall was blasted down and I think the coffee table ended up being broken into splinters. Curses were flying everywhere, but I wasn't going to give up. We were down to two Death Eaters... I removed the mask of the one I was dueling because he seemed to be in charge of the entire operation. It was Yaxley. He wouldn't stop going on about how he killed Dad and how we were going to be next," I paused as the memory over took my mind yet again.

He looked a bit surprised at the reveal, but then smiled cruelly, "Just had to see the gorgeous face who was going to kill you?"

I growled in anger and only fought back harder. This was the fucking bastard who killed my dad and I was going to have my revenge.

My mouth was dry as I started talking yet again, "Then I heard mum groan in pain. I turned to see this giant gash on her stomach. That was when the other Death Eater's guts covered the room and it was just Yaxley left, but I didn't care because Mum was hurt. He sort of escaped my mind at the time."

My reply was cut off by the loud groan of pain from my mother. I turned worriedly to find her clutching her stomach in pain before falling to the ground on the broken pieces of glass from our cups earlier. I could see blood seeping at an extraordinary pace into her light blue shirt.

"Mum! No!" I screamed in pain and anger right before shooting a curse at the man who did this to her. He fell to the floor dead. Then I ran to her side. This couldn't be happening again. We just made up with each other. "Mum! No, no, no!"

"Then he apparated away after sending up the Dark Mark and I tried to put pressure on the wound. Mum said that it was too late, but that didn't stop me from trying. She said that the curse guaranteed her death, so she told me that she loved us. Told me to tell you that she loved you, James."

She then lifted her shaky hand to my face and wiped away the tears I didn't know were falling. "Now, remember what I said earlier? Don't forget it. Tell... Tell your brother that I love him."

I nodded frantically, "I will, Mum, but I can't loose you. I just lost Dad and Grandma. Not you too. You're going to pull through. You can't die. I won't let you!"

I took a deep breath before I spoke again, "And then she grabbed my hands and told me goodbye. After that, she died and I went a little mad until the Aurors arrived."

Her eyes were beginning to get hazy and her hand had dropped from my face to grip my own, stopping my from putting pressure on her wound. As she spoke, her voice got weaker and her breath became lighter. There was also more space between her sentences, "I'm sorry, dear. It's my time to go... I'll tell them that you said hello... Daddy and Grandma... Wherever we end up going to... I love you, Sophie. Remember to.. never forget that. I'm... sorry. Goodbye... my darling." She then closed her tearful eyes and her head went slack.

"No! Mum! MUM!" I cried as I shook her, trying to wake her up, though it was hopeless.

Then the pressure in my hand was gone and that was when I knew. She was gone. Never to open her chocolate brown eyes again.

"They pulled me off of her and told me that it would be okay. I didn't believe them until they calmed me down. You have no idea how awful it was. Watching Mum die only months after seeing Dad get murdered by the killing curse and hearing about Grandma's death," I finished quietly before looking back at the others in the room.

My brother, James, was crying silently. I didn't blame him. He just heard how his mother died in cold blood. If I wasn't there I would be bawling my eyes out.

Sirius was glaring at the wall, barely blinking at all. I could see the anger just radiating off of him, along with the sadness he felt.

The other conscious occupant of the room, Remus, was just staring at the floor. He didn't know my mother as well as the rest of us, but he was still mourning for her.

Peter was still sleeping, not even aware that anything was happening.

Suddenly, James wiped away his tears and turned angry. His glare was turned at me, "Do you even feel anything? You watched our mother die right before your eyes, yet you stand here with an emotionless expression. Do you even care? You're really a heartless bitch as everyone makes you out to be!"

I looked over to my brother in disbelief before it turned into anger. Even if it didn't show, his word cut through me like a knife. That was when I started to shout right back at him, "What's your problem? I just told you how Mum died and you decide to yell at me! Just because I hide my emotions well because I'm not an open book like you doesn't mean that I don't fucking care! You don't want to see me right now when I don't hide my emotions because I know that I will brake down in tears and not be able to stand back up for hours. You have it easy right now. You didn't see both your parents die right before your eyes like I did. Don't you even dare tell me that I'm a heartless bitch and don't give a shit, you damn bastard!"

"There you go again, telling me how you always have it harder! You are such a drama queen. Making the smallest things out to be these horrible things. Yeah, you are different than the rest of your family, but who cares? Mum and Dad just let you do whatever you want and you always get away with it. I'm always the bad guy to you! Why is that? I don't do anything wrong and every time I try to care I just get yelled at!" my brother retorts back to me, only making me even more furious.

"I do have it harder than you because I am different! Merlin, James, did you even notice the disappointed looks that I used to get from our parents? They always used to compare everything I did to you! Why do you think that I was always mad at you? I got tired of hearing how much better you were compared to me. I got sick and tired of it after a few years of being in Slytherin. After I got sorted, you wouldn't even talk to me, yet alone even look at me. I always thought that I was such a damn screw up because no one in my family even talked to me after they found out! Do you know what that does to a child? Why do you think I'm such a bitch to everyone? I don't want that to happen again. It tore me apart to think that our mother and father were disappointed in me because I wasn't like you, their star child. I always thought that they didn't care much for me, but I found out I was wrong about that Christmas when Dad died after he went to find me. That night changed me, James, and now I know how stupid I was to think that they didn't like me. That's why I went to apologize today because I didn't want Mum to die thinking that I hated her like Dad did!" I screamed back. Tears were now pouring from my eyes at the bundle of emotions even I couldn't hold in. I slid to the floor crying my eyes out like I warned James would happen. There, now he knew the truth about how I really felt.

My brother stared at me in shock. He had no idea that I felt that way and I could see that he immediately felt guilty for yelling at me. He got up off of his bed and slid down on the floor next to me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me into his chest to cry.

"I'm sorry, Sophie. I didn't know that you felt like that. It's going to be okay, I promise," James whispered into my ear.

Nodding, I finally let my emotions out and hugged my brother harder. I have no idea how long I sat there crying before I fell asleep in my brother's arms.

AN- So another chapter down. I thought that this one was a bit challenging because it was about them making up after seven years of fighting. Also, this was quite a long chapter for me. Next chapter is about Hogsmeade and Moody. I'll make sure to add Regulus since he hasn't made an appearance in forever too.

Thank for the reviews rockinBallerina, celeste.c. arguello , Nimea, kittyhawk09, and Blue Luver5000. I appreciate your feedback on my story. Keep it up, my friends.

Until next time. -Laura