Enjoy!
How It Should've Been
Chapter 20: What Happened
Any parent that could really call themselves a parent would do anything if it meant saving their child. They would give up anything and everything for their child to live and be happy. And sometimes, giving up anything and everything was what was demanded of you.
Lily was going about her normal routine for the day, but today was anything but normal, she just didn't know it yet. It was October 31st, fifteen years after the day that one of the most dangerous wizards fell. The world started to spin around her as her head pounded. Clutching her head, she fell to the ground unconscious.
It was only an hour later when she awoke laying on a white couch. Blinking her eyes several times to get adjusted to the bright lights, she slowly sat up and shook her head. Once she came back to herself, her first thought made her eyes widen.
"Harry." She muttered and stood quickly causing her to stumble a little bit.
"Be careful there. You just experienced a heavy barrage of memories." A voice came from her right and a hand on her arm steadied her her. Looking to to the voice, she was greeted with the face of an older man.
"Who are you?" Lily demanded as she moved out of his reach.
"Someone that wishes to help you. Help you let go."
"Let go of what?" Lily questioned. She knew this route would be easiest, to just go along with this until she had the chance to leave.
"Your family and friends." He stated as if it was obvious. Lily's eyes widened. "You just got your memories back. We had to wait for that to happen to be able to condition you properly. Now we can either do this the easy way or the hard way."
Lily shook her head. "No. Not happening." She refused vehemently.
"I think you've mistaken me. That was not an option. But it appear you're going to need to do this the hard way." He sighed. "So be it." He shook his head in disappointment and turned around walking away with his hands intertwined behind his back. Lily took one step forward but that was as far as she got before she felt a prick in her neck. Only moments after the world started to blur before Lily's eye as she staggered and nearly fell if it hadn't been for the arms to caught her as she lost consciousness.
Hunter used the pencil on the back of the letter and wrote. What do you want in exchange? The words faded only seconds after they were written.
More appeared after a minute or so of waiting. What we have always wanted.
Hunter was not seen for the rest of the day, remaining in his apartment. Unlike Harry and Alex who had decided to come out of their short isolation. This only became known when Harry knocked on the open door to the kitchen where Hermione, Sirius and Amelia were talking. They all looked over at the noise. Hermione rushed over to him and wrapped him in a tight hug, which he graciously returned just as tight. Amelia and Sirius shared a look and nodded.
"As much as I want to know what's going through that head of yours. We'll give you some privacy." Sirius smiled before leading Amelia out of the room. Harry nodded appreciatively as he pulled away from Hermione and grabbed her hand, lightly tugging her over to the island where sat down and turned to face the stool next to him gesturing for her to sit. Doing so, she intertwined their fingers. Harry looked down at their hands rubbing her knuckles as he took a deep breathe.
"I tortured him." He admitted quietly not daring to meet her eyes. Hermione's eyes widened for a second before she gulped and nodded even though he wasn't looking up at her.
"And it's eating away at you." She observed cautiously. Harry bit his lip and slowly raised his head to look at her, his gaze pained.
"Not the fact that I tortured him." Harry admitted. "But the fact that I didn't hesitate. That it didn't bother me." He shook his head in shame. Hermione lifted her free hand and rested it under his chin, bringing his head up and looked into his eyes.
"Hey, I know this is more of Luna's territory but I'm going to give it a shot. What you did? Anyone would've in your position. He has done so many awful things to you. And no it doesn't make it morally right, but there is only so much one person can take before they break. Before they just want to them suffer. And no one can fault you for that." Hermione whispered. Harry shook his head and turned his head away pulling it from her hand. He stood and moved over to stand in front of the window.
"He said I was just like him. That I-" He started.
"No!" Hermione protested as she stood. "This is what he wanted. To get into your head. His final game. But Harry, you are nothing like him."
"How can you know that?" He shot back in despair. She walked up behind him and held his cheek, slowly turning him to face her. He didn't fight it but he also didn't meet her eyes.
"Because I could never have fallen for a monster like him." She whisper only inches from his face. He slowly raised his eyes to meet hers in amazement.
"Wha…?"
"I'm falling for you Harry Potter." She smiled as she kept her hand on his cheek. "And nothing is going to change that." Harry smiled and brought his hands up to cup her cheeks before pulling her face to his, connecting their lips in a sweet kiss.
"I've been falling for you since the day I met you." Harry said once they separated.
"Actually, I think that was me." She corrected referring to the first time they met when he caught her. "You quite literally knocked me off me feet." She smiled.
"And I will always be there to catch you." He promised. He leaned forward and captured her lips again, this time the kiss lost its sweetness and deepened quickly. Harry hands dropped from her face down to her back lightly where they drifted to her waist pulling her tightly to him. Hermione's hand left his cheek and wrapped around his neck. Lifting her up, Hermione wrapped her legs around his waist.
"I'll hold you to that." She kissed next to his ear before returning to his lips.
"Looking forward to it." He mumbled against her lips.
After leaving the kitchen, Sirius and Amelia retreated into his office. Closing the door behind them, Sirius headed straight to the cabinet right behind his desk and pulled out a bottle of scotch along with to glasses. Pouring one for each of them, Sirius walked over to where Amelia was sitting on the couch that was on the far left wall of the office. Handing one to her, he sat next to her.
"Do you really think leaving to teenagers alone in a kitchen with many surfaces was a good idea?" Amelia questioned. Sirius barked out a laugh.
"Well he may be my son but he isn't me." Sirius smirked. Amelia laughed and took a sip from her glass.
"That's exactly what I'm worried about. He doesn't have your oh so poorly hidden mischievousness. He is actually good at hiding it." Amelia teased. Sirius pretended to look offended and held his heart.
"I'm hurt." At her raised eyebrow he poured it on thicker. "No really! I'm actually hurt that you think so little of me. I'll have you know, I am capable of thinking about someone other than sex."
"Really?" Amelia tried and failed to hide her disbelieving laugh.
"Really!" Sirius exclaimed.
"So what are you thinking about right now?"
"Se- how good this scotch is." Sirius tried to correct himself and took a big gulp of his drink downing it. At Amelia's look, Sirius shot back, "Okay well what are you thinking about?"
"All of the bloody paperwork I'm going to be dealing with when I drag Voldemort's lifeless and no doubt mutilated corpse into the Ministry." Amelia answered matter-of-factly.
"Really?" Sirius questioned suspiciously and shook his head. "I don't think so."
"Then what do you think I'm thinking about?" Sirius paused and set his glass and pretended to think.
"I think, you're thinking about giving me a victory kiss."
"Hm, and what would you do if I wasn't?" Amelia questioned smiling deviously.
"I would cry. Like a baby." Sirius answered with a straight face.
"And if I was?"
"I certainly wouldn't dash your hopes by turning you down." Sirius assured. At some point during the conversation Amelia had finished her glass and set it on the table next to him and they became closed. Their eyes met. "Oh screw it." Sirius threw caution to the wind and dove forward crashing their lips together and pushing Amelia down on her back on the couch.
Their kissing continued and they didn't notice the door open until Alex was already speaking.
"Am I interrupting?" Alex looked between the two of them as they scrabbled, with Amelia shoving Sirius to the side and off the couch before she sat up and righted her shirt while Sirius picked himself up off the floor and brushed his clothes, flattening them. He picked up the glasses from the table and walked back to the cabinet at the back of the room. Everyone in the room looked severely uncomfortable.
"What did you need?" Sirius cleated his throat and turned to face her leaning back against her cabinet.
"Not so much as need. As want to be honest for once." Alex admitted. This gained Sirius full attention and Amelia looked between the two.
"Maybe I should go?" She suggested, standing. Sirius opened his mouth but was interrupted before he got a word out by Alex.
"No, no I think you should stay." Alex interjected, shocking both of them. She sighed and looked back at Sirius. He looked at her questioningly. She nodded. "I'm sure. Now, as you know there is a lot I keep secret. And lie about." She paused. "But-" That was as far as she got before an alarm started blaring all throughout the house. "We'll continue this conversation later." Alex promised before all of the hurried out of them room and straight to the command center of the house. They arrived at the same time that Harry and Hermione did. Their disheveled appearance drew knowing looks from the three adults as Amelia sent Sirius a look that said 'I told you so' with a smirk.
"What's the alarm?" Hermione questioned looking between the adults.
"It's a proximity warning. Anyone unauthorized that attempts to enter the house by way of wards sets it off." Sirius answered.
"By way of wards?"
"There are more ways to enter than by trying to by pass the wards. That is just the way they are." Alex explained. "Lets go."
"No need." A voice called from the far side of the room, quickly drawing their attention. All heads whipped to face their direction. An older man, that must have been about sixty, was standing his hands on a cane that was centered in front of him.
"How did you get in here?" Sirius demanded. "This house is practically a bloody fortress."
"And every fortress has one other ways of entry are unknown to all others." The man smiled while the group exchanged looks.
"And who exactly would know of this entry way?" Amelia questioned looking at Sirius to see if he had any idea, he shook his head and shrugged. Alex remained silent, putting the pieces together. There was only one way into the home other than being allowed by one of them. Family. Any member of the family could enter and allow entrance to others. He was telling the truth.
"That would be me." A woman's voice entered the room, all of the lights went out as she strode in and past everyone, taking a place next to the man. With the room pitch black, no one knew exactly where to look, except Alex. Alex's eyes followed the woman's steps from the time she entered the room and the lights went out to the time to stopped next to the man. The lights came back on a minute later yet both the man and woman were gone. Everyone's heads were a swivel, whipping around in search as to where they could've gone except Alex. She knew they were gone, that it was no use looking for them.
Spotting a paper laying on the table, Amelia cautiously picked it up and read it aloud. "If you went young Miss Lovegood back, go to the place where all of this began, tomorrow at dusk. We'll be waiting." She recited before looking around.
"Where's the place it all began?" Hermione questioned thinking hard.
"Hogwarts?" Sirius suggested.
"No." Alex intervened, stopping any further guesses, shaking her head. Everyone looked at her curiously. "Godric's Hallow."
"Why move to Godric's Hallow?" Alex questioned.
"Because every good fairytale ends like that." Lily smiled. Alex frowned confused.
"Like how?"
"How it started. It's how the readers feel satisfaction that the story went full circle." Lily explained.
"Bull." Alex retorted. Lily shrugged.
"Well you may not believe it but I do. Big events always take place where it all began. It adds emotional suspense." At Alex's questioning look, she continued. "You know, that something bad might happen."
"Ah, so that's your reason for moving here because you're waiting for something bad to happen?" Alex clarified.
"No- that's not- you know what? I give up." Lily threw up her hands causing Alex to laugh at her exasperation.
"Why Godric's Hallow?" Amelia questioned.
"Because it adds exactly what they want." Alex explained.
"Which is? And who exactly are 'they'?" Sirius pressed. Alex sighed.
"Guess it's time for the truth to come out isn't it?"
Leave thoughts and reactions in a review? They honestly really are helpful to me. Anyway, sorry for the slightly shorter length, it was what it was. I hope it was still enjoyable though!
