Perspectives

Lily and Sev continued walking. Lily's family followed about three hundred feet behind.

"But now we have another problem, Lily."

"Which?"

Despite everything we've talked about, she still hasn't realized the danger she's put Lauren in, Sev thought. "Nobody has read you deeply or has verified that you can occlude well, it has been largely my fault, because I should have done a session with you three before coming on holidays, knowing that we will not meet again."

"Yeah, Sev, you're right, but I think I get it. Cecile and Remus only get to recent thoughts, but they never get what I'm occluding, I've tried so hard."

"And not only that, all the previous months that you spent knowing it and without learning, you put her in grave risk. Imagine if Dumbledore had read you. If he had discovered her secret, he could have tried to recruit her as a spy."

"Ugh… you're right," she said. "Back then I was still very thoughtless. I didn't wake up until we started with the Guard. Wow… what a mess I could have gotten her into."

"Well, luckily nothing serious has happened. But now we are going to have to risk one of the two of us reading you thoroughly to know that you occlude well, and it will be tricky, the snakes all come home warm after spending the holidays. At least the letter doesn't arrive until May."

"How many problems I have given you, Sev, I am very sorry."

"Well, nothing happens," he reassured her. "But I must tell her that you know, let's see what she thinks about the matter, because if you still don't occlude well, one of the two of us will have to continue training you, whichever seems safer to her. As the clearing is too public, in case you two should meet, we are going to take the Pensieve to Hogwarts, to leave it in the Haven so that you can meet there. I'll take care of it, I'll take it there as soon as we finish dinner the day we return, and that way I'll also take all the ingredients for the potions. You have to keep the books we bought."

"Buah… you won't fit everything in the trunk."

"Yeah… incredible, I've always carried it half empty. Luckily it is the trip from here and I will take it in the compartment with me, if it were the return trip it would be very dangerous, in the one with the snakes."

"And if I leave the Defense Compendium here?" Lily suggested. "Your Mum has already made copies of the annexes for everyone, and I don't think I'll have time to study it either, with all the hassle and a month and a half from OWLs."

"And will you take the Pensieve to the Haven?"

"Sure. From the seventh floor it's a moment and I'll ask Remus or Cecile to come with me, or both. If you say that he already knows where it is, what does it matter?"

"Okay, but they don't have to go to the door either, it's better if they stay hidden and watch in the gallery of windows," Sev said. "Do it after dinner on Monday. Everyone will be busy unpacking the trunks, there will be no danger from the snakes, and you can always make the excuse that you haven't been together all week and escape from the other three. In fact, let Cecile carry the backpack with it inside if they see you leaving."

"And wouldn't it be better to wait for everyone to fall asleep?"

"If you want, they will be rested. The worst will be for you, after the trip."

"Well, you'll also stay up late to talk to Parkinson as soon as possible, won't you?" she asked.

"Of course, but I'm going to spend the whole trip alone in the Express, I can sleep. Oh… and don't call her by her last name, call her Lauren."

"Lauren, as Lauren Bacall."

"Who is she?" he asked.

"Do you remember that when the Potions thing happened I told you that she was a 'femme fatale', like the ones that usually appear in the Muggle movies that my Dad likes?"

"Yes of course."

"Well, she is an actress who usually plays that role," Lily explained. "I'm sure her parents also liked the Muggle movies of those years, that's why they named her after her."

"Wow… then it suite her very well. Well, then do it like this, take Remus with you and make sure you don't get caught. I'll go upstairs to bring the ingredients at a safer time for me. Maybe that same night, at late night, when I'm done with Lauren, because we'll probably have a lot to talk about, if I'm to show her where it is and reveal the secret so she can get inside. If she decides to be the one to do it, which would be the best, because she reads much faster and better than me, maybe she wants to talk to you directly, surely on Tuesday. Don't be scared if she projects to you, it's the safest way, and trust everything she tells you. Since we've met she hasn't tried to touch my hair again, she also respects you completely."

God... how guilty I feel. Lily cried.

"Come on, don't worry, I'm sure the three of us can find a solution," Sev said.

"Sev, I love her very, very much. She is to me like Remus is to you. So devoted and without expecting anything in return."

"I would have liked to be able to keep the letter she wrote me to get in touch with me. But I didn't know the spell to protect writings yet and I had to burn it. It was all heart. I remember a sentence, referring to what happened in Potions, which was how she started, apologizing. She said, 'The insults I gave you stick into me like daggers'."

"Buaaah… poor girl, how bad it must have been to her," she said. "I really want to meet her, Sev."

"Come on, don't torture yourself, it's done now, and maybe you can meet her next week. Do we wait for your family? Or do you want to talk about something else? So we get distracted and don't think about the problems."

"Okay. But hug me again, please."

"Of course, honey."

They waited for them and continued for a while walking and talking among the five of them. Lily listened to Sev and finally began to talk to her sister, inspired by Sev and Lauren's dedication and selflessness.

Meanwhile, he was thanking Violet and Peter for taking him there, and he was explaining to them how he felt when he saw the ocean for the first time. They were delighted to have been able to offer him something like this. The two also told the Muggles that they had felt the magic of the beach.

"Has Lily told you what the rituals here mean?" Violet asked him.

"Yeah."

"And have you done it?"

"No, but we have been meditating on some issues that were related to them, and they are already giving results," Sev answered.

Peter and Violet understood perfectly, because they had also read the meanings of the rituals in the Druid Magic book, healing the wounds of the soul, and they were watching their daughters talk without snapping for the first time in years. Really, the magic worked, or maybe simply, the sensitivity of that boy to heal others.

The beach was very long and they were getting hungry, so they retraced their steps to the car. This time Peter drove, and Violet next to him. He told them, "Girls, let Sev sit behind me, so he can continue to see the sea through the window."

So they switched places. Lily continued in the center, holding Sev's hand, but this time she dedicated herself to talking at times with her sister. They didn't put on the radio either. And I appreciate it, because it's enough for me looking at the spectacular landscape that is offered before my eyes, and I prefer to do it in silence, so as not to get distracted, Sev thought.

They stopped for lunch. I'm a bit embarrassedto be invited, but what can I do?Of course, not even dream of refusing food.

Lily let Sev sit next to Tuney and she did it on his other side and she didn't mind them talking to each other. He, with his inseparable notebook, asked her to make a list of the groups she liked, and asked her about the station they had listened to before, she gave him its dial number. Mum will know how to look for it.So if they sound on the radio tonight I'll pay attention to them, Sev thought.

Peter and Violet were delighted to see the harmony that had been created between the three teens, whom they already considered their children as equals.

They continued on their way. The coast began to rise and Sev was able to see the sea from a greater height, being impressed by the immensity of the horizon. Soon the white cliffs of Dover appeared. Whoah… that's amazing! I would never have imagined that places like this existed.

They parked and got out of the car, he could see the waves beating at the foot of the cliffs. They also took a walk along a path that ran close to the edge.

"Is this also magical?" Sev asked.

"Yes," Lily replied.

"And what do the rituals mean here?"

"Wide and elevated perspectives."

"Of course, it could not be otherwise."

So Sev took time to meditate on the future that lay ahead for him, not only his desire to have a prominent place in the Wizarding War, but also all the other things he would like to do in life that he had just find out that week. To earn a decent living with my magic, to discover and reveal the Ancient Magics, to know the world in which I live, to travel and discover other places and ways of life, to learn Muggle culture, to live the passion of music, to be a light for the maximumpossible of people.

I'd want to lean out and look directly below, but I'm afraid. They came to a viewpoint, which had a railing. Well, here I can, it's like the Astronomy Tower. He could see the waves crash three hundred feet below him. Wooow…

Lily and Petunia had never been there either and they were all three fascinated. Peter commented to them, "This is the English Channel. France is just across, 21 miles away."

Sev thought, How close!Europe.Perhaps we can Apparate there in a year as well. "Have you ever been there?"

"Yes," Violet said excitedly. "We went to Paris for our honeymoon. It is very romantic, the city of love…"

And of the student revolts. When he had a chance to do it out of earshot, he asked Lily, "What is that 'honeymoon'?"

She laughed. "The trip that a couple usually takes right after getting married, you know, to be alone and do little things…"

"Ah…"

"Back then there were other times, and couples didn't make love until after getting married. Maybe my parents did, I don't know, they never told me and I don't think they'll do."

"Yeah, sure." Surely mine did wait, if my father was so religious. But I'm sure they didn't take that trip that Lily says, they couldn't afford it.So my humble house in Spinner's End was for them the place where they loved each other for the first time.What should ours be?

We should try to obtain the recipe for the Union of Souls potion first, but if we don't get it in the remaining two months of school, we should start thinking about doing it, maybe in the summer, even if we do the Union later or maybe never, if we don't get the book or the ingredients, which must be rare like the berries of Lover's Flavor.

I can't keep Lily waiting that long, we've already come a long way and she has to be sure that she's the first, now that she knows about Lauren. Perhaps we should even do it right now, if they invite me one of these nights, so that she can withstand the two months of waiting, since she cannot have, like me, the certainty that I have not been with anyone else before her. I'll propose it to her.

In the way back, Violet drove first, it was still daylight, they put the radio back on and this time Lily left him free to write down more songs, while she continued chatting with Tuney at times.

Halfway there it was getting dark and the drivers exchanged again. So Peter, who has much more practice behind the wheel, drives at night and saves the London ring road.

He again proposed to Sev to go ahead and asked, "Have you listened to classical music?"

"I suppose so, but I don't remember."

"I'm sure you'll like it too, so we let the girls relax and maybe sleep for a while, they must be exhausted from getting up so early."

Wow... and they've done it all for me. "Thank you very much for the excursion, Peter. It has been one of the best days of my life."

The man gave him a tender smile. "Do not give them to me, we have loved spending the whole day with you."

Sev smiled back to him. "Put on that music you say."

Peter searched the dial before pulling away. Instrumental music, ancient, an orchestra. Peter made comments to him, told him the names of the authors and what era they were from. Sev wrote it all down, because he, in fact, liked it a lot. He also asked him if he recognized the instruments and explained the different families of them. "That which has just entered are the complete strings, violins, violas, cellos and double basses, in order from highest to lowest... That instrument that can be heard alone is an oboe, a wind, in the orchestra they are not so important, but there are groups of only wind musicians, also in more modern music, such as jazz... A tutti of the entire orchestra, all at the same time, is usually used in tremendous finales…"

Wow… how much he knows. "Can you tell me the dial of this station?"

Peter told him and Sev wrote it down.

At seven, already close to London, the program changed. "I love this one, it's more intimate music, soloists and chamber music, with less instruments…" Lily's father said. "Do you see? What I was telling you, a string quartet, two violins, viola and cello. Can you distinguish the different tones?"

Sev was trying to follow the melody of each instrument. I like this even more than the orchestra. "I think so…"

On the next theme, Peter told him, "Good! A Chopin nocturne, romantic. I'm going to let you listen to this one without bothering you."

Wow... what a piano... so delicate and virtuous at the same time, and the interpreter is excellent, what a feeling he gives it. He closed his eyes, transported, so as not to miss a note. Wow, but it has been very short, what a pity.

"Did you like it?" the older man asked him.

"I have felt in the clouds," Sev replied.

Although it was already night, he still annoted it at the light of the street lamps that illuminated the London ring road. Again came strings and piano. I also like it but not that much, let's see if they put out another piano solo, it's brutal.But this one lasts much longer and we should be close to Cokeworth by now.

When they were already entering their city, it was heard on the station, "And as a final touch on this Saturday afternoon we will listen to Debussy's 'Claire de Lune'."

"Moonlight, wonderful," said Peter. "Listen, listen, then you´ll write it down, the impressionists are the best."

Wow… he's right… I thought Chopin was impossible to improve, but this… what a delicacy, it's just like that, moonlight in a forest clearing. I can see it, like that night I walked through it alone… What I would give to be able to play this, how wonderful…

It finished just as Peter was parking at the door of Sev's house. "What? You loved it, right?"

"I have no words to express it... Thanks Peter, you are discovering a whole world to me."

"Let me write it down for you. It's in French and you won't know how to spell it."

"Sure, Peter, thanks."

Peter made a note on the notebook and said, "Tomorrow I'll play it again, and more similar, I have the records at home. I see we like the same music."

"It's true."

"I tried to instill it in my daughters when they were little, but they didn't appreciate it. I would have liked them to play an instrument since I couldn't."

War orphan, Sev thought. "Oh... I would have liked to learn."

Alcoholic father and abused since childhood, Peter thought.

They both had misty eyes.

"I see… maybe you still have time," said the older man.

Yeah… But at Hogwarts I can't and musical instruments are very expensive.Ugh… Sev thought.

Peter turned and said, "What I was telling you, they both fell asleep."

Sev did too. Both sisters are leaning on the shoulders of their mother, who is all shriveled up, but with a smile from ear to ear.

"Are you staying to sleep at home tomorrow after dinner?" Peter asked. "So we have more time to listen to music. And on Monday we'll come here for your trunk to take you to the train station, we will leave you at a safe distance. As long as your mother is okay with it."

"Of course, she can Apparate there and pretend that she has accompanied me."

Peter laughed. "God! Who was a witch! You don't know how envious I am of you, but healthy, huh?" He was grinning at him, Sev beamed back. "Bring in the afternoon what you need to spend the night. Violet, wake them up so they can say goodbye."

"No… leave them," Sev said.

"Well, if they are going to have to do it in five minutes."

Violet was already calling them. "Lily… Tuney… Sev is leaving…"

They woke up. How cute. And he turned to kiss the three of them on the cheek.

"See you tomorrow, Sev, bring all the homework we have left to do, at nine as usual," Lily said.

"Okay."

"See you tomorrow, Sev."

"See you tomorrow, girls."

Peter also gave him a kiss. "See you tomorrow. Don't forget your notebook."

Sev entered his house. His Mum already had dinner ready. "How punctual! How have you been?"

"Wow, Mum, they have taken me to see the sea... They drove almost seven hours to do it."

"Oh…!" Eileen was shocked, and her expression betrayed guilt.

Sev hugged her. "Come on, don't worry. If I had seen it as a child I would not have appreciated it so much."

"Are you hungry?"

"Yes, a lot."

"I'm going to serve dinner and you tell me."

They had dinner and he told her about his day. Her mother knew Dover, having been with her family in her youth, but not Camber Sands. He also informed her of the developments between the sisters and on the subject of Lauren and how he had connected with Peter through music.

"Son, what I was telling you the other day, you are destined to illuminate everyone who approaches you. You are light."

When they finished, she brought him the radio and two newspapers from the day before, which she had been given at the house of her clients, and the one from today, which she had bought.

Sev took his notebook out. "Have you been able to read them?"

"Yes, I have reviewed them."

"Is the 'Che' Guevara thing coming?"

"Yes, in yesterday's."

Eileen looked for the page and Sev was able to find out in detail about the bloody and cowardly murder of that hero. "My…! How hard…!"

"At least it has been known."

He also reviewed the news on the student revolts in France, the situation in Northern Ireland, the Lebanese conflict, the Argentine dictatorship and the news on Spain, the terrorist group and the syndicate recovered from oblivion. He spent about an hour reading and discussing the events with his mother.

I am exhausted, I'm going to bed directly with the radio. Tomorrow I have to get up early and do a lot of homework, if I can't finish it I'll do it on the Express.

He turned on the classical music station very low, with the bedside lamp off, since it was the only plug, and fell asleep listening to a very long work. They sing in an unknown language, the scenes follow one another without interruption, it must be like a story, since I identified the different voices as characters.Tomorrow I'll ask Peter about this too.

. . . . . . . . .

They also had dinner right away at Lily's home, as her Mum had already prepared it in advance the night before, and Lily took advantage of the fact that her sister, not used to getting up early on holidays, went straight to bed to discuss a serious matter with her parents. They sat in the living room.

"Mum and Dad, I want to talk about something with you."

"Of course, daughter, tell us what you want," said her father.

"You see, I can't give you many details. I'll tell you the whole thing when I get back in the summer, but it's very important that Sev's Mum doesn't let her husband into her house again until then."

"Of course honey. And what can we do?" asked her Mum.

"She's going to feel very lonely when Sev leaves, and I would like you to try to keep in touch with her, invite her home from time to time and subtly make her see that she must resist alone until then."

"We were already thinking of continuing to invite her, of course, and also helping her in whatever she needs," said her Dad. "But why can't you tell us now everything that happens?"

"Because it's a very delicate matter and I'm afraid you'll spill something in front of Sev or her."

"Well... we understand," Violet said. "In the meantime, we'll do what we can. But know that if his father comes back, Sev can always stay here."

"We already know, Mum, but it is very important that he can spend this summer at home with his Mum. You will understand when I tell you everything."

"Of course, honey, don't worry, we won't abandon her until then. We'll keep inviting her over to our house, we'll chat with her like we did the other night, and we'll go out somewhere on the weekends, if she likes, now that the good weather is here."

"Thank you, parents. I thank you very much."

. . . . . . . . .

Since Sev went to bed so early, he woke up very early too, it had just dawned and his Mum was still sleeping. He showered, ate breakfast and took the opportunity to prepare all he could of his luggage, because during the day and the next day he was not going to have much time.

Then he went to the living room with his homework, while he turned on the modern music station. He pleasantly discovered that it didn't bother him to study and so he could keep writing down songs. I wish the electrical devices worked at Hogwarts.

His Mum appeared at eight and they listened to the bulletin together. As it was Sunday, there was hardly any new national news, but there was international ones. When they were done, Sev picked up his gear and hurried over to Lily's. For once, I'm going to be late.

They worked hard all morning, managing to shake off their homework for another two and a half subjects. Ugh... in the end we might even have enough time to finish.

Sev came home for lunch and they did it listening to the radio. His Mum told him, "Take it, maybe you can hear it outside the school grounds, at the trips to Hogsmeade."

Ugh... the trips to Hogsmeade that I can't do. Sev thought. "It's not worth it, Mum, you keep it."

"I can get another one, there are cheap ones. Perhaps it can also be heard in the Forest. I bought you two sets of batteries."

Wow… it would be great to hear it with the Guard back and forth.And also with Lauren, I'm sure they'll be interested. "Okay, I'll take it with me to try."

"There are stations that broadcast music from various eras and news every hour, they are the ones I listen to while working. Look, this is the one I like best."

A song is playing that is not bad at all, he thought. "It's music from my time to the '60s, the best songs, the classics that will last," Eileen added.

Much better than the modern station, which most are a drag. "Oh…"

"And at the hour sharp they give the news bulletins. And if you want them in more detail, at one o'clock there is another one of a whole hour in which we have listened this morning."

It will be perfect if we listen to it in the Forest, because it is just when we stop for lunch with the Guard. Sev wrote down all this information in his notebook and said goodbye to his Mum, agreeing that she would go to Lily's home around six, to be with her parents for a while before making dinner.

They got to grips with their homework again and managed to finish it.

"We've done more in one day than in the whole week," Lily said.

"Yeah... but we have barely studied."

"Well, that wasn't so urgent, we still have two months left for the exams."

"Have they already told you that they invited me to sleep tonight?" Sev asked her.

"Oh really?"

Rays… they wanted to give her another surprise. He laughed. "Yes... haven't you noticed that I'm carrying my night clothes in my backpack? Your father told me yesterday in the car, when you two were asleep."

"Look how mysterious you like to play…"

Sev laughed.

Now I'll play the mysterious one too, she thought. "Did you bring the sleep potions?"

"No, Lily, it didn't even occur to me that we could spend the night here together. I left them at the Haven, but even if we stay up late, we can always sleep on the Express."

Lily smiled mysteriously.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"Can't you guess?"

"No idea…"

"I have no Haven where to leave them…" she said.

"Do you have them here?"

She smiled at him mischievously.

"Wow! Wonderful! What a surprise!" Sev exclaimed. "You're the best, Lily. Why didn't you take them out the other night?"

"It was so unexpected that it didn't even occur to me. Besides, I was very excited to sleep with you without more."

"Well… without more… what a wake up…"

"Yeah…"

They were already talking and looking inviting.

"Yesterday I had an idea," he said.

"Tell me…"

"If you want, we don't wait any longer, we'll do it tonight. So you can be sure that you are the first."

She looked at him impressed. "Do you want to?"

"Only if you want."

Lily thought about it. "I don't know, it would be a brutal farewell, but I don't want us to do it because of that. I trust you Sev, I know you're going to wait and I'd rather try to find the Red Magic book to do it right."

"We may never find it."

"But we have not even made the attempt, it seems to me that we are rushing. I don't want you to think that I'm rejecting you, I really want to too."

Merlin... how she has changed, Sev thought. "Okay, then don't talk anymore, we'll wait. I think like you, but I wanted to let you choose. We will review the entire repertoire."

"Yes… kiss me…"

They kissed like never before, anticipating the fantastic night they were going to spend.