Chapter 9
Harry saw Fleamont smile softly at his announcement.
"So you are James' first son. That explains the resemblance." He remarked.
Harry sent a desperate look to Ginny. As much as he wanted to explain everything to his grandparents, he had no idea how. With a nod, she grabbed his hand and continued softly.
"Harry is an only child." She paused, catching the gaze of Fleamont and then Euphemia. "I am sorry. James and Lily died when Harry was one year old."
They saw the old couple blanch and Fleamont fell back in the sofa.
"When?" Euphemia asked.
"Halloween 1981. By You-Know-Who's wand." Harry croaked out.
Euphemia rose to her feet and slowly walked up to him. Smiling sadly, she opened her arms.
"Come here, Son."
He stared, until Ginny nudged him in the back and he stood up in his grandmother's embrace for the first time, sobbing softly and feeling her own tears trailing down his neck.
Ginny watched, feeling a little awkward and out of place but not daring to move and disturb the emotional moment. She saw Fleamont rise and embrace his wife and grandson, kissing each of them on the top of their head. Then, the old man released them and approached her.
"Can you tell me more?" He asked in a sad whisper.
She glanced at the embraced duo and then back at him.
"Let them have this moment." He said. "But we don't have much time before we join the others, and I… I need some answers to keep my composure then. I assume James does not know?"
Ginny nodded. "Dumbledore knows, and we plan to give a special potion to everyone in Hogwarts before we go back to our own time. I know Harry wants to tell his parents but we can't have them change things." She winced. "I am sorry, it sounds… like we want them to die but… it would change so much…"
Fleamont interrupted her. "I understand you can't mess with time. I… I wish there was a way to spare my son – and Lily – but I also know that the Potters are targets for this new Dark Lord. Saving them that day does not guarantee their survival. But I want the full story some time soon. And I won't lie: if I can think of a way to save James without destroying the future you know, I won't hesitate."
Ginny shook her head sadly. "I am sorry, Sir. Believe me, there is none."
"I will be the judge of that, young lady."
She shook her head more firmly. "No. Sir, you obviously love your son." She smiled at his nod, but kept her voice firm. "And I love Harry. I know what he went through. How much he values this time with his parents, and Sirius and Remus, and now you and your wife. He would give anything to spare even one of their lives."
She sighed and continued. "But he knows the cost would be far too high for many people. You will understand better once we tell you the whole story. Until we do, I beg you, do not tell him what you just told me."
She watched her boyfriend who was slowly drying his face. "He feels a lot of guilt for all that happened already, and I will not let you add to it, no matter how well-intentioned you might be." She finished strongly.
Fleamont looked at her for a few seconds before nodding slowly. "Very well. Please forgive a father who was desperate to save his son." He glanced at his wife and Harry. "I may not know him yet, but Harry is my grandson. James' son. I have no wish to harm him in anyway, young lady. You have my word."
"Thank you." She paused. "I told you Dumbledore was preparing a potion to erase the memories concerning Harry and I from the people in Hogwarts. If you wish, I am sure he could provide some for your wife and yourself."
The old man gazed at his grandson. "I… I do not know. We will be dead long before James meets his own demise. I am not sure we will survive until Harry's birth. I think I would like having memories of a grandson in my last moments in this life. But the temptation may be too strong, especially once you are gone. I will speak of it with Euphemia, and we will decide before you leave Potter Manor."
Harry and Euphemia joined them, and they all resumed their previous seats. She retrieved Harry's hand and was happy to see him smile in response. She turned to Fleamont.
"What would you like to know?" She asked.
"You are James and Lily's son? Do you know when they got married?" Euphemia started.
Ginny turned to Harry who nodded. "I am. I… I do not know the exact day when they married. I have some pictures of the wedding, though. It was shortly after they graduated, from what I was told." He answered.
Fleamont leaned slightly towards them again. "Are you safe, in your time? Is the war over? Are you happy?" He hesitated. "And James? Was he happy, before…?" He trailed off.
Harry exchanged a quick glance with her. "The war has just ended, when we are from." He squeezed her hand and smiled softly. "It will take some time for things to settle and for everyone to process all that happened, but… I am happy now." She watched as his eyes turned moist again and he continued so softly that she was unsure the older couple could hear him. "I can be happy, now."
She kissed his cheek and continued for him. "From what I heard, James and Lily were very happy together."
"You two fought in this war?" Euphemia screeched. "Children fought in a war? Why?"
Ginny repressed the urge to bristle at being called a child. "We had no choice." She replied instead. "You-Know-Who disappeared for a long time, many thought he was dead, but then he came back three years ago. He… he took power last year." She hated to hear her voice tremble. "Hogwarts became a terrible place."
Fleamont spoke up. "But it is over now? Truly over? You are safe?" He insisted.
She remembered the sight of Harry's body laying limply in Hagrid's arms and compulsively touched his chest over his heart.
"We are safe." She heard him reply. "I am here, Ginny. I am okay." He whispered in her ear.
She nodded. The memory was still vivid but seeing Harry safe and sound the last few weeks had helped lessen the effect of its remembrance somewhat. However, that and Fred's death still hit her at times, and Harry had similar moments sometimes when interacting with Remus. They had both learned to help the other through those times.
She looked up, and was surprised by the understanding in the eyes of the old couple. Startled, she remembered James saying that his parents had been active against Grindelwald.
Euphemia did not comment, electing instead to address her grandson.
"We should join James and the others soon, but is there anything you would like to ask us now? There will be time later to discuss heavier subjects."
Ginny looked towards Harry. She wondered what one could possibly ask a grandparent in such a situation.
Harry's gaze became a little absent as he thought.
"Well… Both James and Lily have described some weird feeling they have around me. I think I know what they mean, because I feel something… unusual? around them as well. I thought I was imagining it until James spoke to me about it. He said it reminded him of something but he couldn't figure out what."
Fleamont's gaze grew more sad, but it was his wife who answered.
"Do you have this feeling around us as well?" she asked.
Slowly, Harry nodded. "I do. It feels… muted, I guess? That's why I decided to ask you."
Euphemia smiled. "It is the magic of family. Much like you share looks and quirks with your parents, you inherit the feel of their magic. The feeling is muted with us because we are more distantly related. It is something that is often described by muggleborns when they first have magical children. James has grown with it, and probably would not have noticed it if not for the unusual circumstances."
Ginny tilted her head. She had never heard about that before. "So, basically, their magic recognized the relation between Harry and his parents?" she asked. "How come I never noticed it before?"
Euphemia smiled at her apologectically. "I am sorry, I did not even ask for your real name. Would you tell us?"
"I am Ginny Weasley." She answered. They had already shared far more dangerous information in the last hour.
The smile on the old woman's face widened. "A Weasley? Would I be correct if I assumed that you are a pureblood?"
Ginny nodded.
"Well, most wizards or witches who are born to two magical parents never really notice the feeling of family magic." She explained. "It is something that you have always had."
She paused, searching for a fitting analogy.
"It is like the weight of your hair. You never notice it, but if you cut it short, you would realize that the weight is missing. That's why it is most often commented upon by muggleborns when they have children or, more rarely, by wizarding families who have a squib child."
"So, James only noticed because he wouldn't expect to feel it with some stranger near his age?" She clarified.
"That is my guess, yes. And Lily could not place the feeling at all because her parents are muggles. If you, Ginny, encountered your parents in this time, you probably wouldn't notice the feeling because it is part of everything you associate with your parents. They, however, might notice the strange familiarity for a stranger." Euphemia finished.
Fleamont smiled. "Well, we will definitely talk more later – away from curious ears, of course. But for now we should head to the living room."
Harry hesitated as he rose. "When do you plan to tell James and the others that you are dying?"
The old couple shared a glance. "We will let them settle in and share their plans for the holidays tonight. But we will tell them tomorrow. I want James to be able to talk with us and have some support before he has to go back to school. This disease is known to sometimes deteriorate a wizard's health suddenly, and we might not survive until his graduation."
James watched as his father talked quietly with his mother and Harry. Since they had arrived the previous day, his parents had often engaged Harry in conversation. Hell, he had even heard his father encourage the young man to explore the family's library. James knew how well-guarded some of the books there were. Even Sirius had only been allowed in last summer, when he had completely renounced his own family and been basically adopted by the Potters.
In fact, James was surprised at how easily his parents had welcomed the strange couple. He had shared some of his suspicions by letter before their arrival, but not much since his parents had cautioned him to be wary of what he put on paper with the growing war. So, he had taken his father aside and explained everything he knew about Harry and Ginny after their first dinner in Potter Manor. He had been somewhat afraid that his dad would refuse to host them any longer, since he genuinely liked Harry and Ginny, but felt that he could not let his father unaware of the potential danger they represented.
Surprisingly, his father had assured him that he trusted them both and that they would always be welcomed in the Potter home. When James had asked if Harry was a distant relative, his father had only acknowledged that Harry was 'a complicated relation of the Potter family'.
No matter how much he pressed, his father had refused to say more.
Unfortunately, the strange couple appeared to be only one of many worries of the holidays.
Lily had received a letter from her sister, inviting her over to meet her fiancé and help her shop for a wedding dress. James, knowing that Lily planned to explain the truth of their parents death when she next saw her sister, had insisted on accompanying her. He was happy that she had accepted as soon as he mentioned the idea, but worried about how the encounter would go. He knew so little about interacting with muggles, and hoped he would not make the situation worse by doing some mistake.
Moreover, he had seen both of his parents swallow a potion at breakfast. James knew that his parents were old – they had often told him that he had been a miracle baby, born so late in their lives – but he had never thought that they looked old until he saw them on the platform the previous day. That they had not attempted to hide the potion meant they would share whatever was going on soon.
He was not sure if that was a good sign or not.
Unfortunately, he was proven right when his father, after exchanging a quick look with his wife, invited them all to the living room immediately after lunch. He threw a worried glance at Sirius, not exactly relieved to see his best friend look as preoccupied as he felt. Fearing what was to come, he grabbed Lily's hand.
The young woman stared at him before looking back towards the living room doors his parents had already disappeared behind.
"What's happening?" She asked softly.
James closed his eyes. "I don't know. But I don't think I will like whatever my father has to say." He explained quietly. "They don't usually drink potions at breakfast." He added in a whisper.
Understanding dawning on her face, Lily embraced him. He closed his eyes, drawing strength from her presence for what he suspected was coming, before gently extracting himself and glancing between her and the doors.
"Stay with me?" He begged.
She answered with a kiss to his cheek. "As long as you need." She confirmed.
Lily closed the door to her room with a sigh. These holidays were not going to be the relief she had initially hoped for, but she was still glad she had come.
She looked at the night sky through the window, and wondered how many nights like tonight awaited her in the future.
She had just left James in his own room, after he had cried himself to sleep in her arms.
After Mr and Mrs Potter had explained about their illness, there had been many questions and demands for more mediwizards' opinions from both James and Sirius. Patiently, his parents had repeated their explanations and recounted the numerous medical opinions they had sought. The truth was that they were old, and their magic was decaying. It was not a rare condition in the wizarding world, in fact one of the most common disease an old magical being could succumb to.
It didn't make it any easier.
When all was said and done, the old couple had left the young people to digest the harsh news. Harry had silently offered his support to James and Sirius by grasping their shoulders while Ginny had embraced the two boys before returning to Harry.
Lily had seen the way the other red-head had again rubbed her boyfriend's back in comfort while Harry had stared longingly at the door behind which the old wizards had retreated. Since James had told her that his parents, after a private discussion with Harry the night before, had acknowledged the young man as a 'complicated relation to the Potters' – whatever that meant – she wondered what it felt like to the orphan to suddenly meet family members, only to learn that they were fading away and would die soon.
Shaking her head, she prepared herself for bed. The other young couple had retired early – and maybe not to separate rooms – as well as Sirius. She had not felt like leaving James when he so obviously needed her, but had not been comfortable with staying in his room under his own parents' roof.
That she had actually entertained the idea surprised her. She had never been overly interested in dating, and apart from a couple of dates to Hogsmeade that had never evolved into anything, James was her first real relationship. It still felt new to her, but the nervousness she had initially felt had morphed.
At first, she had been unsure of the young man's feelings, knowing he had pursued her for years and afraid whatever affection he had had at one point had transformed in some pride challenge with her repeated rebuttals. But, though she wasn't entirely sure of what exactly had provoked it, she had witnessed his growing maturity towards the end of their Sixth Year, and had been surprised by the young man that had come back after the summer. While still eager for pranks and a good laugh, he no longer bullied – even the Slytherins, though he toed the line with them – and she had actually seen him sought out some of his former victims to apologize.
She had always found the boy attractive, and even liked many of the Marauders pranks when they did not involve bullying other students. Her realization about Remus' condition and the support his friends obviously offered him had also shed a new light on the Marauders, as well as some of the taunts from Severus. She had a feeling the Slytherin had also started to suspect something, but he had thankfully made no further comments on it since the start of their Seventh Year.
All in all, when James asked her out to Hogsmeade, she felt uncertain, but ready to give the both of them a chance. Over the next few weeks, she had been relieved to see that his affection seemed genuine, and surprised by how much she enjoyed their time together and how eager she was for it.
Still, there was some nervousness she hadn't been to shake away yet. She knew that James had liked her from afar for a while, and feared disappointing him because her feelings did not match his own – not yet. She was afraid he would eventually grow tired of waiting while her own feelings grew.
At times, she envied the close and confident relationship between Harry and Ginny. Oh, they still argued from time to time – both were clearly too stubborn not to – but they seemed to always know how to talk it out eventually and comfort each other. From Ginny's nightmares, however, Lily was quite certain that this maturity had been hard-gained.
In fact, her own fight along James and Sirus – and Harry – against Voldemort had enlightened her. She had not fully realized how fond she had grown of the two pranksters, until she genuinely feared for their lives. When James had been blasted away, her heart had stopped, and it felt like it had only started again when a black-haired man had rejoined the fight. Only for the fear to return ten-fold when she had realized that it was Harry and not James.
And then she had learned of her parents' death.
With a huff, she threw away her covers and rose from her bed. She might not be ready for a more intimate physical relationship yet, but she wanted – needed – the comfort of James' embrace right now, and she wanted to help him as he had helped her. She strode decidedly back to her boyfriend's room.
She was done foolishly wasting time with the people she loved.
It had been a disaster.
James rubbed his forehead, ears still ringing with the shrill voice of Lily's sister as she screamed at them to leave and never come back.
Lily had been hesitant to have him accompany her since the revelations of his own parents incoming demise, but he had insisted. Now, he was glad he had been there to whisk her away when her sister so utterly rejected her, though he also wondered if his presence had not made things worse.
It had started somewhat awkwardly, but that was not unexpected with the circumstances. From what Lily had told him over the last few weeks, it was the first time the sisters really spent time together in years, and their parents death was still fresh. He had seen the uncomfortable look Petunia had sent his way when Lily had introduced him as 'her boyfriend from school', to inform her sister of his being a wizard without breaching the Statute of Secrecy before Vernon Dursley.
James had been terrified of making some sort of mistake in front of the man, since he was so unused to being in a muggle environment, but had valiantly tried to engage in conversation with the fiancé of Lily's sister, hoping to help bridge the gap and also provide her with the opportunity to talk to her sister.
He had listened with confused interest as the man described his work at something called a drilling company that he had been hired by almost immediately after graduation. The man obviously came from a family with some money, with the way he emphasized his former schools names as though James would know them, and the wizard had done his best to look suitably impressed.
He did not like the man.
He could not exactly pinpoint why, since Vernon had been polite and cordial, but there was an air of arrogance around him that had made him ill-at-ease the whole time. He had tried to figure it out by comparing the man to some of his enemies at school, but found that these animosities were too rooted in old magical blood beliefs to compare with the muggle man.
Until, with a start, he had realized that he saw some of his old self in the man.
Oh, he hoped he had never been as bad as the man felt, but he knew he had behaved as a self-entitled bully for several years. Had his parents not tempered his character, he feared he would have grown worse instead of better.
With that realization had come some pity. For Vernon, who had apparently not received the guidance he had, and for Petunia. Because he knew he would not have been worthy of Lily if he had not changed, but the woman obviously loved her fiancé and he did not see how a relationship with such a man could end well.
That pity had quickly disappeared when she started spewing insults at Lily, her own sister, and accuse her of being responsible for her parents death.
James could understand that the news were a shock and that the woman was still grieving her parents, but he was not going to let her heap more blame upon Lily when his girlfriend had just started to forgive herself. So, he had grabbed the red-head and quickly pulled her out of sight of Vernon and the house to apparate them away.
They had appeared in the garden behind his parents house, and he had held her as she remained frozen in shock in his arms. He had seen his parents, Sirius, Harry and Ginny ready to come and greet them back, but had silently shaken his head. He supposed his grimace had been indication enough of how things had gone.
Sirius gave him a twisted smile in commiseration before he retreated. His parents and the mysterious couple smiled sadly at him and Lily before quietly moving away towards the place where James knew was the main wardstone.
Though still focused on comforting Lily, he could not help but swivel a little to follow the group with his gaze. He could not think of anything but the wardstone being that way, but why would his father feel the need to show it to Harry and Ginny? Lost cousin or not, this was not something that was usually shared outside the direct family line. Hell, his father had never shown it to Sirius! He knew every magical family home had one such stone, so its existence was not exactly a secret but it seemed odd that his parents would break tradition for a young man they had only known a few days when they hadn't for Sirius that they had basically adopted.
Apparently, his movement had shaken Lily from her shock.
"What is it?" She asked while trying to look over his shoulder.
James felt a little guilty for his inattention. "Nothing, sorry."
"James…" His girlfriend started in a warning tone.
He gulped and looked down. "My father is showing the wardstone to Harry and Ginny. I don't understand why."
He saw hew brow furrow a little. "They seem to have grown close rather quickly. Are you sure they never met before?"
To be honest, James had wondered that himself. "I don't know. I mean… I don't think Harry was lying when he said he had never met them before, and he definitely does not know the house as well as Hogwarts. But… well, even Sirius wasn't granted access to the family library until last summer, and I don't think my father ever thought of showing him the wardstone."
He paused, unsure of voicing another thing that had been bothering him. Lily prompted him with a gentle squeeze of her arms around his waist.
Hiding his face in her hair, feeling a little ashamed, he continued.
"I am their son, and you are my girlfriend. Merlin knows I have talked about you enough for them to know how much I hope things will work out between us. And they just told me they are dying. So, why does it feel like they are paying more attention to Harry and Ginny at times?"
He blinked back tears, not sure if they were prompted by sadness or shame.
"Don't get me wrong, I don't think they have been neglecting me. It's just… well I had hoped they would make more of an effort to get to know you."
Lily reached up to kiss him softly.
"While I agree that your parents are strangely eager to spend time with two previous strangers, I am actually happy they haven't been hounding me with questions. Please don't blame them. They know that I just lost my own parents, and that I was nervous about seeing my sister. Maybe they are just trying not to overwhelm me, and give you and Sirius time to adjust to their news. Maybe talking to Harry and Ginny is easier right now precisely because they were strangers until a few days ago." She argued gently.
James sighed. "I know. And I feel like a prat, complaining about my parents after what you just went through. I guess all the secrecy around Harry and Ginny is making me frustrated."
His girlfriend smiled wryly. "Welcome to the club. By the way, I think your parents know something – though whether they learned it from the headmaster or our strange couple, I don't know."
She paused, taking a deep breath. "And, thank you. For accompanying me and bringing me back here when you did. I knew Petunia would not take the truth about our parents death well, but…"
She shrugged, and James pulled her close again.
"Maybe you will be able to talk again once she has had some time." He said.
Though he wasn't so sure about that himself, he still hoped Lily would not virtually lose all of her family. From the way she heaved against his chest, he knew she shared his doubt.
He glanced back towards his parents and the younger couple.
"I know we had said we would wait until after the holidays, but honestly, I would enjoy those holidays better if there weren't so many secrets hanging everywhere. Do you think they might agree to talk sooner?"
Lily followed his gaze. "Don't you want Remus and Peter here as well?"
James slowly shook his head. "I would, but it's not really about me, is it? Harry and Ginny have always been more… reserved around them. Maybe it would be easier for them to open up here, without them."
He stared back at his girlfriend. "I don't think this will be an easy conversation. Are you really up to it?"
She nodded. "It can't be worse than this constant frustration. Right?" She declared with a wobbly smile.