Lily and James and the First Book

by pandaluna

Summary:

Lily picked the purple book up and observed it curiously. The cover was blank except for slim letters written in gold on the front. “Harry Potter: First Year,” Lily muttered and then turned to James, showing him the book. “What’s this? Where did this room come from?”

“The Room of Requirement is special,” James said. “I asked for a way to show you that we do get together and marry each other in the future.” He glanced down at the purple book he was holding. “I’m not sure what’s this got to do with it. Maybe it was just a little too vague of a request?”

“Well, the thing is... what if it's about our...”

“…Child?” James finished, sounding stunned but also somewhat pleased at the suggestion.

---

Lily and James read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.... ‘cause why not.

(The first book is already written completely, so you can be sure I'm gonna finish this part of the story at least. Though I plan on writing the entire series, hopefully!)

Chapter 1: The Room of Requirement

Notes:

Okay, I've written this months ago and even started working on the second book, but then I got into Percy Jackson and I decided not to upload this yet. It's been waiting for a long time now, but I feel like I might be able to upload at least some of what I have now. So... hopefully it's gonna be good :)

Hope you enjoy this, even though it's just the two of them reading the book - don't expect anybody to join them any time soon lol.

“It was one date, Potter—don’t make this into a bigger deal than it is,” Lily threw over her shoulder.

She made sure to be a step or two ahead of James because if he saw the small smile on her face, he would surely know she was only being harsh with him for the sake of making him squirm a little. And maybe she was a tad bit worried about how much she wanted this to work after years of claiming she disliked everything about James Potter.

She didn’t particularly care where the two of them were going. All she cared about was how much she didn’t want the day to end quite yet.

Had anyone told her in her first year self that she would like James Potter and spend a full day wandering around Hogsmeade with him by her side, she probably would have asked what Hogsmeade was (because… Muggle-born) and then whether or not that person’s sanity was intact because she hated James Potter and how arrogant, cocky and annoying he was.

Only last year, when they all got off the Hogwarts Express and walked towards the families waiting to take the students back home to enjoy their summer vacations, Lily had rolled her eyes at James Potter’s promise to get owl mail from him during their break. She’d felt absolutely sick of his useless flirting that only made her want to get back on the train and let it take her as far away from him as possible.

And then… then something must have changed because suddenly Lily went back to school, expecting to get annoyed around James Potter as usual (especially because they were both Head Girl and Boy), but instead she was met with a different person. Or maybe her views of the world have changed thanks to the war brimming under the surface and coming to light.

Lily wasn’t stupid enough to mention anything to her parents—they would never have let her go back to Hogwarts, knowing that there was someone out there who wanted to kill Muggles and Muggle-born. But that didn’t mean she wasn’t still aware of what was happening, and she kept her eyes peeled for anything that might be a little off. She had to make sure her parents and sister were okay, after all. She had to.

But that meant that something could have possibly changed in her. Maybe she wasn’t as strict. Maybe she wasn’t as obsessed with learning now that there were clearly things that were so much more important.

Whatever it was—James Potter didn’t irritate her quite as much, anymore. He was still a little cocky, and she could still feel his eyes trained on her whenever she entered the same room as him. But his smiles were a little softer. He stopped ruffling his hair every time he felt like showing off. He… he seemed to have mellowed down.

And maybe that was the reason as to why she’d agreed to the offer of going to Hogsmeade together. Or rather, maybe that was why she started finding herself looking for him in every room she entered. Keeping her attention focused on whatever she was doing, but also diverted enough to catch his voice if he was in the area. Chatting with him in a more civil way than before.

Suddenly being around him wasn’t a punishment—it made her giddy in a way she didn’t know she could get. She felt almost blessed whenever she was around him. (No chance in hell was she going to tell him that, though.)

When they were paired together during Defence class once, Lily was extremely aware of what her hands were doing as they were facing each other, both smirking in a way that made her insides flip happily.

When she messed up one spell and couldn’t get the hang of it, he was there to help her with the hand-movement, standing next to her and showing her the correct way, his arm brushing against hers in a featherlight touch that made her lightheaded despite her mind screaming at her to focus on what he was saying rather than on the fact that she wanted to press herself to his side more firmly than anything else.

From across the room, she was vaguely aware of Sev watching them. They weren’t friends anymore, but Lily could tell that her old childhood friend wasn’t pleased with her current company. Of course, she understood why he disliked James Potter that strongly—the guy used to torment him with his three friends throughout their Hogwarts experience. Though he did stop that year, as far as Lily was concerned.

Still, the years of hatred between the two of them weren’t something she could see them moving past any time soon.

And yet, Lily’s life didn’t circle around Sev. He couldn’t tell her what to do or who to hang out with. He couldn’t judge her when he was hanging out with those friends of his—those wannabe Death Eaters. So she ignored his gaze whenever he was in the room with her, and instead let herself focus on the person she’d never thought she would ever want to focus on for longer than absolutely necessary.

“Come on, Evans—just admit that you were having fun!” James called after her, a bright lilt to his voice, like he was too far gone into a well of happiness. Lily could feel his presence only a step or two behind her. “If you say it now, I won’t brag to Sirius. And that’s a great deal coming from me—I tell him everything, you know.”

“Don’t I know it,” Lily muttered and rolled her eyes before turning back to face James. Once she stopped walking, so did he. His brown eyes were warm as he stared into hers. The smile on his face was wider than she’d ever seen it before. “I’m surprised he wasn’t actually joining us for our date—never seen you without him before unless it was to attend to your duties as Head Boy, Potter.”

He shrugged. “He wanted to come, but I promised him all the details, instead.”

“You’re unbelievable!” Lily exclaimed but she couldn’t hide the grin that spread all over her face if she wanted to—she was just too happy. Too full of sunshine and butterflies and everything else that people could possibly connect to fancying someone. “Let me guess—now that you’re planning our future fictional wedding—is he going to say the vows, too?”

“Our wedding?” James huffed. “Lily, you got it all wrong—you can be the bridesmaid, but Sirius already got the spot of the bride.”

She snorted and tried to turn and walk away again, but James caught her hand and kept her in place. The beaming smile on his face was directed towards her and was probably the main reason as to why she wasn’t storming away from him. She could always snatch her hand away from his. She couldn’t bring herself to make this smile falter, though.

“It’s going to be the best wedding ever,” he said.

Lily tried to force her face into an expression of annoyance. She was pretty sure she was failing spectacularly. “You’re getting ahead of yourself—it’s only been one date, remember? Or have you already gone mad of sheer happiness?”

“The ceremony’s going to be grand and filled with every single person we can think to invite.”

“It’s going to be simple, quiet and private, you mean.”

“Exactly what I said, Evans. Maybe get your ears checked by Madam Pomfrey?” His eyes twinkled and Lily huffed in indignation. “So, nice and small ceremony with family and close friends, only. Sirius is gonna be standing next to me—”

“Wearing a white dress, is he?”

James squeezed her hands and looked like he was fighting back a laugh. “Don’t be ridiculous. If he wears white, no one’s going to be paying you any attention apart from me, and that’s just not right.” He shook his head playfully. “Your bridesmaid’s gonna be your sister—”

“Petunia?” Lily’s high spirits lowered a little at the mention of her sister. “Last I heard of her, she was living with her boyfriend, not caring about me. I bet Tuney’s going to do me a favour and show up for five seconds before heading out.”

Thankfully, James didn’t fight her on this—nor did he try and fish for more details about Tuney. Maybe he could scrap some pieces of tact from time to time, after all. “Fine. Then maybe someone from your dorm. I don’t know—you choose. Maybe Alice? You’re friends, aren’t you?”

Forcing all thoughts of her sister out of her head, Lily widened her smile again. “Yeah. It’s a shame she’s no longer in school. I kind of miss chatting with her. And she would have loved helping me get ready for today.”

James looked her over, as if checking to see how good a job she’s done by herself. Eventually, he shook his head, looking confused. “I don’t know why you need help—you look as stunning as always.”

“Always a charmer, aren’t you?” Lily said dryly.

“Anyway, I’m gonna stand there, with our family and friends around, and then I’ll see you walking towards me and everything else will just fade away because how could anything be as important as Lily Evans? The guests will rise to their feet and I’ll feel all choked up, for once, which I’m sure you’ll find amusing later on, but in those few seconds of approaching the little stage, you’re gonna glare at me because my hair is even messier than usual after I’d run my hand through it one too many times.”

“Really? You’re planning on that in advance, too?”

The nod he gave her made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Of course. Well, you’re going to stop right next to me and there would be someone speaking, but I won’t be able to focus on him and instead I’ll just glance at you every chance I get and try and make it as sneaky as possible, but you’re going to notice it, anyway.” She laughed a little and shook her head fondly, tossing the red hair away from her eyes. “You’re going to get all teary-eyed at my vows, but later claim you just had something in your eyes—”

Lily could see it, too. Maybe not as clearly as James could, but still—the white dress. The stunning cloaks. Her parents beaming at her along with Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Remus, Sirius and Peter staring at their friend like they couldn’t believe they got to be in a moment he’s been dreaming of since Merlin only knows when.

Tuney standing in the back, squirming a little uncomfortably but at least bothering to show up for a couple of minutes to show that she was still aware of her sister’s existence. Alice in a light-blue dress, smiling at Lily happily from her place as a bridesmaid and sometimes glancing over at her boyfriend, Frank.

It was perfect. Which was why it was probably nothing but a dream.

“James,” she said, and something about her voice must have been off because he actually stopped talking. His brown eyes focused on her, slightly concerned. Maybe it wasn’t her tone—maybe it was the fact that she called him by his first name, for a change. “It’s perfect,” she said. His lips quirked up a little. “It’s so perfect when you say it like that, but how can anything be this… this magical when there’s a war going on?”

As she stared into his eyes, she could see confusion and bafflement reflecting back at her. Lily tried not to squirm under his gaze.

“You’re a pure-blood, so you and your family are relatively safe, but I…” she trailed off as her voice broke. The elated feeling from before was gone, replaced with the realization of just how impossible it all really was. “My parents and my sister—they’re going to be in danger. I’m going to be in danger.”

“But—”

“Being with me only puts an even bigger target on your back. We shouldn’t—”

“My family is filled with blood-traitors, Lily.” His use of her first name caught her a little off guard. She blinked at him, hoping beyond relief that he would somehow find the words to make this thing possible. To make it less crazy. To make that dream of a perfect wedding seem less like a fantasy and more like a solid possibility. “Even without you in my life, Death Eaters are going to come after us. I’m not safe. I’d say we’re probably equally unsafe, right now.”

Her heart was a little less frantic, but she could still feel its every beat in her chest, banging against her ribcage in a way that made her entire body shake. James, his hands still holding hers, didn’t let go even as his own hands shook along. Instead he let his eyes stare at her. Lily figured he was searching for something, looking to see whether or not she was believing him or not. When his shoulders slumped a little, she assumed he didn’t find it.

That was the moment Lily expected him to turn around and give up.

She should have known better.

It took her close to seven years to fall in love with James Potter. But it obviously didn’t take as long for him to fall in love with her.

Maybe at first his feelings were mostly some kind of an obsession. Maybe a fascination of sorts. But she knew better than to just brush them off. He’s been into her for a long time. And for a long time it went against any kind of logic, with her being so snappy and curt around him. He still held on to this for this long—five minutes of conversation in a deserted corridor weren’t going to inexplicably change his mind.

Instead of walking away from her, James started looking around, as if suddenly realizing where they were standing. “The seventh floor…” he muttered.

His eyes settled on a tapestry portraying Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls ballet. Lily blinked at the strange tapestry for a second and then startled when James let go of both her hands and started pacing, his eyes closed as he mumbled under his breath.

“What are you doing? What’s going on?”

“Hold on, Evans. I’m trying something out,” was his only reply.

Lily watched him warily as he turned around and walked by the same tapestry again. She looked around awkwardly, hoping no one would appear in that hallway and find this odd scene of Lily standing there anxiously as James Potter marched silently in front of a bleak wall like any other, a look of concentration on his face.

When he turned once more to walk by the wall for the third time, Lily narrowed her eyes. “James Potter, what’s this supposed to do, exactly? Are you trying to create a crater in the floor? Because at this rate, I’m sure you’re gonna—what is that?” She shrieked the last three words, backing away from the wall where a door appeared out of nowhere.

James didn’t look surprised. “That,” he said with a hopeful smile, “is one of Hogwarts’s secrets—the Room of Requirement.” He grabbed her hand again and walked her towards the door. “Remus told us about it—found it last year. With a few questions here and there we realised what it was, exactly. Come in—it’s completely safe.”

She winced but still followed him into the room.

It wasn’t anything special, really. There were two chairs inside, and one round coffee table. Lily tilted her head to the side curiously—she had no idea what this room was or where it even came from, but it wasn’t anything like she’d imagined. Of course, James hasn’t told her what to expect, but it was James Potter—she expected something more chaotic, maybe. Probably the most surprising thing in the room was the pile of books on the table.

With one glance towards James, Lily stepped further into the room. The boy closed the door behind them but she didn’t pay it any mind, instead opting to look around and then at the books on the table. There were seven of them, she noted. Every book was painted in its own colour and they were clearly not the same length. Purple, green, blue, azure, red, orange and amethyst.

Not knowing what to expect, Lily picked the purple book up and observed it curiously. The cover was blank except for slim letters written in gold on the front. “Harry Potter: First Year,” Lily muttered and then turned to James, showing him the book. “What’s this? Where did this room come from?”

He took the book from her and looked at it like it was his first time seeing it. She wondered how that was possible and whether or not he knew this Harry Potter guy. He had to be a family member, right? There weren’t a lot of Potters in the magical community, Lily figured. Sure, Harry Potter could be a Muggle-born, or maybe a fictional character that had no connection to the world they lived in… but she felt slightly lightheaded at the sight of the name. Like she knew it.

Of course, she did know the name—it was one of her favourite names. One of the names Lily had imagined giving her kid, if she ever had one. But it wasn’t an actual person.

“The Room of Requirement is special,” James said, slightly distracted as he observed the book and then moved on to the next ones. He didn’t seem to dare and open them, though. Instead, he only checked the covers. “Remus found it when he was looking for a quiet place to concentrate when he couldn’t study in the common room because we’d just won the Quidditch Cup and everyone was celebrating.” James’s lips tugged up.

“So… what? This is a secret study room?” Lily asked. “For some reason I don’t see you looking for it that often,” she added flatly.

He didn’t mind her tone. “It’s a magical room, though. If you walk three times in front of the wall and think about what you need, it should open up and give you what you asked for. Of course, it still works by the rules of magic, so when we tried to ask for a roomful of chocolate frogs, it didn’t work because it can’t create food out of thin air. But it did work when Sirius tried finding a room to practice Quidditch in.”

Lily looked around at the small room and tried to imagine the Marauders flying around on brooms here. She didn’t get very far with her mental image before she could almost see Peter Pettigrew sprawled in a heap on the ground, Remus checking on him, and Sirius and James laughing in the background. Still, it was amazing to think that such a room existed without more people knowing about it.

Something still bugged her, though, as she turned to the pile of books. “That doesn’t explain why we’re in a small room with seven books of someone you don’t seem to recognize.” She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. “How does this help prove your point from earlier? It’s still… I don’t think it’s safe for us. I don’t think whatever this is”—she pointed at the space between the two of them—“is going to work out with the war going on.”

James looked unsure. “I asked for a way to show you that we do get together and marry each other in the future.” He glanced down at the purple book he was holding. “I’m not sure what’s this got to do with it. Maybe it was just a little too vague of a request?”

A strange feeling filled her chest as Lily turned back to look at the golden name written on all of the different-coloured books. She pressed her lips together, swallowed thickly, and then started tugging at her red hair.

“Well, the thing is…” she trailed off a little and then forced herself to keep on talking, slowly and cautiously. “I guess… I mean… Harry is the name I always wanted to give… give my child, if I ever had one.” She didn’t look at James but she could hear the surprise inhale coming from his place. “What if—and don’t get your hopes up, James Potter!—what if this isn’t about you or about me… what if it's about our…”

“…Child?” James finished, sounding stunned but also somewhat pleased at the suggestion.

The next time Lily looked at him, she found the black-haired boy looking down at the book he’d taken from her with wide eyes and a contemplative expression. There was a lot of eagerness there, too. Like he was curious, for once, about the content of a book.

“Do you think so? Really?” he asked, obviously trying and failing to mask his joy at the mere thought of having a child with Lily.

She tried to quell down her own giddiness. One date, she thought to herself. We only had one date, so far. Don’t get your hopes up just yet, Lily! But it was a game she knew she was going to lose sooner rather than later. Because if Harry Potter was really the name of their future child, Lily was going to jump up and down from the exhilaration of thinking about such a future.

A child. With James Potter. Meaning… meaning they might have a family and an actual future where they would be happy!

But it wasn’t certain, was it?

“Should we…” She looked at James again as his voice cut through her elated thoughts, suddenly looking a little hesitant. “Should we read these? I mean, I’m usually the last person who would volunteer to read to pass the time, but if this is… I mean, it does sound intriguing.” He was quiet for a beat. “Don’t you agree?”

Lily bit her lip. “Messing up with time?” she asked weakly. The light in James’s eyes flickered off and faded away. After years of knowing her and how strict she tended to be about the rules, he was probably realizing just how stupid of a question it was to ask of her. “I don’t know… won’t it be dangerous? To know the future? What if we change it? What if we’re already doing it right now?”

“No, yeah. You’re right. It’s crazy,” James said tonelessly.

“Unless…”

“Yes?” He perked up the moment he seemed to sense her hesitation.

Lily gave him a stern look for one second before she hunched her shoulders a little.

“I mean, the room could have shown us a picture or something. It didn’t need to give us a book. And seven of them, no less!” She avoided James’s eyes as she found herself wringing her fingers anxiously. “It feels like this is important, doesn’t it? Seven books… there has to be something going on there for the room to show us all of them. What if something horrible happens to Harry and we need to be prepared for it? You know, to make sure it doesn’t actually happen? What if he dies? We can’t let that happen, can we?”

“And for that,” James continued her line of thinking eagerly, “we need to read the books. We’ll never know unless we do, will we?” he said and a wide grin split his face. Lily returned it weakly, still not sure about what the hell she was supposed to think or do. “Wow, Evans, bending the rules, are you?”

“I’m curious!” she snapped at him.

James just raised his hands in the air and shrugged. “Can’t say I blame you.” He dropped into one of the chairs like all the bones in his body suddenly melted away, and gestured for Lily to take a seat as well as he seemed to buzz from the excitement. “Well, go on, then. Sit down, Evans!”

“What’s the rush? It’s still pretty early,” she huffed as she obeyed him, sending a glance down to her watch. There was still time. They could be in this room without raising any suspicion for a little while longer.

“I’ve got to start reading before you change your mind, of course.”

“Oy!” She glared at him but then broke into a smile at the giddy look on his face—he almost looked like a child in Christmas, finally getting to open his presents. “Does it have chapters?” she asked and watched as James skimmed through the purple book before nodding at her. “Well, then one chapter, alright? One and then we’ll go eat dinner—I don’t need any rumours to start about what the two have us have been doing alone.”

“As if anyone would suspect you did something like that,” James said and rolled his eyes.

Lily narrowed her eyes at him. “You mean nobody would suspect something like this could happen between the two of us, at least,” she said and smirked at his cry of objection. “Go on, Potter—start reading.”

He grumbled a little under his breath but then opened the book to the first chapter and began to read aloud.

Notes:

Let me know what you think. I won't change what I already have written down, but I will think about it a whole lot, so maybe in my future fics I'll do a better job haha. Or not.

Anyway, I don't know when I'll post the second part, but hopefully soon. I'm not feeling well so I can't write all that well, but since it's all already written I don't need to worry about that - my only challenge is editing the chapters from the book. Which is... my most hated thing in the world, I swear...

(Edit: I just checked and I started writing this fanfic on November 30, 2023. Then I started working on the second book almost two weeks later, on December 17. It was... fun. I never finished the second book - I took a break and moved on to Percy Jackson fanfics instead, though I know I WILL finish writing this entrie series one day. But what I was GOING to say was that... I started writing this without the books in English. I had them only in my language and I was really struggling because I couldn't check everything. I had to rely on a badly edited version of the book from the Internet and it was... awful.

So, after finishing the first book, I went to a book store (just passed by it without really meaning to) and I saw one of the books in English on a shelf, staring into my soul. I picked it up and started leafing through the pages to see if it was the British version or the American one. (I wanted the original, meaning the British one.) It WAS the British one. But I wanted the entire series - not just one book. Plus, I have money, sure, but seven books cost... A LOT of money. So I left the store with my mom, moping about not being able to buy the series like I wanted to.

My mom, being my mom, usually ignores it when I want to buy things - especially books. She says I don't have places to store them (she's right), but this time she must have felt sorry for me. She told me to ask for the books on my ext birthday. Which was a horrible idea because it was only about two or three months after my last birthday. I would have driven myself mad thinking about buying the books this entire time. And then I remembered that I haven't actually asked for a present for my LAST birthday. Plus, for one of our holidays in which my parents always get me something.

Now, buying seven books (it cost about a hundred dollars or so. Idk, I didn't use dollars) would have been too much for one gift. But for two gifts... it made a little more sense. My mom said she could pay about half the price and I will pay the rest. My dad heard about it when I got back home and went to order the set online and, being my generous dad, offered to pay for the entire thing anyway. So now I have the seven books in English (and my family as a whole has the series in our language), so I'm gonna die happy. Kind of. I still need to complete my PJO series in English. I'm working on it :)

That was very unimportant, but I really wanted to share this story lol)

Cya soon! :)

(If you've read my Percy Jackson reaction fic you might have a clue as to what to expect from this one. I mean, it's the same writing style, kind of. If you haven't read it - it's probably better this way, honestly xD)

Chapter 2: The Vanishing Glass

Notes:

Do you guys know good reaction fics of Harry Potter? I haven't found many, and I can't find one of my favorite ones, which kind of sucks...

Anyway, have fun! :)

Nearly ten years had passed since the Dursleys had woken up to find their nephew on the front step, but Privet Drive had hardly changed at all.

James stopped after that sentence, blinked, and then seemed to read it once more, silently, his eyes widening. Then he looked up at Lily, and the girl found herself absolutely speechless. Harry’s name hasn’t been mentioned yet, but she was certain the nephew was Harry. Harry Potter. It had to be. Why else would this be mentioned in the book, right?

But why was he dropped off on someone’s doorstep? Why would anyone leave a person on the doorstep of a house? But more importantly—if this nephew really was Harry, then the Dursleys… they had to be Petunia and her boyfriend. Lily thought his last name was something like that. And since James had no siblings, it couldn’t have been anyone from his family.

“Do you know who these Dursleys are?” James asked.

Lily opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, not saying a word. Then she swallowed and forced herself to speak. “I… I guess Tuney’s boyfriend’s name is Dursley, if I remember it correctly,” she said slowly. James stared at her blankly. “So it might be her and her husband? But why would… I mean, if Harry really is our…”

She shook her head, unable to wrap her mind around all of this messy time-travel thing.

“The only reason someone might leave him there, is if something happened to both of us,” James said stiffly. Their eyes met over the book and Lily’s throat choked. “You don’t think we… that we both… you know?”

She couldn’t answer, so James just went back to reading the book.

The sun rose … it crept into their living-room, which was almost exactly the same … when Mr. Dursley had seen that fateful news report about the owls.

“Is it just me or does it feel like we’re missing something here?” Lily asked.

James grimaced. “Definitely not just you.”

… Ten years ago, there had been lots of pictures of what looked like a large pink beach ball … but Dudley Dursley

Lily snorted at the name, covering her mouth with her hand. If Tuney had a son called Dudley, she either had no choice when it came to the name and her husband had chosen it, or she’d lost her mind at some point in life, thinking the name was all right.

Unlike her, James was actually laughing out loud, not bothered by the idea of laughing at the name of Lily’s sister’s child. She wanted to remind him that Tuney was still her sister, but stopped herself before she could utter the words. Maybe Petunia was her older sister, but she’s been avoiding and ignoring her for years now. And right before that treatment came along, Tuney just called her a freak.

She couldn’t bring herself to say anything to protect Tuney, which only made her thoughts turn a little more rational. “James,” she said. He tried to stop his sniggers as he looked from the book to her. “Tuney hates magic. She’s been jealous of me ever since I got my first Hogwarts letter. Before even that, actually.” Lily was glad he was no longer chortling. “What if Harry ends up being a wizard, then? She might… I don’t know, she might be a little mean to him.”

“It did say that not much has changed since his arrival.” He didn’t question the nephew’s identity. They both probably realised it had to be Harry Potter. “This doesn’t bode well for him, does it? And I don’t get it—why would our kid”—he flushed deeply but didn’t stop talking—“get to your sister’s house? If anything, our friends should be responsible for him. I bet I’d make Sirius the godfather.”

Lily had no doubt that was true. But then again… “He might have died, too, James.”

The boy in front of her loosened his hold on the book and he stared at her with unseeing eyes, suddenly looking paler than she’d ever seen him. And she was there for most of his terrible Quidditch injuries—there were a couple of nasty ones that made the colour drain from his face, all right.

Lily couldn’t even begin to imagine what it would feel like to lose someone this close to her. If her parents died… or if Alice ended up murdered… No, it was too horrible to think about! She shook her head and then briefly touched James’s arm, offering him a small smile she hoped would make him feel a little better. He probably tried to return it, but the end result was him mostly grimacing in her direction.

He went back to reading the book after that, clearly just wanting to move on from that thought of his best friend dying in the future. Also dying in the future, Lily had to remind herself. Because it looked like the two of them were gone, too.

Poor Harry.

but Dudley Dursley was no longer a baby, and now the photographs showed a large, blond boy … The room held no sign at all that another boy lived in the house, too .

For a second Lily expected to hear James’s questions about the Muggle stuff that the book’s mentioned, but his eyes were still a little distant and his tone was a little flatter than usual. He wasn’t fully paying attention, she realised. So she wasn’t going to force new information upon him. He didn’t need it right now.

Yet Harry Potter was still there, asleep at the moment, …

[Aunt Petunia:] Up! Get up! Now !

“Charming, your sister,” James noted, some of the colour returning to his face at the mention of Harry Potter.

Lily glared at him half-heartedly. He was right, of course. This was a nasty way to wake someone up.

Harry woke with a start. …

… Harry heard her walking towards the kitchen … [Harry] tried to remember the dream he had been having. … There had been a flying motorbike in it. …

His aunt was back outside the door .

“ Are you up yet?” she demanded .

James stopped reading, a furrow forming between his eyebrows. “You know, when my mum comes to wake me up urgently, she’s still ten times gentler than your sister,” he said. Then he gave her a look, his lips twitching. “Tell me you’re not as awful at waking people up, because this might just be a deal-breaker, Evans.”

“Next time you’ll fall asleep in class, I’ll make sure you know.”

His shoulders sagged a little in relief, like he was finally pulling himself back to the present, where everyone was alive, including the two of them and Sirius. That was good. And if all Lily needed to do to help him was to tease him, then it would be really fun to snap him out of his funk.

… [Aunt Petunia:] I want you to look after the bacon. … I want everything perfect on Duddy’s birthday .

Harry groaned .

James groaned, too, but Lily just glared at the book. “Look after the bacon?” she exclaimed. “How old is he? I’m willing to bet Harry is only a child in this—how could it possibly be okay for her to ask him to cook?”

He didn’t give her an answer, but the look he sent her was enough to let Lily know that he wasn’t happy with that thought, either.

[Aunt Petunia:] What did you say? …

[Harry:] Nothing, nothing…

Dudley’s birthday—how could he have forgotten? … [Harry] found a pair [of socks] under his bed and, after pulling a spider off one of them, put them on.

“A spider?” James wrinkled his nose. “I woke up once with a spider crawling all over me in the dormitory. Apparently Sirius and Peter thought it would be funny to watch.” He didn’t look like he appreciated the joke but Lily still laughed at him, imagining his reaction back then. “It’s not funny!”

Lily shrugged. “Of course it is. James Potter, Quidditch star, afraid of spiders!” she snorted. “What did you do when you saw it, anyway?”

For a moment she wasn’t sure he would tell her, but then James ruffled his hair a little and avoided her eyes. “According to Sirius I squealed and started frantically hopping around to get rid of the spider. But it’s definitely an exaggeration,” he said, though Lily didn’t hear the last part as she was too busy laughing at him.

James scowled at her and then went right back to reading.

Harry was used to spiders, because the cupboard under the stairs was full of them, and that was where he slept .

The words made Lily’s laughter cut short. She and James both stared at the book, too speechless to speak. She wasn’t sure what might happen if either one of them spoke up, but she could clearly feel something build up inside her, getting ready to erupt. All she needed was a reason, an opening, a little push over the edge…

And then James gave it to her by going back to read the words again, slower this time, his voice a little more anxious. “Cupboard under the stairs…” He looked up at Lily, a strange glint in his eyes. “Does this sentence mean something else to Muggles?”

“Of course not!” She closed her fingers tightly around the armrests of her chair, her knuckles going white. “How could she? How could she? No matter how old Harry is, Tuney can’t make him sleep in a cupboard!”

She became aware of the fact that her wand was in her hand only when James quickly put the book behind his back and out of her line of sight. Her chest rose and fell with every heavy breath she took and she got up.

“I’m going back to Gryffindor Tower! I’m gonna send her such a horrific howler, she’s going to regret ever—”

“But she can’t,” James said bitterly, cutting into Lily’s words.

She turned back to him sharply, her hair swishing around her. Usually people tended to lean back and away from her when she was angry because Lily’s temper could be… intense, to put it mildly. James Potter didn’t seem to be like everyone else, though. He stayed put and gave Lily a solemn look from behind his glasses.

“Lily, this is in the future—Petunia hasn’t done anything. Yet,” he added in a miserable hiss, like he wished this has already happened so that he could join Lily in her attempt at scarring her sister for life.

Lily didn’t want to accept his words. Didn’t want to listen to them because she was filled with energy and anger, and after years of receiving awful treatment from her sister, she felt like it was justified. But the rational part of her brain—the one that helped her stay relatively calm even after Sev called her a… a you-know-what—made her calm down. James was right. Petunia hasn’t done any of this. Yet.

So she sat down—something that seemed to make James relax enough to pull the book back. It probably helped that Lily stashed her wand away, once more. There was no need to be tempted, after all. She needed to get through this book and see what was about to happen—now more than ever. She needed to know what her own son would go through in a future without neither James nor Lily.

… [Harry] went down the hall into the kitchen. … Dudley had got the new computer he wanted, not to mention the second television and the racing bike.

James sent Lily a look, finally seeming curious about what those inventions were. But something on her expression must have made it clear she wasn’t going to tell him anything because he quickly moved on.

… Dudley was very fat and hated exercise—unless of course it involved punching somebody. Dudley’s favourite punch-bag was Harry,

For a second James stopped reading and Lily opened her mouth to tell him to hurry up because she was going to burn this book if she had to listen to any of this for too long, but then she noticed his expression and she realised that as upset as she was—this was a book about James’s son, too. Of course he would be affected by the descriptions in it! He was just less hot-headed than Lily.

Then James kept reading again, his voice a little stiff.

but he couldn’t often catch him. … [Harry] was very fast .

… Harry had always been small and skinny for his age.

“So… like you, then,” Lily noted dryly. She had no idea what the boy would look like, but at least one thing she remembered about James Potter as an eleven-year-old was that he was small. Smaller than most of the other kids in their year.

He smirked at her, although Lily was certain it took a lot out of him to be able to put that smile on his face when he was obviously feeling bad about what was going on with Harry in the book.

“Oy! At least if he’s like me we can tell he’s going to grow up nicely at some point! Besides, maybe he’s only small because that Muggle let him live under the stairs in her house.”

“Nah. I think that’s just your genes.”

Lily smiled sweetly at him and James opened his mouth to retaliate before the fight seemed to drain out of him and he just offered her a smile of his own. She would have been taken by surprise by this had it not been for that soft expression on his face as he looked at her, like he was just happy she was there, talking to him in a civil way after years of shouting all of his flaws into his face.

Not like she was going to take it back, though. He deserved all of that! And now he was so much nicer and less arrogant around her…

Before she could talk herself out of it, Lily moved her chair until it was right next to James’s and motioned for him to get back to reading the offending book in his hands when he just beamed at her. She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach.

He looked even smaller and skinnier than he really was because all he had to wear were old clothes of Dudley’s …

None of them commented. There was just no reason to get all worked up about every single thing—especially when Lily had the feeling that this was, sadly, only the beginning of the bad things the Dursleys would do to Harry.

[Description of Harry.] He wore round glasses held together with a lot of Sellotape because of all the times Dudley had punched him on the nose.

While James kept on reading beyond that first sentence, Lily was stuck on the description of Harry. He sounded like a copy of James. Same hair, same face, same frame. It was easy to picture it. But then James noted the colour of Harry’s eyes—bright-green, just like Lily’s—and suddenly it became that much more real.

They were sitting here—in a room that appeared out of thin air—reading about a person that was supposedly their future son. He looked like James but had Lily’s eyes. He was Petunia’s nephew (though it sounded like she would have loved nothing more than to pretend like he didn’t exist, just like she did with her own sister) and was at least ten years old…

But Lily was only seventeen. She went on her first date with James Potter that very morning and she was living in a time of war. The future was so uncertain, everything looking out of shape and wobbly. She couldn’t be sure what the next day might bring, and yet she was already worried about how her sister was going to treat Harry—her son—after the deaths of James and Lily.

It was crazy! It was absolutely crazy! How could she care about someone that wasn’t really a part of her life, yet? How could she read this and pretend to care like a mother would about her child when she had no real emotional connection to this boy who looked like her crush?

How was she supposed to react? Like a friend reading about someone dear to them? Like a fake-mother? (One who’s never even been through those nine months of carrying around a small human being and then going into labour.)

And through all of this, James seemed to be oblivious to her own whirlwind of emotions and thoughts as he just kept on reading the story. She wondered what he was feeling towards Harry. Companionship? Some kind of untold connection? Was he faking his investment in what was happening to the kid in the book because he didn’t want to look like he didn’t care about Harry despite it being completely relatable and understandable?

She was too scared to ask.

The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. [Harry had asked Aunt Petunia about the scar once.]

[Aunt Petunia:] In the car crash when your parents died, … And don’t ask questions .

“A car crash?” James’s eyes were blazing—there was no way he was faking this, Lily thought. “There is no way we were killed in a car crash!”

“You’re right.” Lily nodded curtly. “For one, it’s very rare for wizards and witches to die from such accidents, according to everything I’ve read,” she said and ignored James’s deadpan expression. “And for two, you’ll never be able to drive a car, Potter.”

He squinted his eyes at her. “Wanna bet, Evans?”

She smirked at him. “Ten Galleons if I win, so you can afford it.”

There was a spark in his eyes, shining in a way that made her think he was finding her words amusing for reasons she has yet to discover. Then he held out his hand for her to shake.

“Deal.” They shook on it, but he didn’t let go of her hand. Lily wasn’t going to complain.

Don’t ask questions—that was the first rule for a quiet life with the Dursleys .

That forced Lily and James to be brought back down to earth, where the story was kind of depressing.

Uncle Vernon entered the kitchen …

“ Comb your hair!” he barked, by way of a morning greeting .

“Lily, if they get married and decide to invite you to the wedding, we’re not going,” James announced.

She sent him a look. “Who says you’re invited, too?”

He only smiled at her—the kind of smile he used to send all the girls that fancied him because of his Quidditch achievements. Never before had it worked on her. Guess there was a first time for everything.

About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. … [Harry’s] hair simply grew that way—all over the place .

Harry was frying eggs by the time Dudley arrived in the kitchen with his mother. [Description of Dudley] Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel—Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig .

“I like this kid,” James said and nodded proudly at the book.

“The fat, pink one?” Lily teased.

James didn’t miss a bit. “The honest, snarky one.”

Harry put the plates of egg and bacon on the table, … Dudley, meanwhile, was counting his presents. …

[Dudley:] T hirty-six, … That’s two less than last year .

James’s eyes narrowed but he didn’t say anything. Lily’s hand squeezed his so hard that she was actually impressed by his sheer will of power—other people would have already let go ages ago just to avoid the pain.

Lily didn’t know what kind of presents Harry got in this future, and she didn’t have high hopes. But she did know this—whatever was going on with this Dudley boy? It was probably his parents’ fault, and that meant that Petunia was a horrible mother if her son was disappointed after getting so many presents. How spoiled was he? What was Tuney thinking?

[Aunt Petunia:] D arling, you haven’t counted Auntie Marge’s present, …

[Dudley:] All right, thirty-seven then, …

Harry, who could see a huge Dudley tantrum coming on, began wolfing down his bacon …

… [Aunt Petunia:] And we’ll buy you another two presents while we’re out today. … Is that all right ?

The face James was making as he read those lines would have made Lily laugh, but she was too disgusted with what her sister turned out to be. Spoiling her son like that? Treating Lily’s son in a stark opposite to that? That was just absolutely horrid! Where were her parents in all of this? Were they dead, too? Was anyone alive apart from Tuney and her good-for-nothing boyfriend?

“In a way, I’m kind of glad your sister doesn’t treat them equally,” James said. Lily thought he was joking, but he sounded sincere. “Can you imagine Harry growing up being this spoiled and coming out decent? Even I was never this whiny.”

He was onto something, there.

… [Dudley:] So I’ll have thirty... thirty…

“Th irty-nine, sweetums,” said Aunt Petunia .

“I feel like I should say something,” James said, barely maintaining a straight face. “But it’s just too easy.”

… [Dudley:] All right then .

… [Uncle Vernon:] Little tyke wants his money’s worth, just like his father. …

At that moment the telephone rang and Aunt Petunia went to answer [Dudley opens his presents.] Aunt Petunia came back from the telephone, looking both angry and worried .

… [Aunt Petunia to Uncle Vernon:] Mrs. Figg’s broken her leg. She can’t take him.

She jerked her head in Harry’s direction .

To that, sadly, Lily was used to. This treatment of talking to people about her like she wasn’t even there. That was something Tuney has been perfecting since the moment she decided to act like Lily didn’t exist anymore.

She could see how upset it made James to see that tactic being used on Harry, but frankly… Lily just accepted it. There was nothing she could do. All the anger from before left her as she felt mostly despair.

James’s hand tightened around hers in silent support, like he could hear her thoughts.

Dudley’s mouth fell open in horror but Harry’s heart gave a leap. … [Mrs. Figg’s] whole house smelled of cabbage and Mrs. Figg made him look at photographs of all the cats she’d ever owned .

A part of Lily—probably the one that was leaning towards maternal instincts that were new and unfamiliar to her—wanted to scold Harry for thinking such things about someone. For being rude to an elderly woman. But she could mostly relate to him. She was seventeen—it was easy to imagine being looked after by an old lady who was boring and weird and very much not the best option for a babysitter.

“Ugh…” James wrinkled his nose. At Lily’s inquiring eyes, he explained. “When I was little my parents always left me with Bathilda Bagshot—our neighbour—and she was seriously odd. I mean, I guess she used to be a lot better once, but when she had to look after me I remember it just being terrible.”

“Bathilda Bagshot?” Lily’s mind went numb. “Bathilda Bagshot is your neighbour?”

Blinking at her, James looked a little surprised for a moment. Then he smirked and winked. “Told you that it would be worth to come and visit my house. You never listened to me, Evans.”

She punched his shoulder. “You should have bribed me with her ages ago, you muttonhead!”

“Ouch! Hey, stop attacking me, crazy lady!” James laughed and batted her hand away until she gave up and started laughing along with him. She tried to imagine herself actually going back home with him for Easter. What would his parents be like? Would they like her? Approve of her? Would she really get to meet Bathilda Bagshot? “May I continue now?”

Lily nodded.

“ Now what?” said Aunt Petunia, looking furiously at Harry as though he’d planned this. … he reminded himself it would be a whole year before he had to look at Tibbies, Snowy, Mr. Paws and Tufty again .

“I can relate, mate,” James muttered under his breath.

[Uncle Vernon:] We could phone Marge, …

[Aunt Petunia:] D on’t be silly, Vernon, she hates the boy .

“And she doesn’t?” James asked, clearly stunned.

Lily nudged him. “Just keep reading, Potter.”

… [Uncle Vernon:] What about what’s-her-name, your friend—Yvonne?

[Aunt Petunia:] On holiday in Majorca, …

[Harry:] You could just leave me here, …

… [Aunt Petunia:] And come back and find the house in ruins? …

[Harry:] I won’t blow up the house, …

Lily’s lips tugged up in amusement despite how averted to this scene she was. Not because she found Harry’s situation amusing, but because she could definitely imagine a son of her blowing up a house if he had half the goofiness and recklessness James Potter possessed. Of course, she had no idea what Harry was like, personality-wise. They weren’t far enough into the book to know.

Still, it was a funny image to have in her mind.

“ I suppose we could take him to the zoo,” said Aunt Petunia slowly, “... and leave him in the car …”

[Uncle Vernon:] Th at car’s new, he’s not sitting in it alone …

“This is getting ridiculous,” James protested. “He’s not a dog. Nor is he going to do anything in the house, unsupervised—not when he knows that one misstep would lead to him never getting the house to himself. I might not know the kid, but neither one of us are stupid enough to do anything like that, so Harry wouldn’t be this stupid, either.”

It did make sense. “I don’t think Harry is the one being stupid in this situation, James.”

Dudley began to cry loudly. … he knew that if he screwed up his face and wailed, his mother would give him anything he wanted .

James burst out laughing, startling Lily so much that she drew her hand away from him and jumped a little, staring at him in shock.

“What? What is it?” she demanded. He just shook his head, wheezing. “James Potter, what’s so funny?”

It must have taken him over a minute to relax enough to talk, and the entire time Lily sat there, glaring at him impatiently and waiting to hear what was wrong with her maybe-boyfriend. The mirth in his eyes when he looked at her once more made the butterflies in her stomach erupt yet again, but it wasn’t enough to take away her glare at not getting an explanation.

James’s lips still twitched as he went back to reading the book. He didn’t get far.

[Aunt Petunia:] D inky Duddydums,

Lily’s jaw dropped as her mind struggled to comprehend the fact that Tuney used such a stupid, ridiculous, and horrid name as a nickname to her own child. And then she wheezed, laughing hysterically and wiping tears from the corner of her eyes.

… [Aunt Petunia:] Mummy won’t let him spoil your special day! …

Even the jab at Harry couldn’t make Lily stop shaking with suppressed laughter, the stupid nickname still dancing around her head. She swore she’d remember that forever—maybe she could make fun of Petunia with it, someday.

… [Dudley] shot Harry a nasty grin through the gap in his mother’s arms .

Just then, the doorbell rang … Dudley’s best friend, Piers Polkiss, [Description of Piers Polkiss] He was usually the one who held people’s arms behind their backs while Dudley hit them.

“A lovely image, don’t you think, Evans?”

“S-sure.”

He glanced at her. “The nickname, still?” James asked.

Lily let out another burst of laughter. “Dinky Duddydums!” She covered her mouth with both hands as James snickered next to her. “What is she thinking? And how could Harry keep a straight face in a house where these names are probably a constant?”

Her laughter calmed down a little to allow her brain the freedom to marvel at the feeling of James Potter’s arm snaking around her shoulders. Last year she would have hexed him for doing anything like this. Now… well, now she leaned into the touch willingly.

Dudley stopped pretending to cry at once .

Half an hour later, Harry, who couldn’t believe his luck, was sitting in the back of the Dursleys’ car with Piers and Dudley, …

… [Uncle Vernon:] I’m warning you now, boy—any funny business, anything at all—and you’ll be in that cupboard from now until Christmas .

[Harry:] I’m not going to do anything, …

But Uncle Vernon didn’t believe him. No one ever did.

… strange things often happened around Harry …

Both Lily and James perked up at those words. Sure, they didn’t want Harry to get in trouble (well, Lily didn’t, anyway), but it was nice to hear that their future son would be a wizard. Lily knew the chances of that were high, of course, but it was still a possibility that he would end up being a squib.

Of course, it should have been obvious to him what was happening. Had he grown up with wizards, that is. Instead, he grew up like any other Muggle-born. Like Lily had. Harry probably knew nothing about Hogwarts or magic. Would he even believe he was a wizard? Would he accept it? What would he think about discovering all of this? It didn’t exactly surprise Lily when Sev told her she was a witch—just offended her because she thought it was a bad thing to call someone else.

But Harry wasn’t Lily. He was his own person and he didn’t seem to have someone like Sev around to explain everything to him. He was all alone…

Once, Aunt Petunia, … had taken a pair of kitchen scissors and cut his hair so short he was almost bald except for his fringe, … “to hide that horrible scar”.

Lily scowled and James winced in sympathy.

Dudley had laughed himself silly at Harry, … Next morning, however, he had got up to find his hair exactly as it had been before … He had been given a week in his cupboard for this, …

“A week?” Lily shrieked.

James side-eyed her. “That howler doesn’t sound like a bad idea right about now.”

Another time, Aunt Petunia had been trying to force him into a revolting old jumper of Dudley’s … The harder she tried to pull it over his head, the smaller it seemed to become, … Aunt Petunia had decided it must have shrunk in the wash …

On the other hand, he’d got into terrible trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens. Dudley’s gang had been chasing him as usual when, … there he was sitting on the chimney. … all he’d tried to do … was jump behind the big bins … Harry supposed that the wind must have caught him in mid-jump .

Lily’s eyebrows furrowed in thought. “Did he apparate or fly?”

“Does it matter?” James scoffed. “He managed to escape! And then he—” He started chuckling a little. “—he thought the wind had caught him. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard!”

She didn’t find it as amusing as James did. “It’s hard to explain accidental magic without knowing that it’s real, Potter. I had no idea what was going on with me when I was little until Sev showed up and explained everything,” she said.

James stopped laughing and instead turned to look at her, a flicker of something that almost looked like worry shining in his eyes.

Lily ignored it and continued. “Harry doesn’t have anyone to tell him that what he’s doing is real magic—of course he would come up with something ridiculous but somewhat logical to explain it.”

James just kept on staring at her.

“Besides, did you miss the part where Harry got in trouble for it?” she finished.

He didn’t answer and instead kept on reading, but the amusement faded away just enough to make Lily feel slightly bad for bringing Sev into this when she was awfully aware of how much those two boys loathed each other.

But today, nothing was going to go wrong. …

… Uncle Vernon complained to Aunt Petunia. … people at work, Harry, the council, Harry, the bank and Harry were just a few of his favourite subjects.

“I’m sure his coworkers love him tremendously.” James wrinkled his nose.

Lily just shifted a little under his arm to be more comfortable. Maybe also because it forced her to remember that she wasn’t living at the same time this was happening, so there wasn’t much she could do to help Harry.

This morning, it was motorbikes .

… [Harry:] I had a dream about a motorbike, … It was flying .

Cringing, James shook his head at the book and then glanced at Lily. “He sure doesn’t have my self-preservation.”

The flat look she gave him was slightly destroyed by the upturn of her lips. “Since when do you have self-preservation?”

“Well, considering you haven’t killed me yet after knowing me for a little over six years, and I haven’t been expelled for everything I’ve pulled in this school, I think I’m doing pretty well in finding out what lines I shouldn’t cross—don’t you?”

“I just haven’t found the right jinx, yet,” she replied sweetly, and the boy sent her such a fond look that Lily almost believed he was hearing different words.

Uncle Vernon nearly crashed into the car in front. …

[Uncle Vernon:] MOTORBIKES DON’T FLY!

… [Harry:] I know they don’t, … It was only a dream .

… If there was one thing the Dursleys hated even more than his asking questions, it was his talking about anything acting in a way it shouldn’t, …

… The Dursleys bought Dudley and Piers large chocolate ice-… because the smiling lady in the van had asked Harry what he wanted … they bought him a cheap lemon ice lolly. … they watched a gorilla scratching its head and looking remarkably like Dudley, …

Lily tried to remember her own childhood, from before Petunia started drifting apart because of Lily’s magical powers. From the early days of happy times with her older sister who was nice and funny and someone Lily looked up to for a very long time. She tried to remember the times Tuney would share her sweets with Lily behind their parents’ backs, or crawl into Lily’s room whenever the younger sister had a nightmare.

It was hard to picture the young and cheerful—kind—version of her sister as a cruel, cold and nasty woman. It was just bordering impossible to imagine Tuney growing up and hating her own nephew enough to force him to sleep in a cupboard.

Where has the girl who’d shared her candy with Lily gone? Where was she when she and her husband found it awful to buy their nephew a simple ice lolly? It didn’t even cost that much! And by the sound of all those presents Dudley got for his birthday, Petunia and her husband weren’t doing all that bad, either (financially, speaking).

Was it really all just jealousy speaking? Was Petunia acting this way because she was still jealous of Lily even after her death? Did she not miss her little sister at all? Was she honestly feeling nothing? Did she come to Lily’s funeral? Did she try and comfort their parents at all during that time?

And if she was treating Harry this badly when he was ten (that sounded about right, considering there hasn’t been a Hogwarts letter just yet, but it’s been at least ten years since the Dursleys took the boy in), what was Harry’s life like when he was a baby with Tuney? Was she just as cruel to a baby?

The thought of her sister—let alone a mother herself!—treating a baby and then a child like he wasn’t even worth her attention made Lily’s blood boil, and the only thing keeping her in her seat was the arm still draped over her shoulders. James didn’t say anything and he didn’t stop reading, but he could clearly tell something was wrong with Lily because he sent her brief looks every now and then, as if to make sure she was all right and in no need of his assistance.

Harry had the best morning he’d had in a long time. … They ate in the zoo restaurant and when Dudley had a tantrum because his knickerbocker glory wasn’t big enough, … Harry was allowed to finish the first [meal] .

… he should have known it was all too good to last .

“What? What could possibly go wrong?” James asked in something that was close to despair as Lily buried her face in her hands. “He’s at the zoo—did the gorilla escape or something? Did his cousin suddenly decide to poke at Harry instead of the other exhibits in that place?”

Lily didn’t even want to think about it.

After lunch they went to the reptile house. … Dudley quickly found the largest snake in the place. … it was fast asleep .

“Does it have to be a snake?” James whined and Lily peeked at him through her fingers, finding a frown on his face. Of course he didn’t like snakes—they were Slytherin’s symbol, and he definitely didn’t like Slytherin.

Hope blossomed inside Lily’s face—maybe her son would find a way to forego this stigma. Maybe he would be able to see Slytherins in a different light than James and his friends.

Most of the people at Hogwarts that weren’t in Slytherin seemed to find the fourth house darker than the other three. They didn’t like the students in it. They acted like they were all already Death Eaters. Honestly, Lily wouldn’t even be surprised if some of the Slytherins ended up being Death Eaters just because they’ve been treated as such for seven years.

Self-fulfilling prophecies and so on.

… [Dudley:] Make it move, …

Uncle Vernon tapped on the glass, but the snake didn’t budge .

… [Dudley:] Th is is boring, …

[Dudley goes away.]

Harry moved in front of the tank … He wouldn’t have been surprised if it had died of boredom … It was worse than having a cupboard as a bedroom, … at least [Harry] got to visit the rest of the house .

“That’s just sad.” Lily drew her hands away from her face and brushed her fingers through her hair wearily.

Next to her, James nodded solemnly. “If you find yourself sympathizing with a snake, you’re probably at rock bottom.” He was still frowning.

The snake suddenly opened its beady eyes. … it raised its head …

It winked .

“What the hell?” James stretched his arm away from his body, holding the book away from him like it was a vile thing. “What the hell? Did that just happen? Did it really?”

Lily didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, her limited knowledge of zoology told her that snakes couldn’t blink since they didn’t even have eyelids. On the other hand, she lived in a world filled with magic, and a snake winking was definitely not the most surprising thing she’s encountered. Still, it was weird. Maybe a little disturbing, if she was willing to admit to herself that a snake interacting with someone was off-putting.

And this wasn’t just anybody—this was her future son.

Was he going to be put into Slytherin? Lily glanced at James. Would James accept Harry if he was sorted into Slytherin? Would he resent him for it? Would he lose all interest in Lily? Or worse—what if he suddenly decided she was to blame for corrupting Harry like that with how close she used to be with Sev? It was ridiculous to consider, but James wasn’t completely logical when it came to Slytherin—not always.

Harry stared. Then he looked quickly around … He looked back at the snake and winked, too .

James groaned. “No, Harry, what are you doing?” He shook his head a little but Lily thought she heard bafflement mixed with amusement in his voice. At least he wasn’t too repulsed by this display.

… It gave Harry a look that said quite plainly: “I get that all the time .”

[Harry:] I know, … It must be really annoying.

The snake nodded vigorously .

It took Lily a moment to realise James was quiet. She blinked ahead a few times and then turned to look at him. His face was pale and he wasn’t looking at the book anymore. Instead, he was just gaping at the opposite wall with an almost horror-struck expression that she couldn’t fathom.

“Potter? What’s wrong?”

He moved his lips, like he was trying to speak, but no sound came out. Eventually, James squeezed his eyes shut and remained that way, motionless, for a few long moments, as if trying to remember something—recall a memory that was hard to get to. When his eyes opened again and he looked at Lily, there was concern and doubt in them, making Lily a little apprehensive.

“Harry’s a parselmouth,” he said. He was probably looking for some kind of a reaction from Lily, but she had no idea what he was on about. “You don’t know what that is, do you?”

“Should I?”

“Haven’t you read about Hogwarts? About Salazar Slytherin? Yes, you should know what that is.” James ruffled his hair, but despite the action being familiar, usually it was accompanied by his stunning, arrogant grin. This time he looked anxious. “Parseltongue is snake language. Salazar Slytherin was a parselmouth—he could talk to snakes.” Come to think of it, it did sound slightly familiar to Lily. “There aren’t a lot of wizards that can speak to snakes, Evans. And the only ones I’ve heard of were bad or dark. It’s never a good sign.”

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you saying your own son is going to be a Dark Wizard? Are you mad?”

He waved at her dismissively, shrugging off her anger like it was nothing more than an irritating fly. “Of course not. I like Harry. And I don’t think he’s bad. But this ability usually runs in a family and since we don’t have any parselmouths in my family and you clearly wouldn’t have either, I’m just worried about what it might mean.”

Lily’s shoulders slumped. She berated herself silently for even entertaining the thought of James Potter dismissing his own kid just because he could do something that was considered dark and sinister. Wasn’t he a friend of Sirius Black—a wizard from a long family of pure-bloods that were all in Slytherin, and all nasty and mean and definitely on the road of becoming servants of You-Know-Who along with the other Death Eaters?

James didn’t seem to mind her rush accusation, though. He just kept on reading, sounding a little more thoughtful as he spoke.

[Harry:] Where do you come from, anyway? …

The snake jabbed its tail at a little sign next to the glass. …

Boa Constrictor, Brazil. … This specimen was bred in the zoo.

[Harry:] Oh, I see—so you’ve never been to Brazil ?

… [Piers:] DUDLEY! MR. DURSLEY! … YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT [THE SNAKE]’S DOING !

“This can’t be good,” Lily whimpered.

Dudley came waddling towards them as fast as he could .

“ Out of the way, you,” he said, punching Harry in the ribs. … Harry fell hard on the concrete floor.

What came next happened so fast no one saw how it happened …

Harry sat up and gasped; the glass front of the boa constrictor’s tank had vanished.

Lily’s mouth fell open in shock. She imagined being there, in a space where a boa constrictor was supposed to be firmly shut away from her to keep her safe, only for the glass to disappear. She would have screamed her lungs out in terror.

It seemed, though, like James found this occurrence amusing as he eagerly read on, practically bouncing in his seat. Of course he would be satisfied with the situation they were reading about—he loved chaos.

… [The boa was] slithering out on to the floor …

… [Boa constrictor:] Brazil, here I come... Thanksss, amigo.

… [Keeper of the zoo, repeatedly:] where did the glass go ?

… As far as Harry had seen, the snake hadn’t done anything except snap playfully … Dudley was telling them how it had nearly bitten off his leg, …

[Piers, in the car:] Harry was talking to it, weren’t you, Harry ?

Lily groaned in frustration. She should have seen this coming since the book had foreshadowed the trouble coming Harry’s way, but she figured that maybe the snake escaping the zoo thanks to Harry’s accidental magic was going to be it.

Well, now she knew better.

Uncle Vernon waited until Piers was safely out of the house … He was so angry he could hardly speak. …

[Uncle Vernon:] Go—cupboard—stay—no meals,

… Aunt Petunia had to run and get him a large brandy .

“He starved him?” James called, looking appalled. “He can’t do that!”

Lily was seething, too. Whether or not she knew how to feel about Harry Potter, she still knew one thing for sure—this little kid didn’t deserve this life. He didn’t deserve someone like Vernon as his uncle or someone like Petunia as his aunt. He shouldn’t have to suffer because of Dudley Dursley. He shouldn’t have to sleep in a cupboard or starve as punishment for something that was out of his control in the first place.

He shouldn’t have to grow up without his parents.

What even happened to them? Lily didn’t believe for a second that story about James and she dying in a car crash. It was such an unrealistic excuse—so pathetic that anyone with a brain could see through it. Tuney and her horrid boyfriend (husband?) were keeping something from Harry, and she wished the kid would just figure out what that was sooner rather than later because so far this book was driving her mad rather than calming her down.

Harry lay in his dark cupboard much later, … Until [the Dursleys] were [asleep], he couldn’t risk sneaking to the kitchen for some food .

She released a breath she wasn’t aware of holding. At least Harry still got something to eat when the other three were unaware of it. It was a horrible thing to be glad for—Lily hated whatever circumstances would bring such a blow to Harry’s life that she felt happy to know that he could sneak food away to prevent himself from starving.

He’d lived with the Dursleys almost ten years, ten miserable years, … He couldn’t remember being in the car when his parents had died. … he came up with a strange vision: a blinding flash of green light and a burning pain on his forehead.

While Lily furrowed her brows in thought, trying to understand what kind of curse it was—because it had to be a curse. There wasn’t anything else that could explain the lack of parental authority in Harry’s life.

She noticed James’s sharp intake of air. Turning to him, she found a dumbfounded look on his face as he seemed to read to himself that last line over and over again.

“What? Do you recognize this curse?” Lily asked.

“Of course I do. It’s the Killing Curse.” He shuddered and turned to Lily. “Avada Kedavra. If it hits you… well, you’re done for. You just die on the spot.”

She tried to imagine this—someone pointing a wand at her, a baby in the room, and muttering those words. Did she recognize them in the future? Did she know what it meant to hear them? Were they the last thing she heard? Was it painful? Was it sudden? Was it swift or agonizing?

As if sensing where her thoughts have wandered, James pulled his arm from around her and instead grabbed her hand again. “Don’t think about it,” he said quietly. The thing was, she couldn’t stop thinking about it, even as he kept on talking. “We’re nearly done.”

Her eyes drifted down to the purple book. How could he say that when they still had so many unread pages ahead of them? So many unopened books on the table, waiting for them?

But, of course, he was talking about the chapter they were reading rather than the entire book or the pile on the coffee table in total. Briskly nodding, Lily let him read on, though her body kept on shaking ever so slightly.

This, he supposed, was the crash, … He couldn’t remember his parents at all. His aunt and uncle never spoke about them, … There were no photographs of them in the house .

Lily shut her eyes tightly and tried not to focus on the waves of crushing guilt that seemed very intent on making her feel horrible for leaving a defenceless child behind, in a house that was filled with people who couldn’t care less about him. Where were their friends? Their families? Why was Harry all alone? They couldn’t all be dead… could they?

James squeezed her hand. It was a touch too painful, but Lily didn’t complain.

… Harry had dreamed and dreamed of some unknown relation coming to take him away, but it had never happened; … strangers in the street seemed to know him. Very strange strangers they were, too.

That made both of them perk up curiously. Despite not being stated in any obvious way, Harry was talking about wizards and witches—he had to. Weirdly-dressed people were usually people from the magical community who didn’t know how to disguise themselves in the Muggle world.

But why would they all know him? Were they all just friends of James and Lily? If so, why would they let Harry live with Lily’s family when they could just save him the agonizing years and get him somewhere safe and warm and loving?

A tiny man in a violet top hat had bowed to him once …

“Bowed to him?” Lily gasped.

James could only shrug, a curious and stunned look on his face.

… Aunt Petunia had rushed them out of the shop without buying anything. A wild-looking old woman dressed all in green had waved merrily at him … A bald man in a very long purple coat had actually shaken his hand … then walked away without a word.

“This is so strange…” James whispered in awe. “Even for wizards.”

… [These people] seemed to vanish the second Harry tried to get a closer look .

At school, Harry had no one. … Dudley’s gang hated that odd Harry Potter … nobody liked to disagree with Dudley’s gang .

Snapping the book shut, James looked very content at being able to finally put it away. Lily’s own body sagged in relief. She was curious and still wanted to learn more, but it was a heavy book, it seemed. Or at least it was for now—she wondered what would happen once Harry got his Hogwarts letter. It had to happen soon enough, right? If he was ten then he was approaching eleven and then his letter would arrive and he would finally leave that horrible house—if only for most of the year and not all of it.

She was shaken out of her thoughts when James got up and pulled her to her feet by tugging at her hand. He smiled at her—an almost reassuring smile—and started walking with her towards the door.

“Come on, Evans,” he said. “We said we’d go to dinner now. We can come back here whenever we’re ready to learn more.”

Disoriented, Lily glanced down at her watch. It hasn’t been long. Not long at all. It hasn’t even been an hour since James and she had wandered into the Room of Requirement, oblivious to what was about to come. But now she felt like it’s been hours. Maybe days or weeks. How far into the future was this book? How long did James and she have before… before they died? How long before Harry would be born?

Despite not knowing what she should feel about any of this, Lily’s hands seemed to ache to hold that boy from the future and press him to her, keep him safe and secure. She wanted to know how long she would have with Harry as a baby so that she could cherish every moment of it. Every moment with him and James.

A part of her was aware of the fact that if Harry was still not eleven, yet has been with the Dursleys for ten years already… well, it didn’t bode quite well for James and Lily’s own survival. It meant that when Harry was a year old—maybe even younger—they died. She didn’t even have much time with her baby, it seemed.

God, what a depressing thought.

They were walking quietly down corridors and stairways, both stuck with their own thoughts. Lily couldn’t help but stare at James every now and then. She tried to picture him as a father, looking after a baby and playing ridiculous games with Harry. She thought about him taking the baby to a quidditch match against Lily’s best wishes because it was too loud and chaotic, but it was James’s passion and nothing would ever sway him from passing it along to his son.

It was strange—less than an hour ago Lily had mocked James for picturing their wedding, claiming it was too far into the future and that everything was too much of an unknown for them. Now she was going even past the wedding, to a time when they were both happily married, with a little baby squealing happily in the house, growing up with magic and wonder and loving parents and… and…

And then the flash of green light made her mind screech to a halt. Lily felt sick at the mere thought of someone murdering her. And she was certain that if she died, then James did, too—he would never let anything happen to her without trying to do something about it, after all.

He’s been protecting her in his own, twisted way for years now from people who only called her… you-know-what. If someone turned their wand at her and tried to kill her, Lily was certain James would die before letting something like this happen—even now.

Her hand squeezed his as they made their way into the Great Hall that was filled with laughter and chatter that didn’t quite fit the mood Lily and James were in.

Notes:

Okay, I know it's not the first chapter in the book, but the confusion that came with this was just... so much better. I mean, they don't even know Sirius was around, or that the bike Harry had dreamed about belonged to him. They have no idea Dumbledore was the one to put Harry at the Dursleys. They don't know a lot of things, which, I think, is pretty fun to work with.

If you have a problem with this choice - I'm sorry. Really. But it just made sense to me. And, frankly, the first chapter always bored me.

Listen, the story of how I started reading books was this - I HATED reading. I avoided books as much as possible. And I always got so bored, yet still refused to touch books, even if I had nothing better to do. But then one time I just got so irritated since I had nothing to do, so I listened to my brother and took the first Harry Potter book.

Naturally, I didn't like the first chapter. It was extremely boring. Nothing happened in it. I didn't care about Dumbledore or Hagrid or Vernon and his stupid drills. It was just so, SO dull. So I dropped the book after the first chapter and went back to my boredom.

Skip two years ahead - I was bored out of my mind all over again and decided - maybe I should give Harry Potter another shot. After all, a LOT of people love this series. Why not? So I picked up the first book again, but this time I started reading from the second chapter since I remembered the first one already and didn't feel like reading it all over again. And suddenly it was much more interesting, so I kept on reading. I've been reading books sicne then. It literally changed my mind regarding all books. So... it's important to me.

So for me to skip the first chapter in this fanfic... it just made sense, okay? I wanted to write this fanfic, and having to write about the first chapter would have made the experience leave a bitter taste in my mouth, so I didn't even attempt to do that. I just moved on so I could write about Harry himself and not other people talking about him and his dead parents.

Anyway... yeah. That's why this is the first chapter in the book. Sorry to disappoint the people that love the first chapter of this book.

(If you haven't guessed already - it's all going to be from Lily's POV. James is always there, but he's not going to be the one whose thoughts are heard. Idk why. It just made sense to me when I first started writing this, and then I went along with it. Maybe because I just can't get into the head of a troublemaker. I'm not one, so it's... weird. I can't handle it. I did my best, but I didn't want to mess this entire fic up just because I couldn't understand James Potter as much as I would've liked)

Well, tell me what you think so far! Cya!

Chapter 3: The Letters from No One

Notes:

Have fun!

“Oy, there are the love birds!”

Sirius’s voice reached Lily’s ears before her eyes could even focus on him. She felt a little numb as she shakily let James support her weight (just a little bit) as they both walked towards the Gryffindor table.

There were a lot of loud voices from all around as students talked or laughed about whatever it was they did that day. Some of them were talking about Hogsmeade. Some talked about their day in the castle. (Mostly the ones who were in their first or second years at the school, still not allowed to leave for Hogsmeade.)

Lily’s eyes tried to scan the Gryffindor table for Alice before she realised once again that her friend was no longer in Hogwarts. It still caught her by surprise every time she entered the Hall and prepared to sit with her friend. Well, since she didn’t have Alice to sit with, Lily didn’t leave James’s side as he swiftly made his way towards his friends.

The Marauders seemed to always sit in the same place. Remus tended to sit next to Peter, and Sirius occupied the space next to James. Normally, there wasn’t a spare seat next to them because most of the Gryffindors loved them and wanted to be around the group. This time people moved to make place for Lily, like they knew she belonged next to the Marauders for the first time in her life.

She let go of James’s hand once she was sitting to his left, staring at the food on the table and feeling slightly ill at the mere thought of eating it. She could barely stand the smells swirling through the air.

Usually, she loved the feasts at Hogwarts. Everything was always so great, and bright, and enticing. But now she remembered the book in which Harry was stuck in a cupboard for doing accidental magic. Harry having to wait for his aunt, uncle and cousin to fall asleep so he could get something to eat.

How could she possibly eat when in the future her son would starve?

“Missed us, have you?” James countered. His voice was cheerful, just like it always was, but he was definitely still sombre after that first chapter, because he looked around at the food on the table, turned a curious faint shade of green, and pushed his plate away from him like he couldn’t bear to even stay anywhere near it.

It didn’t seem to register as strange in Peter’s brain, but Remus quirked an eyebrow at both James and Lily. “Is everything all right with the two of you?” he asked.

Lily thought it was weird coming from him—he looked much worse than she felt. Then again, he was usually sick around this time, so it made sense. His friends didn’t even bat an eye at his slightly ragged appearance. But James Potter not eating his dinner was probably a lot more alarming than Remus looking ill.

When Sirius turned warily towards James, too, the Marauder shook his head and offered them a smile—weaker than before. “Fine. Just had too many sweets at Honeydukes. Right, Lily?”

That was a good excuse. “Yeah. It was a bit too much,” she echoed.

They didn’t look convinced as Remus and Sirius eyed James suspiciously. “You had too much candy?” Sirius asked, punctuating each word slowly and carefully, like it would somehow make James change his answer. “Prongs, maybe you’ve been in the sun for too long if you think that was a legitimate excuse.”

“Oh, shut up.”

There was something in his eyes as he looked at Sirius, like for a moment he didn’t see his friend, but the corpse he must have envisioned since the first moment the idea of Sirius being dead in the future struck Lily and James for the first time. Lily nearly forgot about it, but now it was just so heavy to think about, she almost felt lightheaded.

These people around her… they were James’s best friend, and if this was going to work, she couldn’t imagine them not getting along with her as well. Which meant that they were probably a big part of their lives. So how come none of them were in that future, ready to take Harry in? What could possibly be holding them back?

The only explanation that made sense to Lily was that they were all dead. James clearly thought his friends would be there for him unless they had no other choice, after all. Even she believed they would be the first in line to try and get Harry if anything happened to James and Lily.

Of course, they could be in prison in the future, but Lily just didn’t think that would actually happen. They were troublemakers—not outlaws.

“I checked the map, you know,” Sirius whispered in James’s ear, probably not expecting Lily to hear him, too. “Couldn’t find your name. What, did you stay in Hogsmeade ‘til now?” he asked.

“What map?” Lily chimed in.

The four boys looked at her with wide, slightly panicked eyes. She looked at all of them, one by one. Peter quickly turned back to his food, looking anxious under her gaze. Remus’s brows furrowed, like he wasn’t sure what to do. His eyes kept drifting towards James and Sirius, like the answer would be with them. Sirius just pressed his lips together, the glare on his face directed towards Lily who realised he wasn’t going to tell her anything.

And then there was James, who shifted a little next to her, looking unsure as to what he was supposed to do in this situation. They clearly had a shared secret—some kind of map that they didn’t want others to know about—and Lily wasn’t supposed to overhear this. She wondered what would win with James—his need to keep this a secret with the Marauders, or his obvious longing to just tell her everything.

She crushed that thought quickly. “Never mind. It doesn’t really matter.” She glanced at the food on the table, ignoring the way James calmed down a little, his tense body sagging down. “I think I’m going to go to the common room. Lots of homework left.”

Her legs were still shaking a little as Lily got off the bench.

She didn’t get far before James called after her. “Wait, Evans!” She turned around to look at him. His expression was unreadable. “Tomorrow morning I have Quidditch practice, but after that I’m free—do you wanna continue that… thing?” He ignored Sirius when the boy started asking what James was talking about, poking his shoulder along the way.

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Lily replied with the biggest smile she could muster.

Then she turned around before she could dwell on those words too much. She hoped the situation in the book would improve soon, because she needed answers and she needed some resemblance of happiness to come to Harry.

Unfortunately, those thoughts kept on plaguing her brain for the rest of the evening and she couldn’t concentrate on her work at all. So she just gave up and went to bed early.

 

---

 

The next day she found it easier to concentrate, and Lily used her free time to go to the library and finish all of her work. Without the distractions in the common room, the task was easy enough, and before she knew it she moved on to other books she found interesting and that had nothing to do with her schoolwork.

She was just reading about Merlin when she saw James Potter walking towards her desk. He looked better than he did the previous day, though his hair was even messier than before—probably thanks to the wind blowing his it in every direction while he was up in the air. Whatever it was, it didn’t matter to Lily. She actually thought that maybe the Quidditch practice made James feel better than a good night’s sleep. He did love flying…

“I can’t believe I’m in a library because of you, Evans,” James sighed as he slumped into the seat next to her. Lily peeked at him above her book and made a whole show of rolling her eyes to make sure he saw it. “Did you finish all of this year’s load of homework, already?”

“Very funny,” she mocked and slammed her book shut. It wasn’t that interesting anyway. “How was practice?”

He eyed her. “You don’t like Quidditch.”

“But you do.”

His smile turned more sincere this time. “Well, you’ll be glad to hear that I think the new Beaters are finally not going to fall off their brooms during our next match—which you’re going to have to come to, because if you don’t, then everyone would pity me and I’ll be crowded by Gryffindors, which we both know you think might go to my head. We can’t let that happen, now, can we?”

She wasn’t impressed. “You’re saying it like it hasn’t gone to your head, already.” Then, before he could say anything else, Lily got up and smiled. “Well, are you coming? I’m hoping this chapter is going to be better. Maybe we’ll get a few answers to the obvious questions. Like where everyone is, or how we died.”

“You mean how we will die,” James corrected airily and quickly fell into step with her as Lily made her way out of the library. “Plus, I’d like to know why all these wizards knew him—remember, the ones from the end of the chapter? That was odd.”

“I hope your throat can still handle all the reading, then.” She smirked when he grumbled a little but didn’t protest. “By the way, what did you even tell your friends? I bet Sirius was really thrilled when you decided to spend another day away from him.”

“It’s okay—he can’t get a refund on the white dress,” James said thoughtlessly and Lily giggled a little. “And, you know, I just told them I was meeting up with you again.”

She threw him a quick look. “But you didn’t mention what we were actually doing, did you?” By the look on his face, she summarized that he did not, in fact, reveal the truth about those books in the Room of Requirement. “Oh, Merlin—they’re going to think we’re doing…” she trailed off and tried not to look straight at the smug, teasing grin on James Potter’s face. “Ugh, you don’t have to look this happy—we’re going to read a book. Shouldn’t it be your worst nightmare?”

Hand flying to rest against his chest, James sent her an offended look. “Evans, I’m wounded—do you honestly not remember what my boggart was?”

The truth was, she did remember. Not because she was particularly interested in what James Potter might be frightened of, but because his boggart was nothing like what she’d expected to see. It turned into every single person James cared about—all of them agonizingly dying and blaming him for various reasons. Lily never expected anything like that from James. She certainly didn’t expect one of those people to become a mirror-image of her.

She must have had nightmares for ages after that—she remembered the sleepless nights of tossing and turning restlessly in her bed, staring at the ceiling and wishing she could just understand James Potter for once in her life. She couldn’t get those harsh words the boggart had thrown in his face out of her mind.

And the worst part was that he was scared of something that wasn’t even far from the truth—in fact, out of all of those people it had changed into, the one that looked like Lily said the exact same things the real one had said to him time and time again.

And he was scared the most of exactly that.

After a while she must have forgotten the guilt over that because she went right back to snapping at him—it was really his fault for being so obnoxious—but now she thought back to those moments of staring at James Potter flinching away from the sharp, cutting words of the people in his life that mattered the most to him… and she felt like the worst person in the world. Even after knowing all of this about him, Lily went right back to being exactly like her boggart-self.

Why would James want to date her when she was his worst fear?

Apparently, she’s been quiet for too long because James looked at her like he knew what she was thinking about, his smile replaced with a concerned frown.

Lily quickly brought her lips up forcefully. “Well, at this rate Sirius is going to murder me in my sleep for stealing his best friend.”

For a second James didn’t look like he wanted to just go back to their topic of conversation, but then he smiled back at her. “We haven’t figured out how to get into the girls’ dormitories yet. You’re safe, for now.”

“That makes me feel so much better,” she said dryly.

 

 

 

The room was exactly the same as it was the previous day, Lily noted. Only the first, purple book was back at the top of the pile instead of the edge of the table, where James had left it.

With one look over at Lily, who sat right next to him, James opened the book and started reading the next chapter.

The escape of the Brazilian boa constrictor earned Harry his longest-ever punishment. [It’s already summer by the time Harry is allowed out of the cupboard. Dudley managed to break half of his birthday presents. Plus, he ran over Mrs. Figg with his mountain bike]

“That’s horrible!” Lily scowled at the book. She knew there was nothing she could really do—the idea of sending Tuney a howler was a nice one, but it wouldn’t really help because Tuney wouldn’t know what Lily was even talking about. It was all so, very frustrating. “Poor Mrs. Figg.”

James gave her a funny look. “Poor Mrs. Figg? And what about Harry? He’s stuck in that cupboard for Merlin knows how long. Or have you not noticed that?” James turned back to the book. “Does this mean he can only eat at night, when they’re all asleep? So he gets one meal a day. That’s not enough!”

Yeah, that was problematic, too, but Lily just didn’t have the energy to be upset with the Dursleys anymore. She was disgusted by their treatment towards Harry, but there was only so much she could do for him from when and where she was.

… there was no escaping Dudley’s gang, … as Dudley was the biggest and stupidest of the lot, he was the leader. … [Dudley’s gang was] happy to join in Dudley’s favourite sport: Harry-hunting .

“Why am I not surprised?” James commented dryly.

Lily rolled her eyes at him. “Because you did the exact same thing to Sev?”

James just went right back to reading, though there was an edge to his voice, now.

This was why Harry spent as much time as possible out of the house, … When September came he would be going off to secondary school … Dudley had a place at Uncle Vernon’s old school, Smeltings. … [Harry] was going to Stonewall High, the local comprehensive. …

[Dudley:] Th ey stuff people’s heads down the toilet first day at Stonewall, … Want to come upstairs and practice?

[Harry:] No thanks, … The poor toilet’s never had anything as horrible as your head down it—it might be sick. …

(Harry runs away quickly]

Lily shook with chuckles that she tried to contain, but James just outright laughed at Harry’s reply.

While Lily usually wouldn’t approve of people mocking each other like that (call her a hypocrite if you will—she knew she probably was. Most people were), she was happy to see Harry could still stand up for himself, in his own way. Maybe he couldn’t punch Dudley, but he could speak his way out of things, and he could make fun of his stupid cousin without the other boy even realizing it, apparently.

And then he also had the sense to run away before it was too late. So he had self-preservation, she was glad to note. It was a strange mixture of both James and Lily’s qualities. He was smart, snarky, capable of knowing when to retreat…

For some reason, Lily had the feeling that Harry wouldn’t stay this smart for too long. What were the chances of one of the Marauders having a child that was actually capable of not running into headfirst into trouble, right?

One day in July, Aunt Petunia took Dudley to London … leaving Harry at Mrs. Figg’s. Mrs. Figg wasn’t as bad as usual. [Apparently, Mrs. Figg broke her leg when she tripped over one of her cats, so they weren’t her favourite thing to talk about this time.]

That evening, Dudley paraded around the living-room for the family in his brand-new uniform. [Description of the dreadful uniform.] They also carried knobbly sticks, used for hitting each other … This was supposed to be good training for later life .

“That’s hideous!” Lily exclaimed. “Why would anyone wear such an outfit?”

James looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “That’s what’s bothering you? I happen to think about the fact that this school thinks these kids are going to need to use sticks in the future, for some reason.”

“Aren’t you a wizard? What do you think a wand is?”

“Why, it’s a fancy stick that can do magic! This”—he stabbed the book with his index finger—“is a regular stick that probably can’t do much other than hit things. I guess you can poke someone in the eye with it, if you’re really desperate.” He hummed for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. Then he shook his head in exasperation and kept on reading.

… Uncle Vernon said gruffly that it was the proudest moment of his life. Aunt Petunia burst into tears and said she couldn’t believe it was her Ickle Dudleykins, … … [Harry] thought two of his ribs might already have cracked from trying not to laugh .

Lily winced at the thought of Harry hurting himself, but next to her James just sniggered, muttering that horrible, new nickname Tuney had used for Dudley like it was a new and magnificent magic spell.

… [A horrible smell from the kitchen the next morning] seemed to be coming from a large metal tub in the sink. … The tub was full of what looked like dirty rags swimming in grey water .

[Harry:] What’s this? …

[Aunt Petunia:] Your new school uniform, …

… [Harry:] Oh, … I didn’t realise it had to be so wet .

The comment was amusing, Lily could admit that, but she was busy thinking about what the hell Petunia was doing. Was she honestly not even going to buy Harry his own school uniform? She wasn’t short on money—Lily was certain of it—so what was she thinking? Not that Harry would ever go to that school when he was bound to hop on the Hogwarts Express and get to Hogwarts, but it still irked her that Tuney was so intent on making Harry’s life a living hell in any way possible.

Is that the extent of it, though, a voice in Lily’s head wondered. Do they only do those things, or do they take it even further than that? Do they hurt him? Physically hurt him? She didn’t even want to entertain the thought of such a possibility! She couldn’t imagine Tuney hurting Harry—not by raising a hand on him—but her husband was a question mark that Lily wasn’t too optimistic about.

And then suddenly Lily felt like her entire world froze. If Tuney and her husband were so hellbent on hating Harry and magic as one… what would they do once Harry gets his Hogwarts letter? What would they do to Harry? And to the letter? What would happen to him? Would he have to actually fight to get to school, or would they happily let him go, glad to get rid of him at long last?

… [Aunt Petunia:] I’m dyeing some of Dudley’s old things grey for you. …

… [Harry] tried not to think about how he was going to look … like he was wearing bits of old elephant skin, probably .

Dudley and Uncle Vernon came in, … Uncle Vernon opened his newspaper as usual and Dudley banged his Smeltings stick, …

They heard the click of the letter-box and flop of letters on the doormat .

James suddenly straightened up in his chair and glanced over at Lily. “You don’t think this is it, do you? The letter?”

With her new worries about what the Hogwarts letter might bring, Lily wasn’t sure what answer would be better for Harry’s sake. Was it worth it to just leave things as they were and not anger the Dursleys any further, or would it be better if Harry irked them with that letter and talking about Hogwarts and buying everything he needed?

Tuney knew all about it, already, so she wouldn’t be at a loss if Harry brought it up with them. For some reason, it didn’t make Lily’s hopes rise in the least.

“I don’t know,” Lily said eventually.

“Are you all right?” James nudged her playfully. “If it is the letter, then it’s good—Harry will finally get out of this house and be around other people like him.” He hesitated when she didn’t smile back at his cheery tone. “Isn’t it a good thing?”

Lily turned to look into those familiar brown irises, and her hand anxiously moved the red hair away from her face. “We don’t know what they’ll do once Harry gets the letter. What if they get even worse because of it? What if they don’t allow him to go?”

That made James slouch a little as he pondered her words while reading the next lines almost thoughtlessly.

[Uncle Vernon:] Get the post, Dudley, …

[Dudley:] Make Harry get it .

[Uncle Vernon:] Get the post, Harry .

[Harry:] Make Dudley get it .

[Uncle Vernon:] Poke him with your Smeltings stick, Dudley .

[Harry goes to get the mail.] Three things lay on the doormat: [Two boring things, and]—a letter for Harry .

This time James didn’t perk up—he only tensed. Lily kind of felt bad for making him wary of Harry’s acceptance letter to Hogwarts. This moment should be happy, not anxiety-inducing. But instead they were both looking at the book as if it was going to explode, waiting to discover what would happen next.

When Lily reached out and caught James’s hand, she wasn’t sure whether it was to calm her own nerves or to help him be less nervous about the experience she just ruined for him with her big mouth. Couldn’t she have just kept those pessimistic thoughts to herself? Now James was too worried to be able to lift her spirits.

Harry picked it up and stared at it, … No one, ever, in his whole life, had written to him. … Yet here it was, a letter, addressed so plainly there could be no mistake :

Mr. H. Potter

The Cupboard under the Stairs

4 Privet Drive

Little Whinging

Surrey

[Description of the envelope.]

[Uncle Vernon:] Hurry up, boy! … What are you doing, checking for letter-bombs?

He chuckled at his own joke .

James paused after that, wrinkled his nose and stared at the book. “I don’t get it. Was that supposed to be funny?” he asked. At Lily’s shrug, he frowned. “Evans, Harry is lucky he has a better sense of humour than those idiots.”

Which was actually a good point—Harry grew up with Tuney and her husband and son. It was probably a miracle that he ended up being nothing like them. She wasn’t exactly happy that Harry’s life was miserable, but at least he wasn’t like any of the Dursleys. That would have probably been awful. Lily would have probably sworn never to have kids in that case, hoping nobody that came from her would ever suffer through growing into an obnoxious human being that hated imagination.

Was it terribly mean of her to be glad that Harry had such a horrendous childhood if she was only thankful that it made him more humble and less arrogant or bratty than his other family members? It probably was.

[Harry gives the two letters to Uncle Vernon and sits down to open and read his letter.]

… [Uncle Vernon:] Marge’s ill, … Ate a funny whelk …

… [Dudley:] Dad, Harry’s got something !

James scowled at the book and Lily groaned in frustration. Harry should have just opened the letter in the corridor.

Though, then again, he would have probably not even believed its contents. Why should he? Magic wasn’t real to Muggles—and Harry grew up thinking it was all nonsense. Without some way to prove to him that it wasn’t an elaborate joke… well, Lily wasn’t sure what he might do with the letter.

… [The letter] was jerked sharply out of his hand by Uncle Vernon .

“Th at’s mine!” said Harry, trying to snatch it back .

“Go, Harry!”

Lily slapped James’s shoulder. “Just keep on reading, already!”

[Uncle Vernon:] Who’d be writing to you?

… [Uncle Vernon’s] face went from red to green … Within seconds it was the greyish white of old porridge .

James’s eyebrows rose up as he stared at the page. “Your sister’s taste is… questionable.” When all he received was a glare from Lily for pausing again, James smirked at her. “What is it, Lily? Anxious to see what’s going to happen to a human that hasn’t been born, yet?”

“Anxious to know how someone managed to finally kill you, more like,” she snapped back.

He went right back to the book after that.

[Uncle Vernon:] P-P-Petunia! …

Dudley tried to grab the letter [His dad pulls it away, though. Aunt Petunia comes to read the letter, too. She reacts kind of like any other drama queen out there, to be honest.]

[Aunt Petunia:] Ve rnon! Oh my goodness—Vernon !

“Dramatic, much?” Lily muttered under her breath.

James side-eyed her, clearly aware of the fact that she’d just interrupted him. He didn’t stop, though. Maybe because he was still a little shaken from Lily’s casual mention of their deaths.

They stared at each other, … [Dudley] gave his father a sharp tap on the head with his Smeltings stick .

[Dudley:] I want to read that letter, …

[Harry:] I want to read it, … as it’s mine .

[Uncle Vernon:] Get out, both of you, …

[Harry:] I WANT MY LETTER! …

James’s lips twitched as his shoulders shook a bit. Lily stared at him, dumbfounded and confused, until he managed to choke out: “That’s definitely your temper right there.” He avoided her light punch and laughed in earnest, holding the book as a shield between the two of them. “You know, for a witch, you really seem to love the Muggle version of a fight.”

“That’s because this wasn’t worth a good hex, Potter.”

“Merlin, you’re a lot snappier today than you were yesterday, you know,” he noted as he ducked to avoid another punch. The next one he just caught with his free hand, keeping the book open with the other one.

Lily knew she could use this to punch him with her other hand, but she was just too lost in that look on his face as he looked more amused than threatened. “Are you only pleasant to be around if you get to go to Hogsmeade? Because that might be a problem—it’s such a long walk, see?”

For a second Lily thought James was going to lean in and kiss her. That didn’t happen, though—he just let go of her hand once he realised she wasn’t struggling anymore and went back to reading the book, leaving Lily with those butterflies in her stomach that were flying erratically in every direction, lost and confused, but absolutely thrilled all the same.

… [Uncle Vernon] took both Harry and Dudley by the scruffs of their necks and threw them into the hall, slamming the kitchen door behind them. [Harry and Dudley end up listening through the door—Dudley through the keyhole and Harry through the crack between the door and the floor.]

… [Aunt Petunia to Uncle Vernon:] look at the address—how could they possibly know where he sleeps? …

[Uncle Vernon:] Watching—spying—might be following us, …

… [Aunt Petunia:] Should we write back? Tell them we don’t want—

… [Uncle Vernon:] No, we’ll ignore it. … yes, that’s best... … Didn’t we swear when we took him in we’d stamp out that dangerous nonsense?

“Stamp out?” Lily shrieked. “Stamp out? What does he think that will achieve? Is he completely mental?”

“I can’t believe you just asked that,” James said bitterly.

He was right, of course. Lily shouldn’t have expected anything different, but it still managed to catch her off guard—she didn’t understand what the Dursleys thought would happen. Did they really think they could suppress Harry’s magic by… what, being mean to him? Have they been justifying their abusive behaviour by telling themselves it might fix him?

… [Uncle Vernon] visited Harry in his cupboard [that evening.]

“Great—a guest,” James drawled out.

… [Harry:] Who’s writing to me?

… [Uncle Vernon:] It was addressed to you by mistake, …

… [Harry, angry:] It had my cupboard on it .

[Uncle Vernon:] S ILENCE! … Your aunt and I have been thinking... … we think it might be nice if you moved into Dudley’s second bedroom.

[Harry:] Why? …

Lily’s head fell onto her open palms as all the energy in her body seemed to drain. She knew that Harry was frustrated in this future, but… but he was given a proper room, and instead of taking it, he was asking questions.

Sure, it was smart of him because Lily knew the only reason Tuney and her horrid husband were moving Harry was to change the address on the letter and make it untrue (probably), but there was a time and a place for everything, and these questions wouldn’t help Harry in this situation.

[Uncle Vernon:] Do n’t ask questions! … Take this stuff upstairs, now .

… It only took Harry one trip upstairs to move everything he owned from the cupboard to this room.

“I’m surprised he actually has things he gets to carry to his new room,” James said. “What, he has oversized clothes, maybe a backpack for school, and shoes. A toothbrush, maybe… Do you reckon they’d actually get him his own toys? I bet he got the broken ones Dudley no longer wanted. You know, because why waste money when Harry can have the things nobody needs anymore.” James sighed. “First Sirius and now Harry—who in my life isn’t going through hell?”

“What’s that about Sirius?” Lily asked curiously.

James froze, his eyes going wide as he stared at the wall ahead of him, his fingers going so numb, he nearly dropped the book. But then he turned to Lily when she cleared her throat and a guilty expression spread over his features.

“I-I’m sorry, Evans—I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s not my secret to tell.”

Which was as good as no answer at all, really. A small part of Lily wanted to press him for more information, but then she decided against it. Maybe she was a little upset that James picked her interest and then refused to give her any more details, but she knew better than to pry into someone else’s life. Especially when this someone wasn’t even in the room, present and accounted for, and ready to stand for himself and voice his opinion on the matter.

He sat down on the bed and stared around him. [Description of the room.]

… [Dudley to Aunt Petunia, downstairs:] I don’t want him in there... … make him get out …

Disgust spread over James’s face as he shuddered. “I want to blame the kid—I really do—but it’s his parents’ fault that he’s like this. They encourage him to be like this, don’t they?” He sent Lily an apologetic look. “Sorry, Lily, but your sister is the worst.” He grimaced a little, like there was a lemon in his mouth that he was trying hard not to swallow. “And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think… maybe…”—he closed his eyes, looking extremely pained—“Sniv-Snape might actually be better than she is.”

She had to give it to him—he was trying. Lily almost laughed at how hard it seemed to be for him to admit that Sev wasn’t as awful as Tuney. And despite the fact that both those people used to be important parts in Lily’s life, she couldn’t help but surrender to the fact that both of them were different than the people she grew up with.

Tuney had changed the moment Lily got accepted to Hogwarts and she didn’t, and Sev… well, he was sorted into a house where bad people surrounded him and he started spending so much time with them, Lily was surprised it took them this long to wear him down completely.

Or maybe it didn’t take that long at all. Maybe he fit right in and she was just blind to it because she never wanted to see it. James Potter and Sirius Black went after Sev from the moment they met him on that train to Hogwarts on their first year. That was wrong of them, of course, but they definitely still saw more of the bad qualities the guy possessed that Lily refused to see for he was her first wizard friend. Her first connection to a world she belonged in.

It was hard to let go of that little child in his too-big clothes, and see that he wasn’t as innocent as she was making him out to be. She wished things were different. She wished James and Sev didn’t hate each other. She wished Sev would be nicer, kinder, less prone to listening to whatever those wannabe Death Eaters had to whisper in his ear.

Pushing those thoughts away, Lily grinned at James’s expression and shook her head. “This actually physically pained you to say, didn’t it?”

“You have no idea.”

… Today he’d rather be back in his cupboard with that letter than up here without it .

Next morning at breakfast, everyone was rather quiet. Dudley was in shock. [He’d done some pretty nasty things to try and get his parents to kick Harry out of his second room, including] thrown his tortoise through the greenhouse roof [but it didn’t work.]

“That’s animal cruelty!” Lily exclaimed in horror.

The look James gave her was so incredulous, Lily almost expected him to rub his eyes and blink a couple of times to see whether he was seeing things or not. “That’s animal cruelty? Harry’s a living, breathing being, too, you know,” he said, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Lily could feel her face heating up in embarrassment. “Aw, but that poor tortoise…” She sank a little in her seat when James laughed at her.

… When the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry, made Dudley go and get it.

“Trying to be nice,” James stressed with an eyeroll. “Right. Sure.” Then he snorted. “Wait, he let the other kid who wanted to read the letter go get it? Is he honestly that stupid? Doesn’t he realise Dudley would probably try and read it himself if there’s another letter from Hogwarts?”

Lily pressed her lips together. “I only had one brief encounter with Tuney’s boyfriend this summer, and from those few minutes and this book I can honestly tell you that I’ve never met someone this dim before,” she confessed. James shook his head mutely in disbelief. “The only positive thing I can see about this, is that if Dudley reads the letter, Harry will probably find out what’s in it, right? There’s no way that sack of meat can keep this a secret for long.”

“Isn’t this sack of meat your future nephew?”

“Over my dead body.”

There was a gleam in James’s eyes as he smirked at her. “Yeah, that’s the picture. I’m glad you’re catching up, Evans.” He laughed when she swatted at him lightly, and then waved his hand in her direction. “But really, I’m kind of interested to see what Hogwarts would do when their letter doesn’t reach Harry.”

“Do you really think they’ll send another letter?”

“I sure hope so. For Harry’s sake.” James’s eyes widened. “Ooh! What if they send someone to explain everything to him? The Dursleys won’t stand a chance against a fully-grown wizard! Bet they’re gonna send Minnie. Your sister and that git won’t know what hit them.”

Lily didn’t bother replying to that, but she didn’t hide her smile, either.

… [Dudley, shouting from the hall:] There’s another one! ‘Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet Drive ’—

Her heart slowed down a little—James was right. They did send another letter. Harry would still be able to send a letter back to Hogwarts to let them know that he would attend the school.

Of course, Harry knowing about the letter because his idiot cousin was stupid enough to talk about the letter instead of just opening it also meant that Tuney and Vernon knew about it. But that didn’t necessarily mean Harry wouldn’t get to the letter first… right?

[Harry and Uncle Vernon race towards the hall to get to the letter.] Harry had grabbed Uncle Vernon around the neck from behind.

James snorted at the words and Lily bit back a smile at the mental image of a ten-year-old (nearly eleven! Or maybe already eleven…?) child hanging off the back of a large adult man. It probably wasn’t the best strategy in the world, but at least Harry was fighting to get what was rightfully his. She would’ve fought, too. And she was certain James would have done so, as well.

After a minute of confused fighting, … Uncle Vernon straightened up, … with Harry’s letter clutched in his hand .

… Harry walked round and round his new room. Someone knew he had moved out of his cupboard … Surely that meant they’d try again? And this time he’d make sure they didn’t fail. …

Lily and James glanced at each other. Personally, Lily knew she wasn’t really one to come up with clever plans. Or maybe she was but just never truly needed to use this ability. She was a good student and normally stayed with both her feet behind the line, keeping out of trouble and getting only positive responses from her parents and teachers.

Unlike her, though, James and the Marauders lived for the chaos. Even with his change this last year, James was still a part of that group that liked to goof around and prank the other students in the school all the time. It was just a part of him. Some of those schemes went precisely as planned and the Marauders got scotch-free. On the other hand, they did get into a lot of trouble more often than not. The number of points taken from Gryffindor because of those four was honestly impressive.

So now… now Lily wasn’t sure what Harry’s plan might be, but she really hoped it would be like the ones James and his friends came up with that didn’t go of the rails.

The repaired alarm clock rang at six o’clock the next morning. [Harry snuck downstairs quietly.]

He was going to wait for the postman … and get the letters for number four first. … he crept across the dark hall towards the front door—

“ AAAAARRRGH !”

Lily jumped in alarm when James basically screamed that into her ear. “What’s wrong with you?” she screeched and rubbed her ear as he watched her in amusement. “Merlin, you’re impossible! And what was that, anyway? Are you pranking me?”

He glanced down at the book, as if to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating. “Er, no. That’s actually what it says right here. I guess Harry’s plan failed.”

“Well, it was a fairly good plan.” Lily sagged again in her seat, though she kept on eyeing James warily. “I suppose the Dursleys have their moments of brilliancy, after all. Too bad they happen when Harry needs their stupidity to show up, isn’t it?”

… [Harry]’d trodden on something big and squashy on the doormat …

Lights clicked on … that the big squashy something had been his uncle’s face.

They couldn’t keep reading because James found this absolutely hilarious. Lily just watched him fondly as he roared with laughter at the fact that Harry had stepped on Vernon’s face. While Lily found it amusing, too, she was also preoccupied with thinking about the fact that if this seemingly lazy man was willing to lie on the floor to prevent Harry from getting his Hogwarts letter, then this might actually be more complicated than anticipated.

What if the letters stopped coming because Harry missed the deadline? What if he couldn’t get into Hogwarts just because he didn’t send the school his response that he would, in fact, like to attend the next year?

Lily entertained the thought of getting back to her house after this year was over and seeing Petunia there… She was probably going to strangle her and freak her parents out. Better yet—she could hex Petunia. Then her phobia of magic would at least be somewhat justified!

Eventually, James calmed down enough to keep on reading the purple book, although he was still supporting this mirthful tone of voice that made even this bad situation somewhat entertaining.

… [Uncle Vernon was] making sure that Harry didn’t do exactly what he’d been trying to do. … [Later] the post had arrived, right into Uncle Vernon’s lap. Harry could see three letters addressed in green ink !

“Three?” Lily perked up. “They’re trying harder now!”

“I told you this would get interesting. Never mess with Hogwarts,” James said proudly.

… Uncle Vernon was tearing the letters into pieces before his eyes .

… [Uncle Vernon] stayed at home and nailed up the letter-box .

… [Uncle Vernon:] if they can’t deliver them they’ll just give up .

[Petunia:] I’m not sure that’ll work, Vernon .

“ Oh, these people’s minds work in strange ways, Petunia, they’re not like you and me,” said Uncle Vernon, trying to knock in a nail with the piece of fruit cake Aunt Petunia had just brought him .

“Sounds effective, all in all.” James nodded, a mock-serious expression on his face. Lily’s only reply was a snort.

On Friday, no fewer than twelve letters arrived for Harry. …

… After burning all the letters, … [Uncle Vernon] boarded up the cracks around the front and back doors … He hummed ‘Tiptoe through the Tulips’ as he worked, and jumped at small noises .

“I think he’s losing it a bit,” Lily said with a little bit of wonder in her voice.

James scoffed. “Did he ever really have it in the first place? What’s he got to lose?” He drummed his fingers on the cover of the book. “Twelve letters, though? I wonder why they’re still bothering with those. Why not just send Minnie already? She’ll get this handled easily.”

Worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, Lily shifted a little in her place. “James… James, what if Hogwarts gives up before the Dursleys do?”

“That’s not gonna happen. It’s Hogwarts we’re talking about! Come on, Evans, have a little faith in our school. They’ll get Harry. They’d better, because if he doesn’t go to that school I’m going to haunt every single teacher in this place until they’re either mad or dead,” he added firmly, and despite the reply sounding childish, the tone of his voice suggested that he was serious. This wasn’t something he would let the professors mess up in the future.

“I’ll join you, then.” Lily nodded and looked ahead, missing the sparkly-eyed look she received from James in response.

On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Twenty-four letters … rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs … Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food mixer .

[Dudley to Harry:] Who on earth wants to talk to you this badly? …

*

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table … happy.

[Uncle Vernon:] No post on Sundays, … no damn letters today —

“What’s he on about?” James inquired.

“Oh, Muggles don’t deliver post on Sunday. Of course, it doesn’t work the same way with us, but he doesn’t know that, it seems.” Lily hummed. “I wonder why Tuney never mentioned that to him. Bet he would have loved to know that all his hard work wasn’t over just yet.”

James looked at her like she was crazy. “Who cares? This means it’s going to catch him by surprise this time around.” He was practically bouncing in his seat from the excitement flooding his body. “I bet this is when Harry finally gets his letter!”

Something came whizzing down the kitchen … thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. … Harry leapt into the air trying to catch one—

Baffled, James stared at the book like it was even stupider than Vernon and Petunia. “Pick one off the floor, you idiot!” he scolded.

“James, don’t call him that!” Lily protested. “He’s your kid, you muttonhead!” She swatted at his head and he flinched. “Besides, he can’t hear you!” She glared at him when he just sat there sheepishly. “I guess we know where the instinct to jump up and catch a letter from the air rather than picking one up came from.”

“Yeah, from them!” James gestured towards the book he was holding, and Lily flatly stared at him as he avoided her gaze and searched for the right spot in the book.

… Uncle Vernon seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. [The Dursleys follow into the hallway to avoid the attack of the letters.] They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, …

… [Uncle Vernon was] pulling great tufts out of his moustache …

[Uncle Vernon:] We’re going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments !

He looked so dangerous with half his moustache missing that no one dared argue.

This time it wasn’t only Harry that Lily was worried about. She cared about him the most right now—mostly because she kept reminding herself that this boy was her family. He was her future baby, child, son. But Tuney was still her sister, and as upset as Lily was with her, as absolutely steaming mad she was with her… well, Lily couldn’t not feel concerned when the man Tuney will soon marry sounds a little unbalanced and unhinged.

What if he hurt her? What if he hurt Dudley and Harry? What if he got them all into trouble? What the hell was Tuney thinking, agreeing to marry or even date someone like Vernon Dursley?

He came over to pick Tuney up last summer and Lily got to observe him from a safe distance for a couple of minutes. It was horrible. He was definitely not attractive, and his personality—instead of making up for his looks, it made Vernon even less appealing.

He was just such a git! First he treated their mum like she was a quiet housewife that didn’t deserve his respect. Then he noticed Lily and gave her such an intense, disgusted look that Lily figured she must have reminded him of something he'd stepped on on his way over to their house.

What was Tuney seeing in him? Was she utterly nuts?

[They’re all in the car ten minutes later. Dudley is sniffling because Uncle Vernon hit his head when he caught his son trying to sneak his TV, video, and computer with him.]

“While that is definitely not practical—though I’m not sure what those things even are, mind you—I believe hitting someone in the head is never good. No wonder that kid is so slow and stupid—enough hits to the head and anyone would lose a few cogs in their brain!”

“And more importantly—if he was willing to hit his precious child, that means it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he’d hit Harry, too.”

James whined like he was upset at having that thought in his brain. At least he had one after all those hits to the head during Quidditch matches and practices, though.

They drove. … Every now and then Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turning and drive in the opposite direction for a while .

“S hake ‘em off... shake ‘em off,” he would mutter whenever he did this .

They didn’t stop to eat or drink all day. [Dudley, unused to such bad days, was miserable.]

Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel … Dudley and Harry shared a room with twin beds … Harry stayed awake, … wondering ...

Scrunching up her nose, Lily winced at the image that popped into her head at the description of the hotel in the book. “Sounds terrific. Absolutely lovely.”

[At breakfast, the owner of the hotel approached them.]

… [Owner:] is one of you Mr. H. Potter? Only I got about an ‘undred of these at the front desk .

She held up a letter …

[Harry tries to reach the letter. Uncle Vernon stops him.] The woman stared .

[Uncle Vernon:] I’ll take them, …

James looked both ticked off and immensely amused at what was happening in the book. “Can’t blame her—I’d stare, too.”

“Don’t joke about this! This is getting out of hand! Harry’s running out of time to give back an answer to the school. And if they don’t get an answer, he won’t be able to go to Hogwarts even if he does get the letter!” Lily admonished and James pressed his lips together, finally looking a little concerned. “When are they actually going to send someone to fetch Harry? They have to, don’t they?”

“Do they even know he’s not aware of the magical world’s existence?” James wondered aloud and Lily’s heart started hammering against her ribcage in an almost painful way, pumping blood throughout her body so quickly it nearly made her dizzy.

[Aunt Petunia:] Wouldn’t it be better just to go home, dear?

… Uncle Vernon didn’t seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. [He stops at random places, gets out, looks around, and then shakes his head and drives them somewhere else without any explanation. Because why the hell not.]

“D addy’s gone mad, hasn’t he?” Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully late that afternoon.

“Great observation skills,” James noted wryly.

Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared .

… [Dudley:] It’s Monday, … I want to stay somewhere with a television .

James lowered the book and looked at Lily with determination. “Please, just tell me what television is! They’re mentioning it all the time!”

Snickering, Lily shook her head and tried to come up with a way that would make sense to someone who grew up surrounded by wizards and magic, and wasn’t too exposed to the Muggle world.

“Well… it’s a box that can show you shows or movies or the news.” She tapped her chin when he still looked rather baffled. “It’s like being able to watch a show in the theatre, but you don’t actually have to step out of the house. It’s all recorded, already. Uh… it’s like the moving pictures we have, but with sound! And the characters inside can’t choose what to do because they’re not really alive.”

He stared at her blankly. “You’re gonna have to show me one of those if you really want me to understand, I suppose.” Suddenly he smirked at her and winked. “Maybe… maybe you should invite me over for Easter, Evans.”

“Let me sleep on that.”

The smile on his face was almost blinding.

Monday. … and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television … Tuesday, was Harry’s eleventh birthday. … last year, the Dursleys had given him a coat-hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon’s old socks. …

Perhaps James and Lily were too stunned to comment on that. After all, it wasn’t every day you heard of a kid that got a coat-hanger and old socks for their birthday. Or maybe they were just too upset to come up with coherent words that didn’t involve solely cuss words at the moment.

Whatever it was, neither one of them chimed in to comment on those abysmal gifts, but Lily could still see the fire blazing in James’s eyes behind his glasses as he kept on reading, his voice strained from reading so much and—she assumed—from the anger at the treatment Harry was receiving.

[Uncle Vernon comes back with a long package.]

… [Uncle Vernon:] Come on! Everyone out !

It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a large rock way out to sea. [There’s a miserable shack there.]

“I can’t believe him…” Lily whispered, eyes wide. “They’ll freeze to death!”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” Her maybe-boyfriend stared at her like she’s gone mad, too. “How are they even supposed to get there without a broom?”

… [Uncle Vernon:] this gentleman’s kindly agreed to lend us his boat !

Lily pointed at the book. “That’s how.”

A toothless old man came … [pointing] at an old rowing boat bobbing in the iron-grey water below them .

[Uncle Vernon:] I’ve already got us some rations, …

[They get to the shack. Description of said pathetic shack. Vernon’s rations were a packet of crisps each and bananas. He can’t seem to light a fire with the empty packs.]

[Uncle Vernon:] Could do with some of those letters now, eh? …

He was in a very good mood. Obviously he thought nobody stood a chance of reaching them here in a storm to deliver post. …

“He’s going to get all of them killed!” Lily was shaking from anger. This was utter madness! And all because the Dursleys didn’t want Harry to learn magic! Were they even aware of how stupid they were being? “Such stubborn, obnoxious people! If you let him have the letter, he will be gone from your life for most of the next seven years! You won’t have to see him, and there would be no reason to leave your home and live in a crumbling shack in the middle of the sea!”

Instead of shrinking away from her and her fury, James stared at Lily in awe, like he’s never before seen anything as mesmerising as her. It made her want to shake him back to his senses because he clearly didn’t care enough about what was going to happen to his son. But it also made her long to just kiss his stupid face. Or maybe that was just because her emotions were already all over the place.

Either way, Lily was furious.

Folding her arms, Lily stared ahead, still shaking in frustration and anger. “Keep reading before I explode, Potter.”

[A storm rages outside. Aunt Petunia makes a bed on the sofa for Dudley. She and Vernon go to sleep in the next room.] Harry was left to find the softest bit of floor he could and to curl up under the thinnest, most ragged blanket .

“Easter, you said?” she asked, still fuming. “I hope Tuney’ll be there—I have a lot to talk to her about, and I’m sure you’ll find something to add to the conversation.”

“Sounds about right.”

… Harry couldn’t sleep. He shivered and turned over, … [Dudley’s watch] told Harry he’d be eleven in ten minutes’ time. … [Harry was] wondering where the letter-writer was now .

… Harry heard something creak outside. He hoped the roof wasn’t going to fall in, although he might be warmer if it did.

“What kind of twisted thought process is this?” Lily shrieked in alarm.

James grimaced. “I suppose he’s desperate at this point, isn’t he? He’s been taken away from the only home he’s ever known to sleep in a remote hut in the middle of nowhere, with a storm raging on outside. He doesn’t even have his own bed—he’s on the floor! He’s probably freezing in there—he’s just looking for something that would warm him up because that’s the only thing he can change about the situation.”

That… made sense. Lily still didn’t like it, though.

… Maybe the house in Privet Drive would be so full of letters … he’d be able to steal one somehow .

… Was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? … Was the rock crumbling into the sea ?

“I don’t like this…” Lily muttered. Then she blanched and turned to look at James with horror. “Do you think the war is still going on in the future? What if it’s a Death Eater? What if someone’s going to hurt Harry?”

James scrunched up his nose. “Even if the war is still going strong in that time,” he said slowly, considering his words, “I don’t see why the Death Eaters would bother searching for Harry specifically. He’s just a kid. And he’s not even Muggle-born.” He gave Lily an apologetic smile for a moment. “I mean, he’s not pure-blood because of, well, you, but he’s a half-blood and the Death Eaters don’t target them as much as they target Muggles and Muggle-born.”

Rolling her eyes, Lily shifted uneasily. “I feel so loved,” she grumbled. “So what you’re saying is that because of me Harry’s going to be somewhat of a target? I mean, if you married a pure-blood like yourself—”

“I’m a blood-traitor, though, Lily.” James smirked proudly. “I’m as bad as you are.”

Looking back at the book, a sense of dread loomed over Lily. “So… who’d you reckon that is, then?”

“I have absolutely no idea.”

One minute to go and he’d be eleven. Thirty seconds... twenty... … three—two—one —

BOOM .

Lily paled even more. One of her hands came up to cover her mouth and the other grabbed onto James as tightly as possible as she tried to stop her trembling. James spared her a look but seemingly decided it was best to keep her out of her misery.

The whole shack shivered … Someone was outside, knocking to come in .

Notes:

I'll be honest, guys - this morning I had a scare. So here's what happened:

I woke up, turned my PC on, and went to open the file with this fanfic so that I could, you know, keep on editing it so I can post the next part. But for some reason it refused to open no matter what I did. I didn't panic, though. I was just frustrated. See, my PC is very old. I figured it was just acting up. So I restarted it, but it STILL wouldn't let me open the file. When I tried opening its second part, though, it opened aas requested, no questions asked.

Which, you know, was baffling.

Seeing as I am, well, ME, I didn't know what the heck to do. I don't know how to work with computers all that well. I'm young, but I still don't care enough to learn more than I have to. So I just tried everything I could think of, and when that didn't work I sent the file to one of my brothers that actually WORKS with computers and softwares and stuff, and asked him for his help.

He told me that my file was cut. As in, some of it was just missing. And he said it in such a way that made my blood freeze in my veins as I tried to comprehend the fact that he was basically telling me that my story - one I've been working on for at least a month - was ruined. You can probably imagine how frustrated and horrified I was. I was just sort of sitting here, in front of my PC, staring blankly at my stupidly broken file, crying from just how devestated I was, because I cry when I'm frustrated.

And then I did the smart thing. See, I could open the file as long as it wasn't through Word, so I checked to see if it was actually just cut somewhere. I wanted to see how much damage I had to fix. But there was nothing missing as far as I could tell, which, you know, kind of confused me. Just a little. And then my brilliant mind remembered that I can COPY the freaking text to Word and just open a different file.

So I did that and everything's okay now, sort of. I'm still reeling from the experience. God, it was awful!

So... yeah. I had an eventful day. I feel kind of stupid. I probably AM stupid for not just thinking about it from the start...

You know, I'm used to American English. I mean, my first English teacher was British, but I was too young back then to really take notice of that. And then I had American teachers teach me American English. It didn't work all that well - I sucked. That was when I started watching videos in YouTube - made by some British girl. So I learned English much better from her, and it was British, but I was still leaning toward American one. Obviously, I still do.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that when I started writing this fanfic it... was kind of difficult. I needed to constantly remind myself which words I could use and which I couldn't. And it's not even my first language, so it was really hard. Still is. I write toward, not toward, but I'm pretty sure you add the s when it's British, so... yeah. I had to fix plenty of mistakes because I kept on going back to the way I'm used to. But hopeully I didn't mess it too much...

(Seriously, what does it matter if you write 'color' or 'colour'? It's the same word! What do you need a U for? What does it add to the word? It's not even an important letter. You would have said it the same way either way! (I'm aware that the U must have been taken out of the word LATER. I just still think it's stupid that those two languages are different when they're, you know, THE SAME.)

Sorry. I'm done - I'm done!

(When I edited the book parts before uploading it now, btw, I kept on finding myself writing 'Percy' instead of 'Harry'. It was awful xD)

(I regret choosing to call Vernon and Petunia 'Uncle Vernon' and 'Aunt Petunia'. It's killing me. Plus, will I have to call the professors 'professor' something from now on? It's going to be the death of me...)

Cya soon!

Chapter 4: The Keeper of the Keys

James looked at her again.

“Well, don’t just sit there—keep going!” Lily snapped at him.

“The chapter’s over,” he explained and showed her the page. Lily stared at it somewhat blankly, still terrified of what might happen next. “Do you want to keep on going? It hasn’t really been that long. And my friends would only be slightly concerned about me disappearing.”

Lily gave him a strange look. “Didn’t you tell them you were going to hang out with me today?”

“I did. But…” He trailed off, scratched the back of his neck, and shrugged. “It’s hard to explain, really. But it doesn’t matter anyway,” he hurriedly said, clearly not wanting her to ask him what he was talking about. “They’ll be all right. I’m not their babysitter. If anyone is, it’s Moony.”

She ignored the nickname. “Are you worried they won’t find you on that map again?” she asked. James’s mouth fell open as he stared at her in abject horror. Lily’s lips twisted. “Don’t worry, I don’t know what map you’re talking about. All I know is that Black mentioned not finding you on it yesterday, when we were in here. So I’m guessing you have some kind of way to trace each other around the school.” James shifted a little but didn’t say anything as he looked away guiltily. “Does it not work on this room, then?”

“We think it’s unplottable,” he said casually. Lily nodded slowly. “So shall we go on, then? See who’s arrived to visit your charming family?”

“I’m seconds away from hexing you, James Potter. Just read the bloody book.”

There was surprise on his face for a moment as he took in the fact that she just allowed herself to curse, but then his smile widened and he turned to the book, flipping over to the next page.

BOOM. They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake .

[Dudley, dazed:] Where’s the cannon? …

Lily let out a startled burst of laughter as she kept a hold on James’s hand, refusing to let go until she knew everything was going to be all right in the future. In her mind she saw horrible things trying to burst into the shack. She saw inferi and dementors coming to get Harry. Kill him, torture him. She saw all of the happiness getting sucked out of him; his soul itself withering.

She knew things would be bad for Harry! She just knew it! Maybe she had a pretty average luck in life, but James Potter attracted trouble like a lighthouse, and Harry didn’t seem to only be similar to his father in a physical way, so far.

… Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was holding a rifle in his hands …

“A bloody rifle?” Lily screeched.

James stared at her. “What’s a rifle?”

“It’s… er… it shoots bullets at people—small, metallic objects that pierce through the body. It can cause serious injuries or even kill a person,” she explained frantically and James’s confusion quickly morphed into astonishment. “I can’t believe this idiot bought one and brought it to the house where his wife, child and nephew were all huddled together! That’s extremely dangerous!”

[Uncle Vernon:] Who’s there? … I warn you—I’m armed !

… SMASH !

The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off its hinges …

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. [Description of giant man, also known as Rubeus Hagrid, if you didn’t know this already.]

Everything in Lily’s body calmed down at once. “Hagrid!” she called happily along with James, their eyes meeting over the book.

She always did like the half-giant that lived on the school grounds. And despite the fact that Lily figured McGonagall would be a better option to explain magic to Harry, Hagrid was a good choice, too. At least he would probably manage to scare the Dursleys away from Harry. He would be nice to her future son.

She leaned back in her chair, finally loosening her death-grip on James’s hand. Her fingers were a little cramped but she ignored that discomfort in favour of focusing on the relief coursing through her body. Merlin, this was so amazing! It wasn’t a monster or anyone that might harm Harry—it was Hagrid. Sweet, kind and cheerful Hagrid.

… [Hagrid] bent down, picked up the door and fitted it easily back into its frame. …

[Hagrid to the Dursleys:] Couldn’t make us a cup o’ tea, could yeh? It’s not been an easy journey …

“Sounds about right.” James nodded, an amused grin on his face.

He strode over to the sofa where Dudley sat …

[Hagrid:] Budge up, yeh great lump, …

…[ Dudley] ran to hide behind his mother, …

[Hagrid:] An’ here’s Harry! …

Harry looked up … the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile .

Lily bit her lip. “I do hope Harry likes Hagrid,” she said nervously. James gave her a look, like he wasn’t sure he heard her right. “I mean, I love Hagrid and I know you do, too, but some people really don’t see him the way we do. I guess I’m just worried Harry might be a little, well… I don’t know, but he grew up with the Dursleys! He could react either way!”

“I’m sure it’s gonna be fine, Lil.”

She stared at him with her lips slightly parted, surprised by the use of the nickname, but it didn’t look like James even noticed it because he went back to reading the story, oblivious to her stunned state.

[Hagrid:] Las’ time I saw you, you was only a baby, … Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh’ve got yer mum’s eyes .

As if on cue, both of them turned to look at each other. Lily and James already knew that Harry looked mostly like James and that he had her eyes. But it felt more solid now that someone who was actually face to face with Harry said it. So now Lily took in James’s appearance as if for the first time, trying to add her own eyes to the mix and see what Harry might look like.

Well, it was probably harder for James to do, anyway. He couldn’t see himself and instead had to apply his whole appearance onto Lily, leaving only her eyes untouched. It felt weird, to know what their child would look like ahead of time. She felt an excited flutter in her stomach rather than anything unpleasant, though.

… [Uncle Vernon:] I demand that you leave at once, sir! …

[Hagrid:] Ah, shut up, Dursley, …

[Hagrid tangles Vernon’s rifle and throws it away.]

Lily sighed in relief. “Oh, thank Merlin!” She leaned closer to James (and the book) eagerly. “He’s about to tell Harry he’s a wizard! Maybe he’ll explain what’s happened to us. What’s going on with the war!” She beamed at James. “We’re finally going to get some answers!”

“Yeah, if your dear brother-in-law won’t get in the way… Gotta give it to him—he’s brave to stand up to Hagrid. Brave, or ridiculously stupid,” James said.

… [Hagrid:] Anyway—Harry, … a very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here …

… [Hagrid] pulled a slightly squashed box. … Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with Happy Birthday Harry written on it in green icing.

Lily smiled sweetly at the book. Hagrid was such a good person. He came to look for Harry and brought him a birthday cake to top it off. It was absolutely amazing! Of course, Lily hoped Harry didn’t actually try the cake because that would be a disaster. Hagrid liked baking but wasn’t very good at it—Lily would admit it. Well, just not to his face, at least.

James, on the other hand, stared at the book like he wanted to take a bite from this cake. He only remembered to keep on reading when Lily elbowed him hard enough to draw his attention. They weren’t there to marvel at Harry’s first birthday cake (that was a depressing thought), but to learn… something. If only Lily knew what this thing was…

… [Harry] meant to say thank you, but the words got lost on the way to his mouth, and what he said instead was, “Who are you?”

“How does that work?” James sniggered.

Next to him, Lily rolled her eyes. While she could tell that the question was logical in such a scenario, she thought Harry could have been a little more polite and tactful. Or rather, the words shouldn’t have gotten lost in translation like that.

“At least he didn’t ask ‘what are you’. That would have been even worse.”

With a snort, James turned to give her a brief, amused look. “Of course—what we most care about right now is how polite Harry is and not how he’s going to react to finding out that he’s a wizard. Brilliant as always, Evans.”

She scowled.

… [Hagrid:] Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts . … I’d not say no ter summat stronger [than tea] if yeh’ve got it, mind .

His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shrivelled crisp packets in it and he snorted. [Hagrid starts a fire in the fireplace, though Harry can’t see how he does it.]

Okay, now Lily was a little worried. She thought she knew the story behind Hagrid’s pink umbrella containing his broken wand, but he rarely used it around her, and she knew for a fact that he wasn’t allowed to do magic. So why would he suddenly use magic in front of Harry and the Dursleys? She would have assumed he was given permission to do so just this once, but the way he tried to hide what he was doing with the umbrella with his body made her rethink that theory.

And did Dumbledore send him? It did make sense—Lily couldn’t see Hogwarts running without Dumbledore, after all. It seemed outlandish to her. Absolutely preposterous. But then, why send Hagrid? Why not someone more… delicate?

She loved Hagrid, of course she did, but he wasn’t very subtle. And she was worried about Harry’s reaction to finding out about the magic he was possessing. What if he didn’t believe Hagrid? What if he was scared of Hagrid or just didn’t like him? What if he decided to listen to the Dursleys for once, and hate magic?

This could go wrong in so many ways!

… [Hagrid] began taking all sorts of things out of the pockets of his coat: … amber liquid which he took a swig from before starting to make tea. Soon the hut was full of the sound and smell of sizzling sausage. …

[Uncle Vernon:] Don’t touch anything he gives you, Dudley.

… [Hagrid:] Yer great puddin’ of a son don’ need fattenin’ any more, Dursley, don’ worry .

“You know the kid is really enormous if even Hagrid—a half-giant—acknowledges it,” James noted airily.

He passed the sausages to Harry, … but he still couldn’t take his eyes off the giant. …

[Harry:] I’m sorry, but I still don’t really know who you are .

The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand .

… [ Hagrid:] I’m Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts—yeh’ll know all about Hogwarts, o’ course .

“ Er—no,” said Harry.

Hagrid looked shocked .

“S orry,” Harry said quickly .

And here—here things would begin to go wrong, Lily thought. Obviously, Hagrid expected Harry to know about magic. Maybe he thought his aunt and uncle would tell him about his parents. Oh, how wrong he was. She kind of pitied the Dursleys for being present in that room with Hagrid. If he cared about Lily and James at all, he wouldn’t like the thought of Harry not even knowing they were a witch and a wizard.

On his chair, James looked at the book with a wide smile, clearly expecting Hagrid to go berserk in the next couple of moments. And while Lily could still feel bad for what Petunia had coming her way, James didn’t have that to hold him back from enjoying this next scene—he didn’t care about Lily’s sister. Honestly, at this point, he probably hated her. Or at the very least strongly disliked her.

[Hagrid, furious:] S orry? … I never thought yeh wouldn’t even know abou’ Hogwarts, fer cryin’ out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learnt it all?”

[Harry:] All what? …

[Hagrid:] ALL WHAT? … Now wait jus’ one second !

“James Potter, don’t scream in my ear!” Lily yelled at him when her ears started ringing with every single word James read. Apparently, he was committed to making the reading as realistic as possible. His impersonation of Hagrid was pretty much spot on, but that didn’t mean she had to endure the loud volumes of the conversation.

The boy gave her an affronted look. “But that adds so much to the story! Besides, how else would you know Hagrid is upset unless you hear him scream at your relatives at the top of his lungs?”

She wasn’t impressed in the least. “That’s what the description is for!”

“Now who’s yelling?” James muttered as he grimaced and rubbed the ear that was closer to Lily. When he turned back to the book, he was no longer yelling, but he still raised his voice a little whenever necessary.

He had leapt to his feet. … The Dursleys were cowering …

… [Hagrid to the Dursleys:] this boy!—knows nothin’ abou’—about ANYTHING ?

Harry thought this was going a bit far. …

[Harry:] I know some things, … I can, you know, do maths and stuff .

Body shaking with laughter, James choked a little on the words. “’Maths and stuff’? That makes him sound so intelligent.”

“Don’t be rude. You would have been insulted, too, if someone you didn’t know came over and said you didn’t know anything,” Lily said, though she couldn’t suppress a smile from splitting her face. Harry’s wording was pretty amusing.

She kind of wished she could be there, in that same room, and see it all with her own two eyes. Reading was great, and it let her an insight into Harry’s thoughts, but it wasn’t as satisfying as just seeing everything like a… a show on television.

“’Maths and stuff’!” James spluttered again, looking absolutely delighted.

… [Hagrid, dismissively:] About our world, I mean. … Yer parents’ world .

[Harry:] What world?

… [Hagrid:] D URSLEY! …

Uncle Vernon, … whispered something that sounded like “Mimblewimble”. …

“Very articulate, that man,” James noted with a smirk.

“I don’t recall you doing much better on our first year when McGonagall caught you sneaking into the girls’ bathroom,” Lily said and his eyes misted, like he was imagining that awkward moment of standing in front of a furious professor, Black by his side.

Lily was only there because she came out of a cubicle at the perfect moment to find the boys getting admonished by Professor McGonagall. It was absolutely marvellous. Of course, James and Sirius reacted in the only way they knew back then. They grew accustomed to getting caught red-handed somewhere along their second year, and from that moment on it was a lot harder to catch them speechless. It was almost impressive, the nerve they had every time they got in trouble.

Of course, it would have been even more impressive if they didn’t get caught at all, but sometimes Lily wondered whether they actually wanted to keep under the radar. She knew they could sneak around the castle undetected, somehow. She knew they were bloody good at it, too. So it was almost surprising when a teacher caught them. What if they just wanted to get caught every once in a while? What if it was a game for them?

No way, that was too ridiculous and reckless, even for them.

Or was it?

[Hagrid, back to Harry:] But yeh must know about yer mum and dad, … I mean, they’re famous. You’re famous .

Lily kind of wanted to tell James to stop reading, but there was no need to—the boy was already staring wide-eyed at the book, his mouth wide open in surprise. And once again—Lily knew there weren’t a lot of things that could get James Potter to shut up, so the weight of these words seemed to intensify further at the realization that James was speechless.

She couldn’t blame him—did Hagrid really just say they were both famous? That Harry was famous? It would explain the strange wizards who met him on the street. That one who bowed to him. The one that shook his hand. It sort of made sense—although… why they were famous would probably shed more light on the matter.

“I don’t understand,” James said slowly, apparently finding his voice once more. Lily turned to him. “I mean, I know I want to be an Auror, and some of them do become well-known, but that wouldn’t make everyone in the family this famous, would it? So it has to be something else.” He looked into her eyes, as if the answers might be there. “So what do you reckon it is, then?”

Nothing seemed to come to mind, really. Lily was utterly lost. She couldn’t think of anything that could make them famous. Maybe Hagrid was exaggerating? But then, who were those random wizards that approached Harry before? No, there was something there that Lily couldn’t understand because she didn’t have the full picture.

“I don’t know,” she admitted softly, hesitantly. “Keep reading—I’m sure Hagrid will tell Harry, wouldn’t he?”

… [Harry:] my mum and dad weren’t famous, were they ?

[Hagrid:] Yeh don’ know... yeh don’ know... … Yeh don’ know what yeh are? …

Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice .

“No! But Hagrid was probably about to—”

“Just keep on reading, Potter!”

.. [Uncle Vernon:] Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything !

[Hagrid is… upset, to put it mildly.]

… [Hagrid:] [You] Never told him what was in the letter Dumbledore left fer him? … I saw Dumbledore leave it , Dursley! …

Something like ice went down Lily’s spine at the words. Hagrid didn’t explicitly say it, but… did he mean Dumbledore and he had left Harry with the Dursleys after James and she had died? Were they the ones who’d abandoned Harry with people who absolutely hated him? Why would they do that? Hagrid, maybe, would think Lily’s family deserved a chance. Maybe he thought they would love Harry. But Dumbledore…?

Dumbledore was smarter than anyone Lily has ever met. He was slightly crazy, perhaps, but absolutely brilliant! And she wasn’t the only person to think so. People claimed that the only reason Hogwarts was still safe in this war was because You-Know-Who was afraid of Dumbledore and his power. So why would someone so wise… leave her baby with her family? Did he not realise how bad of an idea that would be? Has he gone completely mental in the years since her school days and Harry’s birth?

No. No, there had to be a reason behind it. Lily didn’t like the way the Dursleys treated Harry, sure, but she was certain Dumbledore was aware of how much they might hate the boy, and if he still chose to leave Harry there, then Lily was going to trust him on this. There had to be something there that she didn’t know about. Something that she wasn’t seeing.

She only hoped this something would come to light soon enough—Lily had no desire to be kept left in the dark.

… [Uncle Vernon:] S TOP! I FORBID YOU! …

Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror .

[Hagrid:] Ah, go boil yer heads, … Harry—yer a wizard .

Lily flinched and James beamed at the book. “Well, that’s one way to put it, I suppose,” Lily sighed.

Body buzzing, James looked like he was barely capable of sitting in his chair without abruptly getting up to start pacing the room. “Are you kidding? This is brilliant! Oh, I wish I could see Harry’s face!”

“No subtlety at all,” she murmured.

James nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly!”

There was silence inside the hut. …

[Harry:] I’m a what?

[Hagrid:] A wizard, o’ course, … an’ a thumpin’ good’un, I’d say, … With a mum an’ dad like yours, … An’ I reckon it’s abou’ time yeh read yer letter .

It was nice to see how much Hagrid valued the two of them, Lily supposed. Of course, it would be even nicer to still be alive, but seeing as that wasn’t meant to be (in this future, Lily reminded herself), the least Lily could take from this scene was that Hagrid really did like them. Maybe they should pay him a visit later on—he was always glad to have company, after all.

And then the rest of the sentence registered in her brain and Lily grinned. Harry was finally getting his letter! Of course, he might not believe it still, but it was much better than never even getting to get his own mail! She wondered what his reaction would be.

Harry stretched out his hand at last to take the yellowish envelope, … He pulled out the letter and read :

[The Hogwarts letter.]

Questions exploded inside Harry’s head like fireworks …

[Harry:] What does it mean, they await my owl ?

“He’s an idiot,” James muttered. “Ouch! Stop hitting me! Did you not hear his question? He finds out he’s a wizard, and the first thing he asks is about the bloody owl!”

“But it makes sense! He’s flooded with information and it’s all very confusing and alarming, and there are obviously a lot of things to digest here, so he clung to the last thing in the letter—they said he had to send a letter back with an owl about whether or not he’s going to show up, and Muggles don’t use owls to send mail!” She folded her arms. “His question makes sense.”

James frowned a little in thought and then nodded slowly before stopping abruptly. “Say, shouldn’t his booklist be in there? It doesn’t mention it other than that note in the letter. Do you think maybe they somehow forgot to add the list?”

“He’s probably just not reading it right now—he doesn’t need to focus on the books when he’s already got enough questions about everything else.” Lily’s heart was racing, though. What if the list really wasn’t there? Would Hagrid send Harry to Diagon Alley with the Dursleys, leaving them without a clue as to what Harry even needed? Or was the letter actually there, and her explanation was correct? “Plus, he just heard that he’s famous—I’m guessing that’s not an easy pill to swallow, either.”

“Easy pill to swallow?”

“Er, it’s a Muggle expression.”

[Hagrid:] Gallopin’ Gorgons, that reminds me, …

[Hagrid pulls out of his coat an owl, a piece of parchment and a quill.]

Both of them grimaced at the thought of that owl being stuck in Hagrid’s coat for Merlin knows how long.

… [Hagrid:] scribbled a note …

Dear Mr. Dumbledore ,

… Taking [Harry] to buy his things tomorrow. …

Releasing a breath, Lily relaxed a little and noted distantly the fact that James was reacting to the words in the same way. Harry wasn’t going to go to Diagon Alley alone or with his aunt and uncle—Hagrid would take him. That was good.

That way Harry won’t be completely lost in that place. Plus, he’ll have a guide that will help him get to the Leaky Cauldron without getting lost. Lily and her parents went there with Sev, but Lily’s been worried Harry would have no help.

Thank Merlin for Hagrid!

[Hagrid sends the owl with the letter, acting all natural about it.]

… [Uncle Vernon:] He’s not going, …

… [Hagrid:] I’d like ter see a great Muggle like you stop him, …

[Harry:] A what? …

… [Hagrid:] It’s what we call non-magic folk … you grew up in a family o’ the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on .

James hummed. “Do you reckon he’s talking about their actual size?” he asked, a tinge of laughter in his voice.

“Pretty sure he meant their attitude towards magic.”

… [Uncle Vernon:] [We] swore we’d stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed !

… [Harry:] You knew I’m a—a wizard ?

“He’s not exactly having trouble accepting that, it seems. I took a little more time when I was first told I was a witch, and that was after I learned to control some of my magic. I thought Harry would be more… apprehensive about it.”

James furrowed his eyebrows. “I don’t think he’s quite accepting it as much as he’s just… well, he’s been living an awful life with the Dursleys, right? And now someone comes along and tells him he’s different from them, and says it like it’s a good thing. Then offers to whisk him away from their house and to a school with more people like him which would mean he wouldn’t live with his relatives…” James said slowly. “I think Harry’s just clinging to the idea because it’s better than what his life’s like right now.”

That was a depressing thought, wasn’t it?

“ Knew!” shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly.

Lily sighed. “Oh, no…” she muttered and saw James reading a little ahead, his lips tightening like he didn’t like what was coming. Lily felt both touched by that, and a little annoyed that he was going further into the book without her. “Do you mind?” she asked eventually, when it looked like the boy wasn’t going to continue reading.

It looked like he did mind as he said the words slowly, almost reluctantly.

[Aunt Petunia (though I kinda wanna leave it all untouched):] Knew! Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? … I was the only one who saw her for what she was—a freak! [Mum and dad] were proud of having a witch in the family !

… It seemed she had been wanting to say all this for years .

[Aunt Petunia:] Th en she met that Potter at school and they left and got married … I knew you’d be just the same, … and then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you !

The colour drained from her face—she could feel it. She knew Tuney felt this way. She was kind of ready to hear it all finally being said out loud. But apparently she wasn’t. It was strange, hearing her sister’s thoughts coming out of James Potter’s mouth, but not as strange as thinking that there was a time, once—that felt like a fairytale now—when the two of them were close.

Lily figured that Tuney held a grudge against her having magic, but she didn’t know it would remain this intense after Lily’s death. Couldn’t her sister care about her even once? Did she even mourn with their parents? Was she really that determined to keep Lily out of her life, that she would lock all of her childhood fondness away in favour of remembering only the bad stuff she could think of?

And the worst thing in this tyred was that Tuney brought up both Lily and James—clearly thoughtlessly—by finally revealing in a very blunt way that they didn’t die in a car crash. And Harry was right there to hear it. How could an eleven-year-boy who grew up thinking his parents were dead because of something so mundane react to finding out that not only were his parents magical, but they also seemed to have been killed in an explosion of some kind?

A hand on her back drew her back to the presence, and Lily turned to see James watching her worriedly. She took in a shaky breath and forced a small smile onto her face. “Go on,” she said quietly.

He didn’t look like he wanted to, but he still obeyed.

Harry had gone very white. …

[Harry:] You told me they died in a car crash !

… [Hagrid, outraged:] How could a car crash kill Lily an’ James Potter? … Harry Potter not knowin’ his own story when every kid in our world knows his name !

[Harry:] But why? What happened? …

“That’s a really good question,” Lily said with a trembling voice. “Every kid knows his name? That can’t be something small. But how could Harry be famous if he went to Tuney when he was only a baby?”

James shrugged.

… [Hagrid:] looked suddenly anxious .

[Hagrid:] I never expected this, … when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble getting’ hold of yeh, … I don’ know if I’m the right person ter tell yeh—but someone’s gotta … mind, I can’t tell yeh everythin’, it’s a great myst’ry, parts of it ...

“Just get to the point!” James exclaimed.

… [Hagrid:] It begins, I suppose, with—with a person called—but it’s incredible yeh don’t know his name, … I don’ like sayin’ the name if I can help it. No one does.

Lily and James exchanged a look. Was this really about You-Know-Who? Did he murder them? Was this his fault? Lily sure wouldn’t be surprised to find out he was behind all of this, but why would that make Harry famous? There were plenty of people who were orphaned because of that dark wizard and his Death Eaters.

[Harry:] Why not ?

… [Hagrid:] people are still scared. … there was this wizard who went... bad. … Worse. Worse than worse. His name was…

[Hagrid can’t seem to say the name.]

“But he talks about him as if he’s gone now,” Lily noted. “Er… in the future, that is. Why is he still afraid, then? It’s only a name, isn’t it?”

“You’re one to talk—I’ve never heard you say You-Know-Who’s name, Evans,” James scoffed. He looked concerned, though. “Do you really think he’s gone, though? In this future? Do you reckon Dumbledore did it?”

It was the only thing that made sense. Somehow, Lily didn’t think that was it, though. And she was pretty sure James didn’t believe that, either.

“ Could you write it down?” Harry suggested.

[Hagrid:] Nah—can’t spell it. All right—

James winced and squirmed a little uncomfortably in his chair.

Voldemort .” Hagrid shuddered.

James shuddered, too, looking rather pale.

… [Hagrid:] this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin’ fer followers. Got ‘em, too … Dark days, Harry. Didn’t know who ter trust, … Terrible things happened. … Reckon Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn’t dare try takin’ the school, … Now, yer mum an’ dad were as good a witch an’ wizard as I ever knew. … You-Know-Who never tried to get ‘em on his side before... probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore …

The mere thought of You-Know-Who trying to recruit them made Lily want to laugh. While the story wasn’t very light, she couldn’t help but think about how ridiculous it would be for someone to ask James and her to join a group of dark wizards. Not only because they were inherently good and, indeed, close to Dumbledore. But also because Lily was Muggle-born and according to James, he was a blood-traitor. Death Eaters and You-Know-Who would have to be nuts to ask for their help.

Not that they weren’t crazy, of course.

… [Hagrid:] All anyone knows is, he turned up in the village where you was all living, … He came ter yer house an’— an ’—

James looked extremely uncomfortable reading all of this. His voice—already strained from reading so much—became even worse, like the weight of the words suddenly hit him all at once. That in the future, they would both be dead, gone. That You-Know-Who actually showed up in their house and murdered them. Poor Harry was only a year old.

The tears sprang into Lily’s eyes before she could even register the shock flowing through her body, and she found herself shaking lightly, staring blankly ahead. Nobody should ever know when their death would come and what it would be like. It was a natural part in life, but it was horrible when people forced it upon others before the right time came.

And to know it was coming… to know that they didn’t even die fighting You-Know-Who, but rather were murdered in their own house because he decided to show up, for some reason…

It was horrible.

… [Hagrid] blew his nose with a sound like a foghorn .

… [Hagrid:] it’s that sad—knew yer mum an’ dad, an’ nicer people yeh couldn’t find … Y ou-Know-Who killed ‘em. … he tried to kill you, too.

“Tried?” Lily whispered.

… [Hagrid:] But he couldn’t do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? … That’s what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse touches yeh … that’s why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided ter kill ‘em, … he’d killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age—the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts … an’ you lived .

That was a lot to process. Lily felt strangely numb. First her death was brought up, along with James’s. And then Hagrid moved on to talk about how You-Know-Who couldn’t kill Harry as a baby for some reason. That lightning-shaped scar that was mentioned before—the only thing he claimed to have liked about himself—was there because he was supposed to be dead, but wasn’t.

And to make all of this even worse, Hagrid had to mention some of the names of the wizards and witches that were gone because of You-Know-Who. She felt like it was hard to breathe. Those people… those people were ones that James and she knew—either from school or just from all the mentions and talks around. It was impossible not to know about the people fighting the Death Eaters and their master, after all. They were heroes!

“Marlene…” Lily gasped and covered her mouth with both hands. “Marlene McKinnon is dead?” She was in the dorm with Lily. They were friends! She couldn’t be… “He kills her? He kills her entire family?”

James frowned at the book. “The Prewetts… I know them.” He turned to Lily. “They were in their seventh year when we were in our first. Twins. Molly’s their older sister—Molly Weasley. She got married to Arthur Weasley. I think I heard my parents talk about how they already have three kids. And there’s another one on the way. I hope by Prewetts Hagrid doesn’t also mean Molly, because it would be horrible if those kids grew up without their mother…”

The fact that Harry would grow up without neither of them was left unsaid, but it seemed to squeeze the air out of Lily’s chest painfully.

… [Harry] saw again the blinding flash of green light, … and he remembered something else, … a high, cold, cruel laugh .

James blanched. “That can’t be real, can it? He’s imagining it! He’s… he’s just adding details according to what he knows.” He looked at Lily desperately. “Right?” His desperate expression melted away at the sight of her still shaking in her place. “Lil? Lily, are you okay? Do you want us to stop? I know it’s a lot to process and we don’t have to read it all right now. We can go out, have a walk, and then come back later.”

She shook her head from side to side, eyes growing wide. “N-no! No, I need to know. I need to hear this.” She hunched her shoulders a bit. “And I’m not so sure about what Harry hears. I know he was only a year old back then, but…” She shrugged. “I mean, if he can remember that flash of light, who’s to say he can’t remember You-Know-Who, too?”

This didn’t seem to calm James at all. Still, he threw his hand around her, and when she didn’t push him away, he went back to the book. Lily closed her eyes and let his words and his touch be the only things in the world.

… [Hagrid:] T ook yeh from the ruined house myself, … Brought yeh ter this lot …

[Uncle Vernon:] Load of old tosh, … I accept there’s something strange about [Harry], … about your parents, well, they were weirdos, no denying it, and the world’s better off without them in my opinion … always knew they’d come to a sticky end —

“Oy!” James glared at the book so fiercely, Lily almost expected it to burst into flames. “Weirdos, are we? Does he even realise where he’s at? In the middle of nowhere, running away from letters!”

He had a point there.

… [Hagrid, pointing his pink umbrella at Uncle Vernon:] I’m warning you, Dursley … one more word ...

… [Uncle Vernon] flattened himself against the wall and fell silent .

… [Harry:] But what happened to Vol—sorry—I mean, You-Know-Who ?

… [Hagrid:] Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. … he was getting’ more an’ more powerful—why’d he go? S ome say he died. Codswallop, in my opinion. … Some say he’s still out there, bidin’ his time, … People who was on his side came back ter ours. … they could’ve done if he was comin’ back .

“So is he or is he not gone?” Lily asked in frustration. “Do they honestly find it satisfying enough without knowing all the details? How can people feel safe after a war without knowing that the leader of the other side is really gone? Even Hagrid doesn’t seem to know!”

[Hagrid:] Most of us reckon he’s still out there … somethin’ about you finished him, Harry. … somethin’ about you stumped him, all right .

It was funny—the look on James’s face. It made Lily’s body relax a little. She wasn’t shaking anymore as she watched James with a small smile. He stared at the book like he wasn’t sure whether to be terrified of what had happened to Harry and everyone else, or proud that You-Know-Who was gone because of his son.

Obviously, they didn’t have much to go off of—all they knew was that You-Know-Who was gone, in some sense of the word, and that it was right after he’d failed to murder Harry. They didn’t know why he tried to kill him. They didn’t know why Harry came out of this alive and with only a scar as a morbid memento. They could surely speculate, but Lily figured that if nobody in the future knew anything for certain, they wouldn’t be any better.

But it still ignited something in her chest—Lily was so glad to know that her son managed to do something to fend off the worst wizard there ever was. She was outraged, of course, because someone would try (or tried? This time travel stuff really did suck) and kill her son in the future, but it was all pushed aside as she found herself glowing from the inside at the thought of that tiny baby defeating the one man nobody else could fight except for Dumbledore.

No wonder he was so famous. Anyone would be famous for getting rid of You-Know-Who!

… Harry, instead of feeling pleased and proud, felt quite sure there had been a horrible mistake. A wizard? Him?

“Oh, there it is.” James nodded. “The denial is finally hitting him.”

… He’d spent his life being clouted by Dudley and bullied by Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon; … If he’d once defeated the greatest sorcerer in the world, how come Dudley had always been able to kick him around …

[Harry:] Hagrid, … I don’t think I can be a wizard.

… [Hagrid, chuckling:] Not a wizard, eh? Never made things happen when you was scared, or angry ?

… Now he came to think about it... … [Harry] had somehow found himself out of [Dudley’s gang’s] reach... … [Harry]’d managed to make [his hair] grow back... … Hadn’t [Harry] set a boa constrictor on [Dudley] ?

James looked a little uncomfortable, recalling that incident. Lily thought he was thinking back to Harry’s ability to speak to snakes. “Well, strictly speaking, Harry didn’t really set the snake on Dudley, did he? He just made the glass disappear. He mostly freed the constrictor.”

“But it also frightened Dudley in the process,” Lily added, definitely not as bothered as her maybe-boyfriend was. “And it only happened after Dudley shoved him out of his way to get to the tank of the snake. It was related—I’m sure of it.”

He still looked a little uneasy. Maybe even slightly queasy. “Couldn’t he have had the ability to speak to butterflies, instead?” he grumbled, but then kept on reading.

Harry looked back at Hagrid, smiling, …

… [Hagrid:] Harry Potter, not a wizard—you wait, you’ll be right famous at Hogwarts .

Lily frowned at that. “But…” She looked down at her lap at the feeling of James’s brown eyes watching her. “Isn’t it awful, though? He’s famous for his parents being dead and for surviving nearly getting killed!” Lily gazed up and saw a complicated, uncertain look on James’s face. “I know you don’t mind people knowing your name. I bet you’d love to be famous, Potter, but I’m not sure Harry’s going to be the same…”

“Hey, even I don’t want to be famous for that!” James argued. “You’re right—this could be really bad. But, then again, maybe Hagrid is exaggerating, you know? Perhaps Harry’s not that famous? Maybe he’ll get to school and everyone will just forget about it after the first day. We’re only hearing one testimony here.”

“And we saw the random wizards that came to see Harry, too! Or did you forget that that’d happened?”

He looked sheepishly back at the book.

But Uncle Vernon wasn’t going to give in without a fight .

“Hex him and be done with it, Hagrid,” James chanted under his breath.

… [Uncle Vernon:] He’s going to Stonewall High and he’ll be grateful for it. … he needs all sorts of rubbish—spell books and wands and —

… [Hagrid:] Stop Lily an’ James Potter’s son goin’ ter Hogwarts! Yer mad. … He’ll be with youngsters of his own sort, fer a change, an’ he’ll be under the greatest Headmaster Hogwarts ever had, Albus Dumbled—

[Uncle Vernon:] I AM NOT PAYING FOR SOME CRACKPOT OLD FOOL TO TEACH HIM MAGIC TRICKS! …

Wincing, Lily braced herself for whatever Hagrid’s reaction might be. Nobody ever insulted Dumbledore in front of Hagrid without seeing how furious the half-giant could be. The man was fiercely loyal to the Headmaster. It was almost to a fault, really. Lily thought the day Hagrid turned his back on Dumbledore would be the day everything went to hell. It was just impossible to imagine.

Next to her, though, James didn’t seem to be bothered at all by what might happen to the Dursleys next. He looked absolutely thrilled at the promise of a furious Hagrid.

But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his umbrella and whirled it over his head. “NEVER—” he thundered, “—INSULT—ALBUS—DUMBLEDORE—IN—FRONT—OF—ME !”

[He uses his umbrella to give Dudley a pig’s tail.]

“Oh, no!” Lily cried. “Hagrid’s going to get into so much trouble because of this! He’s not allowed to do magic!”

“Who cares?” James was roaring with laughter, clutching his side as tears of joy leaked down his cheeks. “He gave the git a pig’s tail! It’s ingenious! How come I’ve never thought of that?”

Lily rolled her eyes at his antics and let out a few stressful chuckles. She could admit that it was funny—even if she was a little worried about what people might do if they found out Hagrid performed magic like that. It was reckless of him, but, well, she figured it surely made Harry satisfied—she couldn’t see how such a thing wouldn’t make the eleven-year-old ecstatic after years of his cousin bullying him.

Didn’t mean she was going to enjoy this as much as James was.

[The Dursleys, alarmed and furious, leave the room.]

… [Hagrid:] Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was so much like a pig anyway there wasn’t much left ter do .

James needed a few more seconds to calm himself down after that.

… [Hagrid:] Be grateful if yeh didn’t mention that ter anyone at Hogwarts, … I’m—er—not supposed ter do magic, strictly speakin’. I was allowed ter do a bit ter follow yeh …

[Harry:] Why aren’t you supposed to do magic? …

… [Hagrid:] I was at Hogwarts meself but I—er—got expelled, … But Dumbledore let me stay on as gamekeeper . Great man, Dumbledore .

[Harry:] Why were you expelled ?

James still looked amused. “Nosy, isn’t he?”

Lily hummed. “Do you know why they expelled Hagrid? He never told me.”

The boy shrugged. “He doesn’t talk about it. The four of us tried to get it out of him for years and he always kept on changing the subject, thinking we wouldn’t notice.” He shrugged. “But it is personal, I suppose. So we can’t really blame him.”

… [Hagrid:] we’ve got lots ter do tomorrow, … get all yer books an’ that .

He took off his thick black coat and threw it to Harry .

[Hagrid:] You can kip under that, … Don’ mind if it wriggles a bit , I think I still got a couple o’ dormice in one o’ the pockets .

Lily grimaced.

Notes:

Can we talk about how weird this scene is? Like, I'm trying to imagine myself being told I'm a witch... I can't. I just can't see myself believing such a thing. I mean, I'd like to believe there's magic, but I'm a cynical person. I don't think I would've accepted being told I can do real magic. Though it WOULD be pretty cool.

Let's be honest, though. If I could choose one thing I could do that's unnatural, it would be being an airbender. SO AWESOME. I'm already a pacifist, so I've got that nailed. And I just love the idea of being light on my feet and moving the air around me and never being cold or warm. I just LOVE it. God, I wish...

I can't see myself being a good witch, though. I mean, sounds super hard. I can't memorise things, so to learn spells... it's difficult. I'd lose the correct spells whenevr I'd need them for real. Like, if I lived during this war, I'd be dead in seconds because I'd stand in front of a Death Eater, stare at him with my wand at the ready, and ask for a time out because I just can't remember the word for the spell I need to cast. And, of course, they won't give me a second, so I'd just be dead...

I'm a cheerful person, I think xD

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this. Have a good day! Cya!

Chapter 5: Diagon Alley

Notes:

I've been feeling unwell, so I couldn't concentrate enough on editing this chapter. And I'm still feeling under the weather, but I just don't care anymore. To heck with my body - I love writing and reading too much! So... yeah. Next chapter's here! :)

Hope it's okay. I remember having fun writing it - especially the bit with the vault and James. It was stupid, but I liked it. Have fun!

“Should we take a break, then? Last chapter was… intense, wasn’t it?” James noted and began to close the book, but Lily stopped him.

“Are you mad? Harry finally gets to go to Diagon Alley! Now things could finally calm down a bit! No more abuse—not as long as he’s got Hagrid next to him, that’s for sure. I want to hear about his reaction to all of the magic! We can’t stop now.” She glanced down at her watch. “It’s not even lunch, yet!”

She could tell that James was conflicted, and she had no idea why. So far, her reaction to the chapters was far more intense than his, so why was James so eager to stop for today? Wasn’t all of this his idea in the first place? Obviously, he had no idea they would end up reading books, but he was the one to lead her into the Room of Requirement. And now that she was invested, he wanted to stop!

Biting his lip, James scratched the back of his neck anxiously and then sighed. “Then just let me tell Sirius or Remus that I’m with you. Or at least where we are—I bet they’re freaking out.”

“Because you don’t appear on that map of yours.”

“Y-yeah. Exactly. It’s not supposed to be possible for someone—one of us, that is—to not appear on the map when we’re in Hogwarts.” He nodded quickly, looking a little nervous. “It’ll just be a second.”

Shrugging, Lily leaned back in her seat and let him retract his hand from around her in order to get up and leave. He left the purple book on the desk, next to the pile of the six other books. The urge to look in the next books was stronger than she’d thought possible. She glanced at the door of the room, now separating her from the rest of the school.

James wasn’t there to tell her not to read through the other books. He wasn’t there to gawk at her curiosity or to prevent her from basically cheating. They were supposed to read this together, but she found herself more and more curious to know what will happen to Harry in the future. Will he meet people who’d tell him more about the two of them? Would he be proud of them? Ashamed? Indifferent?

She thought back to Hagrid’s story. He told Harry that You-Know-Who showed up at the village where they lived, and despite the fact that Lily didn’t live in a village right now, she could almost imagine it—a small, quaint house, standing there innocently, and housing a magical family of three.

It was such a lovely, little picture that Lily winced as her own brain added the image of the same house—blown up from You-Know-Who’s curse, like Hagrid said. The bodies of James and her strewn on the floor; Harry crying nearby, wanting for his parents to comfort him because he had no idea what actually happened to them just then, being too young to comprehend the fact that they were both dead.

How in the world did Harry get out of that confrontation with only a scar on his head when both Lily and James died, their house ruined? How could a baby survive against You-Know-Who? How could a baby get You-Know-Who to disappear? Retreat or die—it was still unclear, yet.

It was unheard of. No wonder they all thought Harry was a hero. Harry Potter—the only person who will be able to somehow fight off the greatest dark wizard of their time. It was such a ridiculous notion that she started laughing—almost hysterically. In the future Lily would have a baby, and that very same baby would do what no other adult wizard managed to do—get rid of You-Know-Who. It sounded outlandish even to her—even after reading about it.

But there had to be a reason for that, right? For You-Know-Who going specifically to their house. For Harry’s survival. For You-Know-Who’s disappearance. It couldn’t have just been luck, because luck didn’t work that way. Sure, it sounded like Harry was rather lucky in that aspect, but it also sounded a little like he was too lucky. Like there was something people just didn’t know, or didn’t understand…

There was something they were all missing, in that future. A crucial piece of the puzzle that would explain how Harry had escaped death.

Don’t get her wrong—Lily was relieved to hear that he didn’t die from the Killing Curse. (Did You-Know-Who use the Killing Curse on Harry? She figured he must have used it on James and her, but maybe he used a different curse on Harry? Sounded strange, though. He had no reason to use another spell when the first one worked just fine.) She was just curious, as well.

It felt like hours before James came back into the room. He was a little out of breath, like he was running all the way back. His hair was as ruffled as ever, and his cheeks a little red from the exercise. He still flashed her a disarming grin the moment he noticed her sitting in the same spot, the purple book in her lap and her fingers running through the pages quickly, creating a sort of fluttery sound.

“Were they heartbroken when you left?” Lily asked mockingly.

“As a matter of fact, they were. Peter cried. It was a rollercoaster of emotions, Evans.” He smirked at her, and then dropped to the seat next to hers, eyes alight. “I told them where we were so they wouldn’t worry. Sirius said they would go and try and sneak a Bowtruckle into McGonagall’s office because you’re too busy to catch them in the act.”

She rolled her eyes and snorted. “Why even bother when I’m sure McGonagall will know immediately who was behind it,” she said. Then she eyed James, considering him. “Is your voice all right to read more or do you want to switch?”

“Will you do the voices?” he asked excitedly. The flat look she sent him must have been enough of a response because he snatched the book from her and sighed heavily, like she was the one being difficult. “I guess I’ll have to destroy my voice completely for you—oh, look!”

On the round table was suddenly a bottle filled with a dark potion. Lily leaned towards it and sniffed carefully. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh, this should help your throat if you take a drop or two. Where did it come from?”

James grabbed the potion happily and drank a small portion of it, grimacing a little at the taste. When he spoke up next, his voice was as clear as it usually was. “The Room of Requirement, remember? It gets you what you need if it can.”

He put the potion back on the table, opened the book on the fourth chapter, and began to read again.

Harry woke early the next morning. … he kept his eyes shut tight.

[Harry, to himself:] It was a dream, … When I open my eyes I’ll be at home in my cupboard.

“I’m surprised he even managed to fall asleep, to be honest,” Lily said with a small chuckle.

There was suddenly a loud tapping noise.

… he still didn’t open his eyes. It had been such a good dream.

[Harry gets up when the tapping continues and finds Hagrid asleep on the couch, and an owl with a newspaper pecking the window, asking to come in.]

… [Harry] went straight to the window and jerked it open. [The owl drops the newspaper on Hagrid, but the half-giant remains asleep. Then the owl starts attacking Hagrid’s coat.]

James grimaced. “My parents weren’t home once when the owl that delivered the Daily Prophet to our house came around, and I remember it dropped the newspaper on the kitchen table and then proceeded to bite me. I was around five, so I wasn’t even allowed to touch the money that was in the house. Bathilda looked after me, but she was in the living room, completely oblivious to the owl attacking her charge.”

Lily laughed. “What’d you do, then?”

His lips quirked up. “Well, apparently that was enough to trigger my magic for the first time. When my parents got back home I was hysterical because the money flew right out of the box it was kept in and to the pouch the owl had, and I knew it was me who’d done it so I thought I was in trouble. They had to reassure me that it was all right for nearly half an hour.”

She opened her mouth to respond to the story, but then closed it as a thought occurred to her—money. Lily didn’t fool herself into thinking that Tuney might pay for Harry’s school supply. Would he have something left in the bank from James’s safe? Hers, too, if she was married to the bloke. How much? Would it be enough?

James, apparently, was oblivious to her building anxiety.

… [Harry:] Hagrid! … There’s an owl—

… [Hagrid:] He wants payin’ fer deliverin’ the paper. Look in the pockets. … Give him five Knuts, …

[Harry:] Knuts?

[Hagrid:] The little bronze ones.

… the owl held out its leg so [Harry] could put the money into a small leather pouch tied to it. [The owl leaves, and Hagrid gets up.]

James cocked his head to the side. “If he was going to get up anyway, why did he make Harry deal with the money in the first place?”

“Maybe Hagrid thought it would get Harry a little more familiar with the new coins.” Lily shrugged, her mind still on that money problem. “I mean, wizard money is rather complicated.”

“What’s complicated about it? It’s your money that’s weird. You use paper to pay for stuff! That can’t be worth much, can it?”

Lily blinked away her concern from earlier in order to focus on James’s argument. “It’s not about how much it’s worth, but about how much we agree it’s worth. The paper represents something, if you want to think of it in a practical way. And unlike Galleons, Sickles and Knuts, we can tell how much each coin or bill is worth because we write it down. And it’s not such random numbers—instead it’s always multiplies by ten.”

The boy massaged the sides of his head like he was suffering from a headache. “Evans, I lost you since the first sentence,” he said dryly. She glared at him. “When I visit you for Easter—after our screaming match with your dear sister—just show me what you’re talking about because I don’t need another class right now.”

She huffed a little but let him continue on with the book.

[Hagrid:] Best be off, Harry, lots ter do today, …

Harry was turning over the wizard coins and looking at them. …

… [Harry:] I haven’t got any money … [Uncle Vernon] won’t pay for me to go and learn magic.

A frown appeared on James’s face, which Lily took as a sign that he was seeing the problem, too. But then he turned to face her, looking bewildered. “He does realise that if we die, he gets to have everything we own, right?”

Okay, so they weren’t on the same page, here. “But don’t you see? Even if he does get everything we had—have—Harry’s still gonna have to pay for his school supply on his own for seven years. And we’re pretty young when we die—so how much money can we possibly have?”

For a second she felt utterly stupid for no reason whatsoever because James was staring at her like he had no idea who she was. Or maybe like she’s gone completely mad. Then the expression changed to a thoughtful one as he seemed to consider something. Lily could almost see the cogs in his brain working hard to figure something out.

Eventually, James just released a breath and offered Lily a reassuring smile. “I’m sure he’ll get by just fine, Lily.” And he probably knew she would argue with him when she opened her mouth, because he spoke up before she could let out a single vowel. “Trust me on this.”

Reluctantly, she nodded.

… [Hagrid:] D’yeh think yer parents didn’t leave yeh anything?

[Harry:] But if their house was destroyed—

“Okay, even I can admit that it wasn’t the smartest assumption to make.” Lily grimaced at Harry’s words. “Who keeps all their money in the house? Muggles sure don’t do it—why would Harry assume wizards do?”

James shrugged. “He has those moments of utter stupidity, doesn’t he—ouch! Stop hitting me! It’s true! Maybe living with the Dursleys rubbed off on him a little. I only hope Hogwarts would fix that.”

… [Hagrid:] Nah, first stop fer us is Gringotts. Wizards’s bank. …

[Harry:] Wizards have banks?

[Hagrid:] Just the one. Gringotts. Run by goblins.

… [Harry:] Goblins?

Lily laughed at that. “That was my reaction, too,” she chuckled, and when she felt James’s curious eyes on her, she elaborated. “Well, we had to go to Gringotts to exchange my parents’ money to wizard money to buy everything, and I knew that the workers of the bank were goblins before I got there but seeing them…” A shudder went through her. “My parents actually took it rather well, but Tuney fainted on the spot. A nice lady came to help her—she gave her some kind of potion that woke Tuney up.”

“How did you find Diagon Alley? Did a teacher help you?” James asked curiously.

She should have known he would ask her, really. It was a given question, considering she was Muggle-born. She still cringed, though. “Well, er…” She rubbed her arm self-consciously. “They offered to send someone who would help us, but we replied that we didn’t need it because, er, Sev and his mum helped us.”

“Oh.” His excitement disappeared as his face turned blank. And then he blinked his eyes and smiled at her—somewhat stiffly. “Well, it’s good you had help, then.” And he started reading before Lily could come up with something to say back to him.

… [Hagrid:] so yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it, … Never mess with goblins, Harry. Gringotts is the safest place in the world fer anything yeh want ter keep safe—‘cept maybe Hogwarts. … Got everythin’? Come on, then.

Harry followed Hagrid out on to the rock. …

[Harry:] How did you get here? …

[Hagrid:] Flew, …

[Harry:] Flew?

Expecting a remark from James, Lily was a little surprised and disappointed to see that he was still looking rather distant. She knew bringing Sev into a conversation with him was never a good idea—James and Severus were like complete opposites and they hated—despised—each other. But he asked. Did he want her to lie to him?

Pressing her lips together, Lily put her hand on the book to block the page from James’s sight. It drew his attention, and he glanced over at her, confused. “We’re dating now, right?” she asked.

James blinked at her. “That’s the general idea, I suppose.”

“And that means you want to know more about me like I want to learn about your life, doesn’t it?”

“Yes…” He sounded hesitant now, narrowing his eyes at her. “What are you getting at?”

She frowned. “So if you want to hear about me, you’re going to have to get used to hearing more about Severus,” she stated firmly. James flinched like she hit him with a Tickling Charm, only he wasn’t laughing uncontrollably. “He was a really big part of my life. We can’t pretend like that’s not true!”

“I didn’t even say anything!”

“You didn’t have to!”

She could see he had a retort at the ready. She could tell he wanted to snap right back at her. But then he closed his eyes, took in a deep breath and released it slowly before finally looking back at her.

“I’m trying, okay? I know how complicated all of this is, and I really am working on it,” he said earnestly, and Lily’s heart slowed down a little bit at the sincerity in his voice. “Right now me not answering is better than me answering whenever you do bring him up, all right? Just give me more time.”

The thing was, Lily thought they both knew James might never get over the fact that Lily used to be a friend of Severus Snape, but the fact that he was willing to try and work on that was more than she’d expected from him when she entertained the thought of going out with him. He could have just outright refused to try. He could have told her that he could never accept that part of her life.

But he didn’t. That made all the difference.

“Okay.” She waited a beat as he smiled at her, and then shoved the heavy thoughts out of her brain to focus on what she was supposed to really think about. She smiled widely and leaned a little towards James. “So how do you think Hagrid flew to get Harry?”

“Flew?” James uttered in disbelief.

“You’re the one who read it!” Lily shook her head fondly and then leaned back again. “And suddenly I can see it—you in Harry. It’s almost impossible not to notice.” She smirked.

James obviously didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not, so he just shook his head tiredly and finally read the story again. His eyes widened a little as he seemed to read the last few lines he’s already read before but must have missed in his hazy state of mind. Then he cleared his throat and continued out loud.

[Hagrid:] Yeah—but we’ll go back in [Uncle Vernon’s boat]. …

… Harry [was] still staring at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

“I honestly can’t stop trying to picture it, either.” James snickered.

… [Hagrid:] If I was ter—er—speed things up a bit, would yeh mind not mentionin’ it at Hogwarts?

“Aw, Hagrid—no!” Lily groaned and let her head fall back in frustration. “What if someone finds out?”

“Lily, he’s an adult. If he thinks he should be reckless and awesome, you should let him be,” James said happily.

“Of course not,” said Harry, eager to see more magic. [Hagrid uses his umbrella to make the boat sail on its own.]

[Harry:] Why would you be mad to try and rob Gringotts? …

She pursed her lips. “Why’s he asking?” she asked suspiciously.

“Don’t look at me—even I’m not mad enough to try and rob that bank!” James exclaimed. “He’s probably just curious—no way Harry robs a bank. Why would he when he’s got—” He cut himself off and shook his head. “Never mind that. I want to see his reaction to Diagon Alley, already.”

[Hagrid:] Spells—enchantments, … They say there’s dragons … And then yeh gotta find yer way …

… Hagrid read his newspaper, the Daily Prophet. Harry had learnt from Uncle Vernon that people liked to be left alone while they did this, …

[Hagrid:] Ministry o’ Magic messin’ things up as usual, …

[Harry:] There’s a Ministry of Magic? …

“Ask questions, Harry.” Lily nodded enthusiastically. “You can’t learn anything if you don’t ask questions.”

James hummed, seemingly considering her words. “Unless you decide to live in the library. Then you just read the answers without asking the questions. Isn’t that convenient?” He ducked to avoid her swatting hand. “You’re way too violent, you know that? I hope that’s not something Harry will get from you.”

“Excuse you!”

“I’m excused.”

[Hagrid:] ’Course, … They wanted Dumbledore fer Minister, o’ course, but he’d never leave Hogwarts, … their main job is to keep it from the Muggles that there’s still witches an’ wizards …

[Harry:] Why?

… [Hagrid:] everyone’d be wantin’ magic solutions to their problems. …

Wrinkling his nose, James didn’t look convinced. “For some reason I just can’t imagine the Dursleys wanting magic solutions to their problems,” he noted.

Lily snorted. “You didn’t know Tuney when we were little. She grew up to hate magic, sure, but when we were kids she wanted to be a witch, too. Sev and I even found a letter she’d written to Dumbledore, requesting to come to Hogwarts, too.” She saw a flicker of something pass over James’s face at the mention of Sev but he was listening intently again a moment later, so neither one of them mentioned it. “I guess she was just so jealous that she forced herself to hate magic.”

“I’m sorry she can’t get past that,” he said genuinely.

Shaking her head dismissively, Lily’s fiery hair swished around her from side to side. “Don’t worry—I’m mostly over that. It’s hard not to be when it’s been nearly seven years since our last decent conversation.”

She motioned for him to continue the book before he could offer any more words of consolation, and James obliged.

At this moment the boat bumped gently into the harbour wall. … Passers-by stared a lot at Hagrid as they walked through the little town …

… [Harry:] did you say there are dragons at Gringotts?

[Hagrid:] Well, so they say, … Crikey, I’d like a dragon. … Wanted one ever since I was a kid …

“Sounds like Hagrid to me.” James nodded. “I don’t think he understand how impractical that would be, though. He lives in a wooden hut.”

Lily pressed her lips together. “I don’t think Hagrid thinks logically when it comes to mystical, giant, and lethal creatures.”

[Hagrid and Harry take a train to London.]

[Hagrid:] Still got yer letter, Harry? … There’s a list there of everything yeh need.

“Oh, thank Merlin—he did get it!” Lily called in relief.

James looked at her with a smirk. “I thought you weren’t worried about that,” he said casually. “Or did you forget that you were the one to calm me down after I’d brought it up?” His smirk widened. “Unless you didn’t really believe you were right.”

She blushed. “I was still right, though.”

He just laughed.

Harry unfolded a second piece of paper [List of items Harry’s gonna need to get for school.]

[Harry:] Can we buy all this in London? …

“If yeh know where to go,” said Hagrid.

James slumped down a little. “I was hoping they’d forget about that first-year rule,” he muttered.

“Harry doesn’t even know how to fly!” Lily reminded him.

“Don’t remind me.” He looked sick at the mere thought, and Lily rolled her eyes at him. “Can you believe my own son doesn’t know how to fly? I’m going to suffer through this book, aren’t I?”

“You realise that not everything in the world is about Quidditch, don’t you?”

“Stop tormenting me, Lily,” James whined pathetically, clutching the fabric of his robe right above his heart. “It hurts!”

Harry had never been to London before. … [Hagrid] was obviously not used to getting there in an ordinary way. …

[Hagrid:] I don’t know how the Muggles manage without magic, …

Lily looked at James—it must have been intense enough for him to feel it because he stopped reading to look back at her, one eyebrow quirked in a silent question.

“Well, I was just thinking—how do you get to Diagon Alley?”

He grimaced. “Floo powder.” He shuddered like the mere thought was unpleasant. “I’m sure you’ve heard of it, at least.” At her nod, he locked eyes with her, looking very serious. “Never use it if you don’t have to, Evans. It’s one of the worst ways to transport. Not that Apparating is much better, of course, but at least you come out of it without being covered in ash.”

That sounded just lovely.

… They passed book shops and music stores, hamburger bars and cinemas, … This was just an ordinary street full of ordinary people. … Were there really shops that sold spell books and broomsticks? … somehow, even though everything Hagrid had told him so far was unbelievable, Harry couldn’t help trusting him.

“Yes! Trust Hagrid!” James beamed at the book. “I trust this kid’s gut,” he announced.

She stared at him blankly. “You called him an idiot not too long ago.”

“That doesn’t mean his judgement is faulty.”

[Hagrid:] This is it, … The Leaky Cauldron. It’s a famous place.

It was a tiny, grubby-looking pub.

James pouted. “He takes all the magic out of it.”

Lily couldn’t help but agree with Harry, though. The Leaky Cauldron didn’t look very special in the present. She could only assume it wouldn’t change much in the future, either.

… The people hurrying by didn’t glance at it. … Harry had the most peculiar feeling that only he and Hagrid could see it. …

For a famous place, it was very dark and shabby. [Description of the Leaky Cauldron and the people inside.] [The barman] was quite bald and looked like a gummy walnut.

James snorted as Lily tried to picture Tom in her mind—because it was obviously the same man they both knew from the pub. She had to admit, Harry’s description was pretty much spot-on. That didn’t mean it wasn’t funny, though. She could almost imagine herself passing by Tom without noticing anything different about it even if someone transfigured him into an actual walnut.

… [Tom the barman:] The usual, Hagrid?

“Can’t, Tom, I’m on Hogwarts business,” said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on Harry’s shoulder …

[Tom, noticing Harry:] Good Lord, … is this—can this be—?

The Leaky Cauldron had suddenly gone completely still and silent.

James and Lily shared a glanced over the book.

… [Tom, moving to shake Harry’s hand:] Harry Potter... what an honour. … Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back.

Harry didn’t know what to say. Everyone was looking at him. …

Looking a little pale and very stunned, James cleared his throat awkwardly. “Wow,” he said quietly. Lily wouldn’t have heard it had she not been silent, as well. “I guess when Hagrid said that Harry was really famous, he wasn’t exaggerating after all.” He looked slightly concerned.

“Harry’s so confused,” Lily fretted. “He’s just gone from a nobody to a famous person—he’s like a celebrity.” She tapped her finger anxiously on the armchair. “What if it freaks him out? What if he hates it?”

“Well, he’s your son, so he probably will hate it,” James commented. When Lily sent him a withering glare, he raised his free hand placatingly. “Look, there’s nothing we can actually do, is there? But I think that after dealing with being locked in a cupboard for long periods of time, Harry would be able to handle this. He’s obviously sterner than he looks—he’ll be fine.”

Lily searched his face for a moment and then sagged a little. “I still don’t like it,” she grumbled.

“Neither do I.”

… next moment, Harry found himself shaking hands with everyone in the Leaky Cauldron.

“Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can’t believe I’m meeting you at last.”

“So proud, Mr. Potter, I’m just so proud.”

“Always wanted to shake your hand—I’m all of a flutter.”

“Delighted, Mr. Potter, just can’t tell you. Diggle’s the name, Dedalus Diggle.”

… [Harry:] You bowed to me once in a shop.

… [Diggle:] Did you hear that? He remembers me!

James’s mouth fell open in awe, like he couldn’t believe what he was reading. He didn’t say anything, though. Just kept on reading, seemingly entranced by the events in the book.

Harry shook hands again and again … A pale young man made his way forward, very nervously. …

… [Hagrid:] Harry, Professor Quirrell will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts.

“Let me guess,” Lily drawled out wearily.

James smiled in amusement. “Harry’s first DADA teacher,” he said proudly. “So we can’t get attached, can we? He’ll be gone by the end of the year.”

[Professor Quirrell:] P-P-Potter, … c-can’t t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you.

“Are you doing that on purpose?” Lily asked, eyeing James suspiciously.

He shook his head. “He’s stuttering.” He let his eyes roam over the page briefly. “And from the looks of it, it’s not because he’s just overly excited at meeting Harry Potter for the first time.”

Lily made a face. “Dumbledore’s running out of options to teach Defence, doesn’t he?”

“Well, they don’t last very long.”

[Harry:] What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?

[Professor Quirrell:] D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark Arts, … N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter? … I’ve g-got to p-pick up a new b-book on vampires, …

He looked terrified at the very thought.

“This has got to be a joke.” James laughed.

Lily was just speechless.

… It took almost ten minutes to get away from them all. … Hagrid led them through the bar and out into a small, walled courtyard, …

… [Hagrid:] Told yeh you was famous. Even Professor Quirrell was tremblin’ ter meet yeh … Brilliant mind. He was fine … but then he took a year off ter get some firsthand experience... … never been the same since. … now, where’s me umbrella?

Lily didn’t get it. How was such a person supposed to teach students how to defend themselves? It sounded like the poor man could barely stand in the face of danger long enough to think of a spell to save himself! She knew that constantly finding new teachers had to be hard, but could Dumbledore really let students head out to tests after learning from someone who’s clearly a little broken after encountering some pretty nasty stuff?

She didn’t blame Quirrell. He seemed nice enough and there was nothing wrong about him as a person, but as a teacher… well, maybe it was the part of her that grew up into a war in the wizarding world, but Lily was a little distressed at the thought of her child not learning proper ways to defend himself.

Vampires? Hags? Harry’s head was swimming. Hagrid, meanwhile, was counting bricks in the wall above the dustbin.

This sentence made Lily snap out of her own thoughts and she chuckled at how chaotic Harry’s thoughts were as he discovered more and more things slowly but surely, while Hagrid was next to him, seemingly gone nuts while counting bricks. James probably didn’t find it as strange as she and Harry did, but for someone who didn’t grow up with magic or around Diagon Alley, it was a very strange thing to do.

… [Hagrid] tapped the wall three times with the point of his umbrella. The brick he had touched quivered … a second later they were facing an archway … to a cobbled street …

[Hagrid:] Welcome, … to Diagon Alley.

… The sun shone brightly on a stack of cauldrons outside the nearest shop. …

[Hagrid:] Yeah, you’ll be needin’ one, … but we gotta get yer money first.

Harry wished he had about eight more eyes.

“A disturbing image, but I get the point.” James nodded appreciatively, grinning widely at the book like it was the most amazing thing in the world. Lily couldn’t stop her own smile, either. She was buzzing from how excited she was

Walking into the Leaky Cauldron was one thing. Walking into Diagon Alley was different—very much so, indeed. It was there that Lily truly felt like she walked into a whole other world for the first time. With all the stores and the wizards and witches going each and every way, she always felt like she was surrounded by all the wonderous things in existence. Like whatever she needed would be found there.

A small part of her—the one that knew that someday she would have a family of her own with, probably, a wizard—felt a little tinge of sadness at the thought of never seeing the same wonder she’d felt that first time she came to Diagon Alley. Children who grew up with magical parents didn’t get the same experience as Muggle-born kids. They didn’t find the alley wonderful and special because the magic surrounded them all their life.

And now… now Harry had two magical parents and still got to experience magic just like Lily. Or maybe even with a little less information, since she still had Sev before the letter arrived, and he’d willingly told her everything he knew. Harry didn’t know anything about the magical world he belonged to, though. This was going to be amazing, she knew. No—she could feel it.

… [Harry was] trying to look at everything at once [Description of stuff Harry sees around.] Several boys of about Harry’s age had their noses pressed against a window with broomsticks in it.

Suddenly James’s eyes shined and he looked even more interested in the book than he did before. Lily tried not to laugh at him, though she did snicker a little behind the cover of her hand.

“Look,” Harry heard one of them say, “The new Nimbus Two Thousand—fastest ever—”

Sighing, James closed his eyes with a dreamy smile. “I hope Harry gets one of those.”

“What if Harry doesn’t like to fly?” Lily countered. James’s eyes snapped open again and he stared at her in abject horror. “What if he’s terrible at it? What if he doesn’t like Quidditch at all? What then, James?”

It was funny, how hard it was for him to try and cover the disappointment. “I… I guess that’ll be fine?” he muttered, looking depressed despite his best efforts. Honestly, for his sake—Lily hoped Harry would like Quidditch, at least a little bit.

[More description of interesting things that can be bought in Diagon Alley.]

“I’ve never seen those things that way, before,” James noted, still looking a little discouraged. “I guess Diagon Alley doesn’t look this magical to people who grow up with all this stuff, huh? It’s interesting to see how Harry sees it all—is this anything like your experience the first time there?”

Lily beamed at him. “Absolutely.”

… They had reached a snowy-white building … Standing beside its burnished bronze doors, … was—

[Hagrid:] Yeah, that’s a goblin, …

[Description of the goblin. Harry reads the warning written on the doors of the bank.]

“Like I said, yeh’d be mad ter try an’ rob it,” said Hagrid.

“We get it, Hagrid. Stop planting ideas in his head,” Lily drawled out.

“Come on, there’s no way Harry would rob Gringotts, Evans. Honestly, why do you even think he would try and break into a bank of all places?”

Lily shrugged helplessly. It was just weird how many times Hagrid decided to bring it up. Like he expected Harry to do something this insane. Maybe he thought about James while warning him.

[Description of the interior of Gringotts and the goblins working inside.] Hagrid and Harry made for the counter.

… [Hagrid:] We’ve come ter take some money outta Mr. Harry Potter’s safe.

[Goblin:] You have his key, sir?

[Hagrid:] Got it here somewhere, …

[Hagrid pulls out different things from his pockets—to the goblin’s displeasure—before finding the key.]

James shifted a little uneasily next to her but didn’t say anything.

… [Goblin:] That seems to be in order.

He squirmed again. Lily eyed him curiously, but James didn’t offer any kind of explanation.

[Hagrid:] An’ I’ve also got a letter here from Professor Dumbledore, … It’s about the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen.

… [Goblin:] I will have someone take you down to both vaults. Griphook!

[Griphook—another goblin—leads them to another set of doors.]

[Harry:] What’s the You-Know-What in vault seven hundred and thirteen? …

[Hagrid:] Can’t tell yeh that, … Very secret. … More’n my job’s worth ter tell yeh that.

Lily frowned. “He just made Harry even more interested in it, didn’t he?” she asked. James didn’t answer. “What’s the matter with you?”

“Er… nothing.” He shook his head and offered her a smile. It was very obviously fake. “You’ve never been to the vaults, have you?” he added suddenly. Lily had the feeling James was trying to redirect the conversation.

Still, it was true. “Yeah. Though Alice told me what it’s like to get to hers. Oh, I hope Harry will describe what it all looks like! That’s one experience he’s going to have that I didn’t get when I first got to Diagon Alley.” She pressed her lips a little. “Is it true that the drive to the safes is a little nauseating?”

James scoffed. “A little? Who told you that?” He waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t get nauseated, but my mum does. It’s not a pretty sight. She usually sends either my dad or I to the safe to get money because she hates it.” He smirked at the book. “Let’s see how Harry handles it.”

[Griphook, Hagrid and Harry get into a cart together and speed down the railway.]

… Harry tried to remember, left, right, right, left, middle fork, right, left, but it was impossible.

“Well, he’s gone pretty far for his first try,” James said, tilting his head a little. “And it doesn’t seem like he minds the ride, either. He wouldn’t have managed to keep track on the turns they’re taking if he was feeling ill.”

Lily decided to take his word for it.

The rattling cart seemed to know its own way, … [Harry] kept [his eyes] wide open. Once, he thought he saw a burst of fire at the end of a passage … huge stalactites and stalagmites grew …

… [Harry:] what’s the difference between a stalagmite and a stalactite?

[Hagrid:] Stalagmite’s got an “m” in it, … An’ don’ ask me questions just now, I think I’m gonna be sick.

Lily’s lips twisted a little downwards at the answer but James nodded like it made perfect sense and explained it all to him. When he noticed her flat stare, he shrugged. “What? He’s right,” he reasoned.

“Honestly…” Lily shook her head.

“Oh, and it looks like Hagrid’s the one that can’t stand the ride. For someone who likes the most dangerous creatures in existence, he sure doesn’t seem like the kind of person who would enjoy riding those beasts of his.” Suddenly a mischievous glint sparked to life in his eyes. “I wonder if he ever tried riding a Thestral before. I mean, he has got a whole hoard of them in the forest… I bet Sirius and I could get him to try it.”

“He’s a half-giant!”

“Then we’ll find a half-giant Thestral,” James dismissed her and kept on reading.

… when the cart stopped at last beside a small door in the passage wall, Hagrid got out and had to lean against the wall …

Griphook unlocked the door. … Harry gasped. Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts.

[Hagrid:] All yours, …

James stopped reading, suddenly looking sheepish and uncomfortable again.

Lily gawked at him. “What?” she asked in a small whisper. James squirmed again. “Where’d all this come from?”

He ruffled his hair and flashed her a very fake grin. “Oh, did I never mention that my family’s rich? Oh, well.” He turned to look back at the book. “I’ll just keep reading, then—”

“No!” Lily protested and snatched the book away from James before he could continue reading the next lines. He gave her an annoyed look but didn’t try to reach the book. “What the hell? Why didn’t you just say anything? How come nobody knows about this?”

“See, usually people don’t make it public knowledge—how much money they have.” He sounded agitated. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it when you were worried about Harry. I just… when you tell people that you have so much money, it makes you constantly wonder whether they’re around because of that or because of you. I just didn’t want to take that chance. I was hoping that maybe Harry wouldn’t mention it.”

“The boy who’s had nothing his entire life suddenly has a vault filled with gold? You thought he wouldn’t find this amazing? You’re naïve,” Lily said, her eyes still pretty wide. “Do the others know? The Marauders?”

“Well, yeah. We all went to Gringotts together every year since we became friends.” He leaned back a little. “Remus and Peter are okay with it. Or, well, I guess it took Peter a little by surprise, but he got over that. And Sirius and I are pretty similar in that aspect, except for, er…” He coughed. “Sorry, that’s not really my secret to share.” He hesitated. “You don’t care about any of that stuff, do you?”

Lily frowned. “Of course not,” she said heatedly. Then she hunched her shoulders a little. “I mean, I’m just glad Harry has all of it—and hope he’s not going to lose his head for having so much all of a sudden.” She noted the small smile on James’s face with a tinge of pride swelling in her chest. She smiled sweetly at him. “But if you want to buy me something really pricey, I’m gonna be fine with it.”

“Too soon.” He shook his head at her, but the laughter bubbling out of him left her at ease.

At least he didn’t look like he believed she was only going to be with him for the money. Which she wasn’t—up until that point she didn’t even think he had that much. She should have known better, really, but it never mattered to her enough to actually check.

“The book, please?” James requested, holding out his hand.

She handed it back.

… The Dursleys couldn’t have known about this or they’d have had it from him faster than blinking. … Hagrid helped Harry pile some of it into a bag.

[Hagrid explains how the money works.]

[Hagrid:] it’s easy enough.

Lily snorted.

… [Hagrid:] we’ll keep the rest safe for yeh. …

They were going even deeper now and gathering speed. … Harry leant over the side … but Hagrid groaned and pulled him back by the scruff of his neck.

“He has a death wish!” Lily exclaimed. “Why would he do something this stupid?” When she noticed James’s relaxed grin, she smacked him over the head. “That’s all your fault!”

“My fault? What’d I do?”

Lily pointed at the book. “That’s your recklessness over there. That definitely didn’t come from me.” She folded her arms over her chest and gave him a challenging look, daring him to counter her words.

James snorted. “So he got my recklessness and your temper? He’s going to be fun, all right.”

Vault seven hundred and thirteen had no keyhole. [Griphook opens it by touching it.]

[Griphook:] If anyone but a Gringotts goblin tried that, they’d be sucked through the door and trapped in there, …

[Harry:] How often do you check to see if anyone’s inside? …

[Griphook:] About once every ten years, …

Lily gasped. “That’s horrible!”

How could they just leave those vaults like that? Weren’t they worried at all about people dying inside? Even if they came to steal something, leaving them to die was a cruel fate. Of course, Hagrid and just about everyone else knew that it would be mad to try and steal from Gringotts, and that was probably another reason as to why that was, but still!

There was a small frown on James’s face. “I never actually bothered asking them a question like that.”

He almost looked guilty as he said that, like he couldn’t believe someone else asked them about the consequences of breaking into a vault instead of him. Personally, Lily didn’t see why he should have ever thought about that. His vault wasn’t like that, after all. It had a key. This specific vault needed a goblin to open it. If James had never encountered such a safe before, he had no reason to even know about this trap the goblins had set up.

Something really extraordinary had to be inside this top-security vault, Harry was sure, …  he noticed a grubby little package wrapped up in brown paper lying on the floor. … Harry longed to know what it was, but knew better than to ask.

… [Hagrid, after taking the package:] don’t talk to me on the way back, it’s best if I keep me mouth shut, …

James looked very dissatisfied. “He won’t even ask what that thing was?”

“He’s not supposed to know! Hagrid said he might lose his job for revealing what was inside that vault, Potter,” Lily reminded him.

He didn’t look like the words meant much to him. Of course they didn’t—he was used to bending or completely breaking the rules with his friends. Finding out what the thing he wasn’t supposed to know about was… well, it was exactly the kind of thing Lily would expect of James Potter.

[Hagrid and Harry get back outside.] Harry didn’t know where to run first now that he had a bag full of money. … he was holding more money than he’d had in his whole life …

[Hagrid:] Might as well get yer uniform, … Harry would yeh mind if I slipped off fer a pick-me-up in the Leaky Cauldron? …

so Harry entered Madam Malkin’s shop alone, feeling nervous.

Lily’s jaw dropped. “Hagrid just left him?”

“Those carts are pretty awful, I suppose.” James didn’t look like he minded one bit. “Besides, it’s not like he’s sending Harry to deal with those goblins on his own—he just sent him to get himself some clothes. And with You-Know-Who gone, there’s not really any danger in walking around Diagon Alley on your own, is there?”

She bit her bottom lip uncertainly. “I guess…” She still didn’t feel comfortable with it, though. Had it been her in Harry’s place, she would have been more than a little nervous.

… [Madam Malkin:] Hogwarts, dear? … another young man being fitted up just now, in fact.

[Description of the second boy.] Madam Malkin stood Harry on a stool next to him, … and began to pin [a robe] to the right length.

Lily perked up a little. Would Harry make his first friend now, then? She hoped he’d be okay socially. Not only did he not have any experience with being friends with kids his own age because of the Dursleys, but he was also someone famous that she assumed kids from magical families would recognize the name of. That couldn’t be good to forming true friendships, could it?

James seemed to share her line of thinking because he looked both eager to hear the next conversation, and a little apprehensive and worried, like he wasn’t sure he would like the conversation.

It was a little strange to feel this concerned because of a kid that didn’t even exist yet, but the more Lily read about Harry, the more she cared about him. She just wasn’t sure how to feel about any of it.

… [Boy:] Hogwarts too?

[Harry:] Yes, …

[Boy, drawling voice:] My father’s next door buying my books and mother’s up the street looking at wands, … I’m going to drag them off to look at racing brooms. I don’t see why first-years can’t have their own.

James stopped reading. “Exactly!” he exclaimed. “I like this kid,” he decided.

[Boy:] I think I’ll bully father into getting me one and I’ll smuggle it in somehow.

“Forget I said anything,” James grumbled, and Lily sniggered, entertained.

… [Boy:] Have you got your own broom? … Play Quidditch at all?

“No,” Harry said again, wondering what on earth Quidditch could be.

James flinched like it physically pained him to read the words that represented Harry’s thoughts. Even Lily, who didn’t care much for the sport, felt bad for him. For the second time that day she found herself wishing that Harry wouldn’t be averted to Quidditch or flying.

“I do … Know what house you’ll be in yet?

“No,” said Harry, feeling more stupid by the minute.

“Well…” James started, a grin forming on his face.

“Oh, shut it.”

[Boy:] Well, no one really knows … but I know I’ll be in Slytherin, … imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?

“Oy! What’s wrong with Hufflepuff?” James glared at the book, and Lily had the distinct feeling that he just decided to dislike the boy even more for wanting to be in Slytherin. Lily figured that had the boy not wanted to be in that house, James wouldn’t feel the same way—after all, his best friend came from a family of Slytherins—but anyone who wanted to be in Slytherin seemed to automatically register as bad in James’s mind.

Lily grabbed his hand and squeezed it a little. “Nothing’s wrong with Hufflepuff,” she assured him. Then, more sternly, she went on. “And nothing’s wrong with Slytherin, either. It’s just a stigma that nobody bothers to correct, anymore.”

“But—”

“How would you feel if people put you in a box and expected you to fit it?” she cut him off. James glared at her for a moment, but then sighed and seemed to consider her words. “It’s hard to fight what the world expects from you, so some of them don’t even bother. Others just grow into it with time.”

He furrowed his brows. “You’re talking about Snape, aren’t you?”

“I’m talking about all of them.”

James breathed in deeply and then released the air slowly before nodding at her. “Benefit of the doubt, then?” He looked a little out of sorts when she nodded at him. That wasn’t quite it, but it was still better than nothing. “I guess I can do that…” Then he shook his head. “But it’s not just that. It’s…” He squirmed. “Don’t you remember?”

“Remember what?”

“That day on the train—our first year at Hogwarts,” he reminded her. She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration, trying to remember. She didn’t know what he was talking about. She knew they’d met on the train, but their conversation wasn’t that great and she kind of forgot most of it. James sighed. “I said the same thing as this kid—nearly word for word. Only I said it about Slytherin and this one said it about Hufflepuff.”

“So?”

James looked extremely uncomfortable. “So… well, from an outside point of view, it does sound pretty… it’s not nice, all right?”

He kept on reading before she could respond, and Lily decided to let that go. She didn’t even remember whatever it was he was talking about—that was between him and whatever he was feeling.

… [Boy:] I say, look at that man! …

[Hagrid is waving through the window, holding up ice cream cones.]

Lily beamed. Hagrid was really one of the best people she ever knew. She was so glad Harry seemed to like him without any prompting—a lot of people in Hogwarts didn’t really take to Hagrid that much. Some of them barely exchanged more than five words with the man even though he was always around. The fact that Harry wasn’t one of those people warmed her heart.

James and Lily would be gone in this future, true, but Hagrid would still have a friend in their son. That was a comforting thought.

[Harry:] That’s Hagrid, … He works at Hogwarts.

… [Boy:] I’ve heard of him. He’s a sort of servant, isn’t he?

James scowled at the book in his hands and then looked desperately at Lily. “Okay, but this little git doesn’t need to fit any box—he’s already in it.”

She couldn’t even argue with him on that.

… [Harry] was liking the boy less and less every second.

… [Boy:] I heard he’s a sort of savage … tries to do magic and ends up setting fire to his bed.

James was practically gritting his teeth as he said the words, and Lily squeezed his hand—not to offer any comfort, but because she couldn’t get up and find that boy seeing as he hasn’t been born, yet. His parents, on the other hand… Well, for that she needed to first understand who this kid was. After that she would be able to hunt down his parents and make sure they teach him not to listen to silly, idiotic rumours about good people.

“I think he’s brilliant,” said Harry coldly.

“We did good with this one,” James stated firmly.

Lily scrunched up her nose. “We weren’t there to teach him to stand up to Hagrid, James. That’s all him,” She reminded him, a small smile creeping onto her face at the ridiculous statement. Sure, it was sad that Harry didn’t have them to guide him in life, but it looked like he was doing pretty fine on his own. “And if this is anything to go by, I’d say his friends would be lucky to have him around—he’s already fiercely loyal to Hagrid after only knowing him for less than a day.”

And that was definitely something James would do—find someone that seemed all right to him, and stick by them through thick and thin. Lily admired that about him. (Again, never going to tell him that, though.) It was almost respect-inducing to watch the Marauders all standing up to each other when one of them got in trouble. The other students at Hogwarts knew not to mess with any of them because they were like a pack of wolves—attack one and they will all come after you.

“Yeah… kind of like you and Snape, isn’t it?” James asked and for once there wasn’t an ounce of bitterness in his tone as he mentioned his mortal enemy (if she wanted to be as dramatic as James was) and her childhood friend.

That sentence made her pause. Was she really that loyal? She thought James was, but Lily didn’t feel like she was loyal to people. She liked her friends and she would stand by them if they needed help, but it wasn’t the same kind of togetherness that the Marauders shared. The kind that she suspected Harry would be able to express once he finally got himself a friend.

… [Boy:] Why is he with you? Where are your parents?

[Harry:] They’re dead, …

He didn’t feel much like going into the matter with this boy.

They both winced at the reminder. Of course, for them it was fresh while for Harry it was a fact he’s had to live with for ten years, already. Of course he wasn’t that affected by mentioning it. Although it was probably a sore subject, especially now that Hagrid revealed to him the truth behind their death. Or as much of the truth as he could tell, at least.

… [Boy:] But they were our kind, weren’t they?

[Harry:] They were a witch and wizard, if that’s what you mean.

“I really don’t think they should let the other sort in, do you? … Some of them have never even heard of Hogwarts until they get the letter, … What’s your surname, anyway?

James looked disgusted. “This is the first wizard Harry’s age that he gets to talk to, and these are the ideas he’s planting in Harry’s head?” He narrowed his eyes. “I really hope that doesn’t stick around because that would definitely be bad.”

He was right, of course. Although it was hard to imagine Harry choosing to listen to someone he dislikes. “He won’t listen to that rubbish,” Lily said unwaveringly. When James looked at her questioningly, she licked her dry lips a little. “Remember who his parents are? With me as his mum, he can’t possibly think there’s anything in these claims.”

“You don’t know that.” James’s voice was quiet this time around, almost solemn. Even, to Lily’s surprise, a little resentful, scornful and hateful. “People can be irrational when it comes to this sort of thing. Parents might disown their own kids; kids might run away from home to live by their own beliefs…” He shook his head and messed up his hair even more. “It’s really complicated.”

There was something there that she could feel she wasn’t allowed to touch. Not yet, at least. So Lily didn’t push, but she did stare at him a little, feeling slightly discouraged.

“Well, I have faith in Harry—I don’t believe for a second that he might turn his back on us or believe such baseless claims,” she said.

James sent her a small smile.

… [Madam Malkin:] That’s you done, my dear, …

Harry was rather quiet as he ate the ice-cream Hagrid had bought him …

… [Harry:] Hagrid, what’s Quidditch?

James choked. “This is torture, I tell you. He’s trying to kill me ahead of time with these questions!”

“Ugh, it’s only a game.” She rolled her eyes and ignored his sharp, wounded gasp. “Besides, think of it this way—Harry’s taking an interest in it, now. He wants to know what it is. That’s better than him just forgetting all about it, isn’t it?”

Pondering that for a second or two, James nodded slowly. “I suppose…” He glared at the book. “But he had better like it!” He said it like the book might quiver under his glare and actually change what’s written in it to make sure James ends up being happy. Of course, nothing happened.

… [Harry] told Hagrid about the pale boy in Madam Malkin’s.

[Harry:] —and he said people from Muggle families shouldn’t even be allowed in—

[Hagrid:] Yer not from a Muggle family. … he’s grown up knowin’ yer name if his parents are wizardin’ folk … some o’ the best I ever saw were the only ones with magic in ‘em in a long line o’ Muggles—look at yer mum! Look what she had fer a sister!

Lily smiled to herself. She was so glad Hagrid was there with Harry, because he could really use someone by his side who actually knew something about the wizarding world, and who wasn’t biased like that boy from Madam Malkin’s shop. Or like James.

James, who, apparently, wasn’t thinking about the same thing at all.

“Nooooo!” he moaned. “Tell him about Quidditch, already! Hagrid, don’t let me down!” His eyes glided over to the next line and he straightened up. “Oh, never mind.”

[Harry:] So what is Quidditch?

[Hagrid:] It’s our sport. Wizard sport. … sorta hard ter explain the rules.

James whimpered. “That’s not true! It’s extremely easy!” He looked at Lily. “Evans, they’re killing me!” When she offered him nothing more than an eyeroll, he groaned in frustration. “Why do I even bother?”

[Harry:] And what are Slytherin and Hufflepuff?

[Hagrid:] School houses. There’s four. Everyone says Hufflepuff are a lot o’ duffers, but—

“I bet I’m in Hufflepuff,” said Harry gloomily.

Lily shook her head fondly. “We’ll love him, anyway,” she said.

James glanced at her. “Of course we will.”

“Even if he’s put in Slytherin.”

She tried to hide her smirk as James froze a little, eyes growing wide at her words. Then his shoulders tensed a tad and he looked uncomfortable. “Y-yeah, even if he’s…” He looked like he was suffering. “Even if he’s put in Slytherin.” Then he glared at Lily. “You’re enjoying this way too much, you know? He’s probably going to be in Gryffindor like us.”

She assumed that was a given, but she really did have fun watching James as he squirmed to show that he didn’t mind what house his own kid might get sorted into. For both their sakes, she hoped Harry would end up in Gryffindor. It didn’t really matter to her, but she didn’t need the extra drama.

[Hagrid:] Better Hufflepuff than Slytherin, … There’s not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn’t in Slytherin. You-Know-Who was one.

This time it was Lily who groaned. She covered her face with her hands and shook her head from side to side. “Hagrid, don’t plant these toxic ideas in his head,” she whined. “He doesn’t need to go to school with these thoughts solidified despite not seeing it for himself.”

James looked rather satisfied, though.

[Harry:] Vol—sorry—You-Know-Who was at Hogwarts?

[Hagrid:] Years an’ years ago, …

[They buy Harry’s books.] Hagrid almost had to drag Harry away from Curses and Counter-Curses …

[Harry:] I was trying to find out how to curse Dudley.

Lily choked a little, and James burst out into a fit of laughter. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing that should be encouraged, even if Dudley deserved that and more, but… well, Dudley deserved that and more.

“Oh, turn him into a gorilla, next!” James suggested. When Lily stared at him, he shrugged. “Harry did mention that Dudley looked like that gorilla from the zoo. It would be perfect for the animal theme going on in this book—seriously, Harry likes describing people while comparing them to different animals.”

Lily blanched at once. “Wait, what about Dudley?”

“What about Dudley?”

“He still has that tail! Hagrid didn’t take care of that, did he? What are they going to do? And how did Tuney and the others get off that island without the boat after Hagrid and Harry took it?”

She knew she shouldn’t worry about those three people that treated her child so poorly and cruelly, but she couldn’t help it. That was Tuney! It was her sister! And her child and… and unfortunately, her husband, too.

James thought about it for a moment, came up with nothing, and gave up.

[Hagrid:] I’m not sayin’ that’s not a good idea, but yer not ter use magic in the Muggle world … yeh’ll need a lot more study before yeh get ter that level.

[They buy stuff for potions.]

… Hagrid checked Harry’s list again.

[Hagrid:] Just yer wand left—oh yeah, an’ I still haven’t got yeh a birthday present.

“That’s nice of him.” Lily smiled softly.

… [Harry:] You don’t have to—

… [Hagrid:] I’ll get yer an owl. All the kids want owls, they’re dead useful, carry yer post an’ everythin’.

[They buy the owl.] Harry now carried a large cage which held a beautiful snowy owl, … He couldn’t stop stammering his thanks, …

Lily squeezed James’s hand and awed. “She sounds beautiful! A snowy owl? That’s so sweet of Hagrid.”

James frowned, though. “I don’t know… we use owls to send letters. Who’s Harry going to write to? He doesn’t have any friends, yet. And I don’t think he’s going to get homesick and long to write to his dear family.”

“Then he’ll write to Hagrid,” Lily said firmly, and James didn’t argue with her.

… [Hagrid:] Don’ expect you’ve had a lotta presents from them Dursleys. … only place fer wands, Ollivanders, and yeh gotta have the best wand.

A magic wand... this was what Harry had been really looking forward to.

“Me, too,” Lily said dreamily.

James surprised her, then. “Me, three.” And when she looked at him quizzically, he looked mostly confused. “What? Everyone wants their wand. It’s the thing that allows us to control the magic. Accidental magic is nice and all, but everyone wants their wand so they can actually perform magic for real.” He looked at her smugly. “That’s not special for Muggle-born only.”

The last shop was narrow and shabby. [Description of Ollivanders.]

“Good afternoon,” said a soft voice. Harry jumped. …

[Description of Mr. Ollivander.]

[Harry:] Hello, …

… [Mr. Ollivander:] I thought I’d be seeing you soon. Harry Potter. … You have your mother’s eyes. … Ten and a quarter inches long, swishy, made of willow. Nice wand for charm work.

Lily’s jaw dropped. “He remembers that?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Ollivander remembers everyone and their wands. It’s slightly creepy, actually,” James explained. “But I guess he wouldn’t tell you that because your parents didn’t buy wands from him. Oh, well—you learn something new every day, huh, Evans?”

She put her hand in the pocket, where her wand was safely tucked away. “That’s really impressive.”

… [Mr. Ollivander:] Your father, on the other hand, favoured a mahogany wand. … Well, I say your father favoured it—it’s really the wand that chooses the wizard, of course.

[Mr. Ollivander:] And that’s where...

Mr. Ollivander touched the lightning scar on Harry’s forehead with a long, white finger.

Grimacing, Lily shifted uncomfortably. Ollivander was weird in her opinion, too, but that was seriously creepy. Why would he just touch Harry’s scar like it wasn’t out of line? Had she been in Harry’s place, she would have probably pushed the man away from her—if a little gently, because he was rather old.

James looked unsettled, too.

... [Mr. Ollivander:] Thirteen and a half inches. Yew. … Well, if I’d known what that wand was going out into the world to do...

… [Mr. Ollivander:] Rubeus Hagrid! … Oak, sixteen inches, rather bendy, wasn’t it? … I suppose they snapped it in half when you got expelled? …

… [Hagrid:] I’ve still got the pieces, though, …

[Mr. Ollivander:] But you don’t use them? …

“Oh, no, sir,” said Hagrid quickly. Harry noticed he gripped his pink umbrella very tightly as he spoke.

James’s lips quivered and he looked like he was trying hard not to snort or laugh at Hagrid’s obvious lie. If even Harry caught onto Hagrid’s strange behaviour, then he was probably doing a pretty miserable job at lying in there. Especially if he moved to touch his pink umbrella, which Lily knew contained the pieces of that shattered old wand.

[Mr. Ollivander starts measuring Harry.]

[Mr. Ollivander:] Every Ollivander wand has a core of a powerful magical substance, … No two Ollivander wands are the same, … you will never get such good results with another wizard’s wand.

Harry suddenly realised that the tape measure, … was doing this on its own. Mr. Ollivander was flitting around the shelves, taking down boxes.

“I never did understand what he needed to take those measures for,” Lily said.

“And when he walks off and leaves the tape to measure on its own, he’s not even checking to see what the measurements are, so it really seems pointless,” James agreed. “Though Mum usually talks about how complicated everything that has to do with wands is. I mean, she tried explaining some of the simpler stuff to me, but it sort of went over my head. This stuff is incredibly hard to understand.”

Lily furrowed her brows. “Maybe it always is when the thing in question is a stick that has a mind of its own.”

… [Mr. Ollivander, after stopping measuring Harry:] Try this one. … Just take it and give it a wave.

Harry took the wand … but Mr. Ollivander snatched it out of his hand almost at once. … Harry tried. And tried. … the more wands Mr. Ollivander pulled from the shelves, the happier he seemed to become.

“It took me five tries,” James noted. “And he really did seem to be getting in a better mood with each failure. It only added to how weird he already was.” He looked at Lily curiously. “How many tries did it take with you?”

She smiled fondly at the memory. “It was actually my first one. Although we got stuck in the shop because Sev took about seven tries before he found his wand.” She watched for James’s reaction and saw a slight twitch of his lips, but nothing more. “I wonder why certain people take more time. I mean, how does Ollivander even know what to suggest to each person?”

“Don’t ask me—I just told you I don’t understand that profession.”

… [Mr. Ollivander:] Not to worry, … I wonder, now … holly and phoenix feather, eleven inches, nice and supple.

Harry took the wand. He felt a sudden warmth in his fingers. [Harry waves his wand and shoots sparks around.]

… [Mr. Ollivander:] Well, well, well... how curious... how very curious...

James tipped his head to the side, a crease forming between his eyebrows. “I feel like something ominous is coming…”

… [Harry:] Sorry, … but what’s curious?

… [Mr. Ollivander:] I remember every wand I’ve ever sold, … It so happens that the phoenix whose tail feather is in your wand, gave another feather … It is very curious indeed that you should be destined for this wand … why, its brother gave you that scar.

James’s paled a little and lowered the book. Lily just sort of stared ahead, lightheaded and feeling like she was in a daze. The words just refused to compute in her brain. How could Harry have such luck that even his wand decided to tie him further to the one wand that belonged to the evil wizard that had killed his parents? What was going on with the world that it decided to make that connection?

And why did Ollivander even suggest the wand in the first place? Did he know something like this might make sense, or was he just thinking it might be interesting? Lily didn’t know much about wands—she knew that—but she did know that if the wand chose the wizard, then this wand chose Harry for some reason. Was it because it knew that Harry had been on the receiving end of its brother? Was it aware of the mark left on Harry’s forehead, signalling him out?

“Twin wands are rare, as it is,” James said in a quiet tone. “And from what I remember, phoenixes don’t usually decide to give more than one feather to wandmakers.” He looked down at the purple book, and then at the other six on the coffee table. “This feels like some kind of strange coincidence. Or maybe it’s not a coincidence—maybe it’s fate or destiny or something else that might make sense of this.”

Lily swallowed thickly. “But… would it endanger Harry?”

“It shouldn’t. I mean, You-Know-Who isn’t even around (supposedly), so there’s nothing to fear, anyway. But… no, it shouldn’t matter. And if it does, then I don’t know about it.” He shrugged helplessly and kept on reading hesitantly.

Harry swallowed.

… [Mr. Ollivander:] I think we must expect great things from you, Mr. Potter... After all, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did great things—terrible, yes, but great.

Harry shivered. [Hagrid and Harry leave the shop.]

“After that? I can’t even blame him,” Lily murmured and James nodded faintly next to her.

… Harry didn’t speak at all as they walked down the road; [They reach Paddington station.] Harry only realised where they were when Hagrid tapped him on the shoulder.

… [Hagrid] bought Harry a hamburger … Harry kept looking around. Everything looked so strange, somehow.

“I can relate to that—after visiting Diagon Alley, the rest of the Muggle world suddenly feels sort of… off. I mean, it lacks all of the magic and the appeal that the shops back there offer,” Lily said.

James, of course, didn’t quite look like he understood what feeling she was talking about.

[Hagrid:] You all right, Harry? Yer very quiet, …

… [Harry:] Everyone thinks I’m special, … but I don’t know anything about magic at all. … I don’t know what happened when Vol– sorry—I mean, the night my parents died.

Exactly! That was one of the things Lily’s been worried about ever since knowing that Harry was, apparently, famous in the wizarding world—that people would expect a lot from him, forgetting that he was just an innocent, scared child that knew nothing about all of these things they clearly thought he should know.

Growing up as a Muggle, Lily thought she would surely be far behind the students who grew up with magic surrounding them. She thought they would already be naturals. That they would know all about the spells and the wand-work. She figured she would be one of the kids struggling to keep up because she just wasn’t as familiar with magic as other kids her age were. After all, Sev was the one who’d explained it all to her. He obviously knew a great deal about magic.

But then they got to school, and Lily found out that she wasn’t at a disadvantage at all. She was even better than some of the kids she was afraid would suppress her. Of course, she’d hoped James Potter wouldn’t be good along with the other students who came from wizarding families, but he seemed to be talented—things just came rather easy for him. But Peter and Sirius didn’t have it as easy, and they both came from long lines of magical families.

The point was—she was terrified of how far behind she might be lagging before she came to Hogwarts, and she didn’t have the pressure of people knowing who she was, and their expectations to see amazing, wonderous things. Harry, on the other hand, seemed to have realised that his situation wasn’t the same. He was worried about what people might think—not only because he didn’t know anything, but also because they all thought he should know certain things.

He didn’t even know his own story before now! And that was something that others would surely know like the back of their hands by now—Lily would have told Harry about the kid who’d managed to take down You-Know-Who had it not been Harry himself, after all. It was an interesting, mystifying mystery—perfect for a bedtime story. And it gave people hope, thinking that the bad guy was gone.

Lily was becoming really nervous of how Harry would make friends in this position, with everyone knowing of him. Would anyone really care to be the friend of the boy rather than the story and the legend?

… [Hagrid:] Don’ you worry, Harry. … Everyone starts at the beginning at Hogwarts, … Yeh’ve been singled out, an’ that’s always hard. But yeh’ll have a great time at Hogwarts …

Hagrid helped Harry on to the train that would take him back to the Dursleys, then handed him an envelope.

[Hagrid:] Yer ticket fer Hogwarts, … Any problems with the Dursleys, send me a letter with yer owl, … See yeh soon, Harry.

The train pulled out of the station. Harry wanted to watch Hagrid until he was out of sight; … but he blinked and Hagrid had gone.

Lily blinked at the book in astonishment. “Wait!” she shrieked, startling James, who stuck his fingers between the pages and started closing the book, obviously done with the chapter. “Hagrid didn’t tell Harry how to get on the platform! And I doubt Tuney will help him with it even though she knows exactly where it is and what Harry needs to do.”

Frowning a little, James glanced at the book, too. “And how is he going to get to King’s Cross on his own? Do you reckon the Dursleys would actually get him to the train station?”

“That would be extremely nice of them,” Lily bit out bitterly, feeling slightly ill at the thought of Harry having to fight tooth and nail just to get to his school.

Notes:

It's kind of stupid of me to write these fics. This and the Percy Jackson one. If you guys check to see my previous reaction fics, you'll see that I always make characters react to certain scenes instead of the entire show/movie/whatever. It's easier for me, since then I can pick the parts I love and focus on them. Plus, there's so much confusion when characters don't know things that are off screen or when scenes are out of order.

But it's BOOKS. So I made the mistake of writing about absolutely EVERYTHING, and now I'm losing my mind. It's long and it's sometimes boring, and I kinda wanna start from scratch sometimes and make it more... in my style. But I really love these fics, too, so that's not gonna happen.

You know what I'm really waiting for with this fic? The third book. And the fifth one. The third one is going to be absolutely amazing if I do it right, since it's about the Marauders. And the fifth one would be amazing because Harry learns about James and Snape and he's kind of... very disappointed in James for a while there, brooding over the fact that his father wasn't as amazing as he was told he was. Like, he learns James was a bully and that Lily couldn't stand him, so it naturally makes Harry question a bunch of things. It's great!

I feel like I'm so far away from those books. God, I'm DYING. I want this all to just be magically ready already. I don't want to write it - I want the words to spring out of my head and onto the page. Wouldn't that be nice? Then this whole process will be much faster. Then again, it would have less meaning behind it, so I guess this is better...

Okay, I'm done for now. Next chapter will be out soon, hopefully (depends on how I feel and how far ahead I can edit rn).

Cya! :D

Chapter 6: The Journey from Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

Notes:

This is melting my brain... or maybe it's just the heat.

Anyway, have fun!

“Well, don’t just sit there—keep reading!” Lily told James.

He looked at his watch. “One more chapter—then we go get lunch?” he suggested.

“Sounds all right with me. Go on, then. Read.”

Harry’s last month with the Dursleys wasn’t fun.

“Did he honestly expect it to be?” James snorted. “I’m telling you—he comes off as stupid too much. I can’t wait to see him surrounded by actually intellectual people.”

Lily didn’t even bother responding to that.

True, Dudley was now so scared of Harry he wouldn’t stay in the same room, … [The Dursleys] didn’t speak to him at all. … it did become a bit depressing after a while.

She knew what that felt like. Or… close to it. For Lily, things were a little easier because while Tuney kept on ignoring her, Lily’s parents still loved and cared about her. They treated her just like they usually did and tried to get Petunia to relent and get back to speaking to her sister.

The love from her parents meant that Lily’s life was a little easier than Harry’s. Because he didn’t have anything like that—he only had his now-terrified cousin, and his aunt and uncle who seemed intent on making sure he felt invisible.

Glancing sideways, Lily wondered if James knew what anything like this might feel like. She remembered seeing his parents once or twice at King’s Cross, bidding farewell to their son or welcoming him back from school. He looked well-cared for and loved. They would never shut him in a closet, or forbid him from eating. They would never pretend like he didn’t exist. And he didn’t have brothers or sisters that might get jealous or annoyed with him. (Unless you counted Sirius, who was like a brother to James.)

Harry kept to his room, … He had decided to call [his owl] Hedwig, … His school books were very interesting. …

“He read his school books for fun?” James uttered in disbelief.

Lily nudged him a little with a smile. “Of course he did. I did, too.” He didn’t look like it surprised him that she’d read all her books before hopping on the train to Hogwarts. “Magic is new for him, remember? It’s a whole other world he’s unfamiliar with. Of course he’d find it interesting! I don’t know if he’s actually like me when it comes to studying or not, but this isn’t any sort of indication. Lots of Muggle-born read the books before they come to Hogwarts for the first time.”

James still looked scandalised. “But these are school books. Lily, he’s studying!”

She just shook her head at him in amusement.

… On the last day of August he thought he’d better speak to his aunt and uncle about getting to King’s Cross station next day,

Furrowing her eyebrows in confusion and worry, Lily shook her head slowly. “Why would he wait to the very last minute?” she asked. “I mean, if they say no, he’s going to be unable to get to the train station.”

“Maybe he thinks they would be more willing to do so now because of the time pressure,” James suggested.

Lily didn’t think that was right. She figured Harry just procrastinated this conversation because it was intimidating, and he probably assumed it wouldn’t go very well.

… [The Dursleys] were watching a quiz show on television. He cleared his throat … Dudley screamed and ran from the room.

“Now, that is an excellent development,” James said smugly, grinning from ear to ear in satisfaction. “I hope this lasts forever.”

… [Harry:] Er—I need to be at King’s Cross tomorrow to—to go to Hogwarts.

Uncle Vernon grunted …

“Vast vocabulary, he has,” Lily snorted.

[Harry:] Would it be all right if you gave me a lift?

Grunt. Harry supposed that meant yes.

… [Uncle Vernon:] Funny way to get to a wizards’s school, the train. … Where is this school, anyway?

[Harry, pulling out the train ticket to check it:] I don’t know, … I just take the train from platform nine and three-quarters at eleven o’clock, …

His aunt and uncle stared.

“She’s so mean!” Lily exclaimed, clearly startling James, who dropped the book in alarm. He sent her a bewildered look as he bent down to get the book back up. “Petunia knows exactly where the platform is and how to get on. I knew she wouldn’t tell Harry all that, but this is just cruel of her, to pretend like it makes no sense to her!”

James dusted the book a little, though Lily didn’t think it was really necessary, and then leafed through the pages to get to their last stop. “Well, we already knew she likes to pretend magic isn’t real. And I bet she doesn’t want Harry to get to Hogwarts and learn magic about as much as she wants him out of the house.” He hummed as he finally found the right page and straightened up the pages. “Your sister really is quite lovely, is she not?”

Lily paled. “You don’t think they’ll take him to the train station and then leave him there alone, do you?”

This made the boy next to her frown a little, but he clearly didn’t have an answer.

… [Uncle Vernon:] Don’t talk rubbish, … There is no platform nine and three-quarters. … You just wait. All right, we’ll take you to King’s Cross. We’re going up to London tomorrow anyway, … Got to have that ruddy tail removed before [Dudley] goes to Smeltings.

That last detail made James grin in delight, again. “He’s still got that tail, then!” He laughed cheerfully. “I figured the Ministry would take care of that like they do every time magic occurs around Muggles, but I guess they just thought it was Harry’s accidental magic and nothing more serious than that.” He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. “I wish I could see the look on the healer’s face when they see Dudley’s tail.”

The image in her mind did bring an amused smile to Lily’s face.

“Muggles don’t have healers,” she commented off-handedly. “They’re called doctors. But you’re definitely right—that would certainly be hard to explain without outright saying that magic is real.” Lily started snickering. “They’re going to think they’re mad if Tuney or Vernon will bring it up.”

“Well, those doctors wouldn’t be the first.”

Harry woke at five o’clock the next morning … Two hours later, … Aunt Petunia had talked Dudley into sitting next to Harry and they had set off.

James still looked absolutely thrilled by Dudley’s predicament. “I want to hear about that conversation,” he laughed.

Lily had other things on her mind, though. “Can you believe he’s finally going to Hogwarts?” she said with bright eyes. “Do you think we’ll get to read about the Sorting in this chapter? Oh, I can’t wait to see what he thinks of Hogwarts!”

They reached King’s Cross at half past ten. … Uncle Vernon stopped dead, facing the platforms with a nasty grin on his face.

[Uncle Vernon:] Well, there you are, boy. Platform nine—platform ten. … but they don’t seem to have built [your platform] yet, do they? … Have a good term, …

Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.

That wiped the smiles off the duo’s faces. Lily knew it was a possibility. She’d brought it up herself only a minute or so ago, but it was still hard to believe that her sister would leave an eleven-year-old in a train station by himself, with no idea as to what he could possibly do next. Had Lily been left alone like that, she would have been terrified.

Of course, she was a little scared on her first time to King’s Cross, anyway, thinking that she was going to leave her family for a long period of time for the first time in her life, but she had her family there to support her. Plus, Sev was right there, ready to stay by her side during her Hogwarts experience.

“I hope Harry finds a friend, soon,” she muttered. James must have heard her because he bobbed his head up and down in agreement.

… What on earth was he going to do? … He’d have to ask someone.

… The guard had never heard of Hogwarts … he started to get annoyed, as though Harry was being stupid on purpose. … In the end the guard strode away, … [Harry] had ten minutes left to get on the train to Hogwarts …

“Come on…” James said quietly. “There’s bound to be lots of wizards around that he could follow. Where are they?”

Hagrid must have forgotten to tell him something … He wondered if he should get out his wand and start tapping the ticket box …

At that moment a group of people passed just behind him …

[One of the members of this passing group:] —packed with Muggles, of course—

“Oh, thank Merlin,” Lily sighed in relief.

There was someone around that Harry would be able to follow or ask for assistance. She only hoped they were nice people rather than rude or arrogant like that boy from Madam Malkin’s shop.

… The speaker was a plump woman who was talking to four boys, all with flaming red hair.

James’s jaw dropped. “Wait, are those… is that…” He shook his head. “Is that Molly Prewetts? I mean, Weasley, now.” He began to smile as Lily recalled him mentioning the woman before, after they’d read about her family’s death in the war. “Well if it is her, then Harry’ll be okay, I’m sure of it.”

“Then let’s hope you’re right.”

… Heart hammering, Harry pushed his trolley after them. …

[Mrs. Weasley:] Now, what’s the platform number? …

[A redhead girl (like you don’t know who that is):] Nine and three-quarters! … Mum, can’t I go…

[Mrs. Weasley:] You’re not old enough, Ginny, now be quiet. All right, Percy, you go first.

… Harry watched, … a large crowd of tourists came swarming in front of him, and by the time the last rucksack had cleared away, the boy had vanished.

“That’s unfortunate,” Lily said with a sigh.

James shrugged. “Doesn’t matter—they’re there. They’ll help him.” Then the corner of his mouth quirked up in amusement. “Hang on, if Molly already has kids now, it means they’re probably out of Hogwarts already. And if that’s true and this really is Molly Weasley, then…” He whistled. “How many kids does this woman have?”

That was a good question. “I guess the oldest one in the story is either the last one who’s already been born or the one she’s about to give birth to,” Lily said thoughtfully. “And with three more boys and one girl, that’d mean there are…” She blinked in surprise as the number hit her. “Seven children!”

“Bloody hell,” James muttered, looking half-amused and half-shocked.

“That sounds impossible.”

“So I’m guessing you don’t want seven kids, then, Evans?” James laughed at the outraged and alarmed look on her face. “Don’t look at me like that! I was only joking. I’m used to having a small family, remember?”

[Mrs. Weasley:] Fred, you next, …

… [Fred:] Honestly, woman, call yourself our mother? Can’t you tell I’m George?

[Mrs. Weasley:] Sorry, George, dear.

[Fred:] Only joking, I am Fred,

… a second later, he had gone—but how had he done it?

James laughed. “All right, I like those two, already.”

“Of course you do.” Lily rolled her eyes. “I guess without the Marauders, Hogwarts has still got its fair share of troublemakers, huh?” she said in exasperation. But it was good to know that there would always be someone to make life in the castle a little bit more… interesting, to put it mildly. Sure, breaking the rules was wrong, but even the Marauders had their moments.

The grin James sent her made Lily think that he was aware of the thoughts going through her head. She tried to ignore it as the butterflies in her stomach erupted all over again.

Now the third brother was walking briskly towards the ticket barrier … and then, quite suddenly, he wasn’t anywhere.

… [Harry:] Excuse me, …

… [Mrs. Weasley:] First time at Hogwarts? Ron’s new, too.

… [Ron] was tall, thin and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet and a long nose.

“Charming description,” James snorted.

“Quit it! Maybe they’ll become friends! You never know.”

… [Harry:] the thing is, I don’t know how to—

[Mrs. Weasley:] How to get on to the platform? … All you have to do is walk straight at the barrier between platforms nine and ten. … Go on, go now before Ron.

[Harry:] Er—OK, …

He pushed his trolley round and stared at the barrier. It looked very solid.

“When me, my parents, and Tuney first went to King’s Cross for my first year,” Lily recalled, “Sev’s mum told us what to do, and my parents tried going first. They didn’t have any problem with the barrier, but Tuney tried and failed at first because she probably didn’t really believe she’d be able to pass through it.” She chuckled a little. “She was so embarrassed by it, I think she acted out even more because of it.”

“Do you think Harry will get through, all right?”

Lily shrugged. “He should. Unless he panics too much, I guess,” she added under her breath.

He started to walk towards it. … He was going to smash right into that ticket box and then he’d be in trouble … the barrier was coming nearer and nearer … he closed his eyes ready for the crash—

It didn’t come... he kept on running... he opened his eyes.

Both of them heaved in relief and then grinned brightly. Harry was really—finally­—going to Hogwarts!

A scarlet steam engine was waiting next to a platform … A sign overhead said Hogwarts Express, 11 o’clock. … He had done it.

[Description of the platform.] [Harry] passed a round-faced boy who was saying, “Gran, I’ve lost my toad again.”

[An old lady:] Oh, Neville, …

James shrugged. “Probably for the best—toads aren’t very popular, are they?” He looked at Lily, who hated to admit that he was right. She thought it shouldn’t matter what kind of pet a student had, but toads really were unpopular. They were so useless and slimy and pretty disgusting, honestly. “Unless it changes in the future, of course.”

A boy with dreadlocks was surrounded by a small crowd. … The boy lifted the lid of a box in his arms … something inside poked out a long, hairy leg.

While Lily leaned back in disgust, James’s eyes grew larger in interest. “What do you think he’s got there? Sounds a little like a spider to me. What kind, though?”

“I don’t care.” She shuddered. “Move on! I want to see how Harry’s doing.”

Harry pressed on through the crowd until he found an empty compartment … He tried to lift [his trunk] up the steps …

[George:] Want a hand? …

James nodded like this confirmed all of his beliefs were actually true. “I knew I was right to like them!” he said cheerfully.

“They do seem pretty nice.”

[Harry:] Yes, please, …

[George:] Oy, Fred! C’mere and help!

[The Weasley twins help Harry.]

“Thanks,” said Harry, pushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes.

[One of the twins notices Harry’s scar:] What’s that? …

Lily cringed as James grimaced at the book he was reading from. Right, there was the matter of Harry being famous. It was pretty clear people who were old enough to know James, would recognize him pretty quickly since he apparently looked just like his father.

But younger kids—ones who grew up with stories about Harry but didn’t know either him or James Potter—probably only knew about the scar on Harry’s forehead. So seeing that was a dead giveaway as to who exactly Harry was.

“At the beginning Harry claimed that scar was the only thing he liked about his appearance,” Lily said thoughtfully, a little sad at where her thoughts were going. “I wonder how long it would take him to change his opinion on it if it would give people a reason to gawk at him.”

[Second twin:] Blimey, … Are you—?

[First twin:] He is, … Aren’t you? …

[Harry:] What? …

[The twins:] Harry Potter, …

[Harry:] Oh, him, … I mean, yes, I am.

“Did he just forget his own name?” James spluttered, choking on his laughter.

Lily laughed next to him, though she wasn’t as loud as the boy sitting beside her. “I think he’s just not used to people knowing who he is. He was caught off guard. Give him time to get used to it—he’ll be sick of hearing his own name soon enough.”

“I won’t if this would be his reaction every time.”

The two boys gawped at him and Harry felt himself going red. …

[Mrs. Weasley:] Fred? George? Are you there?

[The twins:] Coming, Mum.

… the twins hopped off the train. … [Harry] could watch the red-haired family on the platform and hear what they were saying.

Lily’s jaw dropped. “Is he eavesdropping on them?” she shrieked. “That’s your fault! That’s all your fault!”

“What are you talking about? Evans, I wasn’t even there to tell him how fun eavesdropping on people is. This is all him. Or better yet—I bet his cousin was prone to eavesdropping, too. Remember how he fought Harry in order to hear what your sister and her husband were talking about after that first letter came? I bet Harry learned that from Dudley.”

Grumbling, Lily crossed her arms over her chest and set her jaw. She didn’t approve. But, then again, she was also a little glad that Harry was nosy because it allowed them to hear and know more. If these books were from his perspective, then everything Harry didn’t catch, wouldn’t be put in. Honestly, she was already amazed at how much that kid could take in all at once. He seemed to notice small details all the time—it was amazing.

And if a little bit of eavesdropping meant that Lily and James could learn a little bit more… well, it wasn’t like Lily could force Harry to stop, anyway.

… [Mrs. Weasley, pulling out a handkerchief:] Ron, you’ve got something on your nose.

The youngest boy tried to jerk out of the way, …

[Ron:] Mum—geroff. …

[A twin:] Aaah, has ickle Ronnie got somefink on his nosie? …

James smirked. “I bet if I had a little sibling, I would be just as annoying.”

“You don’t need a sibling for that.”

“Oy!”

[Ron:] Shut up, …

… The oldest boy came striding into sight. He had already changed … Harry noticed a shiny red and gold badge on his chest with the letter P on it.

James groaned. “Ugh, a Prefect.”

Lily scoffed at him. “I’m sorry, I think I misheard you—do you have a problem with Prefects?” She narrowed her eyes at James, daring him to say something again.

He dared.

“Of course I do! And before you get insulted by this, I need you to remember that I still have Remus as a best friend and you as a girlfriend, so it doesn’t change anything,” he said defiantly. He probably expected Lily to cut into his sentence, but she was too busy hanging on to the fact that he called her his girlfriend. “All I’m saying is that some Prefects get it in their heads that they’re better than everyone else.”

She snapped out of her stupor, praying she wasn’t blushing. “Oh, because you don’t think you’re better than everyone else, right? You’re so humble, James Potter, that nobody at school knows your name.”

“I didn’t say I was humble. I was complaining about other people.”

Lily couldn’t find it in herself to argue with him any further. She was too happy at the thought that he assumed she was his girlfriend. Maybe she should have been upset because he just came to his own conclusions and didn’t seem to even entertain the thought of her not agreeing with him on that, but she really didn’t mind it all that much.

Sure, she’d asked him about it earlier, but she hasn’t actually reacted to the way he’d told her that, basically, he wanted to officially go out with her. It was just too much to take in all at once. And it kind of still felt all-consuming now that he was casually referring to her as his girlfriend.

Dear god, this should not have made her as happy as it did.

[Percy:] Can’t stay long, Mother, … the Prefects have got two compartments to themselves—

[A twin:] Oh, are you a Prefect, Percy? … You should have said something, we had no idea.

[Second twin:] Hang on, I think I remember him saying something about it, … Once—

[First twin:] Or twice—

[Second twin:] A minute—

[First twin:] All summer—

Lily was laughing now, unable to hold it back even though she was still silently praying that her cheeks weren’t as hot as they felt. “That does sound like it would get annoying pretty fast,” she said. “But I’m not like that, am I?”

“I don’t know—I was never there when you bragged to your parents—ouch! Okay, no, no. I didn’t really mean it!” He laughed as he evaded her hands, and then finally caught one of them and held it still. “I don’t think you’re like this—but I honestly can’t say because you never did invite me over to your house. I wouldn’t know how much you talk about your achievements at school at home.”

She was still smiling. “Well, I try not to bring it up much because of Tuney,” she said, somewhat solemnly. James’s eyes flashed for a moment, like he was upset on her behalf. “But it’s okay,” she continued quickly, smirking at him. “I can just talk your ears off about it, if you want.”

“Please don’t.”

… [A twin:] How come Percy gets new robes, anyway? …

[Mrs. Weasley:] Because he’s a Prefect, … Now, you two … If I get one more owl telling me you’ve—you’ve blown up a toilet or—

“They’ve blown up a toilet?” Lily shrieked.

James was beaming at the book. “They need to befriend Harry. He has to cause some trouble!”

[A twin:] Blown up a toilet? We’ve never blown up a toilet.

[Second twin:] Great idea though, thanks, Mum.

[Mrs. Weasley:] It’s not funny. And look after Ron.

… [A twin:] ickle Ronniekins is safe with us.

[Ron:] Shut up, …

Lily grimaced. “I don’t think the twins should look after Ron,” she noted. “I mean, they’ll just tease him all the time, won’t they? They look like they enjoy embarrassing their brothers.”

“They’re just having fun.”

“Of course you’ll think that,” she huffed. “You like them because you think they’re taking your place as pranksters, don’t you?” she demanded. He didn’t even try and deny it. There was no hint of guilt on his face as he grinned at her. “Who assigned you to be Head Boy this year? I bet Dumbledore thought it would make you behave.”

“Don’t be silly—Dumbledore’s too smart to think such a thing would work on me.”

[Fred:] Hey, Mum, guess what? Guess who we just met on the train? … You know that black-haired boy who was near us in the station? Know who he is? … Harry Potter!

… [Ginny:] Oh, Mum, can I go on the train and see him, …

James grimaced. “Oh, boy…” He looked uncomfortable. “I mean, I know I like attention, but this is definitely not what I had in mind.” He shook his head. “I mean, if all of the kids in Hogwarts would be this way around Harry, it would probably be really unsettling for him. Wouldn’t wanna be him.”

“I hope this doesn’t cause him too much trouble… With that much attention on him, how is he even supposed to be able to concentrate on his studies?”

“I can’t believe that’s what you’re worried about,” James said wryly, and Lily flushed a little but didn’t retract her statement.

… [Mrs. Weasley:] the poor boy isn’t something you goggle at in a zoo. Is he really, Fred? … Poor dear—no wonder he was alone. …

[Fred:] Never mind that, do you think he remembers what You-Know-Who looks like?

Lily gasped. “What kind of question is that?”

“I don’t know… I’d be intrigued, too.” His brown eyes widened when Lily turned to glare at him. “I mean, that doesn’t mean I would’ve asked Harry about it—I’ve got enough tact to know that’s not something people should bring up in a conversation,” he hurriedly added. “I’m just saying—these two obviously didn’t grow up with You-Know-Who around, and they must have heard tons of stories about Harry, already. They’re just curious.”

… [Mrs. Weasley:] I forbid you to ask him, Fred. … Hurry up!

… [The Weasleys get on the train and peek out a window.] [Ginny] began to cry.

[Fred:] Don’t, Ginny, we’ll send you loads of owls.

[George:] We’ll send you a Hogwarts toilet seat.

[Mrs. Weasley:] George!

[George:] Only joking, Mum.

“I wish they’d actually do it,” James moaned.

Lily didn’t know whether to berate him for encouraging this behaviour, or comfort him. She just decided to lean her head on his shoulders. He didn’t seem to mind, anyway.

The train began to move. … Harry felt a great leap of excitement. He didn’t know what he was going to—but it had to be better than what he was leaving behind.

“Oh, he’s going to absolutely love Hogwarts!” Lily said with a wide smile.

Next to her, James looked like she just said something ridiculous. “Of course he’s gonna love it. Who doesn’t love Hogwarts? And when you come from a bad home, Hogwarts probably looks even better, doesn’t it?”

[Ron enters Harry’s compartment.]

[Ron:] Anyone sitting there? … Everywhere else is full.

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. [Ron glances at Harry briefly again and again without saying anything.]

“Bet he went in there to check if his brothers were telling the truth,” James commented.

Lily shrugged. “Bet they’re gonna be friends.”

“I’m not taking that bet!”

[The twins come in.]

… [A twin:] [Ron,] we’re going down the middle of the train …

… [Second twin:] Harry, … did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. … See you later, then.

So they really were Molly Weasley’s kids. Lily didn’t really know the woman or her husband, but if James didn’t have a problem with her, then Lily was going to trust him on it. Plus, she didn’t seem to have any problem helping Harry, and her kids were nice enough from the sound of it.

Of course, the fact that a woman and her kids were nice didn’t make it obvious that Harry would become a friend of one of the children, but it was just so easy to become a good friend of the person who sits on the train next to you. James and Sirius became friends that way. And Lily knew of tons of other friendships that started from that first train to Hogwarts. So it wouldn’t surprise her if Harry and Ron became friends. Maybe not best friends, but still friends.

… The twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

“Are you really Harry Potter?” Ron blurted out.

James snickered. “Bet that was on the tip of his tongue since the moment he entered the compartment,” he said in amusement. “And if he really grew up with stories about Harry, then he’s probably freaking out at the fact that he’s going to learn in the same class as someone who’s more of a legend to wizards.”

Seriously, Lily sincerely hoped that stuff like that wouldn’t make life hard for Harry.

Harry nodded.

… [Ron:] And have you really got—you know... …

[Harry reveals his scar.]

[Ron:] So that’s where You-Know-Who–?

[Harry:] Yes, … but I can’t remember it.

… [Ron:] Wow, …

He sat and stared at Harry for a few moments, … [then] he looked quickly out of the window again.

“Well, that’s sort of polite,” Lily drawled out. “There would definitely be more stares, and I don’t think most people would care about how uncomfortable they make Harry or whether or not he appreciates the attention.” She sighed. “Even if we were alive during all of this, we wouldn’t have been able to do much to help him at school, huh?”

“Lily, if we were alive, Harry wouldn’t have been famous.”

[Harry:] Are all your family wizards? …

… [Ron:] I think Mum’s got a second cousin who’s an accountant, …

… The Weasleys were clearly one of those old wizarding families the pale boy in Diagon Alley had talked about.

James scrunched up his nose. “I hate that he still thinks about what that kid had told him. But anyway, he’s right. The Weasleys are a long line of pure-bloods. Also, blood-traitors, of course. They don’t really care about that stuff, though they somehow end up staying pure without trying.” He hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe I should look through their family line. I’m sure I can find something back home…”

“Why would you have a family tree of the Weasleys at your place?”

“Well, most of the pure-blood families are connected. It’s hard to keep on only marrying wizards when the community isn’t that big. Of course, it doesn’t really matter who we marry, but as it happens… if you go back enough, you can find a connection between almost all of the wizarding families. Like… I’m pretty sure someone from Sirius’s family married a Potter once. And Sirius and Molly are like… some variation of cousins. So if I can find something at my place, it will probably have all of the other families, too.”

She let that sink in, and nodded her head slowly. “Right…” She pursed her lips. “Well, anyway, Harry’s wrong. Ron probably doesn’t know much more about magic than he does, does he?”

James grinned. “Probably not.”

… [Ron:] What are [the Dursleys] like?

[Harry:] Horrible … Wish I’d had three wizard brothers.

[Ron:] Five, … You could say I’ve got a lot to live up to. [Explanation about Ron’s brothers.] Everyone expects me to do as well as the others, but if I do, it’s no big deal, … You never get anything new, either, … I’ve got Bill’s old robes, Charlie’s old wand and Percy’s old rat.

“Won’t that second-hand wand hold him back, though?” Lily wondered.

“That’s what you care about? He’s got a rough road ahead of him! Six older brothers—can you imagine? I don’t have anyone my parents can compare me to, but Ron sounds like he’s got more than enough things he feels like he has to accomplish just to be on the same level as his brothers. And now imagine trying to achieve even more…” James huffed, looking incredulous. “That’s impossible! I’m getting depressed just thinking about it.”

Lily frowned. “But it’s not a competition. I’m sure their parents love them all equally,” she said.

“Did you hear Molly on the platform? She only bought new robes to that Percy boy because he’s a Prefect. I get that they’re probably not very liquid—that’s a given, really. Especially with seven children—but it’s like she was trying to rub it in the faces of her younger kids.”

If that was half of what Tuney was going through, Lily actually felt rather bad for her. Of course, that didn’t mean her older sister got to treat her future son the way that she did.

Ron reached inside his jacket and pulled out a fat grey rat, which was asleep.

James hummed thoughtfully, a crease forming between his brows. He didn’t comment, though.

[Ron:] His name’s Scabbers and he’s useless, … Percy got an owl from my dad for being made a Prefect, …

… Harry didn’t think there was anything wrong with not being able to afford an owl. … he told Ron so, [Harry tells Ron about his life with the Dursleys.]

Lily smiled sweetly. “That’s nice of him. I bet Harry didn’t want to share his experience with the Dursleys with anyone—and he did it now to help someone he barely even knows.”

“So that’s what he got from you—the eyes and the kindness.” James kept on talking, oblivious to the incredulous stare Lily trained on him. “Of course, if Ron were a troublemaker, I’m assuming Harry would have cared a lot less about how he was feeling.”

He smirked at Lily and she huffed in indignation. “You think I don’t care about people who cause trouble?”

“Do you?” He arched an eyebrow sceptically, and Lily pursed her lips.

She could almost hear his voice taunting her, urging her to say that she did care about troublemakers—about one James Potter. She wasn’t willing to fall into this trap. And apparently that was written all over her face because James just went back to reading, looking smug despite not hearing Lily’s confirmation. Her silence was a dead giveaway, anyway.

… [Harry:] I didn’t know anything about being a wizard or about my parents or

James choked a little and then shook his head and kept on reading, his voice slightly shaky.

[Harry:] Voldemort—

Lily winced.

Ron gasped.

… [Ron:] You said You-Know-Who’s name! … I’d have thought you, of all people—

… [Harry:] I just never knew you shouldn’t. See what I mean? I’ve got loads to learn... … I bet I’m the worst in the class.

… [Ron:] There’s loads of people who come from Muggle families and they learn quick enough.

James snuck a look in Lily’s direction, as if checking to see how she would react to that statement. And she knew why he was doing so—she was one of those kids who come from Muggle families Ron’s mentioned. And she was, indeed, one of the brightest in their year. There were always the ones who looked surprised at finding that out, but Lily knew that the good people already knew that blood didn’t matter.

“I like Ron,” Lily decided.

“Of course you do. I like him, too. I thought that was clear enough so there was no need to be stated out loud.” He snorted a little but exchanged a grin above the book with Lily.

… They were quiet for a time, watching the fields and lanes flick past.

[The trolley lady arrives. Ron is embarrassed because he can’t buy anything.]

… now that [Harry] had pockets rattling with gold and silver he was ready to buy as many Mars Bars as he could carry

James stared at the book in confusion. “Er—as many what?” he asked and looked at Lily questioningly.

She shrugged. “Those are Muggle candy. They’re okay. I like the wizarding kind more, though.” She leaned back a little and squeezed James’s hand. “Sev always brought me chocolate frogs before we went to Hogwarts. It was tasty, but I actually think I like those mostly because they have so much information in them.”

“Some of that information is useless, though,” James noted, overlooking Sev’s name once more. Lily didn’t dwell on that. “Do you collect them, then? I’ve been working on getting all the cards since I can remember myself. My parents kept the cards for me, at first. And then I got old enough and it was really fun. Except for the part where they made me actually read each card, no matter whether or not I’d already had it. Once, they made me read three identical cards that I got at the same time. It was a nightmare.”

“Oh, yes, it sounds dreadful—James Potter, forced to read by his parents. Such cruelty,” Lily mocked.

James looked at the ceiling, as if seeking help up there. “Haha. Very funny,” he drawled. “Can I continue now, before you make fun of my entire childhood?”

“Please do.”

—but the woman didn’t have Mars Bars. [Description of the candy the woman sells.] [Harry] got some of everything … Ron stared as Harry brought it all back into the compartment …

[Ron:] Hungry, are you?

[Harry:] Starving, …

“With the way the Dursleys have been treating him? I’m not even surprised that he spends so much on food.”

“That’s not food.” Lily bit her lip. “That’s candy. It’s not really healthy, is it?”

James nudged her side playfully. “He’s a kid, Lil. Give him a break.”

The nickname shut her up more than the actual excuse James gave her.

[Ron complains about the sandwiches his mom had made for him.]

[Harry:] Swap you for one of these, … Go on, have a pasty,

… It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties and cakes (the sandwiches lay forgotten).

Lily whined a little. She knew she wasn’t a mother yet, and she knew she couldn’t really voice her opinion when she remembered herself acting just about the same at that age—not caring about what she put in her mouth as long as it was delicious. But she really hoped Harry would look after himself a little better now.

Sure, the sandwiches were probably not as appealing as the mountain of candy he must have gotten for himself, but it was bound to at least keep him full until the feast at the Great Hall came around.

Of course, James didn’t look like he minded hearing about what Harry was eating. He was smiling like he could taste all of these tasty things in his own mouth. Lily wouldn’t even be surprised if by the end of the day she would find James holding a pack of Liquorice Wands and munching on them happily.

… [Harry, picking up a Chocolate Frog:] They’re not really frogs, are they? …

[Ron:] Mo, … Chocolate Frogs have cards inside them, … Famous Witches and Wizards. I’ve got about five hundred, but I haven’t got Agrippa or Ptolemy.

James whistled. “That’s impressive.”

Harry unwrapped his Chocolate Frog and picked up the card. [Description of the wizard in the picture.]

Underneath the picture was the name Albus Dumbledore.

“That’s a nice one to start with.” Lily smiled. “Can you imagine actually getting to Hogwarts and not knowing who Dumbledore is? Harry’s heard of him from Hagrid, and Dumbledore was mentioned in his letter, but that’s not as good as actually seeing what he looks like.”

James nodded. “Do you reckon Harry’s gonna like Dumbledore?” Before Lily could reply, his eyes sparkled excitedly. “Can you imagine the look on McGonagall’s face when she sees what Harry looks like? I’m certain she’s going to take one look at him and keep a close eye on him, just to make sure he doesn’t cause as much trouble as I do.”

“It’s good you at least know about your own reputation,” Lily noted dryly.

“It’s important that I do.” James grinned. “Besides, McGonagall keeps on reminding me of how tired she is of finding me in the middle of another mess she has to clean up. I’m used to her weary rants, already. Know some of them by heart.”

Lily pulled a face. “And you’re proud of that?”

“So this is Dumbledore!” said Harry.

Apparently, James decided it would be best not to answer Lily.

… Harry turned over his card and read:

Albus Dumbledore, … Considered by many the greatest wizard of modern  times, Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald … and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel. …

… to [Harry’s] astonishment, … Dumbledore’s face had disappeared.

[Harry:] He’s gone!

Lily chuckled.

[Ron:] Well, you can’t expect him to hang around all day. … I’ve got Morgana again … do you want it? You can start collecting.

“He’ll be a good friend,” James noted.

“Yeah. He doesn’t seem to be bothered by who Harry is. It was probably why he sat with him at first, but I guess once he confirmed that it was true, he didn’t really care about it anymore, huh? Others would have probably treated Harry differently. I’m glad he got to meet someone who’s not bothering him.”

James nodded along to her words. “I was talking about how Ron was helping Harry with the collection of those cards, but you’re right, too.”

… [Harry:] you know, [in] the Muggle world, people just stay put in photos.

[Ron:] Do they? … Weird!

“That’s not weird! It makes more sense than the moving photos you have!”

“We have, Evans. You’re a witch, too.”

She tsked impatiently. “I freaked out the first time I saw the people in a picture moving about. I thought I was either hallucinating or that the picture was a small television.” She looked at James. “But of course for you it’s completely normal. You grew up with it, didn’t you?”

“Sure.” He shrugged. “I guess those Muggle inventions seem as weird to people like me as magical stuff do to you, huh? There should be a course about this or something. To get all of us on the same page.”

“You chose not to take Muggle Studies.”

James hummed. “I know… but that just sounded so utterly boring. Why go into a classroom and study about Muggles when I have a perfectly capable Muggle-born girlfriend to bug with questions?”

She looked flatly over at him. “We only started dating now, James.”

“I always knew,” he dismissed her.

Harry stared as Dumbledore sidled back into the picture on his card and gave him a small smile. [Harry collects more cards. Then he moves on to the Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans.]

… [Ron:] When they say every flavour, they mean every flavour … George reckons he had a bogey-flavoured one once.

“Yeah, I had one of those, too,” James grimaced.

Lily furrowed her brows. “I never had really bad ones, come to think of it. But Alice had a mouldy one once that tasted like blood. She hasn’t gone near those ever since. I think she can’t stop imagining eating something alive.” And Lily’s been taking a break from these random sweets, too, feeling a little wary after hearing about it.

… They had a good time eating the Every-Flavour Beans. [Mention of the different flavours they both stumbled upon.]

James looked impressed. “That’s not too bad, actually.”

“The sardine one is debatable,” Lily said in disgust.

The countryside now flying past the window was becoming wilder. …

There was a knock on the door [A boy stands there, looking really sad.]

… [Boy:] but have you seen a toad at all? … I’ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me!

[Harry:] He’ll turn up, …

Lily bit her lip. “He should have suggested helping that kid look for his toad,” she said uncertainly.

James looked at her. “Lily, we’re not all perfect children. He’s only human—and he’s just made his first friend. Do you really think Harry’ll get up and leave his friend in favour of looking for a missing toad?”

“Well, Ron can help, too!”

He just rolled his eyes at her. “Be thankful Harry even bothered trying to help this kid feel better about missing a bloody toad.”

[The boy leaves.]

… [Ron:] If I’d brought a toad I’d lose it as quick as I could. Mind you, I brought Scabbers, so I can’t talk.

“See?”

Lily pressed her lips together in a straight line, and then cocked her head to the side. “Are rats even allowed at Hogwarts?” she wondered. “They didn’t mention them in the letters, so how come Ron brings a rat to school?”

“I don’t think anyone actually cares as long as you don’t bring a dog or something.” There was a mischievous smile on James’s face, like he was thinking of a joke Lily wasn’t privy to. “Rats are small, so nobody would care if you bring one. It’s not like they can cause much damage. In fact, I bet McGonagall would let Ron practice transfiguration on Scabbers.”

… [Ron:] I tried to turn [Scabbers] yellow … but the spell didn’t work. I’ll show you, look...

… [Ron] pulled out a very battered-looking wand. …

[Ron:] Unicorn hair’s nearly poking out. …

Despite not knowing much about wands, Lily still knew that the state of the one Ron was in possession of was abysmal. According to him, it was his older brother’s wand, and must have passed over to him because the family couldn’t afford a new one if they could help it. But Lily honestly didn’t understand how Molly and her husband (Arthur, was it?) expected Ron to do well with a wand that was very clearly falling apart.

There was a girl three years below James and Lily. She was from Hufflepuff, but everyone knew her because she was famous at Hogwarts for always practicing the spells around the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall. Of course, she wasn’t the only one to practice there, but her wand was so old and battered that it wasn’t functioning properly, so almost every spell she tried to work on ended up in a disaster that drew the attention of everyone else.

It got so bad that by the end of the previous year, Hufflepuffs walked around the school, begging for students to contribute money they would give to the girl so she could finally buy herself a new wand. Now, wands weren’t that pricey, but most students didn’t give more than a Knut or two, so everyone expected the mission of the Hufflepuffs to fail.

Until, Lily realised, three of them approached the Gryffindor table, talked to James for a few seconds, and then went back to their own table with broad grins. Back then, Lily didn’t mind it that much. Now she figured James must have given them all the money they still needed because from that moment on the Hufflepuffs didn’t bother anyone else about that wand, and this year the girl got to school with a brand new wand that performed perfectly.

[The boy returns—this time with a girl by his side.]

“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

James was shaking in his place with suppressed laughter. “Harry’s got a way of describing everyone in the most unflattering way possible, don’t you agree, Evans?” he said.

“Do you think those two kids are related to someone we might know?” Lily asked, ignoring him.

James shrugged. “Don’t know. We’ll probably figure that out once we hear their last names, won’t we? Maybe they’ll introduce themselves now.”

… [Girl:] Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.

… Ron looked taken aback.

[Ron:] Er—all right. …

James’s eyes flattered a little further down the page and his mouth fell open in surprise before he started snickering. Lily stared at him, a little taken aback, but when she tried asking James what was so funny, he just shook his head, choked out a few sounds that were arguably not real words, and then kept on snickering.

He relaxed soon enough, but Lily was already pretty annoyed by that point.

[Ron:] Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, turn this stupid, fat rat yellow.

Lily snorted and quickly covered her mouth with her hand, as if expecting someone to scold her for laughing at the clearly fake spell. “I think his brothers may have tricked him there,” she laughed and James joined her. “I kinda feel bad for him, though. I mean—”

“Don’t feel bad for him. If he grew up in a wizarding family, he should know what real spells sound like. It isn’t a secret, you know. A lot of the spells my parents used were nonverbal, but they still bothered saying some of them aloud—I think they must have thought it would help me be ready for when I finally got to Hogwarts. I bet Ron’s heard common spells before, and none of them sound anything like that. It’s not exactly difficult to see that his brothers decided to mess with him.”

She couldn’t argue with that. It would have fooled her had she not known anything about the real spells and charms that were used in magic. It probably sounded good enough to Harry, too.

He waved his wand, but nothing happened. …

[Girl:] Are you sure that’s a real spell? … I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, … I’ve learnt all our set books off by heart, … I’m Hermione Granger, by the way, …

She said all this very fast.

James gasped for breath after trying to say it properly. He was a little red in the face from lack of air, but Lily was too busy trying to take it all in to pay it any mind.

First off—Hermione was Muggle-born, just like Lily. So they wouldn’t know her parents, then. Second off—she sounded strangely like her, if a little more irritating. Lily never bragged to people about reading anything or about knowing something someone else didn’t (unless that someone was James Potter or one of the Marauders).

It felt slightly surreal to hear about someone that reminded Lily of herself. Not that Harry didn’t also remind her of both her and James, but it was different with him. She expected that from him, seeing as he was their kid. Hermione was a stranger they still didn’t know much about.

“It’s like reading about you, Evans. The only difference is that Granger has brown hair.”

“Excuse me—we’re not completely the same!”

“Oh, yeah? Did you say you didn’t read all of the books you bought before going Hogwarts? Did you not try some of those spells at home and succeed? Or are you talking about the fact that this girl is a Muggle-born and you’re… oh, wait—your parents are both Muggles, too!”

Lily glared at him. “I don’t have a bossy voice.” She waited a beat but James didn’t say anything. “Do I?”

He made a so-so gesture with his hand. “Maybe I’ve just gotten used to it.” He offered her a smile when she sat there, anxiously thinking about how annoying she must seem to other people if James was right and she really was a lot like this random girl. “Hey”—he rested his hand on her shoulder—“none of this matters. You’re one of the nicest, kindest people I know. And for the record, I like your voice.”

She couldn’t stop herself from blushing, so she was glad when James seemed satisfied by her smile and turned back to the purple book.

… “I’m Ron Weasley,” Ron muttered.

[Harry:] Harry Potter, …

[Hermione:] Are you really? …

“Isn’t she Muggle-born? Why does she know about him, too?” Lily moaned.

[Hermione:] I know all about you, of course—I got a few extra books for background reading, and you’re in [a few of them.]

“Am I?” said Harry, feeling dazed.

Lily felt a little lightheaded after hearing that, but James didn’t look like it surprised him in the least.

“It makes sense. We write everything important down, and if Harry is famous for defeating You-Know-Who, it makes sense that he would appear in a couple of books.” He was silent for a moment and then his face took on an odd expression. “I guess we’re mentioned there, too.”

That felt weird to think about.

… [Hermione:] I’d have found out everything I could if it was me, … I’ve been asking around and I hope I’m in Gryffindor, … You two had better change, you know, I expect we’ll be there soon.

[Hermione and Neville leave.]

James was breathing a little heavily. “Merlin, she doesn’t like shortening her sentences, does she?” he gasped.

Lily laughed at him.

[Ron:] Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it, …

“You just jinxed it,” James and Lily said together. She sent the boy next to her a surprised look but he just smiled, like this single moment just confirmed for him that their whole lives would be shared together. Like it meant that the dreamy picture they’d painted the previous day, before this mess had started, was going to come true.

… [Harry:] What house are your brothers in? …

[Ron:] Gryffindor, … Mum and Dad were in it, too. … imagine if they put me in Slytherin.

… [Ron] flopped back into his seat, looking depressed.

“You know, I think the ends of Scabbers’s whiskers are a bit lighter,” said Harry, trying to take Ron’s mind off houses.

James nodded. “Okay. Yeah, Harry’s a good kid. I know he can be a bit dim sometimes”—he swiftly avoided Lily’s weak punch, not looking bothered by it in the least—“but at least he’s a nice person. And I’m sure he’s going to make me eat my words later on, when he does well in school. He’s probably a little genius like you, Evans. Just… just please let him also be interested in Quidditch.”

He added that last part quietly, as if to himself.

Lily crossed her fingers discreetly, hoping along with James that Harry won’t disappoint him on that front.

[Harry:] So what do your oldest brothers do now they’ve left, anyway?

… [Ron:] Charlie’s in Romania studying dragons and Bill’s in Africa doing something for Gringotts, … Did you hear about Gringotts? … someone tried to rob a high-security vault.

“What?” Lily screeched.

James looked in amazement at the book in his hands. “Wow. I didn’t see this one coming.” He snorted a little. “Hagrid should have repeatedly warned someone else about robbing that bank, then. Harry got an earful instead of someone who actually deserved it.”

… [Harry:] Really? What happened to them?

[Ron:] Nothing,

This time James looked just as surprised and shocked as Lily. She thought he must have assumed earlier that the thief got caught, and that’s why it didn’t bother him as much as it bothered her. Now, though… well, as far as Lily knew—there was no record of anyone ever breaking into Gringotts and getting out without getting caught.

It was unheard of. It seemed impossible!

[Ron:] that’s why it’s such big news. They haven’t been caught. … they don’t think they took anything, … everyone gets scared when something like this happens in case You-Know-Who’s behind it.

“You don’t think…”

James shook his head vehemently. “No. No, they say he’s gone. It’s been ten years—why would You-Know-Who come back now to rob Gringotts? What does he need money for? It… it doesn’t make any sense.”

“What if he didn’t try to steal money, though?” Lily suggested. James turned to look at her. “That thing Hagrid had collected for Dumbledore—what if that was what the thief wanted? And then the vault was already empty, so nothing was stolen.”

The theory was very frail. It was just out there, floating in the air between them and making Lily feel a little uneasy. She was probably wrong, of course, but it still made her feel weird that the year Harry gets to go to Hogwarts, something impossible happens for the first time. It just didn’t sit well with her.

… [Harry] was starting to get a prickle of fear every time You-Know-Who was mentioned. … it had been a lot more comfortable saying

James tsked and flinched a little, looking rather annoyed.

saying “Voldemort” without worrying.

He looked at Lily when she winced at the name. “These books are going to kill me if Harry actually refuses to call him You-Know-Who, huh?” he deadpanned.

Lily couldn’t do much for him. It was probably stupid to fear the name, but she couldn’t help it. She’s gotten so used to it, growing to fear the name of the dark wizard so much that saying or hearing it made her skin crawl.

How could Harry, after hearing that this very same man had murdered his parents, be so nonchalant about calling You-Know-Who by his real name?

[Ron:] What’s your Quidditch team? …

[Harry:] Er—I don’t know any, …

“Teach him, Ron!” James demanded heatedly.

[Ron:] What! … Oh, you wait, it’s the best game in the world

[Ron tells Harry about Quidditch.] the compartment door slid open yet again,

James groaned. “Will he never hear a full conversation only about Quidditch? He needs to learn about this stuff! I can’t have a kid that doesn’t like my favourite sport!”

Lily glared at him.

“Okay, I can have a kid that doesn’t like my favourite sport, but I’m not gonna like it!” he relented.

… Three boys entered and Harry recognised the middle one … [The boy from Malkin’s shop] was looking at Harry with a lot more interest than he’d shown back in Diagon Alley.

Lily scrunched up her nose. “I could live without hearing about him again.”

A contemplative look crossed James’s face as he frowned at the book. “Sadly, I have the feeling we’re gonna hear about this git a lot more,” he said.

“You do realise that Harry may not have a rivalry with another student like you have with Severus, right?” Lily challenged him. “Not all of us feel the need to find a fellow student to hate on.”

“I didn’t do it on purpose!” James protested. “And anyway, I know that’s true. I just mean… they have the same vibe, okay? I recognize it. You wait and see—they’re going to be like water and oil.”

… [Pale boy:] They’re saying all down the train that Harry Potter’s in this compartment. So it’s you, is it?

[Harry:] Yes, …

[Description of the two other kids.]

[Pale boy:] Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle, … And my name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.

James gasped in disgust, and Lily pursed her lips tightly as she frowned deeply at the familiar name.

Malfoy…

Lucius Malfoy was a Slytherin Perfect back when they first got to Hogwarts. He didn’t run into Lily that often, but since she spent quite a bit of time with Sev back then, they did encounter each other more than they probably should have. The older boy always had this unpleasant sneer on his face as he looked at Lily, like she was nothing more than useless, worthless scum.

The first time Lily’s heard the word Mudblood was when he found her waiting around for Severus. He threw the word at her like it was a horrid curse, and while she had no idea what it meant back then, she still understood the implications and stormed out of there to find Alice and hear an explanation as to what Lucius had called her.

And now… now she assumed they would read about that man’s son. It was such an appalling thought that she wished she could erase this Draco Malfoy from the story. If he was anything like his father, Lily didn’t expect much good from him. And clearly James remembered enough bad things about Lucius Malfoy to agree with that conclusion.

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. …

… [Malfoy:] No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles and more children than they can afford.

“Hex him, Harry!” James snapped.

Lily rolled her eyes. “He doesn’t know any hexes yet, or did you forget that he was on his way to Hogwarts for the first time?” She didn’t mean to sound this irritated and angry with James because he didn’t actually do anything wrong. She was upset with Draco Malfoy for saying such a blunt thing.

James didn’t even seem to notice her tone, though. “Then just punch him on the nose!”

… [Malfoy:] You’ll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter. … I can help you there.

… [Harry:] I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks, …

James wrinkled his nose, not looking very satisfied. “I guess that’s good, too,” he said in disappointment.

Draco Malfoy didn’t go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

[Malfoy:] I’d be careful if I were you, Potter, … Unless you’re a bit politer you’ll go the same way as your parents. … You hang around with riff-raff like the Weasleys … it’ll rub off on you.

Lily gasped and James’s hands were shaking so much, it looked like he was either going to drop the book or throw it away as hard as possible to let out some of his frustration.

“That was… that’s… I mean how could…” Lily found herself shaking her head from side to side, feeling slightly numb. “What a horrible thing to say!” she exclaimed.

“Isn’t his father a Death Eater?” James hissed, his eyes narrowed and his lips thinner than usual. “I bet he’s heard about Harry in a completely different light. Not the kid who’d brought You-Know-Who down and ended the war, but the kid who’d gotten rid of their master.” He sounded disgusted just saying that. “How do they all call him? The Dark Lord? I guess he’s glad we’re dead.”

Lily didn’t trust herself to speak.

… [Ron:] Say that again, …

[Malfoy:] Oh, you’re going to fight us, are you? …

[Harry, trying to appear brave:] Unless you get out now, …

“Definitely a Gryffindor.” James nodded approvingly, though his expression was still a bit grim and upset. He was right, though—doing something against all odds that was both brave and stupid was very much a trait of a true Gryffindor.

… Goyle reached towards the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron … Goyle let out a horrible yell.

Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, … Goyle swung Scabbers round … when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once.

Lily laughed, happy with this turn of events. She forced herself to shove all thoughts of Lucuis Malfoy out of her head as she enjoyed the moment, trying to picture the scene of a rat biting Goyle. She thought James would love such a display, but the boy was eerily quiet next to her, looking almost disturbed, in a way.

“What’s wrong?” she asked between hiccups of laughter.

Pressing his lips, James shook his head slowly. “Nothing. I think I’m just reading too much into things. I just… I saw something really similar to this once and… I guess I’m projecting. Overthinking, you know?” He gave her a weak, unconvincing smile. “It’s nothing.”

… a second later, Hermione Granger had come in.

[Hermione:] What has been going on? …

“She’s a bit nosy, isn’t she?” James remarked, scrunching up his nose a little, like he wasn’t too fond of the girl.

It was surprising, considering how similar he claimed Lily and Hermione were. Maybe he just has a thing for red hair, she thought to herself. Of course, Lily knew it wasn’t true. There were other redhead girls in Hogwarts he could pick from, and his eyes had set on Lily years ago. It was her—not just a single feature of hers. But then, why did he not seem to like Hermione Granger, too?

[Ron picks up Scabbers and observes him.]

… [Ron:] I don’t believe it—he’s gone back to sleep. …

Lily giggled a little but James just worried his bottom lip anxiously, clearly back to those thoughts he’d had before Hermione showed up.

… [Ron:] I’ve heard of his family, … They were some of the first to come back to our side after You-Know-Who disappeared. Said they’d been bewitched. [Dad] says Malfoy’s father didn’t need an excuse to go over to the Dark Side.

“Sounds about right to me.” James nodded.

Lily thought back to that sneering blond who’d called her a Mudblood and frowned. Arthus Weasley was probably right about that—Lucius didn’t need to be under a spell to work for You-Know-Who. She was honestly surprised people believed him.

… [Ron, to Hermione:] Can we help you with something?

[Hermione:] You’d better hurry up and put your robes on, … You haven’t been fighting, have you? …

[Ron:] Scabbers has been fighting, not us, … Would you mind leaving while we change?

[Hermione:] All right … And you’ve got dirt on your nose, by the way, did you know?

Ron glared at her as she left.

James grimaced. “She’s not a bad person, but her social skills need some working on,” he determined. Lily hated to agree with him. “She’s so annoying! I would have snapped at her long ago had I been in that compartment, I’ll tell you that.”

“Then I’m glad Harry’s not a carbon copy of you,” Lily said coldly. This time James did notice the tone she used, and he turned to her, very clearly baffled. “Tell me, James, what’s the difference between me and her? You said earlier that we’re very much alike—so how come she annoys you to bits and I don’t?”

“Who said you don’t?” he countered. Lily blinked at him furiously, unsure of how she could respond to that one. “Come on, Evans, you’re smarter than that. The two of you have some points of similarity, but you’re not the same person. I don’t know this girl. I do, however, know you. Besides, I don’t have a type—I just like you. That’s the way it is. The sky is blue, the birds chirp, James Potter likes Lily Evans. It’s the natural order of things.”

She honestly had no clue as to what to think about any of that, let alone what to say. So Lily just leaned her head on his shoulder once more, breathing deeply. He was right, in a way. Sirius and James were very similar in more than one way, and yet Lily never felt the same way towards the two of them. Maybe because she knew them long enough to point out the differences between the two.

… It was getting dark. … [Harry] and Ron took off their jackets and pulled on their long black robes. … They crammed their pockets with the last of the sweets and joined the crowd thronging the corridor.

The train slowed right down and finally stopped. … Harry shivered in the cold night air. … Harry heard a familiar voice: “Firs’-years! Firs’-years over here! All right there, Harry?”

James was almost buzzing in his place—Lily could feel it. “They’re getting to Hogwarts! Lily, Harry’s finally going to see the castle!” He was silent for a beat. “And Hagrid’s there, too!”

She smiled. “I hope that kid—Neville—found his toad, already.”

… [Hagrid:] C’mon, follow me … Firs’-years follow me!

… they followed Hagrid down what seemed to be a steep, narrow path. … Neville, the boy who kept losing his toad, sniffed once or twice.

Lily winced. “I guess not.”

“He’ll turn up,” James reassured her off-handedly. Lily wondered whether or not he’d noticed the fact that he used the exact same words Harry did when he tried to comfort Neville on the train. She had a feeling that it was just a random coincidence, though.

… The narrow path had opened suddenly on to the edge of a great black lake. Perched atop a high mountain on the other side, … was a vast castle …

Lily pouted. “But Harry didn’t mention how beautiful it was!” she whined.

James patted the top of her head awkwardly. She thought she heard a couple of choked chuckles coming from him.

“I mean”—she straightened up in order to face him again—“I will never forget the first time we saw Hogwarts. It was so beautiful and awe-inspiring and… and magical. It was something that I kind of regretted not getting to see again. I mean, it’s not the same when we get here by those carriages. It's a completely different view.”

“It’s probably got more to do with the fact that the first time is the first time,” James said gently. “I mean, it’s more special because you don’t know what to expect. And then you see Hogwarts and it’s just… amazing,” he explained fondly. “But the view from the boats is unique. It’s a shame we can’t choose which way to go every year.”

[They sail boats over the lake towards the castle. Hermione, Ron, Neville and Harry share one.]

[They sail to the castle. A lot of descriptions of the area.] they reached a kind of underground harbour, where they clambered out on to rocks and pebbles.

Lily considered putting her head back down on James’s shoulder, but then she noticed how excited he seemed to be, and decided she didn’t feel like condemning herself to the feeling of the boy vibrate with repressed eagerness. She didn’t fool herself into thinking the Sorting would be in this chapter, either. James was probably right when he said the train ride would take most of the chapter.

She kind of regretted making that deal to go eat lunch before reading the next chapter, now.

[Hagrid:] Oy, you there! Is this your toad? …

[Neville:] Trevor! …

“See? The toad is fine,” James said brightly.

[They walk together to the front doors of the castle.]

[Hagrid:] Everyone here? You there, still got yer toad?

… [Hagrid] knocked three times on the castle door.

And with that, James snapped the book shut and stretched a little. “Lunch?”

Lily shifted in her seat as James got up, her eyes dancing over to the book again and again. “But the Sorting…”

“It can wait, Evans. Come on, we both need to eat. And my throat hurts again, already.” He brought a hand to his throat and then grabbed the small bottle of potion the room had provided him with earlier that day. He stashed it in his pocket. “Come on, get up. Don’t make me be the responsible one—you know how much that doesn’t suit me.”

Reluctantly, Lily let him lead her out of the Room of Requirement and down to the Great Hall.

Notes:

I find it funny when people write in the comments that it's one of their favourite Reading-Harry-Potter fics. Since, I mean, I've only posted five chapter so far (not including this one), and they're pretty average I'd say. Kind of similar to lots of other ones. It's just hilarious to read these comments and try and understand what the heck you guys are talking about. You haven't even seen how badly I'm gonna mess this thing up :D

Not that I'm TRYING to mess it up - I just think I must have made more than a few mistakes I'm gonna miss before posting. Plus, you know, the reactions are really difficult to do when I don't write all of this in one go. I losy my focus and the characters change their personalities all of a sudden lol. Oh, not to mention how I made a mistake with Alice's character.

So here's the thing - I started writing this fic months ago, had a lot of fun... I wrote a whole lot at once and just kept on going and going... and then I read about Alice Longbottom and I realised... she was the same age as Lily, meaning I wrote her as an older character... and I didn't have the energy to fix it all. So I just went along with it, but it bothers me SO MUCH. Because I KNOW it's not accurate. And now you guys know for sure that I messed that up, too lol. I'm not into perfection or anything, just so you know - small details just really irritate me sometimes :)

Okay, until next time! Cya! :))

Chapter 7: The Sorting Hat

Notes:

Have fun!

During lunch Lily found herself sitting next to James again, her hand moving mechanically from her plate to her mouth as she ate slowly, her thoughts not really focused on what she was doing or on the conversation that was going on around her. She was pretty sure the Marauders were talking about the upcoming Quidditch game. Or maybe it was about those Bowtruckles they wanted to put in McGonagall’s office.

She could feel Remus’s eyes turning to her every now and then. He was probably concerned by her behaviour. It wasn’t everyday Lily Evans sat near the Marauders and listened to their pranks without snapping at them to act their age or to stop messing around and get in trouble. Usually, she wanted to make them lose less points because it affected all of the Gryffindors.

Now she couldn’t bring herself to care about such a thing.

Peter was notably squeaking his own additions to the conversation, but mostly didn’t say much. He always did look pretty terrified around the Marauders, like he was constantly surprised by the fact that he was even allowed to be a part of their little group. Lily thought it was a little sad, really. That, and the way he trailed after James and Sirius like a lost puppy, seeking attention. And they let him.

Sirius was the most talkative one around the table. He gestured a lot with his hands, his voice enthusiastic as he tried to get James to participate in the conversation, too. And James did. It was just very obviously not as natural to him as it usually was. He looked a little put-off by something.

Lily wondered what it was until she felt his hand squeeze hers under the table and she realised with a tad of guilt that James was distracted by her. Not in a sweet way of boyfriend can’t concentrate around his girlfriend, but in a concerned way, like he could tell Lily wasn’t feeling too great.

It was almost amazing, how thoroughly he could understand her when she never considered them as close before. They started dating yesterday, but it didn’t feel like the beginning of their relationship. Not at all. Lily assumed it was because they just had a lot of interactions before now—most of them consisting of James smugly flirting with her, Lily snapping back at him, and then usually Sirius would step up and whisk James away from her, like he was worried she might hex him.

Maybe she would have. Sometimes she did.

Still, even fighting—you could learn a lot about a person from this kind of interaction. And Lily was usually so annoyed with James, she tended to be extremely aware of him. Like her brain insisted on suffering further than it had to by focusing on the one thing she really didn’t like to think about. She must have learned a lot about James to find it suddenly so easy to be around him.

“Wait, you’re going again?” Sirius asked, sounding a little irritated.

Lily blinked and found James standing next to her. When did he finish eating? When did he get up?

James smiled apologetically at his friend. “I told you in the morning about it. Don’t act like you didn’t know,” James said.

Lily scrambled to her legs, suddenly feeling like she was waking up from a fever dream. She noticed Sirius was giving her a look, like he was annoyed with her—more than usual. It didn’t even make her flinch.

Sirius didn’t look like he cared much. “What are you two even doing in the—” he cut himself off, looked around cautiously, and then lowered his voice. “In the Room of Requirement?”

“Reading,” James said. Lily, who knew the truth, felt like flinching. This was such a strange thing for James to say that even she didn’t believe him.

Apparently, Sirius didn’t believe it, either. “Reading?”

“Padfoot, let them be,” Remus chimed in.

“Are you revising together?” Peter asked, somewhat timidly. “Because I could use some help—”

“There’s no way you’re reading in your spare time!” Sirius cut Peter off, looking from James to Lily and back. “There’s no way!”

James opened his mouth to reply but Lily cut him to the chase. “Well, you obviously know better than us, don’t you, Black?” she said flatly. The boy glared at her. “We are reading—as difficult it is to believe. And sorry, Peter—we’re not revising. It’s just something we found that, er…”

“It’s important,” James offered. Lily thought that was putting it mildly but didn’t comment. And then, before Sirius could argue any further, James took Lily’s hand and dragged her away from the table. “I’ll see you later, guys!” he called over his shoulder.

“Prongs, wait—”

They left the Great Hall and made their way up to the seventh floor, both of them seemingly lost in thought.

Lily was the one to break the silence. “Maybe you should tell them,” she suggested timidly, unsure about whether or not she actually wanted James to take her seriously. “I mean, they’re your best friends. And they obviously find it weird and suspicious. You can just tell them what we’re reading.”

He pursed his lips. “They’ll want to read it too, then.”

It made her squirm a little. “Would that be so bad?” she asked, even though she felt uncomfortable at the mere thought.

James didn’t answer. Instead, he gave her a cautious look. “Are you okay, by the way? You’ve been really quiet back there.”

Lily shrugged helplessly and entered the Room of Requirement after James opened the door for them. The book was waiting just like it did before, almost calling them to read the rest of it. The Sorting. That would be special. Parents didn’t get to see their kids as they were sorted into the different houses—James and Lily would be an exception, apparently.

Instead of sitting down like James, Lily kept on pacing in front of the chairs and the round table, feeling restless. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel,” she admitted. James followed her with his eyes as she moved from side to side, her red hair swishing behind her. “I mean, we’re reading about our son from the future. There’s no textbook to tell us what we’re supposed to be feeling.

“I’m not a mother—I never had a baby, and I never took care of someone or raised a child. So I know half of what’s going through my head while reading this book is probably not something an actual parent would feel while reading about their child, but sometimes Harry does something or thinks something and I feel like… like I should protect him or shield him from the world. Like I should be there to make sure he's all right—you know?

“And it’s just so stupid because we don’t even really know him. We’ll never know him because he grew up without us! And… and it’s just so confusing. Should I pretend to know how to feel? He’s supposedly my child but I don’t feel it.” She looked desperately into James’s eyes after she stopped pacing across the room, hoping to find something reflecting back in them. “Does any of this make sense?”

“Yeah.” He didn’t even hesitate. And he certainly didn’t look like he was freaking out over this. “Lily, I’m not sure how to feel, either. Of course I don’t. I mean, I feel like I’m reading about a friend rather than my son. But then he does these things, or he reveals these quirks that remind me of one of us, and it’s like I know him from a dream or something.”

He lowered his head as he pondered his next words and Lily watched him wearily, wringing her fingers anxiously as she waited.

“We can’t act like his parents—because we aren’t. We really aren’t, Lil, and that’s okay, I think,” he stressed, looking at her with such intensity that she nearly stumbled back. “I don’t think anyone would expect us to be Harry’s parents when we’re both still in school. And if he were here—really here—he wouldn’t need us, either. Sure, it would probably be extremely happy for him to see his dead parents, but he’s been living in a world where we’re nothing but memories and names. And he’s doing okay.”

She glanced at the book. “He does, doesn’t he?”

James grinned. “It’s weird, all right? It’s weird that I can feel both kind of nonchalant and overprotective at the same time whenever he’s in trouble. It’s weird that I’m proud of him when it shouldn’t really matter to me. But a lot of things are weird. You had to adapt to a world of magic, didn’t you? That must have been a strange experience.”

Lily looked down at her hands, imagining the petals of that flower opening and closing in the palm of her hand. “I supposed…”

“The point is—every feeling we have is justified. We’re not perfect, and we’re not as grown-up as we probably are when we even have Harry—so we can feel whatever and it would be okay.”

She exhaled shakily and then mustered up a small smile. James returned it easily and waited for her to sit down before he picked the book up and ruffled through its pages, looking for their chapter.

“We’re going to have to finish this book today, you know.”

“How come?” he asked, a little distracted as his eyes roamed the pages in search of their current location.

“Well, we won’t have much time during the week. Too many classes and too much homework—and you’ve got that Quidditch match soon, right?” He sent her a surprised look for a moment. “What? I can keep up with things like that. Especially when everyone talks about it,” she huffed.

James hummed and then finally grinned as he finished his search. “Well, ready to finish this book, then?”

She hoped things wouldn’t go wrong during the Sorting…

The door swung open at once. [A witch stands there.] Harry’s first thought was that this was not someone to cross…

“Harry, fight this thought!” James encouraged.

Lily shook her head at him. “You just can’t stand the fact that Harry is less of a troublemaker than you, huh?”

The boy gave her a scandalised look. “Of course! Besides, McGonagall is going to expect it from him, anyway—why not just roll with this? It wouldn’t even come as a surprise to anyone!”

“Oh, grow up, James…”

… [The witch:] Thank you, Hagrid. I will take them from here.

She pulled the door wide. [Description of the Entrance Hall.]

They followed Professor McGonagall across the flagged stone floor. … Professor McGonagall showed the first-years into a small empty chamber off the hall. They crowded in, … peering about nervously.

“I remember that,” Lily said dryly. “I ended up being squished between Marlene and you. I hated it.”

James sniggered. “You did hate me back then. Well… I guess hate is a strong word when you barely knew me back then. You strongly disliked me for insulting you and Snape.” He didn’t look like he felt bad for it, but maybe that was because James has already apologized for that day what felt like ages ago but was actually around the beginning of the year.

[Professor McGonagall:] Welcome to Hogwarts, … before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. … your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. … The four houses are called Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin. … your triumphs will earn your house points, while any rule-breaking will lose house points.

“It’s always the same speech, then,” James noted.

“I think you must have zoned out during all of this, considering you never acted like you knew your rule-breaking would lose points to Gryffindor,” Lily commented.

James smirked at her.

… [Professor McGonagall:] the house with the most points is awarded the House Cup, … I suggest you all smarten yourselves up as much as you can while you are waiting.

… Harry nervously tried to flatten his hair.

Lily figured it was a subconscious action, but she still watched as James absentmindedly brought his hand up and messed up his hair a little, as if to make sure that his hair wasn’t flattened like Harry was trying to do to his. Of course, Lily assumed that if Harry’s hair was really just like James’s, nothing he could ever do would help.

She sort of didn’t care.

[Professor McGonagall:] I shall return when we are ready for you, …

She left …

[Harry:] How exactly do they sort us …

[Ron:] Some sort of test, I think. Fred said it hurts a lot, but I think he was joking.

“Did you know about the Sorting?” Lily asked curiously.

James shrugged. “My parents mentioned it from time to time. They never exactly told me about the hat, but I got the picture from their stories. I absolutely wasn’t nervous about it—it never really seemed like too much of a big deal. I assumed I would end up in Gryffindor like my parents and the only house I really wanted to avoid was Slytherin, so I didn’t question anyone too much about it.

“In some families, though, it’s like a tradition—not to tell the kids about the Sorting or how it’s done. I guess the Weasleys are like that.” He shrugged. “It’s not really that big of a deal, I suppose—it’s just fun to watch the kids freak out when they don’t know what’s going to happen to them. It’s kind of funny, when you think about it. Remember Ivan Corden? He nearly fainted just from the stress.”

She did remember that boy in their year. He was sorted into Ravenclaw, white as a sheet and stumbling like a drunk man. It was pretty pitiful—not that Lily herself was doing much better. She was nervous during the Sorting.

She wasn’t sure how it would go for her. Sev had explained it to her, but it didn’t make it any easier to sit there and listen to the hat whispering in her ear about how she would fit in Gryffindor… and then Sev got sorted to Slytherin…

Lily actually kind of resented that ceremony for a while, thinking that it wasn’t fair that she got separated from her friend this early on. She wanted to be in Slytherin. She wanted to be in the same house as Sev.

Now she wouldn’t give up being a Gryffindor, of course. But back then she didn’t know that most of the Slytherins would have mocked her for being a Muggle-born. All she knew was that she was sorted into the same house as the boys from the train who were mean to Sev and to her.

… A test? … But he didn’t know any magic yet … He hadn’t expected something like this the moment they arrived. He looked around anxiously and saw that everyone else looked terrified too. … He’d never been more nervous, never, not even when … he’d somehow turned his teacher’s wig blue. … Professor McGonagall would come back and lead him to his doom.

“Dramatic much?” Lily muttered.

“Wait, he turned his teacher’s wig blue?” James laughed. “What’d the teacher ever do to him? I guess it must have been bad enough to trigger the accidental magic.” James whistled a little. “I definitely didn’t have these many bursts of magic. Then again, no one challenged me on a daily basis…”

Lily shrugged. “It wasn’t always accidental with me,” Lily reminded him. “I did control it a little bit.”

Then something happened which made him jump about a foot in the air—several people behind him screamed. …

“The ghosts?”

“Definitely the ghosts,” James agreed.

He gasped. … About twenty ghosts had just streamed through the back wall. [Description of the ghosts.]

… [Fat Friar:] we ought to give him a second chance—

[Nearly Headless Nick (Or, er, someone you still don’t know the name of…):] My dear Friar, haven’t we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? … I say, what are you all doing here?

[Nick] suddenly noticed the first-years.

James snorted. Lily couldn’t blame him—it seemed the ghosts just liked startling the first-years while pretending not to do it intentionally. Lily remembered her first time seeing the ghosts—they were most definitely alarming to watch. Of course, Sev had told her that there were ghosts in the castle, but she still wasn’t ready for that.

Unlike her gasp of shock, next to her James Potter had perked up and elbowed Sirius Black. He’d pointed a finger at one of the ghosts and beamed. “See?” He’d exclaimed. “We can see them! I told you so! They’re not entirely invisible!”

… [Fat Friar:] About to be sorted, I suppose? … Hope to see you in Hufflepuff! …

… [Professor McGonagall:] The Sorting Ceremony’s about to start. … follow me.

Lily’s eyes sparkled as she listened carefully to James’s voice. The boy moved to the edge of his seat, like he was watching a show on television and wanted to get closer to it, rather than reading a book that was clutched in his own two hands. She didn’t comment on it, though. There was no point in doing so, and she really wanted to hear what the hat will decide to do with Harry.

Sure, they expected him to go to Gryffindor, but nothing was ever certain. Plus, there was the song of the Sorting Hat, and the feast… Oh, they would get to see who all the teachers were! Or… well, Harry didn’t know their names yet, so they would get to know some of them, maybe.

“Do you think we’ll hear what the hat’s gonna tell Harry when it’s his turn?” James wondered aloud.

Lily shrugged. “Read and find out.”

[They walk into the Great Hall.]

Harry had never even imagined such a strange and splendid place. [Description of the Great Hall.] that they came to a halt in a line facing the other students, with the teachers behind them. … Harry looked upwards and saw a velvety black ceiling dotted with stars.

… [Hermione:] It’s bewitched to look like the sky outside, I read about it in Hogwarts: A History.

“Of course you did,” James said flatly.

Lily swatted at him lightly.

… Professor McGonagall silently placed a four-legged stool in front of the first-years. On top of the stool she put a pointed wizard’s hat. … Aunt Petunia wouldn’t have let it in the house.

With a hum, James turned to look at Lily. “Is it weird that now I really want to borrow”—he said it like he meant to say steal—“the Sorting Hat and put it as close to your sister as possible?”

“I’ll help you.”

He looked slightly taken aback, but then his face split into a wide grin and he turned merrily back to the book.

Maybe they had to try and get a rabbit out of it, Harry thought wildly, … A rip near the brim opened wide like a mouth—and the hat began to sing:

With a warning look from Lily, James withered a little and instead of actually singing the words, he just recited them. It wasn’t that Lily didn’t like singing, but she knew what James Potter’s singing skills were like from all of their opening feasts, when Dumbledore let them all sing the anthem of Hogwarts. Lily ended up next to James once when he sang along, and it was like pure torture.

He never seemed to mind how horrible it sounded, somehow, and kept on insistently belting at the top of his lungs.

… [Sorting Hat:] I’ll eat myself if you can find a smarter hat than me.

“How does that work?” James asked.

“Keep reading, Potter!”

… [Sorting Hat:] You’re in safe hands (though I have none) for I’m a Thinking Cap!

“Oh, that was a nice one!” Lily cheered. James nodded in amusement, clearly thinking about the comment about hands. “Personally, I think it’s better than our first one. Though I don’t remember it all that well.”

The whole Hall burst into applause …

[Ron:] I’ll kill Fred, he was going on about wrestling a troll.

Lily frowned. “A first-year will be extremely lucky if they managed to take on a troll,” she snorted.

James nodded. “And Harry doesn’t exactly have the best luck, does he?”

Harry smiled weakly. … Harry didn’t feel brave or quick-witted or any of it at the moment. If only the hat had mentioned a house for people who felt a bit queasy, …

“He was quite witty with the Dursleys, though, wasn’t he?” Lily said.

“If there was a house for the ones who feel queasy during the Sorting, most of the school would go to it,” James added. “It’s good that the Sorting Hat doesn’t judge us by what we’re feeling at the moment. Though it is weird that it can decide which qualities each person holds from that age. I mean, don’t we change with time?”

Lily pursed her lips. “I guess it focuses on the things that are a part of us. Like, the deeper, more important parts of our personality. The ones that make us who we are—most people don’t change too much. Not enough to become completely different people. You’ve changed, and yet you’re still the same annoying kid I met on the train,” she added sweetly.

James offered her a sarcastic smile in return.

… [Professor McGonagall:] When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted, … Abbott, Hannah!

[Hannah gets sorted into Hufflepuff and goes to the Hufflepuff table. Susan Bones gets sorted there, too.]

[Professor McGonagall:] Boot, Terry!

[Sorting Hat:] RAVENCLAW!

… “Brown, Lavender” became the first new Gryffindor …

“Finally!” James sighed. Then he read the girl’s name again and made a face. “Lavender Brown? Did her parents really love colours, or were they just oblivious to how confusing her name is?”

Lily rolled her eyes fondly.

… Perhaps it was Harry’s imagination, … but he thought [the Slytherins] looked an unpleasant lot.

Lily sagged a little. “And here starts the problem—he’s heard so many bad things about this house that he can’t even look at them with the same obliviousness as he should’ve, with him basically coming from a Muggle background,” she said sternly.

“Or—and hear me out on this one, Evans—they’re just an unpleasant bunch that year.” He looked at her deadpan expression. “I can tell you don’t appreciate my theory, so I’ll just be moving on, if you don’t mind.”

He was starting to feel definitely sick now. … He had always been last to be chosen [during gym], … no one wanted Dudley to think they liked him.

James perked up all of a sudden. “Is he good at Muggle sports?” he inquired enthusiastically. “Because if he is, it might mean he’s going to be all right when he learns how to fly.” He noticed Lily’s impatient expression. “Aw, don’t look at me like that—I need an answer to that question as soon as possible. It’s driving me mad!”

… Sometimes, Harry noticed, the hat shouted out the house at once, but at others it took a little while to decide. …

[Professor McGonagall:] Granger, Hermione!

… “GRYFFINDOR!” shouted the hat. Ron groaned.

Lily blinked in surprise. “I figured she would be sorted into Ravenclaw,” she said, voice revealing just how stunned she was at this revelation.

Next to her, James seemed to be feeling quite the same. “Yeah. She’s so eager to learn new things, it’s hard to imagine what would make the Sorting Hat put her in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw.” He hummed and narrowed his eyes a little. “Maybe she’s got more to her than we think.”

Lily scoffed. “She’s not two-dimensional, James.”

“Well, now I know that.”

A horrible thought struck Harry, … What if he just sat there with the hat over his eyes for ages, until Professor McGonagall jerked it off his head and said there had obviously been a mistake …

When Neville Longbottom,

James didn’t continue. Instead, he lifted his gaze to meet Lily’s eyes that were already wide open.

“Longbottom?” Lily whispered, shocked. “Wait, he’s Frank’s son? So that means… Alice has got to be his mum, right?” Lily beamed at James. “Alice’s kid is in the same year as ours!”

He didn’t look quite as ecstatic as her, though. “Why did he not come to the platform with his parents, though?” he asked quietly. Lily’s mood dropped at once as she recalled Harry mentioning an old lady accompanying Neville back at the station. “I mean, maybe Harry just didn’t notice them… That could be it, right? It doesn’t have to mean that they’re also…”

“…dead?” Lily gasped. She covered her mouth with both hands, and shook her head frantically. “No. No, Alice and Frank can’t be dead. There’s no chance there’s another orphan kid in that room!”

Eyes roaming over the page again, James frowned in concentration. “I don’t think he’s the only one. Hold up.”

He leafed through the pages to the earlier chapters, reading through them briefly in a search for something. It took him nearly half a minute before he spotted it.

“’He’d killed some o’ the best witches an’ wizards of the age—the McKinnons, the Bones, the Prewetts’. That’s what Hagrid had told Harry, remember? And now one of the students—the one that got sorted into Hufflepuff—is Susan Bones.”

Lily’s eyes watered. “So what we’re seeing…” She shook her head. “What we’re both reading about is the consequences of the war?” She was trembling a bit. “This is horrible!”

Her boyfriend nodded solemnly, and with his hand going up to rest over her shoulders, he kept on reading.

When Neville Longbottom, the boy who kept losing his toad, was called, he fell over on his way to the stool. … Neville ran off still wearing it, and had to jog back amid gales of laughter …

Lily cracked a small smile at that. There was nothing they could do about it right now, she had to remind herself. She just needed to enjoy this chapter about the Sorting of her future son. That was all.

James glanced at her briefly when she breathed deeply but didn’t say anything.

Malfoy swaggered forward when his name was called and got his wish at once: … “SLYTHERIN!” … There weren’t many people left now. … and then, at last—

[Professor McGonagall:] Potter, Harry!

Both of them eagerly looked at the book. The only difference was that Lily was looking at the cover while James was reading the chapter, his voice rusty from the excitement and the fact that he was straining it terribly. She kind of wanted to remind him of the potion in his pocket, but decided to let him drink it when the chapter was over.

… whispers suddenly broke out …

[A student:] Potter, did she say?

[Another student, probably:] The Harry Potter?

“For a moment there I forgot he was famous,” James muttered.

“Me, too.”

[Harry puts the hat on.]

[Sorting Hat:] Hmm, … Difficult. Very difficult.

“Not difficult,” James countered. “Not difficult at all.”

“Read, James!”

[Sorting Hat:] Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind, either. There’s talent, oh my goodness, yes … So where shall I put you?

… [Harry, thinking:] Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.

Lily shrieked. “Look what they’ve all done to him!”

“Lily, the wizard who’d murdered his parents was in Slytherin. Do you really think Harry would want anything to do with this house? Even without hearing more about it—I think that would be enough to deter me from wanting to be a Slytherin. Anything that could make him somewhat like the murderer of his parents would look bad and feel wrong.”

“Well, that’s true, but… it’s not just…” She struggled to find the words and eventually just gave up with a loud groan of frustration.

… [Sorting Hat:] Are you sure? … Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that—

James looked like he was actually going to be ill, Lily noted. She almost felt bad for him.

[Sorting Hat:] no? Well, if you’re sure—better be GRYFFINDOR!

James melted back in his chair, looking relieved. Lily decided not to mention that.

“You know what this means?” she asked. James turned to look at her curiously. “Harry’s brave and reckless. It means trouble. I can just feel it.”

She could tell that James didn’t find it as foreboding as she did. Maybe that was what he meant when he said he felt like he was reading about a friend rather than his son. A father would have probably freaked out at the thought of his kid endangering himself. A friend would lend a hand and maybe join the chaos.

Or maybe it was a Gryffindor thing.

… [Harry] took off the hat and walked shakily towards the Gryffindor table. … Percy the Prefect got up and shook his hand vigorously, while the Weasley twins yelled, “We got Potter! We got Potter!”

James chuckled. “You have no idea how weird it is to read this and realise they’re not talking about me. I’m used to being Potter. It’s strange now that there’s someone else with that name.”

“And only now it’s hitting you?”

“It’s just weird.”

Harry sat down opposite [Nearly Headless Nick.] …

[Harry notices Hagrid, Dumbledore and Quirrell when he observes the teachers’ table.]

“That’s it?” James blinked in surprise at the book. “I wanted to hear about the other teachers—I want to know who else is still teaching in the future,” he sighed sadly.

“Give it time—we’ve got the whole school year ahead of us. Harry’s bound to mention at least some of the other professors.” She looked suspiciously at the other six books. “And I’m willing to bet that the other books are all from his six remaining years at Hogwarts, so he’s probably going to mention the other teachers he has, as well. We’ll hear about tons of them by the time we finish.”

James pondered this. “Flitwick is probably still teaching, right? And Sprout, as well. They really seem to enjoy their job, and they’re pretty nice to all the students.”

“Oh, and Slughorn might still be there!” Lily perked up at the thought. “He’s an excellent teacher! And he’s very fair.”

“You like him ‘cause he’s obsessed with you,” James said flatly. “His perfect potion-maker.”

Lily smirked smugly.

… it was Ron’s turn. … Harry crossed his fingers under the table and a second later the hat had shouted, “GRYFFINDOR!” … Ron collapsed into the chair next to him.

Lily didn’t think Ron should have been this nervous. Sure, families weren’t bound to stay in the same house, but with his parents being in Gryffindor, and his brothers, seemingly, all being in the same house, too, he had a pretty high chance of getting sorted into Gryffindor as well. Most people weren’t like Sirius, who was an exception in his family of Slytherins.

“It is a bit sad, though—Ron’s wish didn’t come true,” James noted. He leaned away from Lily, as if expecting her to try and hurt him again. She just looked at him in confusion, though. “You know—he didn’t want to be in the same house as Hermione Granger.”

Oh, that’s right. Ron did say that. “Well, they’re going to have to get along, then.”

“This is gonna be fun to read.”

[The Sorting ends eventually.]

… [Harry] had only just realised how hungry he was. …

“He should have really eaten those sandwiches,” Lily sniffed.

… [Professor Dumbledore:] Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! … I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak! Thank you!

James laughed a little once he finished the short speech. Lily cracked a smile. It wasn’t anything new, of course—Dumbledore always seemed to be doing something weird and unexpected. At first, Lily thought he was a little crazy. Sev didn’t try and conceal his own dislike towards the Headmaster, either. In fact, he almost encouraged Lily to think that Dumbledore was a lunatic.

It took her a while to realise not everyone thought that about the man. Slytherins disliked the man the most. Others thought he was a brilliant wizard, and one of the most powerful and nice Headmasters Hogwarts ever had. The Marauders adored him, of course, drawing smiles out of Dumbledore whenever they did something silly in the Great Hall that caught his attention.

Lily had to find herself being led to the Headmaster’s office once (she wasn’t in trouble) to be able to see just how wrong Sev was about Dumbledore. The man was so kind to her, and he was, indeed, smart and wise. And when he looked at her she almost felt like he could see right into her very soul. He earned her respect rather quickly, to Sev’s annoyance.

Maybe it also had something to do with how he’d turned one of the Marauders’s pranks against them, once.

… Harry didn’t know whether to laugh or not.

[Harry:] Is he—a bit mad? …

… [Percy:] He’s a genius! … But he is a bit mad, yes. Potatoes, Harry?

James nodded along to Percy’s words, and Lily laughed at the change of topic that seemed to come out of nowhere. She thought about those tables filled with delicious food and imagined Harry’s reaction to it all. He grew up with the Dursleys starving him—now he would have all the food he could possibly think to eat and more.

Harry’s mouth fell open. … He had never seen so many things he liked to eat on one table … Dudley had always taken anything that Harry really wanted, … Harry piled his plate with a bit of everything except the humbugs …

“The humbugs aren’t that bad, actually,” James noted.

“How would you know that? Did you taste them?”

He grinned. “It was a dare. We thought it would be horrid, but it was actually pretty good. I suppose not everyone would like it, though. It was somewhat of an acquired taste.”

[Nearly Headless Nick:] I haven’t eaten for nearly five hundred years, … I don’t think I’ve introduced myself? Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington …

“Wait for it,” Lily said with a little smirk as James’s smile widened in anticipation.

… [Ron:] My brothers told me about you—you’re Nearly Headless Nick!

[Nearly Headless Nick:] I would prefer you to call me Sir Nicholas de Mimsy …

[Seamus:] Nearly Headless? How can you be nearly headless?

Sir Nicholas looked extremely miffed, …

“Do you reckon he practices for it?” James asked. “Because I know for a fact that Nick loves it when the first-years ask him about his name. But he always looks annoyed when they mention it—I bet he floats in front of a mirror for hours, trying to make his disgruntled expression look as convincing as possible.”

That was such an odd image, Lily didn’t know whether to laugh or wrinkle her nose at it. She chose to just shake her head at James, her lips sealed shut.

… He seized his left ear and pulled. … Someone had obviously tried to behead him, but not done it properly. …

[Nearly Headless Nick:] I hope you’re going to help us win the House Championship this year? … Slytherin have got the cup six years in a row!

“What?” James exclaimed.

Lily felt a little strange about it, too. She didn’t mind that it was Slytherin in particular, but she did think it was odd that no other house got the House Cup in so long. Lily and James got to celebrate with Gryffindor three times since they got to Hogwarts, already. She couldn’t imagine six years of only one house winning over and over again.

It meant that there were three houses that haven’t gotten the Cup in six years, not only one. Obviously, she wanted Gryffindor to win, but any other house deserved it just as much. She really hoped a house other than Slytherin would win that year—this sounded really unfair.

… Harry looked over at the Slytherin table and saw a horrible ghost sitting there, [Description of the Bloody Baron.] [Malfoy, next to the Bloody Baron] didn’t look too pleased with the seating arrangements.

“Can’t blame him. Sitting next to the Bloody Baron is horrible,” James noted. “We tried asking him how he got all this blood on him or how he ended up dead in the first place, but for some reason he just started mumbling something about killing someone. It’s not very endearing.”

Lily stared at him. “Killing someone? He’d killed someone?” she gasped. “That’s horrible! Who did he kill?”

Shrugging, James shifted the hand he had around Lily. “Don’t know. He never did say their name. And we got tired of hearing about how much he regretted doing so. I think he might have been pulling it off to get us to leave him alone. He was extremely annoying—I’m not sure he’s usually like this.”

[Seamus:] How did he get covered in blood? …

[Nearly Headless Nick:] I’ve never asked, …

“Bet he did,” James snorted.

[The food vanishes eventually and is replaced by dessert.]

As Harry helped himself to a treacle tart, the talk turned to their families.

Lily straightened up. “Oh, I love treacle tart!” she said brightly. “It’s my favourite! I always get it if I can.”

James didn’t look surprised. “I know,” he said simply. “Did you really never wonder about how it ends up next to you? Anyone with eyes could tell how much you like that thing—we levitate it towards you if we get the chance—it’s pretty fun. And it helped Wormtail practice the spell. We did drop it a few times, though,” he added thoughtfully.

“What?” Lily uttered, astonishment filling her head and making her feel a bit dazed. “How come I never saw you do that?”

He grinned at her.

… [Seamus:] Me dad’s a Muggle. Mam didn’t tell him she was a witch ‘til after they were married. …

… [Ron:] What about you, Neville? …

[Neville:] Well, my gran brought me up and she’s a witch, …

And that immediately drew Lily’s mind away from floating treacle tarts, and back to the book. She could tell that James found the words just as interesting as she did from the little frown on his face as he kept on reading. Well, of course they found the words interesting—Neville just confirmed their theory that something had happened to his parents.

Lily wondered whether he ended up with Alice’s mum or Frank’s. Whoever it was, Neville still didn’t mention his parents, and that meant that they were probably dead, too. Lily thought about Alice, smiling sweetly at her from across the Gryffindor table; eyeing Frank Longbottom from a few seats away as he chatted with his friends and spared Alice looks every now and then.

They were both her friends… Lily couldn’t imagine them gone, too.

[Neville:] but the family thought I was all Muggle for ages. My great-uncle Algie kept trying to catch me off my guard … he pushed me off the end of Blackpool pier once, I nearly drowned–

“That’s horrible!” Lily shrieked.

James grimaced. “Some people are a bit extreme, I suppose.”

“Extreme? Extreme? He’s downright mad!”

[Neville:] but nothing happened until I was eight. [Algie] was hanging me out of an upstairs window by the ankles

Lily just kept on shaking her head from side to side. Even Tuney’s treatment towards Harry seemed to pale in comparison to this. Well, no. That wasn’t quite right. They were both awful in their own way. But it was still terrible!

How could anyone think that endangering a kid’s life was a good enough sacrifice if it meant bringing out the magic in that person? What if the kid actually got badly hurt?

… [Neville:] he accidentally let go. But I bounced—all the way down the garden and into the road. They were all really pleased. … Great-uncle Algie was so pleased he bought me my toad.

James looked disgusted. “I’m not so sure he was pleased if that’s what he got Neville,” he said slowly, measuring his words carefully.

On Harry’s other side, Percy Weasley and Hermione were talking about lessons

[Hermione:] I do hope they start straight away, … I’m particularly interested in Transfiguration, …

[Percy:] You’ll be starting small, just matches into needles and that sort of thing—

James wasn’t the only one to cringe at that. Lily was enthusiastic and excited when she first got to Hogwarts, sure, but she didn’t talk about wanting to start their lessons immediately because there were so many other new things around her that she could explore—learning just took a backseat.

Hermione Granger, apparently, didn’t share that particular point of view. She really did act a lot like a Ravenclaw, with her appetite for learning more and more. And she had a knack for it, too, if she really did remember everything she’d read by heart. It was impressive, for sure, but it made Lily wonder about what the Sorting Hat saw in the girl that made him decide to go against the logic of sending such a student to Ravenclaw house.

… [Harry] looked up at the High Table again. [Quirrell] was talking to a teacher with greasy black hair, a hooked nose and sallow skin.

James’s jaw dropped in mortification. “Noooooo…” he whispered, looking utterly horrified.

Lily just sort of felt strange all over, like she was listening to this from far away, all of a sudden. “M-maybe it’s someone else?” she suggested weakly. “There could be lots of people who look like that. It’s pretty vague, when you come to think of it—”

“What’s he doing there?” James ignored her. “Shouldn’t he be in Azkaban or something? You know, for helping You-Know-Who—”

“We don’t know that he becomes a Death Eater, James,” Lily said coldly.

He turned to her, clearly unimpressed. “Come on, Lily—don’t be so naïve,” he snapped at her. “You know what I don’t get, though—Dumbledore chooses the teachers—so how come he chose to hire him?”

Lily groaned. “Maybe it means that Dumbledore isn’t blinded by hate like you, moron.” James opened his mouth to retort, but Lily cut him off before he could utter more than one syllable. “Keep reading before I hex you, Potter. We’re only speculating now, anyway.”

He didn’t look pleased with it, but James still turned back to the book.

… The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell’s turban straight into Harry’s eyes—and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry’s forehead.

“What?” This time they both exclaimed together.

While James looked outraged, Lily mostly felt worried and concerned. She didn’t believe it was the teacher’s fault—that was just… it was just a fluke, a coincidence. A really perfect coincidence. But Harry’s scar hurting after ten years… that was worrying. It was weird. Not that she knew much about cursed scars, but still.

“What’d he do to him?” James demanded.

“He didn’t do anything!” Lily protested. “You’re just jumping to conclusion because you want to blame him, like you always do!”

James huffed. “I’m jumping to conclusions now, am I? Did Harry’s scar not just hurt the moment their eyes locked? Or did I imagine all that?”

She didn’t answer. She didn’t trust herself to.

“Ouch!” Harry clapped a hand to his head.

… The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. … [Harry had the] feeling that [the teacher] didn’t like Harry at all.

“Not surprising,” James muttered.

That, Lily knew, James was probably right about. Obviously, Sev didn’t like James—and he had good reason to. They both despised each other in a way that almost seemed blown out of proportions.

Now, if Harry looked exactly like James (except for the eyes, but they were such small things), then seeing him probably made Sev remember James. Of course he wouldn’t like the kid at first. He had to get to know him before realising that he wasn’t exactly the same as his father.

[Harry:] Who’s that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell? …

… [Percy:] No wonder he’s looking so nervous, that’s Professor Snape.

James turned to give Lily a meaningful look, as if telling her: I told you so!

[Percy:] He teaches Potions, … everyone knows he’s after Quirrell’s job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape.

Lily sighed. “I guess Professor Slughorn retired, after all. That’s a shame.”

“That’s what you’re worried about?” James asked in disbelief. “Are you intentionally trying not to hear anything that might sound a little incriminating when it comes to Snape? Because I recall just reading about how much he wants to teach DADA since he’s so familiar with the Dark Arts.”

“Drop it, James,” she warned him. “I heard that. And I know he’s interested in these things—I’ve had tons of arguments about it with him. So just drop it.”

Something in her voice must have gotten to him because James finally sagged a little, the anger sipping out of him—at least some of it, at least.

[The desserts vanish eventually.]

… [Professor Dumbledore:] I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. … the forest in the grounds is forbidden … a few of our older students would do well to remember that …

Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes flashed in the direction of the Weasley twins.

“They should take Harry there,” James commented. Lily gave him a wide-eyed look. “What? I can’t have a son of mine that doesn’t even go exploring in the Forbidden Forest! Besides, it’s not that dangerous, anyway. We’ve been there tons of times. Learned an awful lot about the magical creatures inside.”

It did make a bit of sense—the Marauders were always ones of the students who knew most in their lessons of Care of Magical Creatures. Lily thought they were just talented in that department. Apparently, they just broke the rules enough times to learn something from it. She wasn’t sure whether she should be impressed or annoyed.

Considering she was already a little upset with James, though, she decided not to react.

… [Professor Dumbledore:] no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. …

James was grinning widely at that, practically bouncing up and down in his seat. He looked so much like a pleased little kid that Lily chanced a look around, waiting to see his mum coming into the room with a brand new toy.

“You realise that Harry’s too young to join the team, right?” Lily reminded him, failing to mask the amusement in her voice. “I mean, we don’t even know whether he can fly or not. Maybe he got my flying skills instead of yours.”

“So no skills at all?” James teased and then laughed. “It doesn’t matter,” he decided. “He doesn’t have to play Quidditch. I just hope he at least goes to the matches and describes them for us. That would be enough.”

Well, that was better than before, Lily decided.

… [Professor Dumbledore:] the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death.

The room was quiet as they both played those words again and again in their heads. Lily thought it was odd, of course, but she wasn’t too worried. After all, as long as Harry didn’t go to that corridor he would be—

She made the mistake of looking at James. His eyes were shining with unconcealed curiosity and he stared off at the corner of the room with glazed eyes, clearly trying to come up with guesses as to what was on that floor that Dumbledore gave the students a warning about.

With a sigh, Lily dragged a hand down her face. “He’s going to go to that corridor, I take it,” she said. “He’s probably got that part from you, didn’t he? That talent of getting into trouble.”

James grinned brightly at her. Their argument about Sev was forgotten at once. “Don’t lie to yourself, Evans. We both know you want to know what’s in that corridor as much as I do,” he said smugly, and laughed a little at Lily’s indignant protest.

… [Harry:] He’s not serious? …

[Percy:] Must be, … he usually gives us a reason why we’re not allowed to go somewhere … I do think he might have told us Prefects, at least.

James snickered a little at that, but Lily just looked at the book in confusion. Why did Dumbledore not give them a reason as to why the corridor was off limits? Not that dying a painful death wasn’t a reason not to go somewhere, but usually he was more specific about why he wanted things done a certain way.

[Professor Dumbledore:] And now, … let us sing the school song!

… the other teachers’ smiles had become rather fixed.

“They do really hate this part, don’t they?” James noted. “Where’s their school spirit?”

Lily furrowed her brows. “Is that why you guys made that song echo repeatedly in the Great Hall for a month on our fourth year?” she asked. “It was so annoying that half the school stopped sitting in the Hall to eat their meals. Professor Dumbledore was the only one who seemed to like it.”

James smiled fondly. “Ah, the good ol’ times,” he sighed. “You have to admit we don’t sing this song nearly as often as we should. It’s a song for our school! Don’t we love Hogwarts? We need to express it through song!”

“You can’t sing, James Potter.”

“Well, with that attitude I won’t, that’s for sure.”

[Dumbledore makes the words of the song float in the air.]

… And the school bellowed:

“Don’t you dare—”

He started singing it, anyway. Lily cringed and flinched away from him, praying it would end soon enough.

[Hogwarts’ song.]

James turned to her with a proud smile that turned sheepish at the irritation and displeasure she was showing. His hand ruffled his hair a little anxiously before he quickly turned back to the book, obviously not wanting to give Lily the chance to yell at him for forcing her to go through this inventive sort of torture.

To herself, though, Lily promised she would just use the Silencing Charm on him if James decided to attack her ears like that again.

Everybody finished the song at different times. …

[Professor Dumbledore:] Ah, music, … A magic beyond all we do here! And now, bedtime. …

“Dumbledore gets it,” James nodded appreciatively.

Lily scowled. “Maybe he’s deaf.”

The Gryffindor first-years followed Percy [Harry sleepily describes the way to Gryffindor Tower.]

A bundle of walking sticks was floating in mid-air … they started throwing themselves at [Percy].

Lily groaned, but James smiled cheerfully. “Look, Lil—Peeves came to welcome the first-years with open arms!”

“He’s a menace!” she argued.

James waved off her words like they were nothing. “He’s just misunderstood.”

… [Percy:] Peeves—show yourself. … Do you want me to go to the Bloody Baron?

“Snitch…” James grumbled.

… a little man with wicked dark eyes and a wide mouth appeared, …

… [Peeves, cackling:] Ickle firsties! What fun!

He swooped suddenly at them. …

… [Percy:] the Baron’ll hear about this, I mean it! …

Peeves stuck out his tongue and vanished, dropping the walking sticks on Neville’s head. [He leaves.]

“See?” Lily pointed at the book. “He’s a menace! Walking sticks are heavy! Neville could have gotten seriously hurt!”

James still didn’t look concerned. “Are you kidding me? I’ve had worse injuries during Quidditch games. This is nothing. And even if Neville does get hurt, Madam Pomfrey would just heal him in no time. Stop worrying so much!” His nonchalance faded away as he looked straight into her eyes, the brown irises staring at her making her a little dizzy. “They’re going to be fine. It’s Hogwarts—they won’t just let a student bleed somewhere without helping. You know that.”

Mutely, Lily nodded and James smiled.

… [Percy:] The Bloody Baron’s the only one who can control him, he won’t even listen to us Prefects. …

“Quite full of himself, isn’t he?” James noted dryly.

Lily shifted a bit in her chair. “I’m not like that, am I?” she asked timidly. She didn’t think she was—she never tried flashing her Prefect badge or abusing the power granted to her. But now she felt a little uncertain. Maybe it was just how much she found Percy’s behaviour infuriating, but she couldn’t help but try and compare herself to him.

The look on James’s face showed that he didn’t understand why she even had to ask this question in the first place. “Of course not.”

[They reach the Fat Lady.]

[Fat Lady:] Password? …

[Percy:] Caput Draconis,

[They enter the Gryffindor common room. The five boys go to their room and into their beds.]

“I still think they put something in our food,” James grumbled. “I never did manage to stay awake on our first nights at the castle. Each year we all drop dead the moment we reach our room.”

That was true, Lily realised. But she couldn’t imagine the staff putting anything in the food to get the students to fall asleep. The feast was just making them all sleepy because of all the food and the long track to the castle. That was all. It wasn’t a potion or a spell—just normal behaviour from a human who was full and satisfied after a long day.

[Ron, to Harry:] Great food, isn’t it? … Get off, Scabbers! He’s chewing my sheets.

There was once again a strange misty look on James’s face but he didn’t say anything. Lily was really starting to wonder what that was all about.

Harry was going to ask Ron if he’d had any of the treacle tart, but he fell asleep almost at once.

“Oh, he likes it, too!” Lily said cheerfully, clapping her hands.

… he had a very strange dream. He was wearing Professor Quirrell’s turban, which kept talking to him, telling him he must transfer to Slytherin at once,

James scrunched up his nose at that, but Lily just laughed.

… Harry told the turban he didn’t want to be in Slytherin; … Malfoy, laughing at him as he struggled with [the turban] [Malfoy turns into Snape,] whose laugh became high and cold—there was a burst of green light and Harry woke, sweating and shaking.

… next day, he didn’t remember the dream at all.

“What the hell?” James stared blankly at the book. “This really is a strange dream.”

Lily frowned. “Did his subconscious just connect Sev to You-Know-Who?” she asked.

The boy next to her shifted a little in his seat. “I mean, it’s not like he’s wrong—ouch! Sorry! Okay, I’ll stop commenting on that, fine? Just stop punching me! It’s not my fault Snape’s being suspicious. He made Harry’s scar hurt!”

“That wasn’t him,” Lily stated firmly.

The look on James’s face told her that he didn’t agree with her at all, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he just flipped over to the next page, used the potion in his pocket to heal his throat, and then started reading the next chapter.

Notes:

Unpopular opinion: the first two Harry Potter movies were much better than the rest of them. You can fight me on this, but I won't change my opinion.

I grew up on the second and fourth movies. I didn't like to read, but we had the two movies, so I watched them all the time. I didn't even know there were any more in between. I just... knew about these two movies. And then my brother told me it was a whole series and I became obsessed with the first movie, too. So... yeah, only the first and second ones. The others are... ugh.

I started writing this list of things I mention during this fic that might come up later. I had fun with dropping different comments here and there that I thought - I'll be able to follow all of this, no problem. Spolier alert - it's a problem. So I have a list now. It sucks. I hate lists. Unless I don't. I'm torn about it right now...

Can I just say - I'm reading the fourth book again (my least favorite one, sort of. Sorry), and I reached the part where Fred, George and Lee just take the seats next to Harry and Ron next to the Gryffindor table, okay? I stopped reading, turned to my older brother (he's five years older, but we're really close) and asked him: "Is it just me, or will that never actually happen? I mean, you will never sit next to me and my friends with your friends. You always tried to get me the heck away from your friends whenever they were around. Siblings just don't DO that." And he said: "You're right," and went to do some other thing.

Is it just me?? Is it weird or is it normal for other people??

Okay, I'm done. My brain hurts. Cya! :)

Chapter 8: The Potions Master

Notes:

This is a really short chapter, right? It's not just me. It took me no time at all to edit it, so I figured it had to be rather short...

Also, Snape - the worst. I know a lot of people forgave him, but I can't. I will not. I can't stand him. Writing about him from Lily's POV is my worst nightmare and I'm having a hard time trying to defend him in any way when I can't stand him. Why should I? He's the worst. He's worse than the worst. He's Snape.

(Don't talk to me about the movies. The movies made him slightly less terrible, but I don't care for them, so... yeah. No movie-characters here, thank you.)

[Random student no.1:] There, look.

… [Random student no.2:] Did you see his face?

[Random student no.3:] Did you see his scar?

Lily blanched a little. “That’s so rude!” she exclaimed. “Are they all even trying to keep it quiet, or do they not mind whether or not Harry can hear them?”

She kept forgetting that Harry was famous. It was easy to pay more attention to other things when Harry himself didn’t mention it that much. So this, and that moment with the Sorting Hat, kind of felt like a slap to the face. Lily just didn’t know how to feel about it. She was almost certain Harry didn’t (wouldn’t?) like all of the attention. Even James looked uncomfortable with it, and he thrived under the eyes and praises of others.

This was different. This wasn’t like being congratulated for winning a Quidditch game or for pulling a difficult prank successfully. Harry didn’t get the attention for something this silly, nor was he aware of it until barely a month from the start of his school year.

He had to step into a whole new world, unsure about what was what and probably feeling very confused. And he had to do all of that under the curious eyes of every single person in that castle with him.

If Harry ended up liking this entire thing, Lily would jump off the astronomy tower.

… [People] stood on tiptoe to get a look at him, … [Harry] was trying to concentrate on finding his way to classes.

James tapped his chin thoughtfully. “There really should be a map given to the students about where each classroom is and how to get to it. I mean, all of the first-years get lost all the time because they don’t know where to go. And I’m pretty sure Peter kept on getting lost until our third year. This really isn’t fair that the teachers expect the first-years to arrive on time when they don’t know where to go.”

Lily blinked once. Twice. “You’re right,” she said. Then she turned to him. “Don’t you have a map, though? You said you do. Why don’t you share that with the other students?”

Suddenly James looked very keen on staring at the book rather than at her. “Oh, you know, I don’t think that’s such a good idea, Evans,” he said quickly. “I mean, it’s not the kind of map they all need. No, er…” He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “We can probably make a proper map to give the students, though,” he added thoughtfully. “It won’t even be as hard as creating the Ma—” He coughed. “Shall we go on, then?”

She noted the way his arm turned stiff around her, like he was nervous. Like every other time she’d brought up that map of his friends’ and his.

“Right,” Lily said slowly.

James didn’t look at her.

There were a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts:

“I wonder if he read about it or actually counted the stairs.” James hummed. “Sirius and I turned it into a competition on our first week. I won because he missed a staircase.”

“Of course you did.”

[Description of the castle.] Harry was sure the coats of armour could walk.

“They do that a lot at the beginning of each year. I think they just want to mess with the new students, because I’m pretty sure those armours are rather lazy.”

Lily didn’t want to know what made him say that.

… Nearly Headless Nick was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction, but Peeves the poltergeist was worth two locked doors and a trick staircase if you met him … Filch found [Harry and Ron] trying to force their way through a door which unluckily turned out to be the entrance to the out-of-bounds corridor on the third floor.

James started laughing immediately, but Lily just shook her head. “He’s not even trying to get in trouble and he already found himself in the one place he’s not supposed to go to?” she moaned. “I’m almost glad we’re dead in the future—we won’t have to anxiously wait to hear from the school about how much mess Harry’s getting himself into.”

“Are you kidding? I’d probably frame those letters.” James kept on snickering.

[Filch] wouldn’t believe they were lost, … they were rescued by Professor Quirrell, who was passing.

Filch owned a cat called Mrs. Norris,

James groaned. “That little monster is still alive?” he whined. “Aren’t cats supposed to die at some point? They don’t live for over twenty years!”

Lily smiled softly. “I always wanted a cat,” she said dreamily. James looked at her like she was crazy. “Not one like Mrs. Norris—a sweet one! I tried getting my parents to buy my one, but Tuney protested so much that I gave up.” She looked at James with wide, pleading eyes. “Do you think we would have a cat? Do you?”

He didn’t look like he knew what to say to that. “I don’t… I don’t know.” He looked rather flustered. “I guess, maybe?”

That was good enough.

… put just one toe out of line, and she’d whisk off for Filch, … The students all hated him and it was the dearest ambition of many to give Mrs. Norris a good kick.

Lily flinched. She knew everyone hated Mrs. Norris. She didn’t exactly like her, either. But kicking the cat was cruel. She sent a suspicious glance towards James, who looked appalled at the idea of Lily suspecting him of kicking Mrs. Norris.

… There was a lot more to magic, … than waving your wand and saying a few funny words.

[Harry talks about his lessons.]

Easily the most boring lesson was History of Magic, … Binns droned on and on while they scribbled down names and dates and got Emeric the Evil and Uric the Oddball mixed up.

“I give them two weeks before Ron and Harry completely give up on writing anything during this lesson,” James stated.

Lily frowned. “It is pretty hard to focus in this class…” she admitted reluctantly.

“Pretty hard? You’re the only one who doesn’t fall asleep in the middle of his lectures! Do you know how many times Sirius and I had stolen your notes to copy them before our tests?” he asked.

“You stole my notes?”

“Hey, we gave them back. You didn’t even know they were missing.”

… [Professor Flitwick] took the register, and when he reached Harry’s name he gave an excited squeak and toppled out of sight.

They both burst out laughing at that mental image. Lily could really see in her mind’s eye the small professor falling down like that. It was hilarious. She wondered how much of his dignity was left behind after that. The students must have found this extremely funny—she couldn’t imagine a classroom not roaring with laughter at their teacher squeaking and toppling on their first day.

… [Professor McGonagall:] Anyone messing around in my class will leave and not come back. You have been warned.

“So the same lecture, then,” James said, unimpressed.

“And she never did stand by this statement—I always hoped she would kick you out of her classroom, but she never did, for some reason,” Lily said.

James smirked. “That’s because I’m amazing when it comes to Transfiguration.”

It was true, of course—James had a knack for this subject from the get-go—but Lily could only bring herself to shake her head in amusement and say nothing.

Then she changed her desk into a pig and back again. … they were each given a match and started trying to turn it into a needle. … only Hermione Granger had made any difference to her match; … [Professor McGonagall] gave Hermione a rare smile.

It wasn’t hard to see that Hermione Granger would probably become the most talented witch in her year. Lily was considered as one of the smartest in their own year, but when she thought back to that first Transfiguration lesson, she remembered James Potter as the one who’d managed to turn the match into a needle and impress Professor McGonagall.

He didn’t even appear to be smug about it—he was just sincerely happy for accomplishing this task.

… Quirrell’s lessons turned out to be a bit of a joke.

Lily shook her head. “I’m not even surprised.”

“At least they don’t have a dark wizard to have to defend against,” James noted. “If we had an incapable teacher, it would have been a disaster. These kids have slightly less to fear, right?” He sounded more like he was trying to convince himself than actually optimistic.

Lily didn’t have the heart to remind him that Hagrid didn’t think You-Know-Who was really gone for good.

His classroom smelled strongly of garlic, … His turban, he told them, had been given to him by an African prince as a thank-you … [Seamus tries asking Quirrell about this, but] Quirrell went pink and started talking about the weather;

“No, no, no,” James said peacefully. “I find this perfectly believable.”

… Harry was very relieved to find out that he wasn’t miles behind everyone else. … even people like Ron didn’t have much of a head start.

Lily smiled. “I think it makes things even better—to see the ones from wizarding families as they struggle just as much as the Muggle-born ones,” she said. James looked at her with raised eyebrows. “Think about it—you show at Hogwarts, thinking you’re going to be worse than everyone else because you just found out that magic was real, but instead of falling behind everyone else, you’re at the same level as people who are already familiar with magic. It’s a good feeling.”

He considered her words for a moment or two, and then pointed at his chest with his thumb. “I don’t recall being bad when we started, though.”

“Nobody said you were.” She rolled her eyes fondly. “All I’m saying is—you didn’t have much of a head start.”

James returned her smile hesitantly, looking around like he wasn’t sure whether he should take her words as a compliment or an insult.

… [Harry, at breakfast:] What have we got today? …

[Ron:] Double Potions with the Slytherins, … Snape’s Head of Slytherin house. They say he always favours them …

Lily glanced at James and noticed how hard he seemed to try not to say anything rude. She decided that was probably for the best. And she wasn’t going to try and force him to be nicer towards Sev right now.

He’d asked for more time earlier when it came to anything that had to do with Sev, and she was going to give him the time he needed if it meant not having to deal with this stupid rivalry of the two boys for the rest of her (apparently) rather short life.

[Harry:] Wish McGonagall favoured us, …

“Well, we have tried,” James said sadly, “but Minnie really thinks it’s an abuse of power to favour her own house.” He looked at Lily with slight apprehension. “If Ron’s claim about Snape is true, I get the permission to at least dislike him for that—no professor should favour a certain house, after all.”

Lily frowned but nodded reluctantly—after all, he was correct. “Fine,” she ground out.

Just then, the post arrived. … a hundred owls had suddenly streamed into the Great Hall during breakfast, … dropping letters and packages … [Hedwig] sometimes flew in to nibble his ear and have a bit of toast …

Lily melted. “She sounds absolutely adorable.”

“She does seem to like Harry a lot. Elwood never came to me just for the sake of it—he always brings a letter with him or just stays away,” he said.

Lily remembered James’s owl—he was beautiful—with rich, brown feathers that almost looked golden in the sunlight shining through the windows of the Great Hall. And he really did never show any kind of affection towards the boy. Not that she paid the owl that much attention, but… well… she just knew it, somehow…

“Well, it does mean that Harry’s going to have a friend to bring back to the Dursleys once the year comes to an end,” James said cheerfully.

Smiling, Lily nodded. “That’s true.” At least he’ll have someone with him, then. Though with Harry barely getting enough food for himself from the Dursleys, Lily didn’t want to think about how they might starve Hedwig.

[This time, Hedwig] dropped a note on to Harry’s plate. …

Dear Harry, …

… would you like to come and have a cup of tea with me around three? … Send us an answer back with Hedwig.

Hagrid

“That’s so sweet of him!” Lily said happily.

“It’s Hagrid—what did you expect?” James said it like he didn’t expect anything else, but he still looked at the words written in the book with a wide grin.

[Harry sends a positive response back to Hagrid.]

… the Potions lesson turned out to be the worst thing that had happened to him so far.

James was clearly trying very hard not to say anything rude, because he was so stiff, it was almost uncomfortable to watch him.

… Harry had got the idea that Professor Snape disliked him. … he’d been wrong. Snape didn’t dislike Harry—he hated him.

Lily expected to see hatred in James’s eyes—she figured he would detest Severus for treating his future child wrongfully. But instead she was met with guilt shining in those brown eyes, behind the lenses of the round glasses.

Sometimes Lily wondered whether James Potter could even feel guilty. He did a lot of things throughout the years that other people might have felt bad about, but he never showed much remorse or regret.

There were brief glimpses here and there of worry on his face, like he wasn’t sure what he was doing was quite all right. Like he figured his actions weren’t the best, after all. But it always passed quickly, and Lily had the feeling that the Marauders didn’t help with that.

But now James was clearly feeling guilty. It was so obvious, she could almost see it pouring out of him.

“Are you okay?” she asked timidly.

“No.” He was scowling at the book now. “No, I’m not.” He turned his gaze and fixed it on her. All of a sudden Lily wasn’t sure what to do with her hands, as her throat went dry. “It’s my fault, isn’t it? It’s because of me that Snape won’t be able to stand Harry. Because he hates me.”

She was stunned into silence for a moment, letting the words play over and over in her head in a desperate attempt to force them to make sense.

Then she frowned and said, “You and Severus hated each other from the moment you met, James. And I’m sure that you’re right and he hates Harry because of that.” James cringed. “But that doesn’t mean it’s okay for him to pass his anger at you on to your child. It’s not your fault Sev holds a grudge. And it’s definitely not Harry’s fault.”

“I just never thought any of this would come back to bite my kid, you know?”

“You shouldn’t worry about that—the fact that you know about it now is kind of mind-blowing, actually.” She offered him a warm smile and squeezed his shoulder. “Look, maybe you can still improve the situation now—I don’t know—but it doesn’t matter. In this future”—she pointed at the book—“Sev will hate Harry because he just looks like you.

“Either he’s going to realise he’s not you at some point, and actually become better, or he’s going to keep on somehow tormenting Harry to get back at you. And in this case I’m sure Harry won’t just sit there and take it. This kid stood up to three people when they insulted us and his new friend—he’s going to be fine. He’s your kid. He won’t let someone walk all over him without retaliating.”

“He’s going to hate me when he finds out why Snape hates him so much, though.”

Lily squeezed his shoulder again, this time it was hard enough to make James jump a little and protest weakly. “Of course he won’t hate you, Potter! Maybe he’ll be disappointed—I don’t know—but he won’t hate you.”

It took James nearly five minutes before he finally found his voice again and kept on reading the book, sounding slightly off.

Potions lessons took place down in one of the dungeons. … like Flitwick, [Snape] paused at Harry’s name.

“Joy…” James muttered.

“Ah, yes,” he said softly, “Harry Potter. Our new—celebrity.”

Lily narrowed her eyes dangerously. Severus used to be her friend, and she hated thinking the worst of him, but she knew that if he really did something to her child—whether or not she was Harry’s mother already—she won’t look the other way this time.

[Draco and Co. laugh.] [Snape’s eyes] were cold and empty and made you think of dark tunnels.

[Snape:] You are here to learn the subtle science and exact art of potion-making, … I don’t expect you will really understand the beauty of [it.] … I can teach you how to bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death—if you aren’t as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach.

James and Lily both looked at each other over the book. “I mean, it wasn’t a terrible speech until the end there—I’ll give him that,” James said, somewhat reluctantly. “Though it did make it sound very ominous.”

He wasn’t wrong, either. Lily loved Potions and she was good at it, but the way Sev described it made it sound like something sinister or evil. Like it was the kind of subject you wouldn’t want to even poke cautiously. And the insult in the end was really unnecessary.

… Hermione Granger was on the edge of her seat and looked desperate to start proving that she wasn’t a dunderhead.

That did make James crack a small smile that got wiped away a second later as he kept on reading.

[Snape:] Potter! … What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?

“He shouldn’t even know that!” Lily objected. “Not in his first year!”

“And not before his teacher even tried to begin explaining anything,” James added venomously. “Okay, I’m willing to admit that some of this is my fault,” he told Lily, “but I wouldn’t hold a grudge for this long, and then take it out on the wrong person, too!” He blinked twice. “I think.”

Lily didn’t believe James would hold a grudge like that, either.

Powdered root of what to an infusion of what? … Hermione’s hand had shot into the air.

“Put your hand down—she should put her hand down. This isn’t the time to show off—she’s only making Harry look even worse!” James said.

“We’re never going to finish this book if you decide to comment about everything we read, James,” Lily complained. He shrugged with a charming, little smile. “Though she really should put her hand down,” she added under her breath.

James must have heard her because he snickered a little.

[Harry:] I don’t know, sir, …

… [Snape:] Tut, tut—fame clearly isn’t everything. …

“Oh, shut up.”

“You’re the one reading, dunderhead!”

… [Snape:] Potter, where would you look if I told you to find me a bezoar?

Hermione stretched her hand … Harry didn’t have the faintest idea what a bezoar was. …

[Harry:] I don’t know, sir.

[Snape:] Thought you wouldn’t open a book before coming, eh, Potter?

Harry forced himself to keep looking straight into those cold eyes. … did Snape expect him to remember everything …

James glanced at Lily. “We can send Snape a Howler, right? I know sending one to your sister would be a catastrophe, but Snape is okay, isn’t he?”

Lily was too busy growling at the book to answer. This was her childhood friend that was intentionally mistreating her son. She wanted to run out of the Room of Requirement, find Sev, and shake him until he realised just how wrong it was, but knew better than to do that. She didn’t want to have to explain to Severus about the books, and she wasn’t sure whether or not he might actually hex her or not now that they weren’t even speaking to each other.

… [Snape:] What is the difference, Potter, between monkshood and wolfsbane?

… Hermione stood up, her hand stretching …

[Harry:] I don’t know, … I think Hermione does, though, why don’t you try her?

James snorted as Lily’s lips quivered. “All right, you’re right—Harry will be able to stand up for himself.” He nodded approvingly at the book. “I just wish he didn’t have to in the first place.”

“I know…”

A few people laughed; …

[Snape tells Hermione to sit down and tells the class the answers to his three questions.]

… [Snape:] Well? Why aren’t you all copying that down?

“He didn’t tell them to,” Lily said crossly. James looked at her, looking mildly surprised at her reaction. “I don’t care if it’s in the future, James—if anyone’s going to do wrong by Harry, I’m going to be upset—and rightfully so, might I add.”

“I didn’t say anything,” he said quickly, though there was mirth in his voice.

… [Snape:] And a point will be taken from Gryffindor house for your cheek, Potter.

“Makes you want to apologise to him, doesn’t it?” James commented sarcastically.

A part of Lily told her she should urge James to apologise to Sev and try and make things a little better. Another part of her—the one that woke up at hearing how Severus would treat Harry in the future, all for a silly grudge against a dead person—insisted on letting James be, because Sev didn’t deserve forgiveness after this.

She wasn’t sure which one to listen to.

Things didn’t improve for the Gryffindors as the Potions lesson continued. … Neville had somehow managed to melt Seamus’s cauldron into a twisted blob … [Neville] moaned in pain as angry red boils sprang up all over his arms and legs.

Both of them hissed in sympathy.

[Snape:] Idiot boy! … I suppose you added the porcupine quills before taking the cauldron off the fire?

“He shouldn’t be berating him right now! Neville’s in pain! He’s hurt—one of his students is hurt and he doesn’t seem to care about that at all!” James looked absolutely outraged. “Ron’s brothers weren’t kidding when they said Snape favoured the Slytherins. He doesn’t just favour them—he hates everyone else!”

Lily didn’t even come to her old friend’s defence. This seemed to surprise James a little—enough to stun him into a momentary silence. Then he just turned back to the book.

Neville whimpered …

“Take him up to the hospital wing,” Snape spat at Seamus. …

… [Snape, to Harry:] Thought he’d make you look good if he got it wrong, did you? That’s another point you’ve lost for Gryffindor.

“What?” James exclaimed.

“That’s so unfair! He can’t do that!”

James scoffed. “Why? He already took a point from Gryffindor for Harry being cheeky. Why not do it for a blatant lie, too?”

Lily pressed her lips into a straight, thin line and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, trying not to explode. She’s been living with her temper long enough to recognize it and know when to try and calm herself down. It didn’t make it any easier to do, though.

“Next time you run into him—jinx him,” she said.

James looked like he didn’t know whether to take her words seriously or not. Lily didn’t know, either.

… Harry opened his mouth to argue, but Ron kicked him …

[Ron:] Don’t push it, … I’ve heard Snape can turn very nasty.

“You mean that’s him being nice?” James spluttered. “Merlin, I hope Harry annoys him to bits during those seven years!”

Lily couldn’t agree with him more. She could barely believe that her childhood friend will turn into this angry, pathetic teacher who very obviously had it out for his students. It just didn’t compute in her head. She couldn’t see how the nice kid who’d helped her and explained everything he knew about magic… how that kid could turn into this revengeful man.

… [Harry]’d lost two points for Gryffindor in his very first week—why did Snape hate him so much?

[Ron:] Cheer up, … Can I come and meet Hagrid with you?

… Hagrid lived in a small wooden house on the edge of the Forbidden Forest. …

[Ron and Harry arrive at Hagrid’s.]

He let them in, struggling to keep a hold on the collar of an enormous black boarhound.

“Aw, he got himself a dog!” Lily cooed. “That’s nice—maybe it would mean he’s not going to look for dangerous beasts as much, anymore. I mean, he has his own pet now.”

Her boyfriend didn’t look like he believed that. “It’s Hagrid,” he said flatly, it like it explained everything. “He’s never going to not want a beast as a pet. Having a dog is nice and all, but I bet it’s not enough for him. Just you wait—Harry’s going to see some strange pets in that hut during his school years—it’s bound to happen.”

[Description of Hagrid’s house.]

… [Fang] bounded straight at Ron and started licking his ears. …

[Harry:] This is Ron, …

[Hagrid:] Another Weasley, eh? … I spent half me life chasin’ yer twin brothers away from the Forest.

James pouted. “He does the same with us. Or used to—until we figured out ways to evade Hagrid and go into the forest undetected,” James said. “He should tell Harry about that. Ron probably knows all about his brothers’ mischief. It’s Harry’s turn to learn something new!”

Lily frowned at him. “And the first thing you want him to hear about his father is that he was a rule-breaker?”

“I don’t see why not.”

“Of course you don’t.”

The rock cakes almost broke their teeth, but Harry and Ron pretended to be enjoying them …

[Hagrid:] D’yeh know, every time I go up ter the school, [Mrs. Norris] follows me everywhere? …

Come to think about it—that was true. Mrs. Norris really did always follow Hagrid around the castle. It probably would look amusing to most people but, Lily thought it was infuriating to have a babysitter that’s a cat. Clearly, Filch didn’t trust Hagrid in the school even though Hagrid absolutely—without a shadow of a doubt—loved the place more than Filch ever could.

… [Hagrid] told Harry not to worry about it, that Snape liked hardly any of the students.

[Harry:] But he seemed to really hate me.

… [Hagrid:] Why should he?

… Hagrid didn’t quite meet his eyes when he said that.

James frowned. “Why won’t Hagrid just tell Harry the truth?”

“You want him to tell the kid that barely knows a thing about his parents that his teacher hates him because Harry’s dad used to bully his teacher?”

“I didn’t—” James stopped himself—Lily didn’t even need to cut in. “It’s mutual, all right?”

Lily shrugged. “I know it is. But Harry might not take too kindly to hearing about it—especially when he’s only eleven.”

This definitely didn’t seem to satisfy James, but he kept on reading, anyway.

“How’s yer brother Charlie?” Hagrid asked Ron. “I liked him a lot—great with animals.”

“Isn’t he the one who works with dragons now?” James wondered. “Of course Hagrid would love someone like that. He must have asked Charlie to sneak him a dragon at least once.”

Lily sincerely hoped that didn’t really happen.

Harry wondered if Hagrid had changed the subject on purpose. … Harry picked up a piece of paper that was lying on the table under the tea cosy. …

Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, …

“31 July? That’s the day Harry and Hagrid went there!” Lily said, perking up. “I told you they were trying to steal that package Hagrid had picked up—I told you! The thief wasn’t caught, but nothing was stolen because there was nothing to steal—the thief must have arrived right after the two of them had left!”

James looked confused. “But what’s in that package, then?”

Feeling slightly agitated, Lily sighed heavily. “I bet Harry’s gonna try and figure it out—don’t worry,” she said tonelessly.

James grinned brightly, like that was a good thing rather than bad.

… nothing had been taken. The vault that was searched had in fact been emptied the same day.

Lily felt both triumphant for coming to these conclusions on her own, and a little terrified of finding out what was really going on. What was Dumbledore hiding that was important enough to someone else, that they tried to steal from Gringotts? And did Dumbledore know this might happen? Did he ask Hagrid to remove the package because he knew someone might come and steal it?

… [Harry:] That Gringotts break-in happened on my birthday! It might’ve been happening while we were there!

Wrinkling his nose in distaste, James looked a little disappointed. “Well, he doesn’t seem to reach the correct conclusion quite as fast as we do.”

“You’re forgetting that for us everything is happening very quickly. He has a lot more to deal with, and it’s been a while since his birthday or since the train ride. It’s different, James.”

… [Hagrid] grunted and offered him another rock cake. … Hagrid had emptied vault seven hundred and thirteen, … Had that been what the thieves were looking for?

Lily grinned smugly. “You, Potter, have spoken too fast. This kid is smart.”

… none of the lessons he’d had so far had given him as much to think about as tea with Hagrid. Had Hagrid collected that package just in time? … did Hagrid know something about Snape that he didn’t want to tell Harry?

James screwed his eyes shut for a moment, deep in thought, and then nodded his head slowly. “Yes. Hogwarts, I’d say. And definitely yes—ask him again!” he exclaimed, the last part coming out louder than the rest of it.

Lily just rolled her eyes upwards.

Notes:

It's my birthday, and I'm sitting alone in my room, reading and editing fanfictions. I feel like it's a sad thing to say, but I'm actually having fun.

(My dad convinced me to go out with him and my mom for breakfast, which I usually don't eat at all. We sat at this restaurant and waited for our food, and then my dad said: "Hey, what do you want for your birthday?" And before I even got the chance to speak, our waitress came forward with a tray of whatever it was my parents had ordered. And then she lost her balance and it smashed onto our table.

The waitress was horrified as she tried to quickly clean the mess. My parents were a little surprised, but mostly just trying to reassure her that everything was okay and that there was no harm done. You know, like good people. And then the waitress noticed that some of the tomato juice stained my shirt and she panicked and offered to buy me a new one. It was hilarious. We said no, my parents bought me a new shirt so I could walk around without feeling like there was blood staining my shirt and framing me... it certainly ended up making our breakfast much more interesting than it would have been otherwise :)

 

On a different note completely (not sarcastic, for once) - I'm reading the second part of this fanfic, about the second book. I'm trying to reach the part where I stopped writing so I can catch up and then finish it. And there's this reappearing theme in the story of Lily and James saying things a moment before the characters in the books say exactly the same. And I know it might look like I just read ahead and then thought - here, I'll just add this because it's cute when Lily and James say the same thing Harry does! - but that's not actually the case here...

So the thing is... I write this fic like this - I read until I reach something I feel like commenting on. I write the comment. Then I keep on reading further, mostly not looking back. So I happen to just write a lot of the same lines from the books without even meaning to, and then I realise I'm repeating the book and I just roll with it. Like, I either don't acknowledge it, or I do. Whatever. It doesn't matter all that much.

So know that if James and Lily say something that's being said a moment later in the books, it's just me... thinking like the books. (I've read the books a couple of times before, of course. Just... never in English. Some of it is different because of it... this is so weird.)

Okay, I'm done :) I think...

Cya! :D

Chapter 9: The Midnight Duel

Notes:

I wasn't actually sure I'd be able to upload a chapter today. I'm busy finishing writing the second book (and maybe starting the third one), so I spend most of my day writing instead of editing these chapters. God, I HATE editing...

Anyway, hope you like this - I remember waiting to write this chapter with James's reaction to Harry flying for the first time. It was FUN :D

Smiling at Lily, James flipped the page to get to the next chapter. “Moving on, then? Or do you want to take a—”

“Read, James.” She sent her watch a look. “We need to finish today, remember?”

He happily obliged.

Harry had never believed he would meet a boy he hated more than Dudley, but that was before he met Draco Malfoy.

James whistled. “Wow. That’s impressive—knowing Dudley’s made life miserable for Harry, it’s hard to imagine he actually found Malfoy even worse.”

“It’s like you and Severus all over again,” Lily sighed. “I can’t believe this rivalry is continuing through another generation—and no one even seems to try and stop this from happening! It’s like the teachers here don’t mind the houses basically hating each other—instead they encourage us to win the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup, which only make us be more hostile towards one another.”

He gave her a blank look. “Evans, don’t ruin our fun, please.”

… [Gryffindors] didn’t have to put up with Malfoy much. Or at least, they didn’t … and Gryffindor and Slytherin would be learning [how to fly] together.

“YES!” James cheered. “Finally! I can’t wait to see how this lesson goes!” Then he grimaced a little. “Though doing it with the Slytherins basically guarantees that something’s going to go wrong.” He ruffled his hair as he thought about it. “Maybe someone will knock someone else off their broom?”

Lily huffed. “Can you try and look less thrilled at the prospect of someone falling off their broom during a lesson?”

… [Harry:] Just what I always wanted. To make a fool of myself on a broomstick in front of Malfoy.

James opened his mouth—probably to claim that Harry will surely do well in that lesson, and that he won’t make a fool of himself—but then he snapped it shut again, looking uncertain. The way his eyes glided over to Lily for a brief moment let her know that he remembered her first time on a broom—it wasn’t pretty.

He had been looking forward to learning to fly more than anything else.

“As you should be.”

… [Ron:] Malfoy’s always going on about how good he is at Quidditch, but I bet that’s all talk.

Malfoy certainly did talk about flying a lot. … stories which always seemed to end with him narrowly escaping Muggles in helicopters. …

Lily frowned. “That’s ridiculous—nobody should even believe that because if that kid did end up narrowly avoiding helicopters, then the Ministry of Magic should have made him stop ages ago—Muggles shouldn’t see us flying on broomsticks. If Malfoy did that, he just broke the Statute of Secrecy.”

“I don’t think Harry believes these stories, Lily. The problem isn’t that Malfoy can fly in such extreme conditions—it’s that Malfoy’s had the chance to fly before so this isn’t new to him, while Harry knows nothing about how to fly a broomstick. He’s worried about making a fool of himself because he doesn’t know something that others clearly know at least a bit about.”

“But all the Muggle-born students—”

“I know,” James said over her, looking into her eyes in an attempt to make her understand what he was talking about. “Look, Lily, I know that in just about everything Muggle-born and the kids who come from wizarding families start on equal ground, okay? We don’t learn magic at home before going to Hogwarts so there’s nothing to brag about, and there’s no head start for anyone.

“But Quidditch and flying is different. You couldn’t fly on a broom back at your place because you live around Muggles. I, on the other hand, learned to fly since I was little. So I had experience in all of this. Take Remus, for example—he grew up in a wizarding family, and I know he’s been taught how to fly on a broom since he was around eight. He’s just not good at it—but he knows how it works.

“That’s the difference. That’s what Harry’s worried about. Not about Malfoy really being good at flying, but about Malfoy’s initial knowledge on the matter.”

Lily bit her lip. “How many times have Muggle-born students managed to just… know how to fly?”

James cringed. “It’s pretty rare. I kept on falling off my broom when I started. And I was too young to remember that—I just have all these photos my parents have taken. It’s… yeah, it’s not the best. The point is—I took years to fly the way I do.” He looked worriedly at the book. “I hope Harry takes a little less time.”

Lily gulped and shifted in her seat. She didn’t like the rivalry between the houses, but if Harry felt bad about looking stupid and incapable in front of Malfoy, then she would take his side and hope he’d make it without too much of a struggle.

… Everyone from wizarding families talked about Quidditch constantly. Ron had already had a big argument with Dean Thomas, … about football. … Harry had caught Ron prodding Dean’s poster … trying to make the players move.

Lily found herself chuckling at that. During her fifth year she decided that she should try and get her parents a photo like wizards had—one where the people in it moved. She figured they would like to have one of those. So she did a little research until she finally managed to do it. They loved it, of course.

Back then Lily was a little annoyed, though, since when Mary Macdonald took the picture for her, James Potter just coincidentally moved behind her as he played with that stolen Snitch of his. Which meant that every time they looked at the photo at their house, they could see him playing with it in the background.

Now Lily was sort of glad to have it.

Neville had never been on a broomstick in his life, … Neville managed to have an extraordinary number of accidents even with both feet on the ground.

“I don’t remember Frank and Alice being this clumsy,” James noted with a giant smile, like he could just picture the boy tripping over everything around him already. Apparently, this made him really happy. “Well, if he really is as clumsy as this book paints him as, I guess I can’t blame his grandmother—there’s plenty of things that could go wrong on a broomstick.”

Lily tensed.

“Not that Harry would be in any danger! I mean, there’s going to be a teacher there! Nothing’s going to happen to him—and even if he does fall off or something—Madam Pomfrey will take care of him in seconds!” he added quickly at the sight of Lily’s body turning rigid.

She was still worried, but the small smile she sent James was sincere, and she was glad when he took her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

… [Hermione] bored them all stupid with flying tips she’d got out of a library book called Quidditch through the Ages.

James hummed. “It’s not a bad book,” James said slowly, measurably. “But I suppose ranting about it to someone who’s really nervous wouldn’t really help.”

“She was probably only trying to calm herself down. And I bet she thought it would help the others to know all of this stuff.”

“I wasn’t blaming her!” James said quickly. “I really think she was just doing her best.”

Neville was hanging on to her every word, … Hermione’s lecture was interrupted by the arrival of the post. … A barn owl brought Neville a small package [Neville] showed them a glass ball the size of a large marble, … full of white smoke.

[Neville:] It’s a Remembrall! …

Lily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. “What’s a Remembrall?” she asked.

“The most useless thing you can give somebody. Would drive you mad, probably,” James grumbled. Then he seemed to realise Lily was seriously unfamiliar with the object. “Oh, you’ve never heard of it? It’s this ball with smoke inside it, see, and when the smoke turns red, it means you’ve forgotten something. The stupid part is that you know there’s something you need to remember, but you don’t know what this thing is. So it doesn’t really help much.”

… [Neville:] Look, you hold it tight like this and if it turns red—oh...

… the Remembrall had suddenly glowed scarlet,

[Neville:] ... you’ve forgotten something...

… [Malfoy] snatched the Remembrall out of his hand.

Harry and Ron jumped to their feet. They were half hoping for a reason to fight Malfoy,

Lily scoffed. “Honestly? Are all boys like this? What is it with you and picking up fights with everyone around you?”

“They’re a redhead and the son of a temperamental redhead—can you blame them?”

She raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “You’re just as bad, James Potter.”

“Really?” He shrugged, an innocent expression on his face. “Well, I don’t recall being this hot-headed before Hogwarts, so I guess I’m gonna blame this on you—being too much around you completely changed me, Evans.”

It was such a stupid thing to say that Lily didn’t know how to retort.

… [Professor McGonagall] was there in a flash.

[Professor McGonagall:] What’s going on?

[Neville:] Malfoy’s got my Remembrall, Professor.

… [Malfoy, throwing the Remembrall back:] Just looking, …

“At least they didn’t get in trouble,” Lily said. “McGonagall would have punished them one way or another, no matter who started this.”

James was squinting at the book with a wide grin. “She came there awfully fast, don’t you think? I’m telling you—she decided to keep an eye on Harry. She assumes he’s going to be as bad as I am—she has no idea he’s got too much of you inside of him—he’s so mellow, I feel like he doesn’t even want to break the rules.”

“I really think he doesn’t.”

“But what’s the fun in that?” he pouted.

… Gryffindors hurried down the front steps into the grounds for their first flying lesson. … [Fred and George were always complaining about the school’s brooms.]

Lily cringed, remembering her first lesson again. James glanced at her, and the twinkle in his eyes let her know that he remembered that as well. Of course he did—he was the one who’d jumped in to help her. It was honestly one of the worst moments of her life.

Their teacher, Madam Hooch, arrived. [Description of Madam Hooch.]

James beamed. “Yes, they haven’t replaced her! She’s great! Stern, but great,” he added quietly.

Lily had to admit that Madam Hooch really wasn’t bad at her job. If only she could have helped Lily that day instead of James… Now Lily didn’t mind it much, but back then it was like someone stabbed her with a knife and then kept on twisting it.

… [Madam Hooch:] Everyone stand by a broomstick. … Stick out your right hand over your broom, … and say, “Up!”.

[Everyone:] UP! …

Harry’s broom jumped into his hand at once,

James looked absolutely ecstatic at reading that.

James only took one try, as well—though he’d had practice before he got to Hogwarts. Lily, on the other hand, struggled a lot with her broomstick. She ended up practically begging for it to hop into her hand already because it was becoming embarrassing with everyone waiting for the last students who had yet to manage to convince their brooms to jump up.

… Hermione Granger’s had simply rolled over … Neville’s hadn’t moved at all. Perhaps brooms, like horses, could tell when you were afraid, … [Neville] wanted to keep his feet on the ground.

“This lesson should really be optional—not everyone wants to fly on a broom,” Lily grumbled.

“But then you might never find out if you’re good or not.” And by the sound of it, James just didn’t understand how anyone would want to pass out on this lesson.

Lily seriously didn’t have the energy to try and explain to him how terrifying it was to people like her to be away from the ground. She liked the feeling of her feet on a solid surface.

… Harry and Ron were delighted when [Madam Hooch] told Malfoy he’d been doing it wrong for years.

[Madam Hooch:] Now, when I blow my whistle, … rise a few feet and then come straight back down by leaning forward slightly. … three—two—

… [Neville] pushed off hard before the whistle had touched Madam Hooch’s lips.

James fell quiet and Lily groaned. They found out who that year’s accident would happen to. To be honest, Lily felt like they should have known it would either be Hermione or Neville. They sounded like the most nervous ones of the bunch, after all.

… Neville was rising straight up like a cork shot out of a bottle—

James winced. “Harry has some strange associations, doesn’t he?”

[Neville slowly slides off the broom from a great height.]

WHAM … Neville lay, face down, …

Lily imagined this happening to her and cringed. “Thanks for not letting me fall like that, James.”

The boy looked surprised when she mentioned it, but then he just offered her a smile and a nod. “And miss a chance to show off my skills? No way.” He winked, and then went back to the reading.

… [Madam Hooch:] Broken wrist, … it’s all right, up you get. … [to the others:] You leave those brooms where they are or you’ll be out of Hogwarts before you can say ‘Quidditch’. …

“Someone’s going to fly, then,” James noted. Then he sighed a little. “It’s a shame—I wanted to see how Harry would do in the air. Is their lesson going to be cancelled?”

“I think they’re just waiting for Madam Hooch to return and continue the lesson.” Lily bit the inside of her cheek nervously. “Do you really think one of them is going to fly now? There’s no teacher around to supervise. They might get hurt.” She didn’t want to think about Harry doing something this reckless—she hoped his visits to the hospital wing would be limited.

James snorted. “Whoever was the genius who put Gryffindor and Slytherin together with brooms and without a teacher must have known they would do something stupid—it’s bound to happen, Lily,” he stated bluntly.

[Madam Hooch and Neville leave.]

… Malfoy burst into laughter.

[Malfoy:] Did you see his face, the great lump? …

“Oy! Harry, punch him!” James said.

[Parvati Patil:] Shut up, Malfoy, …

… [Pansy:] Never thought you’d like fat little cry babies, Parvati.

… [Malfoy was] snatching something out of the grass. … The Remembrall glittered in the sun as he held it up.

[Harry:] Give that here, Malfoy, …

“Yes!” James called.

“No!” Lily cried. “He’ll get in trouble!”

“He’s standing up to his friend! Lily, you should be proud.”

… [Malfoy:] I think I’ll leave it somewhere for Longbottom … up a tree?

[Harry:] Give it here!

… Malfoy had leapt on to his broomstick and taken off.

James gave Lily a pointed look. “See? Someone up in the air—I told you the teachers were asking for it.”

But now he looked a little uneasy, as well. Maybe he realised that Harry didn’t know how to fly and wouldn’t be able to stand up to Malfoy when the boy was at least capable of hovering, already. Or maybe he just realised Harry really could get in trouble, even if he was only trying to help his new friend.

… [Malfoy:] Come and get it, Potter!

Harry grabbed his broom.

[Hermione:] No! … you’ll get us all into trouble.

Lily clutched James’s hand so tightly, she was surprised he wasn’t trying to pull it away. “Forget about getting them into trouble—Harry could get seriously hurt! He doesn’t know what he’s doing!” She shook James’s hand. “James, he’s going to get himself killed!”

Her boyfriend didn’t answer, but he looked concerned.

Harry ignored her. … He mounted the broom and kicked hard against the ground … and in a rush of fierce joy he realised he’d found something he could do without being taught … [Harry heard] an admiring whoop from Ron.

The more James read, the wider his grin became. Lily’s heart stopped hammering, and she released the death-hold she had on James’s hand. Air came into her lungs again, calming her down gradually. She could breathe again, now that she knew Harry was going to be okay.

“He’s a natural,” James said with the joy of a kid in a candy store. When he turned to beam at Lily, she couldn’t resist the urge to smile right back at him. “Lil, he loves it and he seems to be doing great without any experience! That’s… that’s amazing!”

“I guess your wish came true, then,” she said, voice still shaking a bit.

James was almost glowing as he turned back to the book, enthusiastically reading the next lines. Lily watched him fondly, almost imagining him conjuring a Patronus at that moment—he was happy enough to create one, she figured.

He turned his broomstick sharply to face Malfoy …

[Harry:] Give it here, … or I’ll knock you off that broom!

“Go, Harry!” James cheered. “Knock him off, anyway!”

Lily elbowed him.

[Malfoy, nervously:] Oh, yeah? …

Harry knew, somehow, what to do. … [The broom] shot towards Malfoy like a javelin. Malfoy only just got out of the way … A few people below were clapping.

James looked like he wanted to clap, too. Unfortunately, he couldn’t with the book in one hand and Lily’s hand in the other. But he looked so proud and happy that he didn’t need to make a noise to let the world know that he was excited about this turn of events.

… [Malfoy:] Catch it if you can, then!

… he threw the glass ball … Harry saw, as though in slow motion, the ball rise up in the air and then start to fall. … [Harry] was gathering speed in a steep dive, … he stretched out his hand—a foot from the ground he caught it, … he toppled gently on to the grass with the Remembrall …

“He’s a Seeker…” James said quietly. Then he started buzzing and vibrating with joy again. “Lily, he’s going to be a Seeker! I’m telling you right now—it’s going to happen! They’ll be idiots not to add him to the team on his second year!”

Seeker… the player who caught the Golden Snitch, Lily knew. Of course James thought that Harry could play that role—he did just fine on this broom and he caught a small ball against all odds. By all means, he did fit the description for a Seeker. Except for the part where he was flying against his teacher’s warning, and he didn’t even know what Quidditch was like.

She expected to see the same beaming smile on James’s face when she looked at him again, but instead his eyes were glinting worriedly and he was biting his lip as his eyes read the next line. Lily figured Madam Hooch must have come back, then.

[Professor McGonagall:] HARRY POTTER!

Yup—there it was.

… Professor McGonagall was running towards them. [Harry] got to his feet, trembling.

“McGonagall? What’s she doing there?” Lily asked, surprised.

James looked just as stunned as her as he shrugged helplessly, clearly having no clue as to why their Head of House was outside the castle, and why Madam Hooch wasn’t the one to spot Harry going against the rules. Well, no—some of it kind of made sense. McGonagall catching someone breaking school rules wasn’t new. She tended to do that.

[Professor McGonagall:] Never—in all my time at Hogwarts—

James snorted. “Lying now, are we?”

Lily had to agree with him on this. McGonagall was their teacher—she caught the Marauders doing some pretty stupid and dangerous stuff before. Harry flying on a broom with no teacher around wasn’t nearly as bad as some of the other stuff James and his friend got up to.

… [Professor McGonagall:] how dare you—might have broken your neck—

[Parvati:] It wasn’t his fault, Professor—

… [Ron:] Malfoy—

[Professor McGonagall:] That’s enough, Mr. Weasley. Potter, follow me, now.

James’s jaw dropped. “What? If Harry gets in trouble, Malfoy should, too! McGonagall can’t only punish Harry! He only did it because of Malfoy!” He threw his head back in frustration. “What’s wrong with the teachers in the future?”

The thing was, Lily agreed with James. While she thought Harry really did (sadly) deserve some kind of punishment for flying without a teacher around when he was told not to, he only did so because Malfoy taunted him, and because he wanted to help Neville—who wasn’t even around to try and stand up to Malfoy on his own.

And it wasn’t like there weren’t other students around who were present and accounted for during the whole thing—McGonagall could just hear them out and find out about the full story. Why was she singling Harry? Why was she ignoring Parvati and Ron, who tried to come forward and tell her the truth?

Usually Professor McGonagall was the person Lily trusted the most because she was harsh with everyone, but also sensible, fair and unbiased. Now she acted nothing like her usual self, though.

… He wanted to say something to defend himself, but there seemed to be something wrong with his voice. … he had to jog to keep up [with McGonagall]. Now he’d done it. … What would the Dursleys say when he turned up on the doorstep?

“Okay, he should definitely slow down, there. She’s not actually going to expel him for this,” James said calmly. “We did way worse than that.”

Lily clicked her tongue impatiently. “He’s going off of what he has—Madam Hooch warned them not to fly without her around or they’d get expelled, remember? He thinks she meant it.”

… Professor McGonagall didn’t say a word to him. … Maybe she was taking him to Dumbledore. … Perhaps he could be Hagrid’s assistant. … others becoming wizards while he stumped around the grounds, carrying Hagrid’s bag.

Lily was really glad Harry wasn’t actually there to see their reactions, because James laughing at his honest, sincere worry would not have looked good. Of course, Lily couldn’t blame him—it was just so pessimistic and dramatic for a first-year. But it was also sad to think that Harry would rather live with Hagrid and be his assistance than go back to the Dursleys. Seriously, those people messed him up.

The point was—Lily and James probably shouldn’t have laughed at Harry’s distressed thoughts, but seeing as there was nobody around to judge them, and since James was already chuckling at Harry’s worries, Lily let herself giggle a little, too.

She really hoped McGonagall didn’t choose a severe punishment for Harry, though, because that would crush his spirits. Maybe not as much as actually getting expelled would do… but it would be close enough.

Professor McGonagall stopped outside a classroom. …

… [Professor McGonagall:] Professor Flitwick, could I borrow Wood for a moment?

“Huh?” Lily asked.

“I have no idea.” James shook his head.

… was Wood a cane she was going to use on him?

“That’s just sad,” James said. “What the hell did they do to him in his old school that he thinks that’s a possibility? Not that Filch doesn’t have a cane… pretty sure I’ve seen more than a few…”

Lily didn’t want to think about either of those things.

… [Wood was a] fifth-year boy who came out of Flitwick’s class looking confused.

He wasn’t the only one who was confused. As far as Lily was concerned—the only one not confused was Professor McGonagall.

… they marched on up the corridor, Wood looking curiously at Harry. … Professor McGonagall pointed them into a classroom which was empty … Professor McGonagall slammed the door behind …

[Professor McGonagall:] Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood—I’ve found you a Seeker.

Lily’s eyes bulged out as James literally dropped the book. It toppled to the floor and closed. James didn’t bother picking it back up—he was just staring ahead, looking frozen from the shock.

“A Seeker?” he echoed.

Lily shook her head. “But first-years aren’t allowed on the teams,” she argued weakly. She didn’t want to argue—if Harry wanted to play, she would be happy to give him the chance—but she just couldn’t believe this was happening. “I mean, every first-year complains about it, don’t they? You pestered everyone about it during our first year!”

It was true—James used to go around the grounds with Sirius, whining about not being allowed to join the Quidditch team of Gryffindor yet. Every time Sev and Lily walked passed them during one of those rants, Sev would roll his eyes and point out how James was probably not that good, anyway.

Lily didn’t like to talk about it after her accident of that first flying lesson. And anyway, the next year James made it to the team and Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup as James proved Sev wrong—he was great at Quidditch.

James opened and closed his mouth a few times, but apparently this last bit of information rendered him mostly speechless, because he couldn’t seem to manage to form a coherent sentence. “A Seeker? Seeker? First-year… Seeker…”

Ignoring that, Lily thought about the scene in the book, again. Harry broke the rule, was terrified of getting in serious trouble, and ended up joining the Gryffindor Quidditch team on his first year. Lily assumed that Oliver Wood was the Quidditch captain, then. And he must have been looking for a Seeker if McGonagall sought him out when he was in class just to let him know Harry was good for the part.

A burst of laughter escaped her lips as a thought occurred to her. “Can you believe how stupid we’ve been?” she asked. “We were worried he might not know how to fly or he might be as terrible as I am, and it turns out he’s so good, McGonagall wants him to join the team on his first year. We were way off.” She laughed again. “And she didn’t even punish him—she sort of gave him a prize, didn’t she? I definitely didn’t see that coming.”

“Lily.” James seemed to have snapped out of his shock because he looked at her with slightly dazed eyes. “I don’t think you understand how amazing this is—Harry must be the youngest house player in a… a… I don’t even know how long! A really long time!” He ran his fingers through his hair as a smile slowly crept back onto his face. “He’s like a Quidditch prodigy!”

“Or Professor McGonagall is just really desperate to find a Seeker.”

James shook his head. “She wouldn’t bend the rules for anyone average.” He was beaming again. “You’ll see—he’s going to be incredible!”

Lily was happy to note that James looked like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders as he bent down, grabbed the book, and started searching for the last page they were on. It didn’t take him long, luckily, and he quickly started reading eagerly again.

[Professor McGonagall:] Potter, this is Oliver Wood. Wood—I’ve found you a Seeker.

… [Wood:] Are you serious, Professor?

… [Professor McGonagall:] The boy’s a natural. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“She never complimented me!” James whined.

“Apparently you’re not a natural like your son is.”

He responded like an adult by sticking his tongue out.

… [Harry] didn’t have a clue what was going on, but he didn’t seem to be being expelled, …

[Professor McGonagall:] He caught that thing in his hand after a fifty-foot dive, …

“Fifty-foot dive?” James laughed—thought it sounded almost hysterical to Lily. “No wonder she snatched him right up—that’s amazing! Especially when it was his first time on a broomstick!”

Lily’s lips twitched. “I just hope he won’t be as cocky as you.”

[Professor McGonagall:] Didn’t even scratch himself. Charlie Weasley couldn’t have done it.

“Ron’s brother?” Lily asked, taken aback.

James waved his hand dismissively, obviously distracted by the conversation in the book. “Yeah, he was the captain of the Quidditch team when he was still at Hogwarts, remember? Ron’s mentioned that before. I guess he was a Seeker. And a good one, at that.” Then James smirked. “Though it sounds like Minnie thinks Harry’s better.”

… [Wood, excitedly:] Ever seen a game of Quidditch, Potter? …

[Professor McGonagall:] Wood’s captain of the Gryffindor team, …

“Another fanatic,” Lily drawled out. “Great.”

[Wood:] He’s just the build for a Seeker, too, … we’ll have to get him a decent broom, Professor …

… [Professor McGonagall:] [I’ll] see if we can’t bend the first-year rule. … Flattened in that last match by Slytherin, …

James looked even more delighted now. “Beat Slytherin, Harry!” he cheered. Then he turned to Lily before she could snap at him to quit encouraging his child (that couldn’t even hear him) to dislike Slytherin. “Lily, Quidditch might help them with the House Cup, too! They actually have a chance of winning the House Cup again!”

“That does sound nice,” she admitted.

… [Professor McGonagall:] I want to hear you’re training hard, Potter, … Your father would have been proud, … He was an excellent Quidditch player himself.

James blinked rapidly, unable to form words as he stared at the book. Lily thought she noticed his eyes tracing that last sentence over and over again, as if to confirm it was really there and not just a figment of his imagination. She didn’t really get what the big deal was—didn’t James always brag about how good of a player he was? What did it matter if Professor McGonagall said it or not?

What Lily cared about was that Harry now knew another thing about James. About his father. He seriously lacked in knowledge about the two of them, so every piece of information mattered. And in this case it might encourage him to care about Quidditch even more, since Harry might see it as a way to do something his dad would have approved of.

Next to her, James huffed a little in disbelief, his eyes still wide. “I can’t believe she just said that,” he whispered in awe. “McGonagall never complimented me about our games. She just sort of nods at me in approval.”

“She probably doesn’t want it to go to your head,” Lily noted dryly. “It’s big enough as it is.”

He threw her a look. “Why do you even date me, then?”

“I guess you finally grew on me,” she shrugged but she could see the glint of sincere curiosity in his eyes, like he wanted a real answer. When she didn’t provide one, James just turned back to the book.

… It was dinner time. Harry had just finished telling Ron what had happened …

[Ron:] Seeker? … you must be the youngest house player in about—

[Harry:] —a century, … Wood told me.

… so impressed, [Ron] just sat and gaped at Harry.

“A century,” James repeated. “Lily, if they lose in their first match, I’m going to eat the Sorting Hat.”

“Your obsession with Quidditch is slightly disturbing, but I’ll be sure to remember that. I hope you’re right, though—we still need to get that hat and put it near Tuney, remember?”

The devilish grin on his face let her know that he recalled that perfectly.

… [Harry:] don’t tell anyone, Wood wants to keep it a secret.

They both snorted at that. “Isn’t Wood supposed to be in his fifth year?” Lily said. “He should know that there’s no such thing as keeping a secret in Hogwarts. Especially when the secret has anything to do with someone as famous as Harry. In a few days everyone would probably know about Harry Potter being the new Seeker of the Gryffindor Quidditch team.”

James nodded, smilingly brightly. “I wish I could see Malfoy’s face when he hears.” Then he somehow turned even more excited. “I wish I could see Snape’s face!”

To be frank, Lily kind of wanted to see it, too.

[Fred and George come.]

… [George:] Wood told us. We’re on the team too—Beaters.

“I’m not surprised,” James noted.

… [Fred:] this year’s team is going to be brilliant. You must be good, Harry, Wood was almost skipping when he told us.”

Lily didn’t know what Oliver Wood looked like, obviously, but she could picture James skipping and telling his two Beaters about a perfect new addition to the team. That sure made her laugh.

… [George:] Lee Jordan reckons he’s found a new secret passageway …

[Fred:] Bet it’s that one behind the statue of Gregory the Smarmy that we found in our first week. …

“They found it on their first week?”

“There’s a secret passage out of the school behind that statue?” Lily shrieked. Then she rounded on James as he blanched, realising his mistake a moment too late. “You know about this? How do you know about this? When did you find this? The other Marauders know, too, don’t they?”

James grimaced. “I can’t believe you didn’t know there were passages out of the school,” he said. Lily glared at him. “Okay, listen, I’ll show you some other time, okay? Just… remind me later and I’ll show you.”

Lily found herself asking herself what the hell Dumbledore was thinking when he decided that James Potter would be a good Head Boy with his track-record. He was better this year, sure. He broke less rules and didn’t cause as much trouble.

But he was obviously still the same person deep down—he was the kind of person to look for all of Hogwarts’s secrets in his spare time, and keep it to himself and to his friends so they could use it for their own benefit.

“What if Death Eaters use those passages?” she hissed at him. “Or You-Know-Who himself?”

James looked a little uncomfortable at that. “Come on, Evans, I’m sure Dumbledore knows all about those secrets of Hogwarts,” he said and didn’t give her the chance to argue.

[Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle turn up.]

… [Malfoy:] When are you getting the train back to the Muggles?

[Harry:] You’re a lot braver now … you’ve got your little friends with you,

… the High Table was full of teachers, neither of them could do more than crack their knuckles and scowl.

“Smart,” James nodded approvingly. “Very smart of him.”

[Malfoy:] I’d take you on any time on my own, … Tonight, if you want. Wizard’s duel. Wands only …

Lily groaned and covered her face with her free hand. “Say no. Please, say no,” she whimpered. But she knew James, and she knew other Gryffindors. Risks just never seemed to matter to them. And Harry was both related to James and a Gryffindor. It was a very bad combination, she realised. “He’s definitely not going to say no,” she added, her voice muffled by her hand.

Next to her, James sniggered and squeezed her hand in a show of support.

… [Ron:] I’m his second, who’s yours?

Lily shook her head. “Oh, Merlin, of course he had to make the reckless redhead his best friend!”

“You’re a redhead, too, Lil.”

“And yet I’m more responsible than all of the Marauders combined—excluding Remus, I suppose,” she added as an afterthought. She peeked at James through her fingers and saw the sheepish grin on his face as he accepted her words as the truth. (Because they were the truth!)

… [Malfoy, after a moment of thought:] Crabbe, …

“That’s insulting, isn’t it?” James snorted.

… [Malfoy:] meet you in the trophy room, that’s always unlocked.

[Malfoy leaves.]

… [Harry:] what do you mean, you’re my second?

[Ron, casually:] Well, a second’s there to take over if you die, …

Lily choked a little as James burst out laughing, his entire body shaking from the force of it. He let go of Lily’s hand in order to wipe tears from his eyes. He looked like he was having the time of his life with this chapter. First Quidditch and now rule-breaking for absolutely nothing? This chapter was basically made for James.

Lily—not so much.

… [Ron:] people only die in proper duels, … Neither of you knows enough magic to do any real damage. …

[Harry:] And what if I wave my wand and nothing happens?

[Ron:] Throw it away and punch him on the nose, …

James nodded like that made perfect sense, but Lily could only feel mortification.

“Are you really that dense?” she demanded. “There’s no way Malfoy is going to show up to this. In the middle of the night? He won’t get in trouble for something like this—he’s setting them both up!”

“So they’re going to get out of this without a single scratch,” James declared to her frustration.

[Hermione:] Excuse me. … I couldn’t help overhearing what you and Malfoy were saying—

[Ron:] Bet you could, …

James stared at the book, his head shaking from side to side. “This girl is nosier than any other person I know. It’s unbelievable.”

… [Hermione:] think of the points you’ll lose Gryffindor … It’s really very selfish of you.

James huffed. Even Lily had to admit that it was a little ridiculous of her to say. She was somewhat right, but to call them selfish for what they were doing was a little stupid.

[Harry:] And it’s really none of your business, …

[Ron:] Goodbye, …

“That was a bit rude,” Lily said, scrunching up her nose.

“Granger’s rude, too. None of this is her business—she can just turn away and go on with her life. Why does she always seem to be around them?”

Lily bit her lip. “I think…” she said slowly, unsure about what she was going to suggest. James looked at her expectantly. “I think she’s trying to become their friend,” she finished lamely.

James looked both surprised and confused.

“I mean,” Lily hurried to explain, “she’s not doing a very good job—she clearly doesn’t know how to make friends or how to talk to people without sounding infuriating—but she’s trying. I mean, she probably does care about Gryffindor, but I bet she cares about Ron and Harry, too, because she tries to prevent them from doing stupid things all the time, doesn’t she? Like she did when Harry went to mount his broom. And now…”

“She’s doing a terrific job, then. Ten out of ten—I’m sure they’re gonna become best friends any moment now,” James said sarcastically.

… Ron had spent all evening giving him advice such as “If he tries to curse you, you’d better dodge it, because I can’t remember how to block them”.

James started snickering.

“That’s reassuring, all right,” Lily said, her own lips twitching as she tried not to laugh.

There was a very good chance they were going to get caught … this was his big chance to beat Malfoy, face to face. He couldn’t miss it.

“You’re a bad influence,” Lily decided, giving James a stern look.

The boy spluttered. “What are you talking about? I had zero influence on Harry!” He paused for a moment. “Or… I will have zero influence on him and his decisions. He doesn’t even remember me.”

“It’s your genes—they’re messing with his head.”

“You mean they’re messing with your logical genes—the ones telling him not to risk it again.” James smirked in her direction. “Let’s just say it plainly—you got the eyes and I got everything else.”

She crossed her arms and looked away from him.

… [Ron, in the dormitory:] We’d better go.

… They had almost reached the portrait hole …

[Hermione:] I can’t believe you’re going to do this, Harry. …

James made some sort of choking noise. “I can’t believe it—she’s even more insistent than you are, Evans.”

Scoffing, Lily kept her eyes locked on the wall opposite her. “The question isn’t how much insistent we are—it’s about the people we need to pester. Hermione clearly cares about those two. I, on the other hand, wanted to stay as far away from you and your friends and possible.”

“I guess that’s true…”

… [Ron:] Go back to bed!

[Hermione, to Ron:] I almost told your brother, …

Harry couldn’t believe anyone could be so interfering.

“I’m with you, mate.”

“She’s not interfering—she’s looking out for them and the rest of the Gryffindors. Can you really not see it?” Lily demanded and turned back to James.

He was looking at her with this infuriating smirk, like he could tell how upset she was with him, and he just couldn’t care less. “Oh, I know—I just wanted you to turn around.” He didn’t complain when Lily swatted at his shoulder. Instead, he just laughed a little. “But for the record—her trying to stop them is probably only another reason for them to break the rules—they don’t like her. They’re probably happy to go against her warnings.”

Lily pursed her lips. “And it’s definitely a low blow to tell on them to a Perfect who’s also Ron’s older brother,” she relented.

James grinned at her.

… [Ron] climbed through the hole. … [Hermione] followed Ron through the portrait hole, …

[Hermione:] Don’t you care about Gryffindor, … you’ll lose all the points I got from Professor McGonagall for knowing about Switching Spells.

[Probably Ron:] Go away.

… [Hermione:] just remember what I said when you’re on the train home tomorrow, you’re so—

But what they were, they didn’t find out. … The Fat Lady had gone on a night-time visit and Hermione was locked out of Gryffindor Tower.

James whistled. “Well, goodnight to her—they’ll see her when they come running back from the trophy room, evading whoever’s there to try and catch them. Probably Filch, right? Since Malfoy probably let him know he would be able to find Harry and Ron there. I’m sure they’ll escape without getting caught, but still—they’ll come running.”

She really hoped he was right and that they wouldn’t get caught.

… [Ron:] We’ve got to go, we’re going to be late.

… Hermione caught up with them.

[Hermione:] I’m coming with you, …

“Oh, joy,” James groaned.

[Again, probably Ron:] You are not.

… [Hermione:] If [Filch] finds all three of us I’ll tell him the truth, … you can back me up.

Lily hummed. “Not that it would really help her—Filch wouldn’t care about her excuses, will he? He never cared before. If a student is out and about at night, he’ll report it, no matter what excuse the poor kid has.”

“You’ve got experience in that department, I reckon?”

“Not nearly as much as you must have.”

… [Harry:] Shut up, both of you! … I heard something.

… snuffling. … It was Neville.

Lily tugged at her hair in frustration. “Why are all of them out of Gryffindor Tower at the same night? That’s just asking to get caught.” She paused. “Why is Neville there, anyway? Wasn’t he in the infirmary?”

“I guess Madam Pomfrey let him out, then.”

“In the middle of the night?” Lily demanded but James didn’t have an answer to that one.

… [Neville] jerked suddenly awake as they crept nearer.

… [Neville:] I’ve been out here for hours. I couldn’t remember the new password …

“Oh.”

James shook his head sympathetically. “Poor bloke. It happened to Peter a couple of times—he’s really bad when it comes to remembering the passwords. Remus usually goes out looking for him if he doesn’t come to the common room for some time. I think he tried to write all the passwords that one time, but then he gave up when he still got stuck outside since they changed the password while he wasn’t around.”

“I let him in a couple of times, too.” Lily nodded.

… [Ron or Hermione:] it won’t help you now, the Fat Lady’s gone off somewhere.

[Harry:] How’s your arm? …

Lily smiled at that. As rude as Harry was towards Hermione—not that she didn’t deserve it or anything, but it was still pretty rude—he still obviously cared about his friends enough to see Neville sitting outside in the middle of the night and immediately ask him if he was feeling all right after getting injured.

Alice was like that, too. Whenever Lily felt bad or got hurt her friend would either come visit her at the hospital wing, or she would wait for her in the common room and then make sure Lily was all right before talking about whatever else she had in mind. Those little shows of kindness meant the world to Lily when Sev wasn’t around, or when she felt particularly worried about the war that was happening around them.

She was really glad to note that Harry was like that, too.

… [Neville:] Madam Pomfrey mended it in about a minute.

[Maybe Harry?:] Good … we’ll see you later—

[Neville:] Don’t leave me! …

… [Ron:] If either of you get us caught, I’ll never rest until I’ve learnt that Curse of the Bogies … and used it on you.

Hermione opened her mouth, perhaps to tell Ron exactly how to use the Curse …

James looked like he wasn’t sure whether he should be exasperated by the way things were going or amused by Hermione’s reaction to the threat. Or at least—Harry’s interpretation of her opening her mouth. Lily assumed that there was a pretty big chance that Harry was right and Hermione really was going to tell Ron just how to cast that spell.

It wasn’t a very smart move—to give knowledge to a person who strongly dislikes you. Lily got that Hermione was pretty much obsessed with reading books and learning and generally being a good student, but to go as far as to supply someone like Ron with the instructions for a curse that she knew might be aimed at her… that was pure stupidity.

but Harry hissed at her to be quiet … They flitted along corridors … They sped up a staircase to the third floor and tiptoed towards the trophy room.

Malfoy and Crabbe weren’t there yet. …. The minutes crept by.

… [Ron:] maybe he’s chickened out, …

“If only,” James sighed.

… they heard someone speak—and it wasn’t Malfoy. … It was Filch speaking to Mrs. Norris. Horror-struck, Harry waved madly at the other three to follow him …

Lily raised her eyebrows. “Is it just me, or does it seem like Harry’s the leader of their little group?” she asked. James glanced at her, looking like he had no idea what she was talking about. She massaged the sides of her head with both hands wearily. “It sounded like he was the one leading them to the trophy room. And now he’s leading them away—you know, like he’d know what to do better than them. Which he wouldn’t, but they clearly still follow him.”

Thinking about it for a moment or two, James eventually just shrugged. “Maybe he’s got leadership skills?” he offered. “I don’t know—does it really matter right now? I want to find out how they escape successfully.”

“Unless they don’t—”

“Lily, he’s my son—he’s gonna be okay.” Though there was a hint of doubt in his voice that revealed to Lily that he was, in fact, worried.

[They run around the corner just as Filch enters the room.]

… [Filch:] probably hiding.

[Harry:] This way!

… they began to creep down a long gallery full of suits of armour.

James leaned a little towards Lily, as if he and her were hiding from Filch, too. “Okay, I see what you mean—he’s totally their leader.”

She smiled.

They could hear Filch getting nearer. … [Neville trips and pulls Ron with him into a bunch of suits of armour.]

The clanging and crashing were enough to wake the whole castle.

“Okay, I really appreciate your optimism, James, but I just don’t see how they could possibly get out of this one without getting caught,” Lily said, face a little pale as the blood drained from it quickly.

She wasn’t used to being the one to break the rules—she was usually the one who made sure others respected them. It felt weird to vote for the kid who was wandering the castle after curfew.

[Harry:] RUN!

… the four of them sprinted down the gallery, … Harry in the lead without any idea where they were …

[Harry:] I think we’ve lost him, …

[Hermione, panting:] I—told—you, … I—told—you.

James looked equally terrified and thrilled at the events he was reading aloud. “Shut her up, already! This isn’t the time to play the Blame Game!” he called in frustration.

“I mean, she was righ—”

“No! Not now. This isn’t the time—there’s always time to scold each other later, when you’re safe. Now is the time to run like hell back to Gryffindor Tower and hope no one sees you on your way there,” he cut her off.

Lily noticed a gleam in his eyes, like he was in his element now, talking about things he understood better than most. And it must have been true with how many times he probably ended up wandering around the castle at night.

[Ron:] We’ve got to get back to Gryffindor Tower, …

[Hermione:] Malfoy tricked you, … You realise that, don’t you? … Malfoy must have tipped [Filch] off.

… she was probably right, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. …

“I’m with Harry.” James shook his head. “Even if Hermione does want to keep them out of trouble and be their friend, she’s going about it the wrong way. They don’t need her to babysit them.” He hummed. “If anything—she’s clever. They could use her to get out of tough spots.”

“So she should be like Remus—the responsible one that’s there to help, but also scolds you later for doing another stupid thing?” Lily asked.

“Yeah—no!” James tried to glare at her, but his lips were tugging upwards. “They’re different. Definitely different. Remus has this sense for adventure, too, even if he goes about it in a different way than we do. Trust me—he wouldn’t have gone along with our antics if he didn’t want to. Hermione… well, I’m not sure about her, yet. She’s a Gryffindor, but I honestly don’t see why, yet.”

… a doorknob rattled and something came shooting out of a classroom … It was Peeves. He caught sight of them and gave a squeal of delight.

Lily sighed deeply and let her head fall onto James’s shoulder. “It’s official—they have the worst luck. The next thing they need is to run into Severus—he’ll make this night memorable, all right.”

[One of the four, who knows:] Shut up, Peeves—please—you’ll get us thrown out.

“Ooh… that’s definitely the wrong thing to say,” James said with a wince.

… [Peeves:] Naughty, naughty, you’ll get caughty. … Should tell Filch, I should, …

“Get out of the way.” snapped Ron, taking a swipe at Peeves …

James made a so-so gesture. “It would only speed things up—Peeves would have attracted Filch’s attention, anyway,” he explained. “Though I bet if they run and hide, Peeves won’t actually tell Filch where they went off to—they don’t get along, after all. It would be like a game to him.”

“How many times did you end up in this situation that you know exactly what to do?” Lily asked while raising her head again to look at him, a little impressed but mostly disturbed by the fact that she was dating James Potter.

She suddenly remembered very clearly all those times she was sitting in the common room and the door opened to reveal him—usually with one of the other Marauders, at least—crawling in when they were supposed to be in bed, already. It always upset her to think they didn’t seem to adhere to any school laws or rules. They did whatever they wanted to, and didn’t care about the consequences.

So yes, a part of her noticed how strange it was that this fact no longer bugged her as much as it used to. She no longer looked at James, thinking he was annoying for breaking rules left and right. It just didn’t matter as much. Besides, it looked like a pretty important skill to have during a time of war, where people could use the help of some trickery.

James must have answered her, but Lily was so busy just staring at him, lost in her own thoughts, to take in a single word. Blinking furiously, she tried to focus on him again, and found him just staring back, a fond smile on his face—the kind of smile Lily never knew how to interpret before she realised James was serious when he kept on claiming that he liked her.

Usually he sent her way his charming smile—the one he flashed all around after winning a Quidditch match. But there were those moments when James must have thought she wasn’t looking—then she saw this rare smile that seemed to appear on his face a lot more over the course of the last day or so.

Or maybe it was since the beginning of the year.

“Er…” Lily felt the blood rush to her face. “The book?”

“Right!” James snapped his head back down sharply. For once, there was a hint of red on his cheeks.

… [Peeves:] STUDENTS OUT OF BED DOWN THE CHARMS CORRIDOR!

Ducking under Peeves … they slammed into a door—and it was locked.

… [Ron:] We’re done for! This is the end!

… [Hermione:] Oh, move over, … Alohomora!

Perking up, the boy gestured toward the purple book. “See? She’s useful—she just needs to become a pleasant person to be around, as well.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her next time I run into her.”

… the door swung open—they piled through it, … and pressed their ears against it,

… [Filch:] where did they go?

[Peeves:] Shan’t say nothing if you don’t say please, …

[Filch:] please.

[Peeves:] NOTHING! Ha haaa!

… they heard the sound of Peeves whooshing away …

Lily had to give it to James—he really did know too much about strolling through the castle at night. She knew that was right, of course, but there was always the off chance that he might be wrong about Peeves this time around. It’s in the future—who’s to say everyone would be exactly the same?

Still, he was right about this time, at least.

… [Harry:] I think we’ll be OK—get off, Neville! …

[Neville’s been gripping Harry’s robes in distress.]

[Harry:] What?

Harry turned around—and saw, quite clearly, what.

“Oh, no.”

She turned to look at James quizzically. He looked a little pale, now, his eyes nearly bulging out. “What? What is it? Did you read ahead without me or something?”

“Lily, they’re in the corridor of the third floor!” he explained. Lily furrowed her eyebrows, not understanding at first. Then the memory of that warning Dumbledore had given sprang into her mind at once and she paled, clutching the armrest of her chair. “Do I remember it wrong, or did he mention something about… painful death?”

“Keep reading!”

For a moment, he was sure he’d walked into a nightmare … They were in a corridor. The forbidden corridor on the third floor. … They were looking straight into the eyes of a monstrous dog, … It had three heads. [Description of the monstrous dog.]

Lily’s mouth went dry as she pictured that dog. She thought she would have possibly fainted in the face of such a thing. It fit Hagrid’s idea of a cute pet, but it sounded like a strange thing to put in a random corridor inside the castle. And by James’s dropped jaw, Lily figured he was thinking the same.

… Harry groped for the doorknob—between Filch and death, he’d take Filch.

Honestly, Lily wasn’t even sure how James was still reading when his hands were shaking so much from stress, or fear, or worry, or whatever it was he was feeling. She certainly would have already dropped the book had it been her that was reading and not James.

Still, he kept going, his voice sometimes coming out more thrilled and sometimes more horror-struck. It was a strange combination, but it also suited him and this scene perfectly.

They fell backwards—Harry slammed the door shut, and they ran, … They didn’t stop running until they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady on the seventh floor.

She nearly jumped in surprise when James cleared his throat.

“I believe,” he started saying, “that I said they would come back running without getting caught.” He was smirking, but there was still anxiety written all over his face.

“Congratulations,” Lily snapped. “Does it really matter now? They nearly got themselves killed! What was that? Why is it just chilling inside Hogwarts? What is Dumbledore thinking hiding this thing inside the castle and not properly warning people about it?”

“Technically, he did say entering that corridor would lead to a painful death,” James said and ignored her heated glare.

[Fat Lady:] Where on earth have you all been? …

[Harry:] Never mind that—pig snout, …

They scrambled into the common room and collapsed, … It was a while before any of them said anything. …

[Ron:] What do they think they’re doing, keeping a thing like that locked up in a school? … If any dog needs exercise, that one does.

“That’s what he has to say?” Lily spluttered. “That the dog needs exercise?”

“He’s in shock—leave him be.”

… [Hermione:] Didn’t you see what it was standing on?

… [Harry:] I wasn’t looking at its feet, I was too busy with its heads.

“Which is the smart thing to do in this situation—way to go, Harry.” James frowned a little, though. “I am intrigued as to what the dog was standing on, though, I guess.”

… [Hermione:] It was standing on a trapdoor. It’s obviously guarding something.

Lily’s mind was racing. Guarding something? “The package—the one from Gringotts that someone tried to steal,” she said airily, barely managing to say the words properly. James looked like he was coming to the same conclusion. “Dumbledore moved it from Gringotts to Hogwarts. Hagrid said so himself—Gringotts is the safest place in the world—after Hogwarts. Whatever’s in that package, the three-headed dog is guarding it.”

James nodded slowly, pondering the words without saying a word for a few, long seconds. “You’re probably right. Now we just need to wait for Harry to put it all together, too, then.” He leaned back in his chair. “It shouldn’t take him long, I think.”

… [Hermione:] We could all have been killed—or worse, expelled. … I’m going to bed.

It wasn’t even surprising when James started snickering at Hermione’s words. Lily felt like she was going to laugh about her priorities, too. She didn’t want to get expelled from Hogwarts, sure, but between getting killed and getting expelled, she’d take expulsion any day of the week. It wasn’t exactly a tough choice to make.

A couple of seconds later James managed to read again, a small smile remaining on his face.

… [Ron:] You’d think we dragged her along, wouldn’t you?

But Hermione had given Harry something else to think about … It looked as though Harry had found out where the grubby little package from vault seven hundred and thirteen was.

James whistled. “I know I said it wouldn’t take much time for him to figure it out, but I didn’t mean he would instantly know what was under that trapdoor.” He shook his head fondly. “I’m kind of proud of him—it’s weird. It feels really, really weird.”

Lily sent him a smile. “I know what you mean.”

Notes:

You guys... my thought are so scattered lately, I'm trying to finish writing the reaction of the last couple of chapters of the second book, but I feel like I can't concentrate enough because Lily and James just go from madly terrified to laughing at the few funny parts. Like, I'm experiencing mood swings or something (I don't. I'm just incapable of thinking like a human being, I think).

Anyway, I hope I'll be able to write it properly without messing anything up too badly. I'd hate to ruin the entire ending of that fic. It would definitely suck.

Cya soon! :)

Chapter 10: Halloween

Lily waited patiently for James to drink the potion to fix up his throat. She tried suggesting reading from the book herself, but James mentioned voices again and she gave up. She didn’t feel like doing the voices, all right? She wanted to focus on the story rather than on what each character should sound like. This wasn’t a regular story-time session, after all.

Besides, she had other things to think about—like how the book seemed to constantly bring them back to that thing Hagrid had taken (will take?) from vault seven hundred and thirteen. Like it wasn’t just something happening in the background, but important for the plot—and by plot, Lily meant Harry.

This kid wasn’t a copy of either one of them—that was pretty obvious. He was a lot more responsible than James, but his adventurous, curious part was still there, making him do more than a few reckless things, and getting him into dangerous, tight situations like how he just ended up running from a corridor with a three-headed dog guarding a trapdoor.

Harry was smart most of the time, though she didn’t know how he did academically as of yet because the book hasn’t mentioned much about his own progress in his classes—she hoped he was doing fine. He had his less than stellar moments (which James liked to point out), but they were outnumbered by the good things Lily could see in the eleven-year-old kid.

The point was—Harry was a mystery. He was someone Lily couldn’t understand completely because he wasn’t just like them—he was his own person with his own quirks that sometimes overlapped with their own personalities and habits. It was hard to successfully predict his next move because she didn’t know him, and she didn’t know which choice he might make at any given moment.

But the fact that this book kept on insistingly bringing back up the package from Gringotts made her squirm a little—she never would have gone out looking for it herself. James would’ve, though. She never would have tried to look too much into what was in the package, because it had nothing to do with her—and even if she was curious, that didn’t concern her. James would’ve, though.

And from the looks of it, Harry was piecing things together about the package without even trying. He didn’t try getting more information from anyone—he just made the connections when he saw them (and Lily assumed those connections were true). The question was whether or not he would actually do something with this knowledge once he had all the answers.

She didn’t know what he would do, frankly. She wasn’t sure what might happen, but if the book bringing this part up over and over again was anything to go by—this package from Gringotts was important to Harry’s year at Hogwarts. After all, the book didn’t decide to tell them all about Harry’s History of Magic classes (thank God for that). There had to be a reason as to why it kept on coming up. (Except for the obvious part about Harry thinking about it way too often, that is.)

“All right, ready for our next chapter, Evans?” James snapped her out of her own thoughts, and Lily smiled and nodded at him to begin.

… Harry and Ron thought that meeting the three-headed dog had been an excellent adventure …

“They call that an excellent adventure?” Lily shrieked. “They could have died!”

Her boyfriend chuckled. “Come on, cheer up—it’s not like they’re deciding to go look around for something else to try and kill them. They just think it was fun because it was different from what they normally do. Classes become dull after a while without having anything interesting happening in between, you know.”

Lily pursed her lips. “I guess I don’t know,” she said sternly. “Come on, Hogwarts is fun for us, isn’t it? And I—unlike you—don’t go out looking for monsters to tear me apart.”

“Of course you have fun—you’re in the same year as me. You just sit back, relax and let the others entertain you in between.” He smirked at her, and Lily opened her mouth to protest when she found herself hesitating.

Have the Marauders not made life in the castle more… interesting? Sure, she was furious with them most of the time, but they did do some pretty weird things that cut through the routine of waking up, eating breakfast, going through the motions of the day, eating, and going to bed.

James continued, saying, “You just don’t know what it would have been like without all of the chaos you claim to hate so much.”

“I don’t hate it…” she said in a small voice. James looked at her sceptically. “I don’t hate it anymore,” she stressed out.

The boy’s eyes twinkled as he smiled in satisfaction and went back to the book.

… they spent a lot of time wondering what could possibly need such heavy protection. … they didn’t have much chance of guessing what it was without further clues.

James made a disappointed face. “Yeah, they can’t go any further now, huh? Such a shame…”

“What do you want them to figure it out for? They are not going back to that three-headed dog. That’s not happening!”

“No, they’d be crazy to go back there,” James said quickly. “I wouldn’t have gone back to that corridor if it were me… I think,” he added in a small voice that made Lily narrow her eyes at him. “But I want to know what was so important that someone tried to steal it from Gringotts. And what’s Dumbledore guarding inside the castle? It’s a mystery! Don’t you like mysteries?”

Not when it meant she had to risk her life.

… Hermione was now refusing to speak to Harry and Ron, but she was such a bossy know-it-all that they saw this as an added bonus.

Lily cringed. “I feel like I shouldn’t agree with them…”

“…but they’re kind of right,” James finished for her.

Lily tried to imagine her own interactions with James a little differently. From the get-go, the Marauders never seemed to care about how much she didn’t like them—they didn’t avoid her or anything—they even liked her despite the fact that she detested everything they did. But what if they were more like Harry and Ron, who were glad Hermione wasn’t talking to them?

Honestly, she probably would have found this much better than enduring their constant presence around her. But she would have regretted it in hindsight.

… [A week later the owls come with the post in the morning, everyone notices] a long thin package carried by six large screech owls.

A grin split James’s face. “A broom!” he exclaimed. “Harry gets his first broom!” he said happily.

… the owls soared down and dropped it right in front of [Harry] … another owl dropped a letter …

DO NOT OPEN THE PARCEL AT THE TABLE.

It contains your new Nimbus Two Thousand, … Oliver Wood will meet you tonight on the Quidditch pitch …

Professor M. McGonagall

James laughed giddily. Lily could almost imagine him drooling over the new broomstick. “Minnie was the one to get him a broom—Harry got a broom from McGonagall—I’m never going to forget that,” James said. “And she got him that last model that came out, too—I bet she thinks he’s really good if she bothered with doing something like that.”

“Not to mention the fact that she managed to go around the rule about first-years,” Lily added. “I guess it wouldn’t be too hard with Dumbledore at the top—he probably didn’t have any problem with allowing Harry to be a part of the team despite being too young.” Then Lily bit her lip, slightly anxious. “You don’t think he’s going to get hurt too badly, do you?”

“He’s going to be fine.” James didn’t even sound a little bit worried about it. “And even if he does get hurt, it’s not going to be too serious—Madam Pomfrey would fix it in no time. You’ll see—it’s gonna be the best. Harry’ll love playing Quidditch.”

… [Ron:] A Nimbus Two Thousand! … I’ve never even touched one.

They left the Hall quickly, … the way upstairs [was] barred by Crabbe and Goyle. Malfoy seized the package from Harry and felt it.

… [Malfoy:] You’ll be for it this time, Potter, first-years aren’t allowed them.

The grin on James’s face was contagious, and Lily soon found herself smiling, too. It was hard not to when James looked so giddy, and with Malfoy saying something that, for once, didn’t sound too bad—maybe it was because they already knew that Harry had permission to hold onto this broom, unlike the other first-years.

And to think that Malfoy was the one who’d intended on bullying his father into allowing him to bring a broomstick with him.

Ron couldn’t resist it.

[Ron:] It’s not any old broomstick, … Comets look flashy, but they’re not in the same league as the Nimbus.

… [Malfoy:] I suppose you and your brothers have to save up, twig by twig.

“This is so strange,” Lily said quietly, feeling solemn and sad by what they were reading rather than upset. James glanced at her, very obviously confused about her reaction to the story. “I mean, we get to read about the next generation, don’t we? And we see how different types of upbringings changes the kids.

“Harry got bullied all his life, so he turned out not being as arrogant as he could have been. Or maybe just less sure of himself. Ron comes from a nice family, so despite not liking the fact that they don’t have much and that all his things have been passed down to him, he’s a good kid (if a little rude).

“But then there are kids like Dudley or Draco who grew up a lot differently.” She frowned. “Humans don’t just come to the world mean and arrogant and spoiled—they’re raised to be this way. Tuney and her husband completely messed up their child by giving him whatever he wanted—he could scrunch up his nose and they would come rushing to him, to please him. And I bet Draco was just raised to think less of anyone who didn’t have his parents’ respect.”

She was quiet for a long moment then, contemplating this.

“I guess it’s just sad to see how they chose to do by those kids, and what the result is.”

When James turned back to look at the book, a calculating look on his face, he didn’t look upset by Malfoy’s words, anymore. He was just sad—like Lily.

… Professor Flitwick appeared …

… [Malfoy:] Potter’s been sent a broomstick, Professor, …

[Professor Flitwick:] Yes, yes, that’s right, … And what model is it?

[Harry:] A Nimbus Two Thousand, sir, … And it’s really thanks to Malfoy here that I’ve got it, …

James chuckled at Harry’s words while Lily just watched the book with a feeling of pride. She didn’t think people should be rude, but Harry wasn’t exactly rude this time—just cheeky. And he was definitely telling the truth, in a way.

[Harry and Ron go upstairs, laughing.]

[Hermione, coming from behind them:] So I suppose you think that’s a reward for breaking rules? …

James raised an eyebrow. “I thought she wasn’t speaking to them.”

“Well, it is rather annoying when someone does something wrong and not only gets away with it, but also gets a reward. I can understand why she wouldn’t mind saying something to Harry now—if only to remind him that he shouldn’t get used to this.” She gazed at James warily. “Merlin knows how many times you got something out of purely being lucky.”

“It’s a talent—guess it runs in the family,” he said cheekily.

[Harry:] I thought you weren’t speaking to us? …

[Ron:] Yes, don’t stop now, …

“Stop looking at me like that, Evans,” James said when she narrowed her eyes at him. He wasn’t looking her way, but he must have still felt her eyes on him. “I never talk to girls that way—that’s wrong. I don’t encourage that—even if she does seem to annoy them to bits every single time she’s around them,” he added as an afterthought.

Rolling her eyes, Lily leaned back in her chair.

Hermione marched away with her nose in the air.

Harry had a lot of trouble keeping his mind on his lessons that day. [He keeps on thinking about his broom and Quidditch.]

While Lily never did get the appeal that others saw in Quidditch and flying, she had to admit that it was starting to grow on her. Maybe she didn’t get how important it was to some people, or even why it was so important, but she knew that James absolutely adored the game, and she could tell Harry would love it, too.

Of course, she also hoped Harry wouldn’t end up being as arrogant or as obsessed with Quidditch as James was, but even if he was… it wouldn’t mean it wasn’t honestly something he cared about.

To be fair, people could be vain and annoying about stupid things they themselves didn’t or shouldn’t really care about. At least people like James acted that way because they sincerely loved what they were doing. Even if he loved impressing people with his skills, James Potter didn’t talk about Quidditch only to get people to like him—he just adored this game so much that it poured out of him.

Usually, whenever he would start talking about Quidditch, Lily would leave the room, too tired of hearing about how awesome the game was thanks to him. But there were moments when Lily did stay to listen to James as he talked about the subject, and nearly every single time a point would come when his arrogance would disappear in favour of showing just pure, undisguised passion. He would just stop talking about himself, and instead talk about the game itself like it was the very meaning of life.

It was ridiculous, sure—especially to Lily who didn’t view Quidditch as anything this important—but those moments revealed just how much he truly cared about this game, and not only about the fans that came with being a house team player. And Harry—he didn’t even know how to play yet and he already couldn’t concentrate on anything else! He didn’t love Quidditch, yet—he loved flying.

[Eventually, Harry and Ron unwrap the broom.]

Even Harry, who knew nothing about the different brooms, thought it looked wonderful. [Description of the broom.]

James sighed longingly. “I wish there was a picture of it,” he moaned. “It sounds marvellous…”

… Harry left the castle and set off towards the Quidditch pitch in the dusk. [Description of the Quidditch pitch.] [The hoops] reminded Harry of the little plastic sticks Muggle children blew bubbles through, …

With a snort, Lily started giggling. “I never thought about that!” she snickered.

“What’s he talking about?” James asked curiously.

“Oh, when I was kid we had these sticks with a circle at the end—Tuney and I would put it in a mixture of soap and water and then blow bubbles with it,” she said brightly. “It was just something we did to pass the time. At first we did it inside the house, but then Mum got tired of the marks it left everywhere when the bubbles popped and we had to go outside every time we wanted to play with it.”

“That sounds like a really strange game…” James said slowly, as if worried Lily might get offended.

She only shrugged, a smile still on her face as she recalled those days spent with her older sister. “Well, it was fun.”

… Harry mounted his broomstick and kicked off from the ground. …

Oliver Wood had arrived. … Harry landed next to him.

… [Wood:] I see what McGonagall meant... you really are a natural. I’m just going to teach you the rules this evening, …

“I wish I could see how well Harry’s flying,” James said. “I get that they all think he’s a natural, but how can I know how good he is just from reading about it?” he demanded. “You don’t happen to have a time-turner we can use, do you?”

“Even if I did, I wouldn’t let you go to the future, Potter,” she scoffed.

James looked a little like a kicked puppy.

… Inside [a crate] were four different-sized balls.

… [Wood:] There are seven players on each side. Three of them are called Chasers.

[Harry:] Three Chasers, …

“Oh, joy,” Lily drawled out. “I get to learn the rules again… Can’t it be enough that I’m surrounded by Quidditch fanatics? Why do I have to also read about it in my free time?”

“I just can’t believe I’m dating a girl who doesn’t like Quidditch,” James noted, sounding almost shocked at the realisation. She nudged his side playfully and brought a bright smile back to his face.

[Wood:] This ball’s called the Quaffle, … [Chasers] try and get it through one of the hoops to score a goal. …

… [Harry:] So—that’s sort of like basketball on broomsticks with six hoops, isn’t it?

James scrunched up his nose. “What’s basketball?”

Lily was grinning widely. “It is like basketball on broomsticks!” She grabbed James’s hand and shook it a little enthusiastically. “Don’t get me wrong—it’s sad that we’re dead in the future and that Harry grew up with Tuney and her husband—but I love that he learns all of those things for the first time now and that he compares them to Muggle stuff. I did the same thing all the time when I started going to Hogwarts. Maybe I still do it when I find new things, actually…”

He still looked confused. “But what’s basketball?”

“It’s a Muggle sport,” she dismissed. “Trust me—you wouldn’t like it because it’s not as exciting as Quidditch.” She rolled her eyes at that one, but James looked like the answer satisfied him, somewhat.

… [Wood:] I’m Keeper for Gryffindor. I have to fly around our hoops and stop the other team from scoring.

… [Harry:] OK, got that. So what are they for? [Gestures to the other three balls.]

… [Wood] handed Harry a small club, …

“Oh, dear…” Lily grimaced at the thought of letting a first-year deal with those barbaric balls. She wondered what might happen if Harry couldn’t swat at them—she wouldn’t have succeeded, that’s for sure. But then she scrubbed the image from her mind, determined never to think about Harry getting hit with a Bludger again.

… [Wood:] These two are the Bludgers.

… Harry noticed that they seemed to be straining to escape …

… [Wood] freed one of the Bludgers.

[The Bludger comes at Harry.] Harry swung at it with the bat to stop it breaking his nose … [Wood] managed to pin it to the ground.

James whistled, impressed. “Hey, sounds like Harry might do good as a Beater, too,” he said. “Where did he learn to swing like that? I’m pretty sure he wasn’t the one holding a stick for beating others back at the Dursleys.”

Oh, right. Lily almost forgot about the Smelting stick Dudley had. “I’m not sure, actually. Maybe school?” Though she figured it was most likely just another thing Harry was naturally good at. He did claim at the beginning to be really fast—maybe he just excelled when it came to physical activities.

… [Wood:] The Bludgers rocket around trying to knock players off their brooms. That’s why you have two Beaters on each team. …

“Er—have the Bludgers ever killed anyone?” Harry asked, hoping he sounded offhand.

James’s shoulders shook as he laughed at the question, but Lily didn’t find it funny at all.

“He’s right, you know!” she berated the boy. “Those things are dangerous! If it were me, I’d want to know what my chances of actually dying during a school match are,” she stated firmly.

“Well, nobody’s died in a school match, okay, Lily? Can you please calm down and trust the teachers? They won’t let a student die on their watch—they wouldn’t risk it if they thought it was an actual possibility,” he promised, alternating between laughing and soothing her.

She pursed her lips sternly. “It looked terrible enough when you got pelted by one of those stupid Bludgers, you know,” she said. “On our fourth year—one of them flew straight at your head from behind. You would have died had the teachers not been there to assist you immediately.”

“Cracked skull,” he recalled, looking more thoughtful than bothered. “Yeah, that one hurt, for sure. Madam Pomfrey wouldn’t let me leave—maybe she was lonely, I don’t know.”

Lily scoffed and folded her arms in frustration. “Forget about it!”

[Wood:] Never at Hogwarts. … And you don’t have to worry about the Quaffle or the Bludgers—

[Harry:] —unless they crack my head open.

“At least Harry finds it a little more worrying than you do.”

James waved his hand at her. “Give him time—I bet it wouldn’t bother him anymore after a match or two,” he said. “Or maybe after he gets hit by a Bludger for the first time.”

She was convinced he was trying to freak her out now, because this did not help.

… [Wood pulls out the last ball.]

… [Wood:] the Golden Snitch, and it’s the most important ball of the lot. … It’s the Seeker’s job to catch it. … whichever Seeker catches the Snitch wins his team an extra hundred and fifty points, … A game of Quidditch only ends when the Snitch is caught, … any questions?

“That’s madness!” Lily screeched. “Who would sit and watch the same game for such a long time?” she demanded. She sent James a look and found him staring ahead with musty eyes, as if picturing such a game in his head. “You’re unbelievable!”

“Why, thank you, Evans—I’m glad you noticed.” He smirked, and laughed when she tried to hit him but missed.

[They start practicing. Wood throws golf balls for Harry to catch.]

Harry didn’t miss a single one, and Wood was delighted. …

… [Wood:] I wouldn’t be surprised if you turn out better than Charlie Weasley, and he could have played for England if he hadn’t gone off chasing dragons.

For some reason, Lily expected James to claim that it was ridiculous of Charlie Weasley to choose dragons over Quidditch, but she must have been wrong because the boy didn’t seem to have a problem with that. Maybe dragons were risky and dangerous and thrilling enough to satisfy his mad mind.

“They keep on bringing up Charlie Weasley,” James noted. “They like comparing Harry to him because apparently Charlie was the best Quidditch player they’d had in a long time—or maybe he was just the best Seeker the team had.” He shook his head slowly. “I wonder how good he was. Or… will be, since right now I’m pretty sure he’s Molly and Arthur’s baby son.”

Lily snorted. “You just want to know if he’s better than you.”

“Well, yeah—that, too. But I’m interested to see whether Harry’s better than Charlie. I mean, they all think he’s good when he doesn’t even have experience under his belt—that must be a pretty big deal. And he did just catch all of the practice golf balls, so I’m not worried or anything…” He ruffled his hair a little. “I wish I could just see it, you know?”

Despite her lack of interest in Quidditch, Lily nodded along. “Yeah…” That would have been nice.

… Harry could hardly believe it when he realised that he’d already been at Hogwarts two months. The castle felt more like home than Privet Drive …

Professor Flitwick announced in Charms that he thought they were ready to start making objects fly, … they’d seen him make Neville’s toad zoom around the classroom.

“That poor toad…” Lily muttered.

James looked thoroughly unimpressed. “Lily, it’s a toad. And it wasn’t like Flitwick hurt Trevor—he just made him float around a bit. He let Trevor fly—it must have been a great experience.”

It was so pathetic, Lily didn’t even try and come up with an answer to that. Though she was impressed at hearing that James actually remembered the toad’s name. She definitely didn’t remember it at all.

… Harry’s partner was Seamus Finnigan (which was a relief, because Neville had been trying to catch his eye).

She wanted to claim that Neville probably wouldn’t have been a bad partner, but Lily figured that with how clumsy the boy seemed to be all the time, he would have probably been a less than thrilling partner to work with. It was a shame, really, that Harry didn’t get along with Alice’s son as well as she did with Alice, but it wasn’t really something Lily could force upon a kid—especially one she will only know for one year before tragically getting murdered.

Lily grimaced at the thought of working with someone like that girl from Hufflepuff three years below them. She wasn’t necessarily a bad partner, but with her wand the way that it was before they collected the money to get her a new one, Lily figured the students who ended up working with her probably resented their bad luck very much, even if the girl herself was pleasant enough.

Ron, however, was to be working with Hermione Granger.

James started cackling. “Oh, this should be good.”

It was hard to tell whether Ron or Hermione was angrier about this. …

… [Professor Flitwick:] remember, swish and flick. And saying the magic words properly [Barufio] said ‘s’ instead of ‘f’ and found himself on the floor with a buffalo on his chest.

“Remember what happened to Peter when he practiced that spell?” James said, amusement thick in his voice as his eyes sparkled gleefully.

Lily tried to remember the day they had all learned the Levitation Charm, but she couldn’t recall how it went for the others. She and Marlene managed it pretty well for their first time, and she was too busy feeling joy at succeeding to pay attention to anyone else in the classroom. Especially when she didn’t want anything to do with the boys in her year.

Apparently, James didn’t need her to answer. “He said the charm wrong, see, and somehow ended up conjuring a wooden flamingo. I think Sirius must have kept it. Peter didn’t want anything to do with it—I think he was panicking when he couldn’t make the spell work properly like Remus—they were partners, the two of them.”

“Wooden flamingo?” Lily giggled. She had no idea how she’d managed to miss this. It sounded like a nice story she should have remembered. “Sounds like an interesting lesson.”

“Oh, it was. Sirius blew up the feather he was practicing with. Mine floated a little before I lost concentration. We lost five points each because we couldn’t stop laughing at Peter.” He sighed. “I miss losing points for laughing—it sounds so stupid, doesn’t it?”

“A little bit, yes.” She covered her mouth to smother her laughter.

It was very difficult. … Seamus got so impatient that he prodded it with his wand and set fire to it—Harry had to put it out with his hat.

James snickered. “I guess Harry’s not a natural in Charms, then.”

“Or Transfiguration, remember? Only Hermione managed to change her match out of all of the class,” Lily added. “So… what? He’s only good at Quidditch?” She tried to mask the bitterness in her voice, but James must have noticed it because he gave her a blank look, like he couldn’t understand her for the life of him.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine. You don’t have to make it the first time around—it’s tough.” Then he smirked. “Unlike Quidditch, apparently.”

… “Wingardium Leviosa!” Ron shouted, waving his long arms like a windmill.

Lily widened her eyes. “Pretty sure that’s partly why he can’t manage to make it work,” she noted.

… [Hermione:] It’s Winggar-dium Levi-o-sa, make the ‘gar’ nice and long.

[Ron:] You do it, then, if you’re so clever, …

“Bad move, mate. She’s going to make it work on her first try, now,” James said, somewhat solemnly. At Lily’s accusing glare, he raised his free hand protectively. “What? It’s true! He’s daring her because he thinks she isn’t going to make it, but now she will and he’ll be even more frustrated.” He smirked at her. “You should know all about that—every time you dared me to try a spell and I made it, you looked like you just had to swallow something sour.”

“I did not!” Lily protested, but she knew he was probably right.

… [Hermione:] Wingardium Leviosa!

Their feather rose off the desk …

“And cue—Ron feeling worse,” James predicted.

… Ron was in a very bad temper by the end of the class.

[Ron to Harry, after class:] It’s no wonder no one can stand her, … She’s a nightmare, honestly.

Lily huffed and glared at James like he was the actual person who’d said the words. “That was extremely rude! He can’t go around saying stuff like that!”

The dry look she received from James made her squirm a little. “Well, it’s not my fault he’s acting out—I’m just reading!”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly.

[Hermione] knocked into Harry as they hurried past him. … she was in tears.

[Harry:] I think she heard you.

“You think?” they both said flatly. “Do you think they’ll apologise to her?” Lily asked.

James looked affronted. “Harry doesn’t need to apologise about this—he didn’t say anything. It was Ron! He was just there to listen to it.”

… [Ron, uncomfortably:] She must’ve noticed she’s got no friends.

“Honestly!” Lily glared at the book this time around. “Does this boy have any tact, whatsoever? He keeps on getting from bad to worse with every word that comes out of his mouth.”

Hermione didn’t turn up for the next class and wasn’t seen all afternoon. … Hermione was crying in the girls’ toilets and wanted to be left alone. … the Halloween decorations put Hermione out of their minds.

Lily didn’t exactly end up crying in the girl’s toilet after Sev had called her a Mudblood on their fifth year, but she did run to the Gryffindor Tower to be around Alice. Alice didn’t ask her about what had happened that made Lily upset enough to shed a few tears. Instead, the girl distracted her with whatever came to mind until Lily felt like she could breathe again.

Still, Lily knew what it was like to hear something awful being said about you—whether it was to your own face or behind your back—and she could relate to Hermione. So to hear that Harry and Ron didn’t do anything about it—didn’t try to make things right between them and Hermione… well, it hurt a little. It was like reopening that scar and allowing it to bleed all over again.

[Description of the Great Hall on Halloween.]

… Professor Quirrell came sprinting into the Hall, …

[Professor Quirrell:] Troll—in the dungeons—thought you ought to know.

[Professor Quirrell faints.]

Lily’s thoughts about Hermione left her brain at once as horror filled her. “Troll?” she asked. “What’s a troll doing at Hogwarts?”

James looked just as stunned. “I have no idea…” he muttered. “That’s never happened before, has it?” Then he widened his eyes widened a little. “And to think Fred and George were kidding about them having to face off a troll before.”

She frowned. “They won’t face it! Are you crazy? They’ll be taken back to Gryffindor Tower and the teachers will go after the troll. Harry and Ron have nothing to do with—Hermione doesn’t know!” she said suddenly as the realisation hit her.

“Bloody hell…” James eagerly turned back to the book.

[Dumbledore orders the Prefects to take the students back to their dormitories.]

[Harry:] How could a troll get in? …

… [Ron:] Maybe Peeves let it in for a Halloween joke.

James shook his head vehemently. “Peeves wouldn’t do that. He likes chaos, but making people panic isn’t exactly the same.” He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Besides, letting a troll into Hogwarts would be complicated—he wouldn’t know where to begin. And where would he find a troll? Would it just be lounging around the forest?” He snorted like the thought was unimaginable.

To be fair, Lily could imagine a troll lurking between those thick trees.

… Harry suddenly grabbed Ron’s arm.

[Harry:] I’ve just thought—Hermione.

“Oh, thank Merlin.” Lily closed her eyes and sagged in relief. “At least Harry cares enough.”

James made a face. “Of course he cares!”

“Now they just need to tell a teacher—or maybe Percy—”

“They wouldn’t do that, though,” James cut in, a deep frown on his face. At Lily’s confused and frantic gaze, he waved his hand like he was trying to pluck the right words off the air. “They’re the reason she’s in that toilet, remember? Trying to explain to anyone that Hermione was crying in the bathroom and needed help would mean telling someone else about Ron’s comment, and that would make them look even worse.”

Lily furrowed her eyebrows. “So, what? They’re just going to let her handle this on her own, hoping everything would be okay? Just to not look like gits?”

“Come on, Lily—you know that’s not what a Gryffindor would do in this situation,” he said with a small smirk. The colour drained from her face. James turned to face the book again. “And to think you said they won’t have to face a troll on their first year.”

“I said they’ll be lucky to come out of such a confrontation alive!” Lily shrieked. “And if I remember correctly, you supported that claim!”

… [Ron:] Oh, all right, … But Percy’d better not see us.

… They had just turned the corner when they heard quick footsteps behind them.

[Ron, pulling Harry behind a statue:] Percy! …

… they saw not Percy but Snape. He crossed the corridor and disappeared from view.

James’s eyes narrowed suspiciously and Lily tilted her head to the side. What was Sev doing? If the troll was in the dungeon, wouldn’t it mean that he should go with the other teachers to take care of it? Why was he briskly walking in a different direction?

… [Harry:] Why isn’t he down in the dungeons with the rest of the teachers?

“I like your instincts, Harry.” James nodded. “But maybe figure that out once Hermione’s safe,” he added a moment later.

… [Harry:] He’s heading for the third floor, …

James narrowed his eyes. “Is he… trying to steal that thing the dog’s guarding?” he asked. And Lily was surprised to see that the idea seemed to take James a little off guard, like he didn’t expect it even though he hated Sev pretty passionately.

“Maybe he’s trying to make sure nobody else does?” Lily suggested.

James didn’t bother replying. He didn’t need to—the look on his face was enough to let Lily know that he didn’t think she was right.

[Ron:] Can you smell something?

Harry sniffed … old socks and the kind of public toilet no one seems to clean.

The couple froze, their eyes bulging out. Lily couldn’t believe it—she knew Harry was basically telling them that Ron and he could smell the troll, but if they could smell that, then that meant the troll wasn’t in the dungeon, after all—he was really close by! As crazy as the Marauders seemed to be, they never ended up bringing a troll to Hogwarts, and they certainly never faced one on their own, as first-years.

She just couldn’t see how such a confrontation might go in Harry’s favour when he barely knew any kind of magic. Hell, he didn’t even know what a troll looked like!

… at the end of a passage to the left, something huge was moving towards them. [Description of the troll.]

Lily felt a little dizzy.

The troll stopped next to a doorway … then slouched slowly into the room.

… [Harry:] We could lock it in.

[Ron:] Good idea, …

“What? No! Just turn around and run!” Lily screeched, tugging at her hair helplessly.

James, on his part, didn’t seem inclined to say anything and instead read on eagerly, his eyes sparkling with worry, but also a fair amount of excitement that made Lily want to bite his head off.

… With one great leap, Harry managed to grab the key, slam the door and lock it.

[Harry and Ron (I think):] Yes!

The air left Lily’s lungs at once and she sagged in relief, her body going limp as she found herself leaning against James’s side. They weren’t dead. Well, of course Harry wasn’t dead—there were six more books about him. She figured it would be rather tasteless if he ended up dead in the middle of the first one.

Unlike her, though, James didn’t look relieved. He had a concentrated expression on his face, like he was trying to remember something or figure out a mystery. His body was a little rigid as he kept on reading slowly, measuredly, like he was waiting for something.

[They start running away, but then hear a scream coming from the locked room.]

… [Harry:] It’s the girls’ toilets! …

[Harry and Ron:] Hermione! …

“I knew it!” James exclaimed, looking just as pale as Ron seemed to be in the book.

Lily covered her face with both hands and tried to tell herself they would be fine. They had to be. It was Hogwarts, for goodness’s sake! If these kids weren’t safe there, there was no place safe for them. Although the fact that a troll managed to get inside did make Lily’s trust in the castle’s protections waver a little.

… Wheeling around they sprinted back to the door … they ran inside.

Hermione Granger was shrinking against the wall … The troll was advancing on her, …

[Harry:] Confuse it!

[He throws a broken piece of a sink at the wall.]

“They barely know any magic!” Lily shrieked. “What could they possibly do to this thing? And where are the teachers when you need them? How come they’re not the ones dealing with the troll?”

“Maybe they’re still looking for it,” James suggested faintly. His fingers wound up in Lily’s hair and she tried to focus on that rather than the feeling that she was reading about her future son’s impending doom. “Quirrell did say the troll was in the dungeon. They must be pretty confused right about now.”

Lily pursed her lips. “Well, they need to get to this toilet as quickly as possible and save these three idiots!”

The troll stopped a few feet from Hermione. … It hesitated, then made for [Harry] instead, lifting its club as it went.

Lily whimpered.

“Oy, pea-brain!” yelled Ron from the other side of the chamber, and he threw a metal pipe at it. …

[Harry to Hermione:] Come on, run, run!

… [Hermione] couldn’t move, …

Lily couldn’t blame her—she was terrified and she wasn’t even there to witness all of it. The troll wasn’t threatening Lily nor was it looming over James. The two of them were perfectly safe (with a war raging outside their school).

And still… maybe it was just the thought of facing a troll without having the means to defeat it. Or maybe it was that part of Lily that couldn’t help but feel connected to Harry despite not knowing him and never really giving birth to him—whatever it was, Lily cared, and she didn’t want to hear about any of the three kids getting hurt, especially not Harry.

… [The troll] roared again and started towards Ron, who was nearest and had no way to escape.

Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid:

The look on James’s wasn’t an impressed one. “So the usual, then?” he noted dryly, but was quickly shushed by Lily who nearly snatched the book from him in order to read the rest of the chapter as quickly as possible. “All right, all right—I’m reading!”

he took a great running jump and managed to fasten his arms around the troll’s neck from behind. … [Harry’s wand] had gone straight up one of the troll’s nostrils.

The laughter that burst through James’s lips startled Lily, who leaned back and watched him with wide eyes. He looked like he couldn’t stop laughing if he tried, but wasn’t very comfortable with it. She couldn’t blame him—it was funny to think about: a kid sticking a wand into the nostril of a troll. But when the kid was Harry, and when it didn’t make the troll just drop dead miraculously… well, it was still a stressful situation.

It took James a moment or two to come to his senses and stop laughing. Lily thought she saw his hand twitching toward his own wand, like he wanted to make sure it wasn’t stuck up a troll’s nose, too.

… the troll was going to rip [Harry] off or catch him a terrible blow with the club.

Hermione had sunk to the floor in fright;

… [Ron:] Wingardium Leviosa!

Lily’s mouth dropped open. “His first instinct is to try and use the charm he couldn’t perform?” she asked weakly.

Unlike her, James didn’t seem to find it as worrying. “I don’t know—stressful situations might make you perform better than you would when you’re calm. It doesn’t always work, mind you, but in this case it might make Ron’s spell work because he’s so desperate for it to not fail again. Besides, Hermione did tell him where he’d gone wrong, did she not?”

The club flew suddenly out of the troll’s hand, … and dropped, with a sickening crack, on to its owner’s head. [The troll faints.]

“See?” James said, voice almost timid as he looked shocked and amazed.

“I can’t believe it…” Lily said in awe. “They beat a troll on their own.” She grabbed James’s hand and shook it relentlessly. “They beat a troll on their own! James, these kids are either very lucky or very good at working together, but they just beat a troll on their own!”

He laughed, voice a little strangled. “Y-yeah. Looks like it.” He shook his head, as if trying to throw unnecessary thoughts out of it. “But now they’ve gotta run before they get caught. I’m not sure this would be any more pleasant to explain than it would have been to just tell a teacher why they knew Hermione was alone in the girls’ toilet all day.”

… [Hermione:] Is it—dead?

… [Harry:] I think it’s just been knocked out.

He bent down and pulled his wand out of the troll’s nose. … He wiped it on the troll’s trousers.

Lily was pretty certain that had she had a mirror, she would’ve found her face looking back at her—a little greener than usual. James sure looked like he could forego reading that last part.

It was never nice to imagine their wands getting filthy, especially when whatever it was that contaminated the wand was as appalling as what was on Harry’s wand. She really hoped he would bother cleaning it a little more later on because she couldn’t imagine holding onto something this disgusting.

… A moment later, Professor McGonagall had come bursting into the room, closely followed by Snape, with Quirrell … [Professor Quirrell] let out a faint whimper and sat quickly down on a toilet, clutching his heart.

“Some Defence Against the Dark Arts, he is,” James snorted.

Lily huffed. “Now they remember to show up? Honestly, first-years ended up doing their job for them! Can you believe it?” she exclaimed, the colour slowly returning to her face as her voice grew steadier once more. “They could have been dead by now!”

“Well, it’s not exactly the teachers’ fault—I mean, they did go in search of the troll—they just went to the wrong place.”

… Harry had never seen [Professor McGonagall] look so angry. … winning fifty points for Gryffindor faded quickly from Harry’s mind.

“He should get fifty points!” Lily exclaimed. James looked at her, but she ignored the surprise on his face. “He and Ron just took down a troll on their own! They deserve a reward for that, even if they weren’t supposed to be there!” She rounded on James. “Don’t tell me you disagree!”

“What? No! Of course I agree with you,” he spluttered, eyes wide as he opened and closed his mouth a few times. Eventually, he didn’t say anything else and instead only offered her a smile.

… [Professor McGonagall:] You’re lucky you weren’t killed. Why aren’t you in your dormitory?

… Harry looked at the floor. …

[Hermione:] Please, Professor McGonagall—they were looking for me.

[Professor McGonagall:] Miss Granger!

Lily’s fury faded in the face of hearing that Hermione came to the boys’ defence. It must have shocked James, too, because he stared at the purple book with wide eyes.

It was one thing for Hermione to help Neville, Ron and Harry when they were all running away from Filch the other night. It was quite another thing when the girl stood up to a teacher to protect the boys who were arguably the reason as to why she was even in the girls’ toilet and in close proximity to the troll in the first place.

For the first time since her first appearance in the book, Lily thought she saw a small spark of what the Sorting Hat must have seen when it put Hermione in Gryffindor.

… [Hermione:] I thought I could deal with it on my own …

Ron dropped his wand. Hermione Granger, telling a downright lie to a teacher?

Nodding numbly, James’s eyebrows were so far high up his face that they almost touched his messy hair. “No way…”

[Hermione:] If they hadn’t found me, I’d be dead now. … They didn’t have time to come and fetch anyone. …

Harry and Ron tried to look as though this story wasn’t new to them.

“If he has your acting skills, I’m sure Harry’s doing an absolutely terrible job, Evans,” James joked.

She threw him a mock glare and then grinned. She couldn’t deny that she wasn’t a good actress—she wasn’t used to lying, and whenever she did try telling a lie, it usually seemed to be pretty obvious to everyone around her. Maybe she just needed more practice, or maybe she just lacked that skill—whatever it was, she hoped Harry was more like James on that front because with the amount of trouble he seemed to attract to himself, he could use the assistance of a good poker-face.

The kind of face James could pull off when he was facing a teacher after getting caught doing something wrong.

… [Professor McGonagall:] how could you think of tackling a mountain troll on your own?

Hermione hung her head. Harry was speechless. … It was as if Snape had started handing out sweets.

This made James snigger a little. “I bet he would hand out sweets—if he poisoned them, first.”

“I still can’t see it.” Lily shook her head, a small smile on her face.

[Professor McGonagall:] Miss Granger, five points will be taken from Gryffindor for this, … you’d better get off to Gryffindor Tower. …

Hermione left.

Professor McGonagall turned to Harry and Ron.

“Give them points, give them points…” James muttered under his breath.

… [Professor McGonagall:] You each win Gryffindor five points. … You may go.

“Five points each!” James exclaimed, clearly outraged. “That’s it? That means they only got five points in total!”

Lily sighed. “They did break the rules…” She pressed her lips together as they tugged down in displeasure. “But they deserve more than that—you’re certainly right.”

They hurried out of the chamber … It was a relief to be away from the smell of the troll, …

[Ron:] We should have got more than ten points, …

[Harry:] Five, you mean, once she’s taken off Hermione’s.

“Even they see how unfair it was,” James said.

“Well, if they had gotten more points, then McGonagall should have taken more from Hermione for supposedly going to look for the troll in the first place. So maybe it’s a good thing she didn’t do much more than that—this way Gryffindor didn’t lose too much. They only gained from this.”

“They could’ve gained more points had this been fair, though,” James protested.

Lily just rolled her eyes and didn’t argue. There was no point—this hasn’t happened yet. They couldn’t change the words in the book if they wanted to, and there was really nothing they could do to make McGonagall from this future change her mind about the points she handed out.

[Ron:] Good of her to get us out of trouble like that, … Mind you, we did save her.

[Harry:] She might not have needed saving if we hadn’t locked the thing in with her, …

“Harry as the voice of reason…” James hummed thoughtfully. “I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

[They enter the common room.]

[Hermione] stood alone by the door, waiting for them. There was a very embarrassed pause. … they all said “Thanks”, and hurried off …

… Hermione Granger became their friend. There are some things you can’t share without ending up liking each other, …

Lily beamed at that. “I guess she’s a main part of Harry’s life now,” she said. “Maybe she would keep them out of trouble from now on—she does seem to respect the rules more than they do.”

“Are you kidding? They’re probably going to drag her right along with them,” James huffed.

Notes:

I admit it, okay? I FORGOT ABOUT THIS FIC! I just started writing the other Harry Potter reaction fic and I was so into it that I forgot about this one. Sorry :/

Anyway, I hope you like this chapter. It was... okay? I barely remember what I wrote in it, to be honest, and I just edited it now, so... I don't remember. I only breezed through the chapter itself, not the story... hope it's okay.

Cya! :)

Chapter 11: Quidditch

Notes:

It took a while, but I made it! Next chapter is here :D

Hope you have fun :)

Glancing down at her watch, Lily hummed thoughtfully. There was still time before dinner so they didn’t have to leave, yet. She did kind of wish she had some snacks to munch on—she found that eating a few things here and there helped her with her nerves when the exams and the O.W.Ls came around and made her almost lose her head.

A part of Lily whispered to her that when she’d agreed to finally go on a date with James Potter, this was definitely not something she would have expected—sitting around and reading about their future child together… it was stupidly unexpected.

She figured You-Know-Who was more likely to march into Hogwarts out of nowhere, without any warning, and be welcomed warmly by everyone before the world would allow Lily and James to read about the adventures of a son they didn’t have yet.

It was almost funny to think that most people who went on first dates would have probably felt a little awkward and nervous if their partner decided to just start talking about their future together—about their children and their house and their whole entire lives together. Lily probably should have freaked out more about how obvious it seemed to be that she and James would actually end up happily married with a child.

Maybe the part about their deaths made the marriage seem a little less threatening than it should have. Than it rightfully should have been. You know, in comparison…

As it was, she was sitting in the Room of Requirement next to James Potter, reading about one Harry Potter that was beginning to warm his way into her heart in a way that she never thought possible. He was a lot like James, she supposed, and a lot like her, sometimes.

He was someone she’s never seen before, but she already knew she loved him in this inexplicable way that parents usually described to people who wondered how they could just love their children so simply, so unconditionally—no matter what they did or what they looked like or what they believed in.

It still felt strange to think of Harry as her son. Her kid. Someone that would grow up inside her and will join the world to be Lily’s responsibility (until her death, that is).

But some of the instincts were already there—she feared for his safety, and was disappointed whenever he was rude to people—like to Hermione, for example. She was proud of him when he was sorted into Gryffindor, and when he became the youngest Quidditch house player in a century, and when he pulled Ron back to help Hermione with the troll.

This whole thing was insane.

Her eyes flitted over to James who had a hand on his throat, like he was checking to feel whether or not he needed more of that potion the room had provided for him earlier that day. He looked rather calm now—the high emotions that overcame him while reading about the troll in the school gone now—and the fact that Hermione was now Ron and Harry’s friend didn’t seem to deter him at all.

That part wasn’t really surprising. He was obviously sick of the girl’s naggings, but he also appreciated her from the start, if only a little. She did wonder what it would be like for the girl to hang out with two other boys instead of the other girls her age. Lily was more used to being around Alice or Marlene than the boys in her year. And the Marauders were obviously content being with one another without dealing with anyone else.

Apparently, their son wouldn’t be like them, and would spend more time with both a girl and a boy—if the friendship lasted, of course.

“Ready, Evans?” James seemed to decide not to take the potion yet, and he turned to smile at Lily, the book held open in his lap.

She grabbed his hand and intertwined their fingers before nodding at him. James looked like he was actually going to lose his mind just from holding her hand (which was ridiculous—it wasn’t even their first time doing so), but he focused on the words on the page and began to read in a slightly rusty voice.

As they entered November, the weather turned very cold. … The Quidditch season had begun.

James’s eyes lit up at once as he straightened up. “Yes!” He leaned forward, like he was watching a show rather than reading a book, and his face practically glowed. “There’s bound to be a Quidditch match in this chapter—I’m telling you, it’s going to happen!”

Lily’s lips twisted a little as she grimaced. “Oh… great…”

On Saturday, Harry would be playing in his first match after weeks of training: Gryffindor versus Slytherin. … people telling him he’d be brilliant or people telling him they’d be running around underneath him, holding a mattress.

The feeling of her blood draining from her face was accompanied by the whimper that escaped Lily’s lips. “A mattress?” she echoed.

“Relax, Lily—he’s going to be fine. And they just want to make him nervous in the hopes that he would fail because of it. Everyone does it all the time—Harry’s going to be perfectly fine,” James promised.

Lily wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not—she figured he was probably trying to calm her down quickly to continue with the book as soon as possible to read about the match.

Still, it was better to believe him than to fret her future son might fall off his broom and break his neck.

… [Harry] didn’t know how he’d have got through all his homework without [Hermione], … Seekers were usually the smallest and fastest players and that most serious Quidditch accidents seemed to happen to them;

Lily rounded on James at once. “Is that true?”

“Well, they are the ones the other team would like to stop because nobody wants the other team to catch the Snitch,” James shrugged, seemingly unbothered. “But it’s no big deal—I’m telling you, Harry shouldn’t get hurt. There’s no reason for anything this bad to happen to him. Clarkson—our Seeker—had his worst injury last year and it was only a broken leg. Pomfrey took care of that in minutes.”

She remembered that. One of Ravenclaw’s Beaters flung a Bludger at Clarkson and the boy’s leg was hit with a sickening crack. It was horrible, and Lily wasn’t even sure why she bothered going to the game when she had better things to do—but she promised she would join Alice…

Anyway, James was right about that—most Quidditch injuries were nothing major, and Madam Pomfrey had no problem taking care of all of the students. Lily had nothing to worry about. Besides, she was hoping to hear about Harry flying well enough to not even get hit. And he did have the best broomstick out of all the others, if the story wasn’t misleading her, somehow.

… Hermione had become a bit more relaxed about breaking rules …

James smirked. “Told you they’d get to her rather than she to them.”

Lily just huffed indignantly.

[The day before the Quidditch match, the three of them sat outside in the cold, and Hermione conjured blue flames in a jar to keep them warm.] Snape crossed the yard.

“I smell trouble,” James said suspiciously.

Lily bit her lip unsurely. “Maybe he’s just taking a walk. He’s allowed to go near them without stopping to torment anyone, you know,” she tried to defend her old friend. She wasn’t going to forgive him for getting back at James through Harry, but that didn’t mean she could just blame him for everything that was happening in the book, all right?

Harry noticed at once that Snape was limping. … He hadn’t seen the fire, but he seemed to be looking for a reason to tell them off anyway.

[Snape:] What’s that you’ve got there, Potter?

It was Quidditch through the Ages. …

[Snape:] Library books are not to be taken outside the school, … Five points from Gryffindor.

The triumphant look James sent towards Lily soon turned into a tender, sympathetic smile. The crestfallen expression on her face must have been pretty obvious, then.

“It’s not like I can’t see that he’s changed, you know,” she said as his thumb stroked the back of her hand soothingly. “I just… I can’t believe how much he’s…” she trailed off and shook her head mutely.

It felt weird when James comforted her about Sev of all people. “I’m sorry, Evans. I really, really am. Even if I don’t like Snape—I get that you two were friends.” He sounded sincere.

She just sniffed a little and gestured for him to keep on reading the book.

[Harry:] He’s just made that rule up, … Wonder what’s wrong with his leg?

[Ron:] Dunno, but I hope it’s really hurting him, …

James didn’t need to say it out loud for Lily to know he was agreeing with Ron. It didn’t matter, anyway—she was busy thinking about how weird it was that Sev was hurt. Hurt, like something had happened to him. Like he fell down the stairs or got burned from a potion or—

“Do you reckon that three-headed dog did it to him when he tried to get past it on Halloween?” James asked curiously. Lily looked at him, wondering how he knew to ask the one question that was going through her own head. “They did see him go in that direction, didn’t they?”

“Maybe he was checking to see if someone else was getting close to that corridor? The troll could have been a distraction—maybe he realised that and went to make sure nothing was amiss, and then the dog attacked him?” It sounded a little farfetched to her own ears.

James didn’t dismiss it outright, but she could tell he didn’t believe it, either.

The Gryffindor common room was very noisy that evening. … [Hermione] would never let [Harry and Ron] copy … but by asking her to read it through, they got the right answers anyway.

Bobbing his head up and down, James grinned at Lily innocently. “See? That’s why we have Remus with us,” he said proudly.

“Of course you do.” She rolled her eyes wearily.

… [Harry] told Ron and Hermione he was going to ask Snape if he could have [the book back].

[Ron and Hermione:] Rather you than me,

… Snape wouldn’t refuse if there were other teachers listening.

“Interesting plan. I love his friends’ support and faith, though.”

Lily anxiously twisted her fingers. “Interesting plan—sure—but is it worth anything? What if he’s not with other teachers? What if Sev doesn’t care about them having an audience?”

“What’s the worst he can do? He can’t give Harry detention for asking for a book back. He can maybe yell at him, I guess, but I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t be the first time an adult yelled at Harry for something as simple as a question.”

That didn’t exactly make Lily feel better.

[Harry knocks on the teachers’ room door. When he gets no answer twice, he tries checking to see if the book is inside, anyway] and a horrible scene met his eyes.

Lily felt a little numb by this point. “What now?” she asked tiredly. “Is it a three-headed dragon?”

James snickered.

… One of [Snape’s] legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages.

“I’d say it’s around the same spot on the scale of horrible sights with that dragon, Lil.”

She looked at him flatly and laughed sarcastically.

… [Snape:] How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?

James grinned like Christmas came early at the sound of Severus confirming their suspicions. So he did try to get past the dog. But why? Did he try and steal what was behind the trapdoor, or was he really innocent and only came there to check on things like Lily had suggested for the sake of at least trying to think positive?

… [Snape, noticing Harry:] POTTER!

… [Harry:] I just wondered if I could have my book back.

James laughed. “He’s got guts—I’ll give him that,” he chortled. “If a teacher screamed at me like that, I probably wouldn’t have messed with them unless I had a death wish.”

She raised her eyebrows at him. “Oh, so you do know when to stop messing with people, do you? I’ve been wondering about that, actually. For about the past six years.”

“There’s only so much fun you can do during detention with McGonagall. At some point a troublemaker’s gotta learn how to wriggle out of those tight situations instead of only getting into them.”

“You’re unbelievable, James Potter.”

The charming grin he sent her was blinding. “Why, thank you, Evans.”

[Snape:] GET OUT! OUT!

… [Harry] sprinted back upstairs. …

In a low whisper, Harry told [Ron and Hermione] what he’d seen.

… [Harry:] He tried to get past that three-headed dog at Halloween! … And I’d bet my broomstick he let that troll in, to create a diversion!

The sound of a smack made Lily look at James in bafflement. The boy looked done with whatever was going on in that book.

“Tell me he didn’t. Tell me he did not just bet on his broomstick.” He locked eyes with Lily, and the brown, familiar irises that gazed at her from behind the glasses made her heart skip a beat as her stomach filled with those butterflies she was sort of getting used to by now. “This kid has got a vault full of gold at his disposal, and he goes around betting on his broomstick of all things? You never bet on a broomstick! Especially a good one like Harry’s!”

She blinked a few times and let the words sink in slowly.

“But I thought you had the same theory as Harry does,” she said slowly, evenly.

“Well, now I’m sure that’s not true. You’ll see—the universe doesn’t like it when people bet on their brooms. Snape won’t be the one to try and get that stone.” She looked at him like he was crazy—a part of her wondered if he was a little mad. “Besides, it’s a book, isn’t it? Above all, books like being misleading. It’s going to make us think we know what’s going on, and then suddenly prove us wrong,” he grumbled.

Lily stared at him. “It’s a book about the future…” she said. “It’s not like normal literature.”

“Mark my words, Lily,” was all James said.

… [Hermione:] he wouldn’t try and steal something Dumbledore was keeping safe.

[Ron:] Honestly, Hermione, you think all teachers are saints or something, … I’m with Harry. … But what’s he after? …

Harry went to bed with his head buzzing with the same question. … Harry couldn’t sleep. …

Lily glanced at James. He sounded sure of himself despite how insane his claims were. She wanted to believe him now, of course, because it meant that Sev wasn’t that terrible in the future. But so far everything seemed to point towards Severus. Severus being horrible towards everyone, Severus facing the three-headed dog, Severus knowing an awful lot about the Dark Arts…

She gulped and squared her shoulders a little. Whether James was right or not, she needed to make sure she was ready to be disappointed because so far Sev’s future made her stomach clench painfully.

The next morning dawned very bright and cold. …

[Ron or Hermione:] You’ve got to eat some breakfast.

… [Harry:] I’m not hungry.

… In an hour’s time he’d be walking on to the pitch.

“Aw, he’s nervous,” Lily cooed.

“It’s his first game!” James exclaimed cheerfully. “Of course he’s nervous—everyone’s nervous their first time.” He beamed at her. “I nearly threw up before my first game. Sirius basically force-fed me because I refused to put anything in my mouth, and then before I mounted my broom, I had this moment when I was sure I would end up sick in front of the entire school.”

Lily didn’t know that. “How’d you get over it?”

A longing sigh left his mouth as a dreamy grin spread across his face. “I flew up and everything just sort of… fell away,” he said. Lily grimaced. “I get that you don’t feel the same way, but for me—and I bet that for Harry it feels the same way—being in the air is like being where you belong. It feels natural.” He shrugged.

She shook her head. “You’re right—I don’t feel even remotely the same.”

[Seamus:] Harry, you need your strength, … Seekers are always the ones who get nobbled by the other team.

[Harry:] Thanks, Seamus, …

James laughed, but Lily just felt anxious all over again. She crossed her fingers and hoped for the best. Harry would be fine. The game would end quickly. Harry would catch the Snitch. Gryffindor would win. Yeah—it was going to be great. Plus, you know, it was a special day—Harry’s first match! Wow!

She managed a small smile.

… Ron and Hermione joined Neville, Seamus and Dean the West Ham fan … [They’d made Harry a banner to support him from the stands.]

Lily’s smile grew wider. “They’re such good friends!”

“Yeah. When I played for the first time I kept on hearing Sirius encouraging me to crash into the teachers watching the game,” James noted dryly.

Lily found that it sounded familiar—she must have heard Sirius when she came to watch the game with Alice all those years ago.

… [Wood to the team:] OK, men, … And women, … This is it.

[Fred:] The big one, …

[George:] The one we’ve all been waiting for, …

[Fred to Harry:] We know Oliver’s speech by heart, …

“I honestly love those two,” James snickered.

They were rather funny, Lily thought as she squeezed James’s hand just a little bit tighter, knowing the game would begin any second now, most likely.

[Wood:] Shut up, you two, … We’re going to win. I know it. … Good luck, all of you.

James didn’t even seem to notice Lily’s death grip because he was too engrossed in reading about the game, his eyes shining brightly and his entire body buzzing excitedly from anticipation.

Harry followed Fred and George out …

… Harry thought [Marcus] Flint [the captain of the Slytherin team] looked as if he had some troll blood in him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw the fluttering banner high above, … He felt braver.

James shrugged. “Whatever works for him—as long as he doesn’t get sick in the middle of the pitch, too. That would just be embarrassing. And I’m sure one of the teachers would somehow know about it nearly happening to me just when it’s so convenient,” he muttered.

“It’ll be fine,” Lily said hollowly.

James looked at her with raised eyebrows. “You all right, Lil?”

“I’m perfect. You?” Her voice was wavering, and her face felt a little stiff. She was so nervous her hands were sweating, but James still didn’t let go of her.

“It will be fine,” he told her firmly.

“It’ll be fine,” she echoed.

… Harry clambered on to his Nimbus Two Thousand. … Fifteen brooms rose up, high, high into the air. They were off.

[Commentary:] And the Quaffle is taken immediately by Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor—what an excellent Chaser that girl is, and rather attractive, too—

James started snickering immediately and Lily broke into a small smile at the ridiculous commentary. When James continued talking, his voice still held that same mirth, like he knew it would be this funny during the rest of the game, too.

[Professor McGonagall:] JORDAN!

[Commentary:] Sorry, Professor.

… Lee Jordan, was doing the commentary for the match, …

“This should be fun,” James said, sounding absolutely delighted.

… [Lee:] Slytherin captain Marcus Flint gains the Quaffle and off he goes … he’s going to sc—no, stopped by an excellent move by Gryffindor Keeper Wood and Gryffindor take the Quaffle … hit in the back of the head by a Bludger—Quaffle taken by Slytherin … he’s blocked by a second Bludger—sent his way by Fred or George Weasley, can’t tell which … Johnson back in possession of the Quaffle, … GRYFFINDOR SCORE!

James cheered as if he was actually one of the people in the audience watching the game, but Lily just stared blankly ahead. She was absolutely not following the game. It was hard enough to follow it while watching all of the players with her own two eyes—reading about it just confused her even more, especially when she didn’t know these names at all.

Unlike her, though, it looked like James was capable of imagining the whole game just by listening to this commentary—or at least he got a picture of most of it. He was grinning like mad and bouncing in his seat in excitement, clearly liking every moment of this game. Lily wasn’t even sure it mattered to him that Harry was one of the players—James was just happy to hear about Quidditch.

… [Hagrid:] Budge up there, move along.

[Ron and Hermione:] Hagrid!

Ron and Hermione squeezed together …

“Whoa, he came to watch the game? He never does that!” James pouted like it hurt him deeply.

“He probably usually watches it from his hut,” Lily said, voice still a little shaky. There hasn’t been a single mention of Harry so far, and she wasn’t sure what to think about it.

“Bin watchin’ from me hut,” said Hagrid, patting a large pair of binoculars round his neck,

Lily smiled smugly at James.

… [Hagrid:] No sign of the Snitch yet, eh?

[Ron:] Nope, … Harry hasn’t had much to do yet.

[Hagrid:] Kept outta trouble, though, that’s somethin’, …

… Harry was gliding over the game, …

… [Wood, back during training:] We don’t want you attacked before you have to be.

“We don’t want you attacked at all!” Lily protested.

“Calm down, Lily. He’s doing fine, see? He’s just circling above the other players—he’s still safe.”

… once a Bludger decided to come pelting his way, … Harry dodged it and Fred Weasley came chasing after it.

Lily whimpered a little but didn’t interrupt James’s enthusiastic reading.

… [Lee:] Slytherin in possession, … wait a moment—was that the Snitch?

… Adrian Pucey dropped the Quaffle, too busy looking over his shoulder at the flash of gold that had passed his left ear.

“We should use this as an actual strategy,” James hummed thoughtfully. Lily eyed him warily. “What? It’s not cheating—it’s just the commentary… helping out a little. It’s not my fault some of the players forget themselves when the Snitch appears—they shouldn’t just stop the game to watch the Seekers.”

… [Harry] dived downwards after the streak of gold. … [The Chasers] hung in mid-air to watch.

“Idiots! Keep on playing!” James yelled.

“They can’t hear you! All you’re doing is screaming in my ear—which isn’t appreciated!” Lily yelled right back.

At least he had the decency to look slightly sheepish at her words.

… [Harry] put on an extra spurt of speed— WHAM! … Marcus Flint had blocked Harry on purpose and Harry’s broom span off course, …

[Gryffindors:] Foul! …

Lily had the feeling that James screamed that word of the Gryffindors from the bottom of his heart. She eyed him from her seat, but didn’t say anything as she forced her heart to stop beating so erratically. So what if Harry nearly fell off his broom? He was still okay and he didn’t actually get hurt. Everything was fine.

Just fine.

… in all the confusion, of course, the Golden Snitch had disappeared …

… [Dean:] Send him off, ref! Red card!

James looked confused now. “What in the bloody hell is a red card?” he asked.

“It’s a football thing,” Lily chuckled weakly. “You get a yellow card if you break the rules once as a warning, and then a red one if you break them again—then you’re sent off the pitch and you can’t play anymore.”

He grimaced. “I’m not sure how to feel about that.”

… [Ron:] You can’t send people off in Quidditch …

… [Hagrid:] Flint coulda knocked Harry outta the air.

… [Lee:] So—after that obvious and disgusting bit of cheating—

[Professor McGonagall:] Jordan! …

[Lee:] I mean, after that open and revolting foul—

[Professor McGonagall:] Jordan, I’m warning you—

“Go, Lee!” James laughed. He turned to Lily, his face so open and happy that Lily had trouble looking away from him. “We need someone to do this job like he does—it sounds hilarious.” He glanced at the other books on the coffee table and furrowed his brows a little. “I wonder who’s going to replace him once he’s out of Hogwarts. I hope it won’t be someone not as funny because this is definitely one of the best commentaries I’ve heard.”

“It is pretty funny…” Lily nodded along. “I think McGonagall’s anger adds to it, somehow.”

James snorted. “Upsetting her is a risky move that I’m proud of him for doing.”

[Lee:] All right, all right. Flint nearly kills the Gryffindor Seeker, which could happen to anyone, I’m sure, … Gryffindor still in possession.

It was as Harry dodged another Bludger … His broom gave a sudden, frightening lurch.

James fell quiet instantly and suddenly Lily could see that worry from before—when Ron and Harry had faced the troll last chapter—returning to his face, making his shoulders hunch. Apparently he cared about Harry more than he cared about Quidditch. Lily wasn’t actually sure about that until this moment.

“It shouldn’t happen,” James said.

“Of course it shouldn’t—unless someone’s messed with his broom,” Lily said, unsure about whether she should be angry at something ruining Harry’s first game, or frightened by what this might mean.

Shaking his head, James looked uncertain. “But I’m sure nobody would have had access to the broom in advance. And no student would be able to affect a broom—it’s too powerful a magic for a student. They make these brooms with pranksters in mind—they don’t want anyone to mess with someone in the air.”

Lily’s breath hitched. “But there are teachers there, so it’s not like nobody will be there to notice this and help Harry, right?”

A dark shadow passed over James’s features for a brief moment. “That’s what I’m worried about.”

She had no idea what he meant by that, but was too anxious to hear more to actually ask.

For a split second, he thought he was going to fall. … He’d never felt anything like that.

It happened again. It was as though the broom was trying to buck him off. … he realised that his broom was completely out of his control. … It was zig-zagging through the air …

“Can nobody see this?” Lily shrieked angrily.

James was quiet, a crease forming between his eyebrows as he stared intently at the page.

… [Lee:] Flint with the Quaffle … hit hard in the face by a Bludger, hope it broke his nose … Slytherin score—oh no...

… No one seemed to have noticed that Harry’s broom was behaving strangely. …

[Hagrid:] Dunno what Harry thinks he’s doing, … I’d say he’d lost control of his broom... …

“Hagrid, don’t just stand there!” Lily snapped. “Tell someone about it that isn’t a first-year!” she groaned and buried her face in her hand. “Why are these things happening to Harry? How come he always ends up in some kind of danger or really strange situations?”

James shook his head slowly, still looking uncharacteristically serious. “I’m not really sure, but it looks like this time someone’s actually targeting him specifically.”

Suddenly, people were pointing up at Harry all over the stands. … Harry’s broom had given a wild jerk … He was now dangling from it, …

“What the hell are the teachers doing?” Lily demanded.

… [Hagrid:] Can’t nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic …

Dark Magic? Lily immediately thought of Severus but… but she just couldn’t imagine him hating Harry enough to throw him off a broomstick to hurt or even kill him. It was insane. It wasn’t something her old friend would do… right?

James didn’t quite look like he knew what to think, either. She thought about his claim earlier—that the book would try and make it look like Sev was behind everything going wrong, and that they shouldn’t fall for it. But his determination to believe this didn’t come from thinking Severus was innocent—it came from a silly notion that said the universe wouldn’t agree with Harry because the boy bet on his broom.

Was he still holding on to that theory now that Harry was in trouble, or was he back to thinking Sev was the bad guy? Lily wasn’t sure what she herself was thinking, to be honest.

… Hermione seized Hagrid’s binoculars, … she started looking frantically at the crowd.

… [Hermione:] I knew it, … Snape—look.

… [Snape] had his eyes fixed on Harry and was muttering non-stop under his breath.

James had such a pinched expression, Lily thought he might just snap and blow up at any given moment. She knew a lot about jinxing after six full years of education, of course, and Lily knew that what Sev was doing was definitely a bad sign—he sure looked like he was doing something to Harry’s broom.

Tears sprang into her eyes, unbidden. “He’s trying to kill my child,” she whispered in horror.

The boy next to her was still not speaking apparently, but he did slip his hand out of hers in favour of pulling her close. Never before did Lily think she’d find herself thinking James Potter was the safest sanctuary she could find, yet the thought flitted through her mind as she sat there and accepted the fact that this felt nice and safe and secure.

… [Ron:] What should we do?

[Hermione:] Leave it to me.

… the Weasleys flew up to try and pull Harry safely on to one of their brooms, … every time they got near him, the broom would jump higher still. They dropped lower and circled beneath him, … Marcus Flint seized the Quaffle and scored five times without anyone noticing.

James shook his head in annoyance. “Idiot—no one cares about the game with Harry about to fall off!” he stated.

“I’m glad Ron’s brothers are looking out for Harry, though,” Lily noted shakily. She felt James’s nod more than she saw it.

… [Hermione] was now racing along the row behind [Snape]; … she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front.

“There!” James jumped suddenly, jerking Lily and making her sit back in alarm, his hand falling from around her limply. He didn’t even seem to mind it—he just pointed at the line on the page, urging Lily to look at it, too. “There—she’s going to do something to stop Snape, and we’re going to believe it really was him, but I bet he’s just saying the counter-curse to try and save Harry. It’s trying to trick us!”

Lily wrinkled her nose. “What?”

“Come on, Lil, I hate Snape, but even I can tell that as nasty as he might be towards Harry, he wouldn’t actually get your son killed—he cares about you too much, even now.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “We ran into each other this morning, before the Quidditch practice. He tried to get me to admit that I’m playing some kind of a trick or a prank on you. I hate that he cares, but he does.”

He locked eyes with her, and Lily searched them urgently, wanting to see some kind of confirmation to tell her that James wasn’t kidding or blowing things out of proportions.

He sure looked sure enough of his theory… “So who do you think did it, then? Who’s jinxing Harry’s broom?” Instead of saying anything, James pointed at the last line again. “She didn’t even stop to say sorry as she knocked Professor Quirrell headfirst into the row in front,” Lily read, and then looked at James with the most deadpan expression she could muster. “Quirrell? The stuttering professor? You’re mad.”

That made him pause a little. “What if he’s faking it, though?” he suggested.

“Then he’ll win a prize for the best actor in that school. Look”—she offered him a small smile—“I appreciate you trying to defend Severus all of a sudden, but even if Sev’s innocent, blaming Quirrell might be taking it a bit far.”

He opened his mouth to argue but then snapped it shut, hesitated for a brief moment, and then smirked at her. “Let’s bet on it, shall we? If it’s not Quirrell, I’m going to… er… not talk about Quidditch for a month—unless it’s for practice.”

Lily leaned in. “I’m listening.”

“If it is Quirrell, though, you’ll have to take one flight around the Quidditch pitch with me.”

That made her feel queasy already, but Lily still kept on grinning at him confidently. “You’re on.”

“Perfect! Let’s read then, shall we?”

… Bright blue flames shot from her wand on to the hem of Snape’s robes.

It took perhaps thirty seconds for Snape to realise that he was on fire. … she scrambled back along the row …

… Harry was suddenly able to clamber back on to his broom.

James’ lips twitched. “I can’t believe we never tried to set fire to him before,” he said, somewhat sombrely.

Lily scoffed.

[Ron:] Neville, you can look!

Neville had been sobbing into Hagrid’s jacket …

“Aw…” Lily cringed a little. “That’s… sweet of him?”

“That’s a stupid reaction,” James countered flatly. “He could at least try and help, somehow.”

… the crowd saw [Harry] clap his hand to his mouth as though he was about to be sick—

James groaned. “Seriously? I was joking when I said it might happen to him, too,” he moaned. “I mean, what are the chances of Harry feeling like this after the game?”

“His broom nearly bucked him off—I think all those sharp twists and turns would make a lot of people sick, James,” Lily said. She could already imagine how badly that would look—Harry Potter, already famous, puking in front of the entire school on his first Quidditch match as the youngest player in a century. It won’t be pleasant, that’s for sure.

… [Harry] coughed—and something gold fell into his hand.

“No way!” James’s jaw was nearly on the floor as he gawked at the book in his hand, looking amazed. Lily’s head was spinning—did this really just happen? “He caught the Snitch! He caught the Snitch, Lily! He won the game!”

“He didn’t catch it—he gulped it!” Lily countered, though she was grinning just as madly as James, her heart swelling at the thought of Harry doing something this amazing moments after he nearly tumbled down from his broom. How long has he been hanging there, seeing the Snitch but unable to actually reach it? How desperate was he, that instead of catching the Snitch, he swallowed it? “Is this even allowed?”

James snorted. “I’ve never heard of a rule that says it’s not!” He laughed. “I guess nobody thought this might happen.”

[Harry:] I’ve got the Snitch!

… the game ended in complete confusion.

“Can you imagine all of the school just sitting or standing there, so baffled by this whole game and how it had ended? I’d be completely lost at this point.”

James kept on laughing, clearly enjoying Gryffindor’s win. Lily happily joined him—she didn’t care for Quidditch, but Harry just won his first match and he wasn’t a stain on the grass of the pitch, which was a good thing, too.

[Flint:] He didn’t catch it, he nearly swallowed it,

… Lee Jordan was still happily shouting the result … Harry heard none of this, though. He was being made a cup of strong tea back in Hagrid’s hut, …

“Go celebrate, you—”

“He nearly died—let him calm down around the three people he actually cares about,” Lily cut him off, and James grumbled a little but kept on reading reluctantly, nonetheless.

[Ron:] It was Snape, … He was cursing your broomstick, …

[Hagrid:] Rubbish, … Why would Snape do somethin’ like that?

… [Harry:] He tried to get past that three-headed dog … he was trying to steal whatever it’s guarding.

… [Hagrid:] How do you know about Fluffy? …

Once again, James was laughing, but Lily just sort of gaped at the book, feeling lightheaded. Hagrid knew that thing? And it was called Fluffy of all things? It had to be a joke, right? Who called a monster like the one her son would encounter in the future Fluffy? It was ridiculous!

… [Hagrid:] he’s mine … I lent him to Dumbledore to guard the—

[Harry:] Yes? …

James grimaced. “Ooh, so close.”

… [Hagrid:] That’s top secret, that is.

[Harry:] But Snape’s trying to steal it.

… [Hagrid:] Snape’s a Hogwarts teacher, he’d do nothin’ of the sort.

[Hermione:] So why did he just try and kill Harry? …

The afternoon’s events certainly seemed to have changed her mind about Snape.

Lily couldn’t even blame her. It did look bad. And apparently, other than James and Hagrid, everyone seemed to believe Sev really was responsible for everything—even Lily kind of believed it. It just made too much sense—even if she didn’t want it to.

[Hermione:] I know a jinx when I see one, … You’ve got to keep eye contact, and Snape wasn’t blinking at all, …

[Hagrid:] I’m tellin’ yeh, yer wrong! … Snape wouldn’ try an’ kill a student! … yer meddlin’ in things that don’ concern yeh. … that’s between Professor Dumbledore an’ Nicolas Flamel—

James brightened up again, grinning from ear to ear. “Ding, ding, ding! We got our next clue, ladies and gentlemen!” he called triumphantly. Lily chuckled at him but didn’t say a word. James turned to her. “Who’s Nicolas Flamel, Evans?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. Think I’ve read about him before, though. I don’t remember where exactly…” She trailed off as she wracked her brain to try and recall the page, what it looked like, where and when she’d encountered the name… She got nothing. “I don’t know—but I’m sure they’ll be on it. I don’t think Harry knows what it’s like not to be nosy.”

James put a hand over his heart and sighed. “And we love him for it so much.” He winked at her. “At least, I do.”

[Harry:] Aha! … So there’s someone called Nicolas Flamel involved, is there?

Hagrid looked furious with himself.

“Hagrid really is a great source of information for those three, huh?” Lily noted.

“Oh, he’s very helpful—and if he doesn’t talk, all you need is to get him a bottle or two of firewhisky—he’ll sing like a bird,” James guaranteed. Lily decided against asking him about how and why he knew that. “Anyway—moving on?”

“Sure.” Lily glanced at her watch again. “And then dinner.”

Notes:

Yes, yes, James is up to the truth. You know, since he's actually smart. Lupin literally said that he and Sirius were the smartest in the school at the time, so it shouldn't really be that surprising that he might figure out the truth (I just read about it. I didn't remember he was actually smart. I just liked the idea of him coming to this conclusion before Lily, since everyone always keeps on painting him as an idiot compared to her, which sucks.)

I need to understand who else agrees with this, okay? It's been driving me crazy.

So there's a fic out there that was about the fifth book and Harry acting differently in Umbridge's first lesson. It basically lands all of the fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins in detention with her, and the Gryffindors use blood-quills. They don't turn to Dumbledore because... the author hated him. Instead, Harry goes to Malfoy and asks him what Voldemort thinks about torturing children, to which Malfoy replies that he thinks children are the future and shouldn't be harmed, so basically they use him and Death Eaters and stuff to get rid of Umbridge...

Now, I need you to tell me how the guy who's murdered tons of people, who'd gone to murder all of the Potters because he wanted to kill Harry particularly, is against killing children, because this makes no sense. He tried to KILL HARRY, a baby at the time. And he's been after Harry since then, too, still a minor. So, like, what the heck is the author talking about? Do I need to bring up his sociopathic monologue in the Chamber of Secrets, when he told Harry that he was feeding on Ginny, taking her life away and trying to kill Muggle-born students - again, minors - at the school with a Basilisk. He was basically glowing when he told Harry about Myrtle's death.

THIS is the guy people are relating to? I'm scared of what people out there are like at this point, honestly, if they prefer Voldemort over Dumbledore. You, people, are terrifying. Interesting - I'd really like to understand what the heck goes on in your head there - but holy shit, what the heck!

Sorry... I'm... having all these conversations about the characters in the books, and it gets to me. I just want to write a whole fic that's me ranting about what I think about each character so that people can tell me why I'm either wrong or right. Might be interesting. Sadly, it's not really a fanfic, since there's no story there. But God, could be interesting lol.

Cya! :)

Chapter 12: The Mirror of Erised

Notes:

I was going to say something like "Rest assured, I did not forget about this fic!" but I DID forget about it, so that won't work. I did get a comment asking me if I forgot about it a few days ago, which reminded me that I still needed to edit this, so... yeah. Here you go! :)

Christmas was coming. … the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban. …

[Malfoy:] I do feel so sorry, … for all those people who have to stay at Hogwarts for Christmas because they’re not wanted at home.

“It’s a shame he’s not alive yet,” James grumbled as Lily’s fists clenched. “I would have loved to find this kid and check to see whether his parents actually care about him or just spoil him rotten so he can show others how well-cared for he is.”

Lily bit her tongue, contemplating on what she herself should say. She agreed with him, on some level—she was certain Draco Malfoy’s parents were showing off so that their son could tell everyone around him that his parents loved him so much. But she wasn’t sure that it wasn’t really genuine. Parents tended to care about their kids, after all—that included Lucius Malfoy, sadly.

This was one thing Lily realised James never did—even when he did act like an arrogant brat that made her rage every single day, James never flaunted around how much his parents loved him. And they clearly did—she could tell that much just from watching them on the platform twice a year. And she was sure they sent him things all the time, yet he never bragged about it—sometimes he even offered her some of the sweets he received from home, but she insistently turned the offers down.

It had to be about the way those kids were raised. While James clearly grew up in a wealthy family that didn’t spare much when it came to tending to him, he didn’t feel the need to talk about it all the time. No, instead he bragged about his skills and the things he could actually do—things that had to do with him rather than the way his parents treated him.

Evidently, Draco Malfoy didn’t grow up with the same values, though, since it looked like he was glad he could flaunt around how much he was loved and cared-for.

And it was even worse reading about it now, because Lily and James could both tell that he was putting up this whole charade mostly to get to Harry.

[Malfoy] was looking over at Harry as he spoke.

Case in point.

… Malfoy had been even more unpleasant than usual since the Quidditch match. … Malfoy, jealous and angry, had gone back to taunting Harry about having no proper family.

It was true that Harry wasn’t going back to Privet Drive for Christmas. … Ron and his brothers were staying too, …

James’s face cleared at that and he sighed. “Hogwarts is pretty amazing during Christmas, isn’t it?” he said.

“I wouldn’t know,” Lily shrugged. James’s head snapped in her direction, his eyes wide. “I always go back home to be with my parents for the holidays. You know, it’s hard for them already because I spend so much time away from home—they want to see me every chance they get. And I think they always hoped those vacations would get Tuney to change her mind about me and this whole business of me being a witch.”

He opened his mouth—probably to comment about Petunia—but then shook his head and gave Lily another incredulous look. “So you’ve never really been to Hogwarts for Christmas? You’re missing out, Evans. My mum told me on my third year about how beautiful the castle should be and how fun it was for her whenever she chose to stay there, so the four of us decided to stay in Hogwarts that year and see what it was all about—and it really was special.” He sighed dramatically. “I guess you’ll never see it for yourself, though, seeing as you’ve already had your seven Christmases.”

It did seem like a lost opportunity now, but Lily enjoyed her Christmases back home—she was fine with them, too.

When they left the dungeons … they found a large fir tree blocking the corridor … Hagrid was behind it.

“Hi, Hagrid, want any help?” Ron asked, sticking his head through the branches.

The thought of someone sticking their head in a tree made Lily snort a little.

[Hagrid:] Nah, I’m all right, thanks, Ron.

… [Malfoy:] Are you trying to earn some extra money, Weasley? … that hut of Hagrid’s must seem like a palace compared to what your family’s used to.

“Does he know any insults that don’t involve the amount of money someone has? Or whether or not this person has a family?” James asked, sounding almost bored of Malfoy’s taunts. It was getting rather repetitive.

Ron dived at Malfoy just as Snape came up the stairs.

“Oh, joy…” James muttered. “Malfoy’s going to get out of this thing scotch-free, isn’t he?”

[Snape:] WEASLEY!

… [Hagrid:] Malfoy was insultin’ his family.

[Snape:] Be that as it may, fighting is against Hogwarts rules, …

Despite his insistence on Sev being innocent when it came to Fluffy and whatever that dog was guarding (and the attempt at throwing Harry off his broomstick in front of the entire school), James looked at the book like he wanted to imprint himself into it, find Severus, and hex him on sight.

“He’s saying that like he’s never been in a school fight before,” James hissed through gritted teeth.

“Er—yeah. And you were usually the other participant in those,” Lily reminded him.

This didn’t seem to deter James at all. “I know that—but I wasn’t trying to take points from someone else who did it while pretending to be perfect.”

“No, that’s true…” Lily said flatly, “you only take points while laughing about those fights…”

[Snape:] Five points from Gryffindor, Weasley, …

“I’ll get him,” said Ron, grinding his teeth at Malfoy’s back, “one of these days, I’ll get him—”

[Harry:] I hate them both, … Malfoy and Snape.

“Oh, look—it’s a family trait,” Lily deadpanned.

James suddenly grimaced uncertainly. “I kind of want Harry to just hex Snape,” he said honestly. Lily raised her eyebrows at him, not exactly surprised by this, but not liking it, either. Even if Sev was a bad person… Harry shouldn’t just become his father and abuse people he didn’t like—“But Snape is, unfortunately, his teacher. This isn’t worth it, sadly.”

That would have to do.

… Harry, Ron and Hermione followed Hagrid and his tree off to the Great Hall, … The Hall looked spectacular. [Description of the Great Hall.]

“I saw that.” Lily nodded. “Before I leave, I always enter the Great Hall to see what it looks like—it does seem more magical than normal,” she said with a smile. “Alice and I helped Flitwick decorate one of the trees, once—it was a great practice and it was really fun.”

Humming, James looked like he was thinking about his own Christmases. “We enchanted a mistletoe to follow Wormtail, once. Everyone refused to come near him then except for us—it was like a people repellent.”

“Oh, I remember that,” Lily said fondly. “Though you didn’t need that to repel me back then, Potter.”

“I always knew you were special.” He smirked.

[Hagrid:] How many days you got left until yer holidays? …

[Hermione:] Just one, … we’ve got half an hour before lunch, we should be in the library,

James actually looked like someone just kicked his puppy. “The library?” he asked in disbelief. “It’s Christmas and they want to spend the day in the library?” He turned to glare accusingly at Lily. “This is all your fault!”

She huffed. “You mean it’s thanks to me,” she argued. Then she dismissed the words altogether. “Besides, I’m sure they’re just looking for that Flamel guy to try and figure out what’s hidden in the school. Ron and Harry don’t strike me as the type of people who would do their homework until the very last minute.”

“Oh, that’s right! You still don’t remember who this guy is, then?” he asked, and looked slightly disappointed when Lily shook her head.

[Ron:] Oh yeah, you’re right, …

… [Hagrid:] Just before the holidays? Bit keen, aren’t yeh?

… [Harry:] Ever since you mentioned Nicolas Flamel we’ve been trying to find out who he is.

Lily grinned proudly at her successful guess.

[Hagrid:] You what? … I’ve told yeh—drop it. It’s nothin’ to you what that dog’s guardin’.

[Hermione:] We just want to know who Nicolas Flamel is, …

[Harry:] Unless you’d like to tell us and save us the trouble? … just give us a hint—I know I’ve read his name somewhere.

Lily’s eyebrows scaled up in surprise. “He has?”

“Don’t look at me—I don’t know what’s going on with him, either.”

“No, that’s not it.” Lily waved him off. “I mean—if Harry’s read about it, chances are Nicolas Flamel appears in one of his study books—they don’t even need the library to find the name if he already has all those books. I mean, with Hermione it would have been different because I bet she already went through as many books as possible since getting to Hogwarts, but Harry doesn’t strike me as someone who would spend his evenings in the library instead of doing something more active.”

[Hagrid:] I’m sayin’ nothin’, …

[Ron:] Just have to find out for ourselves, then, …

they left Hagrid looking disgruntled …

They had indeed been searching books for Flamel’s name … how else were they going to find out what Snape was trying to steal? The trouble was, it was very hard to know where to begin, …

… [Harry] had been wondering for a while if Flamel wasn’t somewhere in [the Restricted Section.] … These were the books containing powerful Dark Magic … only read by older students …

James shrugged. “Those books are definitely more interesting than the other ones, but they’re still not that good,” James said dismissively. “And I like DADA—they just don’t provide enough things that actually interest me unless I decide to switch sides and join You-Know-Who.”

“There’s more than just DADA books there, you know,” Lily commented. “I’ve read some of them. Potions, Charms, Astronomy… I actually don’t get why some of those books even belong in the Restricted Section—they’re pretty interesting, and definitely don’t contain anything that a student might get corrupted by.”

“We snuck into the Restricted Section once on our second year, actually,” James recalled. “We wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I think Sirius just wanted to switch the titles of the books to prank everyone, but we didn’t get far before one of the books we opened started talking to us, and when it realised we were sneaking around after curfew it screamed to alert the teachers.”

Lily didn’t know there were talking books in that section of the library. “Did you get caught, then?”

“No.” James smirked. “We managed to slip away. We practically moved right under Flitwick’s nose and he had no idea.” He said it like there was a secret he wasn’t telling her and Lily wasn’t sure what it was, but she got from the look in his eyes that it wasn’t going to be any kind of information James would easily give away—same as that map he was reluctant to talk about.

[Madam Pince:] What are you looking for, boy?

[Harry:] Nothing, …

… [Madam Pince:] You’d better get out, then. Go on—out!

“Where does Dumbledore find those psychos?” James asked with a shake of his head. “I mean, you love books, but you wouldn’t kick people out of the library for looking around, would you? Somehow he finds the weirdest wizards and witches and brings them to Hogwarts…”

He wasn’t wrong. Madam Pince’s relationship with book was almost alarming at times—even Lily was willing to admit that the woman was weird about her precious collection of books. She nearly went berserk at the sight of Lily returning a book with a small ink stain on it—Lily needed it for her homework and she accidentally spilled a little ink onto the cover. She must have missed it before coming to the library because Madam Pince shrieked at her hysterically for nearly ten minutes.

… Harry left the library. He, Ron and Hermione had already agreed they’d better not ask Madam Pince … they couldn’t risk Snape hearing what they were up to.

“I don’t think McGonagall would be too thrilled, either,” Lily noted.

Harry waited outside in the corridor to see if the other two had found anything, but he wasn’t very hopeful. … Five minutes later, Ron and Hermione joined him, shaking their heads. …

[Hermione:] You will keep looking while I’m away, won’t you? … And send me an owl if you find anything.

[Ron:] And you could ask your parents if they know who Flamel is, … It’d be safe to ask them.

[Hermione:] Very safe, as they’re both dentists, …

“Dentists?” James wondered aloud.

Lily ignored him. “That’s not a terrible idea, actually,” she said thoughtfully, the cogs in her brain turning slowly but surely. “I mean, chances are thin that they’d actually know anything about a wizard, but some witches and wizards did become well-known around Muggles, too. It’s just that Muggles might not have the full picture. But in this case, even just a faint idea would be better than nothing at all.”

“What are dentists?” James insisted.

“They’re doctors that specialize in teeth, all right?” Lily gestured towards the book. “Keep going, please.”

… Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel. … They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork … and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, …

James nodded approvingly. “Sounds like Christmas, all right. The only difference is that we plan things that we’ll actually put into motion, and they look like they’re just passing the time without really planning to do anything for real.”

“Of course that’s what you guys do when you’re left alone in Gryffindor Tower for the holidays…” Lily sighed and ran a hand down her face. The grin James sent her way made her weariness lighten a bit, though.

Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess. … Ron’s set was very old and battered. … Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.

Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him and they didn’t trust him at all. … they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing: “Don’t send me there, can’t you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him.”

Lily scrunched up her nose as James laughed at Harry’s predicament. She never did like wizard chess. Normal chess was fine because it made her use her brain, which was something she never objected to. But wizard chess was so brutal, and it was almost appalling to watch as the characters murdered each other according to the words of the players. Of course, none of this was real, but after playing the game once against Dorcas Meadowes—another girl in her dormitory—Lily decided that was well beyond enough for her.

Since then, Lily decided to bring with her a regular, inanimate set of chess that she tended to play against Alice whenever the other girl didn’t mind it. Alice agreed with Lily that wizard chess was barbaric, and since she grew up with only that option, she was reluctant to play against Lily with her Muggle set. Luckily, she realised soon enough that the pieces weren’t going to talk, shout or kill each other in Lily’s version of the game, and she grew to like it.

[Harry went to bed, not expecting to get any presents.] When he woke early next morning, however, the first thing he saw was a small pile of packages at the foot of his bed.

“I’m happy for him.” Lily smiled.

“Also feel a little bad because he’s not used to getting presents for Christmas…” James added with a wince.

[Ron gets up:] Happy Christmas, …

… [Harry:] Will you look at this? I’ve got some presents!

[Ron:] What did you expect, turnips? …

Harry picked up the top parcel. … Inside was a roughly cut wooden flute. Hagrid had obviously whittled it himself. Harry blew it—it sounded a bit like an owl.

That was very nice of Hagrid. He got her a present for her third year, too. That was when Lily really got to know the half-giant. He was always around, of course, but Lily must have overlooked him, too engrossed in whatever she was studying or talking to her friends about.

But then she actually had a civil conversation with the man and she found that she really liked Hagrid, even if he seemed very fond of James Potter and his Marauders friends, too.

For her third Christmas away from the castle, Hagrid sent her a sloppily wrapped present that was revealed to be an advanced potions book she must have ranted to him about for hours over tea. She’d found the book in the library once and wanted to read it over and over again so badly, but someone else must have taken it because she couldn’t find it since then. The first thing she did when she got back from her house to Hogwarts was go look for Hagrid to thank him profoundly.

A second, very small parcel contained a note.

We received your message and enclose your Christmas present. From Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia . Sellotaped to the note was a fifty-pence piece.

[Harry:] That’s friendly, …

“Muggle money?” James asked, intrigued.

Lily snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s basically worth nothing. They might as well have sent him nothing at all.”

“Think of it this way—they willingly went to the trouble of giving him something. Harry probably didn’t expect even this much from them—maybe they do care… way deep down.”

She looked at him uncertainly, hope blossoming in her chest. She knew it was dangerous to hope that someone in Tuney’s family might still like Harry to some degree, but she couldn’t help but hope beyond relief that Tuney was the one to send the money. Even if it was basically worthless, it was something. It showed that they thought about him—even if very reluctantly.

Ron was fascinated by the fifty pence. …

[Harry:] You can keep it, … Hagrid and my aunt and uncle—so who sent these?

[Ron pointed to a lumpy parcel:] My mum. … oh, no, … She’s made you a Weasley jumper.

Harry had torn open the parcel to find a thick, hand-knitted sweater in emerald green and a large box of home-made fudge.

“Aw, that’s so sweet of Molly,” Lily said, her heart warming at the thought of someone looking out for Harry even when they didn’t have to. Lily barely remembered Molly’s brothers because they left Hogwarts after her first year, but what she could recall left her happy and content. They seemed nice—and their sister seemed to be just as welcoming and loving. “She wasn’t even really prompted into doing this.”

James hummed thoughtfully. “Maybe we ought to get to know the Weasleys a little better,” he suggested. “I mean, it would probably be weird since Molly and Arthur don’t really know us, but Molly sure sounds like she’s going to be good for Harry.”

He didn’t say that they should make sure there would be someone looking out for the unborn child since Harry won’t have his parents to do that, but it was implied in the words.

Lily smiled a little, though her mind insistently carried her back to the question of where Sirius, Remus and Peter were. The idea of all the Marauders being dead in the future didn’t sit right with her. It sounded impossible, unthinkable. She wanted to just wipe the thought away and ignore it, but why else would they not be there for Harry? She knew how much they all cared about James—surely they would care about his son, too?

[Ron:] Every year she makes us a jumper, … and mine’s always maroon.

[Harry:] That’s really nice of her, …

… [Harry got] a large box of Chocolate Frogs from Hermione.

This left only one parcel. … He unwrapped it.

James snorted. “Hermione got Harry something. Hagrid got something, too. Ron’s mum made him a sweater and some fudge… but Ron—Harry’s best friend—didn’t give him a gift?”

“There’s still one more present.”

“Ron’s right there—he would have insisted on Harry opening his gift, first.” James shrugged. “Maybe he figured the present from his mum would count as one from him, too.”

Something fluid and silvery grey went slithering to the floor, where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

James gasped, too. He stared at the book in shock and slight horror and snapped it shut. Lily, surprised, leaned back in alarm and stared at the book and then at James with wide, curious eyes. He wasn’t looking at her, though—he was looking ahead, his face a little pale and his knuckles white from his tight grip around the book.

“What’s wrong? James, what’s going on?” Lily asked. “Do you know what this is?”

His mouth opened and closed a couple of times but no sound escaped his lips. He looked like he wasn’t sure what to do. His body jerked, like he was going to get up and start pacing around the room, but then he sagged down, his hand coming up to ruffle his hair restlessly.

Then, after what felt like forever, James nodded curtly. Once. He still didn’t look at Lily, instead turning to glare at the book like it was insulting him in some way or another. Seriously, Lily had no idea what was going on with him. How could a present make him this agitated? Or… was he upset?

“Is it bad? Why are you freaking out?”

“It’s…” James sighed and reopened the book. “It’s just supposed to stay a secret,” he said quietly—Lily almost missed it—and then kept on reading before Lily could say anything else.

Something fluid and silvery grey went slithering to the floor, where it lay in gleaming folds. Ron gasped.

[Ron:] I’ve heard of those, … they’re really rare, and really valuable.

[Harry:] What is it?

… It was strange to the touch, like water woven into material.

[Ron:] It’s an Invisibility Cloak, … I’m sure it is—try it on.

Lily’s throat went dry. “Whoa…” she muttered. “I heard about them, too! They’re really expensive—if you can even find one. Who’d spend this much money on Harry?” she asked and then a spark of hope flared in her chest as she turned cautiously to James. “You don’t think it’s someone we know, right? Like Sirius?”

“If Sirius was still around, he would have been there long before this,” James stated firmly. Lily decided not to argue this point with him. “Besides, I don’t think whoever gave it to Harry paid much to give him this”

“What are you talking about? It costs a fortune to—”

He just kept on reading before she could finish the sentence, triggering a glare from Lily, who huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

Harry threw the Cloak around his shoulders and Ron gave a yell.

[Ron:] It is! Look down!

Harry looked down at his feet, but they had gone. He dashed to the mirror. … his head [was] suspended in mid-air, his body completely invisible. He pulled the Cloak over his head and his reflection vanished completely.

Lily gasped and James turned to her, looking slightly wary. Especially when she gaped at him and pointed a finger at his chest, eyes wide. “You said—earlier you said that you didn’t get caught by Flitwick even though you passed right next to him,” she said. James just shifted in his seat, looking a little uncomfortable. “That’s how, isn’t it? You have an Invisibility Cloak!”

James sighed deeply. His eyes were shut as he nodded at her. “I do. And I bet what Harry just got is the same one.” He gestured vaguely towards the book he was holding. His eyes opened sharply and he looked deeply into Lily’s eyes, as if trying to reach her very soul. “Listen, Lily—this Cloak is a secret, okay? You can’t tell anyone about it. Sirius will kill me if he hears I’ve told you about it this soon.”

She didn’t know what to say or what to think. This explained so much. She always did wonder how the Marauders managed to slip in and out of places without drawing attention to themselves. How they managed to wander around the castle after curfew without anyone knowing about it. They had an Invisibility Cloak the entire time!

Questions raced through her mind as she looked at James, ready to blast him with everything she wanted to know about how the Cloak worked, or where he got it from, or whether or not he thought the Cloak Harry had was the same one he now owned… but then she stopped herself before the words slipped out, and she pursed her lips tightly.

James was still looking at her, urging her to keep this secret for him because she was never even meant to find out about it. Not now, at least. Last year she would have snitched immediately—the teachers should know about students with such an object, after all. Especially when there was a war raging on.

But now… now she couldn’t bring herself to give his secret away. She felt almost touched that he was risking this priceless artifact by telling her about it. Of course, she figured it out on her own, but he wasn’t exactly trying to deny it, and he was definitely capable of just destroying the book he was holding to prevent Lily from knowing anything more about the Cloak.

Offering James a nod and a smile, Lily watched as his shoulders relaxed. “I won’t tell anyone,” she promised. “But you have to show it to me later! This sounds so amazing! I’ve never seen one before!”

He finally smiled back at her, the spark returning to his eyes. “I’ll pick it up after dinner—we should probably have it so we can sneak back to the common room once we’re done here so nobody sees us breaking curfew—you wouldn’t want your reputation to get tarnished just like that, would you?” He smirked.

… [Ron:] A note fell out of it!

Harry pulled off the Cloak and seized the letter. …

Your father left this in my possession before he died.

It is time it was returned to you. Use it well.

A Very Merry Christmas to you.

There was no signature. …

“Wait—back up!” James reread the lines from the book, his lips moving but no sound coming out. “I left my Cloak with someone? Why would I ever do that? Especially during a time of war—it doesn’t make sense, does it?”

Lily shrugged, unable to think of an answer. “And who would give it back to Harry without mentioning their name?”

James furrowed his brows in confusion and concern as he kept on reading.

… [Harry] felt very strange. Who had sent the Cloak? Had it really once belonged to his father?

Harry didn’t have anything from his parents, Lily realised. Sure, he had their money (probably mostly James’s), but it wasn’t like getting an object that one of them had used before.

As amazing as an Invisibility Cloak seemed to be to Lily, it was probably twice as special to Harry because it was more than just something he would be able to use for mischief or to get out of trouble—it was a rare item that he was in possession of that once belonged to his father.

… the dormitory door was flung open and Fred and George Weasley bounded in. Harry stuffed the Cloak quickly out of sight. …

[A twin:] Merry Christmas!

[The other twin:] Hey, look—Harry’s got a Weasley jumper, too!

[The twins wear sweaters with the first letters of their names.]

[Fred:] Harry’s is better than ours, though, … She obviously makes more of an effort if you’re not family.

“Don’t most people?” Lily asked.

James snorted. “I’m sure your lovely, older sister is one of the exceptions,” he drawled out, and Lily cringed but nodded in agreement.

[George:] Why aren’t you wearing yours, Ron? …

“I hate maroon,” Ron moaned half-heartedly as he pulled it over his head.

[George:] You haven’t got a letter on yours, … I suppose she thinks you don’t forget your name. But we’re not stupid—we know we’re called Gred and Forge.

James’s mood lifted considerably since the moment he started reading about the Weasley twins. Lily didn’t even need to hear him praising them and laughing from their banter and jokes to know that they were exactly the kind of people James Potter and the other Marauders would like. They were chaotic, fun and willing to help without being prompted if their interactions with Harry so far were anything to go by.

Perhaps against her better judgement, Lily found that she liked the twins, too.

… Percy Weasley stuck his head through the door, looking disapproving. … he, too, carried a lumpy jumper over his arm, which Fred seized.

[Fred:] P for prefect! Get it on, Percy, … even Harry got one.

“I—don’t—want—” said Percy thickly, as the twins forced the jumper over his head, knocking his glasses askew.

[George:] And you’re not sitting with the Prefects today, either, … Christmas is a time for family.

They frog-marched Percy from the room, …

Sighing, James looked longingly at the book. “Sometimes I do wish I had siblings,” he said wistfully. Lily raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “What? This sounds like fun! As long as they don’t turn on me like Petunia did to you or like Regulus and Si—” James blinked twice and then shook his head. “Anyway, as long as everything is peaceful and fun, this sounds like a nice experience.”

Ignoring his weird slip-up with Regulus and Sirius Black, Lily rolled hr eyes. “With you, I don’t think anything is ever peaceful, James,” she said, and he laughed.

Harry had never in all his life had such a Christmas dinner. [Description of Christmas dinner.]

“You’re right—I should have stayed behind for at least one Christmas,” Lily moaned. This sounded like so much fun. It sounded nothing like the usual meals in the Great Hall. She should have known wizards could make Christmas that much more fun.

James patted her back reassuringly, still smiling—maybe he was imagining that scene in his head, reliving his own experience of Christmas at Hogwarts. “Don’t worry, Lil—we can spend Christmas together next year—we’ll make it even better than the ones at Hogwarts!”

She doubted that, but the idea of spending her first Christmas as a fully-fledged witch with James made her smile, nonetheless.

… Harry watched Hagrid getting redder and redder in the face … finally kissing Professor McGonagall on the cheek, who, to Harry’s amazement, giggled and blushed, …

James looked amazed. “Now that is something you don’t see every day,” he exclaimed. “How come I never got to see something this amazing?” he demanded, and Lily chuckled fondly next to him. She couldn’t even bring herself to try and picture a giggling Professor McGonagall—it seemed impossible. Ridiculous. Outrageous, even.

… Harry and the Weasleys spent a happy afternoon having a furious snowball fight … Harry broke in his new chess set by losing spectacularly to Ron. He suspected he wouldn’t have lost so badly if Percy hadn’t tried to help him so much.

James smirked at the book. “Sure, blame someone else for your failure. That’s the way to go, Harry,” he teased.

“You don’t know that he’s really that bad,” Lily objected.

“No, but I’m guessing Ron’s really good, though.”

… It had been Harry’s best Christmas day ever. Yet something had been nagging at the back of his mind all day. … the Invisibility Cloak and whoever had sent it.

… [Ron] fell asleep almost as soon as he’d drawn the curtains of his four-poster. … [Harry] pulled the Cloak out from under [his bed.]

… this had been his father’s. … Use it well, the note had said.

Lily suddenly found herself turning slightly rigid. “Oh, no… what’s he going to do?” she asked, feeling mostly exasperated at this point. James’s eyes were twinkling, like he was proud of Harry for wanting to use the Cloak the first time he gets in order to break curfew. “Stop looking so smug—he could get in trouble even with this Cloak, you know.”

“He already came out of two—no, three—situations where he could have died. I believe wandering Hogwarts at night isn’t as bad as facing a three-headed dog or You-Know-Who.”

“That doesn’t mean Harry should test his luck like this,” she countered. James just shrugged, as if saying he couldn’t change it if he wanted to—which was true. This was, after all, Harry’s choice to make.

… He slipped out of bed and wrapped the Cloak around himself. … Suddenly, Harry felt wide awake. The whole of Hogwarts was open to him in this Cloak. …

… Should Harry wake [Ron]? … his father’s Cloak—he felt that this time—the first time—he wanted to use it alone.

She couldn’t even blame him for feeling this way—this really was something he deserved to experience by himself for the first time. Even if she didn’t approve, at least it made Harry very happy to feel somewhat closer to his dead parent. And besides—it would be easier to slip away with only one person under the Cloak.

Lily didn’t know what it was like, exactly, to be under the Cloak, but she certainly understood that one person attracted less attention than two, even if they were both invisible.

He crept out of the dormitory, … and climbed through the portrait hole.

“Who’s there?” squawked the Fat Lady. Harry said nothing.

James snorted. “Must have been a while since the last time someone opened her and she didn’t see them,” he said in amusement. “I’m pretty sure she knows I have the Cloak—never told anyone, though.” He leaned back in relaxation. “That’s gotta be some sense of déjà vu.”

Lily chuckled.

… Where should he go? … And then it came to him. The Restricted Section in the library.

“I’m slightly less approving,” James said dryly, ignoring Lily’s elbow poking his side. “All of Hogwarts is available to him, and he chooses to head over to the library? I get that he’s looking for that Flamel guy, but this is just sad, okay?”

Lily smiled triumphantly. “He may look like you, but I guess he didn’t get your need to constantly wreak havoc,” she told her bitter boyfriend.

… The library was pitch black and very eerie. Harry lit a lamp to see his way along the rows of books. … he held up his lamp to read the titles.

They didn’t tell him much. … One book had a dark stain on it that looked horribly like blood.

“Yeah, it’s dragon blood.” James nodded but didn’t explain any further—not even when Lily stared at him, feeling confused and a little bit disturbed.

… he thought a faint whispering was coming from the books, as though they knew someone was there who shouldn’t be.

He had to start somewhere. … A large black and silver volume caught his eye. … balancing it on his knee, [Harry] let it fall open.

A piercing, blood-curdling shriek split the silence—the book was screaming!

Clicking his tongue in distaste, James shook his head, looking a little like a disappointed teacher. “Not a conversationalist like the book we’d found, then. Definitely less pleasant, too,” he stated. Lily was wincing at the thought of an innocent book shrieking at her in a dark library with no warning. “I’d say our book was better than this one—that’s for sure.”

“It’s not a competition, Potter.”

“Of course not—it’s just fun to observe these kinds of things. And now”—he turned back to the book—“it’s time to run for your life, Harry, before someone finds you there.”

Harry snapped it shut, but the shriek went on … He stumbled backwards and knocked over his lamp, … he heard footsteps coming down the corridor outside … he ran for it. He passed Filch almost in the doorway; …

“There you go—he’s doing great so far. He just has to be careful and not make a sound,” James said, looking rather engaged in the story now that Harry was in trouble again. Lily kind of wanted to snap at him for only caring whenever the book mentioned chaos or Quidditch, but the glint of real, sincere fear in James’s eyes made her hesitate.

He cared about Harry, too. He wanted Harry to be a little reckless, but he didn’t really want him to be caught. He didn’t want Harry to get into some kind of deep mess or receive detention or lose points.

… he hadn’t paid attention to where he was going. … he didn’t recognise where he was at all. There was a suit of armour near the kitchens, he knew, but he must be five floors above there.

Lily forced herself to breathe regularly. “He does remember the armours move around, right?”

“They shouldn’t be moving as much at this point, though,” James noted.

[Filch:] You asked me to come directly to you, Professor, if anyone was wandering around at night, and somebody’s been in the library …

Harry felt the blood drain out of his face. …

… [Snape:] Well, they can’t be far, we’ll catch them.

James pulled a face but then turned to Lily with a small, prideful grin. “He’s trying to find the real person who’s trying to sneak past Fluffy—I’m telling you. That’s why he asked Filch to inform him about anything like this,” he said, and there was a note of disgust in his voice, like he hated defending Severus.

“Or,” Lily said slowly, “or he just remembers you from school and he figured that Harry would be like you in more than just his looks, so he set out to find Harry and punish him for wandering around.”

James looked at her strangely, like he was seeing her for the first time. “Since when are you the one accusing Snape? And since when am I the one who defends the git?” he asked.

“Does it matter? You’re wrong about this, and I’m going to have the best time of my life, no longer having to listen to your rants about Quidditch this, and Quidditch that,” she said longingly.

“Right,” he snorted. “I’ll let you know when that flight date would happen soon enough, Evans.”

… Filch and Snape came around the corner ahead. … it was a narrow corridor and if they came much nearer they’d knock right into him—the Cloak didn’t stop him being solid.

“Something Sirius only seemed to realise after we got caught by McGonagall,” James complained in a low voice.

… A door stood ajar to his left. It was his only hope. He squeezed through it, … to his relief he managed to get inside the room without their noticing anything. … Harry leant against the wall, breathing deeply, listening to their footsteps dying away. … propped against the wall facing him was something that didn’t look as if it belonged there, …

It was a magnificent mirror, … There was an inscription carved around the top:

James’s eyes moved on to the next words, his lips already forming the next syllable. And then he closed his mouth as a perplexed expression appeared on his face. He tipped his head to the side, his eyebrows drawing closer together as he seemed to read the same line over and over again, blinking in confusion down at it.

“What’s wrong?”

“I just don’t… er…” He read the line a few more times and then shrugged. “I have no idea what this means. Here, look.” He shoved the book under her nose, and Lily pulled back—just enough to be able to see the words—and read the strange inscription hesitantly.

Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi .

“Huh?” Lily rubbed her right eye as if that would help, and then read the line again. And again. “This is so strange… it doesn’t look like any sort of rune I’ve learned. And it’s not in any language I know of.” She narrowed her eyes at the words that were also most definitely not real words. “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on woshi? It sounds stupid.”

James pulled the book back and read it again, too. “It’s weird, right? Usually things like this have some kind of meaning. My Mum has a book from her time in Hogwarts—she used to write to her friends in this… well… she switched the letters so that ‘A’ was ‘Z’, and ‘B’ was ‘Y’. You know? Atbash, I think.” Then he seemed to think harder for a moment or two before shaking his head. “No, it doesn’t work on this one, though. Still makes no sense.”

Lily hummed a little. “Well, maybe Harry will figure out what it means?” she suggested, and James, having no better ideas, shrugged and kept on reading.

… Harry moved nearer to the mirror, wanting to look at himself but see no reflection again. …

He had to clap his hands to his mouth to stop himself screaming.

They both straightened up at that, suddenly even more alarmed than they were before, when Harry could have gotten caught by either Filch or Sev. Lily thought she could hear the blood rushing inside her body, her heart beating erratically against its cage. Getting caught by a teacher—even a nasty one like Sev turned out to be—was bad, but at least they knew that nothing worse than a detention could come from such a thing.

A mysterious mirror with an inscription that neither one of them could decipher, and that was just standing in an unused classroom by itself, in the middle of the night? That was a little more of an unknown, and Lily figured that both she and James would rather know what might happen to Harry if it was anything bad.

Him screaming while standing in front of the strange mirror wasn’t exactly a good sign, though.

He whirled around. … he had seen not only himself in the mirror, but a whole crowd of people standing right behind him.

“What?” Lily asked weakly.

“But he’s still wearing the Cloak, isn’t he?”

But the room was empty. … he turned slowly back to the mirror.

There he was, … and there, reflected behind him, were at least ten others. … Was he in fact in a room full of invisible people and this mirror’s trick was that it reflected them, invisible or not?

Lily didn’t think that was it. She leaned a little more toward James, who read quickly, his eyes running across the sentences. Lily didn’t think she’d ever seen him this absorbed in a book of all things throughout all their years at Hogwarts.

… A woman standing right behind his reflection was smiling at him and waving. He reached out a hand and felt the air behind him. … but he felt only air—she and the others existed only in the mirror.

… She had dark red hair and her eyes—her eyes are just like mine, Harry thought, edging a little closer to the glass.

James stopped reading so abruptly that Lily would have been surprised had she not felt tears springing to her eyes. She whimpered a little—though the sound was so choked that it sounded more like a wounded animal than anything Lily Evans had ever produced. Her hands covered her mouth as she stared at the book with wide, watery eyes.

She had the feeling that would be it from the moment Harry mentioned the woman behind him, but Lily figured it was crazy—she was dead in this future. She and James and, it seemed, their parents were all gone. How could they possibly appear in this strange mirror, standing behind Harry like they’ve never left?

But the description confirmed it. There were probably tons of woman with red hair and green eyes, but there were only so many women who looked like that and were somehow related to Harry. Even Lily’s mother wasn’t a redhead. Neither was her father. It was a feature that skipped one generation and got to Lily from her mother’s side while her eyes were from her father’s side of the family.

“Evans? Lily, are you…” James didn’t even finish the question, probably realising how stupid it would be to ask such a thing when Lily was crying—sobbing, more like—at the thought of Harry seeing her (for the first time, her mind screeched at her) in that weird mirror.

Shaking her head and sniffling, Lily gestured toward the book, silently urging James to continue—please continue. He hesitated for a moment or two, clearly not sure about how to react or what to do. But he obliged in the end, apparently deciding not to go against the wishes of a tearful girl.

Bright green—exactly the same shape, but then he noticed that she was crying; smiling, but crying at the same time.

James glanced at Lily, as if to check what her reaction was. Personally—she thought as she sniffed and wiped a few tears from her cheeks—Lily thought it was pretty similar to her present state, too.

The tall, thin, black-haired man standing next to her put his arm around her. He wore glasses, and his hair was very untidy. It stuck up at the back, just like Harry’s did.

James’s voice was strained—more than it was before—and Lily was certain that it had nothing to do with how much he was reading aloud, and everything to do with the scene he was describing. Grabbing his hand, Lily offered him a small smile.

The brown eyes staring back at her looked confused and shiny—he was clearly fighting not to cry like she was—and looked at Lily with the kind of look that made her think James Potter—the James Potter—was on the verge of actually breaking down from how confusing and strange and emotional and unexpected this whole thing was.

She could only imagine what Harry was going through, watching this in that mirror by himself, at night, with nobody there to bear witness to this weird occurrence.

Harry was so close to the mirror now …

[Harry:] Mum?

James’s voice broke but he carried on, his hand clasped tightly in Lily’s.

… [Harry:] Dad?

They just looked at him, smiling. And slowly, Harry looked into the faces of the other people in the mirror … Harry was looking at his family, for the first time in his life.

James exhaled shakily and kept on going.

Lily felt like she needed to say something, but the words wouldn’t come. Besides, she was willing to bet that stopping James would just make it even harder for him to continue. So she sat there silently and listened carefully to what he was describing, the tears still rolling soundlessly down her cheeks.

The Potters smiled and waved at Harry and he stared hungrily back at them, … He had a powerful kind of ache inside him, half joy, half terrible sadness.

How long he stood there, he didn’t know. … He tore his eyes away from his mother’s face, whispered, “I’ll come back,” and hurried from the room.

When James stopped reading, Lily glanced over at the book in his lap and saw that he reached the end of that scene. Before he could react, she pulled the book out of his hand, let go of his other hand and then leafed to the previous page—the words carved onto the mirror.

She focused on it for a few moments, glad that for once James remained quiet and let her concentrate. And then she pursed her lips, the tears freezing for a moment.

“Look,” Lily said, voice wavering. She held the purple book between the two of them and pointed at the strange inscription, showing it to James once more. “Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi. It’s not in a different language—it is a hidden message,” she said and sniffed a little.

“How—” James shook his head and squinted his eyes at the inscription. “What does it say, then?”

Lily graciously ignored the shakiness of his voice and explained the best she could, wiping more tears as she went on. “It’s written on a mirror, remember? So it’s just written backwards—like someone wrote it through a mirror.”

His slightly misty, brown eyes widened a fraction and he leaned in. “I show not your face but your heart’s desire,” James said slowly. Then he lifted his gaze and met Lily’s eyes. She could clearly see the tears gathered there, unwilling to spill like hers did. “So this mirror shows us what we want the most? But… but that means that Harry…”

And now James was crying, too, his mouth shaped like an “O”, like he finally uncovered the secrets of the universe—and they absolutely terrified and saddened him.

Lily was certain that most eleven-year-old kids would look into this mirror and see something more trivial and common, like being rich or winning a bet. Maybe acing a test and being better than others. But Harry—little, orphaned Harry—looked into this mirror and saw himself with his family standing right behind him for the first time in his life—because his wish was to be with his dead family.

She didn’t know how long it took for James to calm down enough to cough, clear his throat, and get back to the book in his lap, but when he did, Lily’s tears were dry on her cheeks, leaving this sort of rusty feeling in their wake. She figured that if she chose to bring her hand up, she would be able to feel where they’d passed. Her eyes were probably still watery and red—James’s sure were.

James didn’t comment on any of that, though—he just squeezed her hand gently as he went on to the next part of the chapter.

[Ron:] You could have woken me up, …

[Harry:] You can come tonight, … I want to show you the mirror.

[Ron:] I’d like to see your mum and dad, …

[Harry:] And I want to see all your family, all the Weasleys, …

Knowing that the mirror didn’t just show one’s family, Lily figured it wouldn’t show Ron’s family. She wasn’t sure what his wish would be, of course, but she was certain he wasn’t as desperate as Harry to just see his family again. But it was a nice thought, nonetheless. And it was nice of Harry to share the location and mere existence of the mirror with his friend, even if she was still confused as to why the mirror was even there in the first place.

[Ron:] You can see them any old time, … maybe it only shows dead people. … Have some bacon or something, why aren’t you eating anything?

Harry couldn’t eat. … He had almost forgotten about Flamel. … Who cared what the three-headed dog was guarding? What did it matter if Snape stole it, really?

[Ron:] Are you all right? … You look odd.

“That sounds ominous,” James noted in a tone that suggested he was trying to go for casual but was failing miserably. He still looked and sounded like he might start crying again at any given moment.

Lily bit her tongue for a brief moment, forcing herself not to choke on her own words, and then replied. “I think… I mean, I must have heard of this mirror before. Maybe I read about it once in a book—I’m not sure. But I’m pretty sure that if it’s really this mirror, then it made people go crazy with how much they wanted to believe what they were seeing was true.”

James glanced at her. “So you’re saying that this mirror is making Harry go bonkers?”

She didn’t want to answer that.

… [Harry and Ron] tried retracing Harry’s route from the library, …

[Ron:] I’m freezing, … Let’s forget it and go back.

… [Harry:] I know it’s here somewhere.

… Harry spotted the suit of armour.

[Harry:] It’s here—just here—yes!

“Can’t believe he actually managed to get back there again,” James noted. “I mean, he’s in his first year, and obviously still getting lost on occasion. He doesn’t know the castle well enough, yet. So it’s pretty remarkable that he managed to get back to that classroom at all—it doesn’t matter that it obviously took him a very, very long time.”

Lily sighed. “The question is—should he go looking for this mirror again?” she asked. “What if he really does lose himself to it? What if he ends up going insane because of it, and because nobody knows what he’s doing?”

Shifting a little, James gestured towards the stack of books they still had to watch. “I don’t think we’ll have six more books to read filled with Harry sitting in front of an enchanted mirror, Lily. He’s going to be fine, all right? And in the meantime… he gets to enjoy something he really wants—for however long he has.”

But didn’t Harry himself describe the experience of seeing his entire family again as half joy, half terrible sadness? Lily shook her head—of course it brought on a bittersweet feeling—seeing your dead family would do that to a person. James was right—Harry was going to be fine. Probably. Hopefully.

She somewhat wished she could reach into the book and reach towards Harry to help him however possible, let him know that she really did want to be there with him again, too. Well, maybe not again because she’s never met Harry before, but the rest of it still stood—she ached at the thought of not being able to tell Harry that it would be okay.

… Harry dropped the Cloak from round his shoulders and ran to the mirror. … His mother and father beamed at the sight of him.

[Harry:] See?

[Ron:] I can’t see anything.

… [Ron:] Look at them all... there are loads of them...

[Ron:] I can only see you.

James grimaced. “Great—Ron’s going to make him feel like he’s going mad, isn’t he?”

She didn’t say that Harry might go mad from looking into this mirror for too long.

[Harry:] Look in it properly, go on, stand where I am.

Harry stepped aside, … he couldn’t see his family any more, … Ron, though, was staring transfixed at his image.

“What’d you reckon he sees?” James asked, his voice becoming steadier and steadier as time went by. Lily still sniffed every now and then.

“I don’t know… himself as the best chess player in the country?” she suggested. James looked at her like he couldn’t believe that was her best guess. Still, seeing as he wasn’t coming up with his own vision, Lily thought she did pretty good.

[Ron:] Look at me! … I’m alone—but I’m different—I look older—and I’m Head Boy!

James made a face. “That’s his dream? I had so much hope for this one!”

“You’re Head Boy, Potter,” she reminded him dryly.

“Well, I never asked to be. Now, being the best Quidditch player would be way better!” He scrunched up his nose. “Although I’m pretty sure my own son is going to be better than I am, so that dream’s out the window, already.”

Lily laughed at him.

… [Ron:] I’m holding the House Cup and the Quidditch Cup—I’m Quidditch captain, too!

James whistled. “This is getting better—so he’s basically succeeding in everything more than anyone else?”

“Well, he has five older brothers that we already know he feels like he has to amount to—it makes sense that he sees himself as finally better than all of them. I bet it isn’t easy to grow up with the attention of your parents divided between seven different children, you know. Makes you wish you were more special than the others.”

“He could have been a squib—would’ve made him different than all the others, too,” James joked, and Lily’s lips tugged up in amusement despite how worried she still was about Harry’s situation with this mirror.

… [Ron:] Do you think this mirror shows the future?

[Harry:] How can it? All my family are dead—let me have another look—

[Ron:] You had it to yourself all last night, give me a bit more time.

[Harry:] You’re only holding the Quidditch Cup, … I want to see my parents.

[Ron:] Don’t push me—

It made Lily cringe—even if they were still sane, clearly this mirror wasn’t doing much good if it made those two boys fight. Unless the book chose to skip over other fights, this was Harry and Ron’s first argument. Over looking at their dreams in a mirror that she had no idea how got to the school—let alone that classroom—in the first place.

A sudden noise outside in the corridor put an end to their discussion. … Ron threw the Cloak back over them as the luminous eyes of Mrs. Norris came round the door. … did the Cloak work on cats?

Lily glanced at James. “Well?” she asked. “Does it?”

He smiled. “She can’t see us in the Cloak, obviously, but she can definitely still smell us. Mrs. Norris is the reason why we can’t always get away with sneaking around with the Cloak—it’s too risky. She might catch us even without being able to actually see us.

“I’m pretty sure she recognized my scent once, because the next day after encountering her with the Cloak on at night, she and Filch came towards me and Mrs. Norris just started meowing at me, like she was sounding an alarm. Of course, without being able to see me do anything wrong, Filch couldn’t do anything to me, but he definitely knew I was up to something.”

“When are you not?” Lily snorted.

He chuckled. “What’s life without a little plotting from time to time?”

“Safer.”

“Boring, exactly. That’s what I was going to say.”

After what seemed an age, she turned and left.

… [Ron:] she might have gone for Filch, … Come on.

And Ron pulled Harry out of the room.

“Smart move.” James nodded, though he looked a tad worried. “It is a little alarming that Harry needed Ron to pull him out of there after nearly getting caught by Mrs. Norris…”

The snow still hadn’t melted next morning.

[Ron:] Want to play chess, Harry? …

[Harry:] No.

[Ron:] Why don’t we go down and visit Hagrid?

[Harry:] No... you go...

They shared a concerned look but didn’t say anything.

[Ron:] I know what you’re thinking about, Harry, that mirror. Don’t go back tonight. … I’ve just got a bad feeling about it—and anyway, you’ve had too many close shaves already. …

[Harry:] You sound like Hermione.

[Ron:] I’m serious, Harry, don’t go.

But Harry only had one thought in his head, which was to get back in front of the mirror, and Ron wasn’t going to stop him.

Cringing, James sighed a little in defeat and frustration. “I guess it really is going to drive him mad. I wonder who’s finally going to snap him out of this, because it doesn’t look like Ron would be able to do anything about it.” Lily silently agreed with him. “And anyway, why did it affect Harry so much more than it did Ron? He saw his wish there, too—why doesn’t he wanna find the mirror again like Harry does?”

With a hum, Lily looked around the room thoughtfully. “Maybe his wish is less profound? I mean, seeing your dead parents and winning the House and Quidditch Cups can’t be on the same level, can it? Besides, Ron might still get those wishes if he actually pulls through. Harry’s wish is impossible to achieve since, well…”

“He wishes to be with people who are already dead,” James finished plainly. Lily winced but nodded all the same.

That third night he found his way more quickly than before. He was walking so fast he knew he was making more noise than was wise, but he didn’t meet anyone.

“That’s really lucky. And stupid,” James said, his frustration growing. “If he gets the Cloak taken from him, I’m going to be so upset…” He shook his head from side to side, looking so much like a disappointed, disapproving parent that Lily nearly fell out of her seat. It was strange to see the goofy, smirking and charming James Potter this mature-like, but she moved past it quickly.

Maybe because he was upset over something as ridiculous as Harry getting his Invisibility Cloak confiscated when he was dealing with more important stuff.

… Harry sank down to sit on the floor in front of the mirror. There was nothing to stop him staying here all night with his family. …

Except—

[Someone (also known as Dumbledore):] So—back again, Harry?

“Who is this?” Lily straightened up immediately. Maybe she appreciated it when people got caught for breaking the rules because she disapproved of others getting away with things, but for some reason she really wanted Harry to stay safe and out of trouble—and that included trouble with the authority figures in the castle. “James, who do you think it is?”

“Well, it’s not Snape or Filch—Snape will never call Harry by his first name, and Filch probably won’t call kids by their names if it was the only way to save himself.” He shrugged. “Other than that… I guess it could be anyone. Oh, wait—McGonagall won’t call him Harry, either. I guess most teachers won’t, will they?”

She glared at him. “That’s not helpful.”

… [Harry] looked behind him. Sitting on one of the desks by the wall was none other than Albus Dumbledore.

Lily’s mouth fell open but no sound came out. She felt panicked—out of all the people in the castle, it had to be the Headmaster? What if he expelled Harry? What if he sent him back to live with his aunt and uncle? And why was James relieved at the sound of Dumbledore being there?

… [Harry:] I—I didn’t see you, sir.

“Strange how short-sighted being invisible can make you,” said Dumbledore, and Harry was relieved to see that he was smiling.

“He’s smiling?” Lily asked faintly.

James glanced at Lily, seemingly surprised to find her this pale and scared. “Lily, Dumbledore won’t get Harry in trouble—he’s really nice when it comes to students breaking curfew. We ran into him a couple of times, and he either chatted with us like he was our friend or he pretended not to have noticed a thing. He’s cool—you can relax.”

Exhaling, Lily nodded at his words, her breathing easing. “I guess,” she whispered. “So he’s going to get Harry to stop looking for this mirror, then?” she asked quickly.

James’s eyes lit up with hope as he turned back to the book.

[Dumbledore sits next to Harry:] you, like hundreds before you, have discovered the delights of the Mirror of Erised. … I expect you’ve realised by now what it does?

[Harry:] It—well—it shows me my family—

[Dumbledore:] And it showed your friend Ron himself as Head Boy.

“How long has he been watching Harry like this?” Lily wondered.

James shrugged like it wasn’t anything to worry about at all. “Dumbledore knows about everything going on around this castle, Lil. I can’t believe you’re just now realising this.” He smirked at her, and Lily felt her face burn a little.

… [Dumbledore:] I don’t need a cloak to become invisible, … can you think what the Mirror of Erised shows us all?

Harry shook his head.

… [Dumbledore:] The happiest man on earth … would look into it and see himself exactly as he is. Does that help?

… [Harry:] It shows us what we want... …

“It’s the middle of the night—he should get him to leave back to Gryffindor Tower, not teach him like it’s just another private lesson,” Lily moaned.

… [Dumbledore:] It shows us nothing more or less than the deepest, most desperate desire of our hearts. … However, this mirror will give us neither knowledge or truth. Men have wasted away before it, … The Mirror will be moved to a new home tomorrow, … It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, … why don’t you put that admirable Cloak back on and get off to bed?

James’s words trailed off a little at those last words, and he furrowed his brows, obviously thinking about something, before his eyes lit up. “Dumbledore! He was the one who’d given Harry my Cloak—it had to be!” he exclaimed.

“What?” She didn’t care much about the Cloak when there was something else happening—Dumbledore was warning Harry about looking for the mirror again. Actually, he made it sound a little like he thought Harry would stumble upon it again soon, for some reason, yet here James was, raving about his Cloak of all things?

“Dumbledore must have sent Harry the Cloak for Christmas!” James said, not realising Lily didn’t care about it much. Though it was nice to know who was the mysterious person who’d given Harry his dad’s Cloak. “But why would I give Dumbledore the Cloak in the future? He can obviously disappear without it—what use would it be to him?”

Shaking her head slowly, Lily stared at James for a moment or two. “Does this really matter right now?”

The look he sent her was a little betrayed. “Well, obviously it doesn’t matter to you,” he grumbled.

… [Harry:] Can I ask you something?

[Dumbledore:] Obviously, you’ve just done so, … You may ask me one more thing, however.

[Harry:] What do you see when you look in the Mirror?

“That’s an incredibly sensitive question, isn’t it?” Lily fretted. “What’s wrong with this kid?”

James was having a hard time containing his laughter next to her.

[Dumbledore:] I? I see myself holding a pair of thick, woollen socks. … Another Christmas has come and gone and I didn’t get a single pair. People will insist on giving me books.

“I’ll give him a book about socks when we graduate,” James promised.

Lily was only twenty percent sure he was joking.

It was only when he was back in bed that it struck Harry that Dumbledore might not have been quite truthful. But then, … it had been quite a personal question.

“At least he saw it, too, eventually,” Lily said with a weary sigh.

Notes:

I'll be honest, I'm feeling so bad, I can't write all that well right now. Which would be great for this fic 'cause I only need to edit it, not actually write anything, but being unable to write makes me feel frustrated, so I don't WANT to read anything. It just makes me feel worse. Which is another reason for why this is taking me so long to upload. I love this story, but... but it's just so boring to edit it ><

Which leads me to my next point - I don't know when I'll post the next chapter. Hopefully I won't forget again so it comes out sooner rather than later. And then someday I might even be able to finish working on writing the last few chapters of the second book... I'm almost done with it - it's so annoying...

Anyway, hope you liked this! If not, please forget to leave a comment. If you did like it, however, comments would be more than welcome. They encourage me to try and write again, which then makes me frustrated when I can't do it, but at least I try. Plus, it fills me with hope for a couple of minutes, which is nice.

This sounds pathetic. Okay, I'm done.

Cya! :)

Chapter 13: Nicolas Flamel

Notes:

I'm still very much alive! I'm just very distracted by other stories ><

Hope you like this chapter! (I don't remember what it's about, I only edited the book chapter itself just now. I need to re-read the entire thing again...)

They left to eat dinner after that.

Unlike the rest of the day, this time Lily didn’t join the Marauders in the Great Hall, and instead sat next to Marlene McKinnon and Darcas Meadowes—the two girls who shared the dormitory with her. They both waved her over the moment James and Lily stepped into the Great Hall. At first James suggested joining her, but then Sirius basically dragged him away so he had no choice but to join his own friends.

It was clear to Lily that her friends were talking between themselves and not with her against their wishes because they kept on glancing at her, as if hoping to hear something interesting. Maybe a comment about their conversation every now and then. But she was just too busy staring at the Marauders. And she wasn’t the only one.

Peter was sitting there, looking anxiously between his three friends and cowering a little at their conversation. Remus leaned across the table with a look of a diplomat who’s come to make things better, somehow, but wasn’t sure how. And on their side of the table, Sirius and James seemed to be arguing over something. Sirius’s voice was louder than the others’, while James was hissing back at him, clearly trying to keep their conversation between themselves, not wanting it to spread around the school.

Lily couldn’t hear what they were talking about because the girls sat on the other end of the Gryffindor table, but one seething, suspicious look from Sirius let Lily know that it was probably about her. She still remembered how weirded out he got that afternoon when James and Lily left together to read the rest of the book—maybe he was upset that James was spending all of his weekend with Lily rather than the boys?

“Wow,” Dorcas said, eyes locked on the Marauders. Apparently, Lily’s two friends have noticed where her attention really was because they were both looking at the four boys, too. “I don’t believe we’ve ever seen these two argue like this.”

“No kidding—usually they’re on the same page, to the point where I think they’re actually separated twins or something,” Marlene said with a shake of her head. Then she turned to look at Lily. “Do you know what it’s about, Lily? Did James tell you anything?”

Blinking rapidly to try and force her mind away from the argument of her boyfriend and his best friend, Lily let on a small, innocent smile. “He didn’t, no.” She shook her head. The two girls stared at her with smirks now, leaning closer to her with interest. “W-what?”

“Weren’t talking, were you?” Marlene teased. Lily’s mouth fell open and she gasped. “So what were you doing, then?”

“Nothing! I mean, we were reading!” Lily shrieked, drawing a few curious gazes away from James and Sirius and over to the three girls. She shrank a little as her face flushed. “Seriously, that’s it.”

Dorcas snorted. “Reading? You and James? For hours?” She did not look convinced in the least, and Lily couldn’t even blame her for it—it sounded like an outrageous lie to her, too. “I don’t think so. Come on, it’s a miracle that he finally managed to get you to go to Hogsmeade with him, but you’re stretching it a little thin now. You can’t possibly believe we’re going to fall for that.”

Lily crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, that’s the truth,” she insisted. “We just found something that interests the two of us, and we decided to read it as soon as possible.” They still didn’t look like they believed her. “It doesn’t matter what you think—it’s what we’re doing.”

Exchanging looks, the girls shrugged and then changed the direction of the conversation. “Well, tell us, then.”

“Tell you what?”

“How was your date, silly!” Marlene said with a look that made Lily feel a little stupid for even asking for clarification. “I mean, the two of you have been together all day so I’m guessing it didn’t go too badly, but we’d still like to hear a little more about it now that you’re finally not attached to the guy!”

Lily’s eyes danced over to James again. He was whispering something to Sirius who calmed down a bit, his dark eyes now staring at James so intently that Lily figured he was trying to look into his soul. Unfortunately, Lily couldn’t hear James, nor could she even see his face because his back was slightly turned to her as he faced Sirius.

She looked back at Dorcas and Merlene who were waiting for an answer. “Well, we just walked through the town and talked, really. There’s nothing much to tell,” she said, feeling slightly embarrassed. “Honestly—nothing amazing happened. We just had a good time with each other—why are you looking at me like that?”

“Has he kissed you, yet?” Marlene demanded.

“What? No!” Lily screeched. Again, gazes were drawn to her, and this time one of them belonged to James. He quirked an eyebrow, as if asking if she was okay, but soon returned to his conversation at her small shake of the head. Her two friends looked at each other again, obviously aware of the brief exchange. “Nothing like that—I’m serious.”

“Not even a little peck?” Dorcas pressed.

Lily glared at her. “Not one.”

The girl sighed. “I expected James to move faster than that,” she said in a tone that suggested she was disappointed. Then she turned to Marlene. “It’s hard to believe he’d take things slow when he finally gets to go on a date with Lily, isn’t it?” She turned back to look at Lily, eyes wide. “I mean, he’s been crushing on you for ages, now. I guess it made sense that now that you’re finally going out, he’d jump on the opportunity rather than crawl the way he does.”

That made some sort of sense, Lily supposed. “Or maybe that’s exactly why he’s choosing to move at this pace,” she said slowly, calculating her words. “I mean, it took him years—like you said—so one wrong move might mean I could just turn around and leave. Maybe he’s worried about that.”

Was he? Lily didn’t really think about that. She wanted to kiss James—it was this tiny itch in the back of her head, telling her that she would lose her mind if nothing happened at all at some point. But their date—their first ever date—was only yesterday. It wasn’t that weird that he hasn’t kissed her yet, and she wasn’t going to make a big deal out of it because she wasn’t that desperate for James Potter to kiss her. She just felt like she was finally ready for something of the sort.

And besides, it was hard to imagine that James was scared of running Lily away with a kiss when they’d spent the entire day reading about the son they might have in the future—a future where they were gone, along with a lot of other people they knew, apparently. If that didn’t drive Lily away, she didn’t think James might still suspect a kiss would. A son and a kiss were on very different points of this scale.

“Yeah, maybe,” the girls sighed, and Lily blinked her thoughts away.

She didn’t need to worry about that—there was no need to when she knew they already had a close call or two. Something always ruined the moment—or James just pulled away before anything could happen—but it was okay. Lily was in no hurry. In fact, she felt like time was waiting just for her, which was weird considering she was reading about a future that said she clearly didn’t have much time left to live.

The only warning she got from her friends was the way they looked above and over her shoulder, matching grins on their faces—then a hand landed on her shoulder, and Lily turned around to see James standing there, looking a little agitated but otherwise okay.

When their eyes met, he smiled down at her after sending a curt nod towards Dorcas and Marlene (though his eyes did linger a little longer on Marlene, like he, too, was remembering how she was said to be murdered in the future).

“Ready to go? Or are you still eating?” James asked.

Lily glanced at her plate. There were still bits and pieces of food on it, but nothing she was going to put in her mouth. “Ready,” she answered and got up quickly, not appreciating the smug looks her friends sent her way. “I’ll see you later tonight, all right?” she told them, and then followed James out of the Great Hall, her neck prickling at the feeling of eyes staring at the two of them.

They didn’t head in the direction of the Room of Requirement. Instead, they moved together towards the Gryffindor common room and Lily remembered that James did say he would pass by his dormitory to grab the Invisibility Cloak—both to show it to her and to help them get to and from the Room of Requirement undetected.

“Are you and Sirius all right?” Lily asked.

She wasn’t sure it would be wise to inquire him about this because she clearly lacked in knowledge when it came to the other Marauders. They had plenty of secrets she wasn’t privy to, she knew, and if she was wrong and Sirius’s issue wasn’t with her, then maybe asking James about it now wouldn’t be the best move. Still, the words left her mouth before she could swallow them back down.

He pursed his lips. “We’ll be fine,” he said, trying to go for casual. It didn’t work all too well. “He’s just a bit strung up because the Quidditch match is next week and he thinks I’m not going to be focused on the game with you around.” He glanced sideways at her, as if searching to see what her reaction might be. “Which is ridiculous, honestly.”

“Honestly…” Lily echoed and then shook her head. “I thought I saw him glaring at me for a moment there.” She nodded.

A smirk appeared on James’s face at her words. “Who wouldn’t stare at you, though, Evans? He’d be stupid not to. Gillyweed,” he said to the Fat Lady, and she swung open and revealed the hole in the wall behind her.

The two climbed into the common room—Lily was insanely glad when James didn’t insist on helping her. It was always so annoying when blokes tried pulling that to charm girls. Obviously making girls feel helpless and incapable of simple tasks was considered a chivalrous thing to do.

“James…”

He fully turned to her, one of his legs already on the first step to the boys’ dormitory. “It’s nothing major, Lily,” he said quickly, his teasing smirk gone—replaced by something more sincere. “Padfoot is just…” He considered his words for a moment or two. “You can say he’s just having trouble getting used to changes. And you’re a change.”

“You mean he’s having trouble accepting that I’m no longer a distant part of his life?” She wasn’t sure how to feel about that, either. She knew that James and Sirius were close—closer than most people she knew—so being with James meant hanging around Sirius, as well. She wasn’t sure how to swallow that pill. She never hated Sirius as much as she did James, so she didn’t think that was the problem. She didn’t really know what it was.

Nodding his head reluctantly, James grimaced a bit. “I’ll be right back, all right?” And he disappeared before she could respond.

Lily sighed and sat down in front of the fire, ignoring the few younger kids that were in the common room, either studying or chatting comfortably. Staring into the flickering flames, Lily tried to figure out what exactly she herself was feeling. The thought of Sirius not liking her usually wouldn’t have bothered her. She never really wanted him to mind her. And he never truly did—he only acknowledged her because James liked her.

But now… now it made her feel slightly queasy. As much as she didn’t mind Sirius being wary of her presence, she felt like it was something to be worried about. Because despite what James was saying—Sirius was his best friend. Those two were so close, Lily almost never got to see one without the other.

So if Sirius didn’t get along with her, what would James do? He wouldn’t live separately with each one of them, obviously, but that meant he would have to choose, and Lily didn’t want to know what that would end up with. She figured Sirius would come first.

Then again, in the future they were reading about, Lily and James were married with a child before they were murdered. And Sirius hasn’t been mentioned once. What if… what if James cut ties with Sirius, in the end? What if Lily got to spend however long she had with James… feeling guilty over ruining such a close friendship? Was this more or less likely than Sirius just being dead like so many others? She wasn’t sure, actually.

“Okay, I’m ready. Let’s—are you okay?”

Lily blinked and tore her gaze away from the fire to see James standing there, looking at her with furrowed brows. She forced a smile onto her face. “Yeah, just thinking.” Getting up, she looked at him curiously. “You got it, then?”

James, not looking like he really believed her, nodded and then followed her out of the hole. Lily could feel his eyes boring into her, silently searching for the reason as to why she was suddenly this solemn again.

She considered just telling him that she was still upset over reading about the Mirror of Erised, but decided against it. Lying about that felt like crossing a line. Maybe because it really did upset her, and she didn’t want to bring it up and get James’s mood to drop again, too.

“Lily, what’s wrong—”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she cut him off and kept on walking ahead. She turned around the corner that led to the stairs that would take them up to the seventh floor, and heard James’s footsteps following in her wake.

His hand grabbed hers and made her stop in her tracks. She didn’t turn to look at him, though—she wasn’t sure what kind of expression she had on her face right now. “All right, but slow down. We don’t have to talk about it, okay? Just get under this.”

She glanced back and saw him pulling out a bundle of cloth from under his robe. It was absolutely beautiful, she had to admit. Which was a shame if the purpose of this fabric was really to turn invisible. Why create something that would disappear from view and make it this lovely to look at?

There was probably an appreciative glint in her eyes because James smiled at her with pride as he threw the silvery Cloak over both their heads. It really did feel like a fabric made of liquid. And it was light—so light, in fact, that Lily almost wondered whether it was even spread over her. She could see right through the fabric, of course, and she didn’t need to check to know that both she and James were invisible to the eye.

“And this is the Invisibility Cloak,” James said quietly, but with a note of delight. “My dad gave it to me right before I got to Hogwarts. He said his dad gave it to him at the same age, too.” He held on to Lily’s hand and started pulling her forward again. With the Cloak covering them, though, they had to take smaller strides to make sure they stayed together, and well-hidden under the fabric. “It’s been rather helpful, I’d say. Pretty neat, huh?”

Lily opened and closed her mouth a few times, still rather amazed by this piece of magic that she never thought she’d get to see, let alone touch or hide under. “It’s unbelievable,” she said in awe. James beamed at her as they ascended to the higher floors. “But I still don’t get how all four of you can hide underneath this thing. It’d be too small, wouldn’t it?”

“Well, it used to be okay at first because we were pretty small. Now we’re just… being creative,” he said it with the same tone he used whenever bringing something up about Sirius that he didn’t mean to. Or like he did whenever that map of the Marauders was brought up. Which let Lily know that she shouldn’t ask more questions about that creativity he was referring to. “Shh…”

They both hushed at the sight of a few Ravenclaws passing by them, and Lily felt like her heart was hammering straight out of her chest. She wasn’t used to sneaking around people. She wasn’t used to just standing there, knowing they wouldn’t be able to see her. It gave her a strange kind of thrill—one she figured James and the other Marauders were probably used to. If that was what they were feeling every time they bent or broke the rules, then she couldn’t blame them for it—not entirely. It was rather addictive.

“Okay, come on,” James said once the coast was clear, amusement and excitement laced in his voice.

Lily chuckled as she let him pull her after him, down the corridor and towards the Room or Requirement. “Be honest, now—how many times did you use this thing to spy on the girls’ toilet?” Lily asked, half teasing and half serious.

James smirked at her over his shoulder. “Don’t go too far, Lily—we’ve only had one date and a kid. There are some secrets I ought to be able to keep from you, still,” he said, and then they started to walk back and forth three times in front of the bleak wall that Lily thought looked more magical than most walls in the castle now that she knew what hid behind it.

When the door opened, the two didn’t spare a single moment before they climbed into the room and got out from under the Cloak. James put it on the round table, next to the seven books, and then picked up the purple book in a way that almost seemed tender, like he was worried that damaging it might hurt Harry himself.

“Ready for more?” he asked once he sank down to his seat.

Lily glanced at her hand—still clutched in his own—and then smiled at him. “Here’s to hoping this chapter wouldn’t be as depressing as the last one,” she said.

“I wouldn’t hold my breath, though.”

On that cheerful note, he started reading.

… Harry wished he could forget what he’d seen in the Mirror … he dreamed about his parents disappearing in a flash of green light while a high voice cackled with laughter.

Lily grimaced. “That’s right… he had no idea what we both looked like before—now his imagination can focus on more details.”

She didn’t like it one bit. It was better to think that Harry thought back to that moment when You-Know-Who had killed the two of them without seeing his parents since he didn’t know what to picture. Now, with the vivid image of them stuck in his mind thanks to that cursed mirror, Lily figured it would be even worse to think back to that memory—the one that she didn’t even understand how he had in the first place.

“Doesn’t he have a Quidditch match soon?” James asked. Lily sent him an unimpressed look, and he quickly jumped to explain. “No, I’m not saying it’s more important or anything—it just might take his mind off that experience. If he’s anything like me, playing Quidditch would make him feel better.”

Considering Harry sounded like he loved Quidditch so far, Lily decided James might have something to his words. She hoped this would really help Harry move on.

[Ron:] You see, Dumbledore was right, that mirror could drive you mad, …

… [Hermione] was torn between horror at the idea of Harry being out of bed, … and disappointment that he hadn’t at least found out who Nicolas Flamel was.

“This girl’s priorities really are a little messed up, aren’t they?” James noted. “Shouldn’t she care more about how Harry was holding up after everything that had happened?”

“If she’s anything like me—this is her way of showing that she’s worried.”

James looked at Lily with a small smirk. “Wow—you must care a lot about me, then,” he said and laughed when she playfully smacked his shoulder.

They had almost given up hope of ever finding Flamel in a library book, … Harry had even less time than the other two, … Wood was working the team harder than ever. … Harry was on Wood’s side. … he had fewer nightmares when he was tired out after training.

James grinned smugly at hearing that he was right—or somewhat right, at least—and Lily rolled her eyes. “He’s not distracting himself with Quidditch—he’s just exhausting himself,” she claimed firmly.

“Oh, come on—he also cares about the game, obviously. He’s definitely happy to be playing Quidditch whenever he can. And beating Slytherin would only make it better,” James said. “I’m almost disappointed that Fred and Geroge don’t seem to see it this way.”

“Well, they don’t have nightmares about their parents being murdered every night, do they?”

James kept on reading without replying.

… [Wood:] Will you stop messing around! … Snape’s refereeing this time, and he’ll be looking for any excuse to knock points off Gryffindor!

James opened his mouth to continue reading the chapter, did a doubletake, and then gasped. “Snape’s what?” he screeched. “Why would he be the referee? What’s he got to do with Quidditch? He sucks at it!”

Lily grimaced. Sev really wasn’t that good on a broom. Which was another reason as to why she thought he was always so obsessed and jealous of James—James had a talent rarely seen on the Quidditch pitch. Sev had none of that grace the Gryffindor had on a broomstick in the air. So it really did seem a bit odd that the man wanted to referee a Quidditch game in the future.

“And after last time…” Lily muttered. “Didn’t he try to jinx Harry’s broom into tossing Harry off?”

That made James’s eyes to clear a little. “Right. The last match—Snape tried to save Harry,” he said. Lily sent him a look. She couldn’t believe James of all people was still insisting on defending Severus. “He doesn’t want to referee the game—he just wants to keep a closer eye on Harry—I bet he’s trying to make sure nobody tries to jinx his broom again.”

“You’re a really weird guy, you know that?” Lily said dryly.

The boy grinned at her. “You’ll see that I’m right—I’m sure of it. Just you wait, ye of little faith.”

… [George:] Snape’s refereeing? … He’s not going to be fair if we might overtake Slytherin.

The rest of the team landed next to George to complain, too.

… [Wood:] We’ve just got to make sure we play a clean game, so Snape hasn’t got an excuse to pick on us.

“So naïve…” James muttered.

“I thought you were defending Sev.”

James spluttered. “Am not. I just think he’s not the one going after the stone, or the one trying to kill Harry. I still think it’s someone else.” He didn’t say Quirrell, but Lily thought back to their bet and knew he was thinking of the stuttering professor. “That doesn’t mean Snape isn’t going to take advantage of the situation and try and get Gryffindor to have their worst game, yet. Especially with Harry on that team—he’s going to make it a horribly unfair game for them. Their only shot is if Harry catches the Snitch really fast. But that’s going to be difficult.”

… but [Harry] had another reason for not wanting Snape near him while he was playing Quidditch... [Harry went to the common room and found Ron and Hermione playing chess.] Chess was the only thing Hermione ever lost at, something Harry and Ron thought was very good for her.

James started laughing while Lily just huffed at the book. “Why, they don’t have to make it their life mission to find something Hermione wouldn’t be better at than them—what kind of friends are they to think like that?”

“Lily, people need to know that losing is part of life,” James said, his lips twitching as he obviously held back a smile. “It’s a very valuable life lesson that they’re glad they can teach Hermione, I’m sure.”

“Oh, stuff it,” she grumbled.

… Harry told the other two about Snape’s sudden, sinister desire to be a Quidditch referee.

[Hermione:] Don’t play, …

[Ron:] Say you’re ill, …

[Hermione:] Pretend to break your leg, …

[Ron:] Really break your leg, …

“Ron!” Lily shrieked. “What’s he planning to do? Beat on Harry’s leg until it’s broken?” she asked, slightly hysterical.

“It wouldn’t matter, anyway,” James waved her words away dismissively. “A broken leg is nothing. Madam Pomfrey would take of it in a second and Harry will still have to play—this plan is bound to fail. There’s not much they can do to get Harry out of playing.” He hummed. “Unless… he does something bad enough in front of McGonagall and lands himself in detention, I guess.”

Lily stared at him. “She would never force him to have a detention when it means losing a Quidditch game—she’s as determined as the team to win the match, remember? She’s the one who put Harry on the team.”

Shrugging, James didn’t look too worried. “It was only a suggestion. Anyway, I don’t think Harry’s going to weasel out of playing.”

“Why not?”

“He’s a Gryffindor!” James said proudly. “He’s not going to turn away like a coward—he’s going to go out there and risk his life for a Quidditch game.” Lily’s eyes bored into James, and she could tell they were blazing. He shrank a little away from her, his hand turning limp in her grasp. “I’m not saying that’s smart—all I’m saying is that it’s the kind of thing I know I would do in his place.”

[Harry:] I can’t, … If I back out, Gryffindor can’t play at all.

“See?”

Lily groaned. “Forget You-Know-Who—the thing that’s actually going to kill this family is Quidditch, isn’t it?”

At that moment Neville toppled into the common room. … his legs had been stuck together … He must have had to bunny hop all the way up to Gryffindor Tower.

Lily could tell that James had a hard time not laughing out loud at the mental image of a first-year hopping like that through the school. She felt a pang of anger. Whoever did this to the poor boy was so cruel!

She was certain Neville wasn’t the kind of person to provoke anyone, so it didn’t sound very probable that it was the result of a small argument—rather someone just saw Neville and decided it would be a good idea to humiliate him.

… [Hermione] leapt up and performed the counter-curse. …

[Hermione:] What happened? …

[Neville:] Malfoy, … He said he’d been looking for someone to practise that on.

James snorted. “Should’ve practiced that on himself. Or better yet—one of his cronies. They would probably look ridiculous, hopping about like that.”

… [Hermione:] Report him!

… [Neville:] I don’t want more trouble, …

… [Ron:] He’s used to walking all over people, but that’s no reason to lie down in front of him and make it easier.

“There’s no need to tell me I’m not brave enough to be in Gryffindor, Malfoy’s already done that,” Neville choked.

Lily noticed some kind of pinched expression on James’s face, like he was both slightly ashamed and upset over something. “Malfoy doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Even if Neville doesn’t seem like much now, he’s probably going to be awesome after a few years in Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat is never wrong, is it? There’s something in Neville that made him fit to be a Gryffindor!”

Lily clenched her free hand into a fist. “Of course Alice and Frank’s son is brave!” she exclaimed, her hair probably adding to the heat in her voice. “He’s going to do extraordinary things—I’m sure of it! Sometimes it just takes time for someone to find out what they’re good at.”

James stared at her for a second, then his lips pulled up, eyes twinkling fondly.

… [Harry] pulled out a Chocolate Frog, … He gave it to Neville, who looked as though he might cry.

[Harry:] You’re worth twelve of Malfoy, … The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor, didn’t it? And where’s Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin.

The grin on James’s face was so full of pride that for a moment Lily forgot that he was thinking of a son he’s never truly met before—someone that wasn’t a part of their life yet.

She had to admit—Harry choosing to stand up for someone he clearly knew was clumsy and fairly cowardly filled her with so much warmth—because he grew up in the worst environment, and yet he was still a good person and he still stood up for the people he cared about, even if Neville wasn’t too close to him.

That jab at Slytherin didn’t even bother her as much as it would have any other time. Lily was just glad that Harry was trying to make Neville feel better about himself. It was extremely nice of him.

Of course, Ron and Hermione were both helping, too, but she thought that had she been in Neville’s place, hearing that she was worth more than a kid that was bullying her would’ve made her feel better than the encouragement to go tell someone about the bullying or the insistence on her having to stand up for herself.

Because while Ron and Hermione tried to make Neville do something about the situation or anything that might happen in the future, Harry was saying something to make him feel like he was already worth more than what he was made to feel.

… [Neville:] Thanks, Harry... I think I’ll go to bed... D’you want the card, you collect them, don’t you?

… [Harry, looking at the card:] Dumbledore again, … He was the first one I ever— … I’ve found him!

Lily scrunched up her nose. “Who? Dumbledore?” she asked in confusion. “He does know that Dumbledore’s office is in Hogwarts, right?”

James, apparently already noticing the next words, grinned broadly. “He’s not talking about Dumbledore. Listen to this.”

[Harry:] I’ve found Flamel! … ‘Professor Dumbledore is particularly famous for his defeat of the dark wizard Grindelwald in 1945, for the discovery of the twelve uses of dragon’s blood and his work on alchemy with his partner, Nicolas Flamel’!

Lily gasped. “How could I forget that?”

Glancing down at his watch, James shrugged. “It has been a couple of hours since we actually read that part, you know.”

“But we know about Dumbledore’s card! We both have it, don’t we?” she asked. “Besides, for Harry it’s been months since he got to read this, and he still remembered that, somewhat. I didn’t even get close to thinking about the chocolate frogs…”

“Don’t feel bad, Evans—it happens to the best of us.”

[Hermione ran away and returned with a large book.]

… [Hermione:] I got this out of the library weeks ago for a bit of light reading.”

[Ron:] Light? …

… [Hermione:] I knew it! I knew it!

“Are we allowed to speak yet?” said Ron grumpily. Hermione ignored him.

“I just love the chemistry between those two—don’t you?” James drawled out. Lily snickered a little into her hand.

The interactions between Ron and Hermione looked less smooth than their interactions with Harry, but they were still definitely better than the ones Lily and James used to have before their seventh year.

[Hermione, reading from the book:] Nicolas Flamel, … is the only known maker of the Philosopher’s Stone!

James furrowed his brows. “I’m sure I’ve heard about it, but I can’t put my finger on what that is…”

To be frank, Lily wasn’t too sure, either. Although she knew for sure that it wasn’t anything good. Well, the Stone was probably not too bad, but the fact that someone was trying to steal it was less than thrilling.

… [Harry and Ron:] The what? …

… [Hermione:] Look—read that, there. …

… The Stone will transform any metal into pure gold. It also produces the Elixir of Life, which will make the drinker immortal.

“Wait, wait, wait—hold on.” James shook his head frantically, his eyes wide. “If You-Know-Who really is still barely alive in this future, and Harry’s still his target, wouldn’t it mean that You-Know-Who might want the Stone to get the elixir of Life? Then he’d go after Harry, and finally kill him—because I really don’t think he’s going to survive against the Killing Curse a second time.”

Lily shuddered at the thought. “So Sev—someone is trying to steal the Stone to give it to You-Know-Who?” Lily asked faintly, correcting herself in mid-sentence after noticing the look on James’s face. “That can’t be good. They should tell a teacher about it, shouldn’t they?”

“The teacher would know, though. At least Dumbledore will.” James shook his head. “There’s really not much they can do without knowing for sure who’s trying to steal the stone and give Dumbledore an actual name. Besides, they should be safe as long as Dumbledore is around—You-Know-Who’s terrified of him, isn’t he?”

That was true. Still… Lily didn’t like this.

… the only Stone currently in existence belongs to Mr. Nicolas Flamel, … Mr. Flamel, who celebrated his six hundred and sixty-fifth birthday last year, enjoys a quiet life in Devon with his wife, Perenelle (six hundred and fifty-eight).

“Merlin’s beard… I’d kill myself before reaching that age,” James said, clearly astonished. “What’s there to live for after such a long time?” he asked.

“His wife, for once.”

“She’s only still alive because he is—they can both just die already and be done with it.”

… [Hermione:] I bet he asked Dumbledore to keep it safe for him, because they’re friends and he knew someone was after it. …

… [Harry:] No wonder Snape’s after it! Anyone would want it.

[Ron:] And no wonder we couldn’t find Flamel in that Study of Recent Developments in Wizardry, … He’s not exactly recent if he’s six hundred and sixty-five, is he?

James sniggered at that last comment, but Lily just hummed. “They haven’t put the pieces together,” she noted. “The three of them still think Severus is trying to get the Stone for himself and not for You-Know-Who.”

“You’re forgetting that for Ron You-Know-Who’s been dead for years, for Hermione he didn’t exist until she started learning about the wizarding world, and for Harry he was only recently identified as the murderer of his parents—but he’s also assumed to be gone—or mostly gone. They don’t exactly have a real reason to suspect him immediately—we live in a time when he’s killing people left and right. It’s different.”

“I suppose…”

Next morning in Defence Against the Dark Arts, … Harry remembered about Snape and the coming match.

[Harry:] I’m going to play, … If I don’t, all the Slytherins will think I’m just too scared to face Snape. … it’ll really wipe the smiles off their faces if we win.

[Hermione:] Just as long as we’re not wiping you off the pitch, …

It made the couple cringe. “Lovely mental image, there,” Lily said reluctantly.

“Oh, yes… that sounds absolutely charming. Really wish I could see this,” James drawled out, voice brimming with disgust.

As the match drew nearer, however, Harry became more and more nervous, … he seemed to keep running into Snape wherever he went. … Potions lessons were turning into a sort of weekly torture, Snape was so horrible to Harry. Could Snape possibly know they’d found out about the Philosopher’s Stone? … he sometimes had the horrible feeling that Snape could read minds.

Eyes narrowing, James glared at the book for a few moments, not saying anything. Lily watched him from her place, a little concerned and annoyed at not knowing what was going on.

“There is a type of magic that allows one person to read someone’s mind,” he said slowly. “I’m pretty sure they say that You-Know-Who can do it. I bet Dumbledore can, too. Why not Snape, as well?”

Lily pressed her lips together and tried to think hard about it. “But then… if your theory is correct then there’s no reason for Sev to even care about whether or not Harry, Ron and Hermione think he’s going to steal the Stone. According to you, he’s innocent.”

“That doesn’t mean he doesn’t still hate Harry,” James replied easily. “And everyone becomes nastier when games approach—it makes sense that Snape wouldn’t be too happy with Harry if he thinks he might allow Gryffindor to win the House Cup in the end of the year.” James smirked proudly. “Which he most definitely will do because he’s good enough! That is, as long as the next game is actually fair and nobody tries to throw Harry off his broom.”

“Thanks for the reminder,” Lily said dryly.

Harry knew, when they wished him good luck outside the changing rooms next afternoon, that Ron and Hermione were wondering whether they’d ever see him alive again.

James choked on his laughter—though Lily did notice a smidgen of worry in his expression.

This wasn’t what you’d call comforting. …

… Ron and Hermione had been secretly practising the Leg-Locker Curse. … [They] were ready to use it on Snape if he showed any sign of wanting to hurt Harry.

Lily was caught between feeling awe at how brave and helpful Harry’s friends were, and horror at the fact that they were planning to curse their teacher—and an adult wizard who might be trying to kill their friend—if things turned really dire.

James had no such qualms—he just beamed at the book. “Use it on him! Curse him anyway for everything he’s putting you through!” he encouraged the book, and Lily sighed and shook her head tiredly.

There wasn’t any point in telling him not to encourage the kids like that—not when they couldn’t hear him, anyway—and she kind of felt like Sev deserved at least some of it. Because James was right—even if he wasn’t the one trying to kill Harry (which, unfortunately, seemed pretty unlikely), he was still a jerk towards the Gryffindor students.

… [Wood:] Don’t want to pressure you, Potter, … Finish the game before Snape can favour Hufflepuff too much.

“Exactly! It’s sad that it can’t be something anyone can actually guarantee,” James said. “I mean, the Snitch could end up being anywhere. Remember that match on our fifth year, Evans?”

“I only went to one of the matches that year and it was the one where Gryffindor played against Hufflepuff,” she said.

James pulled a face. “You really know how to make me feel bad, huh? No, the one where we played against Ravenclaw—it took Cass Pollen seventy-five minutes to spot the Snitch and catch it. It was horrible. It was raining and we were all soaked—it was honestly one of the longest games Hogwarts had had that I could find in the school’s history.”

“That sounds horrible.”

“It was fun. And we did win.” He shrugged, ignoring her discomfort at the thought of sitting on a broom for such a long time. “And anyway, I’m hoping Harry would have more luck.”

[Fred:] The whole school’s out there! … blimey—Dumbledore’s come to watch!

… [Harry:] Dumbledore?

… Fred was right. …

Lily exhaled, relaxing a bit. “That’s good. It means Harry’s safe.”

James nodded. “I bet Dumbledore showed up because he wanted to keep an eye on Harry and make sure nothing happened to him this time around.” James smiled fondly. “He’s a really great person, isn’t he?”

… There was simply no way that Snape would dare to try and hurt him if Dumbledore was watching. Perhaps that was why Snape was looking so angry …

… [Ron:] Look—they’re off. Ouch!

Someone had poked Ron in the back of the head. It was Malfoy.

“Ugh, no—I wanna hear about the game, not about this git,” James whined, and Lily rolled her eyes but patted his back comfortingly, all the same. Of course, the drama between Harry’s friends and Malfoy was more interesting than the Quidditch match, but she wasn’t stupid enough as to actually voice that thought arout a fanatic like James Potter.

… [Malfoy:] Wonder how long Potter’s going to stay on his broom this time? …

… Snape had just awarded Hufflepuff a penalty because George Weasley had hit a Bludger at him. … [Hermione] was squinting fixedly at Harry, who was circling the game like a hawk, …

James nodded. “I’ve gotta admit, if I were a Beater, I’d probably send a Bludger at Snape, too.”

“You know, I don’t think anyone would find this surprising,” Lily noted.

“Although I wouldn’t do it when he’s the referee—that’s just plain stupidity. I like Fred and George, but they’ve got to work on their timing if this is when they decide to go after their least favourable professor.”

[Malfoy:] You know how I think they choose people for the Gryffindor team?

… Snape awarded Hufflepuff another penalty for no reason at all.

Opening his mouth to comment, James looked enraged at the thought of Sev doing something like this without anyone protesting, but Lily spoke before he could say a single word.

“I swear to God, Potter, if you comment about every little thing Sev does that’s unfair, we’re going to sit here all night, and if that happens, I’m going to strangle you!”

His mouth clamped shut effectively at the sound of her words.

[Malfoy:] It’s people they feel sorry for. See, there’s Potter, who’s got no parents, then there’s the Weasleys, who’ve got no money—you should be on the team, Longbottom, you’ve got no brains.

Lily gasped. “That’s a horrible thing to say!”

“You know, Lily, if you comment about every little thing that Malfoy says, we’re going to end up reading this book all night,” James said airily, and Lily turned to glare at him. “What? You’re allowed to criticise but I’m not?”

… [Neville:] I’m worth twelve of you, Malfoy, …

“Go, Neville!” James called. “Quote Harry like you should—this kid has some good material, here and there,” he cheered.

Lily didn’t know whether to berate James for claiming that Harry’s brilliance was occasional, or to laugh at both Neville’s sudden bravery and James’s words. She ended up just choking a little on a few chuckles.

… Ron, still not daring to take his eyes from the game, said, “You tell him, Neville.”

[Malfoy:] Longbottom, if brains were gold you’d be poorer than Weasley, …

… [Ron:] I’m warning you, Malfoy—one more word—

[Hermione:] Ron! … Harry—!

… Harry had suddenly gone into a spectacular dive, which drew gasps and cheers from the crowd. …

“I can’t believe it!” James said, eyes wide and smile wide. “He already found the Snitch!”

“But it’s only been a few minutes, hasn’t it?”

James beamed at her.

[Malfoy:] You’re in luck, Weasley, Potter’s obviously spotted some money on the ground! …

… Before Malfoy knew what was happening, Ron was on top of him, … [Neville] clambered over the back of his seat to help.

[Hermione:] Come on, Harry!

[Ron was rolling on the floor with Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were facing Neville.]

Both of them cringed at that. Lily didn’t think that would end up well. For one—a teacher might notice the scuffle, and then both Slytherin and Gryffindor would get in trouble. But worse—well, Neville didn’t sound like he was particularly big or strong, while Crabbe and Goyle were described as both those things. Lily didn’t have high hopes for Neville winning this fight.

Still, it was good to know that all Neville needed was a little encouragement from his friends to throw himself out there and try and protect himself. Even if he would most likely end up seeing Madam Pomfrey for his many bruises.

Ron might get out all right, though, since it didn’t sound like either Malfoy or he were at a disadvantage. In fact, Lily was willing to bet that if anyone was more used to fist fights, it was the boy that grew up with five older brothers.

… Harry had pulled out of the dive, his arm raised in triumph, the Snitch clasped in his hand.

James seemed to forget all about the fight between the first-years as he cheered for Harry, looking amazed and thrilled.

The stands erupted; it had to be a record, no one could ever remember the Snitch being caught so quickly.

James nodded. “Yes! It has to be! It has to be a record!” He turned to Lily excitedly. “Lily, our son is amazing!” he said, squeezing her hand. “I can’t believe I can’t see it for myself—this has got to be the shortest Hogwarts Quidditch game!”

She didn’t get that enthusiastic about Quidditch, but it felt good to hear that Harry won the game again (and maybe broke a record on the way!)—just like it did to hear about his first game against Slytherin (even if that last game was a lot more worrying with Harry nearly falling down his broom).

[Hermione:] Ron! Ron! Where are you? The game’s over! Harry’s won! We’ve won! Gryffindor are in the lead! …

“She’s awfully excited for someone who doesn’t seem to care much about Quidditch,” Lily noted.

James’s grin wasn’t going anywhere, it seemed. “I bet she’s just really happy that it’s Harry who’s won. She cares about the game because she cares about her friend,” he said, bouncing in his seat a little bit.

Lily watched him fondly. Yeah, if watching a game meant getting to see James ending up this happy after another victory, Lily couldn’t blame Hermione for wanting to watch Quidditch and for being this thrilled about Gryffindor’s win.

… He’d done it—the game was over; it had barely lasted five minutes.

“Bloody hell…” James muttered, a mad grin still plastered across his face.

… Harry felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up into Dumbledore’s smiling face.

[Dumbledore:] Well done, … Nice to see you haven’t been brooding about that mirror... …

“Yeah, who cares about that mirror when Harry just won a game, broke a record, got Gryffindor in the lead, and has only one more game to win before winning the House Cup?”

Lily shook her head at him, squeezing his hand just enough to get his attention. “Calm down—let’s not get ahead of ourselves. There’s still more to the book, remember? And someone’s still out there, trying to kill Harry and steal the Philosopher’s Stone. We’re not out of the woods, yet.”

The grin disappeared from his face as James’s mouth fell slightly ajar. “You know, that’s right—Harry’s been at Hogwarts for months and he hasn’t even gotten around to exploring the Forbidden Forest, yet.”

She glared at him. “I did not say that!”

“He can’t not go there.” James ignored her and then kept on reading eagerly.

Lily sighed in exasperation but let him go on. It was better than arguing with him about whether or not Harry should break the rules of the school and risk his life or not (although Lily thought Harry’s life has already been on the brink far too many times for her liking).

Harry left the changing room alone some time later, … no one could say he was just a famous name any more.

“That’s right,” Lily said with a bright smile. “It’s a nice thought—that he’s finally proven himself for real—at least in his eyes.”

The evening air had never smelled so sweet. … Harry had reached the shed. … He’d done it, he’d shown Snape...

And speaking of Snape...

Sighing, James looked at the ceiling tiredly. “Oh, please—we don’t need to speak about Snape, do we?”

“Keep reading, already!”

A hooded figure came swiftly down the front steps … it walked as fast as possible towards the Forbidden Forest. … He recognised the figure’s prowling walk. … what was going on?

… he saw Snape enter the Forest at a run. He followed [on his broom.]

Lily groaned. “There you go—you got your wish. Harry just walked into the Forbidden Forest. Are you happy now?”

James squinted his eyes at the book. “Well, he didn’t exactly walk there. He flew there to follow his terrible teacher.” James pondered this for a long moment. “I guess that’s going to have to do, then.”

… He flew in circles, lower and lower, … until he heard voices. [Harry] landed noiselessly in a towering beech tree. … in a shadowy clearing, stood Snape, … Quirrell was there, too.

James perked up, clearly thinking about their bet. Lily bit her lip anxiously. She was willing to bet on James being wrong because she really didn’t think it was Quirrell, and because the odds were in her favour—even if it wasn’t Sev behind all of it, she didn’t bet on anyone specific like James did. But even she had to admit that Quirrell kept on coming up in this book pretty often.

… Harry strained to catch what they were saying.

[Professor Quirrell:] ...d-don’t know why you wanted t-t-to meet here of all p-places, Severus...

[Snape:] Oh, I thought we’d keep this private, … Students aren’t supposed to know about the Philosopher’s Stone, … Have you found out how to get past that beast[?] …

The image of her being forced to fly on a broomstick because of this bet popped into Lily’s mind and she gulped. This sentence could be interpreted in two different ways—either Severus was trying to get information out of Quirrell to get past Fluffy, or he was trying to interrogate Quirrell because he suspected the man was planning something—like James had predicted.

[Professor Quirrell:] B-b-but Severus, I—

[Snape:] You don’t want me as your enemy, Quirrell, …

… [Professor Quirrell:] I d-d-don’t—

… [Snape:] We’ll have another little chat soon, when you’ve had time to think things over and decided where your loyalties lie.

… It was almost dark now, but Harry could see Quirrell, standing quite still as though he was petrified.

Glancing at each other warily, Lily could tell that James was anxious to know who the bad guy was, too. Or at least to have it confirmed, in his case. She herself didn’t know what to think. This story was from Harry’s point of view, and the kid clearly disliked Severus and was convinced that he was the one who was after the Stone, so this entire conversation confirmed Harry’s suspicions and probably made him very convinced that Sev was the bad guy in here.

But was James right? Was it possible that Severus only sounded suspicious, but wasn’t actually the man going after the Stone and Harry? The part about Severus being trusted by Dumbledore enough to teach kids kept on popping in her head now, telling her that Dumbledore wouldn’t risk the students’ lives if he thought it was possible that one of his teachers was corrupted. But then that included Quirrell, didn’t it? Quirrell was a teacher, too.

Unless, of course, one of them was deceiving Dumbledore. Lily didn’t want to think about it too hard or admit it to herself, but she’s known for a while now that Severus was probably going to end up as a Death Eater. She hated it, but it was true. So Dumbledore still hiring him after the war was a risky move, indeed.

Quirrell… well, she didn’t have much information about him, to be honest. But it was hard to imagine a stuttering man as the bad guy.

Maybe that was the whole point?

[Hermione:] Harry where have you been? …

[Ron:] We won! … And I gave Malfoy a black eye and Neville tried to take on Crabbe and Goyle single-handed! He’s still out cold but Madam Pomfrey says he’ll be all right … Fred and George stole some cakes and stuff from the kitchens.

The mention of the twins stealing food seemed to awaken James because he beamed proudly at the book, nodding appreciatively at the Weasleys’ actions. Lily wondered how they even knew where to find the kitchens—Lily’s been to Hogwarts for seven years and she didn’t know where to find them.

[Harry:] Never mind that now, … you wait ‘til you hear this...

… he told them what he’d seen and heard.

[Harry:] So we were right, it is the Philosopher’s Stone, and Snape’s trying to force Quirrell to help him get it. … I reckon there are other things guarding the stone apart from Fluffy, … Quirrell would have done some anti-Dark Arts spell …

Lily frowned a little. “How come we didn’t think of that? Of course there’s more than just Fluffy guarding the Stone,” she said. “They wouldn’t take something this valuable from Gringotts only to hide in a castle behind one guard dog.”

“I will say that this ‘one guard dog’ is equal to three giant guard dogs with his three heads,” James cut in. “But you’re right. So does that mean Quirrell already knows how to get past all of the other obstacles? Only Fluffy sands between him and the Stone?” James looked a little sick. “Bet you he’s going to get Hagrid drunk and get the answer out of him.”

“You seriously have a betting problem,” Lily commented but didn’t argue his point.

Even if she wasn’t one-hundred percent sure that Quirrell really was behind all of this, she still knew that getting the information out of Hagrid might be easier than cracking most of the other teachers in the school—as loyal as the man was to Dumbledore, he wasn’t the best at keeping his mouth shut. If anything, this book was like a testimony against Hagrid’s ability to keep secrets.

[Hermione:] So you mean the Stone’s only safe as long as Quirrell stands up to Snape? …

[Ron:] It’ll be gone by next Tuesday, …

“I love the vote of confidence in their evil teacher,” James sniggered.

Notes:

Maybe I should find the energy to actually finish writing the second part of this series... I have most of it already written down. I think I stopped writing during the fight against the basilisk, which is just... stupid of me. It was the most interesting part lol. What is wrong with me.

I DO want to finish my other HP reaction fic soon. I love it so much and it's just been lying there... I feel so bad about that. I'll get to it soon enough, but I wonder how long it's gonna take me to finish it... and how many mistakes I'm gonna have because of the break I took with it. I'm probably going to forget about past chapters there. Oops.

Really, the same goes for this fic, though I at least have a list of important info I've put aside about this story so I won't forget everything - also, because then I don't have to go back and look for things I know I'm gonna need later on again and again.

I'm just blabbering now. I'm done.

(A question that I think is very important - why do so many main male characters' names end with an 'ee' sound? Like... Percy, Harry, Danny - what's up, guys? Why are they all so similar? And don't tell me those are nicknames - I know that Danny is Daniel and Percy is Perseus, and I'm still confused, because that's what they go by, so it's not like it's an occasional nickname that they use.)

Cya soon (hopefully)! :)

Chapter 14: Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback

James didn’t need Lily to prompt him—he just flipped over to the next page and began reading the next chapter, his voice slightly hoarse. She considered telling him to first drink that potion the room has granted him, but decided he could decide when to take it for himself. Maybe it sounded worse than it felt.

Quirrell, however, must have been braver than they’d thought. … Whenever Harry passed Quirrell these days he gave him an encouraging sort of smile, and Ron had started telling people off for laughing at Quirrell’s stutter.

Humming like it was something interesting he was studying, James smiled curtly at the purple book. “When they realise Quirrell is the real bad guy, they’re going to regret ever being nice to him or trying to help him. I’m willing to bet he’s having the time of his life, watching them being so helpful without knowing they’re assisting the wrong guy.”

“You still don’t know it is Quirrell,” Lily insisted though she didn’t feel as confident as she did earlier on. She cringed at James’s flat look and shrank a little into herself. “Although it does make some sense, I suppose…”

… [Hermione] had started drawing up revision timetables … she kept nagging them to do the same.

[Harry or Ron (probably Ron):] Hermione, the exams are ages away.

[Hermione:] Ten weeks, … that’s like a second to Nicolas Flamel.

[Ron:] But we’re not six hundred years old, … Anyway, what are you revising for, you already know it all.

James snickered. “He makes a fair point.”

“Of course she needs to study, though!” Lily objected. “Do you really come to our tests without studying? It’s ridiculous! Hermione’s smart enough to know that she needs to be prepared—they should both listen to her. Then they’d have less to study at once when the tests come by.”

“Yeah, and also—they’ll forget everything by the time they actually need to write down everything they’ve studied,” he added. “I don’t think you realise how the mind of an average human being operates, Evans—we don’t all remember everything we read and are able to just pull it out of our head when we need the information. It doesn’t work that way—it mostly feels like an itch—something you should know, but can’t remember.”

She huffed. “It happens to me, too, you know.”

“Does it? I’m honestly shocked.” He smiled. Lily thought he would smirk at her after saying that, but his smile wasn’t teasing or mocking—it was just a plain smile. She kind of felt like melting just from being in the same room as the one who was directing at her such a lovely smile.

It was pathetic—utterly pathetic.

… [Hermione:] You realise we need to pass these exams to get into the second year? … I should have started studying a month ago, …

[The teachers gave them all a lot of homework, which made Harry and Ron spend a lot of time in the library with Hermione.]

[Ron:] I’ll never remember this,

… It was the first really fine day they’d had in months. …

“Leave the books and go outside!” James moaned. “Or,” he added at the look he was getting from Lily, “just go outside and study there. That’s nice, too, right? And then you’re both enjoying the weather and studying like you should, even though it’s definitely not as fun, and you’re likely going to enjoy wandering around so much more than that—ouch! Are we back to hitting me, then?”

“Are we back to you being a git? Harry needs to study, you know.”

James scrunched up his nose. “It’s not my fault your brain didn’t pass over to him,” he complained. “If only we could make sure more of your genes passed on to him, he could have been a lot smarter.”

She huffed and went to fold her arms when she felt the tug of James’s hand still holding hers. She let both hands go limp once more. “He would have still needed to study, you know. I don’t just know things off the top of my head. I actually read and study a lot to know this much.”

“Kill joy,” James muttered.

… Hagrid shuffled into view, hiding something behind his back. …

… [Hagrid:] Yer not still lookin’ fer Nicolas Flamel, are yeh?

[Ron:] Oh, we found out who he is ages ago, … And we know what that dog’s guarding, it’s a Philosopher’s St—

… [Hagrid:] Don’ go shoutin’ about it, what’s the matter with yeh?

“What do you think Hagrid’s there for?” Lily asked. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him in the school library before. I don’t think he likes books that much.”

James shrugged. “Maybe looking for more dangerous creatures he can train—like Fluffy. Seriously, Hagrid could probably get his hands on all kinds of crazy beasts with ease, and Dumbledore would let him. In this case, he even uses Hagrid’s monster for something.”

He was probably right. Again.

[Harry:] There are a few things we wanted to ask you, as a matter of fact, …

… [Hagrid:] come an’ see me later, I’m not promisin’ I’ll tell yeh anythin’, … students aren’ s’posed ter know. …

[Harry:] See you later, then, …

Wrinkling her nose, Lily looked at the book and shifted a little uneasily. “That was rather rude of Harry, wasn’t it? To just cut Hagrid off like that?”

“I’m pretty sure he wasn’t trying to be rude—he was just upset because Hagrid wouldn’t tell them anything.” James shrugged. “Besides, it wasn’t that bad—there are far worse people out there, so can you stop calling your own son rude? With the people he grew up with, it’s a wonder he even knows what’s it like to be polite to people at all.”

She grimaced. “That’s true, I guess… sadly,” Lily sighed.

She wanted to get out there and tell Tuney to grow up and move past that jealousy that kept her this distant from Lily and, apparently, her own nephew. Unfortunately, Lily knew this wouldn’t work. It wouldn’t be her first attempt at getting her sister to like her again, and none of the previous tries got her anywhere…

… [Hermione, after Hagrid left:] What was he hiding behind his back?

… [Ron:] I’m going to see what section he was in,

… He came back a minute later with a pile of books in his arms and slammed them down on the table.

… [Ron, whispering:] Hagrid was looking up stuff about dragons! …

[Harry:] Hagrid’s always wanted a dragon, he told me so the first time I ever met him, …

To be honest, Lily thought she’d turn around and find James looking ecstatic and enthusiastic about the prospect of Hagrid raising a dragon illegally. Which was why she was surprised to see James sitting there, staring at the book in horror, like the prospect of having a dragon live on school grounds actually terrified him rather than thrilled him.

Not that Lily found it amazing or tempting—she kind of felt like someone just pulled the rug from under her. She felt unsteady and lightheaded only thinking about Harry being close to an actual dragon. Lily has never before seen one with her own two eyes, but she’s heard enough about the monsters to know that nobody—other than Hagrid, apparently—would ever want one as a pet

They weren’t exactly easy to look after. And Hagrid—as nice as he was—wasn’t the most responsible person out there. He would probably let the entire castle burn before admitting that raising a dragon around it was a tiny bit dangerous.

[Ron:] But it’s against our laws, … everyone knows that. … You should see the burns Charlie’s got off wild ones in Romania.

[Harry:] But there aren’t wild dragons in Britain?

[Ron:] Of course there are, … Our lot have to keep putting spells on Muggles who’ve spotted them, to make them forget.

[Hermione:] So what on earth’s Hagrid up to? …

“I don’t really believe they don’t know. I think they’re just trying to stay oblivious to the truth for as long as possible,” James said, voice shaking a little.

Lily looked at him strangely. “What’s up with you? Don’t like dragons much?”

“You might say that, yeah.” He shuddered. “My mum told me once about someone in her family that went on a trip around Europe. Turns out he ran into a pack of wild dragons and never made it out of there alive. We only know about it thanks to a couple of Muggles that were around. They were frantic when they told his family that there were dragons there, and that he fought them off to try and protect himself and all of them. At least the Muggles made it out alive, I suppose, but ever since… I don’t know, dragons just don’t appeal to me that much.”

“That sounds…” Lily trailed off unsurely, and then just rolled her shoulders uncomfortably. “…Lovely. Yeah, positively divine. I can’t possibly imagine what about this story would avert you from liking dragons.”

“You should have heard the details. Apparently, the Muggles decided it would be absolutely essential for everyone to know exactly how the dragons had dealt with my mum’s cousin or whomever he was…” James grimaced, looking disgusted. “Mum never did tell me everything about that, but I found a journal that described the full story a year later in her dresser. Regretted that instantly—that’s for sure.”

[When they go to visit Hagrid later, the curtains are all closed and Hagrid rushes them in. It’s incredibly warm inside the hut.]

… [Harry:] We were wondering if you could tell us what’s guarding the Philosopher’s Stone apart from Fluffy.

Both of them sniggered at that.

Honestly, Harry was either very optimistic or very daft if he thought that would make Hagrid tell him anything. Just plainly asking him such a question would never get him anywhere. Hagrid wasn’t the best secret keeper, but when he wasn’t drunk and was helping Dumbledore of all people, being straightforward wasn’t going to work on him.

Then again, maybe Harry already knew it wouldn’t work and just decided that there was no need to lie because he just had no better idea for now. Or, Lily thought, perhaps the heat is getting to him, making his brain all dizzy and swirly and incoherent.

… [Hagrid:] O’ course I can’t, … Number one, I don’ know meself. Number two, yeh know too much already, … It was almost stolen outta Gringotts … Beats me how yeh even know abou’ Fluffy.

“Well, it just nearly bit them—I figured that’s a pretty good way of finding out about the existence of a three-headed dog in Hogwarts,” James said casually and Lily chuckled.

… [Hermione, flatteringly:] you know everything that goes on round here, … We wondered who Dumbledore had trusted enough to help him, apart from you.

Hagrid’s chest swelled at these last words. …

Lily was thoroughly impressed. So was James, apparently. “I didn’t see that coming—I guess there’s more to Hermione than she let on, huh?”

“She’s in Gryffindor, though—she’s bound to be a little reckless like the lot of them. Otherwise, she would have gone to Ravenclaw.”

“Recklessness and bravery aren’t the same thing, you know.”

“Do you know that?”

He laughed but didn’t answer.

“Well, I don’ s’pose it could hurt ter tell yeh that … Professor Sprout—Professor Flitwick—Professor McGonagall— … Professor Quirrell— … Professor Snape. … Look, Snape helped protect the Stone, he’s not about ter steal it.

With a cough, Lily sent James a small smirk. “You know that the same goes for Quirrell, right?”

“Evans, this is the time when you should start being nicer to me so that I go easy on you on our flight together—not antagonising me,” he taunted cheerfully, and Lily huffed and shook her head. “Oh, come on—we both know you’re going to lose this bet. I can see it in your eyes. Plus, you stopped defending Quirrell a while back—you think I’m right, too.”

Scoffing, Lily turned her head defiantly away from James. “Dream on.” He was right, of course. “I still think it’s not him.” Not true.

James didn’t even bother with a reply.

… [Snape] probably knew everything—except, it seemed, Quirrell’s spell and how to get past Fluffy.

[Harry:] You’re the only one who knows how to get past Fluffy, aren’t you, Hagrid? … Not even one of the teachers?

[Hagrid:] Not a soul knows except me an’ Dumbledore, …

“For now, at least,” James added.

[Harry:] Well, that’s something, … can we have a window open? I’m boiling.

[Hagrid:] Can’t, Harry, sorry,

… Harry noticed him glance at the fire. … In the very heart of the fire, underneath the kettle, was a huge, black egg.

The colour completely drained from James’s face, and Lily’s ears were inexplicitly filled with a strange hum that made her brain all fuzzy. She couldn’t believe it. She couldn’t believe Hagrid’s actually done it. Well, will do it in the future. He couldn’t raise a dragon! Was he absolutely insane?

… [Ron:] Where did you get it, Hagrid? … It must’ve cost you a fortune.

[Hagrid:] Won it, … got into a game o’ cards with a stranger. Think he was quite glad ter get rid of it, …

Lily kept on wishing that the kids would leave the hut immediately, and escape the dragon egg and what was growing inside of it, but James actually managed to perk up a bit. He didn’t look happy—just more alerted.

“He was having a few drinks and managed to win a dragon egg in a game against a stranger?” he said wryly, voice a little faint and dull. “How many people go around with illegal dragon eggs, waiting for someone to win them from them?” he asked suspiciously. “It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?”

“Well, when you put it like that…” Lily muttered uncertainly.

[Harry:] But what are you going to do with it when it’s hatched? …

[Hagrid:] Well, I’ve bin doin’ some readin’, … it’s all in here. Keep the egg in the fire, … feed it on a bucket o’ brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour. … what I got there’s a Norwegian Ridgeback. …

… [Hermione:] Hagrid, you live in a wooden house, …

But Hagrid wasn’t listening. …

“Bloody hell…” James whispered, sounding a little ill.

Lily regarded him carefully. “It’s all right—I’m sure they’ll be okay. I mean, they’re smart enough to know they shouldn’t get near the dragon once it’s hatched. They’re not that stupid.”

She wasn’t actually too sure about this claim. These kids didn’t seem to be doing too hot when it came to escaping problems before they got in trouble. James didn’t look like he believed it, either, but he still kept on reading, his hoarse voice becoming even worse from the nerves.

So now they had something else to worry about …

[Ron, that evening:] Wonder what it’s like to have a peaceful life, …

Hermione had now started making revision timetables for Harry and Ron, too. It was driving them mad.

James’s eyes flitted over to Lily, full of suspicion. “You won’t make me anything like this, are you?” he asked. When Lily just stared at him, a little taken aback, he elaborated. “Because I can see where Ron and Harry are coming from—something like this would drive me nuts. Besides, I think we can both agree that I’m doing pretty good without going crazy, can’t we?”

She smiled back at him, a little amused. “Yeah, you’re definitely doing okay—second best in our class, aren’t you?”

Spluttering, James looked like she just took a knife and stabbed an innocent rabbit with it. “Excuse me—you’re not better than me in all of our classes. Transfiguration is my best subject. And I’m better than you in DADA, too.”

“And yet I’m better at Charms and Potions, so we’re kind of even. But then I’m also getting better grades in the lessons we don’t share—Remus told me.”

“That traitor…” James grumbled under his breath, and Lily laughed.

[One morning Hedwig came with a message that the egg was hatching.]

Ron wanted to skip Herbology and go straight down to the hut. Hermione wouldn’t hear of it.

“Yes! Please—please—don’t go!” James’s face turned pale again.

Lily cringed. As much as she supported that opinion, she didn’t think the three kids would actually skip on the chance to see a real-life dragon hatching. Or a dragon in general, really.

[Ron:] Hermione, how many times in our lives are we going to see a dragon hatching?

… [Hermione:] we’ll get into trouble, …

[Harry:] Shut up! …

Malfoy was only a few feet away and he had stopped dead to listen. …

“Another reason why they shouldn’t go—Malfoy would tell somebody—probably Snape—and get them in trouble. And Hagrid, of course, because the dragon belongs to him, now.” He sighed and shook his head. “Honestly, this is the worst idea this man has ever had in his entire life—raising a dragon in his wooden house? Is he crazy? Absolutely mental?”

Lily couldn’t help her lips from tugging up a little. “I-I’m sorry—it just feels weird that you of all people are against something dangerous and insane,” she chuckled. “It seems so out of character. Or… well, I get why you don’t like dragons, but I still think it’s weird.” She snorted into her hand. “You talk about it like they’re about to try and break into Azkaban. Or like they’re about to go looking for werewolves.”

Something about her words made James’s eyes widen—just a fraction—and then he relaxed a little and cracked a small, forced smile. “I guess it is a little much, huh?” He shuddered again. “I just really don’t like dragons.”

“But not enough for them to be your boggart. That’s interesting.”

“The things we learn about each other in this room, huh?” James teased with a somewhat wavering voice. Lily chose to flash him a smile and not add another word on the matter.

… Hermione agreed to run down to Hagrid’s with the other two during morning break. … Hagrid greeted them looking flushed and excited.

[Hagrid:] It’s nearly out. …

“Run for your lives!” James moaned.

The egg was lying on the table. … They all drew their chairs up to the table and watched with bated breath.

All at once there was a scraping noise and the egg split open. The baby dragon flopped on to the table. … it looked like a crumpled, black umbrella. [Description of the dragon.]

Lily blinked a few times. “It sounds kind of cute,” she said.

James sent her such a betrayed look, that she almost flinched. Instead, she found herself laughing. It really was strange that James Potter of all people feared and disliked dragons this much.

It sneezed. A couple of sparks flew out of its snout.

[Hagrid:] Isn’t he beautiful?

… It snapped at [Hagrid’s] fingers, showing pointed fangs.

“Oh, yes—it’s absolutely charming. Such a darling, really,” James gritted out.

… [Hermione:] how fast do Norwegian Ridgebacks grow, exactly?

… the colour suddenly drained from [Hagrid’s] face …

[Hagrid:] Someone was lookin’ through the gap in the curtains …

Harry bolted to the door and looked out. … Malfoy had seen the dragon.

They both paled even more at that. Even if the dragon didn’t hurt any of them by some kind of miracle, Lily thought that Malfoy knowing about the dragon might actually be worse because if he told a teacher about Harry and his friends hanging out with Hagrid and a baby dragon, they will all get in so much trouble for it…

It was hard to anticipate what might actually happen, too, since Lily has never heard of a Hogwarts student raising or hiding a dragon—an illegal beast that could put people in prison if they were found with it.

What if Malfoy told Severus and the teacher approached the trio? What would their punishment be? The best case, Lily thought bitterly, was that they’d get expelled (setting the bar even lower than Hagrid did when he got expelled on his third year). The worst case, though, was going to be if they would be charged somehow by the Ministry and ended up going to jail.

She wanted to believe nobody would send actual children to the dementors, but how could she be sure? She didn’t know nearly as much as she should have about Azkaban and the laws someone had to break to be sent there.

Was she trembling, or was James trembling and making her tremble along because they were holding hands? Lily glanced down at their joint hands and realised that they were both at fault this time. Though Lily was pretty sure James was thinking about all of the ways that dragon could hurt Harry and his friends rather than about what might happen to them if a teacher heard the story from Malfoy.

… the smile lurking on Malfoy’s face during the next week made Harry, Ron and Hermione very nervous. …

… [Harry to Hagrid:] Set him free.

… [Hagrid:] He’s too little. He’d die.

James opened his mouth and then closed it very reluctantly. Lily had the feeling he wanted to suggest actually letting the dragon die, then.

… [The dragon] had grown three times in length in just a week. … Hagrid hadn’t been doing his gamekeeping duties …

[Hagrid:] I’ve decided to call him Norbert, … Norbert! Where’s Mummy?

[Ron, whispering:] He’s lost his marbles, …

“No kidding…” James muttered quietly. “Although it’s hard to pin-point when exactly everything went wrong. I’m thinking Hagrid was just born loving monsters.”

It did sound like it to Lily. Hagrid’s mentioned bits and pieces of his childhood over the years. He never said too much, and never opened up quite as much as Lily would have liked him to, but he told her enough stories about his longing to raise certain creatures that would freeze the blood of some witches and wizards…

It was simply impossible to see him as a child who liked goldfish and nothing more dangerous than that after those tales.

He’d even mentioned once some kind of giant spider that Lily sincerely hoped she would never come across, although Hagrid made it sound like this creature was living in the Forbidden Forest and Lily just had the feeling it was watching her every single time she walked nearby. It kind of freaked her out.

Had the Marauders ever encountered that specific little (haha) monster?

… [Harry:] Norbert’s going to be as long as your house. Malfoy could go to Dumbledore at any moment.

… [Hagrid:] I know I can’t keep him for ever, but I can’t jus’ dump him, …

Harry suddenly turned to Ron.

[Harry:] Charlie, …

James’s eyes finally lit up and he nodded vigorously. “Yes! Yes! Listen to Harry—take that dragon to someone who actually knows how to deal with it!” he exclaimed.

“It is a pretty good idea…” Lily said, bobbing her head up and down slowly. “I kind of feel like something is still going to go wrong. I mean, how can you move a dragon unnoticed through Hogwarts? It’s the place where secrets can’t stay hidden for longer than a week, tops. I mean, Harry found out about Fluffy guarding the Philosopher’s Stone, and he wasn’t even really trying to find it out at first.”

“I don’t care—so long as they get Norbert out of there!”

[Ron:] You’re losing it, too, … I’m Ron, remember?

[Harry:] No—Charlie—your brother Charlie. … Charlie can take care of [Norbert] and then put him back in the wild!

[Ron:] Brilliant! … How about it, Hagrid?

… Hagrid agreed that they could send an owl to Charlie to ask him.

There was a faint smirk across James’s face as he turned to look at Lily. “D’you reckon Hagrid’s going to fight over custody?” he joked weakly. “Because I just can’t see him giving up his first (and hopefully last) pet dragon. It’s insane of him to grow it in his house, but it doesn’t quite sound like Hagrid to just give up on his pets.”

“Well, it looks like he knows and likes Charlie, so maybe he’s just going to ask for updates about Norbert every once in a while.”

… Wednesday night found Hermione and Harry sitting alone in the common room, long after everyone else had gone to bed. [Ron comes back from Hagrid’s, where he helped with Norbert.]

[Ron:] It bit me! … that dragon’s the most horrible animal I’ve ever met, … [Hagrid] told me off for frightening it. And when I left, he was singing it a lullaby.

It was a little disturbing to think about, but most definitely in character for Hagrid. What really worried Lily, though, was the fact that from the few books she’d read about dragons, she knew that most of their bites were venomous. And she wasn’t sure a first-year would know about it, which meant that Ron might actually get worse if he didn’t go to Madam Pomfrey for some help.

Of course, he might be stupid enough to think that it was better to suffer through it than to tell Madam Pomfrey he was bitten by a dragon of all things. That would raise a lot of suspicion, sure, but Lily figured it was better to let the adults know about the dragon than to let Ron die horribly from a venomous, untreated bite.

[Hedwig shows up with the reply from Charlie and they sit together to read it.]

… I’d be glad to take the Norwegian Ridgeback, … best thing will be to send him over with some friends of mine … they mustn’t be seen carrying an illegal dragon.

Could you get the Ridgeback up the tallest tower at midnight on Saturday? …

“What size is Norbert at this point?” Lily asked anxiously. “Isn’t he too big and heavy for those three to carry? Not to mention the fact that Ron probably won’t be too helpful with his new bite from the dragon—it’s probably not going to look too good soon enough, and then that’ll leave only Harry and Hermione with the job of taking Norbert and—”

“They can just use magic, Lily,” James cut her off, and she flushed instantly. She probably should have thought of that first.

… [Harry:] It shouldn’t be too difficult—I think the Cloak’s big enough to cover two of us and Norbert.

… Anything to get rid of Norbert—and Malfoy.

Eyes drifting away from James and the book he was holding, Lily found herself staring at the Invisibility Cloak resting on the table, looking beautiful but definitely not like it might magically hide people underneath. She thought about the size of it, and squeezed two kids and a smallish dragon underneath it inside her head.

It was probably not the most comfortable solution, but it would be effective and they would be able to hide both themselves and Norbert on their way to the astronomy tower. Lily couldn’t imagine the kids being caught wandering the halls in the middle of the night and not getting punished or it. Unless it was Dumbledore again, maybe. And if they were caught with an illegal dragon, as well… it would be horrible.

This Cloak really got to Harry just in time, didn’t it? Dumbledore—because James’s theory about him being the one to give Harry his Cloak made some sort of vague sense—knew a lot about the things that were happening in his school. Did he also know that in the future Hagrid might grow a dragon in his hut, and that the three first-years would try to sneak it away under the cover of night? It sounded insane, but Lily wasn’t going to underestimate Albus Dumbledore.

… Ron’s bitten hand had swollen to twice its usual size. He didn’t know whether it was safe to go to Madam Pomfrey … though, he had no choice. … It looked as if Norbert’s fangs were poisonous.

“I thought this might happen!” Lily said, feeling a swell of pride at being right. The ill look on James’s face made her calm down a little, though. “But I’m sure Madam Pomfrey would be able to treat it right away, you know?”

James nodded weakly up and down but didn’t say anything. He looked pretty eager to just move on to different subjects in the book that had nothing to do with dragons—and especially not their venom spreading in the hand of an eleven-year-old boy.

[When Harry and Hermione come to visit Ron in the infirmary, he’s unwell.]

[Ron:] It’s not just my hand, … [Malfoy] kept threatening to tell her what really bit me … I shouldn’t have hit him at the Quidditch match, that’s why he’s doing this.

Lily snorted. “I really don’t think Madam Pomfrey doesn’t know what really happened to Ron,” she said. “Even if Malfoy did tell her the truth—it probably wouldn’t surprise her.”

“And she does tend to cover for students, for some reason,” James agreed, some of the colour returning to his face. “I mean, we would have gotten in a lot more trouble had she told anyone about the reason as to why we ended up in the infirmary so many times.”

Smiling in exasperation, Lily shifted their hands a little. “Somehow, I’m not surprised by this in the least.”

… Hermione:] It’ll all be over at midnight on Saturday, …

[Ron:] Midnight on Saturday! … Charlie’s letter was in that book Malfoy took, …

[Madam Pomfrey showed up and forced Hermione and Harry to leave.]

That definitely didn’t sound good. Lily just knew things would go wrong. And how did Malfoy even know the date would be written in Ron’s book? Sure, it could be a coincidence, but it felt like more than just regular bad luck. There was just too slim of a chance of Malfoy stumbling upon that note accidentally. It had to be more than just fate, right?

By the look on James’s face, he agreed with her on that.

[Harry to Hermione:] It’s too late to change the plan now, … We’ll have to risk it. …

… When they told [Hagrid] about Charlie’s letter, his eyes filled with tears, …

[Hagrid, after Norbert bit his leg:] jus’ playin’—he’s only a baby, after all.

The baby banged its tail on the wall, making the windows rattle. …

James finally snickered a little at the sarcasm of the book—or were these actually Harry’s thoughts? It was honestly hard to tell. Earlier there were bits where the book focused on Hermione and Ron who weren’t around Harry so that wasn’t exactly all from Harry’s head, but the descriptions in the other parts of the book—the parts where Harry was the main character—made Lily think that those thoughts and jokes and comments came from the boy himself, and were just put into words.

Of course, that also meant that Lily felt a little bad about just breaching into the mind of her own future child. It felt somewhat wrong to read all of this, thinking Harry’s thoughts were spread neatly before their very eyes. But the voice that repeatedly reminded Lily that in this future both she and James were dead… well, it insisted that it was their only chance of ever really hearing what Harry’s life would be like because she might not hear those stories from the boy in the future with the way things seemed to go.

And then came the big question—if these books really did reveal the future, then were James and Lily even allowed to change it? Were they capable of walking out of this room and making different decisions that would lead to different circumstances and experiences? Could they create a world where You-Know-Who was gone and they both got to live with Harry?

You’re getting ahead of yourself, there, Lily reminded herself. You still need to finish reading these books. Then think about all of this with James, and come to a reasonable conclusion. Maybe consult with an adult.

… It was a very dark, cloudy night and they were a bit late arriving at Hagrid’s … Hagrid had Norbert packed and ready in a large crate.

… [Hagrid:] I’ve packed his teddy bear in case he gets lonely.

From inside the crate came ripping noises that sounded to Harry as though teddy was having his head torn off.

James cringed and tsked critically. “I swear, if Hagrid claims that the teddy had threatened Norbert, he’s never going to get another Christmas present from me or my parents.”

“How will you stop your parents from sending him anything?” Lily asked. Frankly, she was more surprised to find out that the Potters all sent Hagrid presents rather than the fact that James thought he could really do something like that in the first place.

“Please—I’ll just interfere with their mail. Or I’ll tell them some horror story about Hagrid that would make them resent him enough for this. Though then I’ll also have to come up with a story that they wouldn’t dare speak to him after in case they ever crossed paths, because that would definitely be embarrassing. Plus, Hagrid’s face if he ever heard I spread some kind of story about him to my parents…” He shuddered.

Staring at him for a moment or two, Lily frowned slightly. “Why don’t you just… not do that?”

“Lily Evans, you may not know this about me, but I’m definitely a man of my word. And I already swore, so there’s really no turning back from this now,” he said determinedly, and Lily rolled her eyes but didn’t argue any further. There was really no point, was there?

[Hagrid:] Bye-bye, Norbert! … Mummy will never forget you!

“Couldn’t he have called himself daddy?” James asked.

“Is this seriously what you’re focusing on?”

He sniffed a little. “Well, I’m trying not to think about the fact that Harry is carrying around a deadly dragon that clearly doesn’t mind hurting others,” he said briskly and then kept on reading quickly.

… they heaved Norbert up the marble staircase in the Entrance Hall and along the dark corridors.

James grimaced in sympathy. “Guess they didn’t think of using a Levitation Charm, then. That’s a shame—it would have saved them all the trouble, wouldn’t it?” he noted.

“I’m just glad they managed to do it in the end. Can you imagine how terribly heavy a dragon would be? And to carry it up the stairs under the Invisibility Cloak? That’s really difficult.”

… they reached the corridor beneath the tallest tower.

Then a sudden movement ahead of them made them almost drop the crate. … they shrank into the shadows, staring at the dark outlines of two people …

Professor McGonagall, in a tartan dressing-gown and a hairnet, had Malfoy by the ear.

Closing his eyes, James fell silent for a few moments, just looking very happy and content as he hummed in satisfaction.

“What are you doing?” Lily demanded.

“I’m enjoying imagining McGonagall dragging this annoying kid like that. The fact that it’s Lucius Malfoy’s son is only an added bonus.” He sighed happily. “Ah, I knew I liked Minnie for a reason—she’s strict, but can just make me so happy with a few words here and there.” His eyes opened at long last and he grinned at Lily. “Plus, she can turn into a cat—that’s impressive.”

Lily nodded slowly. “I guess… I do wonder how difficult it was for her to learn how to become an Animagus. I heard it’s incredibly hard.” She found herself smiling without even realising it, and turned to James curiously. “If you could become an Animagus”—his eyes gleamed strangely but he just let her go on—“what animal would you want to turn into?”

“Definitely something big,” James said without hesitation. “But not hideous or anything. A stag sounds good, doesn’t it? What about you, Evans?”

She blinked at him, a little taken aback by his reply. It didn’t sound like he just came up with it—it sounded like he was trying to make it sound like he just came up with it.

“Er…” Lily shrugged slowly. “I don’t know… there are too many possibilities to choose from…”

Humming, James looked away thoughtfully for a moment. “I heard that Minnie’s Patronus is a cat, too. Do you think if you could cast a Patronus it would tell you which animal you should learn to become?”

“Maybe. But not a lot of people manage to cast this spell properly, you know. Remember that lesson, or were you asleep when we were taught all of that?”

James smirked. “Please, Lily, I wasn’t asleep—I was planning with Sirius our next prank on the Slytherin Quidditch team.” He returned to the book before she could scold him.

[Professor McGonagall:] Detention! … And twenty points from Slytherin! …

… [Malfoy:] Harry Potter’s coming—he’s got a dragon!

“I know that he’s telling the truth—but had I not known that was actually the case, I would have thought Malfoy was either lying or utterly insane.” James shook his head, still looking rather pleased at the thought of Malfoy getting in trouble. “I don’t think that McGonagall would take this seriously—even if she does suspect Harry might be as big a troublemaker as I am—which, sadly, he isn’t.”

Lily chuckled. “It does sound pretty mental, doesn’t it?”

… [Professor McGonagall:] How dare you tell such lies! Come on …

[After that, Harry and Hermione easily carried the crate up to the top of the tower.] Hermione did a sort of jig.

[Hermione:] Malfoy’s got detention! I could sing!

[Harry:] Don’t, …

While the two of them clearly needed to keep a low profile, Lily and James had no problem laughing. Lily suspected James was laughing mostly at Malfoy, but she herself just found Hermione’s reaction and then Harry’s retort to it amusing. She kind of wanted to know whether or not Hermione would have really sung had Harry not told her not to.

Probably not.

… About ten minutes later, four broomsticks came swooping down out of the darkness. Charlie’s friends were a cheery lot. … They all helped buckle Norbert safely into it …

At last, Norbert was going... going... gone.

James heaved a sigh of relief from the bottom of his heart, and Lily didn’t even have the heart to laugh at his absurd reaction to that dragon. She was honestly just glad Norbert was finally going away from Hagrid and the three kids.

They slipped back down the spiral staircase, … No more dragon—Malfoy in detention—what could spoil their happiness?

The answer to that was waiting at the foot of the stairs.

James paled at once and Lily thought it was a little much coming from a guy who’d spent most of his school career stuck in detention. But he wasn’t reading ahead to see more of what was waiting for Harry and Hermione. His eyes trailed back to the previous words like he was searching for something that, going by his reaction, wasn’t there.

“The Cloak,” he croaked out. “They didn’t put the Cloak back on! Did they leave it up there?”

“The book didn’t mention them putting it back on?” Lily asked in surprise. “Maybe we missed it?” Though he would have seen that if he really did go back to read the last bit from the book. “Maybe the book just didn’t mention it but it did happen? Not every single detail is in here, right?”

He didn’t look convinced in the least.

… Filch’s face loomed suddenly out of the darkness.

[Filch:] Well, well, well, … we are in trouble.

They’d left the Invisibility Cloak on top of the tower.

“Harry can never get his hands on that Cloak!” James announced. “How hard is it to remember to put a piece of cloth on top of you so you don’t get caught? Honestly—I’ve had this Cloak since my first year, and I didn’t leave it behind even once. Harry gets the Cloak and loses it in a matter of one or two months!”

“Come on, James—he’ll probably just go back there and get it as soon as possible,” Lily defended the unborn kid rather reluctantly. She liked Harry, but… well, she had to admit that James was right—Harry just got this Cloak, and he was already forgetting all about it?

James scoffed. “Someone else might find it first. And then what? It’s been in my family for generations, Lily. He can’t lose it and be the last Potter to have used the Cloak.”

Notes:

For some reason I never found this chapter as interesting as the other ones, but it's still good enough.

Anyway, hope you liked it!

Chapter 15: The Forbidden Forest

Notes:

Again, oops. This fic keeps on slipping my mind so I end up forgetting to edit its chapters.

Anyway, here you go!

She pursed her lips and didn’t say anything as he flipped over to the next page and the next chapter. She was upset about the Cloak… but she really wanted to know what kind of trouble Hermione and Harry just walked into. Filch would probably hand the kids over to McGonagall, and then… what, would she take one look at them and suddenly realise Malfoy was telling the truth about the dragon?

Honestly—anything other than the truth would be better right there. She only hoped McGonagall wouldn’t be onto them in seconds. And she hoped Harry and Hermione won’t say something that would give them away—they were going to have to stay cool and calm, and let McGonagall speculate as much as possible to steer her away from the truth.

… Filch took them down to Professor McGonagall’s study on the first floor, … [Harry] couldn’t see how they were going to get out of trouble this time. … they might as well be packing their bags already.

… When Professor McGonagall appeared, she was leading Neville.

“What’s he doing there?” Lily shrieked.

Next to her, James groaned and slid a little down in his chair. “Don’t tell me he was looking for them… Oh, please—that would only make McGonagall angrier,” he moaned and ran a hand down his face, looking exhausted and daunted, but not like the situation merited a complete freak-out session. Maybe that was the result of being caught red-handed too many times over the years. If that was the case, then Lily was way out of practice.

“But she can’t blame Harry and Hermione for it, can she? I mean, Neville shouldn’t have gone out—even if it was because of them. Right?”

He looked at her with pity. “You’re naïve, aren’t you?”

… [Neville:] I was trying to find you to warn you, … [Malfoy] said you had a drag—

Harry shook his head violently to shut Neville up, but Professor McGonagall had seen. …

[Professor McGonagall:] I would never have believed it of any of you. … Explain yourselves.

Lily was trembling a little. It was terrifying to watch McGonagall when the woman was furious with someone—she knew that from years of having to spend more than enough time around the Marauders.

But she never got that upset over finding someone out of bed, did she? It wasn’t the worst thing students could do. Mary once got caught by McGonagall as she wandered around the castle at night, trying to sneak out to the owlery. Mary came back to Gryffindor Tower soon after with twenty points reduced, but nothing worse than that.

So how come she came off as livid about finding Harry, Hermione and Neville outside at night? It didn’t sound like she would believe the story about the dragon (thank Merlin), but she still reacted to this like there really was a dragon involved. (Which there was, but Lily figured even Harry—at his stupidest, most dim-witted moments—wouldn’t be dumb enough to bring that up.)

“Do you think they’ll get detention for this?” she asked shakily.

James shrugged. “I got a few for breaking curfew, yeah. It’s not too bad, really.” He didn’t sound convinced about it, though.

It was the first time Hermione had ever failed to answer a teacher’s question. …

… [Professor McGonagall:] You fed Draco Malfoy some cock-and-bull story … trying to get him out of bed … I suppose you think it’s funny that Longbottom here heard the story and believed it, too?

Harry caught Neville’s eye and tried to tell him without words that this wasn’t true, … Harry knew what it must have cost him to try and find them in the dark, …

“I can’t believe she said that!” Lily gasped. “I mean, even if she is upset, she’s making Neville believe his friends were glad he got in trouble! It doesn’t take a genius to see that Harry and Hermione aren’t happy about him being there as well, does it?”

The boy shifted in his seat a little. “I don’t know. I don’t know what’s gotten into her. Why would that story even sound plausible to her—if they did, in fact, feed such nonsense to Malfoy, wouldn’t they then stay securely inside Gryffindor Tower? Why risk getting caught, too? That’s just plain stupid.”

… [Professor McGonagall:] Four students out of bed in one night! I’ve never heard of such a thing before!

They both snorted at that. Lily covered her mouth with her hand, staring incredulously at the book in James’s hands, while the boy looked like he was struggling, trying to decide whether he should laugh at the absurd claim or rage about McGonagall bluntly lying to these kids’ faces.

“Never seen four students out of bed at the same night? That’s rich,” said James—apparently, he chose to go with the anger. “How can she possibly say that after teaching us?” He tugged his hand out of Lily’s in order to run it through his hair, ruffling and messing it even more. “You know what I think? I think she’s scared of Harry growing up to be more like me, so she’s trying to squash this side of him as quickly as possible by being extra harsh.”

It made sense. Lily frowned. “But that’s not right. She can’t give them a really bad punishment just for this, right? That would be worse than Severus favouring his own house.”

“Yeah—it’s the Gryffindor’s Head of House being extra harsh on her own lions.” He was obviously taking this to heart. Whether it was because McGonagall was probably going to be this strict with his own son, or because he thought it was McGonagall trying to make sure Harry wouldn’t grow up into a serious rebel—Lily didn’t know. Still, it obviously upset James. “She can’t do that! She can’t!”

“James—she hasn’t done anything, yet.”

He kept on reading quickly, as if to prove that she really can’t do whatever he was already speculating inside his own head. Lily figured they were both getting riled up for nothing—McGonagall was a good, fair teacher. She wouldn’t punish the three kids too severely, would she?

… [Professor McGonagall:] Mr. Potter, I thought Gryffindor meant more to you than this. All three of you will receive detentions … and fifty points will be taken from Gryffindor.

“Fifty?” James and Lily gasped. “But that’s too much if she also gives them detention!” Lily protested.

[Harry:] Fifty? …

[Professor McGonagall:] Fifty points each, …

James’s mouth fell open. “One-hundred fifty points from Gryffindor in one night for getting caught out past curfew?” he muttered, looking scandalised. “She’s never given us anything like that! This is pure spite! Or she’s gone senile over the years—I don’t know!”

Squirming in her seat, Lily found herself frowning deeply at the offending book James was reading from. Out of all their teachers, she had the most faith in McGonagall not succumbing to the rivalry between the houses—and she was usually right. The Transfiguration professor was fairly fair and didn’t tend to favour any of her students over the others.

But, it seemed, she was willing to give such outrageous punishments to her students for something pretty minor. Was James right, and McGonagall was trying to get Harry to fall back in line and see that he shouldn’t step out of bounds again by punishing him severely? Was she really looking at Harry and seeing a potential James Potter II? If so, then that was absolutely unfair towards Harry who hadn’t the faintest idea as to why his teacher was being this harsh with him and his friends for something so small.

[Hermione:] Professor—please—

[Harry:] You can’t—

[Professor McGonagall:] Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, Potter. … I’ve never been more ashamed of Gryffindor students.

“Well, I’ve never been more ashamed of our teacher!” James scoffed.

Lily squirmed again, unwilling to say these words out loud but definitely agreeing with them, to some extent.

… In one night, they’d ruined any chance Gryffindor had had for the House Cup. … Harry didn’t sleep all night. He could hear Neville sobbing into his pillow … What would happen when the rest of Gryffindor found out what they’d done?

Lily bit her lip nervously. “They wouldn’t make a big deal out of it, right? How would they even find out it was Harry and his friends’ fault, anyway?”

Shaking his head, James looked frustrated. “You’re forgetting one thing that makes this worse—Harry’s famous. They’re all probably extremely aware of him and what he’s doing. If even one of them knows that he was a part of the reason Gryffindor had lost so many points overnight, this will spread out instantly. And they’re not going to like it at all.”

“For Harry’s sake, I hope you’re wrong.”

… [Gryffindors] thought there’d been a mistake. … And then the story started to spread: … [Harry] had lost them all those points, him and a couple of other stupid first-years.

Lily sighed and tugged at her red hair anxiously. “This is going to be fun for them, I’m sure.” She looked at James. “Even you never managed to lose this many house points at once, right?”

He looked a little sheepish, all of a sudden. “Sirius had lost a hundred points once,” He said. Lily’s mouth fell open. She had no idea about such an occurrence. “I just… well, I got them back immediately after—even though I didn’t really deserve those points… I think they just wanted to hush the whole thing up.”

“What? What happened?” she asked curiously, but James just shook his head.

Lily listened to his rusty voice, feeling a little frustrated at not getting an answer to her question.

… Harry was suddenly the most hated. Even Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs turned on him, … Slytherins, on the other hand, clapped as he walked past them, whistling and cheering, …

“Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff really shouldn’t be a part of this,” Lily seethed. “They should try and get points themselves instead of counting on Gryffindor like that!”

“Yeah, well—the most believable thing in all of this is Slytherin’s reaction to this—they’re probably really cheerful now that Harry did their dirty work for them,” he ground out. Then he perked up a bit. “Well, it doesn’t matter—Harry’s still got one more Quidditch game ahead of him! If they win enough points, they’ll be able to make up for those lost ones! They just need to be smart about it.”

For once, Lily was really glad Quidditch existed.

… [Ron:] They’ll all forget this in a few weeks. Fred and George have lost loads of points in all the time they’ve been here, …

[Harry:] They’ve never lost a hundred and fifty points in one go, though, have they? …

[Ron:] Well—no, …

“But it’s not like Harry was the only one there, that night,” Lily noted.

“It doesn’t matter—the school knows that Harry had something to do with it, and that the other kids were his friends. That’s enough to make everyone blame Harry for it—even if it really wasn’t all on him.” He groaned.

“I can’t believe McGonagall willingly put Harry in this position!” James continued. “What was she thinking? Had Harry not been this famous, maybe it wouldn’t have been this bad, you know? But he is famous, and now everyone hates him and…” He cringed. “Someone else would have maybe complained to their parents about things being unfair—he can’t even do that.”

That made Lily flinch. She figured that had she been in Harry’s situation, perhaps she really would have told her parents all about it, asking them to help her somehow because this just wasn’t right. But Harry didn’t have parents to turn to—all he had were the Dursleys who would probably be glad to hear that he got into trouble in his school. There was no adult around to protect him from any of this. No adult to tell him that this wasn’t actually fair towards him.

… Harry swore to himself not to meddle in things that weren’t his business …

James’s voice grew more and more disgusted and disappointed the more he read now. He almost looked like he wanted to get up and find McGonagall to complain to her about all of this, even though such a thing would confuse the professor and would probably land both Lily and James in detention for being outside when they were supposed to be in the common room or their dormitories.

Of course, normally they would have been able to explain to her that they were just patrolling the corridors like they should do as Head Boy and Head girl, but with what James wanted to tell McGonagall, Lily didn’t think that excuse would hold for more than five seconds.

… he went to Wood and offered to resign from the Quidditch team.

“What? He’s joking!” James exclaimed. “This is his only way to get back those points! What’s the point in resigning?”

“He feels bad—I don’t think he thinks they might somehow win all the points back, James.”

[Wood:] Resign? … How are we going to get any points back if we can’t win at Quidditch?

But even Quidditch had lost its fun. … if [the team] had to speak about him, they called him “The Seeker”.

James furrowed his brows, looking both frustrated and a little relieved that Harry didn’t actually quit Quidditch because of McGonagall—although it would have been rather amusing to see McGonagall’s reaction to seeing what her own punishment had done to her own team.

“Wait, are Ron’s twin brothers calling Harry that, too?” Lily asked.

“Fred and George wouldn’t…” James said slowly, though he didn’t sound certain at all. “Would they?”

Hermione and Neville were suffering, too. … Hermione had stopped drawing attention to herself in class, …

“This really isn’t the time for her to hide like that. She should answer questions and win back as many points as possible—they’re really handling it all wrong, aren’t they?” Lily moaned.

Harry was almost glad that the exams weren’t far away. All the revision he had to do kept his mind off his misery. …

… Walking back from the library on his own one afternoon, [Harry] heard somebody whimpering from a classroom up ahead. …

[Professor Quirrell:] No—no—not again, please—

… Harry moved closer.

[Professor Quirrell:] All right—all right— …

Sharing a look, Lily moved uneasily in her seat. She wasn’t sure what to think about the professor, anymore. James was so convinced he was really the bad guy, and while it did take the blame off Sev’s shoulders, she just couldn’t help but think that it made more sense for Severus to be the one plotting behind everyone’s back.

“This sounds like someone’s hurting Quirrell—Harry’s right,” Lily noted. “And I doubt he would do anything to himself. What’s your excuse now, Potter?”

James hummed and frowned seriously at the book. “I’m not sure—that doesn’t mean I don’t think Quirrell is the guy Harry should be after, though,” he added quickly at the somewhat smug look on Lily’s face. “It’s just more complicated than we think. Maybe You-Know-Who’s there with him?”

“You-Know-Who in Hogwarts without anyone knowing about it? Without Dumbledore knowing about it?” Lily drawled out, unimpressed. “Sure—it makes as much sense as blaming the stuttering, fearful professor of being the mastermind behind everything, I suppose.”

James ruffled through the remaining pages—there weren’t many left to read. Maybe a chapter or two—and grinned brightly at her. “You, Evans, are going to eat your words by the time we reach the end of this book,” he promised, and Lily smiled back at him despite his confident words.

… Quirrell came hurrying out of the classroom, straightening his turban. … [Harry] peered into the classroom. … a door stood ajar at the other end. … he remembered what he’d promised himself about not meddling.

“Check it out, already!” James whined. “This isn’t the time to decide you should be a perfect student, Harry! Besides”—he smiled innocently—“if you think one of your teachers is in trouble, shouldn’t you check to see whether or not that’s true? And if it is, you should tell someone else, right?”

Lily snorted. “Thank Merlin he can’t hear you.”

… he’d have gambled twelve Philosopher’s Stones that Snape had just left the room, … Quirrell seemed to have given in at last.

“Where’s he gonna get those Stones?”

Lily nudged James lightly and gestured for him to just keep on reading.

… Harry told [Ron and Hermione] what he’d heard.

[Ron:] Snape’s done it, then! …

[Hermione:] There’s still Fluffy, though, …

… [Ron:] I bet there’s a book somewhere in here, telling you how to get past a giant three-headed dog. So what do we do, Harry?

… [Hermione:] Go to Dumbledore.

“Aw, but that’s the boring way to go about it,” James whined. “Why are they friends with her, again?”

“Oh, grow up, James.” Lily rolled her eyes at him. “Hermione is being reasonable—they’re first-years, and they definitely don’t stand a chance against a teacher—no matter which teacher it is. They’re all adults and know how to use magic in a way that the three of them can only dream of at this point. They need someone else on their side that would actually take care of this, and who better than Dumbledore?”

James slumped down. “You and Hermione should get together and form a club for the most logical and dull Gryffindors in the history of Hogwarts,” he said, and smiled a little when Lily kicked his shin lightly.

[Hermione:] That’s what we should have done ages ago. …

[Harry:] But we’ve got no proof! … Snape’s only got to say he doesn’t know how the troll got in at Halloween and that he was nowhere near the third floor … Dumbledore’ll think we made it up to get him sacked. Filch wouldn’t help us if his life depended on it, … And don’t forget, we’re not supposed to know about the Stone or Fluffy. …

James perked up at that. “You know what—logic isn’t so bad when Harry uses it against someone else’s logic,” he relented smugly.

With a huff, Lily crossed her arms and threw her hair over her shoulder. “Well, he’s right, but that doesn’t mean Dumbledore will just ignore their claims completely—I mean, he doesn’t seem the type to just ignore what his students have to say, does he?”

“He isn’t.” James nodded. “He always takes our words into consideration. But in this case… I don’t know—maybe Harry has a point. Dumbledore clearly saw something in Snape for him to hire a Death Eater—what if this thing makes him blind to the truth? What if Dumbledore’s just gone senile with age?”

Lily scrunched up her nose but didn’t say anything.

… [Ron:] If we just do a bit of poking around—

… [Harry:] we’ve done enough poking around.

He pulled a map of Jupiter towards him and started to learn the names of its moons.

James sighed in defeat. “I’m so disappointed right now.”

“Well, I’m actually proud of him for sticking to his new resolution.”

“Of course you’re proud of him—you’ve never tried to get into trouble before in your life, have you? It’s actually quite thrilling,” James informed her dryly.

Lily thought back to that exciting feeling that blossomed inside her as she and James made their way to this room under the cover of the Cloak. If that was what he was talking about, she had to admit that he was right.

“But seriously,” continued James, “don’t you think they should be aware of what’s happening in this school? Especially Harry! If this really does have something to do with You-Know-Who, Harry’s going to be in more danger than the others.”

Cringing, Lily bit the inside of her cheek. “Of course I don’t want Harry to be in danger… but we’re only speculating here—we can’t know for sure what’s happening, and You-Know-Who might not even be involved in any of this.”

With a shrug, James turned back to the book. “I’ll give you credit for staying positive and oblivious in the face of all this—that’s for sure.”

The following morning, notes were delivered to Harry, Hermione and Neville at the breakfast table. …

Your detention will take place at eleven o’clock tonight. Meet Mr. Filch in the Entrance Hall. …

… He half expected Hermione to complain that this was a whole night of revision lost, but she didn’t say a word. … they deserved what they’d got.

Lily and James exchanged a quick glance. Lily didn’t need more than one brief look into his eyes to know that James didn’t think Harry and Hermione deserved this much punishment at all, but they’ve already been through this, and apparently neither one of them felt the need to open up this can of worms again. Not now, anyway.

[That night, Harry, Hermione and Neville go to the Entrance Hall and see Filch and Malfoy waiting for them.] Harry had also forgotten that Malfoy had got a detention, too.

“Oh, joy. They’re going to have so much fun together, aren’t they?” James said sarcastically. “By the end of the night they’ll be best of friends, I’m sure.”

“What even is their detention? Why is Filch there of all people?”

… [Filch:] I bet you’ll think twice about breaking a school rule again, … It’s just a pity they let the old punishments die out... hang you by your wrists from the ceiling for a few days, … and don’t think of running off, …

“Charming as ever, isn’t he?” James said, smiling into the distance like he was actually thinking of his past interactions with the man. Lily made a face at that. “Oh, come on, Lil—don’t tell me you don’t like Filch. He’s always so nice and lovely. Knows exactly what to say to make you like him even more, doesn’t he? And all this talk about hanging students or beating the crap out of them—enchanting, isn’t it?”

“I think I’m gonna be sick,” Lily warned him and regarded her boyfriend with disdain as he started sniggering.

… Harry wondered what their punishment was going to be. It must be something really horrible, …

… Ahead, Harry could see the lighted windows of Hagrid’s hut. …

… [Hagrid:] Hurry up, I want ter get started.

Both Lily and Jamed perked up at that. “Hold up—their detention is with Hagrid? That means that it’s only going to be hell for Malfoy, right?” James grinned. “Hagrid’s not going to make them do something horrible. Plus, isn’t it kind of his fault that Hermione, Harry and Neville are in there in the first place? Him and his bloody dragon…”

“Did you ever have detention with Hagrid, then?”

“One time, yeah. Remus and I ended up having to help him tend to a few of the animals. It was pretty creepy when we got to the Thestrals since neither one of us could see them.” He shuddered. “You have no idea how weird it is to be holding a piece of meat and see pieces of it being torn apart on their own.”

Lily sighed in relief. “So they’re going to be all right, then.” She frowned a little then. “Do you think Harry can see the Thestrals? He was around to see at least one of us die, right? Even if he can’t remember more than the flash of light and You-Know-Who’s voice…”

James pressed his lips together and pondered that for a moment or two. “I’m not actually sure… Do people have to remember the death for them to be able to see the Thestrals? I guess we’ll see when he gets to his second year, right? When he gets to Hogwarts by the carriages.”

… [Filch, to Harry:] it’s into the Forest you’re going and I’m much mistaken if you’ll all come out in one piece.

Gasping, Lily stared at the book in horror. “Into the Forbidden Forest? At night?” she exclaimed. James looked surprised, too. “Students aren’t allowed in there, anyway! How come a detention forces them to enter that place? And why did they have to do it at night, when it’s even more dangerous?”

James shifted uneasily. “This does seem a little odd, doesn’t it?” he muttered. “Do you reckon Hagrid asked for them to join him specifically?” Then he hummed a little. “McGonagall probably didn’t approve of this detention plan—maybe Dumbledore’s behind this one. Maybe he thought they’d be safe with Hagrid?”

“Well, he’s really too old to run a school if that’s what he chooses to do with students who get detention,” Lily stated firmly.

At this, Neville let out a little moan …

… [Malfoy:] We can’t go in there at night—there’s all sorts of things in there—werewolves, I heard.

The shit-eating grin on James’s face seemed a little weird to Lily because she couldn’t understand what was so satisfying about this comment. Sure, she kind of liked hearing Malfoy wasn’t too brave when it really mattered, but the expression on James’s face was somehow beyond just merry at the fear of the boy—it was almost like an inside joke was just brought up that Lily wasn’t privy to.

… [Filch:] Should’ve thought of them werewolves before you got in trouble, …

… [Hagrid] was carrying his large crossbow, …

… [Hagrid:] I bin waitin’ fer half an hour already. All right, Harry, Hermione?

[Filch:] I shouldn’t be too friendly to them, Hagrid, … They’re here to be punished, after all.

… [Hagrid:] Bin lecturin’ them, eh? … Yeh’ve done yer bit, I’ll take over from here.

“Go, Hagrid!” Lily nodded. Then she winced a tiny bit. “But maybe not into the Forest… that sounds like a horrible idea. How is he supposed to look after four students in the dark in there? They don’t even know any useful spells to protect themselves—except for Hermione, maybe.”

“Hermione froze the last time she was in real danger, though, remember?” James noted. “When the troll came after her, she just stood there, and let Ron and Harry do all the work. I wouldn’t count on her to be able to fight under pressure or even think of spells in the heat of the moment. Maybe with some more practice…”

Lily sincerely hoped that if things came down to it, Hermione would be able to save herself and the others—just in case, you know?

[Filch:] I’ll be back at dawn, … for what’s left of them, …

[Malfoy, scared:] I’m not going in that Forest, …

… [Hagrid:] Yeh’ve done wrong an’ now yeh’ve got ter pay fer it.

“Hagrid lecturing a student?” James asked, sounding amused and astonished. “Does he even remember that he recently had an illegal dragon being raised in his house? And that Malfoy knows about it? Because with Hagrid’s logic, he should definitely be punished for harbouring that thing. And Harry and Hermione (and Neville) shouldn’t have to pay for his mistake of thinking it would be a good idea to become the parent of a wild dragon!”

Lily nodded solemnly. James was right about that—Hagrid did just get Harry and Hermione in trouble, and then got away with it without a scratch. She wondered whether Dumbledore knew about the dragon, and what he thought about it. Was he just turning a blind eye on all of this? Was he aware Harry and Hermione were only caught after helping Hagrid, and was therefore letting them off with a single detention with a person who actually liked them?

Albus Dumbledore was known to know everything going on in Hogwarts—be it something he’s discovered himself or a rumour through the paintings in his room. Lily just couldn’t see a scenario where the old man didn’t know about something as big as a dragon—pun not intended.

… [Malfoy:] I thought we’d be writing lines or something. If my father knew I was doing this, he’d—

[Hagrid:] —tell yer that’s how it is at Hogwarts, … If yeh think yer father’d rather you were expelled, then get back off ter the castle an’ pack. …

… [Malfoy] looked at Hagrid furiously but then dropped his gaze.

“Finally!” James said contently. “I was actually getting physically sick from how Malfoy always got away with saying this kind of stuff to people—other than McGonagall catching him now, there hasn’t really been done much to stop him, huh?”

Lily raised an eyebrow at James and huffed, trying to suppress her smile. “You mean to tell me someone was getting away with doing something wrong at Hogwarts? I’m shocked!”

The sarcastic smile he sent her in return made Lily’s efforts fall short as her lips tugged up. “Har har, very funny, Evans.” Apparently he didn’t have a way to defend himself and the other Marauders, though, because he just continued reading the chapter.

… [Hagrid:] listen carefully, ‘cause it’s dangerous what we’re gonna do tonight an’ I don’ want no one takin’ risks. …

… [Hagrid] pointed down a narrow, winding earth track that disappeared into the thick black trees. …

… [Hagrid:] See that stuff shinin’ on the ground? … That’s unicorn blood. There’s a unicorn in there bin hurt badly by summat. … We’re gonna try an’ find the poor thing. …

Frowning, Lily stared at the purple cover of the book, Harry’s name glaring back at her. “Something’s killing unicorns?”

“That’s sick!” James spat out in disgust, a scowl on his face. “Unicorns are pure, remember? We learned about them—it’s wrong to kill them. Worse than wrong! Who would do something like that?”

“Who could do something like that?” Lily countered. “Unicorns are hard to catch, remember? They’re really fast and they’re hard to come by. How come someone just managed to find and kill not one but maybe two?” she wondered. James looked utterly horrified at the thought. “And why does Hagrid think it’s a good idea to get four children into the Forest when he knows something sinister is lurking inside?”

[Malfoy:] And what if whatever hurt the unicorn finds us first? …

[Hagrid:] There’s nothin’ that lives in the Forest that’ll hurt yeh if yer with me or Fang, … we’re gonna split inter two parties an’ follow the trail in diff’rent directions. …

Lily felt like someone was twisting a knife inside of her with every word Hagrid was saying. “He’s splitting them up?” she asked faintly. “But then how is he going to protect all of them?”

“I think Hagrid tends to forget that not all of us are as formidable as he is,” James said reluctantly.

[Malfoy:] I want Fang, …

[Hagrid:] All right, but I warn yeh, he’s a coward, … So me, Harry an’ Hermione’ll go one way an’ Draco, Neville an’ Fang’ll go the other.

Neither one of them looked impressed with this arrangement.

“Well, this is just a recipe for disaster,” James stated with a shrug. “It was nice knowing Neville—we’ll miss him in the next book—ouch! I was joking!” He rubbed his arm where Lily had punched him. “I’m sure they’re going to be fine, all right?”

“Don’t freak me out, James—I just want to hear that Harry gets out of there safely.”

“What, the others don’t matter to you?”

“Don’t put words in my mouth, and just keep on reading!”

He probably returned to the book just because she was too frantic and angry to argue with.

[Hagrid:] Now, if any of us finds the unicorn, we’ll send up green sparks, right? … if anyone gets in trouble, send up red sparks, … let’s go.

… They walked in silence, their eyes on the ground. … Harry saw that Hagrid looked very worried.

[Harry:] Could a werewolf be killing the unicorns? …

James’s smirk returned to his face though he was shaking his head from side to side like a teacher trying to get a point across to their student. “Why is he latching onto this theory about werewolves in the Forest? There are plenty of other animals there that he should fear—coming across a werewolf isn’t very likely.”

“I, for one, hope it’s not likely at all,” Lily said. James gave her an unreadable look, and for some reason Lily felt like he was assessing her. “I mean, Harry and the others might get hurt if that happens! Frankly, I don’t care if it’s a werewolf or a Firerake—I don’t like the idea of anything finding them! It’s dangerous!”

He smiled a little. “Come on—they’re gonna be okay. Do you really think Hagrid will endanger four students? And do you actually think Dumbledore would let anything happen to them in school?”

Lily squirmed a little. “You’re right… I guess…”

[Hagrid:] Not fast enough, … [Unicorns]’re powerful magic creatures. I never knew one ter be hurt before.

… There were still spots of unicorn blood here and there along the winding path.

… [Hagrid:] it can’t’ve gone far if it’s this badly hurt an’ then we’ll be able ter—GET BEHIND THAT TREE!

Lily bit her lip nervously, grasping her hands tightly as she tried to imagine what kind of horror might have just found all of them. James’s eyes widened a little, although he made her feel like he was mostly surprised about whatever it was happening sooner than he’d expected—like it didn’t matter that there was something in the Forest near Harry, but it was ahead of schedule and he wasn’t planning on it quite yet.

… [Hagrid] pulled out an arrow and fitted it into his crossbow, raising it, … Something was slithering over dead leaves nearby: it sounded like a cloak trailing along the ground. … the sound faded away.

… [Hagrid:] There’s summat in here that shouldn’ be.

[Harry:] A werewolf? …

“Oh, for the love of—what’s with him and werewolves?” James demanded, sounding exasperated. “Can’t he think of any other creatures that might lurk in the Forbidden Forest? Why werewolves?”

Lily shrugged. “It’s the only piece of information he’s been given, if you think about it—Malfoy mentioned the werewolves first, and Harry just stuck to the one thing he thought might be in the Forest according to what was being told around him,” she said and then frowned a little. “What do you think that thing was, by the way? Slithering in the Forest, Harry said.”

“And it sounded like a cloak dragging on the ground—do you think there’s another wizard out there? That particular night?” James narrowed his eyes at the book. “Do you think it’s Quirrell? You know, the one who’s killing those unicorns?” He ruffled his hair absentmindedly. “But what would he need a dead unicorn for?”

“I read once that unicorn blood can keep people alive with its properties,” Lily said in a dreadful whisper. James snapped his head in her direction, eyes wide. “It has the power to do so… but it comes at a horrible price. I’m not sure what it is, though—the book wasn’t very specific. But it sounded horrendous—I can’t believe anyone would ever actually go this far just to stay alive.”

James’s eyebrows lowered and a crease was formed between them. “You don’t think it could be… er… You-Know-Who… right?”

She didn’t even want to imagine Harry walking close to that dark wizard. Lily shuddered and gestured vaguely for James to get on with it.

[Hagrid:] That wasn’ no werewolf … Right, follow me, …

… in a clearing ahead, something definitely moved.

… [Hagrid:] Show yerself—I’m armed!

Lily’s hands squeezed each other even harder. “Why is he inviting whoever it is to come forward? Get them to leave, instead!”

And into the clearing came—was it a man, or a horse? [Description of a centaur.] Harry and Hermione’s jaws dropped.

“A centaur.” Lily sagged in relief. “Oh, thank Merlin it’s nothing bad.”

“I don’t know—they’re pretty bloody annoying when they want to be,” James muttered. “Kinda make you wish you could just turn back time and never run into them—they’re so…” he trailed off, searching for a word to describe the centaurs. “I don’t know—they’re just loopy or something. It’s like trying to talk to someone while they’re high.”

Lily’s eyebrows shot up. “How often did you run into them in the Forest?”

“Too many times. Seriously—they’re kind of funny at first, but they get old pretty quickly.” He hummed as his eyes trailed a little down the next line in the book. “Oh, hey—I think I’ve met this one before. Of course, he’s pretty young now—isn’t it pleasant to think that centaurs in the Forbidden Forest survive longer than we do?”

She glared at him.

[Hagrid:] Oh, it’s you, Ronan, … How are yeh? …

… [Ronan:] Were you going to shoot me?

… [Hagrid:] There’s summat bad loose in this Forest. This is Harry Potter an’ Hermione Granger, … this is Ronan, you two. He’s a centaur.

[Hermione, faintly:] We’d noticed, …

James looked absolutely delighted to hear about Hermione’s reaction to meeting a centaur. “She’s terrified, isn’t she?” he asked. “Personally, I don’t see what’s there to fear—they don’t exactly care for humans that much. They mostly just stay away from us and mind their own business—nothing to be worried about.”

Lily winced. “I saw a centaur only once—when one of them came to the edge of the Forest to talk to Dumbledore last year, remember?—and I guess something about seeing him just dumbfounded me. Maybe it’s because we’re from Muggle-born families. See, most of the creatures we learn about in Hogwarts are unfamiliar to Muggles, but centaurs aren’t exactly a secret. There are a lot of myths about them—so seeing one for the first time is… strange, you could say.”

Shrugging, James didn’t look like it explained much to him. “But then… how come seeing things that you know absolutely nothing about doesn’t prompt an even bigger reaction than this?” he asked.

Lily had no answer for that question.

… [Ronan:] Students, are you? And do you learn much, up at the school?

… [Hermione:] A bit,

… [Ronan:] Well, that’s something. … Mars is bright tonight.

“Here we go,” James muttered under his breath.

… [Hagrid:] there’s a unicorn bin hurt—you seen anythin’?

… [Ronan] stared unblinkingly upwards, …

[Ronan:] Always the innocent are the first victims, … So it has been for ages past, so it is now.

Lily perked up, feeling even more anxious than she did before. “What does he mean by that?” she demanded. James didn’t have an answer to offer her. “Who’s innocent? Who’s going to die?” She moved to grasp James’s hand instead of her own.

“Come on, Evans—don’t tell me you actually believe in this nonsense. Fortune-telling is just a joke—it’s not real. I mean, you…” His voice faded away a little, and then he squinted his eyes at Lily. “Wait, you’re still taking it, aren’t you? Fortune-telling?”

Her face felt like it was on fire and she turned it away a little in the hopes of James not seeing the blush flooding her cheeks. “I’m sorry that I decided to take something that sounded like it might be important in a time of war,” she said stiffly, trying hard to disguise the awkwardness she was feeling. “I mean, it is a pretty good time to try and see what the future has in store, wouldn’t you agree?”

They both turned to look down at the purple book James was holding, and then towards the pile of six other books on the coffee table.

The next moment James’s unimpressed gaze was swiftly turned back to Lily. “Oh, yeah—fortune-telling is clearly the way to go about it—would you like to stop reading these books and instead drink some tea and try to understand what the tea leaves mean once we’re done?”

“Oh, funny!” Lily said sarcastically. “Look, I get that it’s a subject most people think is utter rubbish—including both McGonagall and you—but I swear I once saw something in my crystal ball—I wasn’t imagining it—and if I can see even a glimpse of something, it’d be worth staring at these things and listening to a teacher that doesn’t even think fortune-telling is true.”

James sighed, and Lily could feel how he was going to lift his hand—the one she was holding—to show that he was giving up. Maybe trying to placate her. “All right, all right—if it actually makes you feel better about everything… even though I think it’s crazy—it’s really none of my business what you decide to learn as long as you also know things that are actually useful.”

She wanted to say that clearly even those “useful” things couldn’t save James and Lily from You-Know-Who but decided against it. There was really no point.

… [Hagrid:] but have yeh seen anythin’, Ronan? …

[Ronan:] Mars is bright tonight, … Unusually bright.

Lily cocked her head to the side. “He said that already.”

“Yeah, they’re all like that. Gets really annoying real fast—I swear we had to drag Sirius away from them last time before he could hex them.”

[Hagrid:] Yeah, but I was meanin’ anythin’ unusual a bit nearer home, …

… [Ronan:] The Forest hides many secrets.

Lily stared blankly at the book in James’s hand. “This is utter rubbish,” she said. “I mean, I know that centaurs supposedly know a lot from reading the stars, but this is certainly unhelpful.”

“You don’t say.”

[Another centaur appears.]

[Hagrid:] Hullo, Bane, …

“Oh, I know this one, too.” James nodded. “He’s a little less friendly than most other centaurs—always talks like we’re beneath him, and like we shouldn’t enter the Forest and disturb the centaurs and everything else inside it, like the place belongs to him.” He tsked. “Well, I guess every clan has its own black sheep.”

“Technically, it’s a horse,” Lily pointed out.

James waved his hand dismissively.

… [Hagrid:] you seen anythin’ odd in here lately? …

Bane walked over to stand next to Ronan. He looked skywards.

[Bane:] Mars is bright tonight, …

James rolled his eyes, but Lily suddenly tensed in her seat, her eyes going wide.

“Wait, did they both say it was Mars?” she asked. James hummed in confusion and then went back to check. At his nod, Lily fidgeted a bit. “Mars marks war—the Romans even called the God of War Mars. Of course, I guess they might not mean anything by it, but… but if they do read the future in the stars, then it might mean that there’s another war coming.”

“Again?” James groaned. “What’s with the wizarding world and wars bursting all over the place?” he asked in a slightly mocking voice.

“I’m not kidding! Think about it—we already think that You-Know-Who might still be alive, somehow. What if he comes back and the war starts all over again? Only this time I’m sure Harry will be a part of it, and I don’t think another Killing Curse will just leave a mark on his skin but otherwise not harm him!”

“Well, let’s hope they’re wrong, then. And will you please stop trying to get me all depressed with your theories? It’s bad enough when I read about Snape torturing Harry in the future because of me—I don’t need to think about Harry fighting You-Know-Who, as well.”

She sheepishly chuckled and bowed her head a little. “Sorry.”

He squeezed her hand, wordlessly accepting the apology and moving on.

[Hagrid:] We’ve heard, … We’ll be off, then. [They walk away.] Never, … ‘try an’ get a straight answer out of a centaur. … Not interested in anythin’ closer’n the moon.

James snickered at the words and Lily felt her lips tugging up.

[Hermione:] Are there many of them in here? …

“Oh, please tell me she has nothing again half-breeds—that would make her such a—ouch! What? Can you blame me? There are already too many people who think that half-breeds are beneath us. I don’t want Harry to second that opinion, too.”

“He won’t,” Lily stated firmly. “And besides, Hermione doesn’t mind—Hagrid is a half-breed and she’s his friend. She’s just still trying to cope with the fact that a mystical creature just appeared before her. It’s not easy to brush off, you know.”

James yawned. “I don’t know, actually.”

… [Hagrid:] Keep themselves to themselves mostly, … they know things... jus’ don’ let on much.

[Harry:] D’you think that was a centaur we heard earlier? …

Lily nearly laughed at the way James was staring at the book with such a deadpan expression, like he was looking at something utterly daft.

“He’s impossible,” James said tonelessly. “Impossible, I tell you! He described the sound as slithering like a cloak! Now he thinks it could have been a centaur with hooves? Lily, he’s killing me!”

“Oh, stop being so dramatic. He’s scared in the middle of the Forbidden Forest at night, and he knows there’s something bad lurking around but can’t name the creatures in the magical world because he’s never learned about them,” Lily defended Harry. “It’s no wonder he can’t think straight. And besides—we already know that he’s rather smart when he needs to be.”

“Or when he wants to be,” James added bitterly. “Because let me tell you—being smart in the middle of the Forbidden Forest at night would be a good idea, and he doesn’t seem like he brought his brain with him.”

“Stop trash-talking him! This is your kid!” She opened her mouth to berate him further only to notice the glint of amusement in James’s eyes as he waited patiently for her to keep on going. His lips were twitching. Lily scowled. “You’re enjoying me snapping at you.”

He shrugged nonchalantly. “What can I say? It brings back old memories.”

She sighed deeply and leaned her head on his shoulder. “You’re an idiot, James Potter.”

[Hagrid:] Did that sound like hooves to you? Nah, if yeh ask me, that was what’s bin killin’ the unicorns …

… They had just passed a bend in the path when Hermione grabbed Hagrid’s arm.

[Hermione:] Hagrid! Look! Red sparks, the others are in trouble!

That didn’t sound good. Lily wondered whether that unicorn-killer got to Neville, Malfoy and Fang. What if they were running for their lives? What if they were already dead now, lying on the ground of the Forest, getting colder by the minute?

Ugh. She shuddered and pushed the nasty thoughts out of her head—she couldn’t think like that. It was horrible and wrong, and Lily needed to stay positive because James was right and nothing bad would happen. Probably.

… [Hagrid:] Stay on the path, I’ll come back for yeh!

[Hagrid leaves the two alone.]

[Hermione:] You don’t think they’ve been hurt, do you? …

[Harry:] I don’t care if Malfoy has, but if something’s got Neville... It’s our fault he’s here in the first place.

“Well, he’s an idiot, but his heart’s in the right place,” James conceded.

Lily hit his arm so weakly that he barely even twitched—he just kept on reading like nothing even happened. His hand did tighten its hold on hers, though.

The minutes dragged by. … At last, a great crunching noise announced Hagrid’s return. … Malfoy, it seemed, had sneaked up behind Neville and grabbed him for a joke. Neville had panicked and sent up the sparks.

Lily sagged a little and lifted her gaze to the ceiling of the room. “Oh, thank Merlin,” she muttered.

Next to her, James sighed in exasperation rather than relief. “Ugh—do you know what this means? Hagrid’s going to switch their groups so that Neville doesn’t stay with Malfoy. He’s going to send someone more formidable with Malfoy—that Hagrid thinks won’t get scared of such a thing—and while Hermione could probably stand her ground—”

“He’s going to partner Harry and Malfoy together,” Lily concluded, realisation dawning on her.

She winced, and then sighed in defeat. There was nothing they could do. And frankly, well, Hagrid would be right to assume that someone like Malfoy could probably not really scare Harry that easily. It’s just that with everything happening, Lily strongly didn’t like the idea of Harry being without an adult supervision in the Forbidden Forest.

… [Hagrid:] Neville, you stay with me an’ Hermione, Harry, you go with Fang an’ this idiot. … he’ll have a harder time frightenin’ you, …

It was a testimony to how annoyed James was with this turn of events that he didn’t even brag about guessing right.

So Harry set off into the heart of the Forest with Malfoy and Fang. … Harry thought the blood seemed to be getting thicker. … Harry could see a clearing ahead, … Something bright white was gleaming on the ground. They inched closer.

Lily blanched. “They found the unicorn?” she asked. “But doesn’t this mean that whatever’s killed it might be nearby as well?” she fretted.

“It might have left, already…” James said, but he didn’t even seem to be fooling himself with this weak reasoning.

It was the unicorn all right, and it was dead. [Description of the dead unicorn.]

… a slithering sound made [Harry] freeze where he stood.

Lily whimpered and tugged at her hair with her free hand, squeezing the blood right out of James’s one with her other one. “I can’t believe it—no, actually, I can. I can’t believe Hagrid left students alone in this Forest with something bad lurking in it! What was he thinking?”

“Probably that it would help him cover more ground more quickly,” James said calmly. He leaned a little away from Lily when the girl sent him a death glare. “What? You asked a question, and I answered it! If it’s not up to your standards, don’t ask such questions next time around.”

She huffed but didn’t say anything further.

… a hooded figure came crawling across the ground like some stalking beast. … it lowered its head over the wound in the animal’s side, and began to drink its blood.

She was definitely going to be sick. Lily covered her mouth with her hand, and screwed her eyes shut before realising it was only helping her mind work out an image of the horrid scene James was reading out loud. She could actually see the dark Forest in her mind, hiding the shadowed, cloaked figure that drank the blood of the purest creature Lily has ever learned about.

Beside her, Lily could see James’s face turning green at the description in the book, his voice becoming filled with disgust.

… Malfoy let out a terrible scream and bolted—so did Fang. The hooded figure raised its head and looked right at Harry … It got to its feet and came swiftly towards him—he couldn’t move for fear.

“That’s Hermione’s influence on him,” James said.

“Shut up, Potter!” Lily snapped.

“Merlin… you say one thing…” he grumbled.

Then a pain pierced his head like he’d never felt before, it was as though his scar was on fire—half-blinded, he staggered backwards.

Whimpering, Lily pulled her hand away from her mouth. “His scar hurt again? It happened before, right? When was the first time?”

“The feast at the beginning of the year, after the Sorting,” James replied. “He was looking at Snape when it happened—I certainly remember that.” Of course he did. “Though I still don’t get how an old scar hurts him. I mean, I never feel my scars again—they’re just there.”

“But it’s a scar left by a powerful curse, remember? We don’t know enough about those to tell what might be different about it compared to other, regular scars.” She bit her bottom lip hesitantly. “James, you don’t think this hooded figure is Severus, do you? I mean, if last time Harry’s scar hurt because of him… somehow… maybe…”

James frowned and flipped back to the earlier chapters of the book, looking through the paragraphs for—Lily assumed—the first time Harry’s scar had hurt. “Oh, there it is. ‘The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell’s turban straight into Harry’s eyes—and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry’s forehead’.” He squinted his eyes at the text. “I want to say this has something to do with Quirrell being there, right between Harry and Sniv— Snape…”

“Don’t be ridiculous—Harry’s scar doesn’t hurt every time he looks at Quirrell—he would have mentioned something like that happening earlier in the book!” Lily objected.

“I know,” he said with a nod, and then shrugged and leafed back to their current location in the book. “Well, maybe reading is the only way to get more answers, Evans. I mean, I bet we wouldn’t be the only ones to worry about what it means when Harry’s scar hurts like that.”

Lily huffed. “That’s on Harry, though—would he tell anyone about this? His scar burning like that?”

For a second James opened his mouth, looking like the answer was an easy one. But then he snapped it shut and shook his head from side to side, apparently not as sure about Harry’s future decisions, after all.

… something jumped clean over [Harry], charging at the figure.

… When he looked up, the figure had gone. A centaur was standing over him, …

[Centaur:] Are you all right? …

[Harry:] Yes—thank you—what was that?

“Good question. Maybe thank the centaur properly first, though,” Lily murmured.

“You’re worried about Harry being polite?” James gawked. “Are you insane?”

Lily flipped her hair over her shoulder in the most dramatic way she could muster, and grinned at him innocently. “Not more than you, that’s for sure.”

James’s only reply was a fond eyeroll.

The centaur didn’t answer. … He looked carefully at Harry, his eyes lingering on the scar …

[Centaur:] You are the Potter boy, … The Forest is not safe at this time—especially for you. Can you ride? …

Jaw dropping, James stared at the book like it was the most surprising thing in existence. And while Lily agreed with that sentiment, she thought it was an odd thing to get from this small bit.

“A centaur… offered a human… to ride on his back?” James muttered.

“What’s the big deal?” Lily asked.

Turning to her, James looked straight into Lily’s eyes, his brown irises nearly out of sight with how wide his pupils were. “Centaurs are prideful creatures, Lily. They never let humans ride on their backs—not to mention offer it themselves. We should know—we’ve tried to convince a few of them to let us try this.” He looked at the book in amazement. “Either this centaur is very different than the others, or Harry is a special case.”

“Well, it does look like even the centaurs know about him—which means he’s really more famous that I’d ever imagined…” she added under her breath. “So this isn’t something most centaurs would do, then? Would they have saved Harry from that figure earlier like this one just did?”

James pulled his shoulders. “I don’t think so, no.”

[Centaur:] My name is Firenze,

… he lowered himself on to his front legs so that Harry could clamber on to his back. … Ronan and Bane came bursting through the trees, …

[Bane:] Firenze! … You have a human on your back! Have you no shame? …

Lily’s lips parted a little. “Oh… I see what you mean,” she said faintly. “You don’t think they’ll hurt Harry, though, right?”

“I don’t think so…” James said slowly. Lily decided not to trust his hesitant response too much.

… [Firenze:] This is the Potter boy. The quicker he leaves this Forest, the better.

… [Bane:] Remember, Firenze, we are sworn not to set ourselves against the heavens. …

[Ronan:] I’m sure Firenze thought he was acting for the best,

… [Bane:] It is not our business to run around like donkeys after stray humans in our Forest!

James gestured towards the book with a look of something between disgust and exhaustion. “They can be dreamy most of the time, but they’re also rather mean when they want to be—they’re not even trying to show that they care about the fact that Harry was all alone and might have died in their Forest.”

“Well, they do live in the Forest…”

“That doesn’t make it their own!” James argued. “I mean… I don’t know whether it even belongs to anyone—it’s the Forbidden Forest, not a house or a piece of land where you’ll build something… Or does it belong to the school?”

Lily hummed thoughtfully. “Isn’t it weird that people chose to build a school right next to a forest filled with dangerous creatures?” she asked.

James stared at her like she was crazy. “You have a problem with the location of Hogwarts?”

“Well, no, but—”

“Then why are you even bringing this up?” James asked, and then set back to reading the book.

Firenze suddenly reared on to his hind legs in anger, …

… [Firenze:] Do you not understand why [the unicorn] was killed? … I set myself against what is lurking in this Forest, Bane, yes, with humans alongside me if I must.

“All right, I kind of like this one—though I’m sure he could’ve said all that without making it sound like he was forced into working alongside a human,” James noted.

And Firenze whisked around; … Harry didn’t have a clue what was going on.

… [Harry:] What was that thing you saved me from, anyway?

… They were passing through a particularly dense patch of trees, however, when Firenze suddenly stopped.

[Firenze:] Harry Potter, do you know what unicorn blood is used for?

James scrunched up his nose. “I’m sorry, but what’s with this guy and calling Harry by his full name all the time?” he asked. “He can just say ‘Harry’. Or ‘Potter’, maybe. Why does he feel the need to say more than that? It sounds so formal…”

“Is this really what you care about right now? And you claim me minding Harry’s manners is weird…”

“It is weird! My curiosity is valid…”

[Harry:] No, … We’ve only used the horn and tail-hair in Potions.

… [Firenze:] Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, … you will have but a half life, a cursed life, …

Which was pretty much the extent of Lily’s knowledge on the subject. Nothing new there—but she certainly didn’t know all of that in her first year at Hogwarts. Harry was probably learning more things quicker than a lot of other kids his age that come from Muggle families just because he has an entire history in the wizarding world and since he encounters such strange people and artifacts, huh?

… [Harry:] But who’d be that desperate? … If you’re going to be cursed for ever, death’s better, isn’t it?

“See, that’s a smart thing to say,” James said pointedly. “He should keep up with this kind of comments from now on.”

“If you don’t have anything actually nice to say about him, why do you even bother opening your mouth, James?” Lily asked wearily. James just smiled at her briefly.

… [Firenze:] unless all you need is to stay alive long enough to drink something else … Mr. Potter, do you know what is hidden in the school at this very moment?

They were both stunned by this question. “What in Merlin’s beard…?”

“Does everyone know about the Philosopher’s Stone?” Lily asked. “Is this secret really that badly hidden? I mean, first Harry and his friends find out about it, and now this random centaur from the Forest knows about it? Where did he even hear it? Do you reckon Hagrid let something slip? I don’t believe he would…”

James wrinkled his nose. “You have to admit that’s a possibility, though—Hagrid did let it slip around Harry, Ron and Hermione. They didn’t need him to say the name of the object hidden in Hogwarts for them to discover exactly what it was. The breadcrumbs left for them were enough.” He pursed his lips. “And they’re only first-years. A grown-up centaur would know more, and would be quicker to discover the truth, I bet. Or,” he added in a daunting voice, “maybe Firenze read about it in the starts, as well.” He smirked.

She nudged his side playfully. “Be nice,” she warned.

[Harry:] The Philosopher’s Stone! Of course—the Elixir of Life! But I don’t understand who—

[Firenze:] Can you think of nobody who has waited many years to return to power, …

It was as though an iron fist had clenched suddenly around Harry’s heart. …

[Harry:] Do you mean, … That was Vol—

[Hermione (I think):] Harry! Harry, are you all right?

James heaved a sigh of relief. “For once, I’m glad for the interruption. This kid really doesn’t understand the point of not saying a name people don’t like saying or hearing.”

“He’s not scared of it. And he doesn’t know how powerful and scary You-Know-Who is. He didn’t grow up with the stories his peers must have. He only knows that we died because of someone that everyone else wants to forget or put in the past. That’s not really a lot to go off of.”

“Oh, come on—Harry knows You-Know-Who’s killed a lot of people—Hagrid told him about it. And I’m not past the idea of Harry reading a little bit about You-Know-Who just to learn a little bit more about his own history and fame. He must know enough to realise why people seriously don’t like saying You-Know-Who’s real name.”

Lily frowned. “But it’s more than that—he’d mentioned before that not saying the name freaked him out a little—like it made him fear You-Know-Who more than he did while saying the actual name,” she said slowly, deliberately punctuating each word at a pace that let her process her own claim. “Maybe he’s just more comfortable this way.”

“And is no one seriously going to even attempt to stop him?”

Lily bit her lip. “What could they possibly do? They can’t force him to stop using the name, can they?” she said, and James didn’t look happy about it, but he still went back to the book.

Hermione was running towards them down the path, Hagrid puffing along behind her.

[Harry:] I’m fine, … The unicorn’s dead, Hagrid, it’s in that clearing back there.

“This is where I leave you,” Firenze murmured as Hagrid hurried off to examine the unicorn. “You are safe now.”

A huff of indignation left Lily’s mouth. “Hagrid left them again?” she shrieked. “Harry nearly got killed by what Firenze seems to suspect was You-Know-Who, and Hagrid decides to leave to examine the body of a dead unicorn? Is he out of his mind?”

James slipped his hand out of hers and put it on her back soothingly. She kind of wanted to just lean into the touch and forget about how reckless everyone in this book seemed to be when it came to Harry, but the part of her that seemed to grow the longer she read about Harry wanted to strangle someone.

Maybe it was a maternal part of her. Maybe it was just that she cared about a character in a book that she knew more and more about the longer they read. Whatever it was—Lily didn’t like how stupid everyone seemed to be.

“I’m sure they’re all going to be fine,” James assured her.

“That’s what you said before Harry came face to face (sort of) with that hooded You-Know-Who!” Lily protested.

James winced. “That’s… that’s true,” he conceded. “Still—it’s nearly the end of the chapter, so I don’t think anything crazy will happen now.”

That was such a stupid yet valid reason not to panic, Lily found.

… [Firenze:] The planets have been read wrongly before now, even by centaurs. I hope this is one of those times.

He turned and cantered back into the depths of the Forest, …

“I bet they didn’t read them wrong,” Lily said gloomily.

“And here I thought you said I was the one with the betting problem,” James joked, and Lily smiled weakly at him. “Come on, Lily, it’s okay. Whatever they read, I’m sure it can’t be too bad, right? I mean, we’re at war now and things aren’t that horrible. Kind of.” He cringed at the deadpan look she was sending his way. “Okay, yeah, it’s pretty bad. But it can’t get any worse than that in the future, right?”

Lily fidgeted with her fingers restlessly in her lap, but leaned further into James’s touch all the same. “I hope so.”

Ron had fallen asleep in the dark common room, … Harry roughly shook him awake. … Harry began to tell him and Hermione what had happened in the Forest.

… [Harry] paced up and down in front of the fire. …

[Harry:] Snape wants the stone for

“Oh, bloody hell.” James grimaced at the book after a shiver ran down his spine. His eyes flittered down the page and he winced again. “This kid really likes making me squirm, doesn’t he?” He looked at Lily. “Can’t I just not say the name? Can’t I change it just for the sake of reading?”

Lily glared at him. “If Harry can say the name, then so can you, James Potter.”

He sighed in defeat.

[Harry:] Voldemort... and

“For the love of—!”

Lily scrunched up her nose, preparing herself for more mentions of You-Know-Who’s name if James’s reaction was anything to go by.

[Harry:] Voldemort’s waiting in the Forest... and all this time we thought Snape just wanted to get rich...

“Stop saying the name!” said Ron in a terrified whisper, as if he thought

“Even the book itself calls him that! I can’t believe it!” James whined.

Lily—now no longer feeling James’s hand on her back after wincing and flinching at every mention of You-Know-Who—glanced at him, trying to suppress the uneasiness in her body. “Well, I’m not surprised—this is a book from Harry’s perspective—most of the time. So as long as Harry calls You-Know-Who by his name, so will the book.”

“Doesn’t mean I’m going to like it.” He gave Lily a deep, serious look. “You are definitely going to read the next book, Evans. Then we’ll see what you think about not censoring the name here and there.”

She just held her head up high defiantly, trying not to show how much it bothered her to think of having to say the name herself.

Voldemort could hear them.

… [Harry, ignoring Ron:] Firenze saved me, … Bane was furious... he was talking about interfering with what the planets say is going to happen... They must show that

James looked like he would very much like to throw the book across the room and leave it there for all eternity, but instead he kept on going.

[Harry:] Voldemort’s coming back... Bane thinks Firenze should have let

He swallowed.

[Harry:] Voldemort kill me...

“I’m going to kill this kid myself!” James said furiously.

Lily herself was pulling at her hair lightly, trying desperately to focus on what Harry was saying instead of his insistent mentions of You-Know-Who’s name.

[Harry:] I suppose that’s written in the stars as well.

[Ron:] Will you stop saying the name! …

“I’m with Ron on this one!”

“Me, too,” Lily agreed timidly, and James sent her a look that at first seemed surprised but soon became understanding and almost cheerful—like it made him feel better that he wasn’t alone in this.

[Harry:] So all I’ve got to wait for now is Snape to steal the Stone, … Then

He winced, and Lily saw that and already winced herself, too.

[Harry:] Voldemort will be able to come and finish me off... …

… [Hermione, scared:] Harry, everyone says Dumbledore’s the only one You-Know-Who was ever afraid of.

“See, Hermione knows not to say the name! And she didn’t grow up with horror stories about You-Know-Who, either,” James said, pointing at the book feverishly. “Why can’t Harry do the same?”

That was actually a good point. How come Hermione—who came from a Muggle family—became this scared of You-Know-Who, that she wasn’t willing to say his name like Harry? Was she just going along with what she read was appropriate, or was she truly scared of saying the real name of the wizard she didn’t know as much about as others did?

Did their community ruin the child by making her frightened by something she wouldn’t have been aware of less than a year before? Maybe Harry was right about this—maybe fearing the name actually made them all even more terrified of You-Know-Who.

Of course, that didn’t mean Lily was ready to just throw all caution to the wind! Hell, even McGonagall didn’t say You-Know-Who’s name!

[Hermione:] With Dumbledore around, You-Know-Who won’t touch you. Anyway, who says the centaurs are right? It sounds like fortune-telling to me, and Professor McGonagall says that’s a very imprecise branch of magic.

James said that last bit rather smugly, and Lily found herself rolling her eyes at him. He was a little pale after being forced to say You-Know-Who’s name repeatedly, but apparently that comment made him feel that much better already.

… They went to bed exhausted, …

When Harry pulled back his sheets, he found his Invisibility Cloak folded neatly underneath them. There was a note pinned to it:

Just in case.

“All right—I’m certain that’s Dumbledore.” James nodded quickly, grinning brightly. “And I’ve got to thank him for making sure Harry didn’t lose the one thing he’d inherited from me in this future!” He bowed his head, as if showing respect—Lily genuinely wasn’t sure whether it was towards Dumbledore or the Cloak.

Notes:

Can I complain and say that Hagrid, Harry and Hermione in the same scene is killing me, because they all start with the letter H and I kept on writing the wrong names! Maybe I left a mistake here, I wouldn't be surprised! Seriously - a nightmare, that was...

Other than that, though, what d'you think??

Chapter 16: Through the Trapdoor

Eyes locked on the purple book, Lily determined that there was probably not too much left to read. Which was good because sitting there and doing nothing but talking and listening made her a little more tired than usual. And the last thing Lily needed was to miss parts of the story because she was exhausted and unable to concentrate.

Next to her, James took out the small bottle of potion from his pocket and took another small portion of it. He muttered a few words, as if checking to see that his throat was no longer hurting and sore after all of the reading he was doing. That was a very useful thing to have, really. Lily sort of wished the room could supply them with some water or pumpkin juice, but of course food was something even the Room of Requirement couldn’t create for them.

Her thoughts wandered to her dormitory. She was certain the girls there were probably speculating too much about what Lily and James were doing. Even if Lily tried to tell them that nothing was happening, she was certain they would still smugly suspect that wasn’t true. How long would it take for them to realise that nothing scandalising was happening between Lily and James? It would have probably been more believable had the girls not known about the two’s date to Hogsmeade.

Unlike her, this didn’t seem to bother James. Perhaps because he didn’t care what people thought about them. Maybe it was just since he was more concerned about what was happening between Sirius and him. Lily wouldn’t blame him for being worried about that—Sirius was closer to James than she could probably comprehend. The two of them have been inseparable since their train ride to Hogwarts on their first year.

Lily kind of felt choked up at the mere thought of Alice and her arguing for longer than a few minutes. And that was when Alice was definitely not as close to her as Sirius was to James. It was a different kind of connection—the one the boys shared.

She wished Sirius and James would be able to move past this quickly—and that it wouldn’t involve anything like Lily taking a step back. Though… well, thinking about it too much made Lily a little uncomfortable—she never imagined that dating James Potter would mean she might get in the way of the two best friends Hogwarts has ever seen.

“All right,” James said, cutting Lily’s thoughts and pulling her back to the presence. She saw him smiling at her—probably still content at Harry having his Invisibility Cloak back after leaving it behind accidentally. “Ready to go on?”

Nodding once with a small smile, Lily sat back and tried to relax as James flipped the page over and started reading the next chapter.

In years to come, Harry would never quite remember how he had managed to get through his exams when he half expected

James’s smile vanished and he cringed and groaned. “Oh, for the love of all that is good and—why does he have to say and think of You-Know-Who’s real name all the time?”

Voldemort

Lily and James both flinched at the name, but James quickly moved on, looking annoyed but determined.

to come bursting through the door at any moment. … they did their written papers. … They had practical exams as well. … Snape made them all nervous, breathing down their necks while they tried to remember how to make a Forgetfulness Potion.

Lily’s lips twitched. “That’s ironic,” she noted.

“No wonder he thinks all of his students are dunderheads, though—if someone was breathing down my neck during an exam, I would have probably messed up whatever it was I was trying to do just because I was too nervous to think clearly. It’s like he’s trying to make them all fail.”

“Something can make you nervous other than dragons?” Lily gasped mockingly. James sent her a flat look. “I’m shocked!”

The boy looked back at the book defiantly. “Laugh all you want, but it’s your kid here who’s going to fail because of your old friend,” he said, and didn’t wait to hear what kind of outraged response Lily would have to the words.

Harry did the best he could, trying to ignore the stabbing pains in his forehead which had been bothering him ever since his trip into the Forest. … Harry kept being woken by his old nightmare, … there was a hooded figure dripping blood in it.

Cringing, Lily eyed the book warily. “Why is it dripping blood?”

“Maybe it’s unicorn blood—he did see him drinking that, right? It makes sense.”

… Ron and Hermione didn’t seem as worried about the Stone as Harry. … they were so busy with their revision they didn’t have much time to fret …

Their very last exam was History of Magic. … When the ghost of Professor Binns told them to put down their quills and roll up their parchment, Harry couldn’t help cheering with the rest.

“They do always keep the worst for last, don’t they?” James noted dryly. “I nearly fall asleep every year when we get to this exam—it’s just so boring. And it’s not just because of Binns—I’m sure of that. He’s utterly dull, of course, but he teaches a subject that is already worse than most of the other ones. All those important historical events that I couldn’t be bothered with…”

Lily clicked her tongue. “I genuinely have no idea how you got to your seventh year without failing all your exams,” Lily said.

“One of my many talents,” James dismissed with a wave of his hand. “Plus, you know, I’m awfully smart. Certainly smarter than you ever gave me credit for.”

She snorted into her hand.

… The Weasley twins and Lee Jordan were tickling the tentacles of a giant squid, which was basking in the warm shallows.

“Isn’t this dangerous?” Lily wondered.

“Not more than going into the Forest at night with a dog and a kid that can’t stand you to look for a unicorn that has been murdered,” James said, and then flinched when she glared at him heatedly. “Aw, come on, I was joking! It’s the giant squid! He’s fine! No one ever got too badly hurt by him—I think he actually likes the attention.”

… [Ron:] You could look more cheerful, Harry, we’ve got a week before we find out how badly we’ve done, there’s no need to worry yet.

James laughed but Lily felt mostly anxious. She didn’t think Harry would really fail his exams—he had his… less than stellar moments, sure, but he was still quick to think and he had good instincts. She hoped he wasn’t doing bad in his classes. To be fair, the book hasn’t mention much about those so far—it’s been mentioning other classmates, but never Harry’s skills.

“Hey,” Lily said slowly, suddenly frowning a little, “has Harry actually done a single spell in the book so far?” she asked. “Does that thing with the broom—when he called for it to fly into his hand—count as a spell?”

James’s eyebrows shot up. “It doesn’t, no. Not as far as I know, at least. Has he really done no magic so far? That’s strange. I guess enough things have happened for me not to notice that…”

“I’m sure he’s done magic, already—he’s been to his classes, after all. I just don’t think the book has mentioned anything. Any specific spell he may have conjured.” She sighed. “So we really don’t know how good he is, then. We have nothing to compare him to except for that first lesson in Transfiguration when he couldn’t turn the match into a needle, but that wasn’t really an indicator considering Hermione was the only one who made a difference with her match.”

“How do you even remember this?” James asked, slightly astounded. At Lily’s shrug, he smiled. “Well, I’m sure he’s doing all right—maybe the book never mentioned it because it’s just so obvious that Harry would be good with his studies—he can’t be too bad with the two of us as his parents, right?”

Lily let out an uncertain sound as she grimaced a tiny bit. “I mean… Alice and Frank aren’t bad, either, yet Neville seems to be struggling quite a bit, doesn’t he?”

“And the book has been mentioning it all the time. Had Harry been struggling like Neville, I’m sure we would have known. Come on, Lily—you’re worrying too much about something that won’t even happen any time soon.”

She bit her tongue to keep herself from voicing all of her worries, and let James read.

… [Harry:] My scar keeps hurting—it’s happened before, but never as often as this.

“Wait, so it wasn’t only with Sev?” Lily asked before she could stop herself.

“I think he’s referring to the time with Snape at the beginning of the year, and that time in the Forest,” James said. “I honestly don’t think his scar has hurt before—it was his favourite feature about himself, remember? Most people won’t like something that causes them pain—even if it is only occasional.”

Humming, Lily decided to believe that. It was better than imagining a smaller version of James Potter being abused by her sister and brother-in-law (and their son) with a burning scar on his forehead.

[Hermione:] Go to Madam Pomfrey, …

[Harry:] I’m not ill, … I think it’s a warning... it means danger’s coming...

“That’s useful,” James said.

“Great—so you should go and get yourself your own stupid cursed scar, then!”

He inched away from her—just a tiny bit—as if to make sure she wasn’t close enough to cause him any harm.

Ron couldn’t get worked up, it was too hot.

James’s lips tugged up in an amused smile but he didn’t say anything, his eyes still drifting over to Lily repeatedly. Probably because he didn’t want to provoke her again. Lily herself found Ron’s reasoning entertaining, too, though.

… [Ron:] the Stone’s safe as long as Dumbledore’s around. … [Snape] nearly had his leg ripped off once, he’s not going to try it again in a hurry. …

… [Harry] couldn’t shake off a lurking feeling that there was something he’d forgotten to do, …

[Hermione:] That’s just the exams. I woke up last night and was halfway through my Transfiguration notes before I remembered we’d done that one.

“For some reason, I just don’t think that’s it,” James said flatly. “But seriously—who wakes up in the middle of the night and decides to study for an exam?”

Lily huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re never done that? Haven’t you ever been worried about not passing one of them before?”

James made an entire show of trying to remember such a time, but he ended up just shaking his head with a wide grin on his face. “Evans, I have other worries. Believe it or not, some things are more important than what we learn in class,” he teased.

“Like what?”

For a second he looked like he was trying to decide what to say to her—apparently he wasn’t counting on Lily asking him any further questions because he was most definitely uncomfortable with this one. But then James just ruffled his hair a little and smiled again—it wasn’t the confident, charming smile of his. It was a little more subdued.

“One day I might actually tell you. Until then, you’re just going to have to wonder constantly about what I know more about than you.” He was probably trying to sound proud and condescending, but Lily thought he sounded more closed off and protective than anything else.

Rolling her eyes, she turned her head back to look at the wall ahead of her instead of facing James. She was smiling despite herself, and she knew that James took notice of it because he sounded cheerful when he continued reading from the book.

Harry was quite sure the unsettled feeling didn’t have anything to do with work, … Hagrid would never betray Dumbledore. … but—

Harry suddenly jumped to his feet.

The couple both perked up, suddenly alert. “What? But what?” Lily asked.

“What kind of train of thought is that? He didn’t even complete it!” James scowled at the book, looking like a disapproving adult more than anything. Lily almost laughed at him.

… [Harry, walking briskly away:] I’ve just thought of something, … We’ve got to go and see Hagrid, now.

[Hermione:] Why? …

… [Harry:] what Hagrid wants more than anything else is a dragon, and a stranger turns up who just happens to have an egg in his pocket? … Lucky they found Hagrid, don’t you think? Why didn’t I see it before?

Lily and James exchanged a look. Perhaps they were both thinking about James’s reaction to the entire story with the dragon egg. Lily didn’t think much of it back then because she was too busy listening to James’s fearful comments about the dragon to care about how suspicious it all really was, but now that Harry was pointing it out as well…

How lucky was it that Hagrid managed to run into the only person with a dragon egg of all things? This man he was playing against must have been one of the only people in Britain who had a dragon egg with them! It was so obviously odd and strange now that someone was pointing it out with a clear mind—Lily wanted to scold herself for not paying more attention to James’s note from earlier.

To his credit, though, James didn’t look smug or like someone who had just been proven right—he looked more anxious than anything. And this time Lily didn’t think it had anything to do with the mention of a dragon. Perhaps he was worried about the meaning of this whole thing.

Was it really possible that someone had exserted information out of Hagrid by bribing him with a dragon egg? Could someone really get Hagrid to betray Dumbledore that easily?

She couldn’t believe it.

[Ron:] What are you on about? …

Hagrid was sitting in an armchair outside his house; …

… [Hagrid:] Finished yer exams? Got time fer a drink?

[Ron:] Yes, please, …

James managed a small, anxious sort of laugh at Ron’s lack of worry, but kept on reading almost immediately after, probably curious to learn more, just like Lily.

[Harry:] No, we’re in a hurry. … You know that night you won Norbert? What did the stranger you were playing cards with look like?

… [Hagrid:] he wouldn’ take his cloak off. … It’s not that unusual, … Mighta bin a dragon dealer, mightn’ he? …

… [Harry:] What did you talk to him about, Hagrid? …

… [Hagrid:] he asked what I did, an’ I told him I was gamekeeper here... He asked a bit about the sorta creatures I look after... … I can’ remember too well, ‘cause he kept buyin’ me drinks...

The dry, unimpressed look James sent the book was so hilarious, Lily had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing out loud. She couldn’t laugh now that they were finally getting somewhere with that whole investigation regarding the Stone. She didn’t exactly think it was any of Harry’s business, sure, but at least one person in Hogwarts cared about what was happening around him. After all, Hagrid didn’t seem all that concerned, and it didn’t exactly look like anyone else was, either.

If things got to the point where even Lily Evans agreed that an eleven-year-old boy poking his nose into other people’s business was necessary, then things really weren’t looking up, huh?

“What’d I say? Get Hagrid drunk—I don’t think a single soul doesn’t know about this small detail—a drunk Hagrid will tell you everything you need to know as long as he has the information, whether he should talk about it or not. And of course the teachers know that!”

… [Hagrid:] he said he had the dragon egg an’ we could play cards fer it … but he had ter be sure I could handle it, … So I told him, after Fluffy, a dragon would be easy...

[Harry, straining to sound calm:] And did he—did he seem interested in Fluffy? …

[Hagrid:] Well—yeah … So I told him, Fluffy’s a piece o’ cake … jus’ play him a bit o’ music an’ he’ll go straight off ter sleep—

Lily groaned and let her head fall into her hands in frustration. James just kept on shaking his head from side to side, looking like he was on the verge of either bursting into tears or howling with laughter.

“Music?” James said. “Music? This beast calms down if you sing to it? I shouldn’t find it this surprising after knowing Hagrid for seven years, but honestly… this is just too ridiculous.”

Lily didn’t lift her head from her hands, so her own voice came out a little muffled. “That means that Fluffy hasn’t been a real challenge for You-Know-Who for a long while now,” she murmured. “What’s the hold up? How come no one’s tried stealing the Stone, yet?”

James hummed at her words, and when Lily glanced at him she noticed a concentrated expression on his face. “D’you think the only thing keeping You-Know-Who from acting really is just Dumbledore being around? Then the only thing he needs to do is to get rid of Dumbledore—get him far away from the school—and the coast will be clear.”

She let her fingers tangle in her long hair and hoped Dumbledore wouldn’t be foolish enough as to leave the school right now—if James was right and it really was the only reason as to why the Stone was still safely secure in Hogwarts, it would certainly be a disaster if Dumbledore decided to disappear for a short while.

Hagrid suddenly looked horrified.

… [Hagrid:] Forget I said it! Hey—where’re yeh goin’?

Harry, Ron and Hermione didn’t speak to each other at all until they came to a halt in the Entrance Hall, …

[Harry:] We’ve got to go to Dumbledore, … I just hope Dumbledore believes us. … Where’s Dumbledore’s office?

“I can’t believe it,” James said. “My own son hasn’t been to the Headmaster’s office even once after an entire year. I couldn’t be more disappointed.”

Lily glared at him. “Is that really what matters most right now?” she asked frantically. “Don’t you think what’s important is that Harry doesn’t know where to go in order to get help?”

The boy shrugged, not looking like the scolding got to him in the least. “Well, sure, but I figured you would do that, and I can take care of the things you don’t mind as much, because someone’s going to have to comment on all of the stuff that is important but goes unnoticed by you, Evans.”

She scoffed. “You really don’t understand that your son might not be as bad as you, huh?”

“I’m going to need more time to wrap my head around it, yes.”

… They had never been told where Dumbledore lived, nor did they know anyone who had been sent to see him.

“Really?” James huffed. “What about Ron’s brothers? I’m sure they’ve been to Dumbledore’s office enough times to tell them where it is.” Then he raised his free hand, showing that he was giving up. “Oh, but how could I forget—those three can’t seem to think logically half the time!”

Lily pressed her lips together to keep herself from saying anything. James was right about the twins, probably. She just thought it was a bit much to say that Harry, Ron and Hermione couldn’t think under pressure when they would’ve been dead long ago had that statement been completely true.

… [Professor McGonagall, carrying books:] What are you three doing inside? …

“Talk to her!” Lily encouraged.

“Since when are students not allowed to be inside the school?” James scoffed.

[Hermione:] We want to see Professor Dumbledore, …

… [Professor McGonagall:] Why?

… [Harry:] It’s sort of secret,

… Professor McGonagall’s nostrils flared.

James snickered. “She totally has it out for him—I really made an impression on her, wouldn’t you agree? She can’t hear a single sentence Harry says without thinking he’s up to no good.” The last words made him sound even more amused, for some reason, and Lily eyed him wearily, not even mustering up the energy to ask him about what was going through his head.

“I think she’s just a little insulted that a student has a secret to keep from her but wants to bring it up to the Headmaster,” Lily noted. “I would have been, in her place. I mean, Harry doesn’t even know Dumbledore—he only saw him during meals. They’ve never talked before. McGonagall, on the other hand—”

“Was the teacher who took a hundred and fifty points from him and his friends, and then sent them to detention in the Forbidden Forest where Harry nearly died after meeting You-Know-Who. Oh, yes, I see why she might think she would be up on the list of people Harry trusts,” James mocked. “And you can’t forget that Harry must really not count too much on adults after growing up with your sister and her husband, who were absolutely horrid towards him—he doesn’t have any good reason to have faith in adults in his life other than Hagrid, sort of.”

Lily finally lifted her head from her hands and sat up straight. “I guess you’re right,” she said with a sigh and brushed her flaming hair away from her face. “I just wish someone would listen to him. Dumbledore must take him at least somewhat seriously, right?”

“He definitely would.” A shadow crossed James’s face. “If he’s even in the castle.”

Eyes widening, Lily stared at James as he kept on reading.

… [Professor McGonagall:] He received an urgent owl from the Ministry of Magic and flew off for London at once.

“He’s gone?” Lily shrieked. “Seriously?”

James scrunched up his nose in distaste. “See? I’m not even surprised—Harry finds the last piece of information he needed right when things are about to go down. If this thing was only a book, I’d actually think it’s pretty good. Maybe a bit of a cliché. Honestly, it’s really not that surprising.”

“But what is he going to do? McGonagall must take him seriously if he has information, right? She has to.”

“I don’t know.”

[Harry:] He’s gone? … Now? … But this is important.

[Professor McGonagall:] Something you have to say is more important than the Ministry of Magic, Potter?

… [Harry:] Professor—it’s about the Philosopher’s Stone—

James laughed in delight and Lily had to force down her own giggles. She could almost picture McGonagall’s stunned reaction to one of the students knowing about a secret they were all trying to keep from everyone—including the students. It wasn’t every day a first-year found out something’s hidden in the castle—especially something that had to be very well protected.

“Lily.”

“Yeah?”

“You asked if McGonagall would believe Harry?” James said, his lips still twitching. “Well, to be honest, I don’t think she will—she’ll probably be more preoccupied by the fact that her students know about the Philosopher’s Stone to take their warnings seriously. She does that, sometimes.”

She felt like maybe covering her face with her hands once more—just to block out some of the frustrating world Lily was living in.

… The books she was carrying tumbled out of her arms …

[Professor McGonagall:] How do you know—? …

[Harry:] Professor, I think—I know—that Sn— that someone’s going to try and steal the Stone. …

Lily spluttered a little, but then coughed and steadied herself. “At least he didn’t mention Sev by name—she would have been a lot more annoyed had she heard a student was suspecting her coworker,” she said.

This wasn’t what was on James’s mind, though. “Where the bloody hell are his friends? Why is he always the one taking the lead? Can’t Ron and Hermione take some of the heat themselves?” he asked.

… [Professor McGonagall:] I don’t know how you found out about the Stone, but rest assured, no one can possibly steal it, …

[Harry:] But Professor—

… [Professor McGonagall:] I suggest you all go back outside and enjoy the sunshine.

But they didn’t.

“What now?” Lily asked. “Are they going to get past Fluffy and go down the trapdoor?” she suggested, her voice dripping with sarcasm. When all James did was shrug, Lily’s eyes widened. “They will most certainly not do that! That’s suicidal! The Stone is protected by too many things, and they were definitely not put there so that a bunch of first-years could just get past them easily—if those three can get to the Stone, the teachers didn’t do a very good job, don’t you agree?”

James pondered this and then made a so-so gesture. “It’s more complicated than that, I think. I mean, every person has their advantages and disadvantages. It is possible that they could get down there and past the protections if they’re skilled enough to pass those specific safeguards. I mean, if you had to win a Quidditch match, you’d probably be stuck on the pitch all night. But if Harry—in his first year—was given the same task, he’d be back in five minutes. It all depends on what the professors put down as shields to protect the Stone other than Fluffy.”

This didn’t bode well with everything that was happening. So far it didn’t sound like Harry had the best luck.

… [Harry, once Professor McGonagall isn’t around:] Snape’s going through the trapdoor tonight. … he’s got Dumbledore out of the way. …

Hermione gasped. Harry and Ron wheeled round.

Snape was standing there.

“Oh, joy…” James drawled out.

“They think he’s the one that’s after the Stone,” Lily fretted. “You don’t think they’ll attack him, do you?”

James actually snorted at that. “As much as I’d like to see this, I think they all know they don’t really stand a chance against a teacher—they’ve only studied basic spells in their classes. That’s not enough to overtake a teacher—Merlin, that was painful to say…” He shook his head. “They won’t attack him unless they have a death wish or are desperate enough—which I don’t think they are quite yet.”

At least they won’t get in trouble for assaulting a teacher, then. That was one good thing about this entire situation, Lily supposed.

[Snape:] Good afternoon, …

They stared at him.

“They’re killing me,” James said between chuckles. “They’re so suspicious, it’s painful.”

… [Snape:] … people will think you’re up to something. And Gryffindor really can’t afford to lose any more points, can they?

Harry flushed. They turned to go back outside, but Snape called them back.

Groaning, James looked like he would rather read about anyone else other than Sev. “What does he want? First he’s suspicious because they’re just standing around. Then he mocks them for losing those points for Gryffindor. And now they’re about to leave like he wanted them to, and he calls them back? What’s the deal with him?”

Well, when he puts it like that…

[Snape:] Be warned, Potter—any more night-time wanderings and I will personally make sure you are expelled. Good day to you.

“He’s having way too much fun antagonising him instead of me,” James said bitterly.

“Well, you are too dead to be antagonised, I’d say,” Lily reminded him.

James frowned. “I know. But he’s taking it out on Harry, and he knows Harry can’t retaliate the way I would have, simply because he’d get in trouble for attacking a teacher! This is just… it’s so…”

“Cowardly?” Lily suggested.

The astounded look James sent her way made her grin. She used to be Sev’s friend and she would still protect him if she felt like he deserved it, but when he was being a complete git around her future son, Lily just couldn’t find it in herself to stand up for him. She kind of saw what James was talking about during all of his rants about how awful Sev was.

If this was the cause of some of those brawls between the two, then Lily couldn’t even completely fault James for hating and attacking Severus. Of course, she might never actually know what started most of their less than stunning moments, but Lily figured that at least some of them were the result of Severus taunting James. It couldn’t always be just James taking his frustration out on his least favourite person.

He strode off in the direction of the staff room.

… [Harry:] One of us has got to keep an eye on Snape—wait outside the staff room and follow him if he leaves it. Hermione, you’d better do that.

[Hermione:] Why me?

… [Ron:] You can pretend to be waiting for Professor Flitwick, you know. [Ron puts on a higher tone.] Oh Professor Flitwick, I’m so worried, I think I got question fourteen b wrong...

Lily laughed, but she was pretty sure it was more at James’s attempt at doing Ron’s voice (the one he’d given him during the reading, at least) as high-pitched as possible rather than at Ron’s teasing. They were both funny, but James’s impression was definitely the one that cracked her. She was certain it sounded nothing like the real thing, but… well, she would never know, will she?

… she agreed to go and watch out for Snape.

[Harry:] And we’d better stay outside the third-floor corridor, …

“The good news is that they aren’t actually going down the trapdoor, right?” James tried to cheer Lily up at the sight of the laughter leaving her and being replaced by anxiety.

Lily bit her lip. “I suppose…”

But that part of the plan didn’t work. … Professor McGonagall turned up again, and this time, she lost her temper.

“I’m not really surprised that didn’t work—they would look suspicious standing next to the corridor they’re not allowed in,” James said. “Though their rotten luck also meant that the one to find them was the only teacher who also knew they knew what was behind the trapdoor and Fluffy—that’s kind of unfortunate, really.”

Lily’s lips thinned a little. “Well, it’s not like she’s doing anything to help! McGonagall should at least try and show that she values what they have to say. And now that she sees that they’re actually serious about the threat they’re aware of, shouldn’t she at least make more of an effort rather than get angry with them? They’re trying to help and she’s only making it so that Harry never trusts a teacher with anything important ever again!”

James’s explanation from before about Harry’s lack of trust in the adults in his life resurfaced in her mind, and she found that it made her even more upset with McGonagall. Shouldn’t she be different from the grown-ups who repeatedly ignored Harry or abused him? Shouldn’t she be better than all of them?

That was already the second time McGonagall acted in a way that probably hurt Harry more than helped him only because she assumed things or didn’t take him seriously—or didn’t listened to his side of the story at all, really.

… [Professor McGonagall:] Enough of this nonsense! If I hear you’ve come anywhere near here again, I’ll take another fifty points from Gryffindor! …

Harry and Ron went back to the common room. … the portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and Hermione came in.

Lily pinched the bridge of her nose and let out a kind of gruffy moan. “This is going horribly wrong.”

… [Hermione:] Snape came out and asked me what I was doing, so I said I was waiting for Flitwick, … I’ve only just got away. …

[Harry:] Well, that’s it then, isn’t it? … I’m going out of here tonight and I’m going to try and get to the Stone first.

Lily spluttered incoherently and tugged at her hair in despair.

Unlike her, though, James just sighed like it was something they really should have seen coming. “Can you blame him for being really invested in this?” he said.

“Of course I can!”

“No, you can’t. Remember the differences between you and Harry—it’s not just the fact that someone’s trying to steal the Philosopher’s Stone—it’s also about how the one planning all of this is probably You-Know-Who! And while You-Know-Who is dangerous to everyone, and it would probably be bad if he gained his full power again, Harry was his last target, for some reason.

“And if You-Know-Who comes back, I have no doubt in my mind that he will go after Harry again—it’s more than just trying to stop the Dark Lord from rising once more—it’s about Harry’s survival. He’s panicking because a man that had killed his parents and nearly killed him is about to be brought back!”

The blood drained from her face, and Lily felt like she was going to be sick. James was right. Again. She hated it when that happened, because for some reason whenever he said something that was right, it was somewhat bad. In this case, it was absolutely horrible.

Harry really was just acting more and more desperately because his life was on the line. It had to be it—he was fighting to keep the worst wizard he knew of away from something that would give him the power to kill both Harry and a lot of other people.

Lily would have lost her mind had she been in Harry’s shoes, and she was an adult witch that knew enough spells to protect herself from a lot of things sent her way. Harry was eleven, and he was still very new to the magical world. He was almost defenceless against You-Know-Who.

No one could blame him for trying to do everything he could just to keep You-Know-Who at bay.

[Rom:] You’re mad! …

… [Hermione:] After what McGonagall and Snape have said? You’ll be expelled!

[Harry:] SO WHAT? … Don’t you understand? If Snape gets hold of the Stone,

James cleared his throat quickly, and Lily noted the way his body twitched a little—though for once he didn’t actually complain. Maybe because he was now too invested in the story. Or perhaps he felt how bad the situation was for Harry, and decided to quit judging him for using You-Know-Who’s name.

[Harry:] Voldemort’s

Lily still flinched, though.

[Harry:] coming back! … There won’t be any Hogwarts to get expelled from! He’ll flatten it, or turn it into a school for the Dark Arts! … If I get caught before I can get to the Stone, well, I’ll have to go back to the Dursleys and wait for

James gulped.

[Harry:] Voldemort to find me there. … I’m going through that trapdoor tonight and nothing you two say is going to stop me!

James hesitated and then winced as his eyes flitted over the next words.

[Harry:] Voldemort killed my parents, remember?

This time Lily didn’t only flinch at the name mentioned—she flinched at the fact that Harry was—for the first time in the book, if she remembered correctly—showing how upset that little bit of information actually made him. She couldn’t imagine not being angry at the man who’d killed her family.

Of course Harry was mad about that, but so far he’s been rather passive about it. Now he was basically standing up to anyone because he wasn’t willing to stand by and do nothing while the man who’d murdered her and James was close to returning.

James grasped her hand, catching Lily’s attention. She turned to him, but his eyes were still locked on the book. His face was pale, though, and there was not a shadow of a smile visible there.

… [Hermione:] You’re right, Harry, …

[Harry:] I’ll use the Invisibility Cloak, … It’s just lucky I got it back.

Lily narrowed her eyes at that. “Are we sure Dumbledore’s the one who gave it back to Harry?” she asked quietly.

James blinked a few times, clearly caught off guard by the question. “The Cloak? Yeah, I’m almost completely sure. Why?”

“Don’t you think it’s odd how he gave Harry the Cloak back just in time for Harry to use it to sneak into the corridor of the third floor and get to the Stone? It’s just… it’s like he knew Harry would try to do something like this.”

“So… what? Dumbledore knows Quirrell is after the Stone and he still doesn’t do anything?” James asked, his voice laced with doubt. “Why would he do something like that?”

She didn’t have an answer to that.

“But will it cover all three of us?” said Ron.

James finally smiled a little. “Thank Merlin—they’re going to go with him! If they all come out of this alive, I’ll approve of the friendship.”

“Don’t say that!” Lily gasped. “Of course they’ll still be alive! They can’t die!”

His mouth opened, and Lily just knew he would say something about how the likelihood of the kids dying was pretty high. But then he just offered her a small smile. “Yeah, right. They’ll be fine. Definitely. Sure.”

That was even worse, somehow, but Lily decided not to ask James to be his lovely optimistic self again.

[Harry:] All—all three of us?

[Ron:] Oh, come off it, you don’t think we’d let you go alone?

… [Hermione:] How do you think you’d get to the Stone without us? I’d better go and look through my books, …

[Harry:] But if we get caught, you two will be expelled, too.

… [Hermione:] Flitwick told me in secret that I got a hundred and twelve per cent on his exam. They’re not throwing me out after that.

James looked absolutely dumbfounded. “How can she get more than a hundred per cent?” he asked feverishly. “That’s not possible! How did she—What did she—I don’t understand…”

“It is pretty impressive.”

“Impressive? It’s impossible!”

After dinner the three of them sat nervously apart in the common room. … Hermione was skimming through all her notes, … Harry and Ron didn’t talk much. …

Slowly, the room emptied as people drifted off to bed.

… Harry ran upstairs to their dark dormitory. He pulled out the Cloak and then his eyes fell on the flute Hagrid had given him for Christmas. He pocketed it to use on Fluffy—he didn’t feel much like singing.

Lily was honestly glad about that because if Harry was really that similar to James, then his singing voice might be worse than nails on a chalkboard. So far, James’s been using his own voice for Harry—if a little higher-pitched since the kid was still a child—and if Harry had sung in the book, Lily didn’t think she would’ve been able to prevent James from trying to sing, as well.

He ran back down to the common room. …

“What are you doing?” said a voice from the corner of the room.

“What? I thought they made sure there was nobody else in the common room before going!” James moaned.

“You don’t think it’s Percy, do you? Because if a prefect caught them, they’d be in real trouble for planning to go out past curfew…”

James looked at Lily like he’s never seen her before in his life. “I can’t believe you want Harry to sneak out without getting caught,” he said in amazement. “This is so out of character for you, Evans.”

“Well, it’s either that or letting You-Know-Who return without putting up a fight!” she defended herself heatedly. “Had the circumstances been different I wouldn’t have wished for Harry to do any of this, and you know it.”

Neville appeared from behind an armchair, …

“Oh, no…” Lily sighed.

James looked a little uncomfortable at finding out that it was Neville. “Ooh… that’s not good. He’s not going to like them going out in the dark again, huh? I mean, last time it landed him in the same boat with them. Do you think they ever explained to Neville what really happened that night?”

She shook her head. “They won’t—because that would mean revealing the truth about Hagrid and Norbert, remember?”

[Harry, hiding the Cloak:] Nothing, Neville, nothing, …

[Neville:] You’re going out again, …

… [Hermione:] No, we’re not. Why don’t you go to bed, Neville?

… They couldn’t afford to waste any more time, …

“I feel bad for him, really,” Lily said. “Neville, I mean. He’s just worried about them and Gryffindor, and he hasn’t got a clue as to what’s really happening around him—he’s doing what he thinks to be a good thing.”

James yawned a little. “I would feel worse for him if him doing his best for Gryffindor didn’t mean getting Harry in trouble.”

[Neville:] You can’t go out, … Gryffindor will be in even more trouble.

… [Harry:] This is important.

… [Neville, standing up between them and the portrait:] I won’t let you do it, … I’ll—I’ll fight you!

… [Ron:] get away from that hole and don’t be an idiot—

[Neville:] Don’t you call me an idiot! … And you were the one who told me to stand up to people!

James’s shoulders were shaking, like he was fighting back his laughter at the situation. Admittedly, it was rather ironic that Neville—the scared boy who could barely defend himself against others—was now standing up to the people who had encouraged him not to back down when push came to shove. If only it would have happened any other night…

[Ron:] Yes, but not to us, …

[Neville:] Go on then, try and hit me! … I’m ready!

“Don’t hit him,” Lily warned. “That will be even worse!”

James waved his hand dismissively. “They won’t hit him, Lil. He’s their friend and they haven’t even hit Malfoy.”

… [Harry, to Hermione:] Do something, …

… [Hermione, raising her wand:] Neville, … I’m really, really sorry about this. … Petrificus Totalus! …

Well, it was better than punching Neville, Lily supposed. Although she kind of felt queasy at the thought of leaving Neville like this for another Gryffindor to find. That would confuse all of them, wouldn’t it? What if Neville was freed from the effect of the curse only to tell everyone that Harry, Ron and Hermione had cursed him? That would make Gryffindors dislike them all even more.

Not that any of it would matter if they couldn’t somehow protect the Stone and prevent You-Know-Who from getting it.

… [Neville] fell flat on his face, stiff as a board. … Only his eyes were moving, looking at them in horror.

[Harry:] What’ve you done to him? …

[Hermione, gloomily:] It’s the full Body-Bind, … Oh, Neville, I’m so sorry.

“It is really unpleasant,” James noted as he squirmed in his seat, as if to make sure he himself could still move about.

Lily wondered who’d cast this spell on him. Was it Sev? She wouldn’t put it past him, but normally the two of them used different kinds of spells, didn’t they? They liked being creative when it came to hexing each other—like that would give them extra points for fighting instead of taking them away.

[Harry:] We had to, Neville, no time to explain, …

[Ron:] You’ll understand later, Neville, …

But leaving Neville lying motionless on the floor didn’t feel like a very good omen. … At the foot of the first set of stairs, they spotted Mrs. Norris …

[Ron:] Oh, let’s kick her, just this once, …

Harry shook his head.

“At least Harry isn’t a monster,” James said, sounding appalled. “Physically attacking Mrs. Norris is horrible—try and use the Body-Bind curse on her, instead. It’s a lot more fun, honestly. And less cruel, in a way.”

Lily rolled her eyes at the words, but had to admit to herself that the curse was, indeed, better than actually harming the cat. As bad as Mrs. Norris was, Lily didn’t think she deserved to be abused like this. The thought actually made her think about how good it was that Harry probably knew what abuse was like and that he shouldn’t do it to others.

She couldn’t believe she actually found something positive in the treatment Harry was receiving from his only remaining family…

… They didn’t meet anyone else until they reached the staircase up to the third floor. Peeves was bobbing halfway up, …

[Peeves:] Who’s there? … Are you ghoulie or ghostie or wee student beastie? … Should call Filch, I should, …

Lily groaned. “This thing is a menace! And they can’t even explain to him that he shouldn’t tell anyone about it because it’s important—he’ll just find it more amusing, won’t he? Ugh… why do they even let him stay in the castle?”

James shrugged. “He’s not that bad once you know how to work with him—of course, that doesn’t always work, but sometimes it does. It’s actually pretty interesting to see what gets Peeves to listen and what might send him off, calling for a teacher to catch you red-handed.”

“But that means you constantly got caught if whatever you were trying didn’t work,” Lily objected.

“Well, that’s what we have the Invisibility Cloak for—we can just sneak away once he starts making a ruckus.”

Harry had a sudden idea.

… [Harry, voice hoarse:] The Bloody Baron has his own reasons for being invisible.

James roared with laughter. “I’ve never thought of that!” he said.

Lily’s mouth was wide open. She never would have imagined trying to deceive Peeves. It was just something that seemed impossible in her mind. Well, if Harry’s trick worked… that would be really helpful for the Marauders, wouldn’t it? Other students wouldn’t be this lucky because Peeves would just be able to see them, but James and Harry could get away with it thanks to the Invisibility Cloak.

“I can’t believe Harry’s onto something the Marauders haven’t tried yet.”

The grin on James’s face was so wide, it would have made Lily wary of stumbling upon a new prank had they not been in the Room of Requirement together. “Well, you can be sure we’re going to try this out now.”

Peeves almost fell out of the air in shock. …

[Peeves:] So sorry, your bloodiness, Mr. Baron, sir, …

“I can’t believe this is actually working—how can a kid Harry’s age impersonate the Bloody Baron?” Lily said faintly.

James still looked ecstatic. “No idea, but I’m so proud!”

[Peeves:] My mistake, my mistake … forgive old Peevsie his little joke, sir.

… [Harry:] Stay away from this place tonight.

[Peeves:] I will, sir, I most certainly will, … I’ll not bother you.

And he scooted off.

[Ron:] Brilliant, Harry! …

“Exactly!” James nodded vigorously. “It’s genius, really!”

[They got to the third-floor corridor,] and the door was already ajar.

… [Harry:] Snape’s already got past Fluffy. … If you want to go back, I won’t blame you, …

The only reason Lily became aware of the fact that she was shaking was because James squeezed her hand a little, as if telling her she was panicking and that she didn’t need to—all without saying a single word.

Not like anyone could blame her—Harry was going to go and try to get a Stone that was protected by more than one genius teacher of Hogwarts, and he was trying to do so while knowing that somewhere ahead of him was someone who might very well want him dead. It was a lot.

And that was without thinking about how Harry was giving his friends the chance to leave now—he probably didn’t really think he would be able to get that far ahead—or at least prevent the Stone from being stolen—but he was still trying to protect Ron and Hermione by trying to send them back and as far away from this mess.

Lily was torn about what she wanted the other two kid to do—stick by Harry’s side and risk their lives, or head back and stay safe… leaving Harry to fend for himself.

[Ron:] Don’t be stupid, …

[Hermione:] We’re coming, …

She released a puff of air and sagged a little. She was both disappointed and pleased with their responses. James was nodding his head a little, as if approving of their choice even though there was a spark of caution and wariness in his gaze.

Harry pushed the door open. … All three of the dog’s noses sniffed madly in their direction, …

[They notice a harp next to the dog’s feet.]

He put Hagrid’s flute to his lips and blew. … from the first note the beast’s eyes began to droop.

“Hagrid’s pets sure are strange,” James noted.

“If you can even call Fluffy a pet,” Lily said tensely. “He’s more of a guard dog than anything else—literally!”

James pointed at the book. “He’s a guard dog that likes music, though—he’s cultured.”

She merely deigned this with a scoff.

Harry hardly drew breath. … [Fluffy] slumped to the ground, fast asleep.

… they slipped out of the Cloak and crept towards the trapdoor. …

… [Ron:] Want to go first, Hermione?

[Hermione:] No, I don’t!

They both sniggered at that a little. It wasn’t the funniest thing to read, but considering the tension of the situation the three kids were in, Lily figured it was a nice thing to read—an appropriate reaction from Hermione in the face of a dangerous beast and the unknown underneath the trapdoor.

… [Ron] bent and pulled the ring of the trapdoor, which swung up and open.

… [Ron:] there’s no way of climbing down, we’ll just have to drop.

“Well, then there has to be something at the bottom that would soften the blow, right?” Lily asked urgently. “They wouldn’t put protections that people won’t be able to pass in order to go through and check on the Stone, after all. And they can’t make this drop and hope people will just die from it.”

James wrinkled his nose. “Would still be nice if they had a broom with them, I’d say.”

… [Harry] waved at Ron to get his attention and pointed at himself.

[Ron:] You want to go first? … Give the flute to Hermione so she can keep him asleep.

James snickered again. “He went from making sure Harry was certain to just going along with it—I love this kid,” he said.

“What if Harry gets hurt, though? I get that he’s trying to make sure it’s safe for his friends—that’s pretty obvious, and it’s a really nice thing of him to do—but he might get hurt by jumping down there, and Ron and Hermione would be left with the task of getting back to the teachers to tell them that Harry was either trapped down there with broken bones or something, or that he was… er—”

“Dead?” James suggested. “Come on—you said so yourself—they won’t put a trap that’s impossible to move past. Harry’s going to be fine,” he said. “Probably,” he added under his breath, but Lily, hearing this, turned a searing glare onto him.

… the dog growled and twitched, but the moment Hermione began to play, it fell back into its deep sleep.

… [Harry] lowered himself through the hole until he was hanging on by his fingertips. …

[Harry:] If anything happens to me, don’t follow. Go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, right? … See you in a minute, I hope...

And Harry let go. … he landed on something soft. He sat up and felt around, … It felt as though he was sitting on some sort of plant.

Lily’s heartrate slowed down a bit at the sound of Harry being safe and landing on something soft, but James looked even more tense, for some reason.

“A plant?” he asked. “Wasn’t Sprout one of the professors who helped protect the Stone? Meaning this could be her bit right there.”

“But it just saved Harry, didn’t it?”

“That doesn’t matter. It might still be dangerous,” James argued. “You know how many nasty plants exist—Sprout would know all about them. She’s an expert, remember? And that means that she could have probably gotten her hands on anything. This could potentially be really bad for the three of them.”

… [Harry:] It’s a soft landing, you can jump!

… [Ron] landed sprawled next to Harry.

… [Harry:] I suppose it’s here to break the fall. Come on, Hermione!

… She landed on Harry’s other side.

… [Ron:] Lucky this plant thing’s here, …

[Hermione:] Lucky! … Look at you both!

James grinned for a moment, happy to be right, but then he scrunched up his nose, suddenly realising what this meant for Harry and his friends exactly. “This can’t be good.”

“But what sort of plant would it even be? Ugh, Herbology is one of the subjects I dropped—I don’t know enough to try and guess—it never really spoke to me enough to pay more attention than I had to.”

“Well, don’t look at me—I don’t take this class, either,” James said once her eyes landed on him. “Remus takes it, though—bet he would have had tons of guesses, already,” he added quietly. “Does anything come to mind, though?”

Lily shook her head. “Nothing. And I don’t suppose this plant would be anything basic—I mean, Sprout wouldn’t use something that’s easy to defeat if she was tasked with something this important, right?”

“I don’t know… sometimes the basic things are more challenging than the more complicated stuff we learn about, because people tend to stick to the tougher, more menacing and complicated stuff, and forget about the first things they learn. People just dismiss the basics as unimportant and underestimate them. What if Sprout thought of that?”

“What if you kept on reading and we actually found out?”

“That’s a good question. I’ll—”

“Read, James.”

… the plant had started to twist snake-like tendrils around her ankles. As for Harry and Ron, their legs had already been bound tightly …

Lily’s eyes widened. “It’s a… a…” She clicked her fingers together, trying to remember.

“Devil’s Snare,” James provided helpfully. “We learned about it in our second or third year…” he said. “I don’t remember much, though—just what it does. Do you remember anything more than that?”

She shook her head while still trying to force herself to remember what her book had to say about Devil’s Snare. She came up empty, but she knew the plant had weaknesses. It had to have a weak spot they could use! They couldn’t just die from it choking them to death, after all.

Hermione had managed to free herself … the more [Harry and Ron] strained against it, the tighter and faster the plant wound around them.

… [Hermione:] I know what this is—it’s Devil’s Snare!

[Ron:] Oh, I’m so glad we know what it’s called, that’s a great help, …

[Hermione:] Shut up, I’m trying to remember how to kill it! …

[Harry:] Well, hurry up, I can’t breathe! …

“Aw, Harry…” Lily muttered. James’s grip on her hand tightened a little. “I hope he gets out of this without even more scars… that would be horrible, wouldn’t it?”

“Oh, sure, because not getting out of it is gonna be a walk in the park,” James snorted. “Come on, Lily, a few more scars are nothing in the face of nearly choking to death by a deadly plant, while trying to help people who might never even know that three kids went down there to try and save the school from You-Know-Who because nobody else would listen to them and take them seriously.”

Lily flushed a little. “I meant that I hope he gets out of it without scars, but if this does leave scars, then I’d be fine with it as long as he’s still alive,” Lily said quickly. “Of course I didn’t mean he should die, James!”

… [Hermione:] It likes the dark and the damp—

[Harry:] So light a fire! …

[Hermione:] Yes—of course—but there’s no wood! …

[Ron:] HAVE YOU GONE MAD? … ARE YOU A WITCH OR NOT?

Lily and James both burst out laughing. In fact. Lily was so amused by this that she didn’t even berate James for screaming like that and making her ears ring loudly in protest.

She knew that Hermione was just panicking and that she was under a lot of pressure—trying to save both her friends from getting killed—but it was funny to think that he first response was to resort to her Muggle education which meant she needed to light a fire the way she would have had she not been a witch. Who knows—maybe Lily would have been the same in this situation.

“I can’t believe she just said that,” James said, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“She kind of deserved that response from Ron, huh?” Lily asked, hiccupping from trying to swallow her laughter and calm down. “He’s dying, and she’s forgetting how to use magic. So convenient for him.”

James took longer than Lily to calm himself down, but once he did, he kept on reading, his voice still laced with amusement.

… she whipped out her wand, waved it, muttered something and sent a jet of the same bluebell flames she had used on Snape at the plant. … it cringed away from the light and warmth. …

[Harry:] Lucky you pay attention in Herbology, Hermione, …

… [Ron:] and lucky Harry doesn’t lose his head in a crisis—‘There’s no wood’, honestly.

They both snickered again but didn’t say anything. Frankly, had this not been in the heat of the moment for them, Lily figured Harry would have laughed at the situation, too. It was rather funny, after all.

… The passageway sloped downwards and Harry was reminded of Gringotts. [Harry’s worried they might encounter another dragon.] Norbert had been bad enough...

Lily blinked a few times when James stopped reading but didn’t say anything. She turned to look at him curiously and found the boy sitting there, his eyes closed and his lips moving like he was praying. No sound left his mouth but he was clearly saying something, which Lily strongly suspected was a silent plea for there not to be a dragon down there.

Not saying anything, she pretended not to have noticed the moment, figuring it was really nothing she should comment on. Instead, she let James keep on reading once he was done with making his wish.

[Ron:] Can you hear something? …

… A soft rustling and clinking seemed to be coming from up ahead.

… [One of them:] sounds like wings to me.

James and Lily glanced at each other. “Wings? Underground? Why would they put birds in there? Unless they’re deadly, too…” Lily said, biting her bottom lip in concern.

“What could birds do? Peck you? I guess it would be rather painful, but it wouldn’t stop a determined person—not You-Know-Who, and certainly not Harry, Ron and Hermione.”

“Maybe it’s something else with wings?”

With a snort, James’s lips tugged up. “Yeah, I can’t wait for them all to get attacked by the dangerous, bloodthirsty butterflies.”

… They reached the end of the passageway and saw before them a brilliantly lit chamber, … jewel-bright birds, [were] fluttering and tumbling all around the room. On the opposite side of the chamber was a heavy, wooden door.

“Jewel-bright birds?”

[Ron:] Do you think they’ll attack us if we cross the room? …

“Probably,” James nodded.

Lily glared at him. “You’re just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you?”

The boy rolled his eyes in exasperation. “Oh, what? It’s no big deal, anyway—even if they attack them, nothing truly horrid will happen. They’re just birds. They’re not going to breathe fire at them! They’re not going to claw their eyes out or rip them open or—”

“I’m going to rip you open if you don’t stop,” Lily warned. “I think I’m going to be sick…”

He smiled at her apologetically.

[Harry:] Probably, … Well, there’s nothing for it… I’ll run.

… He reached the door untouched. He pulled the handle, but it was locked.

Lily heaved a sigh of relief.

The other two followed him. … Hermione tried her Alohomora Charm [which didn’t work].

… [Hermione:] These birds... they can’t be here just for decoration, …

They watched the birds soaring overhead, glittering—glittering?

James groaned as Lily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

“They’re keys, not birds,” James said in frustration. “That’s why they’re in there. They need to get the right key. I bet that’s going to be fun—trying to figure out which flying key matches the lock on the door.” He dragged a hand down his face. “This alone could take them hours!”

She sagged. “This does sound frustrating…” Lily said. “So what are they going to do? How are they even going to reach the keys if they’re in the air?”

… [Harry:] They’re keys! Winged keys … look! Broomsticks! We’ve got to catch the key to the door!

“This is oddly convenient,” Lily noted.

“It’s convenient for them. Lily—you would have been stuck in this room for ages,” he informed her lightly, and she just smiled sheepishly at that. He was right—this room and this challenge were built for Harry. He could probably catch the keys and try them all fairly quickly.

[Hermione, probably:] But there are hundreds of them!

… [Ron:] We’re looking for a big, old-fashioned one—probably silver, like the handle.

Or, Lily thought, they can do that. She didn’t even think of checking to see what the handle and the lock looked like—she was just preparing herself to read a lot about them trying different keys and hoping to catch the right one, eventually. This was way better.

“Yeah, now they just need to spot and catch it,” James said approvingly. “Harry should be able to do it fairly quickly—that’s exactly like being a Seeker—if a Seeker had to sort through a bunch of different Snitches to find the correct one.”

They seized a broomstick each and kicked off into the air, … the bewitched keys darted and dived so quickly it was almost impossible to catch one.

Not for nothing, though, was Harry the youngest Seeker in a century. … he noticed a large silver key that had a bent wing, …

[Harry:] That one! … with bright blue wings—the feathers are all crumpled on one side.

Lily’s eyes widened as she smiled. He truly was impressive as a Seeker if he could spot that in a room full of hundreds of different keys that kept on moving around, evading Harry, Ron and Hermione.

James, unlike her, just smiled proudly, not looking surprised in the least about Harry’s talent. Of course not—he just said Harry would spot the key rather quickly. Now they just needed to catch the key, though Lily wasn’t sure how they would do that if the key was fast and evasive like the other ones in the room they were in.

“Come on, Harry…” she chanted under her breath, ignoring the brief look James sent towards her.

Ron went speeding in the direction that Harry was pointing, crashed into the ceiling and nearly fell off his broom.

She tried not to laugh—honestly—but it was just too funny to ignore. And her mind provided her with the image of a redhead boy chasing a flying key, crashing into a wall and stumbling in the air. It was absolutely hilarious, and she could see James’s eyes twinkling as well as he kept on reading quickly, clearly finding this funny but also a little disappointing—maybe he wanted Harry’s friends to be good at Quidditch, as well.

… [Harry:] Ron, you come at it from above—Hermione, stay below and stop it going down—and I’ll try and catch it. …

… Harry leant forward and with a nasty crunching noise, pinned it against the stone with one hand. Ron and Hermione’s cheers echoed around the high chamber.

“They’re acting like it’s a Quidditch game!” Lily protested, though she was smiling at Harry’s success, as well.

James shook his head, his face lit with excitement. “No, they’re acting like their friend is bloody excellent when it comes to spotting, flying, and catching speedy, slippery things,” he said. “And they’re absolutely right, too! Apart from Ron trying to catch it that one time, Harry caught the key on his first try! That’s amazing!”

She sighed and decided this was something she just wasn’t going to really understand.

… [Harry] rammed it into the lock and turned—it worked. … He pulled the door open. … But as they stepped into it, light suddenly flooded the room …

They were standing on the edge of a huge chessboard, behind the black chessmen, … Harry, Ron and Hermione shivered slightly—the towering white chessmen had no faces.

James looked uncomfortable at that detail, too, but Lily just looked at the book, not understanding what the big deal was. “So what if they have no faces? What I care to know is why someone decided that a game of chess was a good enough way to prevent people from reaching the Philosopher’s Stone. Chess? Seriously? Ron’s good at it, isn’t he?”

“That’s right! He is! That’s great!” James called. When Lily just shook her head at him, he elaborated. “Come on, Lily—it means that they won’t have much of a problem when it comes to reaching the other end of the room. I mean, they’re going to have to fight across, right? It has to be the case. And with Ron being a good player, they shouldn’t have too much of a problem with this challenge.”

“So first something that has to do with flying. Then chess. This entire thing looks like it was meant for Harry, Ron and Hermione,” Lily grumbled. “Do you not care about how suspicious this is that the protections are things that they can easily get past?”

Her boyfriend shifted a little. “I mean… I guess… a little…” He waved his hand quickly, as if to push the thought away. “But on the bright side, it means they can get to the Stone and try and stop Quirrell. Is this really the time to complain about everything being relatively easy for the three of them?”

“I suppose not…” Lily gritted. “Unless it’s a trap.” She added that last part so quietly that James didn’t seem to hear her.

… [Ron:] We’ve got to play our way across the room.

Behind the white pieces they could see another door.

… [Ron:] we’re going to have to be chessmen.

At that, James blanched a little. “That’s not good…”

“Why not?”

“Lily, you know how wizard chess works—it’s pretty… brutal, remember?” he said gently, and Lily’s mind supplied her with the vivid image of kids playing the game in the common room. Yup. That was exactly why she disliked wizard chess so much. “If they replace the pieces and play themselves… and the white chessmen attack them… Well, that won’t be pretty.”

She could hear her own heartbeats. “But they’ll be okay, right?” she asked. James remained silent. “Right, James?”

He shifted in his seat and gestured vaguely towards the pile of six more books they had ahead of them. “I-I think so? I mean, they’re Harry’s best friends, and he clearly survives… somehow. I don’t think either one of them are going to die any time soon, all right, Lil?”

She was pretty sure the nickname was the thing that really managed to somewhat calm her down.

He walked up to a black knight … the knight turned his helmeted head to look down at Ron.

[Ron:] Do we—er—have to join you to get across?

The black knight nodded. …

… [Ron:] I suppose we’ve got to take the place of three of the black pieces... … don’t be offended or anything, but neither of you are that good at chess—

[Harry:] We’re not offended, … Just tell us what to do.

“I would have pretended to be offended, at least,” James said.

“You wouldn’t have been down there in the first place,” Lily said dryly. “At that age you wouldn’t have been in such a situation—I’m sure of that. You were too busy causing havoc to actually do something that would actually help the school in any way.”

James opened his mouth to argue, pondered it a few seconds longer, and then made a so-so gesture. “I’m not really sure. I mean, I liked giving our teachers hell—still do, okay? Just don’t look at me like that!—but I’d like to believe I would still care if I heard a horrible wizard was about to rise from the ashes if he could just get his hands on something in the school that I could try and keep away from him.”

She didn’t know what to say. Maybe she was judging him too fast? Maybe he would have done something, after all? Well, she wasn’t sure she would have done anything other than try and get a teacher’s help. Of course, she wouldn’t have felt as hunted down as Harry will in the future, so maybe that was a pretty big factor. She assumed that being the target of someone bad would drive you a little further…

Okay, that line of thought didn’t exactly make her feel too great about herself so far. Then again—she was judging her eleven-year-old self. Not like she was complaining about the behaviour of herself in the present. Now… now Lily would march right out of the school to fight You-Know-Who’s Death Eaters if she could.

… [Ron:] Harry, you take the place of that bishop, and Hermione, you go there instead of that castle. … I’m going to be a knight, …

[Said pieces] walked off the board leaving three empty squares which Harry, Ron and Hermione took.

The two of them shifted a little in their places. James played chess on occasion, Lily knew, and wasn’t too bad at it if his victories against Sirius were anything to go by (although they both constantly lost to Remus). It also meant he knew just how bad this could go. Lily, who very much preferred Muggle chess, could only imagine how horrifying this could become.

She sincerely hoped Ron knew what he was doing because she didn’t want to hear about either one of them getting hurt during this game. But it sounded close to impossible to be on the board and still see everything and all of the threats.

How could Ron win this game without looking at it from above? It was so… well, it sounded like it was tougher than just beating someone at chess—no matter which kind. And doing all of it while making sure he, Harry and Hermione stayed safe, as well…

Yeah, had it been Lily in there, she would have given up already. If You-Know-Who could pass this chessboard, then he deserved that stupid Stone.

… A white pawn had moved forward two squares.

Ron started to direct the black pieces. … Harry’s knees were trembling. What if they lost? … Their first real shock came when their other knight was taken. The white queen smashed him to the floor and dragged him off the board, …

“Bloody hell…” James murmured, looking almost transfixed with the book.

Lily opened and closed her mouth helplessly, unable to speak. She imagined the queen doing this to the actual living human beings on that board, and her heart sank as her stomach clenched painfully. These books weren’t put there to show them the innocent future—they were surely sent there by someone who truly hated Lily and James, and wanted them to fear for the life of their future son.

Wasn’t the meaning of all this to help James prove that they should be together, and that it didn’t matter how bad the situation was and how impossible everything seemed right now? Well, right now Lily almost felt like not having Harry in the first place might be a mercy—her poor kid was going to suffer through all of this and he wasn’t even a teenager yet! Wouldn’t it be better for him to just… not exist?

Ugh, she didn’t need to think about this.

… Every time one of their men was lost, the white pieces showed no mercy. … Twice, Ron only just noticed in time that Harry and Hermione were in danger. …

[Ron:] We’re nearly there, … Yes... … it’s the only way... I’ve got to be taken.

[Harry and Hermione:] NO! …

Lily and James turned to look at each other, and Lily noticed that all the colour in James’s face vanished, leaving him paler than ever before. Seriously—when he got hurt from that Bludger on their fourth year, James looked better than he did now. And she couldn’t blame him—she was pretty sure she was as white as the walls of the room they were in.

It was a noble notion, of course—to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends, and to try and stop You-Know-Who—and seeing as Ron was a Gryffindor, it made sense that he would do something this reckless and brave. But Lily couldn’t help but want to dive into the book and shake the idea out of him. There had to be another way to win the game than to let himself get struck down!

Seeing as she couldn’t actually convince Ron to think about another option, though, Lily settled for squeezing James’s hand as tightly as possible.

[Ron:] That’s chess! … I’ll make my move and she’ll take me—that leaves you free to checkmate the king, Harry!

[Harry, I think:] But—

[Ron:] Do you want to stop Snape or not? … if you don’t hurry up, he’ll already have the Stone!

There was nothing else for it.

“It’s not going to, er, kill him, right?” Lily asked faintly.

James shook his head slowly, but it wasn’t a confident shake of the head that indicated the answer to the question was no. It was the shake of the head that said James had no idea what to say to that because he didn’t know the answer to Lily’s question.

[Ron:] Ready? … don’t hang around once you’ve won.

… [The white queen hit Ron, who fell down.] He looked as if he’d been knocked out.

Lily hoped that was all the queen had done because none of these kids deserved to die just because they were the only ones who seemed to realise someone was going to steal the Philosopher’s Stone from under everyone’s nose.

Shaking, Harry moved three spaces to the left. The white king took off his crown … The chessmen parted and bowed, leaving the door ahead clear. … Harry and Hermione charged through the door …

“Couldn’t they have checked to see that he was all right?” Lily shrieked in alarm.

“I don’t think they have time. Who knows how long they’ve been stuck in this game?” James answered, though he sounded a little like he wasn’t agreeing with his own excuse.

Lily shook her head slowly. “What would they even do when they find, er… whoever’s at the end? I mean, what if they just keep on going and suddenly You-Know-Who comes from the opposite direction, already alive again?”

“Then I’m sure they’d both be in shock and die on the spot—is that what you want to hear, Evans?” James snapped. “I don’t think they have a proper plan—they’re kids that were desperate enough to do something about a situation that was bigger than anything they’d ever dealt with. They won’t be able to stand up to You-Know-Who—even a teacher would be too much for them—but apparently they’re the only ones who at least decided it would be a good idea to try and protect the Stone. So maybe they’ll die as heroes, all right?”

She stared at him in horror.

James sighed and sagged a little. “Sorry. I don’t think they’re going to die. I don’t think Ron’s dead, either. I’m sure he’s just passed out. But I don’t know what’s going to happen—we’re reading this together, and that means I know just as much as you do. We can only guess, all right? And I know that you want me to say something comforting, but I’m trying to deal with all of this, too.” He offered her a small smile. “In case you haven’t noticed—it’s quite a lot to comprehend at once.”

Lily smiled shakily back at him. “You know, at least it can’t possibly get much worse in the next books, right?”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

… [Harry:] He’ll be all right, … What do you reckon’s next?

… [Hermione:] Quirrell’s spell, and Snape’s...

They had reached another door. … A disgusting smell filled their nostrils, … [There’s a large knocked-out troll on the floor.]

Lily breathed in and out, and forced herself to relax. “The good news is that they don’t need to deal with this, too.”

“Yeah—they should move quickly—who knows when the troll might wake up again,” James said with a grimace. “So that leaves only Snape’s protection. Oh, and Dumbledore’s, right? I mean, I don’t believe Dumbledore chose to hide a precious artifact in the school, and then didn’t add his own bit of magic to the mix of protections—this is probably going to be the toughest one to pass.”

“Oh, because Harry is just so good with potions after the year he’s had with the Teacher of the Year!”

James grinned. “Hermione’s good, though. I mean, at least we know she knows a lot about it—she must be good enough in the practical part, too. At least she might know what they shouldn’t do if they want to stay alive.”

“Merlin, I hope you’re right.”

… [Harry] pulled open the next door, … there was nothing very frightening in here, just a table with seven differently shaped bottles …

… [Harry:] What do we have to do?

… a fire sprang up behind them in the doorway. … At the same instant, black flames shot up in the doorway leading onwards. They were trapped.

“Great,” Lily said wryly.

… Hermione seized a roll of paper lying next to the bottles. Harry looked over her shoulder to read it:

[Snape’s riddle, which I can’t be bothered to leave here.]

James looked so annoyed and unimpressed, it made Lily chuckle. “Does he have a lot of spare time on his hands or something? What in the bloody hell is this?” James said. “He made a riddle to prevent people from passing through, even though he could have just… not left anything to allow passage—if someone was meant to get through, they could just take the right potion with them, couldn’t they?”

She covered her mouth with the hand he wasn’t holding to stop herself from laughing. “I can’t believe this bugs you this much,” she managed to choke out.

“Harry has to deal with this stupid thing, you know!” James reminded her. “And I know I’ve been joking about him being stupid sometimes, but I really can’t see him managing to solve this any time soon.”

That was true, unfortunately. “Well, that’s what he has Hermione for,” Lily said determinedly, trusting the girl to be able to solve Sev’s riddle without messing up or taking too much time.

… [Hermione] was smiling, …

… [Hermione:] This isn’t magic—it’s logic—a puzzle. A lot of the greatest wizards haven’t got an ounce of logic, they’d be stuck in here for ever.

[Harry:] But so will we, won’t we?

James started sniggering, this time. “She said he had no ounce of logic, didn’t she?”

“Not quite.”

“Close enough, in my opinion,” James waved her off and grinned at the book.

[Hermione:] Of course not, … Seven bottles: … one will get us safely through the black fire and one will get us back through the purple. … Give me a minute.

… she walked up and down the line of bottles, muttering to herself and pointing at them. …

… [Hermione:] The smallest bottle will get us through the black fire …

… [Harry:] There’s only enough there for one of us, …

They looked at each other.

Lily paled. “No,” she said, “he isn’t.”

Cringing a little, James looked both impressed and terrified of the implications of this. “I think he is.”

“He has a death wish!”

“Again, he does,” James agreed. “But I’m kind of… I mean… don’t you think, in a way, Harry deserves to stand in front of the man who’d killed his parents—us—and deal with it? I mean, I know it’s super dangerous and that he might die, but if anyone was there with him, I’m guessing it wouldn’t be quite the same for him. This is… it’s therapeutic in a weird, crazy sort of way.”

“I agree with the crazy part,” Lily said through clenched teeth.

“Right…” James looked at her worriedly for a moment, and then turned back to the purple book. “Moving on, then—we’re almost at the end of the chapter.”

[Harry:] Which one will get you back through the purple flames? … You drink that, … get back and get Ron … go straight to the owlery and send Hedwig to Dumbledore, … I might be able to hold Snape off for a while, but I’m no match for him …

Lily rubbed her forehead, a headache building there that she didn’t know how expel. “At least he’s realistic,” she commented dryly.

James chuckled.

[Hermione:] But Harry—what if You-Know-Who’s with him?

[Harry:] Well—I was lucky once, wasn’t I? … I might get lucky again.

… she suddenly dashed at Harry and threw her arms around him.

[Harry:] Hermione!

“Can’t blame him—it’s always embarrassing when a girl throws herself at you when you’re a kid. It’s kind of embarrassing now, too, actually,” James said with a shake of his head. Lily sent him a look. “What? It’s true! And she’s his friend and all, but it’s probably still really weird since I don’t think they’ve hugged before. I’m pretty sure Harry isn’t even used to friendly touches because of the way he grew up, too. With the stress of the situation he’s in… Hermione’s lucky he hasn’t shoved her away!”

Looking at the book thoughtfully, Lily considered that explanation. “All right… maybe that’s true…” she said hesitantly. “Still—what’s so embarrassing about a girl hugging you? What if it were a boy? Would you still mind at that age?”

“Not as much.” James shrugged. “I don’t know why—that’s just the way things are, Lily.”

She rolled his eyes at him, and all boys like him and Harry.

[Hermione:] Harry—you’re a great wizard, you know.

[Harry, embarrassed:] I’m not as good as you, …

“See?” James said pointedly.

Pursing her lips, Lily refused to relent. “Maybe he’s embarrassed because of the compliment—though it’s good to see someone here thinks Harry is a good wizard, because we haven’t seen any of his skills shown.”

James read the next line and then furrowed his brows. “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think she was talking about his magical skills—more about his personality.”

“Great. So we’re back to square one,” Lily sighed in defeat.

… [Hermione:] Books! And cleverness! There are more important things—friendship and bravery and—oh Harry—be careful!

[Harry:] You drink first, …

… She took a long drink …

… [Harry:] Quick, go, before it wears off.

[Hermione:] Good luck—take care—

[Harry:] GO!

Lily cringed, but she still supported Harry—the potion might not have a long-term effect, after all. Hermione would have been stuck in that room if that happened. Of course, it made no sense to Lily that they would both take what was left of the needed potions and then… get stranded on either side of that room, unable to go back or ahead again without more of the potions.

The logic of the riddle was nice, but the logic of the entire thing as a whole… well, Lily didn’t understand it, and she wasn’t entirely sure it was there to begin with.

“His next move should be to just shove her through those flames if she doesn’t leave already,” James noted, unaware of Lily’s own thoughts.

Hermione turned and walked straight through the purple fire.

… [Harry] drained the little bottle in one gulp. … He put the bottle down and walked forward; … for a moment he could see nothing but dark fire—then he was on the other side, in the last chamber.

There was already someone there—but it wasn’t Snape. It wasn’t even Voldemort.

Notes:

I know Lily made a comment about Dumbledore here, but there's still no Dumbledore bashing in this fic. Just... please don't bring it up in the comments or anything because I'm so tired of reading about authors that hate his character and I don't think I'll be able to keep my cool about it right now. I'm feeling all shaky and lightheaded, which is why I edited this instead of writing.

Exciting news, though - for those of you who are waiting for my other Harry Potter reaction fic to get updated - I've gone back to writing it. I don't promise anything, but I already got past Moody's first class and around 10,000 words, so... I'm at least optimistic the next part is going to be complete sooner rather than later. Don't know when, but... my fingers are crossed - I hope I'll be able to finish it as soon as possible because it's definitely fun to write :)

Cya!

Chapter 17: The Man with Two Faces

Notes:

Um... a warning, just in case - there's a bit of vomit in this chapter. Nothing descriptive because... ew, but still. Just... in case you need it!

Other than that, though... have fun with the last chapter!

James perked up, looking almost smug as he grinned at Lily knowingly, a twinkle in his eyes. “Ready to lose that bet of ours, Evans?”

She sighed in defeat and pulled her hand out of his in order to cross both of her arms in front of her. “I hate you,” she stated flatly, already thinking of flying on a broom again—it made her stomach flip unpleasantly and she thought she might actually throw up her dinner.

“No, you don’t,” James smirked at her, and his free hand came up and wrapped itself over her shoulders. Lily bit back a content smile. “You just hate that you’re going to have to fly on a broom again. How long has it been since you last took off? Was it really only during your first year?” he asked. “I can just flip the page and see who’s in the room and you’ll see that I’m right—as always.”

“Hardly,” Lily scoffed, but gestured vaguely in the direction of the book. “Well, then—check, Potter.”

He beamed at her like his last name was a term of endearment and nothing else, and then turned the page in the book and started reading the next chapter, his voice a little hoarse after the last chapter, but not enough to make the experience unpleasant.

It was Quirrell.

Lily slumped down while James looked like he was on top of the world.

“This is so unfair… how did you even know this? Did you peek at the beginning?”

“I won! I want to say pay up, but since we didn’t bet on money, I guess I’m just going to have to wait until I can sweep you off your feet.” He winked at her, ignoring her words completely.

She narrowed her eyes in annoyance. “Don’t rub it in—I may owe you this one ride around the pitch, but that doesn’t mean I can’t still break up with you.”

“And deprive the world of our perfectly amazing child? You wouldn’t dare.”

She wouldn’t. Like she wouldn’t actually try and break up with James—not now. Okay, yes, she felt bad about bringing to the world a child that would obviously have a pretty difficult life, but she also knew that Harry didn’t seem to be regretting anything just yet. There were six more books to read, so it might change, but so far he was doing, er, all right. For now.

“Just keep on reading—I want to know what will happen to Harry,” she said, and James turned to the book, his bright smile deflating a little at the reminder of the mess and danger Harry was in.

[Harry:] You!

… [Quirrell:] I wondered whether I’d be meeting you here, Potter.

[Harry:] But I thought—Snape—

… [Quirrell:] Yes, Severus does seem the type, doesn’t he? … Next to him, who would suspect p-p-poor st-stuttering P-Professor Quirrell?

Lily was glad James wasn’t still rubbing it in, because she already felt like she was a fool for ever believing Severus would actually hurt her child. Well, try and kill him. He was clearly having no trouble at least tormenting him as his teacher and superior. But that wasn’t the same as attempting to throw Harry off his broom or stealing a valuable item for You-Know-Who.

… [Harry:] But Snape tried to kill me!

… [Quirrell:] I tried to kill you. Your friend Miss Granger accidentally knocked me over … I’d have got you off that broom. I’d have managed it before then if Snape hadn’t been muttering a counter curse, …

[Harry:] Snape was trying to save me?

“I know.” James bowed his head a little, relating to Harry. “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it?”

Lily snorted.

… [Quirrell:] Why do you think he wanted to referee your next match? … he needn’t have bothered. I couldn’t do anything with Dumbledore watching. … what a waste of time, when after all that, I’m going to kill you tonight.

… Ropes sprang out of thin air and wrapped themselves tightly around Harry.

Lily whimpered a little while James sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with worry and helplessness. Lily hated not being able to do a single thing that might help Harry. She still felt a little weird about him being her son, but she knew that she would most definitely do anything to save him. She was sure James felt the same way about the kid—even if he did tease him from time to time.

Hearing about someone trapping Harry and casually mentioning killing him made Lily’s blood boil. She wished she could get there and deal with Quirrell on her own—how good could he possibly be, after all—but she couldn’t. She could only sit and listen to James as he recounted the tale that made her more anxious than any exam and any mention of You-Know-Who ever did. She hated it.

If someone offered to pay her to leave the Room of Requirement right now and never read about Harry and what happened to him, Lily just knew she’d refuse without a second thought. By the invested look on James’s face, she knew he was feeling the same sort of intensity towards this book.

Stupid book that made Lily want to pull her hair out…

[Quirrell:] You’re too nosy to live, Potter. Scurrying around the school at Halloween like that, …

[Harry:] You let the troll in?

“He really does take his time with adding all the pieces together, huh?” James noted dryly.

Lily waved her hand dismissively. “Keep reading before I hex you!”

Thankfully, he obliged.

[Quirrell:] Certainly. … Snape, who already suspected me, went straight to the third floor to head me off … wait quietly, Potter. I need to examine this interesting mirror.

Mouth falling open, Lily glared at the book. “A mirror? It’s the Mirror of Erised, isn’t it? But that means… it means…” She thought she heard the blood pumping in her ears. “Dumbledore really did know Harry would get down there! That’s why he left that mirror in the school and allowed Harry to find it. He even explained to him how it worked! He knew this would happen, and he didn’t do anything about it?”

“I still think Harry kind of deserves to face You-Know-Who or… well… Quirrell—who is probably as close as we can get in this case,” James insisted.

“How can you say that? This is so reckless!”

James uncomfortably around. “Well, he is a Gryffindor, isn’t he?” He sighed when all Lily did was glare at him. “Lily, come on, can’t you see it? If it were you in there—with the chance to stand in front of the killer of your family—would you really not want it? Would you really choose safety over looking that man in the eye?”

“I—that’s not—I’m not—” She glared at him for a moment or two longer, and then sagged in defeat. “I don’t know. I’m not sure.” She couldn’t even imagine it. She didn’t want to think of her parents getting murdered. Or Petunia—as bad and nasty as she was now and in the future. “I guess… maybe… but I’m seventeen! I’m an adult—Harry’s eleven!”

“This might be his only chance,” James reminded her. “And so far it looks like Dumbledore’s been preparing him for what’s to come, to some degree. He gave him the Invisibility Cloak, he somehow made it so that all of the spells and charms were things Harry and his friends could deal with… Look, all I’m saying is that things could have been worse, and the only reason they aren’t is that Dumbledore’s been making sure Harry could advance this far. He gave him all the tools he needed for it.”

It didn’t exactly make this all okay, but it was better than nothing, Lily supposed. The only problem was that now Harry was trapped in a chamber with someone who wanted him dead and who probably worked for You-Know-Who.

“Although,” continued James thoughtfully, “I mean, the teacher’s protections must have been placed before Harry ever set foot in the castle, so Dumbledore couldn’t have known Harry would go down there. I mean, he wouldn’t have known he would befriend Ron, who’d pass him through the chess room. Or Hermione with the potions. Maybe he just wanted him to spend a little time with, um, his family, so he didn’t drag Harry away from the Mirror immediately.”

Lily wasn’t sure which option to go with at this point, so she just shook her head numbly and waited to hear more.

… It was the Mirror of Erised.

[Quirrell:] This mirror is the key to finding the Stone, … Trust Dumbledore to come up with something like this... …

All Harry could think of doing was to keep Quirrell talking …

“But if it’s something Dumbledore used to hide the Stone, then he must have changed its enchantment, right?” Lily asked. James nodded curiously. “So the explanation as to how the mirror even works shouldn’t matter to Harry now, should it?”

“Unless it’s only a modification to how the mirror worked before,” James said.

Oh, yeah. That was a possibility, too.

[Harry:] I saw you and Snape in the Forest— …

… [Quirrell, pacing:] He was on to me by that time, … Tried to frighten me—as though he could, when I had Lord

James scowled at the book. “Seriously? Now him, too?” he groaned in frustration. “Why can’t people be reasonable and spare me?”

Lily just leaned a little into James’s side.

[Quirrell:] Voldemort on my side...

They both flinched at the name.

… [Quirrell, looking into the Mirror:] I see the Stone... I’m presenting it to my master... but where is it?

“I guess it really does work almost exactly the same, then.” Lily shrugged. “So what’s so special about it now? Won’t Harry just look into it and still see us?”

“Unless he wishes to stop Quirrell and You-Know-Who more than he wishes to see his family,” James said. “Which sounds pretty likely with how things are going. Though I don’t see how Harry looking in the mirror could help him, right now.”

Harry struggled against the ropes binding him, …

[Harry:] But Snape always seemed to hate me so much.

… [Quirrell:] heavens, yes. He was at Hogwarts with your father, didn’t you know? They loathed each other. …

James squirmed in his seat uneasily, and Lily saw guilt appear on his face. He’s mentioned it before—how he felt like it was his fault Sev was this nasty towards Harry. And maybe it was, in a way, but Lily still believed that this hatred was something they both shared towards each other. It wasn’t only James that hated Sev, and it wasn’t only Sev that couldn’t stand James.

The fact that it was public knowledge kind of caught Lily off guard, though. Why was Quirrell aware of the conflict between the two boys? He definitely didn’t know them—she’s never before heard of Quirrell, so she was pretty sure he wasn’t a student. But then… did people just know everything about Lily and James? Was their death like an invitation for people to share all they knew about them with the wizarding world?

It made her a little uncomfortable to think about, to be honest.

[Harry:] But I heard you a few days ago, sobbing—I thought Snape was threatening you...

… a spasm of fear flitted across Quirrell’s face.

“Oh, bloody hell—tell me You-Know-Who wasn’t actually in that room!” James said in horror. Then his face brightened a bit. “I told you! I told you You-Know-Who was there and you said it was as likely as Quirrell being the actual bad guy. And would you look at that—both of these things are true!”

Lily opened and closed her mouth helplessly, unable to utter a single coherent word. She was too stunned. You-Know-Who was in Hogwarts? But that was crazy! He wasn’t getting near the school now because of Dumbledore, and in this future he is obviously a lot less powerful than he is in Lily’s present, so how… how could he get into Hogwarts without Dumbledore finding out? How come he dared get in when he was weaker than he used to be?

[Quirrell:] Sometimes, … I find it hard to follow my master’s instructions … He is with me wherever I go,” said Quirrell quietly. “I met him when I travelled around the world. … Lord

Lily yawned and missed James’s shudder, but not the curse he blurted out.

[Quirrell:] Lord Voldemort showed me how wrong I was. There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it... … When I failed to steal the Stone from Gringotts, he was most displeased. … [He] decided he would have to keep a closer watch on me...

… Harry was remembering his trip to Diagon Alley … He’d seen Quirrell there that very day, …

“Aw, poor Harry—the worst thing he did was smile at Quirrell while thinking he was the victim in this story,” James said with a sympathetic tone and a shake of his head.

Lily wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.

… [Quirrell:] I don’t understand... is the Stone inside the Mirror? Should I break it?

“I bet breaking it would make it harder to find the Stone—so please, by all means, break the stupid Mirror!” James encouraged the book character.

“But then he might just move on to killing Harry,” Lily said urgently. James’s eagerness faded as he seemed to realise she was right. “Right now the only thing keeping Quirrell from killing Harry is that he doesn’t know how to get past the Mirror to get the Stone. Harry has to buy himself more time, sure, but so far the Mirror’s doing it for him. If Quirrell breaks it—”

“I get it, Lily.” His voice was tense enough to get Lily to shut up.

… What I want more than anything else in the world at the moment, [Harry] thought, is to find the Stone before Quirrell does. So if I look in the Mirror, I should see myself finding it—which means I’ll see where it’s hidden! …

“That’s smart… will it show Harry the truth about the whereabouts of the Stone, though?”

James shrugged. “It’s worth a shot. Better than waiting for the man with the mental problem to turn around and decide it was finally time to get rid of Harry.”

… the ropes around his ankles were too tight: he tripped and fell over. …

… [Quirrell:] Help me, Master!

… a voice answered, and the voice seemed to come from Quirrell himself.

Lily and James both widened their eyes in alarm, and Lily’s body was shaking so badly, she felt like she was going to fall off her chair. She was surprised to find that James could still read the words in the book—his voice was wavering, but it was still working, somehow.

[Voice:] Use the boy... Use the boy...

“No!” Lily whimpered.

… [Quirrell:] Yes—Potter—come here.

He clapped his hands once and the ropes binding Harry fell off. …

“At least Harry’s free?” James said anxiously.

“You-Know-Who is there, though! James, how in the world is Harry going to get out of this alive?” she demanded, voice trembling and leaning a little towards crazy and insane.

Her boyfriend shook his head miserably from side to side. “I’ve no clue…”

… [Quirrell:] Look in the Mirror and tell me what you see.

James inclined his head. “It was what Harry wanted, wasn’t it?” he said. “Wonder what he’s going to see now.”

Harry walked towards him.

… [Harry, thinking to himself:] I must look and lie about what I see, that’s all.

… He saw his reflection, … It put its hand into its pocket and pulled out a blood-red stone. It winked and put the Stone back in its pocket—and as it did so, Harry felt something heavy drop into his real pocket. … he’d got the Stone.

They were both clearly stunned. Well, Lily knew she was, but by James’s silence she figured he was speechless now, too. She had no idea what kind of spell Dumbledore used on the mirror, but it had to be genius for it to somehow give the Stone to Harry. Did the person to receive the Stone had to be someone specific? Did Dumbledore make it so that Harry could get the Stone? What if Ron got to this chamber instead of Harry, then? Or Hermione?

No, that didn’t matter.

What did matter was that now Harry had the Stone, but he still couldn’t just escape and get away from Quirrell and You-Know-Who. How was he going to get back to Hogwarts and get help? Harry was holding the Stone for now, but Lily knew You-Know-Who could read minds. If that was true then he would surely be able to know Harry had the Stone with him now. Then he would kill Harry and just grab the Stone…

This was a disaster. An utter disaster.

… [Quirrell:] What do you see?

… [Harry:] I see myself shaking hands with Dumbledore, … I—I’ve won the House Cup for Gryffindor.

Jamed whistled, impressed. “Well, it’s believable! Nice.” He nodded his approval, and Lily pursed her lips. Maybe You-Know-Who won’t notice Harry was lying. Maybe Harry could actually get away with it, after all…

[Harry moves aside and ponders trying to run away.]

… [Voice:] He lies... He lies...

Lily cursed. James’s eyebrows shot up as he snapped his head sharply to gawk at her. She would be the first to admit—she never cursed if she could help it. But now seemed like a good time to let one word slip out. She was really hoping maybe You-Know-Who will somehow overlook this and give Harry the chance to make a run for it.

[Quirrell:] Potter, come back here! … Tell me the truth! …

… [Voice:] Let me speak to him... face to face...

Lily wasn’t sure anymore whether she was trembling or frozen to the spot, petrified with dread. Next to her, James’s hands were shaking, and he had to pull his hand away from her to hold the book a little tighter so that it would be somewhat steady. It was probably hard to read with a closed-up throat and letters that kept on jumping on the moving page.

… Petrified, [Harry] watched as Quirrell reached up and began to unwrap his turban. … Then he turned slowly on the spot.

Harry would have screamed, but he couldn’t make a sound. Where there should have been a back to Quirrell’s head, there was a face, [Description of Voldemort’s face.]

[Voldemort:] Harry Potter... …

Lily brought her hand up to her mouth as bile rose in her throat. James didn’t move when she got up sharply. In the corner of the room appeared a bucket, seemingly out of thin air. She ran towards it and threw up straight into it, her body still shaking.

She knew she was living in a time of war against You-Know-Who. She knew she should be ready to face him in case… in case she had to. And she wanted to fight—she wanted to participate in the battle against You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters! She really, really did. But it almost seemed like a pipe dream from time to time, when she could barely tolerate the thought of even being in the same room with him.

Merlin, her body was physically rejecting the idea…

A bag of tissues appeared next to Lily as she kneeled on the floor, trembling and gasping for breath. She used a few of the tissues to wipe at her mouth and face, and then threw them in the bucket as well. The bucket disappeared the moment she thought about it, and she breathed a shaky sigh of relief as the bad smell went away with it. Too bad about the taste in her mouth, though.

“Lily?”

She suddenly became aware of the footsteps of James as he approached her cautiously. He was either uncertain about whether he should come over or just wary of getting close to someone who was sick. Either way, she didn’t mind. She could only stare ahead, at the white wall, and feel lightheaded and more worried than she’d ever been in her entire life.

From the corner of her eye she noticed James sitting down next to her.

“Lil, you okay? Do you need anything? I can get you something to eat or-or drink if you want?”

She shook her head, feeling numb but present enough to know that she didn’t want anything. And she certainly didn’t want him to leave her alone in this room. She might just burn all of the books.

He was quiet for a moment or two. “Right,” he said, and his voice didn’t sound as shaky or broken as she would’ve expected. His hand shot towards her and brushed the hair away from her face. He didn’t look grossed out or bothered by her reaction to the book. He just smiled at her softly. “Do you need anything? Anything at all?”

She shook her head again.

“Well, I did find something in the book that we didn’t really linger on before, but now it’s-it’s pretty funny,” he said hesitantly. Lily didn’t say anything so he took that as permission to keep going. “Here, listen to this: ‘the Weasley twins were punished for bewitching several snowballs so that they followed Quirrell around, bouncing off the back of his turban’.”

Lily’s eyes widened as she took in the words—slowly and carefully, too wary about the book to trust she would like the meaning of this. Snowballs hitting Quirrell in the back of his head? But that meant that Ron’s brothers… they basically hit You-Know-Who in the face with snowballs.

She found herself laughing about it before she could fully comprehend just how absurd it actually was. She didn’t care. Nor did she care about how hysteric and mental her laughter came out. Then again, James was still calmly sitting next to her, seemingly unbothered by any of this. In fact, there was a content little smile on his face—either because of the scene from the book, or because he managed to get Lily to laugh.

Maybe both.

Once she calmed down enough, Lily found she was no longer trembling. Her eyes glided over to the coffee table and the pile of six colourful books waiting on it. That’s right—six more books that were obviously about Harry Potter, meaning he wasn’t dead. You-Know-Who didn’t get to kill him, and Lily could only hope that meant that Harry managed to do something that somehow stopped him before he could get his hands on the Philosopher’s Stone.

“I’m ready,” Lily said.

James observed her carefully for a few moments, looking uncertain. “You sure?”

Nodding, Lily got comfortable on the floor and put her hand on James’s shoulder. “Just continue.” She didn’t feel like getting back to her chair.

Apparently James didn’t mind it because he just searched the right spot in the book and then started reading again, his voice somehow soothing Lily.

… [Voldemort:] See what I have become? … there have always been those willing to let me into their hearts and minds... Unicorn blood has strengthened me, these past weeks... … once I have the Elixir of Life, I will be able to create a body of my own... Now... why don’t you give me that Stone in your pocket?

So he knew. … [Harry] stumbled backwards.

“Go, Harry…” Lily chanted quietly.

… [Voldemort:] Better save your own life and join me... or you’ll meet the same end as your parents... They died begging me for mercy...

[Harry:] LIAR! …

Lily smiled at that. She wasn’t there, obviously, so she didn’t know what happened the day You-Know-Who showed up and killed James and her, but she couldn’t imagine herself begging the man—monster, whatever—to spare her life. And she could definitely not see James doing so. It was good to know Harry had faith in them, too, despite not really knowing them for longer than a year that he couldn’t even remember.

When James continued, his voice held a certain fondness to it.

Quirrell was walking backwards at him, so that Voldemort could still see him.

It was a testimony to how much they were invested in the scene—worried about Harry and what might happen—or just too mad at You-Know-Who, when neither James nor Lily reacted to the name. James didn’t even hesitate for longer than a split second.

… [Voldemort:] I always value bravery... Yes, boy, your parents were brave... I killed your father first and he put up a courageous fight...

James’s voice faltered a little and he squirmed next to her, making Lily move as well to readjust her head that was still leaning on him. She wished she could do something to make it less horrible for James to read—reading about how you died probably sucked. Listening to it wasn’t a walk in the park, of course, but it was probably a lot worse for James to actually say the words out loud.

[Voldemort:] but your mother needn’t have died... she was trying to protect you...

Lily’s eyes watered. She didn’t beg. Or maybe she did, but it wasn’t for herself—it was for Harry. She wiped the tears before they could fall down, and smiled. Hearing that she would die hurt—but hearing she would die trying to protect her baby brought her more peace than she thought possible.

“I’d say I’m surprised, but really? It’s pretty much what I expected from you, Evans,” James said and she couldn’t see his face, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t hear the smile in his voice.

He grabbed her hand and held it in his—not tightly or soothingly, but lightly and gently. “I can’t believe he had to kill you but not me—aren’t I the Muggle-born one?” she noted, her voice airy.

She felt lighter, somehow. Maybe breaking down helped her. Maybe knowing that Harry wasn’t just left for You-Know-Who, but was protected for as long as possible by her and James cheered her up—it didn’t matter, really. She was just happy to note that her lungs weren’t being squeezed, and her heart was beating fairly calmly.

When James laughed at her words, Lily smiled.

[Voldemort:] Now give me the Stone, unless you want her to have died in vain.

[Harry:] NEVER!

Harry sprang towards the flame door, … Harry felt Quirrell’s hand close on his wrist. … pain seared across Harry’s scar; … he yelled, struggling with all his might, and to his surprise, Quirrell let go of him.

That surprised more than only Harry. Lily raised her head and blinked at the book in shock, and James’s eyebrows shot upwards as he seemed to take the words in.

The pain in his head lessened … [Quirrell] hunched in pain, looking at his fingers—they were blistering before his eyes.

“What kind of magic is that?” James wondered.

“And how does Harry know about it?”

James shook his head. “I don’t think he knows about it. He didn’t seem to understand why Quirrell suddenly let go of him—it’s not something he controls, maybe. Could be accidental magic, right? It’s not like that never happens… and he is pretty scared in this scene.”

Accidental magic did sound like a good enough explanation—at least it made sense. So Lily nodded and put her head back down.

[Voldemort orders Quirrell to catch Harry again.] Quirrell lunged, … landing on top of him, both hands around Harry’s neck … he could see Quirrell howling in agony.

[Quirrell:] Master, I cannot hold him—my hands—my hands!

“The logical thing to do, would be to take them off Harry!” James said. “The pain will cease, you won’t kill a child, You-Know-Who won’t come back—everyone’s happy.”

Lily smiled. “I don’t think that’s how Quirrell and You-Know-Who see it, James,” she said. “They strike me more as the kind who would love to kill a child and get You-Know-Who back to a body of his own from which he would be able to kill even more children. It’s just… a feeling I have, you know?”

The boy chortled.

[Quirrell pinned Harry to the floor with his knees in order to stare at his hands.] Harry could see they looked burnt, raw, red and shiny.

[Voldemort:] Then kill him, fool, and be done! …

These words made Lily’s mood dampen a little again. She didn’t like the sound of anyone trying to kill Harry. Of course, You-Know-Who already went through it, but Lily didn’t know exactly how that had transpired, so now Lily got to see someone trying to kill her son for the first time. (The broom incident didn’t count—it was alarming and scary as hell, but it wasn’t as direct as this.) It certainly didn’t sit right with her.

Her hand clenched as she imagined getting her wand out to hex Quirrell. It was really a shame he wasn’t from their time. Well, he was probably already alive, but he wasn’t this evil git that was attempting to kill Harry, so there was no point in going after him. Yet.

Quirrell raised his hand to perform a deadly curse, but Harry, by instinct, reached up and grabbed Quirrell’s face—

“His instincts are weird,” James noted.

“His instincts have the habit of saving him and the people around him.”

James huffed. “Throwing himself at a troll was the stupidest thing he could have done,” he argued. “I don’t call this a good instinct.”

… Quirrell rolled off him, his face blistering too, … Quirrell couldn’t touch his bare skin, not without suffering terrible pain …

Harry jumped to his feet, caught Quirrell by the arm and hung on as tight as he could. … the pain in Harry’s head was building … he could only hear Quirrell’s terrible shrieks and Voldemort’s yells … other voices, maybe in Harry’s own head, crying, “Harry! Harry!”

“Is someone finally coming to help him?” Lily asked eagerly, perking up at the thought of assistance being given to the poor boy who had to deal with the freakiest bad guy in existence. “You don’t think he really imagined it, do you?”

James shook his head. “I hope it’s Dumbledore.”

Furrowing her eyebrows, Lily looked at him in confusion. “But it couldn’t have been that long, right? How would Dumbledore make it back this quickly? And that’s after receiving the letter from Hermione, too—I’m sure Hedwig took some time to get to him with the letter, after all.”

“Oh… so it must be someone else, then. Maybe McGonagall decided to check on the Stone, after all?”

“She’d never call Harry by his first name—not in a million years,” Lily said, shaking her head and laughing a little. “Just like I can’t see her calling you anything but ‘Mr. Potter’.”

He shrugged. “Well, I’m out of ideas, then.”

He felt Quirrell’s arm wrenched from his grasp, knew all was lost, and fell into blackness, down... down... down...

Lily hoped Quirrell himself was wrenched away from Harry by someone else. She really, really hoped it wasn’t Quirrell who just took advantage of Harry’s consciousness slipping away to get the Stone. If the voice calling for Harry was real… if it was real, then there was someone else there that would surely help Harry, and they would get Quirrell away from him. They had to.

She noticed James was chanting voicelessly again—praying, perhaps—like he did before, when Harry, Ron and Hermione were about to enter the room with the flying keys. Squeezing his hand, Lily wished she knew what he was saying, though she had a vague idea. Now, who he was talking to was the real question.

… The Snitch! He tried to catch it, but his arms were too heavy.

He blinked. … It was a pair of glasses. …

He blinked again. The smiling face of Albus Dumbledore swam into view above him.

James sniggered at that. “He tried to catch Dumbledore’s glasses? I really want to see Dumbledore trying to stop a delirious child from swatting at his face.”

Lily was just relieved that Harry was safe. If Dumbledore was there, it meant that Harry was back in the school, away from Quirrell and You-Know-Who. She wondered how Ron and Hermione were doing. Was Ron okay? How did Hermione get out of the trapdoor, anyway? Wasn’t Fluffy still there? Or did Dumbledore somehow run into her and helped her out before going after Harry? But Dumbledore was in London—what was he doing back at the school?

“You know…” James said slyly. “I was right about Dumbledore being the one to find Harry.”

“You still don’t know that it was him—all we know is that Dumbledore’s with him now.”

He ignored her. “You know what this means? You should just learn to trust my instincts more—I’m really good at this thing. I should be a detective or something—I’ll be extremely good at it.”

She groaned good naturally.

[Dumbledore:] Good afternoon, Harry, …

… [Harry:] Sir! The Stone! It was Quirrell! He’s got the Stone! Sir, quick—

Lily cringed. “Nice thing to wake up to—remembering that you were nearly murdered by your teacher who works for a murderer.”

“A famous murderer—it would be rather anti-climatic for someone as famous as Harry to die by the hands of a nobody, of course,” James noted.

“Anti-climatic?” Lily shrieked, and lifted her head to look at James in disbelief.

“Sure. If anyone’s going to kill Harry, it has to be You-Know-Who. Stop looking at me this way—it’s not like I want Harry to die. I’m just saying it wouldn’t be the same if a random person murdered him rather than the same man who had already tried once and failed—which we still don’t know much about, do we?”

She shook her head at James, speechless. She couldn’t even think properly, all of her thoughts circling around the fact that James was casually mentioning Harry being murdered.

Seeing as Lily was still staring at him, James shrugged. “What? I don’t want Harry to die! I already said it. I was joking. Mostly. I’m glad Harry’s alive and well, all right? I’ll just keep reading now…”

[Dumbledore:] Calm yourself, dear boy, … Quirrell does not have the Stone.

[Harry:] Then who does? Sir, I—

[Dumbledore:] Harry, please relax, or Madam Pomfrey will have me thrown out.

… He realised he must be in the hospital wing. … next to him was a table piled high with what looked like half the sweet-shop.

Lily’s lips parted in surprise at that, but James just beamed at the mention of all the sweets. “I never got this much from people after getting hurt. What’s that about?” he asked, though he didn’t sound like he actually cared about it much.

“You never got hurt trying to stop You-Know-Who in your first year.” Lily nudged him playfully. “When that happens, I’ll be sure to send you all the treats I can think of.”

“Aw, Evans, it would have been touching, but you’re only saying it because it’s impossible, which is kind of a let-down, to be honest.” Still, he looked unbothered by it. “Who d’you think it’s from, though? I don’t think the Weasleys could get him all of this because… well… it costs quite a lot, right?” That last part came quieter as James squirmed in discomfort.

She pulled her shoulders. “Dunno. But it’s really nice of them.”

… [Dumbledore:] What happened down in the dungeons between you and Professor Quirrell is a complete secret, so, naturally, the whole school knows.

Lily snorted. “Naturally…”

“Well, it does tend to happen quite a lot, doesn’t it? Hogwarts and secrets don’t go hand-in-hand. On the other hand. Hogwarts is the perfect place to start a rumour. They spread so fast, by the end of the day everyone talks about the same thing. Very efficient and useful—kind of alarming, though.”

“What rumours have you spread?” Lily asked suspiciously.

He smirked, looking proud of himself. “I really shouldn’t say. Besides, it’s been forever since the last, one so does it really matter?” He looked at her, and probably noticed the look on her face that silently confirmed that it did matter. “Okay, off the top of my head…” James screwed his eyes shut, thinking for a moment or two, and then he smiled at Lily once more and said, “That rumour about Rick Sallow and Macy Woodbead?”

“That was you?”

James snorted. “I started the rumour, but it was definitely true. I just felt like everyone else should at least be a part of what I walked in on. They never even knew I was the one to start the rumour—I was under the Invisibility Cloak, so they never saw me.”

Lily giggled and shook her head. “They did look confused when everyone started talking about it. Maybe they blamed the paintings.”

[Dumbledore:] I believe your friends Misters Fred and George Weasley were responsible for trying to send you a lavatory seat.

James started laughing before he even finished reading that line, and Lily—remembering the beginning of the book, when Harry got on the Hogwarts Express—joined him a second later. This wasn’t what they had promised, of course, because the twins had told Ginny they would send the seat to her, but Lily really thought they were joking back then.

Apparently they didn’t mind stealing a lavatory seat from the school and sending it to someone. Lily could only imagine that this meant the twins knew Harry was eavesdropping back on the platform. Either that, or they were just hoping it would make him laugh even without the context.

“I can only imagine Pomfrey’s reaction to getting this,” James choked out, his body shaking with the force of his laughter. “She must have had a tantrum—it’s a miracle Fred and George are still alive, really. And it’s lucky for them that Dumbledore finds this funny and not punishable like McGonagall would have thought had she been there.”

“You think they really got away with it?” Lily asked.

James snorted. “Dumbledore said it like he wasn’t completely certain Fred and George really were the ones to send the toilet seat. I’m sure he really does know, and just doesn’t want to admit it out loud and find himself in a position where he can’t not punish the twins.” He waved his hand dismissively. “He does that sometimes.”

She wasn’t even surprised. “No wonder you think you can get away with anything.”

“Well, if I murdered Snape, I don’t think I’d manage to get Dumbledore on my side—”

“James!”

He turned innocently back to the purple book.

… [Harry:] How long have I been in here?

[Dumbledore:] Three days. Mr. Ronald Weasley and Miss Granger will be most relieved you have come round, …

It felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Ron and Hermione were both okay, then. She could breathe easily again. Hermione was less of a worry, of course, but Ron was knocked out by an enchanted chessman. It had to be in a worse condition. Though it obviously wasn’t as bad as Harry’s condition if he was already free while Harry was still in bed, apparently waking up after three days.

… [Dumbledore:] Professor Quirrell did not manage to take [the Stone] from you. I arrived in time to prevent that, …

[Harry:] You got Hermione’s owl?

… [Dumbledore:] No sooner had I reached London than it became clear to me that the place I should be was the one I had just left. I arrived just in time to pull Quirrell off you— … I feared I might be too late.

“How did he know to come back, though?” Lily wondered.

“Probably realised he was getting away from Hogwarts, where he was hiding a valuable artifact that he must have known someone might try and steal again, so he figured getting back to the school was more important than getting to the Ministry. Frankly, even if the Ministry did want to talk to him, I’m pretty sure they would have forgiven Dumbledore for never actually showing up.”

That was probably true. Lily couldn’t imagine anyone arguing with Dumbledore’s logic. Especially when he got back just in time to save a child from the clutches of a deranged, possessed teacher.

[Harry:] You nearly were, I couldn’t have kept him off the Stone much longer—

[Dumbledore:] Not the Stone, boy, you—the effort involved nearly killed you. … As for the Stone, it has been destroyed.

James hummed. “I wonder why it nearly killed Harry, though. I mean, how did he even stop Quirrell? What was that magic? I know I suggested accidental magic, but…”

“You don’t think that’s it, do you?” Lily finished for him. “I’m not so sure about it, either.”

“And what does Dumbledore mean by destroying the Stone?” James went on. “Doesn’t Flamel need it? And why would he decide to destroy something this valuable? Is he actually mad like everyone says?”

Rolling her eyes, Lily shifted on the floor a little to get more comfortable. “This Stone nearly helped You-Know-Who rise again—can you really blame him for wanting to make sure it never gets in the wrong hands?” she demanded. James opened his mouth—probably to blame Dumbledore of not thinking straight again. “Just be glad Harry doesn’t have to worry about it any longer.”

The boy huffed but didn’t protest again.

… [Harry:] But your friend—Nicolas Flamel—

… [Dumbledore:] You did do the thing properly, didn’t you? Well, Nicolas and I have had a little chat and agreed it’s all for the best.

[Harry:] But that means he and his wife will die, …

… [Dumbledore:] yes, they will die.

Dumbledore smiled at the look of amazement on Harry’s face.

“See?” James pointed at the book. “Harry doesn’t get it, either. And he just nearly died trying to protect the Stone.” James’s eyes lit up. “He nearly died trying to protect something that was then deemed too dangerous and was destroyed. Doesn’t this render all his efforts meaningless?”

“No, it really doesn’t,” Lily said. She cringed. “Well, all right, maybe just a little.”

The triumphant smile on his face definitely didn’t make this admission worthwhile.

… [Dumbledore:] to Nicolas and Perenelle, it really is like going to bed after a very, very long day. After all, to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure.

Lily let out a single, surprised sound of realisation that she was barely aware of making. She only noticed it when James fell silent again and turned to look at her curiously.

Flushing a little, Lily tried to organise her thoughts enough so that they’d make sense to someone like James, who grew up in a family of wizards and witches rather than Muggles.

“It just reminded me of something—there’s this Muggle children’s book that I used to read when I was little—they did a movie about it, too—”

“And movie’s that… theatre-from-your-house thing, right?” James cut her off.

It was a strange way of thinking about it, but Lily just nodded—it was close enough. “Sure. Anyway, the main character in the book is named Peter Pan—this kid that lives in Neverland, where nobody grows up and where he can stay a child forever.” James nodded for her to continue, his eyes shining with curiosity. “Well, Peter Pan has an enemy—a pirate named Captain Hook—who tries to kill him. And when he nearly did, Peter Pan said: ‘To die would be an awfully big adventure’.”

James hummed thoughtfully and turned to look back down at the book he was holding, reading the last line again with his head bobbing up and down in understanding. “It does seem rather similar.” James smiled at her. “I guess it’s true, too—dying is something we don’t know a lot about. We can’t tell what it would be like or how it will happen. I suppose I understand it. Sort of.”

Suddenly, his smile grew and he looked at her hopefully.

“Lily, can we see this movie thing when I come over to scare your sister with an old hat?”

She laughed and nodded. “Sure. I’m sure you’ll love Peter Pan—he likes mayhem and fun just as much as you do, probably.”

He looked even more eager to watch the movie after hearing that.

… [Dumbledore:] As much money and life as you could want! … humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things which are worst for them.

… [Harry:] Sir—even if the Stone’s gone, Vol—... I mean, You-Know-Who—

James sighed. “Great—he found the one person who would want him to use the real name. Joy. Now we’ll never stop hearing You-Know-Who’s name in the books.”

“I thought you were over that.”

“That was then. Now I’m back to preferring not to pronounce it ever again,” James grumbled.

[Dumbledore:] Call him Voldemort, Harry.

James cringed a little—Lily’s body twitched a tiny bit, as well.

… [Dumbledore:] Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself.

Which is true, Lily supposed. That was exactly what Harry had claimed earlier in the book, after all, without using the same words. And maybe it really was true, and Lily and James were extra afraid of You-Know-Who because of their insistence on not saying his name.

But it was already a pretty old habit (as old as it could be when You-Know-Who wasn’t that old) that was hard to shake, and Lily could only hope that the repeated use of the name in the books would wear it out enough for the two of them to be able to use the name freely, too.

[Harry:] Yes, sir.

“Don’t listen to Dumbledore, Harry. For once in your life realise that the only reason he’s not afraid is because he’s just more powerful than You-Know-Who, and therefore has no reason to avoid saying the name!” James moaned.

Lily patted him on the back, biting back a laugh.

[Harry:] Well, Voldemort’s

She almost didn’t cringe this time.

[Harry:] going to try other ways of coming back, isn’t he? I mean, he hasn’t gone, has he?

… [Dumbledore:] He is still out there somewhere, … not being truly alive, he cannot be killed. … if he is delayed again, and again, why, he may never return to power.

Lily felt a little ill, all of a sudden. “Why do I have the feeling Harry would help delay his return next time, too?”

“Because it’s Harry—he seems to be looking for these insanely dangerous situations without even realising it,” James said wryly. “I’m sorry to say this, but I think it might actually get worse in the next book, Lily. I know you said it couldn’t be any worse, but with what Dumbledore said in mind, and the fact that I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be six books if nothing special happened in those years—”

“I know,” she said bitterly. “This is like reading about a nightmare.”

“But at least it’s an interesting one, right?” James offered. When she didn’t respond, he nodded like it was expected of her. “Yeah, it’s like a nightmarish tale.”

… [Harry:] Sir, there are some other things I’d like to know, … things I want to know the truth about...

… [Dumbledore:] I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you’ll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie.

“That’s something…” Lily drawled out. “At least he’s willing to say something.”

James beamed. “We might actually find out the truth about what had happened! Or, er, will happen in the future.” He shifted in his place on the floor, like he was preparing for something exciting.

“You mean how we die?” Lily asked flatly.

“Sure!”

[Harry:] Well... Voldemort

They flinched a little, but James kept on reading without missing more than a beat.

[Harry:] said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?

… [Dumbledore:] I cannot tell you. Not today. … put it from your mind for now, Harry. … when you are ready, you will know.

“But—” James started to protest.

“You can’t forget that Harry’s only eleven, James. What if the truth terrifies him? There are things children shouldn’t know—even if he did just fight off Quirrell and You-Know-Who. I agree with Dumbledore on this one.”

James sagged, disappointed and weary. “Of course you do.”

… [Harry:] But why couldn’t Quirrell touch me?

[Dumbledore:] Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort

Flinch.

[Dumbledore:] cannot understand, it is love. … to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection for ever. … Quirrell, full of hatred, greed and ambition, sharing his soul with

James grumble a little.

[Dumbledore:] Voldemort, could not touch you for this reason. It was agony to touch a person marked by something so good.

Next to her, her boyfriend started snickering. “You saved Harry with love?” he said teasingly. “I’m sure Harry’s very glad to hear that. Very touching—but if I were him, I’d never tell another soul about this. Ever.”

“You’re such a child!” Lily huffed. “It has to be more than that. Dumbledore is simplifying it for Harry’s sake, so he’d understand. I bet it’s some kind of spell. Something less known if even You-Know-Who didn’t think about it,” she determined. “I’ll look into it another time, maybe.”

James kept on snickering. “Still saved by love, though.”

She rolled her eyes fondly, trying to hide her amused smile from James. “Oh, grow up, Potter!”

Dumbledore now became very interested in a bird out on the windowsill, which gave Harry time to dry his eyes on the sheet.

“See? Harry doesn’t mind,” Lily said, smiling at the book as if it would allow Harry to feel its warmth through the pages (and time and space). She wasn’t crying, but she was close to it.

James didn’t mock Harry this time. He just squeezed Lily’s hand, as if making sure she was still there.

… [Harry:] And the Invisibility Cloak—do you know who sent it to me?

… [Dumbledore:] your father happened to leave it in my possession and I thought you might like it. … your father used it mainly for sneaking off to the kitchens to steal food …

James nodded nonchalantly and smiled. Of course, Lily didn’t quite approve of sneaking around, but she was still happy to see that Dumbledore bothered to tell Harry this. Even if it wasn’t the best example to set for the kid, it was nice to see that Harry learned a little bit more about them both the longer he was exposed to the wizarding world.

She didn’t even care that so far most of the pieces Harry received about them were mostly about James. At least he had something to hang on to. (And that little tyred from Tuney at the beginning of the book didn’t count as a nice story for Harry to think about if he wanted to remember his mother.)

… [Harry:] Quirrell said Snape—

[Dumbledore:] Professor Snape, Harry.

… [Harry:] Quirrell said he hates me because he hated my father. Is that true?

“Oh, please don’t answer that one either, Dumbledore…” James muttered under his breath, but he sounded like he knew what was coming already, and like he had nothing to do about it. They could just stop reading, but it wouldn’t stop the future from happening.

Lily smiled at him encouragingly and brushed her thumb over the back of James’s hand soothingly.

[Dumbledore:] Well, they did rather detest each other. … And then, your father did something Snape could never forgive.

A crease formed between James’s brows as he furrowed them, thoroughly confused. “What? What did I do?”

[Harry:] What?

[Dumbledore:] He saved his life.

James blanched. “This man has gone nuts in the future,” he said in horror.

“Why? It’s the truth—in our fifth year, right?”

Shaking his head, James looked like he was barely aware of his surroundings. He was staring far ahead, his skin paler than usual, and his body still and frozen except for his head that kept on moving from side to side faintly.

“It’s not… it wasn’t as heroic or as nice as it sounds. Sirius thought it would be funny to let something slip near Sni— Snape, and Snape took the bait and nearly got himself killed because of it. I ran to get him out of there as soon as I heard it from Sirius, but it was just… I didn’t want Sirius to get in trouble for this.”

“Well, it’s not like I expected you did it because you like Sev,” Lily noted, but her mind was racing.

She thought about Sev’s rants from the days after that mysterious save that spread through the school. He seemed to loathe James even more then—which didn’t make sense to Lily then but definitely did now—and he kept on talking about Remus. Remus and his suspicions about the guy’s condition that always meant he missed classes once a month…

Back then Lily thought it was all in Sev’s head, and that it wasn’t possible. Because how could one of her classmates—hell, her house-mates—be a… a werewolf without anyone else knowing? Except some of the others did know, right? The Marauders, always exhausted around the time Remus went away, always more protective and vicious than usual when Sev would try and poke at Remus.

James, oblivious to her own wandering thoughts, kept on talking.

“Still… I wouldn’t have told Harry about it. He makes the story sound better than it was—it’s a false image in his head that’s going to make him detest Snape even more, and as much as I don’t care about how much they loathe each other, it does make life a little less bearable for Harry if his teacher keeps on hating him more and more. If Harry ever chooses to bring this up in a future argument with Snape…”

“You’re looking too much into this—Harry is an orphan who strives to know as much about his parents, and Dumbledore thought it would be nice to let him have this—even if it’s a little misleading. It’s still true that you saved Severus. And he didn’t gloss over the fact that the two of you can’t stand each other. He’s just making it a little more child-friendly for Harry’s sake.”

James didn’t look like he quite believed that was true, but he still smile at her and kept on reading.

… [Dumbledore:] I do believe [Snape] worked so hard to protect you this year because he felt that would make him and your father quits. Then he could go back to hating your father’s memory in peace...

“I feel so loved,” James deadpanned.

… [Harry:] How did I get the Stone out of the Mirror?

… [Dumbledore:] It was one of my more brilliant ideas, and between you and me, that’s saying something.

James laughed. “Well, if Dumbledore thinks it was brilliant, then it really must be.”

“He’s also very humble, isn’t he?”

“As humble as I am, I’d say.”

Lily snorted. “Don’t exaggerate too much, James.”

[Dumbledore:] You see, only one who wanted to find the Stone—find it, but not use it—would be able to get it, … My brain surprises even me sometimes...

It was rather brilliant, Lily had to admit. That way only people who had no real reason to have the Stone would be able to get it. Or, in Harry’s case, someone who wanted to protect it and prevent someone else from using it. So it wasn’t only Harry that could get the Stone—he just happened to be there, ready to stop You-Know-Who, and wanting nothing to do with the Stone itself.

“Of course, that raises the question of whether Harry, Ron and Hermione should have even risked their lives if Quirrell and You-Know-Who were never going to be able to get the Stone from the mirror,” James noted.

“What?”

“Think about it—the only reason the Stone even appeared there was because Harry was there to assist You-Know-Who and look in the mirror. Had Harry and his friends not gone down there, Quirrell would have ended up standing there, in front of the Mirror of Erised, without being able to get the Stone.

“Dumbledore’s spell wouldn’t have allowed it to appear, though. That definitely makes the entire thing pointless—except for the fact that now Harry knows the man who’d murdered his parents and tried to kill him, and he has a few more answers to the questions he should have had answered long ago.”

The claims made Lily’s head swirl, and she bit her lip and tried to shake the thoughts out of her head. There was no point in dwelling on this—this was going to happen in the future, and for Harry it was already in the past. They couldn’t go to the Harry from before this last adventure and tell him the best tactic he could use would be not to go down the trapdoor after all—he would probably think they were mad.

Or maybe he would think he has gone mad, seeing his dead parents all of a sudden.

[Dumbledore:] Now, enough questions. … Ah! Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans! … I’m afraid I’ve rather lost my liking for them—but I think I’ll be safe with a nice toffee, don’t you? … Alas! Earwax!

“Tough luck,” James said, feigning solemnity. “Bet that cheered Harry right up—seeing his Headmaster choke on an earwax flavoured Bertie Bott’s.”

… [Madam Pomfrey:] You need rest.

[Harry:] I am resting, look, lying down and everything. Oh, go on, Madam Pomfrey...

[Madam Pomfrey:] Oh, very well, … But five minutes only.

And she let Ron and Hermione in.

James looked astounded. “She caved?” he asked, wonder lacing his every syllable. “I can’t believe it! She never let anyone visit me if she decided I needed rest. What kind of special powers does Harry possess that make even Pomfrey listen to him?” he demanded.

Chuckling, Lily shook her head in mock exasperation. “Well, she knows his friends probably wouldn’t blow up the place, for one,” she said teasingly, and James gasped and mentioned something about them never trying to blow up the infirmary. “Besides, as similar as Harry must be to you, I’m sure he’s cuter and harder to resist.”

“Oy! What’s that supposed to mean?”

Lily just smiled sweetly and gestured for him to keep reading. He did so grumpily, his lips twitching like he was fighting in order not to grin, too.

… [Hermione:] Oh, Harry, we were sure you were going to …

[Ron:] The whole school’s talking about it, … What really happened?

… Harry told them everything: Quirrell; the Mirror; the Stone and

James groaned wearily.

Voldemort.

They flinched a little.

Ron and Hermione were a very good audience; … when Harry told them what was under Quirrell’s turban, Hermione screamed out loud.

Sighing, Lily sagged a little. “She had a better reaction than I did.”

“Yeah, but she also doesn’t know as much about You-Know-Who as you do, Lil. She’s still in her first year, while you live in a world where You-Know-Who is actually killing people all over the place—him and his little Death Eaters…” He shook his head a tiny bit. “It’s very different times, so of course the reaction is different.”

“You didn’t react as badly, though,” Lily said bitterly—she could still taste the bile on her tongue.

James ruffled his hair, expression somewhat timid compared to what he usually looked like. He obviously didn’t have an answer to this because he read the next lines before Lily could say anything else.

[Ron:] So the Stone’s gone? … Flamel’s just going to die?

… [Harry:] Dumbledore thinks that—what was it?—‘to the well-organised mind, death is but the next great adventure’.

“I always said he was off his rocker,” said Ron, looking quite impressed at how mad his hero was.

James and Lily both laughed at that.

[Harry:] So what happened to you two? …

… [Hermione:] I brought Ron round … we met [Dumbledore] in the Entrance Hall. … he just said, ‘Harry’s gone after him, hasn’t he?’ and hurtled off to the third floor.

Again, Lily wasn’t sure how to feel about how much Dumbledore seemed to know about this entire thing. She realised that perhaps James was right—maybe Harry did deserve the chance to stand in front of You-Know-Who—but it still irked her that it also involved putting Harry in danger, and not aiding him before things got extremely bad.

[Ron:] D’you think he meant you to do it? …

… [Hermione:] if he did—I mean to say—that’s terrible—you could have been killed.

“You and Hermione really are a lot alike, aren’t you?” James said cheerfully.

“Well, at least someone else thinks this is an insane plan,” she replied curtly.

… [Harry:] He’s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give me a chance. … instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. … It’s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could...

James looked so smug, he barely even reacted to the name. “Told you so—and if Harry has no problem with it, then I guess he’s glad he had that chance, too. He even learned from it. It’s like a closure, isn’t it? He got to talk to someone who had a great influence on his life, and he did so after proving to himself that he could actually do something that was meant to be very difficult—I mean, those protections weren’t a joke.”

“It was still ridiculously dangerous.”

“I know. And Harry knows it, too. He never claimed it wasn’t mad—he just doesn’t think Dumbledore did something bad by helping him achieve something without imposing or physically pushing him in the right direction. He only nudged Harry enough to make all of this possible. And he did come to save him in the end—I don’t think he knew when it would happen or quite how it was going to end. He truly did worry about Harry back there.”

She knew that was true, but…

“I don’t know. Just… just keep reading.” She gestured vaguely towards the book, let go of James’s hand, and crossed her arms over her chest, feeling a little lost with all of the thoughts dancing around in her mind, contradicting each other.

[Ron:] Yeah, Dumbledore’s barking, all right, … Listen, you’ve got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. … Slytherin won, … you missed the last Quidditch match, … but the food’ll be good.

James looked disappointed, but Lily gave him credit for not actually saying anything about it—Harry missing the game was the result of him being unconscious in the infirmary for three days, after all—it wasn’t exactly Harry’s fault he couldn’t help the team.

Although she couldn’t help but think it wasn’t a very good thing to happen to him (as opposed to all the good and happiness that seemed to plague his first year) when most of the school was already upset with him for losing all those points and basically allowing Slytherin to win the House Cup once more.

Well, there were rumours flying around about why Harry ended up in the hospital wing in the first place, right? Did that mean that maybe the other students won’t resent him as much, now?

…[Madam Pomfrey:] You’ve had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT, …

“Now, that’s more like her.” James nodded. “She nearly swept Peter out of the infirmary once when he came to visit me and Sirius after an unfortunate accident—ended up with a little bit of fur.” He kept talking before Lily could ask him about the ‘unfortunate accident’. “He’s been really wary of her ever since—every time he’s sick, he tries telling us it’s nothing until we drag him over so Madam Pomfrey can tend to him.”

Now that she thought about it, it really was rather ordinary to see Peter walking around the school with a cold. Other students usually went to see Pomfrey so she could fix them up on the spot, but Peter’s colds lasted for days. And if anyone hexed him, he usually walked to the infirmary only if he had no other teacher to turn to around.

… [Harry:] I want to go to the feast, …

[Madam Pomfrey:] Professor Dumbledore says you are to be allowed to go, … And you have another visitor.

… Hagrid sidled through the door … He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him and burst into tears.

“Oh, no,” Lily gasped.

James grimaced. “I forgot about that—Hagrid’s going to blame himself, isn’t he? Like it’s his fault Harry’s too stubborn to let go of something he shouldn’t know a single thing about.” He smirked. “He should really know it’s all my fault.”

She chuckled a little. “He really should know this.”

[Hagrid, sobbing:] It’s—all—my—ruddy—fault! … I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! …

“Oh, right—he did that, too,” said James.

James leaned back a little before remembering he wasn’t sitting in his chair anymore. He nearly fell flat on the floor before he steadied himself. Lily snickered. He sent her an offended glare but kept on talking, nonetheless a moment later.

“That’s definitely not my fault—I didn’t exactly spread around the information about how getting Hagrid drunk would help get him to spill secrets. That’s just common knowledge at this point. Not to mention in the future.”

Lily ignored him. “I hope he forgives himself—I’m sure Harry doesn’t hold it against him, after all.”

[Hagrid:] Yeh could’ve died! … I’ll never drink again! I should be chucked out …

“A little extreme, there…” James said worriedly.

“Oh, come on, we both know Hagrid won’t actually stop drinking forever after this—he’s just going to feel bad about it for a while. Though the dragon egg part was probably…”

James scrunched up his nose. “His fault. Definitely his fault. If not the deal, then at least the fact that he was willing to raise a dragon in his house, near children,” he said sternly, clearly unwilling to let this go just yet. “If he were to do anything like this now…”

“You’ll what? Never talk to Hagrid again?”

He grimaced slightly. “Nah… but I’ll definitely prank him mercilessly with the others.”

… [Harry:] Hagrid, he’d have found out somehow, this is

“Just once… once don’t use the name…” James muttered under his breath with a sigh.

[Harry:] Voldemort

They winced—though it wasn’t as violent as it was at the beginning, when the name had been mentioned for the first time. Lily counted that as success.

[Harry:] we’re talking about, …

… [Hagrid:] don’ say the name!

James opened his mouth in order to read the next line, let his eyes take in the next bit, and then he slammed it shut, looking both irritated and shocked. For a brief moment he glanced over at Lily, and she felt like he was warning her about something. Preparing to read what was coming, James cleared his throat and seemed to brace himself.

[Harry:] VOLDEMORT!

“Bloody hell—James Potter, what were you thinking?” Lily exclaimed. She was leaning away from James, her eyes wide and her hair swishing back and forth behind her, probably a little messy from how violently she’d just jumped.

James, looking both too amused by Lily’s reaction and a little pale after screaming You-Know-Who’s name, tried to glare at her while fighting back the satisfied smirk that was trying to spread over his face. “Don’t blame me—it’s Harry! I’m just reading the book appropriately. It’s not my fault he’s completely mental!”

She knew it was true, but it didn’t stop her from glaring heatedly at James for this little stunt.

… Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying.

[Harry:] I’ve met him and I’m calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, … Have a Chocolate Frog, …

“His method needs a bit of tweaking,” Lily said. “But I guess it worked with Hagrid, to some extent if it made him stop crying like that.” She could give Harry that—even if he made James nearly give her a heart attack.

… [Hagrid:] That reminds me. I’ve got yeh a present.

[Harry:] It’s not a stoat sandwich, is it?

… Hagrid gave a weak chuckle.

That was rather rude, but seeing as Hagrid laughed at it instead of getting insulted at the implication that Harry didn’t like his cooking, Lily decided not to comment on it. Wasn’t like she could blame Harry for being wary of Hagrid’s food offerings. Their taste was never bad, but swallowing or chewing those things was, er, a challenge.

Beside her, James didn’t seem to think Harry was being rude because he just snorted at the words, clearly agreeing with Harry’s worry.

With a yawn, Lily let her head fall back onto his shoulder.

[Hagrid:] Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. …

… a handsome, leather-covered book. … Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.

Now Lily’s eyes were watering. She found herself smiling softly at the book James was reading from, feeling like she should get up and go thank Hagrid over and over again for caring so much about her son in the future—of course, he would think she was insane for saying such a thing when she was only seventeen and definitely childless, but the urge was pretty strong.

She couldn’t see James’s expression from her position, but she thought she heard a change in his tone as he kept on reading—it was softer, fonder.

[Hagrid:] Sent owls off ter all yer parents’ old school friends, askin’ fer photos... …

Harry couldn’t speak, but Hagrid understood.

“Wait, he sent owls to our school friends?” James repeated. “Who? Who did he send the owls to? Who’s still alive and not in Harry’s life? If any of the Marauders are alive and decide not to contact Harry for some reason, I’ll…” he trailed off but Lily knew he wasn’t struggling to find an end to the sentence—he just didn’t feel like saying it out loud. “Well, maybe I’ll give a pass to Remus…” he added under his breath.

Lily chose to ignore that to prevent her mind from going back to Sev’s theory about the guy. She wasn’t in the mood to try and figure out everything she could about the Marauder she got along with the most. (Well, James was arguably above him on that front, but that was a recent development.)

Instead, she tried to think about the girls she knew now—the ones who were so eager to know more about James and her. Could it be that they were alive, and still didn’t do anything to try and reach Harry in any way? Well, Marlene was surely dead because Hagrid had mentioned her family before, but were Dorcas and Mary still around in this future?

Harry made his way down to the end-of-year feast alone that night. … [The Great Hall] was decked out in the Slytherin colours of green and silver …

When Harry walked in there was a sudden hush and then everybody started talking loudly at once. … people were standing up to look at him.

“It’s like the beginning of the year all over again,” Lily said. “Do you think they’re still mad at him now?”

James released a breath and shrugged, Lily’s head going up and down along with his shoulders. “Dunno. Do I look like I know what the rumours going around are? Because I don’t. I bet some of them are still upset, but most are just in awe, wondering what about the rumours is true and what isn’t.”

She sighed. “Either way, he’s still famous, then.”

“Did you actually expect that bit to go away after a year of him being at Hogwarts?” James snorted. “Come on, Lily—Harry’s the one they all know as the only one to survive You-Know-Who’s Killing Curse, and he was the one responsible for defeating him… somehow. That’s not going away any time soon—if ever at all.”

“He’s not going to like it,” Lily noted.

“And it’s out of his hands.”

… [Dumbledore:] Another year gone! … What a year it has been! … you have the whole summer ahead to get [your heads] nice and empty before next year starts...

James sighed in content. “His speeches at the end of the year are just as good as the ones at the beginning.”

Lily had no idea what he was talking about. Dumbledore’s speech at the start of Harry’s first year was absolutely demented. It was just a bunch of words strung together and it made no sense, as far as she could remember. This speech was far better than the previous one. Still, she wasn’t going to burst James’s bubble of happiness just for the sake of being petty.

… [Dumbledore:] the House Cup here needs awarding and the points stand thus: in fourth place, Gryffindor, … in third, Hufflepuff, … Ravenclaw … and Slytherin, …

Both Lily and James winced at the sound of Gryffindor being in last place. If Lily’s calculations were correct, then even with those one-hundred and fifty points they had lost, they still wouldn’t have gotten the House Cup. Slytherin still had more points than Gryffindor. It wasn’t a pleasant thought—especially when Lily reminded herself that in the future Slytherin won seven years in a row, already. It seemed unfair.

She was certain James was blaming Sev for it.

Thing is—he was probably right, too.

A storm of cheering and stamping broke out from the Slytherin table. …

… [Dumbledore:] However, recent events must be taken into account.

“Oh, hell yes!” James perked up. “He’s gotta give Harry, Ron and Hermione lots of points for everything they’d done for the school, right?” he asked eagerly.

Lily bit her lip uncertainly. Would it be enough to win? And if so, why was this even allowed? Couldn’t Dumbledore award the points to whoever deserved it before the feast? A small smile crept onto her face at the realisation that the old man probably loved the idea of giving these points in front of the whole school—it was like a loud and clear confirmation that at their base, the rumours were all true.

She yawned, her eyes stinging a little, and raised her head from James’s shoulder in an attempt to keep herself a little less sleepy and more awake—enough to take in the words, properly, at least.

… The Slytherins’ smiles faded a little.

… [Dumbledore:] First—to Mr. Ronald Weasley...

Ron went purple in the face; he looked like a radish with bad sunburn.

“Harry really knows how to make people sound lovely, doesn’t he?” James sniggered. “Radish with sunburn—Merlin, I wish I could see that and compare people to it from now on. I’m going to use this on someone the next chance I get—just wait and see. Maybe on Sirius. He’ll love it once he’s no longer offended…”

Lily laughed. “I don’t think it would work on him—he’s no ginger, and I’m pretty sure Harry was also referring to the colour of Ron’s hair.”

“Well, I can’t call you that,” James huffed. “I’m trying to date you, not chase you away.”

“Good to know.”

“Isn’t Craig Davis a redhead? That Hufflepuff fifth-year? Well, I’m just going to have to keep an eye on him. The moment he gets embarrassed from something—”

Lily observed him, unimpressed. “You’re going to get the Marauders to do something to him, aren’t you?”

“What? Is that what you think of me?” James protested in indignation.

She didn’t even hesitate with her answer. “Yes.”

James looked affronted for one more second, and then his façade fell away and he shrugged. “Well, you’re not wrong—so glad you know me this well.” He grinned brightly at her, and Lily chuckled, already trying to come up with ways to figure out what James might do to the poor Hufflepuff to try and stop him.

[Dumbledore:] …For the best-played game of chess Hogwarts has seen in many years, I award Gryffindor house fifty points.

“I don’t think Hogwarts quite saw the game—”

“Oh, hush, you.”

… Percy could be heard telling the other Prefects, “My brother, you know! My youngest brother! Got past McGonagall’s giant chess set!”

Lily was mildly impressed. “So they know about the chessboard, then,” she noted. “And here I thought the rumours would be mostly inaccurate, yet they already have one detail right.”

James furrowed his brows a little. “But how do they know about what was down there? Who opened their mouth? Harry was unconscious, so it had to be either Ron or Hermione and… huh… I guess Ron couldn’t help himself.”

It did sound more likely that Ron would talk rather than Hermione. Maybe he just revealed it to his brothers—who had to be pretty worried about him when he ended up in the infirmary, all of a sudden. And then it just must have rolled from there.

… [Dumbledore:] Second—to Miss Hermione Granger... for the use of cool logic in the face of fire, I awards Gryffindor house fifty points.

James beamed at the book. “Yeah! She bit Snape’s riddle! Personally, I think she deserves more than fifty points just for proving to the git that she isn’t a dunderhead like the rest of his students in a creative way, but I guess fifty’s fine, too.”

Lily had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop herself from laughing.

Hermione buried her face in her arms; … Gryffindors up and down the table were beside themselves …

[Dumbledore:] Third—to Mr. Harry Potter... … ...for pure nerve and outstanding courage, I awards Gryffindor house sixty points.

Pure nerve and outstanding courage—Lily thought was putting it mildly. He was face to face with You-Know-Who and one of the teachers he was supposed to trust, after passing a bunch of challenges created by his other teachers against all odds—he was even going against his Head of House who warned him about taking points from Gryffindor if he got near that corridor on the third floor again.

Pure nerve and outstanding courage—that was her son Dumbledore was talking about. It was her son that had impressed his Headmaster. Her son that decided it was worth it to get expelled if it meant trying to stop You-Know-Who from coming back. Her son who defended James and her when You-Know-Who tried to make Harry believe they were both cowards. Her son who prevented Quirrell from getting the Philosopher’s Stone while clearly suffering from unbearable pain that nearly killed him right then and there.

Pure nerve and courage…

“He deserves a hundred points,” she said.

Next to her, James nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah. Now they’re only tied with Slytherin instead of beating them—what was the old man thinking?”

That wasn’t exactly what Lily meant, but a quick calculation revealed to her that James had a fair point, too.

The din was deafening. … Gryffindor now had four hundred and seventy-two points—exactly the same as Slytherin. …

[Dumbledore:] It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends. I therefore award ten points to Mr. Neville Longbottom.

James cheered, beaming happily at the book and then at Lily. The stunned Lily, who could only think about how glad she suddenly was that Neville decided to stand up to the three who went to sneak to the third floor corridor. How Dumbledore even knew about that was beyond her, but she didn’t care.

Gryffindor won the House Cup! They won the House Cup for the first time in at least seven years, and it happened on the year Harry came to Hogwarts! Plus, you know, he was responsible for winning, too.

Some achievement that was…

… Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. … [Malfoy] couldn’t have looked more stunned and horrified …

James didn’t stop reading, but a smirk still spread across his face at that. Lily had the strongest suspicion that instead of picturing Lucius Malfoy’s son, he was picturing Sev. Lily was just picturing a small version of Lucius—it made her quite pleased, too.

… [Dumbledore:] we need a little change of decoration.

[The green and silver turned to red and gold.] Snape was shaking Professor McGonagall’s hand, … Harry knew at once that Snape’s feelings towards him hadn’t changed one jot.

“No, they wouldn’t… if anything, he might even hate him more now that he thinks his debt has been paid—now he just has to tolerate Harry’s presence in general.”

It hurt to think that way. Could Severus really see nothing in Harry that reminded him of Lily? Was he this blind by his hatred towards James to notice that Harry was quite a bit like Lily personality-wise? The answer was yes, but she wished she could open his eyes and make him see Harry—really see him, and not just his appearance and the bits and pieces that probably came from James.

Since she couldn’t do it, Lily just sighed, yawned, and rubbed her eyes wearily.

… It was the best evening of Harry’s life, better than winning at Quidditch … he would never, ever forget tonight.

James looked horrified. “Better than Quidditch? He just went a bit too far, there,” he stated firmly. “Winning Quidditch is great! Then again, without also winning the Quidditch Cup… maybe it’s not as good.” He shrugged nonchalantly. “I wouldn’t know.”

“Humble, James. Really humble,” Lily said, unimpressed as he messed up his hair subconsciously.

He did have the sense to grin sheepishly at her.

Harry had almost forgotten that the exam results were still to come, … both he and Ron passed with good marks;

“Oh, thank Merlin—Harry’s smart.”

“Or just lucky.”

She swatted at him lightly. “Let me have this,” she said, “and stop assuming your own son is an idiot because of a couple of comments here and there—we all have our less than stellar moments every once in a while, you know. Do you want me to give you a list of every single dumb thing you’ve ever said or done?”

James cringed. “Know what? I’m good.”

“Shocking…”

Hermione, of course, came top of the year. … [Goyle] had passed, too. It was a shame, but as Ron said, you couldn’t have everything in life.

James snorted and chortled at that comment for a few seconds. He only stopped when he let out a loud yawn and blinked in surprise, as if caught off guard by finding out that he was, in fact, tired, too.

Checking her watch, Lily didn’t think it should come as a shock seeing as it was rather late—the longer he read, the slower James went, after all. Either because he was just weary, or because he was studying every single word to see whether he could predict the future events in the books—Lily didn’t know.

[The year ends.] they were boarding the Hogwarts Express; … pulling off their wizard robes and putting on jackets and coats; pulling into platform nine and three-quarters at King’s Cross Station.

James wrinkled his nose all of a sudden, and Lily stared at him questioningly. “He’s going back to your sister, isn’t he?” he said, exasperated. “I almost forgot about the Dursleys for a moment, there. Does that mean that the next book we get to read more about their abusive behaviour towards Harry?”

Oh, yeah… Tuney and her husband and son…

“I hope we don’t read about them in this book, at least,” Lily said, eyeing the remaining of the book curiously. It didn’t look like it had much space left to describe anything horrifying that might happen to Harry, which was great news (after her standards have been appropriately lowered, that is).

… [Ron:] You must come and stay this summer, … both of you—I’ll send you an owl.

… [Harry:] I’ll need something to look forward to.

… [Someone:] Bye, Harry!

[Someone else:] See you, Potter!

[Ron:] Still famous, …

[Harry:] Not where I’m going, I promise you, …

“I don’t know—it sounded quite like Tuney might have spread some pretty unflattering things about Harry back where they live,” Lily said dryly. “Bet he’s famous there in a completely different way than he is at Hogwarts.”

“Unless he and his friends lose a hundred fifty points in one go, you mean,” James joked.

He, Ron and Hermione passed through the gateway together.

[Ginny:] There he is, Mum, there he is, look! … Harry Potter! … Look, Mum! I can see—

“Oh, I completely forgot about her, too!” His eyes widened as an idea seemed to come to him and he turned to smirk at Lily. “Isn’t she a redhead, too? And she fancies Harry—I know it. Think they’ll be the next generation of the two of us?”

Lily wasn’t impressed in the least. “She’s Harry’s best friend’s little sister, James. If he goes anywhere near her, his friendship with Ron is over,” she stated firmly. “You should know that already—you’re a boy, too!”

“I guess we shouldn’t get attached to Ron, then—”

“And Harry doesn’t even know her,” Lily continued heatedly. “He probably only thinks of her as Ron’s little sister. Which she is.”

“Ron invited him over for the summer—he’s going to get to know her once he’s there.”

Lily huffed. “That’s not going to happen. Not every single person in your family has to fall in love with a redhead. Stop messing up Harry’s life—not to mention he’s too young to even think about dating anyone. And finish this book already so I can get some sleep.”

James still grinned like he thought she was wrong about Ginny, but he complied and turned his attention back to the purple book.

[Mrs. Weasley:] Be quiet, Ginny, and it’s rude to point. [To Harry, Ron and Hermione] Busy year? …

[Harry:] Very, … Thanks for the fudge and the jumper, Mrs. Weasley.

Lily beamed. “He’s so polite…” she said dreamily.

“I thought you said he was rude—more than once, too.”

She waved at him dismissively and James scoffed.

… [Uncle Vernon:] Ready, are you? …

Lily made a face, and James sagged and rolled his eyes. “Ugh… him.” James closed his eyes for a moment or two. “I could live without hearing about him, yet I guess we’re not done. Can’t Harry just curse him now that there are other adult wizards around? Nobody would be able to pin it on him other than the eye witnesses—”

“Ron’s father works for the Ministry, remember? Harry shouldn’t do anything illegal in front of him.”

James looked disappointed at the reminder. Lily kind of felt like this was a let-down, too, but she was never going to admit that when James could hear her.

… Behind him stood Aunt Petunia and Dudley, looking terrified at the very sight of Harry.

“Oh, grow up, Tuney,” Lily huffed.

[Mrs. Weasley:] You must be Harry’s family! …

James’s lips tugged up immediately. “She can curse them!” he said. “Please, Molly, please do something horrible to Harry’s family.”

[Uncle Vernon:] In a manner of speaking, … Hurry up, boy, we haven’t got all day. …

[Harry:] See you over the summer, then.

[Hermione:] Hope you have—er—a good holiday,

… [Hermione was] shocked that anyone could be so unpleasant.

“She doesn’t even know the half of it, and she can already tell that Harry’s going to most probably be miserable while away from school,” Lily sighed. “Can’t she come and visit? She’s Muggle-born, so she doesn’t even have a problem with commenting on random things that are only unusual to wizards. Unless she lives far away from Tuney… then I guess that wouldn’t be that easy…”

“Plus, you have to add to the mix Harry’s horrible luck,” James chimed in cheerfully.

Lily sighed.

[Harry:] Oh, I will, … They don’t know we’re not allowed to use magic at home. I’m going to have a lot of fun with Dudley this summer…

James laughed as he slammed the book shut, finally done with it. “He’s going to be all right,” he decided, eyes twinkling. He stretched and glanced at his watch. “Huh—it took less time than I assumed it would, to be honest. I thought we’d stay here till midnight, at least.”

“Are you disappointed it’s not that late?” Lily scoffed and got up and to her feet, her limbs a little stiff now that she paid them more attention. Lily noted the fact that James was standing up as well, but didn’t pay it any mind. “I can’t wait to be in bed and fall asleep already…”

“So you can have nightmares about Harry meeting You-Know-Who? Because I’m certainly going to dream about this—it’s going to be absolutely dreadful. I hope I scream and wake Padfoot up,” James said with a beaming grin that didn’t quite match his words. He strode over to the coffee table and put the purple book there, right next to the pile of unread books. “Harry Potter: Second Year. I’m torn between feeling really anxious to know what happens to him then, and actually burning the books so I don’t read about any more of those crazy stunts he pulls.”

Lily smiled at him as he kept on staring down at the next book—a green one that looked as innocent as the first one, if slightly longer. That really didn’t bode well for them—and especially for Harry—but Lily didn’t want to think about that right now. She was already shaken by the first book, and contemplating the events of the next one made her queasy. She would just try and let the brain focus on the present for now.

Slipping her hand into James’s, she nudged his side playfully. “Whatever it is, he’s going to be okay,” she said. “And that’s usually your line, isn’t it? You should know he’s going to be okay because there are still five more books after that one, and I’m sure he’s alive for them, too.”

“So the only time he can die is the seventh book?” James asked in a tone that suggested he was joking.

But Lily felt a little unsettled as the thought suddenly hit her—Harry couldn’t die before the seventh book—that was right—but after the seventh book, there was no guarantee that he would live. What if he dies at the end of the seventh book and they can’t do anything to change or stop it?

James’s head tilted to the side as he watched her. “Lily? Come on, I was kidding. He’s going to be okay. He just stood up to You-Know-Who and an adult wizard. Harry’s not exactly useless and helpless. He can protect himself.”

That was right. Probably.

“Let’s go back,” she said after a few moments of silence.

James only nodded, spread the Invisibility Cloak over their bodies, and led her out of the Room of Requirement and towards Gryffindor Tower, where Remus was still sitting by the fire, apparently doing what was left of his homework. He was still looking a little ill, but definitely better than the day before. And the day before that. Really, he was getting better the further away from the full moon they were getting.

Biting her lip, Lily shoved those thoughts out of her head, as well.

When the two slipped out of the cover of the Cloak, Remus lifted his eyes, not exactly startled, but definitely surprised to note the fact that James wasn’t the only one to enter the common room using the Invisibility Cloak that was supposed to be a secret between the Marauders.

“Hey, Moony!” James greeted brightly before Remus could utter a single word about Lily being aware of the Cloak. “Where are Padfoot and Wormtail? Up in our room, waiting for you to lead me into an intervention?”

“Actually, they went down to the kitchen—complained about still being hungry.”

James cocked his head to the side. “Without the Cloak?”

“They took the, er…” Remus’s eyes flitted over to Lily for a split moment. “They took the map,” he said and shrugged eventually. “Want to go fetch them before McGonagall catches them again?”

“Can’t. I have Quidditch practice early—gotta get enough sleep unless you want to see me fall off my broom while eating your toast,” James said with a grin, and then tossed the Cloak over to Remus. “You go—I’m sure they’d love to see you out there in the middle of the night. It’s always a pleasure to see you breaking curfew, Moony. Night!”

Lily thought she heard grumblings from Remus but James just started tugging her towards the stairs leading up.

“Goodnight, Remus!” Lily called over her shoulder at him.

“You, too, Lily.”

Once they were far enough away from Remus, Lily turned to see James staring at the stairs leading up to the girls’ dormitories with a look of curiosity. Noticing her questioning look, James smiled. “We tried getting up there once, but the stairs turned into a slide and we fell back down here and couldn’t climb up again. Which is absolutely unfair, by the way—how come girls can get to our rooms but we can’t visit yours?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “Guess you’re just not as trustworthy,” she said sweetly. Then she let go of James’s hand and took a step in the direction of the stairs. “See you tomorrow at breakfast?”

“Not very likely—Quidditch in the morning usually means no time for breakfast. But we do have Transfiguration first thing in the morning.”

“I’ll get you something to eat, then,” she responded, and then climbed up the stairs, James’s voice bidding her goodnight over her shoulder. She smiled happily to herself and couldn’t wipe the grin off the entire time she got ready for bed. Dorcas and Marlene were already asleep so Lily moved as quietly as possible before slipping into her own bed and pulling the curtains around it to have some privacy.

She didn’t dream about You-Know-Who or about a three-headed dog. She didn’t dream about dysfunctional, bumpy broomsticks or a dingy, dark cupboard filled with spiders. She didn’t dream of an older version of Sev, an imposing Professor McGonagall or even a , twinkly-eyed, kindly smiling Professor Dumbledore.

No, she dreamed of someone she first mistook for James Potter, but there were minor changes—things that were nearly invisible to someone who wasn’t looking. And when she woke up in the morning, the only thing she remembered from her dreams were a pair of green eyes that looked remarkably like her own, and a mop of jet-black, untidy hair that was just barely hiding a lightening-shaped scar.

Notes:

Done! (With the first book, that is. Second book, here we come!)

Also, please, please, please if you see mistakes in the fic, let me know so I can fix them - typos and stuff like that. I'd really appreciate it :)

Cya soon! :D

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 1 of The Room of Reading
• Part 9 of Watch/Read the Show/Movie/Series!