AN, for Portkey: Umm…sorry. Really, I thought I had updated this when I updated on fanfiction.net, but apparently I had forgotten to…
This 'excuse' underneath is why I took forever to update this at ff.net. The reason I never updated it at Portkey is because I thought I already had, it wasn't until I got a review in my inbox that I went to check and realised that I hadn't updated here yet.
I have Chapter Eleven finished as well. I'll update this, wait a few days and then add Chapter 11. And I'm *trying* to get Chapter 12 done before the New Year, but I don't know if I'll succeed or not- it's only half-done and it's already twenty pages.
But here are the reasons why it took so long on fanfiction.net, which also play a small role in why I didn't update here either for over a year…
I know that many of you thought that I had discontinued this- and I understand. I would most likely feel the same way as well, if a fic that I was reading wasn't updated in over six months. The truth is that I am extremely sorry. There were circumstances that led to me not wanting to update/ being unable to update.
I believe it started in November, two weeks after I had poster Chap. 9 and was planning on posting Chapter 10. I became aware of a huge mistake I had made- which thanks to a reviewer/friend has now been fixed. Thanks a lot, by the way- you've helped me a lot. I fixed it and was preparing to post it. I even had the author's note done- the review responses- it was ready to be uploaded. But I saved it on a disk, and when I came back to upload it, the disk was missing. It turns out that my cousin, then three, found it and, well, destroyed it. Now- that wouldn't have been such a bad thing, except the fact that the copy I had on my computer was outdated and not even really finished.
I still called it up and started to edit it. My goal was to post before December. And then…a friend and I got into a car accident. This girl is one of my best friends. We've known each other for ages, we know each other's families, and we've always been in the same school, same grade and sometimes same class. She loves dancing and is an excellent dancer. One evening we were on our way home from watching a performance, when we got into a car accident.
The car was totaled and she was almost killed. I had a concussion and a few other injuries which were more annoying than anything else. Because of my injuries, I was unable to update for a while. But after I was physically able to write, I wasn't mentally able to. My friend had almost died. She was in a coma for a month and we thought she wasn't going to wake up. Her parents had even made the decision about cutting off life support should she worsen. Well, she woke up, but she was still in terrible shape. We weren't sure she was even going to walk again and dancing was out of the question, which just about destroyed her. She could have been a professional- and even though she wasn't pursuing it professionally, it still had a great impact on her life.
She did get better and got out of the hospital. That's when the new obstacle for my writing came up- I got a boyfriend. Like I said, I knew her family very well- she had this cousin who she and I grew up with. He's a couple of years older than I am and I hadn't seen him in years. Anyway- throughout the whole ordeal about my friend, the two of us got really close and then hooked up. So add a boyfriend into my life- something that made me even busier.
There's of course the normal school work that has to be done and the fact that I sort of did something asking to switching majors- and about half my classes- that my guidance councilor was about to kill me for… Plus I'm doing next year of my schooling abroad in Europe (Germany). Friends of the family live there and offered to take me in for a year so I could try out school there and since I wasn't about to let a year of school go to waste, I managed to convince them to let me have a chance to prove myself and keep the grades I get (assuming they're good).
Then I wanted to post this about two weeks go- and my boyfriend cut my phone/ modem line when trying to help me with some cables in my apartment. And then my cousin had a baby in Northern California and some cousin x-amount of times removed died, also up north, so we were killing two birds with one trip there and we stayed for a while.
As to pairings, which I keep on getting asked, go back to Chapter 2, I believe, where I state quite clearly the pairings. But, to refresh your memory: They are Harry/Hermione, Lily/James and probably, but in a really long time, some Draco/Ginny. And I reserve the right to add any more pairings, later done the line. But L/J and H/H are the main ones, and Harry and Hermione will get together.
FF.net review respones: about Snape knowing so much about Potter family history- think of it like this. We all know about the lives of famous people. I mean, it's in all the newspapers and on the news and radio and all over, really. The Potter family was this really famous family. Harry's famous because of defeating Voldemort and all that, but even before that, the Potter family was really well known. I'll get into more family history later, though. The point now is that info about the Potter family was all over, so it's not that odd. It's like knowing about some really famous family, not just person…like, the Kennedys, perhaps (bad example because I know nothing about them, but you get the point). The Potters were gossiped about, had newspaper articles written about them, etc. So Most of what Snape hears is rumors that he's gotten from his family, class mates, etc. Plus he was good friends with Lily, who obviously knew a lot about the family. And at a boarding school…it's really hard to keep things hidden. Plus Snape was later on the Order, which meant he was also privy to other info. So, all these factors made it so that Snape knew about the family.
And as to the relationship between Harry and Snape- I know it's a bit odd at the moment. It should be. Everything's supposed to be really awkward at the moment, especially relationships. So just wait it out.
With Ron- just wait and see. But I'll give you a hint- when I first came up with the plot, I had just broken up with my boyfriend badly and had punched him…and his name was Ron.
Portkey responses:
Nathan: Lily will get stronger. She actually is very strong. It's just at the moment she's having a few problems, which will be explained in this chapter. And except her to get back to being herself in a bit.
Tazer: I'm really glad you like it anyway. And you're right- it's a lot more than Harry refusing to call her 'Mum' right away…as you will see in the chapter.
kiLLjOy: Thanks. And I was wondering exactly what you felt needed fixing. Someday I do plan on editing the beginning chapters, and I'd like to know what you feel is missing. I do want it mysterious at the beginning, but if it's too mysterious. I liked your opinion on how to fix it.
Akumako Ronso: Thanks a lot for your review. Actually, everyone should be thanking you, because if it wasn't for your review, I wouldn't have remembered to update. So thanks a lot.
Any questions or comments? Review, e-mail me or join my group. Now: on to the long awaited chapter.
Chapter 10:
"I'd like to know that as well, James. What is going on with Lily?" Dumbledore regarded James seriously.
James laid Lily down on a cot that Dumbledore had transfigured and then stood up, sighing, wiping his hands on his pants. He then let his hand glow white and ran it over his face, where spots of red had appeared, due to Lily's hits. The red subsided and he sighed again, dropping himself into a chair.
"Well...I guess it started after Voldemort attacked us and killed Harry. Lily, well, she took it badly, to say the least. She thought it was her fault. She couldn't hear Voldemort's name or even the usual 'You-Know-Who' or 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named' for almost a year after wards. And Harry's name...it took even longer for her to be able to hear that." James put his head in his hands, taking deep breaths as Selene and Dumbledore both watched him.
"She miscarried that night...she didn't even know she was pregnant. And the fact that she lost Harry and almost died herself-but didn't-everything just became too much for her. She-my God, we should have realised sooner- she was on leave and I-I -I was away, in the office, doing paperwork and some damn reporter comes and knocks on the door and wants to interview her- and she didn't-my God, she tried to kill herself! She took a knife and slashed her wrists. She said she wanted it to be painful, that's why she didn't use the Killing Curse...and she was muggle born; she thought that a muggle method might be better."
Albus Dumbledore had been through many things during his long life of one hundred-forty-eight years. But even he found himself shocked and appalled to hear that Lily Potter-such a remarkable young woman-had tried to take her own life. He studied James's sob-wracked profile, looking even more vulnerable than he had ever seen before. The love between Lily and James Potter was magnificent and he hated to see them both hurting so much. Especially since there was so much more to them, than simply being a normal witch and wizard.
Selene McCaffery was also going through a similar process. Though she hadn't been best friends with Lily Potter, she had known her fairly well, especially when they were older and on Order business. Now, she admitted, she wasn't really sure what was going on-after all, she had attended Lily and James Potter's funerals- but whatever it was, she had rarely seen a man so defeated. And what she had witnessed herself from Lily's screaming and thrashing...she was starting to get a good idea of what was wrong.
James finally managed to stop sobbing and looked up, taking a deep breath. "I'm-well, I'm not a Healer, but I have a bit of their power. There hasn't been a full Healer in years, from what I've heard. But I have enough Power to Heal certain wounds and so I came home and found her almost dead, lying in a puddle of blood. I panicked-I was so shocked; I didn't know what to do. And then I saw the slashes on her wrists...thank God that she had cut the wrong way-horizontally and not vertically. But still, she was almost gone, and so I didn't think, I just Healed her. Not fully-but I managed to stop the bleeding and close the skin and then-then-" He took a deep breath, "-Then I got her into the Hospital, not St. Mungos, mind you, since I'm sure we all know what St. Mungos is like.
"Anyway, they managed to put her into a Stasis and got more blood to put into her. And then, after she had woken up, she had another fit like the one she had today. They had to restrain her, but it was hard because she blocked all the spells and finally they had to magically handcuff her, like the way Death Eaters are handcuffed.
"I'm not going to go into the way she looked, because it was quite pitiful. They wanted to send her to St. Mungos, since that's a mental hospital and they considered her high-risk, you know, not only a danger to her self, but to others. I protested against it though-you helped, Professor, and you too, Selene, and it was you who actually recommended Dr. Libelle to us.
"I talked to Dr. Libelle and learned that Lily was suffering from-"
"PTSD. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, of course." Selene broke in, then apologised to James. "But if I recommended Mary to you, then it must be that. Mary's excellent in handling such matters...she went through it herself as a child; she watched her mother get murdered when she was eight. And she and Lily would get along great."
James shot her a shaky smile. "You're right, Selene, it was Mary Libelle. She diagnosed Lily and has helped her a lot. She gave her these pills to take daily, but she missed two days in a row and combined with seeing Harry and Harry's reaction and the entire alternate world thing, well, it just got to be too much for her. She's had break-downs like that before, but I've got Calming Potion at home and Dr Lilbelle is a fireplace away. But now- I really think she ought to be put back on her medication. And if it'll work, she should start seeing Dr. Libelle again as well. Lily had monthly sessions before and they're needed." James scowled. "Thank goodness the Auror-Council doesn't follow the Ministry- Fudge, that bastard- has said many times that Lily ought to be in St. Mungos with everyone else who's lost their minds. But Moody knows that Lily is perfectly all right, she just has break downs once in a while."
Dumbledore looked concerned. "James...has Lily tried to kill her self since the incident?"
James closed his eyes, rubbing his temples. "Yes. Not every break down, thank heavens, but several. I'd say she's tried about three or four times and they're all muggle ways or poisons, so she can be saved, thank God. But as soon as she starts to go in a fit, I know to disarm her and force-feed her two spoons of that potion, so it doesn't happen very often. It's just when she's alone...which means I can't leave her alone very often, unless I'm positive that she's in a protected environment. Actually," he sighed, "I had to muggle-proof the house. All the sharp objects, poisons and whatnot are spell-locked, because Dr. Libelle says that when she gets like this, she forgets that she can do magic."
The other two occupants of the room looked concerned. Selene spoke first. "I- well, I certainly agree with you about not sending her to St. Mungos and I'm glad Mary's helping you. And though I'm a bit confused about your presence here...I assume you're from an Alternate Universe? Where you two lived but Harry's dead?" At James's nod, she continued. "With that, I can understand that Lily's been through a lot. But it's been almost fourteen years since well, the attack. Shouldn't she be over it by now?"
James shook his head. "No. In a normal case, yes, with Mary's help she should be over it by now. But in our world, the Death Eaters never stopped attacking and Voldemort's been back for years. So many more people have died and much more has been destroyed. And five years after the attack she miscarried again, which sent her back out of remission. So Dr. Libelle says that she's certainly has made progress, but unless she truly overcomes Harry's death, which is the primary reason she has PTS, she won't get better and still have these outbreaks."
Dumbledore locked his fingers together, sighing. "This situation is worst than I thought. Selene, do you believe that this Mary Libelle is trustworthy? I don't believe that it needs saying that Lily and James's presences are meant to be kept secret."
Selene nodded earnestly. "Mary's extremely trustworthy and also has a strict patient-confidentially. She's half-blooded, her mother was a witch, so she'll also be able to help with Lily's -er-muggle tendencies, which is probably another reason I recommended her to you in the other world. I'll contact her, if you'd like."
Dumbledore nodded. "Please do. And is it possible that Lily receives those pills she takes? They seem very important."
Selene picked up the bottle of Calming Potion and studied it. "Yes...though Mary should be the one who writes out the prescription, I can get a few at least. I'm assuming that she takes two-just like this? They both contain serotonin and that seems to be the main thing that helps, since it reacts to the magic in her blood as well."
James stood up, a look of gratitude on his face. "Thanks so much, Selene, really. This-well, it always takes a lot out of me and Lily seems to have no memory of it after she wakes up-which will be in about twelve hours."
Dumbledore regarded him thoughtfully. "She takes two doses...what happens if she only receives one?"
"She doesn't calm down enough. She goes...it's hard to explain. She still thrashes and yells, but it's all half-hearted, I guess you could call it, even though she looks as if she's asleep. It makes her delirious, Dr Libelle says, one dosage, and the second dosage knocks her completely out. We have to be careful, though, because this stuff is pretty potent-you have to be at least of age to take it, which means that she was luckily two years over the minimum when she started and she could only take one dose. It's been the last few years that she's been allowed to take two dosages and eventually she'll grow immune, which means that we're going to have to find something else, because more than two spoonfuls can be poisonous." James sighed.
"And with the pills, we also have to be careful and every other month or so, Dr Libelle adjusts the dosage because they can become addictive. But at the moment she's supposed to take one a day and she's been doing well. Until today at least," James added ruefully. "Though I have to admit that even I'm a bit out of sorts, so I can understand how stressful and hard it would be for her. And usually, missing a day or so wouldn't be that big of a deal, sure, she'd go through withdrawal, but she wouldn't act like this. But apparently due to her wizarding blood (Mary says there's a different in dosage and medications side effects and stuff for muggles), it adapts to the chemical, or something-I'm not really sure. Mary explained this all to me, of course, but to tell the truth, I was paying more attention to the fact Lily has to take them every day without fail not why she has to take them everyday, without fail."
Dumbledore nodded and Selene threw some more Floo Powder into the fireplace. "I ought to get back to my office-I still have patients. And I'll contact Mary right away. I'm sure she'd help."
"Thanks, Selene!" James called out as he picked up Lily's limp body. "Dum-Albus," he corrected himself after receiving a look from Dumbledore, "I'm going to take her back into our Chambers. As soon as she wakes up, though, I'll come and see you, with her as well."
"Yes, James. I'd like to talk to Lily I must say. But first, I believe a visit to Harry might be in order."
"Help me". The voice called, echoing in the darkness. "Help me."
"I can't." Harry simply said. If this was what she wanted, then it was useless. If it even was her. He never could be sure. The voice appeared different times when she did, and though Sal said she needed to speak to him, he was quite sure that this wasn't what Sal meant.
"But I need you." The voice stated growing louder as the wind began to blow harder. Harry felt himself being pushed away. "Only you can help me."
"I-I can't hold on." Harry felt like he was being blown away, the winds shoving him so hard, it took all his might to stop it. "I don't even know who you are!" He shouted, trying to reach the voice. "How can I help you if I don't know anything about you?"
He never was sure what he was supposed to do. It was always different, but what he *did* know was that here he couldn't do anything. Not in this plane, in this dream.
"You must learn! And trust! Help me!" The voice screamed a scream that vibrated for minutes afterwards. And the winds stopped.
Harry took his hands from his ears, unaware that he had even covered them. "I- how do I help you?"
"Trust. Trust those who you can. Not everything broken can be repaired, not everything is perfect. Don't trust those who say you should trust them, go by your own heart."
"But, how do I know who to trust? I-" He called out, hoping the voice would answer. "How do I-"
"You'll know, Harry James Potter. You'll know. But first, do you trust yourself?" And the voice was gone, leaving Harry standing there alone.
He stamped his foot. "But who are you?"
He sat up, glaring at Sal who was now wound around his wrist. "Thanks, Sal."
The snake sleepily uncurled itself. Welcome, Master Harry. How was it? Did you learn anything?
He rolled his eyes. Apparently his sarcasm was lost on Sal. "It wasn't her. It was some other voice, asking for help. And then it told me to find people to trust and that I'd know who to trust, but first I'd have to trust myself. So I don't think it was very enlightening...it was so odd."
Well, perhaps that's what you were supposed to do. I was doing only what I Saw and I Saw that you were supposed to dream, for it was important.
Harry stroked Sal, feeling Sal loosen from his wrist. "It was that voice again, you know, the one who screams. It seems so helpless, but how can I help it when I don't even know who it is?"
Perhaps you're supposed to figure that out yourself.
Harry rolled his eyes. "Thanks. Really. You helped me out a lot. I mean, how many beings do you think are trapped in the Dream World, Sal? Just think of what Professor Snape said, earlier. Remember? About the different kinds of spirits? Genui, Banshees, the other things...what is it? And what is she anyway? She never says."
That's because it's not important. She has every right to keep secrets from you, Master Harry. And you know she would never harm you.
"I know, I know. But still, I don't even know her name. And the way I Called to her in the flames...that was so different. I've never done that before."
Sal slithered down Harry's arm. Well, it's not up to me to tell you, but you will learn what that is. And you needed her then, did you not? Weren't you worried and uncertain? Didn't she help you?
"She knocked me out."
Sal hissed what Harry took to be exasperation. That was you. You over-exerted your Power. No, didn't you feel better in the flames? If you hadn't been so desperate to reach her, to make contact with her, you wouldn't have fainted. That was your own foolishness.
"You're so kind."
I'm not meant to be kind, Master Harry, I'm meant to tell you the Truth and to Guide you down the Right Path. Do you not understand that we are all here to Guide you? Me, Her, the Voice, others you will meet. Even Lily and James could Guide you, as well as the Potions Master if you'd let them.
"Snape? He's supposed to Guide me? Right off a cliff I bet."
Was he not truthful with you? Did he not rescue you?
Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well...yes, I guess so. And he did tell me about my Dad. But he's always disliked me...wait...I guess I can understand that as well. I mean, I dislike him and perhaps there's a reason why he's like he is... After all, he is spying for Dumbledore and I don't know anything about his past..."
Well, there you go. Maybe you should get to know him better before you sentence him. And with Lily and James...I'm not going to say welcome them with open arms, or treat them as your parents. But treat them as you would, say...an acquaintance you haven't seen in many years, as pleasant strangers. And maybe you might find out something surprising.
"Well...I guess I could try treating them as strangers...like new teachers, or something…but I'm definitely not going to like Snape."
Very well, Master Harry. I must be going now, the Dark Blue is coming.
Sal slithered down the bed. Harry looked puzzled. "Dark Blue-?"
But just then the curtains were pulled away and Harry found himself looking into Professor Dumbledore's blue eyes. "Hello, Harry. I hope you're feeling all right?"
Harry shrugged, sitting up. "I guess."
"Well, would you like to get up?"
Harry shrugged again. For some reason, he felt different than before. And now he understood why Sal had said the 'Dark Blue', for Dumbledore was glowing Dark Blue, the same out-line he had seen when he had woken up before, but couldn't open his eyes.
Dumbledore said nothing to Harry's silence, but he took a seat in the chair Lily had been in before. Clasping his hands together, he leaned over Harry's bed. "I assume you have some questions. Do you know what you did, when you fainted like that, Harry?"
Harry shrugged, keeping silent. There was something he couldn't place, but he knew for some reason not to say anything.
This time Dumbledore did look puzzled. "Well, Harry, it seems as if you don't want to talk. Well, I guess I'll come by later." And he left.
Harry sighed and turned over in his bed, frowning. What had been going on?
"I'm worried." Minerva turned to Arabella. "Remember the time when Aurora wouldn't talk to anyone?"
Arabella sipped her tea. "I remember. She was practically comatose. We never did figure out what was wrong with her. Why?"
Minerva stood up, shaking out her robes, something she always seemed to do and stared into the fire. "Because Harry seems to be going in that same direction."
"Nonsense, Minnie. Harry's not that bad off and he hasn't been through...or maybe he has been through enough..." She trailed off, looking into her cup. "You know, I've never held much for Divination. But I have to admit that some people have real gifts and-"
"Do you think that's what was going on? In the fire?" Minerva poked at it with the poker. The two women were sitting in her chambers, trying to make sense of what had happened in the last few days.
"Could be. Albus, bless his heart, can be extremely cryptic. But the way you described Harry...to tell the truth, there's someone else he reminds me off."
Minerva stopped, turning to her good friend. Even though there was a difference of about sixty years between the two of them, she had always looked up to Arabella and felt fairly close to her, especially after her own elder-sister died and she was left alone. "Who? James? Lily? Anthony? Kenna? Brendan?" At each of Arabella's shakes of her head, she began to frown. "Well then, who?"
Arabella stood up herself, gathering her wand. "Who did you not mention, Minnie? Who has already been compared to both Harry and James? Who would fit?"
Minerva almost dropped the book she had pulled out, a photo album from many years ago. "You- no. No way, Arabella, it's impossible. You can't seriously think-"
"I do." She said this with a sharp nod of her head. "I very much do think that. Sure, Harry has a lot of Lily in him and no one knows where James gets some of his traits, but still. His personality reminds me so much...sometimes I hate to think about those times."
Minerva looked down at the album in her hands. "I know what you mean, Arabella, I know what you mean. They were such-no. We can't get lost in the past. And anyway, Harry's still young and we know what to watch out for. But-just in case, does Albus realise?"
"Of course." Arabella shook her head, gathering her cloak. "It's really too sad though, to think what it might have been like...if only she... if only he..."
Minerva closed her eyes. "We can't live in the past, Arabella. I remember when I learned about Kenna's death...it was so hard to bear and I still miss her...and then losing Aurora...and Anthony...and Brendan...and James and Lily and now Harry's acting odd and I'm afraid I'm going to loose him too. I-just walking into the Common Room, hoping that maybe...perhaps Harry might have fled there...and seeing him in such a trance with the fire...it was shocking. And then the way he just fainted...I was so worried...I mean, he's not even-but I still have this connection to him...I've lost everyone except you and Albus and Harry and I don't want to have to risk losing him...and the worst thing is that it wasn't due to old-age or sickness or something where you can prepare yourself for...or even an accident like falling off a broom or something idiotic like that...they all died during a war. My parents, my family, everyone! Grindelwald and Voldemort and now Voldemort again- and most of them I didn't even get to see the bodies...Lily and James, Kenna, my parents, Aurora, Brendan. Only with Anthony... Aurora's body must have been destroyed."
Arabella stared at her friend in horror. She had no idea how hard Minerva had been taking it. But she had to agree that it was awful, absolutely awful. But she still couldn't help adding, "Or else he-" to Minerva's last statement.
Minerva opened her eyes. "No, Arabella-why would he? Why? He didn't know-he wouldn't-"
"How do we not know, Minerva? Maybe he did know. He must have-think. He wasn't stupid, you ought to know that. He probably knew all along...or at least when James-" Arabella countered.
"Sixth Year. Oh my God, I never thought. Severus. Of course...Severus would have told his father...who would have told him...and when did she die? About a year after that? He would have researched...tortured information out of people...used spies...and then he went after her...for his revenge. And Anthony got in the way...or he killed him just for fun...and then he-Aurora might not even be dead! She could be kept prisoner-" Minerva exclaimed, hope rising in her again. And it could be true, she mused...in the muggle world there were stories of prisoners being freed many years later...
But hope came crashing down when Arabella shook her head. "No. Remember, he was gone almost fourteen years. There's no way he'd still have her...he has either killed her or she would have returned. That means she's dead...and she probably died when Anthony did. What could he want with her then? She was worthless to him. He probably tortured her and then destroyed the body, as some last defacement. But I'll admit that he probably did find out about her because of that werewolf experience with Severus, that'd make sense...especially since she spent most of her time as an Auror behind the scenes...thanks to Albus and Alastor." Glancing at the clock, she adjusted her grip on her handbag and cloak. "I really ought to be going, Minerva, have to get back to my cats. But keep in touch."
And Minerva McGonagall was left alone with memories and an old photo album, which opened to a picture of four very good friends...and she realised that if something were to happen, she'd better be prepared. Sighing, she grabbed the Floo Powder from a jar on her mantle and threw it into the fire. "Fayre's Grove! McKenna!"
She was gone.
"I'm bored."
Remus Lupin rolled his eyes and kept on reading.
"I'm bored."
He ignored it again.
"Did you hear me? I'm b-o-r-e-d."
He ignored it again, turning a page.
"If you don't pay attention to me right now, I'm going to turn into a dog and lift my leg in your bedroom."
That got his attention. "Sirius Adam Black, if you dare make one step towards my bedroom I will personally curse you from here to Hogwarts."
Sirius yawned and shrugged. "Well, entertain me then. I'm bored."
Remus finally groaned and put his book down. It was fairly obvious that he wasn't going to get anymore reading done. "Let me get this straight...you're thirty-four years old, a fully trained wizard who studied as an Auror, who went to Azkaban and managed to escape and now you even have a wand, because Albus Dumbledore for some reason has decided to trust you, one of the worst pranksters ever with a wand...and you still have the mentality of a three year-old."
Sirius looked hurt. "I'd say at least five."
Remus found his eyes rolling again. "Whatever. My point is that I think you're old enough to find something to do on your own."
"But I don't want to." Sirius whined. Remus felt like smashing his head on the table.
"Then go...bother Gus Fletcher...or go to Hogwarts. I don't care. But I want to read."
Sirius managed to look more pleased. "I can go bother Gus? Really? But he'll hex me...oh well. I'm going."
Remus sighed in happiness as Sirius apparated away. Even though Sirius was his best friend, Sirius was, well...Sirius. He had the attention span of a three year-old, the maturity of a five year-old and sometimes the personality of a dog. Apparently spending those years as a dog wasn't such a good idea.
But now he was able to read his book and perhaps have a cup of tea and not be disturbed. That is, until Sirius apparated in again. And Remus remembered that on Thursdays Mundungus Fletcher, Gus for short, happened to be in some shady wizarding pub where Remus personally didn't care what they did.
"Gus wasn't there." Sirius immediately said, beginning to hop across the room.
Remus shut his eyes. "I gathered that."
"So I'm going to Hogwarts."
"Very well."
"And you're coming with me." And before Remus could do anything, Sirius had already grabbed his arm, the Floo Powder and jumped with him into the fire place, calling out "Hogwarts, Headmaster's Office!"
And they disappeared.
When Albus Dumbledore returned to his office, he found James Potter standing there, peering at all the various books. He shut the door quietly. "I would have thought you'd already have seen these books for all the times you've been in my office."
James gave him a world weary smile. "I know...it's just that they always seem different...and in the beginning I couldn't care. I was too busy trying to get out of various punishments."
Albus leaned back in his chair, hearing it creak as he folded his hands upon his lap. "You wish to talk to me?"
James nodded, taking a seat. He hunched in his seat, taking a deep breath. "I-sir, it's about Lily."
Albus nodded. "I thought as much. May I inquire as to where she is and her condition? And please, James, you don't have to call me 'sir' any more."
James nodded and closed his eyes, putting his head in his hands. It hurt Albus to see James like this. This was such a different James from what he had once known...but then, deep inside, there was still that fire that made James James. James was one of a kind, Albus had once said to a contented mother who had once been very dear to him. No one could pick out the traits that made up James, because he made each and every one to his own.
Finally James spoke. "Lily's still unconscious and she's in our chambers. Biddy the Elf is watching her for me. But...Jesus I have no idea where to begin. I thought I ought to tell you everything...not just about Lily's sickness...but about everything else in our lives as well...because that also has something to do with Lily's condition."
Albus nodded, sitting up straight and folding his hands on his desk. "Go on, James." He had been expecting there was more to the story than James had told and he was glad that he wasn't going to have to wait very long.
Looking him straight in the eye, James took a deep breath. "About eight or so years ago, Lily and I separated...and we were very close to getting a divorce."
But before he could continue or Dumbledore could do anything, a rumbling was heard in the fire place as the flames turned green and two people came flying out of it. James just stared in shock.
"Sirius? Remus?"
So…what do you think? Expect Chapter Eleven soon, like in the next few days.
Re: James calling Sirius 'Sirius' and Remus 'Remus'- he's not expecting to see them and they're not his MP. Plus he hasn't seen his own Remus in a while and well, he's just kind of confused. But yes- even though my explanation doesn't make sense, I did do it for a reason…just that I can't remember that reason…
Chapter 11: Hermione appears, along with Ginny. We gain some info about the Weasley family and Hermione's thoughts and feelings. Lily's condition is explained a bit more and we get a bit more into Harry's mind. And of course the reunion of MPP and a bit with McGonagall and an old friend… it's almost 22 pages, so be glad. That's twice the size of this chapter counting ANs.