The Forbidden Forest
February, 1998
Hermione stumbled through the forest, her sobs exploding from her chest unrestrained.
He's dead, he's dead, oh God, he's dead.
Her robes were ripped, and long gashes ran over her face and legs. As she kept running through the forest, the shouts and screams from Hogwarts echoing off the trees and bushes and ringing in Hermione's ears.
Flashes of images ran through her head. Ron jumping in front of her, the sickly green light, the force of his weight hitting her chest and sending her flying into the tree behind … his body on top of her.
She stopped, leaning heavily on a tree as her chest moved up and down rapidly.
'Please,' she begged to no one, 'please, please I can't bear this.'
I love him. I loved him. I loved him. We made love this morning, we did, he whispered he loved me in my ear and I nearly cried. He was alive. He made me feel alive. Please. Please.
'HARRY!' She screamed into the thick gathering of trees. Her bottom lip trembled as she realised she was completely alone, bar the few hundred Death Eaters scattered around the school.
She continued running, the blood thumping in her ears, her chest feeling like it was being split in two, her legs feeling like rubber.
If he's dead too I don't think I could go on, I'll fall on the ground and never get up. I'll let the Death Eaters have me, and give into a new era, full of muggleborn persecution and torture. I'll be hanged or raped or killed with all the other war criminals, and I'll be with my boys again. Safe.
'Hermione!' It's a weak growl but Hermione's chest swelled with hope. She ran towards the faint calling. Her legs moving faster than she intended and she ended up falling over herself a few times.
'HARRY!' She yelled again, pushing herself through a huge hedge and as she appeared on the other side, her insides seemed to disappear and in their place, were blocks of ice.
'Dementors,' she croaked to herself, her legs finally buckling and she landed heavily on the ground.
Across the way, Harry was desperately trying to produce a Patronus but failing, bare wisps of silver spurting out of his wand. Hermione didn't know where to look, she knew she was screaming but all she could hear was the constant pounding in her ears.
Harry fell backwards, his head smashing off a tree stump. Though he had no time to be dazed, or cry out in pain, as the dementor at that precise moment, swooped over the hero and locked it's lips over his.
---
Godric's Hollow
October, 1981
'Lily, take Harry and run!' James shouted.
Her face. God, her face. She's so scared. The one thing I said I'd protect her from and I can't even do that right. Harry doesn't know what's going on, just that there's a lot of noise outside the house and mummy and daddy are scared.
'Daddy?' He asked quietly.
'Harry, be quiet for mummy, okay?' James pleaded, kissing his forehead. Staring fondly at those magnificent, green eyes. Harry nodded.
'Lily, my love, go … go hide.'
She turned to go but stopped, spinning around again and kissing him.
Just one last time, flashed through his head, and before he knew it he was crying, and he couldn't breath. Not because he was scared but because he couldn't believe the injustice of it all. She was staring up at him completely lost with what to do. She knows. She knows this is the last time.
, flashed through his head, and before he knew it he was crying, and he couldn't breath. Not because he was scared but because he couldn't believe the injustice of it all. She was staring up at him completely lost with what to do.'There's so many things I want to-'
She silenced him with her finger on his lips.
'We'll see each other again,' she whispered. And somehow, James believed her.
No I love yous, no claims of undying love. They know already. Just one look, and everything was said.
Another bang. The door rips off it's hinges. There was manic laughing and the lights went out.
Lily ran, Harry cradled tightly in her arms.
We're only twenty one … Harry's only one for God's sake. We shouldn't be here, we should be normal. I should be sitting with my friends, my marauders in my living room, with my wife and son celebrating Halloween.
I don't want to die.
Low hissing. James threw as many hexes and curses as he could, but he knew it was no good. Delaying the inevitable.
I don't want to die.
After a while he stopped, smoke assaulting his nostrils and he knows the house is burning.
My home, my home.
He stood in the middle of the living room, the sofa is tipped, the pictures off the wall, cabinets blown open, and the windows smashed.
I don't want to die.
He stood tall, throwing his wand aside. His chin raised in defiance, tears dripping down his cheeks. No famous last words. No retaliation. No begging for his life. James Potter died with only the thoughts of his wife and child circling his head.
I don't want them to die.
----
The Forbidden Forest
February, 1998
'Harry,' she cried. He was lying slumped on the ground, his glasses askew and eyes large and staring. Blood trickled from his forehead. He's dead, he's dead.
She crawled forward, her vision blurred, knees scraped and sore.
'Take me,' she begged, 'take me as well.'
The dementor turned to her, but seemed to freeze half way. It's cloak rippling somewhere near its stomach … it looked like it was choking.
Hermione's breath hitched. Something moved in the corner of her eye, a scream escaped her throat as she saw Harry stand up, lift his wand and shout 'expecto patronum!'.
The dementor fled. The light from Harry's stag illuminating the small area of grass.
Hermione looked up at Harry, her mouth open, eyes wide as galleons.
'W-who are you?' She asked, quickly scrambling backwards away from him.
He'd survived a dementor's kiss. This was ridiculous. The Boy who Lived … how much could he actually live through?
'I don't … I don't know.' Harry said, falling to the ground. His fingers traced the outline of his lips. His eyes met Hermione's and Hermione was completely speechless.
She saw then what she hadn't seen since first year. She'd heard about it a lot in-between those times, but had often waved the notion away. She saw Harry, but he wasn't Harry … he was some sort of … hero. Some saviour. It was like there was a halo around his head and he was dipped in some sort of … glowing light. It was scary. He was scary. This imposing, untouchable creature that had all this weight and responsibility on his shoulders. She was in complete awe. Stunned into silence.
'I was the last Horcrux.'
'W-what?' Hermione shuddered as his eyes met hers.
'The dementor took Voldemort's soul … not mine. That's why … that's why they're so attracted to me … dementors I mean … I have extras I guess.'
'You're … you …' Hermione didn't know what to say.
'You're hurt,' he said. Not daring to test his legs he crawled over to her, gently touching his fingers to her bleeding cheek. She winced.
'Ron's dead.' She said quietly. His hand froze on her cheek.
'Wha- Hermi … no. H-how?'
'Killing curse. He saved me,' she started crying again, silent tears cascading down her cheeks, 'he saved me, Harry, he saved me.'
Both friends sat staring at each other, feeling suddenly empty, like they hadn't eaten in years and then been kicked in the stomach repeatedly.
'You're … he's - he can't be … are you sure?' Harry mumbled, his hand falling away from her face. Somewhere in the distance there was another explosion.
'He jumped in front of me, the curse hit him, the force of the spell meant he went knocking into me … I fell against a tree … I blacked out. I think they thought I was dead too so they left … I woke up … he was just staring at me,' Hermione broke down into hysterical sobs, Harry pulled himself forward and wrapped his arms around her, 'I even laughed, I thought he was alive.'
Harry shushed her, pushing her bloody, matted hair out of her eyes.
'I'll kill them,' he whispered against her hair.
'Not if I get there first,' she said. Tears still streaming down her face, though her wand already in hand.
---
Lupin's House
June, 1995
They stood and stared at each other for what seemed like years.
Lie low at Lupin's for a while. I will contact you there.
'You going to ask me in, then?'
'Yes, of course,' he said, remembering himself and stepping backwards to allow his old friend in.
'Thanks.' Sirius looked around the hallway. The wallpaper was peeling off the walls, the wood on the skirting board was chipped, and the carpet rough and discoloured. There were a few paintings on the wall, each of them faded by the sun.
'I didn't know you were coming,' Remus said after a while, as Sirius stood in his hallway, analyzing the decaying décor.
'Dumbledore told me to,' Sirius mumbled, turning to face his best friend, or is it ex-best friend these days? 'I wouldn't have … but … I have no where else. Not really.'
'I understand.'
'You always did.'
They suddenly couldn't hold each others gaze anymore and ended up looking at everything else but each other.
God, he's so different, Remus thought, his hair has never been that long, he's never looked that scruffy … or tanned for that matter. No swaggering, or cockiness, just … awkwardness.
, Remus thought,'You're so different,' Remus blurted after a while, supporting himself by leaning against the crumbling wall.
Sirius shrugged. 'Your friends dying followed by twelve years of prison tends to do that too you.'
Still painfully blunt though.
'I'm sorry,' he whispers. Remus knows he's not apologising for his frankness. He's so quiet and gruff that Remus almost doesn't hear him.
'You don't need to be. In your shoes I'd have done the same.'
'No, no you wouldn't have,' Sirius says, finally meeting his eyes again, 'you'd have been all logical and done something smarter. You wouldn't have kept things to yourself … wouldn't have picked him.' Sirius spat, his eyes flashing.
'I would,' Remus said calmly, 'he was my friend too.'
'Bastard,' Sirius mumbled under his breath, staring at the floor.
'Voldemort is back?' Remus asked.
'Yes,' Sirius sighed, slumping against the opposite wall, 'you know what fucks me off the most?'
'I would think a list of things.'
'No, just that he's back … it makes every thing … well Lily and James's death so … so insignificant,' Sirius laughed emptily, 'he even managed to cheat them out of a heroic death.'
'It wasn't pointless, Sirius, without it, Harry wouldn't be here.'
Sirius smiled. 'He's so grown up … I swear, when I saw him for the first time I nearly called him James. He's … he's … so skinny kid, I mean, but so was James. But he wasn't that bad. He's loyal too … to that girl and boy of his … and they're loyal to him. Said they'd die for him. Remind me of us … kind of. And, bloody hell his eyes.'
'Lily's eyes.'
'Yeah, it's like … she's there … inside him staring out at us,' he grinned reminiscently, 'they'd be so proud of him.'
Remus nodded, his fingers running along the wall behind his back, bits of the plaster crumbling off in his hands.
'How're you?' Sirius asked, tugging awkwardly on the sleeve of his black robes.
'I'm good, right now, I'm good,' Remus said.
'Liar.' Remus blinked. 'Last week was the full moon, so I'm guessing your furry little problem is causing the fresh scratches on your neck and arm, and probably the rest of your body. Which makes me think you aren't taking your medicine, naughty boy, either because you can't afford it or more likely you don't want to be yourself for a night.'
'Well, yes I-'
'Also your ex best friend from almost fourteen years ago has just turned up on your doorstep demanding you host him for an unspecified amount of time and you must be hurting because this so called friend once wished you were dead for something you so obviously didn't do.' Sirius's voice trailed off, guilt twisting its ugly hand around his insides.
'You're still my best friend, Padfoot,' Remus says quietly, pushing himself off the wall and resting a hand on his friend's shoulder.
Sirius looked at him, his eyes brimming with tears. He smiled, showing every one of his teeth.
'Even if you are a big girl,' Remus continued, grinning back at him.
'Look who's talking,' Sirius chuckled, as Remus noticed a tear dripping off the end of his own nose.
---
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
July 1980/December 1998
'James! I swear to bloody Tyche if you don't stop pacing Remus will bite you.' Sirius growled, pointing an angry finger at the empty chair beside him.
'I will not.' Remus scowled.
'You bloody will our next time we have to deal with your furry little problem I'll make sure it's not just biting people you have to worry about.'
'Eh?'
'Fleas, mate.'
Remus winced, remembering the last time he had fallen victim to Padfoot fleas. He'd scratched so much a rumour spread around Hogwarts he had a magical sexually transmitted disease. People only started sitting beside him in the Great Hall and classes again when his friends reassured everyone it was just fleas from his infamous ill tempered rabbit.
'I can't sit, bad things happen when I sit, Healers run in and … and … I can't breath … I think I'm having a heart attack,' he gasped, clutching at his chest.
'No but you'll give yourself a panic attack if you keep on like that,' Peter said, looking up from his newspaper.
'I'm dying, oh God, I'm dying,' James cried, flapping his arms in front of his face as if he was trying to fly off. The other three marauders glanced at each other, before simultaneously rolling their eyes.
'Mr. Potter?' A young pretty witch popped her head around the door, showing no visible reaction to James's madness. She's probably seen it all before, Sirius thought.
'OH MY GOD THAT'S HAPPENED?' James yelled, stopping mid-flap, his face panic stricken.
'Nothing, Mr. Potter, you're wife is asking for you.'
'Asking or screaming?' James asked, his voice slightly higher pitched than usual.
'Can you follow me, Mr. Potter?' The nurse asked, deliberately avoiding his gaze.
Sirius gave him a double thumbs up. 'Go on, Prongse!'
'You should go, you know, you got her into this situation.' Remus says offhandedly.
'Oh! And don't let her grab your hand … you know Frank Longbottom? His wife broke three of his fingers while giving birth.' Peter advised.
James did a very rude gesture to his three best friends and ran out of the room, his high pitched voice echoing down the corridor.
'They'll be okay, right?' Peter asked, putting his newspaper down.
'Oh no,' Remus said, 'the birth bit is the easy part-'
'Dare you to tell Legs that, right now.'
'After this, they'll be constantly arguing over the little Potter, James will probably spend more nights at our places than in Godric's Hollow, they won't want to see us anymore because we'll be up to their eyeballs in nappies and baby robes.'
'Bu-'
'And,' Remus continued, 'they'll be sleepless nights at least for the next four years … if the baby isn't having a bad dream, needing the toilet or needing food it'll cry for what seems like no reason for hours on end or just purely demand attention.'
'James'll go mental,' Peter said, shaking his head.
'Oh no, I think they'll be fine,' Remus said.
'How so?'
'Well they looked after Sirius for those few months after school … it'd be much the same.'
Sirius was just about to jump on Remus when James came in through the door, a little bundle of blue blankets in his arms.
'Hey guys,' James whispered, not taking his eyes off the package in his arms, 'there's someone I want you to meet.'
'Remus … Remus?'
'Ah … ugh, what?' Remus spluttered, quickly pushing himself off the uncomfortable hospital chairs.
'Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you,' Harry smiled, shutting the door quietly behind him.
'How's Hermione?' Remus yawned, readjusting his reading glasses.
'They're cleaning her and the baby up,' Harry grinned sitting beside his adopted godfather, 'we can go in in a little bit.'
'We?' Remus said, his brow creased.
'Of course,' Harry said sincerely, 'we're the closest thing she's got to family … bar the Weasleys and things.'
'When is Molly coming?' Remus asked, looking around the empty waiting room.
'She's on her way, wants to see her granddaughter.'
'I can imagine.'
'I'm scared, Remus.' Harry said, after a long pause.
'Of the baby?'
'Everything … just raising Ron's kid. Because I will, I don't want to leave all to Hermione,' he sighed, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm, 'we're only nineteen, but I have enough money to support us both. I owe it to my best friend, my brother to look after his daughter and his love … and Molly will help with nappies and things. And you … er … only if you want to.'
'I'll do my best, Harry,' Remus said, but in all honesty, Remus wasn't sure he'd be around long enough to make that big an impact.
'Thank you,' Harry smiled.
After a little while, a nurse came and lead Remus and Harry into Hermione's room.
She was sitting on the hospital bed, her face flushed and curly hair sticking to her forehead.
'Hey guys,' she whispered. It was then Remus saw her outstretched arm, her hand resting in a little crib beside her bed.
'You okay?' Harry said, rushing to her side, grasping her hand in his. She kissed his cheek.
'I'm wonderful,' she said softly, looking back to the crib.
Remus approached the crib slowly, peering nervously in.
'Look Remus,' Hermione beamed, pushing her red hair behind her ear, her green eyes spilling tears down her cheeks, 'he looks like James doesn't he? He'll be such a handsome boy, my Harry.'
'Sorry?' Remus said, looking up at her. Brown hair. Brown eyes.
'I said she looks like her daddy,' Hermione sniffed, the smile never leaving her face, 'red hair … beautiful blue eyes.'
'I think baby girl will have your brown eyes, Hermione,' Harry pointed as the tiny newborn opened one eye quickly to peek around and shut it again.
'Oh Lily he has your eyes, thank God, or it'd just be a mini-James … how awful.'
'Did you say something?' Remus asked. Both Harry and Hermione looked blurred. Remus realised it was because he was crying.
'No, Remus.' There was incoherent whispering, and Harry kissed her forehead and disappeared.
'Remus?'
He looked up at her. It physically hurt him to tear his eyes away from her little one.
'I … I'm sorry.' He gulped, trying to smile.
'It's okay,' she said hoarsely, 'I know what's wrong.'
'How?' he choked, falling back into a chair that was placed near the crib.
'While I was pregnant Harry give me his dad's divination book,' she shrugged,' it gave me something to do while I was stuck in bed with the baby lying on my sciatic nerves.'
Hermione had had a troubled pregnancy, full of highs and lows. Especially in the last month or so, Hermione was in a lot of pain, and the baby often became distressed … or as Hermione described, attempted to hold a game of quidditch in her womb.
'I learnt about the Thread of Life … I'll admit I was a little sceptical at first but it is rather fascinating. The idea of the Fates … time lines, it's incredible. The wizarding world never fails to amaze me.'
'I thought you'd like it, what with your little escapades in third year,' he said, smiling though his tears.
'Well yes. I suppose it fascinated me too because of the little one … I'll have to give her a wizarding ceremony, with her own thread,' she bit her lip, 'I was hoping Harry would stand up with me as a parent … since … well … you know.'
Remus nodded, gazing back at the baby.
'Are you going to tell Harry who's time line you'll be giving her?' Remus asked after another long silence.
'No,' Hermione said, 'it would freak him out … he wouldn't be able to see past it. He wouldn't be able to see her as completely different person.'
Remus understood. He was finding difficulty with it himself.
The door opened again and Harry walked through, carrying two cups of tea, quickly pushing one into Remus's hand.
Moments later, Molly, Ginny, Fred and Bill ran into Hermione's room. A fresh rounds of hugs and tears were exchanged, and the baby was passed around like a present at a birthday party.
'Remus hold the baby girl- God, Hermione would you name my niece already.'
'Oh, I don't know … I really can't think of anything.'
'Ginny I'm … I'm not sure … I haven't held a newborn in years,' Remus spluttered as Ginny shifted the baby into his arms.
'Oh you'll be fine,' Ginny smiled encouragingly as she joined the small huddle around Hermione's bed.
Remus felt awkward, as he tried to get himself and the baby comfortable. She was angelically silent, as Remus swayed her slightly, trying to remember things he did with the newborn Harry to keep him silent.
Remus stared at her, the chatter in the room strangely muted in his ears. He suddenly felt very old, like a granddad … but he supposed in a way he was. Sort of.
'Hey,' he said softly, so no one could hear him, 'it's me, Remus.'
The baby girl yawned at him.
'Typical, James,' he said slyly, 'lazy sod, you won't be allowed to keep that up with Hermione as a mum I can tell you. You girl.'
'You okay, Remus?' Harry called from the bed.
'Yeah,' Remus said chuckling. Harry and Hermione grinned at each other.
'I have to go ,' he said quietly, 'but just so you know, Lily has already been born -in a very masculine form- to a couple in Ireland. She … or he'll be called Lir, so look out for her … or him. Until then, I have to go find Sirius … since I know you two have arrived safely, I need to find out where our other best friend is. I'm worried about him.'
Remus handed the baby back to Hermione, her hand touched his briefly. He smiled.
'Look after, Eva,' he said, winking.
She blinked. 'Eva?'
He was about to leave when Harry caught him and pulled him off to the side.
'Where are you going?' He said, his voice laden with concern.
'I'll be around,' he said.
'Will you be back?'
'Of course.'
Harry didn't know what to say, but somewhere in the back off his mind a little voice screamed the last time, the last time.
'Wh-where are you going?' Harry didn't know where the fresh batch of tears came from. He was just aware that his vision was blurry again and his cheeks were wet.
'Oh,' Remus said quickly, embracing Harry, 'I have to see a man about a dog.'
---
St. Patrick's House
July, 2043
Sometimes, Eva surprises herself with how much she's in love with Lir. When she turns over in the morning and sees him next to her, his red hair streaked with grey standing up in tuffs, his lips slightly parted, the morning stubble growing messily around his chin. Eva's breath hitches in her throat and she has to stare at him for a few seconds before she remembers everything.
Lir, my husband, my love, my best friend. Giver of my children and the best thing to ever happen to me.
.His eyes blink open and she forgets to breathe again, his gorgeous brown eyes look to her first and a sleepy grin tugs at his lips.
'Hey honey,' she says.
'Hi.' It's all Eva can say, because sometimes she's just speechless with how much she loves him.
'Happy twentieth wedding anniversary,' he grins, leaning over and capturing her lips.
'Oh shush I feel so old,' she blushes. She'd found a grey hair just yesterday in her own ginger-y locks. She wasn't impressed.
'But alive,' he yawns, stretching, 'wonderfully alive and still hopelessly in love.'
Eva smiles. 'I'm surprised, in all honestly, I didn't really think we'd get this far … not with who my parents are. Actually, we need to go see mum and dad today … they haven't seen their grandkids in ages. Mum gets stroppy with me if I don't bring them.'
'Okay,' Lir chuckles 'can't imagine why she'd want to see the little terrors though.'
Eva thumps him with a pillow. 'Watch it, mister. They're our little terrors.'
'Naw, but, you know what I mean. You mum dotes on our lot. Never gets fed up with them.'
'Well she likes them … she told me once they remind her of my real dad. Ron. She just likes to see him alive in them.'
Lir moves closer to her, wrapping his arms around her tummy.
'Can't we just stay in bed all day? Bar the windows? Lock the doors?' He pleads, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
'As tempting as that sounds, we don't have time, love.'
He kisses her neck, following a trail of freckles that leads down to her stomach.
A tiny moan escapes her throat and he chuckles. Evil man.
'Okay, well,' she says, her cheeks stained pink, 'I always have time for that.'
---
Harry and Hermione's House
July, 2043
'Pettigrew's dead.'
'About time,' Harry muttered, striding over to his wife a kissing her hair line. Her wonderful curly greying locks pulled back in a loose ponytail.
'Died in prison, hung himself actually,' Hermione sighed, 'I guess that's all the marauders gone.'
'They've all been gone for a long time … Remus died forty five years ago.' Harry said, scanning the newspaper article over Hermione's shoulder.
'Yeah but technically … I mean … they all were friends … at a time.'
'I suppose.'
'Where are the kids?' She asks, folding the newspaper up and placing it on the table.
'Out in the back garden with Lir … I don't have the energy anymore to keep up with them.'
'Oh Harry, you old man,' Hermione chuckled, wrapping her hands around a hot cup of tea.
Eva walked in. Not seeming to notice her parents, she strode over to the kitchen window and stared out at her husband, smiling contently to herself.
'Alright, Eva?' Harry asked, sharing an amused look with Hermione.
She sighed, ignoring her father and continuing to stare at her husband, who was throwing their fifteen month old son up and down into the air, pausing at stages to tickle him till his laughter was so loud it rang around the kitchen. 'I wonder what I did to disserve him,' she whispered after a little while, as she turned from the window and headed for the backdoor.
Hermione smiled into her mug of tea, the warm steam rising up and tickling her cheeks. 'You've no idea, my girl.'
But Eva had already gone.
---
Notes: I hope there's a few things that you can pick up on, like the repetition of scenes … such as, um, Godric giving Rowena the lily and James wanting to give Lily some. The James/Lily scene in their bedroom and the Eva/Lir scene. The ending linking in with the James/Remus scene near the beginning and the Godric/Rowena scene. If not, well, doesn't matter, just home I entertained you for a little while … and confused you only a little bit :D