Disclaimer: Not mine, it all belongs to J.K. Rowling. All of it, I tell you, all!
A/N: Here we go, the story’s really getting started now! Enjoy!
On the Road to Heaven
“Lily, LILY!”
Her head was pounding; someone was shouting, slapping at her face.
“Lily! C’mon wake up!”
She knew that voice…James! She jerked herself upright.
“James!” she cried, throwing herself at him, “Oh, he got you, and Harry! What’s happening to Harry? And where are we?”
Lily had only just taken in her surroundings. She was sitting on a paved road with green pastures with wildflowers bounding either side; a cloudless blue sky was overhead, as the sun shone down on the road which seemed to go on forever.
“Well,” said James matter of factly, “we appear to be on some type of roadway to heaven, seeing as we’re dead.”
“But what about Harry?” asked Lily as she began to cry, “Did Voldemort torture him? He’s only a baby! Oh, James, he’ll never know us! I’ll never see him walk or run or even play stupid Quidditch!” She went silent for a moment. “The last thing I heard was him cry out,” she whispered.
“I know,” said James, hugging her quietly, “But Harry is alive, he made it through somehow, and you know what, you will watch him grow up. I’ve figured out a way.”
At this, he leaned back, placed his hand on top of the grass, concentrated for a moment, and said, “Fenestra.”
Immediately a large rectangular window appeared on the ground.
“James, how did you…”
“I always was good at wandless magic, wasn’t I?” James said pompously.
Lily managed a weak smile.
“Yes, but anyway, I figured this out as soon as I got here, and as you…”
Lily cut him off. “Did you see stuff in your head on your way here?”
“Yes, I now officially have seen my life flash before my eyes. Not the most pleasant of experiences.”
They both sat quietly for a moment, staring blankly at the empty window.
“So, how does this work?” Lily asked.
“Ah, simply say the name of whomever you want to watch, rather like those mirrors Sirius and I had…man, he is going to be beating himself up for switching with Pettigrew. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before,” said James.
“No, it’s not his fault, we agreed with him. Anyway, Harry Potter,” she said suddenly, and an image of Harry’s bedroom swam into view. There was Harry, either sleeping or unconscious in his crib which was partially covered by a pile of rubble.
“Oh, he’s alive! but someone needs to get him out of there! Why isn’t anyone there yet?!” She jumped up off the ground and began pacing like caged animal.
“Lily we were attacked hardly ten minutes ago. It’ll take some time for--”
“We don’t have time! Look at those bricks on top of his crib! Half of a bedroom wall is on top of my baby. A piece of rubble could fall on top of him and crush him! And--”
“There’s nothing you can do Lily! It’s okay! Dumbledore will probably already have someone on the way--”
“It’s not okay! Harry is lying there helpless and defenseless and--”
She stopped short as she suddenly noticed Hagrid step into Harry’s room.
“Oh thank God it’s Hagrid.”
James and Lily watched as Hagrid carefully lifted the rubble off of the crib, and very tenderly for a man of his size, lifted Harry from his crib. From somewhere just beyond the borders of the window Lily and James heard footsteps, and Hagrid must have as well, for he suddenly grew tense and made the hand that wasn’t cradling Harry into and enormous fist.
“Oh no, not a Death Eater…” Lily murmured.
An ashen faced Sirius rushed into the room.
“It’s true…” he breathed as he gazed at Lily’s unmarked body, which a very weird experience for Lily. Sirius slammed his fist into the wall, causing dust to fly into the air.
“Damn that bloody…”
“Shush, ye don’ wan’ te wake Harry now,” said Hagrid.
“Give Harry to me, Hagrid, I’m his godfather. I’ll look after him.”*
“Nope, sorry, Dumbledore’s ordered he go ‘n live with Lily’s sister Petunia.”
“What?!" Lily interjected, “Harry live with her?”
“Shh!” said James, intent upon the window.
Hagrid and Harry were now on their way to St. Mungo’s atop Sirius’s flying motorcycle.
“What is Hagrid thinking carrying Harry on a flying motorcycle? With NO seatbelts!”
“What’s a seatbelt? Sounds interesting,” asked James.
Lily rolled her eyes. “Well at least he’ll get medical attention, and I can think of another one of us who needs it,” she muttered with a significant glance at James who chuckled.
They arrived at St. Mungo’s at last where the Healers promptly began running test after test.
Lily soon became exasperated as Harry underwent his tenth test. “Look at them! Treating him like he’s some sort of experiment! What do they think he is?! And look at his poor forehead. He’ll always have that scar…”
“It’s alright, guys don’t care about their looks my Tiger-Lily,” said James. “Look, they’re being released right now, and they’re on their way to your dear sister’s house.”
“Oh, that’s so comforting.”
Hagrid and Harry soon joined Professors Dumbledore and McGongall who left Harry with a letter on the doorstep.
“What can Dumbledore be thinking leaving--”
It was James's turn to cut her off. “I think that’s becoming your new favorite phrase.”
Lily continued in a louder voice. “Leaving him outside on the doorstep, any dark wizard could just stroll right on up and have a go at our son!”
“Lily, be reasonable, knowing Dumbledore, he’ll have made really strong wards and created some kind of protection. Now I propose we stop this viewing session-Nox-and start up this road for a bit as that is obviously what we are supposed to be doing.”
“Alright,” Lily agreed with a sigh.
James gave her a hand to pull her up and unexpectedly pulled her to him and pressed his lips over hers. They broke apart after a few moments.
“You are the most beautiful, wonderful wife and mother,” James said intensly, pulling her chin upwards to look into her eyes.
“No,” Lily murmmered, looking away, “I left my baby to the hands of someone who will probably hate him as much as she hated me.”
“Hey now, you’re the reason he lived Lil, didn’t you listen to Dumbledore? You gave your life up for him, you love him so much, you can’t bear to watch him live without you.”
“And you, too.”
“Yes,” James sighed, “Well, onward down the road, shall we?” he said, holding out his arm.
“I’d only want to walk here with you.”
They walked along silently for a while until they suddenly reached a fork in the road.
To one side, the road continued far away and over a hill; to the other, it continued for only a few more feet, leading to a rather odd contraption.
An intriguing raised dais with a cracked archway that had a tattered black veil hanging from it, blowing slightly as if there was a breeze.
*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Chapter 10, page 206 (US edition)
A/N: Mwahahaha! Quasi-cliffie for ya there! I added the part about St. Mungo’s because for those of you who read the Ultimate Unofficial Guide to the Mysteries of Harry Potter, Waters wonders what Harry did for all those hours between the night his parents were murdered and the next night in which he arrived at his aunt’s house. This is my theory as to where he was, to me it makes sense, wouldn’t they want to make sure it didn’t affect him mentally and physically and all? Anybody noticed my use of “Fenestra” was Latin for window? I take Latin, and that’s where a bunch of J.K.’s spells come from. How’d you like Lily’s little overprotective mother spell? Ooc or no? I don’t really think so, I mean, if you were in her position, wouldn’t you feel the same?
Oh well, till next time! Ciao! Don’t forget to review now!