Reunions and Remembrances
“Mum? Dad?”
The two elderly, yet still spry, figures slowly turned towards Lily and James. They were far enough away that their faces were not entirely distinguishable, but as each set of eyes locked onto the other, they each knew the truth.
“It is you!” cried Lily.
“Lily flower!” yelled her mother incoherently.
James stood back a bit and smiled as the three ran towards each other. Lily’s parents had been killed a little more than a year ago in a surprise attack from Voldemort himself and his Death Eaters…
FLASHBACK
Lily and James Potter were laughing while walking up the walk to a pretty white house out off of a country road. It was a perfect summer evening: there was a gorgeous sunset, birds flew cheerfully through the air, trilling contentedly, and not a cloud in sight. The perfect night for a young couple recently returned from their honeymoon. They put their arms around each other’s waists as they walked up the porch steps, past the wicker rocking chairs, and up to the door.
“Well, ring the doorbell why don’t you?” said Lily.
“And what, my dear, is a doorbell?” asked James innocently.
Lily shook her head. “It’s a button that makes a ringing sound inside the house when it is pressed so that the people inside know that someone is outside.”
“Ah, why don’t you demonstrate for me?”
Lily put out her hand and made as if to press the doorbell, but then suddenly changed course and poked James in the belly button.
“Aaaah!...Lily…stop!” James gasped between laughs, but she just laughed and continued to poke him.
“Curse the day I told her I was ticklish,” thought James, doubled over and laughing.
A light on the porch flicked on, the door opened and the round, jolly face of Sam Evans, proud father of Lily, appeared.
“The newlyweds arrive! Acting like third years I might add. Do I dare ask what you were doing?”
“Making me, or more precisely my belly bu”er, ahem, navel into a doorbell, sir,” said James, wiping his watering eyes.
The corners of Sam’s mouth twitched.
“Well, c’mon in, Rose has got a whopper of a meal cooked up for the two of you.”
They all walked inside into a spacious foyer and through a hallway that lead to the kitchen.
“Is that my Lily flower?” called a voice through the swinging door of the kitchen. Rose Evans walked through the door, drying her hands on her apron. She was a short woman, even Lily towered over her, with deep auburn hair and the same beautiful green eyes that she passed onto her daughter.
“Oh, you’re home!” she cried, going to Lily and James and hugging them. “And look at the two of you! So tan! Well actually, Lily, you look quite freckly, redhead that you are! Come and sit down! I’ve just finished up all the dinner preparations.” And with that, she led them into the dining room.
“Wow Mom,” gaped Lily, “you didn’t have to do all this just for us.”
For there spread across the dining room table was a grand feast of salad, stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes, fresh greens, and freshly baked rolls.
“And there’s lemon icebox pie for dessert,” said Rose fondly. “I know that is yours and James’s favorite.”
They sat down to their wonderful candlelit dinner and a lively conversation about the many places Lily and James had gone during their honeymoon.
“So handy, that apparition thing. It would have cost you a fortune and wasted a lot of time if you had used an airplane to go to all those place. Too bad we can’t do it ourselves, eh Sam? I know it’ll cost a pretty penny to buy the gas needed to drive all the way out to Lily and James’s new home,” she teased.
Lily flushed, “I’m sorry Mom, we…”
“Oh, dear, you know your mother was just teasing,” said Sam.
“No, really,” said James. “Here, I’ll make you a portkey.” He took out his wand with a flair and transformed the vase of roses in front of him into a portkey. “There,” he said. “It’ll take only you two to our hose whenever you touch it together.”
“Thank you dearie, it’s nice to know you married a gentleman Lily, too bad your sister didn’t,” she said the last part under her breath, but Lily heard it anyway.
Lily stood up abruptly at the mention of her sister and started pacing around the kitchen.
“I’m so sorry she didn’t come to your wedding, Lily,” said Sam quietly.
“We…we tried to convince her to come this evening, without Vernon of course, we know that things get ugly when he’s around you, but she…refused quite…firmly to say the least.”
“She acts like she’d rather go live in Antarctica and eat raw fish for the rest of her life rather than come see her own sister who hasn’t done anything to her,” said Lily bitterly. She always did feel hurt that Petunia totally avoided her. She sighed. “It’s just that I hate the fact that she hates me.”
She wandered over to an open window, hoping that looking out over the peaceful country would soothe her ruffled feelings; she really didn’t want to ruin their visit. Unfortunately, any chance of having the night not be ruined had already been quashed. For outside, there was a swish of a cloak, a cackle of laughter, and a blast of green light. Lily stared, horrified and open-mouthed, as the Dark Mark rose over her house.
She whipped away from the window. “Mum, Dad, listen,” she whispered urgently, “There are Death Eaters here, they’ll be up here at any moment. They don’t want you, it’s James and I they want, go, take the portkey to our house, we’ll meet you there when we’re…
“That won’t be happening,” drawled a sneering voice under a Death Eater’s mask, but that voice could only belong to Lucius Malfoy. “Accio portkey!”
The vase of flowers flew to Malfoy, who was not quite expecting the portkey to be a vase, and he barely caught it.
“How sentimental,” he said, eyeing the vase with great distaste. “ Pity you won’t be able to put this to use, you filthy muggles.” He made to conjure up ropes to bind the Evans, but James who was standing next to Sam and Rose was too quick for him.
“Protegro!”
“Leave them alone, they don’t hurt you and your debased leader,” seethed Lily.
James muttered to Lily, “Let me handle them, you get your parents out of here,”
“No, it’s more like they exist if you know what I mean, Potter,” snarled the masked figure next to Malfoy.
“Reverting to fifth year tactics, are you Snape?”
Lily started edging towards her parents, unnoticed by Malfoy or Snape who were now waging a furious duel against James; James was faring well though-all those fights in school certainly paid off.
But someone else noticed her. “And where do you think you’re going miss? Impedimenta!” said a slow dull voice that attempted to sound menacing.
Lily easily deflected his hex. “Honestly, Goyle, you might try a voice disguising charm. Silencio! Petrificus Totalus!”
Goyle immediately shut up and fell down on the ground. Lily bent over and rapped him sharply on the head, casting a Disillusionment charm. Then she banished him into the closet.
She wiped her hands. “That takes care of him.” She hurried over to her parents where they lay bound and gagged, Snape or Malfoy obviously having gotten to them while James wasn’t looking and while she had dueled, oh so briefly, with Goyle.
“It’s alright, don’t worry,” she said to her parents. They shook their heads frantically and stared behind her head, their eyes wide with fright.
Lily slowly turned around. “Wha…” A huge fist was on its way to her head, she dived out of the way only just in time.
“Of course,” she thought, “wherever there’s Goyle, there’s Crabbe.”
“Stupefy!” she cried and banished Crabbe to the closet as well.
“Come here,” she said to her parents. She quickly cut their bonds and took out their gags. Then she cast a disillusionment charm on the three of them. “Let’s get out of here.”
They edged around Malfoy, Snape, and James who were using everything possible to gain an advantage over the other; it was a fairly even match considering it was two on one. All three of them were holding pots which they were using to deflect spells back at each other, Knives had been bewitched to fly at their opponents.
Lily watched as though in slow motion as Malfoy directed a knife towards James who was busy with Snape. She whipped out her wand. “Impedimenta!” she whispered.
The knife halted in midair, inches from James’s face. He turned, saw it, grabbed it and flung it back at Snape, successfully pinning him to the wall through his cloak. Lily breathed a sigh of relief and ushered her parents through the kitchen’s swinging door.
“Oh dear God,” she thought.
No less than ten more death eaters were standing there, blocking escape.
“You can’t hide, we know you’re in here, missy.”
“Yeah, we can smell your dirty blood,” jeered another.
“No choice but to go back into the kitchen,” she thought.
She grabbed her parents by their elbows, but they couldn’t move for fright.
“Enough of this hide and seek game, let’s get them,” snarled one of the Death Eaters. “Accio Mudblood! Accio Mudblood’s parents! Accio!”
Lily and her parents found themselves flying across the room.
“Ah, there you are my pretty,” said the Death Eater who caught her, rapping her on the head to get rid of her Disillusionment charm.
Lily pushed out of his grip. “Expelliarmus!”
His wand flew into her outstretched hand. “Stupefy! Stupefy!” she cried, taking down two more Death Eaters.
“You can’t beat us, you fool, silly mudblood that you are. You stand against us alone…”
“Excuse me,” came a voice behind the Death Eater. It was Sam. “I believe you’ve forgotten one thing.” Here, he sent a spectacular punch into the Death Eater’s face who crumpled to the ground. “She’s not alone, because I’m still here.”
“Dad, don’t…”
“Crucio!”
Lily watched in horror as her father twitched and screamed on the ground. “Stupefy!” she cried. The curse was broken, and Sam lay moaning on the ground. Suddenly, there was a stupendous crash as James ran into the room, pot still in hand.
“Oh, shit.”
Seven stunning spells from the remaining Death Eaters came flying his way. He quickly rebounded them all back to their originators with his pot, and they all crumpled to the floor.
“Useful things these pots are,” he said.
Lily could only smile weakly at him as she tended to her father. “You alright Dad?”
“Yes, Lily,” he said, though his breathing came in short gasps, “I’ll be fine.”
“I’m so sorry, this is all our fault…”
James pulled her into a hug. “Shhh…Lily, don’t cry…”
BANG!
“Now isn’t this the perfect picture.” said a high cold voice.
Everyone turned and froze, James still hugging Lily, Rose bending over Sam on the floor behind them. Lord Voldemort.
“I tire of my Death Eater’s incompetence, fifteen of them cannot overtake two worthless old muggles, a mudblood, and a blood traitor. I suppose I’ll have to do it myself. AVADA KEDAVRA!” he cried.
James and Lily dived out of the way.
“NOOOOO!” screamed Lily.
“Lily, apparate, NOW!” yelled James.
With one last look at the lifeless bodies of her parents, Lily and James disappeared with a pop.
END FLASHBACK
“James? James? Hello? Have you been listening?” Lily was waving a hand in front of his face.
“Huh, what?”
“Look, it’s my parents, you’re like off in Quidditch land,”
“Oh, sorry, hello Rose, Sam, I was just remembering the…the last time we saw you…”
“And you on no account were responsible as Lily here seems to think,” said Rose firmly, coming up to James to give him a hug. “It’s wonderful too see you two, well, I’d rather not see you here but, still. Of course, we’ve been watching everyone-“
“Wait, how were you able to if you can’t do magic?”
“Ah, Lily told me all about your clever way of doing it, and ‘the choice,’ I never knew muggles couldn’t come back as ghosts…anyway, when we came, we were issued a sort of two way mirror. You say the name of the person you want to see and they appear in your mirror.”
“Oh, those are most excellent, my best mate Sirius and I had a pair back at Hogwarts,” said James enthusiastically.
“Yes, well, we best be off,” said Sam.
“Where? You’re not going to get there any faster than we are,” teased Lily.
“Actually,” explained Rose, “we simply use our mirror to get to heaven, and we were going to go straight there rather than walk it, but then I said I wanted to use the mirror to check on you one last time before we went. And then we saw the attack on your house on Halloween, and I watched while you stood up to Voldemort…”
“Did everyone have to watch me then? James did, now you, it’s kinda creepy,” said Lily.
“Well, we decided to wait for you so we could see you in person before we went on,” said Sam.
“Hang on, you died over a year ago, how is it that you’re not farther down the road by now?” asked Lily.
“Well, time works different here than down on earth honey, do you know how long eternity would be if it went by days? I have absolutely no idea how many ‘days’ it has been that we were here,” said Rose gently.
“Alright, well then, I guess this is goodbye until you two young’uns get there yourselves,” said Sam, shaking James’s hand and giving Lily a hug.
“Watch over my grandson for me,” said Rose, pecking Lily on the cheek.
“Don’t worry, she will, Rose,” said James. Lily narrowed her eyes at him.
Rose laughed, then she stepped over to Sam and tightly grasped the large white mirror with him. Together, they said, “We’re in heaven.” A last smile, and then they were gone.
A/N2: Well there you have it, Chapter 5. I must say I had a LOT of fun writing this chapter. I loved creating Lily’s parents. My first “battle scene” too, although we don’t see most of the action. Anyway, til next time! Ciao!
Btw, disclaimer = “Not mine, but this way of writing was in J.K.’s first book!” Sorry, it’s really late over here and I’m delirious. What can I say?
Moments of His Life by LilMissGranger
Chapter Notes: Remialcsid: ton enim, tub siht yaw fo gnitirw saw ni s’.K.J tsrif koob!!!
A/N: Hello all. Again, a long wait, and I’m sorry! However this chapter is nice and long, and I personally really enjoyed writing it, so go have fun reading it!