“They really seemed to love each other,” Ginny murmured after the last memory. She willed the tears forming at the corners of her eyes to not fall.
“You have no idea,” Remus replied, and Ginny looked up, surprised. She had not meant for him to hear that. “James loved Lily a great deal. She and Harry were everything to him. That’s what made his... death most painful for me. The fact that, if given the chance, he would’ve made a wonderful friend to many others, and probably an even better father to Harry and his future children.” Remus ran his hand along the rim of the Pensieve, his eyes fixed on a spot near the middle of it. “James always wanted to have a big family. He loved children.”
Ginny walked over to the shelf of memories. She ran her finger over each title on the bottle, looking for the one she wanted. She made a warm throaty sound of pleasure and snatched the bottle she was apparently looking for. “Here,” she stated triumphantly. “The memory of Harry’s birth.”
Ron looked uncomfortable. “Do we really have to watch it?”
Remus smiled. “Never fear, Ron. It doesn’t show anything horrible. Besides, no one but James was in the birth room with Lily.
Ron’s face showed that he was relieved.
Hermione finally spoke up, being quiet for an unusually long time for her. “Let’s see it, then.” Her face had a grim expression on it.
Ginny nodded and poured the silver memory into the basin. They all held hands and dunked their faces in, in unison.
They landed on the cold, surgical floor of St. Mungo’s. It was obviously some sort of birthing ward, because of the nervous aura of the room and the distant calls of newborns. Hermione, Ron, and Ginny all spotted Sirius, Remus, and Peter in the corner. Sirius was sprawled calmly over two of the waiting chairs, Remus tapped his fingers on his knee, and Peter nervously chewed his fingernails.
Did he know he was going to betray them when this is taking place? Hermione asked herself. Did he know he was going to be the cause of their murder and the right hand man of the most cold-blooded person in history? She felt a large hand clasped on her shoulder and looked up to see Ron, his eyes sad and angry. He must be thinking the same thing, she mused and placed a reassuring hand on his.
A door slammed open behind them, and a disgruntled James Potter staggered out. “Prongs...?” Sirius looked over his friend nervously. “Is everything okay? Is Lily fine?”
James nodded. “I-I had a s-son.” He looked amazed and a bit surprised at the words that came out of his mouth. “I-I’m a f-f-father.”
Memory Remus smiled wryly. “I think Prongs is in complete and total shock.” Sirius snorted and Peter chuckled cautiously. Remus patted his friend on the back. “It’ll be okay, mate.”
“You’ll be a good daddy, James,” Peter piped in.
“Damn right he will,” Sirius growled, and Peter seemed to slink back into his seat. James stilled looked shocked, and he sat there stiffly, his hair unusually droopy and less stuck out.
“You want to see him?” James finally asked, looking up at his friends. “He looks just like me.” His voice was proud.
“‘Course we do,” Sirius stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “And ‘course he does. Don’t know what we’ll do with another Prongs running around, though.”
“You actually sound like you’re only half-joking,” Remus pointed out with a laugh. Peter joined in, and even James half-heartedly smiled.
James jumped off his chair. “Come now. You have to meet my son.” He led the way and Sirius, Peter, Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and both Remuses followed. He stopped in a small room, with two Healers chatting in the corner. They stopped as they saw James come in with his three friends.
“Sir,” one of the Healers said. “Only family members can be in here.” Reading his name tag, Ginny saw his name was Healer Bridge.
“They are family,” croaked a small voice from the middle of the room, on the large medical bed that took up a good part of the room. “They’re his brothers.”
Healer Bridge eyed them suspiciously. “No, really. Don’t you see the resemblance?” insisted Sirius. He gestured toward his friends, who tried their best to look like each other.
“I don’t think they’re lying,” the much younger Healer said, leering at Sirius.
“Humph. Fine. But only for several minutes,” hissed Bridge, then he stormed out of the room. The younger Healer made a point to brush against Sirius when she crossed the room.
“I always knew I liked you,” Remus said appreciatively to Lily, who was sprawled in the large bed and looking too comfortable. Peter nodded, looking at the bundle she held tightly to her breast.
The four mates went to stand around the bed in a semi-circle, all of them staring at Lily’s bundle. She carefully removed the blanket slightly covering his face and memory Remus, Sirius, and Peter all gaped at him. “He’s... so... small,” Peter gasped.
“He looks like James,” Sirius pointed out with approval.
“But he has Lily’s eyes,” Remus stated.
“Fortunate for him, I’d rather have Lily’s eyes that James’ any day,” Sirius drawled, and James kicked him.
Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and older Remus edged forward to look at baby Harry. He did indeed look just like James, even in infancy. His head was blanketed with a thick layer of black hair, sticking up on all ends. Against the laws of genetics his eyes were a brilliant green, exactly as his mother’s.
“What’s his name?” Sirius asked.
“James Junior,” James hurriedly said, and Lily glared at him.
“Really, James!” she exclaimed. “It’s enough that he looks like you. He doesn’t have to have your name, either. I want to name him after my great-grandfather: Pappy Harry.”
Sirius snorted. “Well he certainly is hairy,” he chuckled, running a smooth hand through the baby’s thick black curls.
James rolled his eyes. “Fair enough, but I’ll still call him Junior.”
Lily laughed. “He can have your name as his middle, but you shouldn’t already fix your son’s destiny.” He kissed Harry’s head. “This one has great future ahead of him.”
“How can you tell?” asked Peter.
Lily smiled warmly at him. “Mother’s instinct.”
Ron, Hermione, and Ginny felt a familiar tug, then they were yanked away from the birth room. “Harry was a cute baby,” Ginny mused once they landed back in Remus’ bedroom.
“Mmhmm,” Remus agreed. He scanned the shelf quickly. “There’s a memory here I haven’t seen. Sirius donated it, and he didn’t want me to see it. I’ve been curious ever since...” His voice faded off.
“I want to see it,” Ginny insisted, and Ron and Hermione nodded along. “It’s not like he’d mind now, is it?”
Remus winced at her words. He got right away her hidden meaning: ‘He’s dead now, he can’t stop us.’
He poured the memory into the Pensieve casually, like he had done it a million times before and wasn’t surprised at the billowing silver smoke that drafted out of it. Once again, they all held hands and formed a circle around the basin before dunking their heads in.
Ginny uttered a soft scream at the sight before them.
A house lay crumbled at their feet. The brightness of orange and red flames could be seen in the distance, and smoke surrounded them, even though Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Remus couldn’t feel it. It wasn’t silver and enchanting like the smoke from the Pensive; it was dark gray and held the feeling of doom and sadness in the air. They all looked up at the starless sky. Green clouds topped the destruction. It was a dark, evil green, like the Dark Mark, although a snake couldn’t be seen anywhere.
“Is this...?” Hermione breathed.
“Yes, it is,” Remus replied, confirming her worst fears. “This is Godric’s Hollow, the night Lily and James died.” He surveyed their surroundings remorsefully.
Ron bit his lip. The crumbled house and green glow above their heads reminded him painfully of the Quidditch World Cup. He suddenly looked around wildly, expecting there to be the haunted masks of Death Eaters, but he could see none.
Ginny covered her mouth with her hand and balled her remaining hand into a fist, wincing from the pain of her nails digging into her palm. “Voldemort did all of... this?” she whispered between the spaces of her fingers. Remus nodded in response. No words were needed.
A loud, sudden roar could be heard above them. Passing through the green clouds, a motorcycle could be seen flying through the air. It sailed down to the ground, where it landed next to the quartet.
A pale, horrified Sirius Black stepped off. “No...” he whispered, horrified. If even possible, his face paled even more. “NO!” he screamed, hurriedly looking around.
“James? Lily?” he called, taking a step farther into the dark abyss. “Prongs? ANYONE?” He tripped and fell as he ran through the debris, ripping planks and wooden boards off the ground, looking for any signs that his friends were still alive.
He finally ripped up a large wooden board and let out a deafening cry. He tossed the plank aside, and it went soaring through the air. Sirius pulled out something that Ginny, Ron, and Hermione couldn’t see. They stepped closer toward Sirius, who collapsed on the ground and was letting out heart-wrenching sobs.
Hermione let out a gasp; Ginny sobbed dryly; Ron felt the heat rush out of his body, for the precious item Sirius held tightly to his chest was Lily’s body.
They all felt as if they were witnessing something forbidden“ Sirius wasn’t supposed to be this way: vulnerable, sad, angry. As they looked closer they saw Lily’s emerald eyes clouded over, and her once shiny hair was limp and mangled.
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Sirius laid Lily down carefully. Her shirt was wet from his tears. “Lils...” he choked out before finally standing up.
“James!” Sirius called out again. “Potter, answer me! This isn’t funny anymore!” He stumbled around, throwing aside the rubbish that littered the lot.
Remus finally joined the young adults from where they stood watching their friend run around. Remus let out a sigh and pointed to the sofa, the only thing left standing. “That’s where his body was found,” he said, his voice strangled. “Behind the sofa.”
They followed Sirius with there eyes. “No, don’t...” Hermione called out as Sirius approached the same flowery couch Remus had just pointed out.
An angry, horrified scream filled the air. “Prongs! James!” Sirius cried madly and he yanked James’ body out from its hiding place. He shook the body fiercely. “Mate, wake up... Mate. Prongs! JAMES POTTER, WAKE UP!”
Sirius fell to the ground, taking the body of his best friend with him. “How could he do this to you? I“ no, we trusted him to protect you! The lying, scheming rat!” he sobbed. “Don’t worry, Prongsie. I’ll find him. I’ll avenge you, never fear.” He laid James’ body back on the ground.
“The dynamic duo is no more,” Sirius and Remus whispered in unison.
Off in the night sky, a baby’s cry could be heard. “Harry?” Sirius asked himself. He cautiously placed James’ body back on the ground and ran to the back of the house. From the rubble he pulled out a small bundle wrapped up in a soft blue blanket. “Harry, you’re alive!” Sirius said joyfully. “A little cut up, but alive.”
Ginny, Remus, Ron, and Hermione peered closer and saw a small, lightning-shaped scar on Harry’s forehead. It was dripping blood that covered his face. Sirius wiped the red mess away. “You’re gonna be all right, boy. You’re with me now,” Sirius assured the baby Harry, tears still running down his eyes.
“Sorry, Black. I need ta take ‘im,” boomed a voice behind the whole group, and all six of them spun around to see Hagrid. His beard was sparkly from his own salty tears, and he looked around at what was once a house sadly. “James and Lily,” he groaned. “Anyone but them.” He reached out to grab Harry from his godfather, but Sirius pulled away.
“I’m his godfather, Hagrid. He’s my responsibility.”
“I have ta, Sirius,” Hagrid said. “Lil’ Harry is ta go live with Lil’s family.”
“Petunia?” Sirius choked out, astonished. “But-but she’s a Muggle, Hagrid. A magic-hater. Harry will be miserable.”
Hagrid nodded. “I know, Black. But it’s Dumbledore’s orders.” At the mention of the wise old wizard, Sirius reluctantly handed the child to Hagrid. Harry immediately started bawling.
“C’mon, lil’ guy,” Hagrid cooed. “It’s a long walk from her’ to yer new house.” He started to leave, but Sirius placed a hand on his elbow, the farthest up part he could reach.
“Here, Hagrid,” he muttered, tossing the giant a pair of keys. “Take my bike, it won’t take as long.”
“Ya sure, Sirius?”
“Mmhmm” was Sirius’ response. “I have things I need to do.”
“Like wha’?” the giant asked, eyeing Sirius. “I know you, Black. Yer up ta no good.”
“My brother died tonight, Hagrid. I need my revenge.”
And with that, Sirius turned his back on the ruined house and marched purposely down the street, his usually bright gray eyes alight with something dangerous.
Ron, Ginny, and Hermione felt Remus’ hand on their shoulders, and they were ripped away from the memory.
There was only silence as they sat in Remus’ bedroom.
Ginny broke it with a strangled sob. “A-all I c-c-could see when I saw L-Lily’s green eyes was H-H-Harry, d-dead like his m-mum.” She leaned into Ron’s shoulder, and he hugged her close.
“It was horrible when I first found out what happened to Lily and James. My best friends were dead. James was my first friend at Hogwarts, where I believed I’d never have any with my... condition. Then afterward to find out what Sirius, my second friend, was accused of, murdering all those people. At that time I believed it was he who betrayed the Potters.” He sighed. “I should’ve known. Only Peter would risk his friends’ lives to save his own.”
A knock could be heard at the door. “Um, hello?” said a curious voice, and Harry stepped in the room. Ginny’s sobs restarted. “Ginny...?” Harry made his way across the room, but Remus stuck out his arm to stop him.
Hermione stood up and walked out of the room. Ron followed after her, his arm protectively around his sister. The door snapped shut.
“Harry, there’s something I want to show you...” Remus pointed at the Pensieve.
AN~ Wow! The last chapter for this fic, and also the only chapter I ever wrote and cried at the same time. The scene with Sirius finding James’ body was the first thing I ever pictured for a memory in this, and that scene is what propelled me to write the fic.
I have an epilogue which I wrote shortly after I wrote the second chapter. It’s already beta’d and as soon as this chapter is up, I’m can post the epilogue, so you don’t have to wait for an update.
Many thanks to my beta, Danielle!