MAROON

LXIV. The War: The Cave

July 15, 1973

JAMES FLEAMONT POTTER

"Mum, can I please just go inside? It's like a desert out here," he complained. His thirteen year old self, who had the attention span of carrot, and the heat combined just led to complaining.

Euphemia Potter shook her head at him. "No, my love. You need to know how to do CPR."

"Can't we do it on a cooler day? It's a summer day in the middle of July."

She brought a hand up to cup his cheek. "You never know what the temperature will be when you are saving someone's life."

He let out a noise of frustration because his thirteen year old self didn't understand how important learning this was, not like eighteen year old him did. "Mum, I'm not going to have to save someone's life! This is pointless."

"That is what I told my mother when she insisted on teaching me. Flash forward four years later and I was saving someone's life because she had taught me how to."

That peaked his interested. "Who did you save?"

She gave him a small smile. "I will tell you all about it as long as you let me teach you first."

He gave her a smile. "Deal."

So, she taught him and he listened to, did, and memorized everything she told him. When she was done teaching him, he spoke, "Can you tell me who you saved now?"

"Orion Black," she answered.

"Orion Black? Like Sirius and Regulus's father?" She gave him a small nod. "When?"

"It was in our sixth year at Hogwarts. Orion, Alphard, and I were on the docks at the lake. Orion and I were potions partners and we were working on our project there. Alphard had come along to annoy his cousin. He kept teasing Orion and eventually the two of them started chasing each other around. I warned them not to but... they didn't listen. Orion he.... he slipped and fell into the water."

"What happened after that?"

"He apparently didn't know how to swim. Alphard and I both jumped into the water. It took us both to get him out of the water. By the time we got him back on the dock, water had already filled his lungs and he was passed out. In that moment I was so grateful my mother had taught me how to perform CPR properly. Orion told me he owed me his life."

James couldn't help the laugh that fell out of his mouth. Orion Black who abused his two sons. "He certainly has an interesting way of repaying debts."

His mother joined his laughter and they just stood there laughing in their garden.

⭑ ⭑ ⭑

August 31, 1978

James walked up the trail to the Lovegood house with Remus and Kian at his side. "How did Lily take the news?" He asked Kian.

Kian shrugged. "She's nervous rightfully so. She just wants me to come back safely. I think a part of her is just scared I will do something stupid and get myself killed so I can be with Aidan."

"You won't right?" James asked.

Kian gave him an unimpressed look. "Really?"