All in the Family

Chapter 94: The Parting of the Ways

Peter had a strange look on his face as he watched him leave, before looking back at the two of them with an expectant look on their face.

Neither could honestly think of anything to say, and so weren't surprised, but a bit hurt when he went off and found Regulus standing by himself near a telephone box in the middle of the atrium.

"He really does do that a lot, doesn't he?" He asked Sirius absently, still watching James.

"Go have a chat with that effing brat instead of us lately, yeah," Sirius said in mild disgust, watching the two. He had half a mind to go over there and drag Peter back over here, even though he still couldn't think of anything to say. Five years with him as one of his best friends, and he was drawing an utter blank!

"Huh?" Remus looked at him in surprise. "No, I meant James interrupts Peter a lot."

Sirius looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

"Alright Evans?" James asked in honest concern as he sat himself down cross-legged several feet away from her. He was honestly worried, he'd never seen her so vulnerable for so long, it wasn't natural of her usual stoicness towards him.

"No," she surprised him by answering in an even voice, eyes on Frank and Alice.

"Anything I can do to help?" He offered instantly, though winced a bit as he couldn't even help his friends lately get back on even ground. He was starting to forget what that had even felt like.

She looked at him then, her large green eyes still red rimmed. It was utterly heartbreaking, he found his hand trying to come up and brush at her cheek despite the fact he was too far away to do such a thing and she'd curse his hand off if he dared. It was the face he kept seeing in his mind as Harry watched Sirius relive his death-advice.

"Sure Potter," her voice was still too even, unnatural. He wished for the ire back, the scorn tone was something he knew how to react to. "Stop fooling yourself."

He couldn't have stopped a smile lighting his face if he wanted to. "Sorry Evans, no stopping that. Anything else though? Back massage? Little life-saving perile? I've gotten out of a few scraps in my time, it's nice to know we team up and get Harry out of one-"

She hiccuped, her facade melted back into tears, but she still didn't turn away as she watched him.

His chest was starting to hurt, he really didn't know what to do now. He'd never been given the chance to comfort her, though he'd imagined it a million different times when she finally admitted she'd never be friends with Snape again and ran to his arms. This, he didn't know what this was. He found himself scooting closer on his butt, he probably looked ridiculous, but he didn't want to actually get up and run to her, like a startled animal who would dart off. "Lily," he so rarely used her given name, much preferring to keep her attention in a way nobody else did.

He was close enough to touch her now, and she wasn't telling him to go away. She wasn't leaning towards him either. She just seemed in stasis, unsure what to do with herself, and that wasn't the Lily Evans he knew at all. It clicked then, an understanding he'd merely brushed off. "Are you listening to the same thing I am?" He laughed at the absurdity of it all. She didn't feel useful?!

"It's your blood that all this was set around, not mine," he reminded, ignoring the rumble of unease that built up in him as he'd never forgotten who was involved in this plan, but he kept his focus on her. "It's your protection that's been keeping Harry safe all these years, apparently I just gave you a chance to run and that didn't even pan out." He did have to force a smile then, that revelation hurt worse than anything so far, equal to Peter's future betrayal. "I'm the one Snape hates, not Harry, your old arse of a friend just needs glasses," he pushed his up his nose and held his head up. "You're the strongest person I know," he concluded naturally.

When finally the worst was done, and it was Sirius as Padfoot escorting Harry down to the hospital wing, her eyes went from Frank to him in here. James saw something strange on her face as he carefully tended to Harry, a boy she hadn't even wanted to admit was hers not long ago. It was his friend, he reflected, that was there for Harry when he still needed someone, and not Snape, an apparently reformed Death Eater with a Dark Mark. "Snape wasn't mentioned in the graveyard at least," he offered quietly, the only consolation he could think to give her for that. "I don't know what happened to him Evans, but I can't imagine it was your fault."

As far as James was concerned, she was literally the only good thing to associate with Snape, and it seemed with her gone, he turned his vicious behaviour she refused to see on anyone and everyone in sight. He wanted to punch his hooked nose off she was now seeing what he had for years now, his desire all these years in light now made him want to curse his past self wanting such a thing.

She sniffled then, and finally brushed a few tears away, then bundled up her sleeve and wiped at her running nose. He leaned forward on instinct to brush her hair away, but she did lean back from him then, and he did as well. He didn't move back farther though.

They didn't say another word to each other as they listened in quiet reflection of this future, of Molly Weasley giving Harry his first hug, of this fourteen-year-old having to take a potion for a dreamless sleep just to escape a few moments of his life.

Alice watched anxiously as Potter stayed by Evans. She forced herself to wait though, not wanting to get in the middle if she actually did hex Potter, but to her surprise he sat a polite distance away and just talked to her. He didn't even seem to be doing anything wrong, and though she didn't show much in the way of comfort, she still wasn't sure of herself about stepping in. Her and Lily were friends now, but that didn't mean she was going to try and stop, whatever this was, from developing. She almost smiled to herself instead, thinking it was more than likely bound to happen eventually.

Instead she laid her head against Frank's hip and listened with displeasure as the Minister of Magic bumbled his way in and ruined the moments. Frank was still sitting on the desk right where he'd landed and had a tart look on his face for it all, the person in charge of their community first trying to skate around every problem, and then flat unwilling to see it. He'd caused a dementor to suck the soul out of the only witness to the events! Frank didn't react much to her being there, he was clearly too involved and frustrated with all these happenings, and she didn't blame him, she was more than upset by the end of it as well.

Her mind drifted to Neville once more, to Frank's mother having to be the one to care for her child all these years. She watched Lily and Potter, but in her mind's eye they were spectral ghosts still, being there in the only way they could for their child in this future. Crouch Junior had his soul taken away as punishment for what he'd done to them in the end, but it didn't really feel like justice, it gave nothing back to this future of misery.