WARNING: Well...uh...proceed with caution?
The sun had just set, leaving orange and pink brush strokes painted in the England evening sky on October 31st. A small brunette girl stood looking out of a window in a Godric's Hollow house memorized by the display in front of her, an even smaller brunette boy perched upon her right hip. She was saying something to him while pointing out at the sky, her voice sounding like mumbles from where James was standing.
He chuckled under his breath at how animated she looked while talking to the younger boy and couldn't help himself from starting to walk towards the two. James snuck one arm around her waist from behind and the other around the small boy, placing a delicate kiss on both of their cheeks.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Elsie spoke softly with a smile on her face, staring out into the colorful sky before her.
James nestled his head into the space between Elsie's and Harry's and turned his face towards his wife, his nose nuzzling against her cheek, "Yes, you are."
Of course he thought the orange and pink and red sky was a brilliant way to end the day, but James paid no mind to them anymore. Sunsets couldn't even begin to compare to the early morning, late night, middle of the day type of beauty that the girl wrapped in his arms naturally was made of.
"Cliché git," Elsie chuckled as Harry climbed into James' arms, turning her face so she could press a kiss against James' nose.
He snuck a quick kiss onto her lips before winking at her, "S'your fault."
"Wiwi," Harry shouted excitedly as he began wiggling his way up James' shoulder, slapping his back playfully.
Elsie and James both turned their heads around to face the red head leaning against the doorframe of the living room, a large book in her hand. She shook her head and laughed under her breath as she walked towards the small family.
"Yes, Harry, your Aunt Wiwi has come to save you," she chuckled, taking Harry from James' arm and nuzzling her nose against his, "And, she has a present for you."
"Oi, you get a present for my son, but not for me?!" James jokingly pointed a finger at her, his other arm still wrapped around Elsie's waist.
Both Lily and Elsie rolled their eyes at the older boy until Lily spoke again, "Actually it's for all of you. Come on, I'll show you."
She lead them towards the small, green couch and placed the large book in her hands down on the table in front of her. James and Elsie gave each other a curious look before copying Lily's actions. Harry crawled over the three pairs of sitting thighs until he was wrapped into Elsie's embrace.
"Lils, why on earth have you gotten us a-," Elsie couldn't even finish her sentence before Lily cut her off.
"Oh, shush," she chuckled while pointing an accusing finger at Elsie, opening the book in front of her excitedly, "It's just a small scrapbook that has a bunch of pictures of all of us and of Harry. I had Sirius and Remus help, they made it and brought it yesterday. I put the last few finishing touches on it last night."
"Lily," James whispered as he stared down at the book, "You're brilliant, but why-,"
"For Harry," she said in a soft voice, gazing down at the cover while nostalgically continuing, "So he always remembers the love that he came from. A story like that shouldn't be forgotten."
A moment of silenced awe passed before James and Elsie quickly glanced at each other, then over towards Lily who was smiling knowingly.
"Go on, then. Take a look," the ginger nodded towards the book as Elsie slowly reached out to flip open the cover.
Elsie's hand grazed over the brown leather that embellished the photo album and watched as the picture on the front danced before her. It was of her and James staring down at Harry on the day he was born. Her mind began quickly flashing through memories in her life that could be held within the pages, a world of her past being formed in her head while doing so. Her fingers dipped under the cover and was about to flip it over when the world she created crumbled down before her.
It sounded like an explosion.
James was the first to stand up, his wand firmly whipped out from his pocket and grasped in his fist. Lily was the next to hear it, copying James' actions. Elsie held Harry close to her heart, as if engraving the sound in his mind, as she shakily brought herself up off of the couch.
Another crash rang out through the air.
The second loud noise startled Harry into tears. Elsie began bouncing him in his arms, cooing and speaking softly, "Shhh, it's okay, Harry. Mummy's here."
But her eyes were glued onto James', who she knew well enough to see the fear behind his stare. Her trembling hand immediately found James' empty one, holding on tighter than she ever has before. Nobody said a word until a third noise echoed through the silent house.
"It's the protective spells," Lily worriedly spoke, unknowingly clutching onto her wand so hard that it was imprinting onto her skin, "Someone's trying to break through them."
Elsie's heart and mind were racing, with both too many and too little feelings bouncing through her body. They were safe for now, the loud noises meant the spells were working. It was the silence that scared her the most. Because death wasn't loud, it quietly crept up on you until it's hands were firmly wrapped around your neck. And Elsie felt as if it already had a tight grip on hers.
James knew Elsie was thinking, he knew because she was unknowingly gnawing on her bottom lip and her eyes fluttered down to the floor anxiously. He knew she was scared because she was holding onto Harry as if hugging him goodbye. He knew her heart was racing because he could feel the familiar beat thrumming through their connected hands. He knew her; from the moment she walked into to his life to the moment he got down on one knee in front of her to the very moment they were in right know. No, James Potter wasn't the smartest man alive. But, he knew Elsie. And he knew more than anything that she was worth everything.
His eyes fell down to the little crying boy in her arms, the boy that she created. That they created, together. The little boy made from imperfections and flaws and years of mistakes, yet a love that's stronger than any magic he's ever known. Their chosen boy, the little boy James would choose to have a chance at life and love like he had even if it meant losing himself to do so.
And without knowing what he was doing, James threw his wand down on the couch and scooped Harry into his arms. He ruffled Harry's hair and brought his forehead against the smaller one, "I love you, my little mini-me. Don't be scared to live, Harry. Go find your own group of little Marauders and have a life full of laughs. Daddy loves you so much."
"Dada," Harry cried into James' face, the older boy trying his hardest to keep his face fearless and his eyes dry.
"Yes, Harry. Dada loves you," he pressed a kiss to Harry's forehead and walked over to Lily, ignoring the heart wrenching stare Elsie was was giving him.
"Alright, Evans?" he sadly chuckled, his voice shaking as he handed Harry over to Lily.
"James, what are you-," her trembling sentence was cut off by James throwing his arms around her, a brief kiss planted on the top of her head.
"Alright, Potter," she spoke into his shoulder, tears escaping her eyes as she watched the boy who loved with his whole heart saying goodbye to the world.
He let go of her and comfortingly squeezed her shoulder before turning towards Elsie, who already had stained cheeks. The sounds crashing around them from the protective barriers was nothing compared to the loudness of his footsteps carrying him to her.
"Els," he placed both of his shaking hands on either said of her face, his forehead against hers, "I-I...fuck...Elsie, it's okay. It's alright."
She was uncontrollably sobbing at this point, her eyes glued onto his as tears fell down his face, "I got to spend the last few years of my life-,"
"James," she snapped through her tears, "No."
"loving you," he continued through both of their sobs, "S'alright, Els. I already got to live out all my dreams. You were it for me. That's the biggest dream I could've ever achieved. My time is up, l-live for me, yeah?"
"Ja-," his lips pressed fiercely against hers, kissing her like it was the last time he would ever get to do so. And, James thought, it was. Their tears, lips, skin connected and collided and meshed together as one. All the seconds, hours, days, nights, weeks, years spent loving each other fading into this one last moment; the stars fading into the beyond.
In that moment, James could think of nothing more in the world that he'd rather die for. Because, James Potter was a lover. He loved with all his heart, fully and completely. And that was his downfall. That's why he pulled away from Elsie and with one last glance back began walking towards the door. James Potter began walking towards death, bearing his heart on his sleeve as he always did.
But what he failed to remember was that before everything, Elsie wasn't just his wife. She was his best friend, she was a marauder, and she was a Figg, ready and willing to take a chance at death if it meant protecting those she loved. There was never a reality where she would've let him go...without her.
"Colloshoo," she shakily shot out while pointing her wand at James, watching as he went completely still.
"Elsie," his voice came out low and shaken, "Elsie, what the f-,"
She cut him off and turned towards Lily, who was watching the scene with swollen eyes and a knowing, heartbroken expression. Elsie brought her face down to where Harry was in her arms and ruffled his hair, "Harry, my love, be good. I love you, I'll always love you, my sweet boy."
Elsie kissed his forehead before standing up and throwing her arms around Lily, "I'll see you on the other side. Take Harry and go."
"E-Elsie, I can't-,"
"Take Harry and go, please, Lily. I love you," she hugged Lily one last time before giving her a sad smile, "You'll be a great mum, just don't let him forget me, yeah?"
"Elsie," Lily choked out, tears stuffing her vision, "No."
"Love you, Lils. Raise him right, I know you will," and with that being said, Elsie kissed her cheek and forced herself to turn away from a crying Harry and Lily.
She grabbed her wand and pointed it once again towards James, but this time casted the reversal spell. Bleeding Gryffindor red and gold, she chucked her wand to the side and lifted her chin defiantly, making her way over to James.
Elsie slipped her hand into his and just stared at him, letting him know there was no room for arguing. And with one last solid breath she whispered, squeezing his hand tightly and copying his own words from the day they first went into hiding, "Just know I would do it all again if it meant dying by your side."
James stifled a sob, biting down harshly on his lip as he gulped and squeezed her hand in return. And maybe it was because they loved too hard, or maybe it was the fact that the idea of dying together was better than dying alone, or maybe it was because they were only 21 and were too scared to do anything else. But whatever the reason was, they both moved towards the front door.
Together, James and Elsie Potter wandlessly walked hand-in-hand straight into death.
Just as James' fingertips grazed the doorknob of the door, the crashing stopped and everything stood still. The barriers were broken. James and Elsie knew it was time to die.
"Els?" His voice shakily trembled as he called out to her one last time.
"Yeah, Jamesie?" She whispered through the tears, both of them staring at each other while stopped in front of the door.
He was so scared. No, James was terrified. He had always danced on the edge of death, but never quite knew what it would feel like to actually face it. And here he was, so petrified that he couldn't get the words out of his mouth.
"I love you, James," Elsie spoke for him, their hands not leaving each other's.
He stayed quiet for another second before a singular tear fell down his cheek, "To the stars and beyond, yeah?"
Elsie took a deep breath and smiled sadly, "To the stars and beyond."
They opened the door together and James protectively stood in front of Elsie as if he flipped a switch, his fear not being shown whatsoever as they made their way out. And there he was, the devil himself. Voldemort was standing there with a group of hooded figures behind him. He twirled his wand around his hand, a smirk forming on his lips.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter," he snarled, his voice straight and playful, "The pleasure is all mine."
"Fuck off," Elsie snapped from behind James, angrily storming forwards to stand next to her husband rather than behind him.
"Feisty," Voldemort, otherwise known as Tom Riddle, retorted, "You must have your hands full with this one, Potter."
"I believe she said," James gritted his teeth and fisted his empty hand, looking daringly at Elsie before turning back towards Voldemort, "What was the term you used, love? Oh, right. Fuck off, you noseless git!"
"Mr. Potter has come to play, too," he teased, his wand spinning around his pointer, "And no wand? Must you always be so brave?"
Both James and Elsie defiantly raised their chins towards the snake, hands still tightly intertwined.
"Let's make this easy, shall we?" Voldemort chuckled devilishly, "Any last words?"
Elsie remained quiet, only looking at James nervously. And to her surprise, he was wearing that goofy, James Potter smile that she had fallen in love with. He quickly let go of her hand and turned, pulling her into him so they were flush up against each other.
With a smirk on his face, he spoke loudly and clearly, picking what he knew would be his last words wisely, "It's not quite words that I had in mind."
He dipped his head down so quickly, so fiercely, so passionately that both of them forgot they had come to die. Their lips connected with hers and he immediately let his tongue slide in between them. Realizing what he was doing, Elsie gladly gave into the embrace. They were two burning candles; and instead of putting each other out, they burned an even bigger fire. Voices were speaking, noises were grunted, but they ignored them all. Nobody else mattered in this moment. It was Elsie and James; she was his and he was hers, and that's how it always would be. He pulled Elsie in closer to him and raised both of his middle fingers to everyone watching. And as the chaos ensued around them, James flipped off the world and continued kissing his girl.
It was then that Elsie had one last thought go through her mind. Loving James Potter may have always been destined to be a losing game, but to her it was all worth it.
So even when the grim reaper loomed over head, even when Voldemort raised his wand at the couple, even when the killing curse slipped off of his tongue, James and Elsie were intertwined. As they lifelessly slipped to the ground, they fell onto each other, both their bodies and souls still wrapped together after death the way two lovers should.
When the commotion outside the door had quieted, Lily's heart sunk knowing exactly why the silence had come. She had been holding Harry in her arms, trying to calm him down as she tried to find an area of the house that she was able to escape through, seeing only the front door section of the protective spells had been broken. But there was no use. Lily knew that as soon as the silence came, death would soon follow, and she only hoped she could spare Harry.
"Stay safe, Harry," she whispered through her tears while bouncing Harry in her arms.
"Wiwi?" His small, crying voice sounded out while looking up at her, not understanding why she too was crying.
"Your daddy loves you, Harry. Your mummy loves you, your godmummy, too," she said before the door flew open and she found herself face-to-face with Voldemort.
"Move out of the way, you foolish girl," he snapped, eyes reddening at the sight of Lily hiding Harry in her arms.
"Not Harry! Please...have mercy...have mercy.... Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I'll do anything!" She shouted out to him, a pleading and daring look on her face.
"You leave me no choice," he spoke quickly, shooting out an Avada Kadavra at the same pace.
The next time he spoke those words, he found himself dead. Leaving only a crying and scarred Harry on the floor, an unopened photo album of memories never relived, and the lifeless bodies of James, Elsie, and Lily.
Sirius Black knew something was wrong when he went to Peter's house and found it empty. He knew Peter never left the house these days, or at least that's what he told everyone. Looking up at the full moon that hung over the sky, he thought about Remus, who immediately after his mission up north had to apparate into the forest to transform. And in a moment of loneliness and nervousness, Sirius Black took his flying motorcycle to Godric's Hollow, where he knew from his previous position as secret keeper that Elsie and James were in hiding, just to walk by and make sure everything was okay. But when he got there, he found a scene in front of him that would loom over his head for the rest of his life.
His heart immediately sunk in his chest when he saw the house, when he physically saw the house that was supposed to be hidden from the public eye by the protective spells. Without even realizing it, he was jumping off his bike and running towards the house with a pounding ache in his body. Something was wrong, he knew something was wrong. Peter.
His eyes widened and every bone in his bone froze as his heart shattered to pieces at the immediate sight before him. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes, praying to a god he never believed in that this was all a hallucination. It couldn't be real, the two people who saved him, who deserved to live more than anyone couldn't be lifeless on the floor. His legs gave out and his breath became short, flickering. He fell to the ground and shook James, shook Elsie, but nothing. His brows furrowed and his teeth gritted as a sob forced its way out of his throat.
"Fuck, Prongs...James," he screamed into James lifeless chest, before looking over at Elsie and grabbing her hand, "I'm sorry, I promised...I'm so fucking sorry."
He wanted to stay there forever, dig himself under the ground and join his two best friends. But he couldn't, he was too angry to even move. The blood had rushed to his head and his grip on James tightened. Peter.
His hands were trembling with rage as he brought his forehead down to James' and wrapped Elsie's small hand in his own, stifled and angry sobs escaping his lips. Images from the past 10 years flooded his brain uncontrollably: meeting James on the train, becoming friends with Elsie, James finding him bloodied and bruised on his doorstep, Elsie holding him during his panic attacks, James becoming the brother he never had, the deal with Elsie, his two best friends' wedding, the goodbyes, and now their death. They were short and quick, yet strong and overpowering.
He tilted his head towards the sky and screamed out in agony to the thin air above him, to whoever cared to hear, "You take Reggie, you take Mia and Monty, you bloody take Elsie and James, when's it fucking my turn?! Why them? Why not me?! Fuck please, take me."
Sirius Black was always a brooding storm. A boy that was loud and threatening and never quite full of sunshine. And what little bits of light he had came from his best friends, and now that was gone. Peter had taken them away from him. Peter had taken away his light. Peter had made him break a promise. If the world had thought he was a chaotic, rebellious storm before this, Sirius had news for them. He was mad. No, he was enraged. And nobody would stop him from doing what he needed to do, nobody.
That's what he thought until he heard the crying from inside of the house, the very sound he had known so well. His body softened at the sound of Harry being alive, yet was not prepared for the surge of pain that coursed through him when he had to walk away from his two dead best friends. He ran through the house, wincing at the sight of Lily before seeing Harry on the floor.
He scooped him into his arms and cooed, "Shhh, Uncle Padfoot is here. I'm not leaving, I won't leave you."
Harry's sobs temporarily stopped as he bounced in Sirius' arms, "Pafoo."
Sirius nodded wordlessly and took Harry away from the house, walking back towards his motorbike when he saw Hagrid walking towards him. And when the little boy that was the only thing keeping him sane right now was ripped from his hands, Sirius gave into the storm. With no Potter's left to save him, he became the Black boy he was never meant to be.
His head jerked around and he caught sight of Peter casually blending in with a group of muggles down the street. Not caring whether Peter was a plain moron or just wanted to make sure he was in the right place at the right time, he stormed over to the group of people.
"How could you?!" He roared while charging forwards and grabbing Peter by the throat, not caring about the audience he had gathered around him, "How could you fucking do this to them?!"
"I'm sorry. I had no choice," Peter choked out while Sirius dug his wand into his stomach.
"Bullshit! Elsie trusted you. She would have died for you, you coward," he angrily yelled, shaking as he let go of Peter and brought his wand up to his throat.
Sirius barely gave him a chance to speak before a spell was rolling off his tongue. A mock apologetic expression appeared on Peter's face before Sirius was able to shoot out his spell and a large explosion erupted around them. Sirius was sent flying across the ground, along with most of the other people there. He felt a jolt of pain course through his body and a blurrier vision take over, but he didn't care. He laid there still on the ground waiting to be taken away. He knew exactly where he would be going, and he didn't care. He just hoped that one day Remus would forgive him, he hoped that James and Elsie would forgive him, he hoped that Harry would forgive him. Because it was all his fault. James and Elsie were dead because of him.
He stared at the full moon and whispered painfully, "I promised...I'm sorry."
It was exactly 7 minutes, he counted, until various sets of hands lifted him off the ground forcefully and voices shouted around him, the only words he processed being 'Monster' and 'Azkaban'. For once in his life, Sirius Black went down without a fight.
And a few moments later when Dumbledore had arrived with a silent McGonagall, he spoke aloud, "Someone find Arabella. Send out a patronus to all order members. The war has been won, but at a high price."
When the sun was still setting, the pinks and oranges weren't just shining over Godric's Hollow. The universe had picked today of all days to let the sun paint the sky all across England. It was beautiful the way the subtleness of the pink took over the white clouds and reflected onto the ground below. It would've been a romantic sight for the two walking around, if only it weren't those two exact people walking around.
Rory McLaggen and Remus Lupin walked side-by-side in a little town up north looking around at the damage from the most recent Death Eater attack. 5 houses were wiped clean and destroyed, resulting in a death count of 17 people total. It was sickening, but the worst of it was done. The dead were properly taken care of and most of the damage was cleaned up. And now, the two of them walked down the street just to double check over the remnants.
Remus had already been agitated due to the full moon that was to happen tonight, but something was different about this time. It's like the wolf in him sensed something coming but couldn't decipher what it was, and a blabbering Rory was definitely not helping.
"So I'd imagine that Black is the top and you're the bottom, correct?" A smirking Rory teased the taller boy, not noticing the tiredness in his step or the snappiness of his tone.
"That's none of your fucking business, McLaggen," he responded, crossing his arms over his chest in annoyance.
"Don't get fussy, you big baby," Rory rolled his eyes while nudging Remus with his elbow, "You're just giving me more reasons to assume you're the bottom in your relationship."
"Fuck off, I'm the top," Remus snapped out of anger, pointing his finger accusingly at Rory, "I'm always the top, now fuck off."
"You wouldn't be if you were with me," Rory winked at the boy next to him, causing Remus to grumble under his breath.
"You're straight," he huffed out while looking over at the smirking boy incredulously.
"Yes, but," Rory sent another wink while slowing his steps to stop in front of the apparition point, Remus copying his actions, "So is your boyfriend."
Remus rolled his eyes and held back his lips from turning upwards. He was tired and in pain, and starting another conversation wasn't helping his case. Instead, he quickly said a polite goodbye and disappeared from the spot, landing feet first into a nearby forest. He sat down against a tree and stared up at the moon beginning to rise, hoping that one of his friends were looking up too.
Rory was about to apparate away from the small town up north when he heard someone shout from behind him. The voice was feminine, elderly, but most importantly, pained.
"Help, please sir," Rory quickly whipped his head around and sprinted towards the voice, finding an elderly woman standing there with a child in her arms.
"Is everything alright, ma'am?" He spoke calmly and and put a hand on her back in support, the little boy in his arms staring at him with glossy eyes, "Are you alright, buddy?"
"It's the boy," the woman covered her mouth to stifle her frazzled emotions, "The poor lad...oh, this is too much!"
"Ma'am, it's alright. I'm here to help. What's the matter?" He spoke again, more urgency on his voice as he watched a tiny tear silently trickle down the boy's cheek.
His heart ached at the sight: sad green eyes, dusty blonde hair, ash smeared on the side of his face. He couldn't be more than 3 years old and he already looked as if he had lost everything. It was something about the look of lost innocence that made Rory take the small boy from the woman's hands on instinct.
"It was his parents," her sobs echoed through the silent rubble in the street, "Both killed in the attacks. Oh, my heart! Poor boy's only 2...oh, please you have to help. He has no more family to turn to. Please!"
Rory silently stared down at the tiny boy in his arms and he swore that time had gone in reverse for a moment. It was like he was back in 7th year kneeling down in front of Elizabeth's pregnant stomach and was rubbing it softly, a smile on his face at the thought of the little boy growing inside of her. That was a little over two years ago, yet felt like it was happening right now. And staring at the frightened look on the boy's face, he decided right then and there that he refused to let him feel as scared as he did when he lost everything. A small smile formed on his face at the thought of the universe giving him the very life he wanted, even if it was in a wicked way.
He opened his mouth to speak, but immediately closed it when a flash of light bolted into his view. The unfamiliar patronus floated in the air, hesitating there until a small voice cracked out, "All order members are to report to Godric's Hollow."
Rory's eyebrows furrowed at the unknown address, and waited as another heavy silence followed the first sentence the patronus spoke. The night was quiet at this point, no one on the street besides the three of them and the rubble from the destroyed buildings. That was until the voice continued speaking.
"Elsie and James Potter are dead..."
The light disappeared almost immediately, but not as fast as Rory's blood going cold. Everything in his body froze, the feeling of his heart physically ripping to shreds breaking throughout him. It was a joke, he convinced himself, a cruel joke. But it couldn't be, not even the devil would make a joke about that.
He felt like his body was imploding on itself, his throat closing up, his lungs giving out, his limbs going numb, his entire world coming to a close. Elsie had always been there, always. From the moment the small brunette stepped foot in his life, Rory had made a promise to himself to keep her in it. Because Elsie was good and light and everything beautiful about the world. And suddenly, Rory felt cold and dark and empty.
"Sir?" The older woman asked hesitantly, a shaky hand on his shoulder, "The boy?"
Rory didn't realize his body was capable of feeling anything until he felt a single tear trickle down his cheek. He looked down at the boy in his arms and spoke the only thing going through his mind.
"Name?" He spit out, his voice unwillingly cracking.
The older woman looked at him in confusion before softly replying, "What?"
"Does the boy have a name?" Rory's voice was low and hard, his eyes glued onto the smaller boy.
"I'm not sure," she whispered sadly, "No one knows quite anything about him, just that he showed up in the midst of the fighting."
Rory stood quietly for a second, slapping his hand to his cheek and wiping away the stray tear. The image of a brunette beauty, bright blue eyes, and a hopeful smile that only Elsie had ever given him was frozen in his head as he responded, "Cormac."
"Cormac?" She questioned in confusion.
He nodded nostalgically as he thought back to that very day Elsie first mentioned that name, "I'm naming him Cormac. I'll take him."
And with that being said, he apparated straight to Godric's Hollow with nothing but a broken heart, mind, body, and soul.
He showed up to aurors and order members flooding around the scene. He wasn't quite sure what he was doing, but he let his feet decide for him. Suddenly, he was standing in front of the cottage and taking a step towards the front door.
"Can't let you in there, McLaggen," The voice of of Mad-eye Moody rasped out with an arm stopping Rory and Cormac from entering the house, "Bodies are coming out now."
Rory went to push passed Moody, the idea of not getting to say goodbye to Elsie wrecking his body even more than her death. He didn't want it to be real, but it was. And he needed to say goodbye.
"Don't fucking touch me or my son," He snapped, his voice full of venom and pain, "Let me see her. I need to fucking see her."
"McLaggen," Moody pushed him back even farther, "I can't let you go in there."
Rory gave him a deadly look, the look that only someone in agony could give, as he tightly held Cormac against him. He opened his mouth to snap again, but stopped when he saw Elsie's limp body being carried out from the house and being laid down once again on the grass.
He shoved Moody angrily with his free arm when he continued to hold him back, "I need to see her, Moody. I need to, fuck off. Please."
"McLaggen-,"
"For fucks sake, please!" Tears were now soaking his cheek as he vulnerably stared at Moody. He heard the familiar voice of Arabella Figg and Dumbledore arguing in the background, but he paid no mind. He needed to see Elsie. He needed to say goodbye.
Moody nodded in surrender and Rory immediately collapsed by Elsie's feet. As he stared into her lifeless blue eyes, the ones that used to be so full of life and love, he couldn't help the sob that screamed out from his throat. There were many unfair and cruel things in this world. People died everyday, especially during the war. But letting Elsie die? That was the biggest tragedy humanity had ever witnessed, in Rory's mind.
"There," he sadly chuckled while delicately closing her eyelids, "Rest easy, Princess. My first and always love."
James' body was brought out next, and then Lily's. Rory wanted to stay and pay his respects to them, close their eyes so they could sleep peacefully. But the voices surrounding him grew louder, and Cormac was now asleep on his shoulder. He turned his tear-stained face around to the scene behind him.
"He's my grandson!" Arabella Figg shouted with anger and pain rising in her tone, her eyes purposely avoiding the 3 bodies laid across the grass, "I will not let him stay with...with those terrible people."
"With all due respect, Arabella," Dumbledore wistfully and calmly spoke, "The boy who defeated Voldemort needs to be protected. This war may be over, but there are still Death Eaters who want to avenge their master."
The older woman dropped her defiant chin, Harry asleep on her shoulder, "And, I'm a squib."
"Albus, there must be something-,"
"It's alright, Minerva. He's right. I can't protect him. Look what happened to Duncan...and my sweet, Elsie. I can't," she spoke with trembling hands and glossy eyes.
"Then, it's settled. Harry will stay with Ms. Evans' family. She sacrificed herself for him. He will be safe in their care," the older wizard decided on.
The night was quiet and the world had stayed still. The decision was made. And so it went, Hagrid took Harry from Arabella by word of Dumbledore and went to take him to Privet Drive. Fate was sealed.
That was until a voice yelled out to the group of older wizards with a passion unheard of from behind them, "Give me the baby. Give me Harry."
On the morning of November 1st, Remus was heading back to the Potter household where he planned on cuddling into Sirius after a rough full moon. But when he got home, there was no Sirius. Instead, he found a tired-looking Rory McLaggen sitting on the front steps with a small boy on one knee. And on the other, was Harry Potter.
Remus collapsed to his knees and, for the first time after a full moon, cried over something other than the gashes and bruises littered on his body.
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AUTHORS NOTE:
Sooooooo, how much is your therapy bill?
THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER KEEP READING.