*✧･ﾟ:* DEAD TO ME *:･ﾟ✧*
✧━━━━━━━━━━━✧
THE SUMMER AIR had thinned that afternoon. After a week of what had seemed like hellish heat, the air had been cooled by the night's rain showers, humidity dissipating and tall grass becoming dewey. The breeze trickled through the black sleeves of Harry's shirt, cooling down the scar-littered skin that had become heated by the July sun. The metal on his ring finger felt cool in comparison to the rest of him.
His socks and trainers had become damp from the wetness of the lush grass he stepped upon as he was led through the graveyard, eyes trickling across the various headstones with inscribed names he did not recognize. A step ahead of him was Indiana, gaze feverishly shifting across each headstone; he could feel her fingers twitching against his own, tightening and untightening as though she were unsure. He kept a steady grip on her hand, feeling the metal of her own engagement ring pressing coldly against his skin.
Her paces came to a halt. Harry took another step forward to stand directly beside her, elbows bumping from their closeness. Indiana's head was bowed, dark iris' pointed downwards at the average sized headstone less than a foot from the white leather curves of the trainers she wore. Harry felt her squeeze his hand again. He squeezed it back.
The headstone's epitaph read:
SERENA ANNA JONES
BORN 1963 DIED 1998
A LOVING MOTHER, SISTER, AND DAUGHTER
"Should've written more," Indiana muttered under her breath, sniffling. Harry's eyes shifted to her. "Father probably did this all. He should've written more."
Harry only breathed heavily and squeezed her hand again, tugging her closer to him. She leaned against his side, head drooping and lips pursing as tears pooled at the crow's feet of her eyes. They dribbled over those long eyelashes of hers and tipping over onto her dark cheeks, rolling down either side of her jaw.
"Did she like flowers?" Harry asked, reaching into his pocket to withdraw his wand. Indiana sniffed and wiped at her face.
"Poppies," Indiana mumbled, pressing her cheek to his shoulder and burying her face into the fabric of his blue t-shirt. He took his hand out from where it was intertwined with hers and brought his arm tightly around her shoulders, embracing her tenderly, fingers rubbing lovingly up her upper arm. "She used to put them all around the house..."
Harry swished his wand in front of the headstone, and three rather lively looking poppies bloomed, red petals sprouting towards the sun and brighting up the ground. Indiana hiccuped and wiped at her face again, staring down at the headstone. Harry bowed his head and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Love you," he muttered into her hair, happy she felt comfortable enough to bring him here, but riding through the twisting in his chest at the sight of her so upset. He felt her pressed herself against his chest.
"You too," he heard her say, the frog in her throat audible, and Harry figured he'd give her a moment to collect herself more asking or saying anything more.
The poppies at their feet continued to bloom, smaller buds of the flowers, peeping out of the damp ground. Harry bowed his head in silent respect, eyes shifting downwards at his shoes, before he glanced down at Indiana's hand, where the glittering green and silver engagement twinkled benevolently underneath the afternoon sun. He pulled her in tighter.
✧✧✧
"WHO IS THIS?" The small, pudgy finger of a six-year-old Regulus Blaise Potter pointed down, the pad of it pressing down onto the glossy, brightly-colored photograph in front of him. He sat atop of Indiana's lap, a thick and heavy photo album settled in front of the both of them, open wide for the two of them to look at at. Regulus' finger pressed on the image of Hermione Granger wearing a rather pretty looking bridesmaid gown.
"That's Hermione, remember?" Indiana smiled at the memory, swishing the black hair out of her son's green eyes. "And right beside her is your Aunt Nancy, remember?"
"Her-me-nee," Regulus pronounced incorrectly, but Indiana laughed and nodded her head in encouragement.
"Yes, good!" She grinned, flipping the page. "And here's Blaise — you're named after him — and Theo... and there's Ron and his brother George —"
"Who's George?"
"One of Daddy's very good friends," Indiana explained. "He's Ron's older brother. You remember Ron, don't you? He's got red hair that you were very amazed by."
"Oh, yeah," Regulus hummed, turning the page on his own. His brows jumped and he suddenly pointed very energetically at the larger photo. "There's you, Mommy!"
"Yup, there's me," Indiana said, gazing down at the photo of herself. She was not looking at the camera, simply staring off to an unknown direction; her hair was hanging classily down her back in glossy ringlets and atop her head was a white veil that was flipped back. Adorned on her figure was a delicate looking wedding gown, with intricate lace decals and a cut that hugged her figure in a matrimonial manner. "Merlin, I was so nervous..."
"Why?"
"Because it was a big day for me," Indiana explained to him, smiling to herself as her mind went back to it. "A very important day!"
"Does this look alright?" Indiana frantically said, rushing back and forth in the room where she, Nancy, and Hermione had been attempting to get the former of the triad ready. "God, can my hair not get frizzy right now?"
"Here," Hermione leaped over, holding a can of Farrah Fawcett Hairspray. "Learned a few tricks with this."
"You genius," Indiana breathed, sitting so Hermione could fix her hair. "I should marry you instead, Mione..."
"And leave Potter all on his lonesome?" Nancy snickered. "He's been waiting at that altar for forty-eight hours, I'll bet."
"I'm sweating," Indiana breathed in a panic. "Oh, god, I'm gonna sweat through my bloody wedding dress —"
"Relax!" Hermione said firmly, swishing her wand so a gust of cool hair blew onto Indiana to cool her down. "No, you won't. I've charmed it so it's waterproof, stain-proof, and —"
"Yeah, I'm marrying you instead, it's decided," Indiana ran her hands up and down her thighs in an attempt to calm herself down, but Nancy kneeled in front of her with that warm smile of hers and placed her hands over Indiana's to stop her nervous fidgeting.
"Ana," Nancy said steadily. "Everything's gonna be just fine. Okay? Nothing's gonna go wrong. You're gonna go in there and marry that fucking Chosen One, okay?"
"Yeah," Indiana breathed, getting to her feet and managing to not wobble or trip from her tall, thin heels. "Okay. Fuck. Okay, let's go."
"Aaaand here's Dad!" Indiana snapped out of her trip down memory lane and shifted her attention elsewhere.
Indiana moved her son's finger across the page and onto the picture below the one of her; it showed Harry, wearing a very simple black and white suit, his hair still looking a mess and his glasses surprisingly laying properly on the bridge of his nose (rather than being crooked like always). He was beaming, his eyes glassy, and Indiana was pretty positive the photo was taken just when the ceremony had begun, when she had entered the room to walk down the aisle with Simon at her side.
"Here's your Uncle Simon," Indiana pointed to the next page. "With a drink in his hand, of course... and Draco and his wife Astoria... you never got to meet Astoria, I don't think any of you did..."
"I thought he was dating that girl with the fun earrings..."
"Yes, he is now," Indiana told her son, "But when your father and I married, he was married to a very wonderful lady named Astoria."
"Oh," Regulus hummed. Moving on, he turned the page and pointed out, "A lot of red hair."
"A lot is an understatement, my love," Indiana sighed contently. Regulus had zeroed in on the photo of Harry standing in the center of all of the Weasley's — Ginny, Ron, George, Percy, Charlie, Bill, Mrs. Weasley, and Mr. Weasley. "Dad grew up with all of them... they're his family."
"Was your Mommy there?" Regulus asked guilelessly. Indiana pursed her lips.
"No, baby, my mom passed away," Indiana said sadly. "It's alright. I've still got family. I've got you lot, and your father... and Simon, Blaise, Nancy, everyone."
"And us," Regulus chimed. "Me and Rena and James."
"Yes, of course," Indiana nodded.
"And Daddy."
"Mmhm," she smiled, ruffling his hair before leaning her chin on his small shoulder so she could look down at the photo album from his perspective.
She trailed her eyes over the photos of her and Harry, grinning and shoving cake in one another's faces like Muggles did. Then, the one of the pair of them kissing under the altar... leaving for the honeymoon right after the wedding... Indiana and Blaise holding up their middle fingers the camera...
"Oh —!" Indiana turned the page rather quickly at the sight of that last one, chuckling nervously to herself. "Maybe wait 'till your older for that one!"
"...I'm just saying that you have to give them a chance," came the voice of James Sirius, the eldest son, from inside of the other room. "I know you have this unexplained hatred for rap music but—"
"I don't have a hatred from rap," came Harry's voice, followed by the sound of three pairs of footsteps. "I just think the lyrics are a little vulgar for a fifteen year old boy to be listening to..."
"James' music taste is rubbish," said Serena's voice, and Indiana's lifted her head to see her daughter entering the living room and flopping down onto the plush, dark charcoal gray couch with a huff. "Mom knows, you know, even Reg knows."
"It's not bad!" James insisted, stomping in behind her. "It's hip-hop! Mom likes hip-hop!"
"Yeah, from my day," Indiana said pointedly. James frowned. "I don't like your stuff. It's crude."
"See?" Harry came into the room last, his shirt ruffled from the Quidditch came he had finished playing with the other two. "Your mother's right."
"M'always right," Indiana smirked. "C'mere, you. Reg wanted to see our wedding photos, and they're actually not awful."
"Ooh!" Serena hopped off the couch and to her feet, crossing the room to squat beside where Indiana and Regulus were seated criss-cross on the floor. "Oh, yeah, there's Aunt Nancy and Hermione and —"
"Are these all Muggle photos?" Harry asked curiously, flipping one of the pages. Indiana nodded her head happily, tilting her head back to look at her husband. "Huh. Not used to seeing them not be moving."
"Wo-ho, Uncle Simon looks awesome!" James exclaimed, pointing at Simon, who had his hair died bleach blonde at the time. "And Uncle Ron looks... tired. For some reason."
"Yeah, he always looks like that," Harry waved a hand. "God, my hair looks a mess!"
"Good thing," Indiana quipped. "Remember when you tried to flatten it? Y'looked like a moron with it all slicked down."
Harry stuck his tongue out at his wife before leaning down to ruffle Regulus' hair tenderly, lifting him from Indiana's lap by the armpits and carrying him in his strong arms that had since lost their lankiness and now were much more muscular. Indiana eyed him for a moment, a content smile unconsciously unfurling across her dark features.
"What d'you think, Reg?" Harry asked him. "Y'think my hair would look stupid all flat?"
"Yeah," Regulus giggled. Harry pursed his lips while Indiana let out a shrill string of laughter.
"Not the right answer," Harry said, playfully shaking his head back and forth as though disappointed in him, although his lighthearted facade was broken when Regulus' loud laughter was followed by strings of giggles from both Serena and James; the former doing so freely, and the other looking as though he couldn't help it.
"Hey, Mom?" Serena spoke up after the laughter had died down; she was now sitting upside down on her chair, her head mere inches from the carpeted floor that covered the entirety of the living room and the foyer.
"Mmhm?"
"What house d'you think Reg'll be sorted into?" the young girl inquired curiously, glancing up at her younger brother, who was now starting to cuddle into Harry's chest in an attempt to possibly doze off before things got too loud again. "I mean... you're Slytherin and Dad's Gryffindor... I'm Slytherin and James is Gryffindor... what about Reg?"
"Hm," Indiana thought aloud, sending a single glance at Harry as though to ask for his input as well. "Any of them, really... maybe not Ravenclaw, though..."
"Hufflepuff?" Harry shrugged. "Or maybe Slytherin... I dunno, he could fit into both..."
"Then I guess whichever he chooses," Indiana figured, and Harry nodded in understanding. James blinked in confusion.
"You can't chose your house," James told them matter-of-factly as though the two parents had never been sorted before. "It sorts you."
"Well, it takes your input into account," Harry told him. "The hat wanted me to be sorted into Slytherin, but I asked for Gryffindor."
"Yes, and the hat really wanted me to be in Gryffindor, but he asked me which I would prefer. It depends on your traits, I suppose," Indiana followed up. James' looked surprised.
"It never asked me what house I wanted to be in," he said promptly.
"That's 'cause you fit in Gryffindor best, I assume," Harry explained. "What, did you want to be Hufflepuff or something?"
"Well — no — but still," James shrugged and flopped back into his seat. "Whatever."
"It said something about Hufflepuff for me," Serena shared. "But it said Slytherin was way better for me. I agreed."
"Whatever house Regulus will be in, we'll be proud of him," Indiana hummed, running a hand over the young boys forehead as he began to doze off in his father's embrace. "Although, I do hope it's Slytherin!"
"That's what you said with me, and I'm Gryffindor," James teased, nudging her ankle with his sock-covered foot. Indiana shrugged, shifting her eyes to Harry. He stared back, glasses crooked but green eyes more vibrant than she had ever seen them before. His hair was a mess and his face was slightly unshaven, but he still looked exactly the way he had when they were at school. And even with his hair hovering over his forehead, she could see the pinky white lightening bolt scar underneath.
"Well, that's alright," she said lightly, smiling at Harry. He grinned. "Being Gryffindor isn't too bad."
SHE SPEAKS!
well. there it is. kind of a poopy ending but i have no time cause i'm leaving the country tmrw morning LOL
anywho. please stick around for any of my new works, which include:
my other harry fic called garden of eden! there's like four chaps out rn so it's kinda not amazing right now but it will get better!! woohoo!!
my james potter fic!! which btw is so good y'all ain't even READY FOR IT ODFMHJDVFS
possibly a pietro maximoff fic! still working on it tho lol
thanks for sticking around for dead to me and supporting it along the way. indiana has to be one of my all time favorite ocs. i love you all!!!!
- s <3