James woke quite suddenly with a sharp inhale, panic set through his veins like electricity popping and crackling in every nerve. Tears streaked from the corners of his eyes and he clutched the bedsheets in tightened knuckles, laying very still, even as his heart raced madly in his chest, trying not to wake Lily. He reached up and touched his face, sure he would feel blood on his mouth, sure the skin would be tender to touch with bruises, sure his nose would still be broken... But everything was quite whole and in place, and his hand met smooth, albeit a bit naturally oily, skin. His cheeks were tear stained, but not bloodied or bruised.
He could still feel muscles in his body twitching from the memory of the phantom cruciatus circulating through his body. A flicker of a muscle in his just above his right elbow, one at his left hip, another in his calf, the left side of his chin... just a twitch.
It had been a year and a half and he could still feel it as plainly as if he were in the breaks between sessions.
He closed his eyes.
Mistake. Big mistake.
The moment they were shut, a flash of Voldemort's pale, structured face filled James's mental vision. The cold eyes, lips pulled back into a horrific smile, a smile of pure self satisfying pleasure-fulfillment... Torturing James Potter had pleased Voldemort more than anything else, and it had been enjoyment that had kept Voldemort coming back to torture him. It was fun, a sport... Like a small child, playing with a toy... Something to be obsessed about, looking forward to doing... Something one could not wait to return to after a time of doing something else. "At last," and the smile would break out as laughter fell from his mouth, as the curse tore apart James's sanity and resolve, as his breath came in frantic gasps... Voldemort's eyes gleamed with joy.
"What a lark, isn't it?" Voldemort's voice whispered, mocking and low in James's ear, so close it didn't feel like a memory. "Does it hurt? Does it burn? I remember what it feels like, don't you worry, it won't hurt much longer... That's what they told me anyway. Maybe you'll be luckier than I was, hmm?" And he would release the spell and cackle evilly, so that his laugh echoed from every corner of the room, every corner of James's mind, punctuated by the crackling electricity in his body....
James opened his eyes again.
Still laying in bed, his body still twitching, his breathing still sharp like one word sentences that he. could. barely. get. out.
Lily was so close to him, yet seemed so far away, and she slept so peacefully. He turned his head and looked at her, the moonlight on her through the window and the firelight from the hearth glowing. Her hair hung into her face and he reached over and carefully swept it back so he could see her features.
"This is the stuff I don't want you to feel, Evans," he whispered to her closed-eyes and peaceful face, her cheeks flushed, eyelashes long.
God, how he loved her.
Staring at her, he realized that her sleeping face had banished the ghost that had haunted him away and he nestled his head softer into the pillow, just watching her sleep and appreciating that she was there, so close to him, remembering the expressions on her face when she was awake and the way laugher danced on her cheeks as much as in her eyes.
"How the bloody hell did I get so lucky, huh?" he whispered to her, and he gently brushed her cheek with just the very tips of his knuckles, then drew his hand back, sliding it across the sheets to find her hand and lacing their fingers together. He drew a deep breath and rolled onto his back, keeping her hand in his, and looking up to the ceiling again, his breath finally coming out normal and his heart rate slowing as he thought of her and how much he loved her.
It was James Potter's own sort of love magic, he reckoned.
Emmaline and Marlene's eyes were locked.
"Em?"
"Yeah, Marly?"
"My brother Finley is coming home Friday night, we're having a big party at my house for him, and I'd really like it if you came."
"Okay."
"As my date," Marlene said.
Emma's hand paused. She'd been stroking Marlene's hip absently. Now she sat up, her eyes wide, a smile teasing her lips as she looked down at Marlene, who rolled onto her back, the blankets falling away as she did so. "You're sure? I don't want to pressure you. Don't feel like you have to. That's not a contingency on us getting back together. I'm sorry I pushed you before and I'm sorry I called you a coward. I should be more sensitive about everything and see it from your perspective and just know that the label doesn't matter, just like you said, and --"
"No I want to," Marlene answered. "It's the first time my whole family will be all together in like, ages, since Finley moved to America, and I really want to. I do. And I mean if something happens then, then so what, right? We've got each other and they can't break that - nobody can break that again, right?"
"Right," Emma nodded.
Marlene half sat up, too, leaning on her elbow. "I don't want to get married yet. Not because I don't want to eventually, but just because, I mean we have to have something to look forward to in the future, right? But I can certainly come out and - and make us being together official and real and --"
"You might as well be proposing to me right now, my heart is that kind of excited," Emma interrupted, "Don't say all this in such an apologetic tone, like what you're saying is nothing. It's everything. Marlene, this is the world, okay? I'm so happy."
Marlene smiled. "I'm so glad you're happy, Em. I'm nervous, but I'm happy, too. I really am. I just love you so much and I've never been so sad as I've been since we've broken off. It was like how I imagine having a dementor follow me about would feel."
Emma shook her head, "No more dementors."
"No more dementors. You're my patronus. A patronus princess," Marlene laughed.
Emma flushed. "That is so corny."
"I know," Marlene giggled, "Pretend I never said that."
"I can't unhear it," Emma said.
"Well damn, I'll just have to live on in your memory forever as a complete and utter dork."
"Oh you were already going to do that with or without saying the patronus princess bit," Emma answered. She paused, then, "So, uh, no more kissing Sirius Black, yeah?"
"Oh God," Marlene groaned. "No. Never again. That will haunt me forever."
Emmaline snort-laughed. "I'm betting he was stunned."
"The look on his face was rather priceless."
"You're probably the only girl that's ever done it."
"They ought to erect a statue to me."
"Even if they did, Remus Lupin would probably blast it to bits."
"He would! Holy shit! He is like -- He is actually terrifying," Marlene said.
"I KNOW!" Emma gasped. "When he came outside at that Order meeting... I thought he was going to set your hair on fire or something just by looking at you. I've never seen anyone so ferocious before."
Marlene laughed, "It's always the quiet looking ones, you know? Like they seem so innocent and little and sweet and oh-look-at-adorable-little-Remmy, right? Then they just ---" she widened her eyes and Emma laughed, nodding. "It's like where the bloody hell have you hidden that all this time?"
"Exactly!" Emma laughed.
Marlene smiled, her eyes tracing the lines in Emma's face. Then, "You'd be like that, too, I'll bet."
"What do you mean?"
"Your eyes at the pub earlier. You had that same ferocity in you."
"Did I?"
"Yes," Marlene said. "I was like Merlin's beard - Emma's got fire."
Emma flushed. "No, you're lying."
"I'm not lying at all!" Marlene replied. "You would be just as shockingly ferocious as Remus can be, if you were pushed into it."
"It would take a lot to push me, probably," Emma said. "I'm far too shy."
"That's what would make it all the more terrifying when you finally let it rip. I just pray I'm never on the receiving end of it again," Marlene reached out and took Emma's hands in hers, pulling her down on top of her so their chests pressed together and their eyes were aligned. "I'd much rather you be ferocious in other ways when it comes to us."
Emma giggled and leaned in to kiss Marlene's chin.
It was early morning when Marlene showed up in East London on the landing and knocked on the door to the flat where Remus and Sirius and Peter lived. She banged her fist on the door frame like she was famous for doing.
The door opened and Remus peered out.
Marlene smirked. "Hi there, Mr. Ferocious."
Remus blinked in confusion. "Morning?"
Marlene laughed, amused by Remus not knowing what she was talking about. "Is Sirius about?"
"He's going to be about here for sometime, he's no house arrest," Remus said.
Marlene grinned, "Really?"
"Yeah."
Marlene said, "Why do I love that?"
"I don't know, why do you?"
"I think it's because that's the most domestically rebellious thing I can think of. Like, he's under arrest but he's going to be home while he's at it?" Marlene laughed and ducked 'round Remus into the flat. "I'm here to return the record I borrowed. UNLIKE OTHER PEOPLE WHO BORROW THINGS AND NEVER GIVE THEM BACK --" she added, seeing Sirius on the floor in front of the hearth, looking up at her. She walked over and handed him the Kozmic Blues record with a flourish.
"I never said I was borrowing the camera," Sirius said. "It was thievery all along."
"You said you'd bring it back," Marlene replied. "I remember, it was just before you and Potter went sliding off the roof like the couple of insane idiots you are." She looked at Bradley, who was sitting on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table as Sirius, a plate of french toast on the table before him and some kind of board game set up between them.
"Breakfast, Marlene?" Remus offered, "There's more toast in the kitchen, I can get you plate."
"Sure," she answered.
Remus ducked into the kitchen.
"So you're Bradley Scamander," she said, sitting in the seat and looking at Bradley with interested eyes. "What's it like?"
"What's what like?" Bradley asked.
"Living in a suitcase with a bunch of crazy animals?"
"Very interesting," Bradley answered.
"What's your favorite animal?" Marlene asked.
"Giraffes," Bradley answered.
Sirius choked on the mouthful of tea he'd just taken in. "A fucking giraffe?"
Bradley nodded.
"Kid lives with twenty thousand magical creatures and he comes out with a giraffe," Sirius said, shaking his head. "OI REMUS, BRADLEY'S A NUTTER!"
Remus poked his head out of the kitchen, "What?"
Bradley laughed, "They're funny, giraffes are."
"What about giraffes?" Remus asked.
"They're Bradley's favorite animal," Marlene offered.
"Not any of the magical ones?" Remus asked.
Bradley said, "Giraffes are magical, too, you know."
Remus glanced at Sirius.
"Oh I can't wait to hear this. How are giraffes magical?" Sirius asked.
"They have black tongues," Bradley answered. "And they're proportionately improbable."
"I like this kid," Marlene said. "He's going to be a Ravenclaw when he goes to Hogwarts."
"Gryffindor!" Sirius argued.
"He just correctly used the word improbable instead of impossible," Marlene snapped. "He's definitely a little Eagle."
Bradley stared at them, then, "I'm a werewolf, actually."
Marlene's face fell from the amused look she'd had, "What?"
"Is Marlene's toast ready, Moonpie?" Sirius said, cutting across what would have been Bradley answering and grabbing Marlene by the wrist. "C'mon darling, we'll get you some syrup and powdered sugar - only way to eat French toast. You've never had Moony's french toast, have you? Its divinnnne!" He dragged her into the kitchen.
Remus stood by the coffee table, pale, staring at Bradley incredulously.
Bradley looked up. "Am I in trouble?"
"No," Remus said.
"Well, what's the matter then? Why did everyone freak out just now?" he looked confused.
"Oh Bradley. I - it's not your fault, little Bee." Remus sighed and sat down. "Blimey, you're so lucky you've gotten to go so long without any of this sort of thing being part of your life. I'm so sorry that the whole world isn't as good and accepting as Newt Scamander's briefcase." He reached over and took Bradley's hand.
"What?" Bradley asked, even more confused.
"Some people are less... understanding... about werewolves, Bee."
"Understanding?"
Remus drew a deep breath and let it out as a sigh, looking down at his knees. "I'm so sorry it's got to be me who explains this to you..."