The Queer Sycamore

Watchful Eyes:

A story by Caducee

Outside, the air was surprisingly warm for a winter night. Lily and her husband walked out soundlessly through the backdoor into an empty alleyway.

"What are you doing here?" she asked nervously while staring up into his eyes.

James sighed a pained sigh. "Don't get mad. Hackman Sphered you but you weren't home, so I answered for you. Told me he was calling to ask if you worked tonight. I added two plus two and bingo. Here I am. I just wanted to see if you were okay."

Panic raised in Lily. "Where's Harry? You didn't leave him alone, did you?"

He shook his head. "I left him with the neighbours. Remus had to attend a Ministry lecture." He paused, looking sideways at her and seeing the panic still. "He should be fine unless he starts doing weird stuff, which I think is safe to say that he won't... He's too young," he finished serenely.

She eased but looked away and hesitated before pulling the ring off her finger after having looked around them to see if they were being followed. She morphed into her real body, sighing as the cool ice burning effect wore off after a few seconds. But still the tension of their conversation remained. "You know coming here isn't a very good idea. I might get fired for mingling with a customer - "

She was gently cut off. "Who happens to be married to you." He rested his hand on the wall as they reached the end of the back-alley. "Look," he continued after a pause, "I know you're helping us all but I can't help but see a picture of my wife selling her body for cash in the back of my mind."

Lily bit her lip. She had known it was coming and could sense his anger, which was very well-hidden. "It's for a good cause," she replied. James closed his eyes, showing for the first time the hurt she was causing him through her actions. "Listen," she murmured as she stepped in to close the gap between them. "When this is all over, I'm still going to be there for you. It's not like I have a choice, either. In our field, women are just starting to occupy the good posts... I'm qualified enough and I'll be damned if I don't find out what the Dark Lord's minions are planning."

James offered her a pained look, then pushed her away gently. "All right. I'll be home then." He paused, "You know, for what it's worth, I really thought you'd care about your family first and foremost."

Lily shook her head, rolling the ring in her palm. But James was gone before she could open her mouth. A dark apprehension shook her body then. But there was no choice. He could order her away, but she had already mingled too far in the dark world and had been accepted into it to even think about turning her back away. She breathed in deeply then, thinking about the mission she sought. She needed to go back inside the brothel. If luck was on her side she would be a regular and would be able to pursue The Plan according to plan.

She slipped the ring back on her finger and sombrely stepped back into the brothel section of the high class hotel. Wellman was anxiously waiting for her in her dressing room.

"What were you doing? They've been asking for you out there." He surprised her when he grabbed her by the wrist and squeezed to a hurting point, looking her directly in the eye. "You had better never go out alone with a client again, understood?"

Lily's eyes were squeezed shut. She managed to twist her way out of his manacle hold on her and seethed between her teeth, "Yes, sir. It won't happen again."

Wellman's lips then curled into a grimace-like smile. "That's the spirit, girl." He then left her, but not before announcing that she was back on in five minutes and needed to get mostly undressed.

Lily became frigid when she began to register the implications of his last words. He had picked out an outfit that she seriously deemed very déshabillé.

A couple of hours later, Lily stepped into her house feeling extremely dispirited and like she would snap in two halves at this rate, even though she had just started riding this rollercoaster. It was almost as bad as working in the Auror Department in the Ministry, but probably even more tiring. The house was plunged in pitch darkness and James was obviously in bed already because every light in the house had been turned off. She wondered just what he really felt now. Or what he thought of her now.

She shrugged off her cloak and hung it on a peg along with the scarf that reminded her of the Hogwarts colours. The ring had been slipped into one of the pockets of her cloak and she really didn't feel like thinking about it anymore for another day. She stepped out of her dragonhide boots and began slowly climbing the stairs to reach her bedroom, realising that she was even more exhausted than she probably ever let on. In the dim light permeating the curtains, she saw James, who slept soundlessly in their queen bed. He looked peaceful, but she was used to this misleading expression from when he worked. This was the way he detached himself and began really becoming another man than the one she knew. In fact, he showed a bit of anxiety by the thin creases on his forehead and the crisp fist as he held the pillow tightly in a small ball.

Lily hated it when she caused his distress. She knew from experience that he would do anything to protect her, but she had always feared when something wasn't working his way around because he was unrelenting. And she wondered just how he was really taking it this time around.

Next to their bed, the baby slept in the crib. They'd kept him at their bedside for his own protection and had since then kept him beside them. Harry was sleeping in a tight ball. Harry, whose life had just begun. Harry, whose life was a blessing from up above. James and she had been through hard times, time and time again, but their relationship had always been strong enough to pull them back, yet now it seemed like Harry was their light giver in their otherwise dark times. She knew she was literally playing with fire now that she had tackled the prostitute job headfirst. She knew she was jeopardising everything that mattered more than a simple body-selling job. And it killed her yet it gave her the energy to pursue it.

And there was Harry, a temperamental yet sweet and loving toddler. Harry, whose toys he could play with all day without worrying over the smallest sign of anything bad. At the smallest sound, he would just perk up, sneak a peek, then mentally shrug it off and turn back to his low-flying baby broomstick, his miniature wizard figures or his talking building blocks without a worry etched over his mind and face.

Lily undressed wearily and slowly climbed into bed, feeling her tortured body react as her husband wrapped himself around her protectively before drifting off to a deeper slumber.

She realised with a pang to the heart that they may have their numerous differences, but everything was always somehow resolved at the end of each day. Lily was conscious of the fact that James couldn't hate her if he tried; only feel pained at her choices. But it was very obvious that he knew she was a mule and ruddy well strong-willed and would go along with the plan, no matter how difficult it would be or whatever came along with the ride.

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