Pure Magic

Hi there!
Wow it's been awhile since I last posted this story. I sort of lost the feeling for it for a bit, and it's taken me awhile to get back on track. That plus a spontaneous marriage, dealing with moving all my husband's worldly goods over from Australia to America, the holidays, job hunting for him….ok I HAVE no excuse LOL, I have a ton.

Still, I am committed to the story though it may not be written as quickly as some of my others. It's being rather….difficult ;)

Previous chapters can be found at http://www.thedarkarts.org/authorLinks/Celtic_Flame/Pure_Magic/

 Please tell me what you think of this one. Replies are always a huge help….I like to know what's working and what isn't. Anyway, your replies will feed my muse, Padfoot who is now lounging around watching Home shopping channels. Help me to get his attention back on writing and off ordering products shown on TV. A busy muse is good for the fic, AND for my credit card!

If you like this story, please check out my other work. All my fanfic is linked from this page: http://66.186.219.233/breesden/breeficden/index.htm

Thanks for reading!

Bree

Previously, Harry was confronted by his old friends and family. Sirius was worried that Harry was faking his memory loss.

Harry thinks of himself as James in the story so when the POV is his, he will be referred to as James. Everyone else thinks of him and refers to him as Harry. I hope this isn't TOO confusing!

 

Chapter 3

Hermione could not stand to watch Harry's pain anymore. "Please! All of you just, please, step back and give him some space. This situation is no doubt very stressful for Harry, and he is obviously suffering some pain right now."

"Hermione…" Sirius started in a warning tone.

Her furious gaze lit upon him and, to his credit, he did not flinch at her ferocity. She could be very mother bear when she was protecting Ron or her son, and that apparently reached forth to Harry. Sirius took a step back in deference to her tone and emotional state. He wasn't helping the situation with his aggression, and he well knew it.

James strained to see through the pain. The woman's vocal tone was quite no nonsense, yet there was something quite comforting in both her voice and her words. He found himself wondering what his connection was to these people. "Thank you." He was relieved to know that his voice sounded strong for the moment, despite the physical turmoil within his body. "Can all of you slow down a bit? My head is aching, and I am having a hard time…" another white hot lightning bolt and all he could do was moan.

"Harry!" Ginny rushed to his side and smoothed his hair back. His eyes moved back and forth trying to focus. "Stay calm, Harry. Don't force things. It will only lead to more pain."

Sirius, Hermione and Ron shared a significant look. When Hermione and Harry's son Andrew had been a young child, he developed serious and debilitating headaches. Even though Ginny hadn't had a real relationship with her brother or Hermione, due partly to the tensions between them and Draco, she had tried to help Andrew. Many times she would apparate to them or show up in a burst of Floo powder and take the young boy into her arms. Her soothing voice and gentle touch lulled Andrew to sleep, even when he was in the throes of cerebral agony.

James blinked more slowly and tried to breathe deeply. The redhead in front of him had a calming effect on him. He focused in on her amber and brown eyes and found himself relaxing slowly but surely. "Thank you." His voice was soft now and his breathing had evened out.

"All right, then!" Ginny's voice was extra loud and bright in the silent room. "Hermione is right. We need to give him some space. Why don't we all sit down, get some pints of ale, relax and talk about this quietly." She turned to give Sirius a pointed look and he nodded quickly.

"Consider it done, love," Sirius said quickly, and disappeared out the door.

Remus hesitated for a moment. "I had better help him." He followed Sirius out.

Ginny let out a huge sigh and focused her attention on Harry again. He looked much less pale, yet there was still shakiness about him. "Would you rather drink a soft drink?" she asked him gently. The last thing that he needed was to muddy his mind with alcohol, but he was an adult and he needed to discover that for himself.

James nodded, relief coursing through him. "A cola would be most appreciated. Thank you, miss...?"

Ginny gave him a tender smile. "My name is Ginny. We'll talk more when we're all settled."

James nodded, but he gaze never strayed from the woman. As the others came back with frosty glasses of beer and ale, a glass of cola was placed in front of him. "Thank you," he said faintly, and tried to focus on the task at hand.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Sirius' tone of voice was more tentative now. He met Ginny's eyes and pulled out a chair for her. "Gin?" He gestured to the chair.

Ginny shook her head briefly. "I would like to stay close to Harry for now."

Hermione's eyes flashed in annoyance. "No need to do that, Ginny," she said in an extra patient tone of voice. "That's my job now."

Ginny's brown eyes blazed back in reply. "I don't think so," she said hotly. "You have Ron now."

"And you have Sirius," Hermione replied. She glanced at the older man and found him staring at the ground. The tips of his ears had reddened and she flushed with her thoughtlessness. Though Sirius and Ginny's romantic marriage was nearly non-existent, that was none of her business. She had her own set of complications to deal with.

"I do," Ginny replied, defiance in her every move. "And I love him very much. It turns out that marital loyalty isn't misplaced in my case. If only everyone else could say the same thing, the world would be a better place, wouldn't it, Hermione?"

Sirius raised his head to exchange a quizzical glance with Remus. Something was going on here, as was evidenced by the ladies' obvious hostility. This was so unlike them!

"Yes, Saint Ginny," Hermione bit out angrily.

"All right ladies, " Remus interjected. Sirius seemed too confused and embarrassed to jump in, and Ron was positively purple with rage. "Enough is enough. This is not helping Harry. Whatever problems you ladies have with each other, you are surely adult enough not to involve Harry in your arguments." He turned his attention to the man sitting down. "Harry, are you well?"

James nodded slightly to the man. "Thank you, I am, sir." He again found himself wondering about the dynamic of the room. Love and hostility battled for supremacy among the people confined in the tiny room.

"Well then," Remus motioned to the table. "We might want to sit down before the drinks become warm. Come on now, all of you, sit."

Ginny grabbed the seat closest to Harry and motioned Sirius to sit beside her. When he settled into his seat, she squeezed his hand. "Terribly sorry about that, Sirius." She leaned against him, warmed and comforted by the solid feel of him. He was strength and security. He was her comfort.

"She only spoke the truth," Sirius replied tentatively. "It's hardly a secret that we're stalling on our divorce proceedings. I think that you're punishing your brothers for all the pranks they pulled on you when you were a wee lass."

Ginny chuckled and leaned in even closer. "It's…complicated, " she allowed "Maybe we need to sit down and have a serious chat about our futures, after the dust has settled here." She leaned against him just slightly.

"I'd like that," Sirius replied quietly.

Hermione glared angrily as Ginny sat close to Harry. "Sometimes your sister can be such a shrew," she hissed to Ron.

Ron had been trying desperately to calm himself. He had been lost in a white-hot fury as his wife and sister sniped about very personal circumstances in their lives. "So can my wife," Ron burst out. "Can you and Ginny just stop with the jealousy of Harry for one day? You're both married women, and it's just very sad to see both of you fawning over Harry like you are two lovestruck teenagers instead of mothers."

Ron could be so maddening! Didn't he see that Ginny was manipulating the situation? Hermione started to bite back another blazing reply, but she knew in her heart that Ron was right. She and Ginny were making this a romantic contest and losing the true focus of the day-Harry.

Hermione sighed loudly and snuggled against Ron. "I know, Ron. You are absolutely right. I am sorry for being such a shrew." She looked over at Harry almost uneasily, then back to Ron. "Are you all right, Ron? He was your best friend, too, and…"

Ron looked uncomfortable and stiff, Hermione realized, as well as being pained. She watched him for a few long moments before he spoke. "Hermione, this is very hard. I'm trying my best but…" he chewed on his lower lip thoughtfully. "I'm trying. That's the best I can say." He managed a slight smile as Hermione's hand slipped into his.

"Everything ok, now?" Remus' voice started both couples out of their reverie.

"I think so," Sirius remarked. He looked over at Harry, a mixture of wonder and regret in his eyes. "I am not convinced that you have lost your memory," he started. "But I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Where do you want me to begin?"

"We might as well start with who we are," Remus interjected softly. He didn't want to appear that he was taking control from Sirius, but he was in the best position to explain things to Harry. After all, he had been a teacher and was used to explaining concepts and circumstances to people who were uninformed.

He took a breath before speaking again; figuring that by doing so, he could give Sirius time to jump in if that was what his friend wanted. When Sirius didn't speak, Remus carried on. "My name is Remus Lupin. I once taught you when you were a student at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts?" The briefest flash of a castle, a giant of a man with wild hair, an elegant steam train flashed before his eyes. "What is Hogwarts?"

"It is a boarding school." Remus replied, emboldened by the look of slight recognition in Harry's eyes. "We all were students there at one time. Ron and Hermione." He gestured to the couple at Harry's left shoulder. "They were in the same year as yourself. Ginny." He motioned to the attractive redhead sitting beside the older man. "She was a year behind you three."

"Oh." Harry's voice was tentative now.

"And Sirius and I went to school some time ago, with your…." Remus looked to Sirius for strength, getting an encouraging nod. "We were great friends with your parents."

"Parents?" Harry's voice sounded terribly small now.

"That's right." Sirius said in a gentle tone. "Your father, James, was my best friend. Your mother, Lily, caught his eye in their fifth year at school. She was a glorious redhead, much like my Ginny here."

"Green light? I see green light….and screams."

Hermione gasped and leaned against Ron. "He's reliving that horrible night, Ron." Remus gave Hermione a short look and then checked on Sirius, who was pale, but resolute. He walked closer to Harry, finally reaching for one of the younger man's sweaty palms.

"That's right. It was an awful tragic day, son. It was a horrible event that marks our world."

Harry howled in pain, tightening his hands on Remus' until they whitened under the pressure. As he began trembling, Remus broke the younger man's grip and wrapped a gentle arm around Harry's shoulders. "Easy there, Easy, now. Take some deep breaths." He noticed that Sirius had his wand out and nodded briefly. If Sirius could ease Harry's distress, it was worth a try.

Sirius moved closer and gently brushed his wand against Harry's head. "Expeloagonus".

Remus nodded in satisfaction. Sirius had picked a good spell to help alleviate Harry's pain. He was slightly surprised when Sirius brushed the wand over Harry's head again.

"Rememberus, Harry, Remember all that is well hidden. Come back to us."