Enharmonic

Chapter 02: New Roots

Sunlight seeped through the window as James yawned and stretched out on the lumpy bed, sitting up as he groped for his glasses and put them onto his face. It was his third morning waking up at the bed and breakfast, and only now was he getting used to his surroundings. A ragged chest of drawers, a small square desk, and chair separated him from Lily, who was still sleeping quietly on the opposite side of the room, and next to each of their beds sat a small, thin, rickety table. Underneath each table was a black bag full of worn, donated clothing, which the social worker had given them upon entering the B&B. James unzipped his bag and combed through it, pulling out a wrinkled, white collared shirt and black trousers. Taking care not to wake Lily, he leaned against one side of the chest and dressed, frowning at a hole in one of his socks. Then he slipped out of the room and went down the stairs for breakfast.

"Hey, James," someone greeted as James stood in line to receive his food. James turned around and waved at Jack, a young man who had befriended James and Lily earlier when they'd arrived. "How are you doing this morning?"

James sat down across from Jack and began stabbing some eggs with his fork. "I'm all right, Jack," he answered. "How are you?"

"Fine, fine, just fine," Jack said dismissively, and then he groaned, running a hand through his thick curly hair. "Trying to get my life back together, you know."

James nodded. "I know. Lily and I are meeting with our social worker today."

"Are you?" Jack asked interestedly. "Good luck."

"Thanks," said James. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Looking for jobs," Jack said, gesturing toward the window, where London could be seen and heard through a thick pane of glass. "Plenty of small shops around here; I'm sure someone will take me. I want to make enough money to have my own little flat. I don't want to live here forever." He smiled grimly.

"Good luck," James echoed. "I should probably get a job too."

Jack nodded. "As I said, there are plenty of shops in lovely London. I'm sure you'll find one. You and Lily both."

"Thanks," James said again.

Jack eyed him. "Y'know," he said, "maybe we could share a flat -- you, me, and Lily." He paused. "What do you think?"

James shrugged. "Sounds fine," he answered. "Maybe Ellie could come with us. I don't know how comfortable Lily would be, living with two blokes." Ellie was a sixteen-year-old girl that Lily had befriended who had come to the B&B a week ago for reasons unknown. "We'll be one big happy family."

Jack laughed rather bitterly. "We'd be a motley crew, more like," he said, standing up. "I'm going to go to start searching. You have fun in that meeting."

James nodded at Jack's retreating back and continued eating. Jack was an interesting fellow; apparently he had come to the B&B two weeks ago. He wanted to apply to university next autumn, as he'd already taken O-levels and A-levels -- "educational exams," Jack had explained at James' blank look -- and got very good marks. James thought that university sounded like a good idea, since according to Jack, it'd allow him to get a higher-paying job. The accident might not have been so bad after all, James mused, chewing some rashers thoughtfully. It allowed him a new start. He and Lily hadn't gone to university before, and they'd had a baby. They'd had a house, of course, but it might not have been a very good house. Now, everything was open to him. He still didn't understand what electricity was, among other things, but he could learn everything again. He had Lily and Jack to teach him. It wouldn't be easy, but the whole situation wasn't easy. James had lived in hard enough times before and --

James gasped.

Lily turned around as James embraced her, holding her closely as he looked out at the stars. "These are hard times," he murmured, stroking her long hair gently. It smelled like peaches and peppermint. "We'll survive, though, we always will. We must."

Lily nodded against his shoulder and pulled back. "I just wish it weren't so," she said, looking into his eyes. "First Dorcas Meadowes -- and now this...our baby..." She stepped out of his embrace and looked down at the newly purchased crib. Her belly swelled beneath her. "It's just silly," she sighed, as James came to stand next to her. "How can Voldemort think that a baby would threaten him?"

"Voldemort's insane, that's why," James answered darkly, gesturing. The lamp -- a candle, James noted -- cast strange, flickering shadows on the walls of the room. "The battle at the Ministry scared him. We were stronger than he had realized. Now he's doubly scared of any threat to his power, especially if he's supposedly destined to be defeated." He placed a hand on her belly and smiled tenderly. "A month longer," he whispered.

She smiled back softly and covered his hand with her own. "Yes." They stood silently for a moment. Lily heaved a sigh and said, "We'll do the Fidelius Charm. It's very complex, but it can be done in one day. We need a Secret Keeper and --"

"James?"

James started and his eyes focused on Lily, who was staring at him worriedly. "Are you all right?" she asked.

He nodded. "I just had a memory," he said, "at least, I think it was a memory. Can you get that little notepad of yours where you write down --?"

"Stay there," Lily interrupted, and she raced out of the dining room. She came back a few minutes later and shoved the notepad and pen in his hands. "Here," she said breathlessly, excitedly. "Write down everything you can."

James flipped through the pages until he found a blank sheet, and he wrote.

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Claudia rubbed her eyes as she looked over the records she had managed to acquire for Lily Evans (or Potter). She felt oddly anxious about this meeting, and as a result, she hadn't slept very well. She wondered why she always felt so uneasy and odd with anything regarding the pair. Something tugged in the back of her mind, like a memory she'd forgotten, and she tried to think. Nothing came up. Frowning, she shuffled Lily's records into a neat pile on her desk, mentally reviewing the facts of the case.

Lily had been born on August 24, 1960, to two middle-class parents named Rose and Michael Evans. The Evans had stayed married until their death in August 1977, and their will had proclaimed that Lily inherit all of their possessions, including their house (unused and rebuilt after a mysterious gas explosion) and their savings (untouched so far). Lily thus had a comfortable sum of money of which she likely wasn't aware. It wouldn't last forever, but it would be enough to pay the rent for a decent flat for half a year, provided Lily had her own income to supplement the utilities bill and other living expenses. And, thought Claudia, if Lily lived with an employed James, they would be able to share the price and live comfortably until the inheritance ran out. However, the social worker doubted that the couple would be foolish enough to depend solely on Lily's inheritance; they would certainly try to get enough of their own income to secure financial independence.

Of course, that was if they stayed married. Claudia slipped out a sheet of paper from underneath the stack of Lily's records, examining it curiously. Lily Evans and James Potter had apparently married on June 30, 1979 in a small court ceremony with only an official as a witness. That meant that Lily had only been nineteen years old when she married, a year after taking her A-levels (which results, by the by, were superb). Perhaps she and James had eloped because she was pregnant. Now that they had presumably lost their child, would they stay together or go on separate paths?

Claudia shook her head. It wasn't her place to ask such personal questions -- at least, not in this case. Her job was to help them find their feet after their accident, present them with their documentation and state their options, and then close her part of the case, knowing that she'd done all she could. Lily and James were adults, after all, and were expected to take care of themselves. Looking at the second stack of papers on her desk, she recalled how Constable Ranick had discovered a complete set of James' records yesterday in an abandoned office, which had belonged to a man named Donald Percil. Percil disappeared a few weeks before without anybody noticing, Ranick had informed Claudia, and she wondered if James had known Percil before the accident. Despite her uneasiness around the couple, she couldn't help but feel a little pity for them. They hadn't remembered that they were married; did they remember their friends? Their family? Their son?

A tentative knock on the door signaled their arrival, and Claudia shook herself out of her thoughts. "Come in," she called. They entered and seated themselves across from her. Claudia was pleased to find that she felt no uneasiness at all. Perhaps it had been a one-time thing -- or two-time thing, if she counted meeting them at the hospital. "How are you?" she asked perfunctorily.

"Very well, thank you," Lily answered. Her hands were folded neatly in her lap. She was wearing a white button-up blouse and a smart denim pencil skirt. James was also dressed nicely, with a collared white shirt and black pants. He looked fidgety.

"Where shall we begin?" Claudia asked, looking at them expectantly. "Housing, education, or basic identification?" Two neat piles of paper sat in front of her -- one was James' documents, and the other Lily's documents.

"Basic ID," James replied promptly.

"All right," began Claudia. "I managed to find both of your birth certificates, passports, and National Insurance numbers...."

-----------------------------

James listened to the social worker -- Claudia -- go on about documentation, becoming more and more confused by the second. What on Earth was a National Insurance number, and why didn't he know that he even had one? He chanced a glance at Lily; she seemed to following along quite well. James let out a little sigh. He'd probably have to ask her to explain after the meeting was over. He hated being so dependent on her, not because he didn't like her, but because he always had to inconvenience her. He was terrified that one day she would get fed up and simply refuse to tell him anything, and he'd have to fend for himself, floating helplessly in this strange and foreign world.

"...both attended the Hanover Gifted Institute, a boarding school up in Scotland," Claudia was saying. "You both sat O-levels and A-levels and got excellent results. You didn't go on to university, but you're certainly qualified..."

Ah! Here was something he recognized. Vaguely, he recalled his conversation with Jack at breakfast, and then he heard himself saying something very strange: O-levels and A-levels are the Muggle version of owls and newts...

"It's your choice to apply, of course, but I'd recommend doing so," Claudia continued, cutting into his thoughts.

"I -- we are," James interrupted, eager to get his mind off the strange memory he'd just had. Claudia and Lily looked at him in surprise; he hadn't said anything since the beginning of the meeting. "I was thinking about it this morning," he added hastily. "I was discussing it with Jack -- a friend at the B&B."

Claudia nodded. "I'm glad to hear that," she said. "It's always good to be thinking about your future."

James gave a little smile. "Thank you."

Claudia smiled back warily, dropping her eyes back to the papers in front of her as she cleared her throat. "I think I've covered everything -- oh! Yes." She looked up. "You should probably go see a psychologist to try to recover your memories. I've researched a few names and numbers, which should be on your contact sheet -- that's the first sheet on each of your stack of papers." James looked down for the first time at the mound of documents sitting in front of him. On top was a long list of names, street addresses (at least he recognized what those were), and a strange series of numbers called "phone." Hmm. He supposed he'd have to ask Lily what "phone" was too. It was obviously used to contact people, so it was probably some sort of code that one wrote on a sheet of parchment to properly open up a channel to another sheet of parchment, so two people could write letters back and forth in class while appearing to take notes --

James' thoughts halted suddenly, and he frowned in confusion. Where had that idea come from? Was that a memory? He seemed to be getting a lot of those today.

"James?" Lily asked tentatively, for the second time that day. "Are you all right?"

James shook his head, trying to clear the thoughts that clambered about in it, and said, "Yes. I'm fine. I'm sorry." He looked up and smiled weakly. "I was thinking." He felt oddly warmed by Lily's worried expression. She scrutinized him for a minute more before turning back to Claudia.

"Do you have any questions?" Claudia asked, looking between the two of them expressionlessly.

"I --" Lily bit her lip, and James once again felt that strange warmth come over him. "The police officers said we had a son named Harry. Has there been any information on him?"

Claudia shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry. The police haven't reported anything to me."

Lily nodded, quickly covering the desperate disappointment that had briefly flashed across her face. James wanted to comfort her like he had in the memory this morning. "Thank you," she said quietly, and she stood up, cradling her stack of documents in her left hand. "Thank you so much for all you've done for us."

Claudia nodded, shaking James' hand and then Lily's. "Feel free to contact me if you have any problems." There was a tinge of sadness in her voice. "Good luck."

"Thank you," James murmured, and he and Lily turned to go. As they walked down the hallway to leave the building, he asked in a low voice, "Lily, what's 'phone'?"

Lily paused to stare at him for a minute, and then she laughed, her eyes lighting up into a brilliant green. "Oh, James," she said. "You're..." She flailed her arms, lost for words. "All right. You see that object over there on the receptionist's desk?" She pointed to a large, boxy object with a set of circular dial of numbers in the center of it and a sort of handle on top. "That's a phone, which is short for telephone. You pick up the handle, dial the number -- er, set of numbers, which makes up a telephone number -- and then you can talk to the person on the other line. That is, you can talk to the person whose phone connects to that number. Does that make sense?" She cocked her head and looked at him hopefully.

James scratched his head. It sounded a little bit like his parchment idea, but he wasn't about to tell Lily about that. He'd ask her for the notepad later. Nodding, he said, "I think so. Thanks."

She laughed again, shaking her head for some reason, and opened the door. "Let's go."

James did not know whether the warmth in his cheeks came from the fact that Lily had laughed at him, way her eyes lit up when she laughed, or the sound of her laugh itself. He decided that he didn't need to figure it out. He just knew that he liked it.

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"Stand."

"Stand."

"Double down."

Raising his eyebrows, James handed Jack a card. "Are you sure about that, Jack?"

"Quite," Jack replied calmly, looking around innocently.

"All right then," said James, "everybody reveal your cards..."

Lily tossed her hair off her shoulder. "Almost," she sighed, setting down a jack and an eight. Ellie looked at her sympathetically, shaking some wispy blonde curls out of her face, and set her cards down -- a five of spades and a ten of hearts.

James groaned from across the table as Jack set his cards down with a flourish. "Twenty-one to the tee," Jack said, smirking, as James set down a nine and an eight next to his cards. "You owe me a..." He thought a moment. "A Texan, one of those amazingly delicious chocolate bars with a chewy center and..." His voice trailed off wistfully.

James rolled his eyes. "All right. A Texan within the next week, otherwise I'll owe you two Texans. Fair?"

"Fair," replied Jack, shaking James' hand. He recorded the bargain on the sheet of paper in the center of the table, clearing his throat importantly as he collected everyone's cards for the next round.

Lily exchanged an amused glance with Ellie. It was Friday night, and the four of them were sitting at the desk in the center of Lily and James' room, playing a rather modified version of the card game 21. In this version, one player was the dealer, and whichever player had a sum closest to twenty-one won the game. The dealer would then "owe" the winning player something. If the dealer had the closest sum, then in turn, the person with the second-closest sum would owe the dealer something. It was a bit confusing, and Lily supposed it wasn't exactly fair, as the dealer would have the highest stakes in the game, and only two players stayed involved till the game's end. The dealer position was rotating around the table, however, and hey weren't exactly wagering for money, just for food. So far Lily and James owed each other lunch; Ellie owed Jack her rashers at breakfast (Lily knew this didn't matter because Ellie hated rashers); Ellie and Lily owed each other muffins from the shop next door; Jack owed each person some sweets (any type); Lily owed Jack a pack of crisps; and James owed Jack a Texan chocolate bar. The bargains had to be fulfilled within one week, or else the amount of the bargain would double. Lily found that she didn't mind going to lunch with James; in fact, she felt oddly excited at the prospect. Ignoring the anticipatory tingling in her chest, she turned her attention to Ellie and asked, "Ellie, who was that man who visited you at work today?"

Ellie's face brightened immediately. "That was my boyfriend Ray. I'm er...I'm actually going to move in with him on Monday. You see, I'm..." She bit her lip nervously and looked down. "I'm pregnant. That was why I came here. My parents threw me out and..."

Lily, Jack, and James all sat in awkward silence for a minute before Lily said softly, "Ellie." Ellie raised her head. Slowly, her blue eyes met Lily's green. "Have you decided what to name your baby yet?"

Ellie nodded, her expression guarded. "If it's a girl, it'll be Emma after the Jane Austen character. If it's a boy, it'll be Gareth, after the Knight of the Round Table." She caught James' confused look. "I like to read," she smiled. "I love stories and books. I actually...I actually want to be a writer. That was another thing my parents disagreed with," and she looked down briefly.

Lily smiled. "Congratulations, Ellie," she said, hoping to erase the depressed look marring Ellie's pretty features. "I'm very happy for you."

Ellie's eyes filled with tears. "Thank you," she whispered, looking down at the table again. "I just -- no one's said that to me yet, not really..."

"To Ellie," Jack murmured, raising his hand as if he had a glass in it. Lily and James raised their hands as well. Ellie looked up, her face shining with gratitude. Lily's heart lifted with something unidentifiable as she, James, and Jack all mimicked drinking.

"To Ellie and Ray, and their new child," Jack said, "and to Lily and James, to whom I offer my old flat, so long as they pay the rent instead of me, of course."

They all laughed, the moment broken. Jack looked between Lily and James, grinning at their surprised expressions. "I'll take you there tomorrow morning before I go to work and introduce you to the landlord. He's a bit of a bastard, but as long as you pay your rent on time, he's a decent bastard. It's got one bedroom, a kitchenette, and a toilet, and it's still unoccupied as far as I know. It even still has all my furniture in it - a couch, a television, some chairs, a desk, even some silverware...oh, and a bed. I just took all my personal stuff out of it. Rent's due at the end of the month, and it's not very expensive. You two can afford it. I paid for October early, but under the contract I still have to pay November, so if you move in on Monday, we could split the cost between all three of us..."

"Wait," James interrupted, sounding thoroughly confused. "Why are you giving us all of this? And...why aren't you still living there?"

Jack stared at the stack of cards in his hand for a moment, then asked quietly, "I haven't told you why I'm here, have I?"

James and Ellie shook their heads, while Lily remained still, listening.

Jack took a deep breath. "A month ago, my girlfriend Arlene was raped and murdered by a stranger. She -- she lived with me in the flat; we dated for three years, since we were both seventeen. I was going to propose to her at the beginning of November..." He shook his head. His hands trembled, and he dropped the stack of cards abruptly. "I had to identify her body at the police station. It was so awful. When I went back to the flat, I couldn't bear to be in it without her there. I saw her body every time I closed my eyes, and that clashed with the image of her walking through the door like she did every day...anyway." Jack shuddered, his voice choked. "I just couldn't stand being there, so without really knowing what I was doing, I packed a bag of clothes and ran out. I just needed an escape. I quit my job, bought some beer, and ended up on the sleeping on the streets for a little bit, not knowing what was going on. Then two weeks ago, on November 2, I caught sight of the newspaper, and I read about that awful, mysterious gas explosion that killed thirteen people, and that was a bit of a wake-up call; I realized I needed to live my life as I wanted it, you know, and not like I was doing. And, well, here I am." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "I'm giving my flat to you two because I think you deserve it," he said before anyone could interrupt in the brief pause. He looked at Lily and James seriously. "Because you're my friends, and you're both wonderful people; I can tell even though I've only known you for a week. And because I want you to have a future without too many struggles and obstacles." He grinned suddenly. "And I'll know where to go in case I ever get too pissed at the pub to make it back to my own place."

James attempted to chuckle, but it fell flat into the silence.

"Where are you going to live?" asked Lily, her mind spinning. This was so unexpected. She felt sorry for Jack, but he would surely demand something in return for his generosity. Being friends with a Slytherin had certainly taught her that much --

Wait. A Slytherin? What was that? It sounded like some sort of club or group at school. Lily discreetly pulled out her notepad and jotted down the thought before it could escape.

"I'm going to stay in a bedsit for a while," Jack answered. "It's not as good as a flat, but I think it'll teach me to value what I have. I'm not looking for a life of luxury." He shrugged. "What d'you think? Want to visit tomorrow morning at nine?"

James nodded. "Fine by me," he answered. "I don't have to be at Waterstones till the afternoon. Lily?"

Lily sighed. "I don't know -- I think I have to work at the dress shop."

"I'll cover your shift," Ellie put in suddenly, turning to face her friend. "I don't mind."

Lily shot her a grateful smile and said, "Tomorrow morning is fine, then. Jack --" She paused, trying to find the best phrasing. "Would you mind if James and I bought you, er, dinner as an appreciation of our thanks?" She glanced at James, who gave her an acquiescing shrug. "I mean -- I want to thank you with more than words."

Jack smiled; his eyes were shadowed. "No -- it's all right," he replied. "I -- really. You've already done more than enough for me. All of you," and he looked around the table. "And this is a way of showing my thanks. Please, Lily, you don't have to. I'm quite serious. I may even get angry if you do." He smirked suddenly. "You can get me more chocolate, if you really want to give me something. But that's all."

Lily nodded slowly. "If you're certain..."

Jack held her gaze. "I'm quite certain." He picked up the stack of cards. "Ready for another game?" he asked cheerfully, looking around the table.

Ellie yawned, glancing at her watch. "It's getting late. We should probably go to bed. I have to open Marie's tomorrow morning..."

Jack looked disappointed, but he stood up, shoving his cards back into the box. "All right. Nine o'clock tomorrow, James, Lily. D'you mind keeping the wager list here in your room?"

"No," James replied. "Good night."

"Night," Ellie yawned again from the doorway. Jack lingered for a moment longer, looking as if he wanted to say something, but when Lily looked at him inquiringly, he said, "Good night," turning around quickly and shutting the door behind him.

James stood awkwardly at the table for a moment before crossing the room and sitting on his bed, taking off his shoes. "Er -- good night, Lily," he said, catching her eyes.

Lily smiled at him, sitting down on the bed as she took a brush Ellie had given her and ran it through her hair. "Good night." She unlaced her trainers, set the brush down, and crawled to the end of the bed, placing her hand on the light switch near the door. "Ready to face the darkness?" she asked lightly.

James lay down on his bed, pulling the sheets around him and turning toward the wall. "Yeah," he replied, his voice muffled.

Lily flicked the light switch, settling into her own bed with a smile as she imagined living in Jack's old flat. Having her own home would certainly be nice, but having a home with James...the excitement that she had previously suppressed erupted from her chest and spread throughout her limbs. From the back of her mind, her voice of reason told her she was being silly, but she ignored it and allowed her emotions and imagination to wander free. She positively giggled at the image of James wearing an apron and cooking, lovingly praising red bell peppers, green sprouts, and potatoes for bringing out Lily's features. (She hadn't forgotten that scene at the hospital; she wondered if he had.) Biting her lip to keep from making a sound, she quickly turned to face the wall as James' sheets rustled from the other side of the room.

"Lily?" he mumbled sleepily.

"Yes?" She winced at the clarity of her voice. It was loud and harsh in the darkness.

"You okay? I thought I heard you making a noise..."

"Erm," Lily answered, her eyes widening, "no, no noise. I was just thinking."

"'Kay," James said.

Neither of them spoke for a moment.

"Lily?" James repeated.

"Hmm?"

"I..." James' voice trailed off. "Never mind. Good night."

Lily blinked. "Good night, James." She tossed her hair to one side and closed her eyes, making sure not to make a noise as she fantasized more scenes in Jack's flat before sleep overcame her.