Harry Potter and The Heirs of The Founders

Chapter Nine

Reunion

They were back in the Pensieve again. James was in a place that was unfamiliar. He glanced around before spying Remus out of the corner of his eye. He figured that this must have been either Chrystal or Remus' house.

'Chryssy,' he said to a figure lumped on the couch. 'How'd it go?'

'I'm stuck in the courtroom for the next six months. Holding my wand at the ready in case some criminal goes crazy. And worse, it's Mr Crouch's courtroom. That's not the reason I became an Auror.'

Remus moved over and held her close.

'You just need to be strong and you'll be fine,' he said softly. 'There are lots of people here to help you pull through. We're all here to help you. We're all here to help each other. Look, I have something to tell you.'

'What?' she glanced up at him with a look in her eyes that James found heart-wrenching.

'I found out why You-know-who was after James and Lily,' he said.

'Oh,' she said with a flat tone to her voice.

'There's a Prophecy,' Remus said. He handed her a piece of parchment.

'I already know,' she said glancing at the paper. 'James and I tried to decipher it quite unsuccessfully before they went into hiding.' She turned around, her face as pale as a ghost and threw her finger out at him. Her appearance made James shudder. He had never seen her look so awful. 'Do you know what this means?'

James could see a ring on the middle finger of her right hand. It was shaped like an eagle. It was a beautiful ring and with the information that he had gotten last night James could guess the symbolism of it.

'That's the sign of Ravenclaw,' Remus said observantly. 'Are you trying to tell me you're Ravenclaw's heir in some obscure way?'

'I don't know what it means,' she said. 'It was my mother's. I was drawn to it when she died, and now I can't take it off. I've made assumptions. The eagle is the symbol of Ravenclaw. My mother's family are a very old pureblood family. I tried to find the family bible but I was unsuccessful.'

'I'll look into it for you,' he said. 'Is there anything else I can do?'

'Bring Sirius to me,' she said. 'Or find whoever stole Lily and James' bodies, turn them into werewolves and retrieve Lily and James so we can bury them.'

'That's not funny,' Remus said. 'I would never wish this upon anyone.'

'I know,' she said sorrowfully.

James then found himself at a Quidditch pitch in Portree. He knew this must be the Pride's training ground. It was also a couple of years later. Chrystal looked a bit older, more mature but in a way she appeared even more haunted than previously.

'What's happened to you Chryssy?' Remus was talking in quite a strong voice to her. 'You're obsessed. Not just with Quidditch but with your Auror responsibilities as well.'

'I have to prove myself,' she said and walked away from Remus. 'I have to be the best and then no one will hurt me again.'

'That won't happen Chrys,' he said. 'You can't avoid people hurting you. You've shut everyone out. Your father, me and Sirius' family. You can't keep doing it. Chrystal MacLeod, get it through your head. James and Lily are dead. They're not coming back. Sirius betrayed us and will be in Azkaban for the rest of his life. As to being the Heir of Ravenclaw and the stupid prophecy, well you-know-who's gone isn't he? So you don't need to worry about it. And besides, you're nothing like your mother. Now, I am going out to dinner with Sirius' family tonight. Madeleine has announced her engagement, to Alec McLachlan. They would like you to join their celebrations. I am going to oblige them. So go and shower, but I will be waiting to take you with me. Forcibly if I have to.'

'No, Remus,' she said with a sigh. 'I'll come.'

James found himself in the Ministry of Magic again. He saw Chrystal sitting at a desk with a man James thought he vaguely recognised holding her shoulders. Again she looked older. A wizard with red hair whom James thought he recognised walked in the room.

'Chrystal, there's no easy way to tell you this,' he began. 'Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban.' James saw the stunned face. It was obvious that she couldn't believe it. James himself was shocked. He hadn't been told about Sirius escaping. 'Listen, Cornelius Fudge has declared a state of emergency. All Aurors and Hit Wizards are to drop what they're doing and help in the search. My entire department has been put onto it and Merlin help us if any of us come face to face with Sirius Black. I need to ask you, is there anything about Sirius that we should know?'

'I don't think so,' she said slowly and deliberately. James knew she was lying. 'How did he escape Arthur? How is it even possible?'

'No one had any idea whatsoever,' the wizard said. 'All they know is that in his sleep he's been calling out. He's been calling, "He's at Hogwarts." They think it can only refer to Harry. Who else would be at Hogwarts? Fudge is sending Dementors to guard the school. Anyway, Crouch has decided to send you home. You would be useless in a search for Sirius, even if you did want to do the right thing, your emotions would get in the way. Crouch thinks that if you find him you will kill him. I am not quite as naïve. If you do however happen to see him or find him before we do, make sure you do the right thing. Get him to stay away from Hogwarts and Harry. He will almost certainly be caught if he goes there. I'm asking you to do this for the sake of Lily Evans' son and for the sake of my son as well.'

'I didn't realise they were close,' Chrystal said softly. 'Why do you think he will come to me?'

'I met you when you were six Chrystal,' the wizard named Arthur said looking guiltily at the other man in the room. 'There was a spark between you and Sirius then and there was a spark between you and Sirius the last time I saw the two of you together. If he requires help it's you he will come to. I'm sure of it.'

Not having known what had happened James didn't think it was likely he would come to Chrys for help. He knew what Sirius thought of Aurors.

Chrystal didn't answer but picked up her bag and disapparated. James felt himself being dragged somewhere. He looked around and did not recognise the surroundings, but he knew somehow that this was Sirius' family's home.

'Heather?' she called. James saw Sirius' mother emerge from the house.

'Chryssy?' she asked. 'Is that you?' Chrystal nodded in reply. 'Has Sirius contacted you? Do you know where he is?'

'No Heather I don't,' she said. 'I've come to wait with you. He'll need to show himself eventually if he thinks he can survive this manhunt.'

'Thank you for coming,' Heather replied.

Again James had changed location. He found himself at The Three Broomsticks.

'He's back,' Remus said. 'It is undeniable.'

'Who?' Chrystal asked.

'You-know-who,' Remus replied.

'How?' James saw the white face. He never thought he had seen anyone so frightened before.

'Peter.'

'But Peter's dead,' she said. 'Sirius blew him up. That is if you listen to popular opinion.'

'No he didn't,' Remus said reluctantly. 'The point is he helped Voldemort regain his body. He is alive once more. Harry witnessed it.'

'Harry Potter?' she asked. Remus nodded. James' eyes opened wide. Harry had witnessed Voldemort's rebirth. The thought was almost unbearable. 'What do they want me to do?' Chrystal asked shaking. 'I'll do anything.'

'Dumbledore has asked me to gather the old crowd,' Remus said. 'But he wants you to keep an eye on the office of Magical Law Enforcement and especially on Azkaban and the Demenot'sloyalties.'

'Can't I do anything useful?' she asked.

'Chryssy,' he said. 'That could be more useful than you realise. Fudge will not acknowledge that Voldemort has returned.'

James could not understand how he could be so stupid. If Voldemort was back they would be best to act immediately.

'If what happened last time happens again,' she said. 'You can tell Dumbledore I'm quitting. I'm not going to hang around and be a part of it. If the Ministry crumbles you'll have to find yourself another Snitch.'

Then he was guided to the day when Sirius went to trial. He watched in awe as he got a first glimpse of his son, testifying for his best friend. The trial was followed by the day that Chrys had met Harry at the wizard races in Loch Avie. James watched in awe as he got glimpses of his unknown son. He watched his son's seventeenth birthday party and the Quidditch match that Sirius had orchestrated for him. He watched the match with pride; his son was certainly a good flyer. James watched the glimpses of Harry at Hogwarts with pride. He watched as people were pulled out of the Shrieking Shack with horror and was startled to discover his daughter had been one of the seriously injured. He watched the death of Hagrid and the events that followed it with despair and watched his son stand beside Sirius at his wedding with some amusement. Harry certainly bore a resemblance to him. People would have said that he was James except for the eyes. Lily's green eyes.

Chrystal pulled James out of the Pensieve once more.

'Do you understand?' she asked. James nodded his head. 'Of course there are some things that I can't tell you or show you. You will need to talk to Sirius.

'I understand that,' James said. 'Now I have a bit of readjusting to do. My son's in hiding. My daughter is a sixth year prefect. And I actually have a daughter, that one's hard. Sirius is married, Peter's been kissed and is now wondering around in the wilderness without a soul and Remus is where?'

'Ask Sirius,' she replied. 'He'll be here in two days anyhow. And speaking of that, I have to go and take care of a few things. Can I leave you here to wait for Sirius?'

'That's if you trust me,' he replied as she moved toward the fireplace to Floo away.

'Pregnancy's a damned nuisance,' she said with a smile. 'You can't Apparate anywhere!'

Chrys emerged in the Burrow. She certainly loved the house. She had fallen in love with it when she had visited as a six year old. It was so different to the pretence that was Dunvegan.

'Molly?' she called out. 'I'm here to help with Hermione's dress.'

Molly Weasley emerged from a pile of material.

'Chrystal,' she said. 'It's lovely to see you. I'm glad to finally have a hand. What with George and Katie's wedding only a couple of weeks away as well, there's just so much to do.'

Chrystal sat down and picked up a piece of material.

'How's Ron taking it?' she asked.

'Well I don't exactly know,' Molly said sighing. 'Ron had a thing for Hermione at one time. I know something went wrong and I'm not exactly sure what, but I certainly have the feeling it has something to do with Hermione realising she was in love with Harry. I saw it for quite a while although it probably wasn't obvious to her. I think Ron's problem is that he misses them. They have each other and he is cut off from pretty much everybody. But I saw a spark in his eyes when I asked him to find the other Gryffindor's for Saturday. It will certainly be a surprise for them.'

'Well you only get married once,' Chrys said. 'I know we're taking a risk with inviting all these people, but they're all trustworthy and we will memory charm most of them before they leave, just in case.'

'Does Harry know that you've found James yet?' Molly had lowered her voice.

'No,' Chrystal replied. 'I think Rose is planing on giving that to Harry as a wedding present.' Molly tried to stifle the laughter.

'I guess it's a good gift then,' Molly said. 'Although not quite what Harry would be expecting, I think. That girl really is a breath of fresh air. Come on now, let's see to this lace.' Molly handed Chrystal some material and a pattern. They buckled down and got straight to work, hoping that the dress would fit.

*~*

Lily walked into Sirius and Chrys' sitting room to see James there sitting, contemplating.

'How did it go?' she asked softly walking over and placing her hand on James' shoulder.

'Informative,' he said. He was struggling to absorb the information bestowed on him. Chrystal had been right, he had needed to see. But he couldn't shake Azkaban, nor could he shake the sight of his daughter was pulled out of the rubble of the Shrieking Shack. To think he had almost lost her before he found her. His hatred towards Voldemort was growing, even more than it had been before. That man had cost him so much.

'Can you take some more information?' Lily said softly, breaking his chain of thought.

'If it's important,' he replied sighing.

'Well the reason that we were looking for Rose last night,' she began seeming slightly nervous. 'Well we were looking for her because I had some news for her from Harry. I'd just been to visit Harry and his girlfriend, her name's Hermione, anyhow I had just been to visit them and Harry told me that he had asked Hermione to marry him.'

'What?' James asked in disbelief. He wasn't sure he'd heard right. He thought that Lily had said that Harry was getting married.

'Harry asked his girlfriend to marry him,' Lily said again in the most soothing voice she had. 'They're getting married at Hogwarts on Saturday evening.'

'My son's getting married?' James asked. 'But he's just a kid.'

'He's just as old as we were when we got married,' Lily replied. 'I know this is hard for you, you've missed so much.'

'Who is this girl anyway?' he said, almost yelling. 'Do we know we can trust her?'

'I was her pet for five years,' Lily snapped. 'She is trustworthy. Her name's Hermione Granger, her parents are Muggles. She was in Gryffindor and she's one of the smartest witches to have ever come through Hogwarts.'

James' head was spinning.

'Lil,' he said calmly. 'Can you just leave me alone for now? I need to think.'

He tried not to glimpse at her face as she stormed out the door. She was angry at his reaction, he knew that, but he was surprised. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing you expected to get sprung on you. He didn't know what to do or say. And he couldn't explain why he was feeling the way he was.

*~*

Harry turned around to embrace Hermione. The feel of her skin instantly warmed him, sending tingles down his back. So soft, so smooth, there was just something about her that made him almost shiver inside. She had his heart and his soul. It had taken Harry a while realise that she'd already held them for a long time. She would be gone tomorrow night, believing in the superstition that a bride shouldn't see the groom the night before the wedding. The thought of having to spend a night alone without her was almost unbearable. He had organised with his mother for her to put Ron under the Fidelius when Hermione left so that they could spend some time talking before the wedding. Although he didn't want Ron's approval, he wanted to know what his best friend thought.

Hermione stirred in his arms.

'What's the matter Harry?' she said yawning.

'Nothing my dear,' he whispered. 'Go back to sleep.'

He gently stroked her hair as she closed her eyes and fell into sleep. He just sat gazing at her.

There is nothing as amazing as watching the one you love sleep. There is something about the innocence they exude, something that makes you want to protect that innocence at all costs. It was an ironic thought really. Hermione's innocence had long been stolen. Harry knew that it was he that was responsible for Hermione being in this situation. If it hadn't been for him and her involvement with him she would be at least partially safe. She would not have put her life on hold. He would make it up to her if he possibly could. He did not know when or how, but he would do whatever it took.

*~*

Lily sat in her room in the Staff Quarters at Hogwarts. It was a hidden section, very difficult to find if you weren't actually looking for it or didn't know it was there. She had been surprised by James reaction initially however after mulling over it she realised that it should not have been wholly unexpected. Lily had herself been shocked when she first saw Harry. So much taller than he was in her imagination, part of the reason she had jumped on Hermione the way she had was due to her surprise at seeing Peter but also Harry. She could understand that James was shaken and she wished she could do something to help him. They had talked all night, the night before and Lily had managed to fill James in on some things however, it was obvious to Lily that he was overwhelmed. He was having a lot of trouble adjusting and was so unsure on where he stood with everyone. The previous night he had told her that she was free if she wanted to be. The comment had hurt her. The James she knew and loved would not have let her go so easily; he would have died trying to keep her. She sat down and began to cry. She was entirely overwhelmed by the activities of the last couple of days. She would be gaining a daughter whom she did love and respect and she had regained a husband who was no longer the man she remembered. Part of her was also jealous at the way Rose had taken instantly to James. She seemed to relate to him so naturally, it was quite a shock to Lily. And Rose had instantly started calling him Dad. Whereas Rose had been uneasy around her, and at first their relationship was very forced and awkward. As both of them had gotten to know each other, things had relaxed a little but Rose was yet to refer to Lily as Mum. Perhaps it was because she had time to get used to the idea that her parents really did love her, or perhaps it was the fact that Lily had physically abandoned her, it didn't matter why, Lily had to blame herself.

She mulled over these thoughts for a while until she heard the door open. She looked up, it was James.

'I've upset you Lil,' he whispered softly. 'I'm sorry. I'm just shocked. And angry. Not at you, but at the situation. And I'm jealous that you've had so much more of Harry than I have.' He walked over towards her and wiped the tears from her eyes. So gently, so tenderly, it almost made Lily's heart break. 'Please remember that I love you and I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, my dear.'

'Oh James,' she said as her tears increased. He again reached to brush the tears from her face, this time brushing the hair out of her eyes. He glanced at his face. It was one of concern. She reached up to touch his face, to feel the feel of his skin. 'May I?' she asked. He did not reply only nodding as she reached up and ran her fingers through his hair. Her spine began to tingle in a way that only James could manage. Gradually their petting became kissing, before they managed to tear each others clothes off without breaking the contact of their bodies. The touch of his skin gave Lily sensations that only her James could. That was all Lily wanted. To be as close as possible to James and never let him go again. And as they made love for the second time in seventeen years, Lily knew she had been found again.

*~*

Friday evening Lily and Ron apparated to a prearranged destination. Hermione was insistent, she would not see Harry on their wedding day until she was walking down the aisle. Lily let out her held in breath when she saw Harry and Hermione waiting there for her.

'Harry and Hermione Revalo,' she said softly as Harry and Hermione appeared before Ron's eye. 'I'll make this quick, do you have everything you need Hermione?' She nodded. 'Okay, Ron stand over there.' Ron moved over towards Harry. 'Harry and Ron Fidelius!' Lily waited for a couple of seconds until Harry and Ron had apparated before turning to Hermione. 'They're gone. Would you like to head to Hogwarts now?'

Hermione nodded.

'It's probably safer than standing around here,' she said. They apparated to Hogsmeade and Lily decided to inform Hermione on the latest developments as they made their way to Hogwarts.

'We've found James,' Lily said softly.

'Uh-huh,' Hermione said. Lily almost had to stifle a giggle; it was obvious Hermione had not really taken in what Lily had said.

'Hermione, we found James,' Lily said again.

'I heard,' she said before it finally clicked what Lily had said. 'You found him? Where? When? How?'

'Rose found him actually,' Lily said. 'She sent him a letter.'

'A letter?' Hermione asked in disbelief. 'She sent him a letter.'

'Sometimes the simplest ideas are often the best,' Lily said with a smile. It was obvious that she was very proud of her daughter. 'I'm sure you want to try your dress on tonight. Molly Weasley has done a wonderful job. But would you like to meet James first?'

'I guess so,' she replied extremely hesitantly. Lily could detect the edge of trepidation in her voice. It must be bizarre to meet someone that you know so much about. Lily led Hermione up to their special quarters taking a path where no one would see them. She opened the door to reveal James sitting on the bed twiddling his thumbs. Lily laughed.

'James this is Hermione,' she brought Hermione over to James. 'Harry's fiancée. I lived as her cat for five years.'

'So you've said Lily,' he replied.

Lily watched as James looked up and down Hermione a couple of times.

'It's nice to meet you,' he said finally. 'I've heard a lot about you and I have to say that so far it seems as if I haven't been told anything.' He walked over and embraced her awkwardly. 'Welcome to the family Hermione.'

*~*

Ron and Harry apparated back to Padfoot's Manor. There was a slight chill in the air.

'I won't do this without your blessing,' Harry said finally breaking the ice. Ron had a surprised look on his face.

'Why do you need my blessing?' he asked. 'Hermione's her own woman.'

'I just need to know that you're okay with this that's all Ron,' Harry said with a sigh.

'Harry,' Ron began choosing his words carefully, 'I already gave you my blessing last Christmas. I won't deny that I had feelings for Hermione at one stage, but I'm well and truly over them. She wasn't happy with me, and if I'm completely honest I wasn't happy with her. There's something about the way she looks at you, and the way you look at her. There's a longing. A need to be as close together as possible. It's almost sickening mate.'

'Really?' Harry asked. 'I didn't realise that it was that obvious.'

'Harry,' Ron said, 'I'm fine about you and Hermione. If I wasn't going to be then I wouldn't be your best man tomorrow.'

'Thanks Ron,' he replied. 'It means a lot to me. So how's Hit Wizard life?'

Ron grimaced as he filled Harry in on the ins and outs of the Hit Wizard world including Terry Boot and how frustrating Ron was finding him. Listen to Ron's chatter made Harry relax and took his mind off his nerves for the coming day.

~~~~~~~~~~~