Let It Be

Let It Be

Sirius had always said that you could take the girl out of the Muggle world, but you can't take the Muggle world out of the girl, which, in Lily's case was terribly accurate. It was not that she didn't adore the Wizarding world, but there were some things that she had grown up with, some things that she was not ready to part with. Telephones, for example, which she loved to no end along with television, to which James had also become addicted, but there was one thing, one things in particular that no one could have ever made her give up.

The Beatles. The Bloody Beatles. The Beatles with their Yellow Submarines (whatever a submarine was) and their Penny Lane. Paul and George and John and Ringo. John was her favourite, of course, and she hated Yoko Ono. Not that any of them really knew who or what Yoko Ono was; only that Lily was not in favor of it. Neither James, nor Sirius, nor Remus, nor Peter could understand why she'd dragged them to some place called Abbey Road and so excitedly insisted that they take a picture crossing the street. Nor did they understand why she had giggled and framed the picture, and set it right up on the mantle piece along with dozens of photos of a giggling, gurgling Harry.

Harry was too young to understand what Beatles-mania was, but Lily hadn't failed to notice that her hyperactive son seemed to enjoy Obladi Oblada. He bounced and giggled whenever Lily played her records or sang it to him. She would gladly allow her son to grow up well educated in the field of Muggle music.

"It's not that I don't like Wizarding bands..." She would say, "but they're just not the same as The Beatles! How could anyone else replace John or Ringo or George... or even Paul?" Paul was her least favourite; they had never quite deciphered why.

Once she had even disappeared for an evening, back in the summer between sixth and seventh year, to watch a concert. The entire week after that she had walked around with a Beatles t-shirt and strange round sunglasses which she insisted were "just like John's!"

Any time she could at school, she'd begin to sing, when she was reminded of one of their numerous songs, and it seemed to James, Remus, Sirius and Peter, that The Beatles had a song for every occasion. The Beatles followed the Marauders everywhere once Lily became a part of their little group, and it was only on James' insistence that Harry had not been named after John, George or Paul, and very luckily for Harry, he had not been named Ringo. Ringo Potter was somehow not quite the name he was looking for for his son. She had tried many other names; Jude, she had suggested, or Desmond, perhaps. It was finally agreed that if James would be allowed to give him the name Harry, then Lily could name their next unsuspecting child after any Beatles-related thing her heart desired.

It was always very hard for them all to believe when she told them that the baby-sized 'I Am The Walrus' t-shirt was the only clean thing in Harry's drawers on every last one of the days when a new single or album was released. It was even harder for them to understand why she'd cried so much on the 8^th of December, back in 1980. When the whole world found out that John Lennon was dead, how she'd played all the songs and sung all the words and lit up a candle by the window that night. All they could do was sit there with her, and hug her and wonder what could make it better. Of course they knew and she knew that life would go on, but Lily would always miss hearing news about John. She did not have to miss him for too long.

Remus walked through Muggle London so many years later, when the Beatles were no more and the music the Muggles played wouldn't have been appreciated by Lily. He was on his way somewhere, and someone was at his side, but he did not know who or what, for he was lost back in his memories, finding himself drawn to something that had been trapped deep within him.

"And when the broken hearted people, living in the world agree..." It came out as little more than a mumble with only the ghost of a tune left where once he'd been sure a melody had lived and thrived. He heard a greater melody, a true one as they passed some long-lost muggle shop filled with oddities that only Arthur Weasley could appreciate.

"There will be an answer, let it be. For though they may be parted there is still a chance that they will see there will be an answer, let it be." Remus was no fine singer, he had no strong and hearty voice as Sirius had had, and the lyrics he remembered came out more like poetry than song, but still it was enough for him to remember what he taken him over. It was a song he had known long ago, when the world had seemed to him so full with friend and loud with song and laughter, but now that was all but a faded dream.

"You know this song, Remus?" Came his companion's voice.

Who was he with this time, on this mission, only one in the endless stream. Ah, yes... it was Tonks this time, Tonks who couldn't ever hope to understand why a silly little Muggle band that had greatly disbanded almost 20 years ago meant so much to him. He did not like the style and he had never liked the band in general, and now the lyrics made him long for a dream that was dead.

Still the words rang through to him. This silly little Muggle group. This was Lily's silly little Muggle group...