Love, Lies, and a Secret

Chapter 1 / Prologue: James Potter's Daughter

County Hospital, London
September 1979

James Potter was sitting in a chair in the waiting room watching the Muggle doctors walking from here to there. It was amazing, really, how they could do things only with machines--without any magic. As a pureblood, he couldn't totally understand the Muggles. They were so strange--unique! Of course, his wife, Lily, had explained some "Muggle things" to him, but still! It was really amazing.

"Merlin," he thought to himself, "I am starting to look like Arthur Weasley!"

"James?" A female voice broke his thoughts.

James shook his head to snap out of his reverie and then gazed at the owner of the voice. He smiled genuinely.

"Star! You came! Please, have a sit!"

The woman smiled at the nickname. Only James called her that. Even her husband didn't know. It was their little secret. A little inside joke that they liked to play. Star was a longtime friend of James Potter. It was really amazing how well they seemed to have done even with the fact she was almost ten years older than he.

So, she nodded at him and sat in a chair by his side. Star was a very beautiful woman with long black hair and deep dark eyes. Her long and thin fingers were playing with the hem of her Muggle blouse. James could see she was a little cautious--and anxious.

"I am glad you came, Star."

"I simply couldn't say no, James. You did so much for me and--"

"Star, dear, I did nothing special--but let's not talk about it. I registered the baby. I mean--" James ran his fingers through his messy hair. "I am now her father; legally speaking."

Star put her hands on her knees and took a deep breath.

"I suppose you didn't tell Lily."

"Of course not!" He looked at his friend as she was mad. "I just can't tell Lily! She--we--are going through a not-so-nice phase. This last false alarm--well, she became very depressed after that."

"But she's okay now, isn't she?"

"Yes, she's better. But you know how she is. She wants a baby more than anything, and--well, she thinks it's some personal failing. I've tried to tell her we're still young, that's there's no need to hurry, but you see, that's why I can't tell her! I can't tell her that I have a daughter. Okay, the baby girl isn't really mine, but still!"

"I still think you should tell Lily. She is a good and intelligent person, James. I'm sure she will understand."

"No, I can't. I can't risk Mary . . . and the baby. What if says something? No."

"You know very well that won't happen. Lily isn't a woman that easily 'say' things but it's your decision. Humm, what about Remus?

James seemed a little uncomfortable.

"What about him?"

"For Merlin's sake, James!"

"Okay, sorry. No, I haven't seen him. You know very well he hasn't been seeing me for a long time."

"James, you know how these times have been difficult for him. This new law about werewolves just--just destroyed any dreams he ever had."

"Yes, I know! But he was supposed to be our friend! Lily even found work for him. Okay, it's in the muggle world, but it's something! I know very well he doesn't like that Sirius, Peter, and I help him. He is too stubborn to accept it. What I can't understand is why he keeps disappearing. He even missed some Order meetings! And--and after Jane's--" He couldn't continue.

"James, I'm sure Peter misunderstood. . . ."

"No, Peter can be a little, er, slow--" To this, she snorted. "But he wouldn't misunderstand something like that. He did see Remus talking to Greyback, and then less than twelve hours later--well you know what happened. Jane was attacked--and killed by that monster. It was lucky that Mary wasn't there at the time. Just lucky."

Star nodded but didn't say a word. She knew how Jane Adam's death had touched James's and Lily's life. Jane was muggleborn like Lily. And also like Lily she had a muggle sister--Mary. But Mary was everything Petunia wasn't. She was caring, lovely, friendly. . . . She loved her sister's and Jane's magical world. In fact, she even started to see a wizard intimately.

It was really a surprise when James, came to see Jane a few days after her death. He was so serious that Star thought he was pranking her. However, there were no pranks. He told his friend that Mary was pregnant and afraid for her life. Star didn't need to ask who the father was. She just knew.

Despite the situation, she smiled. James Potter. He was really a good friend--a good person. So young. and so many responsibilities. He knew that if people found out the truth about the father of Mary's baby, the baby could be taken. Or worse, killed. To him it was simple. There was only one thing to be done: register the baby as his.

"Star?" asked James, looking at his friend in concern.

"Huh? Oh! Sorry, I just spaced out for a second there. But tell me, what's your, er, daughter's name?"

James smiled and replied, "Hermione Jane. Hermione Jane Potter."