Remember When It Rained

Remember When It Rained

Remember when it rained

I felt the ground and looked up high and called your name

Remember when it rained

In the darkness I remain

Running down...

~ Josh Groban, "Remember When It Rained"

Her throat choked up with unshed tears as he gently lifted her shirt off, exposing her shivering naked skin to the air. Closing her eyes, she savored his touch as it ran across her neck, arms, breasts, and bulging abdomen. This is what she needed, comfort after possibly the most trying day of her life. Clenching her eyes shut, she tried to throw off the thoughts that were weighing her down, but the inner anguish was too heavy to lift. It was too much. Unknowingly, her muscles tightened.

"Lily, what's wrong?"

"I...oh, James, I don't know!" she cried, tears brimming in her eyes. "I really don't know anymore."

"Is it that - " he began to say.

"No. I told you not to talk about it."

"But if it's bothering you that much, then talk about it."

"It'll only hurt more. I don't want to think or talk about what...might happen."

"Remember what Dumbledore said? It might not even be us," James assured her.

Lily Potter, nee Evans, looked into her husband's face, carefully dissecting his compassionate look. Despite the wear the past few years had brought, his face was still young and lively, even when at rest, and his hazel eyes sparkling, radiating a warmth that charmed her heart every time she looked at them.

"James..." she trailed off, not knowing what to say.

Suddenly, she threw herself onto him, her lips enveloping his. As he took her in his arms, she could only think that James would fix it all, him and his smothering kisses. He would save her, free her from her sorrow -

* * *

James and I entered the Order's headquarters and quickly took a seat by Sirius and Remus.

"Hey, James," Sirius said, clapping his friend on the back. "And...Lily!"

I blushed as his eyes roamed down to my bloated belly. Looking down at it myself, I placed a protective hand over it. No, I corrected myself. Not "it." Him.

"Hi, Lily," Remus said. "How's the baby doing?"

"Oh, just fine."

"How much longer?"

"One more month," I replied, thinking that, in one more month, I would truly be a mother.

"Everyone, please sit down," a soft voice said from the head of the table. Everyone complied instantly, leaving nothing but a dull silence hanging in the air. James took my hand as we both fixed our eyes on Dumbledore, his usually calm face plastered with concern. "There is something very important to discuss tonight. I should have told you this long before today."

* * *

His soft lips locked onto hers as he caressed her fair skin and ran a hand through her thick scarlet locks. Lily placed her hand on his waist, pulling him closer.

"You are so beautiful, Lily," he mumbled between the kisses.

"No, I'm not," she denied, casting her eyes down at her belly and mulling over the fate that awaited her poor child. "I'm not."

"Yes, yes, you are," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

By then, it was pretty much understood that everything discussed in the headquarters was important. The reports of Ministry officials under the Imperius Curse, more Muggle killings, and occasional resurgences in the recruitment of Death Eaters meant almost nothing to me now I had heard so many of them. The word important only preceded the deaths of members of the Order. We had suffered so many of them recently I hoped that Dumbledore was not about to bring the news of yet another one, but he and Minerva McGonagall were looking so grave there was no limit as to how negative this important something could be.

"Last year," Dumbledore began, "I was staying at the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade, interviewing someone for the post of Divination professor. Although she is a descendant of a great Seer, I could see that she lacked any true - foresight into the future. As I stood up to leave, though, I believe she..." He paused, and to my horror, looked from me to Alice Longbottom, sitting opposite me. We glanced at each other, confused.

"I believe she genuinely prophesized something," he finished. "This something refers to certain members of the Order. Mr. Potter, Mr. Longbottom, will you please excuse yourselves and your wives to this room over here? Minerva, please continue with your report."

* * *

Lily felt him come into her, pleasure flooding through her, but it was accompanied by a strange feeling, a feeling of not being satisfied. She wanted James, yet she wanted to be alone. She wanted empathy, yet she wanted indifference. Biting her lip, she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him away.

"Please," she said.

* * *

The room Dumbledore led us to was bare and empty save for a lone wooden table with a large stone basin perched on top of it.

"Is that - a Pensieve?" I asked, having never seen one before.

"Indeed it is, Lily," he said, his voice uncharacteristically mournful. "Everyone, please gather around. I would give you the option of not seeing this, but lives are at jeopardy."

My confusion gave away to curiosity as I watched Dumbledore extract his wand and prod the semi-liquid surface of the Pensieve lightly. It began to spiral, swirling in circles. A figure with abnormally large glasses emerged from the center of this maelstrom and spoke in harsh tones.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches...Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies...and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not...and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives...The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

The figure disappeared beneath the Pensieve, and the liquid returned to its motionless, placid state.

"Does that...did that just say that someone's coming who'll be able to kill Voldemort?" James asked.

"Not merely coming, I should say, but coming into the world."

"You mean, born?" I said, feeling my neck muscles tighten.

"Yes. You see, the prophecy is talking about either one of you two couples."

Alice blanched. "Why?"

"Well, if the prophecy is approached analytically, it does make sense. 'Born to those who have thrice defied him': if I am not mistaken, all of you have all escaped Lord Voldemort three times?" I began to tremble just thinking about the wizard the magical community spoke about with such fear. James lay a comforting hand on my arm. " 'Born as the seventh month dies': that refers to the end of July. Alice, Lily, is what when you're due to give birth?"

"Yes," I managed to say, the mystery surrounding the prophecy starting to clear up a little.

" 'The Dark Lord will mark him as his equal': this could mean many things, but what I believe it's implying is that Lord Voldemort will try to kill either one of your children."

"What?" Alice gasped, making eye contact with me.

No! my mind screamed out. I was half ready to dash over to wherever Voldemort held his little Death Eater meetings to tell him I would rather he kill both of our children than to have him pick between them. Alice seemed prepared to join me. Rather that than to live in such uncertainty.

"And...the last part?" Alice's husband, Frank, asked meekly.

"Remember, please," Dumbledore said, "that the prophecy could apply to both of you. Whichever child Lord Voldemort chooses to mark, he is the one the prophecy concerns."

"So," I reasoned aloud, voicing my greatest fear, "one child will grow up to live normally. And - the other one...he...he'll be hunted down by Voldemort until..."

I couldn't bring myself to finish my words.

"Lily, I'm sorry," was all Dumbledore could say. "And, Alice, I am sorry as well. I know how hard this is to take for not just the women, but the men as well."

James squeezed my hand. "Lily will be safe with me. We have, er, 'thrice defied him,' it seems."

"No, James, I'm afraid she won't." Dumbledore surveyed my stunned husband, who has always been able to accomplish whatever he wanted as long as he wanted it badly enough, with sad eyes. "You know as well as I do that Lord Voldemort and his followers are ruthless and will exhaust all means to find you and your children. None of you will be completely safe, and for the position this prophecy puts you in, you have my condolences. However, we can put this off as long as possible by taking extreme security precautions - "

I heard no more as I sank to the floor, the world spinning around me, the lights dimming overhead.

* * *

"Lily, what's wrong?" She didn't reply. "Lily, please talk."

"I'm - I'm afraid, James. I thought that before I heard the prophecy I was afraid, but now I really am scared. I'm scared for the baby. I'm scared that we're bringing him into the world at such a bad time and that...that he might die and I won't be able to see him grow up or to see him learn how to walk and talk."

"Aw, Lily, everything will be fine. He's my son too, 'member? He'll do great in the world, no matter what happens."

"Are you trying to say you're doing well in the world?"

"Yes." He grinned. "I promise you I'll help keep him safe, even if Dumbledore thinks I'm worthless. We'll share the burden together."

The tears that had been threatening to spill over since Lily arrived home broke free, trailing down her cheeks. She let out an anguished sob as James draped his arms tightly around her shaking form. A thin beam of moonlight ignited her tossed, rippling hair and the tears on her face. She could only hope now, hope that James was right, hope that their child could live through one day and then the next one. And the next one.