Without Warning

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: We're All Going On A Summer Holiday

Dearest Lily,

I have gotta say, you must be a very talented witch, what with managing to shield yourself from me that whole time on the train! Anyway, I know you probably don't care to hear from me, but I thought maybe you'd at least see my side of things if I did it this way. I'm sorry. Oh, and you're a beautiful drunk.

<3 James

Hey Indigo,

Seriously, he's acting like a little kid - owling me at every given chance! He must be really bored. Merlin, he's just so annoying! But anyway. How are you? How's life in the magical world? You have no idea how much I miss you!

Love Lil

Pads,

She hasn't replied to one single ruddy owl! Am I that repulsive?! ... Don't answer that. How are things keeping at your end?

Prongs

Prongs,

No wonder she's not replying to your owls. I can smell your stench from here. Probably about time you gave your festering socks in the corner a nice long soak. Or at least enlist a house elf for Merlin's sake. As for me, well what can I say? Mother's a bitch, father's a bastard, brother's a basket case. Nothing out of the usual then.

Padfoot

Hey Black,

You off to Apparition Registration on the 16th - or do you prefer more primitive styles of transportation? Baha. Bet you haven't studied much and are currently planning on a fluke. Me too.

~ Indigo

Lils,

Best thing to do is to ignore his idiotic pleas. With any hope he'll fall into a senile state with your constant bouts of rejection and thus become a zombie for the rest of his natural born life. Wizarding World is peaceful enough - though Mum keeps saying things are too relaxed and that it's a type of 'calm before the storm'. Now I don't know about you, but I always thought that mothers were supposed to be reassuring. That doesn't sound too reassuring to me. It's sort of scary. Will keep you posted.

Love Indigo

Padfoot,

My socks are doing just fine, for your information. Have you booked your registration yet? If the Mafioso gets too much, you can always crash here, mate.

Prongs

Dearest Lily,

Oh, you know, my summer's been really great, thanks for asking. Since my last owl I've been embracing a list of ... what do you call them? Oh yes - cheesy Muggle 'pick up lines' to use on you the next time we meet.

See you at Apparition Registration on the 16th!

<3 James

McKinnon,

Believe me, the way my holidays are stacking up, I think I'd prefer to be studying. But a fluke would be just as handy nonetheless (as we all know I'm not doing any type of studying whatsoever). Hope yours are going better than mine,

~ Pad Sirius

Potter,

I loathe you.

~ Lily

Lils,

Loathe, love - there must be some sort of balance! I can settle for totally head over heels smitten for the time being?

Adorations, James

Potter,

Call me 'Lils' again, and you won't be around to graduate next year.

~ Lily Evans

Lily,

Point considered. Have come to conclusion that your wish is my command.

If you go out with me.

Yours forever, James.

Potter,

You really are the most annoying, arrogant prat I have ever met, aren't you? Feel proud. However, I will not, and never will, go out and/or kiss you ever again. Your senile ramblings have led me to believe you have completely and utterly lost the plot. Good luck with that.

~ Lily Evans

Lily of the Night,

I shall pine for you from here until eternity is nigh.

Your arrogant, senile, lost-the-plot prat, James.

Potter,

That didn’t even make sense. By the by, you forgot annoying.

... And completely and utterly.

- Lily

Lily,

O how it annoys me so, how completely and utterly fallen I am.

<3 James

Dear Lily,

I would have rather done this is person, but it’s been niggling away at me, and I have now been left with no doubt in my mind that something bad is going on. I hope your holidays are going well. Mine are okay – Phoebe is being as snarky as ever (I’m sure you can relate – how is Tuna anyway?), and I have uncovered some information about her which has scared me senseless. You and Indigo are the only people I can seem to trust at present. Look, we need to chat. Or rather, I have something important I need to tell you. It’s a pity your fireplace isn’t connected to the Floo Network…bloody Muggle fireplace laws. Oh no – I have to go – someone’s coming. I’ll see you on the sixteenth at apparition.

Love Grace.

Inds,

Potter has decided to make my life a living hell by sending me pointless owls daily. It’s driving me insane. I had to reply, I just had to, but I don’t seem to be penetrating that thick skull of his yet. Maybe a Howler would do the trick. Anyway, I got a very strange letter from Grace Parker today. She said she thinks something bad is about to happen and that Phoebe is being unusually strange. Since both of your families are purebloods, you must have some kind of connection, right? Do you know if anything fishy is going on? I have a bad feeling now. See you in a couple of days!

~Lily

Prongs,

Not sure if I’ll be making it to apparition tomorrow. Things have taken a turn for the worst here. The yelling never stops. You know what my mother’s like, but she’s reached new extremes – she’s forbidden me from communicating with anyone by Floo. That includes you. Apparently your family is too ‘friendly with mudbloods’ for her liking. I told her it was bollocks, the bitch. I honestly feel like a caged animal – I wouldn’t be in the least surprised if she intercepts this letter.

-Padfoot

Dear Severus,

I hope this letter finds you well, and that your holidays are going along satisfactorily. Will you be at apparition registration? I look forward to seeing you again.

From Phoebe

Snape,

An initiation has been set up for the twentieth. Will owl later with further details. Be careful about what you put in writing and with whom you associate. One can never be too careful.

-L. Malfoy

***

Ding Dong!

James looked up from his dinner plate from where he was sitting at the kitchen table. It was far too late for visitors. He looked hastily across the table at his mother. She looked at him for a moment before slowly reaching for her wand.

Ding Dong Ding Dong!

She pushed her chair back from the table, which scraped against the stone floor of the cavernous kitchen, and cast a furtive glance to her only son as she got to her feet.

"Stay here, James," she said.

James knew by the tone in her voice that he better bloody well stay put. His father was still at the Ministry working. He hardly ever finished at a reasonable hour these days. Which was sort of understandable, James figured, seeing as they were now living in Voldemort’s reign of terror and his father was an Unspeakable in the Department of Mysteries.

His mother, a prestigious Auror for the Ministry, had slightly more convenient hours when James was home for the holidays, but he knew that she still must work just as many hectic days as his father, and was constantly on call.

James listened intently to his mother’s footsteps making their way down the hallway, and then coming to a halt as she opened the front door.

Suddenly, a gasp was heard.

James automatically jumped to his feet, snatching up his own wand in the process. He ploughed his way out of the kitchen, into the hallway and towards the front door, readying himself for anything that could be waiting.

What he saw, however, made his blood run cold.

Sirius was standing in the hallway.

***

Phoebe Parker knelt huddled down near the fireplace in her bedroom, staring absentmindedly into the crimson flames licking their way up the wall of the chimney chute. This may have seemed a little unusual given it was the middle of summer, but for a pure-blooded witch awaiting an important visit, it was far from unusual.

She’d been awaiting this visit since the night of the after-party in the Slytherin Dungeons she had attended with Severus after the Celebratory Ball. Thanks to the firewhiskey she had been drinking that night, it had seemed much easier at the time to pluck up the courage to talk to them – especially since Severus had talked so highly of them.

"Hello, Parker."

Phoebe started as a head appeared, nestled in a blanket of green flames. An oval shaped head. Draped in a curtain of black hair, framing a pair of hooded, fathomless black eyes.

"H-Hello, Bellatrix," said Phoebe cautiously.

"I must say Parker; it’s good to know you’re punctual."

Phoebe relaxed a little. "Oh! Well…thank you."

***

Grace paced her bedroom back and forth. Each time she passed her window, she looked down onto the field of grass below. Being in a wealthy pure-blooded family sure had its privileges, but Grace couldn’t figure out for the life of her when it had got so boring.

Phoebe. When Phoebe started hanging out with Severus Snape, Grace had lost her best friend. Sure, she had other friends, but nothing ever compares to the company of your twin sister. Phoebe had always been there for her, even though she had put on a tough, cynical exterior, Phoebe had always been there for Grace.

But now Grace felt like she had lost a part of herself. She knew that Phoebe was up to something. Something terribly bad; which included dark magic. But she wasn’t too sure she wanted to admit to it wholly yet. She was quite adamant stirring in her own thoughts for the time being.

Apart from Lily. She had to tell Lily what she had overheard that night of the Ball down at the lake. That thing that Snape had told Phoebe. That thing about Lily and James dying if they loved one another.

She reasoned though, that Lily currently hated James Potter and was likely to never return his feelings. And besides, James was probably just lusting after her.

After all, they were all far too young to actually love weren’t they?

But, she replied to her own thoughts, she had to tell Lily anyway. Who knew where they could all end up, what with the current climate of the Wizarding World? This was hardly the time to be bottling things up.

Grace knew she had grown up a lot over the past couple of weeks. She used to be obsessed with appearance, how straight her hair was and planning what outfits to wear to Hogsmeade. But now she knew none of that mattered. It wasn’t what a person looked like which made them good. It was what they did.

It was all very confusing for Grace.

Hence why she was pacing.

There was a sudden roar from behind her and she turned to see what the calamity was about. The noise had come from her fireplace, which had suddenly lit up. In green flames. A head was nestled in the embers, grinning up at her.

An oval head, framed in dark locks. Sparkling hazel eyes and a handful of freckles scattered across the owner’s nose.

“Indigo!” Grace squealed, clambering up to the hearth.

“Hey Grace, how’s life?”

“Oh you know, I’m fine, “Grace lied. “Can’t wait for apparition registration to be over and done with, though!”

“Mmm, I know how you feel. Hey…are you okay?”

“I…um. Yes?”

“It’s just that Lily owled me today saying you had sent her a strange letter. I thought since we’re both connected to Floo I’d pop in to see how you were…” Indigo looked at Grace hard. She knew there was something that needed to be said.

“Lily…Yes. I said I’d discuss it with her tomorrow.”

“Okay…That’s it? Nothing else bothering you?”

“No! Um…no. Really, I’m fine.” Grace forced a smile.

“Okay. Well in that case, I’ll just be going then…”

“Wait! No, Indigo. Wait. I um…Something has been on my mind now that you mention it…”

“Oh?”

“It’s Phoebe,” Grace whispered. “I think she’s coercing with dark wizards.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well after I heard her and Snape down at the lake on the night of the Ball, I just knew that -”

“What? What were they saying?”

“Oh they were just talking about Snape’s occlumency and what had happened when he and Lily had…”

“Yes?”

“Uhm. I shouldn’t…”

“Grace, she’s my best friend. I think I can handle. So what did the little twerp say? He has a crush on her, doesn’t he?”

“Well…not exactly. It sort of had more to do with a premonition concerning James and -”

“Potter? Why the hell would he care about Potter?”

“He doesn’t. He’s rather happy, actually. Because it’s about James dying. And Lily. If James and Lily get together and then fall in love, they’ll -”

Grace stopped mid sentence. She cocked her head to the side and listened to the footsteps pacing along the hallway.

“Grace?”

“Indigo, I have to go now. Someone’s coming. My folks don’t approve of us using Floo at the moment because of the war and its unpredictability. I’ll see you at Apparition Registration, though.”

“No, Grace, wait. I -”

“I’m sorry,” Grace said grimly. “But I really must go.” And with a swish of her wand, she vanquished the flames surrounding Indigo’s head and thus ending their chat

***

James’ mother fussed over Sirius with the type of stoical concern one would hope to see a mother give to a battered son.

His lip was fat and split, giving his grimace a lop-sided appearance. One side of his face was bruised and swollen, one eye closed shut with the pressure of his injuries. His remaining eye did not hold the same mischievous sparkle it normally did.

This alarmed James most of all.

"Jesus, Padfoot, what the hell have they done to you?" James spat as he strolled hurriedly up to his best friend, studying his bruises more intently. He realised that Sirius was holding his whole body at a strange angle, especially his left arm.

Sirius looked away and tried to scoff. "Not enough, they’d say. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to run, would I?"

His voice was shaky, but the bitterness was still quite distinctive.

"I’ll kill them," James muttered.

They were pulled slightly back to reality by the tutting noises of James’ mother behind them, who had just hurried back from the bathroom with an armful of magical remedies and solutions.

"Now come into the lounge, Sirius, and sit down, dear." She motioned for him to follow her, directing him into their comfortable living room and onto the couch.

"Let me get a good look at you," she whispered warmly, tilting his head up gently into the light. Sirius winced.

James watched, frozen to the spot, as Sirius tried to avoid eye contact with him. The roaring fire in the corner of the room illuminated his face, emphasising the bruises and wounds.

"How…I mean, why?" James spluttered. "Why would they –"

"They’re bastards, Prongs – Excuse the language Mrs. Potter, but they are. They’ve made it pretty clear that they hate me. And fair bloody enough, because I hate them too. I refused to succumb to their every wish of what it meant to be a Black. And to disobey is to disgrace…" he trailed off as James’s mother worked her magic on his wounds. "They told me I was dishonouring the family – blemishing the reputation that they had built. The heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black would never do such a thing. They threw me out. Disowned me. Good riddance, I say."

James gaped. He hadn’t realised Sirius’ family would go to such extremes. To tell the truth, James had always thought that Sirius brought some colour into the otherwise monotonous and dull lifestyle of the Blacks, and that sometimes this clashed with the conservativeness of Sirius’ family. True, they were pureblood elitists, but James hadn’t known that they were this bad. His mother had always been bloody stir batshit crazy, but still…

"I…I don’t know what to…you -"

"Oh James," Mrs Potter sighed. "Sirius, you can stay with us – don’t try to argue, it wasn’t an invitation to be disputed, it’s a demand. You are to stay with us. Merlin knows I won’t have you roaming the streets or going back to…to…well, your former place of dwelling – I doubt it was ever much of a home to you by the sounds of things. Yes, you are to stay with us until you and James go back to Hogwarts for your seventh year and then…then we’ll figure something out later."

"Thanks, Mrs. P. You don’t know how grateful I -"

"Oh don’t be silly, Sirius Black. Henry and I have both known you since you were two years old – running around at functions causing mayhem with James. There’s always a place for you here. Merlin knows James could do with some company – he’s been moping around all summer without you here… But anyway, I’m sure you boys have some catching up to do. And I have a load of paperwork to file. There," she said, dabbing the last of the remedy into a cut on Sirius’ cheek. "We’re done."

"Thanks very much, Mrs Potter."

"Sirius, you call me Helen."

***

Lily grinned, brushing strands of red out of her face and curling them behind her ear as she hastened her steps towards the Apparition centre in Diagon Alley. Her parents had dropped her off a little while ago, and she’d decided to walk the long way to the centre to kill some time and to catch up on everything that had been happening in the area during her vacation.

But now, as she approached the two huge swinging doors, she couldn’t wait to get inside and greet all her friends. It had been too long.

She pushed hard on the heavy doors, and they swung open quite easily, as she emerged in the atrium reception area. The floors were checked in black and white squares. She started scanning the waiting room, looking for a familiar face, when she saw who she’d been longing to see all along.

"Hey – Indigo! Over here!" Lily waved and, grinning like a Cheshire cat, ran up to her best friend, embracing her tightly.

"Hey," Indigo said quietly, standing frozen to the spot.

Lily frowned slightly at her friend’s lack of enthusiasm and pulled back to look at her.

She became alarmed when she noted Indigo’s bloodshot eyes.

"Indigo, what’s wrong? Are you okay?"

"There’s…" Indigo paused to sigh deeply. "Lily, there’s been an accident," she whispered in a squeaky voice as her eyes filled with tears.

Lily was positively shaken – Indigo never cried.

"Wh…What kind of accident? Indigo? Is your…are you okay? Your family…?"

Indigo nodded hastily as one of her tears leaked out of her eye and trickled down her cheek. She sniffed, brushed it away quickly and continued in her whisper.

"It’s Grace. She’s dead."