Harry Potter--Late Marauder's Era

L

loyalist_historian

Guest
Original poster
Deep in the crossroads of Diagon Alley a nearly twenty-one year old young woman trudged through the snow, her demeanor entirely downcast, providing a strict, noticeable change from her usual exuberant self.

A change that had penetrated through the young woman's identity over the past two years.

Lily payed no attention to the burning red curls cascading over her right shoulder, nor to the atmosphere around her--since the Death Eaters had murdered her parents at the start of the war, everything seemed to matter less and less in the scheme of things. Everything including her fiance James' distress over her location when she wandered out alone, as she'd done just an hour before. She knew of the dangers posed to her as a muggleborn in the society of the time, but...but it just didn't seem to matter anymore. They had that meeting. Lily knew. That was where she was headed. She could walk through Diagon Alley to an ice cream parlor on her own, and she could take a walk in the stark, cold air of London in mid-January if she wanted to.

Biting her lip slightly, Lily purged her face of emotion, staring blankly down each side alley and in the windows of both abandoned and nearly empty store fronts. It all seemed so different than it had when she'd come here for the first time. She spotted Ollivander's, and her hand subconsciously lowered to the inside of her cloak, only to brush against cloth. Her wand wasn't there, as she was quickly reminded.

Over the years, Lily had found herself 'misplacing' her wand more and more--or at least that was what she told James--which was to say that she purposefully left it in the drawer at the front of her bedside table. Why would she want to have the abilities she had when, for one thing, they simply provided a connection between the serial killers at large and, for another, if she /didn't/ have said abilities, she would never have been a target. Nothing that had happened to her family would have. Her sister wouldn't hate her, and, currently, she'd most likely be at home enjoying the week before her birthday with a carefree complacency.

What startled Lily the most when she thought about it was that, at first, her forgetfulness had been true, honest to Merlin forgetfulness. But now it was purposeful. What did that mean?

The girl's emerald green eyes glanced behind her when she heard unintelligible gibberish among what appeared to be the members of a family, causing the formation of tear droplets at the inner corners of her eye, before she bit her lip.

She began to shiver, either because of the cold or the emotions emanating from her as she all but pinned herself against the nearest wall, raising her hands to her eyes in an attempt to hide her cries to no avail--the emotions had to come out and they did.

Eventually, Lily allowed her hands to fall, blinking away the tears and quickly straightening her expression out until she stared away blankly, awkwardly stepping away from the wall and continuing on her way.


Remus Lupin glided through the little piles of snow dotting the cobblestone street, his wand out and held at the ready. He stayed on the alert as he stalked down the street, seriously wondering why they couldn't just floo inside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. As dangerous as that was when they knew you-know-who had eyes on the floo network, surely it was more dangerous to just be out in the open...

But that was the way it was, and there was no reason for Remus to dwell when there was no way to change it. He'd just walk through the shopping center as quickly as he could, and get to the ice cream parlor.

Remus continued to attentively look down the side streets, not really expecting anything important and significant beyond the danger he sincerely hoped he wouldn't encounter. But the flash of dark red he saw down one of the streets did surprise him, and he quickly ran over. "Lily? Are you all right? Where's James?"

((You'll get more of Remus next. I just didn't want this to run too long =). Tell me if you don't like anything.))
 
James stared at his reflection with the expression of a displeased child. His hair wouldn't lie flat. While some would scold him for having such a hissy fit over the subject, he needed this. It kept him sane despite the wizard war that waged while he stood there.

He was heading toward a meeting of the order, with all intentions of meeting his fiancé as well as Sirius and Remus, two of the best friends a man would ever ask for. He set off, cloak whirling around his feet at the sudden motion.
While he worried far more often than he should of, James was taking this moment of absolute peace for granted in the midst of what was sure to be an eventful meeting of the Order. Constant agreement was bound to only last so long, and who knew what Dumbledore would be after in terms of what they spoke of tonight.

The twenty one year old felt for his wand as he closed the door behind him. By the looks he received, it seemed like there was a tension in the air that could be sliced with a butter knife. He began toward Diagon Alley, the shortest way to get to the house that the Order met at.
"Oi! Potter!" He turned at the shout and a broad smile crossed his features as he was approached by Sirius Black.

"Well, if it isn't the man we all love to see!" He exclaimed with a laugh and resumed walking once the man had caught up to him. They struck up a nonchalant conversation as they kept walking.

The boy's heart skipped a beat every time he saw a redhead, almost expecting it to be Lily. Some days he wondered how the girl ever put up with him, but she did and he loved her for that.

Sirius rolled his eyes, noting what the man was looking at every chance he got. Sirius had no attachments such as rings and other things he'd deemed unimportant quite long ago. He personally was more than happy to not be scolded when he glanced over his shoulder at a particularly attractive witch.

It was not safe to pursue anyone now, so he settled with looking. A kind of paranoia swept over him, as though the two lads were being watched by unfriendly eyes. It wouldn't be surprising to find a Death Eater in these parts.
"Isn't that Remus?" He asked, recognizing the back of the man's head easily enough. They were too far off to make calling his name worthwhile, so Sirius held his tongue. A brow rose skeptically as he noticed the man was with an unmistakable redhead that his best friend believed worth her weight in gold.

(I'll bring in the OC once they reach the meeting)
 
Lily had not expected to be spotted by one of her friends, although perhaps she should have. She was all over the place. She hated this. For a moment, her mouth splayed open and she stared past Remus. But then she shook her absence out of her head, and went to work with the acting. She forced a smile, but it was small. "I think James is still at the flat," she said. "I was just. I went on a walk, and I lost track of time. Realized it was nearing time for the thing, and so I started walking over. And here you are."

Remus frowned. He worried about challenging her--Lily was not well, and he didn't want to upset her more. But. This was about safety. "Lily," he started. "You've been crying. You're standing against the wall in an alleyway." The wind billowed her cloak, and his eyes narrowed more. "Where is your wand," he asked, strongly. Lily's expression wavered. "Remus, I'm fine! Everything is fine!" "Lily." She shook her head, and peered past Remus, across the way. "Look," she said. "James is right there. Sirius is with him." She forced another smile. "I'm honestly okay, Remus. Come on, let's go join them." He wanted to point out that she hadn't answered his question, but he could tell that he wasn't going to get anywhere with her. He did not want to get involved, and he knew that telling James that Lily did not have her wand would do just that. But he was concerned. As it were, he followed behind Lily as she moved closer to the other pair, and Remus peered from side to side, looking out for both of them now.

Lily pushed hair off of her face, trying to pretend that everything was normal as she approached her fiancé and moved to hug him. Maybe if he believed that everything was normal, he would not press her for why she was outside alone. "Hi, love," she whispered into his ear.
 
He didn't know what the conversation between his friend and fiance would be about. He didn't ask, not right now. He suspected Lily had been on her own outside the flat before Remus had come to find her, so he had to wonder what exactly was going on. He had an inkling that she wasn't as fine as she pretended to be, but he'd never thought much more of it than her needing some personal space. They were living together, after all, but he didn't like it when she went off on her own without telling anyone. It was dangerous and he couldn't cope with preventable death.

Sirius voiced aloud James' internal question, but not loudly enough it would be overheard. "James, is all well with Lily?" He asked, and James flashed him a helpless look and then pasted on the ever-present smile and he embraced his fiance. Sirius greeted Remus with a grin, "Hello there old friend. Enjoying the weather?" He asked with a laugh. It was too cold to do any kind of enjoying, but that was weather in England.

"Hello," He said softly as he released her from his grasp, slipping his hand into hers. "Where'd you run off to this morning?" He asked, a bit peeved that they were living together and he /still/ couldn't keep tabs on the woman. It was a bit unfair, in his mind. In that moment, despite the fact he was suspicious as to just how 'fine' Lily was and the fact that they were on constant alert for Death Eaters, he could pretend that they were back at Hogwarts, with the entire world at their feet and ambitions abound. That wasn't the case anymore, and it was rather heartbreaking to think about.

"Shall we walk together, then?" Sirius asked, knowing the answer was bound to be an affirmative.
 
Remus could not help but match his best friend's grin. "Oh, yes. That--wow--that was exactly what I was doing. Look at you, Padfoot, I thought I was the one with the deductive reasoning skills."

Lily shifted to her tiptoes, placing a light kiss to James' neck before letting go and moving to his side, squeezing his hand. When they had started dating seventh year, Lily was the one made uncomfortable by too much touchey-feeleyness in public. She had loosened up over the years, but truth be told, she still felt the same way. Nevertheless, she had loosened up. Lately, Lily had been unsettled by any intimacy in general, much more of the time than was normal for her. And sometimes, when they were alone in bed, she made that clear. Other times, like when giving her fiancé a peck in public, retreating would be a bad move, she thought--again, maybe alert James that something was wrong.

But James knew something was wrong. Lily could tell, from his question, and from his tone. She bit her lip, turning to face him. He had whispered, as if trying to keep it between them, but Remus and Sirius were so close, she was sure they had heard. Lily knew that James trusted his best friends unconditionally, and Lily trusted them too, but that didn't mean she. Ugh.

"I went for a walk," she replied. It wasn't a lie. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I meant to leave you note. I must have forgotten." It looked like Remus wanted to say something, and Lily turned to look at him. She did not glare. She did not plead. Her expression was empty. She just looks at him.

Thankfully, Sirius spoke, bringing up that they should get a move on. Lily hoped that it would break off James' interrogation, but she was not sure.
 
"I figured as much. You and I, my friend, we're simply two of a feather." Sirius wasn't sure that was the proper muggle slang, but it was worth a try. He doubted Remus would be correcting him.


James would not hesitate to admit how much he enjoyed Lily's public displays of affection, but he knew she wasn't constantly going to be the one that acted like that. He brushed away such thoughts, though they drifted to a night not too long ago where they had been lying in bed and she had said no to intimacy. It had knocked his pride more than anything, but he worried about her. She was the love of his life after all, and when she acted oddly, he fretted like a mother hen. Not to his two friends, but when he was alone, there were two lines of thought, and her recent put-offness was always one thing he had no solution for.


It was enough to know that Lily knew they were going to have to talk soon enough. He didn't need to make a scene that would put all four companions in an awkward situation. Sirius pointedly ignored what he'd overheard, as it wasn't either of their business if Lily and James had a couples dispute in the making. That was why the two men were single. No unneeded dramatics.


The man heard the honesty in his fiance's voice, and nodded. "I just worry." He said, dropping an affectionate kiss on the top of her head and looked at Remus, words clearly on the tip of his tongue. Sirius had other plans, interrupting. He nodded and began to walk, determining it was better to let it be for now. The pair could talk about it later.
 
((I love how much of an asshole your James is. I approve. Gah, the patriarchy -_-.))

Remus rolled his eyes, but kept the grin. He glanced at Lily. Normally, the young woman would be the one to point out misuses of muggle phrases, as well as quip that this was why Muggle Studies should be mandatory, from a cultural standpoint. Now, Lily did none of that.

Lily bowed her head when James kissed her forehead, forcing a slight smile. She closed her eyes. "I know you do," she whispered back, although, again, she really thought the whispering useless when Sirius and Remus were right there anyway. "I know. You always worry about me. It's okay, I'm okay. I can take care of myself." She didn't say this angrily, but rather as teasingly as she could manage. It didn't sound anything like when she teased normally.

Again, it looked like Remus wanted to say something, and Lily's heart pounded in her chest, silently and angrily ordering him to worry less about her and more about himself. She caught herself in those thoughts--Remus cared, was all. Lily blinked, walking along with the group as they went.

She did not spot Severus Snape, who had been watching them from a not too far distance as she and James had embraced, and now looked on as emotionlessly as he could manage.

As they walked, Remus kept fighting with himself. Lily had told James that she could take care of herself, meanwhile, she wasn't even carrying her wand. It was serious. Nevertheless, he knew it would be getting in the middle. He saw her making a point to keep her cloak from billowing out, and to hide the fact that she didn't have her wand from James. He hated being in this situation.

In very little time, they arrived at the back of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. Alastor Moody sat outside, seemingly paying attention to an entirely different side of the street, but turned to the group. "Get inside, you four."
 
(Glad you approve! It's hard to portray him as something other than a pouty child)


Sirius had almost hoped that Lily would correct him. It was something he required, purposely misinterpretating words so that Lily cheer up. The man liked to play the comic relief, but that was a lot easier said than done in times like these. Remus seemed to notice too, and he couldn't help but wish they lived in a different, less scary time.


While her smile was forced, James ignored it despite the fact he was a little hurt. He had to wonder if she would ever open up to him as she had her other friends. Seventh year had been much more fun for him. Easier, mostly because thye weren't yet having to act like adults and stupid mistakes didn't get anyone killed, points were just deducted from the house total. If only the real world ran like that.


Sirius elbowed his friend. "Say it later. There are better times and places. Open alleyways provide too many ears." He advised, wishing he could dissolve the tension that was so evident all around them. He hated this, it was terrible to look on. The Wizard War wasn't just killing lives, it was killing relationships. Even the ones between the man and his friends seemed to be fraying. He would never admit to such defeat, but he couldn't help but see it was there.


James bit his tongue. He'd always sworn that he would never hurt Lily, and now wasn't the time to break his word in order to maintain his pride. She was hiding something, and he was bound and determined to find out what it was. He'd ask Remus later, when Lily wasn't beside him. "Okay." He said simply.


A female had just greeted Moody, cloak billowing in the breeze that stirred up the dead leaves scattered along the walk. Sirius thought he should have known who she was by the back of her head, brunette curls that weren't made with magic. He glanced at his friend, not expecting an answer.


"Lovely to see you too." Sirius told the man, tutting at him like an old barmaid that was tired of lame jokes.
 
((Oh my god, wow, he needs to shut the fuck up. But not actually, because you're playing him perfectly, he's just so -_-. I can't. I actually can't.))

Sirius whispered to Remus, and, Remus noted, did try to keep it low enough for James and Lily to not hear. Remus nodded slowly, but he wondered if Sirius would be saying the same thing if he knew what Remus had found out moments before James and Sirius had joined him and Lily in the alleyway. He was still right to a point--if Remus told James in the open that Lily wasn't carrying a wand, she'd be in more danger. Prone. But, at the same time, it was a pretty big fucking deal that she wasn't armed. As it were, Lily and James were some of the most high profile targets of their age. When James had told Remus that he and Lily had been approached by Voldemort himself, Remus had been shocked. He did not know how they could have escaped with their lives, although, of course of course of course, Remus was unspeakably glad that they had.

Lily's smile wavered slightly at James uttered, single word phrase. He knew. Or, at least, he knew that something wasn't right. Why couldn't he just let it go, why couldn't they just move on? Was it because he loved her? Or was it pride?

A brunette woman entered the back of the parlor, and Lily did not even spot her, too lost in her thoughts. Remus did, and recognized her, connecting her with some positive memories although, shamefully, he could not remember her name in the moment. Worrying about Lily, watching the passive aggressive relations between James and Lily...his mind was just elsewhere.

"Inside. Black," Moody sounded out, not amused. "Standing out here, you might as well just fall asleep. All of you, inside." Remus led the procession, and Lily moved forward behind him, pulling James behind her, until she could see the interior, set up with a large meeting table, Dumbledore at the head.
 
(Funny how he just doesn't see that he's being a terrible fiance, friend, and whatnot. I am a terrible Dumbledore D:)




Remus seemed to agree with Sirius, so the man felt a bit more confident in what truth there was in what he had to say. Maybe they were all just coiled too tightly and taking too much to heart. Maybe what Remus wanted to say was actually a lot more important than Sirius wanted it to be. He hated it when they all fought, it just caused the string that was their relationship to grow thinner. A scary thought, as a thread was only able to thin so much before it broke. He resumed his joking exterior though, having never completely grown up, more for his own sake than the others'. James watched his friends and dreaded walking into the ice cream parlor more than normal. How long did they all have before one of them broke and joined up with Voldemort?


James sighed and released Lily's hand as they entered the building, a hesitant smile forming at a bold attempt by Sirius to get Moody to laugh. It wasn't successful and the man was put down on the basis of his needed to get inside or he may as well go home. No one was cutting slack, not today, and he had to wonder what Dumbledore had up his sleeve for this meeting. As though the man knew he was thinking about him, he smiled despite the atmosphere. "Hello James, Lily." He said, the voice of the man a comfort that James normally didn't indulge in. Reality was far too harsh not to, though.


Finn was more prone to just watching, and rarely took part in the arguments that were bound to end in temper tantrums and a lot of pacing, as well as a fair amount of angry huffs. It was really rather pathetic, and she just wasn't interested in hearing it. Of course, the drama walked through the door hand in hand. James Potter was a name she knew well, and she lacked a lot of respect for a man who was obviously rude to anyone that wasn't accustomed to his attitude. After all, he had to be right. He was a head boy, after all. Some people hadn't outgrown Hogwarts.


Remus walked in, and she doubted that he'd remember her. They'd had a few pleasant exchanges in the past, but he was rather hard to nail down for a steady conversation. She'd come to terms with that when they were still at school.
 
((I mean. I think you misspelled 'terrible person'. But, you're right, the feeling entitled to sex thing is fucked up. As is the fact that he's worried about Lily not because she SEEMS depressed, but because she doesn't want to have sex with him. Who WOULDN'T want to have sex with James Potter, right??//??//

And your Dumbledore is fine!))

Lily pushed her hair off of her face as James released her hand, her anxiety growing when Professor Dumbledore welcomed them, smiling like there wasn't a war going on and everything was fine and they were still children at Hogwarts. Her interaction with the other members of the Order was always double-edged. They were those to whom she was closest, and she valued those relationships. But that also meant that they knew her. They all knew that Voldemort had targeted her parents after she and James had denied him, and a lot of them had interacted with her enough in the nine months since to catch the changes in her, as much as she tried to hide them, and as oblivious as James might have been. And the professor...the professor was an absolutely incredible teacher. He forged personal relationships, he intrinsically knew what students needed. He could read people. Insanely well. And Lily had been closer to Dumbledore than most other students, between being Head Girl and valedictorian. She was most worried about him.

"Hello, Professor," she responded, smiling lightly and trying to make it look real. She sat down beside James.

Remus noticed the brunette woman looking at him and smiled. After a moment, her name clicked. Finn. He nodded in acknowledgement, but took a seat at the other side of Lily when Moody came inside, sitting at Dumbledore's right. Everyone else took their seats a moment sooner. Moody looked at Dumbledore expectantly. It seemed to Remus that Moody understood the purpose of the meeting. And Moody knew exactly why they were there. He simply awaited Dumbledore, unsure if the professor wanted Moody to introduce the issue at hand, or it Dumbledore wanted to do it himself.
 
(What, you mean that isn't a key part of a relationship? Kidding, of course. Yeah, I just have hard times playing characters for what they aren't, especially recently. My characters are terrible actors/actresses after a hiatus)

James found his seat after greeting Dumbledore, wondering if he'd ever make it to that age. At the rate he was going, probably. He straightened in his seat, feeling like a student whenever he was around the older man. After all, it wasn't like it had been that long ago that he and his friends had been dragged out of the dining hall by their ears and deposited before Dumbledore for wasting food. He bit back a smile at the sheer thought of that. Dumbledore just continued to observe, watching the young witches and wizards filter in with a bittersweet recognition of them all. If it hadn't had to come to this, he would by no means support such a gathering, a militia in a corrupted wizarding world. He simply nodded at both Sirius and Remus as they entered, needing not to address them by names if they knew he was regarding them. They were all equals now, there was no superior in that room. After the decisions that were to be made today, though? The man was not born yesterday, and certainly expected conflict.


Finn thought she saw a flash of recognition on Remus' face when he saw her, and smiled back at him. Her table filled up quickly, a bustling group that was more talkative than she would have normally expected for the meeting.


Moody walked in to take his place beside Dumbledore, which stopped Sirius in the middle of telling someone who had gotten the pleasure of sitting beside him a rather lame joke. In fact, you could have heard a pin drop when all realized that the meeting was about to begin. A witch in the back double checked the protections on the doors and windows, a necessary precaution. "Moody, if you'd like to introduce the topic of discussion." Dumbledore started, looking at his counterpart. While everyone may respect him, they were far less likely to interrupt his friend.
 
((Naw, I suppose it's good that your James makes me fume. That means you're playing him well.))

Footsteps came from the back entrance, and Lily turned around to look, spotting Mad-Eye as he closed the door, entered the room, and took his spot beside Dumbledore. Lily bit her lip, running a hand through her long red hair awkwardly, before fidgeting and straitening up. The chair creaked slightly as she did so. Lily rested her left elbow atop the table, and held her chin in her hand. Moody looked over at the complaints of the chair, and very quickly surveyed over Lily's form. He squinted after a moment, realization dawning over him, but he immediately shifted as Dumbledore acknowledged him. Moody nodded at Dumbledore, and looked back at the other members of the Order, stationed around the table. Some were aurors, studying and working under his tutelage. All had proved themselves in one way or the other. But this meeting was going to be a shit show.

Moody, if you'd like to introduce the topic of discussion.

Moody spoke, eyes surveying the group to spot their reactions as he did so. "Unforgivables," he said, the dreaded word the only thing to escape his lips. Everyone there would understand the full ramifications, and would know what they were there to talk about.

Lily visibly tensed, her eyes widening as they focused on Moody, before slowly following over to Dumbledore. That couldn't be true, could it? They couldn't be expected to...she couldn't...

Remus was also troubled at the suggestion. Using Unforgivables had not been what Remus had signed up for. He was fundamentally opposed to the idea. Morally. Ethically. For every reason he could think of, although Lily certainly had more reason to be. He looked over at the redheaded young woman, growing concerned again.
 
James was a bit irritated with the suspense that had fallen over the room, followed by Moody walking up to the front to stand beside Dumbledore, feeling brilliantly disinterested in the fact that this was always the case. Who'd died and made Mad-Eye a reason to take more time than necessary? He glanced at Lily as she shifted, causing her chair to squeak in dissatisfaction, as though her movement had caused it great distress. James had been coming to this place for as long as he could remember, and that was the scary part. The chairs hadn't been replaced after all those years of abuse. The man did deserve respect, a lot of those in the room were under his jurisdiction when it came to career pathways. Dumbledore regarded him, and gave him the all-clear to introduce the discussion. He waited expectantly.

The room erupted when "Unforgivables" was the only thing uttered from Mad-Eye's mouth. James nodded, showing his support in obvious manners. It may hurt Lily, but he knew that using the spells would be the only means of winning this war. Fairness had a time and a place, and against Voldemort was far from the accurate form of either.

Sirius was siding with James, and many other wizards and witches on the topic, not seeing a need to discuss it at all. Of course they could use them. How else were they supposed to defend themselves against the worst kind of dueling wizards?

Dumbledore raised a hand, waiting for the room to grow quieter before speaking. "There are many reasons to use them, and many reasons not to. While we may permit them in this case, this by no means says either side is right or wrong. I will not offer my own opinion, but I'm sure I'll be hearing plenty of yours. One at a time, if you will."

Finn was taken aback at the topic. It seemed odd that they even were thinking of using them. Her morals objected to the use of it, even if the times were changing. Her eyes looked to the table Remus sat at. Why, she didn't quite no. She hadn't spoken to him since graduation when they'd all taken off for their own causes.
 
Lily kept looking over at Dumbledore, silently begging him to make some outlandish comment that it was just an incredibly tasteless joke, but the comment never came. Before Dumbledore spoke, Lily spotted James nodding eagerly--eagerly--at her side. Like learning Unforgivables was something he looked forward to. The room flared into a myriad of side debates on the issue, and Lily found herself growing more overwhelmed. She was unable to stop a single tear from streaking down the side of her face, and did her best to hold her shakes in as she turned to her fiancé, her expression made of disbelief. "Are you serious," she hissed. Normally, she would have been careful to use a different word considering their friend, seated closely nearby, but she didn't even think about it this time.

Remus swallowed hard, looking amongst his three friends. He was not surprised that Sirius and James would be the ones to approve of such permits, but he was concerned that James cared so little for Lily's feelings, given everything she had been through. He feared for a moment that Sirius would make a joke of Lily's slip, and then he hoped that even his best friend could be straight enough given the gravity of this situation. And Lily. Remus hadn't seen Lily turn on James since before their seventh year. And, now, it wasn't just out of indignation. It was also out of pain.

Dumbledore spoke, then, and Lily still stared at James, pleading with him to reassure her in some way. Remus looked away from his friends, and over at Dumbledore, trying to phrase what it was he wanted to say. "Professor," he started, looking down at the table. "I worry that even having this conversation is insensitive." He paused, looking up at the headmaster. "A lot of those in our ranks have experienced great loss from those curses, and because of those curses, and I really, really worry that this has the potential to inflict even more psychological harm on...friends here who haven't gotten the help they need as it is. I understand why we have to have the conversation, I suppose, but...well...that's my place right now."
 
James felt reality crashing down on him when he felt Lily's gaze. While he didn't expect her to agree (how could he?), he didn't see why she was so aghast at his supporting the use of such spells. It shouldn't have come as a surprise, as she knew he'd never been satisfied with having no real defense for himself or others if they couldn't use the more powerful curses. She was shaking, and he couldn't lie to her. Wouldn't lie to her. "Absolutely." He said softly, almost expecting her to pull away from him. He didn't blame her if she did. He looked toward Sirius, eyes darkening with severity, if that was actually possible. If he made one joke about any of this, the man was never going to hear the end of it from James. Time and a place, Sirius, he willed silently.

Remus was always the bystander in these little breaks, he'd found. Lily tolerated James quite a bit, as bold and arrogant as the man was. He wasn't going to just sit on the sidelines, though. That wasn't going to work for him. While his fiance may not be comfortable with such an idea, James was not comfortable with being killed with a single phrase. At least let him fight back. It was always about fighting back. Dumbledore watched as his ranks fell into arguments among themselves. He was particularly interested in Lily and James, as in that moment his instincts as long-time father figure were willing him toward the girl. Of course, that look was reflected on many faces, and he couldn't play favorites.

His eyes moved to Remus as he spoke. He absorbed what the young man had to say and could understand. "Remus, I understand. The severity and ill-timing of this topic have been noted, but sometimes it's best to just pull the bandaid off and let the wound get to light." He said, pausing briefly. "This is just food for thought. There won't be a vote right away, there are far too many things to consider in this decision to expect you all to have a side, though most of you already seem to." Finn's brow rose slightly when Remus spoke out first. She was impressed with how eloquently he'd worded his opinion, though she supposed nothing more could be expected of the man.
 
((Defense, lol, I can't think of any way to defensively use those curses. Fucking James -_-.

Also, Remus wants to block, but that probably isn't a thing that's allowed =P. Oh, if only the Order used Consensus.

http://treegroup.info/topics/A9-blocking.html))

Lily's head tilted up slightly, as James' position became clearer than it had been, even moments before. She didn't press on overtly, although she did visibly bristle. Lily crossed her arms at her chest defensively, and turned, staring away from James. She could have gone further--it would have been no one's first time seeing James and Lily fighting. But at school, the fights had been over nothing, and, really, had been more banter than anything. The only memories Lily had of ever fighting with James over something serious had to do with someone Lily didn't want to think about.

Lily reached up, pushing her hair back behind her ear again. She stared at the table, examining the swirls in the wood, although she glanced up at Dumbledore, her expression pained, as he responded to Remus. She noticed him looking at her, and looked completely away from him again. She started to worry, again, if he was going to call her out once the meeting was over. And then Lily wondered why. She wasn't opposed to receiving help, especially not from Dumbledore. She supposed admitting that she needed help was the problem.

Remus was surprised to see that the division in the group was not on anything more than moral lines. It wasn't like all of the Gryffindors were one way--as evidenced by himself and Lily--or all of the Ravenclaws were another. It wasn't even like all of the aurors were one way or the other--both Longbottoms were clearly opposed to the idea, in spite of the fact that they'd been taught the curses months before, when the Ministry had granted permission to the Auror's Office. Unsettlingly, Remus was also not surprised to see that most of the witches and wizards around the table seemed to be in favor of the idea. He could think those people short-sighted all he wanted, but he knew that morality was easy to hold on to when it was convenient. Remus was a Gryffindor--judgemental-ness came with the territory. His judgement came in placing a higher value on his and Lily's moral codes than on others, and, considering the fact that he did not want to think himself capable of murder, he thought that a positive.

Remus listened to Dumbledore, and sighed, tilting his head to the side. His eyebrows narrowed slightly as he tried to bring himself to agree with Dumbledore, but he just couldn't. The fact that they were even talking about this was anathema to the group, he felt. But he didn't say anything more, looking around the table for other Order members who had something to say.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back