James - Love letters
The sun was high in the sky as James woke.
Its orange glow cascaded through the curtains James had forgotten to draw. He sighed, rolling onto his side to wake….James blinked.
James sat up, ignoring the pit in his stomach at the absence of Lily beside him. He stood on shaky feet walking towards the bathroom, resolutely not thinking of how she was.
He dressed and did not picture her wearing the t-shirt he had pulled on. He ate breakfast and did not wonder if she was doing the same.
He did not think of her at all.
James sat down, in front of the flatscreen TV and searched for re-runs of quiz shows.
He thought of her a little.
He wondered if she hated him. If she were furious with him and his deception.
Was Sirius?
Remus?
He did not know. He grit his teeth as the contestant chose all the right answers.
James sighed, staring at the TV host as he tried not to lose his mind. Hours passed this way, minute after minute - trapped between thinking and not.
James migrated to the kitchen, preparing lunch as the radio wailed - a song he didn’t know and did not care to.
James ate, the food tasted like ash on his tongue and he pleaded for a drink.
Albus Dumbledore didn’t stock booze in his lake house - who’d have figured? James continued his futile search as he wandered around the dusty cellar under Dumbledore’s property.
The place was filled with junk, pieces of history no one cared to see. There was a grenade trapped in a glass case, pin unpulled.
James found, a series of what looked like china dolls - except each doll was missing a part of its face. James thought the one with no nose was without a doubt the creepiest, and placed it face down where he had found it. He sighed, abandoning his search as he moved back towards the stairs.
He felt his toes collide with something, hard. The action sent him sprawling to the floor, his head bounced and he found himself staring at a hole. An indent really, it was small, no bigger than his hand. It was dark and James had a very sudden urge to shove his hand into it.
He moved closer, trying to see what was in the hole.
What if it were a home for rats, or worse…spiders?
James shook his head, he was snooping - he shouldn’t sno…James’s hand hit something. It was cold, and rough as he felt for an edge.
He found one, using it to pry the object from its tomb.
It was an envelope. James blinked.
The paper was dusty, it lay like a thick film over the yellowed letters inside. James brushed it away, pulling out a thick wad of handwritten letters.
He couldn’t help himself, his fingers pulling open the frontmost letter, eyes locked on the elegant scroll at the top.
‘Albus my love,’
He shouldn’t read them. These letters were private and obviously intimate, it would be a betrayal of Dumbledore’s trust. James knew that but he couldn’t fight his curiosity, his eyes followed the blue ink across the page. He pulled out another letter, his legs carrying him to the floor as he read the next page.
And then another, and another.
James sat there for hours, lost to a hidden history until the sky grew dark and the doorbell sounded.
He stood blinking like a newborn at the change in light around him. James flipped the light switch in the living room as the doorbell sounded again.
What time was it?
He wasn’t expecting Marlene for hours. Had she come early? James hoped she had - he needed to show her the letters. She could help him figure out the truth.
He sat the unread letters on the coffee table, he would finish the last few whilst Marlene read the ones he had. They could figure it out, surely she would know what to do. Marlene always knew what to do.
The doorbell rang again and James swore.
“I'm coming” he called, feet pounding on the hardwood flooring.
Dumbledore’s door was extravagant, dark wood with golden accents on both sides. The golden knocker opposite was a lion head and James wondered what Marlene must think of this ostentatious display of wealth. He gripped the door handle, twisting it as he pulled the door inwards.
“Mars you aren’t gonna believe..”
He smiled, ready to allow his sister entry into the less-than-humble abode as a fist hit him in the nose.
“Fuck” he muttered through the blood flowing into his mouth.
His eyes blew wide, locked on Lily’s angry snarl as she pulled her fist back again.