As a child, James Potter was forbidden from answering the phone. One afternoon, the summer before his first year at Hogwarts, when he was feuding with his parents, he did. The man on the other line had a hollow, scratchy voice. If James’ sheer determination to annoy his parents, he would have hung up. He would have run from the room and not looked back. Instead, James planted his feet in place and gripped the phone hard so his hands quite shaking.
“This is Death calling. Miss Angela Potter wishes to use her last call to speak with this residence.” A grim voice announced on the other end of the line. At first James thought this a joke. A scam. Another petulant child attempting to anger their parents. James felt a short burst of elation. A rush of empathy. Maybe he wasn’t so alone in his boredom.
The next voice on the line killed his high spirit. It was actually Angela Potter’s voice to filter through the phone speaker. James’ aunt. His father’s sister. Aunt Angela was always around the house for Christmases and birthdays. James couldn’t think of a family event she wasn’t present for. Wasn’t smiling the Potter smile or helping with meals in the kitchen.
“H-hello?” James croaked
“¡Mi sobrino! ¿Cómo estás?” The cheerful voice of Aunt Angela greeted James
“Aunt Angela?” ten year old James said, incredulously
“¡Sí! ¡Sí! ¡Soy yo, mi sobrino!”
“¿Qué pasa?” The Spanish rolled off James’ tongue. As it did around family. Angela scoffed. “No digas '¿qué pasa?' James Fleamont Potter. ¡Háblame de la escuela!” She scolded
“¡Ay! No empiezo la escuela hasta el otoño, tía.” James laughed, “Todavía estarás en la estación de tren para despedirme, ¿verdad?” He waited. A choked sob came across the line. “Sí, mi sobrino... ¿Está tu papá ahí?”
“Err…” James started
“James!” his mothers voice screeched behind him. James dropped the phone. Aunt Angela’s voice squawked quietly in the background. Euphemia eyed the phone and a bit of colour drained from her flushed, angry face. “Tu habitación, ahora” Euphemia said, deadly serious. The silent threat in his mother’s eyes and ice cold glare, had him bolting up the stairs.
Much later, his father came into his room. Eyes red rimmed and hair dishevelled, he explained Aunt Angela wouldn’t make it to see him off at the train station. James accepted the news with a harsh swallow and teary eyes. He gave a wobbly smile as his father tucked him in for bed. Then, he sobbed into his pillow till morning.
James never answered another phone again. Even when he moved out at nineteen James’ only installed a landline for his wife Lily’s sake, he never touched the device. Until 1981. He didn’t pick up the phone to answer a call though. He picked up Death’s old, matte black phone to make a call.
“Prongs?” James’ other best friend, Remus, answered. Remus was also Sirius Black’s live-in boyfriend. “Hey Moony,” James said, nonchalantly. “Prongs, it’s bloody gone midnight. Where’s Lily?” James let out that choked noise aunt Angela did all those years ago. Remus’ tone left him to believe the other man didn’t know the exact reason for James’ late night call. Remus wasn’t even the person James intended to use this call for this. They are great mates but James really wanted Sirius to answer the phone. He must be sleeping. As Remus said, it was almost one a.m. Harry should’ve coaxed James to an early night. However, it’s Halloween and James and Lily had stayed up late to hand out treats to the neighbour kids. They had taken Harry trick-or-treating earlier. Harry. The mere thought of James’ son almost sent him to his knees. Fate had ripped him from playing happy families with the girl of his dreams and bundle-of-joy son who would now grow up and grow old in a world without him. James hopes Lily can do this. ‘If she made it out alive. If either of them did.’ This time James’ knees do buckle and he collapses to the ground.
Rustling of sheets then, “James is everyone okay?” Remus asked, frantically
“No…” James sobbed
“What do you need?” Remus sounded a bit more panicked now
“Padfoot…” James blubbered
“Bollocks..” He heard Remus swear lowly, away from the phone speaker. “He’s not home right now Prongs. Maybe try the garage or-”
“Moony?” James interrupted
“Ring Wormtail- yes?”
“Do you still use four spreads on your morning toast?” James smiled
“Prongs? Are you-”
“Do you remember when you punched Snivellus in Year One?”
“There were multiple times” Remus grunted. James smiled so hard he thought he might crack a tooth. If the dead can even crack teeth. “I just- I wanted to say I love you, Remus. It was an honour to be your friend” more tears ran down James’ face. Silence on the line. “...Was?” Remus said in a sad voice. James knew, in that moment, it had clicked. James, still ever the positive one, tried to steal the conversation. “Is! It is an honour to be your friend!” He attempted to sound excited. Remus sighed. “Prong, I love you too,” Remus answered. James’ heart leapt. Remus hardly expresses his feelings so easily. The next sentence out of Remus’ mouth though, deflates all hope. “But I doubt Lily will if she is left to single parent tomorrow when you’re hungover”
Tomorrow. What a beautiful word. James wished he had a tomorrow. A tomorrow with Harry and Lily. Even Padfoot. ‘God I miss him already.’ A fresh wave of sadness crashed over James. “You’re probably right,” he falsely admitted. James could practically hear the smug smile on Remus’ face. “Goodbye, Moony”
“Goodbye, Prongs” Remus yawned. Then he hung up. James let go of the phone and the device swung back and forth as he cried.
To James’ horror, or elation, a dainty hand crept over James’ shoulder. Unable to fight off the hand, James turned. Red hair and sweet smelling perfume greeted James. Lily Evans. Lily Evans-Potter. His high school sweetheart. They had rushed to get married after graduation because of this.
The faint scent of the baby formula she always made Harry clung to her like Harry himself. Her presence, while soothing to him, meant Harry had been the sole survivor of the night. That knowledge paralyzed him. By the looks of it beyond-scared Lily too. She had dried tear stains on her cheeks, smeared makeup, and frizzy hair. Lily opened her mouth to speak but changed her mind and closed it. She made grabby hands at the telephone. James passed it over. They both stood up. James leaned heavily on Lily for support. His emotions were crippling. Lily reached for the dial and entered the very number James had just called.
After two rings, Remus’ sleep voice answered again. James got closer to the phone so he could hear Remus’ side of the conversation. “Prongs-” Remus groaned
“It’s Lily actually”
“Lily?” Remus audibly perked up. A note of concern in his voice. James tried not to be offended Remus automatically became serious with Lily. “Yes?” Lily raised a brow
“Who’s with-”
“He’s safe” Lily cut off with a tone James had only been scolded in. The force of the words made even Remus pause. James wondered if Remus could smell the death on them with his werewolf senses. Remus cleared his throat. “Did he enjoy his first Halloween?” Remus asked, semi-awkwardly.
Lily laughed a little manically. James knew his beautiful wife was trying his best to keep a tight lid on her emotions. He kissed her neck in appreciation. Lily’s strength immediately drew James in in Year One. “He loves chocolate. Almost ate it all before bed!” Lily’s eyes sparked a little
“Heathen” James comments, offhandedly
Remus must’ve heard it though because he snorts. “We’ll be best of friends” the sentence is a little too sarcastic for James’ liking. He frowned into Lily’s left shoulder bone. Lily must’ve felt the downturn of his lips because she switched topics. Regrettably, not onto a happier one.
“So how’s Sirius?” Lily asked
“He told me he was going to see you tonight”
James swallowed his tongue. “T-tonight?” he repeated dumbly. With his werewolf senses, Remus could hear everything in the room beyond the phone speaker. ‘If Padfoot was at Godric’s Hollow tonight-’ Dead. he’d be dead. James made the sound much like a dying animal. Lily heard it and read his thoughts. Her face ashened. Lily’s hand came up to comb through James’ hair. James’ hid his face further in the crease of his wife’s neck.
“We saw him earlier. He must’ve lost his way coming home. You know how these Purebloods are with muggle transportation” Lily chuckled. James made a protest in the back of his throat. ‘Sirius loved Muggle Studies class in Hogwarts.’ Remus snorted. “Yeah, the Floo might go off any moment now and Sirius will insist we move to a more wizard populated area. As if he’s not the one who advocated this specific apartment.” The eye roll was audible in Remus’ voice. Lily hummed again. “Well he’s not here so he must be okay.” Lily pawned their situation off almost nonchalantly. Remus knew it wasn’t though. Even James could hear the crackle at the end of her sentence, and he didn’t have Remus’ psychic ability to read emotions. James could never lie to Remus in Hogwarts. He knows everything. James can see why his best friend fell for him so hard.
“Lily, are you-” Remus started. James cut him off by snatching the phone from his wife. Despite the fact Remus could’ve heard him from the other side of the room. “Take care of him, Moony.” James had shed so many tears tonight he would have sworn his eyes could not even water anymore. But they did. Another several tears fell down James’ cheeks. He didn’t clarify what “he” he meant. Harry. Padfoot. Himself.
Dammit, Prongs wouldn’t be there for Full moons anymore. Panic seized James. Hypothetically James knew Wormtail and Padfoot could handle the moons perfectly fine on their own. Still, the F.O.M.O on Moony’s transformations hit James hard. He leaned on Lily even more if that was possible. “Anything for you, Prongs” James pictured Remus smiling. Lily gently took back the phone. James didn’t protest. Not a lot anyways. The punch of death still winded him but after talking to Remus one last time, a little of the air returned to his lungs. James still longed for Sirius but he focused on the fact Remus even answered. It was late. If anyone he knew that would answer at this time, it was his moody, marshmallow teddy bear of a best friend, Remus Lupin.
Lily continued to talk to Remus and James continued to lean on her. He breathed in her scent and closed his eyes. Letting the phone conversation lull him, James zones out. The next thing he knows, a strange but familiar figure in a black cloak beckons them out of the room. The figure reminded James of the photos and drawings of Dementors he read about in school. ‘Minnie would be so proud.’