Tomorrow
“No…”
“I’m sorry, Minerva but It is true. Euphemia and Fleamont Potter have passed away a couple of hours ago.”
James Potter wasn’t the only one who got the news from St. Mungo’s. They also had to inform the headmaster of Hogwarts.
As soon as he read the letter, Albus Dumbledore called Minerva McGonagall into his office to inform her of the deaths of their beloved friends, members of the Order and parents of her favorite students.
“Oh, Albus, I simply can’t believe this.”
McGonagall started crying and accepted a handkerchief from Dumbledore.
“I think we should go find Mr. Potter and Mr. Black.” Dumbledore said quietly.
“Yes, of course. Oh, the boys are going to be distraught!”
“The healer told me he had sent a letter to them as well.”
“They know?” Minerva asked
“Yes.”
She wiped her eyes and followed the headmaster out of his office.
They found the Heads’ common room empty, so they went to the Gryffindor common room where they found a quidditch celebration themed party.
“WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!” Shouted McGonagall and suddenly the room fell quiet.
Dumbledore smiled sadly at the panicked teenagers thinking that James Potter and Sirius Black were among them drinking and having a good time not knowing what had happened.
“We were celebrating the win against Ravenclaw, professor.” Said Marlene McKinnon shyly.
“Can you find James Potter and Sirius Black for us, miss. McKinnon?” Dumbledore asked quietly.
“James left about an hour or two ago.” Said Frank Longbottom trying and failing to keep his voice steady.
“Where to?” Asked McGonagall glaring at
the empty bottles of fire whiskey on the table.
“He didn’t say.”
“Very well. What about Mr. Black?”
But before he could answer, Frank ran off to his dormitory feeling the alcohol rise to his throat.
McGonagall sighed and Dumbledore smirked at the rest of the students staring at her, not daring to look away or even breath properly. “Perhaps, he went away as well, professor. Anyhow, enjoy the rest of your evening!”
The students stared at Dumbledore in shock, as did McGonagall.
But soon the headmaster and the head of the house left and the gryffindors continued with their party.
Suddenly, McGonagall remembered her student years and how she went to the quidditch pitch every time she got bad news. She left the castle and told Dumbledore to follow her to the quidditch pitch.
“… drinking like savages and listening to music so loud while-“ she was silenced abruptly by Dumbledore’s arm in front of her signaling her to stop.
She followed his gaze and saw the Head students lying together in the center of the quidditch pitch.
“Maybe It is for the best if we discuss this in the morning, Minerva. It is rather late and I think both Mr. Potter and Mr. Black, wherever he may be, should be with a loved one tonight.”
McGonagall smiled warmly at the two students curled up together in the cold.
“You are right.”
With that, Dumbledore and McGonagall went back to their offices.
It was around 3 o’clock in the morning when James and Lily decided to return to the Heads’ common room.
When they arrived he kissed her softly once more, thanked her for everything and wished her good night. She smiled and kissed his cheek. “Good night, James.”
Lily woke up at 7 o’clock to find James in the small kitchen of the Heads’ common room making coffee. He was doing it the muggle way, biting his lip while trying to pour the coffee evenly into two cups. His dark disheveled curls, which she now knew felt wonderful between her fingers, were falling over his forehead and slightly blocking his view.
She chuckled and when he spotted her he smiled. She smiled back and walked over to him.
“Morning, Lil. Coffee?”
She could sense something odd in his voice.
“I can make something else if you want…” He added when he saw her frown.
“James, is everything alright?”
“What?”
“Your tone’s a bit off…” he raised his eyebrows, “I mean… I don’t know, It just seemed… never mind, coffee’s great, thanks.” She quickly grabbed her cup and took a sip to hide her growing blush. Maybe she was imagining It.
He looked at her for a moment before he chuckled. “I’m an idiot for thinking I could hide anything from you.”
She furrowed her eyebrows and he took a deep breath.
“It’s about the letter from last night.”
“Oh” she won’t lie, she totally forgot about the letter after everything that happened last night. “Did you find a solution?”
“Nothing can solve this, I’m afraid…” James sighed.
“What do you mean?”
“My parents were diagnosed with dragon pox last year and yesterday they… they died.” James closed his eyes.
“Oh, James.” Lily put her cup down, walked around the kitchen counter and hugged him with everything she had.
He hugged her back tightly and buried his head in her hair.
“I’m so sorry.” She whispered into his chest.
“They meant the world to me.” His voice broke.
“I know, I know.” Lily caressed his back.
With the firewhiskey gone from his system, all the numbness and the feeling of her lips on his and the comfort he felt with her last night now mixed together and he started crying. He wasn’t numb anymore. He was sad and angry and… Everything just hurt.
“It’s okay. Let It out. It gets better, I promise.”
They ended up sitting side by side on the couch. James had cried It all out, and Lily was there.
“Thank you.”
She smiled and took his hand.
He pulled her towards him to kiss her and she sighed into the kiss. There was fire again. He brought her closer until every part of their bodies was glued together. He never wanted that fire to go out.
Once again, she made It all go away.
Euphemia and Fleamont Potter first met Sirius Black in 1972 on Christmas.
Over the years, they got to know him very well and grew very fond of him. They considered him family for a long time and in the summer of 1976 he officially moved in and became their son.
The night of 12. November 1977, the healer responsible for the Potters was given an envelope with their will. He found two names on It.
James Potter and Sirius Black.
The fact that a boy from the Black family would be this close to a family Like the Potters was a shock for him everytime he saw the handsome boy, with no physical similarities with them, sitting in front of their beds with their son.
Smiling sadly at the parchment in front of him, the healer started writing letters to the boys and, by obligation, to the headmaster responsible for them.
***
Sirius Black was drinking fire whiskey with Frank Longbottom in their common room when an owl came to him with a letter.
Well, my dear mother hasn’t written to me in a while Sirius thought.
It was a good night. They exclusively played muggle music, there was lots of fire whiskey, the quidditch team was praised and everyone was drunk.
The only thing missing was James but he decided not to dwell on it.
He also decided to ignore the letter.
It was a good night and he was having fun. Why would he risk all of that for a letter that could potentially ruin It?
But the envelope doesn’t have the Black family stamp on It.
He thought for a moment before he decided not to risk It.He took It, so the owl could leave and put it in his pocket.
“What is It?” Asked Frank Longbottom slightly tipsy.
“I don’t care, It’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Sirius took a shot and gave one to Frank.
“Cheers!”
“Cheers.”
Downing that shot was the last thing Sirius Black remembered before he woke up the next morning with a killer hangover.
He conjured a potion for It, but he still felt a bit light headed.
The common room was filled with drunk sixth and seventh year gryffindors, but Sirius still couldn’t see James anywhere.
He went to his dormitory, took the Marauder’s map and saw that a dot labeled James Potter was heading towards the common room.
“Mischief managed”
He went downstairs and saw his mate trying to clean up the room and conjure hangover potions for the sixth years.
“Oi, Prongs! Where were you last night? You missed one hell of a party.”
“I can see that.” James answered dryly not meeting Sirius’ eyes.
At the sound of his voice, Sirius instantly sobered up.
“Mate, what’s wrong?”
James stilled for a moment and sighed heavily. “We need to talk.”
Sirius followed James to the dormitory and they both sat on James’ bed.
For the last seven years, Sirius had gotten to know James like the back of his hand. He knew every tone of his voice, every expression on his face. He knew when he was lying, when he was truly happy or sad. He knew everything about him and vice versa. He knew that James being silent was definitely the worst. When James Potter falls silent, you just know something very bad has happened.
“Prongs…” he whispered
James was looking at the floor when he heard his brother’s voice.
“Mum and dad are gone.” He blurted out lifting his head to meet the grey eyes that widened.
“No.”
Silence.
“No! No, no, no!!! No, this can’t be- I-they were feeling better-this just-“ Sirius jumped up from James’ bed and started pacing.
James also got up and hugged him. He was resisting, muttering and repeating the same word over and over again. “No, no, no, this can’t be real, it can’t, it can’t…” James held him tighter until he stopped.
Sirius could feel his eyes burn with tears. “This can’t be real.”
James couldn’t say a word.
They clung onto each other for what felt like an eternity when Sirius remembered something.
“What is It?” He heard Frank’s voice in his head.
“I don’t care, It’s tomorrow’s problem.”
Sirius reached into his pocket and felt the parchment. He closed his eyes.
There wasn’t the Black family stamp on It.
He pulled the letter out of his pocket and heard James whisper “You got it too.”
He sat on the floor, opened It and started reading.
They were both silent for a long time. Sirius felt a lump in his throat and a new wave of emotions run through him.
“What now?” He whispered. “What happens now?”
“I don’t know.” James whispered back truthfully.
They stared at each other in silence for a long time until James smiled slightly.
“They loved you more than me, you know?”
“I don’t think this is the time for jokes.”
“No, it isn’t. They adored you. They really did think of you as their son. They loved you almost as much as I do.” They both smiled at the statement.
“I thought of them as parents even before I moved in with you.”
“I know.”
James sat beside him and closed his eyes. “We should find Dumbledore. He’ll let us go home for a couple of days to prepare for-for….” He drifted off, he couldn’t say It.
“The funeral.” Sirius’ voice cracked.
“Yes.”
Sirius sighed heavily and turned to face his brother. “Listen. Whatever happens next… we’ll get through It. It’s just us now, but It’s enough. You were, are and will always be my favorite person in the world. No matter what, we’re brothers until the end.”
James smiled.
“Until the very end.”