The Life that Never Lived ? (Goblet of Fire)

VERITASERUM

Harry startled back into this living room as he heard a whispered conversation in two other ghost voices. He'd been remembering those spectrals so clearly because of this last chapter, that hearing Sirius and Remus speak without some sort of echo like the others startled him out of the warmth that was his actual living parents embracing him, and blinking around in startled confusion, some little blip going off in his brain saying their voices shouldn't have even come out of that spell- He hissed and blinked, going cross eyed as he stared at his very alive godfather and his seatmate, who was now watching him with even more concern than before, but he quickly let go of the moment even he didn't understand, not wanting to break away from his parents attention for any longer than he could. He looked back at them to see his Mum crying softly, still trying to flatten his hair with her gentle nails, while his dad was more still and silent than Harry had yet seen him, and he didn't need to know him long to know that wasn't a good thing. He tried in vain to babble out something, "I, thank you doesn't really cover it, but I don't know what to say, I'm sorry I never-"

Lily gently shushed him, never stopping her comforting motion. "It's all we've wanted since we found out what would happen to us, to be of help to you just for one moment, now we have. Don't ruin it with silly little things like that, we know."

James had to struggle a bit more to get out anything coherent, "if that's all the time you ever get got to spend with us before now, than I can't say it wasn't well used."

Sirius muttered something, his natural rebellion forcing the words out of how he still planned on this never being the case, not so long as he lived, but James must not have heard him right as he said, "we can keep going, I know this can't be much more fun for you two to be watching."

Remus was quick to wave his hands in protest, saying, "Wha-, oh no. We, erm, were trying to slip away actually, just leave the rest for tomorrow. I know I can't handle anything worse than that tonight."

Lily rubbed furiously at her streaming eyes, but said in a steady enough voice, "don't be ridiculous, it's hardly even late enough for dinner." Food was honestly the last thing on anyone's mind, but the patient and also fast pace of cooking always did help her, but sadly she couldn't even claim that distraction yet. "Stewing on this all night will help nothing, and no offense love," she gave Harry's ear a little tweak, "but I'm quite done with your fourth year, I'd like to see it be over already."

Harry had to clear his throat to agree, failed anyways, and just nodded.

"Besides," James got out in a much stronger voice this time, "it's not going to look any better in morning light, Harry's still going to go back to the castle and have to recant everything." His eyes lingered on Sirius in the worst way, he couldn't imagine how his best friend was going to react to the news of his ghost, but if they heard that sooner rather than later, at least James wouldn't have all night to dwell on what his best friends reaction was going to be. He was still fearing Sirius would do something far worse than be framed for a killing spree when Sirius realized how involved that rat had been in all of this. "Plus, I know I'm not going to be able to think of much else until I know the blackered who got Harry into this mess in the first place, and now we know he's at Hogwarts. With any luck Dumbeldore'll figure it out, somehow." He finished with more optimism than he felt, he was just trying to find something happy to linger on even as he insisted they continue with bad.

Remus didn't really agree, he thought the three of them were trying to put up too much of a strong front for the two of them, but he wasn't going to argue anymore either. Sometimes you just needed a good cry, but if the thought would linger in them that everyone else would know about it, none of them would indulge. Best to get this bloody book over with and then let them have the rest of their night alone. So Remus scooped up the discarded book, and began heavily.