The Darkness Within

Chapter Seventeen - Loyalties

Chapter Seventeen

James crept quietly down the stairs, taking care not to knock into anything in the darkened hallway. In his own home, he could walk around in pitch darkness and still know where he was going but in the headquarters it was a different story. He saw a sliver of light escape from the gap in the kitchen door and hurried towards it. He opened the door to find his wife sitting at the table, a steaming mug in front of her. Lily smiled tiredly at her husband.

“Morning.” she said quietly. It may be five in the morning but it was still morning.

James walked inside, closing the door quietly behind him.

“Morning,” he greeted in return. He walked over to her before taking her face in his hands, rubbing his thumb over her cheek. “Can't sleep either, huh?”

Lily just sighed, reaching over to touch James' hands.

“No.” she replied.

James pulled his hands away and sat down next to her. He was the same. He had just spent the night lying wide awake in bed, staring at the ceiling. He had noticed Lily getting up from the bed and slipping out of the room, but he had just assumed she was going to the bathroom. It was only after she was missing for about half an hour that James got up, searching the headquarters for her.

“Is Harry still asleep?” Lily asked, knowing that James, like herself, must have checked his room on the way down.

James nodded.

“Yeah, he's fast asleep.” he replied. “I just had a quick peek at him. I stayed next to the door this time, in case I startled him again.”

Lily's expression darkened and she looked away, her gaze fixed on the scrubbed wooden table.

“I never imagined that was how our reunion would go.” she said sadly. “He was so angry.” she whispered, shaking her head.

James nodded, guilt still plaguing him.

“With good reason.” he said. “He was hurt and I didn't even know it.” he shook his head, taking off his glasses to rub at his eyes. “I should have checked him. That should have been the first thing I did when I brought him here.”

Lily didn't say anything right away. Truth was that she was annoyed at James as well. He should have checked Harry for injuries when he was the one to throw him across the street and through a glass window. Whether or not he did it intentionally wasn't relevant.

“Do you think Dumbledore will manage to convince the Minister?” Lily asked, the question that was responsible for her sleeplessness.

James took a moment to answer.

“I don't know.” he answered honestly. “I'm hoping he does, Dumbledore can be very persuasive.” he added.

Lily looked at James, her green eyes filled with apprehension.

“What if he doesn't?” she asked with a whisper. “What if the Minister insists on arresting Harry again? What do we do?”

James had asked himself the same question. He had been thinking about this scenario ever since Dumbledore told him he was going to speak to Fudge and convince him to let Harry stay in the Order headquarters.

“Then, we take Harry and we run.” James answered.

“Where?” Lily asked, not fighting the suggestion. “Where do we go?”

“Anywhere.” James answered. “We'll leave the country, hide in the muggle world if we have to.” James met his wife's concerned eyes. “I'm not losing him again, Lily. Not to my enemy and not to my people.”