The Life that Never Lived ? (Goblet of Fire)

THE RIDDLE HOUSE

Important Author's Note!: Yes this series is complete in its entirety, but I have to email you if you want copies with book content, apologies. Please PM for details.

Harry and Lily were the only ones to wake at the normal time the next morning. In fact they were the only ones awake all day. Both stayed quiet and in the kitchen, chatting about everything and nothing. Harry was particularly interested in asking his mother about her cases she'd had at work, trying to avoid as much talk of school as possible. Though he longed for as much detail of their time at Hogwarts, he now realized he may have gotten all the information he was going to get for a time as memories of that place would be particularly painful for everyone now.

Harry still couldn't help but edge in at one point, "so, what did they do about days like this back in school?"

Lily kept her eyes focused on her infant, trying to ignore the frown line this brought up but she knew she was the best person to answer, as none of the boys could have gotten this out properly. "Remus normally slept through the day hidden in the hospital wing, the other three often went around making jokes that he was just skiving class. They put some numbing charms and the like to hide the worst of their injuries."

Harry was frowning in thoughtful concern, trying to picture what he'd seen of them last night actually pushing through a whole day of classes, and his respect for them grew tenfold. Thankfully it wasn't a problem today.

He couldn't help the next question that burst out, "but you said he's never come back looking so bad, why couldn't they have just gone outside, why stay in that tiny little room?" He'd spent some time outside that morning looking around what could have possible been his childhood home, and while he could see something that might have been a town off in the distance, he couldn't help thinking of some way that could have gone better for the lot of them.

Lily had honestly asked James the same the other night, unwillingly admitting she hadn't wanted this in the house if it could be avoided, but James had admitted same as she told Harry, "they didn't feel it was safe enough. They were wandering Hogwarts and Hogsmeade for years before they even made Animagus, they knew the area and felt safe running around with, well, Moony as they refer to Remus when he's like that. We've only lived here about a year though, and almost all of that time has been out of the house for one reason or another due to the Order and the like. Normally they go out to some unpopulated forest near Remus parents old place, and they didn't have the heart to test anything new last night."

Harry could tell how much it was bothering his mum to talk about. He put it all down to moments when he was sure she was remembering the rat making a crack or two that she'd just brushed off at the time, to her old friend Severus trying to make something more of it and her ignoring that to, and how now she was the one making defenses for him while she'd rather never see those two again.

Then there were other things, a topic that couldn't be avoided but they both knew would be brought up, at least by Sirius, so Harry voiced the concern now, "are you guys going to try and convince him to come back over again?" He knew for a fact he did not want that confrontation to happen, let alone somehow be a part of it when he knew he would somehow step in and protect someone, though he had no ideas of who anymore. Would he still try and protect Pettigrew? He doubted this, as he no longer held the key to Sirius' freedom in this timeline. Would he still be okay with watching his dad and Uncles become murders though? That he had no answer to.

Lily saved him by saying, "no," with absolute force, clearly leaving no room for discussion even as she explained "it's too dangerous. Clearly we can't leave here for a reason, at least until these books are done. If nothing's changed and we still can't leave after that, then we'll concern ourselves with it, but for now it's too dangerous. Merlin knows what could have happened if we had convinced, that rat, to stay and read with us, something might have gone very wrong adding someone into the group when clearly there's something going on around us. I'll tell Sirius and anyone else it is not worth the danger." Then she finished in much softer tones "besides, he's hardly come around so much lately, it would probably take Merlin himself to get him to come back over."