Cottage Roads ° james potter

-xxvi. epilogue

❛ Da da da da da da ❜

"Today we honor the lives of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Two beautiful lives who we sadly lost last night, October 31st, 1981. . ." Kingsley Shaklebolt read to the 20 people who could attend the funeral. Claire listened with a deep frown on her face as a baby cried loudly in the distance. She looked over at the old lady who held said baby and noticed the faraway look in her eyes. Neville Longbottom was now the boy-who-lived.

Claire looked up at James who had tears in his eyes. He and Frank had grown so close since they graduated Hogwarts and joined the Order of The Phoenix. Claire then looked at the young boy in James' arms. Her one-year-old son, Harry Potter who was sound asleep, completely unaware of the war brewing all around them.

The number of funerals she had gone too had engulfed her in a series of depressive states. Nothing too bad, thankfully. Just times where she'd forget what she was doing and why she was so hopeful. First, it was James' parents, then Gramps, and now Frank and Alice. Everything was crumbling around her.

She looked back at Shaklebolt and tried her hardest to tune in but failed when something else decided to draw her attention.

James noticed this and glanced at his wife who seemed so bothered by something. He recognized her facial expression that was quite similar to the one she wore when she found out she was pregnant.

As the man from the order's speech came to an end, he offered anyone who'd like to come up and pay Frank and Alice their final respects to do so now. People formed a line but James decided to gently pull Claire aside.

"Are you alright?" he asked her. She nodded softly and took her son in her arms for comfort. She watched as the boy nuzzled into his mother's familiar scent and continue to sleep. "No, you're not, Claire."

Claire let the words echo in her head. "Sirius is calling you over," she told and nodded towards the long-haired man who stood next to his fiancé Hannah Moore, motioning his friend over. Everyone else stood there as well, Riley, Marlene, Remus, Peter, Lily, even Severus Snape had come. James frowned and insisted she tell him later. Claire watched him walk away and took this as her opportunity to inspect something.

She walked away from the crowd of people and towards the large tombstone that read few words but had so much history laced within them.

Here lies Melissa and Hector Labelle
May their spirits bless those who knew them

Claire read the words over and over again until they were almost too hard to read. She looked down at her son and smiled at him.

"They would've loved you, Harry," she told him. She looked back at the stone and said, "You won't lose me, I promise."

She looked back at the boy whose eyes had now opened and were staring at his mother in confusion. He hadn't a clue as to what she had said which made her laugh softly. He smiled at her and looked over at the approaching figure.

James Potter read the tombstone that his family stood in front of and realization dawned on him. Everything made more sense now. He wrapped an arm around her delicate shoulder and felt her head rest on his.

"Wanna go home?" James asked.

"No," she said simply. "Hogsmead. I wanna go to Hogsmead."

As the small family walked through the village outside their old school, James ignored the urge to ask why they were here. Surely she wouldn't want a glass of butterbeer at the Three Broom Sticks. James' confusion grew when Claire led them to an old run-down building that seemed to be from something right out of a muggle horror movie.

Claire walked right in and called out a, "Hello?" They then heard a shuffled from behind a bookcase and a shadow began growing towards them. A small old man then peered behind a stack of books. His face lit up when he saw the two and his smile grew even more at the sight of a baby in Claire's arms.

"Claire! You came," Eden said excitedly. "And you brought your family."

"I told you I would."

"Come sit, I was just about to have tea," Eden told, setting the books down on a random stool and leading them towards the back of the shop.

"Eden, I'm looking for a book. It's for Harry," Claire told him.

"Oh, I know just the one," the man said and hurried off to find it. James looked at Claire with furrowed eyebrows, obviously clueless as to what was happening.

Eden then came back with a bright green novel in his hands. He passed it to James.

"It's on the house," Eden insisted. Claire smiled and told him they had to get back home for the rest of their family was waiting. "Why that's alright, but do come soon."

As the three left the shop, Claire suddenly passed Harry to James and turned back towards the door.

She walked back in and said "Eden," making the man looked up, "Would you like to come over for dinner?"

"No, no, that's alright. Family dinner is family dinner, I wouldn't want to intrude-"

"But you are family. Please? I want you to meet everyone," she insisted. Eden thought for a moment then nodded. "I'll owl you. See you tonight," Claire said as she left the store and joined her family once more.

"A book? You came here for a book?" James asked.

"Yes, I did."

As the family arrived back home and prepared dinner with The Beatles blaring in the background, Claire concluded that with the rest of her life ahead of her, these moments are the most important ones.

These are the ones she had missed and she wouldn't dare let Harry miss out on them either.