The Marauders - Order of the Phoenix - Part One

I Need a Time Turner

Dora Potter sat in the waiting room in St. Mungo's, staring blankly at the wall, her eyes unfocused. Minerva McGonagall, Elphinstone Urquart, and Florian Fortesque. Florian sat quietly to one side, pale so that his freckles stood out against his face. Minerva's hand was wrapped tightly up in Dora's, and Elphinstone sat beside her, one arm over her shoulders. None of them were speaking, just sitting together in silence.

The door of the room burst open and James came running in, followed by Lily Evans a few steps behind. He skid to a stop when he came in the room, seeing the cluster of people there, seeing his mum's face, the hot tear tracks that hadn't even yet dried upon her skin still shining in the lamp light.

Dora's eyes flickered to James, and stared at him for a long moment, as though not recognizing him for a moment. Then, when she did, she burst into tears all over again, and she got up and went to him, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug, burying her face into his shoulder as she shook.

"Mum," James said, the word barely coming out of his mouth for how dry his throat felt.

Lily stood a couple steps away from James, her face worried, and she glanced at McGonagall, the question in her eyes. McGonagall nodded slightly, confirming Lily's fear. Lily turned back to James and Dora. She had been dreading this moment. She knew exactly how James felt, she'd felt it, too, not so long ago, and the only thing that had comforted her then had been him - even before she ever thought he had the ability to do that. Now, it was her turn. She had to be strong for him the way he'd been strong for her then. The thing was that Charlus Potter had been a father to all of them, not just to his actual son. James was not the only one who would feel the ramifications of this loss. Lily felt breathless, too.

She could feel the shift, the loss of protection, and she remembered suddenly the question she'd been going to ask Mr. Potter the night before, at the reception. Talking about the power of wielding one's love, she'd meant to ask him if he had learned to wield it, and, if he had, how to do it herself. Now it was obvious from the air in the room that he had learned how to do it, and had been doing it for years.

"Where's Sirius?" Dora asked, "Does he know?"

"No mum," James answered, "I thought he should enjoy his honeymoon. There's nothing he could do here anyway."

Dora nodded. She was so weak that James was literally holding her up, keeping her from falling to the floor in a heap. He clung to her. Then, having built up his courage, he asked, "May I - may I see him?"

Minnie's eyes glossed.

Dora nodded, "They said we may, if we needed to. I've been. I told them to - to leave him be until you'd come. In case you - wanted -" she broke apart again.

Lily came over and wrapped her arms around Dora, collecting her from James and gently guiding her to the row of seats. "C'mon mum," she said softly, gently, "Let's sit together over here. Tell me your favorite memories of Mr. Potter, won't you? Something lovely about him..."

As Lily led Dora away, James turned to the private room. His palms sweat heavily as he reached for the knob, and he stood still, taking deep breaths for several moments, hovering there, unable to open it.

Finally, he pushed the door opened.

Charlus lay on the bed, as though simply asleep, his face peacefully still. James hung back a moment, nervous, as though going closer might wake him. The thought of it was both something he hoped for and something that terrified him at once. It's your dad, you git, he thought to himself, and he felt a chill tremble down his spine.

James inched closer until he reached the side of the bed, and he felt as though his throat were closed up and he couldn't speak. He took Charlus's hand in his own, gripping it tightly, and feeling a pang of hurt when his father's fingers did not close back around his own.