A Marauder's Guide to Falling Forever

Epilogue

"He had the strangest feeling that there was someone standing right behind the veil on the other side of the archway. Gripping his wand very tightly, he edged around the dais, but there was nobody there; all that could be seen was the other side of the tattered black veil."

—Harry Potter encountering the Veil in Order of the Pheonix

*

It was like waking up from a particularly long, deep slumber. Marlene's feet descended down the spiraling staircase of the girls dormitories to where she could hear the voices of James and Lily speaking to one another.

When the common room came into view it was otherwise empty and quiet. The only other movement was that of the magnificent fireplace which was roaring with dancing embers that cast their shadows against the stone walls.

Lily and James had their backs to Marlene. Where the portrait hole had once been now existed a very large and dark archway with black curtains raised to reveal something behind it. Over Lily's shoulder she caught sight of a youthful boy with unruly jet black hair and circular rimmed glasses standing just on the other side of it. He was staring directly at Lily and James.

"Lily, he has your eyes!" James observed with excitement. His hand clasped down gently on Lily's shoulder as he hovered beside his wife, both of them looking forward together at the boy on the other side.

"But he has your spirit, James," Lily said fondly, accompanied by a gentle laugh. "And that hair. Merlin, he could be your twin!"

"I don't think the world could handle another James Potter," Marlene said, joining the conversation. Both Lily and James pulled their attention away from the boy to acknowledge Marlene's arrival.

She stepped off the last tread of the staircase and entered into the common room to where her best friend was grinning ear to ear with open arms. She suspected it had been a very long time since they had last seen one another, given by the age of the boy she assumed to be Harry.

"Oh Marlene!" Lily exclaimed with joy as her arms wrapped around Marlene and they embraced. "It's so good to see you again."

"It's been awhile, hasn't it?" Marlene said jokingly. James humored her with a rich laugh and pulled her into his arms once Lily had let go.

"Alright, Marlene?"

"As good as I could be for being dead, I suppose," she replied. She smirked up at him and he tousled her hair as though she were a child. "And you?"

"Can't complain." He shrugged before slinging his arm around Lily and pulling her into his side. Marlene admired their affection for one another and smiled. Even in death they could be nauseating to watch.

She turned her attention back to the archway. Up close she noted that it looked more like a glass window, and Marlene moved closer to look through to where the fifteen year old boy stood staring through at them. Indeed, he looked very much like his father.

She watched fondly as Harry contemplated the archway, peering in towards them as though he were aware of their presence. "Can he see us?" Marlene wondered aloud.

"No," James said sadly. "I think he can hear us a little though."

"He's spectacular," Marlene told them. What an amazing boy they had brought into the world.

"It was inevitable. He has a pretty fantastic set of parents," James teased arrogantly and Lily shoved at him. "What? He does!"

"Have you seen Sirius yet?" Marlene asked quietly. Lily and James had gone back to admiring the son they had never had the chance to know.