SHE'S ALL THAT ➭ SIRIUS BLACK ❨2❩ ✔︎

ACT FIVE, SCENE SEVEN

HALLOWEEN, 1993—GODRIC'S HALLOW

Sage stood in the middle of the deserted street, the sun high in the sky above her.

She hadn't been to this place, this village as a whole, in exactly twelve years. And by the looks of the house in ruins that she stood in front of, very few people had stopped by, either.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached the house, and if she didn't know any better, she'd think that it would beat right through her ribs and out onto the walkway at her feet. And with every step she took, with every clack of her boots on the stone, her lungs tightened to the point where it was getting harder for her to breathe.

She took a labored breath, hand trembling, and reached for the doorknob.

For some reason, she expected it to shock her, or to hex her and throw her back onto the street behind her.

But it didn't, and the metal was cool to the touch. It turned easily, apparently unlocked, and the door opened to reveal the trashed interior to what had once been the Potter's home.

Apart from the debris and wreckage that littered the floor and furniture, the living room looked nearly identical to the space that had carried so many good memories—the couch she and Lily had gotten drunk on countless times, the muggle TV James had installed so his wife could watch her favorite trashy soap-operas, the coffee table that Peter had stumbled into while he was wasted and had completely obliterated, the chair in which Remus so often had fallen asleep with baby Harry in his arms, and the floor, where Sirius had tackled her when she'd jokingly taken his wand.

She walked deeper into the house, totally avoiding looking at the staircase, and entered the kitchen, letting the memories from that room flood back to her.

There was the kitchen table that they'd had 'family dinners' at once a week, unless they were at Sage's; the appliances that Lily had taught Sage to cook the old-fashioned way with; the wall above the kitchen table that held all of their photos and memorabilia, including some of Harry's first crayon drawins—the rest were at Sage's, where he'd grown up and spent most of his childhood.

She made the painful decision to leave the kitchen and ascend the stairs. On the first half-dozen steps, she could practically see James's body laying there with his eyes staring up at nothing.

She swallowed hard, holding back tears, and climbed the rest of the way up to the second floor.

Instead of going into Harry's nursery, she made a left rather than a right, and opened the door to Lily and James's room.

She'd spent endless nights in that bed with Lily during her pregnancy, when James was out on missions and the redhead had been wanting company. They'd shared popcorn, popsicles, each and every snack that Lily had craved, no matter how gross or unsavory.

Sage had first held her godson in the over-stuffed armchair in the corner of the room, just minutes after her best friend had given birth.

Every room in this godforsaken house held innumerable memories, good and bad. Even the bathroom had its fair share of reminders of the past—walking in on James and Lily in rather intimate moments while just trying to take a wee, and the opposite happening to her and Sirius on multiple occasions.

She loved this house. She'd grown up in this house, really. Not physically, but emotionally. Every person and memory in this house had made her a better person.

And now it was in ruins. The people who had lived in it were dead and gone, rotting in a grave less than a mile away.

☾

Their grave, while still relatively new compared to its neighbors, was pristine in upkeep. It appeared to have been cleaned and maintained on a regular basis, and as recently as within the past few days, for the grass that surrounded it was not overgrown, the letters etched into the stone were crisp and clear, and the stone itself was free of dirt or any other grime from the elements.

Someone had gone so far as to leave a bouquet of lillies.

Sage had a feeling it was Remus. He'd mentioned in his texts to her that he'd visited their grave recently, but she was the only one of their friends left alive to actually walk through the house.

She really wished she hadn't gone inside.