What If? Year 2

Chapter 46

I get through the night without any dreams, but I still wake up with an uneasy feeling. I go down to the common room and find three fully grown men sleeping in the common room. I giggle at Dad, who must have drawn the short straw since he is laying on two chairs. Everything but his legs fit in the make shift bed, so his legs are sticking out at an odd angle.
"Silly goose," I whisper, ruffling his hair like how Mum always does.
"Hmmm, Lily, darling?"
"Dad..." I say.
"Yes, flower?" he asks sleepily, before shooting up into a sitting position, "Golds? Are you alright? Why are you up?"
"It's six thirty, Dad."
"That's early."
"I've got class."
"I never woke up that early for class."
"I... I also thought we could eat before you left. I also just couldn't sleep anymore. I've... I've just got an uneasy feeling."
"Okay. Why don't you go get dressed? I'll do the same and we'll meet back down here in fifteen minutes?"
"Fifteen?"
"Can't rush perfection."

I get ready, careful not to wake up the others. I throw a glance at the clock when I am fully dressed. Still have five minutes. I go into the bathroom and start to braid my hair. It's nothing like what Ara does, but it keeps it back and looks nice with my headband. I gather my books and write Ara a note before going back downstairs. Dad is waiting for me, dressed in his uniform, but now Remus and Sirius are missing.
"Sirius wants to come too."
"Great... so another fifteen minutes?"
"Try twenty."
"How about Uncle Remus?"
"He had to start getting ready for class."
"Okay, I guess we should get comfy." I sit down by the fireplace and crack open my potion book.
"How was potions last night?"
"It was fine, Neville did well. Professor Snape would do well to not be so snarky." Dad chuckles and sits down besides me.
"Don't let him get under your skin," he comments, "it was his favorite past time during our days at school as well. You're doing a good thing with helping Neville. I knew his parents, and they would have been very thankful for it."
"I... I never realized Neville didn't... that his parents weren't around."
"He lives with his Grandma," Dad answers, sadly, "his parents... were tortured after I killed Voldemort. They were made crazy and live in St. Mungo's. Doctors don't think they'll ever get better."
"Poor Neville," I reply, "I can't imagine growing up without you and mum."
"That's why we keep fighting," Dad says, "so that you don't ever have to worry about that." I smile and lay down, my head in his lap.

Once Sirius finally comes down, fully dressed we go down to the Great Hall. I sit down between the two of them.
"Just as a warning," Dad says, breaking the silence, "your mum was very... upset when I left the house. There is a fifty fifty percent chance that you'll get a howler." I groan and nod.
"Sweet, I'll be ready to run off with it when it gets here."
"Sorry, flower. I could take it for you."
"No... I totally deserved it."
"Deserve it."
I said what I meant.
"Goldie, what's your schedule today?" Sirius asks.
"Charms, Arithmancy, Divination, Transfiguration, and Defense."
"I didn't think you signed up for Divination," Dad remarks.
"Yeah, well... Dumbledore wanted me to take it."
"He didn't ask your mom or I about that."
"Oh." I wait in silence, the uneasy weight focusing on my shoulders.
"Are you enjoying it?"
"It's alright."
"That's good, I guess." The weight suddenly moves to my chest, making my breath uneasy. Sirius rubs my back softly and whispers.
"You alright?" I nod slowly, trying to take a deep breath.
"Hey, James," he says, suddenly, "you should go ask McGonagall about making sure Goldie and Harry are safe."
"Why can't you?"
"Cause you're their father... and you're higher up than I am." James smiles and kisses my forehead.
"I'll see you later. We'll wait till Harry is awake to leave." Sirius grabs my shaking hands as Dad walks off.
"Hey, what's up?"
"I... I d-don't know."
"He's not upset about the Divination thing, love."
"Okay..."
"You're alright, no one's upset."
"Mum's upset."
"Not upset, she's worried."
"But... what... what if I get a howler?"
"I think your dad was trying to make a joke. Besides, what's so bad about a howler anyways?" I stare down at my hands, slowly rocking to calm my heart.
"P-people stare."
"So? What do you care?"
"They already whisper."
"So what? They're whispering about your dad or your brother." I nod, and keep looking at my hands.
"Is there something else?"
"I should have stayed where I belonged." Sirius shifts besides me.
"Yeah, you should have, but that's in the past." He puts his arm around me and kisses my hairline.
"Thanks, Uncle Sirius."
"Any time, kid."

I get a letter, not a howler, thank Merlin. I clutch the letter in my hand, as Sirius walks me back to the common room.
"Don't get to worked up about this, Golds," he tells me before I start up the stairs to the dorms, "anything she says in that letter is out of love." I nod and smile, sadly.
"Okay... I'll come down in a little." I get upstairs to an empty room, my own note from Ara.
Goldie,
We are all going to the Owlrey before the Great Hall, in case you didn't see us.
I smile at the note before sitting down on my bed before unsealing the letter. It unfolds and I start reading.
Marigold,
The temptation to send you a howler was, thankfully for you, neutralized by the concern for making you run off again. I cannot believe you would do that. That's not you, no matter what anyone could have said to you. You are smarter than that. When your father got a message about you being attacked by Pettigrew, and that you were found at the bottom of the Grand Staircase in a pool of your own blood... I thought my heart was going to stop right there. Your father did not even get a full sentence out before rushing off to you. You just got out of a bloody coma and now you ran off and nearly got yourself killed! Now I do not want to know what Harry said to you, but I still cannot believe you. I have already sent letters to Harry and Ara about keeping close to you. It's not that I don't trust you, but now that he's gotten his hands on you once, it will be easier for him to do it again. You will not go wandering off by yourself, you understand me? I have every right to bring you home. Keep up the accident trend, and you'll be on the train.
I am very happy that you are alright, and I am excited to see you in two weeks. You can bet that you will be getting another one of these talks at home. Your father needs to be out looking for Pettigrew, not babysitting. Hang in for these last two weeks, and then you will be safe at home.
Love, Mum
(P.S. if you would like to invite Cedric over for Christmas at some point, you may... and WRITE ME BACK)