The Lost Heir of Ilvermony

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

The Potters turned out to be staying in nice apartment on Liberty square. It has three rooms with the James and Albus in the larger one and Lily had her own room. I slept on the couch but wake up to three Potters looking at me. James is the oldest he has the kind of impish twinkle in his eye that says trouble. Albus looks at me with inquisitive eyes his mind working out which question to ask. Lily is least surprised to see me and sits in an armchair with a thick book but her eyes are dancing with happiness.

“James, Al let our guest have some breathing room.”

Sitting up, I reach for my bag taking out my cup before I realise that I don’t need it, the two boys are staring at me. “Ummm...Hi.”

“Are you a drifter?” The older one askes.

His brother elbows him the side. “James.”

I laugh, “I think no because I can’t leave the city drifters get to come and go.”

He didn’t think he was right so he just nods as Ginny enters the room. “Lyra your awake, good. Kids time for breakfast.”

Lily takes my hand “Come on Dad is a great cook.”

Entering the kitchen Ginny is sitting down in her robe drinking a cup of tea while Harry is fully dressed doling out eggs on six plates. “Sleep good did ya.”

Sitting down I nod feeling awkward. At school we all eat together in a community setting this is intimate. All around James and Albus are talking about Hogwarts how they miss school, their friends. This is a family, everyone is happy, smiling even  talking like this happens everyday. It does for them I don’t know what to say or do, that scares me there talking fades and my heart starts to pound in my ears. I can’t be here standing I say “May I be excused?”

“Aren't you hungry? Ginny says looking at Harry.

Taking a slice of toast I lie. “I don't really eat much in the morning.” Leaving the apartment I take the exist up to the stairs on the roof are perches for owls. There are few returning from carrying letters. Others are fast asleep but wake-up at the sound of the door closing. Breaking off my toast I let them eat of my hand. One of them is snowy owl she nips at my hand demanding to be petted.

“There is a lot wrong with me.” I say as she hops into my lap.

The opens Harry is there the owl looks at him hoots happily goes to the perch to rest. “Sorry about that I…” I look at my boots they’ve been repaired by me so many times I forgot where I got them originally.

“I was a lot like you once.” He looks out over the city. “I was alone no parents no one to care about me.” Harry takes my hand, “You think your a burden or a responsibility to people that’s not true. I see it in you.”

“See what?”

“Love, the most powerful magic of all. You love people that you don’t even know, you could have left my daughter to the Rouges.”

“I don’t know how to be anyone else or be part of a family. Sitting around a table laughing it's been so long since I’ve had that. Thomas thinks we can be a family that one day we’ll have a home with children. That we’ll grow old be married for sixty years or more that we’ll die know our love made the world better.”

“Do you want that life?”

Tears fill my eyes I refuse to let them fall. “That life is a dream. I used to dream about wonderful happy things but when I woke-up I was back at home where my father hated me or on the streets stealing to survive. Dreams stopped being an escape it started to be cruel. Wanting things I could never have.”