Piece By Piece

Chapter Seven: Adjust to the New Normal

      Lily expected the room Harry was giving them to look like a hotel room; though not a remotely fancy one. But when he opened the door for her and James to step inside she noticed it looked more like a basic flat. It had a small entryway that led to an open kitchen and living room furinished with a small table, two chairs, and a couch. A door on the other side of the room led to the bedroom. It had a dresser, a closet, and one nightstand on each side of a large bed. A door inside the bedroom led to a bathroom that had a toilet, a vanity sink with drawers underneath, and a shower.

      Harry must have sensed Lily's surprise; that or James had showed him some of his own astonishment. "Were you expecting something different?" He asked.

      "If I'm being honest," Lily said, turning to face him. "I thought, given the state of things, we'd be sleeping in... I don't know, bunkers?" 

      Harry smiled. "Just because the Death Eaters caught us a little by surprise doesn't mean we weren't prepared. It was a bit of work; but with everyone's help this facility was up and running in no time. And to be honest, a few of us suspected something was coming. Some preparations were made beforehand."

      Lily smiled and put down her bag next to the bed; James followed suit. She noticed that Harry looked a bit skittish. "If we're keeping you from running things around here-"

      "Oh no," Harry assured her. "No not at all. I'm just... this is a lot. I'm really happy that you guys are here it's just... a huge adjustment. It still doesn't feel real." 

      Lily noticed that Harry put his hand on the back of his neck the same way that James did when he was nervous or embarrassed. It made her smile even more. Before she could say anything to him, however, she saw James move over to Harry and give him a hug. Without a word, Harry hugged back. Lily joined them seconds later. None of them spoke; they didn't need to. Despite all of their years apart, the bond that connected them as a family allowed them to speak without words as if they'd spent every day together.

      The three of them spent the rest of that afternoon getting caught up with each other. But while the only astonishing thing that Lily and James could tell Harry was that James played for the best team in their Pro Quidditch League ("The Cannons are rubbish down here." Harry had told them. "You have to tell Ron about this."), Harry had plenty more stories to tell them. Some were lighthearted, like how Harry made the Gryffindoor Quidditch Team in his first year; the story of which had James nearly in tears. 

      But much to Lily's dismay they were far outnumbered by those of danger and trauma that looked like they took everything out of Harry just to mention. Probably worst of all was the one that had taken place immediately after she and James had died; the events of which Harry himself couldn't properly piece together because he wasn't a witness to most of it. Instead of being given to Sirius, Harry had been rushed under Dumbledore's orders to her sister's house because he wanted to keep Harry away from any chaos until it subsided. (She and James both protested the idea, but clearly couldn't do anything about it now.) The real tradgedy struck when Siruis had gone out the next day and encountered Peter in muggle London. Before Sirius could do anything Peter had blown up the street, killed a dozen people, and ran away; leaving Sirius to face time in Azkaban, without trial, for a crime he didn't commit. Lily was devastated; of course she and James knew that Peter had given them up to the Dark Lord. But this? 

      Harry reached a hand out to James, who had his head in his hands and looked a mere five seconds from bursting into tears. Lily put her arm across his back and pulled him towards her. She looked at Harry for any good news. After all, Sirius couldn't have fought in the Department of Mysteries if he was locked up.