Post Tenebras Lux

Chapter Eighty

As Cassiopeia entered their front room with Harry in her arms, she caught sight of James stood at the window staring sadly out. Cassiopeia carefully sat her son down on the rug so he could play with a few of his toys and then walked up behind her husband and wrapped her arms around him, "What are you thinking about?"

James sighed as he held onto her hand, "I could have lost you."

"But you didn't," Cassiopeia whispered to him, "We are both still here with our son. He still has his parents."

"I saw Neville Longbottom this morning," James told her, "He is going to continue living with his grandmother. I couldn't say a single word to either of them. Sirius and Remus had to do all the bloody talking. I just kept staring at him - he looks a bit like Harry - and thinking that could have been us dead."

Cassiopeia rested her head against his shoulder, "That boy is going to have a difficult life. We have to be there for him. We were the lucky ones. We can't abandon him."

"He could be friends with Harry."

"Exactly," Cassiopeia replied, "Stop feeling guilty James. It isn't your fault. The only person to blame is the Dark Lord. He's the monster that took the boy's parents away from him. It was his greed for power."

"I thought he wanted to come after us. Never did I think they would be murdered."

Cassiopeia glanced over at their son who giggled as he picked up his favourite teddy bear, "He couldn't find us. I don't know how he found them. But he did."

"Do you think we could have beaten him?"

Without a moment's hesitation, she replied, "No. He would have done exactly the same to us."

Before either of them could speak they heard people apparate into the house. Cassiopeia walked over to her son, still wary of bitter death eaters.

Sirius barged into the room, relief swept across his face as he saw his family together, "I've heard news of the Tonks family. They are coming out of hiding."

"Good. None of us has to live in fear anymore."

Lily bent down to say hello to Harry, "He's growing so quickly. He really is handsome though."

Remus was the last to enter the room, "Don't say that, we all think he looks like James, can't have you making his ego even bigger."

The five adults sat down while Harry continued to play, "I can't believe it is all over just like that," Cassiopeia suddenly said, "There has been no big battle. He just disappeared."

"I feel so sorry for the Longbottom boy," Lily replied, "To lose his parents at such a young age. He saw Alice's murder."

"He has a scar on his head because of it," Sirius informed them, "He'll always have a physical reminder of what happened to his parents. Their sacrifice."

"We have to be there for him," Cassiopeia said to no one in particular, "They were our friends. I worked with them both. I like to believe Alice saw me as a close friend. She was always the nicest. Never cared I was a Slytherin and a Black. She was a remarkable witch."

Remus nodded his head, "Of course we will help him."

"We'll be able to tell him stories of his parents," James said as he stared over at his son, "We will tell him he should be proud of them."

"He will be proud of them."