Risen from the Ashes (A Harry Potter Fan Fiction)

Chapter 13

James quietly closed the door to Harry's new room behind him. He had just finished tucking him into his own bed. Remus said he probably wouldn't wake until the morning, but he still didn't want to risk disturbing his much needed sleep. Today had been a long day.

James walked down the stairs to join his two best friends and wife in the kitchen. Lily was making tea as he sat down next to Sirius and Remus. "So... now what...?"

"Well," Sirius took a mug from Lily, nodding his thanks. "I think the most important thing for the next couple weeks is for Harry to relax and to recover. Not only has this summer been hard on him, but the last few years of school have been pretty rough too."

"What's been going on?" Lily asked with concern.

"We told you about some of it with Dumbledore last night." Remus took a sip of his tea, "I think Harry should be the one to tell you the rest. I don't know most of the details myself, just the bits and pieces of rumors I've heard from students this past year. Harry never really wanted to talk about a lot of it with me. I think he was afraid I wouldn't let him go back to Hogwarts if I knew he was in danger. As if I had that kind of power."

"Would you let him go back?" James asked out of curiosity. "If you had the power."

Remus chuckled, "No matter what choice I made, it would potentially hurt Harry. Letting him go back, puts him in harm's way. But not letting him go means that he doesn't get to see his friends, and I believe that that would be extremely detrimental to his mental health. So yes... I would let him go back..."

"Speaking of mental health..." Lily looked sadly down at her cup, "I am worried about the fact that when he first saw us, he thought we were hallucinations."

"That's understandable." Sirius joked, "I mean the two of you have been dead for a while."

She sighed, "I know that, but by what he was saying, it sounded like he has visions like that often. I'm concerned..."

"Don't worry..." James put his arm around her shoulders and brought her closer to him. "These next few weeks will be the perfect opportunity for us to get to know him better. We still have most of the summer to find out more about him before school starts. Let's just work on making sure he knows he is loved and forming a good relationship with him."

She nodded her head and continued sipping her tea. "That sounds wonderful..."

(A/N - Thanks for reading!)