The Stag and The Harpy | James Potter

Rude awakening

"Maman?"

Phoebe whispers, blinking in shock at her mother.

She looks around quickly, eyes tracing the familiar silver paisley wall paper, the framed pictures of herself and her cousins and her mother. She studies the dark wood of the table she's sitting at, running her thumb nail across the tiniest gouge that had been there since she was a child. She was home.

"Ma fille."

Phoebe looks up at the sound of her mother's voice, tears welling in her eyes. Her face was free of lines and wrinkles, smooth and soft with a prim smile balanced carefully on her red lips. She always wore red lipstick when Phoebe was a child.

"What am I doing here, Maman? Why am I home?" Phoebe asks desperately. She had a deep sense of being in the wrong place. She wasn't supposed to be here...but where was she meant to be? Who was she supposed to be with?

Her mother washes away her concern with a gentle wave of her hand, gesturing towards the crystal ash tray in the center of the table. There were two lit cigarettes, like they'd been smoking for sometime. Phoebe follows her mother's suit, grasping the cigarette closest to her and placing it between her lips.

The two sit in silence for a moment, inhaling the tobacco. Her mother speaks first, sounding disapproving,

"Tu n'es pas intelligent, mon ange."

Phoebe feels like she's 13 again, coming home from Hogwarts and being told that the path she was on was wrong. She needed to be sweeter, prettier, thinner. Smarter. She slumps underneath her mother's gaze, preparing for more, when the older Veela says softly,

"darkness is coming fast. Vous devez être plus intelligent. Vous devez être fort, rapide et préparé."

"Maman, qu'est-ce que tu veux dire ? Dis-le-moi, s'il te plaît," Phoebe begs, unexplainable tears welling in her eyes. She knows she's sad and angry, but she doesn't know why. What danger? What was she talking about?

When her mother opens her mouth again, terrible screams erupt from her throat. Phoebe watches in horror as her hair turns white, her cheeks hollow. Her mother, unrecognizable, shrieks,

"Phoebe! Phoebe!"

"PHOEBE!!!"

She abruptly sits up, chest heaving. She gasps, reaching out desperately for Sirius who stands before her. She looks around frantically, eyes focusing on warm red and gold banners and friendly looking portraits.

"Phoebe," Sirius says quietly, earning her attention again. His face is full of sorrow, his head hanging low.

"What?" She croaks, her throat sore. Like it had been her screaming.

"It's Lily," Sirius whispers sadly. "Her parents..."

Phoebe's heart stops. She pushes him aside, springing up from her spot on James' bed. She can recall now, she'd been napping. Sleeping soundly before her nightmare.

She rushes out of the door, and down the stairs, Sirius thundering after her as they rush to Dumbledore's office. They don't make it far before they're confronted with a horrid scene.

Fabian Prewett is hugging Lily Evans so tightly it looks like it would hurt. She sobs loudly, her shoulders shaking as she hides her face in her boyfriends chest. Phoebe's heart breaks at the sight, sorrow consuming her at the thought that she and Lily now share something in common that she wouldn't wish on her worst enemy.

Slowly, she steps forward and lays her hand on her friends shoulder.

Alice and Marlene stand close by, watching sadly as Lily lifts her head and turns her gaze. Her green eyes well up with more tears and she releases Fabian, launching herself into the arms of the Veela. Phoebe hugs her tightly, whispering,

"Lily, I'm so sorry."

Tears soak Phoebe's shirt and her arms grow tired but they don't move, they hug each other until their feet fall asleep and their tears dry. The separate a little to look at each other, Phoebe painfully recognizing the haunted look on her copper haired friends face.

"I-I don't know what to do," Lily confesses hoarsely. "Petunia won't let me come home. She blames me. This is my fault."

Phoebe shakes her head and uses her sleeve to wipe under her green eyes and her red nose, like her mother used to when she'd fall as a kid. She feels a pang in her chest at the thought of her mother and her ominous dream.

"We're going to fight," She finally says, her words firm and strong in the quiet corridor.

She meets the determined gazes of Sirius, Alice, Marlene, and Sirius. Fabian Prewett nods in agreement, saying lowly,

"They won't get away with this, Lils. I swear it."

Phoebe smiles encouragingly at her friends wide eyes, brushing her fiery hair back from her face.

"We're going to fight for the people that can't, Lily. So our kids won't fear losing their friends and the people they love. And we'll do something lovely for your parents. Petunia can't take that away from you. And that bloody dark wizard can't either."

Lily smiles slightly, only seeing honestly reflected in her friends eyes. They hug again, this time shorter but still as meaningful.

"I love you, Phoebe," Lily whispers, closing her eyes tightly. She couldn't imagine what it felt like when Phoebe's mum died. But now that she understood it herself, she realized how much her friends meant to her. They were family, sisters. More so than she and Petunia had been since she first grew a flower in her palm all those years ago with Severus by her side.

Phoebe slowly untangles herself from Lily and guides her back to Fabian, taking her place beside Sirius.

The two stand silently as Lily and Fabian make their way back to the common room, Marlene and Alice following behind solemnly.

"Sirius," Phoebe whispers into the still air, her fingernails digging into her palms.

"Phoebe," he replies quietly. They look to each other, both coming to the very grave realization that they were grown now.

And that this war was going to have devastating consequences, no matter how hard they will fight.

Sirius gently grasps her hand in his, their matching grey and gold rings glinting in the light as they follow their grieving friend.