(no subject)
Title: Poor Dorcas
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Harry, Sirius Black
Word Count: 946
Rating: PG (I think the mention of character death would come there)
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 23 - wands. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: It's a normal afternoon in the Potter household until James hears a familiar, and unwelcome, sound.
Author's notes: I apologise if the unvoiced question towards the end is frustrating. All will become clear in the next story chronologically (whenever that appears).
Poor Dorcas
“Who said daddy was too young?” James asked Harry, tickling his tummy playfully as he double checked the leak proof charm on his clean nappy. “Right down you go young man, but no disturbing mummy. She’s enjoying a bath. Okay?”
“Barf?” Harry’s voice had the tone of a question in it.
“Not you, silly. Mummy. Mummy’s in the bath.”
“Barf,” Harry repeated but James didn’t hear him this time. The hairs on the back of his neck were instnatly on edge, his mouth dry, his heart beating furiously. It was a good job they’d thought about this sort of thing, he’d have frozen otherwise. Within a second he’d picked Harry back up, moved the few steps from his tiny bedroom - not much more than a cupboard, Lily had said - and put him in the bathroom with Lily. Silently he mouthed to Lily to stay there until he said otherwise, and then shut the door, cast a locking and silencing charm on it and with his wand high moved towards the place the familiar unwelcome sound had come from.
Etiquette was that no-one Apparated into another’s home without express permission. James hadn’t given anyone permission today, and he was sure if Lily had she’d have told him. Yet someone had quite clearly Apparated into their front room. Slowly James moved forward, carefully placing his feet so as not to make a noise. The door to the front room was open a crack, in six steps, five steps, four steps, he hoped he’d be able to see something.
For a split second James failed to remember any challenging curses, hexes, jinxes or anything at all. He’d got top grades in Defence Against the Dark Arts only a few years before and here he was at the time when he was needing to protect his family unable to remember anything. Engorgio he said to himself and then cursed silently. What good was engorgio going to do? Expelliarmus, that was better. Impedimenta, better still. Avada Kadavra, if he absolutely had to.
At the door James looked through and saw a foot, the toe of which was tapping impatiently. Holding his wand he burst into the room, turned his wand towards the person and opened his mouth to cast a spell just as one hit him.
“Impedimenta,” he heard as he tried to fight it, to cast his own curse before it hit him. He knew he’d failed when the curse caused time to stand almost still. It was like he was like slow motion had taken over. He tried to move towards the spell caster, but his feet were heavy and would only carry him at the slowest speed. By his second footstep he could feel the curse lifting and knew he could breath properly again, amazed in his slowly moving world how his breath had held for so long.
“Sorry mate,” Sirius offered. “I thought I’d best get in first before you did something awful to me.”
“Padfoot!” James exclaimed. “Why are you breaking into my flat? Do you know you nearly gave me a heart attack and … and …”
“Calm down,” Sirius suggested, sitting down onto the nearest chair. “Sit down.”
“Let me go and tell Lil,” James suggested, worrying what she thought had just happened.
“No.” Sirius barked. “No James, sit down. Don’t tell Lily.”
“She’ll be thinking all sorts,” James continued, unaware of the grave tone to Sirius’s voice or the heavy look of his features. “And Harry’s with her.”
“I said no,” Sirius replied sternly. “Sit down. I’ve got to tell you something.”
Dumbledore had asked him to do this, to come to James and Lily and to pass on the news. Dumbledore had told him to ignore the unspoken rule about arriving unannounced and uninvited into another’s front room. He’d suggested that if neither of them were in there that Sirius waited quietly, didn’t make any attempt to look for them so as not to alarm them more than he had to. He’d said to be ready with a disarming jinx of some kind in order to protect himself and when Sirius had protested he’d told him how important it was that he did everything he’d asked, straight away and without argument. Rarely did Sirius feel the need to argue with Dumbledore, especially where the safety of his best friend, his godson and his best friend’s wife were concerned.
“What is it?” James asked, his eyes closing in puzzlement. Sirius looked disturbed, angry, upset, uncomfortable, awkward and many other things that he normally wouldn’t.
Sirius swallowed and James felt his throat join his mouth in dryness. “I don’t know how to tell you …” his voice faded.
“Moony?” James asked. “Has something happened to Remus?”
“No. No. Remus is fine. It’s not Moony. But,” Sirius took a breath and looked at his friend. “Dumbledore wanted me to tell you straight away. He’s killed one of us. Earlier today. James, I’m sorry - Lily is going to be so upset. Dorcas is dead.”
James looked uncomprehendingly at Sirius. “Dorcas is dead? Killed by -“ The penny dropped. “Oh.”
“Yeah mate,” Sirius replied.
“What was she doing?” Was she working on Order business? Was she tailing someone? Was she alone? Many questions ran through James’s mind.
“She was just out. Not working. She fought hard.”
“Do you think?” The rest of his question hung heavily between them.
James watched as Sirius nodded.
“Merlin, then -“
“Dumbledore wants to talk to you,” Sirius answered. “He thinks it’s time.”
“Okay,” James said weakly. “I’ll tell Lily, we’ll send him a note.”
“Sorry, Prongs.”
“No, it’s not your fault. Thanks for telling us.”
“Poor Dorcas,” they both whispered together.
Author: apostrophe_ess
Disclaimer: Everything belongs to JKR, I merely gain from playing these games in her playground.
Pairing/Character: James, Harry, Sirius Black
Word Count: 946
Rating: PG (I think the mention of character death would come there)
Prompt: For potterverse100, number 23 - wands. Prompt table here. Chronological list here.
Summary: It's a normal afternoon in the Potter household until James hears a familiar, and unwelcome, sound.
Author's notes: I apologise if the unvoiced question towards the end is frustrating. All will become clear in the next story chronologically (whenever that appears).
Poor Dorcas
“Who said daddy was too young?” James asked Harry, tickling his tummy playfully as he double checked the leak proof charm on his clean nappy. “Right down you go young man, but no disturbing mummy. She’s enjoying a bath. Okay?”
“Barf?” Harry’s voice had the tone of a question in it.
“Not you, silly. Mummy. Mummy’s in the bath.”
“Barf,” Harry repeated but James didn’t hear him this time. The hairs on the back of his neck were instnatly on edge, his mouth dry, his heart beating furiously. It was a good job they’d thought about this sort of thing, he’d have frozen otherwise. Within a second he’d picked Harry back up, moved the few steps from his tiny bedroom - not much more than a cupboard, Lily had said - and put him in the bathroom with Lily. Silently he mouthed to Lily to stay there until he said otherwise, and then shut the door, cast a locking and silencing charm on it and with his wand high moved towards the place the familiar unwelcome sound had come from.
Etiquette was that no-one Apparated into another’s home without express permission. James hadn’t given anyone permission today, and he was sure if Lily had she’d have told him. Yet someone had quite clearly Apparated into their front room. Slowly James moved forward, carefully placing his feet so as not to make a noise. The door to the front room was open a crack, in six steps, five steps, four steps, he hoped he’d be able to see something.
For a split second James failed to remember any challenging curses, hexes, jinxes or anything at all. He’d got top grades in Defence Against the Dark Arts only a few years before and here he was at the time when he was needing to protect his family unable to remember anything. Engorgio he said to himself and then cursed silently. What good was engorgio going to do? Expelliarmus, that was better. Impedimenta, better still. Avada Kadavra, if he absolutely had to.
At the door James looked through and saw a foot, the toe of which was tapping impatiently. Holding his wand he burst into the room, turned his wand towards the person and opened his mouth to cast a spell just as one hit him.
“Impedimenta,” he heard as he tried to fight it, to cast his own curse before it hit him. He knew he’d failed when the curse caused time to stand almost still. It was like he was like slow motion had taken over. He tried to move towards the spell caster, but his feet were heavy and would only carry him at the slowest speed. By his second footstep he could feel the curse lifting and knew he could breath properly again, amazed in his slowly moving world how his breath had held for so long.
“Sorry mate,” Sirius offered. “I thought I’d best get in first before you did something awful to me.”
“Padfoot!” James exclaimed. “Why are you breaking into my flat? Do you know you nearly gave me a heart attack and … and …”
“Calm down,” Sirius suggested, sitting down onto the nearest chair. “Sit down.”
“Let me go and tell Lil,” James suggested, worrying what she thought had just happened.
“No.” Sirius barked. “No James, sit down. Don’t tell Lily.”
“She’ll be thinking all sorts,” James continued, unaware of the grave tone to Sirius’s voice or the heavy look of his features. “And Harry’s with her.”
“I said no,” Sirius replied sternly. “Sit down. I’ve got to tell you something.”
Dumbledore had asked him to do this, to come to James and Lily and to pass on the news. Dumbledore had told him to ignore the unspoken rule about arriving unannounced and uninvited into another’s front room. He’d suggested that if neither of them were in there that Sirius waited quietly, didn’t make any attempt to look for them so as not to alarm them more than he had to. He’d said to be ready with a disarming jinx of some kind in order to protect himself and when Sirius had protested he’d told him how important it was that he did everything he’d asked, straight away and without argument. Rarely did Sirius feel the need to argue with Dumbledore, especially where the safety of his best friend, his godson and his best friend’s wife were concerned.
“What is it?” James asked, his eyes closing in puzzlement. Sirius looked disturbed, angry, upset, uncomfortable, awkward and many other things that he normally wouldn’t.
Sirius swallowed and James felt his throat join his mouth in dryness. “I don’t know how to tell you …” his voice faded.
“Moony?” James asked. “Has something happened to Remus?”
“No. No. Remus is fine. It’s not Moony. But,” Sirius took a breath and looked at his friend. “Dumbledore wanted me to tell you straight away. He’s killed one of us. Earlier today. James, I’m sorry - Lily is going to be so upset. Dorcas is dead.”
James looked uncomprehendingly at Sirius. “Dorcas is dead? Killed by -“ The penny dropped. “Oh.”
“Yeah mate,” Sirius replied.
“What was she doing?” Was she working on Order business? Was she tailing someone? Was she alone? Many questions ran through James’s mind.
“She was just out. Not working. She fought hard.”
“Do you think?” The rest of his question hung heavily between them.
James watched as Sirius nodded.
“Merlin, then -“
“Dumbledore wants to talk to you,” Sirius answered. “He thinks it’s time.”
“Okay,” James said weakly. “I’ll tell Lily, we’ll send him a note.”
“Sorry, Prongs.”
“No, it’s not your fault. Thanks for telling us.”
“Poor Dorcas,” they both whispered together.