Didn't took too long, did it? Tell me what you think.
Chapter 27 part 5 cont.
The night had passed and a really hot and sunny summer day had begun but Ginny Potter was never less thrilled to see the sun rising; for that meant that her son's time was running out. According to Teddy's calculations it would be impossible for James' body to keep resisting the poison for more than twelve hours. He only had until noon and that was the best case senario.
And Harry hadn't returned home last night. It seemed to her that he couldn't bring himself to face her. And she knew that he had made a choice that he was afraid to tell her because he wasn't sure if she could handle it...and she dreaded that he hadn't chosen James.
Those thoughts were crossing Ginny's mind as she was holding her son's hair back while he was throwing up, bent over his bed into a basin his mother had placed next to it. She wiped his mouth and helped him lay back to his pillows, whispering words of consolation in his ear. When James looked at her, he looked like all life had drained from him already. He was exhausted from the cough and from throwing up and dazzled from the fever, so much he couldn't keep his eyes open. She didn't know what to do; how could she help him? How could she take the pain away? She got really worried every time one of her kids would get sick, but this was different and way worse than just that. She just couldn't handle seeing James slowly dying in front of her eyes. And Harry wasn't there...why wasn't he there?
The door behind her opened and she turned eagerly and for a split of second as she saw the jet black hair she thought it was her husband; but it was Albus followed by Lily.
"Mum?" Albus said. "What's going on?"
"What's wrong with James?" Lily asked as they both approached the bed.
"Your brother is sick", she said, turning her face away so she could wipe her tears without them seeing her. "Quite sick".
Lily climbed the bed and sat next to her mother looking down at her brother.
"But he's gonna be okay when we leave for Hogwarts in a couple of weeks, right?" she asked.
"Yeah, sure", Ginny lied and Lily sighed relieved but Albus was looking at his mother unconvinced and Ginny knew he sensed that there was something else that was wrong with James.
"But mum..." Albus started but stopped as James opened his eyes and looked at them.
"Hey, big brother", Lily grinned and bent over him to kiss his cheek.
"Hey", he smiled.
"Guys maybe you should get out and let your brother rest..." Ginny started saying.
"No", James said with a drown voice. "Let them stay mum, please".
"Fine", Ginny nodded stroking his cheek.
All the power of Albus' intuition was telling him that there was something wrong, but he chose not to express his worries and walked closer to James' bed and clutched his hand. His brother turned slowly to look at him.
"You look awful", Albus commented and James laughed.
"Still looking better than you though, Al", he said and the boy grinned. Then James looked around and when he didn't find what he was looking for, turned to his mother. "Where's dad?" he asked her.
"I don't know", she said.
"But I want him here", James said. He wanted all of them there; if he was going to die and he knew he would, he wanted his family to be with him. And more than anything he wanted his father to be with him; because his father was the strongest person he knew and he wanted to drain courage from him in order to keep his terror away.
"I know you do, honey", Ginny said. "He'll be here soon".
Or at least I hope so, she added in her head.
Harry was following the man in front of him without paying much attention to where he was leading him. They walked deeper and deeper into the unknown forest and Harry was thinking every step he was taking. He knew what that would mean. He knew that this wasn't what greater men than him would have done; not what Dumbledore would have done.
But he kept walking. He kept walking behind Dolohov for the same reason he had freed him. For the same reason he had taken the book away from the Ministry and had agreed to meet Artemis. For the same reason he was going to give her the book. And it was a rather simple reason actually: he loved his son. He loved James and he couldn't let him die not matter what the boy said.
He didn't care much about what would happen to his career neither about what the wizarding world would think of him. He was only hesitating bacause he knew that if they managed to do it, to bring Voldemort back, then there was the possibility that he would lose all of them. So he would have to stop them before they bring him back but for now...for now he had to help them. Dolohov came into a halt and Harry stopped too. There behind some trees was Artemis, looking at him with that irritating smile craved upon her face.
Tears were running down Ginny' face as she and Albus were trying to stop James from screaming and wriggling. It's been like that for the last quarter. Pain had completely taken over the boy and he just couldn't fight it anymore. Ginny had sent Lily away but Albus wasn't leaving no matter what his mother said.
"Honey, please stop, everything will be okay", Ginny said to James, but she wasn't sure he could even hear her and even if he could she knew that those were just empty words.
After a while James suddenly stopped screaming and became quiet. For a moment Ginny feared for the worst but he wasn't dead. He had passed out from the pain. Albus looked at his mother.
"What's wrong with him?" he asked her and Ginny knew that Albus wouldn't believe what she had told Lily; not after what he saw.
"They had planted something inside him...the Death Eaters...and now it's killing him", she told him and the boy brought his hands to his mouth.
"He's going to die", he whispered and it wasn't a question, it was a realization. Ginny didn't say anything, she just looked down at her older son, stroking his face. No, he wouldn't die. Her son wouldn't die. She couldn't allow herself to think of something like that. She had lost a brother during the last war, she couldn't lose a son in this one; she wouldn't survive it.
The door opened again and Ginny turned to tell Lily that she should get out, she shouldn't be there for this. But it wasn't Lily.
"Where the hell have you been?" she yelled at her husband standing up from the bed and walking to him. He didn't answer her, he only looked at James.
"Tell me he's still alive", he said as he rushed to his side.
"He is", Albus told him and Harry exhaled relieved; then he retreated a small purple bottle from his robes.
"Hold him up, Al", he told the boy and Albus hurried to do as his father said.
Harry opened the bottle and placed it on James' lips, slowly making the boy take a sip from whatever was in there.
"What is that?" Ginny asked him as Harry was keeping James' mouth shut with his hand in order for him to swallow. Harry didn't answer her until James had drunk all of it. Then he gestured Albus to let the boy lay back down and stood up to look at her.
"It was the antidote", he told her looking straight into her eyes. Her chest rose and fell rapidly.
"You gave them the book?" she asked him.
"Yes", he nodded.
"So if we don't stop them they will be able to bring You-Know-Who back?"
"Yes", he said and behind him Albus gasped.
"James will be okay now though?"
"Yes", he said and looked back at the boy. "At least I hope so", he added and turned to look at her again.
She was looking at him with that blazing look he loved so much but he wasn't sure what she thought of him now and of what he had done. But the next moment she had walked to him and hugged him tightly.
"Thank you", she told him as tears run down her face. "I thought...I thought you wouldn't...you would let him..."
"There was no way", he said and she hugged him even more tightly.
"Dad? Mum?" Albus said and they turned. James had just stirred and turned his head to look at them.
"What happened?" he asked them. Ginny sighed relieved; he already seemed better and color was returning to his face. Harry let go of her and sat back next to his son.
"How are you feeling?" he asked him.
"Ten minutes ago I would tell you that I was about to die but now I don't know...I think...I think I feel better" he said looking slightly confused.
"You're not gonna die, you're gonna be okay", Harry said and then sighed. "I gave you the antidote".
James stared at him for a few moments trying to take what he said in. And then he started shaking his head, his eyes welling up.
"Dad, what did you do?" he said and wincing a little he sat up. "I told you not to do it!"
"James..."
"You gave them the book?"
But before Harry could say anything Ginny walked next to them and looked at her son.
"James above everything we're your parents and we have to protect you anyway we can! And that's what your father did".
"But mum don't you understand...?"
"Trust me, honey, I undestand way better than you do what might happen because I have live it once already", she told him. "But even if you died they would find another plan to take the book then and they would finally succeed and then how would we have the strength to fight them, if we had lost you?"
"But..."
"Yes, James they took the book, but now we can fight them, together all of us and make sure thay won't bring him back", Ginny finished and James looked from her to his father.
"What about your job?" he asked him and Harry sighed.
"I don't know" he replied. "We'll see".
"Dad..."
"I couldn't lose you Jamie", Harry told him and the boy hugged him.
"At least we'll get rid of the aurors in the house", Ginny said and Harry laughed. "Don't laugh, they were getting on my nerves and eating my chocolates!"
"Um...mum?" James said. "You mean that white box with pralines dad brought?"
"Yeah..."
"I ate those".
When Harry walked into the kitchen holding Ginny's hand he came face to face with Hermione standing there with six aurors behind her. Her eyes were all welled up and she seemed really upset.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked her but she was looking at Harry.
"Are you here to arrest me, Hermione?" he asked her.
"No", Hermione replied. "Althought the only reason the Minister won't do that is because he's worried that the wizarding world will turn against him. I'm here to tell you that you're no longer an auror. You're fired".
-Angie-
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