#perniciouspotter

[asphodelroot]

February 15th, 1984 Very Early Morning St. Mungo’s @perniciouspotter

James is alive.

Lily didn’t know who had told her; it all got lost in the blur of shock, relief, and slow dawning horror that had her pacing the waiting room without knowing how she’d gotten there, clinging to Remus, Sirius, and Peter in turn as they haunted the doors to the ward, hoping a Mediwix would come out and tell them something, anything, soon. Eventually they’d been let in, just for a few minutes to see the barely conscious or coherent James. The tension crackling between all of them had perhaps cut that visit even shorter than it could have been, with the nurse telling them only one of them could stay with him.

She hadn’t allowed any room for argument, just stepped forward and claimed the chair at James’s side, sinking into it and leaning forward to rest her arms on the edge of his bed. There would be time for the others later, but right now, in this moment, she’d leverage whatever slight edge being James’s girlfriend versus his best friend gave her. Maybe they weren’t happen about it, maybe it was fine; Lily didn’t take notice of anything except the rise and fall of James’s chest, the tell-tale sign that he was alive.

The ward was quiet after the nurse saw the marauders out, and it let Lily stew in the eye of her emotional storm. Emotional shock, that was what this was, and the feeling that if anyone touched her she’d shatter, or at least burst into tears. Four months without him, three of thinking he was dead, and now James was back. Here. Not well, but—alive.

Her hand edged out, brushing against his arm. The nurse had said to be careful, he’d had some sort of damage dealt to his arm, or wrist, one of them, she hadn’t been able to pay attention to which, but she knew she couldn’t grab him like she wanted to. Couldn’t hold tight and never let him go.

“Just me and you,” she whispered to him, fingers rubbing at the blankets, a poor substitute for the feeling of his skin. Biting her lip and blinking back tears, she settled in for a long vigil.

[ofemmevance]

Location: James’s house Godric’s Hollow Date: June 25th, 1984, sometime around 3 am @perniciouspotter​, @lcnelylass​, @gidprxwett​​

Emmeline couldn’t quite believe that the last twenty four hours had been real. It was strange to think about last night, when she had stayed up most of the night worrying about the mission and obsessing over everything that could go wrong. And go wrong it had. But they had made it through. All of them. After so many hours of sitting idly at headquarters, waiting for the mission to start and then the adrenaline packed hours of taking care of the injured, Emme’s head was swimming. Twenty four hours ago she hadn’t kissed Dirk Cresswell, which was another thing that she couldn’t quite believe that she had done. What was Nicky going to do when she found out that Emme had kissed her boyfriend? That was a whole other worry that she would have to deal with at some point.

It had been a spontaneous decision, that they had all ended up at James’s place in Godric’s Hollow. Emme had known from the moment that Lily had come into the infrimary that she would go wherever James went tonight. Whether that was his place or hers, Emme wasn’t going to let James be alone. They had been on their way out of the estate after the debrief meeting when they had run into Marlene and Gideon, and James and Emme had only had to look at each other for a moment, both thinking the same thing, when they had told them to come with them. Gideon had said he would come by in a bit, but Marlene had come along with them.

It was nice, being in the same room as the others without other people around. It had been too long since they had all been together. Without bars separating them. This room was full of the only people that truly understood Emme, and she felt a surge of love for them. Emme was curled up on James’s couch, when he walked into the room. “Do you have snacks?” Emme couldn’t remember the last time that she had eaten something. “If you don’t have anything we should send Gideon a message to bring snacks. Nicky filled the cupboards at the estate,” she explained, a look of guilt crossing her face as she thought about Nicky and Emme’s betrayal. “On second thought....” she trailed off. “Maybe we shouldn’t steal from it.”

[elliotofvanity]

Lionhearted Reunion

LOCATION: Prewett Estate DATE: July 1st, 1984 @perniciouspotter​

Elliot’s head was still reeling from the revelation that his older sister was a member of the Order of the Phoenix—that they were both members of the Order, together. Together! His head might have been reeling from some of the drinks he’d consumed last night, too, but he had decided to ignore that possibility in favor of focusing instead on the wonderful shock that was Emma, here.

He had made his excuses to his mother and returned to the old Prewett House as early as possible the next day (which considering the lateness of the previous night, wasn’t what one might call particularly early, but it wasn’t quite afternoon which meant that for being the day after a party, it was quite early indeed). He felt, despite the tired ache in his head, energized. Awake. Ready to do something, learn something, anything.

Only there didn’t appear to be much of anything going on here (at least not anything that he was invited to participate in) and Elliot was too new to the Order to know where else to look, so instead he was puttering around the old house, peering at the cracking wallpaper and the faded curtains and wishing he didn’t feel quite so extraneous. He knew that would change—knew he just needed to be patient—but it was hard to keep that in mind when he was twitching to do something, to prove himself, to help.

When a sudden slamming of a door echoed through the hollow hallways, Elliot was tense enough to not just jump but yelp—quietly, at least, but it was unmistakably a yelp. He followed that with a nervous chuckle at his own skittishness as he dated out into the hall to see what was happening, if there was anything to do...and then he turned around and saw James Potter walking down the hall towards him.

Elliot drew in a breath of—well, not surprise. It hadn’t been a surprise to learn that Potter was in the Order. Honestly it would have been more surprising if he had joined the Order and not found the lot of them here before him. But still, it was a little strange to see Potter again after six years of seeing the bloke nearly every day in Gryffindor Tower, and then six years of basically seeing him no where. It was surreal, especially because Potter had always been such a big presence in Hogwarts that even though they hadn’t been mates or anything, it had still felt like there was a hole there when he graduated—and now here they were in the Order together, as though no time at all had passed...except that it had. There was something about James that looked indefinably older in a way that Elliot had never noticed in his own mirror.

It made him feel even more out-of-place and awkward and he tried to compensate with a too-big smile and a painfully awkward wave and a bracingly cheery, “Hullo, Potter. Long time no see, yeah? How, uh...how’s it been?”

[madeyed-andmoody]

little talks

WHERE. Prewett Estate

WHEN.  june 25, mid-morning

WHOM. @perniciouspotter​

Alastor was tired. His side hurt from where he’d been lightly singed, his leg ached nearly to the bone from twisting his knee, and really he felt like his head was about to fall off earlier from a glancing piece of something levitated into it, followed by a stinging hex, but he was here. He clutched a mug of tea in his hand and inhaled the scent, hoping that it would relinquish some of the hold that tiredness had on him. He’d been up far too early, but his body had just done what it always did, not too exhausted yet to make him crash, but he suspected it would once he was through with this conversation. 

That or, more likely, when Gideon forced him back to the flat. 

Hearing rather than seeing James come into the room he’d sequestered, and proofed with a silencing charm, for this meeting, Alastor opened his eyes after a moment and studied the younger wizard, a sight check as much as it was a refamiliarization. Sometimes, after a mission, he needed to do that. Refamiliarize himself. 

“Dragon’s new. When did that happen?” 

[gwenlockedout]

Location: Prewett House kitchen Date: Midafternoon, June 17, 1984 Starter: @perniciouspotter​

Gwen was not here to play house elf. She was not responsible for anyone’s messes but her own and generally always took care of her own. But as she entered the kitchen and found a pile of gross, clearly not scraped off plates and bowls that looked congealed enough to be from someone’s dinner last night, Gwen knew she needed to step in. Unconcerned wix who just assumed that house elves or other less important people would clean up after themselves should have to do this all by hand like she did. Unfortunately none of them were here.

About five minutes later when Gwen had filled the sink and already plunged her arms in, she heard the door open behind her. Without looking, she snapped, “If you’re going to offer to help, you get to do it my way. I’m already too far in to be worth emptying the sink now. Besides, it’s good for them. I really don’t think a Scouring Charm cleans as well as a good scrubbing.”

She glanced up, freezing slightly as she realized she just offered that challenge to James Potter of all people. Then again, it was good for him. She stepped back from the sink, grabbing a cloth to dry off her hands. “I’ll dry if you wash?”

[bonafideedgar]

Location: Prewett House Date: June 15, 1984 Starter: @perniciouspotter​

“I’ve got you,” Edgar said as he hurried up behind James to add another set of hands to propping up the rather heavy looking vase James had been been pulling down off a bookshelf. It was heavy. Edgar shifted around, trying not to crowd James too much. “Easy does it. Here we go.”

They managed to slowly lower it down until it was easier to hold. “Where are we putting it?” Edgar glanced inside, trying to figure out if James had hidden something he was trying to retrieve. “Figured you’d help with redecorating or...” He trailed off, not even sure what he was asking. He’d stopped by to see if he could be of use, but this wasn’t what he’d expected. He figured he might stumble into some planning or even like a potion at work. Whatever James was doing--or at least hoping to do--was completely beyond him.

[madeyed-andmoody]

a cold and broken hallelujah

WHERE. diagon alley

WHEN. february 28, 1984

WHO. @perniciouspotter

Their missing four were home. They were home, and they were safe, but it still didn't bring Alastor any comfort, for they should have never been taken in the first place. It shouldn't have taken them that long to be found, either.

Two weeks ago, once they were in St. Mungo's and their injuries checked, rest and food received, Alastor Moody had visited each of the four. James had been, not predictably, his last. He spent the rest of the night in those rooms, between his and Gideon, the girls just the next over, a silent vigil. He'd missed the commotion, but not the fallout, but there had been nothing for it but to not acknowledge it.

Two weeks later, he waited for James in Diagon Alley, a space chosen for an outing that was both as familiar as it was populated. Not overly so, but enough that they wouldn't be alone. Alastor didn't know how James would do with alone, these days, certainly not after all he had experienced. He already knew Gideon was not handling it well. It was only a guess that the girls had done the same.

"Where to," he asked, when James joined him, a small, easy grin on Moody's face. "Figured a walk about might be nice." He needed to talk to him, check in with him, but he just wanted to let him exist for a little while, too.

[ofemmevance]

Location: Vance townhouse Date: March 14th, 1984 @perniciouspotter​

It had been twenty-nine days since they had escaped from the dungeon. She spent a week in St. Mungo’s before they had released her back to her parents, and she had been with them ever since. Emme had dreamed of being free every single night when she was in the dungeon, but now that she was home, everything felt so overwhelming. Her parents concern and constant requests for her to talk, the everyday choices of what to eat or wear, and the space. Every room in the house seemed bigger than it had before she had been taken, and every little noise set her on edge. She stared at windows and doors, waiting for them to come in and take her back there. She hadn’t really slept since she had come home, just in small bursts here and there. 

And the worst part was that her parents hadn’t let her see James or Gideon or Marlene. It felt wrong not having them with her. Especially James. She had somehow slept better in the cells than she was in her own bed. She missed them with all of her being, but she didn’t quite know how to tell her parents that. They wanted her to talk about what had happened to her but she couldn’t. Every time they asked she shut down even more. There were days that she didn’t speak. 

The only bright spot in it all was getting the short letters from James. They were the only time that she even slightly felt a little bit like herself. 

Emme was sitting on her bed, a book open on her lap that she wasn’t really reading when there was a knock on the door. 

“Emmeline? Darling?” Margaret Vance said hesitantly before opening the door. Emme glanced up and froze when Margaret moved aside to reveal James standing there behind her.

Emme’s eyes widened and she tossed the book aside before she flung herself at him, careful to not hurt his right arm and wrapped her arms tightly around him, tears flowing down her cheeks. “James,” she whispered, holding onto him. “You’re here.”