HARRY POTTER WLoF REWRITE PART 1 CHAP 29

Lily shifted in her sleep, realizing how stiff she felt, before waking up, blinking as she awoke. She was in a hospital room and currently staring at the pure white ceiling. Three, she could sense someone else was there with her.

She turned her head and saw James' head of hair in her line of view, resting against the side of her bed, just within reach of her hand.

"James…" she whispered softly. She raised a pale hand to play with the disarray of hair on his head and he jerked up. She was shocked to see his eyes were red and puffy from crying and he looked like he hadn't slept in weeks.

"Lily…" he breathed when he saw her. She smiled softly. James stood up and he bent over her, framing her face gently in his large hands. "Merlin, Lily, I love you. I thought I'd lost you." He said with an undertone of self-reprimand. She offered a weak smile.

"The others?"

"They're all fine. Just some minor wounds." James stated, before kissing her, moving away after a few minutes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I wasn't there."

Lily let her hands slide up to cover his as they framed her face and she smiled at James.

"It's not your fault, James. It was those Deatheater's fault." She soothed. James shook his head.

"No. I kept telling you that there was nothing to worry about. If I had been more observant-" he stopped when Lily put a finger against his lips.

"I love you, James." She said. James' eyes widened. "I love you. Those bastards attacked us without warning. Even if you had been observant, the outcome probably wouldn't have changed. But nothing changes my feelings for you." She said. James's eyes closed and he lowered his forehead to hers.

"Marry me." He said. "Marry me, Lily. Please. Make me the happiest and luckiest man in the world." James proposed. Lily's eyes widened then. They grew teary as she listened to James. "I want to live my life with you. I want to see you pregnant with my children. I want to grow old with you. I want to die with you. Without Lily, there is no James. Will you marry me?" he asked.

A few tears escaped Lily's eyes and trailed down her cheeks to where James's hands framed her face. She nodded through a sob.

"Yes!" she cried. "Yes, of course, I'll marry you, James." She sighed as James grinned and brought his lips down to hers. They reveled in the feel of each other's lips. Lily smiled as they parted.

"Moria and Alice are not going to let me go on this." She said and James let out a chuckle.

---

"How are you feeling?" Moria asked Lily the next day when they visited her at Mungo's. Lily smiled at her friends' distress.

"I'm fine, just a bit sore." Lily said with a pout. "I tried to convince Chelsea to let me go, but they want to hold me in here for a little while longer."

"Well they've never heard of that spell that hit you. They're just checking to make sure there aren't any side-effects."

"Look at you Ms. Healer." Lily grumbled and Moria grinned.

"You know me. So…why were you unusually chipper this morning?" Moria asked glancing at Alice who looked just as curious.

"Can't I be in a good mood?" Lily asked keeping her left hand hidden.

"Well yeah, but considering that you threatened Moria and me with bodily harm back at Hogwarts if we so much as said 'good morning' to you before breakfast, you looking like you would be skipping through a field of daisies at about ten in the morning seems a bit off." Alice stated earning a glare from her friend. "Just saying." She added as Moria snorted.

"Well I'll have you know I'm "unusually" happy because pretty soon if I get sent to the hospital again, my hospital record will be under the name Mrs. Potter." Lily said finally showing off her left hand. Seconds later a high-pitched squeal erupted from the room. Moria covered her ears and glared at Alice.

"Bloody hell, Alice! I think you just made the dogs in a mile radius around the hospital go deaf." She complained. Alice however was jumping up and down in her seat looking at Lily gleefully.

"Oh that's great, Lily! That's bloody brilliant!" she cheered as Lily smiled, a slight blush on her face. Moria smirked, looking at her friend.

"I can't wait to tell Madge. She'll blow up the phone with the shriek she'll let out." Moria joked with a grin. Lily smiled. A little while later, the boys arrived and Moria smirked at James.

"Way to go, Romeo." Moria joked and James's face turned red, while Sirius grinned and Frank chuckled. Sirius was about to mercilessly tease James when a knock came to the door. The group turned to see an older man standing there. He was wearing Auror robes, and had a rather bored expression on his face. Moria took in his details. Despite the bored look he seemed alert, his brown eyes scanning the room. Moria also noted that he had blonde hair…the same color as her mother's hair.

"Wulfric? Fancy seeing you here." Frank said, apparently recognizing the man. Wulfric sighed.

"Well, the Ministry wants to know why four witches, three who just got out of Hogwarts were attacked in Diagon Alley." Wufric stated. "Oh…Wulfric Ellesmere." He said when he saw a good majority of them looking at him in confusion. "Auror."

"Oh…Oh! I recognize you now. You would every now and then talk to Urquart about missions." Lily stated. At first Wulfric looked startled by her knowing that, but quickly figured it out.

"Ah…some of you must be auror's in training." Wulfric stated

"All of them except for me are auror's in training." Moria stated. He looked at her and for a moment Moria saw shock and confusion before he quickly returned to a placid front.

"Pleased to meet you Ms…" Wulfric began to say but trailed off glancing at his notes.

"Prescott. Moria Prescott." Moria stated. Alice glanced at the older Auror, her mind drifting back into the events of the day before. Suddenly she frowned.

"Moria, do you know why that Deatheater said what he said to you?" Alice suddenly asked and Moria frowned.

"No clue." She said and the boys looked at her in confusion, and smiled sheepishly. In all the ruckus of Lily being injured, she had forgotten about the whole situation seconds before the attack had happened.

"What did he say?" Sirius asked.

"He called me a half-breed." Moria responded, her brow knit in confusion. "Which doesn't make any sense, considering I would think I would know if my dad's family had any magical folk, and they would have known if he was a wizard." Moria stated, not noticing Wulfric flinch.

"Maybe your Mum's side?"

"She never talked to them…and they never came to visit." Moria stated and then they heard footsteps.

"Oh look who it is. Hello older brother." Another voice called out and at that Wulfric looked about ready to jump out the window. He turned and Moria spotted a younger man, one with the same chocolate brown eyes as Wulfric, but this one having wavy brown hair, smirking at Wulfric.

"Cepheus." Wulfric grumbled. "What are you doing here?"

"Meh. One of my coworkers got hexed with a puking jinx and I had to drag him over here." Cepheus stated. "What brings you to Mungo's?"

"A case." Wulfric said, not trying to get his younger brother involved. Cepheus glanced at the other confused occupants before finally landing on Moria. Like Wulfric, Moria saw Cepheus's eyes widen in shock but unlike Wulfric, the look didn't vanish. Wulfric noticed and grunted.

"Please excuse my brother." He stated and shoved Cepheus slightly. "I think I'll have to have a word with him. If I have any more questions, I'll be sure to contact you." He said quickly and literally dragged Cepheus away. The group of young adults all looked at each other in confusion.

What the bloody hell just happened?

---

Wulfric walked away quickly dragging Cepheus behind him. He had a look of anger on his face as he pulled his younger brother around a corner.

"Bloody hell Cepheus! What the hell are you doing?" He hissed out. Cepheus ignored him.

"That girl. The brunette. She-!"

"Drop it Ceph." Wulfric hissed out and Cepheus grew angry, his eyes narrowing.

"You expect me to forget my older sister? The one who got me interested in Curse Breaking in the first place? Bloody hell, that girl had Mable's face!"

"Moria Prescott just has a similar face! There is NO connection!" Wulfric growled out.

"How do you know?! She was old enough to have kids!" Cepheus stated.

"I said enough, Cepheus! Just drop it!" Wulfric yelled, his face red in anger. Cepheus was silent but glared at his older brother.

"You, Mum, Dad, and Mathilde may just pretend that she didn't exist, Wulf. But she did." Cepheus growled out before shoving his older brother away and storming off. Wulfric watched him till he disappeared and sighed, running his hand over his face trying to calm his temper. He then left the hospital, considering stopping at a local pub, anywhere actually, and getting a large drink.

---

"So Dumbledore wants to see us?" Moria asked a few days later as she shifted through some clothes trying to find something to wear. She sighed and gave up, slipping off her night t-shirt and pulling on the shirt she had purchased the day of the attack. Feeling a bit exposed she pulled out a brown leather jacket, the ends reaching the curve of her sides, the sleeves reaching her elbows. She then pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She then hiked up her jeans to where they fit comfortably and went looking for her knee high boots.

"Yeah. Apparently it has something to do with the war." Sirius said as he ate a piece of the toast Moria had made and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Ever think about tying it back?" Moria asked as she exited the bedroom. He smirked.

"Yeah…I have. What do you think?" he asked pulling his hair back with one hand, a humorous look on his face.

"It looks like your trying to go for the muggle concept of a bad boy look. Couple that with your attire and in my biased opinion, you'd look incredibly sexy." She teased earning a heated look at her. She chuckled. "You'll have to control yourself Mr. Black, we actually do have to leave early." She said and he gave her a pout. "Later, Sirius." She said and he conceded but still kissed the curve of her neck, causing her to close her eyes. How much she wished that this could be like every day, feeling as though nothing in this world was wrong.

But that wasn't the case.

Almost a year had gone by, and it was finally 1978. And the war had not quieted. No, it had only grown worse. She wanted to do something…ANYTHING…to help.

Moria smiled at Sirius who gave his characteristic grin to her and with that they got up and left.

The meeting turned out to be something that none of the people who had come to meeting had been expecting. They suspected that the meeting was going to be tense. They knew that. Dumbledore talked about the war…how little progress the war was going on... it was then then headmaster had proposed the creation of an organization – the Order of the Phoenix – whose purpose would solely be fighting Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Several questions had come up: Why wouldn't the ministry act itself? How were they supposed to be organized? What made him think they could win? In the end, Dumbledore answered every single one of those questions, explained the risks—the very extensive risks—and informed them that those who wanted to join the order were supposed to come back to another meeting in the next day.

Moria had decided already – she wanted to be part of it. And just glancing at Alice and Lily she saw the same determination. By her side, Sirius looked apprehensive, reaching and grabbing her hand slightly, giving it a squeeze.

"Let's go home," she murmured to Sirius, who nodded in response.

The worried look on Sirius's face came back in the moment they landed on their doorstep. He opened the apartment's door and the two of them walked in silently.

It was only when they arrived to their bedroom that Moria dared to ask anything. "What's wrong?"

He bit his lower lip. "I…I don't…"

"Sirius, you don't what?"

"I…I don't want you joining the Order." He said quickly and she paused, slowly turning to look at him.

"Come again?"

"Moria…I don't want you to enter this war head on. You could-!"

"Are you insane Sirius? No way am I not helping." Moria hissed out, turning around fully now, her face clearly telling him to back off. He didn't.

"I don't want you exposed to that type of danger!" he spat out.

"Why?! I can already tell that Alice and Lily are joining the Order as well, Sirius! What makes them any more qualified than me joining?!"

"That's different! They're Auror's in training! You're a-!"

"A healer? THAT'S your best reason!? Bloody hell Sirius! You're bringing up my profession as a reason?! I vaguely remember seeing several people whose professions ranged from healers to a magizoologist! Profession has NOTHING to do with whether or not I join the Order!"

"It will be dangerous for you, Moria! Don't you understand that?!"

"It will be dangerous for all of us, Sirius. Not just me! And I UNDERSTAND that! Do you?!" she yelled and Sirius looked at her and then turned and stormed out of the apartment. She heard the door slam shut.

---

"So you just left?" James asked, incredulous as Lily stared at Sirius.

"I got pissed okay?" Sirius grumbled.

"Well she was right. Telling her not to fight? Really Sirius? No wonder she got angry!" Lily said and Sirius looked at her.

Sirius sighed. "I just-!" he started to say.

Lily rolled her eyes, cutting him off. "You're such an arse! She was pretty good at DADA, she did well enough that if she had wanted to; she could have been an auror. Not to mention, she's a trainee healer, which is always someone good to have around in case someone gets hurt…"

"What if she's the one who gets hurt?" Sirius asked. That was the whole point of his worry. He had seen her hurt too many times and he couldn't handle if she got hurt worse than when she had gotten hurt in Hogwarts.

"Padfoot," James started, "considering we are at a war, she may very well get hurt with or without joining the Order. Being a muggleborn witch adds to that chance. At least with the Order she wouldn't be in as much danger, and if she needed help she could get it."

"I know that, but…" Sirius breathed, but then trailed off.

"You do realize that by telling her she shouldn't join, you're saying she's not good enough to defend herself, right?" Lily asked. She continued before he was able to protest. "I know you didn't mean it, but that's what you're letting out, Sirius."

"Look, all I want is for her to be safe," Sirius explained. "Moria is my constant; she's the one that made me who I am now. I just… I hate to think she might… I know Moria can do unbelievable things with her wand in a duel but so did a lot of people who have ended up dead. And I can't lose her."

"Then go tell her that," Lily told him. "Merlin, Sirius, you dated Moria long enough to know she's just as stubborn as you are. Tell her what you just told us; let her know you're worried. But you can't keep her from fighting, if that is what she wants to do. Look, I am joining the order too…so is Alice. James doesn't agree, but he's willing to let me join."

"Look Padfoot," James stepped in. "Nobody likes to think their loved ones are in danger but sometimes we just have to let them go ahead and trust them. I know that I'm going to be there to protect her. Now, you get up, go home and talk to Moria."

Sirius sighed and Lily rolled her eyes.

"James and I need to sleep, go back and make up with her already you stubborn arse."

"Yeah, get the hell out of our sight, Padfoot," James told him with a grin on his face and with that Sirius left.

---

"I hope she's not still pissed at me. Or…at least not too pissed at me." He hoped as he unlocked the door to the apartment. The place was quiet and for a split second he feared that she had gotten up and left. Silently, he went into the bedroom and saw Moria lying on her side of the bed. He could tell in the dimness that she was barely moving, which meant she was awake as whenever she was asleep and by herself she was the most restless sleeper (according to Lily and Alice). He silently walked over to her side and sat on the edge.

"Moria?"

"What?" she said and he could hear annoyance in her voice, but it was tempered by hurt. He swallowed…oh boy he was going have to think of a big way to make up.

"Are you awake?" he asked in a whisper.

Moria didn't turn to him. "No," she replied in a very low voice and despite the situation he rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he apologized. Might as well say it at first and right then, so if need be he could say his reasons, and pray he would get to sleep on the bed and not the couch.

She didn't respond for a moment. "I am not defenseless. I know the amount of times that I got hurt in Hogwarts doesn't voice that to a lot of people…but I can hold my own."

"I know," he said. "And that was not what I meant, Mori. Lily had already lectured me for what I said and did. I'm sorry I made you feel like you were weak…you aren't."

She sighed and shifted back on the bed, now turning to face him and sat up. "You're an arse, Sirius."

"Lily has already covered that one too," he told her, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I shouldn't have told you shouldn't join the Order…and then used the excuse about your job. It was a low blow. But I was… I mean…" He looked at her anxiously and then down at his hands "I'm scared. I know you can defend yourself, and I know if danger did happen that I would always try to protect you. But…I love you more than I love myself and if anything happened to you, if you died…" He couldn't finish the sentence.

Moria looked him in the eyes and finally understood. He was terrified for her. "What would happen if I died?"

He shook his head. "I don't even want to think of it," he told her. "But I know for a fact that a part of me would die too. I can't bear thinking of living in a world without you there."

She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting back the tears that were threatening to come out. "Don't you think I feel the same?" she asked. "I know for a fact that Auror's are attacked regularly now, Sirius. I'm training at Mungo's." She reminded him. "I'm petrified that one of these days that I'll find you in one of those hospital beds fighting for your life…" she said. "Or even more afraid that you might not come back to me." She added. He was silent and cupped his hand around her cheek. As she normally did, she leaned into his touch and pressed her hand to his.

"I don't want to live in this world of fear for the rest of my life. I want to be one of the ones that helped stop this…so if I ever had a child, that child would grow up in a safe…happy world." Moria said. "They may be selfish reason Sirius…but they're my reasons that I want to fight. Whether you want me to or not, I'm joining the Order. But I promise I'll be careful." She said. He closed his eyes and then kissed her. She returned the kiss.

"Does that mean I'm forgiven for being an arse?" he murmured and she smiled.

"You're always an arse…but your my arse." She said and he chuckled and then glanced down, then back at up with an eyebrow raised.

"Is that one of my shirts?" he asked and she blushed.

"…Maybe…" she murmured and he let out a laugh that was a mixture of a bark and a chuckle and she smiled.

---

Cepheus stared at an old photo-album longingly, smiling at the moving photos of him, his baby sister Mathilde, Wulfric, and his oldest sister…Mable. He only looked up when he felt a small feminine hand on his shoulder. He smiled when he saw his wife, Laurentia standing there.

"Remembering the past?" She asked as she looked at the album.

"Thinking…I met a girl today…and she reminds me of Mable." He said and Laurentia looked at him.

"You think that she's…"

"Her mannerisms, her face structure, the way she carried herself around her friends is nearly identical to Mable. Not to mention how Wulfric reacted to when I made that suggestion. He sees it too." Cepheus said his face becoming darker. "He's just too much of a coward to admit it." He finished. Laurentia sighed and then flicked out her wand with a happy smile, apparently being one of the record keepers came in handy for this situation, as she conjured up some files…both muggle and witch.

"Alright…what's her name?" she asked.

"Prescott…Moria Prescott."

---

It was July…1978. At least that is what she had gotten when she had snatched the wand, listening to her captors. It had been so long, and so much had happened. A young woman panted, her lungs feeling as though they were about to burst. She was weak, really weak right now. She needed to get away…no way were they going to let her live. She had only managed to escape by playing dead. But now they were going to be after her. And him. She clutched the bundle that lay in her arms tighter, her heart racing. They weren't taking this from her. They weren't.

"Stop!"

She did the exact opposite, sprinting harder, barely managing to dodge the hexes and curses being thrown at her. She skidded to a stop as she came to a deep trench. She looked up and behind her shoulder and could see the Deatheaters running towards her, their wands pointed at her. She bit her lip and then stepped back, allowing gravity to take over. She pitched backwards, gravity pulling her down and she disappeared into the darkness.

"Where did that bitch go?!"

"Damn! The boss isn't going to be happy about this." One Deatheater snarled out.

"Keep looking for her. She couldn't have gone far."

"But there's a river down there! You can't honestly expect-"

"Do you want to be the one to tell him that one of his play toys escaped?" Another asked. The questioning Deatheater paled and then looked down the hill. Feet below the river flowed steadily, the current dragging anything that had fallen into it. Several feet away, the form burst out of the river, gasping for air, before dragging herself to the bank, still clutching the bundle. It squirmed and then began to fuss. She looked down, shushing the infant that was in the blankets. She glanced into the dark waters, staring at her reflection. She pulled the blanket that was being used as a makeshift robe around her tighter. Her clothes were torn and baggy, her frame skinny and her complexion pale. Her throat burned, both from the pain of doing exercise after nearly a year and the fact of her scar. She became dizzy, stumbling as she stood. Running a few days after of giving birth? Bad idea. But she had little choice.

Bryn clutched the infant in her arms, trying to shush him. "It's alright Geoffrey. Mummy is going to make sure you and I are safe." She whispered softly, running her finger across her son's cheek. The chubby infant's hand lifted from the soaked blanket, his crying quieting.

She needed to use this head start.

She ignored her agonized heart as the memories of her parents and brother being killed entered her mind again. She would deal with the survivor's guilt later. But she needed to get away. Her son's life and her life depended on it. Bryn looked away before running off into the darkness.

She needed to get away.

Get away.