Chapter 97: 2ｰ3
Students freed from their classes came rushing out. Leaning against the wall, I waited for Lily to appear. And then—
"Give it a rest! You promised you wouldn't ask about that!?"
"Hang on, Evans. Can you blame me for being curious? You were the one begging me for it."
"Don't say it like that, it's disgusting! I only asked to borrow it!"
"Where did that cloak I lent you go, then? You don't have it on you."
Lily appeared, storming over and trying to shake off the messy-haired boy trailing after her. —It was Dad. Just like I'd seen in Professor Snape's memories—a slender boy with deliberately styled, untidy hair, round glasses, and upturned hazel eyes. Beside him was a young Sirius. (Blimey, he's unbelievably handsome!) Following Sirius like a shadow was a small boy—Peter Pettigrew. And standing slightly back, as if watching over them all, was Remus Lupin.
...Perhaps it was because, unlike with Mum, I was mentally prepared. Seeing my dad in the flesh, instead of being deeply moved, I buried my face in my hands. What a lost cause. —Your grandson looks exactly like you, Dad. I feel just as embarrassed and miserable as when I was summoned to Hogwarts because of James Sirius. Dad seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the fact that Mum was genuinely annoyed, and Sirius looked like he was having a grand old time watching Dad enjoy himself. My godfather is hopeless. Professor Lupin had completely given up, and it was doubtful if Pettigrew even understood what was going on. Talk about unreliable.
Lily's eyes wandered, looking around for something—undoubtedly us. Dragging a reluctant Draco along, I managed to get close to her. I gave her shoulder a light tap. With just that, Lily turned toward our invisible forms and smiled.
"Is that all you wanted? If you'll excuse me, I'm leaving."
"Ah, wait, my fair lady. My white lily."
"I told you to stop using that ridiculous nickname!"
"Look at that, your princess is angry."
"Though she's the Princess of Gryffindor now, not just James's princess."
"That is entirely your fault!"
I nodded vigorously in complete agreement with Lily's fury. Because of you, Dad, that ridiculous nickname got passed down even to my daughter! Taking full advantage of being invisible, I glared at James with all my might. I also made sure to pinch the back of the prince next to me, who was snickering quietly.
"Anyway! Leave me alone! Especially not today!"
As Lily turned to run, James grabbed her arm. Feeling a sense of shared blood in how his actions mirrored mine when I first met her, I looked at his expression and slumped my shoulders again. It was entirely the face of a brat who wanted to tease the girl he liked. Just like when my eldest son tries to make my second son cry. Even Scorpius, who absolutely adores Rosie, was never that pushy.
Sighing deeply inside, I cast Depulso using a combination of non-verbal and wandless magic. With a sharp crack, James was sent flying back rather foolishly. Caught and firmly held up by Sirius next to him, James looked utterly bewildered. ...Even though that expression actually suited someone his age.
"...Evans? What did you just do?"
"I-it wasn't me. I didn't do anything..."
Lily suddenly widened her eyes and bit her lip. "Excuse me," she said stiffly, walking away from James and the others. We followed Lily, and though part of me felt pulled back toward my young father, my godfather, and my former teacher, we eventually reached a secluded corridor.
"...Lily?"
"—Which one of you was that just now?"
Lily's voice was still rigid. Was I about to get scolded? I shrank back. Even though it wasn't powerful enough to cause injury, I had cast a spell at a person. —My kind mother would surely never tolerate such a thing.
"I'm sorry. Um—it was me—Harry."
"Harry!"
My shoulders jerked up at her raised voice.
"That was brilliant!"
Ah, I'm so sor— wait, what?
"I didn't see a wand! And I didn't hear an incantation either! That was a non-verbal spell, wasn't it? On top of that, don't tell me it was wandless too—? Oh my goodness!"
Caught off guard by Lily's clearly thrilled tone, I poked my head out from under the cloak, and she immediately patted my head as if she had been waiting to do so all along.
"L-Lily...?"
"He's an arrogant git, but his talent is real. I'm glad it was passed down properly to you, Harry."
"...You're not angry?"
"Goodness, why would I be angry? You helped me, didn't you, Harry? —Oh, were you worried about them? Not a chance! They got exactly what they deserved."
As Lily huffed and tossed her head, my idealized image of her cracked just a tiny bit—yet, she seemed so childlike and human that I couldn't help but crack a wide smile. I felt like I loved my dear mother even more now.
"Come on, let's head to our next class. I don't think we'll run into anyone this way. I want to talk to you both so much more. What kind of things do you study at Hogwarts in the future? Don't tell me you learn non-verbal spells in your fourth year?"
Looking at Lily, whose green eyes were sparkling with academic curiosity, Draco and I exchanged a smirk.
"Well, you see, at our Hogwarts—"
Until all the classes were over and we parted ways at dinner, our time with Lily passed peacefully.
The boy narrowed his hazel eyes behind his glasses, coldly watching the red-haired girl's retreating back. She was a beautiful girl. A happy girl who had grown up deeply loved—spirited, with a strong sense of justice, rumored to be the prettiest girl in their year—
So completely fitting for someone like me.
"Sirius."
He glanced at his best friend, who, despite being the heir to the noble House of Black, followed him around like a dog. The fact that Sirius was taller was one of the few things that annoyed James, but the more splendid Sirius appeared, the more the sense of security and superiority James felt standing beside him fed his pride. It was because, in his own way, James was proud of his friends.
"What did you make of that just now?"
He cast a mischievous, sidelong glance toward Peter Pettigrew, who was lined up slightly behind Sirius's left, and Remus Lupin, who had taken his place to James's right.
"Someone was there."
"Right? And I'm guessing that's what the Invisibility Cloak was for."
Four pairs of eyes stared into space, as if trying to see through the lingering traces of where the girl had vanished.
"Someone hiding by using my Invisibility Cloak—don't you think exposing them would make for the absolute best show? —What do you say, fellow Marauders?"
Taking a step forward with an exaggerated gesture, James spun around, his robes twirling as he gave a theatrical bow. He looked just like the ringmaster of some circus.
Sirius Black laughed in agreement. Peter Pettigrew laughed sycophantically. Remus Lupin laughed with resignation.
James Potter took it all in—and laughed like a king.
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