Chapter 9: Safety and Sacrifice
Harry shifted uncomfortably as Skylar beamed and giggled a small amount when Lily poked his exposed cheek.
"Why was Dumbledore here?" Harry interrupted, bringing the two back on topic.
Lily's expression faltered, shifting to something unsure. She wrung her hands and looked at the table with a very hesitant expression, "Well, we have to talk to you about that."
Harry felt his jaw waver and tried his best to hold it still.
"Hey!" James poked his head in, blinking a few times. His glasses were slightly askew, he seemed startled to see Harry in the room.
(Given, Harry normally didn't attend breakfast.)
"James! Good!" Lily sighed in relief, queuing for the man to come into the kitchen. At once, James seemed alarmed and tried to skitter out of the kitchen. "James."
He groaned in protest yet slid into the kitchen and plopped on the chair at the head of the table.
Lily walked over, somehow having a mug in her hands as she twirled one strand of hair behind her ear nervously.
"So," James started, awkwardly rapping his fingers on the table, "Well, uh. You see-"
Lily scoffed and rolled her eyes, "Honestly James, alright." She started, looking very seriously at the two children, "Do you remember that there are unfriendly people who are very upset with us?"
Skylar nodded eagerly, looking curiously at the parents.
"Well, we've learned that those people are trying harder to find us." James clarified, looking worriedly between both children, "So we have to leave."
"Leave?" Skylar gasped, mouth opening in surprise. There was a chunk of food between his teeth, "And go where?"
"That's the thing," Lily sighed, sliding downwards into the chair next to James and Skylar, "Albus- Dumbledore," She clarified, "Says that he'll be able to find us a safe place, but he wants to begin your training as soon as possible."
"To defeat the death-munchers!" Skylar chirped, looking at James who seemed sheepish at the name.
Lily raised one eyebrow at James but nodded to Skylar, "Yes. They don't like you- They don't like Skylar, Harry dear." She directed this time at Harry, "And they'll hurt some of us to get to Skylar."
Skylar looked worried this time, "What- no!" He cried, "No! Mum that's not-"
"It's okay, your father and I know how to protect ourselves." Lily smiled, holding out her wand for Skylar to see.
"Your mother is right, we'll be fine." James wiggled his eyebrows in a reassuring way which seemed to dispel some of the nervous tension in the room.
It clicked in Harry's head.
"I can't defend myself." Harry mentioned quietly, drawing all eyes on him, "I'm a risk?"
Lily reached over to take one of Harry's hands, "We've thought of all the possibilities, and we thought that you could maybe spend time with Remus or maybe Sirius." She offered.
"Or you could come with us," James mentioned, he looked a little restrained with the idea, "It would… it's feasible."
Harry looked down at his hands.
"We think that Remus and Sirius may be targeted as well," Lily mentioned quietly, "We aren't quite sure what extend we all are going into hiding."
Harry pulled his hand back from under his mother's, and fiddled with a fork. "Where else?" He asked, looking up into Lily and James' guilt filled eyes, "Have you thought of another place?"
Lily looked at James and paused for a moment, "My sister, Petunia." Lily started, "She's a muggle. She has a nice muggle family," Lily smiled slightly and brushed back her hair, "Nobody would ever look in a muggle family, especially from a wizarding family."
"Of course it's your choice." James interjected. "You can come with us, or Padfoot or Moony, or with Lily's family."
"But everyone is going into hiding?" Harry asked quietly. 'Everyone can protect themselves. Except me.'
"Everyone is. It's not safe anymore." Lily agree'd.
"We'll have to be leaving pretty soon," James explained, "A friend of ours is going to watch the house for a bit so nobody thinks we've left."
Harry nodded and chewed his lip.
'I could come. But I'll just get in the way. Skylar needs to be safe and I'm going to make it worse.' Harry thought.
There was a part inside of him, that was screaming to say that he wanted to go with. That he wanted to stay.
"It's safer if I go?" Harry asked, voice rising at the end.
"Much safer," James agreed, "Nobody would look for a wizard in a house of muggles. It'll be safer for you and It'll be safer for-"
Lily swiftly shoved her elbow into her husband's side, causing him to jolt but silence himself immediately.
'It would be safer for Skylar.'
Harry bowed his head, and wrung his hands quietly.
"You don't have to make a decision, we just thought we should bring it up and-"
"I'll go." Harry accepted quietly, "If it's better for Skylar, I'll go."
Harry noticed how James and Lily both had an expression of utter relief on their faces.
"Thanks Harry," Lily smiled, rising from her chair and giving Skylar one last pat on his shoulder.
"I don't mind." He murmured quietly. Because in the end, Skylar was the boy to be protected and Harry was the boy who never was.
Skylar had a conflicted and strange expression. He looked down at the miniature Griffin and poked it half heartedly.
"Alright," James firmed, rising and scratching his chair legs along the flooring, "Best to get ready then."
"We're leaving today?" Skylar guffawed, "But, but what about all our things!"
"You can take them with you," Lily somberly smiled, "Those enchanted trunks we had picked out last summer- do you know where yours is?" Lily soothed.
Skylar nodded quickly but still looked rather put out by the recent information.
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