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Tweak says, "bbc1 you know what i mean???"

lily (evansagain) wrote in 99deatheaters,
@ 2011-07-21 23:53:00

who: lily, james, arthur, molly
what: lily and james have been offered the burrow as a meeting place
when: friday, july 22
where: the burrow
why: because lily has to tell james of her plans + they miss each other + james and arthur have business

From the fist day Lily and Harry had gone into "official" hiding, she had known nothing but stress, worry, and fear. The past week, however, had exaggerated all of those emotions tenfold. From meeting with Severus, plotting her own death, learning of the planned death of a friend, and turning Harry into someone he is not, Lily was exhausted in every possible sense of the word. It was fortunate indeed that Arthur and Molly Weasley were such kind souls. The risk they took to help her and Harry was not lost on Lily - she knew that they risked not only their lives but the lives of their precious children. It was precisely this fact that made Lily reluctant to use safe houses at all, but sometimes there were no ways around them. Lily needed to speak to James, and she and Harry were both in need of a good meal and a good night's rest.

The protective wards around the Burrow hadn't changed since the last time Lily visited, and she worked her wand through them methodically the way Arthur had showed her until she was able to pass through. It was quite early Friday - Lily wasn't even sure everyone would be awake, though she suspected Arthur would be getting ready to leave for work soon. Just before Lily could knock a hand against the door, said door swung open, revealing a sprightly boy with the trademark Weasley hair and freckles. Lily's face curved into a genuinely pleased smile. "Good morning to you, Charlie," she said, stepping around the boy and into the house. It was relatively quiet, but immediately Lily's spirits lifted - just from being in a place so lived in and loved. "Are your parents up?" she asked, to which Charlie nodded and pointed above his head. "Dad's gettin' ready for work. Mum's upstairs with the twins." Lily's eyes traveled to the ceiling and back down again to Charlie. "Thanks, mate. I'll wait. Of course, that is if you, sir, don't mind." Lily pulled her face into a serious expression, as if she were truly waiting on Charlie's permission to settle on the couch. Charlie, every bit of ten years old, shrugged his shoulders and took a bite out of his apple. "Suit yourself," he said, and with that, he was off.

For the first time in weeks, Lily visibly relaxed. Her shoulders relensed their tensions, and she sank into the sofa and let her head fall back against it. For the time being, she was among friends. For the time being, she would be with James. For the time being, she could pretend her entire world had not been shot all to Hell.

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lionhearted_
2011-07-22 04:15 am UTC (link)

James left his flat early in the morning, hesitating only long enough to shovel some food down his throat before he Apparated and appeared in front of the Burrow. The Weasleys' home looked friendlier than anything James had seen in a long time. He realised as he walked up that his hands were trembling slightly in anticipation.

Harry was probably so much bigger now. James probably wouldn't recognise him, even without the altered appearance that Lily had said he had. He wondered if he would recognise either of them, or if Lily had done such a convincing job that they would appear as two strangers to him.

It didn't matter. They were his family and they were still the same regardless of appearance.

He found the back door already open, once he got through the protective enchantments surrounding the house. He kept his wand out just in case, held tightly at his side as he made his way slowly into the house. It seemed there was no one about, but then it was still quite early in the morning, and the lot of them were likely asleep.

Then, suddenly, he spotted a blonde head over the couch. Tensing automatically, he made his way over, and as he got closer he realised it was Lily.

It was Lily, but she looked different, and it wasn't just because of her hair colour. She looked tired, and slightly emaciated, like it had been awhile since she had had a proper meal. It was the baby in her arms that James didn't know at all. If he looked closely, perhaps he could tell that the child was theirs, but other than the colour of his hair, James would have never guessed.

"Lily," he breathed out, and reached to pull her into his arms.

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evansagain
2011-07-22 04:25 am UTC (link)

When Lily heard footsteps that were distinctly adult - large, heavy ones, not the light, skittery ones like Charlie's had been - she assumed it was Arthur coming 'round, Charlie haven't told his dad that Lily had arrived. She opened her eyes, prepared to greet her host warmly, when she realized that it wasn't Arthur at all, but James. It was a funny stirring of emotion swimming around inside of her when she surveyed him. He was the same old James, and though Lily had known she missed him, she was reminded of just how much when she finally got a good look at him. Hearing her name snapped her back to reality, and Lily rose to close the distance between them. Harry was balanced on a hip, sandwiched between his parents, as Lily hugged James and buried her face somewhere in his neck. She pulled away only long enough to give him a proper kiss - one that was reluctant to pull away from. "My God, I've missed you," she said through a smile.

Apparently bored with his parents' sentimental shenaningans, Harry began to bounce impatiently against Lily. People could say what they want about babies and memories, but Lily knew Harry remembered James. It has been months, and Harry was quite young, but even two year olds can discern for themselves when they like a person. He was making grabby hands fo James, and Lily could hardly deny either of them. "I told you he hadn't forgotten you," she said, passing Harry over to James, running a hand along Harry's hair as she did so. Color flooded her cheeks and another broad, brilliant smile spread across Lily's face as she watched Harry and James together again. "I've missed you so much."

The house creaked, and Lily's attention went to the ceiling. "That'll be them, I'm sure," she stated. "Charlie's gone to tell them we're here."

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weasleya
2011-07-22 04:40 am UTC (link)

Arthur had been in the process of sleepily putting on a tie the wrong way when Charlie came into the room, practically at a run. "Dad, there's a blonde lady in the den with a baby," he stated matter-of-factly, as if he were saying it was raining outside or one of the chickens had got bonked by a garden gnome again. Arthur blinked onece or twice, squinching up his nose in thought - a blonde lady? He couldn't think of anyone offhand that fit the categories of both being blonde and being in his home at such an early hour. Especially with a baby.

The realization hit him like a thunderbolt - of course he knew a lady with a baby who was to be stopping by. It was the blonde bit that threw him off. "Thanks, Charlie," he said, turning around to face his son. "Have you combed your hair yet? Your mum's going to have a fit." Charlie gave a huge grin and ran out the door... probably not to comb his hair. Having completely forgotten about the tie, Arthur threw on a suit jacket and made his way down the stairs.

His face broke into a broad, honest grin upon seeing the newly reunited family. Lily was definitely blonde now, and much gaunter than Arthur had remembered (he was sure that after Molly's breakfast, she wouldn't be any longer), and Harry was nigh unrecognizable, but the smiles and expressions of love on their faces spoke more than words to him. He stood at the bottom of the stairway for a moment, just watching, not wanting to disturb their moment.

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lionhearted_
2011-07-22 04:40 am UTC (link)

The familiar feeling of Lily's lips on his almost made James feel like no time had passed at all since they had last seen each other. He too was reluctant to end the kiss, but as Harry squirmed between them, he moved away and grinned at his son.

"I've missed you both. Look at this little sprog!" His grin widened as Lily passed Harry to him, and James lifted him up, getting a good look at him. "Well, Harry, you don't look much like you, but I'll take your mother's word for it." Harry giggled and squirmed some more, his hands grabbing at James' glasses.

"Da," he said, and James pressed an affectionate kiss into his hair.

"I'm so glad you could come," he said to Lily. "Tell me what's going on--where have you and Harry been hiding? And what's all this about someone being after Remus? Hell, who's after you?" He was sorry to bombard her with questions so quickly, but he was dying to know the answers to them. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, as he used to do quite frequently. His hand lingered a bit on the fair strands, wishing inwardly that she could have seen him with her natural red.

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evansagain
2011-07-22 03:20 pm UTC (link)

In the midst of James's questions, a movement just over his shoulder caught Lily's eyes, and she saw the figure of Arthur. She smiled warmly. "Hello there, Arthur," she greeted, putting off James's question just for the moment. She was not eager to speak of such heavy things, but she was eager to properly thank Arthur and Molly. She popped a kiss on Arthur's cheek and squeezed him in a hug. "Thank you for letting us stay," she said earnestly.

Figuring it best not to keep James hanging for much too longer - he had been kept in the dark about so many things as of late - Lily dropped back down into a chair and drew in a deep breath. "Perhaps it's best that Arthur hears me as well. Maybe he can tell me what I'm up against," she said, her eyes finding his again.

"To answer your question, James, Harry and I are sort of nomadic at this point. I like hiding in muggle towns when I can because it affords us more freedom, but Harry's getting to an age where it's hard to control his magic. If he throws a temper tantrum, he breaks things...that sort of stuff. We stay in forests and wooded areas a lot just for the remote locations of it. This is the first safehouse we've been in for a few months." The next part of the conversation was something that had Lily in knots, and she was not eager to divulge it, though she knew it was for the best. "It seems that the Death Eaters have got their own personal hit lists now, as if they're methodically going through the registrations at the Ministry to eradicate the remaining Filths. My name is on their list, as is Remus's. It has been noted that the punishment for failing to turn us up - or our bodies, rather - is the death of whoever's been assigned to us."

A year or two ago, such a thought would have probably sent quakes of fear through Lily. Make no mistake, she was afraid. However, she had become a hardened person, far too accustomed to something like this. Her fear was acknowledged, but she no longer allowed it any power over her. She couldn't bring herself to look at James as she asked a question of her own. "Arthur, how difficult would it be to get my name off the registry if I were presumed dead?"

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lionhearted_
2011-07-22 06:13 pm UTC (link)

James turned and saw Arthur, smiling as Lily made her way over to him and greeted him warmly. "Yeah, you really have no idea how much we appreciate it," he echoed his wife, adjusting Harry so that the boy could sit on his shoulders. Harry laughed and tangled his hands in James' hair, but James was too happy to worry about the pain.

He bit his lip as Lily sank into a chair and obviously prepared to tell a story that was hard for her to tell. Holding onto Harry's legs, he listened, a lump in his throat growing steadily the more she spoke. A hit list. It had only been a matter of time before they would start methodically taking people out, now that a majority of the people labeled "Filth" had either fled the country or been exterminated. The tougher, smarter ones--like Lily--probably seemed as annoying cockroaches to Voldemort and his followers.

Her next question stabbed him like a knife. "Lily, are you suggesting that you fake your own death? That you fake Harry's death? I mean, it's brilliant, but how would we manage something like that?"

More specifically, what kind of magic would have to be performed on Harry for something like that to be convincing? He glanced up at the near-two year old perched on his shoulders, who was already experiencing more magic than a boy his age should.

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weasleya
2011-07-22 07:07 pm UTC (link)

Arthur returned Lily's hug and flashed a smile towards James. "It's no trouble, really, we're all thrilled to see you. I imagine the boys will be flooding down the stairs any moment now."

He sat down on the sofa across from Lily, listening intently as she told her story. Arthur's chest gave a pang - knowing that his friends, and other good people, were forced into this sort of existence simply to stay alive broke his heart. He had guessed about the hit list; although the Death Eaters at the Ministry weren't going around and proudly exclaiming about their assignments, Arthur was no fool, and he could easily cut through the gossip. He certainly knew that the cause of his overtime wasn't a happy one; Accidental Magic was now in charge of doing such things as cleaning up after particularly messy Muggle hunts.

Arthur gave a bit of a start upon Lily's inquiry. "Well..." he said, after a moment of thought, "If you were presumed dead, I don't imagine your name would be completely eradicated from the Muggleborn registry. But it would have a marking next to it indicating that you were deceased. I've never -" Arthur paused for another short moment, furrowing his eyebrows, "I've never heard of a file being re-opened after it's been marked deceased." He had heard of parties after a particularly evasive person had been crossed off, so to speak, as much as it disgusted him to think about.

"But I'm also unsure of how you would go about doing such a thing. The evidence of your death would have to be quite definite. They don't cross someone off unless they did it themselves."

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evansagain
2011-07-22 07:21 pm UTC (link)

Faking Harry's death bothered Lily far more than faking her own. She did not like the idea of him being fed potions every four days, nor did she like to think what that could do to a child's psyche as he got older. It made sense that Frank and Alice could stop the potions after the gossip about Lily and Harry died down, when people were no longer actively seeking them. The part that concerned her the most was that, on the chance she and James saw this thing out, Harry would have grown up thinking Alice and Frank were his parents. Would she and James be able just to take him back? Would he remember them?

"I know it's mad," she stammbered, "but it's all I can think of. The only reason Harry is hunted is because he's mine. If they thought we were both dead, they would not be coming after us. I've already spoken to Frank, James," she explained. "He and Alice are willing to take Harry in and pass him off as a relative they've adopted. It's why Harry's taken a Polyjuice Potion. He can't stay with you - that's much too obvious - and he should not grow up hiding." Lily's green eyes lingered on Harry, who looked happy as a clam at the moment, and she smiled a bittersweet smile. She would not tell James (nor Arthur, for that matter) that she had considered allowing herself to be caught and killed. It would clear the way for Harry. She knew such a suggestion would be met with violent protest; James would never allow it. Still, it was in the back of her mind as a last resort. Instead, she had been brewing other ideas.

Arthur said the fake needed to be convincing. Lily had considered using extensive magic to transfigure someone's corpse into a likeness of her own. The risk there, of course, was that the ruse would be found out. She had considered consulting Severus and asking him to be the one to kill her. He was a Death Eater, but she happened to trust him with her life. He could make it look convincing that he had murdered her, though whoever was after her would be denied the kill.

"I suppose it wouldn't be enough just to simply arrange a funeral then," she commented. That had been another idea - to arrange her own funeral and, most awfully, allow and encourage all those close to her to mourn her death. "They'll need to see my body?" she asked for confirmation from Arthur.

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weasleya
2011-07-22 08:35 pm UTC (link)

Arthur was unsure about Lily's plan for Harry. Not that it wouldn't work - Frank and Alice were excellent people and skilled in magic, and a similar ruse was what allowed Dora Tonks to be staying with the Weasleys - but in what it might do to the small family. When this was over, what would happen? Would Harry continue to think he was Henry Longbottom, or whatever name they would come up with, never knowing his true parents except as friends of the family? Would he be told, at an age, the true story? Arthur's heart went out to Lily and James' plight; as a parent, he could only imagine the pain of even considering such an idea. Arthur felt, for a moment, fortunate to be pure-blooded - then he felt disgusted with himself for such a thought.

He shook his head at Lily's comment about a funeral. "A funeral wouldn't be enough. Death Eaters are malicious and often ignorant, but they are also thorough. I highly doubt there wouldn't be one at the funeral, just to make sure." These last words dripped with disgust. 'Making sure' was often not very pleasant and never performed with sensitivity to the mourners. "They would certainly need to see the body, inspect it, perform spells to make sure that the death wasn't simply a temporary thing from a Potion or a particularly well-thought-out charm. Probably the only word they'd take without such... examination... would be that of another Death Eater."

His eyes had been looking over at the fireplace as he said all of this. Discussing faking one's death with a friend was not an easy subject. "You're a brilliant witch, Lily, but I'm just not sure how you could pull this off," he concluded, raising his eyes to meet hers.

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mollyprew
2011-07-22 11:38 pm UTC (link)

The morning for Molly had started fairly early. It always did with the lot she was raising. First, Ginny had woken up coo'ing for her breakfast. Molly had happily obliged her youngest daughter and as soon as Molly had put her back in her crib, Ron and the twins had started to rise. With the waking of her three youngest sons, Molly felt it was alright to wake everyone else up as well. Stirring the other children and setting them about getting dressed and ready to go down stairs while she made breakfast, she wrestled the twins into a pair of different colored sweaters that otherwise looked identical. Dressing them in different colored clothing was the only way she was able to tell them apart and even then she mixed them up from time to time.

Just as she had finished putting a green sweater over Fred's head, Charlie came running up the stairs calling for his father. Molly had no idea what the boy wanted, but once Arthur passed by to go down stairs, she called in her son to question him. "There's a blonde lady down stairs with a baby," he repeated. Molly furrowed her brows slightly at the statement before it dawned on her that he must have been talking about Lily and Harry. Letting Fred slip from his bed to the floor to join his brother's, Molly pushed herself up calling after them as they fled out the door. "Don't forget to comb your hair!" she said, knowing full and well that they would.

Shaking her head, she rubbed her hands together as she left the bedroom she'd been in and followed her children down stairs. Once at the bottom landing, she looked up and into the living room to see the three adults in what appeared to be a serious conversation. "Oh, good you both made it alright," she said, interrupting the conversation for only a moment. Going up to each of the guests, she bent over to give him hugs. Upon reaching James and Harry, she cupped the boys face and kissed his forehead. Standing back up, she stood next to her husband where he sat on the couch, about to speak when she heard a crash come from the kitchen.

Scowling slightly, she held up a finger to signify one moment and turned towards the other room. "I'll be in the fix breakfast in a minute boys! Don't you touch anything," she called, shaking her head at the end of her statement before looking back at everyone in the room. "Bacon and eggs, alright? I can tell I interrupted something important, so I'll go occupy the children and you can catch me up later," she asked, before explaining what she intended to do. For the most part, the older children took care of themselves. Bill and Dora helped her immensely when it came to dealing with the young ones and for that she was thankful.

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lionhearted_
2011-07-22 11:56 pm UTC (link)

"Absolutely not." The words were out of James' mouth before he could even think about them. The thought of Harry growing up without them, not even knowing that they were his parents, bothered him too much to even consider. The new laws may have split Lily and Harry from him, but they would not alienate Harry entirely. There was no fucking way that was going to happen. "Lil, I'm sorry, I know you think there's no other choice. But there's got to be something else we can do. Harry is half mine...half his blood is..." He trailed off, refusing to acknowledge his wife as "filth". "That has to count for something! He would be classified as...what, tainted? Like Pete. I could...I could keep him safe until we can get you off that list."

James was enough in his own abilities to know that he could keep Harry from harm if he was given the chance. But Lily's idea...

"How would we convince them that you're dead, unless...unless someone Polyjuiced themselves as you, and died in your place." James was repulsed even by the sound of those words. "There's no friend that I would want dying in your place...no one else needs to die in this."

Harry, still on his shoulders, laid his head on top of James'. After a moment James lowered him to his lap, holding his warm body closely. "Arthur's right. They would need to see a body...and I dunno of any kind of enchantment that would make them think they've killed you when they haven't." As he spoke, James immediately thought of Remus. Remus, who read so many books, who had been the majority of the brains behind the Marauder's Map. Maybe there was something he knew.

There was a break in the tension as Molly entered the room, and James smiled to see her friendly face. “’Lo, Molly,” he said, grinning when she went to place a kiss on Harry’s forehead. “You look younger every time I see you!”

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evansagain
2011-07-24 01:25 am UTC (link)

Lily knew the plan wouldn't go over well, but she had no prepared herself for the fire in James's voice. He made a good point - Harry should not be considered a "Filth" by Ministry standards...an embarrassment upon a good family tree, yes, but not among the likes of his mother. The Ministry argued that children stayed with the parents of lesser blood - it would be why Marlene's upcoming baby would stay with her as opposed to its father. The Ministry would not formally recognize Harry as James's son, but perhaps he would be considered Tainted. Lily did not relish the idea of another woman (what was her name? Estelle?) helping to raise her son, even if it was just a ruse, but beggars cannot be choosers. "Is that right, Arthur?" Lily asked, sorry to be troubling him with so many questions, but eager to understand completely before any final decisions were made. "Would the Ministry recognize Harry as Tainted rather than Filth since his father is Pure?" If so, Lily would acquiesce to the terms of Harry staying with James as a "servant" of sorts. At least that way Harry would know one of his parents.

The arrival of Molly momentarily distracted Lily, who broke into a grin despite the somber conversation currently floating around the room. She was gone as quickly as she'd come, and Lily was hit with the realization of how much she had missed Molly. Somehow, Molly had managed to fit comfortably into Lily's life as a cross between a mother and a sister.

"If Harry is able to stay with James, and it's just me we've got to worry about," which already made Lily breathe a little easier, "then that's good. What if we charmed more than one body?" she proposed. "It's terribly risky, but it's bold. Suppose there's a body that looks like mine, and a body that looks like a Death Eater inspecting or delivering it...whatever they do? What I'm getting at is...if I were to Transfigure a body to look like it could have been mine at one time, and someone else were to impersonate a Death Eater, do you think it could work?" Her eyes moved swiftly between James and Arthur. "Otherwise," she swallowed, unsure of how to word what she wanted to say. "Otherwise I'm not sure what's to be done."

Feasibly, there was no way Lily could run and hide forever. She knew the smart thing would be to leave the country, but with so many of her beloved here in the midst of all of this, she couldn't imagine doing such a thing.

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lionhearted_
2011-07-24 02:39 am UTC (link)

James bit his lip; the thought of Harry coming to stay with one was not exactly a bad one, but the thought of raising him without Lily was painful. He thought of the woman that he was supposed to marry by September, whose name kept conveniently sliding from his mind. He pictured the three of them walking down the street, and having people smile at them--the perfect pureblood family. The image repulsed him so much it left a bad taste in his mouth. There was no question; he would have to free them both.

"Transfigure a body?" James frowned, thinking. He couldn't recall that subject ever coming up at Hogwarts, but then he had skived off a lot in Transfig due to his natural talents with it. "Lil, that's...no, it could work!" He suddenly saw it all perfectly in his head, and he leapt to his feet, holding tight to Harry. "I can help you. I'm brilliant at Transfig, I can turn into a deer for Merlin's sake--" He ignored the fact that Molly and Arthur probably didn't know this. "The two of us, we could make a convincing double. And if we could somehow find out who, specifically, is after you, Lily, we could hunt them down first...take a few hairs..."

He was pacing all around the kitchen, a thousand different ideas mashing themselves together inside his head. He had missed this: action, danger, all the planning. This was going to work...he could get his family back.

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weasleya
2011-07-24 06:27 pm UTC (link)

Arthur gave Molly a peck on the cheek on her way into the kitchen, happier to see her this morning than most. It was going to be an incredibly difficult day, having to go off to work after all of this plotting, and her presence reminded him of exactly why he was doing all of this - so that everyone else could have their beloved, and their children, as he did.

"The Ministry wouldn't consider Harry to be Filth. He'd be Tainted, and probably if Lily were believed to be dead, kept in an orphanage or given to a Pureblooded family as a... servant, or ward, I suppose. It wouldn't be an ideal situation, but he also wouldn't be persecuted." Arthur was skeptical that Harry could be placed with James under normal circumstances, but that was why he was still there - to help where possible. Having more than one connection higher up in Magical Law Enforcement who wasn't fully keen on this new Marriage Act meant he might be able to pull a few strings. "It's certainly something to consider."

Lily's idea was still rather harrier. Arthur knew that she was just doing all she could to try and avoid being hunted and killed without having to flee the country, and honestly it was a genius plot, but...

"You could concieveably pull it off," he began slowly, "But what you're suggesting is incredibly dangerous. Not just for you, Lily, but for everyone else involved. The Death Eater impersonater, if discovered, would likely be killed on sight - Pureblooded or not. They'd track down where in the world you happened to get a corpse from, and probably punish that poor person's family as well. Then they'd redouble their hunt for you. Even if you succeeded, you'd need new identification papers and to be constantly disguised to avoid having to re-register at the Ministry and start the whole thing over again."

Arthur looked across the room to the clock that Molly had so ingeniously built. All of the hands had been pointing at 'Mortal Peril' for so long, it seemed he could hardly remember it working. He hated lying to the children and saying it was broken. "I'm not saying don't try it - for Merlin's sake, I want you all together in one place just as much as you could imagine. But you will really need to be very cautious. I know we're all Gryffindors here and want to bluster ahead, but there are a thousand places this could go wrong, and we need to consider all of them."

Glancing down at his wristwatch, Arthur gave a bit of a start. "And speaking of things that can go wrong, I've got to shove off or I'll be late. Please, stay and make yourselves comfortable, eat enough of Molly's wonderful cooking to make up for me. I'll be back as soon as I can." He gave James and Lily a smile, ruffled Harry's hair a bit, crossed to the kitchen to give Molly a kiss goodbye, and then Floo'd away.

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