Chapter 16

The sirens started five minutes after Harry (O) started explaining everything they had figured out the passed days. Muggle police cars, ambulances, and fire trucks filed into the area just as it started pouring, and everywhere they looked blue and red lights were flashing.

"Don't move!" an officer barked at them, holding up a gun to the group. "You've been discovered at the scene of the crime!"

"Don't you point that at m-!" Ginny (O) began scathingly, but Harry (O) covered her mouth.

Peramedicas and police began helping the injured and dead Muggles up and into the ambulances, some talking into their walkie-talkes urgently, others pointing guns at the group, and others helping the Muggles.

"Listen, we can explain!" Ron (O) said to the officer. "If we just get Mr. Youth over here -"

"Mr. Youth was killed on duty two days ago," the officer said, not backing down.

"Yes, well, too bad for him!" Teddy exclaimed. "We're not bloody criminals! Those people kidnapped my mother and my sister! Well, godsister, if you want to get technical."

"Yes, and we'll be going now," Ginny (O) said, smacking Harry's hand away. "If you could kindly move away and stop pointing that thing at us! I'm going to get my daughter back, and I won't have you bargeing in and telling me what to do!"

"No, that's a job for the police," the officer insisted.

"Excuse me?" Ginny (O) looked bafeled. "Are you trying to tell me how to be a parent? Do you really want to go there, Mr. I'm-So-Dangerous-I've-Got-A-Gun?" Harry (O) slapped a hand over his face. "I thought not! And by the way -"

"Mum." James looked annoyed. "Mum you're embarassing me."

"- already have a whole buttload of stuff going on right now, we're really in some deep crap here -"

"Mother."

"- if you think I need another damn thing to worry about you're totally an idiot -"

"Mum."

"- need to find a freaking Time-Turner -"

"Mother stop."

"- and I already know we have to at least try to go find a Basilisk fang, and that's only in the Chamber of Secrets, thrilled about that -"

"Ginny," James tried, but she still wouldn't listen. "Ginny!"

"- kill the effing Horcruxes, and then go find Lily and Tonks, but there might not even be a chance they're still alive -"

"Ginevra Potter!"

"Oh my God WHAT?!" Ginny (O) spun around to look at her son. "Are you dyeing? Hurt? Bleeding even? No? What could you possibly need?!"

"Bellatrix is waking up."

Surely enough, they looked around and saw the Death Eater stiring, blinking her eyes as if trying to figure out what was going on.

"I'm bringing her to Azkaban," Draco said. "What a bloody deluded skank..."

When Bellatrix spoke she sounded drunk. "But Draco, I'm your auntie!" she blubbered as he took her wand.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Draco said. "I'm taking you to Azkaban again."

Bellatrix's eyes seemed to dialate more, and she came more to Earth but before she could do anything she was restraned by Draco and Neville. Neville pocketed her wand and they Apparated away, making the officer extremely confused.

They were all soking wet from the rain that had started to fall, and the police stared, until Hermione (O) Apparated them away quickly. They appeared at the parking lot of the hotel, and there was a minute long silence that they endured, just standing in the rain looking at each other.

"Well..." George (O) sighed, "At least now we know where they are."

"And where's that, exactly?" Ginny (O) threw at him. Then she collapsed on the nearest bench, putting her face in her hands and muttering, "This is utterly hopeless..."

"They have the bigger advantage," Ron (O) said.

"Why's that?" Sirius asked.

"They know we're here as well," Harry (O) answered, getting a nod from Ron (O). "They'll be moving in the next 24 hours, at the very most... And most likely they'll be much more careful with where they stay and when they do things, because we figured out where they were this time..."

"What if we... Can't we just..." James trailed off, a panicked expression on his face. He was frantyically wracking is brain for an answer. Then, all at once, the thought that had been lingering in head since Lily's dissapearance was decided. "I'm not going back," he said determinedly.

"What?" Ginny (O) asked quietly, looking up.

"I'm not going back to Hogwarts without Lily."

Harry (O) was shocked. "That's rubbish, James, of course you are."

But his mind was made up. "No, Dad, I'm not. I don't deserve to. I'm the one who was stupid enough to let this all happen - I'm the one who touched the bloody hour glass when Mum and Teddy told me not to, I'm the one who sent us all back in time, and it's my fault Lily and Tonks are gone and now everything's messed up..." Everyone was shocked to see James's eyes wet with tears - James never cried. "And if we do one thing wrong and someone like Tonks dies, then Teddy will be gone too, won't he? What if we're fighting and something happens and the younger Hermione dies? Or Ron? Then I'd lose Rose and Hugo, as well as my aunt or uncle. Dad, what if something happens to you? No. I'm not going to Hogwarts without her. It's supposed to be her first year - I don't want to miss that. It's either we find her and she comes... or I'll make myself get expelled. Dad, I don't want to go without her. Even if she's never been with me, it wouldn't feel right not to have her there."

By then everyone's attention was on James and Harry (O), who was looked striken and a little heartbroken as he stared at his oldest son with tears in his eyes.

James went on. "If I've caused so much trouble I kill my own little sister, I'll snap my own wand. Crawl into my sock drawr and stay there for the rest of my life while I have to live every deprived second knowing it was my fault she died, or dissapeared and never came back. Because if she does die, don't even try to tell me it wasn't my fault.. It will be.

"I'm not going back without her," he finished.

Ginny (O) had tears streaming down her face. Harry (O) looked about ready to cry himself.

"Merlin, Harry, he's too much like you," Hermione (O) said, her voice filled with emotion as she wiped her eyes.

"Yeah, what he said," Albus said, going up by his brother. "I'm not going either."

There was a roar of agreement from all the children. Even Rose, who was like Hermione and thought school was the best ever, stood up to support her cousins and friends.

"I think... I think this kid is finally making sense," Remus said, giving a weak grin in James's direction.

When Ginny (O) contained herself, the first thing she asked her son was, "Are you ill?"

"Probably," James replied tiredly. "I didn't sleep at all last night... I was watching Harry Potter... all eight of them."

He grinned when Ginny (O) frowned momentarily.

"Well," Harry (O) said quietly, "I guess... Screw it, let's go find Lily."