NineteenYearsLater

They all allowed me to leave with much grace and little hostility. Everyone thought I was acting wonderful, compared to my normal self. (Well, only people who had met me and knew what I was normally like, thought I was being really nice.)

I walked back to my room and sat down on the bed. I put my head in my hands and felt a headache grow. Something was going on with me, and I didn’t know why. A flash of pain shattered across my temple and I let out a moan. That display of grace downstairs made no sense to me. I had never done something like that before, ever, and I think I knew why.
John was in my head now, I knew it to be true, but I didn’t understand how it could have happened.

“Wherever you are, you should really show yourself,” I said aloud, knowing this was off. I needed to talk to him, “I’m getting tired of this whole thing and I just want to talk.”

He materialized in the corner and stepped forward.

“Sis, how nice to see you again,” He said, grinning as his face shed the shadows. He walked to the bed and sat down next to me, “I wanted to discuss something with you, but you know that, don’t you?”

I looked away from him and nodded. He set his hand on top of mine.

“Sis, look at me,” he said, I turned towards him, but didn’t look him in the eye, “Sis, look at me.”

He grabbed my chin and tilted it up. Once I met his eyes, he smiled.

“Now was that so hard?” He asked, I shook my head, my chin still in his grasp, “Can we greet each other with a hug?”

I know my eyes widened in shock.

“What?” I asked him finally, not understanding.

“Can we hug like siblings should be able to do?” He asked me. I stood up and thought about it.

“There’s no ulterior motive?” I asked him, a little bit suspicious and scared. He shook his head and smiled like he used to. He stood up and walked over to me, holding his arms open. I walked into his arms and sighed when it was just like it used to be. His hold was warm and happy, nothing like the way he had become in the past few years. I felt his grin on my face as if I was grinning as well. I let a small smile escape and then I pulled out of his grasp.

“John,” I said, still letting that small smile escape, “why are you doing all of this?” I gestured at the room, but he knew I meant all of the things he had been doing.

He looked sincere as he answered, “Why sister dear, it’s for us. Don’t you see? Everyone around us ostracized us because we were the twins. Mother and Father told us we weren’t good enough, they told us we were bad because of what we could do when we were younger.”

I thought to myself, But Dad never told me that. When were we told that?

“John,” I said, stepping forward, “John, this is wrong.”

He stepped back, his expression hurt, “What are you talking about?”

“John,” I said, stepping forward again, “John, what you are doing to people is wrong. You can’t do this to people, it isn’t right. I do understand what you mean, it’s unfair for us to be hurt by people who think we are so unusual, but we can deal with it as long as we are together. Please John,” I offered my hand, “Please John, come back to me.”

He looked unsure, and then he accepted. We smiled at each other, back to being the twins we used to be, but in the back of my mind, I knew he would crack again and be unreachable after years had passed.

James walked in once we settled back on the bed to discuss some stuff.

“Who’s this?” He demanded, I grinned and gestured to him as I said, “This is my brother,
John. Please allow me to introduce him.”

James’ expression turned stony, “Is this the guy who tried to kill you?"

I grinned, “Yes, but he’s all better now.”

(I had ignored when John had stiffened at the mention of his past.)

I set my hand on John’s and gave him a comforting look. James walked over and sat across from us in the armchair next to the window.

“So, I guess my name is James,” He said, offering his hand to John. He seemed to think that if I was able to forgive him enough to accept John back, then He should be able to accept John as well. John took the hand, a bit shell-shocked, I think.

“I guess you know my name then,” John said, giving James a timid smile. James smiled back strongly, which strengthened John’s smile automatically.

Soon they became the best of friends. We spent the summer, becoming as close as you can become with people. Summer passed quickly and soon James and I went back to school, after first stopping at Diagon Alley to get all of our school supplies.

John was given a release and allowed to join me in the second year, as long as he was willing to join Gryffindor. (I wasn’t ever quite sure if he ever tried on the Sorting Hat or not, but I did know that he wouldn’t have lasted had he been put in another house. He needed me far more than I needed him, of that I was sure.)

We went through second year and third year easily and comfortably. John became friends with everybody that I became friends with, and we were close to inseparable. James always seemed to be on the verge of saying something, but would stop the second my brother came into view. They became good friends, but there was always that unsaid something that came between them and caused them to fight needlessly.

Summers were spent at my house, although James never came back to my house after that first summer. The start of fourth year marked bad news. John got badly sick and was unable to join me at Hogwarts right away.