the_debt_of_time

"What?" Lily paled and her wide eyes turned on James, gaping at his chest where
she knew he had a tattoo but had never been told what it was.
"Mum.. ." James cleared his throat, avoiding Lily's gaze as he tried to bring himself
back to why they had even been talking about flowers, to begin with. "Can we not plan
your bloody funeral right now?"
"Should I be waiting for something?"
"You should be resting," Mia insisted.
"I can rest tomorrow, dear."
Everyone stared at her incredulously, knowing she had been told she was not going
to see tomorrow.
"Now, don't look at me like that. Have I ever been the kind of witch to sit idly by
and let things happen around me? Can I do anything about my fate?" Dorea asked and
then proceeded to answer herself. "No, therefore I will make the most of what time I have
left; and frankly, you all have such abysmal taste in decorum, I worry my tomb will be
covered in daisies."
"What's wrong with daisies, dear?" Charlus asked, placating his wife.
"They're simple." She scoffed, looking offended by the flower. As if Dorea Potter
née Black were simple! "Fine, if you all can't allow an old woman a few moments of party
planning bliss, I'll make a list for you later. In the meantime, I want you all to buck up and
act like the children I've raised." Her tone was reproachful as her grey eyes lingered on each
of the teenagers in the room. "That includes all of you, considering how often you're at my
house. I have things to say, and I expect not be interrupted. Is that clear?"
Each person in the room nodded.
"James."
James took Dorea's hand delicately, treating her as though she were glass, despite
the fact his gentle actions would undoubtedly earn him a glare from the independent witch.
"I expect you to go to Gringotts with your father and begin the process of claiming
your inheritance." She was a Slytherin to the core, and plans needed to be put into action.
Mia smiled slightly; she and James knew that their mother loved them, so it was unnecessary
to waste her last moments reminding them of the fact that she would always be with them.
They knew.