Chapter 1: Dog Days Of Summer
A drowsy silence lay over the rows of dilapidated brick houses. All down the street, windows were thrown open in a desperate and unfounded attempt to invite in any passing breeze.
The inhabitants of Cokeworth had resigned themselves to the marginally cooler interiors of their homes to cope with the heat wave that was currently griping Britain; it was the hottest summer for 350 years and there hadn't been a scrap of rain in weeks. Bar a few children in the small park on the top of the hill, the town was relatively deserted. It was utterly uneventful.
In fact, the only person who had ventured outside over the age of ten was a copper- headed teenage girl walking in laps around the block. She wore a frown and kicked each rock that she came across with great force. Her clothes were in date- if a bit out of style- and strands of red hair were falling out of a bun pilled on the top of her head which was being held together with what to the uninitiated, looked like a stick.
Lily Evans shuffled along the sidewalk, same as she had been doing for the past couple of hours, trying to calm herself down enough to return home- she had so far been unsuccessful. As much as she tried, the fight she had just had with her sister was playing on a loop in her mind.
Arguments between the two sisters were common, if not expected when Lily came home for the holidays. Petunia had always resented Lily and her 'special talents' as their parents put it.
This feud had sprung up after a few particularly vicious words from Petunia evoked a fuming Lily to empty a flask of frogspawn into her sister's tea, because Good God Tuney, get over yourself!
It took Petunia several minutes of shrieking to compose herself enough to get angry, and Mrs. Evans came home to the all- too- familiar sound of her daughters having a row in the kitchen.
"But mum, Lily started it!" Petunia protested.
"Hardly!" Her sister snorted. "Maybe if you watched what came out of your mouth- "
Petunia scowled, pointing her finger accusingly at the witch.
"Don't get righteous with me, Lily. I can see right through this magic rubbish"
"Oh, get your head out of your- "
It was at this point that Mrs. Evans intervened, cutting Lily off before she could finish the scathing indictment of her sister.
"You will fix your attitudes towards one another at once. I will not tolerate this sort of conflict under my roof, girls"
"Fine," Lily grumbled. With cheeks glowing pink and fists clenched, she flounced out of the living room without so much as a parting glare.
That was two hours ago and the sun was beginning to set over the top of an immense chimney, one of the only remnants of the disused mill. Time to go home, Lily thought. She heaved a sigh and turned around to walk through the alleyway, joining the road she was currently trudging along and Spinner's End. She tried to avoid Spinner's End, least she run into her former best friend, Severus Snape. She had been avoiding him for over a month and it was proving more difficult than Lily had anticipated.
She breathed a mixed sigh of relief tinged with disappointment as she turned into Hamel Court without an appearance from Severus. How she would like to just sit and talk with him, he would understand what was going on with her sister. He was the only one with whom she told everything. Or at least, he had been.
It had been six weeks since the day of their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWL. A relatively easy exam, Lily had thought, though it wasn't so much the test that was playing on her mind, as the events that transpired afterwards.
Severus sprawled on the ground by the tree next to the lake, James Potter standing over him, wand drawn and blood seeping out of the cut on his cheek…
Those three words that caused knots in her stomach and a stabbing in her chest…
Lily dragged her feet along the pathway, leading up to the door of her house. She couldn't wait to get back to Hogwarts, she loved her parents immensely but they were often, working. Her sister wasn't the most thrilling conversationalists and as such, she was usually left alone.
Dashing up the stairs, the witch collapsed on her faded duvet. Intrusive thoughts penetrating her consciousness. Before that day, (as she had begun calling it in her head) she had been resolved to spending the summer holidays fixing her relationship with Sev. That day by the lake was evocative of months of gradual distancing and isolation. In fact, she had been rather angry with him. With his stupid death eater friends and stupid made up curses and stupid I know something you don't attitude… She had still defended him. She always defended him. What was it he'd said after Mulciber nearly hexed Mary MacDonald's ear off? It was a laugh, that's all.
She sighed and rolled over onto her right side, her desk was bathed in the orange glow of the sunset. It was an organised mess, not unlike Lily herself. A small pile of letters from her friends was sat in the centre. She couldn't bring herself to respond. To be completely frank, she was utterly embarrassed. They were filled with sympathies and offers to stay, Mary had even sent a box of chocolates. How long had she made excuses for Severus? Ignoring the behaviour that was right under her nose? And now she had been proven completely and fantastically wrong. She did need to reply eventually though; Marlene's owl had obviously been instructed not to leave her side until it had acquired a reply and so was now living on the top of Lily's bookshelf.
She could just feel herself slipping into unconsciousness when a loud knock on her bedroom door startled her into wakefulness.
"Lily, it's dad, can I come in?" Her fathers voice was loud and booming.
"Yeah, I guess." She stifled a yawn.
The door creaked open and Mr. Evans poked his head inside. "I think we need to have a little chat."
"Okay..." Lily said, hesitantly pulling herself into sitting position.
"Look, you've got to cut Petunia some slack." He said, perching on the foot of her bed.
She felt hurt, "Why should I? She's the one who can't accept me for who I am." She replied defensively.
He sighed, "Look, Lily. You've got to understand how Petunias' feeling. You go away to Hogwarts for most of the year and she's left at home, then you come back and she's thrown for a loop." He looked at her through his spectacles, the weariness of age showing.
"How is that fair? I didn't choose to be born a witch and go to Hogwarts. I didn't choose to have my sister hate me!" She half yelled, her previous tiredness forgotten.
Mr. Evans sighed, "I just want you to know how she's feeling right now, maybe a bit of mutual understanding might bring you two closer together." Her father said, getting up from the bed and walking back towards the door.
"I want you two to make up, Lily, this is getting ridiculous. A little forgiveness and compassion can go a long way, I want you to remember that." He closed the door with a silent click and left Lily sitting alone in the dark with nothing but her thoughts to keep her company.
The next morning came slowly, interrupted sleep refusing her rest.
Turning with a groan, she threw on her robe and went downstairs, a noticeable rumble in her stomach too prominent to allow her another attempt at sleeping.
Her mother was sitting in the living room drinking a cup of tea from a chipped mug, Petunia was also sitting on the sofa, but Lily made a point of ignoring her, despite her father's speech still ringing guiltily in her ears.
Mrs. Evans gave a loud tut in the direction of the television set. "Have you seen this? Another two murders overnight!"
"Murders?" Lily questioned.
"Yes, down in Suffolk." Her mother said taking another sip of her drink.
"Did they say how they were killed?"
"Gang violence apparently."
Lily's eyebrows furrowed, death eaters more likely she thought. Muggles couldn't trace the killing curse and these sorts of attacks were common, now the war was fully out- in- the- open.
She knew, but her parents and sister didn't, that the terrible events that had been occurring lately, weren't a series of random, unfortunate events. They were calculated acts to insight terror within both the magical and muggle communities. Death Eaters, as they had begun to call themselves, were savaging the country; you couldn't open a paper or turn the television on without being confronted with stories of murder or panic, and it was no accident that Lily had chosen not to tell her parents of the war that was raging right under their noses.
Her sister and mother had evidently moved on, and were now discussing the latest product displayed on the T.V, some new spangled hoover that's suction was apparently ten times that of it's competitors.
Petunias sole goal (or so it seemed) was to get married and become a housewife. A future Lily couldn't fathom envisioning.
Although Lily, at the age of 16, hadn't sat down and planned her entire life out, knew she detested the idea of the 'ordinary' life that Petunia so desperately desired. The Evans's hadn't much money and Petunia seemed to relish the idea of propelling herself into the middle class with the exchange of some vows.
Toast in hand, she made her way back to her room. Lily Evans bedroom was what you could reasonably expect from a teenage girl; cluttered but not unmanageably so, painted in yellow and white. A record player took pride of place on the dresser.
Yes, it was perfectly ordinary at first glance. However, if you took a deeper glance, the photographs that were dotted around the room, appeared to be moving. The posters were not of her favourite football team but for a thing called Quidditch and the books held such abnormal titles as History of Magic and Spellman's Syllabary.
She picked up one of the letters on her desk.
Marlene McKinnon and Lily Evans had been friends for six years, she was the closest friend she had outside of Severus and although Marlene hadn't exactly encouraged the friendship between the Slytherin and Gryffindor, Lily knew she meant well and after the fiasco of the previous year she couldn't exactly hold it against her, although, to Marlene's credit, she never once said 'I told you so.'
Marlene was the living embodiment of the phrase beach babe with her blonde hair and blue eyes she looked very out of place against the Scottish countryside where they spent most of the year.
Lily scanned the parchment again, deciding that she better reply to at least one letter, lest she be bombarded with a flurry from even more concerned friends.
The shop has been hectic... Mum, dad AND Martha have all been run off their feet with work at the ministry.
Marlene had a very influential family, her mother was Senior Undersecretary to the Minster of Magic and her father was head of the department for International Co- operation. Her older sister had recently qualified as an auror and as such, they shunted Marlene to her Aunts where she was put to use in the family sweet shop.
Bertie- Botts has released 47 new flavours! Just when I thought they had got them all... I'll bring a heap for the train ride... Seen Snape at all? I hope not, you should stay away from him, now more than ever... I know you're still upset about the whole thing but just know that he's a complete idiot and you have so many friends that would be more than willing to give him a good smack in the face for you if you ever feel so inclined…
Anyway... I hope you haven't done your school shopping yet; I'm going down in a few days and would love some company, you should come stay. We can go to Diagon Alley and hang out in muggle London – whatever you want!
Hope to see you soon, if not then I'll meet you on platform 9 ¾ September 1st (you know the drill)
All of my love,
Marlene
Lily scribbled a response, saying that, no she hadn't done her shopping and yes, she would very much like to join her in the week. Maybe getting out of Cokeworth would be a good thing. It certainly couldn't be worse than dodging Snape round every bend and fighting with her sister.
Purposefully avoiding the subject of Snape, she scribbled her name at the bottom, sealed the letter in an envelope and waiting for Marlene's owl to return from hunting.
The Prophet owl came before Marlene's owl had returned. Lily shoved a Knut into its pouch and quickly glanced at the front page, sure enough it read:
TWO MUGGLES DEAD IN DEATH EATER ATTACK THAT HAS SHAMED FAILING AUROR OFFICE.
The muggles, Martha Stark (28) and John Stark (33) from Nottingham, were on a date at their local cinema complex (a muggle form of entertainment) when they were ambushed by passing death eaters unknown.
Lily stopped reading there; the papers had been printing stories like that all holidays. The only difference was the name and number of the victims on the page.
She set the paper down and plonked herself on the bed, lying in the steadily growing heat of the day.
Her mind drifted to her friends, and she wondered what they would be doing on the hot August day; Marlene would probably be reading Witch Weekly and lounging in the back of her Aunts sweet shop. Emmeline Vance, another Gryffindor girl in her year would doubtlessly be babysitting her little brother.
A squawk pulled her from her mindless wanderings, Marlene's owl had returned. Lily jumped up and tied her letter to its leg. It gave her a friendly peck and flew out the window. Lily watched until it was nothing more than a brown speck on the horizon.
The next few days blended together in a haze of heat and dust. The humidity wasn't releasing its grip on the small island and there was no rain to release the hold. Marlene had replied promptly to her letter and the girls had arranged for Lily to be picked up the next Friday, around 11, and stay at the Leaky Cauldron till September First, where they would catch the Hogwarts Express together, meeting up with Emmeline at some point along the way.
Lily woke up very early on Friday, the sun streaming in from her window and projecting sun spots behind her eyelids. She lay for a few minutes with the sun on her face before she started the slow process of getting up and beginning to pack.
Grabbing her trunk, she tipped out the contents of last term and went around her room, throwing the things she needed for the next, onto her bed.
She was stuck under her bed, searching for her favourite skirt when she heard her mother calling her name.
Swearing, as she banged her head on the underside of the bed, she crawled out and dodged her way round the mess of clothes and books that was littering her floor, into the hall.
"Yeah, mum?" She called, leaning over the bannister.
"I'm going to work now, come out and give me a kiss before I go."
Jumping the stairs two at a time, she landed on the lower landing the same time her mother appeared around the doorframe.
"Ooh, come here." Mrs. Evans said, embracing her youngest daughter in a hug. "I'll miss you, make sure you write every week, and be sure to come home at Christmas."
"I will mum, promise." Lily replied, pulling away from her mother's hug.
"Love you, darling." Mrs. Evans said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Love you too." Lily watched her mother walk down the garden path and get into her car before returning to her room to finish the arduous task of packing for the term.
Her father left with a similar exchange a few minutes later, leaving just Petunia and Lily in the house. With her trunk packed and herself dressed, showered, and ready to go, she was left to sit with her rather uncomftable looking sister in the living room, watching a show neither of them liked.
Lily looked out the window when it was five to eleven; she hoped that Marlene would be prompt. Sitting awkwardly with her sister wasn't her idea of a good time.
As she looked out the window, she saw a rather pretty girl with a wave of golden hair and fine features dangling dangerously out the window of a black car, waving madly as they raced up the street and pulled up next to the house.
A broad grin, spreading onto her face, Lily raced out the door and dashed past the path, throwing the gate open as she went.
"LILY!" Marlene screamed as she jumped from the car, engulfing Lily in a hug.
"Marlene! I've missed you." Lily said, as she hugged her friend.
"Geez, you two. You'd think you hadn't seen each other in a year!" An older girl said as she got out the driving seat of the car.
"Martha!" Lily exclaimed, drawing back from Marlene and moving to embrace her older sister.
"I thought you'd be at work!" Lily said, surprised. "And is this a car?"
"I was but I managed to get away for an hour, Frank's covering for me." Martha grinned. "You like it? It's one of the ministry's, I've stolen it for the day."
"Come on then! Let's get your trunk!" Marlene squealed, pulling Lily towards the house, the excitement in her voice clear and the smile on her face, broad.
"Where's your sister?" Martha asked as they entered the hallway.
"She should be around." Lily replied, peering round a doorframe, in a feeble attempt to look for her. "I'll go get my things."
Marlene and Lily headed up the stairs.
"So... what's been going on?" Lily asked as she heaved her trunk off her bed, wincing at the crash it made as it hit the floor.
"Sweets, sweets and more sweets! I swear, I see one more fizzing whizbee I'm going to lose it." She said, grabbing the other end of the trunk.
The girls pulled the trunk down the stairs, wincing as it hit each step.
"Just a few more months and we'll be of age. We'll never have to carry anything again." Marlene complained with a grimace.
Lily laughed, "Marlene, when have you ever abided by the restrictions on underage magic?"
She scoffed. "Says you! I do recall you receiving at least two warnings last year."
Lily shrugged, a coy smile playing at her lips, "hey, a witch has got to do what a witch has got to do. They were extenuating circumstances."
"Pfft," Marlene scoffed as she readjusted her grip on the handle, "annoying your sister is hardly an extenuating circumstance."
"You ready to go?" Martha asked, as the girls reached the bottom of the stairs. Petunia was stood next to her, shooting wary glances at all three witches.
"Yeah, I'm ready." Lily said, pretending to ignore the intensity of Petunia's glare.
"So... I'll see you at Christmas, will I?" Lily asked her sister.
"I suppose."
"Well, goodbye then."
"Goodbye." Petunia said, curtly shutting the door in Lily's face.
"Oii, Lily! Hurry up, I want to get to London" Marlene shouted, already hanging half way out the car.
"Coming." Lily said, retreating from the shut door and clambering inside the little car, hiding her disappointment in Petunia's farewell.
"This week is going to be amazing, the leaky caldron is usually so busy this time of year but mum managed to get us a room." Marlene said as Martha pulled out of the cul-de-sac.
"Emmeline might be meeting us there tomorrow." Lily said, peering out the window, watching the street race by.
"Are you excited?" Marlene asked. "We're sixth years now! N.E. are starting, our lives are beginning!"
Lily laughed, "we've still got two years left at Hogwarts."
"It'll be fun! Just think, a week from now we'll be back in our rooms, bossing the younger kids around. PLUS, sixth years get loads of free lessons." Marlene said, her eyes wide with anticipation.
"I wouldn't bargain so much on those free lessons, you'll need it to study, trust me." Martha said from the front of the car.
"Oh shush! Stop being such a spoil sport." Marlene said, a smile still on her face.
"I'm looking forward to it." Lily said grinning. "Seriously, after last year, this term can only be an improvement."
"I think I'm looking forward to Quidditch season the most. It was Potter that won us the cup last year and he better do it again. Ingram was useless." Marlene scoffed at the former – now graduated – Gryffindor captain.
"I don't think he could handle the blow to his ego if he lost." Lily said.
"Speaking of Potter..." Marlene said, suggestively.
"No way Marlene, don't even go there."
"Lily, I know you think he's got a bit of an ego (Lily scoffed) and you're absolutely right, he does."
"Your point?" Lily folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.
"And I just think that if you got to know him a bit you might just start to like him again."
Marlene sighed, "don't you look at me like that." Lily's glare intensified. "I know you had a little crush."
The red head turned to face the window. "No, I didn't." She murmured as she watched the houses turn into the farm land that neighboured the motorway.
"Sounds like you need to do a better job of convincing yourself that." The other witch began inspecting her chipped nails. "Because you could have fooled me; ugh, look, James Potter is an ass at the best of times but think about it. We want to fight in this stupid war, don't we?"
Lily sniffed, "course…"
"And who else do you think is going to be so suicidal as to jump into near certain death at the first available oppourtunity."
Marlene had her. James Potter was sure to be a fixture in her life for the foreseeable future. Potter was a lot of things – afraid of a challenge he was not.
"Oii, no talk of near certain death in my presence please." Lily had almost forgotten Martha was in the car.
Marlene smirked, "sorry sis. But come on, you know the dangers better than anyone else."
"Yeah, I do, and I don't need my little sister reminding me." The auror was paying little attention to the road. "This war is six years old and we've made it this far alive, haven't we? A little optimism wouldn't be so difficult, would it?"
"Optimism," Marlene pondered, hand stroking an imaginary beard, "never heard of it."
Lily and Martha both rolled their eyes.
There was a gleam in Marlene's eye. "Mock me all you like, Lily Evans, but we'll see who's laughing in the end.