Lily Evans-Potter: World Wanderer
Wanda: Hey everybody welcome back, especially to anyone who read my previous story Finding a Place to Call Home. I was doing some revisions on it, mostly to clean up grammar and spelling mistakes I missed the first time around, when I started thinking a little on Lily Potter herself. Hela's remark about 'being meant for much more' kind of rang in my head during a sleepless night and I ended up with this idea. I say 'pseudo sequel' because you don't necessarily have to read FPCH to understand this story - the main link between them is Hela, and the Lily in the story is the Lily from that Harry's World. (Yay for the multiverse!) But I do recommend you read FPCH first just for some background.
Tyene: So basically, this Lily has the power to wander between worlds. There are certain stories that are quite popular - and repeat themselves throughout the multiverse. This one? Dumbledore and the Potters choose the wrong boy. You know how the wrong boy is usually treated in this story, except this time he isn't alone - he has Prime!Lily, who is thoroughly unamused at how her alternate son is being treated.
Wanda: Usual disclaimer applies - I do not own Harry Potter.
Prologue: The Next Great Adventure
Lily was surprised by how painless her passing was.
Her soul remained long enough to see her magic succeed in protecting her son, her beloved Harry, from Voldemort's clutches. Her heart ached to be separated from her beloved child, but she trusted Sirius and Remus to take care of him and see him through the trials of life. They would meet again in time.
As she floated through the clouds and into darkness, Lily wondered why James wasn't with her – she had heard Voldemort's killing curse as she had fled to protect the nursery.
The darkness faded away after an indeterminate amount of time. Lily found herself walking along a beautiful, empty beach. It was twilight, with the sun having set casting grey lights across the black sky. Dark waves rolled onto the beach from a sea that stretched as far as the eye could see. Lily felt calm and at ease, as if she had been walking for a long time only to finally see her destination in the distance.
"Hello, Lily Evans."
Lily blinked and gasped when a young girl appeared in front of her in an instant. She was a battered looking girl, but there was an understated, Gothic elegance to her. She was dressed in a ragged black trench cloak with peasant's clothes beneath it, a hood partially covering her head. Her hair was messy and tangled, dark red clotted in it. Her eyes were deep fathoms, as dark as the sea she stood in holding years of wisdom that Lily could hardly imagine. In one hand, she held a simple farmer's scythe painted black; she felt instinctive fear when she gazed upon it. In the other hand, she held a pendant and chain; gold and red and seemingly pulsing with life.
For a moment, Lily stood stock silent. When she recovered her voice, she asked, "Do I know you?"
"All come to know me in their time. I am Hela, the Reaper." The girl answered, stepping out of the water until she was standing in front of the new soul. "I lead souls through the crossings, both to heaven and to damnation."
Lily's lips parted slightly, and before she could stop herself she said, "I thought you would be older."
She kicked herself the moment the words escaped her, cursing James for impressing his humour into her mind. But to her surprise, Hela simply chuckled in response, sliding the scythe over her shoulder to hang for carrying.
"I can look how I please. Bodies do not age and wither here. But that is of no consequence now; I came to meet you because you died prematurely."
"Pre...maturely?" Lily asked, not quite understanding, before a surge of worry overtook her. "I'm sorry if I've offended you somehow, but I had to protect my son, he has just begun to live-"
Hela shook her head and raised her free hand for silence. When Lily broke off her tirade, the ethereal girl spoke again.
"You misunderstand me, Evans-Potter. I am not disparaging your courage and nobility; you were doomed when Albus Dumbledore chose to withhold the prophecy from you for as long as he did."
Lily felt a slight stab of anger, what did that mean? Dumbledore cursed her son to grow up an orphan?! Even if Petunia did not take her bitterness out on her son (which she dearly hoped not, and was the reason the Dursleys were not listed as guardians except for a last resort), it meant she wouldn't be able to stand by Harry's side as he grew up, made friends, got married and achieved great things. She wouldn't be able to be by his side through his trials.
"You were meant for great things, Lily." Hela continued, gazing knowingly at her as if seeing all her internal conflict over this revelation. "You would have brought great achievements into this world. If Dumbledore had told you a mere month earlier about the prophecy that Trawley had spit out in a drunken fit, you would have lived to raise Harry."
"Why are you telling me this now?" Lily asked plaintively, a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I can't go back to Harry now; I can't protect him."
"Have no fear. I exist simultaneously in all times and places, and I see all. Your son will grow up and achieve peace and enlightenment in a world that has so stubbornly rejected it. His trials may be harrowing, but he will be loved and respected and have many children. Fear not for his fate; Voldemort will not drag his soul down into the void." Hela said, her voice softening ever so slightly as she said this.
Lily couldn't help it; a small sob of relief, joy and pride mixed together escaped her lips as her eyes blurred over. Her beautiful son, she could see him in her closed eyes. She wanted only the best for him, even if she couldn't be there to see it.
"Where's my husband?" She asked, noticing for the first time that James was not on the beach with her.
"His soul has passed on."
"He didn't wait for me?"
"That is partially my doing; I apologize. There's more I wish to speak to you, though, on other matters...somewhat connected to that fact." Hela said.
"Oh?" Lily asked.
Hela turned towards the sea and gestured with one hand. "You have done right by all, Lily Marian Evans Potter. Heaven applauds your selflessness. Since you have died before your time, I have an offer for you."
"What is it?" Lily asked, curious despite herself.
Hela took a step forward and unclasped the necklace she had been holding. Gently she placed it around Lily's neck. Warmth flooded the redhead's hands; she hadn't noticed that everything had become numb until just then.
"I am willing to let you step into another life, to live out all the things you were meant for." Hela stated. "This is a gift I can give you, in return for your selflessness. Though, there is a caveat should you choose to accept."
"R-Really? What is it?" Lily asked, startled.
"You cannot be reborn in your home world." Hela responded. When Lily looked at her in confusion, the Reaper elaborated, "Have you heard the theory of the multiverse? It is not a theory, but fact – though few, if any, have ever had the power, or the right, to travel between the barriers between each living world. Each world is full of unique but similar souls, many reflections of each other that walk in different directions."
"So...there's alternate versions of me?" Lily asked. A thought occurred to her, causing a troubled look to cross her face. "I wouldn't be...replacing her, would I?"
Hela waved her hand. "Of course not. You would simply slip into the body of one who's soul has already passed on. You would remain yourself, not a pale copy of another."
"That's good." Lily said with relief. "Tell me more."
"In that amulet, I have given you a fraction of my magic." Hela said. "I can work well without it, but it will give you the power to walk between the different worlds. Once you have fulfilled your purpose in one world, you can simply clutch that amulet and wish to walk, and you will return here. And so you can continue, over and over until you are ready to ascend to the heavens. I'll be waiting for you then."
"I...I'm not sure what to say. You don't have to give me this."
Hela smiled slightly again. While her face didn't seem to move, it brought a softness to it that was never associated with death, except perhaps by the unlucky few who spent most of their lives at the Reaper's doorstep. "And yet I choose to, Lily. Of all the souls I have seen, you are one of those who deserve it."
"Though if you wish, you can go and join your husband now and wait for your blood son. What is it that you wish?"
Lily took several moments to take council with herself, pondering the choice lain before her. Part of her wanted to go, to rejoin James, but a thought tugged at her that had taken hold as Hela spoke. The Reaper said she would do great things; did that mean that her presence would bring life and joy to those who would have neither should she leave now? Was there not more she had hoped to do, prior to her death, that had been taken from her both by the war and by Voldemort's wand?
Lily was struck by a sudden excitement almost childlike in nature, as she thought of walking where no one else knew existed, bringing change to the lives of others like her and children like her Harry.
"I accept your gift, Hela. I thank you for offering me this chance! But how do I travel?"
Hela took Lily by the hand and lead her into the lake. The coldness of the water was great, and it seemed to pull at her legs. "This is the Sea of the Crossroads." The Reaper explained, gesturing towards it's immense size. "It not only connects the mortal worlds to the heavens and hells, but it connects the worlds that reflect each other. But you must be careful when you pass through it, for troubled souls lurk under the surface and they may try to bring you to the bottom where they are trapped, possibly forever."
Lily shivered. "This is purgatory?"
"In a sense, yes. However, it is also your path to the other worlds. The amulet I've given you is your protection and your anchor; you must never take it off." Hela warned. "Now, to get to another world, you must dive into the Sea and swim. No matter what, you must not stop until your legs are exhausted and touch down on a sand bar. I can't tell you how long it may take, but if your feet cannot reach the ground you must keep moving, or you will drown."
"So once I touch the ground...I've reached another place. How do I reach the mortal world?"
"The amulet will take you there once you choose your place." Hela told her.
Lily was about to ask more – so many questions were knocking around her head, so many things she wished to understand – when suddenly Hela seemed to cringe and curse as if something pained her.
"What's wrong?" Lily asked, alarmed.
Hela hissed and said, "I am going to damn Tom Marvolo Riddle and all his reflections to suffer in the deepest hell bowls for all eternity, that little shit! How dare he defile my artifact with that hideous magic." She straightened up and said, "I'm afraid this is where we must part, Lily Potter. I shall see you at the end of the line."
With that, she vanished as abruptly as she appeared.
For a moment, Lily stood dumbstruck on the beach alone, trying to puzzle out what on earth Hela meant by that. Tom Riddle? Tom Marvolo Riddle... ...Voldemort! She marvelled when she came to this conclusion; Riddle didn't sound like any known pure blood name to her. To think he came from such unheard roots! But in all the evils she knew he committed, for him to use magic so vile that even the Reaper was enraged...
Again, she felt a pang of anxiety for her only son, even as she remembered Hela's words about his future. Will, I shall learn nothing standing here. She thought, turning her attention back to the endless stretches of water. Hela didn't give me this magic so I could stand here and stare like an idiot.
Lily waded further into the dark waters until she was up to her waist in it. She grimaced as the iciness told hold everywhere in her except for her chest where the warmth of the amulet pressed against her chest. She began to hear whispers – like people speaking two rooms away in a silent building, where you can just hear them if you listen but can't make out any of the words said. She took a deep breath and dove in face first, thrusting forward with her legs as she began to forward crawl through the abyss.
A horrible feeling set upon her, a grotesque amalgamation of all ill feelings and despair. It tried to penetrate her being, but the amulet seemed to burn brighter in response to the encroaching wave, warding them off. Lily pressed on, putting all the strength she could muster into her arms and legs.
She didn't travel far when she felt ghostly hands gripping her legs, trying to hold her back. The feelings of anger were there, but there was also much despair. These souls were not evil enough for hell, but had too much grief to move on to heaven. Lily felt them tugging at her, trying to absorb the light and the warmth the amulet was projecting.
She felt pained, as their longing surrounded her. She felt tempted to stay, to try and help these wandering souls, but once again Hela's warnings rang in her ears and she did not let up in her stride.
How long she swam, with the spirits surrounding her, whispering and crying and begging her to remain, Lily wasn't sure. Her arms and legs were now screaming with exhaustion and her eyes had long blurred with the cold water. She began to feel fear once again, oh James what if I've made a mistake-
Then her foot touched soft sand, and the spirits departed.
Lily stumbled to a stop on her feet, coughing and pressing her hand against the still warm pendant. She glanced over her shoulder; the beach had faded into the distance. When she looked in front of her, she found another beach, though it looked different from the other – it seemed more silver, more worn, as though a slightly higher number of souls had passed over it recently.
Cautiously, Lily stepped up onto the shore, wringing out her hair as she did so. She examined the beach for another moment, wishing she had been able to ask Hela more about this role she had accepted. She held the amulet in both hands and murmured, "I think I shall start here."
The amulet lit up, and Lily gasped as it engulfed her being with pain and vindication.
**In Reflected Little Whining, 2015**
Lily woke abruptly with a scream of pain and alarm. She tasted cool clean air, and felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright, miss Evans? Can you hear me?"
The noise that finally registered in her ears was that of sirens. Lily blinked rapidly and raised a hand to brush her hair away from her face. Her body felt incredibly stiff and somewhat alien; though thankfully she clearly had remained female.
The world came into focus quickly after that. She was on a familiar street...familiar in a stomach sinking dread sort of way. It was Little Whining – the home of Vernon Dursley.
Oh please god no, why here? Why did it have to be here? She thought helplessly.
"Can you hear me?"
Lily glanced to her right, where a concerned nurse was standing. She was sitting upright on a stretcher, and there was an expensive looking wrecked car a few paces away from them. "Yes," She said. "Loud and clear."
"Oh, good." The nurse said in relief. "You flatlined for a moment when we pulled you over; we were afraid we'd lost you."
I see...you probably lost this body's original tenant. So that's what Hela meant by the host having already left the body...
Lily looked down at herself. Her clothes seemed a size too big for her, which suggested her body had changed from whatever it had been in the first place to her original appearance. Aside from that, she looked mostly like she had before, though her hair was a shade darker and her skin was more calloused. The body felt a little different too, but nothing that would constantly demand her attention.
Here I am, she thought. I made it.
It took several hours and a short stay at the hospital before the nurse was ready to release her back into the world. While she was waiting, Lily bought herself a journal and burned some time writing. Once she was released, she examined her Driver's Licence. There was a wallet in her pocket with two hundred dollars, a bank card and a slip of paper with the pin number, a driver's licence, a health card, and an air plane pilot licence.
Once she was allowed to leave, Lily examined her new information and discovered her new address – suberbs on the other end of London. She caught a bus and made her way over to the number 15 house. There was a spare key under the mat and a car parked just out front.
Lily unlocked the door and stepped inside. There was a note waiting for her on the table. It was written in ancient norse, so she had to cast a translation spell before she could read it.
As far as the neighbours are concerned, you've always been here. They haven't noticed the similarities between you and the Lily Potter native to this world. This world is radically different from your first – tread carefully.
Good luck – Hela.
Lily smiled slightly. She wondered if Hela ever got bored of having to guide the souls to the afterlife, and this was her way of burning off stream.
**The Next Day**
Lily felt James's absence when she woke up the next morning – they had always stayed in bed together, often with the house cat Patches sleeping in between them. James teased that Patches was trying to steal her from him quite often. A small prick of pain hit her heart, but she remembered what Hela said. We'll meet again in time...
A look around the fridge made it clear she needed to go shopping. So Lily drove down to downtown London to get supplies – and a new kitten. Lily never liked being completely alone.
There was something just...sad, about this London. Everyone seemed to be discreetly on edge; as if they were expecting an earthquake or some equally sudden disaster to sweep in without warning. It wasn't visibly tangible – yet – but Lily could feel it in the air. Is Voldemort here too? She wondered. Or has another dark wizard attacked more radically in his place? Or is this world prone to disasters? Why is everyone nervous?
After the better part of an hour, Lily brought herself groceries and a friendly, fluffy tuxedo kitten named Ashley. She was putting her items away in the trunk of her car, in the garage beneath the mall when she heard muffled yelling.
Frowning, she closed and locked the trunk before making her way towards the noise. As the yelling got louder, it was clear that there were a number of people.
When the group came into focus, Lily saw something that made her vision run red and woke a terrible rage inside her. A group of teenaged hooligans had thrown a boy to the ground and were in the process of violently kicking him. Two stood separately, holding back a red haired girl who was spitting and struggling furiously.
"HEY!" She bellowed.
The kids looked up to see her storming towards them. The ringleader looked familiar... ... ...was that Vernon Dursley? No, it couldn't be...that must be his son!
Petunia!
She took the cell phone she had found in the house and opened it, glaring at all seven boys. She would have loved to unleash a torrent of hexes on them for abusing these kids, but she was pretty sure they were muggles so that was off limits.
She was somewhat bluffing – she hadn't entirely gotten the hang of this new phone contraption (the 21st century was proving to be a bearer of amazing change, and Lily had hardly scratched the surface yet) but the boys all panicked and ran when she made as if to press nine one one.
So typical of bullies, Lily thought angrily. They're all cowards.
The girl, having bitten one of her opponents prior to Lily's arrival, spat on the ground and rubbed her mouth. "Gross," She said bitingly.
Lily smiled at her before kneeling next to the boy and murmuring, "Are you okay? Can you stand up? Your sides, is there sharp pain there?"
The boy grunted. "Nothing I haven't felt before."
Lily wasn't sure what to say to that, but she helped the boy stand up. Suddenly, she was struck by the resemblence he had to James – the same black hair and face shape. All except for the dark green eyes.
The boy, once he focused on her, seemed equally stunned. For a moment there was silence, before the boy hesitantly asked, "Mother? Is that...you?"
End Prologue
And here we go! Depending on how this story is recieved, I may have it be ongoing with Lily continuing to travel to worlds beyond this one. Expect sporadic updates, because my muse often leapfrogs between stories (as you've probably noticed by now), but I'll try to get one update our per month for each of my stories. School will be returning soon (enters the fetal position) so I probably won't be able to keep up the update schedual I've been maintaining over summer, so please bear with me!
Read and Review please!
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