A/N- Please review!

Disclaimer- I only wish I owned HP. I definitely don't.

From Albus to Albus

Lily Potter sighed into the mirror. She had inherited her father's untameable, untidy hair, which on a female was wondrous to behold. Try as she might, Lily had never mastered the careful coifing of her female cousins. Even Rose's bushy hair had begun to look smooth over and become at least manageable. Her vibrant hair of Weasley red fell in mismatched curls and waves down her back. It never settled and seemed in constant motion: utterly wild and unruly. Her brothers always referred to her hair as her "mane,", a name that persisted throughout her time at Hogwarts. Several of her classmates even said that her hair could be the unofficial mascot of Gryffindor.

Like her mother, Ginny Potter, Lily was quite short and had brothers that towered over her. Though she largely escaped the 'curse of the freckles'( as her brother James dubbed it), some were dusted over her nose and high cheekbones. Lily turned on the tap and splashed her face with cool water.

Her reverie was broken by the sound of a muffled voice on the other side of the bathroom door.

"Lily, you've got to hurry. It starts in five bloody minutes!"

Lily groaned, "I'll be out in a minute, Hu!" she yelled. The door swung open and her cousin, Hugo, marched in, his auror robes swirling around him.

"What the hell are you doing in there anyways?" he asked, taking in the scene with a smile. "Trying to drown yourself by the looks of it."

"Oh ha ha. Bursting in here. I could have been changing or something." she said continuing to attempt the flattening of her hair.

"Sure, sure." he watched her struggle with her hair, an amused expression on his face "I don't know why you are even trying."

"Shut it." she said, glaring at his through the mirror. His hair was precisely the same vibrant red as hers, but where hers was incredibly messy, his was simply puffy.

"Alright, this as good as it gets. Let's go then." she said with a huff.

"You look beautiful, Lily, as always."

"Thanks, cousin. You have to say that. But I must say you are looking exceedingly handsome as well."

"Thanks, Lily."

After three years of brutally hard training, Lily and Hugo were finally graduating from Auror training. Lily and Hugo were not alone in pursuing this career. Four other cousins had also chosen this course and were fully qualified aurors. She supposed being raised by war heroes tended to sway you into following similar paths.

She stood between Hugo and the other graduate, a Hufflepuff named Timothy McMillian. The ceremony was pointless, but still rather short. The audience was relatively small, and with the thirty plus members of the Wealsey clan gathered it was distinctly red-haired.

Her father, as Head of the Department of Aurors, handed her the certificate and shook her hand proudly. Lily could tell he was attempting to keep his face and actions professional. She could see the pride in his eyes though. Her father moved on, smiling and shaking Hugo's hand.

James was the first one over to her. He pulled her into a hug and swung her around wildly. She pulled back to look at him with his messy red hair and twinkling hazel eyes. James had a wide lopsided grin on his face as he said:

"Merlin, you're old Elle. I can't believe you're an auror, now." He pulled her in for another hug, smashing her face into his chest.

"Neither can I." she said. Her voice was muffled by James's robes.

James let her go. Her father, who was standing a few feet away, walked forward..

"I'm so proud of you sweetheart." said Harry Potter, his emerald eyes a little too watery as he looked at his youngest and only daughter. His hands grasped her shoulders as he pulled her into a fatherly hug.

"Thanks Daddy." she whispered as she clung to him happily. She had always adored her father, not because he was the saviour of the Wizarding World, but because he was the best person she had ever met.

After letting go of her father, she went on to receive hugs and kisses from the rest of her family. Hugo, too, was receiving the affection and congratulations of the enormous family. He rolled his eyes at her over the shoulder of their doting grandmother and Lily gave a laugh.

For the next ten minutes, Lily embraced every member of her enormous family, some of them several times.

"Well!" said Uncle Ron, clapping his son of the back, "I'm bloody starving. Shall we head over to the Burrow for some delicious food?"

The Weasley-Potter clan laughed and began to head towards the floos. Anywhere Harry Potter went people were sure to stare with unabashed curiosity,. As always, her father ignored their stares. Of course, the Weasley family itself was an extreme curiosity in itself. Every magical person knew of their contribution and sacrifice to the war effort. Lily had been raised with the stares, the sometimes rude questioning.

The family reached the floos, still raucously loud and one by one began to step into the floo and disappear to the Burrow. Lily was chatting merrily with Teddy, her brothers and some of her cousins about the upcoming World Cup.

"Damn. I left my overcoat in my office." said Albus "Anyone want to come with me to get it? Lily?"

"Seriously, Al? Ugh. Fine, I'll go." said Lily in an exasperated voice. The remaining members of the group erupted in good-byes and continued their travel by floo powder.

"Lily, we'll see you soon. I love you, sweetheart." said Ginny Potter, patting her daughter on the cheek and linking arms with her husband and disappearing into the flames.

"Alright, see you all soon."

Lily and Albus turned back toward the direction they had come, heading toward the lifts across from the Atrium. As they walked through the Atrium, Lily began to have a strange feeling. She glanced sideways at her brother. Albus had a strange smug look on her face and pieces began to fall together…suddenly, she had a gut feeling that this 'forgotten coat' was a diversionary tactic, likely giving her family time to set up a surprise party celebrating her induction.

"You bastard." she saidm under her breath.

"Sorry?" said Albus.

"You tricked me." Lily accused, pointing a finger at her dark-haired brother. His lip twitched as he tried to keep a straight face.

"I don't know what you are talking about." Lily could see the smirk beneath the forced expression of utmost innocence.

"Oh you don't? Where's Hugo? I wonder what mission Rose led him on to distract him. Well, I'd like to inform you that I now despise you."

Albus laughed and threw his arm over her shoulders. As they walked through the crowds, Lily could see people continuing to look at them curiously. The children of the famous Harry Potter were known by most of the magic community by sight, not to mention Albus was nearly identical to their father and attracted a lot of attention.

As they neared the lifts, the two siblings turned their conversation once more to the upcoming World Cup. Lily was certain that the underdog Irish would come on top, while Albus was supporting the Egyptians for the Cup. Lily and Albus entered the lift alone still content with their mindless chatter. Albus hit the button for level nine and they began to descend rapidly.

A cool female voice announced their location and they stepped from the lift into the deserted corridor. The siblings went through the enormous black door that marked the entrance to the Department of Mysteries. Once inside the Department, they continued on through several of the rooms. The Chamber of Thought was first, where Lily knew her Uncle Ron had once been attacked by the tentacled brains swimming in an eerie green liquid. The Chamber of Space was next. Then the Chamber of Death, where Sirius Black had once fallen through the ancient looking archway, covered by a fluttering black curtain.

As she had been the last time she was in the Chamber of Death, Lily felt disoriented. She could hear whispering coming from the veil. She was overcome with the desire to walk toward it, to listen to what those muffled voices were saying. She took a step nearer the dais, but stumbled and was caught by Albus.

"Woah, Elle. If it were remotely possible, I would be convinced you inherited Teddy's clumsiness. Neither of you can move without knocking something over or tripping over your own feet."

"Like you are so graceful!" she complained, glaring at him, trying to shake away those voices as the neared the next door. "And you ! You are supposed to be nice to me today, Al! It's my bloody graduation."

Albus laughed heartily, holding the large black door open for his sister who walked huffily through.

"I can't believe my baby sister is a big, bad auror." he said.

"Well, you better watch out." she said. They were now in the Chamber of Time. Lily knew her brother's office was somewhere in a corridor off of this chamber. No one outside the Department of Mysteries was allowed to enter the offices or even know exactly where they were located. This was a chamber she had never been in. She had only gone as far as the Chamber of Death on her previous visits.

"Wait here, Elle. I'll be back in a minute." said Albus, turning on his heel and walking out across the room, stroking a wall and disappearing.

Lily looked around the room. It was perhaps the most conventionally beautiful of the rooms she had gone through in the department. Around the room were clocks of every size and description and time turners. She had never seen a time turner, though she had been raised hearing of her father's third year adventure. Her aunt Hermione had a special interest in time travel and had sometimes talked enthusiastically about it with Lily.

Curious, she moved toward the hourglass objects. Lily reached out with her right hand, touching the side of a rather large time turner. She leaned close and examined the smaller ones as well. Her curiosity satisfied, Lily turned on her heel, ready to find some more interesting artefacts.

She had barely got her foot off the ground to take a step when there was a resounding snap. Lily spun around and in terror she watched as the shelf with the largest time turner fell from it spot on the wall and with an almighty crash, smashed to the marble ground. Sand poured onto Lily's feet. As she turned to make her escape, she felt herself collapsing and her world went blank.

Lily's head was pounding as though a massive gong was being beaten inside of it. She was certain that if she opened her eyes too soon, the room would be swirling. She could hear rustling beside her. Someone was sitting beside her. Albus. It had to be Albus. She had to in St. Mungo's. She was probably knocked out by that shelf flying at her. Albus had taken her to St. Mungo's when he saw what happened.

He and James were never going to let this lie. She was so clumsy that she knocked herself out. Oh, God the family stories this would lead to. Well, she had best bite the bullet (to use the muggle expression) and take the slagging that would inevitably be delivered.

But when she at last opened her eyes, she did not see the pure emerald of Albus Potter or her father, nor did she see the chocolate of James or her mother. She was not looking into the eyes of any Weasley or Potter. No, Lily now stared into the startlingly blue eyes of Albus Dumbledore. Eyes she had only seen on the painted canvas of the Headmistress' office or through the memories of her father.

She could appreciate, through her haze of shock and disbelief, that neither the memories nor the painting could render the precise, radiant blue that Albus Dumbledore's eyes were.