Shared Beliefs
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Out of all the Marauders, it was no secret that Remus Lupin was the only one whom Lily Evans could be locked in a room with without blood being drawn.
Really, it wasn't such a surprise-Remus was mature well beyond what his years would ever allow, due to his unfortunate condition, (not that anyone outside the Marauders and teachers knew this at the time). He was kind, intelligent, a lover of books...honestly, it wasn't a surprise to the residents of Hogwarts when the quiet prankster and fiery redhead where occasionally seen walking down the halls together, laughing; or seating side by side in the common room, studying.
It made sense after all, that is what people said. Lupin and Evans are so similar, and now that their both perfects so they can talk without his friends getting in the way. Of course the would be friends.
No one suspected that at the root of this friendship, there was a deeper connation that solidify it.
It was in their fifth year, and Lily was on her way to meet Remus to begin their nightly patrol. Her dark red hair was flying behind her, pulled back-as it always was- by a green ribbon. Anyone could see that she was in a foul mood (so Heaven help the poor soul who was out breaking curfew this night), and was not to be crossed.
Her usually orderly thoughts were total disarray this night, and Lily tried to organized them into something resembling a pattern.
Item number 1: Potter and his bullying.
Here Lily let out a frustrated puff of air, and began to rub her temples. James Bloody Potter...why couldn't he just leave Severus be? Would it kill him? Today's prank had been harsh, even by the Marauders standers. Today the prat had slipped something into Sev's herblogey project that has caused vines of poison ivy to shoot out and ensnared it's unlucky victim.
Sev was still in the infirmity...though Potter and Black was there as well, seeing that when she had heard what had happen, Lily had flown into a rage, hunted down the culprits, and had hexed them in retaliation. they would both be bed ridden with a bad cause of warts for a week. Hopefully, that would cheer Sev up a bit.
Sighing, Lily shook her head. Really...why couldn't Potter just grow up a bit? Just a tad? He wasn't all bad, she knew that. More than once, she had been amused by his jokes-so long as they were harmless. And she had seen him stand up and care for his friends more times than she could count. Further more, given all the evil things that had been happening in the world outside Hogwarts, Potter's light and humor often brought a welcome relief from reality...
Now if he could just learn to stop hexing people who were in his way.
Item number 2: O.W.L.S.
Here Lily couldn't help but swallow, her palm suddenly clammy and her legs twitching to march straight back to the common room to study, study, study. She had to pass her O.W.L.S. She just had to. there was now other way for a penniless( Well, in Wizarding terms penniless, seeing that her family was upper middle class) muggle-born to rise up in this world.
Especially seeing that there were some who would be more than happy to see her fail...or lowered into her grave.
All at once, Macnir and Arvey leering faces rose up before her eyes, and Mary's screams as the two tortured her sounded out in her ears.
Lily blinked and the vision was gone, but nevertheless, she began to walk faster, her hand on her wand as she moved. She wanted to find Remus as soon as possible. There was safety in number. Speaking of numbers...
Item number 3: You Know Who and his Death Eaters.
...God in Heaven, just thinking about them was enough to make Lily breakout in a cold sweat. She could think of nothing more dark, more sinister...more evil than the lunatics that were leavening a bloody trail through Britain. Blood belonging to those who in their eyes had no right to exist...for no reason than because of who the were born to, and where they had come from.
everyday there was news of another killing, or disappearance,...as a matter of fact, today hash been one such day, with the Daily Prohet reported that the mutilated bodies of three muggle-borns had been discovered in Diagonal Ally, stringed up for all to see.
None of the victims had been older than nineteen years. In fact, Lily had know one of the dead. Her name had been Anna. Anna Hamson, who had graduated only last year. She one of the most cheerful, caring witches Lily had ever know. Caring enough to help her out with her home sickness that first few days at Hogwarts, to show her the quickest ways to get to classes, and how to stand up for people. She had become the older sister that Lily had once had in Petunia, and seeing that they had both been redheads, they had convincingly pretend that they were sisters.
...and now she was dead. Murdered.
Anna had been the cleverest witch in her year. Perfect and Headgirl. She had always studied, never broke a rule, and certainly had never hurt a soul.
But they had killed her all the same...and they had killed her slowly.
Abruptly Lily stopped walking, gasping in air as long held back tears began to pour down her face. Unable to remain standing, she made her way over to the nearest wall, and sank to her knees, the torch light shining of her head.
She couldn't keep doing this. She just couldn't. She couldn't go on livening day by day like nothing was wrong while people were dying. She just couldn't.
And she wouldn't. Rumor had it that Dumbledore was beginning to put together an order to fight back. Lily already knew without a doubt that she would be signing up the moment she came of age.
...what she did doubt was whether or not it would make a difference. What she did doubt was whether or not they would win.
Lily was instantly disgusted with herself. Of course they would win! Of course they would...
Why? whispered the Devil's Advocate in her ear. What makes you think you stand a change against one who is almost a god?
Swallowing, Lily tried desperately to think of a counter argument.
But nothing came to mind.
How could they defect one who held so much power? How could they win against one who had no problem with playing God, and dealing out life and death?
But...But we have Dumbledore! her mind protested weakly, repeating the argument she had heard over and over again, to the point where it had little meaning (to her anyway).
Dumbledore?! the Advocate sneered. Dumbledore is just a man-one who is older with each passing day. You Know Who is ageless...he will last forever, and crush all who opposite him. You will die, along with all you love. It is a fact. How can you think otherwise?
Because...because...
She had no answer.
The Advocate was right...for all his power and wisdom, Dumbledore was just a man. And a man could make mistakes, make errs of judgment-miscalculate. And You Know You was so clever, snake that he was...he could outfox them...and he certainly had quite the army.
So what said that they could win?
Because...because...
Suddenly, the answer roared to life in her brain. And she spoke it out loud.
"We will win because God said '"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."' Voldemort is evil, all that he does is evil, and evil is a cancer. It feeds off itself until there is nothing left."
With that, the Devil's advocate was silenced.
Lily blinked in surprised, awed at what had just left her mouth.
Where had that come from?
'From my muggle roots I supposed,' Lily thought to herself with a small chuckle, as she pushed herself off the floor. "Its been a while since I thought about things in that way," she murmured out loud.
That thought sobered her, for in truth, that was one of the only things she distasted about the magical world. How it seemed to have no room for Faith or Belief.
Instead of God, wizarding folk tend to look to their idols for moral guidance, not seeming to realized that they were only human themselves...or in the Death Eater's case, totally evil.
But then again, Lily knew that she had no right to point fingers seeing that she had done the same thing during her years at Hogwarts. Over and over.
Flushing slightly with shame, Lily sadly recalled how much of a believer she used to be, back when she was a young girl. She use to go to mass every Sunday, without fail, even if she had to walk there alone(It had only been down the block). She had loved the stained glass windows, the smell of incenses in the air, and how the Priest would speak the Lord's words of truth and love to her.
She especially loved Easter time, when the Virgin Mother's stature would be covered in white lilies...to symbolize rebirth and purity.
But that had changed when she had gone to school.
For one thing their were no churches anywhere around here. Not for a hundred miles. And the odd looks she had gotten where she had asked about it (from both students and teachers) had made her shut her mouth firmly.
And as she had learn more magic, more about her new world, Lily had started to believe that she no longer need her faith, that she could take care of herself.
What a fool she had been! Her magical world was trying to kill her.
"I'm such a fool," Lily whispered, as she made her way to lean against the window, and looked up at an almost full moon.
Slowly, she found herself placing her palms together, and speaking a prayer that hadn't left her lips since she was thirteen years old.
"Our Father, who is in Heaven. Hollowed be Thy name.
By kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as its in Heaven."
Yes, let His will be done in the form of every witch and wizard willing to fight against the evil.
"Give us are daily bread, and forgive us are trespasses as...as we...forgive those who trespass against us."
That was harder to say, so very much harder. Forgive those who cursed and spat upon her? Who murdered her kind and tortured her friends? Did God know what he was asking?
Yes He did. But how could she do it?
Because if you do not, your soul will rot with the hate you feel. For your own shake you must forgive.
An odd thought came into Lily's head at that moment...Death Eaters were, in a sense, like children. Ignorance of the harm the caused, they could be cruel, like kids sometime where...Lily could forgive a child-not pardon mind you, they still had to answer for the sins-even if they wanted to kill her.
On with the prayer.
"And led us not into temptation...but deliver us from evil...please, please deliver us from evil."
"Amen."
Lily's eyes flew open. That had not been her.
Whirling around, her emerald gaze meet Remus's chocolate one, which carried a soft, knowing look.
"OH! Remus!" Lily exclaimed flustered. Quickly, her hands began to wipe her face clean of tears. "I'm sorry, I was on my way to meet you...I just got a little bit..."
"Sidetracked?" Remus suggested.
"Um yes, sidetracked...and a bit overwhelmed," Lily confessed.
Remus nodded in sympathy.
"Believe me, I know exactly how you feel," He said in a quiet voice, and maybe it was Lily's imagination, but she could have sworn that his eyes darted out to the moon in the sky for a split second before coming back to her. Grinning wryly, the lanky boy reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden rosary. Holding it out to Lily's stunned gaze, he offered an explanation. "I've said a prayer walking routes time and again."
"Oh...your Catholic then?" Lily asked after a moment.
Remus nodded. "And you?"
"The same...do you thing there are more muggle-borns and half-bloods like us, who believe but do so privately because they want to fit in?"
Remus nodded again. "Undoubtedly. Faith in the magical word is seen as odd or even as a sign of having weak magic, because to those who grew up without it, it looks like we're constantly dependent on something." Here an amused smile crossed his face. "I'll never forget the look James and Peter gave me when they caught me praying in first year...but they were better than Sirius...Sirius teased me about it."
Lily was appalled. "He did not!"
"Oh, but he did," Remus said with a sigh. "But he stopped in second year, after learning why I pray." Suddenly, Remus stopped talking, the tension in his jaw saying that he had said to much.
But Lily was curious. "Why is that?"
"He found out that my mother was sick," Remus replied, a little to quickly. "The rosary was her's ,she gave it to me."
Lily's heart melted. "Oh, do you have to visit her again soon?"
"Pretty soon," Remus muttered.
"I'm sorry."
"...Thanks. We should probably get going on routes."
"Alright."
Together they walked in silence, before Remus asked another question.
"Lily...may I ask what you were praying for?"
Lily chose her words carefully. "I was praying for a lot of things...for peace, for freedom, for the lives and safety of my friends...to forgive the death eaters-"
Jaw dropping, Remus stopped walking.
"Forgive?" he repeated, stunned.
Blushing, Lily nodded.
"Yes, I want to be able to forgive them...for they know not what they do..."
Amazed, Remus could only shake his sandy brown head.
"You have the soul of an angel, Lily Evans," he informed her.
Lily smiled.
The rest of patrol went by rather quickly, and before they knew it, it was done, and they were back in Common Room.
"Hey Lily," Remus said before the parted ways, "If you like, we could pray together next patrol...if you like to that is."
Lily beamed at him. "That sounds wonderful."
Remus grinned. "Good," then he sobered.
"Hey Lily...we'll win this war, don't ever forget that...'"Though a thousand fall at my side, and ten thousand are dying around me, the evil will not touch me."'
Her eyes somewhat misty, Lily's smile widen. "Psalm91."
Remus nodded. "Yes...good night Lily."
"Good night...and thank you."
The end
This is my first harry potter fanfic,was Lily and remus in character? This story was form because they are he two you a can easily see as believers.
Bible verses are romans 12:21 & Psalm 91