Legal disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

Content warning: Blasphemy

Author's note: First AU ever waaaa. Shoutout to my team for getting me on the Lily!Lives Celestial Petals bandwagon and inspiring this. Shoutout to tumblr for showing me pictures of lichtenberg figures or lightning flowers (the marks that a lightning strike leaves on skin, among other things) for the first time. Thank you to everyone who beta'ed and helped me pick a title.

Submitting info:

House: Hufflepuff

Year: Second year

Category: Drabble, Second round

Prompt: [Speech] "Keep talking. I'm starting to believe you."

Word Count: 1994


Lightning Never Strikes Twice

"As different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire."

Emily Brontë

Remus grabbed Sirius' arm, halting his progress. His eyes transitioned from widened shock to glazed over and distant when he saw the body at their feet. His glasses had slid down his nose, and his eyes were frozen open. How strange it was, for James' eyes to look cold…

"Lily!" Sirius cried. "Lily!"

As soon as they heard something, they shot up the stairs, bypassing James. They froze in the doorway of Harry's room when they saw the cold, pale figure in black…

Remus looked away from Voldemort's body over to Lily who sat with her back to Harry's crib. The baby was swaddled in the striped blanket Mrs. Pettigrew had knitted and pressed against her chest. She was wearing her black dressing robe and her red hair covered her face. She dropped the wand she was holding—it wasn't hers, it must be…

If Remus hadn't seen Harry's bedroom a hundred times, helped to paint it actually, he might not recognize the space. Most of the furniture was toppled over. The window was gone. A mismeasured potion may as well have exploded.

"He's dead, isn't he?" Lily asked. "I heard… He fell."

"Jesus," Sirius said, jumping over the corpse and falling to his knees at her side. "Jesus Lily, thank God you're… Thank God… Harry?"

"He's okay," Lily said weakly, looking up. The scar on her face chilled his blood— it was like a lightning bolt, a sharp line across her face from which others streaked and zigzagged… It started on her chest and shot its way up her neck and jaw, ending just under her eye.

She took deep, measured breaths.

"I didn't have my wand, I had to… I had to use his to send you a Patronus," Lily said. "I was sure we were going to die. He shot a killing curse at me."

Remus looked down at the pale, quasi-human body blocking the nursery's door frame. He felt in a fog—James, dead. Voldemort, also dead. This meant…

He joined Lily. Harry wore the red and gold pajamas that James had liked the most. He wondered if that was the last outfit his father had chosen. The baby looked around curiously and smiled when he saw Remus.

"Moo-moo!"

"Hi sweetheart," Remus said, touching his hair. He slipped his wand in his belt.

"Lily, I can take—"

Lily cut Sirius off. "I'll carry him. Don't… don't touch the body."

"Okay. We need to get you out of this house, it isn't solid."

Sirius helped Lily up. Remus and Sirius framed Lily, guiding her out of Harry's bedroom and through the now-ruined house. When they got to the top of the staircase, Sirius summoned a blanket to cover James' body. Lily's breath caught in her throat anyways.

"Let's go out the back door," Remus suggested quietly. They did. While they were cutting through the kitchen, Lily stopped, her eyes kept shut.

"My wand—I think it's by the sink, I was doing dishes…"

Remus found it and placed it in her outstretched hand. He held the door open while Sirius steered her out. They rounded the house, stepped over the hose in the garden, walked along Bathilda Bagshot's neat lines of rose bushes… In front of the house stood Bathilda and Dumbledore along with a clique of Aurors and Healers.

"Thank Merlin," Bathilda said. "I called Dumbledore as soon as I saw him…"

"He's dead," Sirius said heavily. They'd imagined this moment, but as a happy one.

"Lily, my dear…" Dumbledore said.

"I don't know how we're alive," Lily said. "James is dead, but we're alive…"

Dumbledore looked to Sirius sharply. "How did he know? How did he know where to find…"

"I wasn't the Secret-Keeper," Sirius said.

"What?" Remus asked.

"We switched," Sirius said. "Three… three days ago?"

"Three days," Lily nodded. "Where's Peter? Is he okay? Sirius, Remus, you have to go find him…"

"I'll send Alastor to check on him," Dumbledore said coolly.

"I can take the baby, dear," Bathilda said.

"No," Lily said holding Harry tightly.

"We won't let him out of your sight, Lily," Dumbledore promised.

Lily fell apart. Sirius held her against his chest.

"He's dead," Lily said. "He's dead…"

"I know," Sirius said. Remus saw him holding back tears. "I know, I can't believe…"

Remus wiped at his own eyes and turned to Dumbledore and Moody, presumably there as Head Auror.

"We didn't touch anything," he said. "But we covered James."

"Good. And the Dark Lord..?"

"Is dead," Remus said just as quietly. "Upstairs. I don't understand what happened. Lily doesn't know. But she has a scar on her face… I don't think she knows, I have no idea what it is."

Dumbledore turned to look at her and Sirius, crying in each other's arms. When Harry started crying, Lily wiped her eyes and kissed his hair soothingly.

"Mama's okay, Harry's okay," she whispered to him. "Harry's okay, Mama's okay. Harry's okay, Mama's okay…"


With Lily and Harry in Remus' room, the two men spent a lot of time lying in Sirius' bed together, looking at the ceiling and thinking too much. The night before the trial was the worst. They were exhausted. Last night, Remus had transformed for the first time without the stag and the rat around. Ultimately, they gave up on sleep at 2:00 a.m., made coffee, and sat in the living room quietly.

In the morning, Lily emerged wearing a black Muggle dress and blazer. Her hair was pulled back tightly, exposing the breadth and intricacy of the lightning scar.

"You look good," Sirius promised, handing her coffee. "And Harry, you're so, so handsome, come here…"

"Toast?" Remus offered. "Eggs?"

"No thank you. I'm going to be sick."

"Brilliant. We can coordinate and all throw up on the Wizenmagot at the same time, then."

Lily's fingers curled around her cup.

"I hope he rots in Azkaban," she said bitterly.

"He will," Remus promised.

Lily toyed with her wedding ring. "Dumbledore told me they held the Snape trial yesterday. He tried to appeal for a lighter sentence, saying he'd asked Voldemort to spare James and I when he came for the baby. Dumbledore reckons that's why the Killing Curse bounced off of us because James didn't have to die. But... he did. Harry's life was at stake. I would have died too."

What could he answer?

"Don't worry about Severus," Remus said. "Focus on Pettigrew. That's who we're testifying against today."

"I know he might get fussy, but I'm bringing Harry into the courtroom with me," Lily said. "So Peter can remember what he did."

"Okay," Remus said. "Okay. Finish your coffee before we go."

Lily pushed it away and ran her palms over her eyes.


Mrs. Pettigrew found them after the trial.

"Don't speak to me," Lily said.

"Lily, dear…" She looked heartbroken.

"I said no," Lily snapped. "Your son became a Death Eater, now mine doesn't have a father. Leave us alone."

The Prophet gobbled it up, of course.


"My wand," Lily panicked. "Where's my wand!"

"Lily, it's here," Sirius said, grabbing it from the counter and bringing it to her. He put it in her hands and closed her fingers around it. "It's here."

"I've got to stop being this stupid," Lily said. He couldn't tell if her tears were frustrated, scared or angry. "I have to stop leaving it laying around…"

"Lily, you're safe here," Sirius said. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arms around her. She shook like a leaf. "Absolutely safe."


"We need to invest in some chairs," Remus said, stepping onto their rickety patio. Lily sat alone, the Muggle baby monitor she'd bought resting on her lap.

"Did Sirius send you?"

"I came myself," Remus said. "Why?"

"Don't play innocent, I know how he worries," Lily said. "I appreciate your hospitality, honestly, but Harry and I should get out from under your legs."

"Absolutely not," Remus said. "Did it occur to you that Sirius and I don't want to be without you either?"

Lily was quiet.

"I don't think I'm good company right now."

She had shattered the lenses of twelve Prophet cameras in Diagon Alley today with a wave of her wand. He didn't disapprove: it was just…

"Talk to me," Remus said quietly.

"I feel like I can spit fire," Lily said harshly. "I feel mean and I like it. And if Harry wasn't here, I would set everything on fire. And I hate all of that because it's not me."

"But it is like someone who's been gravely hurt," Remus said. "And you have."

Lily made a small sound, hiding her face in her hands to muffle the rest. But she was clearly crying.

"It hurts," she said. "So much. And the only person who could make it better is gone."

"I know," Remus said, gathering her in his arms. "I know he is. And the rest of us who are still here, we're not the same but we still love you, and we love Harry. And we're all going to get through this because of all that love, okay?"

"Okay," Lily said. "I just, I feel so… wrong."

"That's because you're the kindest person I've ever met," Remus said. "Truly. And that kindness was used against you and that was so wrong."

"I won't let it change me," Lily said fiercely. "I'm trying not to."

"I know you won't," Remus said. "Which is why it's allowed to be bad right now."

She leaned against his shoulder, and they looked at London sprawled below.


Since Harry favoured waddling rather than sitting in the stroller, expeditions to the park took forever and a day and required lots of bundling up.

Lily spent quite a bit of time looking over her shoulder.

"Hey," Sirius said, slowing to match her pace. "We're safe."

"Right," Lily said.

"Could've fooled me, Evans..."

"I'm a mother," Lily said. "It's my job not to believe it, just in case."

That's when Harry's started laughing up ahead. Remus had him hanging upside down and was making the monster sounds he so liked.

"Harry, what are you doing upside down, silly? What are you doing?" Lily asked.

"Pafoo! Help!" Harry giggled.

"I can't Harry, Moony's too strong!" Sirius called back.

Harry laughed and laughed, and Lily joined in, too. Sirius squeezed her hand.

"Evans, we'll take you as you are and can be. Please keep laughing."


"Listen, this flat is the worst," Sirius said. Again, they were on the patio—now with wine. "Harry needs more room, less asbestos, and a backyard. Wouldn't it be great for Harry to have a backyard?"

"With swings," Lily added shyly.

"Yes," Remus encouraged.

"Well, I'm back to tutoring Slughorn's students a few nights a week and the media buzz has gone down. We should…"

"No, not you and Harry," Sirius said. "Don't be silly, Evans. All of us."

Lily frowned. "But…"

"We like you," Sirius said. "We want to stay together. Just in a house instead of this overpriced shoebox."

"I'm sure there's something to be found," Remus said, taking her hand.

Sirius put his arm around her. "We'll move before Harry starts preschool. Find a place near a nice park and a coffee shop you and Remus can become regulars at…"

"A new place near the sea, or in the country, or in the middle of nowhere where nobody knows anything."

"Some place with a funny name so even getting the mail's a laugh."

"A place with a farmer's market."

"Hell, we could even build one. So what do you say, Evans? This could be good…" Sirius said.

Lily smiled. It was the bright, genuine smile James had fallen in love with, the one that the whole world was in love with really, and that Sirius and Remus had been hoping for and trying to tease out for months now.

"Keep talking. I'm starting to believe you," she said.