She couldn't dodge. Her legs wouldn't move. She was so tired and for some reason…
Everything was frozen except the green light moving closer and closer towards her. It was surreal, she had seen so much, fought so many, been close to death so many times, but for some reason this green light coming towards her scared her the most.
She had been stabbed so close to the heart, through the stomach, had her head bashed into walls so many times that it was a wonder she didn't have brain damage-
-or maybe she did-
-had her jaw, broken, and had her back cut to pieces. So why? Why did this scare her so much? Was she really that afraid of Death? Was she really no better than Voldemort and his Death Eater and every other wizard or witch that had coveted immortality?
"Is this it? Will I just die like this? But no… I can't die. I have too much unfinished work. I can't, I have to at least say thank you.! They need me. For the first time in my life, someone needs me and wants me. I can't leave now! I don't want to die now, it would be too sad and horrible, to leave when I'm finally happy. Why is this happening? I have to say thank you. Even when I didn't deserve it…I was wanted. Someone cares about me! I don't want to leave; I don't want to make them sad. Please give me another chance. I'll do better this time. I promise! I need to say thank you, so please don't let me die!"
She was alone suddenly, in Muggle London it seemed. She was in a worn-down park, with graffiti the playground equipment and the swings twisted. Cigarettes smoldered on the concrete and there were broken beer bottles at the end of each slide. This had been her life. She had been thrown away like a cigarette butt and left in this urban hell to survive. And survive she had. She had spent about twelve years as a street kid, and had never had a friend since those two months of first grade before her parents died. Lily moved and sat down on the only bench that didn't have gum all over it. She must be dead, she thought. And this was her hell.
Suddenly she saw James. He was walking slowly across the woodchips towards her. He was smiling.
She stared at him. What was he doing here? Had he died as well? And if so, why was he in her hell?
He came to stand right in front of her, still smiling.
How could he smile like that, Lily wondered
"Lily," he said.
Just Lily; just her name. He reached out his hand and …she took it.
He pulled her off the bench and they were very close all of the sudden. Lily wondered if she had ever been so close to someone.
"C'mon," he said, "Let's go."
And Lily couldn't stand it. She leaned in and kisse-
The beam of light hit her forehead. Then, with the same force, it bounced off and hit its caster. There was a huge explosion. The entire back wall burst into flame and imploded. There was a horrible high-pitched scream and then complete silence.
And Lily Evans fell to the ground; a deep cut in the shape of a lightning bolt etched upon her forehead.
The Girl Who Lived-
Chapter One-
Lily's P.O.V.
Lily gasped and sat straight up in bed, immediately regretting it as pain shot up her back. She looked around the strange white room, searching for a clue as to where she was. After she found none, she tried to get up, but her legs felt like lead. She looked down and saw an IV in her wrist.
"A hospital?" she thought, still trying to move her legs.
"Hello," she called, wincing at how hoarse her voice sounded, "Is anyone there?"
A woman in what Lily recognized as a healer's uniform bustled over to her, "Oh Merlin! Don't move, Ms. Evans! Your injuries aren't totally healed yet!"
"What happened?" she gasped, after the healer had tucked her securely under the bed sheets, "Oh God, if anyone died, it's all my fault! Please let them be alive. James-"
Suddenly she froze, "Wait a second," she said slowly, more to herself than the healer, "I got hit by the Killing Curse. Why aren't I dead?"
"But that's just it," the healer said, and as Lily looked closer, she realized how young she was, "You didn't die and You-Know-Who did! You're a hero, Ms. Evans."
"Call me Lily," she said automatically. She did a double take, "Wait-what?"
"You're a hero," said the healer excitedly, "The whole Wizarding World is celebrating the downfall of You-Know-Who!"
Lily gaped at her, "Voldemort's…dead?"
The healer, noticing her confused expression, handed her a paper, apparently too excited for words. Lily picked up the paper and began to read.
You-Know-Who is dead; Wizarding World rejoices
On June 8th, You-Know-Who's forces breached the seemingly impenetrable walls of Hogwarts and launched a full scale attack on the unsuspecting students and teachers. Albus Dumbledore, Hogwarts Headmaster, was not at the castle when the attack happened. This horrible situation made it almost impossible to even wish that any of the students would come out alive. However, all hope was not lost, because Lily Evans, the same girl who defended Hogsmeade from Death Eater attacks in October, and her classmates fought bravely against the Death Eaters. We have received countless owls from students and parents alike, telling stories of Death Eaters cornering helpless students in their classrooms and of Lily Evans and many other seventh years coming to the rescue. Evans and her friends went from classroom to classroom fighting off Death Eaters. Even when Aurors arrived, she refused to back down. In the end, she met the most evil wizard himself and matched his powers equally. But many hours of fighting had taken its toll on our heroine and she found herself unable to move as You-Know-Who threw a Killing Curse at her. Witnesses say that the curse connected with her forehead and then bounced off onto You-Know-Who. He disappeared into dust; and Aurors found no trace of him and have declared him dead. Evans was taken to a special ward in St. Mungo's, getting some well deserved rest. Healers told members of the press that she should be waking up soon and assured them that the injuries she sustained were not fatal or terminal.
There have been parties all over Great Britain, celebrating the death of this evil wizard, each toasting to Lily Evans, The Girl Who Lived. Experts say th-
Lily stopped there, her eyes wide as she stared at the white wall in front of her. 'The Girl Who Lived?' What the hell was going on? What had happened to her friends. To James?
The healer grinned and handed her another paper, the title reading "Wizarding World celebrates Girl Who Lived's Victory." She stared at it in disbelief.
"Wha-Wha…" she couldn't form the words.
She mental shook herself, "Figure out what's going on, don't just sit there!!"
"Where are they?" she said.
The healer looked slightly confused, "My friends…umm…James Potter, Sirius Black…"
The healer held up her hand, "Oh, your four friends, will be here shortly. I just Flooed them."
Lily blinked, when did she have enough time for that? And then it hit her.
They were alive.
"What day is it?" she asked desperately, rubbing away patches of water that had sprung suddenly from her eyes, "How long have I been out?"
"Almost two weeks," the young nurse informed her, "Your friends were very worried, especially the messy haired one." She winked at her suggestively. Lily felt her face flush.
"Wha-What am I so embarrassed about?" she thought as she looked away. All further thoughts were driven from her mind as she heard voices approach her door.
"Prongs, calm down! You've seen her everyday, for two weeks. She's fine."
"Bu-but what if she doesn't remember me-uh, I mean us. She could have amnesia or something," James' slightly hysterical voice floated through the door.
"James, Sirius is right," came Remus Lupin's voice, "She's fine, stop freaking out!"
"You don't know that!" James half-wailed.
"James, this is not a soap opera," came Peter's slightly annoyed voice, "People don't just randomly lose their memories."
"Oh."
There was a pause.
"Good point, Wormtail."
As they came closer to the door, Lily suddenly felt self-conscious. She was covered in bandages and wasn't wearing a shirt. The bandages covered her torso completely, but Lily still felt slightly embarrassed. Her four friends walked in nervously.
"You're awake! See, I told you so," exclaimed Sirius triumphantly.
"Hey," said James quietly, "You okay?"
She brushed back her long hair nervously, "Yeah…um… I…" she trailed off.
"Well, this is awkward," said Sirius, looking from Lily to James.
Lily and James both glared at him. He smirked.
"Just saying."
Lily would have rolled her eyes, but suddenly she felt so tired.
"What happened?" she asked quietly, "I saw the newspapers, but…"
They looked uncomfortable. Finally James spoke up.
"They're actually telling the truth," he said, "Er…I don't know if you remember, but Voldemort shot the Killing Curse at you and well…you didn't die. 'The Girl Who Lived'"
Lily looked away, "Yeah, I saw. Ridiculous, isn't it," she laughed nervously, "I mean, I'm overage…" she trailed off again, not knowing quite what to say.
Remus sighed, "Well, if you two aren't going to talk, then I'll tell Lily some new information Dumbledore found."
Lily looked up, "New information? About what?"
"Dumbledore figured out how the Death Eaters got into Hogwarts."
Lily blinked. She had never really thought of how they got in, just that they were there.
"Have you heard of the Chamber of Secrets?"
Lily nodded, "Isn't that just a legend, though?"
Remus shook his head, "No. Apparently, Voldemort knew about it and he used it to get into the castle. It reaches outside of the grounds, so he had an easy time getting in."
"Did Dumbledore seal it up?" asked Lily, knowing the answer.
"Yeah," said Remus, looking uncomfortable, "Look, Lily, do you know what happened, because Dumbledore has no clue why you aren't…you know…dead."
"I was hoping to ask him," said Lily, angrily, "Dammit, what's going on!"
Seeing their shocked faces, "I mean…, I'm not complaining that I'm not dead…, but," she rested her head in her hands, "I just wish I knew what was going on."
She knew that they were all staring at her, she had never shown so much emotion in front of them. Well, except James.
She raised her head, "Voldemort…the papers said…he's…"
"Dead? Dumbledore doesn't think so," said Sirius wearily, "He said he's probably injured and in hiding."
"Yeah," she said softly, "I knew it was too good to be true."
She was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't notice the door opening once again.
"Hello, Ms. Evans. I'm glad to see that you're finally awake."
She sat straight up in shock, wincing as pain once again cut across her back.
"Why is it always my back?" she wondered, before realizing that Dumbledore was before her.
"Pr-Professor Dumbledore!!"
"Ms. Evans," he nodded, acknowledging her, "How are you feeling?"
Lily struggled to gain her composure back before answering, "Er…fine, sir. Umm…about what happened two weeks ago…"
Dumbledore turned to her four friends, "Will you please wait outside?" he said softly, "I have something very important to tell Ms. Evans."
"Hey, wait, Lily is our friend, too. I think we deserve to know what's going on," said Sirius angrily.
"It is up to Ms. Evans whether she wants to tell you," said Dumbledore sternly, "I want to give her the choice."
He sighed when they didn't move.
"Please, boys. It is rather personal."
Sirius's determination wavered and then James sighed.
"Come on, guys," said Peter, "Let's wait outside."
As soon as they left, Dumbledore quickly cast a Silencing Charm around the room. Lily raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.
"What I am about to tell, you, Ms. Evans, is something I should have told you a long time ago." Suddenly he looked very old and tired. Lily fidgeted nervously. What was going on?
"I hope," he continued, "that you will forgive this old man's mistake. I wasn't quite certain whether you were the one. But now that I look back, it is obvious. All the signs point to you."
"Wait," she said, "So he's really not dead, then."
Dumbledore nodded and Lily felt the hair rise on the back of her neck.
"What's going on!"
Lily furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, as Dumbledore pulled out a small box from his pocket. With a tap of his wand the box, which really wasn't a box at all, grew larger until Lily recognized it as a Pensieve. She started at it. Was he going to show her a memory?
"Now Ms. Evans this might seem a bit-"
She cut him off, "Professor, I'm ready," she said. Then not wanting to sound rude, "Just please show me whatever you need to."
He nodded, "A Prophecy was made very recently, by the great-great granddaughter of Cassandra Trelawney. Involving a certain person who would destroy a Dark Lord."
Lily froze. She felt as if time had stopped still.
"-me," she whispered, "You mean…me."
"Get a grip on yourself!" said the voice, "Calm down and figure out what's going on!"
She forced herself to look back at Dumbledore. He tapped the liquid with his wand, and a figure appeared. It was a young woman, with huge green glasses, that couldn't have been more than eighteen or nineteen.
In a harsh voice, she spoke the words that changed Lily's life forever.
"She will come… The one with the power to destroy the Dark Lord forever…The one who has known no love shall use it against him…She will be forever marked by The Dark Lord…Neither will live while the other endures…She comes with hate and love joined together…She will come like the sun rises… she will come…The one with the power equally Dark but also Light will come…Hidden behind a mask…she will come…to destroy the Dark Lord…She is…coming…"
Lily stared at the figure her mouth slightly open.
"You knew this would come," said the voice, "You always knew, didn't you?"
"I did, I suppose I did know it," she thought, still in shock
"Now I ask you, Lily Evans," said Dumbledore, shaking Lily out of her reverie, "Will you fight this war against this self-styled Dark Lord?"
"I suppose I always knew, didn't I?" she said slowly, "How did it go… 'Love and hate joined together.' Well, I have the hate at least."
"What?" said Dumbledore, looking slightly perturbed.
"I hate Voldemort," she said simply, "Even before I met him, I just," she paused trying to find the right words, "I can't explain it…I just hate him…I hated him ever since I first heard of him."
She did not elaborate on why. She looked into the old, wise eyes of Albus Dumbledore, "I will fight," she said, softly, "I couldn't back out now, even if I wanted to."
"Very well, Miss Evans," said Dumbledore, all the weakness gone, "Very well."
A/N: Yay! Chapter One! Exciting! And sorry about the lame prophecy…as you can see, it's not really my strong suit. Next chapter will have a more info and hopefully, I'll get it out shortly. Please review! And thank my awesome beta swtaznhottiechik!
