Defense Against the Dark Arts:
"Don't blink. Blink and you're dead. They are fast. Faster than you can believe. Don't turn your back. Don't look away. And don't blink. Good Luck."
"People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint - it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly... time-y wimey... stuff."
"Sorry, I've got a bit of a complex life. Things don't always happen to me in quite the right order. Gets a bit confusing at times. Especially weddings. I'm rubbish at weddings. Especially my own."
"Gotta dash. Things happening. Well, four things. Well, four things and a lizard."
"The only psychopaths in the universe to kill you nicely."
"It was raining when we met."
"The angels have the phonebox," that's my favourite, I've got that on a T-shirt."
"Of course he can't hear us. Look. "Yup, that's me." "Yes I do." "Yup. And this." Next is..."
"Put your pants on! Put them on! I hate you!"
"What are you doing? It could be a burglar!" "A burglar who rings the doorbell?"
"No, gorgeous girl, you can't. There's only tonight. He told me, all those years ago, that we'll only meet again this one time, on the night I die."
"Nope. Knocked off before we came down here. Told them I had a family crisis"
"I'm clever, and I'm listening. Now don't patronise me, 'cause people have died and I'm not happy. Tell me."
Classic Disney Challenge: Alice in Wonderland (write about traveling to a new place)
Collect a Collection: Order Member (Lily Potter)
Disney Character: Mrs. Jumbo; write about standing up for your kid.
Fiddler on the Roof Character challenge: Golde, write about a mother's love for her kid.
Fairy Tale Competition: The Seven Crows (write about someone who sacrifices greatly for another)
WC: 2,984
"No! Please! NOT HARRY!" The last thing I saw was Voldemort's laughing face, and then a flash of green made everything go dark.
I was floating, I thought, maybe, but maybe not. I couldn't tell where I was, but everything was dark, and I felt weightless. Slowly, though, the darkness lightened until I found myself in a Muggle movie theater.
"Hello?" No one seemed to be around, and both doors were locked, so I sat down in a middle seat in the middle of the empty theater - best seat in the house, of course - and waited.
I wondered if this meant I had died. I was pretty sure I had, but I couldn't be too sure. Who knew what sort of hallucinations my mind could come up with?
The curtains before the screen slid open, and a wizard in deep scarlet robes stepped onto the screen.
"Lily Potter. I would say it is good to see you, but you are dead, so that may be too ironic for the situation. Welcome to the Afterlife!"
I stared openmouthed at the screen, speechless.
"Well, I'll give you a moment to process this. Go ahead, laugh, scream, cry, yell - I've heard it all before. In fact, let me answer your inevitable questions now - yes, you're dead, no, you can't go back, I'm sorry, I don't know how-"
"Is Harry still alive?"
The man stopped. "Harry? Was he the tall one, with the glasses? I'm sorry-"
"No, that's James. I know he's gone. I mean Harry. The baby? My son? Did he live?"
"Oh, that one... Well, I do believe he did. You and Mr. Potter were the only ones to pass on in that house on that night."
"On that night? Isn't it still that night? How long have I been... drifting?"
"Well, you see," he answered, shifting uncomfortably, "Time isn't exactly linear. Especially when you're dead. I mean, it's never straight and on track, it's always messy, but when you're dead, it's a big ball of... wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff. Does that make sense?"
No.
"Sure. It makes enough sense for us to move on," I responded briskly.
"Good! Now, before I can let you move forward, we must take a look at your past. You must see it and see what has led to this point so you can accept it and move on. I'll start the cinematic instructional video, and we'll get started!"
He walked off the stage and the theater went dark, as if a movie were starting. I looked to my right and found a giant tub of popcorn. On the other side, my favorite drink, butterbeer. Perfect for movies.
The audio began to crackle, and I sat back to watch my life flash before my eyes.
"Merlin, why is it raining so hard? Taking the boats is going to be so miserable!" The black haired boy was complaining to his friend as Severus and Lily walked in to the trains compartment.
"Hey, can we sit here?" Lily asked, brushing her red hair out of her face. The raven-haired boy stares open mouthed at her, his hazel eyes filled with shock. The other boy sitting beside him, the snarky looking one, smirked.
"You can sit with us, Carrot tops, but he can't. He's going to make the entire compartment greasy," the boy scoffed, leering at her.
"Oh, piss off! Sev is ten times nicer than you'll ever be. And don't you ever call me Carrot Tops again," she hissed, her green eyes flashing with anger.
Oh, Sirius, I thought. You were such an idiot. No game whatsoever.
"Hey, Sirius, mate, let them sit here. I'm sure they're both very nice people. Besides, anyone friends with such a beautiful red-head can be my friend as well," James said pompously, standing and holding his hand out for her trunk. "Might I help you with this, miss?"
She scowled and hoisted her bag onto the rack. "No thank you, Mr. - what's your name, anyway?"
"Potter. James Potter. And you are?"
"Lily Evans. But you can call me 'Evans'. Only my friends call me Lily," the girl responded with a glare.
The scene swirled and changed colors.
"Don't blink. Grindylows can move fast, and if they catch you-"
"Potter, I know how to deal with a grindylow! I'm top of the class. Now could you please just leave me alone?!" Third-year Lily huffed, brushing off the annoying boy. Sirius sauntered over and clapped his friend on the back.
"Sorry, mate. Better luck next time?"
James sighed. "How many 'next-time's will there be? She's brushed me off at least once or twice a week since first year. I can't even talk to her long enough to actually ask her out. Maybe I need to change my tactic..."
Sirius grinned. "Yea, man, you really do. Stop paying so much attention to her, maybe, and go after other girls. Make her jealous."
"That won't work, Sirius!" I called to the screen, grinning.
"Maybe I can try connecting to something she likes. Hey, doesn't she like that Muggle thing? Doctor What? No, that's not it..."
"Doctor Who?" Lily asked, sauntering over. "Is that what I hear you trying to say?"
James turned white. "Uh, yea, Lily, it is. I heard about it over the summer and it sounded really good! Doctor Who, huh?"
"Oh, yea, I love it! I've got a t-shirt with weeping angels on it..."
I watch as past me starts chattering away. Man was I a chatterbox. But I couldn't help but watch James' face. Just listening to me seemed to make him glow with happiness.
And to think, I almost lost him completely.
"Lily flower, you're telling us there's someone out there who wants to kill anyone with non-magical blood in them? What is this, some sort of Hitler character?"
"Daddy, please, I'll be fine at Hogwarts. It's safer than here! And here, I'll endanger all of you," Fifteen-year-old Lily pleaded, holding a letter.
"I don't know if I want you leaving again with this guy on the loose. What if he breaks into your school and tries to stab you or something?"
Lily laughed. "First off, Daddy, he'd kill using the Killing Curse. And second, we've got Dumbledore. He's the only man You-Know-Who is scared of."
"What's the Killing Curse?"
Lily shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it's a spell, and it creates this flash of green light, and when it hits you, you die immediately. It's said to be painless, but no one knows for sure, of course. It's not as bad as you think, though, Daddy."
Her mum rolled her eyes. "Great, so if these pyschopaths decide to kill you, at least they'll be the nicest psychopaths in the universe for killing you painlessly?"
"Mum, please. I know it's going to be dangerous. But everywhere in Europe is dangerous. Hogwarts is going to be the safest place for me now," she begged.
I shivered. You-Know-Who's rise to power had been terrifying, especially for me as a Muggleborn. But I had James, at least.
Her prefect badge gleamed across her chest as she patrolled the corridors. How noble and important she seemed - a sixth year, prefect, top of her class, a shoe in for Head Girl. Calm and collected in the face of danger, and kind to every person who crossed her path. Loyal, too.
Until, that is, she ran into someone.
"Ja-"
A hand clapped over her mouth and she was dragged into the corner with him.
"Don't say a word, Evans. Not until I've cast the charm," he whispered into her ear, his breath hot on her skin. She shivered despite herself.
At a muttered 'muffliato', James relaxed his hand, then pulled something silvery out of his bag. "Come with me. We'll do a bit of recon."
"Recon on what?"
"Sirius and Marlene," he said, grinning.
That peaked her interest. Her best friend, Marlene? And Sirius Black?
That sounded like a match made in Hell. It would be hilarious to see Marlene turne Black down.
"How will we get there without them seeing us?"
"With this. It's an invisibility cloak."
James threw it over them both and started down the hall.
"You're sure they can't hear us? Or see us?"
"Nope. Not a peep, not a movement. As long as you're under the cloak. So stick close to me."
"I'm sure you're loving this, Potter," she said as she scooted closer to the boy.
He grinned. "Loving every second, Evans. Now listen."
"Marlene-"
"No, Sirius, you can't do that to people! You can't flirt and make them fall for you and then just be a douchebag when you ask them out! What am I to you, some sleaze you can have a one-night stand with and then dump?!"
"Oh, poor Sirius... I remember this. They were such a great couple, too. Poor Marlene..." a tear slipped down my cheek as I remembered my best friend's death.
"Hey. Don't cry for me, Lils. Just watch the damn movie."
I turned towards the seat on my right in shock. Marlene McKinnon sat there, munching on my popcorn with a grin on her tanned face. "Miss me?"
"Marly!"
"Hey, Lils. We'll catch up later. For now, let's reminisce in the talking to I gave Sirius that day - one of my finer moments in life, I might add," she chuckled, and I squeezed her hand tight, watching the rest of the movie.
Death wasn't so bad after all.
"Mum! No, don't go!"
"I'm so sorry, darling. I can't help it. I'm off to meet Him."
"Isn't there anything I can do to stop it?"
"No, my gorgeous girl. I know, tonight, is the night I'll meet him. He told me, long, long ago, that the next time we'd meet, I'd be on my death bed."
"No, Mum..." The girl laid her head on the bed, sobbing.
"Marlene..."
"Look. Behind you, in the corner."
The man in scarlet robes. He was there, standing, in the corner. Sixteen-year-old me couldn't see him, but my mother could.
"Death, is it then? Is that who he is?"
"Aye, he was Death," said a voice on my left. I whipped my head around to see someone I knew -
My mother.
"Mum!"
"Hush, dearest. We're getting closer to the end. You must understand everything in order to move on."
"Lily, dearest, there's a boy here to see you!" James Potter entered the house, followed closely by her father, who moved to her hand.
"Lily, are you alright? I know you say you can handle everything that life throws at you. But you do need help."
"James, how'd you get off work? That internship you've set up, that's a lot of work.
"Eh, blew it off, said there was a family thing. It's all good now."
"Lily, darling? Might we have a moment together?
He never did tell me what she said to him. But...
"Mum, what did you say to him?"
She smiled serenely. "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
"Sirius! Put your pants on! That's disgusting! Sometimes I really hate you!" Lily yelled, clapping her hands over her eyes as she walked into the Head Common Room. Living with James Potter meant that the other three Marauders lived with you 90 percent of the time - and that meant they're quirks lived with you, too. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Sirius Black in nothing but boxer shorts. The lack of shirt she could handle - but not the pants.
Marlene laughed beside me. "How often did he do this, Lils?"
"Too often."
"Oh, what a Sirius move."
"Yea, I know, I sorta miss it now."
Her smile turned sad. "Is it bad that I want him to die soon so I can be with him again?"
Lily shook her head. "Hey, Marls, it's fine. I wish it too. I feel bad after, but...Sirius was a good man. He doesn't deserve to be stuck back in the world of the living, without his best friend. Losing James, being betrayed by Peter... I'm worried for him. He's not going to have an easy life."
The two woman curled closer to each other, tears staining their eyes.
And still the pictures moved forward.
"James, what's going on?"
"Lily, I'm sorry, love, but something's happening at the Ministry. I need to floo someone really fast, but I'll be right back, alright?"
"James, it's our wedding!"
"I know, Lils, but You-Know-Who struck a home. I need to find out who it is. I'm worried. Pete hasn't shown up yet..."
Lily nodded. "Go. You're life's crazy enough; it shouldn't surprise me you're going to be late to your own wedding. Just get back her soon!" she called as he hurried down the corridor.
"I wish he'd just let Peter die, instead of sending reinforcements after the rat," Lily growled. Her mother laid a hand on her arm.
"My sweet child, let go of your anger and vengeance. Or you'll never move on."
Lily nodded. She wanted to move on. She wanted to see James again, and live life in death. Death would not part them.
The scenes changed again.
"Lily! Don't open the door!"
"Why not James? No one's going to attack me if I open the door."
"It's dark outside."
"So?"
"So... what if it's a burglar?"
Lily Potter cocked an eyebrow. "A burglar? Who rings a doorbell? And yells 'trick-or-treat'? No, James, it's not a burglar. It's little children begging for candy."
"Oh."
"Haven't you ever celebrated Halloween?"
"No."
"Well then, we'll need to try it."
She waved her wand. "There. A superhero. Good disguise?"
He grinned at his costume happily. "I don't care what this "holiday" is, but I want to dress up and enjoy it too!"
She waved her wand again, and his pajamas turned into a costume... they looked magnificent.
"You and James are an adorable couple, you know that, right?" Marlene whispered to me as the screen went dark for a second. "You'll see him again soon. As soon as you've officially passed into the Afterlife."
"I still haven't done that yet? But I've been dead for hours!"
"Well, not really. You feel like you've been dead for hours, but you're actually still in the moment Voldemort kills you. This is all happening in a split second."
"Oh, but-"
A beeping went off, and Marlene looked down at her watch.
"Oh, crap, Lils, I'm sorry. I've gotta dash. Things are happening. Well, four things really. Wait, no, well, four things and a lizard." She stood up, ignoring my confusion. "I'll explain it all later. There's one more scene for you to watch - and it's important. Stay strong, Lils, ok?"
I nodded, nerves churning in her stomach. I had a feeling I knew which memory this next one was...
"What did you do to him?" She hissed, her wand pointing at the Death Eater in the chair. They were in the interrogation room, and his face was bloody from the blows he'd received earlier.
"Where's Remus? What have you done?"
"We don't have the filthy half-breed. We'd let him rot as soon as possible, if we were you."
She scoffed. "But you aren't me. You have no clue what I should do with him. Now tell me where he is!"
The Death Eater laughed, leering at her. "I wouldn't want to be you. What a filthy little mudblood." He spat in her face, and James stepped in, ready for a motivational "talk".
"Touch her again and I'lll kill you. I really will."
"The Dark Lord will kill her soon anyway, what difference does it do?"
"What?!"
"Explain. Now!"
The Death Eater shut his mouth and smiled.
And suddenly he was against the wall, his shirt wrapped in her fists. "I'm clever, and I'm listening. Now stop treating me like shit, scumbag, and tell me what you mean!
"The Dark Lord knows about the prophecy. He's coming for you."
Lily and James stare at each other in horror, and then a loud crack rings across the room as Lily slaps the man.
"Don't you ever come near my family."
The screen went dark.
Marlene was back, sliding back into the seat on the firm cold ones, wrapping me in a hug.
"Are you alright?"
I nodded numbly.
Then the man on the screen was back. "Mrs. Potter, are you ready?"
"For what?" I called.
"To move on. To see your husband again. To put the past exactly where it belongs - in the past."
I glanced at my friend, and my mother, who still sat beside me, silent.
"I... I have only one more question."
"And what is that?"
"Did my son live?"
The man regarded her coolly, for a long time, before finally nodding his head, once.
I smiled. Harry was alive.
"Then I'm ready to move on."
A door opened to my right, filled with a bright light, and I picked up my jacket and walked towards it, ready to go find my husband.