An annoying formality: What you haven't seen before, I own. If I told you I owned James, Sirius, Remus, and Lily (I don't want Peter, the loser scumball), would you believe me? Good, you're not senile or stupid. ^_^ Then why do I have to put this dang thing up?????
Important! Read Author's Note first!- This is an Alternate Universe fic. It will most likely not have any resemblance to J.K Rowling's story, other than her characters. So please, if you absolutely must flame me at the end (Don't get me wrong--- I'm not asking for flames), don't flame me on any inaccuracies because you have been warned. Anyways…
Slightly weird. A bit angsty in the beginning, but in later chapters, it changes. This is going to have more than one storyline, adopted from many different things. Please do review and tell me what you think of this alternate universe fic. ::rubs hands together with glint in her eyes:: This is gonna be fun…
Chapter 1: Of Strange Dreams and Strange Men
A person was walking down a deserted sidewalk, his hand hidden in his trench coat pocket. Another person, who looked like Petunia, was walking towards the first man. Suddenly, the man grabbed Petunia's arm and hissed, "Give me your purse." Petunia struggled, yelling, "No! Leave me alone! Someone please help me!" but her cries went unheard down the street. She tried to kick him but missed, barely. He hissed, and pulled out a gun…
Eight-year old Lily Evans woke up with a start, clutching her blanket fervently to her wildly beating heart.
"What's going on?" she whispered softly to herself.
She remained awake for the rest of the night.
~*~*~
That evening, Lily was leaning back on her chair at the kitchen table chewing thoughtfully on a pencil as she solved equations when her sister Petunia burst into the house, eyes wide in her gaunt, narrow face.
"I got mugged!" she whimpered. "I was walking down the street minding my own business when this guy comes up to me, pulls out a gun, and tells me to give him my purse or he'll shoot me!"
Lily let go of the table and toppled backwards with a thud.
"I had my cell phone and my pager---"
As she got up and brushed herself off, Lily asked hesitantly, "Was he wearing a trench coat?"
"Yes, brat. What's it to you?" Petunia snapped, angry at being interrupted. Then, she narrowed her eyes. "How'd you know?"
"Oh, I was guessing. You know all those TV shows and stuff," Lily managed to stammer. She wasn't about to tell her parents and older sister that she had dreamed about the mugging last night. It had happened many times before ('it' referring to when she had predicted something from her dreams)--- one time, she had told them about it, but they scoffed and said it was nonsense. They even took her to see some fake psychiatrist to get her head checked.
Sighing, Lily pushed all the bittersweet thoughts away from her mind and concentrated on solving 5(6x + 2) = 100.
~*~*~
Red-hot flames licked at the walls, thick clouds of smoke sliding gracefully through the halls towards its prey. Four unsuspecting people lay asleep in their beds, oblivious to the danger around them. Little by little the fire nibbled at the wood, until the entire house caved in on those still sleeping peacefully inside…
"No!" Lily shot straight up in her bed, beads of sweat forming on her face. "No! I won't let those people die!"
She quickly dressed herself in jeans and a sweater and tiptoed out the front door, trying to pinpoint the location of the house. She just needed to find out whose house it was--- she would think about what to do later. The house had seemed oddly familiar---
As the outside breeze teased her hair, the slightly pungent scent of smoke reached her nose. Smoke--- burning wood? Burning house???
As she tried to find out where the smoke was coming from, she found her mind wandering to the time she and her best friend Jamie had been camping out in the woods. They had talked until dawn, roasting marshmallows over the campfire--- the smell of the smoke was similar to this, yet different… sweeter…
Suddenly it clicked. The house was familiar. "Jamie!" Lily screamed as she raced down the street, shoes and socks abandoned and forgotten. "Jamie!"
When Lily reached Jamie's house (which was 3 blocks away from hers), her worst fears were confirmed. She was too late.
The charred bodies of Jamie and her 5-yr. old sister were being carried away on stretchers, hidden under sheets of white. (A/N: sniff sniff sniff)
Firemen were still trying to combat the flames that devoured what was left of the house. Neighbors stood outside, still clad in their pajamas and either crying or looking shocked. The Ellingtons were well-known and respected throughout the town, and the night's tragic fire (A/N: I know, cliché, but oh well…) that claimed all four lives would bring all town activity to a standstill while people mourned their deaths.
Lily sat down on a small boulder when her quivering legs felt they could hold her up no longer. Why? she asked fiercely, if I do have the power to see and change the future, why am I too late? Why have they died? Why?
She didn't see the fireman walk towards her, still wearing his gas mask, until he stopped in front of her and took it off. When she looked up at him, she saw that his eyes were full of exhaust, concern, and--- pity.
I don't want your pity! she cried silently, yet against her will, Lily broke down into tears and sobbed, "Why? Why did she have to die? I could have stopped it! It's my fault Jamie died!"
He sat down next to her, dangling his mask from his overly-large hand. "Who might you be, young lady?"
*Sniff* "Jamie's---" *Sniff* "--- friend." *Sniff*
"Jamie Ellington?"
Nod.
"And what are you doing here at this time of night?" *Pause* "Did you somehow--- find out--- what was going on?"
Another nod.
"How?"
Lily froze, not sure whether to tell this total stranger about her dreams. After some debating of the pros and cons, Lily decided that she might as well.
"I had a dream that Jamie's house was on fire," she answered truthfully. "I ran over here to see if it was--- true--- or not." Here Lily paused, a tear sliding slowly down her cheek. "I wish I had been here sooner."
"Now, now, don't cry," said the fireman gently, not exactly sure of what to say to a young girl who blamed herself for her friend's death. "There wasn't anything you could do to save them."
Yes there was! Lily bit back the sharp retort dying to escape her lips. He wouldn't understand, and snapping at someone's good intentions wouldn't bring Jamie back.
"Here, where do you live? I'll bring you back home."
She stood up slowly and shook her head. "No, it's okay. I'll be fine. Thank you anyways."
With that, Lily walked numbly off. The walk became quicker and soon turned into a run. When she finally reached her bedroom, she curled up beneath the covers and shook as uncontrollable sobs racked her body.
~*~*~
From that fateful night on, Lily changed. She was no longer the cheerful, well-loved genius, always full of life, that waved and smiled at everyone she met, but a quiet, somewhat reserved child who rarely spoke or smiled. Lily loved her education more than anything else in the world--- in her diary, she often wrote that her grades and learning were the only things that kept her going, the only things tying her to life, the only things that made her want to live.
(A/N: That was the angsty part. It's really not an angsty story, but that part was necessary for the plot, I think. And no, ppl, this is not a suicidal Lily story)
~*~*~
Christy Evans stared at the letter that had come in the mail. She handled it as if it were a poisonous snake--- she was afraid yet compelled to touch it.
She opened it to make sure. Yes, it was from that crackpot old fool Dumbledore and that bitch McGonagall for her daughter Lily to attend the stupid magic school Hogwarts.
Never, she hissed to herself, never. Over my dead body will my beloved daughter learn magic and die from it later. History will not repeat itself, not when I am still alive.
She took the letter, crumpled it up, and threw it in the fireplace. It burned green.
(A/N: Confusing? It'll get cleared up later.)
~*~*~
6 Years Later, December 22, the day before Christmas Vacation:
"Voldemort has struck again," said Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and many other things I don't care to list (^_^), not caring that some of the teachers flinched at the name. "The entire Brown family was killed in Godric's Hollow."
"The Browns?" Professor McGonagall's hand flew to her heart. "All of them?"
"I'm sorry, Minerva," said Dumbledore quietly. He and several teachers knew she had been seeing Quinton Brown, the family's oldest son and Head of the Muggle Artifacts Department in the Ministry of Magic. (A/N: Do not flame me on that! I'm making McGonagall around 30, okay?) Hyacinth Brown, the youngest of the family, was last year's Head Girl and well-loved by the teachers. The entire Brown family was extremely talented and respected in the wizarding society.
Dumbledore continued gravely. "The Ministry has brought to my attention that these murders are following a pattern. I'm sure you have all heard of the Sphinx's Enigma?" Many teachers nodded. "We will need a Seer---"
Professor Trelawney, the egoistic Divination teacher whom many despised (also one of the few that did not nod before), spoke up in her hazy voice. "I will take the burden upon myself and consult my---"
McGonagall quickly interrupted before the Potions teacher, Professor Salazar, could sneer something in his oily voice that would start an argument which would lead into a duel like last time. "No, it's unnecessary, Sibyll. Keep your--- powers--- for other things."
Trelawney sniffed haughtily. "Don't bother with the niceties, Minerva. I can tell when I am unwanted."
"That's right. We---"
Dumbledore, sensing another fight about to erupt, slid in, interrupting Professor Salazar's comment. "Sibyll, it's not that we don't want you; it's just that we would like a Seer who knows nothing about what is occurring at the moment. We don't want any previous knowledge to cloud his or her, ah, Inner Eye."
Trelawney nodded slightly, accepting his reasoning but still miffed.
The Headmaster continued. "Do we have any fully-trained Seers at Hogwarts?"
The teachers shook their heads.
"Any semi-trained Seers?"
Another uncomfortable silence.
"Not even a smidgen of power at all?" asked Dumbledore desperately.
When no one answered, he hung his head and grimaced, deep in thought.
Professor McGonagall hated to see him looking so forlorn, so she hesitantly stood up and said, "Well, Albus, I do remember a girl by the name of Lily Evans…"
~*~*~ December 23, the next day ~*~*~
The knock on the door startled Lily from her reading. Slowly she put down And Then There Were None (an awesome, rather freaky book by Agatha Christie) and stood up, not sure whether to open the door or not because her parents weren't home.
Curiosity won over common sense, and Lily got up to peek through the small, one-way hole.
It was only the mailman.
Lily sighed with relief and opened the door. What had she been expecting? An axe murderer? She shook her head sadly, laughing. The book really was making her paranoid.
"Hi! May I help you?"
The man grunted. "Package. Bloody heavy one, too. Would you like me to bring it in for you?"
"Sure. Follow me please."
Lily closed the door behind her and led the man into the living room. She motioned to the floor. "You can leave it here. Would you like something to drink?" As she stood there, she fidgeted nervously, not sure if she was doing what her mother had always instructed her to do if a stranger helped her in any way. Was she being polite enough? Was she supposed to use a fancy mug or a normal glass? Was she…
"Oh, ah, sure. Thank you."
He seems to be a nice man, thought Lily. However, as she turned to walk into the kitchen, Lily noticed something in the man's coat pocket that faintly resembled--- the muzzle of a gun.
Well, there goes that thought, she muttered as she stomped to the cabinet. What's he playing at? What the hell is going on here?
She grabbed a cup, filled it with water, and was about to walk back out when on second thought she grabbed her beloved Lady Colt from the drawer and hid it in her pocket. She stroked the gun's smooth, cool surface and felt her nervousness ebb as her confidence began to return.
When Lily walked back into the room with a fake smile plastered on her face, the man turned back to her with one of his own. However, if you bothered to look closely enough into his mesmerizing blue eyes, you could see bits of anxiety and apprehension dancing around.
He's a good actor, thought Lily as she set the cup down on the small table. Is he nervous about killing me or something? Wait, or maybe he's not looking for me. He might be looking around for someone else…
"Uhhh… Miss Evans, this may come as a shock to you---"
"No, really," muttered Lily sarcastically under her breath, "I'm expecting to get shot at this very moment."
"What was that? I beg your pardon. I didn't hear you."
Ah, nothing like a polite (!) hit-man to make your day. "Oh, nothing sir."
He cleared his throat. "As I was saying, please forgive me for my abruptness."
The man out his hand in his pocket and started to draw--- whatever it was--- out. But Lily was quicker. She had his arm twisted behind his back and her Lady Colt out and pressing against his ribcage within a matter of seconds.
"Drop. The. Gun." she hissed.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well… how was that? Is the mailman going to shoot Lily? Or vice versa? Or maybe he's not targeting her at all…
This is an Alternate Universe fic, so nothing's out of the question…
Oh, and remember the Sphinx's Enigma? Don't forget it because it's important. It may seem confusing now but it will be cleared up soon, possibly in the next chapter. ^_^
Please do tell me what you think about this. Does it have potential? In my opinion, this is going to be very fun to write. And no, the entire story will not center on the murder pattern only. There is another storyline, involving none other than James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter (I don't like him either, but he is unfortunately necessary). It's also not what you would believe it to be…
Please review!
And check out my other L/J fanfics too! (Invisible Barriers and The Forest's Curse, informally known as the flying toaster story) Oh, a little note for my IB fans: Chapter 16 of Invisible Barriers will be up very, very soon, after I finish typing.
**Also, please email me at sherlock718@hotmail.com and tell me which of my three L/J stories you want me to post more of first.**
Well, tata! At least 15 reviews for the next chapter! =^_^=
~ Merlin's Quill (formerly known as The Mad Monkey with the Magnifying Glass)