Dear Miss Evans,

As you must now know the wizarding world is in the middle of a war with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. As is true of any war, sacrifices must be made by people willing to fight for the freedom of all wizards and witches.

Although to those left behind it might seem unnecessary and fruitless, but those who sacrifice for the freedom of all realise that what they are doing it right.

So it is with a heavy heart that I inform you that last night at roughly 8 pm two deatheaters took to your place of residence and killed Celia and Phillip Evans. They spared Petunia Evans who is know residing with Her Grandmother Tracy Evans should you need to contact them.

We convey our condolences and wish you a speedy recovery from this tragedy.

Yours truly,

Emilia Winters

Ministry of Magic

Department of Tragic Loss

Lily,

Thanks you your lot Mum and Dad are DEAD. And it's YOUR FAULT!

How could you be so bloody SELFISH? Not telling us that…you PEOPLE have a BLOODY war on just EXPECTING us to live our lives PEACEFULLY

Well done Lily – this is REALLY peaceful I just see the sodding flowers and the butterflies and the PEACEFULLNESS

I'd appreciate it if you didn't ever talk to me again, grandma agrees. Stay Away From Us.

Petunia Evans

She dropped the papers as someone walked up behind her and picked them up pocketing them.

The rest of the day she lived in a sort of stupor. Not noticing anything until she was left at the breakfast table – her friends walking off giggling and laughing about Sirius Black until the hall was empty and she sat there staring at her plate thinking that last time she'd stared at this plate – they had been alive. She felt someone pull on her shoulder silently and silently lead her to her class where they sat her down and sat down behind them. She didn't turn to thank them she didn't even realise who it was. She sat there trying to take notes, knowing that she had to also knowing full well that she'll kick herself for not doing anything in a few weeks when NEWTS came up but she couldn't think. All she knew was that last time she'd been in this class – they'd been alive.

Lunch was a loud affair with Sirius jibing James Potter for being late to class but she didn't listen. She stared into the pumpkin juice that stood in front of her and stared at her reflection, red hair and green eyes staring back at her, watching her, judging her. Her hair had escaped the ties that held it earlier this morning and yet she didn't fix it even though she knew full well that it annoyed her. Last time she'd looked in her reflection – they'd been alive.

The Samaritan took her to her next class silently again sitting behind her silently again taking the notes they knew she'd want.

Dinner was relatively quiet with most people tired from watching Sirius steal James's broom and drive over his head chiding him on being late to MORE classes after promising to be there on time.

James laughed and rolled his eyes before going to dinner.

The Samaritan left her to the stairs to her dorm as she nodded – that was as much thanks as she could manage. She walked upstairs and changed into her track pants and a t-shirt before clambering into bed pulling the covers up to her chin as her friends came in laughing hysterically slowly dropping off to sleep.

She lay awake for hours staring at the hangings – last time she'd looked at them – they'd been alive.

It was a couple of hours before she realised something that she should have realised before – there was no way in hell that she would be able to sleep tonight. She pulled a jacket over her shaking shoulders and pulled some socks over her feet before walked softly downstairs from checking her watch to see that it was officially 3 am and nobody was up this late.

She was wrong.

There they were, her Samaritan. Quietly reading a book, she wasn't sure which, up near the fire sitting on the floor, cloak wrapped around their shoulders.

They looked up as she walked down the steps and smiled before taking one of the rugs from a couch and opening it inviting her into the folds. They showed her the book, one she remembered from when she was small about four siblings and a wardrobe, though it was the final in a long series. "You've read it?" they asked.

She nodded as they showed her where they were up to.

"There was a real railway accident," said Aslan softly. "Your father and mother and all of you are – as you used to call it in the Shadowlands – dead."

They looked at her over the book, "when my dad died," they said softly, "I refused to admit it. I hid from it," a tear began to fall down her cheek slowly. "I didn't know how to react, my mates, their parents are alive…in some cases that's not a good thing, but they're alive." She shook slowly as they nodded.

"How?"

"Lucius Malfoy."

She looked up and met their eyes. "Death…Death Eater?"

"One of the worst."

She gulped as green eyes met hazel.

"How did you find out?"

"About my Dad? Or about…" they trailed off.

"Both, either." She coughed through her sobs.

"My Mum told me about my Dad a letter, and you dropped these-" out of their pocket came two pieces of paper that she held in her shaky hand. She turned to face the fire and after taking another look to her Samaritan, threw the papers into the fire.

"Why?"

"Why what?" they had a small smirk on their face, a smirk that used to annoy her but she was in no condition to remember.

"Why have you helped me?"

"Because Lily Anne Evans, having to live through a day when all you want to do is curl up in your bed, and yet knowing full well that you'll never sleep sucks. It REALLY sucks. And to have to do it on your own, considering there was no way you were going to let your friends see those letters is worse still."

She looked up seeing a strand of black hair stick up at an odd angle out of the corner of her eye and turned to be leaning into her Samaritans chest and finally let her tears fall down her cheek as they cradled her.

"You don't have to be so strong Lily," they told her, "We're in the middle of a war, people can be either strong or weak. The Strong ones overestimate themselves and try things that they shouldn't. The Weak ones know when to run and when to fight. Strength isn't measured by muscles, or brute force, strength is knowing when to fight, whom to fight and when to say no."

"That sounds like a Remus-ism."

"Sorry Lil, that's pure James."

She met his eyes and saw something there that she never saw before. His thumb wiped away her tears as he stood up slowly. He pulled her up and lead her to the couch where he told her to lie down. He took the rug and pulled it over her.

"You're my valet."

"Yes your grace," he said solemnly sitting down in front of the couch to watch the last remains of the fire as her breathing became slower as she slept. After a while he fell asleep, his head resting on the arm rest of the couch.

The next morning Remus J Lupin walked down the stairs from the dorms and sighed as he woke the two zombies up before sending them off to get changed before Sirius came down.

Lily arrived at the breakfast table that morning showered but tired while James smiled at her sleepily. She sat next to her and whispered in his ear, "Thank you, my Samaritan."

He smiled and poured her some juice. "You'll need this m'lady."

"Why?"

"Neither of us slept for more than an hour last night and we have double Slughorn to get through."

She laughed a hollow laugh, a laugh that meant that she'd survive. It would take time, and it would hurt like anything. But that laugh was the beginning of something.

And for us this is the end of all stories, and we can most truly say they lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life…had only been the cover and title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth has read: which will go on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.

And, while Cinderella and her prince did live happily ever after, the point, gentlemen, is that they lived

AN: the quotes are from C.S Lewis The Last Battle and the movie Ever After and should you look at them carefully you'll realise that they DO MAKE SENSE! I PROMISE

Disclaimer: I do not own it, never had and will have to stop dreaming that I do.