GRIMMAULD PLACE
SUMMER 1995
"It's not Kreacher's fault he believes these things!" Hermione shouted in the sitting room of Grimmauld Place.
"They way I see it—"
"—He was told to believe these things. Honestly, if you're kind to him, he can change." Hermione interrupted Ron. "Right, Harry?" She turned to a sulking Harry, hoping he'll back her up.
"Sure, Hermione." He agreed with no emotion in his voice.
"Even Dobby has traits from the Malfoys taught to him." She started. "Of course, he—"
"—Ok. You're right. Just drop it Hermione." Ron said with exasperation.
But Hermione continued to argue, to the point where she was just talking about House Elf rights.
"Bloody hell, Hermione, you sure know how to talk a bloke's ear off." Ron said. But Hermione didn't pay attention, she continued.
Ron made another move on the chessboard. Sirius absently mindedly moved one of his own pieces, certain that the youngest Weasley boy was going to beat him once again at wizard's chess.
He was going crazy, that Sirius was sure of. If he didn't get outside soon, it was certain he would end up in the mental ward of St. Mungo's.
Ron and Hermione's constant arguing wasn't helping.
His spirit lifted slightly when a new voice entered the room.
"Doesn't she remind you of someone?" Remus said, leaning in the doorframe leading to the hallway.
Sirius looked at his old friend curiously, but didn't say anything.
"Well, doesn't she?" Remus asked again.
"Who?" Sirius asked, though it was clear to him and everyone in the room that he already knew the answer.
Now interested, Hermione and Ron stopped their bickering, and Harry perked up as well.
"I think you know exactly who I'm talking about, Sirius." He said.
Sirius' head filled with things he had been trying not to think of. If he would allow himself to, then he knew he would have to face a certain truth that he had been fighting since before Azkaban.
"Violet." Remus said, grinning at Hermione. "Doesn't she act almost exactly like Violet?"
Curiously, Hermione asked, "Who's Violet?"
"Violet was a very dear friend of ours. Especially of your mother's, Harry." Remus said, sitting the chair across from his former students.
"Was?" Sirius asked. He felt something rise in his throat.
"Was, Sirius."
"How?"
"It's been fifteen years and nothing. Was." Remus said with certainty.
Hermione wasn't the only curious one. "She knew my mum?" Harry asked.
"They were very close, until the very end."
"Who was she?" Hermione asked, dying for more information about this person who was apparently very much like her.
"Violet Ainsley was the most outspoken and optimistic person to ever come out of Gryffindor house," Remus started.
HOGWARTS
FALL 1976
"Don't let Quidditch get in the way of being friendly! Don't be against inter-house relations!" A loud voice rang through the halls of Hogwarts.
"Eradicate house-based prejudice!" The same voice yelled.
"Vi, no one's listening to you." Lily Evans said to the voice.
Even in a schoolgirl's uniform, Lily exemplified the figure of a perfect woman. Slender, soft, and gentle, with brilliant red hair cropped right past her shoulders and green eyes that a person could just get lost in.
"It doesn't matter if they're listening to me, Lily. The message will still stick in the back of people's minds." The voice belonged to Violet Ainsley, who, like Lily, was a sixth year Hogwarts student. She was much shorter than Lily, with dirty blonde hair that landed at her waist. Though Violet was very pretty in her own right, she looked plain next to Lily.
"It didn't stick last year, or the year before, or the year before. It's a lost cause." Lily argued.
"It doesn't stick because of Gryffindors and Slytherins alike. If only I could get some people from each house to be friends." Violet said suggestively.
"I am NOT befriending Sev-Snape again." Lily said bitterly.
"I'm sorry, Lil. I always thought you two could be the figurehead for my campaign."
Since fourth year, Violet had begun an endless campaign promoting friendships between all of the Hogwarts houses. Though the Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were, if not disinterested, receptive, the Gyffindors and Slytherins were very against it, to say the least.
Violet understood that the Slytherins were going to be very hard to get through to, but she had hoped that her own house would support her ideas. It seemed, to her, that they hated each other simply because of their house names. Seeing the friendship that Lily and Severus once had, Violet thought that maybe she could bridge the gap between the two houses, thus producing a completely united Hogwarts.
"I think I thought that, too, once." Lily said sadly.
"OI! EVANS!" Someone shouted from across the corridor.
Lily cursed under her breath. "Potter." She said without emotion.
"I'm glad you waited up for me. I wanted to ask you something." James Potter said when he walked up to the two girls. Behind him were his three friends, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, and Sirius Black.
As much as Lily hated James Potter, Violet hated him and his friends. To her, they were the sole reason why no one wanted to befriend anyone outside of their own house.
Perhaps she did not hate Remus and Peter—Violet actually enjoyed the company of the two. Remus was consistently her Potions partner since first year, and Peter was surprisingly bright, having helped her with her Transfiguration homework more than once.
But she absolutely could not stand James and Sirius. Especially Sirius, who was always quick to make fun of her ideas and beliefs.
"I am not going out with you, Potter." Lily said.
"I was actually going to ask if you've got Prefect duties tonight." James said. "But I'm glad the idea of you going out with me is at least on your mind."
"I can't believe you've been made Prefect this year." Lily seethed.
"I know! I wasn't one last year—Dumbledore must be off his rocker. But all it means is that I get to walk the halls of Hogwarts with my one true love. Maybe he knows what's best!" James said excitedly.
Lily ignored this. "Come on, Vi. Let's go do something productive." She turned to her friend.
"But I am doing something productive." Violet argued. She held up the flyers she had made. "MAKE A FRIEND OUTSIDE OF YOUR HOUSE TODAY!" "HELP CREATE A STRONGER HOGWARTS!"
"You're still going on about this, Ainsley?" Sirius asked incredulously.
"Of course I am." She said with pride. "I wish my fellow housemates were as passionate as I am about it. You could help me, you know, Sirius. Your brother is a Slytherin." She suggested.
"Slytherin or not, I don't want to have relations with my brother." Sirius said maliciously, using Violet's own terminology.
"But he's your brother."
"Nope."
"Come on, Violet." Lily urged. She could sense the anger burning off Sirius.
"I don't see what he's so sore about."
Sirius looked like her was going to curse Violet.
"Padfoot, she doesn't know." Remus said, his voice calm and low. Sirius clenched his teeth, but backed off.
"Let's go. We don't need to be seen with this madwoman spouting off nonsense." He spat. He turned on his heel and walked out of the corridor with James and Peter behind him.
"He's had some family problems over the summer." Remus, who had stayed behind, explained. "It's a good idea not to bring them up in the future."
"I didn't know." Violet said. She hadn't meant to hurt Sirius.
"How are you, Remus?" Lily asked.
"I've been better." He said. Violet took a look at him. He had dark-colored bags under his eyes, and his skin looked a sickly grey.
"Remus!" She said, shocked. "You should go to the infirmary."
"No, it's all right. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix." He said. Violet believed him, as sleepiness seemed to drip off his voice.
"I was meaning to talk to you, anyway." He said. "You need to stop this." He said, pointing at her flyers.
"What do you mean? Just because James and Sirius—"
"—No, Violet. He's right. I've been meaning to say it since we got back from summer holiday." Lily said.
"Why?"
"You remember last year, how all those Muggle-borns were attacked in Diagon Alley?" Remus asked. Violet nodded. "The amount of people doing that had been growing. They're called Death Eaters—"
"—That's why Snape and I can't be friends anymore." Lily interrupted. "The Death Eaters are mostly, probably exclusively, Slytherins. Snape got caught up in it. It's all Dark Magic."
"If you keep spouting unity and equality between houses, and to an extent, Muggle-borns and Purebloods, you're going to be the first person they want to attack. It doesn't help that you're Muggle-born yourself." Remus warned.
"But then this is what we need. The more students I can convince, then less of them will join the Death Eaters." Violet argued.
"I admire your cause, you know I always have, but bloods run very deep in the wizarding world, Violet. You can put yourself in serious danger." Remus said. Lily nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I have to at least keep trying. No one's going to attack a Hogwarts student." Violet said.
Remus pursed his lips. "I warned you." He said.
"Thank you. But I'm going to continue doing what I'm doing. Sounds to me that it's more necessary than ever." Violet grinned.
Remus shook his head and left.
"He's right, you know." Lily said.
"I don't care. I really don't want to talk about this anymore."
-0-
"We need to watch out for Violet." Remus said when he walked into the boys' dormitory.
"Why? Is she going to attack us with unity and friendship?" Sirius laughed harshly. He waved his wand, causing little paper cranes to fly around the dormitory. Peter laughed at the spectacle.
"I tried to tell her that she should stop, you know, on account of the Death Eaters and Muggle-born assaults. But she won't listen. Someone needs to keep an eye out so she doesn't get attacked herself." Remus explained.
"Yeah, all right." James agreed, looking up from Quidditch Through the Ages. "She may be bonkers, but I wouldn't want anyone to hurt a Gryffindor."
"I agree," Peter said, "She's only trying to do good. She shouldn't be punished for it."
"The way I see it," Sirius' voice boomed, "She's a witch. If she wants to continue being stupid, she can defend herself. We shouldn't have to look after her because she's an idiot."