A/N:
Hi everyone! Once again a BIG thank you to all those who have added this story to your favourites and alerts lists, I get really excited when I see just how many hits this story is getting : )
Also thank you to those who have reviewed so far for your support and suggestions as to how I can improve.
Wickedwitchofthew: Don't worry there will be a lot of Severus/Lily interaction soon, just setting things up at the moment : )
Quick reminder: In this story characters may at times appear to be ooc and although it will follow the time line of the books I have created scenarios and events which did not occur in J K Rowling's novels to suit my plot.
Also, there is a section which is supposed to be an extract from Severus' research which I have written in italics. Although it is long I hope it is interesting, and it will be important in future chapters ;)
DISCLAIMER:
Sadly I make no money from this story and do not own the Harry Potter series, it belongs to J. and WB, I just like to play with her characters : ) Anything/ anyone you recognise belongs to her but the rest is all mine!
In the previous chapter...
The most terrifying part of his evasion of the Vampires (the glint of their fangs, their predatory stance and hissing had given them away) was that the certainty that come sunrise he would be safe had evaporated like mist. Though at one point the sun had blazed through the tree canopy it had not hindered them at all, they had continued in their pursuit and had not made a single exclamation of pain when they had run through the sunlight or when he had cast Solaris maxima at them. They were able to withstand the power of sunlight. It was incredible, unheard of; and at once Peter's scheming mind began to calculate ways in which this new found information could be of use to him and gain him the Dark Lord's favour.
He scurried to his feet brushing the detritus of the forest floor from his trousers and prepared to apparate to his master's side and make a full report of his findings, thankful that he had not been caught by the hooded vampire women.
He shuddered as he imagined fangs piercing his throat. Thank Merlin he had managed to evade them. Who knew what might have happened if they had caught him.
oOoOoOoOo
Chapter 6.
Following the departure of their 'house guest' yesterday the girls had been walking around with big black thunderclouds over their heads, in foul moods because of the things they had seen in Wormtail's projected memories and struggling to reign in their newly awakened Vampiric natures and impulses. Well, all except Sofia. Although initially quiet and withdrawn there was an obvious improvement in her mood once they had hunted in the surrounding woodland and she had taken down a bear. It was a pain in the ass having to bury the body but before long they were all digging together whilst Sofia whistled a tune from her favourite band.
Nothing kept Sofia down for long and the others made a conscious effort to cheer up. Therefore with an insulated box of blood siphoned from the bear and deer they came across earlier placed between them, Grace sat beneath the warm caress of the sun in her favourite canary yellow bikini painting her toenails peacock blue singing to herself.
"Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody's gone mad..."
From her position laying on her front Lily gave Grace an amused look over the top of her cats-eye sunglasses before returning her attention to the headlines in The Oracle spread before her. The Journalist seems to take an almost voyeuristic pleasure in reporting the increasing evidence that the Dark Lord has returned – bridges collapsing, giant sightings, murders and Dementor attacks – "yet the British Ministry remains wilfully ignorant and blind to the growing danger."
"...I'm tired of bein' the victim of shame
They're throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can't believe this is the land from which I came..."
Grace carried on singing and Lily remained absorbed in the increasingly bad news that was filtering out of Britain across the sea to the American Wizarding press but gradually she became aware of the silent glare of the woman next to her. "Can I help you?" she enquired archly.
Grace quickly looked down at her newly painted toes as if they were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. "No no, I'm fine." Temporarily satisfied she returned to the paper but soon felt the weight of her companion's eyes on her again. "I don't need to be babysat Grace. I got what I wanted out of Peter, I'm calm, I've fed, I'm enjoying the sunshine and I'm catching up on the events of the world." She smiled what she hoped was a reassuring smile but knew it looked more like a grimace.
Grace laughed "I'm not 'babysitting' anyone I'm enjoying some well earned downtime with my best friend. And anyway...it makes sense for us as the best fighters to rest and prepare for the war".
Eyes now purposely fixed on the Oracle Lily chuckled darkly. "Don't let Rose hear you say that we're better fighters than her, she'll see it as a challenge!"
No longer joking, Grace picked up her bottle and took a sip. "You do realise there is a fight coming. A war...don't you?" Lily hunched further over her paper, hair swinging down like a curtain between them. "He's not hiding anymore Lil, he's actively recruiting again. Murdering, threatening the Ministry and Dumbledore...and of course Harry –"
"Don't" Lily snapped.
Graces own anger flared in response "He's in danger again, and you're not going to lift a finger to help! AGAIN!"
Lily leapt from her blanket snarling with fangs extended and sent a wandless stinging hex at her comrade who bared her teeth and hissed at her Maker but made no move to retaliate. "Last we heard he'd been attacked by Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries and witnessed his Godfather's death at the hands of that bitch Bellatrix. Don't you think now might be the time to go to him! He's had to cope with more in his short life than most would have to deal with in a lifetime! He needs you!" Grace took a deep breath and sighed in defeated exasperation.
Lily relaxed her stance and as she locked her gaze with her friend and child her fangs retracted. A slight breeze gently flipped the pages of the discarded newspaper randomly as Grace took one small tentative step forwards.
"When you made me" she began cautiously "you said we were leaving the country to develop our new strength and skills away from Voldemort, Death Eaters, Dumbledore and the Ministry" Sensing that the anger had left Lily's eyes Grace also retracted her fangs. "We've done all that and more. We now have enough self-control not to be a danger to our loved ones. Rose has a successful job as a freelanced journalist working with Muggle humans all day and although she might have a short temper she hasn't 'slipped' in years. Sofia is in her final year of university and has never even expressed an interest in human blood, she's always been happy with animal blood or the stuff you make; and my last 'slip' was twelve years ago!"
Lily shifted uncomfortably "You can't keep using the 'We're too dangerous' excuse anymore Lils. We're always going to be dangerous – we're Vampires for Merlin's sake! It's all a matter of self-control and we have that now...all of us."
Grace sighed and tucked her hair behind her ear before gathering her things and making her way across the lawn to the house.
"I'm scared Grace". It had been scarcely more than a whisper but her sensitise hearing caught it none the less. She turned on the spot to see her strong, fiery Maker standing exactly where she had left her, arms wrapped around herself and a solitary red tear meandering down to the corner of her trembling mouth. "I am SO scared. It's been so long and he's been through so much already. What if this" she gestured despairingly to herself "is just is just one thing too many for him. And what if...what if he...he hates me?"
Seeing her Maker break down completely now that she had voiced her greatest fears aloud Grace vanished her belongings to her room and opened her arms wide for Lily to step into. Grace was at least a head taller than her so Lily ducked her head beneath Grace's chin and gratefully accepted the comforting arms and hair stroking offered.
She considered her words carefully while comforting the shorter woman, then admitted "You're right that he might be hurt that you stayed away so long or angry that he was kept in the dark, and certainly he'll be confused...but you're his mum. You laid down your own life to protect him. You've been in self-imposed exile out of fear of hurting him. He will always love you and once he's had time process everything and calm down you'll wonder why you ever waited so long you daft cow!" Lily wiped her eyes and chuckled at the affectionate insult.
Arm in arm the two walked to the house to call the others and begin packing away the life they had made for themselves in this small corner of the land of the free, and prepare to return to the land of the rising Dark Lord.
oOoOoOoOo
"Bloody Rat!" Cursing under his breath Severus slammed his bedroom door shut, warded it, and stormed over to the blessed bottle of Firewisky on his desk. Knocking back a large measure he winced at the burning sensation in his throat but relished it all the same. It's only for a few days...weeks...oh Gods! He took another swig from the bottle. Wormtail was to stay with him by order of the Dark Lord and after only a few days he was already willing to risk the Dark Lords wrath and literally kick the odious little cretin out of his house and into the gutter where he belonged!
The way in which Wormtail paraded about Spinners End with such a self important attitude and smug expression was enough to try the patience of a saint. And Severus was no saint. No, not at all. He just wanted to punch the little shit right in the middle of his face! The only reason he forced himself to tolerate the ex-marauder's presence in the same room was so that he could perform Legilimency on him.
If he hadn't spotted the moment Pettigrew was taken in his own memory when reviewing it in the pensive then he would have simply accepted the memory within Pettigrew's head of successfully evading Lily and the other Vampires as fact. Whoever had performed the memory modification had done a superb job. A rare genuine smile pulled at the corners of the usually dour man's mouth. He hoped it had been Lily. You bloody brilliant woman! You removed yourself and your accomplices from his memory and fabricated enough to be believable and satisfy the Dark Lord's inevitable viewing.
Although unable to find out where the rat had really been, Severus had uncovered the reason for Wormtail's sudden inflated sense of self-importance...a new mission. Despite the altered memories Wormtail had been able to tell the Dark Lord that Vampires were responsible for the failed mission and not just any Vampires: Day Walkers! Day Walkers who owned wands and could perform powerful magic.
The Dark Lord had been intrigued by the possibilities this encounter presented. He did not believe that any Vampire would willingly join forces with the 'Old Man' and the Order of the Phoenix (an opinion shared by Sanguini – presently the Vampiric ambassador to the Dark Lord) and so deduced that the Brocklethwaits must have angered a coven of these rarities as well as himself and that his Death Eaters had been unfortunate enough to interrupt the Vampires' retribution on the family (Sanguini had confirmed that a Vampire would be hostile to any wizards attempting to come between them and their prey). Curiosity piqued and almost salivating at the prospect of including Night AND Day Walking Vampires in his army (though never the higher ranks – filthy half-breeds!) the Dark Lord had ordered Wormtail to stay with the Potions Master with a view to working and researching together to form an alliance with these powerful potential allies.
Not that Wormtail had seen fit to share any of this with Severus, hoping instead to do it all by himself and take all the glory whilst discrediting Severus and collecting evidence of his disloyalty for Bellatrix who had offered him a substantial reward should he succeed. It didn't matter that he had not said any of this aloud thought Severus with a smirk, he knew everything via Legilimency. Ha! Bad luck Wormtail! Better luck next time Madame Lestrange.
Whilst the ex-Marauder had been attempting his own bumbling research Severus had been able to do his own, safe in the knowledge that he had avoided Bella and the rat's feeble attempts at entrapment and sabotage of his position within the Dark Lord's inner circle. Fuelled by his own desire to understand how it was that his Lily had become Vampire when the last time he had seen her she was categorically dead on the floor of her infant son's room having been the target of the Dark Lord's Avada Kedavra curse, Severus searched through every book he could get his hands on that dealt with dark creatures. The owner of the Knockturn Ally book shop he had visited was almost dancing with glee as he staggered out the door with arms full of very rare, very expensive tomes on the subject of Dark creatures – most of which would earn you a trip to Azkaban.
Several of the books dealt exclusively with Vampire breeds, culture, traditions, myths, legends and although not explaining them in any detail; made passing reference to certain magical abilities, spells, charms, rituals and potions that could only be performed by a Vampire. It was these books that dealt specifically with Vampires that he kept hidden in his room, leaving Wormtail with the books that only mentioned Vampires in general terms or simply regurgitated facts regarding them that even the most dim witted first year would know.
Downing the last of his firewisky and stretching to release the kinks in his back Severus contemplated all that he had discovered so far. He would request a meeting with Sanguini soon to gain the creature's perspective on the Solis Ambulatories and hear about any encounters with what he now knew was amongst the rarest breeds.
Rising from his desk he placed his books back into their hiding place behind the portrait of Hogwarts Castle – a Christmas gift from Dumbledore several years ago along with a huge jar of Sherbet Lemons – and removed his shoes, back protesting as he bent over.
When eventually situated in the middle of the threadbare bed of his childhood with legs extended before him and pillow propping him up he summoned his research journal and bottle of Firewisky to him and took a swig from the bottle, relishing the burn as the liquid rolled over his tongue and flowed down his throat.
He flicked his wand in the direction of the door to ensure that his wards were all in place then flipped open the journal to his latest entry.
*JOURNAL ENTRY*
"William of Wroxham, a Wizarding Chronicler of the twelth century describes an incident in the County of Buckinghamshire where a recently deceased Wizard returned from the grave. He was seen by his Muggle widow and other relatives and before long was also seen by huntsmen in the woodland surrounding the widow's home during the day. The Bishop of Lincoln became involved and decreed that the man's family must be evil Necromancers and therefore must be burnt.
However, when the grave was exhumed it was found to be empty apart from a casket which was given to the man's widow. When opened in the privacy of her home it was found to contain her husband's dagger, signet ring and a note written in her husband's familiar handwriting.
In the note he apologised for frightening her and their children, saying that he had only wanted to see that they were safe and well and that he had enclosed gifts for them. The signet ring with the family's insignia he left for their son, as he was to be the head of their small family now. The daughter he had left his dagger so that she might defend herself and her family's honour in his absence. His wife he had left a substantial amount of money, a intricately carved seven and one quarter inch 'baton' of ash wood and a promise that his love for her would never die, assuring her that all he had done had been for her.
Still terrified that the family were dangerous Necromancers the people of Lincoln continued with their plan to burn the family and scatter their ashes far and wide. However, on the morning of the execution as the family were tied to the stake and the crowds shouted and jeered at them the husband appeared amidst red swirling mist and in his grip was the local Muggle Doctor's wife. While the terrified woman squirmed and whimpered in his grip he railed at the Muggles assembled before him, berating them for their treatment of him and his family. They had provided their community with healing potions and midwife services free of charge and now a jealous, disgruntled Muggle Doctor had accused them of Devil worship and all had blindly followed.
The longer the wizard continued his tirade the more enraged he became and before long he was baring his fangs. His demand for the release of his family was instantly obeyed and as his wife prepared to flee with her children in tow, her husband swore: 'all that I am, all that I do is for you my darlings. All for you!', and with that he flung his human shield away and in a cloud of red mist vanished as swiftly as he had appeared.
Later Ministry investigations (following the mass obliviation of all Muggles who had knowledge of these events) found that believing himself unable to protect his family from the witch hunt and trial he knew was coming following a brawl with the Muggle Doctor regarding the medical care of a neighbour, the wizard had sought out a nearby coven of Vampires and had willingly submitted himself to the coven leader with the intention of becoming an immortal and thus gaining the strength, skill, speed and power he believed he needed. In return the wizard would join the coven and remain with them for one century, after which he would be free to make his own way in the world with no further obligation to his coven or Sire.
The Coven Leader named Aldwyn reluctantly liaised with the Ministry after the event and confirmed that whilst their newest member had indeed walked amongst Muggles during daylight hours, no other members of the coven had that ability. Nor did any other member of the European Vampiric community to his knowledge. It was the belief of the coven leader that the state of mind and reason for the individual becoming Vampire determined not only his strengths and abilities but also his type of 'species'.
For example and individual that is attacked, swiftly drained and left for dead would rise from the grave a snarling, mindless feral creature. An individual who partook in mutual feeding either under a glamour or of their own free will would after their death rise with their sanity and sense of identity intact but as with the previous example would be condemned to eternal darkness.
However...it was the coven leader's belief that those who sacrificed themselves, willingly submitted themselves to a Vampire over a period of time and drank from them for a selfless reasons such as the protection of other, facing the moment of death with bravery and love in their hearts were granted the miraculous ability to walk amongst the living in daylight. They became Solis Ambulatories – a rare breed of Vampire all but forgotten by Wizarding kind and Vampires alike."
*END OF JOURNAL ENTRY*
oOoOoOoOo
Several hours, a sober-up potion and a shave later found Severus marching through the deserted corridors of Hogwarts in the direction of the Headmaster's office. Never one to step into a battle unprepared Severus had come armed with his research journal, pensive memory and a glare that had made the Bloody Baron turn a paler shade of pale on several occasions.
There was now no doubt in his mind that during the attempted assassination of the Brocklethwait family he had come face to face with Lily Evans (it still hurt to think of her as Potter). Whilst a small flicker of joy had been ignited at the thought of her being alive – sort of – and well he realised that he could not keep this knowledge or proof to himself. Dumbledore MUST be informed.
At the thunderous expression on the Potions Master's face the stone gargoyle at the entrance to the Headmaster's office leapt aside and hurriedly deposited him at the Headmaster's door. Knocking twice sharply and without waiting for permission Severus entered the office and with swiftly deposited his research and memory on the desk before the bewildered older wizard.
"Lily Potter is –" the Headmaster held up a be-ringed hand to silence him and with a flick of his wand had charmed sound proof blackout curtains across each of the portraits in the office. "Lilly is alive and I can prove it. I don't understand how she did it but I can prove it".
"...and just what is it you expect me to do with this?" the Headmaster gestured to the items deposited on his desk
For several heartbeats Severus was struck dumb. "I...I expect you to look at this evidence! To act! To find -" Severus' voice rose as he advanced on the old man, hands braced on the desk eyes flashing dangerously until sudden realisation doused his rage as effectively as a dip in the Black Lake. "You're taking this news remarkably well Headmaster. The news that a member of the Order of the Phoenix long thought dead is still to a certain extent amongst the living ." He stood slowly, taking deep breaths as he tried to reign in his re-emerging anger and repress the surge of instinctual magic that was causing static currents to run through his fingers as he flexed them.
Dumbledore seemed oblivious to the growing danger presented by his Potions Master as he idly leafed through the research journal, coming to an abrupt stop when he reached the account of William of Wroxham.
"It is incredible is it not? The lengths we humans will go to in order to protect those we love. Some Muggles I am told donate blood or organs for medical procedures to save loved ones, others would beg, borrow or steal." The Headmaster's gaze lifted to the increasingly agitated younger wizard "Some would even change their allegiance from one master to another in exchange for the protection of the woman he loves...even if she is another man's wife. The mother of a young child." Severus opened his mouth to interrupt as Dumbledore pushed the book open at the page concerning the coven leader's theory as to the creation and existence of the Solis Ambulatories "And some parents like this man...or Lily...would willingly sacrifice themselves to gain the opportunity to protect their child. Be willing to pay any price, be it their life, their humanity, their friends..."
Once he stopped speaking the only sound in the Headmaster's office was the crackles and pops from the open fire. Once he had composed himself enough to speak Severus' voice was barely a whisper. "You already knew" his hand shot out and swept everything from the desk. "You KNEW! You must have known what she was planning back then; you know bloody EVERYTHING and you didn't stop her! WHY DIDNT YOU STOP HER! And you LIED TO ME! I took my oath to you under the condition that you would keep her safe but you never even intended to try!"
"AND I HAVE!" The Headmaster roared all traces of the kind twinkly eyed old man gone. "I introduced her to Aldwyn! I ensured that her Sire would be someone kind and caring rather than some unscrupulous character that would bind her to him and take advantage of her! It was due to me introducing her to Aldwyn that upon her death she was reborn stronger, faster, more powerful and better able to fight for her son, for our cause!" Breathing heavily the two men glared at each other.
"You have lied to me" croaked the Potions Master "Used me". With extreme effort Severus forced himself to be calm and made his way over to the door. "I must return to Spinners End before Pettigrew grows suspicious, but I will return to Hogwarts before the new term begins and I expect you to tell me everything. I will not be kept in the dark any longer Albus."
"In the meantime you will continue your role with the Death Eaters for me and –"
"No" The younger wizard's eyes blazed with hatred as he looked back at Albus Dumbledore, self appointed figurehead of the Order of the Phoenix and the fight against evil. "I'll continue for her. It's always been for her."
A/N:
Solis Ambulatories - Sun Walkers
Song lyrics are from 'They don't care about us' by Michael Jackson
Wow! That was my longest chapter so far ad there was a LOT of information to take in! Thanks for sticking with it.
Soooo, Lily is about to return to the UK and now Severus (and you dear reader) knows what happened to her.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, what you like, what you don't like, your predictions for what might happen in the future of this story. Come on, don't be shy! ; )