Title: Glass Hearts

Rating: PG-13

Summary (of chapter): Order meeting debriefing the Halloween attack, James and Lily move, Lily finds out some bad news. :(


Dorcas had brought sweets. As Lily watched everyone dig in and get settled, she could tell they might be a while.

"Whenever we have a big incident like this, an extremely long meeting follows," Fabian said, seeing Lily's expression. "We'll be lucky if we're out of here by four."

Lily raised her eyebrows, looking at her watch. It was almost eleven o'clock. James came back to the couch they were sitting on with a handful of candies. He dumped them onto Lily's lap and plopped down in the seat next to her.

"I vote Edgar gets lunch for us," Gideon said.

"Me, too," a small chorus of voices followed.

Edgar sighed. "Give in your sickles," he said, passing around his hat. "I'll leave in two hours."

Dumbledore walked into the caves wearing a traveling cloak, McGonagall behind him. "Hello, everyone," he said. He hung his cloak up with the many other coats by the opening. He settled into a seat. "Minerva will be our recorder today."

McGonagall Conjured up a blackboard. She pulled over a chair and sat down next to it.

"Well, let's begin," Dumbledore said. "Lily, why don't you begin? Tell us exactly what happened Tuesday night."

"Okay," Lily said, nodding. This was a little intimidating. "James and I decided to throw a Halloween party Muggle-style - you know, with costumes and all. We probably invited about a dozen people, but about forty showed up."

"You sent owls out for invites?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Lily said, her face flushing. "I didn't think it would bring Death Eaters -"

"It's all right, just continue," Dumbledore said.

Lily nodded. "It was about nine o'clock when James and I smelled smoke. It was coming from the bathroom, and we quickly put out the fire. I guess it was a diversion." She looked at Sirius. "They Apparated in?"

"No, they came in through the door," Sirius said. "We were all distracted by the fire, but Frank saw them first."

Lily glanced at Frank, but Dumbledore motioned for her to continue. "Oh, well, I went to Stun one of the Death Eaters, but someone grabbed me from behind. I started to fight back, and another Death Eater Disarmed me. Then he Disapparated, and I was in some sort of study. He put ropes around me, then they brought Frank in. I don't know who any of them were - two men and a woman."

"The Lestranges," Frank told her. "Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan. Bellatrix is married to Rodolphus, and Rabastan is his brother."

"Oh." Lily knew the family name. She thought back to how Bellatrix had reminded her of Sirius, but refrained herself from looking at him. "Well, the married couple took Frank downstairs. Rabastan stayed by the door and stood guard. I tried to get closer to the desk to somehow escape, but he noticed and dragged me over to sit by him. Then James came - but he looked like Macnair - and took me downstairs. Malfoy's wife was with him."

"Narcissa Malfoy," Edgar clarified.

Lily felt her face flush again, thinking of how much she didn't know. "Right," she said. "We went into a room, and um, Frank was on the ground, and Alice and Edgar were there. And You-Know-Who. He asked me who I was supposed to be, and I told him Helga Hufflepuff, and then James grabbed me and we Disapparated."

"And then she kicked me in the shin," James said.

Lily laughed quietly. "I had no idea what you were doing."

"Was Lucius Malfoy there?" Dumbledore asked.

"Um, I don't know." Most of Lily's attention had been on either Voldemort or James's iron grip on her arm.

"He was," Alice said.

"We have eight known accomplices," Dumbledore said. Already, their names were written on the blackboard in McGonagall's curvy handwriting. "Fabian, why don't you tell us what happened to you and Emmeline?"

Fabian told his story - he and Emmeline had also been kidnapped, but they had their wands. They had also arrived at the Malfoy Manor, but had managed to get away. They had seen one Death Eater the rest of them hadn't: Christopher Rosier, Evan Rosier's father. He was added to the list.

Dumbledore nodded. "As I suspected," he said. He took a piece of paper out of his briefcase and passed it to Dorcas. "These are the nine. Two women, seven men. We cannot assume Narcissa Malfoy is a Death Eater as she was never involved in any activities other than showing people around the house. Let's discuss them."

They talked about each person who had been involved in the Halloween attack. They began at birthplace, then went through their Hogwarts years. They had theories about when each man joined You-Know-Who, and why. Other than the Malfoys, Macnair, and Christopher Rosier, their current addresses were unknown. A few worked for the Ministry, a few were too wealthy to need any sort of job. Christopher Rosier was the only one who had children. On the piece of paper being passed around were black and white drawings of all nine.

Dumbledore then directed his attention to Frank and asked him to tell about being tortured. Frank said he had waited fifteen minutes after being taken away from Lily. He heard people yelling in the drawing room, and he now suspected it was about Fabian and Emmeline's escape. He faced You-Know-Who, and, though Bellatrix requested to torture him, You-Know-Who had done most of it. He asked about where the headquarters was at first, but then moved on to members. Frank said he didn't say anything other than he didn't know many members.

Lily couldn't imagine being tortured, and she wondered if she would ever be as strong as Frank. She wanted to ask James to make sure she never got in that situation, even if he had to kill her. She was pretty sure James would never agree to that, though.

The meeting continued on. Edgar left to get lunch around one, promising to get something tasty. They discussed the dynamics of the relationship between You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters. Bellatrix, in particular, seemed to be in love with him. Lily caught a look of disgust on Sirius's face.

Dumbledore then began to describe what he had done with the three Death Eaters in their custody. He had handed them over to Christopher McKinnon, but their capture had not been released to the press yet. Why that was, Dumbledore wasn't sure.

When Edgar came back with food, Dumbledore announced that he only had one more thing to go over. He laughed at the collective looks of shock, and looked at James and Lily. "We need to talk about the wards you had up."

"Yeah," James said.

Lily knew this would come up. Her appetite seemed to flee. James, on the other hand, was loading a paper plate up with Chinese food.

"So, what did you have up?" Dumbledore asked.

"Protego Totalum," Lily said. "Cave Inimicum, Salvia Hexia." She glanced at James. He nodded, answering her unasked question. "That's all."

"All right," Dumbledore said. "For Death Eaters - especially if all nine were involved - those spells are, as we found out, breakable. I'm wondering about the fire, though. Do you think someone came as a guest just to start the fire?"

"Probably," Lily said. "I mean, everyone was in costume, and we didn't know everyone."

Dumbledore asked if anyone remembered a guest who looked suspicious, but no one did. "I'm so sorry," Lily said emphatically. "We thought it would be a fun get-together, not - you know -"

"It's all right," Dumbledore said. "From now on, we'll all have to send out coded messages about get-togethers. And perhaps when everyone has arrived, they can all perform protective charms. Each additional charm strengthens the original charm."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, anytime we gather in the future, we'll do that."

"We should look into getting you Secrecy Sensors and Foe Glasses, as well," Dumbledore said.

"Of course," Mad-Eye Moody said, his mouth full. "I'll get some for all of you. I've just got to pull some strings. It'll be easy to get some for the Aurors, of course. Everyone else may have to wait a little while."

"Thank you, Alastor," Dumbledore said. "Well, with that said, I think I'll be on my way." He paused, looking again at Lily. "Are you searching for a new flat?"

"Oh, yes," Lily said. "We're living with Sirius for now."

"Be sure to apply extra charms," Dumbledore advised her. "Edgar, thank you for lunch, but Minerva and I have got to get back to Hogwarts."

"Sure," Edgar said with a smile.

Dumbledore passed around copies of the drawings of the Death Eaters. "Good afternoon, everyone." He trailed out.

"I'm glad you're both all right," McGonagall said before following him.

Fabian put his feet up on the table in front of him. "That was a good meeting," he said. "Short and sweet, just the way I like it."


"I told her it was your idea!" Alice said defensively.

James grinned. "I know." He really didn't mind all that much. Sure, it would have been nice to have some credit for the plan from Rita Skeeter, but as long as Frank and Lily were all right, it was okay. Now, if Alice stole his thunder one more time, he may have to claim at least one of the victories. "I don't care, I was just teasing."

"Sure you were," Alice said with a roll of her eyes. She picked up her sandwich and was about to take a bit from it when two giggling girls nervously approached them.

"Hi," the taller one said. "Um, are you Alice Longbottom?"

"Yes," Alice said.

"Are you James Potter?" the other one asked.

"That's me," James said with a grin. He was still giving autographs, and that was good enough for him.

The two girls giggled. "Can you - um, sign this?" the taller one held out the article that had run in the Daily Prophet last week.

Alice blushed. "Sure."

"Oh, come on," Sirius groaned, his mouth full.

"You're just jealous," James said dismissively.

"There have been at least twenty autograph requests!" Sirius exclaimed. "And do they all have to come while we're on lunch?"

"Don't listen to him, he's just bitter," James told the girls. He signed the article, then handed it back to them. He gave them a wink, which spurred on more giggles as they ran back to their mother. She smiled warmly at Alice and James and waved as though she knew them.

"Don't let the fame get to your head," Sirius warned them.

"We'll try," Alice said with a laugh.

Sirius rolled his eyes at Kingsley, who only chuckled.

After their lunch break, they went back to Classroom 2 by the Auror Department. On Wednesday afternoons, they sat through a mind-numbingly boring session on Magical Law and how Aurors operated within that law. James couldn't believe how much Tiberius Ogden could talk.

He looked forward to Fridays, when they spent the day dueling and learning new defense spells. Sirius usually came over Friday nights, the two of them practicing what they had learned. Last Friday, they had come home to the same house. Lily and James were still searching out a place to live. It was odd living with his friends again, he had been with only Lily for a few months. He was used to just the two of them and their routines, but now they were sharing the bathroom and the kitchen, and Lily didn't walk about in her underwear anymore. He still could, but it wasn't quite the same. James wrote a note on the top of his paper, reminding him to see about that flat he saw in the paper today.

They sat about for two hours, listening to Ogden's presentation on the proper way to handle a trial after you've arrested someone. James took notes, but spent a lot of his time doodling on the sides of his paper. With just the four of them, it was easier for Ogden to notice if they were screwing off, so James and Sirius didn't fool around as much as they might have in Flitwick's class. They had to grow up eventually.


"Where should we put the couch?" Lily asked, standing in the living room. She looked around thoughtfully. "I like it up against that wall. But maybe the other wall?"

"Well, we should find out soon," James said. He levitated the boxes labeled 'bedroom' to their small bedroom. It was smaller than their last flat, but neither of them minded. "They're coming over with our furniture."

"Already?" Lily asked. She took out her wand to help him.

"It was the only time I could get them," James said. "Remus is going off to France tomorrow, and Sirius has a date tonight."

"With who?"

"I don't know," James said.

Lily couldn't tell if he was lying or not. She wondered if it was Jewel. She didn't ponder it for too long. The door opened, and Peter came in. Sirius and Remus were carrying the couch. "A little help?" Sirius said.

"Wingardium Leviosa," Lily said. The couch floated off of their hands. Lily brought it into the living room. She paused by one wall, then swung it towards the other. She began to set it down, but then moved it again, nearly hitting Peter. "Sorry."

"Of course, you have to live by Muggles," Sirius said, collapsing on the couch once it was on the ground.

"Come on, let's get the rest of the stuff," Remus said. "Maybe we can do Wingardium Leviosa, but make it look like we're carrying it."

"You owe me," Sirius told James as they left.

A few hours later, Lily hooked up their phone. James still didn't know how to use it, but she used it to call her mom. She dialed her mom and dad's house while the guys relaxed after moving in all the furniture.

It took a few rings, but finally, her dad answered. "Hello?" he said in a hoarse voice.

"Hey, dad, it's me," Lily said. "I finally got my phone hooked back up."

"Hey," her dad said. He paused for a long time. "I was going to call you. . .last night. . .when. . ."

Lily gripped the phone card. "What?" she said. "What's wrong?"

"Your mother, she. . ." her dad trailed off. His voice was thick and hesitant. "Last night, she. . .we went to bed, and I realized it when I went to turn the light out - she's - Lily, she's gone."

Lily closed her eyes, leaning against the wall. Her head began throbbing. "Oh," she said quietly. "I'm going to come over there."

"Okay," her dad said. "I've got to go."

He hung up before she could say anything else. She slowly put the phone on the hook, tears coming to her eyes. It couldn't be real. Maybe she was dreaming. She had dreamt about hearing the news of her mother's death before. She closed her eyes again, and tears started to stream down her cheeks. Somehow, she knew it was true, that somewhere, her mom's body lay lifeless.


The funeral was quiet and depressing. James sat in the front row of the church next to Lily. She held his hand, crying quietly the whole time. Towards the end of the service, people stood up and talked about Mrs. Evans.

After at least ten people had said something, Lily stood up and looked at everyone with a small smile. "Well, I want to thank you all for coming," she said. "It would mean a lot to my mom. I'm going to miss her. . ."

She paused, biting her lip. "She had a good life," she said. "She left behind a lot of love."

Lily paused again, but then decided to sit down. James patted her on the back. He wished magic could take people back from the dead.

The reception was at their house. Lily's dad had tried to keep it light, but it didn't change the fact that it was a funeral reception. Lily's sister and her husband ignored Lily and James, but Lily didn't seem to mind. She talked to old family friends and exchanged stories about her mom. She told people that she was studying to become a nurse, and she would definitely keep in touch.

Afterwards, Lily helped her dad clean up. James did what he could, feeling awkward around the mourning family. Petunia wouldn't make eye contact, not that he tried or anything. Her husband sat in the living room watching television and chuckling to himself.

"Okay, dad, we should probably go," Lily said. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Lily," her dad said. They hugged. James hated seeing her like this, and if he could keep anyone else from dying, he would.

"Bye, Petunia," Lily said. "Goodbye, Vernon."

Vernon gave an awkward wave, and Petunia finally looked at her sister. "Goodbye, Lily," she said with a curt nod.

Lily paused, looking like she may want to say more. Petunia crossed her arms and stared at the ground. Lily took James's hand and they left.

Back in their flat, half of their boxes still unpacked, James made Lily a sandwich. "At least she didn't feel any pain," Lily said.

"Yeah," James said. "That's great." He cringed, wondering if he could say anything worse.

"I feel. . .I don't know," Lily said. "I think of all the people who have died in the war, and I'm just glad she didn't - that she wasn't murdered or something."

James nodded, handing her a plate with a sandwich on it. He sat down next to her. "I'm glad she wasn't, either," he said.


Lily!

Hey, it is your bestest, most wonderful friend. I hope you enjoy the chocolates, I made them myself. Okay, not really, I had the house-elves in the kitchen make them. But I helped. Sort of.

Anyways, I'm really sorry about your mum. She was great, and I'm glad she got help from Louise to give her a little bit longer. If you need anything, just owl me, okay? Gods, I can't wait to be by you again! I used to see you every day, and I haven't seen you for months!

It's been a good year so far, but I miss you and Mary and even the guys. How are they? James and Sirius getting through training all right? I heard that you guys have been seeing Jewel lately. I heard she was working at an orphanage or something. How is she?

Look, like I said, ANYTHING, it's yours. More chocolates, Hogwarts gossip, a free Witch Weekly issue, etc. I've got your back. I'll be out for Christmas break! I want to see your flat, and you can make me dinner. We should all hang out. Maybe Mary can get us tickets to a game! Even though Sirius doesn't like the Arrows.

LOVE, love, love, love,

Marlene


A/N: Please read and review! Thanks for all the past reviews :)

Next: Jewel and Sirius reunite (kind of), Sirius and Lily fight, Marlene visits for Christmas, and everyone goes to Club Charmed for a night of fun and revelry.