Chapter 7

Lily

Hello humans and monkeys alike! See, I promised I'd put up a chapter a week after the last one, and I didn't let you down! Also, nobody asked about this, but the single father in the last chapter is Charlie Weasley. His daughter is his own, but, well, let's just say his wife disappeared. If you can figure out who the girl's mother is, then I'll congratulate you within the next couple chapters! Anyway, before this A/N gets to lengthy, I'll just let you read.

Well, I must say that those Jacksons are certainly odd.

First of all, they had tons of scars, everything from cuts to claw marks, covering their arms and legs. Next, they all seem way too fit for their age.

And, lastly, every one of them disappeared around two in the morning.

But nobody else seemed to notice these things.

The next morning, everyone was up bright and early. Mum, Mrs. Jackson, Mrs. Grace, and most of my aunts were all cooking a giant breakfast. Well, I'm sure it looked big, but it still probably wouldn't be enough to feed every single person there.

I was very happy to see all of my wonderful, annoying cousins and friends. We were all excited to see Neville's wife, Hannah, so close to giving birth. Mrs. Jackson, who also turned out to be pregnant with another child, gave her tons of advice on how to deal with children, which she accepted appreciatively.

Since we were in such an open area, we all had plenty of room to get our energy out. We started games of tag, hide and seek, Quidditch, and even Capture the Flag, something the Jackson kids seemed particularly good at.

Gracie insisted on playing Quidditch with us, and surprisingly, she didn't fall off. She was able to keep up with our less-talented cousins and friends, and she ended up becoming a pretty good Seeker for the opposite team.

But, as it neared dinner time, we all retired to the Burrow, dirty, bruised, and exhausted.

"It looks like you guys got run over by a truck!" Grandma said, wiping my face with a nice, cool cloth. "You should be more careful when you play, Lily! I don't want you getting hurt!"

"Grandma, mom was fine, I'll be fine," I reassured her. "Don't worry about me."

After everyone had washed up, we ate a glorious dinner. There were several turkeys, bowls full of mashed potatoes, vegetables, fruits, fruit tarts, fruit pies, and pretty much everything you'd expect to find at a regular Hogwarts dinner, plus a little more.

"We have an announcement," Victoire said, pulling Teddy up.

Everybody stopped eating and looked at them expectantly. I was practically shaking with excitement, for I knew what was coming.

"We're getting married!"

There was a chorus of cheers, along with a few 'ew''s from the boys.

"When's the wedding?" Grandma asked, smiling brightly.

"Well, we haven't planned anything yet," Teddy explained. "Victoire's working as an instructor at Hogwarts this year-"

He was cut off by a loud cheer from every kid at the table.

"We'll plan it later," Victoire promised, laughing slightly at her cousin's excited faces.

Once our wonderful dinner was finished, we started a bonfire out in the field. We roasted marshmallows, told creepy stories, and laughed.

About halfway through, I noticed Hunter, Orion, Alexandrie and Gracie sneak toward one of the hills. Nobody else noticed their absence, not even their parents.

They didn't return by the time we retired to our beds, but I was sure that their parents knew by then. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson were pacing around in circles, talking with extreme seriousness that you'd normally see with two people discussing a war.

But, despite the worry that was emanating from the two and Mr. and Mrs. Grace, I was able to fall into a shaky sleep.

(TOTALLY AWESOME LINE BREAK PEOPLEZ!)

I awoke in the middle of the night.

At first I had no idea what had woken me, but then I heard someone's scream echo through the valley.

It was Gracie's scream.

I hopped out of bed and ran out of the tent, only to see half of the Weasleys and several others waiting anxiously. Every adult had their wands out, and a few of the kids did as well, even though I knew we'd all get in trouble if we used them.

Suddenly, Dad (who I hadn't noticed was missing), Mr. Jackson, Mrs. Jackson, and Mr. and Mrs. Grace came tromping over a hill. They had completely immobile shapes on their backs.

As they neared us, I really saw the scratches that covered the adult's faces, and the even larger gashes that covered the children that were unconscious on their backs.

"What happened?" mum asked, stepping toward dad, who looked close to collapse, even though he wasn't carrying a kid.

"Chimera attack," dad huffed out as the other four set the kids down on the grass. Everybody was going completely bonkers, grabbing blankets for the kids, and trying to distance themselves from the small group while trying to get a good look as well.

"I thought they were only native to Greece," Albus said, a confused look plastered on his face. "What would one be doing in the UK?"

"Actually, there were seven Chimera," Mrs. Jackson said, dabbing a substance that looked like water on her daughter's bleeding cheek. Gracie's wound started to heal slightly, but I thought it was just my imagination.

"How in the world did you fight off seven Chimera?" Fred asked my father excitedly, practically jumping up and down.

"The kids fought off most of them, but…"

Dad promptly fainted, which seemed appropriate to do as he told us an exciting story. Fred turned towards the Jacksons and Graces, only to find them entering their tent.

"We'll be fine!" Mr. Jackson yelled out the tent flap. "They just need some good old fashion first aid and they'll be back to normal!"

I highly doubted those words were true, but I put the thoughts out of my mind as Mum and I helped dad back into the house. I had to admit that it was quite interesting to help him up a flight of stairs to my Mum's old room, which had been renovated so she and dad could stay in there when we came to visit.

Mum got a few cloths and we cleaned off most of his wounds, so he didn't look absolutely terrible. She told me about the time when dad had played dead before right before The Final Battle. Most kids would be terrified to know that their father had almost died several times, but I found it interesting. Not that I wanted my father to be dead, it's just… oh, whatever!

I was sent back to bed about thirty minutes later, since it was two in the morning.

But as I curled deep into my covers, listening to my brothers' loud snoring, I couldn't help but wonder if Gracie and her friends actually had defeated those monsters, and if so, how. It wasn't like they had giant swords, right?

A terrible headache overcame me, as if I'd come across a lost thought. The spasm soon subsided, but I decided not to ponder those thoughts any longer.

So, as I mentioned above, if you can figure out who that little girl's mother is, I'll mention you in the next couple chapters! Sorry for the short chapter, but I didn't have very much inspiration for this one. For some reason Lily is harder to write about. Oh well; the next one they will get on the train for Hogwarts, I promise. Sorry if this was confusing, but most of it will be explained in the next chapter. Since I'm feeling creative, you could probably expect a new chapter by tomorrow or Christmas Day.

Merry Christmas!