Chapter 8 A Gold Cage

( Stairway to Heaven )


Beautiful Chaos

Lily gasped as she opened her eyes. She squinted and tried to move her body. She felt a horrible pain lance through her head and left arm as she moved. Lily looked around her and saw that her wrists were encased by a pair of thick metal handcuffs, which tied to the wall behind her. Lily could see dried blood on the handcuffs. She hung from her wrists loosely. Lily felt pain in her left arm.

The room she was in had no windows. It was completely empty other than a lit candle stationed near the door. Lily was sure that the door was locked.

Lily moved her fingers and sighed with relief when no pain came. She tested every part of her arm until she reached the top section. Lily moaned when a bolt of agony hit her upper left arm. The bone was broken and there was nothing she could do.

Lily leaned her head back and tried to keep panic out of her. It wasn't working. With each second that past, Lily felt her magic roar with outrage inside of her. She was loosing control. Lily could see dried blood on her torn blouse and ripped jeans.

Lily let her head hit the wall behind her and winced. She did this with each part of her head. A storm of agony descended on her when the center of her back head hit the solid rock. She gritted her teeth and licked her chapped lips.

Lily had to get out before her magic got free. She remembered Benjy attacking her and Michael in Hogsmeade. Lily's heart pounded at the thought of Michael; she didn't know where he was. Dread crept up her throat as she worried about him. The wounds he had could have killed him.

Suddenly Lily heard the door open. She looked towards it and heard a cold laugh. Lily's stomach screamed with queasiness as she stared into a pair of cerulean blue eyes.

" Lily you're not looking well," Benendict Auclair taunted. Lily remained silent as he prowled over to her. His fingers twirled around his wand manically. He ran a hand through his brown hair and grinned at her. Lily met his stare with a blank one. He reached up and brought a hand to her face. Lily tensed as his fingers traced the planes and curves of her face. She flinched when his fingers reached for a clump of hair and harshly wound themselves around it.

" A reaction hmm. I almost thought that you were broken," Benedict sneered. Lily gulped and opened her mouth. She glared at him with defiance.

" You sick bastard," Lily growled. She felt his arms circle her waist and squirmed in his grip. She ignored the iron-rod pain in her arm. Benedict laughed a cold icy chuckle.

" I'll have you know that my parents were married when they had me," he teased. Lily snarled and moved in his tight grip.

" Don't speak about them. You're not worthy," Lily sneered. His eyes flashed with amusement and he pulled his wand out. Lily watched it as he raised it to her jugular. She stared at it as he leaned in and positioned his mouth by her ear.

" I'll tell you a secret Lily, I poisoned my dad for the last nine months of his life," he revealed. Lily shoved against his hold. She felt her magic lash out. The walls in the room began to shake around them. Benedict pressed his wand farther into her neck.

" I've been waiting for you to try something stupid since I entered the room Bring him in," Benedict barked. Lily heard the door open and turned to it. She gasped as two men dragged the limp body of Michael Wood into the room. She could see his scars had been opened up. And his eyes fluttered as the men chained him to a set of handcuffs across the narrow room. Benedict waved them off and the door closed with a heavy noise.

" If you or that magic of yours tries anything. Then I will kill Wood in seconds," Benedict ordered. Lily ignored him and stared at Michael. He groaned and his eyes opened. She met a pair of tortured brown eyes. His eyes darted from her head to her leg.

" Lils your head," Michael mumbled. Lily couldn't look at her head so she stared at him in confusion. Benedict sneered and pressed a hand to the back of Lily's head. Lily gasped at the pain and watched him show her his fingers. They were coated in a fresh layer of crimson blood.

" What do you want Auclair," Lily beseeched. She stared into Benedict's eyes with rage. He frowned when she said his last name. He moved his wand away from her neck and pointed it at Michael. Lily's eyes widened and he smirked.

" Say my name," he demanded. Lily stared at him defiantly and he smiled. Suddenly Michael's body twisted up in a spasm of torment. Lily stared at him in horror.

" Stop please Benjy stop," Lily croaked. Her captor smiled and Michael slumped in his chains. Lily breathed with relief and closed her eyes. She was trying so hard. Lily's eyes brimmed with tears as her magic thrashed out against the prison she forced it into. It needed to protect her, it wanted to kill and destroy. Lily shoved it down and felt it lash out at her.

Her body shoved against the wall of the room and Lily felt her chest tremor with pain. Benjy watched her with horror. He seemed concerned and sucked a breath in as Lily's white blouse darkened with crimson blood.

" Lily what are you doing," he demanded. Lily managed a tight grin as her magic pounded against its prison. She coughed and blood oozed out of her mouth. Benjy wasn't the one doing this to her; no it was her.

" You told me to control my magic," Lily gasped. It ripped a wall off its prison and screamed. Lily screamed with it. She felt her body arch with pain and slumped against the wall. It was winning; it was going to get control. Lily screamed out loud and the walls of the room shook again.

" Lily," Michael shouted. Lily heard his voice and grit her teeth. She forced her magic down with one intent; to save Michael. She slumped against the wall and felt blood drip across her torso.

" The Dark Lord will be pleased when I deliver you to him," Benjy muttered under his breath. Lily looked at him with anger. She couldn't face Voldemort; she would be forced into a weapon.

" Why are you doing this," she gasped.

" After you prevented me from retrieving that box for my master, I needed something to keep him from getting any further anger. Offering him you was my best bet," Benjy revealed. Lily felt Michael's eyes on Benjy's back.

" I thought you loved me," Lily said. Benjy's face contorted in confusion.

" I do. If I give you to the Dark Lord then he will give me you, once he has managed to remove that horrible extra magic you have," Benjy said. Michael's head jerked up.

" Lily what is he talking about," Michael asked. Lily ignored him, but Benjy let out a bark of laughter.

" You haven't told your mudblood loving boyfriend what you really are? That's pathetic, maybe I'll tell him myself," Benjy mused.

" No," Lily said. But Benjy ignored her he walked over to Michael and stood across from him. The first thing he did was punch Michael straight across the face. Michael grimaced by didn't make a noise.

" That was for kissing Lily," Benjy growled. He seemed to have forgotten about Lily. She gritted her teeth and tucked her legs under her body. Lily pushed her feet against the blood-splattered wall and positioned them so she was horizontal and pointed towards Benjy's back. She bit her lip and felt blood dribble down her face as her arm protested. Lily could see drops of her blood fall to the ground.

" You don't even know what Lily's even capable of Wood! There's a monster inside of her; it's her magic. Think about it. Her blood descends from Merlin and Circe. Her blood has almost too much magic in it. She's got a closer tie to magic than any wizard alive, well excluding the Dark Lord and the deranged senile idiot Dumbledore," Benjy sneered.

Lily felt Michael stare at her in confusion. Benjy laughed but didn't turn to her.

" My master will learn how to harness her extra magic and become the most powerful wizard alive. Then he will eradicate all the filthy muggles and mudbloods in the country," Benjy taunted.

Lily felt something inside of her snap. But it wasn't her magic; it was her capability to block her memories out. She felt everything she ever experience flash in front of her. All the pain and suffering mixed with the joy and elation. As Lily relived her memories she found something in common in each of them; the people in them were worth fighting for.

Lily eased her magic out of the cage she bound it in. She gave it control and let it create chaos. Her world blurred as her magic roared with power. It snapped the chains trapping her like a piece of Styrofoam. Lily felt magic pulse out of her heart and into every vein in her body.

It took the throne she relented to it with grace. She felt it explode with freedom and liberation. She coxed it over to Benjy who was watching her with horror. She let it swing at him and send his body flying into a wall. He fell with a sickening crack.

It turned to Michael. Lily felt it appraise him and move to hit him. He flinched at the glare she gave him.

" No," Lily screamed. She quickly shoved her magic out of control and imprisoned it once more. She blinked and got control. Lily stood in front of Michael. She looked at the havoc her magic had made.

The room they were in was lit ablaze with her magic's signature fire. Benjy was in a corner with a pool of blood surrounding him. Lily saw a familiar crest on the stone of the wall and shivered. She knew where they were. Lily turned to Michael and saw that he was watching her with wary eyes. She ignored the throb of pain in her chest that came from his heavy stare and walked over to Benjy. She found the key to his shackles in Benjy's pocket. Lily saw his wand near him.

Lily walked over to Michael and freed him. He slumped against her for a moment. Lily noticed that his shirt had been discarded. But she couldn't see an inch of his bare chest. She could only see blood and long cuts staining his torso. Lily faltered and heaved under the pressure of his weight and her own.

" Lily," Michael murmured into her bloodstained hair. Lily's heart thumped with his as she leaned against him and he leaned against her. She looked at him and saw that his eyes were drooping. His skin was a chalky-white and Lily could feel his heart beating languidly.

" Michael no! Don't fall asleep. You've lost too much blood," Lily whimpered. Michael leaned his head back.

" I've been through hell twice Lils, I'm done fighting. Do me a favor, if you ever face Voldemort, and he tries to get you to join, you tell him never in a fucking million words, you old deranged bastard," Michael ordered. Lily felt tears openly pour from her eyes when he finished. She grabbed his head and did the one rational thing she could think of. Lily positioned her mouth near his and felt his ragged breath hit her cheek.

He watched her with open eyes. Michael leaned forward as Lily brought her hand into the air and slapped him straight across the face.

" Fucking hell! I'm dying and you decide to slap me," Michael exclaimed. Lily shoved him up and stared at him.

" You're not dying, I won't let you. The day you die I'll kiss you, but you're not dying today," Lily vowed. Michael narrowed his eyes at her speech and winced with pain. But then he grinned, and it was marvelous.

" At least kiss my cheek," Michael smarmily bargained. Lily stared at him in shock and slapped him again. She ignored his string of curses and looked at Benjy's flaccid body. A pool of blood surrounded his head. Lily's heart strained; he was supposed to be her angel, but he was really her demon.

Her arm and chest ached with pain. Her head was a numbing pain that seemed unearthly. Lily led Michael over to Benjy. He stared at her old friend's limp body.

" What are we going to do with him," Michael asked. Lily grabbed the wand off the floor and muttered a spell. It hit Benjy and he was paralyzed. Lily groaned at the pain she felt. She had tired, so tired. She had drained her magic too much today.

" We're going to send him to hell," Lily announced. She thought that they could take him to the aurors and get him sent to Azkaban. Lily led Michael through the door and levitated Benjy's body from behind her. She shivered at the damp state of the place they were in. Michael scowled and wrapped one of his bloody arms around her.

" Where are we," he asked. Lily gulped and licked her lips she saw their wands sitting by the door and grabbed them. She tossed one to Michael who muttered lumos and the darkness lit up. Lily could see that they were in a dungeon. It shouldn't have survived. Lily could feel the heat of the flames in the room following them.

" We're below the ruins of the Auclair Manor, most accurately the dungeons," Lily answered as she looked at the familiar crest carved into a stone. Michael hid his shock and glanced at the flames that were following them. He pulled her forward and she led him towards the stairs. Flames danced around their feet. Lily could see a flame embracing Benjy's arm. But they didn't have time to put it out. Lily ran and coughed from the smoke.

Lily wondered where the men that brought Michael in were. She hoped they left before the fire started. She saw a wooden beam collapse and fall into waves of fire to her left. Lily choked in the smoke. She pressed her shirt into her mouth and propelled Benjy's body forward. Lily was so weak and tired. Michael let her lean against him as he pulled them out of the flames.

Lily saw something in the corner of the room. She panted and tugged on Michael's sleeve.

" Look! There are fireworks down here. If they're lit then this entire dungeon will collapse on us," Lily exclaimed. She coughed and blood fell out of her mouth. Michael let out a string of curses and pulled her forward.

" Drop that bastard, we'll move faster," he ordered. Lily bit her lip and debated this. Benjy had tortured and maimed not only her, but also Michael. If she dropped him it was increase her and Michael's chances of surviving. Yet Lily couldn't do this.

" No we're taking him or dying here with him," Lily barked. Michael rolled his eyes and pulled her closer to him. Lily screamed as flame touched her and Michael's back. He groaned and faltered. Lily pulled on him and pushed him up.

" Don't give up Wood," she ordered. Lily dragged his body closer to the staircase. She could feel her body aching and protesting. But she couldn't give in. She was Lily Evans and she refused to be afraid.

Michael groaned and stood. Lily could see fresh burns on his back. He suddenly shot up with strength. Lily coughed and leaned over. Blood and bile spewed from her mouth, but Michael grabbed her. He tugged her into his side and dragged them forward. Lily's arm limply pointed at Benjy's body and she was barely able to keep him up.

As they reached the staircase Lily felt a bolt of strength surge through her. She grabbed Michael and tugged him up the stairs. They ended up crawling up the last three steps. Smoke came out with them. Flames licked their heels.

Lily gulped for air. Michael stood next to her and vomited a mix of blood and bile. She copied him and dropped Benjy's body. She gulped for air. Her wounds screamed with agony but she didn't care. Lily knew that her nerves were probably dead in those areas but she didn't care. Lily had never been more grateful for air.

Michael stood suddenly and threw her wand to her. She took Benjy's and snapped it in half. Lily chucked it into the staircase. She groaned and remembered something. Lily quickly levitated Benjy's body and started running.

" The fireworks," she yelled. Michael cursed and followed her. Lily had never been more grateful for the running drills Michael forced the team to complete at practice. Blood and bile dripped from her mouth as she and Michael skirted around the runs of the Auclair Manor. When they reached the edge of the house, which was surrounded by old shards of glass, Lily jumped over the crumbling structure and bolted for the woods nearby.

Michael ran next to her letting out grunts of pain. Lily could see black blood dripping from his back. She heard an explosion and felt something hit her back. Lily screeched as her body flew into the forest. She landed and hit a tree on the outskirts of the forest. Benjy hit the tree with a thud and crumpled to the ground. Lily looked at his pale form and was sure that he died.

She blinked tears back and realized there was nothing she could do. He was still alive when she levitated him out of the burning dungeon, but when his body collided with the solid wood of the tree at such a high speed, Lily was sure he was dead.

She crawled over to him and choked. His eyes were glassy and his limbs pointed out at odd angles. His head was snapped back and she could see blood polling around his legs, chest, and head. Lily grabbed a nearby tree branch and stood with shaky hands.

" Lily! Oh fuck where are you," a voice shouted. Lily looked up and saw Michael walking by her. His chest and were a mess of large slices and blood. She wondered how he was still alive. A large cut crossed his forehead and traveled down to his jawline. It bordered his hair from his face.

" Michael," Lily gasped. He saw her and ran over to her. He tripped occasionally and was forced to lean over and cough up blood. Lily slowly limped over to him. She couldn't feel her right arm and her left legs was a mess of blood and gore. She could see a hint of white bone marrow.

Lily realized how ridiculous they must have looked. She was hobbling and he was wheezing. When she reached him Lily could see the distant explosion of fire and inferno from the ruins. She could feel the moon's light wrap them in a gentle embrace.

Michael pulled Lily into a tight hug. Lily wrapped her left arm gingerly around his shoulder. Michael looked down at her and sucked in a breath.

" Fuck Lily you're hurt," Michael said. Lily snorted and looked at Benjy's body.

" You're worse Wood," Lily shot back. Michael smiled and looked where she was looking. He grimaced and turned to her for confirmation.

" He's dead. The explosion launched him into a tree and his neck got snapped," Lily rasped. Michael pulled her into his hold. Lily cried and cried. Tears were weakness but Lily was feeling really weak right now. She pulled out his hold.

" There's blood on your chest," Lily sniffed. Michael nodded and seemed fazed. Lily's soul throbbed. Her eyes fluttered and she crouched down. Lily felt Michael pull her up and shake her.

" Come on Lils, we just survived that bad-crazy little shit. You can't die now," Michael muttered. Lily stared and her world swirled. Michael's face blended into the night sky.

" I did it for you. I lived for you," Lily whispered. She felt Michael reach down and grab her face he pulled her up to him and stared into her eyes.

" Lily Evans you weren't born to die now," Michael said. Lily opened her eyes when she heard the crack of apparition. Michael turned and shoved her behind her. Lily held her wand out and faced the newcomers.

A group of gold-robed aurors stood in front of them. They watched Lily and Michael with cautious eyes. One of them shouted and pointed his wand at her. Lily made eye contact with one and slumped against Michael.

" We're safe, the aurors are here," she announced. Michael dropped his wand and pulled her to his side. Together, under the moon's glare they collapsed. Lily and Michael's blood mixed as they lay on the hard ground.

Lily floated. She didn't know how long she was asleep. But she could feel everything around her. She felt the aurors lift her body and carry her away from Michael. She felt them poke and prod at her wounds. She felt her body fall on a soft surface. She felt her wounds heal, but they still throbbed with pain. She felt the healers leave and return after an unknown amount of time. She felt someone lean over her and place a kiss on her forehead.

Lily didn't hear anything. She didn't hear Auror Tonks yell for her aurors to drop their wands as she recognized Lily. She didn't hear Tonks bark for one of them to carry her and apparate to Mungos. She didn't hear the healers shouting and people's shocked exclamations. She didn't hear the healers work over her broken body with diligent and hurried precision. She didn't hear her friends pounding at the door to her room demanding to be let in. She didn't' hear someone enter in the dead of the night and cry over her body. She didn't hear them whisper her name over and over again. She felt them press their lips to her forehead. She woke up to utter silence and brightness.

Lily was in a hospital. She leaned up and groaned. Healers immediately swarmed around her and started barking orders again. She stared at them in confusion as they tested her and healed her wounds. On Sunday afternoon she was left alone in her room. Lily stared at the door in front of her.

She remembered Benjy's death and Michael's wounds. Michael! what happened to him? Lily waved at the healing spells kept on her body and slowly pushed herself into a sitting position.

She grabbed the table to her side and stood with shaky legs. Lily was wearing a white robe. She gingerly walked over to the mirror. Lily gasped at her reflection. Her left leg was wrapped in a heavy bandage. Her right arm had a sprinkle of fresh bruises on it. Her right leg was wrapped in gauze that was soaked in a bone-healing potion. A bandage that seemed to pulse wrapped her chest. Lily could see burns and cuts sprinkled across her body. She looked at her face and gulped. Her skin was so pale that she could see veins through it.

Lily's hair had been cropped to the tip of her collarbone. She remembered the fire burning her hair. It fell in thick curls and covered a large birthmark. Her face was a collage of bruises and her lip had been split open. Lily heard the door open and turned to it.

Professor Dumbledore stood in the doorway watching her with grim eyes. Lily watched him nervously and he closed the door behind him. He took a seat by her bed and faced her.

" The healers told me that you would be on bed rest," Dumbledore teased. Lily felt the fleeting need to blush, but her skin remained its translucent hue. She bit her lip and winced at the pain. Lily remembered Michael and opened her mouth.

" Professor where's Michael," Lily rasped. Dumbledore's eyes twinkled with sympathy. He stood and faced the large window to her left.

" Mr. Wood was just declared stable about an hour ago," Dumbledore announced. Lily sighed with relief. She turned to the small table by her bed and her eyes widened at what was on it. A new copy of the Daily Profit sat on top of the gleaming wood.

HOGWARTS STUDENTS MISSING

On Friday evening two unnamed students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were reported missing. After a quick scope of the village, aurors found bloodstains near the formation known as the Shrieking Shack. During the course of Saturday and early Sunday morning a rescue team was sent out to recover the students. After reports of underage magic from Lancaster, the aurors set out there. The details of what happened seem to be unknown for now. All that is known is that around three in morning on Sunday, aurors brought the missing students to Mungos. They are alive and being treated. But what they underwent in currently being debated. A patient who was in the waiting room when the students were brought in says, " There was a girl and a boy. The boy had several horrible slices crossing his chest and back. There was one long deep cut on his face. The girl, well I doubt that she'll make it. She was so pale, looked like a bloody ghost. And her hair looked almost as if it was stained crimson with blood."

Several higher up Wizengamot members are questioning Dumbledore's safety procedures. Orion Black says, " If Dumbledore can't keep his own students safe in his backyard, then it looks like Hogwarts needs a new headmaster." News on what happened is limited due to the severity of what happened. By tomorrow there will be more news to come. (con't pg. 7.)

Lily sucked in a breath as she finished reading. Dumbledore watched her with curious eyes.

" Miss Evans, I must leave soon. The healers are planning to release you before tomorrow at noon. You are exempted from Hogwarts if you wish. We'll send you your belongings so you can start your vacation earlier. Some of your friends are waiting outside," Dumbledore explained.

" No if they're releasing me I want to go to Hogwarts and finish up the year. When will Michael be released," Lily asked.

" Mr. Wood is awake, yet he is weak. The healers are saying that they'll release the two of you together," Dumbledore answered.

" Can I see him," Lily asked. Dumbledore looked at her with sympathy.

" Miss Evans he has requested for no visitors. He is actually in the room down the hall, but he doesn't care for the distance, he just needs to be alone," Dumbledore explained. Lily slumped and held her chest with her arms.

" Oh. It's fine I guess. Professor I'll be back in school for the last four days," Lily vowed. Dumbledore smiled, but it seemed forced.

" I believe the auror department is requesting for you and Mr. Wood to be escorted to them directly after your release," Dumbledore said. Lily nodded; they couldn't hold in what happened to them anymore.

" The body of Benedict Auclair was found near you. The aurors found the dark mark on his arm. But there is nothing they can do. He is dead Miss Evans," Dumbledore said. Lily's heart ached and she blinked a tear away.

" I know he is," Lily mumbled. She pressed her body in on itself trying to hold her broken pieces together.

" Remember that it's our losses that define us. I must leave now, the Minister wants to meet in his office," Dumbledore finished. Lily watched him regard her sadly and then leave. She pulled herself onto her bed when the door opened again. Lily's room was filled with her Gryffindor friends. Marlene approached her.

" Lils," Marlene said. Lily felt a pressure on her bed and felt someone wrap her in a tight hug. She let out a sob and curled up against Marlene's shoulder. She cried for everything that she lost. Lily cried for her parents. She cried for her dead childhood. She cried for the Auclairs. But most importantly Lily cried for herself. She had lost something in that dungeon. Lily lost a piece of who she was.

Marlene held her and her friends watched her with sorrow in their eyes. Lily rubbed her eyes and took a tissue from Gideon's hand. She mumbled a thank you and looked up.

" Lily what happened," Adam asked quietly. No one spoke. Lily couldn't tell them the truth, so she warped it a bit. Lily told them that a death eater had kidnapped her and Michael from Hogsmeade and tortured them. She watched Frank clench his hands when she told them about how Michael's scars were sliced open. She told them that they managed to escape by pulling on their rusted chains and running out of the burning dungeons. She told them that she still didn't known that kidnapped her or where they were. When she finished Lily could felt a tear escape Marlene's eye and fall onto her shoulder.

" Michael isn't letting anyone in his room," Emmeline added. Lily felt a sharp stab of pain when she said this. She didn't know why Michael refused to seek comfort in their friends.

" He went through a lot," Lily mumbled. The others nodded and Benjy Fenwick looked at the door.

" The school barely let us leave. They didn't want to tempt the death eaters again," Benjy muttered. Lily felt a pang of thankfulness that they even came. Alice turned to her and pursed her lips.

" What happened to you leg," she asked. Lily flinched as she looked down at her bandaged limb.

" There was fire. Michael's worse than me. His entire torso was covered in blood from his wounds," Lily mused. She didn't see Fabian flinch at this comment. The Gryffindors stayed with Lily for another two hours. They spoke in soft whispers and listened to each other. Around seven, a nurse came and told the Gryffindors that visiting hours were over. They stood and wrapped Lily in a hug.

Lily tried to hold onto the feeling of their embraces. Marlene's felt soothing and comforting. Benjy's was tight and filled with a heavy burden. Alice's hug was filled with a pressing urge for her to live. Emmeline's was gentle; it felt like a brush of wind. Fabian and Gideon simultaneously enveloped her to the point where she couldn't breathe. Frank's was stiff but filled with thankfulness. Adam's hug was like his smile. It was strong like an anchor.

" We're staying in my parents' house and going back to Hogwarts with you and Michael," Alice announced. Lily nodded as her friends left her room. She heard the click of the door and curled up into a ball. When they were with her, she could feel them each taking some of the weight off of her shoulders. Now she was forced to carry it alone.

Lily felt a pang of sorrow embrace her. She waited for her brothers to come but they never did. She didn't know why this hurt her so much. She was used to their abandonment of her. Usually she didn't feel anything, but on that Sunday evening there was a bigger meaning to what they did. Lily knew in her heart that there was nothing she could ever do to go back to her family. They may have needed her at some point, but they cast her aside when they didn't.

Lily pressed her face into her palms. She knew that on that June night, everything had changed. Her brothers no longer cared for her, they didn't bother to visit her. She knew it was selfish to think about that but she couldn't control her emotions. Lily pushed her feelings of sorrow away and waited.

She checked the clock at around ten in the night. Lily slowly made her way to her door and opened it. The hallway was empty. Lily closed the door behind her and trudged over to the room in front of hers. Lily held her chest as she slowly opened the door. Lily closed it behind her and heard an intake of breath. She turned and paled at Michael's appearance.

He was pale, too pale. His skin was usually a light tan, but now it was a chalky white. He was shirtless and his entire torso had been wrapped in a large bandage. Lily could see burns and bruises peppering his arms. She didn't want to know what his legs were like. But it was his face that unsettled Lily the most.

His eyes were filled with pain and agony, which Lily could see from a distance. Lily's eyes immediately traveled to the long freshly healed scar on the side of his face. It ran from his hairline down to the tip of his jaw. The healers had been able to heal most of it, but couldn't remove the scar.

Michael watched her self-consciously. Lily slowly made her way over to him. Her leg protested but Lily didn't care. She perched her body near the edge of his bed and looked at Michael.

" Michael," Lily whispered. He looked up from his hands to her face. Lily watched him gulp.

" Lily do you think birds will go for the scar," he said gruffly. Lily pulled him into hug and laughed.

" Scars are sexy," Lily mused. Michael laughed and Lily joined him. They sat on his bed laughing for an indefinite amount of time. Lily ignored the pain in her chest and her lungs protesting.

" Lils stop laughing you're killing my chest," Michael grumbled through his laughs. Lily nodded and tried to compose herself. After a few minutes she sat with him in utter silence.

Lily raised a finger and traced the puckered scar on his face. He winced and she pulled her finger back. Michael stared at her freshly healed lip and moved his hand to the back of her head. He tapped the place where a large cut once was.

" They managed to prevent this from scarring," he mumbled. Lily nodded and looked at the tips of her hair.

" I lost at least a foot of hair from the fire, I'm scarred," Lily said with a small smile. Michael nodded and ran a hand through his own hair. It was getting longer than a typical crew cut. Lily could make out some long shaggy locks from her position.

Michael yawned at the same time as Lily and both of them blushed. Lily smiled at the rosy red of his cheeks.

" I guess I should leave now," Lily murmured. Michael shook his head and pulled her close to him.

" No stay, I'm too scared to sleep," Michael begged. Lily could feel the similar dread she felt radiating off of him. She was afraid to sleep; Lily didn't want to see her nightmares.

Lily mumbled a slur and let Michael pulled her under his covers. Their limbs didn't tangle together. Their hearts didn't beat together. Lily leaned her head near Michael's collar. She felt him wince when her cheek grazed one of his bandages. Lily moved her head up and tucked it under his chin.

She could feel his jugular pounding with blood. Lily fell asleep to the sound of Michael's heart beating steadily.

She didn't know that a certain hazel-eyed boy had snuck out of Hogwarts to see her. She didn't know that he enter her room at midnight, only to find it empty. She didn't know that he accidentally opened the door to Michael Wood's room and that his heart broke as he watched the girl he loved sleep in another man's arms.

" Dear Merlin! Miss Evans what are you doing in here," a nurse screeched. Lily groaned and opened her eyes. She was right. Her sleep had been filled with horrible nightmares. Michael opened his eyes and gaped at the nurse in front of them.

The rest seemed to blend into a mesh of memories. Lily remembered being carted out of Michael's room and being shoved into hers. A healer stopped by and accessed her injuries. Lily was glad to know that all of her wounds and broken bones had healed in rapid time thanks to magic. The healers had also managed to remove that awful scar from Black's slicing spell.

Lily looked at her body in the mirror. It was blemish free once again. Only a day ago she was a quilt of bruises, cuts, and bandages. Now her body was a clean sheet. She felt like the scars she had were there for a reason. They were a reminder to everything she went through, and now they were gone.

Even though Lily's body has been given a fresh start, she hadn't. Lily slid into a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. She pulled her freshly cleaned hair into a ponytail and braided it.

Lily's bracelet had not been removed. As she tied her sneakers, it dangled from her wrist. Lily sat up and exited the bathroom. She saw that her room had been cleaned. All traces that she had ever been in it were gone, except for her wand. Lily smiled as she picked her wand off the table near her bed and exited the room.

Her body ached a bit as she closed the door behind her. Lily was reminded of her healer's words, magic could only do so much. Lily jumped, as a figure seemed to mold out of the shadows of the hallway.

" Miss Evans," Bishop Shacklebolt greeted. Lily stared at him in shock; why wasn't he at Hogwarts. Bishop indicated for her to follow him and she did. As they walked through the hallway people stared at them. Lily groaned, her red hair must have given her away.

Bishop led her to the first floor where he quickly checked her out of Mungos. Lily followed him to a floo station. He told her to floo to the Ministry and that he would be right behind her.

Lily felt ashes and flames surround her. Her heart rate quickened and she felt panic descend onto her. Memories of the night two days ago came back. Lily choked and fell on the floo of the Ministry of Magic. She could feel the flames tickling her feet and the smoke suffocating her. Tremors raced up Lily's back. Someone grabbed her and slapped her across the face.

Lily's panic attack ended as she looked into Bishop Shacklebolt's worried eyes. He released her and barked an order to those watching the scene to get back to work.

" Thanks," Lily gasped. Bishop watched her with concern and led her to the elevators. She followed him into one and they traveled to the auror office in silence. Lily followed him to the auror office and twirled her wand in her hands. She was Lily Evans, and Lily Evans did not get a panic attack from traveling on the floo network.

" Miss Evans we're here," Bishop announced. Lily looked up and followed him inside of a door. She could see cubicles and doors stretched out across the room.

Shelves filled with books on defensive and offensive spells covered the walls. People ran in and out of rooms. Men and Women sat at the cubicles diligently working over stacks of parchment. Lily could see that there was some type of chaos in here, but it was the good kind. She wanted to be apart of this chaos that was the British Auror Office.

Bishop led her over to a door in the front of the room. Lily dodged several wizards and witches as she followed him. She exclaimed apologies when she stepped on a few feet. Bishop paused in front of the room and turned to Lily.

" They're going to interrogate you. Don't try lying, aurors usually have a feel for when people lie," Bishop ordered. Lily nodded and gulped. Bishop kept a reassuring hand on her shoulder and opened the door.

He pushed Lily inside and closed the door behind her. Lily looked directly in front of her and met the brown eyes of Alastor Moody. She gulped and her eyes traced his figure. He was missing one leg, which was replaced with a wooden stump. He noticed Lily and grinned at her.

" Miss Evans please sit," he ordered. Lily looked to the seats across from his desk and saw that Michael was already sitting there. His shirt was tight against his heavy bandages. He wore a cast and there was a fresh bandage on his face.

Michael looked at her with an unattached face. Lily gulped and moved towards the seat next to his. She sank on the hard plastic and faced Moody. He paced behind his desk and suddenly turned to her and Michael.

" Miss Evans and Michael you both were reported missing on the evening of the past Friday. At around two in the morning on Sunday, aurors were reported to Lancaster due to a large amount of underage magic. In the ruins of the pureblood family estate of the deceased Auclair family our aurors found you two and the body of Benedict Darcy Auclair, the last Auclair. He had the dark mark. They brought you into Mungos before three and Benedict Auclair was declare dead soon after. That is all the information we have on what happened. You two will provide the rest," Auror Moody barked.

Lily felt his eyes staring her dead in the eye. She gulped and turned to Michael.

" Well we were in Hogsmeade for a trip. Our friends were on dates so we headed up to the outskirts of the village," Lily started. Moody eyed Michael and began to speak.

" Were the two of you on a date," Moody asked. Michael began to cough and Lily turned a beat red. Michael glared at Moody with anger.

" Is that really necessary to the case," Michael asked. Moody grinned and menacingly held his wand.

" I think it is," Moody answered. Michael glared at him as he answered.

" No we weren't," Michael said with a cold stare. Moody barked with laughter.

" I though you were good with the ladies, at least that's what your mum said," Moody teased. Michael hissed and took his wand out.

" Don't speak about her," Michael snarled. Lily stared at him and Moody in confusion. Michael leaned up and pointed his wand at Moody. Auror Moody watched him with a bored stare.

" I've been putting you on the ground since you were seven," Moody sneered. He flicked his wand and Michael was shoved back into his seat. The two men glared at each other with hatred. Lily cleared her throat and they faced her.

" Michael do you know him," Lily asked. Michael tensed and Moody snickered. Lily kept a hand on Michael's shoulder as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

" He's family," Michael sighed. Moody started to laugh and looked at Michael with a twisted expression.

" We're half brothers. His mum cheated on his dad years before he was born with some pureblood at a ball. I was born and raised with my dad's family the Moody family. Then little ickle Michael here was born and forced into sibling bonding with his brother who was fifteen years older than him. I'm his legal guardian now that his folks are dead," Moody explained. Lily saw Michael tense and squeezed his shoulder.

" Isn't it a little immature to let a petty sibling rivalry get in the way of this meeting," Lily sneered at Moody. Moody raised his eyebrows at Lily.

" Don't be a hypocrite Evans, or should I say Gastor," Moody jeered. Lily leaned up from her seat and glared at him.

" How do you know who I am," Lily asked with narrowed eyes. Moody shrugged and grinned.

" I'm the head of the auror department I've got sources everywhere. Don't worry Miss Evans I fully support what you're doing, it's so spunky," Moody addressed. Lily blushed and Michael cleared his throat.

" Lily and I were ambushed by that Auclair bloke and some of his death eater pals by the Shrieking Shack. I woke up tied up in some dungeon room. They tortured me for a few hours. Then Auclair left and his friends ripped my old scars open. They dragged me into another room and Lily was chained to the wall. Auclair was talking to her. Then he turned to me and Lily managed to get free since her chains were rusting," Michael said.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief when he left the part about her magic out. Even if Auror Moody had connections everywhere, there was no way he could know about her magic, not even her brothers knew about that.

" Then she grabbed Auclair's wand from his back pocket and hit him with a stunning spell. The bloke went flying into a wall. She freed me, and accidently hit this candle that started a fire. Lily levitated Auclair out of the room as we escape the fire. We barely made it out of the dungeon alive. Right as we got to the top there was this bloody explosion and I flew into a collapsed wall. I couldn't see Lily or Auclair so I stumbled through the area trying to find them. Lily flew into a tree and Auclair's neck snapped when he hit a huge pine. Then the aurors showed up," Michael finished.

Lily shivered at his retelling of the story. She was thankful for the quick lies he said. Moody stared at the two of them with an unreadable expression. Lily stared back at him and looked at his features. He and Michael had the same tawny brown eyes and rich sun-kissed tan. Their eyelashes were long and their fingers had the same long elegance.

" Is there anything you would like to add Miss Evans," Moody asked. Lily gulped and felt Michael look at her.

" We don't know what happened to those death eaters in the dungeon," Lily said. Moody nodded and turned from her.

" They're dead. Some of the aurors found the remains of their bodies," Moody stated. Lily swallowed the bile creeping up her throat and nodded. Moody watched her and Michael. His eyes traced their expressions and he pursed his lips. Lily was reminded of Professor McGonagall from his expression.

"Do you know why he wanted you two," Moody asked. Lily did and she bit her lip. Michael answered before she could.

" He wanted Lily. He had some crazed obsession with her," Michael tersely responded. Moody's eyes spun to Lily who blushed.

" We grew up together, I never knew that he had any feelings for me," she clarified. Moody nodded and took a seat.

" Well this entire story is a load of trouble. The school board is in chaos, they're planning on sacking Dumbledore," Moody grumbled. Lily snorted at this.

" They can't honestly consider that this was Dumbledore's fault. It was the headboy who wanted this Hogsmeade trip to happen," Lily scoffed. Realization hit her. The headboy wanted this, Lucian her brother knew what was going to happen to her. He let Benedict Auclair torture her and Michael. Lily sat up in her seat and clenched her fists with rage.

" Lily are you alright," Michael asked. Lily gritted her teeth and nodded. She turned to Moody and opened her mouth.

" I need to tell you something. There's an underground death eater movement at Hogwarts. The head boy Lucian Gastor is the leader," Lily said. Moody dropped the glass cup he was holding and faced her.

" That's a heavy accusation Miss Evans," Moody said. Lily sat up and stared into his eyes with a defiant stare.

" A few months ago Kingsley Shacklebolt and I were on patrol. We accidently infiltrated one of the meetings. At least three-fourths of the male Slytherins above third year were present at that meeting," Lily explained.

" Did you or Mr. Shacklebolt tell anyone of this," Moody pressed. Lily frowned and thought about it.

" I'm sure that Kingsley spoke to Professor Dumbledore about it," Lily said. Kingsley hadn't spoken to her after that day about what happened. It was as though it never happened.

Suddenly a large tremor ran through the room. Lily saw the desk and walls vibrate and turned to Michael.

" Is that an earthquake," she asked. Michael shrugged. Auror Moody stood and the door to the room opened. Auror Tonks stood in the doorway and her eyes kept darting out of it.

" Tonks what's going on," Moody roared. Tonks glanced behind her and turned to them with a worried gaze.

" Moody death eaters have infiltrated the Ministry. They're massacring anyone they can find," Tonks shouted. Moody cursed and grabbed his wand. He glanced at Lily and Michael and spoke.

" You two stay in here. The battlefield is no place for teenagers," Moody ordered. Michael stood and protested.

" We can help. We just took on a death eater," Michael argued. Moody snorted and grabbed some bottle out of his desk.

" Look at yourselves now. You're covered in wounds," Moody barked. He shut the door behind him. Lily raced to it and pulled the doorknob.

" Dammit it's locked," she shouted. Michael growled and pounded on the door. Lily walked to the back of the room and faced Michael. She remembered that meeting; she remembered what Potter said. She remembered her friends talking about Bagnold getting impeached.

" Shit holy shit," Lily whispered. She knew why the death eaters were attacking. Lily grabbed Michael's shoulders.

" They're trying to make Dumbledore and Bagnold look bad to the public. Think about it. Bagnold is in the Ministry right now and who knows how many people have already been killed. Dumbledore let two students get kidnapped on his watch," Lily exclaimed. Michael cursed and took his wand out.

" We've got to help with the fight. Maybe we can get some people to evacuate the floors that the death eaters haven't reached yet," Michael suggested. Lily nodded and took her wand out.

" Reducto," they shouted at the same time. Lily watched her spell hit the door at the same time as Michael's. It exploded into thousands of small splinters.

Lily felt a sharp pain in her arm. She grimaced and pulled the splinter from her arm. Michael grabbed her and pulled her through the broken doorway. Lily stood next to him in the silent auror office. All of the chaos that she admired only an hour ago disappeared. The room was silent. Lily and Michael made their way out of the office.

" Don't fight, just defend," Lily ordered to Michael. He nodded and they quietly walked through the floor. But it was silent. They checked rooms and discovered that they were empty.

" Maybe everybody got out," Lily suggested. Michael nodded but they made their way over to the elevators. Suddenly Michael grabbed Lily and pulled her behind a large pillar. Two death eaters walked past them in conversation.

" But everybody on this floor was already rounded up and sent to the Antechamber," one whined. The other snorted.

" Some people could have hid, and we've got to find them," he answered. Lily watched them walk to the auror office with wide eyes. When they disappeared Michael let go of her and stepped towards the elevator.

" We need to see what's going on in the Antechamber," Lily pressed. He nodded as an elevator opened. Lily entered it and he followed. They held their wands at the door and crossed their fingers hoping that the elevator wouldn't stop.

Lily breathed a sigh of relief when the elevator stopped on the first floor. She went out first and could see masked figures walking by in a patrol. She grabbed Michael and they ducked behind a large pillar. Lily clenched her hands around his shirt as the death eaters walked closer to them.

Michael grabbed her and they slowly made their way over to the center of the Antechamber. Lily sucked in a breath when her chest contracted with pain. She looked over the railing at they were near and paled.

Groups of wizards and witches were pressed into large crowds. Death eaters surrounded them and tortured some. Lily covered her ears to keep their screams out. She couldn't see a single auror anywhere.

" Floo stations are down, there's no escape," Michael said in her ear pointing at the floo fireplaces. Lily nodded and grabbed her wand from her waist of her pants.

" We can't help anybody. I don't understand why they won't fight back. It's almost like the death eaters have them under a spell," Lily mumbled.

" Merlin look at that man by the edge of the crowd. His eyes they're so glassy. How'd the death eaters get over 300 ministry employees under the Imperius Curse," Michael muttered. Lily looked at some of the people and noted their zombie-like state.

" Blimey you're right! What are we going to do," Lily muttered. She heard footsteps from behind them and grabbed Michael's hand. She looked at his face in fear. His bandage had fallen off, revealing the fresh scar.

Michael pushed her behind him and held his wand out. They waited for the people to find them. Lily's face twisted in confusion when she saw one of them.

" Adam," Lily said incredulously. A black-haired boy turned and stared at Lily and Michael. He grabbed Lily and shoved her against a wall. Lily felt Adam's wand dig into her throat.

" What did I tell you about Emmeline," Adam ordered. Lily stared into her eyes with incredulity.

"You said you wanted to get her out of England and away from the war," Lily answered. Adam sighed with relief and embraced her. He turned to Michael and shoved his wand at him.

" Who was your first kiss," Adam barked. Michael blushed and looked down.

" Are you sure this is really necessary. OW! Okay fine it was Amelia Bones at Natasha Goyle's entrance ball," Michael whimpered. Adam relaxed and enveloped him in a hug.

" Thank Merlin I found you! We though that the death eaters got you like the rest of the auror department," Adam sighed. He grabbed Lily and Michael and led them to a broom closet. He looked around and quickly shoved them inside.

The broom closet wasn't broom closet. It was a weapons room. Lily could see dangerous poisons lining shelves. Muggle swords and knives lay on tables. Wands were piled high.

Lily met the eyes of at least sixty wizards and witches. She could see Moody standing in the front of them room. He frowned at them.

" I told you to stay in the office," he grumbled. Lily faced him and frowned.

" Death eaters came, we got out," Lily explained. He waved her off and turned to the crowd of witches and wizards gathered around him. Adam pulled them into the crowd and Lily saw her friends gathered at a table.

" Where are we," Lily asked.

" It's a secret room aurors have for anything like this. It has a Fidelius charm on it. Only members can get inside," Adam explained. Lily stared at him in confusion and faced her friends.

" Marlene? What are you guys doing here," Lily asked. Marlene was putting magical warded padding on. She looked up and smiled at Lily.

" We're here to fight," Marlene said with a strong face. Lily stared at her in confusion. Suddenly the crowd parted. Lily gaped at the person who merged from the crowd.

" Professor Dumbledore," Lily gasped. The tall man turned to her with a smile. Her walked to her table and faced the group.

" Miss Evans, I was hoping you'd show up," he announced. Lily's face tore up in confusion.

" I'm confused what's going on? Who are these people," Lily asked. Michael echoed her. She saw the seventh year Gryffindors join her friends. Dumbledore wore a twinkling smile.

" Miss Evans, Mr. Wood this is the Order of the Phoenix. A good friend of mine, Alastor Moody, informed me of Ministry corruption a few years ago. The Order was formed several years ago to fight Voldemort. I inducted Mr. McKinnon and Mr. Longbottom last December during the attack on Hogsmeade. I usually prefer to wait until students are of age to join, but your friends pressed the request to join. Yesterday after they left your room, we had their induction to the Order," Dumbledore explained.

" you guys knew this whole time," Fabian exclaimed to a sheepish Adam and Frank.

" Dumbledore requested for us not to tell you guys. He wanted to wait for all of the 6th years to be of age to induct the rest of you. Frank and I found out shortly after our seventeenth birthdays and he let us in," Adam clarified.

The other Gryffindors looked like they had questions but Dumbledore cleared his throat.

" Miss Evans and Mr. Wood the Order of the Phoenix is a group dedicated to the eradication of any prejudice towards muggles or the obsession with blood status. Will you two join our ranks," Dumbledore asked. Lily grinned.

" I would be honored," Lily said. She turned to Michael who smirked.

" Well someone has to keep Lily from getting herself killed. I'm in," Michael announced. Lily shoved him and he ruffled her hair with a grin. Their friends watched them curiously.

Something had changed between Michael and Lily while they were kidnapped. They had a closer bond now. Yet Lily didn't feel anything for him, she thought that he was probably her closest friend. He knew more about her than anyone currently alive.

Suddenly Dumbledore turned and face the room. The entire room became silent as the residents stared at Dumbledore." I would like to welcome Lily Evans and Michael Wood to the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix," Dumbledore announced. A short wizard snorted from across the room.

" You've got to be kidding! You're letting four underage students and six students into a war. Look at those two they're in bandages," the man sneered. Dumbledore's face frowned. Before he could say anything someone lese did.

" Oi Fletcher! The redhead with the bandages took at least twenty death eaters on without showing any fear. That sure is a difference from you running away from bloody Crabbe," Andromeda Tonks snorted. Lily blushed and felt some of the people in the room look at her curiously.

" Enough! These students may be young, but they're ready. I've had eight of the seventh year Gryffindors train them for battle for the past four months," Dumbledore explained. Lily glanced at Kingsley who smiled at her.

She noticed Marlene wink at Emma Vanity. Alice and Emmeline smiled at Dirk Creswell and Hestia Jones. Benjy shoved Dedalus Diggle as a greeting. Gideon and Fabian stood with one-seventh year boy. Frank and Adam looked at one of the seventh years and looked back to Dumbledore.

Lily realized that she wasn't the only one of her friends getting assistance from a seventh year. She glanced at Kingsley who smiled at her. Michael nodded at a taller boy Lily identified as Nickolas Finnegan. Dumbledore's voice interrupted her musings.

" Today death eaters infiltrated the Ministry. According to some people who volunteered to scout outside of this room, they seemed to have rounded up all of the Ministry employees and kept a widespread imperius curse on them.

Alastor has told me that they are using truth potion to find out who has any muggle relations and they are killing them. He's told me that most of the aurors were apprehended. It's up to us to defend and protect," Dumbledore told the group.

Marlene helped Lily put some defensive spells on her body as they listened to Dumbledore.

" Here's the plan. According to Mr. McKinnon every ten minutes there is a patrol around the outer hallway of about five death eaters. We will attack before that occurs. Ever person in here has a dueling partner that was previously assigned," Dumbledore announced.

Lily wrinkled her nose and was about to protest, but then Kingsley moved next to her. It made sense for her to duel with him; he had trained her.

" Don't split from your partner. If they are to fall in battle immediately apparate out. Auror Tonks has volunteered to lead a team of wizards to take down the anti-appariation wards. She says that she can have them down in maximum time of ten minutes. During which, Auror Moody will be leading the attack against the death eaters. The Imperius Charm cast on the employees must be redone every ten minutes; we will distract the death eaters during this time. From there, groups led by Bishop Shacklebolt will get people to evacuate the Ministry," Dumbledore explained.

Lily found his plan to be the best idea to deal with this attack. Lily heard the crowd buzz with anticipation. Kingsley turned to her.

" Come on Evans we're in attack group," Kingsley ordered. Most of Lily's friends were in the evacuation team with the exception of herself, Gideon, and Fabian. Gideon and Fabian were apart of the ward shut down team.

" Lils be careful, you're a good dueler but even you can't take on a hundred death eaters," Marlene ordered. Lily hugged her and laughed.

" I'll be careful Marlee," Lily assured her. Kingsley bid his friends goodbye as she did with hers. Lily hugged her friends and memorized their faces. She remembered the set expressions on Adam and Frank's faces. She remembered the determination behind Benjy's eye. She remembered the fierce stare of Alice and Emmeline's expressions. She remembered Gideon's taut expression and Fabian's resolute grin. She remembered Marlene's prepared stare. Lily remembered Michael's grin of utter chaos.

" Be careful cause I'm not kissing you today," Lily murmured as Michael hugged her.

" Same to you," Michael said. His lips brushed the top of her head and he let go of her as Dumbledore told everybody to get ready. Lily joined Kingsley and a group of twenty witches and wizards. Most of them were aurors. She and Kingsley appeared to be the only ones who weren't actually.

" Let's head out," Bishop ordered. They left the room in groups of four. Lily and Kinsley walked with a grim auror who told them to call him Doc and his partner Sam Dearborn. They were the last group to leave the room. Lily met Michael's eyes with a determined face as she left the room.

Kingsley and her walked in the middle of the group. They edged towards the shadow-covered back of the room and joined their comrades. Bishop checked his watch and glanced at the death eaters only a few feet from them.

" Listen up. We're here to distract the death eaters for twenty minutes. Tonks will lead her team out of the room in ten minutes and take down the wards before twenty minutes are up. The minute twenty minutes pass, we apparate out with the hostages. Lily you're going side-along with either Kingsley or me," Bishop ordered. Lily nodded and grabbed her wand.

The group faced the death eaters as the seconds ticked by. Most of them knew that they could die that very die. Twenty minutes may seem like a short amount of time, but to them it could be the finale to a lifetime of memories.

Kingsley squeezed Lily's hand ever ten seconds. She knew that there was a possibility that she would die today. But Lily was ready. There were so many questions she had to answers, but she was willing to leave this world protecting the future.

Lily looked at the people around her. Their ages ranged from a few years older than her to decades of hard experience as an auror. She could see that they had a lot more to loose that her. As the last seconds ticked by Lily thought about the things she was fighting for. She was fighting for the future.

She was fighting so that one-day Adam and Emmeline could travel the world. She was fighting so that Alice and Frank could live to see their child go to Hogwarts. She was fighting so that Marlene could marry Fabian one day. She was fighting so Gideon could have the time to move on from Dorcas Meadows' death. She was fighting so Benjy could become a healer and not face prejudice. She was fighting so that Michael could have a Quidditch team of children. Lily saw a flash of hazel and blinked.

" Now," Bishop ordered. Some of the aurors slinked out of the shadows and quietly attacked death eaters. Others let out a battle cry and slaughtered the enemy. Lily did neither. Instead she broke the one rule she was given; to stay with her partner.

But it was okay. She and Kingsley had decided to split up back in the weapons room. Lily would only hold Kingsley back; she had a different mission. Lily squeezed Kingsley hand and let go it. She sprinted into the heart of the death eater swarm and did something very irresponsible.

Lily let her magic take control again. It roared with vicious joy. Lily hadn't given it full control in over six years. Now, it was given freedom twice in less than a week. Lily watched as it slashed and lashed out at death eaters. She watched it use her wand like a sword master and create a wall of its signature fire.

She felt it pour into every single one of her cells. She felt it roar with power, and she let it. Lily heard the screams and shouts of its victims and she reveled in it. That was why Lily hated her magic. She gained its bloodthirsty lust for power and destruction when she set it free. Lily felt a spell come at her. She pitied the caster.

Her magic growled as the spell bounced off its shield. It laughed and carelessly swiped at the castor. Lily saw it stare down a boy with gold eyes. It decided that this boy was the enemy.

" No," Lily screamed. She quickly shoved her magic away from control. It screamed as Lily grabbed the control and quickly built a prison for it. She gasped as it fought her.

" Damnit," Lily growled. Her body was flung down to the floor. She felt her head crack on the solid marble. Lily built a stable and tight prison for her magic. She checked her watch; she still had ten minutes. Lily stood with a vengeance.

She took out at least four death eaters. She looked around her and made eye contact with Kingsley. He looked at something near her with horror. Lily grabbed her wand and shot a spell behind her. She heard a thud and didn't look.

Lily heard a scream and looked towards it. Her heart faltered as she saw the form of Voldemort enter the room. She had never seen him before. But the evil and malevolence radiating form him was enough.

Lily ducked and a spell hit the wall behind her. She counted the Order members and cursed under her breath. They lost at least five people. She could feel the seconds ticking away. More and more order members fell. Lily shot stunners and disarming spells like bolts of lightening.

She felt heat lick her back. Dammit, Lily forgot about the fire. It surged across half of the room and engulfed all near it. Lily knew that if Tonks hadn't succeeded then they would lose within seconds.

She faced a dirty sneering death eater and dueled him. He got a curse at her and Lily fell to the ground. She screamed and her back arched. It was the cruciatus. Lily felt knives stab into her and screamed. The pain was overwhelming her. Lily closed her eyes and tried to escape it. She clawed at the ground near her and let out a scream of pure agony.

Lily opened her eyes and saw a flash of hazel. She screamed as a sword seemed to spilt her in half. Suddenly the pain ended and Lily looked up. James Potter was in front of her.

He stood looking down at her with an agonized look. Lily felt him pull her up and slumped in his hold. No one seemed to notice them in the chaos of the battle. Lily looked up at him and noticed something. She froze and pulled herself out of his hold.

" Lily," James said warningly. Lily ignored him and pointed her wand at him. She could feel blood dripping down from a cut on her head. Lily's hand trembled as she stared at James. He wore the shapeless black robes of the death eaters around them. She could see his dark mark peaking out from his sleeve.

" Why did you help me? Wanted to be the one that killed me Potter," Lily sneered. James stared at her in shock. Lily ignored him and walked away.

" I'm letting you go since you saved me. I don't want a blood-tie to a death eater," Lily said. She ran away from Potter. The Ministry employees began to loose the effect of the imperius curse. She could see some of them looking around the room in horror. Lily heard a shout and looked up. She sighed with relief; the evacuation team had come through.

She watched them enter the battlefield with a cry. Lily saw Marlene grab three witches from the mass of Ministry employees and order them to apparate. She could hear the distinct popping of appariation. Her friends and the order entered the battle. They were winning!

Lily dodged a spell and shot another in its direction. Most of the death eaters had discarded their masks. She could see her brothers and Black through the crowd. They fought against the Order with vicious hatred. Lily saw a flash of familiar black hair.

Lily paused and forgot about the battle. She focused on James Potter as the battle around them blended into a faded memory. There was something beautiful in a chaotic way about James Potter.

The Web of Lies

James Potter's day had started with a crappy visit to St. Mungos. It was twelve in the morning, according to the large clock situated on the wall of the floor he was on. James had come here only 25 hours ago; he snuck into Lily's room and planted a kiss on her forehead before quickly leaving.

Lily Evans, she was the biggest mystery of James Potter's life. She came into his life only six months ago, but he couldn't go a single minute without thinking about her. She entered his life with a bang. James could remember when he first saw her.

Flashback

James rolled his eyes as he caught sight of Marlene McKinnon. She had a good body with ebony hair similar to his and electric blue eyes, but James wouldn't dare touching a hair on her body. She was destined to end up with his best mate. Besides McKinnon was a right bitch.

Sirius Black was the playboy chaotic sex machine of Hogwarts. A look into his eyes could make a girl jump on him and shag him. He was suave and charismatic to such a extent that sometimes James felt nauseated. Sirius was his best mate though. Sirius had known James since they were six, and they'd been closer than brothers ever since. Sirius was usually devilishly calm and collected, but around Marlene McKinnon he lost control of his emotions.

James watched Sirius flounder after McKinnon with a perturbed stare. He looked behind him and saw Remus Lupin reading a book. Typical Moony, he'd prefer a book to a girl. James was certain that if Remus weren't cursed then he would be just like the other Marauders. He never pitied Remus though. James hated the idea and concept of pity.

He looked to Remus's right and caught sight of a flash of gold. He felt a surge of empathy go through his heart while he watched Jason. Jason Gastor was staring at something on front of James. His entire conveyance was slumped and tired. James blamed this on the death of Jason's parents. Jason came from a large family, one that James was a tad envious of.

The Gastors were very different from his own family. He was an only child and his parents were older than most of his friends' parents. Jason's parents were younger than most people's parents, accounting for the fact that they had five children.

James furrowed his eyebrows and looked to where Jason's gold eyes were pointed. He sucked in a breath as he looked at the girl in front of her. His world seemed to shatter before his very eyes. Gravity, the urge to breathe, living all faded. James was reminded of the only other girl who'd forced this kind of nerve-racking reaction onto him, the girl at the masquerade.

After the girl at the ball disappeared, reality fell back on James. He left the ball soon after and returned to Mungos where he remained until Hogwarts started. James felt bile inch up his throat as he thought about his parents. Their time was coming to an end, and there was nothing he could do to help them.

Dragon Pox was slowly killing them. James shuddered and pushed those feelings away. He was good at that. James could have been the master of boxing up emotions and things he didn't want to deal with.

James examined the girl in front of him. She stood in between McKinnon and Emmeline Vance. Vance was a tall willowy girl that James would have normally appreciated. She had startling honey eyes and corkscrew blonde curls that reached her shoulders. James would have slept with her by now if it weren't for that ponce Adam McKinnon. Well, Vance was arranged to marry him so there was nothing he could do without bringing the wrath of pureblood society on him.

James, Remus, and Jason were some of the only purebloods not stuck in a betrothal. James knew that at one point his parents had one set up for him, but they dropped it like a rock soon after his tenth birthday. James preferred the bachelor life anyways. He could get any girl with a flash of his hazel eyes. James was in other words a lady's man.

But James Potter wasn't thinking of what it would be like to shag the girl in between Vance and McKinnon, no he felt the uncontrollable urge to hold her. She seemed so familiar, yet she was a complete stranger. Her hair was long and curled down her back. It reached the tips of her shoulder blades. She wore the school uniform in a tempting way that made James feel lust crawl up his back. Her lips were a pouty cherry pink. James could see her skin was a creamy white with no blemishes. Her eyes flashed up to his and he let go of everything. They were a soul-moving emerald-green. He could feel her appraising him curiously. James smirked at her and she sniffed. She looked away.

Outrage and shock enter James. Who was this girl? A loud ringing noise interrupted his thoughts. He saw Sirius on the ground with an indignant expression. James rolled his eyes and watched the girls step over him. The mystery girl tripped on Sirius's form and braced herself to fall. James quickly slipped in and grabbed her. Sparks ignited on his skin where this girl touched him. He pulled her up and she opened her eyes.

James gaped at her. Up close her face was even better. Her eyes looked like galaxies. Her skin was so smooth it seemed surreal. James heard a shrill screech and suddenly the girl was out of his arms. Thanks Vance, he thought sarcastically.

James made his way outside and saw that Sirius had followed McKinnon into a carriage. He made a move towards it, but it closed and started up the path. James sighed with vexation and made his way to the last carriage.

He saw the Threstals and smiled at one. James had always seen the Threstals, ever since first year. He knew why. James shuddered and blocked that horrible memory out. The mystery girl made a commotion and James explained to her what the Threstals were. Her eyes darkened at his explanation and she entered the carriage. James followed her.

James Potter decided that this mystery girl was different from other girls; she had something to her. She moved like freedom.

Flashback ends

Later, he found out that his mystery girl was called Lily Evans. She was muggleborn. The second he found out what she was, his heart ached with a horrible pain. They would never be anything. He was one of the purest purebloods pout there, and she was the orphan daughter of some French baker, according to his sources.

But as time ticked away and the seasons changed, James found that he couldn't avoid Lily Evans. She was everywhere he went and also in his dreams. After months of trying to escape her, James finally reached an agreement for them to stay away from each other.

That was before she disappeared. It took James all of ten minutes to figure out what happened to her. He remembered pummeling Lucian Gastor in a rage. It was that bastard's plan to get Dumbledore out of Hogwarts. Death Eaters kidnapping two students right under Dumbledore's nose would surely get him removed from his position.

The idea had come from James to start with. He was the one to suggest it to the Dark Lord, who was quite pleased with him. But James thought that the students would be some random first year Hufflepuffs not Lily. He knew that Benedict Auclair had been the person chosen to kidnap the two students. James didn't like Auclair one bit. He was chaotic and evil. His eyes always had this crazed gleam that prevented James from ever befriending him.

There was nothing he could do after he finished beating up Lucian. James paced his dormitory for over 24 hours. When he heard news that Lily and the imbecile Wood being found James snuck out of Hogwarts and used dark apparition to get to London.

Once he made it to London James went to Mungos. They wouldn't let anyone in her room while they were operating on her, but James Potter wasn't one to listen to rules. He used the invisibility cloak his father gave him when he first came to Hogwarts and went into Lily's room.

James would never forget how Lily looked that horrible June night. He was sure that image would find its way into his dreams and turn them into nightmares. Her body was twisted and ragged. He could see that the healers were working to patch up the large cuts and burns staining her body. They removed her shirt and for the first time in James Potter's life his eyes didn't look at a girl's creamy breasts, no his eyes were transfixed on the gaping hole in the middle of her chest.

He could see bone and blood peeking out and almost vomited. James stayed in the room the entire time. Lily didn't move once, she was so pale. James could see her veins through her skin. After a few hours, the healers left and she was starting to heal.

Most of her body was wrapped in bandages, but James didn't care. He stayed with her until early in Sunday morning. James felt the familiar burn of the dark mark on his arm. He cursed, he had to leave Lily and report to the Dark Lord. James leaned over her ragged, mangled form and tapped her forehead with a light kiss. Then he left and didn't come back until the next evening.

James held a single rose as he walked to Lily's room at twelve in the morning on Monday. He had gone to the large death eater meeting and then headed home. He slept for the first time on over three days. James remembered his master's plan with a light smile.

The meeting was to discuss the next movements for the purist movement. James was the youngest person in the room, due to the fact that he was the sole representative from the Potter family. The Dark Lord had reported that Auclair was dead, James grinned at this.

James liked the plan for the next day. Attacking the Ministry right under Bagnold's nose was so smart. The Dark Lord was sure that Bagnold would be evacuated at first signs of distress, and he relied on that. If Bagnold abandoned the Ministry and let a group of Death Eaters kill every mudblood inside then it would look like she wasn't willing to protect her people.

She would be impeached and the purist party would have complete control over the Wizengamot and the Ministry. James grinned and ran a hand through his hair. He snuck over to Lily's room and opened the door. He frowned when he saw that it was empty. James checked the room twice for Lily. Maybe they released her, he thought. James closed the door to her room behind him and saw that a door across the hall was open.

A note, if James Charlus Potter had chosen to ignore his curiosity and leave the hospital before looking inside of the room across the hall, the future and world would have been altered. If he hadn't been born with a Pandora gene, then everything would have been so different. But thankfully James was a naturally curious guy.

He peaked inside of the room and his world fell apart. He felt a sharp tug of pain strike him in the heart. It was as though Zeus, himself, had struck James with one of his lightening bolts. James felt the rose in his hand seethe with smoke and burn into ashes as his heart ached. He didn't care that he had done wandless magic for the first time in over five years. All he cared about was the girl sleeping in the bed in the room. It was Lily, she looked healed and healthy, that made James less concerned. But his pain increased as he looked at Michael bloody Wood who had his arm around Lily's waist and cuddled into her.

James took one last look at Lily before running. He bolted from the scene and used dark apparition to go to his home in Godric's Hallow. James felt tears slip out of his eyes. His emotions and feeling were choking him. James did the one rational thing he could. James transformed into a coffee-colored stag.

See to understand what just happened without feeling the shock that an unaware reader would feel something must be explained. While James, Sirius Black, and Jason Gastor were in their last year of Charms School they cracked Remus Lupin's darkest secret. They discovered that Remus was a werewolf. All three boys had grown up with horror stories about werewolves. But Remus Lupin was a quiet, sweet boy who didn't seem to enjoy ripping children's throats out.

Before Hogwarts began, the boys confronted Remus. Remus was distressed and thought that his closest friends were going to abandon him. They did the exact opposite. They embraced him and commended his bravery.

During their first two years at Hogwarts, the Marauders reached stardom. The seventh years begrudgingly admitted that they were destined for greatness. They reveled in the spotlight. But something prevented them from ever truly basking; Remus's demons.

The other three boys researched ways for them to be with Remus during his transformation. They even considered letting Remus bite them. But they found the best answer thanks to Dorcas Meadows.

James remembered Meadows. She was a pale short girl that he never wanted to shag. Her eyes were always so serious and her face was pinched up into a permanent scowl. He wondered how Gideon Prewitt could even date her. During a second year Transfiguration class Meadows had wondered aloud that if someone was an animagi could they within stand a werewolf's scratch and bite.

By the Marauder's fifth year they had managed to master the art that was being an animagi. James Potter's form was a coffee-colored stag.

James sprinted through the woods near his house. His senses were heightened when he was a stag. His feelings were also numbed. But his hope that being a stag would numb the pain that Lily brought to him was wrong. His pain didn't decease it remained a steady level of sharp pain that would slowly suffocate him.

James quickly transformed back into a human. He looked around and saw that he was deep inside of the Godric Hallow Woods. He could see a small brook and a field near him. James crouched down overcome with an unidentified emotion. He never felt this before.

It took him a few sobs and screams of pain to figure out what had happened. James remembered his dad describing to him what love was. He said that love was an infinite surplus of feeling. He said that someone could never love anyone too much. But being in love was different.

James' dad told him about the Potter curse. It dated back centuries ago, but it was something that never left the family. One of James' ancestors was in love with two different women. He couldn't choose one to be with so they both cursed him. The curse passed to the descendants of this wizard. They cursed the man to never so that if they ever loved anyone then that person wouldn't love them, unless they were their soul mate. This passed to every single male descendant of the wizard.

James remembered asking what a soul mate was. His dad told him that the ancient Greeks described a soul mate as being the missing half to oneself. They said that people started out as one being but the gods punished them by splitting their soul in half. One few where able to find their other half.

James listened to his dad's story and asked his dad if his mum was his soul mate. His dad never answered the question; he instead looked to the horizon and pretended not to hear the question. That was enough for James.

Ever since that day James kept love and the idea of being in love far from his mind. It was the reason for why he slept with a new girl every day. It was so he would never get attached. It was so he could never feel what it was like to have unacquainted love.

But that night by the small brook near the Potter Manor James realized something.

" Fucking hell! I'm in love with Lily Evans," James shouted. When he said that something inside of him stirred. It was like his soul had smiled. James shivered and let a tear fall out. He was in love with a girl who could never love him. James was positive that Lily Evans wasn't his soul mate. He never knew that he was wrong.

The next day James went into battle with a blank face. He was in love but James was good at pushing way feelings and emotions he wasn't able to confront. This time he wasn't good enough.

That's what happened right up until now. James ducked a curse and heard a scream. His heart clenched in pain when he heard the scream. James smiled evilly at the auror he was dueling and shot a bolt of green light at the man. He shuddered when the man fell to the ground with glassy eyes.

James bolted to the other side of the Antechamber. He set quick and precise defense spells at the hexes and jinxes thrown his way. He heard the scream again and saw a crimson clump of hair. James' heart thudded as he watched Lily writhe in agony. He looked up and saw Mulciber standing over her with an evil expression.

James quickly leaped into the air and forgot his wand. He socked Mulciber in the face and shoved him to the ground. James kicked him away and turned to Lily. She was on the ground breathing faintly.

Her emerald eyes met his hazel ones as he pulled her into his chest. James felt her slump against him and breathed a sigh of relief; Lily, his innocent sweet Lily was fine. Suddenly she shoved her body out of his hold and glared at him. James watched her take out her wand and point it at him.

" Lily," James warned. She ignored him and stared at her wand. James held his fingers around his own, which was in his pocket. But he couldn't bring himself to take it out. James watched Lily's eyes trace his black robes and look at his arm. He gulped as her eyes narrowed.

" Why did you help me? Wanted to be the one that killed me Potter," Lily sneered. James felt his heart shatter. She thought that he wanted to kill her? No even though it disgusted him, James was in love with her. He was in love with the girl whose wand was staring him down with a death threat.

James let out a soft laugh. He was James Charlus Potter. He performed his first unforgivable at the age of fifteen. He killed; he took a live for the first time over a year ago. James Potter was a name that strikes fear and admiration from his peers. He was someone to be feared, not someone to fear.

" Hasn't anyone ever told you not to tempt death," Lily sneered. James gulped and his eyes flashed to her trembling fingers. He grinned and ran a hand through his hair.

" Evans I'm not tempting death. You're not going to kill me. I doubt you've ever killed someone. You've never felt their neck snap or the hope leave their body. You've never seen the light leave their eyes-," James started. Lily shrieked and glared at him..

" I'm letting you go since you saved me. I don't want a blood-tie to a death eater," Lily said. She took one last glance at him and fled. James nodded but both of them knew that she was lying. She couldn't kill him; she had never killed anyone before. But he had. James had seen the light leave someone's eyes. He had seen hope drain from them as they were tortured. He had killed. James Charlus Potter was a killer.

And until that day in the Antechamber of the Ministry of Magic James had never felt any regret or feeling towards all the people he killed. But as Lily's eyes held such fear and dread he did. James Potter felt guilty for the first time ever.

James turned to the battle and fought. He was like a machine. More of those idiotic order members came through the doors. This time James didn't kill any of them. He merely stunned them and turned to the next enemy.

James felt the chamber start to empty. People were apparating out of the room. He met the snake-like eyes of the Dark Lord and nodded. James flew into the battle and tried to prevent people from leaving. But he failed, for the most part. James didn't know whether to feel angry or upset about this.

He could feel a familiar prickling sensation on his neck. James scowled and grunted as a spell hit him. James flew back but stood. He felt his leg protest but ignored it. The room was ablaze with smoke. He could see that the large fountain in the center of the room had fallen.

The battle was drawing to a close. James caught sight of Bishop Shacklebolt, a well-known blood traitor, barking for people to leave. James hoped Lily was one of those people.

But he was wrong. As the room started to empty, James saw a scene that made him falter. It was Lily, his Lily. His heart skipped a beat as he watched the Dark Lord circle her. Lily had never looked more defenseless.

" Lily Marie Gastor, or is it Lily Evans? I've heard so much about you. Your brothers spoke of your kindness and naïvety. My death eaters spoke of you as a jest to others. But the girl standing before me does not deserve any of that. You have brought disgrace to your people and family. Luckily for you, I am a generous man, join me and make amends for your past mistakes," Voldemort crowed.

James met Lily' eyes with a plea not to do anything stupid. He almost missed the comment about her name. James' eyes widened with shock. What did the Dark lord mean? Lily Marie Gastor, no this was Lily Evans, the spunky muggleborn he was in love with.

Lily's eyes met his in disgust. James stared at her in confusion. Who was she? James watched her turn to his master. He dodged a spell sent his way and started to slowly make his way over to her. His right leg protested with bolts of pain shooting up it. But James ignored them.

" Someone once told me that when Voldemort wants you to join him say ten words," Lily began. James eyes widened at her tone. She was speaking in that voice fuck! She was about to do something very spunky and idiotic.

"So you say my name with no fear. I will pardon you this one time, but please do tell those ten words," Voldemort said. Lily snorted at this and James tried mentally urging her to agree to his master's deal. He couldn't do anything for her; this was between the Dark Lord and Lily.

" Never in a fucking million years, you old deranged bastard," Lily replied. James sucked in a breath and looked at his master. The Dark Lord seemed shocked. Lily looked his way and James relaxed. But there was something different in the way she carried herself. He couldn't identify it.

James watched as Lily dove forward. She grabbed her wand and aimed it at the ceiling of the room. She smiled at it and James watched her in bewilderment.

" I hope to look down at you in hell," Lily finished. She yelled a curse James was too familiar with. It collided with the ceiling and James cursed. She was going to blow up the Ministry! Was Lily insane?

" You will regret your decision little blood traitor," snarled Voldemort. He made eye contact with James. James nodded at him. His master smiled an evil grin and used dark appariation to leave the room. James looked at Lily. She was wounded and pale. James needed to get to him. He needed her like air.

James approached her and she watched him as though she was being hunted, and he was doing the hunting. James saw her make eye contact with someone as realization hit him like a bullet. It all made so much sense.

When James first met Jason Gastor, he spoke about having a sister. But a year later he acted as though he never had one. The Marauders questioned his actions but never said anything to his face. But Jason did have a sister. There were six Gastor children, well now there was only five, well four James thought.

He remembered seeing Lucian Gastor being hit with a green light in the battle vaguely. He remembered making eye contact right before Lucian fell. He whispered a word that James barely heard. It made his heart ache.

A note on Lucian Pollux Gastor, he wanted to be a golden boy just like Julius. But unlike Julius, Lucian had planned on staying with he girl he was in love with: Eliza Rosier. The day Lucian Gastor died he had a box in his pocket. The ring he planned to propose to Eliza Rosier sat inside as the last word he would ever say escaped his mouth; it was Eliza. It's a bit cruel isn't it? Lucian was suppose to be Lily's next evil; her enemy. But it turns out that he would never live long enough to carry out the threat he left for his sister. Lily would never know that Lucian died regretting how he treated his little sister. He died regretting that he never got to know who Lily really was. But that's what war and strife does. So many people would die with regret by the end of this war, Lucian Pollux Gastor was just one of them.

Back to James now, James stared at Lily and felt like hitting himself. He had known Mrs. Gastor for over five years. It seems that her genes made up for their lack of presence in the other Gastor children in Lily. Lily Marie Gastor looked like a younger replicate of Delphina Gastor; other than the fact that Lily's eyes were emerald-green instead of Mrs. Gastor's grassy-green and that her hair curled into graceful twirls like Mr. Gastor.

James remembered his visits to the Gastor Manor. The closed door every member of the family skirted around in the hallway. Mrs. Gastor's eyes always having a sad glean in them. The way the Gastor brothers carried themselves with grief. James wondered why Lily wasn't raised with her brothers.

James looked around the room, as he was three feet away from Lily. He looked at her with an interested stare.

" Lily Gastor," James mused a mere foot and a half from Lily. He grinned evilly as she took skirting steps away from him. James could see her injuries from up close. His heart pounded pain and agony at the sight of the deep gash of her forehead. She was limping and clutching her right arm as she backtracked away from him. James could see a wall coming up from behind her.

" Jason once told me that he had a sister who was gone, but he never said that she was dead. I guess she isn't," James stated as he cornered her in between a column and the wall. Lily looked up into his eyes. They gleamed with rage.

" I am not a Gastor, I renounced myself years ago James Potter," Lily screamed at him. James raised an eyebrow at her abrupt announcement; she was touchy about this.

She was right against his body, her blood fell onto his black robes. James could feel her body heaving against his. He could feel his heart pounding against hers.

" But your blood will always control you Lily," James shot at her. He took his wand and pressed it against Lily's forehead.

" James, you don't have to do this," Lily begged. She glanced at the wand against her head. Blood trickled onto her face. James looked at her in confusion. He was trying to heal her. Why wouldn't she want that?

" What am I doing," James questioned curiously. Lily swallowed and glanced at the wand again. James could see her fingers wrapped themselves around hers, but they faltered with fear.

" I know what you are going to do. You are going to kill me," Lily responded. James looked at her in shock, pain flickering in his heart. Why would he kill her? He was in love with her? James pushed the feelings of pain and anger away. He smoothed his hurt expression and looked into her eyes. He could see layers of emotions in them.

Some hurt him. The pain and fear present in her emerald-green eyes caused his chest to contract with agony. James muttered a spell, and watched the skin on Lily's forehead heal. He was planning; James Potter was a planner. He had a spark of a plan ever since he saw something in her eyes. James was never surer in his life when he saw love present in Lily's eyes. She loved him, but she didn't' know that.

" Lily you are too important to die. I have plans for you," James answered. Lily looked into his eyes. A firm expression sat on his face, but not on hers. James watched her face crumple and felt a tick of sadistic joy. He was a hunter and James wasn't going to give up what was his so easily.

" What do you want from me," Lily beseeched. Tears glistened in her eyes. James brushed one of the tears away from her eye. He could still see a hidden layer of love in her eyes. No matter how much she tried to hide it from not only him, but also herself it wouldn't work.

James ignored her question and made a plan. He loved Lily even though she hated him. James would have her no matter what. She was a pureblood; it was destiny forcing them together. James had a letter to open. When his parents died they left him a letter. He refused to open it. James was afraid of what was inside. But he was James Potter and he would not be afraid.

James prodded her body with his wand and healed her injuries. When he finished a blush traveled up Lily's throat. Oh Merlin he loved that blush. James wrapped his muscular arms around Lily and remembered something.

He internally cursed as he tapped the melody to a music piece against her hipbone. James remembered what Lily did; he remembered that she obliviated him. He was lucky that Lily seemed to be utter shite at memory charms. His drunken memories engulfed him.

He remembered holding Lily and drunkenly telling her about his mum's death. He remembered the sparks that flew when they touched. He remembered her gently touching him and healing him. He actually shivered at the memory of her fingers pressing against his hair and massaging his head. James pushed the hurt he felt from her rash thinking. Lily had obliviated his memories. James no longer felt imprudent. He had discovered who Lily really was months ago.

James sighed and took a step away from Lily. He felt the Dark Mark writhe against his skin; he was being summoned. Being a death eater came with several perks. He could do underage magic thanks to some connections in the Ministry and was able to use dark apparition. But the one con to it was the summonings at obscure timings. James looked around them. The room was collapsing into chaos. He faced Lily with a set expression.

" Lily no matter what you do. No matter how much you fight, all of that will be in vain. You are mine and your blood knows. We need to leave before the building collapses. I would apparate with you, but I assume that you are not partial to dark apparition. The floo station on the right corner just turned on. You have five minutes," James affirmed brutally.

He watched Lily blink at him in shock. James pushed her towards the floo stations. He couldn't stay with her and that was killing him.

" I would ask you to join me, but I don't think the scene I am attending is your idea of a good summer vacation. I'll see you next year Lily Gastor," James mused at her. James watched Lily's face conflict with the shadows of the battle around them. He had to go, but James would leave his heart with Lily. It was really hers.

It took six months, but really a lifetime.

It took a day, but really seven years.

It took a handful of passion moments, but really it was days and nights of longing stares.

It took a plethora of variables that could have changed at any moment for James Charlus Potter to realize that he was undeniably in love with Lily Marie Gastor.

Love can be a tedious affair. James never thought that he could love anyone. He was burdened by a curse that haunted his family for generations. But the second he first looked at Lily at the tender age of eight he knew that she was the fire he was looking for. James was too scared to fall in love, but Lily gave him the courage to do so. James Charlus Potter was more of a Gryffindor than he could ever think.

As James apparated from the room falling into chaos he watched Lily's eyes. They were like a web, a web of lies. She tried to hide her real emotions behind facades of bravery, but even Lily was capable of fear. James could see love buried deep in the web; she loved him yet she didn't even know it.

James Potter left Lily in that room. He never realized something either. He never realized the click in his heart as he left the room. He lied to himself about one thing; Lily Marie Evans or Gastor was the one person who was able to fall in love with him while he loved her.

She was his soul mate. They were two halves of a broken soul and neither of them realized that, well not yet. But with time things could change. Lily and James didn't know what the future had in store of them.

An End to Innocence

Lily remembered every detail of what happened for the next four days. She had managed to floo directly into Dumbledore's office, where the rest of the Order members were. Since people were still coming in, no one question her lateness.

The Daily Profit blamed the attack not on Bagnold but rather the merciless forces of Voldemort. Emmeline had declared the article to be the best piece of journalism for the newspaper to create in over a year.

The battle had been dubbed the Battle of the Ministry. Lily snorted at this title. It wasn't a battle it was more of a massacre. She tried to block out the memories of fallen bodies and screams of agony, but it didn't work.

34 witches and wizards were reported dead, including Lucian. Lily didn't cry when she found out about Lucian's death. Instead she made herself a promise. She wasn't going to be afraid anymore; Lily was going to open those letters on the train ride back from Hogwarts. She didn't need threats to make her do something; Lily was brave enough to do some things herself.

What happened during the battle had been warped. All Hogwarts students present had cover up stories. Lily noticed that the death eaters had cover up stories with better aliases than theirs. None of the Marauders returned for the last four days of school. Lily saw that Cassius wasn't present in school either. She received a letter from Pericles on Wednesday morning telling her that they were holding a family meeting after Lucian's funeral the day after she returned from Hogwarts.

Most students at Hogwarts were rattled by the news of their deceased Headboy. Lily could see Eliza Rosier crying into her brother's shoulder at Lunch. Students were given the option to leave school early using the floo systems in Hogsmeade.

Younger students jumped at the opportunity to end their school year early. The older years stayed behind, wondering if this would be their last year at Hogwarts.

Michael and Lily reported in front of the school board and gave their testimony about their kidnapping. Michael's wounds had yet to heal. The healers were saying that the slices could take months, maybe even a year to fully heal. Lily and Michael pressed that Dumbledore was completely not at blame for what happened. They may have saved his job that Tuesday evening.

However they were unable to save Hogsmeade trips. The board voted and officially banned any student from leaving school grounds for the following year. The remaining students watched Lily and Michael with sick fascination. They were too scared to ask about what happened to them. But that didn't end the gossip.

Adam McKinnon and Gideon Prewitt stayed in the hospital wing until Wednesday evening. They had been hit with several stunners to the chest and even the cruciatus curse. Lily remembered her own experience with the cruciatus curse with a shudder. If Potter hadn't intervened then she would have probably been killed.

On Thursday and Friday the 5th and 6th year Gryffindors spent the entire days together. They knew that the minute they left Hogwarts everything would change. They were growing up and none of them were ready for adulthood.

They traveled through the castle speaking in soft voices because really there was no way they could go back to how everything had been.

Lily had all of her things packed on Friday evening. Right after the end-of-term feast Lily left her roommates to their own devices. The feast had been magnificent, but in order to have a good feast people must be happy; no one was happy. The empty seats of students who left and students who died this year were scattered across the hall. Lily could see that Bishop Shacklebolt's seat at the faculty table was empty. Dumbledore had declared that this year's winner of the House Cup was Slythein. Lily knew why he did it; it was to comfort those who mourned her brother's death. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw should have won that cup; but neither of the houses really cared.

Death can be the glue that truly bonds people. Lily had seen it before her very eyes during that feast. The hall was in silence for Slytherin's victory. But then Lily and Michael stood at the same moment and began clapping. She clapped for their lose of innocence, for their forced bigotry, and for their deaths. Their numbers had been very high throughout Hogwarts, but now only fifty students remained at the end-of-term feast.

After Dumbledore's speech on Lucian and staying safe over the break, all students went back to their dorms. Lily spent some time with her friends cherishing this one last moment. The younger student who had taken a picture of the Quidditch team after it had won reappeared and demanding for another.

They took it in the common room. Gideon, Benjy, and Frank stood behind the couch. Emmeline, Alice, and Marlene squeezed onto the couch cushions. Adam and Fabian rested on the hand rest of the three-seat couch. Lily sat on Michael's lap directly under Alice. She could see the flash of light sealing this moment forever. Lily made sure to get a copy of the picture.

Later that evening, Lily left the girl's dorm and Gryffindor tower and headed out to the Black Lake. Lily watched the lake as it languidly moved with the summer breeze. She was wearing a pair of loose sleep pants and a green t-shirt. Her wand was securely tucked into her pocket.

Lily had so much to think about. As she roamed about the castle Lily discovered that the door to the entrance hall was unlocked. She quickly snuck outside and headed for the only place that could hold all of her thoughts.

She couldn't sleep anymore. Flashes of what happened to her and Michael snuck into her dreams. Worst of all was Potter. He was constantly in her dreams. Lily got some dreamless sleep potion and it helped a bit, but not enough. Thinking about Potter brought the reality of Lucian's death on her.

Tomorrow she would go to her childhood home. Lily would stay with her brothers for Lucian's funeral and then she had plans for Sundays.

No one, not even Michael, was aware of her plans for the summer. Lily wasn't quite sure about them herself. But no matter what she wanted, her heart knew where she had to go. Lily sighed and looked up to the night sky. The stars offered her no comfort.

Her family was torn apart. They had been eight, now they were down to four. Lily knew that she no longer felt any attachment to them but it meant something to her. She remembered Jason's desperate begging and flinched. Family was suppose to be there for each other but she wasn't there for hers and they weren't there for her.

Her family wasn't really her family. They hadn't been a real family since the day she left for Greece. Blood may bond people, but sometimes the bond can be broken. Lily knew in her heart that no matter what happened; a part of her would always be a Gastor. She hated that in a guilty way.

Lily would open those letters tomorrow on the train. It was time for her to face reality and accept that her parents were dead. In the end she managed to discover how they died. Her dad was a death eater, which made bile creep up her throat. During a Diagon Alley death eater attack, there was a fiendfrye release. Her dad helped make the fire, and her mum helped destroy it.

When Dumbledore told Lily of her Uncle Darcy's involvement in the Order of the Phoenix she was stunned, but also happy. It made sense. Darcy Auclair had been in favor of her plan and he knew Dumbledore. She felt so much sympathy for Darcy Auclair. He had lost his wife after 27 years of marriage. Soon after he was forced to raise a girl who resembled everything he left behind in England. He tried so hard to raise these children to be open-minded, but only one of the ended up that way. The other killed his own father for not getting his inheritance. In that moment Lily knew what Darcy Auclair left her his estate. She would never get her parent's inheritance since she wasn't really their child anymore, but she was Darcy's. Lily did feel guilty that he had not split the estate in half though.

Back on track, Lily had been even more flabbergasted by Dumbledore's revelation that her mum had been an active member of the Order. Soon after he spoke with he, Dumbledore had to leave. This left Lily to her confused mind. Members of the Order pieced together how her parents died.

During the attack on Diagon Alley, her dad left the Gastor Manor in death eater robes, her mum left bearing the weight of an Order member. Her dad assisted in torching the alley, her mum assisted in going into fire and saving people. Her mum never made it out alive. Her dad had seen his wife's hair and they had a large spat in the middle of the battlefield, one middle-aged witch told Lily. When her mum went into the fire, trying to save some of the people inside her dad followed her. Aurors found their burned bodies the next day.

Lily cried by the Black Lake. She cried for her mother's courage and her father's decisions that defined her family's choices. She cried for her friends up in the Gryffindor Tower; they lost their innocence too early. Lily cried for the Auclair family; she even cried for Benjy. Lily cried for Selena and Galen; they were going to loose a mother soon. She cried for every person she ever loved and she cried for the people she didn't love.

Lily wiped her tears away and stood. She was ready to face her fears and open those letters. She was ready to accept her parents' deaths and move on. Lily was ready to stop being a stranger to her friends; they opened up to her so it was time she repaid the favor. Lily was ready to put her life in France in the past; she was going to sell the Auclair Manor. Lily was ready to stop pushing Selena and Galen Kingsmill into her past; they weren't going to stay there. Lily was ready to be brave; she was ready to be Lily Marie Evans.

Lily stood by the edge of the lake and watched the sky. The moon was not present that night. But Lily didn't need a large beacon of light to guide her. Sometimes the stars alone were enough.

Lily walked over to the large oak tree near the lake. She could see carvings made by students into the stiff wood. Lily let her finger graze one of them.

September 1st 1971- the class of 1978 enters Hogwarts

Lily entered this class during their 5th year. These people had some of the most tragically beautiful souls that Lily had ever encountered. Lily knew that she hadn't been at Hogwarts for even a year, but in those six months her entire life had changed. Lily lifted her fingers from the wood of the tree and walked back into the castle.

Lily noticed that the castle was silent, but that was expected. There was something beautifully haunting about Hogwarts at night. Lily loved it here, she knew in her heart that this was the first place she ever felt truly at home.

Hogwarts changed her life. The people and events she experienced defined her for the better. Lily learned that she was apart of this world, whether she wanted it or not. She could never leave this world again. But Lily was okay with that.

Lily remembered her last conversation with Bishop Shacklebolt. He left Hogwarts the previous Monday. DADA had been cancelled for the rest of the year. But Lily spoke to him right before he left. She could remember his smooth voice as he explained to her that the war wasn't going to stay behind them. No, it had caught up to them and was engulfing everything. Lily promised him that she would fight. She would fight.

For the first time in Lily's life she found something she truly wanted to fight for. She smiled and tucked her hands into her pockets. Lily could see the sun starting to come out. It was dawn and dawn was a time for new beginnings, but Lily didn't need a fresh start.

She went back to Gryffindor Tower and slept for two hours. Around seven, Marlene woke her and she showered. As Lily dressed, she finished her packing. Hestia had been sent to the townhouse in London. Lily left specific instructions for Daisy the house elf to feed her.

All of Lily's belongings fit inside of her bracelet. Lily looked around the dorm. It was empty and bare of any human signs. She knew that this would change when they returned for their next school year. Lily walked out of the dorm and left her friends to finish packing.

She stood in the common room and stared at the trophy case. Lily smiled at the Quidditch Cup stationed in the center of the trophy case. She could see her name engraved into the gold below it. Next to the trophy was a picture frame that contained the team photo for this year.

" The healers aren't sure if I'm going to be able to play next year," a voice said from behind her. Lily frowned and face Michael. She could see his bandages peeking out of his shirt. All of her wounds had been able to heal, but the opened scars on Michael's chest refused to heal with magic.

She could see the puckered scar on the edge of his face. Lily still didn't know how he got it, but she wouldn't ask. That was Michael's secret to share or keep. Michael Wood knew more about her than anyone else alive. But she still had some secrets she wanted to keep. Lily let Michael do the same.

" If you can't play next year then the team is screwed," Lily announced. Michael walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Lily remembered kissing him in Hogsmeade and his declaration. Michael hadn't said anything about it, so Lily didn't bring it up.

" Well I gave a fantastic captain recommendation for a certain member of the team," Michael said. Lily nodded and looked at the fire.

" Care to elaborate," she asked. Michael squeezed her shoulder and mockingly smiled.

" It's a surprise," Michael explained. Lily nodded and their friends joined them. In their group of ten, they headed down to the Great Hall for their last meal at Hogwarts for the school year.

The hall was quiet as they ate. The Gryffindors spoke about the concert they had plans to go to in August. Lily was planning on staying with her brothers for this weekend and then leave after Sunday. Lily would return to her townhouse and settle the things she left behind.

After they finished eating, the Gryffindors went outside and entered the carriages. Lily watched them flounder over the Threstals grimly. During the last six months every single one of them witnessed someone die. She saw a familiar Threstal and walked over to it.

" Hello Tenebrous," Lily murmured. She remembered James Potter stroking its main back in January. Lily stepped back from the Threstal and entered a carriage. Since only five people could fit in a carriage, the Gryffindors split up for now. Lily joined Marlene, Frank, Michael, and Gideon. Alice, Emmeline, Fabian, Benjy, and Adam took the other one.

" It's sad isn't it? Next year we'll know our OWL scores and have an idea of the future. We're going to loose our ignorance," Marlene mused.

" It's worth it. After 5th year things start to change," Frank soothed. Lily nodded and looked out the window. The castle looked so scenic and moving. Lily had said her goodbyes the night before, but she still watched the castle gracefully leave her view.

Lily boarded the train in the Hogsmeade Station. She helped Michael with his bag and sat in between him and Alice. It was a tight fit, but none of them were willing to separate. Lily watched the train move with a lurch. She smiled sadly as the village and the castle was behind them.

Lily read a book while most of the Gryffindors slept. She couldn't sleep so Lily looked out the window. She kept her book down and watched the view blur together. Lily knew that it was almost time for her to open those letters, but it wasn't time yet.

She woke up the Gryffindors around twelve and they bought lunch from the food trolley. Soon after they slept again. Lily knew why they were so tired. They stayed up most nights for the past week to hang out in the common room. Every single one of them had only gotten about three to four hours of sleep each night.

Lily watched them with a light smile. Frank was slumped against the window and Alice was curled up on him. Gideon and Benjy leaned against each other and snored in unison. Fabian leaned on Marlene as he slept. Emmeline was practically on Adam's lap as they breathed against each other. Michael's head was on her shoulder.

They looked so peaceful. This was the type of thing Lily wanted to remember. Lily dozed off with the memory of her friends' peaceful expressions.

When Lily woke her friends were still asleep. She checked her watch and cursed. They were be in Kings Cross in 23 minutes. Lily slide out from Michael's hold and quietly exited the compartment. The hallways were quiet as she walked to the last train car. Lily peeked inside of a compartment and discovered that the occupants were asleep. She noticed that a lot of people seemed to be catching up on sleep.

Lily opened the door to the small outdoor area of the last car. She closed it behind her and faced the summer breeze. The view was amazing. Lily watched forests blend into mixtures of brown and green. A flock of birds flew across the endless blue sky above her.

Lily leaned against the door of the train. She tapped her bracelet with her wand and summoned the two letters. Lily looked at them. She could recognize her parents' faded handwriting. Lily bit her lip and debated which one to open first.

Fate has an interesting way of working. If fate hadn't taken notice of Lily's dilemma then the future could have been so different. If Lily chose to read her dad's letter first then she would have never had the courage to open the one from her mum. Thankfully she slid her dad's letter into her pocket and ripped the envelope containing her mum's letter open first.

Lily's hands trembled as she held the last words of Delphina Ipomoea Gastor in her hands.

Dear Lily Marie Gastor,

If you are reading this letter it means that both Darcy Auclair and I are dead. It's strange to think of you. You've always been my daughter, but you're different. Ever since the day you were born I knew that. The second I looked into your green eyes I knew that I would protect you from ever being forced into the same fate as many girls like you.

I like to think that I'm lucky. In Greece girls were auctioned off into marriages like in England. My parents were strict but they didn't want that fate for me. It was destiny that sent your father to me. I fell in love with him like the sun; I fell in love with him every single dawn of every single day I knew him. I left everything I knew behind for love and it was worth it.

You've always been different from your brothers. I love all of my children equally but you were always so special. I tried to not love you, but it was so hard. Loving you would ruin everything I planned. It took my soul and my heart to send you to Greece, but it was always apart of my plan.

If you ever return to England every thing I worked for will be wasted. I spent nearly a decade planning to ensure that you wouldn't be forced into the marriage that you were going to have. And it worked. But in order to let you be free I needed to give you up. That broke me.

Yet it was worth it. Letting you go ensured that you wouldn't be forced into some horrible arranged marriage. I love you so much that I had to let you go.

Your father let me name most of our children. I chose the first names and he chose the middle names. But with you it was different. He named you Lily in hopes that you would be perfect and pure. I chose your middle name not for your dead aunt, but for my own reasons.

Marie it's a lovely name really. But I named you Marie in hopes for my plan to work. It means rebellion darling, because that what you turned out to be.

I met Albus Dumbledore at my wedding. We stayed close and he offered interesting proposition and me. I joined a group intent on protecting the people they loved. I've been a member of the Order of the Phoenix for over twenty years. I hope you know about it.

Lily, it pains me to say that I will never know you. I had the chance to love you for nine years, but I didn't take it. I knew that if I loved you like I love your brothers then I'd never be able to let you go. I'm too selfish to give up those I love. I chose to love you though. And it killed me to let you be free.

I know that you must feel so much resentment for me. I deserve it. You spent nine years caged in this society. It took me too long to set you free. I could have done more to free you, but I was selfish.

Lily Marie Gastor I will always love you no matter what you do or who you are. I'm proud of the courage and bravery you hold. My friends who you've stayed with speak of you with so much love that it kills me.

I'm dead and I will always love you. Never stop fighting. Never give in. Remember my sacrifices and carry them with you. Lily you are strong and so brave.

You're destined for something, but that doesn't mean you have to follow it. Make your own path my daughter. You can choose your own destiny if you want to.

I love you no matter who you are and what you do.

Mum

Lily's hands tightened around the letter as she read it. She was wrong about everything. Her mum was brave her mum wasn't a monster. She gave Lily up because she loved her, not since she was disgusted with her. Lily slid down and sat on the ground. The words in that letter would never leave her.

Lily took her wand out and licked her lips. She quickly made the letter explode into ashes. Lily took those ashes and let them fly out into the air near her. Lily was giving her mum peace, and accepting her death. Lily was ready to move on from her mum's death, she was ready to face her future.

Lily pulled her dad's letter out of her pocket and wiped the tears off her face. She held it and slowly opened the letter. Lily brought the ink-stained letter to her face and read it.

Lily Marie Gastor,

If you are reading this then I am dead. I planned on telling you all of this on your seventeenth birthday. But if I die then no one else can.

I named you to be the perfect daughter you're destined to be. I sent you to Greece to control your magic. Sending you to Beauxbatons was the assurance that you'd be the perfect pureblood. You've been troublesome, but you're valuable.

I'm only doing this because I love you. You're my sole daughter, and the queen on a chessboard. You will bring the Gastor family honor, whether you want to or not. A year after you were born, I met up with a classmate of mine. He proposed the perfect arrangement for both our families, an alliance.

Your marriage will ensure that the Gastor name will not be forgotten. I know that you are a rebellious girl; that's why I set up the best wards to ensure this marriage even if your mother and I die. If your future husband's parents die, he will receive a similar letter to this one. I doubt that he knows who you even are though, due to the spells I've kept up.

If you do not confront him about this arrangement by his seventeenth birthday then there's a lovely muggle village that will be eradicated. I know this is harsh, but it's necessary to ensure our family's success.

Lily you will always be my greatest piece on a chessboard. I think that you and James Potter will be a perfect match. His family is similar to ours but fate has prevented marriages between the two for the past three centuries.

His family was eager for this opportunity. Your mother's blood is new genetics to the English purebloods. This made you unique.

Lily Marie Gastor you will marry James Potter and bring honor to the Gastor family.

Sincerely,

William Julian Gastor

Lily's hands shook as she read the letter. When she finished, Lily stood and screamed. Potter! How cold she be stuck with Potter? Lily remembered something but the memory wouldn't come. Lily stared at the expanse in front of her. She saw a flock of bird over her.

Lily slumped to the floor. She should've listened to her mum. Lily had followed her dad's evil plan. He tricked her into returning to England. She was trapped. There was no way for her to get out of her betrothal now.

The minute Potter turned seventeen; he would have complete control over her life. Lily sobbed. She had been let out of the cage of her society years ago. Now, she had been tricked back into it. Her mum's sacrifices were all in vain.

Lily had failed to escape the gold cage of Pureblood society. She was trapped and there was no escaping her fate.

Lily felt the train lurch to a stop. She couldn't face her friends now. Lily could see train track in front of her. She turned and entered the train. Lily bit her lip as she quickly made her way out of the train.

She had to get out. She couldn't stay here. Lily had less than a year left of freedom, after that she would be trapped.

The second her feet hit the hard ground of Kings Cross Station, Lily ran.

End of Part One


I literally typed this entire chapter in the last two days. I hope it pleased those anxious for Lily to open the letters. Initially, I planned not to make Lucian into a villain and let him marry Eliza Rosier. But his betrayal and death were necessary for Lily to realize that no matter how much she wanted to leave her life as a Gastor behind, she couldn't.

*Behind the scenes notes:

1.I've planned out the James perspective since I first wrote the prologue. I made his thoughts similar to Lily's since it showed that they were really soul mates.

2. I didn't plan to have so many original characters to start with. Lily's family was always going to be large but the people and friends she had were going to be canon.

3. The Gastor family will not play a large role in part two. Another name I had planned for part one of Confingo was the Fall of the Gastors. There are three remaining Gastor brothers. Two of them will not play a large part in part two.

4. Part one focused more on Lily's life in France and England. Part two will reveal more about Lily's life in Greece and how she fell from Society.

5. In part two there will be more focus on other characters besides Lily. For all of the Blackinnon fans out there, Sirius and Marlene's relationship will be focused on. There will be some strife in some of the Gryffindor relationships. I presented them as perfect and flawless for the most part. Alice and Frank will have to carry the burden of the war. Emmeline will have a strong reaction to Adam's plans for the future. Marlene and Fabian will deal with the world being against them. Gideon will start dating again and move on from Dorcas. Benjy will face prejudice and feel isolated from his friends as most of them are purebloods. Michael and Lily will deal with the traumatic experience they faced while kidnapped and the secrets they're keeping from each other.

6. Lily's relationship with the Marauders will progress. I hated the way I presented Sirius and Remus. They seemed so evil. Lily will also have to deal with James's plans for her.

7. The situation of Lily being scared to open her letter will be much different for how James feels about opening his letter.

8. If I get a lot of reviews supporting this then I will do it: Adding more perspectives. i.e. The Marauders and the other Gryffindors.

9. There will be a main character death in part two.

10. Michael Wood and a character that will come into the story in part two are my tributes to my all time favorite au original character; Baker/Harland Simmons from Love and Other Tragedies.

Please review opinions for number 8. I would really appreciate some more reviews ( reviews are like Lily's pomegranate obsession!)

I want to thank every person who reviewed this story. Also the people who private messaged me you guys rock! Also the readers who tolerated my ramblings and grammar errors.

R&R

- Rin