CHAPTER NINE: Making Something Out of Nothing
7:55 pm. Day Eighty-Seven of official employment. Current mood: enervated.
"I can't believe this." Lily sulked, brusquely sliding the copy of Rumours! off the kitchen countertop. It bounced off the pile of magazines already crammed into the bin below and onto the floor, grunting before repeating its headline "When in Paris, Don't Do as Lily Evans dos" in a singsong voice. Lily stamped on it for good measure, crushing her heel over the intricate, incriminating title. To her left, James had a similar go at the evening's Prophet, scrunching it up and tossing it into the wastepaper basket next to the kitchen door. She ignored the fact that he hadn't missed one all night, she wasn't in the mood for his cockiness.
"In less than three days, the entire wizarding world has found out about my run-in with the Statute of Secrecy." Lily stated incredulously, gesturing to the brimming bin next to her foot, "How on earth did that happen?" James, helpful as always, shrugged and silently pulled another tabloid from the shrinking pile of the day's news on the bench, unfazed by the huge amount of media coverage on her stint in Paris. Lily was stunned by the composure he'd had all day. He was probably just used to having terrible photos of himself appear on the front cover of every magical media outlet after an escapade.
"I'm impressed, Evans." He replied, completely ignoring her question, "Nine covers and thirteen articles in three days. I think you've broken my record. Ooh, look! They've got a half-decent photo of you at the Eiffel Tower here!" Lily snatched up the copy of An Era and hit James with it. He chuckled to himself as he watched her flip through the pages to find no such picture. James calmed down and picked up the second-last magazine in the pile. Lily threw An Era onto the floor, not even bothering with the bin anymore, and took the last one.
To his everlasting credit, from when he'd stolen into her hotel room Wednesday night and read the letter from the Ministry over her shoulder, James had never once bothered to ask the one question he had every right to, the one that Lily had been expecting him to, the one that she would not be able to answer. Why was she even in a Muggle hotel at six in the morning, and why did she feel the need to Disapparate?
Of course, she would never tell him that.
Lily subtly eyed the person sitting to her left over the top of her magazine. James wasn't stupid; he already knew far too well why she was in The Ritz Hotel Paris at six in the morning. He already knew exactly why she Dispparated in front of Tristan at that unearthly hour. He could be laughing at her stupid split-second decision as she had been expecting him to. He could have ruined her by asking that question and then firing her, like she had told herself to expect. But he hadn't. Instead of doing all those things she had thought he would, he'd done the opposite. Instead of laughing and jeering at her stupidity, he had volunteered to help her sort out how much the media knew. Instead of asking that horrible question, he'd stayed silent and assisted in figuring out how much of her reputation they could salvage. He'd done all the things she'd expected a boyfriend to. And come to think of it, James Potter, sober obviously, would make a pretty good boyfriend. He was smart, handsome, not overly dependent or independent. Maybe if he were a little less childish she'd seriously consider it.
Of course, she would never tell him that.
A sharp knock at the door broke her out of her teenage daydreams. Lily glanced at the clock above the sink as James left to answer it – 8 o'clock. Who visited at 8 o'clock? Still in a state of confusion, Lily heard the cheery voices of James and someone else from the hall, then the door closing and footsteps towards the kitchen. She swore she heard James mention mooning someone as the kitchen door opened and the two entered.
The other man was of about James' height, with wispy light brown hair and a pale face – he looked quite ill. He wore fairly shabby robes of blue and silver and carried what Muggles called a briefcase. He beamed as his eyes fixed upon Lily, and appeared much younger when he smiled.
"Lily, this is Remus Lupin. He's been my best friend from before I joined Puddlemere." Remus Lupin offered Lily his hand, which she took, glancing at James for more details, "Moony, Lily needs your help."
Lily did a double-take. Help? She needed a bloody miracle to not get sent to Azkaban for breaking the Statute of Secrecy! Lupin didn't seem to thinking along the same lines as her; he made an 'ah' sound and settled into the chair James had previously occupied. He opened his briefcase and started to pull out thick books, quills and rolls of parchment.
"So what are dealing with here, Lily? Inappropriate use of magic? Enchanting Muggle artifacts? Setting off some fireworks inside a Muggle café?" He gave a very pointed look at James as he said the latter. Lily glanced between the two, her mouth ajar in puzzlement.
"I-I'm sorry. What help is this?" James grinned and sat down on the other side of the counter, stretching out his arms before placing them comfortably behind his head.
"Moony here is a lawyer, got me out of a few scrapes last year. Figured you'd need him for your hearing next week." Lily again glanced at the two of them, who looked quite smug with the mention of James' girlfriend needing help. She opened her mouth to say something witty, but nothing came.
"Wizards have lawyers?" Both Lupin and James laughed at this for far too long. James, in his hysterics, began hitting the countertop with his fist, spilling Lupin's quills and ink. Lily stared at him, an unimpressed expression on her face.
"Well, yeah. How do you think I got away with all those pranks with Sirius?" Lupin whipped out his wand and directed the black ink back into the bottle, leaving the countertop cleaner than it had been originally. Wizards had lawyers, that was new. Lily had never heard of a wizarding lawyer before. How did they get into wizarding law?
"So Lily, what seems to be the problem?" He sounded more like a doctor than a lawyer, and he didn't look the least bit like how Lily imagined a lawyer, but if he was going to keep her from going to Azkaban, she'd deal with it.
"I Disapparated in front of a Muggle, which violates the Statute of Secrecy." Lupin must have dealt with much worse with James, as he didn't express the same shock the media did upon hearing this. He just nodded and wrote Disapparated/Muggle down on a piece of parchment, followed by something that looked suspiciously like an arrow pointing to a Dementor. Lily felt James' eyes fixating on her.
"And what reason did you have for doing this?" Lily sighed. She should have expected this to come, whether it be during the hearing or from this guy. The letter from the Ministry was right; she had no reason to Disapparate in front of Tristan. No reason that wouldn't hurt her reputation more and turn her into a cheater as well as a criminal.
"I have no reason." Again, Lupin had clearly dealt with worse. He continued to take notes and draw small pictures on his parchment.
"Have you had any other warning letters or anything from the Ministry for inappropriate usages of magic?" Lily shook her head. Lupin added this and folded up the parchment.
"All right, we can work with this." Lily and James locked eyes and smiled. For the first time since finding James Potter in her hotel suite, Lily had a feeling that everything was going to be alright.
9:00 am. Day Ninety-Two of official employment. Current mood: a thousand times more anxious than anxious.
Apparently no reporter or journalist in the magical world had any prior engagements for the first of December, judging by the state of the Wizengamot courtroom on the second floor of the Ministry of Magic. The court had barely enough standing room when the hearing started at nine o'clock precisely. Seated in the oversized chair in the centre of the room, Lily started to get nervous as the courtroom's fell silent. Her feet started to shake in her sensible shoes and she had to fight to keep her hands from shaking so much that it was noticeable. James and Remus Lupin had front-row seats, dressed impeccably in sharp dress robes and pointed hats. Every eye of the Wizengamot's eyes was fixed on Lily, and she could feel herself shrinking in her seat. From the temperature of the courtroom, she was sure that Dementors were waiting outside to take her away to Azkaban.
No, Lily told herself, sitting up a little bit straighter. She had to stay strong. James and his loony lawyer friend were going to get her out of this trouble.
"We, the Wizengamot and an uncommonly large audience, are here today, at nine o'clock in the morning on the first day of winter, for the hearing of Miss Lily Evans, number twenty-three Rosefern building, Diagon Alley, who is charged with a serious violation of Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlock's Statute of Secrecy. Today we have myself, Bob Ogden, as chairperson and chief interrogator of the accused and Miss Evelyn Giles, senior administrator of the Ministry of Magic, taking the minutes. Miss Evans has called Mr. Remus Lupin as her legal defence and Mr. James Potter as a character reference. The Wizengamot will take note that this is the first time we have congregated here and it is not Mr. Potter sitting in the centre chair." The courtroom momentarily broke the silence with a good-natured chuckle as Ogden smiled at James knowingly. Lily did not join in.
"The court calls Mr. Lupin to the floor to assist Miss Evans." Remus picked up his briefcase and headed to the floor, stopping at a table that had been conjured for him to the right of Lily. They exchanged supportive smiles. Ogden wasted no time – he seemed to be in a bit of a rush, he probably had several more people to send to Azkaban today.
"Miss Evans, do you understand what the Statute of Secrecy is and why it was put in place?" Lupin nodded at Lily to answer.
"Yes. It separates magic from Muggles and protects the people of the both the magical and Muggle world." Her answer was subject to much whispering around the Wizengamot. What were they saying? Were they discussing her blood status? Was there something wrong with her answer? Had she said something unknowingly inappropriate? Were they, Merlin forbid, criticizing her fashion sense? One of the younger female members of the Wizengamot was definitely eyeing her shoes critically. Lupin seemed to be drawing pictures again.
"Did you understand that by Disapparating in the presence of the conscious Muggle, Mr. Tristan Sterling, you were in serious violation of this Statute?" Lupin again nodded at Lily to answer and returned to his parchment. She swallowed, hoping to clear the dryness in her mouth.
"Yes." Ogden wrote something down on a piece of parchment. He's just drawing, Lily told herself, feeling her heart attempt to leap out of her chest. Another round of whispers, this time everyone in the courtroom, both judging and witnessing had something to say about her. There was a fury of scribbling as several reporters jotted down notes – flashes came from everywhere as paparazzi documented her discomfort.
"Do you have any valid reason for the Disapparation, Miss Evans?" Ogden and Lupin stopped drawing. The flashes halted, as did the scribbling sound. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw James lean forward, evidently eager for an answer also. She swallowed again, to no avail. Her mouth and throat were as dry as one of Professor Binn's history of magic lectures.
"N-no. I don't." There was a brief, shining moment of stillness. Lily feared she had said the wrong thing. Time slowed, she knew this was it. She couldn't take anything back now. She'd have to accept the ruling, whatever it was. Would her family be allowed to come and visit her in Azkaban? Would they want to, it being the home to serial killers and other Dark witches and wizards? Ogden pushed his spectacles up his nose and went back to his parchment. What was the man doing, drawing a freaking dragon?
"And, in this serious matter, you felt the need to bring in a character reference in the form of one Mr. James Potter?" As abruptly as it had slowed, time sped up again. Laughter echoed throughout the packed courtroom and Lily felt her cheeks burn to rival the shade of her hair. James laughed along with them, and Lily heard Lupin chuckle underneath his breath. Suddenly his friendship with James made quite a bit more sense. Lupin cleared his throat, continuing to do so until the courtroom returned to order.
"Your Honour, in light of this line of questioning, I do not believe we require Mr. Potter after all." Now, Lily would have breathed a huge sigh of relief if he mind hadn't immediately flooded with a hundred other questions and accusations. No character reference? They were bargaining on that to make her seem like a respectable witch who, in a time of emotional crisis, lapsed sensible thought. She was going to get off scott-free, that was the plan wasn't it, to be found not guilty? She turned in James' direction for help, but he looked just as surprised as she did. He didn't give her a charming smile or cocky wave; he just sat back into his seat, gobsmacked. Lupin moved from behind the table, pacing the floor between Lily and the benches of Wizengamot members.
"My client was a Prefect then Head Girl at Hogwarts, an upholder of laws, an officer of the law if you would. My client understands that what she did was wrong. My client clearly regrets Disapparating in front of the Muggle as a lack of proper judgment. My client has never used magic inappropriately before Muggles previously. I believe, if the Wizengamot agrees, that an official warning and lesser punishment will suffice." The courtroom again dissolved into murmurs and whispers. Flashes went off in just about every direction again. Lily glanced around the room, trying to get a general idea of the mood. The Wizengamot did not look impressed, but Bob Ogden was evidently tolerant of Lupin's input, staring down at him over his spectacles the way a teacher would.
"And what would you suggest as punishment, Mr. Lupin?" Lupin returned to his table and papers.
"My client is to have no further contact with the Muggle involved, the Muggle in question will have his memory erased, if the Ministry has not already done so, and my client is barred from the use of Apparation for a period of time." Once again, the courtroom dissolved into silence. Who was the man trying to kid? A serious offence of the Statute of Secrecy and she would be let off? There was no way that the Wizengamot would agree to that! Lily prepared herself to face the Dementors and kissed her soul goodbye. Several glances of disbelief were exchanged around the Wizengamot. Bob Ogden cleared his throat.
"I will put it to a vote." Ogden turned in his chair to face the entire Wizengamot, "All those in favour of giving the accused the correct sentence required under the violation of Section 13 of the International Confederation of Warlock's Statute of Secrecy, raise your hand." Roughly half of the hands went up, and with each hand, a death glare at Lily. Bob Ogden did not raise his hand.
"All those in favour of honouring Mr. Lupin's suggestion, raise your hand." Again, around half of the hands were raised – the members of the Wizengamot who had not voted for the other option. Lily couldn't see any clear difference in number, and judging by the murmur that rang through the courtroom, neither could the press. Evelyn Giles tapped away at her typewriter.
"Miss Giles, the final tally please." Ogden held out his hand and accepted the piece of parchment that the secretary had ripped from the typewriter. He studied it for some time, and made some more notes.
"Considering Miss Evan's character, lack of previous offences and her clear remorse, the Wizengamot accepts the lesser punishment offered by her legal defence." Lily's eyes widened and she broke into a huge grin, "Lily Evans, you are banned from having any contact with the Muggle Tristan Sterling. Mr. Sterling's memory will be erased. Your Apparation license will be suspended for two years from today, after which you will have to retake the test."
Lily jumped up from the chair, feeling as light as a feather.
"I'm not going to Azkaban?" She questioned. This was a joke, they had to be kidding. Maybe she was unconscious, having fainted in shock from hearing what was surely the inevitable. Ogden stared her down from his chair on the Wizengamot bench, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
"Not unless you want to, Miss Evans." Lily's cheeks hurt from the beam she had pasted on her face as she ran towards the audience benches, towards James. He'd leapt over the barrier, joining her on the floor, sharing her massive grin. Lily barely noticed the courtroom exploding in outcry as she ran into James' outstretched arms, shaking with emotion. Apparently the media had been hoping for a different outcome.
"This is stupid!" One woman who stood where James had just been sitting shrieked, "Why don't you just release those twin serial killers from Azkaban while you're at it?"
"How 'bout we all go out and kill some Muggles? If we're tried today, we'll get off scot-free!" a burly man with an even larger camera bellowed.
The roars from the reporters, photographers and other audience members seemed a world away. Lily felt tears streak down her face as she nestled herself in James' arms, protected by him from the predatory media. She was crying because she was happy, wasn't she? She hadn't suffered enough emotional turmoil to be sad about not going to Azkaban. She wasn't stupid enough to look forward to the Dementors? She was free, with limitations of course, but she could deal with that. She didn't need Tristan; she had friends like Izzy Skeptor, her career, her lifestyle, all in magical world now.
James pulled away from her slightly, lifting her chin with his index finger. They locked eyes. He looked so handsome in his dress robes and silly pointed hat, and Lily really loved his insanely messy hair and wireframe glasses. He was smart, not overly dependent or independent; boyfriend material. She acted on impulse, pulling his head down with both hands to meet their lips together.
Lily knew exactly why she loved the magical world. Of course, she wasn't going to tell him that.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter.
Whew. Long chapter.
Thanks again for all the feedback, guys!
-xSymnia