Lily's arm was wrapped around Chris' as the pair strolled through the gardens behind Division Headquarters. A good number of men followed the pair, acting as guards to ensure Chris' safety. Lily could not help but wonder what might actually happen should an attack occur. She was curious how long it would take Chris to cast her aside for his own good.
Chris was going on about something, and Lily nodded along as though she was paying attention even though she could not recall a single thing he'd said. As they turned a corner, Chris stopped talking when a man appeared in front of them. Lily recognized him from the night before, but said nothing as she turned her gaze away to look at the flowers near by.
"Jackson," Chris nodded to him as he tried to continue passed him with Lily at his side. Jackson, however, stepped back to remained in front of Chris. "Is there something you need?"
"I'd like to talk to you privately." Jackson requested, and Lily turned her eyes towards the two men. "It's about what you asked of me last night." Lily kept her gaze as carefree as she could while she stared at Jackson.
"Wait in my study, then." Chris responded and Jackson nodded. Before he turned away, he locked his eyes with Lily, and she couldn't shake the feeling of a threat behind his stare. Without words, he turned and continued down the path leading towards the building.
"What did you want from him?" Lily asked, sounding curious but not enough to cause suspicion.
"It's nothing, love." Chris answered as he turned to face her completely. He lifted his hands to touch her cheeks before h pressed his lips to hers. "I shall send for you later tonight."
"Won't you still walk with me?" Lily responded gently and Chris smile at her before he kissed her a second time.
"Another time." He answered before he released her and followed Jackson's path to the building, his guards following behind him. Lily waited a few moments in the gardens before she entered the building through another door further down from where Jackson and Chris had gone in.
Because of the time of day, only a few men were walking about the mansion. Most were carrying out various tasks Chris had appointed them to, and a few were finished. Due to Lily's place in Chris' hierarchal system, she had nothing to attend to during the morning and afternoon hours, so she knew she would not attract any attention as she made her way towards the staircase in the west wing.
Eventually, she reached Albus' door and knocked on the hard wood. She waited a few moments until Albus called back and she let herself into the room. He glanced up at her for a moment before he turned back to the open drawers of his dresser. Lily visited him often, and so he didn't think much of her presence until he heard the lock click shut behind her.
He paused for a moment before he continued to dig through the top drawer before safely tucking away the ring Ethan had presented him with a few days prior.
"What's wrong?" Albus asked as he turned to face her completely.
"What did Chris ask of you and Ethan?" Lily asked simply. Albus wanted to respond right away, but the look in Lily's eyes gave him pause.
Shaking it away, Albus answered. "He wants us to find the spy. Why?"
"I think I'm going to be framed as the spy." Lily replied, her voice floating softly through the air so that only Albus could hear her words. Albus didn't bother asking why she would think such a thing, but he knew Jackson was at the heart of it. In the silence, Albus drew in a deep breath as he began to think of the different possible futures the set of siblings may face.
Lily noticed how simply Albus took the news and though she preferred it to denial or arguing, she couldn't help but wonder what it said about them. She hadn't really noticed how desensitized they had become to hardship and unfavorable conditions until Albus stood quietly thinking of what to do for his little sister. The longer the thought festered, the more she wondered if James, Rose, and Hugo had been affected in a similar way or if the current state of herself and Albus was due to their places within Division.
Finally, Albus met Lily's eyes again and she knew she wouldn't like his response. "Do you think he would kill you?"
Lily sharply inhaled as she turned away from Albus and began to pace to the other side of the room. Albus, recognizing that Lily needed space to deal with the touchy topic, remained where he stood, fighting the instinct to follow and comfort her. He watched as she reached up to let her hair down from the tight bun on the back of her head. The way her hair fell looked natural, and yet Albus knew something was different. She used to have such vibrant hair but now they appeared far too dull to be on the head of arguably the most beautiful Weasley-Potter in the family.
"I don't know." Lily answered truthfully. "I can get some time, but ultimately, he's not very predictable. He's swayed easily. By me. By the other men. By everyone." Lily turned back to look at Albus and he knew she spoke the truth of Chris' nature. Chris might appear the dominate man he wanted so desperately to be, but those closest to him could see through his ruse.
"If you are framed, then everyone will stop looking." Albus replied and Lily nodded. Of course, she'd already thought of that. Albus tried his best not to dwell on the matter, but it always seemed to him that he was second to know compared to Lily, and even James. He definitely saw himself as the middle child between two extremes, and yet Lily and James hardly paid the matter attention.
"But there isn't a guarantee I can get out of here. And what about you? What will happen if I become the spy and you are my brother? You'll be questioned as well."
"There isn't anything to find on me."
"And what evidence is there to incriminate me?" Lily responded as she turned to narrow her eyes at him. "Whatever is needed to achieve the ultimate goal will be fabricated as we go. You know this, Albus. We've done this."
"Not to ourselves."
"Yes well, I've done my best to keep our places. If you'd like to march into Chris' bedchamber in the middle of the night, then by all means." Lily motioned to the door with one arm and Albus narrowed his eyes at her.
"If you run, you'll be branded as the spy immediately. No evidence necessary."
"And where will I go?" Lily responded. "I don't think I can just walk into the Ministry building."
"Where else is there?"
"The grave." Lily commented bitterly and Albus shut his eyes as he tried to ignore the words. As he focused on his breathing, Lily continued to walk up and down the room as she gazed at the small objects atop the shelves and dressers.
"We should tell Ethan."
"Tell him what?" Lily asked as she turned back.
"To tell James to expect you." Albus answered. "You have to go there if your plan is to leave."
"Why there? Why can't I just leave, Al? Go to the other side of the world or something." Lily muttered as she faced forward and stared at a random part of the wall.
"You'll be recognized anywhere you go. Everyone will know what you are."
"And what am I, then?" Lily demanded as she turned back to Albus. She knew she was being defensive and that he had not meant his comment the way she understood it, but she couldn't help it. "A traitor? A coward? What? Because the last time I checked, there weren't any moral codes anybody was abiding by when you followed me here."
"We both know why we came here." Albus responded strongly and Lily scoffed.
"I know why I came. You picked like you always do, Albus. James and I never agreed on anything and this wasn't any different. And you pick a side like you always have."
"That's not fair." Albus told her simply. His voice had lost its edge and the difference in his tone made Lily pause for a moment before she faced him again.
"Fair has nothing to do with it, Albus. Nothing is fair. What was fair? That you and James got to finish Hogwarts? That my entire life has been dedicated to his damn war? That everyone I've ever cared about other than you and James have been ripped from me?"
"You're not the only one who has lost people, Lily, and you'd do well to remember it."
"Now you sound like James chastising me." Lily responded strongly and Albus screwed his eyes shut. He had never known how difficult it was to argue without raising his voice, and yet Lily managed just fine with the noise constraints.
"Bridget was regrettable." Lily answered and Albus drew in a sharp breath. "And I would never make her death less than it was, but holding on won't change anything."
She kept her eyes on Albus, unsure if he was breaking or not. Eventually he opened his eyes and Lily could not help but feel as though he hadn't allowed himself to think of Bridget until Lily forced the thought upon his mind.
"And what you're doing then? Is that moving on?" Albus replied, clearing taking a defensive stance even if his voice did not show it. "I thought it was simply-"
"Don't." Lily warned and Albus turned away from her.
"And you're to tell me that you've let go? Of Scorpius?"
"I never said that." Lily answered and Albus peered at her again, surprised to see a vulnerable look across her face. The Lily he'd known for the last four years, the time they've spent with Division, had never been broken or even remotely affected by something as trivial as words. Now, at the mere mention of his name, Lily seemed to shatter the same way Albus had at the sound of Bridget's name.
"Then what?" Albus asked.
"You already followed me here, Albus. Stop making all my mistakes." Lily said simply before she reached up to wipe the tears from the corner of her eyes. After straightening her back and flattening her dress, Lily walked towards the door and left the room without another word.
I hope you're all enjoying this story so far!
Reading4Ever : I messaged you back on your first review some number of chapters ago, but it seems you never got my answer. Hopefully you've found this little note. Anyway, yes, the older generation will have a part in this story. You'll have to keep reading to find out ;)
Other than that, please don't favorite without reviewing. I put a lot of time into writing it, and its really nice to know what people think.
