Chapter 14: A Greene for a Greene
December 29th
Dear Lily,
You are cordially invited to my house for the Ryan's annual New Year's Eve bash. Many important people in our world will be there, so it will be an excellent chance for you to spread your wings and become quite the social butterfly.
Now that my mother is gone (she was looking over my shoulder as I wrote, but after she saw that last line, she rolled her eyes in defeat and walked away), I can get to the point. The real reason you want to come to this party is because the Abbonys are coming-and bringing Natalie and Liz with them. It will give us the perfect chance to come up with a plan to keep Liz at Hogwarts…and actually TELL Nat and Liz that we know about their situation, of course. Do you think they'll be mad? Oh, I hope not. Mandy suggested that if they DO get mad, we'll blame it all on Sirius, which, frankly, I'm completely O.K. with.
Oh, no…my mum's coming back in, so I better just hurry up and give you some basic party statistics. It will be held on New Year's Eve (of course), but my mum said that my friends should arrive at about 12:30 that afternoon so we can have a little "casual" time to hang out. All you need to bring is a pair of dress robes for the party, but you'll need pajamas and regular clothing for the day afterward (it's sort of a 2-day event). Now, getting to my house shouldn't be a problem for you. I know for certain that someone you know is going….and promised me that they'd get you here. Wish I could write more, but my mum is looking curious again, so I've got to go. See you in 2 days!
Jenn (never Jenni!)
Lily heaved a long sigh as she finished reading the letter. It gave her mixed feelings. One part of her wanted very much to attend the party and help come up with a plan to keep Liz from being taken out of Hogwarts. However, another VERY LARGE part of her was terrified at the prospect of losing 2 of her friends just because she was too nosey for her own good.
"LILY!" Come down here!" Her mother's voice ordered from downstairs.
"Coming, mum!" She yelled back, folding up the letter and stuffing it in her pocket.
"NOW, Lily!"
"Okay, okay!" She hurried downstairs and entered her kitchen.
There, sitting right at her mahogany kitchen table, was someone she hadn't seen in quite a while.
It was her godmother, Ella Warren.
"Aunt Ella!" Lily exclaimed.
"Hey, Lil!" Ella grinned at her.
"What are you doing here?" She questioned.
"Honestly, Lily, your manners have much to improve upon." Her mother scolded, as Lily's surprised self took a seat at the table.
"Di, it's all right. Lily, I'm here for the same reason I'm ever here."
"To intrude upon our peaceful lives?" Lily guessed.
Ella gave her an amused look. "She's such a bright child."
Lily rolled her eyes and finally remembered her manners. "So, how was Madrid?"
"Oh, it was absolutely exquisite! It is, after all, one of my favorite vacation spots."
"Really? You should spend more time there." Lily responded, deadpan.
"How about we talk less about me and more about you, my dear god-daughter?" Ella suggested.
"All right…" Lily agreed, somewhat reluctantly.
"I've heard from Tricia that you've acquainted yourself with her nephew." Ella raised her eyebrows at Lily, making her blush slightly.
"James?" Lily asked stupidly.
"Yes, James. Trish visited him the other day and told me that he mentioned you." Ella grinned.
Lily pretended to look disinterested.
"You don't want to know what he said?"
"No!" Lily answered a little too quickly.
"All right, then…" Ella trailed off.
"Who is this James?" Diana asked, a quizzical look on her face.
"Um…James is a….friend of mine."
"A friend?" Diana questioned.
"He's my friend Tricia's nephew, Di. He's supposedly quite intelligent….and also quite handsome, I here." Ella answered, making Lily glare.
The last thing about school that Lily wanted to talk about was James. Ever since he'd taken back his invitation to the Halloween Ball back in October, she had found it almost depressing to think about him. Her 11-year old self-image couldn't take the severe dent he had put in it. So, she wasn't exactly appreciating her godmother's presence at the moment.
"He's really no one special, mum." Lily answered stoically.
"All right, then, sweetie. I'm going to go wake your sister up…she'll be horrified if she's late for her date with Vernon."
"Funny…..I'd be horrified if I was EARLY for a date with that prat." Lily snorted in a very unladylike way.
"Lily!" Diana reprimanded.
"Di, dear, have you seen the boy? Or spoken to him, even?" Ella defended.
Diana just pursed her lips and gave them a "look", before dutifully retreating to Petunia's bedroom.
Meanwhile, Lily and Ella just stared at each other in complete and utter silence.
Naturally, Ella was the first to break it. "So, Lil, has Jenn sent you anything lately?"
"Why would that interest y-." Lily stopped her question mid-sentence, allowing her mouth to drop open.
"YOU'RE the one taking me?!" Lily shrieked.
Ella looked slightly put out. "Why, of course it's me!"
"Why would Jenn invite you?"
"Jenn didn't invite me. Her father, who, may I add, is HOSTING the party, invited me."
Lily groaned in response.
"You know, here I am, coming to visit my FAVORITE god-daughter and offer her my company on a trip to her friend's house, all out of the goodness of my heart! Yet, am I appreciated? NO!"
"First of all," Lily remarked pointedly, "I'm your ONLY god-daughter, probably because only my mum is crazy enough to want to leave her youngest daughter in your care in the event of her untimely death! Secondly, OF COURSE YOU'RE NOT APPRECIATED! Out of all the people you could've brought up, you HAD to pick James!"
"Oh, I see." Ella smiled knowingly.
Lily raised her right eyebrow in suspicion. "What do you see?"
"C'mon now, Lily, say it with me. I-have-a-crush-on-James-Potter!"
"I do not!" Lily protested, the color of her cheeks implying the opposite.
"What is going on in here?" Mr. Evans questioned, peeking his head through the gap between the wall and semi-opened kitchen door.
"Nothing, daddy." Lily answered innocently, smiling sweetly up at him.
"Lily has a crush on a boy she goes to school with." Ella admitted, causing Lily to drop her head into her hands.
"A-a-a crush? That's nonsense, El. Lily is only 11-years old. She is not interested in boys yet." Mr. Evans stated knowingly, more to himself than anyone else in the room.
"Oh, she's interested all right." Ella smirked.
"Lily?" Mr. Evans turned to his daughter, flustered.
"Umm…well, I….James is…..a….an….acquaintance….who I am….fond of…sort of?" Lily fumbled out, smiling up at her father for approval.
At that moment, however, the doorbell rang.
"Whaddaya know! It's the doorbell. The door is making noises. Someone's at the door. I bet they want to come in. I think I'll just..go…let them in!" Lily orally and literally stumbled her way out of the kitchen.
She rushed to the door, where she took a deep breath.
"PHEW!" She then turned the doorknob and swung the door open.
"Hello, Petunia's little sister." Vernon Dursley greeted.
"Hello, Petunia's boyfriend." Lily mocked.
"Well, I've come to surprise Petunia." He gestured to the bouquet of crimson roses in his left hand.
Lily grinned mischievously as a devious plan formulated in her mind.
"Roses! Oh, Vernon, are you…could you be….PROPOSING TO PETUNIA TONIGHT?!" Lily voiced loud enough so that the occupants of the kitchen would hear.
Vernon's eyes bugged and he shook his head furiously. "No, I….we're only 16!"
It was too late for explanations, though. Mr. Evans burst through the kitchen door and into the living room, his face beet red.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! MARRIAGE?!" He yelled at Vernon.
Lily grinned and made a quick exit.
By time she sat back down at her kitchen table to discuss the party some more with her godmother, she was giggling hysterically.
"That should keep him busy for a while!"
"The bus is leaving!" Ella yelled from the front door of Lily's house the following afternoon.
Lily ran down the steps and into the living room.
"Bye, mum! Bye, dad!" She yelled, before swinging her overnight bag over her shoulder and approaching her godmother.
"Shall we go?" Ella asked.
"Well, first, I'd like to know exactly how we are getting there. Secondly, I'd like to know where you've been all morning." Lily told her.
"To answer your first demand, we're driving." Ella gestured to Lily's driveway, where a shiny silver Porsche was parked.
Lily grinned excitedly and ran to the car.
She gasped.
"Hey, Lil!" Mandy McQueen greeted from her laying position in the back seat.
"To answer your second demand, THAT'S where I've been all morning." Ella smiled and slid into the driver's seat of the car.
"MANDY?!" Lily asked, awestruck.
"No, it's King Kong. Duh, of course, it's Mandy!" She remarked sarcastically, sitting up.
Lily just stood there, completely devoid of movement.
"Hop in!" Mandy enthused.
"I…….ummm……O.K.!" Lily exclaimed in a breathy voice.
"Aren't you excited about Jenn's party?! It's going to be sooooooo much fun!" Mandy squealed.
"Excuse me, but was Mandy McQueen just squealing?" Lily raised her eyebrows at her friend.
"If you had spent the last week being forced to play Cowboys and Indians with Shane and his annoying little cronies, you'd be squealing at the chance to spend 2 days with your friends, too!"
Before Lily could respond, Ella started up the engine.
"Wait, wait! What are you doing?" Lily questioned, confused.
"Thank God you won't need a license, Lily. I-am-starting-up-the-engine-so-we-can-drive." Ella explained slowly.
"We're driving?!" Lily asked, incredulous.
"Uh, Lil, not to burst your bubble or anything, but given that we ARE in a car, and it WAS just started up……I think so."
"No, I mean we're ACTUALLY DRIVING?!"
Mandy gave her a withering look. "Um……….yeah!"
"Lily, are you feeling all right?" Ella asked, concerned.
"I'm fine! It's just that I thought that you were going to….you know, touch the steering wheel…and like…zap us there or something!" Lily confessed, a little embarrassed.
"Lily, you don't protest a ride in a Porsche!" Mandy stressed.
"Mand, could I talk to you for a minute…….in private?" Lily requested, hopping out of the car.
"Uh…sure." Mandy followed Lily to the middle of her front yard.
"I just thought that I should tell you what's on my mind. ARE YOU AWARE THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO PUT OUR LIVES IN THE HANDS OF MY CRAZY GODMOTHER?!" Lily whispered furiously.
"My mind is more so set on-ROAD TRIP!" Mandy expressed excitedly.
"Yes, but it's a road trip with my sometimes very eccentric godmother!"
"You see, the only words I just heard in that sentence were road and trip!" Mandy shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as she said this.
Lily groaned in frustration.
"Oh, c'mon!" Mandy whined, tugging Lily back to the car. Mandy hopped right in, but Lily hesitated.
Then, after a few seconds had passed, she did the sign of the cross, clasped her hands together, and mumbled "God help us!" before plopping doubtfully into the car.
"Take the last train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station…." Ella sang off-key along with the radio.
By then, Lily had moved to the back seat to play cards with Mandy. Every time Ella hit a high note, they'd both cringe and then resume play.
However, by the time Ella started screeching "Daydream Believer", Lily had had enough.
"AUNT ELLA!"
Ella turned down the radio. "Yes, Lil?"
"Look, Mand, her voice does go back to normal!"
Ella glared. "Would you 2 like to walk the rest of the way to Jenn's house?"
"Well, as I see it, me and Lil are attractive enough to hitch a ride with some older men that might pass us by…" Mandy trailed off, waggling her eyebrows suggestively.
"That is NOT funny." Ella reprimanded.
Lily pretended to ignore her. "You know, the idea is actually starting to grow on me. Drop us off, Aunt El."
"LILY ELIZABETH EVANS, you stop that RIGHT now!" Ella turned her head to give the girls a firm look, but ended up making the car swerve more than her body did.
Lily and Mandy screamed as several cars around them beeped loudly.
Ella quickly snapped around to put the car back on track.
"You girls are gonna give me a heart attack!" Ella grumbled.
"Ella, I think that guy who beeped at us just winked at me." Mandy reported in her most serious tone.
Ella turned her head once more and ordered, "Don't even JOKE about that!"
In unison, Lily and Mandy both yelled, "KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!"
Later that evening, when Ella made a pit stop, Lily and Mandy gave each other knowing looks and retreated to the bathroom.
Once inside, they let out all of the thoughts that had been caged up inside of them all day.
"What are we going to do when we see Natalie and Liz?!" Lily asked nervously.
"I have no idea. I hope they won't be too mad at us. We did what we did because we wanted to help..and that's not a bad thing."
"I wonder why their grandparents have such a problem with Liz being in Slytherin. I mean, in the letter they said it had to do with 'family honor', but there must be more to it than that." Lily pondered aloud.
"I see what your saying, but I don't think we should pry that far into their lives."
"Yeah, your right. You know what I can't help but wonder? Does Natalie even want Liz to stay? Has she even forgiven her for the way she's treated all of us this year?"
"Well, Lily, they ARE sisters."
"So are me and Petunia."
"Point taken."
"Exactly."
"For one, I know that I haven't even completely forgiven her yet. She's going to have to prove to me that she can be a good friend before I start helping her." Mandy stated firmly.
"Don't worry, she will. When I talked to her on the stairs that day, she really seemed upset at herself for how she's treated us all. She'll definitely apologize to everyone at the party."
"Lil, what if that whole scene was a ploy for help, though? She could've faked it all just so we would help her stay at Hogwarts."
"Mand, you have to start being a little more trusting."
"Lily, she's IGNORED us for the past 4 months!"
"I know, but everyone deserves a second chance, right?" Lily asked in a pleading voice.
"I guess so….but, if she starts pretending like she doesn't even know us again, I'm through with being her friend…FOR GOOD."
"Okay, that's fair enough. I hope everyone else is willing to give her a chance, too." Lily replied hopefully.
"Don't count on it." Mandy sighed.
At that moment, Ella knocked on the bathroom door.
"Girls, do you….need some help in there or something?" She questioned in a reluctant tone.
"Oh, NO…we're fine." Lily stated.
"Are you sure?" Ella asked, unconvinced.
"Yeah, it's just…you know….that time of the month," Mandy ad-libbed.
"Ohhhhhhh…I see. Well, do you need any change?" Ella asked.
"Ummm….actually….I'm good now. We can leave." Mandy opened the door and smirked at Ella.
"O-K." Ella said suspiciously.
The three walked back to the car, only to find a man leaning up against it. He was decked out in leather, with tousled brown hair, and black sunglasses masking his eyes.
"Hey, ladies."
"Hello!" Ella greeted.
"I'm Jack….and you are?" He reached out and grabbed Ella's hand, placing a kiss just below her knuckles.
"I'm….I'm…..Misty….and these two young ladies are……Kimmy and Katsy. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Lily quickly leaned over and whispered in Mandy's ear, "I'm Kimmy!"
Mandy nudged her and stared up at Jack nervously.
"Misty….that's a lovely name." He stated coolly.
"Why, thank you." Ella faked a smile.
"So, would a lovely lady such as yourself like to….accompany me for a ride?" He gestured to his motorcycle that was parked a few feet away.
"Actually, I'm on my way to see my HUSBAND." Ella emphasized.
"Well, that's too bad. Are you sure you wouldn't like to come with me instead?" Jack reached out and grabbed her hand.
"I'm sure." Ella nodded her head as she said this. She was also trying to gently pull her hand out of Jack's grip.
"No, no…I don't think you are." He stated again.
"Oh, trust me, I AM!" Ella pulled her wand out of her purse and pointed it at Jack.
"Oh, no!" Lily groaned in a whisper to Mandy.
"Oh, so you're some kind of witch, are you?" Jack mocked.
"Don't make me use this on you!" Ella yelled.
Jack smirked and took a step toward Mandy and Lily.
"Don't you dare touch those girls! Freezendo!" She cried.
Jack froze in place, a step away from Lily and Mandy.
"Oh, god, oh, god……you killed him!!" Lily exclaimed in a panicky voice.
"I did NOT kill him. I froze him! He'll come back to life in a few minutes and not remember a thing. The only thing we have to worry about is getting out of here BEFORE then." Ella quickly grabbed onto the girls and ushered them into the car.
Once, they were back in the car, Ella turned to face Mandy and Lily. "Are you ready to go?"
"I don't know…do you want to FREEZE the rest of the gas station first?!" Lily crossed her arms and glared at her godmother.
"Lily, I had to do that…it was NECESSARY for your protection." Ella explained
"It was not!"
"It was too!"
"NOT-UH!"
"UH-HUH!"
"NO,
IT WASN'T!"
"YES, IT WAS!"
"YOU ARE SO VERY MISTAKEN!"
"NO, YOU ARE SO VERY MISTAKEN!"
"I AM NOT!"
"NEITHER AM I!"
"YES, YOU ARE!"
"NO, I'M NOT!"
"THAT'S IT! BOTH OF YOU STOP IT!" Mandy yelled, frustrated.
They both looked at her in surprise.
"Can we just PLEASE get out of here?!" Mandy questioned.
"Yes, ma'am." Ella turned back around and started up the engine.
Mandy burst out laughing.
Ella turned back around to stare at her. "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing, I just realized that I could totally pull this on Shane!" She smirked excitedly, as the other two rolled their eyes and sighed deeply.
Lily's eyes fluttered open and bright sunlight filtered into her line of vision. She yawned and stretched her arms.
"Morning, Lil." Ella replied cheerily.
"Good morning!" Mandy chirped from the front passenger's seat.
"Good morning." Lily responded groggily.
"We're almost there!" Mandy exclaimed, a bright smile on her face.
"Cool…." Lily trailed off, leaning her head against the back of her seat.
"Do you want a donut?" Mandy asked, shoving a box of mini donuts in Lily's face.
Lily groaned. "No."
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the car this morning." Mandy assessed, turning around in her seat.
"So, Mandy, what's going on between Lily and James Potter?" Ella asked, grinning.
"I'M UP!" Lily sprang up from her seat, and rested her elbows on the sides of the two seats in front of her.
"Awww…Lily, your not over that yet?" Mandy asked, smiling.
"I'm not over what yet?" Lily interrogated.
"Oh……nothing."
"Tell me!"
"It's nothing, really."
"I hate the both of you." Lily announced.
"I am just feelin' the love in this car right now." Mandy responded sweetly.
"Don't worry…we'll be there in about 5 minutes. I think we've all had enough of each other for the past twenty-four hours." Ella observed.
"More like for the next century." Lily muttered.
"You are EXTREMELY grumpy this morning. Is there a reason?" Mandy asked.
"Eh….just anxious, I guess." Lily responded in a much nicer tone.
"There's no reason to be nervous, girls. Mostly everyone in the wizarding community that you'll talk to is very cordial and personable. As for the ones that aren't, you probably won't talk to them. I'll give you a few wise words before we get there, though. If you get to talking with Mr. Jensen Trugle, don't mention anything about the Ministry. He just got fired from his position there a few weeks ago. Now, if you choose to start up a conversation with Marsha Mathis, DO NOT mention ANYTHING about pets. She has about 50 of them, and if you mention the subject, she'll feel obligated to show you about 20 pictures of each of them. Then there's Krissy Kelados….she was in my year. The woman can ramble on about anything. Oh, and her boyfriend's even worse! He's obnoxious, and thinks he's Merlin's gift to women. Just avoid the both of them if you can. I guess I should give you some information on some older members of our community, too. There's Mrs. Gena Brown Van Stross. She's can be a little….well, let's just say that she doesn't have the best personal hygiene. However, she DOES carry a lot of candy in her purse. So, if you can somehow manage to hold your breath and carry on a conversation with her at the same time, I say go for it. Oh, and how could I have forgotten!? Mr. Marcus Hansbury is the Minister of Magic. He's a very wise and charismatic man, so you'll like him. His brother, Archer, is horrible though. He's jealous of Mark and will say just about anything to make him look bad. Let's see who else I can tell you about. Oh, I know! The Abbonys.." Ella was forced to stop her spiel as she observed the wide-eyed and interested expressions on Lily and Mandy's faces.
"What…..do you know the Abbonys already or something?" Ella asked.
"No….it's just an…interesting surname." Lily explained.
"Yes, exactly. Go on!" Mandy urged.
"All right, then. I was just going to say that they are greatly respected in our world. They are very rich and extremely influential within the Ministry. I've rarely ever spoken with them…only 2 small conversations at a party last year. They seem nice enough, though. A little stiff, I'd say, but very formal and polite."
"Do they have any children?" Lily asked, sharing a look with Mandy.
A very pregnant pause ensued. "They used to. Laura. She died about 2 weeks ago."
"How did she die?"
Ella paused again.
"It's not of your concern." She said finally.
Lily felt a sudden awkward wave of dread and confusion spread over her, but she ignored it.
"How old was she?" She prodded.
"She was in my year at Hogwarts. So was her husband, Eric."
"Did they have any kids?" Mandy asked offhandedly.
"Yes. In fact you might know their twin daughters, Natalie and Elizabeth Greene. I think they're about your age."
"Oh, yea…Natalie and Liz…I've spoken with them a few times." Lily fibbed convincingly.
"Oh, and they have one other daughter, her name is A-." Ella cut herself off as she spotted something on the side of the road.
"Ah, Berry Lane. Here's our stop."
Ella parked on the corner and gestured for the two girls to get out. She strode over to the nearest lawn and gently tugged a flower out of the ground. Then, she smiled, waved, and…….DISAPPEARED.
"What just happened?!" Lily asked Mandy in a panicky voice.
"We were just stranded in a strange town with nothing but a…..hey, we've still got the Porsche." Mandy was about to head back to the car, when Lily caught her by the arm.
"HELLO?! WE NEED TO GO FIND HER! NOW!"
Mandy sighed and looked back at the car. "I'll miss you!" She yelled to it.
Lily rolled her eyes and dragged Mandy toward the lawn.
"I guess we should……..pick a flower?" Lily guessed.
"Hey, it's worth a try." Mandy bent down to pick up a flower, but Lily once again caught her arm.
"Let's do it at the same time."
"OK."
Both girls bent down and simultaneously picked a flower out of the ground.
The familiar spinning feeling that she'd gotten accustomed to on her first trip with a portkey flooded Lily's senses. Yet, just like before, it seemed to stop as soon as it started.
Lily opened her eyes and found herself in front of a large, ornate white gate. Engraved in gold on the very top of it was "Godric's Hollow-Ryan Lane".
"They have their own lane?!" Mandy asked, incredulous.
"Obviously." Lily muttered, before stepping forward and clutching the gate's handle. She slowly pried it open, to reveal the most exquisite neighborhood she'd ever set eyes. Yet, it wasn't exactly a neighborhood. Only one house occupied the land. One incredibly humongous, beautiful house, to be exact.
Lily had never seen a house that gigantic before. The entire house stretched about 2 blocks and a huge fountain stood among plants, trees, and flowers on the perfectly manicured front lawn.
"Wow." That was about all Lily could get out.
"LILY!" Sitting on the fountain, with 2 people Lily didn't recognize, was Ella.
"AUNT El, STAY RIGHT THERE! WE'RE COMING!"
Lily and Mandy practically sprinted to the fountain.
"Hello!" Lily greeted excitedly.
"Hello, Lily, Mandy. I'm Robert Ryan, Jenn's father." A tall, handsome man greeted them. He had dark brown hair and warm brown eyes. Jenn resembled him a great deal.
"I'm his sister, Ruby." Lily recognized her as one of Ella's friends from Oliver's Café.
"Hello."
"Hi."
"Girls, Jenn and some others are waiting for you in the north entranceway." Mr. Ryan informed them.
"All right, but I don't have my things with me." Lily told him.
"Me neither." Mandy agreed.
"That's all right…one of the house elves will go and get it for you later." Mr. Ryan smiled kindly at them.
"OK!" Mandy and Lily rushed off towards the gigantic house. When they arrived on the front door step, Lily rang the doorbell. It was the type that sounded as if several chimes were being rang within the house.
It took all but a minute for the door to open and Jenn Ryan's grinning face appeared in front of them.
"LILY! MANDY!"
"JENN!" The 3 girls hugged excitedly.
Then, all of a sudden, Jenn's face got serious.
"Follow me to the parlor. Quickly." She spoke in a hushed tone as if she was afraid someone would hear her.
Jenn led them up stairs, down corridors, and around corners, until they finally reached the parlor. She then opened the door, and gestured inside.
Sitting on opposite sides of a crimson velvet couch was Natalie and Liz.
Lily was about to go and hug them, but the expressions on their faces made her stay in place at the doorway. A quick look at Mandy proved that she wasn't the only one getting a bad vibe.
"What's going on?" Lily asked nervously.
"Matters have gotten….worse."
"Not really." Natalie voiced.
Liz gave her sister a pleading look.
"Nat, don't be that way. Try to understand that I haven't been myself for the past few months. Please, Nat. I'm your sister. Please understand. I never meant to hurt you, Natalie…I never meant to hurt any of you." Liz glanced over at Mandy and Lily, then averted her imploring gaze back to her sister.
"It's not that and you know it, Elizabeth. It's what you suggested." Natalie responded coldly.
"That would've only been temporary. Nat, please understand." Liz pleaded.
Meanwhile, the other 3 looked on with confusion.
"Can somebody please tell me what's happened?" Lily spoke in her most forceful voice.
"They want to send me to a-a-….a muggle school." Liz mumbled, tears now starting to stream down her face.
"Why?" Lily asked, her eyes wide and awestruck.
"They don't want me to learn anymore magic. They think I'll use my magic for dark purposes." Liz responded shakily, rubbing her eyes.
"Well….this suggestion that you made that Nat mentioned, Liz…would it have worked?" Mandy questioned.
Liz eyed her sister and then said, "I think it would've, but it was selfish of me to bring it up."
"What did it imply?" Mandy pressed.
"A diversion."
Natalie's glare turned even harsher, if that possible.
"What kind of a diversion."
Liz glanced at her sister nervously and shook her head no. "I can't tell you. It-it was of me to even suggest it."
At that moment, the doorbell echoed through the house. Jenn pulled out her wand, walked over to the nearest wall, and muttered, "Revealius Instantaneous!"
An image of Jenn's front door step appeared on the wall. Standing on it, were none other than Sirius Black and James Potter.
"I'll go find let them in." Jenn announced.
"I don't want to discuss this with them right now. I don't know them well enough." Natalie replied pointedly.
"All right, then. Liz, you come with me and we'll find a distraction for Sirius and James. The rest of you will be fine here, right?"
Lily nodded wordlessly.
"OK. Well, I guess we'll see you guys in a bit." Jenn smiled at them all, before ushering Liz into the hall and out of sight.
Lily and Mandy glanced nervously at Natalie.
"You know, you don't have to be that way around me. It's not you guys that I'm mad at." Natalie gave them a weak smile.
Lily giggled softly and returned the smile. Then, she walked over to the couch, sat down, and gave Natalie a hug.
"I'm sorry about your parents." Mandy repeated the kind gesture.
"I……I don't even know what to say, guys. I never do anymore. My feelings are just too….awkward..to express."
"We understand." Mandy assured her soothingly.
An unnerving silence ensued.
"I'm sorry if this makes me seem pushy, but Nat, you're going to have forgive Liz some time. I mean, don't you want her in your life?" Lily pointed out in a very gentle voice.
"Yes, of course I do. It's just that….she does things sometimes that I don't understand. She doesn't think before she does things. She just does them. She doesn't take the time to think about how her words and actions will affect others." Natalie argued.
"Nat, I know she made mistakes, but maybe you need to put all the hard feelings aside and help her now. Maybe that suggestion of hers will work. Don't you think that you should give it some thought?" Lily suggested.
"I WOULD NEVER DO WHAT SHE'S SUGGESTING!" The mood change in Natalie was so blunt and obvious, that it silenced Lily automatically.
"Th-th-that's fine with me, Nat." Lily mumbled, a little embarrassed.
"I need to explain." Natalie stated simply. She stood up and walked to the door.
"C'mon!" She gestured to them. Lily and Mandy got up and followed her out the door.
Natalie seemed to know exactly where she was going. She led them down 2 corridors and 2 flights of stairs.
"Here we are." She murmured when they had reached a door with a gold door knocker on it that said "Natalie Greene".
"This is my room. I suppose Jenn will show you two your rooms later." Natalie explained. She then walked over and sat on the satin covered canopy bed in the middle of the room. She gave them a quick glance before letting out a short whistle.
Immediately, Horrora, Natalie's cat, jumped up onto the bed and crawled into her lap.
"This is Liz's plan." She replied steadily, looking down at the cat in her arms, and then back at Mandy and Lily.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, slightly nervous.
"This is Liz's diversion." Natalie spoke in a weak voice, and then quietly, almost incoherently mumbled, "Transform."
Horrora sprang off of Natalie's lap and onto the floor.
Lily gasped.
Right before her eyes, Horrora was morphing into a human.
Disclaimer: JK owns Lily, Sirius, James, etc. I own Natalie, Liz, Mandy, Jenn, Aunt Ella, Jack, Robert Ryan, Ruby Ryan, the plot, etc.
Author's*Note: I am very sorry that this took so long for me to post. At least it's out now though! I hope everyone likes it..:-) Unfortunately, I'm not sure when I'll be able to get the next chapter out. I won't be able to even start writing it until around next Saturday. For once, I don't even have a chapter title picked out, so don't expect the next post any time soon. I promise to try my hardest to get it out as quickly as possible, though. Well, that's about it. Oh yeah, REVIEW!