Disclaimer... these characters belong to JKR
A.N. I'm loving the fact that y'all are so enthusiastic about this story - it's incredible that you're all so excited, but I'm posting these as I write - that means that there aren't any back logs of chapter. As soon as I have a chapter of a reasonable length, I post it. I try to do a chapter every day or every second day, but that isn't always possible, due to me either, not having internet, not having time, or not having access to a computer. Thank you for all your lovely reviews - but asking me to release the next chapter ain't gonna make it happen any faster.
"Stay for dinner?" she asked, still gazing out the window at the darkened sky. He considered Remus and Sirius, being taken back to his house by his mum. They'd be fine. "Sure" James said, squeezing her hand.
Lily detangled her her fingers and his hand felt cold for a moment. "Come on" she said lightly, stepping towards the door. "We might even be lucky and Tuney won't be here"
James grinned at her. He was absurdly happy. Lily Evans had held his hand, and invited him for dinner. It was a bloody miracle.
He followed her down the narrow stairs – she held her arms out to the sides, lightly touching each smooth wall as she walked, leaning just far enough forward that she looked like she might overbalance – and followed her into the kitchen. It was small and airy-light, painted a pale yellow with white trim, and Eliza was laughing in the arms of a tall brown haired man with Lily's green eyes.
"Hello dear" she said, beaming at Lily. "Is your friend staying for dinner?"
"Yep" Lily said, sitting down at the kitchen.
She didn't dispute the 'friend' comment, which James took as a good sign.
"Thanks for having me" James said hastily, smiling nervously at Lily's dad, who smiled back.
"Of course" Eliza said, pushing at her husband so she could get to the pot on the stove. He slipped past her to the pile of vegetables on the cutting board and started slicing carrots.
Lily smiled, slightly uncomfortably, and patted the seat beside her.
James used her owl to send a letter home, explaining, and promising he would be home before too long. He told Sirius he hoped that the antlers had come off without too much trouble. He didn't apologize for having caused them in the first place.
He was rather charmed by the distinctly un-magical feeling of the Evans's home – the wireless that was playing soft jazz, the photos that didn't move, the staid tulips on the white painted table. Lily was the only magic thing in that house. It seemed that the light illuminated only her – like it gathered gently and tenderly around her until she was all he could see.
It was disquieting. He'd pretty much given up his resolution to get over her, but did she have to be so – so, noticeable?
The worst thing was that she didn't even seem to be trying. She just was. Like she didn't have any other setting. Like the world was a mirror and she was the only thing reflected.
James tried to ignore her. Her laugh, which sounded a few times, low and lovely. Her smile, quick and flashing and instant.
About fifteen minutes into the meal, he realized her dad was asking him a question.
"- are your parents wizards?" he was asking.
James shot Lily a panicked look. He wasn't familiar enough with the Statue of Secrecy to know if it was legal to tell them.
He didn't know how much contact they had with her world. At school, Lily, while not hiding the fact of her Muggle parents, didn't draw attention to them. She seldom mentioned them or her sister – James didn't even know she had a sister till this year. Lily masqueraded flawlessly. No one could tell that she didn't come from magic blood – she knew everything and anything about the wizarding world.
It was a testament to the flaws in their world, that Lily had to if not hide, than at least ignore her parentage.
"Yes" he said, eventually, spearing a cherry tomato.
"His dad makes hair potions" Lily added, helpfully. He kicked her under the table and she shot him an annoyingly saucy grin.
"Ooh, Lily, I could use that" her mum laughed. "Next time you're in Diagon Alley you'll have to find them for me"
James nodded, relieved. He hadn't been sure how familiar Lily's family was with her world.
"Lily just told me about the war" Eliza remarked conversationally, and James nearly choked on his sip of water.
"It's bad" he said quietly, looking down. "It's insane. No one should be judged for their blood"
James was looking at his plate, so he didn't see Eliza and Jack Evans's approving looks. Lily did – and frowned, slightly, filing away the information under strange things.
The rest of dinner was quiet; they made idle conversation about the weather and the exams. The end of OWLs had been a blur; James didn't really know how he'd gotten through them.
"How're you getting home?" Eliza asked solicitously at the end of dinner.
"Knight Bus" he told her.
Lily grimaced at him sympathetically. "You could take my broom" she offered. "It's dark enough and if you fly high you'd be ok"
"Why do you even have a broom?" he asked. "You don't play Quidditch"
She shrugged. "The stereotypical nature of it is comforting"
"Alright" he said, before pausing and narrowing his eyes. "It isn't a Shooting Star, is it?"
"Cleansweep"
"Fine. Thanks, Evans. And thank you – for – talking to me"
Mr and Mrs Evans had drifted away tactfully, leaving James and Lily in the foyer, standing too close and smiling too stiffly.
She reached behind a potted plant to produce the broom and he laughed at her a bit, at her sheepish expression and the snap in her eyes as she passed it to him.
"Thanks Evans. Stay safe" James said again.
"You're welcome, Potter" Lily told him, and opened the door for him.
Lily flicked on the light when she got to her room, and sprawled lazily on the bed. She was scowling. At herself, but mostly at the thought of Potter. She'd held his hand. What was she doing?
He'd helped her – maybe even saved her life – but that did not excuse, or permit hand-holding.
She heard the clunky thud of thick heels on the stairs, and sat up, hoping – wanting Petunia to trip in blithely, a pink-lipstick grin on her mouth. She wanted her sister to gush about her boyfriend, to rhapsodise over their date, to dream about their future together. Lily wanted a sister again, but she wasn't quite sure how she could go about it.
There was a knock on her door, and she held her breath. It was a brisk, rat-a-tat-tat knock. Nothing secretive or girlish about it. She shook her head. Analysing knocks was just a little too desperate.
"Can I come in?"
Petunia's voice was soft.
"Sure" Lily said from her perch on the bed.
Petunia slipped in. She was dressed differently from how she was when she left, in a soft looking blue dress and thick wooden heels.
"Hi"
Lily patted the bed beside her, and Petunia folded the dress under her carefully before sitting and kicking off her shoes.
"So" Lily said, voice brittle. "You told Mum"
She wasn't really angry. Lily knew her sister far better than Petunia knew, and she understood that her sister was jealous and scared of Lily's world, and she expressed it in weird ways.
"Yes" Petunia replied, equally stiff.
"I'm not upset"
"You don't have any reason to be – I was protecting you"
The kitten jumped up onto the bed and Lily scooped him into her arms. She needed something to occupy her hands with.
"How was your date?"
"Lovely" Petunia said briskly. "Mum mentioned you had a boy over – is he a freak like you?"
Lily's hands shook. "If you're asking if he goes to my school, yes, he does"
"Is he your boyfriend?"
"No!" she snapped. "He's not even my friend"
"So why was he here?" Petunia was maddeningly persistent, and Lily met her chill blue eyes for an instant. There was frank curiosity in them. If Lily let her mind go fuzzy, she could pretend they were children again, trading secrets with whispers and giggles and lemonade.
"He was – here about school" she said randomly. Petunia grinned at her. "No he wasn't"
Heaving a sigh, Lily clambered off the bed. Her room was illuminated by soft golden wall lamps, casting a candle light shimmer to the scene.
The Daily Prophet was on her desk (she made a mental note to hide it better next time) and she yanked it off with a rustle of papers, tossing it to her sister.
Petunia caught it, brow wrinkled in confusion, before she spotted the headline.
"You were attacked?"
There was real worry in her voice, and Lily could see her trembling.
"Yes" she told her. "On the last day of term, the Death Eater disguised as a teacher attacked me and tried to kill me. The boy that was over today – saved me. Sort of. I probably could've taken her-"
Lily shut up at the aghast look on Tuney's face. She probably shouldn't be lauding her own magical prowess.
"She tried to kill you"
Petunia just sounded numb now.
"Yeah" Lily said quietly.
There was a rap at the window and she hurried to open it, Marlene's tawny owl hopping through.
A noise of derision from Petunia as Lily fumbled to undo the message.
"Why don't you just use the post office like normal people?" Petunia complained.
"Cause we aren't normal people" she snapped. "Isn't that what you keep telling me?"
Petunia looked abashed for a moment as the owl took off and Lily ripped open the envelope. She recognized Marlene's creamy stationary and slanted writing.
"Who's it from?"
Lily scanned the letter.
Dear Lily,
Hope you don't mind me telling Potter where you live –he seemed – different. I'm sorry I couldn't make it. Jugson's been sent to Azkaban – she's getting life. I don't know how they found out about the attack, but I was worried it might put you in danger now that the Death Eaters know you were responsible for catching Jugson. I don't think James would be in any danger, his family's too prominent, but I'm scared for you Lily. Anna owled me and asked me to ask you if it would be alright if she could come get you tonight. They'll have protection on their house. I'll see you soon.
Marlene
"It's from a friend" she said distantly. "I have to go"
"Go?" Petunia squawked. "What do you mean you have to go?"
Lily chopped at the air in annoyance. "I mean it's not safe for you while I'm here – I have to go"
She started whirling around her room tossing things into her trunk, yanking out drawers and pulling down jumpers from her closet.
"Lily…" Petunia said, looking lost, "you can't just go"
Busy buckling the cat into his basket, she didn't answer. Lily started piling textbooks into her trunk, yanking jeans over bare legs and shoving her wand through her belt.
"Lily!" Petunia was standing up, hands on her hips. "I'm telling Mum!"
"Fine" Lily said shortly. "I should say goodbye to them anyways"
Petunia rushed from the room, noiseless in stockinged feet, and Lily tucked her caldron in amongst her books.
She grabbed a jumper from her closet, pulling it over her head and gazing out the window for a moment. Out there, somewhere, was Sev. Probably lying awake in his small dusty room, listening to one of his parent's ceaseless arguments.
"Lily!"
She jumped. Eliza Evans stood in the doorway staring in confusion, and Petunia had her arms crossed.
"What on earth are you doing?" her mum continued.
Lily crossed the room in two strides and tossed the Prophet to her mother.
"I'm putting you in danger"
Eliza caught it, and her hair swung down to cover her face, twin curtains hiding emotions. When she looked up she was pale and the paper hung limply in her hands.
"Why didn't you tell us?" she asked, numb.
Lily's hands were busy with quills and papers and trunk clasps. "You would have worried"
Her voice was softer now. The three of them, the mother and her two daughters, made an odd, frozen tableau.
The lamplight was soft and caressing, adding shadows to curves and edges where there were none. A stark contrast to their pale, stiff faces. Like creases in paper, Lily thought, studying the harsh lines of her mother.
"You're not going anywhere" Eliza said firmly, dropping the Daily Prophet to the bed. There was a smiling picture of Lily splayed across it, caught mid-laugh. She didn't know where it had come from.
"Mum, Anna will be here soon. I'm just – going a little sooner than expected"
Her mum either couldn't, or wouldn't hear her, shaking her head.
"Lily…"
Petunia stood in the background, pale eyes wide and confused.
"I'm sorry" Lily said, a note of finality in her voice. "Really. But I need to go"
Warm arms caught her up in a fierce hug, and for a second she clung to her mother, soft blouse and sweet smelling hair and warm tears dropping onto the back of Lily's neck. She clung like she wouldn't let go, like they would stand there for an eternity, frozen but still living.
The doorbell rang distantly downstairs, jolting them back to reality.
"That'll be Anna" Lily said, pulling away. "I really have to go"
"Your dad's asleep-"
"I'll write" Lily interrupted. She pulled the trunk along the floor. "I'll explain…"
Eliza's hand was pressed to the base of her throat, fingers splayed, tapping nervously on her collarbone with a dull thud. Petunia had pressed herself to the wall like she hoped to be swallowed up so she didn't have to meet her sister's eyes. Lily smiled at the pair of them – all soft hair and fluttery hands, and hurried down the staircase leaving them unmoving.
A.N. Hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think and i hope you all have a marvelous day.